...a friend and fellow angler has asked me to post a reply for him, to address Courtney with regard to his article in I.A. and to what Courtney has also said in this forum relating to Ken Myers.
Kenny Myers has asked me to post his letter in responce to Courtney writing - mainly because Ken is not interested in internet forum banter on a regular basis - therefore not wanting to become a regular member of this site. Ken feels that this is an importent topic to respond to - so here it is...
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Hi Robert
Please let me know if you have received this correctly?
Ken
In response to Courtney Ogilvie.
Holy crap Cortney! Where do I start.
In one of your forum letters you state, if I read this right, that I am foolish
and selfish. Another note you say we've talked many times about this topic and
you understand my issues.
Firstly, the only time I've talked to you about anything was at the Slide pool
three years ago. I was guiding Eddy "Chaloopa", as the late Phil Staniky
called him, and his girl friend's son. I don't know Ed's real last name. Ed
said he knew you so we pulled in and talked for a while that day. I don't
think we talked nearly long enough for you to understand my issues.
As for claiming that I'm foolish. When you say foolish are calling me stupid?
That letter to Island Angler, witch Andrew cut important parts from, was to
stir the pot on a user group issue that has been brewing for years. You have
been passionately writing / campaigning in I.A. for years bashing the use of
bait, gear and jets. Like you, I am starting to campaign. I am on a personal
mission to stop the ability of a minority user group from having a greater pull
in M.E.L.P.'s sketchy regulation proposal system. I can't achieve this alone. My aim is to rally support in dealing with this issue. You know that I am an angling guide on both fresh and tidal waters.
Inappropriate regulations continue to erode at these resources. I'm sure you
know I have been combating the ministry on last summer's proposal for the
Stamp. Anyways that I.A. letter was not foolish it is, like this letter, just a
necessary step in my mission and it certianly has served well to help further educate fellow anglers about issues of concern.
You say I'm selfish. Let me tell you a bit about myself. I have been fishing
here for a long time before guiding in my younger youth. I ate, slept and
breathed fishing, skipping school frequently to fish. I pleaded or bribed my
parents to drop me off at Stamp Falls Pool and I'd hitch hike home. I loved
talking to all the other anglers. Friendly older guys like Bill Hogarth and
Henry Forbes were like legends to me and I probably drove them nuts. My folks
frequently ragged on me about how failing English was detrimental to my future and
steelhead fishing was going to get me nowhere. They even had me convinced. I
chose fishing above what they said anyways.
We all fish for different reasons. To me fishing has always been an escape. In
younger years to escape stuff like pier pressure, puberty, home life issues.
The fish and the other animals related to this environment always treated me
with reliable consistency unlike the real world. Nowadays while fishing I
escape things like checking the mail, answering the phone or fixing my slow
leaky tire.
Being an aquarium hobbyist, I've had enjoyed years of observing most local
species of fish and other assorted marine life both fresh and salt water. This
hobby has greatly enhanced my understanding of aquatic life. Friends and myself
would spend hours watching my fish in the evenings. Tide pool raiding for weird
and new specimens was the evenings highlight.
Are you starting to feel it Courtney? Are you starting to feel my passion for fish and angling in general?
Well over the years some of my fishing grounds have gotten very crowed. Some days Stamp pool
was taken over by aggressive anglers from out of town. While some anglers
avoided eye contact to make me feel uncomfortable, while others out right told me that
they were there first and I was intruding on them. There was no escape. I never
had a problem sharing the pool when I got there first. Why do these people have
to be so grumpy? Why can't everyone just get along? And that's when the river
boat came into the picture. The boat allowed a whole new adventure to fishing!
New spots, no unfriendly anglers to contend with and running rapids offers me excitement and peace! I now can
escape again and again, any time I feel like it.
My fishy childhood lifestyle pretty much sculpted me into a fishing guide.
I've been guiding in this area for over 20 years now and did my first trip when
I was 15 for Alberni Pacific Charters, Bruce Thompson if anyone remembers him.
I still remember that day because one of my first guests asked me "how long have you
been at this"?
My jet boat has become the most important tool to my trade. After 8AM, the boat enables me
to, casually deal with what's left over after the morning
rush and after the early birds have picked holes, to get out and enjoy an opportunity to share my experiences with my gusts. I do not fish in other angler's drifts and nor do I anchor to obstruct any other
angler's activities. With the boat I can avoid intruding upon other anglers
chosen sites. My boat is my portable fishing spot. On a busy day I can always find a
spot to anchor out of the way, and far away from any crowded areas. All of the refuse amounted throughout my day is contained in my boat and
brought home with me. Many shore spots are littered with fishing junk and
beverage containers from bank anglers. I am not taking anything from any of the shore based anglers.
Over the years I have evolved as a fisherman. I don't need to catch every fish
in the river any more. I don't stand in the dark at the hot hole waiting for
light any more unless the group I'm with persuades me to do so. I enjoy watching
others catch fish more than myself. People have become more important to my
fishing than the fishing it self. My job of planning fishing holidays with friends has
become a dream come true for both the guests that I serve, as well as for me.
Courtney, are you starting to feel my love for people and fishing? Although I
don't have years of accumulated writings in my history, my passion for this
sport definitely matches yours and every other angler in this Province.
I have read some of your I.A. articles. You can produce some excellent reading
material. I lose all respect for you though when you divert to bashing fellow
fishery users. Most of these anglers you slam are real decent people. In the
game of sports fishing, I think that you deserve a penalty for unsportsmanlike like
conduct. Just my observation thus far.
