On October 13th, a large crowd of friends, relatives and supporters of the Ontario Steelheaders gathered at the look-out in Denny’s park to honour long-time member Keith Berkeley. Karl Redin spoke of Keith as a dedicated member who was part of the “old Guard” in the Steelheaders. He spent time as a director back in the early days, and gave countless hours of his time to fisheries enhancement. A stone memorial is placed near the lookout point where Keith and his wife Penny spent many days watching over the river where Keith loved to fish. To some, he was a friend, a comrade, a lifelong partner. To all of us, he is an inspiration. Keith was kind, patient and the most giving person we knew.
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of those who donated to the very moving tribute to Keith at the park. Keith would have been honoured to know that you cared so much for him. He had tears in his eyes when he read his last Steelheader Newsletter. He loved the park, the people, and the work on the fishery. He was proud to be a part of it all. I was moved.- Penny”
Backgrounder: Denny’s Dam Conservation Area property was once privately owned. At the time of sale, the owners wanted the land to be maintained for public access to the river, as a result of donations from sportsmen and other funding; The SVCA acquired the land and kept it open to the public. In 1996 The Saugeen Valley Conservation Authority announced that Denny’s Dam Conservation Area would be closed to the public due to financial constraints. The possibility existed that the property may even be sold.
The Ontario Steelheaders, consistent with its mandate, approached the Authority with an offer to lease the Park and co- manage it in order to ensure continuing access for all resource users. This resulted in a significant financial commitment to the Ontario Steelheaders. Monies generated by our activities at Denny’s Park, are from time to time earmarked for park improvements and fisheries enhancement projects. Our committee works diligently to collect funds, and to run the park efficiently, in order to make these ventures possible. The Ontario Steelheaders would like to thank everyone for their timely payments which make these and other improvements to our park and our fishery possible. Thank you! It’s your park! Use it, respect it, and support it! – Enjoy your stay!
Scouts return to Denny’s!
The Scouts at Denny's Dam Park 6 Scouts, 1 Venturer and 3 Leaders travelled from Brantford in September to Denny’s Dam Park as part of their
reward camp for a successful past Scouting year. To add to their excitement of this camp, the youth were
informed of a bear in camp just the week before arriving. Yikes! The weather man challenged their camping
skills, but thanks to the Rod Jones Pavilion, the Troop stayed out of the wind and rain.
Scouts Collecting GarbageFive and half hours were spent stacking wood and cleaning up from the trees that were taken down by the
Saugeen Valley Conservation Authority. Seven bags of garbage were collected from along the river’s edge and throughout the park.
Scouts Visit Trout Hatchery Thanks also to Steve Carvell who gave an informative tour of the Lake Huron Fishing Club Hatchery in
Kindardine. The Scouts saw different stages from egg to fry of Brown and Rainbow Trout. The Brown Trout were
to be released this fall. We were advised the Rainbows would be held back for a spring release in 2013.
Conservation is part of the Scout badge work and this was also their good deed to give back. Karl Redin explained at
Denny’s Dam how the fish are handled and transported in the tankers. We’d like to thank the Steelheaders for giving these
young people the opportunity to see first-hand, the great work the Steelheaders do for the park and the fishery.
Steelhead Express & ScoutsScouts Thank You Letter
OS T-shirts
We received this note from SVSA
…“I stopped in this week at Denny’s…. just a note to say that the site looks great!…Thanks! Please let your volunteers know that we do appreciate how well the site is maintained and probably do not say it often enough.”
Thanks,
Al Leach, BSc
Manager of Lands
Saugeen Valley Conservation Authority
Trout beads are an excellent choice of bait when fishing for Steelhead. Although they have been around for years, this type of bead (rigged tandem bead-to-hook) has been traced back to the 60’s and perhaps earlier in the United States. With their increased popularity to produce fish throughout their Alaska and the West Coast origin, they are now going main stream in and are gaining popularity in parts of the Great Lakes Regions with the highest demand presence in Up State New York, USA. As many Ontarians Steelheading across the border, and the power of online media and forums, Troutbeads are now quickly gaining popularity in our local rivers, yielding many fish to the bank and at times may out-fish roe.
Since Steelhead and Salmon naturally lay their eggs in Rivers, beads offer an excellent way to imitate one of these single eggs being swept by the current down stream to an eagerly-awaiting steelhead looking for a meal. Beads may also benefit as being the next best alternative bait to natural eggs gained by one having to harvest steelhead and further dampening the ever-depleting numbers in our local rivers.
