March 12, 2019

Five Reasons You Should Go Fishing This Year

With 20,000 lakes and 750,000 kilometres of streams in British Columbia, you don’t have to travel far in this province to experience some of the best freshwater fisheries in North America. Why not take advantage? We’ll give you five reasons why you should go fishing this year – with tips so you have no excuses not to.

1. It’s inexpensive.

An annual fishing licence for B.C. residents costs $36. Purchase your annual licence on April 1, and you get 365 days of fishing before it expires on March 31 the following year. What else can you do for less than 10 cents per day? Seniors (aged 65 years and older) pay only five dollars for an annual licence, while kids under the age of 16 fish for free. 

Don’t have gear?  Borrow a rod and tackle for free at locations throughout the province, including Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC hatcheries and select tourist visitor centres.

2. Learn a new skill. 

Whether you’re new to the sport or a seasoned angler, the Freshwater Fisheries Society’s YouTube channel and How to Fish blog posts have you covered. Learn the basics, like how to cast with a spincasting reel, or pick up some new tips to “match the hatch” from fishing experts. 

Check out your local tackle shop to see what courses they offer. Improve on your casting technique, or learn to tie your own flies.

Kids have never tried fishing? Bring them to an introductory half-day Learn to Fish course offered in a provincial, regional, or municipal park near you. Check out our Events calendar to find where and when courses will be held this spring or summer, or book one through one of our hatchery visitor centres. 

3. Connect with nature.

Spending a day on the water is one of the best ways to relieve stress. Watch insects hatch, enjoy the call of a loon – and if you’re lucky, you’ll get to feel the tug of a fish on the end of your line, and reel in a trout.

Re-visit and master catching fish at a local lake or stream, or use fishing as an opportunity to explore the province. Fishing BC has some great stories and trip ideas to help you plan your next fishing adventure.

Don’t have a boat, or trekking through the forest to reach a walk-in lake isn’t your thing? Try casting a line from a fishing dock. There’s a growing list of docks at urban or near-urban lakes in our province: use the Dock filter on the Where to Fish map to find one near you.

4. Connect with family and friends.

Put your laptop and smart phones away; water and devices don’t mix. You’ll enjoy uninterrupted time to catch up with family and friends. If you must have your phone out, use its camera to take an awesome photo of a happy angler in action. 
If you’re an avid angler, help introduce your friend, neighbour, or grandchild to recreational fishing. They’ll be future advocates for our natural environment.

5. Catch your own food.

Fish are nutritious and delicious. Share a meal of fresh fish at the dinner table, along with the story of how you caught it.

While this province has thousands of lakes and steams with wild fish stocks, the Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC also stocks over 800 lakes with hatchery-reared trout, char, and kokanee. Use our stocking report tool to find out what fish we released, when, and where.

To ensure that our freshwater fish stocks remain abundant, follow the regulations, and respect the catch quotas.


Author: Stacy Webb, Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC
Images: Lacey Pukas

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