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Cultivating the Saugeen River Into a World-Class Steelhead Fishery

While trapped deep in the month of February, local outdoorsmen and women may find it hard to pursue their interests afield or on the water. Extreme cold and massive amounts of snowpack hampers many of the activities to be had in the outdoors. For the soft water angler mid-winter is a lonely time. That being said, snowmobilers, skiers, and snowshoe addicts have found a winter of bountiful opportunities and those who enjoy sport fishing had an avenue to relieve some of the winter blues at the Spring Boat and Fishing Show, which was held last week at the International Centre in Mississauga. It was at this same show that two local organizations were recognized, on a national scale, for their achievements in the sport fishing world.

This past Friday, the Lake Huron Fishing Club and the Ontario Steelheaders were inducted into the Canadian Angler Hall of Fame with receipt of the Conservation Award for their efforts on the Saugeen River. This award acknowledges the tedious work conducted by these two clubs, work which has resulted in the creation of one of the greatest steelhead fisheries on the planet; a fishery that is in the backyard of many readers of this publication, and within a few hours travel time of Canada’s largest population center.

Canadian Angler Hall of Fame
Canadian Angler Hall of Fame

Beginning roughly eight years ago, the Ontario Steelheaders approached the Ministry of Natural Resources and Lake Huron Fishing Club with a plan to undertake a stocking program on the river which would enhance the annual returns of steelhead to the fabled Saugeen. With permission and guidance from the MNR, the LHFC agreed to raise the fish at their Kincardine facility in conjunction with the Ontario Steelheaders. Eggs were (and still are) obtained from adult steelhead captured at Denny’s Dam near Southampton and raised at the hatchery for the first year of their lives. These robust yearling steelhead are then released far up-river near the town of Walkerton, where they are imprinted into the flows of the river. The trout head downstream to Lake Huron and return to the river in following years as the highly prized silver steelhead.

On top of the influx of stocked fish by the two clubs, the Ontario Steelheaders and LHFC members also undertake an intensive adult transport project, which sees adult steelhead trapped at Denny’s Dam in the fall and spring. These adult fish are then transported via tanker to the upper reaches of the river where they are released close to prime spawning water. With 1000 spring steelhead and another 500 adults trucked in the fall, this activity guarantees a number of trout will find prime spawning water come springtime.

In addition to these hands-on projects dealing with fish, the clubs have been instrumental while working with the MNR to repair and create fish passages at the Traux Dam in Walkerton and the Maple Hill Dam near Hanover. In order for fish to reach prime spawning habitat on their own, these man-made structures need to be passable.

Creating one of North America’s finest steelhead fisheries is not easy work. Ontario Steelheader’s member and retired television host Darryl Choronzey was instrumental in seeing the project blossom from the beginning. Choronzey notes, “the potential to create an incredible fishery existed, but we were just missing the right building blocks to have large returns. We started with an annual run of less than 5000 fish, and now our hard work has resulted in a return of roughly 50,000 adult steelhead.” Raising fish and releasing them in a certain manner appears to really make a difference in the outcome of the fishery on the Saugeen. Instead of stocking undersized fry or fingerling trout, the clubs release yearling sized fish, enhancing the survival rate of the steelhead. Stocking the fish far upriver on the Saugeen allows for improved imprinting, which means the trout are able to find their way back to the river once they are adults.

When it comes to raising fish, the Lake Huron Fishing Club has been stocking local waters with trout and salmon for decades. A tour of the Kincardine fish hatchery that the club operates is a sight to be seen. On top of the 50,000 plus steelhead currently inside the facility, there are also a large number of brown trout which provide a productive fishery for anglers up and down the Lake Huron shoreline. The club also operates a salmon hatchery in Port Elgin. Raising fish is not cheap, nor is it an easy task. The LHFC hatchery depends on a number of volunteers to aid in the husbandry of the small fish. Feeding, tank cleaning, sorting, fin-clipping and fish stocking are all duties carried out by the members. With minimal amounts of money being dolled out by the Ontario government to aid in such endeavors, vast amounts of fundraising is required on behalf of the club. The annual Chantry Chinook Classic is a prime example.

