Why Don’t We Get It?
A fellow angler once told me that in the US, when it comes to fishing, ‘They get it.’ In Canada, we do not.
We had been talking about how expensive it is to launch a boat at most of the ramps in our area along Lake Ontario. There is only one free launch (although they charge during the Salmon Derby) and it is by far the nicest since it has multiple ramps. Another launch has seen drastic increases to its launch fees over the last few years, with no improvement to the facilities.
This, I was then told, is in direct contrast to the US, where there are many free launches with excellent ramps. Because, “They get it.”
I was reminded of this conversation as I watched a Hook n’ Look episode titled Gravel Pit Potential.
This shows an extraordinary opportunity where a gravel pit lake, in a gravel pit that is still under use, is leased to the county for people to use as a fishing destination. Did you hear how many fished are stocked into this lake? And how frequently?
There are so many bodies of water that counties could buy or lease to provide great fishing opportunities. I know of one pond that was offered to a small town and they decided not to buy it. That’s unfortunate because that pond has an incredible largemouth bass population – I have caught some real hawgs out of it – and is in an ideal location to encourage residents to spend the day on the water.
I realize it is not a simple case of saying the ponds should be bought, but more of an effort needs to be made to provide great fishing spots to people.
It’s just something to think about. If the townships and counties in Ontario spent a little money on providing fishing spots, they may be able to spend less time implementing ineffective programs to remove junk food from schools and actually encourage kids to get outside.
argosgirl
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Have you ever heard the old saying, “The grass is always greener on the other side”? This is a perfect example.
The U.S. doesn’t “get it” any more than Canada. We have great fishing areas and we have crappy ones. Ask any semi-serious angler in the US what their dream fishing destination is, and many of them will tell you “one of those amazing fly in lakes in Canada.”
You like our stuff – we like yours
You couldn’t be more right – the grass is always greener on the other side. What I was trying to get at though, is how fishing in general can be made more accessible. Around these parts it can be hard to find accessible fishing spots. Adding a launch fee on top of the gas it will take me to drive somewhere can mean the difference between staying home or hitting the water. Making it easier and more inexpensive to hit the water means more people are able to enjoy fishing.
Those amazing fly in lakes are just that – amazing. But they are no more accessible to me than anyone living south of the border 🙂
In the end, what I really am aiming at, is that there is a lot more we can do around here to encourage and allow people to fish.