Eastern Brook Trout

[Chuck]

Who of you would agree with Tinney that there are NO Eastern Brook Trout in British Columbia - or that there are SUPPOSED to be NO brook trout in B.C.?

I, for one, disagree and am aware of extensive stocking programs in the area of W. Kootenays dating back to the 1920's. Fry were brought to B.C. by train from eastern Canada, and possibly also the U.S.A. and packed into lakes and streams with the aid of horses by volunteer groups and sports clubs. Attempts were made also to establish German Brown Trout in W. Kootenay streams, but were for the most part unsuccessful due in part to uncompatible habitats or geology/climate.

[Tinney]

:biggrin: Let me elaborate my position.
Brook trout are not native to BC. There are not supposed to be wild, reproductive populations of brook trout in BC (Excluding Fortress lake). With the extensive efforts currently being put in by MoE to determine where reproductive populations of brook trout exist and reduce/eradicate them, I would suggest to you that you inform your local MoE office of the whereabouts of such populations. Brook trout are an invasive species, however deliberate their introduction may have been. You will agree that management practices prior to the 1970s were based on less than adequate knowledge of the impacts of introduced species.
Enjoy :biggrin:

[Browningmirage]

Who of you would agree with Tinney that there are NO Eastern Brook Trout in British Columbia - or that there are SUPPOSED to be NO brook trout in B.C.?

I, for one, disagree and am aware of extensive stocking programs in the area of W. Kootenays dating back to the 1920's. Fry were brought to B.C. by train from eastern Canada, and possibly also the U.S.A. and packed into lakes and streams with the aid of horses by volunteer groups and sports clubs. Attempts were made also to establish German Brown Trout in W. Kootenay streams, but were for the most part unsuccessful due in part to uncompatible habitats or geology/climate.

Dude...you just totally ruined your own argument. By "supposed" to be here, native or non native is the item in question. If the eastern brook trout were introduced...by people...then they are non native...which means that they are not supposed to be here (with the apparent exception of fortress).

[Tinney]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA....
wait.....


AHAHAHAHAHAAHAAAAAAAHHAAHAHAHAHAHA

Whoo that was good

[Rainwater]

There's those damned ringnecks eating my fall rye, they're not supposed to be here!

[Tinney]

I could come help with your pheasant problem :)

[MB_Boy]

Just to simply ask as I haven't fish much freshwater (the saltwater has changed me :) ) since I left MB quite some time back.

What is the issue with Brookies out here? I have heard all of the issues with Bass introduction but yet to hear the "bad things" about brookies. We used to fish for them quite a bit back in MB and Northern ON.

[Sitkaspruce]

WE have naturally spwning brookies in two lakes around here, with fish up to 7 lbs. Great ice fishing, but all catch and release. We have been told that is going to change as they are naturally reproducing now. Go figure, a species of mother nature being put where they are not supposed to be reproducing and low and behold, they are doing it. Provides for some great fishing!!!!

[Tinney]

WE have naturally spwning brookies in two lakes around here, with fish up to 7 lbs. Great ice fishing, but all catch and release. We have been told that is going to change as they are naturally reproducing now. Go figure, a species of mother nature being put where they are not supposed to be reproducing and low and behold, they are doing it. Provides for some great fishing!!!!

Been on both. This guy ain't kidding about size. Big fish out there. Personally never landed anything over 3lbs on the lakes of which you speak but saw some in the 5-6b range iced.

MB_Boy. See my above post. Brookies have been legally stocked in BC waters for many year. Bass, however, well we can blame those, along with perch and pike, on the bucket brigade from Stateside or elsewhere. Mostly anglers from the states, to my knowledge. Ask on FishBC :biggrin:

[MB_Boy]

Tin....

My question is why the need to eradicate them? What impact are they having on other species? Are they predatory to other species of trout? I am just asking as I don't know.

Ya....I know all about the bass/perch/pike issues.

Just type 4 letters in a title to a post 'B A S S' and all hell breaks out on BCFR and FishBC.

[Chuck]

Well that sure got twisted all out of perspective. I know someone will even disagree with that statement.

[Tinney]

Tin....

My question is why the need to eradicate them? What impact are they having on other species? Are they predatory to other species of trout? I am just asking as I don't know.

Ya....I know all about the bass/perch/pike issues.

Just type 4 letters in a title to a post 'B A S S' and all hell breaks out on BCFR and FishBC.

Not eradicate so much as reduce the populations that are self-sustaining. They currently stock triploids, non reproductive brookies. The fear is that if they become prevalent in some areas, they will out-compete the native bull trout/dolly varden char

[johnes50]

There's at least one lake on the Island that has spawning brookies. And from what I've heard, there is a couple of other spots on the Island that have brookies too. But just try and get somebody to tell you where.

