In Powerscourt, Quebec, a covered bridge crosses the Chateauguay river just north of its entry into the province from New York State. On the western side of the bridge there is a little parking lot that can hold about a dozen cars. If you walk up the road into the Scout camp and follow the river a bit, you can find all kinds of riffles and holes which contain trout. I have heard people catch Brown Trout here, and I've heard there are Rainbow Trout as well. I've only ever caught Brook Trout.
If you are hoping to fill your creel, this is not the place to go. If you are looking for a river to fish in solitude, move on. The times I've been have not been extremely productive, and I've never been on the river alone. If, however, you want to fish a trout river within an hour of Montreal, you enjoy beautiful scenery and the challenge of trout fishing on a lively river, and you don't mind sharing it with other enthusiasts, then this place is ideal. Even if you don't catch a fish, you will have the chance to see a beautiful river, surrounded by all kinds of life, from birds to red squirrels, grandiose trees and forests of ferns.
One of the nicest things about this area, other than the season being open all year, is the price: it is absolutely free. In a world of trout fishing often being quite expensive, it's nice to find a place less than an hour from Montreal where you can fish all year (depending on weather) and not have to pay.
Thursday, May 29, 2014
Sunday, March 2, 2014
The ethics of fishing
I am compelled to write about this. There are many ethical rules that anglers live by, and some of them contradict each other. I have reservations about fishing. I don't enjoy killing. When I see blood on the bottom of my boat, or on my hands, I don't rejoice. When I do kill a fish, I do it because I will be eating it, and my wife will be eating it, and anyone else who happens to be with us. I have never, and I will never kill a fish to hang it on the wall. But killing or releasing is not the only ethical question in fishing.
The first question should not be "should I release this fish I have caught?" but rather "should I fish these waters?" Like any recreational angler, I have heard the catch and release arguments many times. The conclusion of the argument is always the same: when we catch fish, we should release them. The reasons differ from angler to angler, but it usually comes down to conservation. I am a member of Trout Unlimited Canada, and the chapter I belong to is working for the conservation of the Chateauguay River in Quebec, and most of the vocal members believe that we can save the wild Brown Trout (Salmo trutta) population by releasing them after the catch.
All kinds of efforts are made by catch and release anglers, the use of barbless hooks or pinched barbs on conventional hooks, unhooking a fish without handling it, fishing in a way to hook the fish in the mouth rather than "foul-hooking" in the gills or further down the digestive tract, there are even special nets used to impart less damage to the protective layer of fish. Despite all of these efforts, some released fish still die. I've heard mortality numbers as high as 80% and as low as 5% and everything in between. There are numerous studies on numerous species, but there is yet to be a study where it is shown that 100% of released fish survive.
Rather than to enter the debate on catch and release, I'd like to think about it differently. Since even by catch and release we end up killing fish, I think the question should be: "am I willing to kill fish in these waters?" If we take the best-case scenario of 5% mortality, we actually kill one in every twenty fish that we release. Let's remember that the best case scenario must involve that we have used a barbless hook, the fish never left the water, was never handled, the hook was taken out cleanly from the lip of the fish, and the fish was played for less than 5 minutes before it was released. If any of these conditions was not met, we have to hike the mortality rate. But let's for the moment stay with 5%. So we are killing one fish for every twenty. If we are fishing in waters that have plenty of fish, and we are only catching the fish that there are plenty of, then I'd say this may be acceptable, though I do think a dead fish that is not on a dinner plate is a waste.
However, if we are fishing a body of water with a precarious fish population, then I'd rather not kill any fish. This means not fishing at all. The unfortunate consequence of catch and release is that anglers who practice it have developed a clean conscience and live under the illusion that their practice has no negative impact on the ecosystem. The fact is that a guide who takes clients out and catches and releases twenty fish in a day and goes out three or four days per week is responsible for killing more fish than an angler who goes out once per week and catches two fish and eats both.
Fishing is a predatory act, whether or not we release our prey. The question is, which waters should we prey in, and which should we leave undisturbed?
The first question should not be "should I release this fish I have caught?" but rather "should I fish these waters?" Like any recreational angler, I have heard the catch and release arguments many times. The conclusion of the argument is always the same: when we catch fish, we should release them. The reasons differ from angler to angler, but it usually comes down to conservation. I am a member of Trout Unlimited Canada, and the chapter I belong to is working for the conservation of the Chateauguay River in Quebec, and most of the vocal members believe that we can save the wild Brown Trout (Salmo trutta) population by releasing them after the catch.
