Community fishing pond at Clearwater Trout Hatchery providing an educational fishing experience

“We’ve had lots of people here, lots of tourists, locals have been here as well,” said Amanda Svenson, a Learn to Fish instructor at the Community Fishing Pond.

The hatchery itself has been operating for more than 20 years.

“They basically raise fish here and release them into the wild,” Svenson explained. “The Freshwater Fisheries Society operates six hatcheries, the Clearwater Fish Hatchery is one of the six hatcheries here, and so over a year we raise around three million fish here and we’ll stock them into over 300 lakes in all of B.C.”

At the community fishing pond, you can borrow a rod from the hatchery or bring your own.

“So, anyone 16 or older or an adult will need a fishing license and then it’s catch and release only,” Svenson said. “So, we basically just ask for people to have fishing licenses and to just respect the fish and have fun trying to catch fish here.”

With around 2,000 fish stocked in a body of water, the pond provides an excellent learning opportunity for inexperienced anglers.

“It’s a safe place to come and learn how to fish, it’s not like you’ve got six-year-olds standing on the river,” said Dayton Fraser, a shop teacher at Clearwater Secondary. “It’s nice, shallow banks and shallow water, it’s pretty tough to get into trouble.”

Fraser teaches a fly fishing program and is looking forward to bringing students to the pond next school year.

“I’ve got a class coming next year, where I think I’ve got about 15 students in it and we’ll be here probably weekly,” he said.

There are plans for future development at the pond, including a pavilion that will be built by the Wells Gray Community Forest.

by Jill Sperling

Community fishing pond at Clearwater Trout Hatchery providing an educational fishing experience

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