Putting the 'sport' back into 'sportfishing'

[Porkpie]

I too agree with a class just like hunting. Spending a weekend in a classroom learning the regs and proper fish handling if your releasing the fish and the class is not free 120 is how much the hunting course is if I remember correctly. And raising license prices to get more funding for the MNR to hire more CO's

No to this thanks. Folks, if your that bent about it, do what I do, and skip salmon fishing. I get eggs from harbour fish out of my boat late in late August. If you don't have access to a boat , then Cruise the cleaning stations from early to mid August. Plenty of skeins get tossed from charter boats. Jam is some of the best bait available anyhow, so you might as well take advantage of it. The salmon run has been a gong show for as long as I can remember, and you will tire of it after a few seasons. I pay enough in fees, there is no way I want to spend more to enjoy the simple sport of fishing, just because a few pricks can't behave themselves during the spawning run. Salmon aren't really a fish to be enjoyed in 3 feet if water anyway!

 

[steve7321]

I couldn't agree more. Ignorance is not an excuse for anything. You want to play baseball or hockey you need to be familiar with all the rules. Why should fishing be any different than any other type of sport. The regulations are free and available online. Every year I read the first section covering general rules and the sections that I fish. If I travel to unknown waters I will always do some research. We spend more time doing nothing every day than it would take to read the whole regulations. So no excuse.

 

[rick james]

Interesting to read the different opinions out there.
Personally I agree with the idea of educating people about fishing regs and ethics as a precondition to getting a fishing licence. Perhaps an on-line course like the boating exam with a marginal fee would suffice.
I think there's a widespread misconception out there that salmon don't bite once upriver. Having fished the tribs for the 25 years I can categorically tell you salmon will take various presentations from roe to various artificials (whether they do this out of instinct or aggression is another story). For example, I have witnessed many times salmon coming up from the depths of a pool to snatch roe mid-descent.

I've also noticed they are more likely to strike when they're not spooked. Unfortunately snaggers spook pools. If there were no snaggers there would be less spooked fish and more sport for everyone. Also remember, amongst the salmon there are browns and later steelhead, why give up the opportunity and let the snaggers win the day?
I believe there is much that can be done to improve the fishery and I think education is the key.

 

[salmotrutta]

I think there's a widespread misconception out there that salmon don't bite once upriver.

Agreed. Very similar to steelhead, in that when they're not spooked and fresh run, they'll hit like crazy. Wrong bait, or wrong presentation/time of day etc, and you won't get any bites.

Think of the countless people that don't even get a single bite day after day when steelheading in the Spring. The steelies do bite in the Spring, but several factors will determine whether you get any or not, and it takes experience to figure out how to leverage those factors in your favour to consistently catch them.

 

[Kit]

I think I got 3-4 clean hook sets I was proud of. The snags mostly happened when they start fighting each-other and the pool scatters around like crazy. There were times where I thought I was gonna get taken out while standing in the water while drifting flies.

But yeah they don't eat it's more of just drifting that same fly through the pool pissing em off and one will eventually strike.

 

[instapump416]

[video]http://youtu.be/zqo-A_qJIME[/video]

 

[goodentight]

Hope you called and showed MNR that video, good work

 

[rick james]

Good for you Pump!
That's the kind of s*** that drives me mad...I'm sure many of you have seen guys like him, although perhaps with a little more subtly and decorum, this guy was something else, holy smokes!
I can't believe how composed you remained confronting this gentleman, my heart would've been beating 180 beats per minute.
Once again awesome work, the more guys like you do this, hopefully the less of this type of behaviour we'll see.

 

[free reign]

Do people realize the amount of chemical pollution in these fish and the effects on themselves.
I myself will never eat a fish out of lake O or tributaries.. My 2 cents aside from the bare hook deal gong show
Good to see the poilce out at some tribs this year also