[cblake]

Hello all,

It's that time of the year again. The 4th Annual 2008 BC Open is approaching fast and is happening on Saturday, April 5th 2008. The tournament will take place (as in year's past) at the Shawnigan Lake Public Boat Launch. Entry fees are $100 per team (2 anglers per boat) and a $20 optional Big Fish Pot. Tournament hours are from 7am-3pm. Minimum 7.5 hp required. To enter email [email protected] with your contact information. Once again there will be prizes for kids and adult competitors alike. Hope you see you all there!

 

[cblake]

Upatde: poster added

 

[eimaj]

So how do you guys weigh in live fish with out the use of livewells?

 

[young gun]

i'm hoping to get out, need to pursuade the bass pro to come with me.

 

[cblake]

So how do you guys weigh in live fish with out the use of livewells?

Weigh stations on the lake just as the Victoria Fish and Game Club does at the Elk Lake derby

 

[Krypto-Limitkiller-Sanderson]

How do these weigh stations work? Do the anglers need to bring the fish to them?

 

[eimaj]

If you could help me out as I don't want to get the wrong impression. So you catch the fish then transpost them to a weigh station, I'm still not sure how you would do this properly with out the use of some sort of livewell.

 

[cblake]

No problem eimaj, Once a fish is caught the angler must immediately bring the fish to the nearest weigh boat (numerous stations strategically place all over the lake) where the fish is weighed and returned directly to the lake. There is a minimum 7.5 hp rating so that the fish is not out of water long. This is the same format used across BC including by the nearby Victoria Fish and Game Protective Association and Zuider Zee's Father's Day event. To quote the VFGPA May 2007 newsletter: "To meet conservation objectives this derby offered catch and release of both Bass and Trout. Several weigh boat were positioned strategically around the lake thus allowing anglers to have their fish weighed into the derby and also the opportunity to release the fish unharmed back into the lake." (http://vfgpa.org/newsletter/archive/VFGPA_Newsletter_May_2007.pdf).

Cheers

 

[eimaj]

I checked out the links and am more than a little concerned. In your club rules, section 5 line (a) you state for all open tournaments all competing boats must have fixed or portable livewell. You yourself also said that for this tournamnet the fish must be retained in order for it to be taken to a weigh in station that is a minimum of over 50m away in most cases more. I would have to say that this sounds illegal according to current regulations. I could be wrong, as I'm sure you guys have already checked on the matter.

Just for those that thinking about signing up, make sure you check for yourselves, and don't go on someone elses say so.

Have any live fish in your possession
in the wild, or move any live fish or live
aquatic invertebrates around the
province or transplant them into any
waters of B.C. Do not keep angled fish
alive in a “livewell” or other device

 

[cblake]

eimaj, Fisheries attends our event each year and is well aware of not only our derby this year but also the VFGCS derby, the world sturgeon championship tournament held on the Fraser in November, etc. where angers keep live fish in their possession for a short period of time. Keeping live fish for longer than the time required to weigh and safely release a fish is NOT permitted under any circumstance in our, or any other event, and having Fisheries present at our tournaments (they check every participant's boat over the course of the day) ensures that no fish are held longer than needed to weigh the fish and release it. Further, that is why we have a 7.5 hp minimum rating so that someone in a float tube can't spend 10 minutes in transit to get to a weigh station, (no other organization in BC insists on having a minimum horsepower rating at their events – in that we are actually going beyond the standard in operating procedures to ensure this does not happen. Fish caught are held no longer than 60 seconds under the current format - just as long as it takes you to snap a picture of a fish you catch. No anger should be concerned about jeopardizing themselves by attending our or any other event with that format. The Victoria Fish and Game Protection Association derby had 265 adults and 40 kids at their event using the same format last year and no one there was in any kind of trouble. Thanks for clarifying that issue though eimaj, as it is not clearly stated on the poster. Have a great weekend!

 

[Grizz]

you know, the way the regulations read (thanks eimaj)

"Have any live fish in your possession
in the wild, or move any live fish or live
aquatic invertebrates around the
province or transplant them into any
waters of B.C. Do not keep angled fish
alive in a “livewell” or other device"

kinda promote catch and kill!

the derby/contest is held in one lake right?

 

[Grizz]

in another words, there will not be any moving around the province or transplanting right?
seems very sportsman like to "Catch and Release" (IN THE SAME BODY OF WATER) :2cents:
:beerchug: :thumbup: