Author: Darryl Choronzey

Now let me bitch just a little. Personally, I don’t like last minute meetings concerning the Saugeen when the people responsible for the present success aren’t called or possibly invited to the table. When word finally filtered out that a meeting to discuss changes to the fishery was about to take place I was a little concerned that a couple of foxes were trying to get into the hen house and I made a few phone calls with my concerns…again getting the go ahead from our President.

Our main concern is…why tinker with success? I met again with the MNR, Karl, the Lake Huron Fishing Club and some of the long time; old-timers who I believe know the river and know the fish; and I remembered a long time ago, I had a discussion with a very smart conservation officer who used to stress over and over again “why kill the cow before you take the milk?”

Simply put, we have almost year-round steelheading below Denny’s Dam, except for a few months closure below the dam and the abutments. Below Walkerton, the river is open for an entire eight months from the Walkerton dam all the way to Lake Huron.

Remember that “you don’t kill the cow, before you take the milk” warning? Like I said, we have created a miracle here, but this fishery still needs time to grow roots. When I sat down with Rod Jones to formulate some ideas almost a decade ago, I said then that my goal was to get the steelhead firmly established in upriver coldwater tributaries such as the Beatty and others branching off from the South Saugeen. Natural reproduction will explode.

No matter what anyone says, the waters between Walkerton and Denny’s Dam are not really suitable for natural reproduction. But, they do contain a million shallow water spawning areas. The waters are presently limited to only a few individuals with drift boats due to lack of suitable access points through farm lands. My major concern is that only a few individuals would profit from opening the river from January first until the regular opening at the end of April…..that is except the poachers that know most of those shallow water stretches.

Let’s continue to leave the steelhead alone for that four month period while they attempt to make their way back to the Beatty and other upstream, prime coldwater tributaries. We’ve built and improved a number of new fishways for that purpose. We trailer 1500 adults every year up into the Beatty for just that purpose. We work in hatcheries for just that purpose. We freeze our asses off in cold water for just that purpose…..To keep making this the finest steelhead river on the continent.

There’s enough open season time for fantastic fishing on the Saugeen without killing the cow before we take the milk…..and besides, once those fish get on the beds, they’ve got sex on their mind, not food and even worse; that white coloured flesh isn’t much good for eating.

Now we come to the subject of cameras. Bluntly put, I think it’s a lot of money to place on an experiment. Seems they are putting four cameras on the system. One at Dennys, one at Walkerton, and two at Maple Hill; boy, could we use a little bit of that money for a few more of our projects I would like to see done first! Personally I don’t think the conditions will ever be right for the cameras to work successfully. Steelhead love to run when the water is high and muddy. Will the cameras work in muddy conditions? Will they count the proper numbers? Will they even see the fish? Will they even identify the fish?

I’ve been around a lot of fishways and a lot of cameras and I just don’t think this will ever work on the Saugeen. I hope I’m wrong, because we sure could get a lot more work done with a little more money. Talking about money???? We all need it, especially the Ontario Steelheaders and the Lake Huron Fishing Club. To be honest, I’ve met more with the Ministry of Natural Resources in the last couple of years than I have in the previous forty years. We are in for big problems folks. The Ministry of Natural Resources has even bigger problems. McGuinty is killing this ministry and in the long run it only hurts our future in the outdoors. The Steelheaders and the Lake Huron Fishing Club require more and more funding every year.

When I go down to Denny’s to watch the guys climb into the cold trap, transfer adults and strip eggs under brutal conditions, it amazes me as I stare downstream and also watch a couple of hundred or even a thousand anglers every day drifting their floats. How many are members of the Lake Huron Fishing Club or the Ontario Steelheaders??? Not many! We need to recruit more members for both clubs. Hell, their success and enjoyment come from our work. When I get rumours coming in my back door, I wonder if these complainers or suggestion makers are members of either club or donating funding to these two clubs.

