Ontario Steelheaders

A big thank from myself and the board of director to the volunteers who clipped fish this weekend at the Kincardine Hatchery. Approximately 45,000 little guys were clipped.

Karl Redin,
President, Ontario Steelheaders

The Kincardine Trout Hatchery are considering the weekend of February 10th to begin annual fin clipping of the Rainbow Trout. Anyone interested in helping are encouraged to contact:

Rachel Hasson, Volunteer Coordinator – Kincardine Hatchery
519-353-8896

The fin clipping can take quite a number of days and may spill over to the following weekend, please check with Rachel during this time to see if your services are needed. Volunteering is not limited to the LHFC and Ontario Steelheaders members – anyone can participate.

Winners of the Longest 2 Steelhead
Combined Length

1st Joe Sousa – 56 inches Total
2nd Chad Weir – 55.25 inches Total
3rd Max Courtier – 53.5 inches Total
4th Garrett Gardiner – 53.25 inches total
5th Douglas Keene – 53.25 inches total
6th John Kingshot – 53 inches total
7th Dan Coblentz – 52.5 inches total
8th Luca Opacic – 52 inches total


Photo Credits:
Arthur Jerico Reinoso
Instagram: @angling_art

Ontario Steelheaders hosted their 2017 Fall Derby on Saturday October 14th. There were 110 entrants and 5 Juniors.

1st place, Brad Privatt 8.6 lbs
2nd place, Doug Swan 8.1 lbs
3rd place, Lorenzo P. 7.14 lbs

Live release Lorenzo P. 26 inches. The rain held off during the derby, but made its grand arrival for dinner.

Thank you to all the entrants, sponsors and volunteers that helped make the day a success for everyone. We hope to see you back for the 2018 spring derby May 5th.

KOTD Donations requested.

Denny’s Damn Park and The Ontario Steelheaders welcome back “King of the Drift Derby.“

The 2017 Fall event will be taking place October 28th.  OS extend our gratitude to KOTD;  and their continued support by requesting donations of salads and/or deserts from park and OS members for the event.

Hope to see you there & tight lines.

Just a reminder: Night fishing above the south side of the bridge abutments up to Denny’s Dam is closed for the entire month of October for salmon spawning in accordance with the Ministry of Natural Resources regulations.

Fisherman may begin targeting fish 30 minutes before sunrise until 30 minutes after sunset.

For example: if sunrise is 7:00 am, fishing is not allowed before until 6:30am. And, if sun set is 7:00pm fishing is allowed until 7:30 pm. Please keep in mind, as winter approaches daylight hours quickly shorten. Please respect the regulations as they are put in place for protecting our fishery.

Greetings Everyone,

I have confirmed ‎with GLFC that dredging is to be completed by Friday Sept 22.

Until sediment results come back from the lab, dredgate may be stockpiled onsite, above the high water mark and suitably contained to prevent entry into the water. We are anticipating a significant number of fish next week. This measure was put in place in effort to mitigate adverse impacts and ensure dredging completion by end of this week.

It is anticipated that the dredging work will result in sufficient flow through the fishway to allow fish passage without the addition of stoplogs. If required, additional logs may be added to assist in directing water through the fishway. Under this scenario, logs to direct flow are not going to raise water levels in the construction area.

All fall 2017 work is scheduled to be completed October 1.

Have a great day!
Tracy Allison,
Resources Management Supervisor
Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry
Midhurst District- Owen Sound Field Office

2017 Spring Creek Restoration Update:

The Hepworth Anglers Club (HAC) is in the midst of its fifth year of Spring Creek Fish fish habitat restoration work. Temporary deployment of a series of portable timber mats and cradles, as shown in the photos, provides access for equipment and habitat restoration materials, while protecting the stream banks, trees and existing in channel structure.

The project contractor is Tom MacDonald Excavating and the team includes student Trevor Hood, HAC members, stream restoration specialist Chris Cummings of Matrix/Parish Aquatics, Dr. James Hamilton and students of Wilfrid Laurier University, with support from various other organizations and individuals.

This year’s work includes embedding cedar tree root wads and crowns into the stream bank to create cover, habitat complexity and local scouring. Creating and enhancing spawning shoals and riffles by placing boulders and angular spawning stone in strategic locations. Installing cedar log “lunkers” to create undercut banks for refuge habitat and planting riparian shrubs to create overhanging cover and stabilize banks. In addition, four side channels have been restored to increase rearing and nursery habitat. Physical aeration and cover structures using natural wood materials will be installed in other side channels. A jump pool below an old mill dam will be restored to enhance fish passage to and from upstream spawning and nursery areas.

Funding for this year’s work was received from the Recreational Fisheries Conservation Partnerships Program (Fisheries and Oceans Canada) and the Land Stewardship and Habitat Restoration Program (Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry).

Bill Nafziger
Hepworth Anglers Club