Opening Day

Danny and Ella Hunter fishing on MacNeil's Brook in Antigonish.  While they weren't successful they were very excited to finally get out fishing.  

Opening Day

Last Friday (May 1st) was opening day on Prince Edward Island and in Nova Scotia.   While on PEI it was clearly communicated that it was opening day it was less clear in NS.  The delay to the fishing season in PEI was meant to extend until June, whereas in NS it was until May 1st.  Variation orders were issued by DFO to bring this into effect in NS and in PEI license sales were postponed.  

Last week, as provinces began to consider easing restrictions, PEI released information on a four phase plan which included information on the fishing seasons.  Licence sales were quickly made available via PEI's online licensing portal and by all accounts opening day went smoothly.  I reached out to a few fishers and heard that while many didn't have the best of luck everyone seemed to enjoy the opportunity to get out and wet a line.  While there were some that seemed to forget about social distancing, the vast majority seemed to be able to get out and enjoy some time on the water while adhering to social distancing guidelines.   

Fishermen on PEI practicing appropriate social distancing on Opening Day.

In Nova Scotia, things were less clear.  During the last days of April it seemed as if NS was headed for an extension to its fishing season closure.  During one of their regular briefings that week, Premier MacNeil and Dr. Strang, indicated that "now is not the time to ease restrictions".  Communications with Inland Fisheries didn't provide much insight, other than they had submitted a lot of information about the recreation fisheries in NS and some options to the Health Authority.  They too seemed to be waiting for a decision to find out what was going to happen.  As it happened no word came from Premier or Dr. Strang and at midnight on April 30th the DFO variation order that kept the season closed expired.  So without official word as people awoke the next day they were in the dark as to whether the fishing season was open or not.  Inland Fisheries was flooded with calls, as was I and everyone else who might "be in the know" asking for clarity.  Social media was of course full of conflicting information.  Adding to the confusion some government agencies indicated that season was closed while others said it was "open by default".  Some business started selling fishing licences (in NS there is no online licence sales, which is a whole other rant for another day) while others refused saying the season was closed.  Eventually during the Premier and Dr. Strang's 3 pm briefing it was revealed that the season is indeed open and that NS would be easing an number of restrictions for the mental health of all Nova Scotians.  A follow-up meeting with Inland Fisheries Advisory Council, a collection of angling organizations that meet to advise Inland Fisheries Division of the NS Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture, that took place immediately after the announcement revealed that Inland Fisheries themselves were in the dark until moments before the announcement was made.  While some of the specifics around the restrictions associated with the season opening (status of public boat launches for example) are still unclear, it is clear that the fishing season is open but that anglers need to be responsible and maintain social distancing rules. 

So go out wet your lines and take a much needed break but do so with some common sense.

Since as the joke goes, common sense is no that common, here is a list of common senses rules published by the Nova Scotia Salmon Association that you can follow to maintain social distancing. 

The MacGillvary brothers got out with their Dad during opening day weekend.  The boys had a great outing and caught 5 rainbow trout (a stocked species in Antigonish) for their supper.

Despite the confusion to its starts, it appeared to be a successful opening weekend in Nova Scotia.  Lots of people took advantage, including many families with young children.  I know my own children were excited to get out.  All day I was pestered with can we go fishing yet Dad.  My reply of yes but not just yet because I have to work did not go over well.  Eventually we did get out and while my kids didn't catch anything they were all smiles, happy to get out the house and do something with Dad.  We had no sooner got back and they began planning our next excursion.    My family was not the only ones who got out.  Another such family were the MacGillvarys who got out in their boat on Gillis Lake in Antigonish during opening day weekend.  Their dad, Ryan, was able to get a few shots his boys during their excursion that show their big smiles and happiness at finally being out on the water with their dad.  He indicated it was a great couple of days and a good experience for the boys.  The boys had a great day landing 5 rainbow trout, a stocked species in NS, which their dad let them keep for their supper.  They practice what I think is a great idea to engage kids in the sport, where they get to keep the first five fish they catch before switching to catch and release for the remainder of the season.  

Thanks Ryan for sharing the experience you got to have with your boys.  I know that this experience mimics that of many other anglers and families in NS and PEI.  Over the weekend I got reports of anglers and families evenly spaced along reaches and lakes from across both provinces.  From those I spoke with, most talked about how good it felt to escape and to get out on the water, wet their lines, and do something enjoyable for a change.  While the catch reports seemed mixed and the weather wasn't the greatest no one seemed to really care about that.  They were just happy to be out.