Sep 10

Reporting Poachers- Why it’s Important to Do Our Part

Recently I have seen an increase in poaching on the Bow River while out fishing. Poaching is bad for our fisheries and can cause severe decline in fish populations rapidly. Not only is it against the law, but it is also harmful to any fishery, especially when the Bow River is in a steady decline, and our government is not actively stocking the watershed.

Poaching is defined as taking/killing a fish or animal illegally and can take on many forms. Fishing without a license or tag, exceeding the set limit, fishing out of season, fishing for trout when restrictions are in place (IE, fishing when Time Of Day restrictions are in place) snagging fish, harvesting someone else’s limit, using bait or baitfish where prohibited, or scented lures/ plastics, retaining fish where prohibited, using more hooks on one line then allowed, not following size limits – all are examples of poaching.

In 2017, the Alberta Fish and Wildlife implemented a Catch and Release policy ONLY on the Bow River system from Bow Lake all the way to the Bassano Dam. No fish of any kind including Pike may be kept. Also, no bait of any kind may be used, including Maggots which were the ONLY bait allowed previous, and only from September 1st to October 31st.

I had two incidents lately where I observed two anglers clearly breaking the law. A third incident where I had strong suspicions that the angler was going to keep a fish illegally.

The first incident my girlfriend and I were going fishing in the evening, inner city Calgary. We arrived at the Bow River at about 7pm. We walked down the Bow River pathway and through some thick brush to get to the rivers edge. This spot is surrounded with high trees along the bank, and as we were about to go over the berm of the bank, I observed an angler standing beside his rod, not casting or retrieving. This is a dead giveaway that the angler had bait out into the river, where it is not legal to do so. I walked away from the berm of the bank and immediately called the Report A Poacher number. After giving the location where we were, and where the person bait fishing was, I received a call-back from the Calgary Fish and Wildlife officer. Lucky he was in the area and took him a short five minutes to show up. I directed him to where the poacher was fishing and in fact, the guy was using minnows as bait. The officer then wrote him a ticket and came and chatted with me regarding what he found; minnows stashed in a glass jar, hidden under some tree roots on the bank. After talking with the Fish and Wildlife officer briefly, he notified me that this guy is a repeat offender and was caught keeping more fish then was legal. I guess some poachers never learn.

The second instance, just a few weeks ago, I went shore fishing inner city. I was alone and made my way up the river pecking my way along to find fish. I was casting my Robertson tackle lures out and noticed a guy fishing upriver from me. What first caught my attention was he was not casting, nor was he retrieving like I. For me, it’s the first tell-tale sign that bait is possibly being used. As I got closer to him, I noticed he was getting more nervous and keep looking downriver at me. I walked down to my backpack and called the Report a Poacher number.

Let’s pause here and talk about the things you should have ready before you call the R.A.P number.

  1. A description of the person or persons involved in the infraction. What color clothes they are wearing, race, ball cap, etc.
  2. Make and model of vehicle if you can, or licence plate. This seldom happens as we are often away from the vehicles.
  3. Where you are located, and where the possible offender is located also. Google maps is super helpful, or letting the officer on the phone know what area you are in. EG (I am on the east side of the river, under the Sue Higgens bridge. This information is valuable and can save time when the field officer responds.
  4. What you saw, or seeing while you are on the phone. Sometimes the offender will keep the fish, so watching where the fish was placed can be helpful for the responding officer.

By the time I made the call to the R.A.P number, it was already 8pm and it took the responding officer about an hour to get to the location. By this time, the guy I suspected changed locations and walked past me and went downriver. I was parked in a parking lot near the river, and once the officer pulled in, I directed him to the location of the suspect. The guy was in fact using bait and admitted that he caught a rainbow trout, which he hooked deep and blead out on the shore. He told the officer he released the fish, and the fish he caught was bleeding heavy. Another trout perished because of breaking the rules. Once again, the guy was a repeat offender.

The third incident happened in the exact same location as the second. My friend and I were shore fishing in the evening and saw a guy catch a fish across the river from us. He had no net and dragged the fish onto the shore for almost four minutes. I never saw him release the fish, so I decided to make the call to the R.A.P number and report the incident. Four minutes having a trout out of the water is almost sure death. I’m not God, nor do I play God, but the chances of a fish surviving after that is not good. Having a net and keeping the fish in the water while you remove the hook is the solution here. A short fifteen minutes and the officer had arrived. I pointed out the angler and he went straight over and checked for fish, and licences. I said to my friend, “watch, I bet they don’t have licences”. Sadly, I was right, and two tickets were issued to two anglers.

It is a big river system here on the Bow, and we know the trout populations are in a decline. If one trout is killed each day, every season approximately 245 fish will be lost. It does not seem like a big deal, but over a five-year span, that is 1225 fish gone. My point here is this, if everyone cares and does their part to preserve the fishery, we will hopefully have a steady trout population for many years to come.

