We received an email from a member of the Ontario fly fishing community for whom we have the utmost respect who expressed concern at the information we are posting on this site including the recent links to flow information and comments on Ontario rivers. He told us, “It’s one thing to talk about access but to put it on the net, marking places to fish or access? You have got to be thinking this over…” I immediately picked up the phone to call him and we had a long, constructive conversation on the ethics of posting this information.
it is important to note that I wish there were more people like this man in the Ontario fly fishing community because he cares about the resource. He’s a good guy and he walks the talk. His major concern is that we put information on this site directing people to specific rivers but he began to rethink when i pointed out the fact that the information we post is already in the public domain. I also pointed out that we do not tell people where to fish but only where to park (in fact, the access points we show on our fly fishing maps are official ‘put ins’ and ‘take outs’ for canoe tripping).
He went on to say that talking about rivers like the Saugeen draws unneeded attention to them and that he has seen more people on these delicate ecosystems this season than he has in years. He pointed out that while the Saugeen watershed is one of the largest in Ontario and includes literally hundreds of kilometers of river – it is not stocked. His point is that we need to educate people to promote ‘catch & release’ and lobby the provincial government to get more ‘no kill’ zones in Ontario so these fisheries are preserved. He quite rightfully pointed out that these watersheds are delicate and killing fish will likely destroy them in less than 5 years. I agree 100% – but I also believe that denying people directions on where to fish is not the solution. The key is in promoting responsible fishing practices and enforcing existing game laws. We need to lobby the government to get more resources committed to enforcement so law breakers will be caught, charged and have proper sentences enforced.
And we need more people like this man on our rivers !
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