We are all getting older and we could certainly use the assistance of more young bloods. We need funding, so I’m hoping that those who are benefiting financially from our endeavours join in our labours or at least open up their pocketbooks. In my opinion every person that is benefiting from our fishing, should be supporting our fishery. Hell, I’ve had a brand new drift boat for the last past two years that hasn’t even seen the water. Instead, I’m shutting this computer down and driving a couple hundred miles up the road like many of us do, to meet up with club members and start moving fish.

Rumors, grumbles and a whole lot of bull crap usually escapes up from the river and travels across the phone lines to our President, members of the Board Of Directors, the Ministry of Natural Resources and eventually to my office. Over the course of a year we hear a lot and discuss a lot. We agree…most of the time. Sometimes we disagree. If I have a problem or a concern, I take it to Karl and he takes it to the directors.

About this time last year I expressed a concern about people submitting material to the Steelheaders newsletter to push their own personal causes or for that matter their businesses or other financial interests. No matter where you go, how hard you work or what you achieve, there are going to be armchair critics that want to give advice or criticism and exploit your work. These same critics for the most part, have usually done nothing for the fishery; seldom, or never giving labour or financial support to our causes.

A few weeks ago, word filtered back to me that a meeting was being planned to discuss fisheries management for the Saugeen River. Interestingly enough, it was apparent that the Ontario Steelheaders and Lake Huron Fishing Club seemed to be the last to hear about such a meeting. In fact, we weren’t even on the list of those expected to be present at the meeting. After a number of contacts with the Municipality of Brockton, the Ministry of Natural Resources, our president Karl Redin, our Directors, Mike Hahn Vice President of the Lake Huron Fishing Club and other experienced ‘dedicated’ volunteers that have worked on our programs over the years, the Ontario Steelheaders have made the following recommendations concerning the Saugeen River.

1. No changes whatsoever to present sanctuaries and seasons for steelhead (rainbow trout) 
2. No changes to daily or possession limits to steelhead (rainbow trout)
3. No implementation of catch and releases zones on the Saugeen River
4. No implementation of Fly Fishing Only zones on the Saugeen River

The recommendations were presented to Richard Radford, Chief Administrative Manager of the Municipality of Brockton and those who were expected to attend the meeting. I also have to note that our recommendations were fully supported by the Ministry of Natural Resources.

It didn’t surprise me that most, if in fact any of those originally planning to attend the meeting had ever taken part in our fish transfers, egg taking, fishway improvements or hatchery operations…Where were they when we were freezing in the trap?.. Or building fishways? Or working in a hatchery?

Anyway, here’s a little last minute update. Back in June a couple of years ago, I sat with Shawn Carey, the area supervisor for Grey/Bruce, and Dave Reid the head biologist/manager of the upper lakes. Over a couple of beers (I had the brew, they had the diet cokes), I suggested that they could complement our program by raising a few fish of their own for our cause. I asked for the use of Saugeen adults only for egg and sperm use. I suggested 8 inch sized smolts only, and requested that all yearlings be stocked at Walkerton. I also asked that these fish be marked with an adipose only clip which would coincide with our regular program.

What the hell, it was a shot in the dark, but what could it hurt, a try is a try.

Surprisingly, the two bosses got back to me with an affirmative reply but with one condition. It couldn’t start immediately, due to the fact they had to find a home in a crowded provincial hatchery. That was the reasoning for last year’s late fall fingerling release of wild rainbow that the Lake Huron Fishing Club raised for the project. We seeded those 65,000 fish up into prime water in the Beatty late last November. The fish thrived in the new surrounds. We checked it.

This past spring we collected an additional 75,000 eggs, over and above our usual egg taking program. The adults were all tested for disease and eggs and survivors have been hatched and housed at Chatsworth Fish Culture Station since then. No disease or problems have hindered this program to date. The fish (probably stocked by our two clubs) will be released in March or April. It should also be noted that I approached the Lake Huron Fishing Club to make certain that this additional stocking will in no way alter our objectives, target numbers, and set locations presently used in our own program. These fish are an added bonus.

