Good news is a welcome change from much of the information we get these days.
Halibut fishing just got better for recreational anglers in our coastal waters. Thanks to the efforts of people like Gil Gingras, Comox Valley Chairperson of the Area 14 Sport Fishery Advisory Committee (CFAC), and Chuck Ashcroft, our Sport Fishery Advisory Board (SFAB) representative on the International Pacific Halibut Commission (IHPC) conference board.
This column offers a special thank-you to the recreational division of DFO for re-opening the halibut season and responding to the increased size of legal halibut in such a timely and speedy fashion for the 2014 season. The good news – effective Feb. 1 until March 31 the recreational season for halibut is open. The 2013/14 rules, size limits and bag limits are in effect. Fish taken during this period will be counted as part of our 2013/14 annual limit.
This is wonderful news for local halibut anglers. May I suggest that a large herring on an appropriate bait set-up would be a good bet in the local waters of Area 14, especially from Cape Lazo south to the waters around Denman and Hornby islands in the 200-foot range over sandy bottoms? Do not overlook the waters off Century Shoals, Kitty Coleman Hump and the 200-foot shoals north of the Powell River ferry route. It is close to home halibut fishing.
Effective April 1, the following new rules apply until further notice (Note – this is with your new license.)
“The maximum length for halibut is 133cm. (an increase of 9cm)
“The daily limit for halibut is one (1).
“The possession limit for halibut is two (2), only one of which may be greater than 90cm in length. (an increase of 7cm.)
See the regulations for exceptions in areas 121, 123 and 23.
Note the increased size limits work out to the approximate increase in weight as follows – 90cm = 20lbs, 133cm = 70lbs.
There is an annual limit of six halibut and you must record them on your license.
It is mandatory that you know the regulations as supplied by DFO and I cannot emphasize strongly enough that it is your responsibility to know the rules governing the areas you fish and the species you target.
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Tide and Bite Guide – 2014 published annually by the Island Fisherman Magazine. The guide covers the Comox Valley, Campbell River and Gold River from Janauary 2014 to January 2015. It is free from the advertisers listed in the booklet.
Larry Stefanyk is the publisher and guiding force in the production of this excellent little booklet that is a treasure of information to both tidal and non-tidal anglers. It is available from advertisers throughout the Valley including the Comox Valley Record. I encourage you to pick up a copy – you will be pleasantly surprised.
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As I write this column I feel compelled to urge extreme caution when walking or playing with children near our frozen lakes. We have had a stretch of comparatively cold weather that has frozen the surface of local lakes. The recent snowfall may also add to the deception that the ice is safe to walk on or even consider ice fishing.
Please be assured that it is not safe to walk on ice-covered lakes unless there is at least six inches of solid ice. Even then you should only do this type of activity in cold weather. On two occasions my brother and I escaped drowning while traveling on thick rotten ice by shear good fortune. My father’s trapping partner drowned in the early 1920s when the dog team he was travelling with went through the ice on Cold Lake, Alberta.
There may have been a time in the past when local lakes froze enough to make ice and fish on, but I respectfully submit climate change is not making local lakes safe to play on.
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The Courtenay and District Fish and Game Protective Association is holding its annual Wild Game Dinner and Fundraiser on Saturday, Feb. 22 at the Florence Filberg Centre. The doors open at 5 p.m. for socializing, viewing silent auctions items, Chinese raffle and a whole lot more. Dancing starts after the auctions are over. Tickets are $40 and they are available from club social convener Elsie Rogers. Funds from this event go towards children’s programs and conservation activities sponsored by the club.
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.