[Fisher-Dude]

Moose weren't native to the Okanagan, but migrated here in the 40's. Should we shoot them off? Elk aren't native to the western side of 7B, should we shoot them all off? Actually, elk were plains animals before the white settlers arrived, so none should be in BC. Whitetails aren't native to 5, guess we should shoot them all off. And as rainy said, those damned ringnecks. What about those damned Gerards in Whiteswan? Or the Blackwaters in Courtney?

Your argument sucks Tinney.

[Seeadler]

Actually, elk were plains animals before the white settlers arrived, so none should be in BC.

No. Elk are native to BC. Both Roosevelt and Rocky Mountain.

[MattB]

Is anything actually native? Are natives native?

[Browningmirage]

Is anything actually native? Are natives native?

HAHA
noone is actually native, just a few years different in when we got here. As for moose that migrated, um dude...were people the ones doing the migrating? If not then you have no argument.

[steel_ram]

There's at least one lake on the Island that has spawning brookies. And from what I've heard, there is a couple of other spots on the Island that have brookies too. But just try and get somebody to tell you where.

Spectacle lake on the Malahat just North of Victoria has Eastern Brook trout. I believe Lois lake in the Deerholme area does as well.

There are also a few watersheds that have health populations of non-native brown trout. Cowichan, Big Qualicum (Cameron Lake) and Adams River. Some of these Browns are over 10lbs.

Native Dolly Varden Char and to the mix as well and for more big spots, Atlantic salmon escapee's have been caught in some rivers, such as the Salmon.

[Tinney]

Moose weren't native to the Okanagan, but migrated here in the 40's. Should we shoot them off? Elk aren't native to the western side of 7B, should we shoot them all off? Actually, elk were plains animals before the white settlers arrived, so none should be in BC. Whitetails aren't native to 5, guess we should shoot them all off. And as rainy said, those damned ringnecks. What about those damned Gerards in Whiteswan? Or the Blackwaters in Courtney?

Your argument sucks Tinney.

It's not my argument, it's the government's :lol:

Pull your head out
Natural migration and introduction are MILES apart in definition. Moose weren't native to region 7A either, until they came over from the Chilcotin :lol:
Plenty of dumb arguments like that.
All I'm saying (paraphrasing) is the ministry's views on viable populations of brook trout.

[bighornbob]

There's at least one lake on the Island that has spawning brookies. And from what I've heard, there is a couple of other spots on the Island that have brookies too. But just try and get somebody to tell you where.

Here you go, from the Ministry site
BEAVER LAKE
BOOMERANG LAKE
BUTCHART LAKE
CHEMAINUS LAKE
COMOX LAKE
COWICHAN LAKE
DIMPLE LAKE
HORNE LAKE
KILLARNEY LAKE
KWASSIN LAKE
MESACHIE LAKE
NAHWITTI LAKE
OGDEN LAKE
SHAWNIGAN LAKE
SOMENOS LAKE
SOOKE LAKE
SPECTACLE LAKE
WAKE LAKE


BHB

[johnes50]

That'll help BHB.:grin: I just read that Brookies were mistakenly stocked in Lens creek years ago and there might be a few there too. John

[Caveman]

There are several lakes in our area that have self sustaining populations of Eastern Brookies and one for sure that is used to stock others. There is at least one that I know of that co-inhabits with another trout species and I have never heard that there is any conflict between species. If fact they both thrive in that lake. Bass and Perch are starting to become a problem. What I would like to see is having these species introduced to lakes with no link to other water ways so all could be enjoyed but not theaten other lakes with non predetary species. If this can't be acheived then keep them where they are, to ensure the stock we have remains as it has been for ever

[steel_ram]

I assume Eastern Brook Trout aren't going to compete with resident species for some of those stocked watersheads already have a delicately ballanced population of indigenous species. ie. creeks such as Lens already has a very delicated population of Steelhead.

Why stock the Cowichan. It already has Cutthroat(resident and searun), Rainbows and Steelhead, Brown trout and Dollyvarden, not to mention salmon and endangered Lamprey's ;).

[Tinney]

Lakes are not the problem. There are models to predict interaction in lakes (CLOSED SYSTEM), but not in an open-system environment such as a river system. being able to control where fish can and can't go is key ;)

[xcaribooer]

Brook trout are a great species to stock in marginal lakes where rainbows could not survive.Highly alkaline Beaverdam lk near Clinton is a great example of this.I have caught them close to 4lbs in there after a run of winters where there was no winter kill.Iradicate them..smoke another one.If you want to iradicate something then focus on the bass invasion in the lowermainland.

[Rainwater]

I catch brookies in our creek every year and yet have never caught one in the river that the creek flows into.