Dave H.
I would have replyed erlier but my internet service was down.
I think I’ve might have stirred a hornet’s nest again!
My CR guide quote the other night was uncalled and I am sorry again. The angler group that you were a part of back then represented and stood up for many great things that involved this resource, I’m sure to much more extent than my knowledge. The pristine setting and true wild steelhead fishing opportunity that the Gold has was invaluable to you guys and you did what it took to keep it the way. Your club fought passionately and deserves recognition. I want to commend you people for the good that you all have done to protect many fisheries. I honestly wish there was some way for me to burry the hatchet on this past situation. I was hoping this mater was now water under the bridge.
My rezones for operating on the Gold at the time were also the great experience it provided. The setting of the village is breathtaking. All facilities being hotels, fuel, restaurants, pub, were all available there the Gold River was a perfect place to set up shop. There were quite a few guys that were against jets there. These guys expressed that the jet boat took away the pristine ambiance of the setting. They did not want to see this river end up like the Stamp. I always felt that compared to pulp mill, chip trucks, logging camp and gas stations my small jet wasn’t all that bad. We all see things from different angles. Has the big ugly stain up the side of the mountain above the mill site gone away yet?
You reference to a “sacrificial river” kind of hit me a little too. In my travels around b.c. chasing fish and game I notice lots of these types of rivers. Some rivers boast historic angling glory and now are lonely for fish propagation. It seems while some streams were very sensitive to logging others are quite resilient when the land from witch they drain is destroyed. I observe components like stream gradient, geological factors, lakes or not, debris flows ect…, and try to pay attention to the complex details, I have still so much to learn. My favorite place to be is an untouched, unlogged and unexploited river valley. Most people never see or experience such places due to lack of logging road access and they can be difficult reach. These places are very rare nowadays and extra special to me. I look for the river under every bridge I cross while driving around. It’s always disappointed when I see a set of train tracks. It is a pitty that some of the greatest fresh habitat has been altered [sacrificed] by other forms of industry and may never produce the same again.
There’s a lot of controversy between bait usage, gear and fly fishing these days. I personally feel that bigger factors than catch and release fishing contribute to fish stocks inconsistencies. Factors like ocean climate, global warming, and fresh water climate habitat potential are by far the biggest factors with predation [birds, otters, seals, whale, and sea lice ect…] following respectfully behind. Catch and release, its way down there. All this jibber jabber over tackle preferences and who’s allowed what where and when is not going to save the species. Bait bans and flyfishihg only is not an efective conservation tool if a fish stock is indeed in trouble. I don’t thing c&r with any type of tackle is hardly a bump on the log when looking at the big picture from a biolodgical stand point, but this is just my opinion.
Mr. H you have struck my curiosity by mentioning the past and how you turned Gold river council against me. When in the area I had circulated a petition to all the bussnesses in the village and only one bussness did not support me in defending the power boat issue. The owner of the hardware store stated that the river should be fished from the bank by fly only. My most unprofessional action in that area that comes too mined is an exchange of words between my self and a C.R. guide and you must know who. This man was polite to me when spoken to in town one on one but always yelled at me when I and my guests passed by on the river. He would state that I was breaking the law even though the restriction had not been passed yet. On one day we both said things that were not true and should not have been said. I believe he had provoked me and his words were equally as harsh as mine. Maybe you were there? Mr. H I have always taken pride in being accountable for my actions. If I have done a deed so dastardly that it helped you turn Gold river council against me then I accept responsibility and probably deserve the consequences. I have no problem confronting any skeleton in my closet trying to rattle my chain. I give full consent for you to expose any letter or dirt on me that you may be concealing if you wish.
I hope your baby birds are doing well.
I've also included a copy of my river survey from Jan.
I also have decided not to post any of the email correspondence between ministry myself and ministry staff.
January 19, 2007
Dear Randy,
I am sending you input for the new regulations that are being proposed for the Stamp River. I conducted a survey January 15 and 16/07, while on the Stamp River fishing for brood stock, with the Ministry’s Mike McCoulgh. For this survey, I approached anglers in my jet boat and asked their opinions on the use of bait and jet boats above the bucket. Here are the results:
Jan.15th, 2007
• ?... ?....., 724-….. The evening of Jan 14th, David Murphy notified me to drop off a fish tube to ?... in the morning at Al Daniluc's, as ?... is fishing there every morning. ?... was in favor of the use of bait in the said area and was in favor of the boat reg. He said that he had his own boat suitable for the river but preferred to walk and fish from the shore. This he told us as he was standing in Al Daniluc's boat. ?... also stated that the one user he would like to see removed from the river was C……. O…... He expressed much dislike for this individual.