Here’s where you come in. Alberta Fish and Wildlife officers can’t be everywhere. They depend on river users, anglers and other wildland enthusiasts to report poaching and other suspicious behavior they see in the field. It’s super important to protect our fisheries at all costs.

To conclude, using bait kills fish. They take the bait deep and that increases mortality. It is illegal here on the Bow River system from Bow Glacier to the Bassano Dam. In a catch and release fishery, bait has been banned.

Keeping the fish out of the water too long can kill fish. Get a good rubber meshed net and leave the fish in the water, breathing. Have needle-nose pliers ready and your camera if you desire to take a quick photo. Do not handle the fish longer than necessary. Come prepared with the right gear and the right tools. Use appropriate pound test line for your fishing applications. I suggest 8lb test line minimum for trout fishing the Bow River. The last thing we want is to break off, leaving a hook in a trout’s mouth, rendering the fish not able to eat again.

Do your part and report all infractions to the Alberta Report A Poacher number here at 1-800-642-3800. You are eligible for a reward if tickets are given, and the poacher has been charged. Personally, I do not do it for the money, I do it for the love of the fishery and to protect angling opportunities for many generations to come. Educate your fishing friends, and or family, about the importance of the fisheries and maintaining what we have. Share this article and pass on this valuable information to others, in hopes they learn and follow the laws and rules set in place. If you don’t like the rules, or you feel they need to be changed, address your grievances with your local F&W office, your local M.L.A or the environment minister. You can also get involved in the local fishing clubs and offer your time to enhance and protect the fisheries around you. There are many ways to keep fishing alive for many years into the future. Please learn the rules before you fish, and if they are unclear, or you have questions, please call the local fish and wildlife office and ask someone. They will clarify the rules for you, so you understand and stay within the regulations and the law.

Thank you,

~Mike

Sep 03

Labor Day At the Lake

My girlfriend Charlene and I decided to switch it up from trout fishing and head out to Milo to fish McGregor Lake. Before leaving the city, we stopped to get some worm harnesses and some live, jumbo dew worms. After making the short hour drive, we rigged up the rods and blasted off in search of our quarry, the Stizostedion vitreum, or Walleye for short.

It was a hot one out there, so both Charlene and I got the sunscreen on before we left the house. We had lots of worms, as well as Gatorade in the cooler. We were all set!

A short boat ride across the lake and we were fishing. Slow trolling worms on a blade harness can be a super effective way to catch Walleye, especially when its hot and the fish are possibly deep. It was not long before I got the first fish, and we were on the board. Charlene caught many fantastic Walleye, which made me ecstatic.

We spent six hours trolling the lake with epic success. I would estimate we landed over 40 fish on our adventure. For us, it was nice to kick back, relax and watch our rods while we had our feet up.

We fished until the sun almost set and packed it up just before dark. Another fantastic day on the water. Please have a look at the video and like and subscribe if you have not already. We appreciate you watching.

Thank you,

~Mike

Aug 25

Fishing on a whole new level: My $1500.00 Rod and Reel Investment

Recently, I have been in the market for a new rod and reel set-up. After fishing heavy for the last 20-twenty plus years, it was time to step up the game and get some higher-end gear. I just want to say that, in no way am I endorsing , or officially sponsored by either of the below mentioned companies;, I am simply sharing my opinion on the gear I purchased. With that said, lets continue with my journey into the unknown, and this new-to-me price bracket for gear!.

Previous to my recent purchases, I was using a Berkley HMG spinning rod, paired with both the Pflueger President XT, and the President 6940 spinning reels. I did try the Abu Garcia Revo reel but had serious problems with line going into the spool and retired that reel into the junk bin shortly after. That was a three-hundred-dollar mistake. Something else to note, I was brand loyal for most of those 20 years. It was time to branch out and spend some money for that prize I marveled at, sitting in those locked, glass cases in the tackle shops.

I remember vividly remember looking at the reels under tight lock and key thinking to myself, “What nut job would be silly enough to spend that kind of cash on a reel?”. We are talking about a $900.00 reel!. I was absolute in my opinion that anyone buying that would have to be INSANE. I then looked down at the pile of all those ‘“other’” reels I had in my discard bin and added them up. There were over 20 reels in that junk pile, which led me to think about adding up the combined cost of all those reels that were toast. Let us do the math here and see who’s really “insane”. The average cost of one reel was $120.00 retail, times 25 is 3000 smackers!. WOW!!! Spending $900.00 on that Shimano Stella was not really that out of line after all, right?.

