The organization was put on the back burner because of a lack of board members.
The Intermountain Sport Fishing Enhancement is now back. Rod Carberry and a great group of volunteers have stepped up to take over the organization. It's been four years since the group last had any activity.
Their objective is to enhance fishing opportunities in the region. They stock and improve boat launches. If you enjoy fishing, the group will do everything in its power to ensure you have plenty of opportunities to do so in Parkland.
Carberry talks about the importance of this group.
"I think it's pretty important. Some things have gone unmaintained. For example, the Valley River boat launch. Every spring, the launch is affected because of high water and spring runoff. Then the launch becomes unusable," said Carberry. "That particular launch is important for smaller vessels. Like your 12, 14, and 16-foot boats that need a safe place where they can fish."
Rod adds that the Vermillion River is an excellent resource for both local anglers and for tourism. It's grown in and requires some maintenance. For the first time in a few years, there was a fishing day at Uncle Bob's trout pond. It was very well received.
If you are an angler, you'll know all the great fishing spots here in the Parkland. If you're interested in getting into it, Rod says you're in for a treat.
"Yeah, we've got a great area. Intermountain says it all, we're between Riding Mountain and Duck Mountain," continued Carberry. "Lake Dauphin's winter fishing is known to be some of the best Walleye for consistent size. Then you start getting into the Duck Mountains, and there are endless opportunities up there. We're in a great spot, and we need to continue developing it."
Earlier this year, the group was out on the water at night fishing with the E boat, doing a population study of the Bass and forage on the Vermillion Reservoir. 95 bass were caught, measured, and weighed to determine age class and overall health of the lake.
"Yeah, it was very cool. It's the first time I've experienced E fishing," ended Carberry. "We shocked the lake and scooped up with nets everything that floated to the surface that we could. We partnered with Manitoba Fisheries. They're going to take the data and create a report for us. They were quite positive with the results and the amount of bass and age class that we got."
If you are interested in what the group is doing or have opinions on what should be done, reach out to Rod on Facebook.
Ice fishing season is right around the corner. Good luck catching.