There is an abundance of different sizes and colors; however we will feature here the Troutbeads.com brand as one of the most popular main stream bead. Made from high density plastic, these beads offer the best quality and finishes, known under the trademarks Troutbeads, Mottled, Blooddot and Glowbeadz. You can find these in most Ontario tackle shops specializing in steelhead float fishing tackle ranging in price from $2.25 to $4.00 Pkg. To make your selection easy, some popular-best sellers are the Egg yolk, Caramel roe, Orange clear, Peach fuzz, Chartreuse Pearl, Cheese Pearl, Cotton Candy just to name a few.
Trout Bead Rig
A good way to start fishing beads is to simply drift them below your float just like any other artificial or organic bait. Drifting them in faster current seemed to work best for the beads where steelhead may be holding behind boulders and undercuts waiting as it drifts by. You can use the smaller 6 or 8mm size with smaller hooks during cold winter conditions when steelhead are sluggish, not as active and their feeding somewhat slows, looking for smaller size bait. Come Fall and Spring when water levels are up and fish are actively moving in warmer water, they start looking for big meals and you can move up to 10-12mm beads with larger hooks, using bright colors for increased presentation and visibility to the fish. This is not a rule however, and at times any bead will work well and when a particular bead size or color may be thought not be the best selection you may quickly realize it was the best producer that particular day …so it’s a good idea to have a good selection at all time in your vest, as it pays to try different colors in a day’s fishing.
Trout Bead Setup: Stopping the Bead There are several ways to keep the bead stationary on the line. Some fishermen use a method called “Pegging” by first passing your leader through the bead hole and jamming the point of a toothpick inside the bead hole keeping it on the line where you wanted, and then tying your hook usually about 1 to 2 inches below the bead for best-natural presentation. Another method is to use a “Bead-Knot” and begin by passing your leader through the bead hole then coming around and passing it through again. Once through, you then wrap the line around the loop of the line 7-8 times and pull straight. This causes the wraps to disappear into the bead hole and then finish off by tying your hook below the bead.
Both methods seem to work fine, some thinning may be required to the toothpick to get it deep, as it may sometimes come loose due to limited tension on the line or if too-much tension it’s possible you could damage the line. The Bead-Knot also works fine. Care should be taken not to curl when pulling the wraps tight by lobbing the knot.
Trout Bead RiggingA new bead rigging tool introduced recently is based on the same concept using a toothpick. The pick itself though is made of flexible silicone called “PEG-IT” available from Top Brass Tackle and a similar product from troutbeads.com. The Peg-It is probably the easiest way to peg your bead quickly and easy, consisting of a thin-tapered peg, about 11/2” long looks just like a toothpick. Its key-feature is its elasticity …that once you pass your Trout Bead Accessoriesline or leader through the bead and then push the narrow end of the peg-it into the bead hole until it sticks out the other end, you then pull it to stretch and jam the peg in the bead hole then clip the excess off at top and bottom sides of the bead keeping the bead securely wherever you want it.
The soft silicone peg will not damage the line and the bead can be moved up and down the line easily, yet hold firm. The Peg-It will also work for other type beads with a larger bore diameter to a maximum of about 2mm.
Packed in 15 or 50 count with a retail price range of $2.95-$5.95 available now in most specialty tackle shops, including in our pro-shop using this link http://www.centerpinangling.com/steelhead- flies.html#troutbeads See you in the river & happy fishing!
Article by: Jim Maragos-centerpinangling.com
Special thanks: Cameron Howthorne-troutbeads.com
An unusually early melt has resulted in possibly the earliest run of steelhead on the Saugeen in recent memory.
Top view of the new fishway at Maple Hill Dam
After much effort by Ontario Steelheaders, MNR and other partner groups it is safe to say Walkerton Fishway at Truax dam is running optimally! On one March afternoon, MNR staff observed 73 rainbows passing through this fishway in just 20 minutes.
The next barrier upstream from Walkerton remains Maple Hill dam. Again, the same dedicated parties completed the first construction stage of the ‘new’ Maple Hill fishway last fall.Although this newly constructed fishway requires a bit more ‘fine tuning’, fish were seen successfully navigating this fishway. Maple Hill Fishway construction will be completed this summer.
Rainbow trout (Center and inset) negotiating the dam.