LHFC vice-president Mike Hahn was at the awards ceremony and said, “so much work goes into this project, such as raising the fish, transporting adult steelhead and major works to fishways on the Saugeen’s dams above Denny’s, it is hard to fathom what we have accomplished”. Ontario Steelheaders president Karl Redin was quoted “working in conjunction with the MNR and LHFC has produced results that are something to proud of, our steelhead fishery on the Saugeen is second to none and a true reflection of our hardwork”. Choronzey also announced his pleasure in the teamwork atmosphere that has formed on the Saugeen stating, “working along side the LHFC and the MNR has really paid off and this is a perfect example of what is possible with a close partnership, creating a fishery for anglers that is unmatched elsewhere and should be used as a model in other parts of the province”.

Not to be forgotten, the local MNR has played a major role in this success story. Local Fisheries Specialists, biologists, and managers have been able to work closely with the recognized clubs in order to achieve the dream set out by the Ontario Steelheaders. Permitting large fish stocking activities and repair and construction of fishways is no walk in the park, plenty of planning and science is undertaken on behalf of the MNR. To add to the achievements on the river, the MNR is now raising additional steelhead for the Saugeen river at their Chatsworth fish culture facility. An added 35,000 steelhead raised by the MNR will be stocked into the Saugeen this spring, to compliment the same number released by the MNR last year. This brings the annual plants of steelhead on the Saugeen above 80,000 combined by the partners involved.

The Ontario Steelheaders and The Lake Huron Fishing Club received some much deserved recognition at the Canadian Angler Hall Of Fame Awards. These local clubs have done work which rivals any other comparable endeavor in North America and have carefully cultivated one of the best steelhead rivers I’ve ever fished. If the winter has us anglers a bit blue, just remember, the Saugeen is ready when you are.

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Federal Program to Help Recreational Fishery

If you are an avid angler or a member of a local conservation group, it is time to put your thinking cap on.

While it often seems like the government agencies responsible for protecting, providing and enhancing fisheries are being slashed in budget, there is some light on the horizon for those interested in opportunities for the enhancement of recreational sport fisheries. The federal government has announced the availability of $10 million towards conservation projects across the country in support of recreational fisheries. Here is the opportunity to offset at least some of the cutbacks to MNR staff, programs and budgets that are constantly on the chopping block. This is a major positive contribution after the downsizing of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and some negative changes to official Acts. The best part is, this involves those who have the greatest vested interest in recreational fisheries — the volunteer clubs on a local level.

If you haven’t yet come across the news of this funding, let me provide you with some background information that may answer some questions and help you understand why this is so important. First off, the funding is from the federal government, filtered down through Fisheries and Oceans Canada. The funding was officially announced on June 17, with the official press release stressing the importance of recreational fisheries and the work of conservation groups on a local level.

Over the next two years, $10 million will be allocated to partnership projects that enhance recreational fisheries through habitat/conservation projects. Recent legislative amendments to the Fisheries Act have provided the opportunity for Fisheries and Oceans to enter into agreements with third parties through what is now called the Recreational Fisheries Conservation Partnerships Program.

Projects are required to “enhance recreational fisheries through conservation works”. Projects such as “dam removal, fishway construction, and shoreline/stream rehabilitation work” are valid through the framework of the program. The whole program focuses on the restoration or rehabilitation of recreational fisheries habitat. The funding does not cover fish stocking, hatcheries, commercial fisheries, or educational programs. Local conservation or angling groups can work alone or partner up to apply for funding.

The federal government has acknowledged the importance of local involvement and local knowledge of sport fisheries to be a key component in carrying out successful localized fisheries projects.

Funding for individual projects is capped at $250,000. The funding is allocated over two years with $4 million available in the first portion (2013-2014) and $6 million during the second year (2014-2015) of the program. The deadline for the first round of applications is July 12, 2013. This may seem like a short notice, but the program was announced in June and local clubs have had the opportunity to begin applications (which are accessible online) for some time. Another round of funding will become available with a deadline later in the year. An integral part of the outline for the funding is the encouragement of partnerships in carrying out the projects, which allows local clubs to work with other organizations and groups.

