Opening of Trout Season, Under discussion...

As much as it pains me, as I haven't missed a trout opener in over 30 years as far back as I can remember. I am seriously considering not going out. There are too many people on opener and too close for my comfort level. I tried to go steelheading a few times in early March and although I stayed away from people, I found that others would crowd in or not practice proper distancing so I stopped going and put everything away.... IMO not worth the risk.

Actually come to think of it, if none of us go fishing for spring trout in the creeks and rivers and they close all access and parks, it would be a good thing, as it would give the fish a nice spring to fully spawn. More fish for next year and the future. Of course this is just my opinion and I have no right to tell people what to do or what not to do. Just a "what if"...

Anyway.. Towns who have lots of visitors during trout opener are already in talks with officials on what to do about Trout Opener...

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FROM: Valleys 2000 - The Valleys of Bowmanville

JUST STAY HOME

Fishing
Fishing in the lake, below the CN railway tracks, has not been impacted at this time; however, individuals must comply with the distancing guidelines mandated by the Province. Staff has reached out to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry to assist with concerns relative to fishing and are working towards measures to further restrict group gatherings as it relates to the opening of the spring fishing season north of the CN tracks on April 25, 2020.

“Members of Council and staff have been fielding many questions about the upcoming opening of the fishing season at the end of April,” continues Mayor Sanderson. “We are working with provincial partners to address these concerns, but in the meantime, I strongly urge all residents and visitors to wait until this pandemic is behind us before you resume your fishing trips. Now is the time to stay close to home and leave only when it is essential. Recreation and leisure activities are being missed by all, but we must curb this disease by following the advice and guidance of our medical professionals.”

Fish Ladder closure
In partnership with the Ganaraska Region Conservation Authority, the Ganaraska Fishway (also known as the Fish Ladder) is closed. This has been implemented to further reduce the opportunities for groups to gather at public spaces in the community.

Municipal enforcement of provincial orders
Ontario has permitted additional enforcement capacity, allowing Municipal Enforcement Officers to provide education and administration of these physical distancing regulations. Further, the Port Hope Police Service has agreed to help support the enforcement of physical distancing regulations and is regularly patrolling the usual recreation and leisure sites throughout the community to ensure compliance. Those who are not following the physical distancing regulations can face fines

I agree shut it down if no one is following social distancing

I went for a drive yesterday (not fishing) and passed a couple of spots I would usually hit.

It was crowded like there is nothing going on. They closed a lot of the access points with concrete blocks and warning for fines if you entered but in the one spot you could access it had 10-20 people all bunched together. (Stupid)

You gotta think some people are being selfish, sure we all want to get out but if no one is going to listen the rules will get more strict and we could very well lose the entire season because a few dumb asses can't comprehend that there actions put others at risk not just themselves.

If it was only yourself at risk they go out and die I don't care but when you know being in a group like that could infect how many others with just one person infected and you still go. I'm sure most have family they would be going home to after so that's even more selfish.

I even saw one dad brought his young girl maybe 5 along and she was sat on the bank Bored. I was thinking what a selfish #$%&.

Yes this is what I was noticing. Not practicing the proper etiquette.. On the rivers I fish there was hardly any etiquette at all in normal years. I can tolerate that (to a point), been steelheading for a long time. I was out in early March, when it was still cold and angler numbers were somewhat lower, but now with the warmer weather and everyone out there.. It's way too risky.. IMO..

I also heard through the grapevine, popular access points and parking areas being blocked off with boulders and logs, etc..

Opener is still ~20 days away.. But it's not looking promising.

For now... The gear has been put away..

yep, places are getting shut down faster than I can keep up with.

and people are not staying home enough to slow this down

I would not be surprised at all to see urban areas closed for fishing soon and then a gradual spread further north until we see numbers come down

Really glad to see everyone on this forum being so responsible with this and not pushing their luck.

A great article I read this morning from Trout Unlimited

"To fish or not to fish during the outbreak"

Lots of stuff that was echoed here in the past few days...

https://www.tu.org/blog/to-fish-or-not-to-f...g-the-outbreak/

Thx---will share that

For those not reading the entire article, this paragraph at the end sums it up nicely...

One last point of punctuation. It’s just fishing. Sure, we hold it sacred, special, and it is part of all of us… but it’s a recreational activity. Think about the doctors and nurses and EMTs and others in New York City, and what their professional lives look like right now before you drive 100 miles to a river to get your Ya-Ya’s out, or load up your Instagram feed, or whatever, … and then consider whether or not that’s an insult to people who are literally laying their lives on the line right now. Symbolically, if nothing else, solidarity means staying home..

For those not reading the entire article, this paragraph at the end sums it up nicely...

One last point of punctuation. It’s just fishing. Sure, we hold it sacred, special, and it is part of all of us… but it’s a recreational activity. Think about the doctors and nurses and EMTs and others in New York City, and what their professional lives look like right now before you drive 100 miles to a river to get your Ya-Ya’s out, or load up your Instagram feed, or whatever, … and then consider whether or not that’s an insult to people who are literally laying their lives on the line right now. Symbolically, if nothing else, solidarity means staying home..

X2

Denny’s dam closed to fishing and using the park area. That’s on the Saugeen. If anyone planned on going there, save yourself the drive. Other areas along the river have not been officially closed yet.

For those not reading the entire article, this paragraph at the end sums it up nicely...

One last point of punctuation. It’s just fishing. Sure, we hold it sacred, special, and it is part of all of us… but it’s a recreational activity. Think about the doctors and nurses and EMTs and others in New York City, and what their professional lives look like right now before you drive 100 miles to a river to get your Ya-Ya’s out, or load up your Instagram feed, or whatever, … and then consider whether or not that’s an insult to people who are literally laying their lives on the line right now. Symbolically, if nothing else, solidarity means staying home..

This is excellent right here! The amount of people I see on social media that just don't get it is staggering. When likes and clicks outweigh the greater good we have lost our collective minds. I always read how in the times of need and crisis Canadians pulled together but that seems to have passed us by with time and we are starting to turn into selfish individuals like those south of the border.

^^^^

Thank-you for posting that blurb, yup that section really hit home in the article....

For those not reading the entire article, this paragraph at the end sums it up nicely...

One last point of punctuation. It’s just fishing. Sure, we hold it sacred, special, and it is part of all of us… but it’s a recreational activity. Think about the doctors and nurses and EMTs and others in New York City, and what their professional lives look like right now before you drive 100 miles to a river to get your Ya-Ya’s out, or load up your Instagram feed, or whatever, … and then consider whether or not that’s an insult to people who are literally laying their lives on the line right now. Symbolically, if nothing else, solidarity means staying home..

This is excellent right here! The amount of people I see on social media that just don't get it is staggering. When likes and clicks outweigh the greater good we have lost our collective minds. I always read how in the times of need and crisis Canadians pulled together but that seems to have passed us by with time and we are starting to turn into selfish individuals like those south of the border.

Granted, there are pockets of "selfish and inconsiderate individuals" on both sides of the border. And I'm not going to lump everyone in one age group as the primary culprits because they are spread across the entire spectrum. But not the vast majority as some may think.
There seems to be a lot more people in the GTA that are either "essential" workers or bored people than in the outlying areas just based on the amount of vehicular traffic I can see on the major routes. Traffic seems to be a little less than half the normal volume that I saw every day normally driving around the city. And I've seen a few boats being towed past the traffic cameras heading east and north. By contrast, my daughter lives 15 minutes outside of Tampa and she can see I-75 from her 3rd floor balcony where she sits to read daily since she's been out of work (restaurant business). She said the traffic volume going into Tampa in the morning is moving steady and at full speed past her location where it's normally stop and crawl every morning because she's close to the I-4 interchange.
Moreover, my fishing guide down there says that there is far less traffic on the lakes that he uses near Lake Wales, and it's always warm enough for fishing and the boat ramps aren't closed there "yet".
People seem to be getting the message to stay home in both areas, just not nearly enough IMO. If a person is not working, getting groceries or going for medical attention or prescriptions, I can't personally see a valid reason to get into the car/truck and go anywhere. My only reason for leaving the house for the past week plus was to go to my local pub for meals and wine/beer (curbside pickup).

Stay home!!

I guess this topic is related to the Opening of Trout Season

Ganaraska Fishway - Announcements

https://www.lakesimcoeoutdoors.com/forums/i...showtopic=42884