• In the Beaver Creek area, ?..... ?.?.... 724-….. ?..... was fly fishing up stream of the rifle range. He was against the use of bait, but is for the use of boats. He said you don't need roe to catch steelhead. He also said charter boats take a lot of less able people and other people who would not have normally gone steelhead fishing. He also said he could not understand how anyone could enjoy playing a fish while floating down the river in a boat anyway. A 20 pounder might as well be a four pounder because there is no drag from the current.
• ?.. ?......., (250) 339-….. ?.. was for the use of bait and did not have an opinion on boat fishing. He said he was not here enough to form an opinion on the boats.
• ?.... ?......, surrendered no phone number and was for the bait ban in that area. He felt that used with class, boat fishing was ok with him.
• ?. ?........, (604)985-….. He didn't have an opinion on the bait issue and said yes to boat fishing.
• In the Slide pool area, ?... ?.... 724-….. ?... said yes to bait use and yes to boat fishing. ?... started saying no to boat fishing and then, in mid sentence, figured the boat guys would be on land beside him and changed his mind.
• ?.... ?...... 701-….. Said yes to bait use and yes to boat use.
• ?... ?.... said yes to lifting the bait ban and yes to boat fishing. I believe ?.... and ?.... are from Vancouver. They are hard core fishing fanatics from way back. These last three also helped us catch a fair number of the fish we retained at the Slide pool.
• ?... ?...., no phone number. He fishes the falls pool and is in favor of bait use. He said yes to boat use, but would like to see if one pool could be jet boat free, so when he hikes down the hill he knows the pool is not being fished. He says, “I have watched people row to the island to where nobody could approach them and then slam em, on roe.” He felt that because the bait ban really is not enforceable, that everybody should be able to use roe. He also wants local guide ?... ?....., to not hover and fish in front of him or call him a bait flinger.
• ?... ?.., 250-758-….. ?... said he would like to see bait opened. He expressed that boats and guides are great, but ethical use and common courtesy goes a long way. ?... asked for my card because he had some family coming to the area and is hoping to show them some exceptional fishing.
• ?... ?...., 604-783-….. ?... and I had a fairly lengthy conversation. He was all for the use of bait and claimed he kept only a couple of steelhead per year to acquire roe. He was all for boats and guides and fully supported my cause. He also said that I would never win my quest because there is always going to be complaining. He says there is no amount of material or evidence proving common sense that can change these peoples minds and that when there through with me that they will just find another cause to fight.
Jan.17th, 2007,
• At the Slide Pool, ?.. ?....., 250-723-….. He wanted the bait ban lifted and figured boats fishing up top was not a big deal. Jim has been here fishing longer than me, (25+ years) and says yes, there have been a few shows where boat operators have pulled real boners and annoyed him, but nothing too severe.
• ?... ?...., 723-….. He was all for the use of roe and may have been the owner of the tub of it that was on the shore. He was in favor of the boat fishing regulation, expressing that there was enough water down below the bucket for the guides. Dan also has been fishing here as long as I have.
• At the Island, ?..-?.., 250-390-….. He is for bait and had no problem with boats.
• ?... ?...., 250-390-….. He is in favor of bait use and in favor of boat use.
• Falls pool, ?... ?.?...., 250-248-….. He was all for bait use and charter boats. He used to hire Jess Cowan who no longer guides any more. ?... after talking a while asked for my card and told me he might hire next week. For some reason he asked us if we knew C……. O….. and implied dislike for him.
• ?.. ?......, ?.. is a friend of ?...’s, I think, from Alberta. He was for the use of roe and o.k. with boat usage. What happened next was one of the most embarrassing boating experiences of my life. While leaving, Mike was trying to pull my stuck anchor and I had given a little gas so we could pull from an up stream angle. After hearing some squawking behind us I realized my engine was on tilt and I had just hosed down one of the guys I just interviewed! This was horrible. I begged for forgiveness. He should have made me pull out my survey book so he could change his opinion but didn’t. ?... called me later and booked me for a charter my next available day. He also told me he flipped his pontoon boat in the bucket after we were gone and went for a good ride.
• ?... ?......... was all for bait use and fine with boat fishing. I was already sure of this because ?... is a local guy and we’ve talked frequently in the past. ?... also brought up, at the gas station that morning, a real dislike for C……. O…...