My picture of your perfect world is based upon your view with in your writings in I.A.. Your articles
express tranquil and pristine settings. Nowhere do you express the other
anglers around you catching fish having fun unless they are other fly fishers.
Most other river users that you write about are a negative to your experience. In your perfect world, it
doesn't invite the rest of the angling community to fish beside you. What if
your ideals are to be implemented in the future? The result would be way less
angler fishing opportunities. Not all fishers want to be fly folks. Gone Fishing tackle could
change their name to Gone Fly fishing or they could rename it Quit Fishing or how about Gone
Golfing. Nothing against these stores, just an example or my opinion of what my view is of your perfect angling world, that I have read so many times in the pages of I.A.
Courtney, I've visited your web site. It's badly missing personal appeal. I
continually wanted to pan down on your pink salmon picture to see the anglers
face. You chopped the anglers head right off like he was a trout for the
frying pan. The best thing about fish pictures is the **** eating grin that
an excited angler displays when successfully landing and admiring their
quarry, wether caught on gear or by fly. Your love for fish seems to well exceed
your compassion for people. You see Courtney, it's People! and it's other
people too that are the most important part of any fishing experience.
If you actually think that roe and gear has caused the demise of the east
coast steelhead stocks than you badly need some biology lessons. If you aren't
already buddies with Bob Hooton then please give him a call. I think you two would
really hit it off.
Courtney, you have used the words "level the playing field" in your writings.
This phrase should mean [to balance off an unfair situation]. In my life
experience that phrase in it's application has always been to the real tune of, [we've been
putting forth efforts to undermine your situation behind your back and now you
are on to us these words are the only concrete justification that we have].
Yes Courtney, that is the real meaning of these words nowadays and the text in
witch they have been presented to me lately.
I have done a freedom of information request to the M.E.L.P. requesting the
inputs for last summer's regulation proposals. Because of lack to notify
stakeholders there were few responses. One of the letters compliments the
ministry staff for their regulation proposals and must be one of the people
who besieged the ministry with complaints. This letter appraises them to a
point nothing less than a scriptural ********. I guess they do owe them something? That
was quite the feat they pulled off. If the Ministry office were not protected
by the wildlife act I would pursuing legal action. I am fully convinced that
the present ministry staff would just terminate my guide license if they
legally could. After Bob Hootin chewed me out on the phone I found new desire
to fight this matter. I don't think that the ministry personnel, who are
supposed to be working for all of us, should be so opinionated, biased or emotional
on a situation with a body of water that has no conservation concerns. Is there a mandate to protect fish
and habitat or be referee on social issues? Kenny Myers is not going to bend
over give up a 20yrs.+ career just because of your self, the Ministry staff and a few
anglers do not approve of my charter service or services offered.
This is not about just me. I don't see myself standing in the rain for too
many more years anyway. To me this is about being decent to your fellow fisher
regardless of your differences and abuse of govt. power. The day that a grumpy
minority group gets their way with all of the resource is the day that I will
resign. I assure you Courtney, I will not go down with out a fight.
In my charter travels the majority of the angler's encountered smile and wave.
I think that I have earned some respect from the majority of the common
anglers by way of respectful use of my boat. I have over the years seen grown
men act like children when I passed by in my boat. These antics have always
been amusing but what you have been doing with your articles in I.A. is what now needs to be addressed.
It is a vision of mine to see all river anglers getting along. In the future
Courtney, wouldn't it be nice if we all got along? It would be great if we
could all, as individual anglers with our own personal preferences, sit around a camp
fire together sipping on a beverage at Stamp Falls and conversing over a good days adventure. Would that not be a nice fishing future? We could all
exchange fish tales and look back and laugh at this situation. Socializing
like this is another aspect of fishing that I've come to cherish. I don't see
this happening too soon. With your present popularity on the Stamp River this
would probably result in you being tied to a tree at the end of the night.
Well Courtney, I think I've said enough for now. There is so much more to
discuss but I'll have to save it for another day. I do hope that some day all the
user groups can come to the same table as maturing sportsmen and plan a
positive future for all of us.
Next time you are out on the river try to look past the fish and the river. Try
to see the joy that fishing brings to the other users around you. These people
have passion for this same resource, the same as you do, despite this
regulatory challenged time, we are not going to go away. Getting along with these
people is important, it will also benefit your future and can bring its own joys to many, many more anglers in the future.
Courtney, I'm sorry for saying what I say, but, not only is this sport a passion
of mine, it's my occupation and that makes it a personal issue, when you or anyone attacks my livelihood.
Good luck, Courtney
P.S.
I also want to thank anyone who has defended me on Sport fishing B.C. or helped
to continue debate this mater. Please keep this ball rolling as it is important to read and understand all views when relating to our passion.
Along with numerous correspondence letters to the ministry biologists I have
conducted surveys on the river and in tackle stores this winter. I sought
justification for the ministry's proposals and acquired better knowledge of
other angler's sentiments to these regulatory issues. I found that the feelings
of the average angler in the field [real world] were opposite than what the
ministry personnel stated to me. The Ministry personnel did not notify me for
input when proposing regs, then refused my input when I got wind of the situation
and responded to them. This material is very interesting!!! I am willing to surrender any
of this material to anyone who asks me to share, a Freedom of Information request is not
required.
Kenny Myers
