Friday, April 15, 2011

Pier Fishing with Kids in the Lower Mainland

It is a Pro-D day for the kids. I asked them what they would like to do. They requested:

1. Snowshoeing; and
2. Fishing.

Why can't they ask for something easy, like bowling or watching a movie?

I put on my research hat and set about fulfilling their requests. After looking into snowshoe rentals (Grouse Mountain, MEC), I decided that I don't have enough energy to do rentals and then drive up into the mountains.

So I went to #2: Fishing. We already have fishing rods, so this was a possibility. First, I bought a fishing licence from the Department of Fisheries. Children require a licence, but they are free (unless you want a salmon stamp for $6) and you can buy the licence online and print it at home. Now, how easy is that?

An excellent source of information is "Fishing with Rod." He lists the most popular fishing piers and does a write up on each one. He also provides information on how to do pier fishing. We chose the Number 3 Road pier in Richmond simply because it is close to where I need to pick up my licence... My printer is out of ink, so I have to get a friend to print them up for me!

If you would like to go freshwater fishing, you will need a different licence from the salt water one, but it is still free for kids. Here is a great website for figuring out where to fish. You will need to check the regulations for the area where you fish. I looked up the regulations to find out that we need to release anything good that we catch, like rockfish or lingcod, not that we would be able to catch them... There is a table of limits on the number of fish you can catch. I tried to memorize what they look like, but basically it will be catch and release for us.

You also need to figure out when to go. Mornings and evenings are the best time, but you also need to check the tide tables. High tide is a better time to fish. The best months are between May and October... oh well. Even if we don't catch a thing, the kids will have fun letting the line out.

Wish us luck...

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