• ?... ?....... says he would like to use bait here and has no problem with the charter boats. He saw me hose down ?... and said ?... kind of walked in behind me when I wasn’t looking. I agreed instantly of course.
• ?.... ?..., 250-751-….. He was for the bait ban in that area and all for charter boats. He felt charter boats are important to Port Alberni’s economy. He stated that charter boats, while creating a job, are assisting the public to access the fish that are hatchery raised for them to catch. In his opinion, bait was not needed to catch steelhead. ?.... has hired me a few times to take him and his son fishing for salmon and halibut in Ucluelet. He also instructed me in a first aid course 15 years ago. It was good to talk to him again.
• A few other anglers were seen but not spoken to on the river. ?.... ?......... was fishing at Swanson’s pool and is an employee of Nitinat hatchery. I spoke with ?. later that day and he was for the use of bait and charter boats above the bucket.
• ?... ?...... & friend, were fishing across from Beaver creek. ?... stands for the boats and no roe above the bucket. He told me that boat fishing helps free up shore spots and the lower areas are already crowded with other boats. His feelings about bait were sympathetic to the fish that ends up with a pin cushion mouth.
• ?... from Gone Fishing Outfitters, was with some friends at the ledge run. ?... has already put his name in favor of bait on my survey at the tackle store and says yes to boat fishing. Four other anglers were observed but not surveyed because we were transporting fish.
My findings were that 17 out of 20 people interviewed on the river were ok with boats above the bucket. Only 2 were against boats and 1 was undecided. As for bait usage, only 4 people interviewed were for the bait ban in this area, 16 anglers wanted the bait ban lifted. This clearly shows that 85% were in favor for boat usage and 80% want the bait ban lifted. These findings that were acquired in the field conflict with the M.O.E.’s internet survey findings. I told these people that I was a guide and I was defending my livelihood and they heard my side. Mike was there and able to present the ministry’s view. I assure you this survey was not staged.
Randy, this is the first river survey I have ever conducted. It was a great time talking to all the shore anglers and an excellent enlightenment of their views. My hat comes off to Mike McCoulgh. Although sporting different views, he always conversed in a professional manner. The ministry could have done a lot worse.
I had a blast fishing with Mike these days and I look forward to doing it again. I hope to and think I can improve the relationship between the ministry and the angling guides.
Sincerely, Ken Myers
Ken Myers
Dear Randy,
I have been putting some material together that may give you a different view towards the recent regulation changes.
A survey has been conducted in a few tackle stores. These surveys ask anglers about the new regulations in question. The stores chosen were ones that I figured would best expose this matter and reach a large amount of Stamp River anglers.
Bait use from the falls to the bucket surveys were placed in Gone fishing tackle Port Alberni and Nanaimo stores. So far 104 people responded. 82 anglers were in favor of bait usage. 22 anglers prefer the regs stay as they are.
Sea Run Tackle interviewed anglers on both subjects. So far 27 out of 32 want bait and 30 out of 32 were in favor of boat usage.
The river survey with the ministry’s own Mike McCullough resulted in similar findings, 17 out of 20 were ok with boat use and 16 out of the 20 wanted to see the bait ban lifted.
A total of 156 individual anglers input so far have resulted in: 125 out of 156 want the bait ban lifted. Out of 52 anglers asked about boats 46 of them were fine with boat usage. These findings show so far that 80% of the angler public are in favor of lifting the bait ban and 90% were in favor of boats above the bucket. The Gone fishing surveys did not ask about boat usage but I expect similar outcome.
In three weeks I have received input from 156 anglers so far. I expect much more soon and will keep you updated of the results.
I think if you would have asked for input in the winter, when users are fishing the river, your results would have showed the same as the feed back I have been getting.
Looking for feed back in the late spring and summer was probably not the best time to get comments on regulation change. It may be a good idea to have another look at this regulation. I don’t think it is too late for all of us to be on the same page.
This may be just one example of the ministry not working together. The province is spending huge dollars to promote and get more people fishing and the area managers are doing there best to slow down fishing growth. The Stamp would be a perfect example of this. There may not be a better example in the province where the public and commercial interests interact as well. We need to keep this river and the town we live in thriving. The 1000 people that are guided on this river every year is a huge revenue stream for the province and the city of Port Alberni. Also, remember that most of the people we guide are from British Columbia and we are catching are hatchery fish.
I look forward to as much dialogue on this subject as possible.
Kind regards,
Ken Myers
Licensed Guide