The local benefits that are possible with such funding are quite interesting. Recreational fishing provides over $8 billion to our Canadian economy. In Grey-Bruce we live in a region that supports a viable recreational fishery, a fishery that has been at the centre of attention with recent controversy over the SON Commercial Fishing Agreement. Here we have the federal government recognizing the importance of angling and we should take note.

Local MP Larry Miller, an active member of the Conservative hunting and angling caucus, was instrumental in seeing this funding come to life through the group. Miller issued his own press release stating “he was pleased the government made these funds available for local sportsmen’s associations” and that “partnerships will go a long way in ensuring the restoration and conservation of our local recreational fisheries”. Miller has been an advocate of local angling groups in our area for a very long time. When an issue arises or support is needed concerning our sport fisheries, Miller has never turned away from championing the efforts of clubs. In my opinion, it is too bad some others in local power positions do not see the importance of these efforts by local individuals, or the importance of a healthy, local sport fishery. This isn’t a personal political opinion either; Conservative, Liberal, NDP, Green, if you stand up for the efforts of those who conserve, protect and promote my most cherished past time and make angling a priority, then you get my support. It is those people that “we” put in office who should be concerned about what we care about. I know I would like to see more anglers, more hunters, more conservation minded individuals holding office on my behalf.

Now you may start to question what could be done to help our local recreational fisheries? You do not need to look too far to see the important project achievements by conservation/sportsmen’s groups around our region. The Sydenham Sportsmen, Lake Huron Fishing Club, The Bruce Peninsula Sportsmen, the Ontario Steelheaders, the Georgian Triangle Angling Association, The Grey-Bruce Bass Club, the Barrow Bay and District Sportfishing Association and a number of other groups have undertaken numerous works that benefit local fisheries. I am sure each of these groups, as well as a number of others, have a long list of projects they would like to see carried out. Here is the chance for these groups to come across the funds and partner up with other groups to carry out some pretty spectacular projects.

Fishway enhancements would be an excellent option for a number of local rivers. Stream rehab on large stretches of local watersheds would be available through this project. Spawning site rehabilitation for not only trout and salmon, but warmwater species such as bass, walleye, and musky, have all now become more viable goals for those who are interested in enhancing those fisheries. The notion of “dam removal” was listed in the official documents released in conjunction with the RFCPP program and could do wonders on the Saugeen watershed where over 50 man-made dams still pose risks to the migration of a number of recreational fish species.

News of increased funding for local recreational fisheries put a smile on my face. I know a lot of local anglers in Grey-Bruce will benefit from the projects that I am sure will be undertaken in the near future. What better way to spark a greater interest in local sportsmen’s clubs than this news? I am sure they could all use some extra support through an increase in membership and individuals who can lend a helping hand. You may not even be interested in our local fishery, but a healthy and vibrant recreational fishery puts money in the pockets our local businesses and municipalities and has a greater impact on our communities than you may think. Fisherman or not, there’s definitely no reason to get upset over some money from the government!

This article was published in the Owen Sound Sun Times. Read the full article.
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Steelhead Run; One For the Books

It has been an incredible late winter-early spring season in southern Ontario.

Temperature records were broken across the province. Highs in the mid-20s and bright sunshine have the turkeys gobbling and the trees in local forests starting to sprout foliage.

This warm weather has also sent the steelhead populations into spring migration overdrive. While the forecasters are discussing record temperatures, another benchmark has been shattered — the returning number of spawning steelhead to the Saugeen River in Southampton has been the greatest on record, as well as one of the earliest in recent memory.

In one of my recent articles I discussed the efforts of two regional clubs and organizations to create a great steelhead fishery on the Saugeen River through intensive stocking programs. What I may have failed to mention was that many of these people stay involved with the fish they stock as smolts right through into their adulthood when they return to the river to spawn. Helping healthy adults to move farther upriver is an ongoing support for the fishery that ensures that the populations stay strong.

Let me explain.

Members of the Ontario Steelheaders, with help from the MNR and Lake Huron Fishing Club, have committed their volunteer effort to a very large and very time consuming endeavour for nearly the last 25 years. Each spring, involved club members trap adult steelhead at Denny’s Dam on the Saugeen River in order to transport them up river to productive spawning tributaries. These transport projects ensure that a good number of spawning steelhead will make it to the pristine gravel beds that a select number of productive tributary streams provide. The journey moves fish almost a hundred kilometres upriver and helps the fish bypass a number of dams on the main Saugeen, which are otherwise difficult for the fish to navigate. With a little help from the club members, these transported steelhead will spawn and add to the wild population of fish that enter the river each year.

