Question for you fishers up north...

[s1rGr1nG0]

I read Spinner1's post about it almost being fishing season. Do you guys actually have a season for fishing? I mean, is there a time of year that you legally can't fish? I know with the harsh winters it makes fishing nigh impossible but IF you wanted to, could you?
I live in Texas and everyone knows that winter for us is 3 days of 40 degree weather then it's back to 80!
Just curious...

[popperfly]

s1rGr1nG0,
That is one of the biggest reason I moved from Michigan to Tennessee, because the winters are to long and the summers are to short. There is nothing like standing in the river the middle of January being between 45 to 60 degrees here in Tennessee. Don't miss those cold, windy, snow blowing days.

[redietz]

It obviously varies state-by-state, but yes most states have a closed season, mostly to allow for either spawning or stocking.

Traditionally (meaning years ago) most states with trout only allowed (trout) fishing from sometime in April to about Labor Day (or even earlier in some states.)

The trend has been for the closed season to be shorter and shorter. Here in Maryland, stocked streams are closed for either one or three weeks prior to "opening day." In Pennsylvania, the trout streams are closed March 1 through mid-April. I believe New York has a more traditional closed season, October or so through April 1.

There are plenty of exceptions to closures; catch-and-release streams are usually open all year, for example.

Bass are regulated slightly differently (at least in MD), you can fish for them, but can't keep them Mar 1 - June 15.

So the answer to your question is yes and no. (Or is that no and yes?) There's always someplace you can fish for something, but it won't be every body of water for every species.

[Joe Valencic]

Yes, we really do have seasons in some states for some, not all, species. Mainly these seasons protect spawning fish from the meat fishermen who think fish appear in the rivers my magic, and that every fish should be kept regardless if it's full of eggs or not, or if it's 6" long or 27" long. That may sound like I'm stereotyping some people, and you would be absolutely correct. Without seasons and slot lengths, fish in some waters would be fished to where there would be none left to reproduce. Even with seasons and slot limits, we are still plagued with poachers.

[fcch]

Same thing in Quebec. In BC, there's open season most of the year (I think).

Here, trout (brookies and most other species) is mid april 'till early september

Salmon in Quebec is 1 June to mid September on most rivers. (I believe that Gaspe is longer)

[pspaint]

We have it in NY, too. Trout season is April 1 to October 15. Fortunately, there's a number of trout streams that are open for C&R, during the closed portion of the season. Our trib fishing for steelhead is year round.
Most other game species also have a "season".

[Flyfish4troutguy]

Ontario mostly is Last saturday in April to last day in sept. Some area's have extended seasons until end of dec, which are very few. then even fewer open all year.
A lot browns and brookie waters are c&r.

Mike

[flybop]

In Montana the small streams (most of them) close around December 1st. For the most part the rivers are open year round. We always get a Jan and or Feb thaw and when this happens the fishing can be very good. The Big Horn, like most tail waters, fishes very well all winter. We have already had some incredible days on the Horn and Yellowstone.

For the next week or so we are back into winter mode. This is good because this is the time of winter that we get a good percentage of our snow pack.

[flyfishfairwx]

I will wade in on this one!!!!

We have a season here in SWAB - South West Alberta..

Starts Mar31

But we have open water all year.... you can Fly fish all year long on certain waters... Some Pics of my fav...

on the way to ...







find the wolf..

[tigfly]

Ohio has closed seasons for keeping some species, but even when cold there is fishing. The steelhead was caught Sunday high 20 degrees but flowing water, the perch was caught icefishing today high of 50 degrees. Wish I could have switched those temps around but that's the breaks.


Maybe the last day of icefishing this season....... I hope.