Obviously, something as impressive as the Stella must be paired up with a killer rod, right? Right!! I decided (after giving it some very serious thought), that a rod by St. Croix was the solution for me. High quality deserves to be matched with high-quality. No more $120.00 rods for me. After searching the internet and asking my friend Jesse – , who is the director of Marketing for St. Croix for advice. After we talked, I selected the Avid, two-piece, 6’6 Medium action rod. I have no room to store a one-piece rod, so two-piece rods are the way to go for me. I know that a little sensitivity is lost, but it just works better for transporting.

After waiting for the reel to arrive from Japan, and getting the rods shipped to my door, I finally got to try the ‘“holy grail’” of fishing reels a month ago. To say this thing is smooth like microwaved butter is a gross understatement. I spooled the reel up with the regular monofilament line I normally use; the Berkley Trilene XT, low-vis green. So far, after over a month of fishing with it, I have never gotten a bird’s nest or had any sort of problems with the line on the spool. Additionally, there has never been an instance where the bail has closed on me mid- cast, like some of the other reels I have used in the past. The power and performance of the Stella is unreal, and doesn’t compare to all other reels I have touched.

Moving on to the rod, I wanted to make sure I had the utmost sensitivity in the rod I chose. I wanted to keep the rod around the $500 dollar mark, so I began my search on the official St. Croix website. Another attribute that was super important to me was the warranty of the product. I wanted a rod that had at least a two to five two-five-year warranty, and these rods totally fit that bill. These rods have a 15 year warranty! Obviously, in order to offer that kind of warranty, they stand fully behind their rods, and it shows.

The history behind the St. Croix rods as follows.

Each rod is hand crafted in Park Falls, Wisconsin, with the company being in business for a staggering 76seventy-six years. The St. Croix Avid spinning rod has been around for at least four years, and I could not be happier with my investment. St. Croix’ s Premier Series of rods has been the top-selling family of American-made rods for over a decade running.
“I know these rods have a special place in the minds of my team members, because Premier has been in production in Park Falls longer than any other,” says St. Croix Production Supervisor, Brandi Schmidt. “When we see Premier rods on the schedule, it resonates that there have been over 60 years of Premier rods coming through this factory. There is a real sense of pride to make sure that the rods we produce today live up to that name and that legacy.”

Offering 67 distinct spinning and casting models for everything from panfish to musky, the powerful, sensitive and classically styled Premier Series rods are proudly handcrafted in Park Falls, Wisconsin and give anglers the upper hand in almost any angling situation.

In conclusion, to say I am over-the-moon happy would be an understatement. I recognize that for some, this kind of combo is out of reach financially, but after over 30 thirty years of fishing, I had to treat myself.
I will definitely keep you all posted as to how they perform year after year; or if I have any issues with either the rods, or the reels, but so far…..WOW.

Thanks for reading,

~Mike

Jul 06

Fishin’ and Flying Rainbow’s

With the first bye-week of the CFL season for the Calgary Stampeders football club, and the Bow River in prime fishing shape, it was time to meet up with my friend Reggie Begelton and go after some trout. This was Reggie’s first trip out with me this season, as he is back from Texas where he lives and busy doing what he loves, playing ball. Normally he catches footballs but today he will be catching the Bow River’s finest fish.

I would be remiss if I did not mention the hoodie I am wearing in the first picture of Reggie and I. Reggie has his own brand of merchandise called R/B Merch found here https://reggiebegelton.com/ Reggie is donating half the money from purchases of his clothing brand to World Vision Canada. World Vision Canada is a Christian relief, development, and advocacy organization working to create lasting change in the lives of children, families, and communities to overcome poverty and injustice. Based in Mississauga, Ontario, World Vision Canada is the largest private relief and development agency in Canada. If you can, please pick up some great hoodies or hats and support a great cause in helping cure hunger.

We decided to meet at Policemans Flats boat launch and fish the top portion of the river. With the rainbow trout now coming back out of the Highwood River post spawn, this is a great stretch of river to fish this time of year! The water levels were high, with the river stained up a touch, but looking great to crush it.

I rigged up two rods for Reggie, one with the Robertson Tackle Dreamsicle, and the other with the 4.5-inch Robertson Tackle Sunrise Samurai. Its smart to have both a deep diving lure as well as a shallow diving lure ready to go. We set out of the boat launch early (6:45 AM) and headed down river get the first fish in the net. It was not long after we launched that Reggie smashed his first amazing rainbow trout and put it in the boat. The second fish I miffed the net job and bumped the hook off the fish before I could get it into the net. Sorry about that Reggie! Within the next two casts, Reggie hooked another great rainbow that did two epic jumps out of the river before getting all the way into my net. I was not about to miss that one.

We carried on down to almost the Highwood River junction where Reggie kept putting them in my net one-after-one. It’s always a blast for me to see him smack fish all day and do what we both love out there. The peace and quiet is always a blessing and the company is top shelf. Always appreciate you coming out fishing Reggie.

Thank you so much,

Mike