All kinds of efforts are made by catch and release anglers, the use of barbless hooks or pinched barbs on conventional hooks, unhooking a fish without handling it, fishing in a way to hook the fish in the mouth rather than "foul-hooking" in the gills or further down the digestive tract, there are even special nets used to impart less damage to the protective layer of fish. Despite all of these efforts, some released fish still die. I've heard mortality numbers as high as 80% and as low as 5% and everything in between. There are numerous studies on numerous species, but there is yet to be a study where it is shown that 100% of released fish survive.
Rather than to enter the debate on catch and release, I'd like to think about it differently. Since even by catch and release we end up killing fish, I think the question should be: "am I willing to kill fish in these waters?" If we take the best-case scenario of 5% mortality, we actually kill one in every twenty fish that we release. Let's remember that the best case scenario must involve that we have used a barbless hook, the fish never left the water, was never handled, the hook was taken out cleanly from the lip of the fish, and the fish was played for less than 5 minutes before it was released. If any of these conditions was not met, we have to hike the mortality rate. But let's for the moment stay with 5%. So we are killing one fish for every twenty. If we are fishing in waters that have plenty of fish, and we are only catching the fish that there are plenty of, then I'd say this may be acceptable, though I do think a dead fish that is not on a dinner plate is a waste.
However, if we are fishing a body of water with a precarious fish population, then I'd rather not kill any fish. This means not fishing at all. The unfortunate consequence of catch and release is that anglers who practice it have developed a clean conscience and live under the illusion that their practice has no negative impact on the ecosystem. The fact is that a guide who takes clients out and catches and releases twenty fish in a day and goes out three or four days per week is responsible for killing more fish than an angler who goes out once per week and catches two fish and eats both.
Fishing is a predatory act, whether or not we release our prey. The question is, which waters should we prey in, and which should we leave undisturbed?
Saturday, March 1, 2014
Ice fishing basics
Two Autumns ago, my most frequent fishing partner, François, and I built an ice fishing cabin. It is a modest thing, 4' by 8', two plastic chairs that François picked up from the side of the road, a little stove, a lexan window in the front, and another in the back. We fish with "brimbales" which are most often referred to as tip-ups, but should really be called tip-downs, since they tip down when a fish bites. the lines are heavy braided lines, mostly so they don't break if they happen to get stuck in ice, at the end of the line there is a 1/2 oz weight, and about 6-12" above the weight, there is a loop in the braided line, to which we attach a short leader (about 6") of mono or fluorocarbon with a #6 hook. We fish with minnows which we buy from a guy down the street. Sometimes we fish with short ice-fishing rods, but we've had more luck with the stand-alone tip-downs.
What and where
I live in Rigaud, Quebec, Canada. The street I live on ends at the Ottawa River just before it turns into the Lake of Two Mountains. When my wife and I bought this house, my parents gave us their fibreglass canoe as a housewarming present, and that is what I fish from most often. I can take the canoe down the street, launch it into the water, and paddle around a few bays and into the lake. Our part of the water holds Northern Pike (Esox lucius), Muskellunge (Esox masquinongy), Walleye (Sander vitreus), Yellow Perch (Perca flavescens), Smallmouth Bass (Micropterus dolomieu), Lake Sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens), Channel Catfish (Ictalurus punctatus), and of course panfish and all sorts of minnows. I've heard people claim that there are Lake Trout (Salvelinus namaycush), but I've never seen any evidence of them.
I will travel locally to fish, but I'd rather sit in my canoe and fish than in my car thinking about fishing, so if it's more than an hour and a half away, I have to know it's worth it before I go.
I will try any kind of fishing that is legal, and so far I have found enjoyment out of all the types I've tried: fly fishing, bait casting, spin casting, trolling, ice fishing, shore fishing, boat fishing, salt water, fresh water, still water, running water, oceans, lakes, rivers, creeks... If there is a remote chance of finding a fish in it, I'll fish it, and I'll fish it any way I can think of.
I will travel locally to fish, but I'd rather sit in my canoe and fish than in my car thinking about fishing, so if it's more than an hour and a half away, I have to know it's worth it before I go.
I will try any kind of fishing that is legal, and so far I have found enjoyment out of all the types I've tried: fly fishing, bait casting, spin casting, trolling, ice fishing, shore fishing, boat fishing, salt water, fresh water, still water, running water, oceans, lakes, rivers, creeks... If there is a remote chance of finding a fish in it, I'll fish it, and I'll fish it any way I can think of.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)