Elk River And Other Classified Waters

[softhackle]

On Sunday, coming back from Montana, I noticed quite a few Alberta plates parked along side The Elk. I used to fish the Elk and other BC waters a ton back in the day and visited many businesses in BC towns. Now I bypass BC and continue onto Montana and do most of my fishing there. Do folks actually pay the additional $20/day over and above the $55 for the annual to fish these classified waters and is it worth it? I was thinking of floating (self guided) the Elk and revisiting the West Slope cutties I haven't seen in 25 years... Cheers

[BurningChrome]

Yes there are people who pay the extra $20 per day. Whether or not it's worth it is entirely subjective.

[monger]

I hear the fish are happily eating dries

[sanky]

Here is my two cents! I am not happy with the new rules that have been put into place at all. You have to pre-book all tributaries to the Elk in advance...dont go there thinking that you can buy your tag the same day and fish the wigwam!!! But, I do go there with my wife and fish all day long for an extra $40.00 bucks a day. If I golf for 4 hours in BC or Alberta at a nice course, it cost me $85-$120 per person!!! Because of this extra sir charge of $20.00 per angler and having to book way in advance I will limit my time spent there. It seams that this is what the government of BC wants as well as the guides in BC...let me explain! Lets say "Tim" drives down from Montana this year and wants to fish Michel! He goes into the fly shop to buy his tag only to find out that there are none left to buy because the gov has limited the access to the river...but wait...the guided days on Michel and all other rivers have been upped so "Tim" is now offered a guided trip! The amount of out of province anglers have decreased in a huge way. Out of province also means out of country!!! Wait, are we in the same boat as the good old USA....cant be!!! But it is true. I have booked all my days already, a bill for my wife and I of almost $450.00 for the season. BUT WAIT! What if it rains? What if the river is not fishable? What if, what if, what if? You cant get a refund! Last year I was standing in line in Sparwood at 9am at the government building to buy my tags for the new system...the lady was awesome, she logged in and told me there were 14 tags for Michel left. She punched in my number I bought my tag...about 5 minutes latter I asked her to do the same for my two friends that were driving down the next day to meet me. I gave her their numbers and she requested the day BUT WAIT...it was now SOLD OUT! We can not fish together unless I eat the $20 bucks and book a different stream. We ended up floating the Elk. Sorry to be long winded but if you are planning a fishing vacation with your family and you want to fish down in the Fernie area, I suggest that you double check that you can actually buy a tag to the stream that you want to fish. I would also suggest that you send a little NOTE to the Premier of BC and cc the Fisheries person with your concerns. I for one do go there to Fish, however I now rarely support the hotels, grocery stores, liquor stores, gas stations etc. I have spoke with numerous business owners in Sparwood and Fernie and they knew nothing about this change a how it may affect them...

[softhackle]

What was the rationale for the changes? I remember when they came in, there was little pressure and the fishing was spectacular. Currently out of province anglers pay $55 which is higher than what so called locals(there are many folks who have moved there from other provinces) and I would suggest that most of out of province guys would gladly pay more on an annual basis provided if we were given the same free reign as the residents of BC. I can imagine the uproar if Alberta did this to the Bow, the Crow and other quality fisheries. Enforced regulations, habitat protection and ample water will keep these streams healthy not elitism....

[Dangus]

an uproar from bc? Haha. I've said it here before--there isn't exactly a convoy of bc residents flocking to Alberta every weekend. Quite the opposite is true.

Why travel when you have dozens of rivers in your backyard. Yes some do head out in the spring, when most of their streams are closed. However, if there was a change, they'd probably just say screw it, I'll fish one of the dozens of trophy lakes in my backyard--they're staring at an indicator either way! (Or just go spring steelheading?)

 

I talked to one of the biologists in cranbrook that was responsible for these changes, last season before they came out. Nothing ever came up about financial gain. The intent was merely to reduce pressure on these systems, while preserving it for the residents of the province.

Sure the increase in revenue is nice, but I doubt it was the core principle.

[TroutPanther]

Here is my two cents! I am not happy with the new rules that have been put into place at all. You have to pre-book all tributaries to the Elk in advance...dont go there thinking that you can buy your tag the same day and fish the wigwam!!! But, I do go there with my wife and fish all day long for an extra $40.00 bucks a day. If I golf for 4 hours in BC or Alberta at a nice course, it cost me $85-$120 per person!!! Because of this extra sir charge of $20.00 per angler and having to book way in advance I will limit my time spent there. It seams that this is what the government of BC wants as well as the guides in BC...let me explain! Lets say "Tim" drives down from Montana this year and wants to fish Michel! He goes into the fly shop to buy his tag only to find out that there are none left to buy because the gov has limited the access to the river...but wait...the guided days on Michel and all other rivers have been upped so "Tim" is now offered a guided trip! The amount of out of province anglers have decreased in a huge way. Out of province also means out of country!!! Wait, are we in the same boat as the good old USA....cant be!!! But it is true. I have booked all my days already, a bill for my wife and I of almost $450.00 for the season. BUT WAIT! What if it rains? What if the river is not fishable? What if, what if, what if? You cant get a refund! Last year I was standing in line in Sparwood at 9am at the government building to buy my tags for the new system...the lady was awesome, she logged in and told me there were 14 tags for Michel left. She punched in my number I bought my tag...about 5 minutes latter I asked her to do the same for my two friends that were driving down the next day to meet me. I gave her their numbers and she requested the day BUT WAIT...it was now SOLD OUT! We can not fish together unless I eat the $20 bucks and book a different stream. We ended up floating the Elk. Sorry to be long winded but if you are planning a fishing vacation with your family and you want to fish down in the Fernie area, I suggest that you double check that you can actually buy a tag to the stream that you want to fish. I would also suggest that you send a little NOTE to the Premier of BC and cc the Fisheries person with your concerns. I for one do go there to Fish, however I now rarely support the hotels, grocery stores, liquor stores, gas stations etc. I have spoke with numerous business owners in Sparwood and Fernie and they knew nothing about this change a how it may affect them...

It's crazy.

I will be fishing the Mo July Long... Would have liked to do the elk drainage circuit and hit a few rivers but no tags left on the wigwam/Michel so screw that BC! Will gladly hit the Mo for some dry fly fishing and maybe even further south to the Yellowstone, conditions and hangovers permitting... Will be welcomed with open arms, smiles, and cash registers at the Craig fly shops and bar... Even if I don't hire a guide to show me how to fish a stimmie! What a concept.