I spent last Sunday at the River Never Sleeps Festival at the Rosewall Creek Hatchery, sponsored by the enhancement societies from Union bay to Nile Creek. It is a local event which brings out the best in many groups associated with this vibrant festival. It was put on by local people and celebrated in fine form by all present. Throughout much of the day it rained, but the rain did not dampen the spirits of the participants and I am more than ever convinced that Island children come equipped with oil glands to ward off the rain. The most recent weather forecast I have seen is not predicting sunshine for the long weekend – so let’s hope the weather doesn’t do what is predicted and give us some sunshine. In the spirit of doing things locally, I will restrict my suggestions to Area 14 waters on the salt chuck and a 40-kilometre radius for freshwater activities. The second annual Cumberland Empire Days Family Fishing Derby takes place from Friday, May 20 to Sunday, May 22. Prizes will be awarded Monday, May 23 during Cumberland Empire Day Celebrations. To enter the derby simply register your name at the Cumberland Recreational Centre or Gone Fishin’ in Courtenay and show your catch. A valid fishing license for adults is required and fresh or saltwater catches accepted. There is an abundance of great giveaways – everybody is winner. Sounds like a fun derby, especially for children. It is important that you familiarize yourself and those you fish with about varying regulations that may affect the waters you choose to fish in. For example, you must use single barbless hooks while fishing all streams on Vancouver Island. You must release all wild fish from streams, but there is no size limit on hatchery marked trout you may keep from either streams or lakes. The daily limit on rivers is two, while in most lakes it is four. In general, lake fishing has fewer restrictions than streams. While access is not great, Maple Lake is our only urban lake and may be fished successfully from shore locations as well as suitable boats. One of the memorable events df a fishing trip is fresh fried trout done in a cast iron pan. I hesitate to mention it but Friday, Saturday and Sunday all have some pretty good clamming tides. If we have a couple of days of low rainfall, gathering clams and oysters may be great option for a short local family foray on clean beaches – respect shellfish leases. There are also possibilities of beach fishing for sea-run cutthroats with light casting outfits or fly fishing. Fish the flood tides. The season is open for virtually all of the saltwater fish that live in local waters. Rockfish, lingcod, and flounders inhabit local waters and are accessible by relatively small boats fishing inshore waters. Salmon are also travelling through our waters and if the wind co-operates they are always a possibility. As with all fishing, check the regulations for spot closures, Rockfish Conservation Areas (RCA) before you go on the water. Putting out crab pots or prawn traps is a good way to vary your catch and you might just luck out on some gourmet seafood. Notice: The Courtenay and District Fish and Game Protective Association is holding its annual outdoor show recreation show on the June 4-5. This is a large local event run entirely by volunteers. If you have a few hours to share, give them a call at 250-339-4707 or e-mail the-office@courtenavfishandganie.org to offer your services. Many things can happen – you may make new friends, learn more about the club, or find an area of service you may wish to get involved with. Our society increasingly runs on volunteers and this club is a leader in protecting our outdoor heritage. On the subject of volunteering, last week 67 members of the club took part in a spring cleanup on local lakes, roads etc. and collected 12,562 pounds of garbage and trucked it to the Pidgeon Lake Landfill, where it should have been in the first instance. “Thank you” to the club members for their dedication to a clean environment. If people using the outdoors left a clean recreation site their work would not be necessary. Have a great outdoor Victoria Day Weekend.
Ralph Shaw is a master fly fisherman who was awarded the Order of Canada in 1984 for his conservation efforts. In 20 years of writing a column in the Comox Valley Record it has won several awards.
