WITH spring in the air, my attention tends to wander from the tasks at hand to the lake, or river or ocean as I start thinking about my first fishing trips of the year.
This year is no exception. We live in a truly wonderful home, with so many places to visit. I have no idea why anyone would ever want to vacation away from B.C.
Alas, I am in the minority, I know, but in truth, this province is a fisherman's paradise.
As usual, with work and family and all the planning and preparation in advance of actually going fishing, I found myself this year, as in past years, bolting upright in bed, the evening before going fishing and thinking: "I forgot to get my licence!"
But unlike years gone by, this did not mean finding an open tackle shop, or delaying getting on the water until I could buy a licence. Nope, it is all online now, and actually has been for several years.
www.gofishbc.com is the website run by the Freshwater Fisheries Society of B.C.
Amongst a wealth of fishingspecific content, it allows users to log on and purchase their fishing licence, along with any specialty tags one may need.
Start to finish, the whole process took me about 15 minutes, and I was able to print my 2012-13 licence, and put it in a waterproof bag in my tackle kit. That left me lots of time to poke around the gofishbc website, and they have done a really nice job of adding all sorts of relevant features.
There are stocking reports, updated in pretty much real time, ideal if you are a dad with kids who you want to introduce to fishing in one of the urban lakes. After stocking, the fishing is fast and easy in these lakes, perfect for introducing youngsters to fishing.
They also have maps and suggestions for angles, tips and articles, and foster several programs including encouraging anglers to be "fishing buddies" taking neophytes out for a day fishing, and possibly introducing them to a lifelong pastime. The maps are a treasure trove of ideas and possibilities. If you are planning a trip, you can easily do all your research and find the best opportunities in your area.
There are articles on tactics, gear, fish types, and instructional videos on the site.
A newsletter keeps anglers abreast of news and whets our appetites with reports from around the province.
The Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC is charged with keeping our freshwater fish stocks healthy. They run the hatchery programs that have so successfully helped support our reputation as a terrific fishing province. The money from your fishing licence is the primary revenue source for the society.
I know . . . this isn't technically a column on "technology," although I have to say that the B.C. fishing forums like www.flyfishbc. com, www.sportfishingbc. com and my favourite, www. fishbcforum.com have been an active source of fishing information and camaraderie for years.
