Georgian Triangle Anglers Association Follows Our Lead

I received a phone call a few months back from the Georgian Triangle Anglers Association over on Georgian Bay to come and speak to their membership on just exactly what has made the Saugeen River an overnight sensation. They wanted to know why returning trout numbers were exploding and how we did it.   When we met I explained to them that the answers were simple. Raise quality fish to the proper size and stock them far up the river for maximum imprinting. I emphasized the fact that we were collecting quality wild eggs and milt from quality wild fish. I also explained that the Lake Huron Fishing Club was rearing quality yearling smolt to the proper size. I noted that our stocking sites were many miles upriver on the Saugeen, as matter of fact more than 50 miles from the river mouth.   I also compared our success to failures with other clubs that failed to raise fish to the proper size and simply dumped their fish near river mouths.  It came as a surprise that the MNR’s Jody Schiefley had passed the same message on to the membership a few weeks before.   It did not surprise me that starting this past spring the Georgian Triangle Anglers Association have reduced the number of eggs they take from returning wild fish, and are raising their trout to yearling smolt. They have also been given approval to stock their yearlings farther up the Beaver River for better imprinting. Needless to say their rainbow trout fishery is about to improve substantially in the years down the road. Congratulations to the members of the Georgian Triangle Anglers Association.