After discussion with Karl, a suggestion was made that the MNR might want to keep a thousand or so fish for a brood stock program of their own. At the present time MNR only utilizes a Ganaraska strain in their system, and haven’t gone back to the wild for eons to update their genetics. My thinking is why not have two strains in the system? …..possibly our Saugeen/Chambers Creek strain that could again, possibly be used in the future for stocking some of the bigger systems on both the Huron and Georgian Bay sides.

Right now, all is fine at Chatsworth and we should be looking forward to some great additional fish to be stocked at Walkerton come spring. Working with the Ministry of Natural Resources has really been a coup for both parties and possibly anglers across Ontario. For the first time in eons we now have a new strain of rainbow added to a government hatchery and program….CONGRATULATIONS!

Boy oh boy have we made something spectacular out of the old Saugeen River. When weather and water come together we’ve changed and improved the steelhead run into one of the finest if not the finest steelhead stream on this continent. In my humble opinion the runs are well over 50,000 fish when you combine autumn and spring. How do I know? I do my math and observe the fishways and upstream ‘tribs’ more than most. Again, we were averaging more than 300 fish in a lift with the trap down for just a little more than an hour. Think about the long term, when that trap is out of the water r 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for weeks at a time. And those fish are running non-stop from mid-September all the way around the calendar til late April, or even mid-May. Think of the total number of fish that are caught daily behind Steelheaders Park from mid-September til late May. The returns have been outstanding!

Jeez, autumn! A little rain, a little cold weather and it was predictable that the rainbows would be running the Saugeen. As expected, Jessie James and his gang were also back, prowling along the banks of the Saugeen.

Yes I know, Jessie James and his gang have all been dead and buried for more than a hundred years. Still, I like to refer to these present day guys as the James Gang. It seems fitting to me. Both groups broke the law. The guys now buried stole from banks. The guys now living steal from our fishery, but still walk the banks. Really, they’re still nothing more than poachers.

A few years back poachers could be referred to as rippers and runners. They’d rip the fish up and run away with their spoils. Not to say that some aren’t still around. It’s obvious today though that poaching is a little more refined and so are the outlaws. Even with long rods, light lines and float reels some of these clowns can really put a dent in our fishery, especially on the Saugeen. Our biggest problem on this river is the taking of more than the limit.

Tell me you haven’t seen it. Some of these jerks will go down to the river, make a few casts and fill out their limit. They may go home and drop off their catch. Some will head back to their trailer, chill the fish in a cooler and have a beer and a nap. A few might just head back to the trunk of their car and stash their catch in a blanket. Still, they head back to river to start all over again. Hell, it has gotten so sophisticated that last autumn on the Saugeen some of the boys from Metro even had their girlfriends ferrying coolers of fish back and forth from Bruce County to the city! You have to admit, these guys are real outlaws.

Just about everyone on the river is well aware of what is taking place and who the outlaws are. Trust me, Karl hears complaints, the Directors hear complaints. Hell, I can sit in my office down on Lake Erie and I get phone complaints almost daily. There’s no denying poaching and poachers are running rampant. The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and especially the enforcement branch are understaffed and overworked. Karl and I have both been in constant communications the supervisors and our local conservation officers. A crackdown has been promised and is presently underway…. These guys (left) didn’t dedicate a lifetime to this fishery to see it poached!

 Now here’s what you can do. Instead of bitching and complaining about poachers, report these outlaws. If you witness infractions, contact the Ministry of Natural Resources at 1-877-TIPS-MNR…..1-877-847-7667. You might even want to take a picture of these clowns carrying out their dirty deeds. A picture of their car and even a license plate photo helps as well.

Again, the Ministry of Natural Resources has promised us a more active presence on the Saugeen this year. Don’t let these people spoil our fishery. Down with the Outlaws!

