Officer also told me all bait is included in the ban, including all baits for sturgeon fishing, chub fishing etc. if it's bait it's not allowed.
The officer is wrong, as they can be at times since they are enforcers, not managers who put the regulations together. The current bait ban only applies to salmon fishing, as indicated in the fishery notice.
A reminder, and as announced in the 2011-13 Freshwater Salmon Supplement, the
following measures will be implemented to protect Interior Fraser River Coho
and to provide selective opportunities for Chinook and Chum Salmon.
Information on sockeye opportunities are announced in separate fishery notices.
During this critical migration time for Interior Fraser coho, the recreational
community is requested to fish selectively when fishing for Chinook and
Chum. The first principle of selective harvest is to avoid catching non-
targeted stocks. This means that anglers are requested to use angling methods
that do not catch coho.
Fraser River - in the non-tidal waters of the Fraser River, from the CPR Bridge
at Mission to the Highway #1 bridge at Hope
Effective one hour before sunrise Thursday, September 6, 2012 until one hour
after sunset, Monday, October 8, 2012:
You may not fish for Coho Salmon, and
You may not use bait when fishing for salmon.
You may selectively fish for the following species:
- Chinook Salmon, the daily limit is four (4) per day, only one of which may
exceed 62 cm.
- Chum Salmon, the daily limit is two (2) per day.
- Pink Salmon, the daily limit is two (2) per day.
Fraser River - from the Highway #1 bridge at Hope to Sawmill Creek
Effective one hour before sunrise Saturday, September 8, 2012 until one hour
after sunset, Saturday, October 13, 2012:
You may not fish for Coho Salmon, and
You may not use bait when fishing for salmon.
You may selectively fish for the following species:
- Chinook Salmon, the daily limit is four (4) per day, only one of which may
exceed 62 cm.
- Chum Salmon, the daily limit is two (2) per day.
- Pink Salmon, the daily limit is two (2) per day.
Fraser River - from the confluence with Sawmill Creek to the Alexandra Bridge
Effective Monday, September 17, 2012 until Monday, December 31, 2012 you may
not fish for salmon.
Notes:
Sport anglers and guides are reminded to label and submit heads from adipose
fin-clipped (hatchery-marked) Chinook salmon to the Salmon Head
Recovery Program. Recovery of coded-wire tags from recreational fishers
provides critical information for coast-wide stock assessment. For more
information and locations of Depots contact the Salmon Sport Head Recovery
Program at (866) 483-9994 or visit the following site: http://www.pac.dfo-
mpo.gc.ca/fm-gp/rec/tag-etiquette/prize-prix-eng.htm
Did you witness suspicious fishing activity or a violation? If so, please call
the Fisheries and Ocean Canada 24-hour toll free Observe, Record, Report line
at (800) 465-4336.
For the 24 hour recorded opening and closure line, call toll free at (866) 431-
FISH.
For more information please contact the local DFO office in your area.
Fisheries & Oceans Operations Center - FN0800
Sent September 6, 2012 at 0801
With that being said, no one should pretend to be fishing for trout, char or steelhead with roe right now. There is a reason behind these regulations and it's up to us to make informed choices to protect what we are all trying to conserve.
There is a slight possibility that the anglers who BB and Milo saw were bar fishing with spin n' glow as the river current in the tidal portion (close to Mission) of the Fraser River is actually quite strong, even during the outgoing tides. Without seeing up close what they were doing, it's difficult to say. BB does raise a good question on the distribution of seasonal regulation changes. The fishery notice system is not bad, you can definitely select and filter which notices you want to get in your inbox. I've chosen to receive all recreational fishery related notices so I get them perhaps once every few days in the summer. On this website, links to the notices are published on the homepage, news section and the discussion forum. They are also posted on our Facebook page and Twitter feed immediately so we can reach as many people as possible.