This project has been a focal point of Ontario Steelheader projects for a very long time. For the past decade or so, averages of 200 to 300 adult trout have been transported annually. During the past few seasons, this number has increased to 1,000 spring steelhead getting an extra lift.

The past two years have seen an additional number of fish transported during the early fall when a percentage of the annual steelhead run begins to migrate. This extra number of fish has added to the composition of wild steelhead returning to the river. In addition to the fish lifts and transports, the Ontario Steelheaders and LHFC have undertaken a stocking program that has seen 60,000 yearling steelhead raised and released into the Saugeen each year for the last five years. These fish carry adipose fin clips and make up an incredible 40% plus of the annual run.

Just over a week ago, I took part in the volunteer effort to move some of these incredible adult fish up the river. The fish ladder at Denny’s Dam has been constructed to accommodate a removable trap in the top step. The trap, which effectively works like a holding pen, is lowered down with the aid of a mechanical lift into the fishway. Usually the trap is lowered overnight and lifted in the morning to collect a good number of fish. Each steelhead in the trap is removed and “sampled” — a process that includes taking measurements and sex identification, as well as performing a visual check for fin clips and lamprey scarring. Two tankers, made of steel and equipped with oxygen tanks and aerators, are filled with water and hitched to volunteers’ trucks. Each of these tankers is then carefully loaded with about 45 adult fish for the 80-kilometre journey up river. Each round trip to load and release the fish takes about three hours.
I wasn’t just amazed by the volunteer dedication.

As far as the fish themselves were concerned, the lift that took place just over a week ago was one for the record books. The trap was set overnight on a Wednesday. The following morning, volunteers were greeted by an astonishing 300-plus steelhead in the trap. Between the two tankers, close to 100 fish were loaded for transport and the remaining fish in the trap were released above Denny’s Damn to continue their journey.

The trap was promptly set back into the ladder and lifted again at 2 p.m. Despite an even shorter amount of time in the fishway, this second lift revealed more than 500 fish in the trap. Once again the tankers were loaded with the allowable number of adults and the remaining fish were released above the damn. The following day the trap was set for just over an hour. In that time the trap collected more than 550 adult steelhead. For those who have been volunteering their time at the ladder over two decades, this was an all-time high. This pattern continued for the next two days with an average of more than 400 fish per 1.5 hour trap-set. The Ontario Steelheaders reached their 1,000 adult steelhead transfer quota in no time.
I was scrambling to compute the figures in my head! If you were to do the math, over the four days that the lift took place, with an average of 350 fish moving through the ladder every 1.5 hours, the run was exceeding 30,000 adult steelhead in less than a week!

For those who are interested in steelhead runs, the biology of migrating fish or fisheries across the province, this information will be of special interest to you. The steelhead run on the Saugeen River is most likely the largest in Ontario. More than 30,000 fish migrating in less than a week during the spring does not constitute the entire run. Water temperatures dictate steelhead migration through fish ladders. The temperatures leading up to the transports on March 8 were likely too cold for fish to use the ladder in any great numbers; however, with the sharp rise in temperature, fish have definitely been passing the Denny’s fishway every day since!

A large number of steelhead migrate during the late fall as well. Estimates based on fall fish lifts and observations at Denny’s suggest that the fall run was close to 15,000 fish. Considering temperatures and water levels in October and November were some of the best on record for an autumn season, that 15,000 estimate errs on the low side. Add the estimates of the fall migrations to the numbers volunteers witnessed passing through the trap during those four days as well as the remaining spring run and the numbers become impressive. The Saugeen has a record setting run of steelhead from Lake Huron, pushing the numbers above 45,000 fish.

This incredible run of trout has produced the best steelhead fishing in the province over the past couple of seasons. This pattern of huge returns only suggests that the fishing will continue to be amazing in the near future.