MNR had scheduled fish monitoring cameras to be operational at Walkerton and Maple Hill dams this spring to capture steelhead numbers passing throughthese fishways. Unfortunately, the extremely early run did not enable crews to install these cameras on time. Cameras will be operational in time for next year’s spring run and will also record downstream smolt migration.
So, the good news is the Saugeen is seeing a record number of steelhead at a time when all barriers between the lake and the cold productive headwaters have been eliminated. This is truly a success story and example of what can be achieved when partners with a common interest work together!
Jody Scheifley Fish & Wildlife Technical Specialist Ministry of Natural Resources Owen Sound, ON
As everyone watched the rising temperature trend that began around the middle of February we began to wonder how it would affect the spring runs, and how it would affect the Ontario Steelheaders annual Spring Adult Transfer effort. Around Feb 22nd, it became evident that if we didn’t jump in to action, we might miss the runs altogether. Little did we know, but Mother Nature was holding the ball, and she was about the throw it our way.
The Steelheaders sprang into action. E-mails and phone calls were exchanged between directors, project managers and volunteers and we all got to work immediately. The guys down south got the necessary repairs done, and delivered the #1 tanker just in time. Darryl wasted no time working with MNR to adjust the start date on the permit to March1 from March 15th; effectively giving us a 2 week advantage on the weather. Arrangements were hastily made with the crew at Denny’s Dam to adjust their schedule, and everyone was on board! It took a lot of collaboration, and nothing short of an impressive display of teamwork and personal sacrifice, but everything came together. Just then, a forecast was issued for two days of temperatures in the mid 20’s. We were ready to receive a “Hail Mary”.
A spring-run steelhead glides gently from an Ontario Steelheaders Adult Transfer Program net.
In just 4 days; like a well-oiled machine, the Ontario Steelheaders transported 1000 adult steelhead to the pristine waters of the Beatty Saugeen to carry out their ”business”. As temperatures soared, so did the numbers in the trap. We caught everything she could throw at us! Running up to three 140 KM round trips a day; the crews worked hard, long, and fast. Many of the experienced and novice volunteers remarked that they had never seen a more concentrated run than this in as many years as steelhead have run the Saugeen.
It was a real eye opener to some new volunteers. Comments like:” You guys really earn it” and “absolutely remarkable teamwork and dedication” were typical of the comments streaming in. All of this was accomplished without a single hitch other than a flat tire which was quickly repaired. Big kudos to Grant and the fishway crew, Darryl and Rod for getting things started up, MNR for getting us the paperwork we needed and of course to the crew of volunteers and drivers that took over on the weekend to finish the job. Nice Work Guys!
These spectacular fish are now sitting in some of the best rainbow trout spawning and nursery habitat the watershed has to offer. The Ontario Steelheaders lent them a “Helping Hand”, and brought them safely to their ultimate destination, past major obstacles, in record time. Like a great team; all of us had our eye on the ball!
Remember, Please, we need your assistance to keep great program rolling!
As of Sunday April 8th, we finally got the last of our 100.000 eggs! It has been a long, cold haul filled with uncertainty and a lot of finger crossing. They deserve a huge thank you for their persistence!
2012 Rainbow Trout Egg Collection Trays
Stripping eggs and milt may sound like fun to some, but it involves a lot of tedious work over a long period of time. Teamwork makes it all possible.
Some of the volunteers from the 2012 egg collection.
Three Cheers to Grant McAlpine and the egg collection crew for battling frigid temperatures, frozen gloves and uncooperative fish to get our eggs. Thanks to them, all 100,000 eggs are incubating safely in the egg trays at the Kincardine hatchery.
The time has come to reflect on past failures and more importantly, the accomplishments of this adventure to improve the fishery in the Saugeen.
The commitment of many on this project has spanned over thirty years.
It all started in many a meeting with the Ministry at a time when we were very lucky to have the best yet, Minister of Natural Resources, Mr. Allan Pope. He was in favour of our ideas, so we just had to convince the Owen Sound MNR and the fly fishing clubs in the area which we did. We were very fortunate in the early 80’s to have a land owner let us use his dam at Orchard Park to install upwelling egg boxes. We later worked with Dofasco and they built one box. New systems taught us how to plant eggs, keep the flow right and build filter boxes.
