Gone fishin' only if you can find a spot
Group working to reel in a designated dock for shoreline anglers
Paul Schliesmann
Local News - Monday, August 13, 2007 @ 00:00
It's called shoreline fishing, and it's as simple as picking up a rod and reel and a dozen worms and heading for the nearest shoreline.
Depending on who you talk to, it's either a dying pastime in Kingston or it represents the future of summer fun for hundreds of young people in the city.
The trouble is, shoreline fishing is being squeezed by development and regulations. The water is still there, but not the access.
Two years ago, for example, the federal government posted "No Fishing" signs along the north side of Lasalle Causeway, a hugely popular fishing spot where anglers could virtually park and cast from their cars. Now it's off-limits to vehicles and tackle boxes alike.
But shoreline fishing has its advocates. For the past eight years, Bob Wells and the Kingston and District Rod and Gun Club have been running the annual perch fishing derby at Portsmouth Olympic Harbour. In June, 700 children 12 years of age and under registered to fish and receive prizes, including about 250 rod-and-reel sets, to launch their new angling careers.
"Fishing," said Wells, a retired conservation officer who moved here 10 years ago, "is Kingston's best-kept secret. This is a wonderful area to fish and for people to get themselves out."
Wells is hatching other plans to promote shoreline fishing, like a designated fishing dock and even a fishing day camp that would be run by the city.
"All sport fishermen started as shore fishermen," he said. "We all pretty well started fishing from the shore as opposed to boats."
Dreams of 21st-century Huckleberry Finns ambling barefoot to the riverside on a hot afternoon with a bamboo pole slung over their shoulders are shared provincewide.
The Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters runs two key programs that, according to communications co-ordinator Robert Pye, are designed "to feed off kids' inherent interest in fishing,"
Tackle Share, for instance, provides fishing rods, reels and gear at about 125 locations across the province - libraries, provincial parks, conservation authorities and through some big brothers and big sisters organizations, including Big Brothers of Kingston and District. The program is so popular that some provincial parks have asked the federation to provide more equipment.
"It's amazing the number of families that decide they're going to take up camping. But they didn't come with a fishing rod," said Pye. "I think all kids have a fascination for the outdoors. A lot of kids today are growing up in urban environments and in single-parent families. Though they may not have immediate access to fishing, the interest in fishing is as strong as it was 50 or 60 years ago."
In Ontario, youths under 18 and adults 65 and older don't need fishing licences. But there are limits on the number of fish that can be kept and the seasons in which they can be caught.
One of the federation's most popular events is the Ontario Family Fishing Weekend, run the second weekend in July, when parents can take their kids fishing without the parents having to buy a licence. As well as the fishing, local volunteers and organizations give out certificates to the children and there may be demonstrations on catch-and-release techniques and how to clean fish.
The federation, which estimates that eight million Canadians of all ages fish, has close ties to the high-profile fishing tournaments and corporate sponsorships. But it also actively promotes what Pye called "backyard fishing opportunities," which he said are abundant in a water-filled province like Ontario.
The Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters offices are in Peterborough, a city built around the Otonabee River and Little Lake. "Some of the best muskie and walleye and bass fishing is right here in Little Lake," said Pye.
Pye finds it ironic that some of the most popular electronic games are based on fishing and hunting themes, an indication, he said, that "they're waiting to try the real thing.
"That's exactly why we have these programs. Fishing really is as simple as hook, line and sinker. Fishing celebrities like Bob Izumi have done well to promote the sport. We promote that the fishing's easy and right there in your backyard."
Or is it?
"Unfortunately," said Bob Wells, assessing the Kingston situation, "there is very little public access to go fishing here in the city." The causeway no-fishing zone is a case in point.
"We had an increase in incidents of vandalism at the site," said Meeta Bhimani, a spokeswoman for the federal department of Public Works and Government Services in Toronto. "Our priority is to make sure the area is safe."
But when asked if anglers were causing the vandalism and doing the littering, she couldn't say for sure - only that the activities had stopped.
"We can't say who's doing it," said Bhimani. "We're not saying the fishers are the vandals. "
Gates were installed at both the parking areas and the no-fishing signs erected about the same time two years ago. But Bhimani said the two aren't related - that the gates were put up because the parking areas were meant for employees and visitors doing business on the site.
The rod and gun club is looking westward to open up other opportunities for anglers. "One of the things we're trying to do as a rod and gun club is to establish a fishing area in the city," said Wells.
Members have a plan to turn the abandoned coal-loading dock on Lake Ontario below the psychiatric hospital into a fishing-only zone. But it's been difficult finding out who owns the dock so they can negotiate to make a few upgrades and add safety features like lifesavers. It may be under the purview of the federal government. "For three years we've been trying to get that dock designated," he said.
On a second front, Wells is negotiating with city officials to start a fishing day camp, possibly next summer.
"A lot of kids have never gone fishing before," he said. "I'd be surprised if we don't have it up and running next year."
Wells described fishing as a wholesome outdoor activity that can keep young people happily occupied for hours. "Kids sometimes get into trouble while they're fishing - but it's not serious," he said. Robert Pye said there is an environmental payback for getting kids hooked on fishing. "We know that anglers, people that get involved in fishing early, develop a lifelong interest in the outdoors and that develops an appreciation for conservation."
In the process of learning to fish, he said, they also learn about fish stocks, wetland protection, healthy waterways, food chains and other important conservation issues.
"Fishing provides a hands-on lesson in environmental education."