Although the fish and their tenacity definitely deserve some credit, none of this would have been a possibility without the dedicated efforts of the Ontario Steelheaders, LHFC and MNR. Through stocking and fish-lift projects they have a very real hand in the prosperity of this fishery. Here is a huge pat on the back for those involved. Thank you specifically to those who have an added influence to this project: Karl Redin, Rod Jones and Darryl Choronzey from the Ontario Steelheaders; Al Wilkins and Grant McAlpine from the LHFC; and Shawn Carey and Jody Scheifley from the local MNR. Collectively these three groups have created the most outstanding steelhead fishery in Ontario. May this be a lesson learned, sometimes all that work actually does pay off!
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Building a Fishery… One Fish at a Time

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

 

YearSpeciesReleasedEggs UsedFin Clip
2006Rainbow Trout40,96964,848 fryLV
2006Brown Trout62,47275,139
2007Rainbow Trout69,479112,678RV
2007Brown Trout71,44981,844
2008Rainbow Trout56,03289,560RV
2008Brown Trout51,35955,800
2009Rainbow Trout57,359100,739AD
2009Brown Trout (F)51,923 (F)61,765 (F+G)
2010Spring Rainbow Trout56,685110,526AD
2010Fall Rainbow Trout (D)20,683 (D)NA
2010Spring Brown Trout (G)4,995 (G)NA
2010Fall Brown Trout (H)49,149 (H)67,616 (H+K)
2011Spring Rainbow Trout (E)52,676 (E)131,701 (D+E)AD
2011Spring Brown Trout (K)7,861 (K)
2011Fall Brown Trout ()58,44968,828
2011Fall Rainbow Trout (A)62,408 (A)233,411 (A+B+C)
2011Rainbows to SSA (B)27,845 (B)NA
2012Spring Rainbow Trout (C)~63,000 (C)NAAD
2012Fall Brown Trout71,372
YearSpeciesReleasedEggs UsedFin Clip

 

 TOTAL: 1,911,078



2012 Hatchery Work
2012 Hatchery Work

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”
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Trippin’ Down The Beatty