Things started to show promise and success, and so the next goal was to get a fishway installed at Walkerton. Again, Dofasco came to the rescue and supplied all the rebar and culvert material. Success was coming again and we saw real improvements, but then is all stopped. The Hydro Electric Plant put a poor fishway and return pipe for smolts in at Maple Hill.
All this time, more helpers were at Denny’s Dam working on egg collection. Then we decided to transport adults up stream past the barrier, so we built two transfer trailers. Things started to pick up a little as a result, but we needed more fish coming to the fishway. And so, we cut a notch in the dam and a trench was put in to lead the fish to the fishway. Yet another project was the installation of a hatchery in Mildmay. We provided 200,000 eggs each year to this hatchery for many years. And today, we are making new modifications and fine tuning at Walkerton and Maple Hill fishways.
Rod Jones
Through all this, I worked with a great bunch of men and women. Many are still around today, and new faces appear every year. Well done! Thanks to all of you!
In Appreciation
Thank you my friends, for sending donations to various charities in memory of Shirley. For those that sent a cash donation, please know that all of this was sent to the Heart and Stroke Foundation. I’m sure your generosity will help someone. Thank you all for your support and friendship during a difficult time, and always.
A new banner was also created to symbolize the partnership between the Ontario Steelheaders and LHFC. We displayed it while we were filming with WFN, and you’ll likely see it at future Ontario Steelheaders events.
Banners displayed on the wall at LHFC’s Kincardine Trout hatchery.
New signs posted on Saugeen River
After gathering suggestions and input from our directors and MNR since last fall, new signs were developed for the RiverWatch Program on Denny’s Dam Conservation Area properties, Watch for the signs, and watch for more information on this program.
Please don’t take matters in your own hands. Avoid confrontation. Use your cell phone to report resource violations. Over the winter months I assembled a team to work on developing a new website and while we made a lot of headway, it is still not complete. We have a great framework and a lot of work has been done, but we’ve had to shelve the project for now till we get through the spring season. Like I said, we’ve been pretty darn busy. Our plans are to resume this work over the summer in hopes of having it complete by fall 2012. Thanks to Scott Kidwell and the rest of the team for all your efforts thus far. I’m looking forward to getting back to work with you soon!
2012 Saugeen Enhancement Supporter Decal
The Decal Supporter Program is going strong in 2012. New decals were developed in the fall and we’ve been canvassing all winter. A few last minute applications came in just before we went to print… way to go guys! We have met our goals for the program this year, and there’s still room to do more in the fall. You will see the various participants’ advertisements throughout this newsletter. Thanks to all our 2012 supporters!
Help support the Ontario Steelheaders Saugeen River Rainbow Trout Enhancement project. Get your Supporter Package today and Start Advertising here! E-mail webmaster@ontariosteelheaders.ca for more information.
Putting this newsletter together is not for the faint at heart either. Believe me, I’d much rather be transferring adults and helping with egg collection. It takes a lot of coordinating and begging writers and advertisers to submit their material, forms photos etc. in a timely manner. After all, the writers don’t get paid so meeting a deadline is truly a demonstration of their commitment. I would like to take the opportunity to thank all of the newsletter contributors on behalf of the Ontario Steelheaders. Directors, project managers, sportsmen and researchers alike, thank you so very much for your hard work. It means a lot to us, and I invite all of you to participate here.
As Editor, I am committed to keeping this newsletter a fair, open forum for discussion and giving everyone a fair opportunity to express their own ideas, questions, concerns and opinions on any relevant or entertaining subject matter; without criticism, censor, or influence. My only rule is “don’t be nasty”!
On October 13th, a large crowd of friends, relatives and supporters of the Ontario Steelheaders gathered at the look-out in Denny’s park to honour long-time member Keith Berkeley. Karl Redin spoke of Keith as a dedicated member who was part of the “old Guard” in the Steelheaders. He spent time as a director back in the early days, and gave countless hours of his time to fisheries enhancement. A stone memorial is placed near the lookout point where Keith and his wife Penny spent many days watching over the river where Keith loved to fish. To some, he was a friend, a comrade, a lifelong partner. To all of us, he is an inspiration. Keith was kind, patient and the most giving person we knew.“I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of those who donated to the very moving tribute to Keith at the park. Keith would have been honoured to know that you cared so much for him. He had tears in his eyes when he read his last Steelheader Newsletter. He loved the park, the people, and the work on the fishery. He was proud to be a part of it all. I was moved.- Penny”