Approximately six months ago I asked for a meeting with the District Manager of the Ministry of Natural Resources Shawn Carey and also Dave Reid the Upper Great Lakes Manager for the Ministry of Natural Resources. The reason for the meeting is discussed under the next title in this newsletter, but before we get to that subject, let me first say that the Ontario Steelheaders have entered into an agreement with the Ministry of Natural Resources to give the Saugeen River steelhead enhancement program a „little‟ additional injection of rainbow trout for the coming year. To complete one objective, it was suggested that the Ontario Steelheaders also take „advantage‟ of the opportunity to rear additional rainbow trout to the fry or fingerling size. Now again, for the last time, I don‟t like raising fish to waste fish. I don‟t believe in stocking fry or fingerlings of any species or for that matter stocking them in the wrong locations, but I believe we came to a mutual and satisfactory compromise in this „one time‟ only stocking project.   After the meeting I contacted our president Karl Redin and got the go ahead to move further with this proposal. From there I met with Al Wilkins the Lake Huron Fishing Club president. The following program is now well underway and will be completed by the second week of November.   Here we go with a brief explanation. Yes, we took up the opportunity to expand our program for this year only. We have entered in to a one time only project of raising and releasing an additional 65,000 „advanced‟ fall fingerling rainbow (steelhead) during the first weeks of November, with all fish being released into a 50 mile stretch of the Beatty Saugeen between Hanover and Highway 6. Thanks are extended at this time to Al Wilkins president of the Lake Huron Fishing Club, Gary Biederman the hatchery manager of the club‟s Port Elgin fish hatchery, Grant McAlpine and his crew of tireless workers at Denny‟s Dam.   This one year only program will not only enhance the river and lake fishery, but will also significantly increase the number of spawning adults in the future to our target site…the Beatty Saugeen.   These fish are being released into some of the finest trout-suitable waters in the province. Water temperatures are fairly constant with little over-winter freezing and related winter mortality. These fish will grow, smolt, imprint, and know how to get home when they mature and return from their stay and maturing in Lake Huron. Ten locations have already been picked on the Beatty for fingerling release, which will maximize survival of the young fish.

Now for the icing on the cake… and I couldn‟t really disclose the following until I sat down at the computer a few hours ago and to be honest, I never really thought it had much of chance of happening.   Now remember, it‟s been a long time since the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources has carried out any stocking of their own of rainbow trout on the Saugeen River and I don‟t believe their program consisted of any actual upstream „imprinting.‟   At the meeting I suggested that it would nice if the MNR complimented the volunteers‟ efforts for their work over the past five years. The question was asked, just what was I suggesting?   The answer was simple. I suggested the Ministry of Natural Resources also match a similar number of rainbow trout for the Saugeen River that would be reared from Saugeen River eggs at a ministry hatchery and also imprinted in a similar manner already being carried out by the volunteers.   Well, this morning I received confirmation from the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources that starting in the spring of 2012 we will supply the Ministry of Natural Resources with 100,000 eggs that were in the past allocated to our now closed down Mildmay hatchery. These eggs will be isolated, incubated and raised at the government‟s Chatsworth hatchery facility. These additional yearlings will be ready for spring release in 2013 to compliment the program presently being carried out by the volunteers of Ontario Steelheaders and Lake Huron Fishing Club. The MNR complimentary program is to be run in conjunction with the volunteers‟ project for a term of 3 to 5 years. It definitely will add an additional boost to our goal of transforming the Saugeen into the finest trout stream east of the Rocky Mountains.   Let’s keep working together as clubs and individual sportsmen. It can only get better. The Saugeen is one big, big river. It offers more than 100 miles of excellent trout fishing water and over 70 miles of prime spawning and nursery habitat.   The steelhead is a target species for not only the river fisherman, but as a much sought after Great Lakes species. Our strides have proven themselves and are being recognized throughout the province.