It hasn’t been a secret if you are an avid trout angler. The Saugeen River in Southampton has been the hottest steelhead destination in the province the past several months. Anglers from across Ontario have been lining the banks from Denny’s Dam to the lowest section of the river since September. With unseasonably warm temperatures this winter, the steelhead fishing has continued to be incredible with ample angler access and ice free water to fish. The main reason behind this excellent fishing can be notched on the belt of two local volunteer organizations; the Lake Huron Fishing Club and the Ontario Steelheaders. Two weeks ago, I had the chance to volunteer some of my time during a “fin-clipping” project at the LHFC Kincardine Trout Hatchery. I spent two days working alongside other members from both clubs and walked away with a greater appreciation of the dedicated work that goes into creating this awesome fishery on the Saugeen and Lake Huron.

The Lake Huron fishing Club raises 60,000 steelhead (rainbow trout) at their Kincardine Hatchery annually. These fish are hatched from eggs collected by members of the Ontario Steelheaders at Denny’s Dam on the Saugeen River during the spring. After being nurtured by LHFC volunteers for 1 year, these juvenile fish are released far upstream in the Saugeen and from there; they begin their lives in the wild, both in the river and Lake Huron proper. To identify these hatchery-raised fish from wild trout, Ministry of Natural Resources’ protocol calls for the clipping of the adipose fin on these steelhead. This task is carried out by Ontario Steeheaders and LHFC volunteers. Over the course of two weekends, the entire 60,000 juvenile trout were clipped. This is not easy work either. Crews of 4-8 volunteers surround the tanks and carefully lop off the tiny fin located along the back near the base of the tail. This was like a factory production line, but the goods we were producing were fish! Mortalities from this procedure are surprisingly low, with only 2 fish succumbing to stress in the weekend I was present.

 

Hatchery Data at a Glance

Kincardine Trout Hatchery Stocking Totals

 

Year	Species	Released	Eggs Used	Fin Clip
2006	Rainbow Trout	40,969	64,848 fry	LV
2006	Brown Trout	62,472	75,139
2007	Rainbow Trout	69,479	112,678	RV
2007	Brown Trout	71,449	81,844
2008	Rainbow Trout	56,032	89,560	RV
2008	Brown Trout	51,359	55,800
2009	Rainbow Trout	57,359	100,739	AD
2009	Brown Trout (F)	51,923 (F)	61,765 (F+G)
2010	Spring Rainbow Trout	56,685	110,526	AD
2010	Fall Rainbow Trout (D)	20,683 (D)	NA
2010	Spring Brown Trout (G)	4,995 (G)	NA
2010	Fall Brown Trout (H)	49,149 (H)	67,616 (H+K)
2011	Spring Rainbow Trout (E)	52,676 (E)	131,701 (D+E)	AD
2011	Spring Brown Trout (K)	7,861 (K)
2011	Fall Brown Trout ()	58,449	68,828
2011	Fall Rainbow Trout (A)	62,408 (A)	233,411 (A+B+C)
2011	Rainbows to SSA (B)	27,845 (B)	NA
2012	Spring Rainbow Trout (C)	~63,000 (C)	NA	AD
2012	Fall Brown Trout		71,372
Year	Species	Released	Eggs Used	Fin Clip

 

 TOTAL: 1,911,078

Overseeing the clipping duties was Kincardine hatchery manager Al Wilkins. Wilkins took the time to explain to me the ins and outs of the hatchery and exactly what the LHFC provides the angling public with in terms of fish stocked. 60,000 of both rainbow and brown trout are raised annually in the Kincardine hatchery. The rainbows are part of a joint program with the Ontario Steelheaders and destined for the Saugeen at stocking time in April. This past fall saw the LHFC and Ontario Steelheaders raise an extra 50,000 steelhead which were released as fall fingerlings to compliment the 60,000 yearlings that were just clipped. That is a lot of trout! The browns are raised to yearling size as well and seeded into the waters along the Huron shoreline from Point Clarke to Pike Bay and beyond. The LHFC also runs a second hatchery in the town of Port Elgin. This facility is also manned by volunteers, and raises Chinook Salmon for the anglers of Lake Huron. This year the club collected 120,000 salmon eggs in the fall and they have hatched out and are now under the close supervision of Port Elgin hatchery manager Gary Biederman until they are stocked as fingerlings in the spring.

This process of raising fish is not cheap. It costs the LHFC about $10,000 to raise each species. Under the MNR CFWIP program, clubs are allotted funding to offset some of the costs of operating a hatchery, but overall, the contribution from the government is minimal. The LHFC relies on fund raising, contributions from the Ontario Steelheaders, and monies generated from the club’s summer fishing event; the Chantry Chinook Classic. This derby will once again take place in late July and early August on the shores of Lake Huron.

Hats off to everyone involved in transforming this fishery. Our achievements are made possible by “Teamwork in Action”