Like you (or like you should be!) I am an Ontario Steelheaders member. I put in my time to volunteer for the greater good of our steelhead fishery on the Saugeen River. Whether it’s helping out with fish lifts at Denny’s Dam or pulling a fish tanker full of yearling stockers, I take great pride in helping out. So, it was natural for me to accept the task put upon me from some of the Steelheader’s brass this past spring. My good friend and fellow member Dan Gravel and I were asked to verify the presence of beaver dams on the Beatty Saugeen River. This became an adventure we wouldn’t soon forget.   For those of you that don’t know the Beatty, it is a major spawning tributary to the Saugeen proper. The Beatty is born in the wooded wetlands of Southgate, east of highway 6. This cold water stream becomes a small river over the course of its 46km stretch before entering the South Saugeen in the town of Hanover. The cold, spring fed Beatty is a fish producing “super trib”, rich with invertebrates, forest covered banks and pristine spawning gravel; it is also the major destination for adult steelhead that are transported by the Ontario Steelheaders “Steelhead Express” tankers some 60km from Denny’s Dam during the spring fish transfers. Here, in this beautiful creek, these steelhead (as well as many others who made the journey the hard way past the man-made dams) pair-up, and lay the seeds for future generations of Saugeen River steelhead. Without a doubt, the Beatty is the major contributor to wild produced steelhead throughout the entire Saugeen system.   Our adventure started in April 2011, when Rod Jones and my father were discussing the rumour of multiple beaver dams in the lower Beatty which would impede steelhead migration. This became a great concern, since ease of access to spawning water is important. These two fine men suggested they send me and Dan down river in a canoe the following week to explore these beaver dams. Not wanting to disappoint, we eagerly agreed. Although the Beatty has an extended spring closure (no fishing till the end of May), we thought it would be a great idea to bring our shotguns along and possibly harvest a turkey or two on the stretches of Conservation Lands that border the river. My father offered us his finest fiberglass canoe and a free ride to Concession 16 where he would drop us off. We neglected his choice of watercraft and brought Dan’s rugged aluminum canoe knowing full well that the journey may be rough. We met Mr. Choronzey in Hanover with canoe in tow and reached the drop off at Concession 16 at 10:30am. He informed us that the trip would only take a few hours and we would be in Hanover no later than 4pm. A quick look at Dan’s handheld GPS told us a different story and we launched the canoe and turkey gear with some doubt in our senior members’ assurance of a quick and easy trip.   The first concession of our paddle turned out to be hell. We never found a beaver dam here. However, we found eight giant log jams that required us to portage the canoe around the masses of lumber. This took considerable amounts of time, not to mention the river had more bends and winding than a coil of garter snakes in a hibernation den. We did however; see dozens of large steelhead hiding in the log jams, obviously not impeded from beaver dams down river! Concession #1 took 2.5hrs to paddle, with no turkeys to be seen or heard.   Dan and I were happy to be out of the slow oxbow section of river we experienced in the first concession of our trip. The second concession was more exciting. Some areas of faster water made for a quicker ride down river. Here we found beautiful sections of spawning water that were occupied by steelhead paired up and making aquatic nookie. We also slammed the canoe into a few logs and boulders, but we were no worse for wear. NO BEAVER DAMS again in this stretch, but we still had to portage around 3 large log jams. Concession #2 took 2hrs to paddle.Now, at 3pm we are at Grey Road 3 bridge, still 2 concessions from our destination with about 4.5hrs of good daylight ahead of us. This next stretch of the Beatty proved to be a wicked adventure. For the next 2 hours we pounded the canoe around and into sweepers and through rapids (yes RAPIDS), slammed into boulders, nearly flipped, took on water, and managed to explode our carefully packaged soft cooler of silver beverages. My shotgun was sitting in 3in of cold stream water in the bottom of the canoe and any thought of killing a turkey was gone. Finally after nearly 3 hours, we completed the 3rd concession, soaked and bruised, but still paddling. The only benefit to this stretch of the trip was being able to witness the most intense mayfly and then caddis hatch I have seen on the Saugeen. Juvenile steelhead and resident browns were lighting up the surface, filling their guts with these flies. It was like something from a western fly fishing movie, surreal to say the least.   Finally, we had one more concession to traverse before we reached the take out point. The final leg of our journey proved to be the worst few hours in a watercraft I have ever experienced, and I have seen a lot! We passed some beautiful riverside homes, whose resident’s proclaimed we were crazy idiots for canoeing the Beatty. One lady even offered to help us off the river and back to town. We neglected the offer and tried to explain we were in search of BEAVER DAMS. About half way through the final concession we met our match. Here, the river split into a section of 3 braids. Dan (in the rear) suggested we go left, I however paddled us to the right and off we went tumbling down a whitewater staircase, putting the canoe on its side and taking on water fast. Dan managed to jam his paddle down into the riverbed to prevent a total capsizing. We immediately pulled up on shore and proceeded to walk the canoe down the remaining 400yrds of whitewater, inadvertently spooking adult steelhead everywhere throughout the stretch. It was nearly dark and we had no idea how much further the pick-up destination was. We managed to paddle down river for about 5 minutes before we were greeted to fast water again and more hair pin turns. We repeated the above scenario two more times. Yes, I said two more times… ughhh! Not taking any more chances, we walked the canoe through the final bit of nastiness and found our take out point within eyesight. Mr. Choronzey was not there (of course). He had dropped the vehicle off for us at the bridge (thanks Dad!) and returned to his trailer at Denny’s Park where he was in the company of the Steelheaders’ brass who brainstormed this idiotic adventure, laughing I am sure.   We left the Beatty at 9 pm that evening. Sore, bruised, broken and bug bit. The canoe looked like a car hood from a demolition derby. It leaked, severely by the time we pulled out. Our guns, soaked. We had managed to spot more than a hundred adult steelhead, and probably floated over 100’s more. The amount of juvenile trout was astonishing, as was the mayfly hatch. We never saw or heard a turkey. And last but not least, we NEVER FOUND A SINGLE BEAVER DAM. I would like to thank those who made a point to bringing the existence of these imaginary BEAVER DAMS to attention of the Ontario Steelheaders, you owe these two members a new canoe and a beer! I do not promote the Beatty as a canoe trip for anyone. It is not listed as a paddle route and should not be used as one.   If you want to access the Beatty, do it from shore!