2015 Annual Presidents Report

Well it’s that time of the year again to let you all know what has and will take place within the OSS. Firstly, hopefully you all survived another long and cold Canadian winter our second in two years. Although these are hard on us Humans it is good for the water table and therefore for all the creatures that inhabit them. The Great lakes freeze almost solid across their surface area and this stops evaporation and keeps the levels of the systems up, which is good for everything that depends on them.

As of February 2015 the OSS is now Incorporated only took 30 plus years but we got there, so now the club has a constitution and Inc status.

Releasing Adult Steelhead
Adult Steelhead Transfer Ends 2016
We got some disturbing news recently from the MNRF that as of 2016 it will be the last year that the OSS and LHFC will be allowed to transfer adult Steelhead in both spring and fall as we have done for many years. The MNRF has decided to do a study for a number of years to see the effects of not transferring the adults, they will however still allow the OSS and LHFC to continue the raising and release of 50,000 yearlings into the Saugeen system. The MNRF however will stop raising the additional 35,000 yearlings at Chatsworth after this year.

Big thanks you again goes out the guys of the OSS and LHFC for another successful spring transfer of the adults to the upper Beatty and we hit the magic 1000 again so wish them a well and thank them for a hard week of work.

The smolts from Kincardine have all been released as of May 30 and the few remaining smolts at Port Elgin will be released June 4 so again a big thank you to the very dedicated guys of both clubs for getting this done also.

After 2016, the OSS will need to come up with other projects for our club to focus so lets hear from you our membership on ideas that you feel may be good for the Saugeen and it’s area.

The club still plans on expanding our Rod Jones pavilion and hope to have it done this year this will make for better Derbies and use as we all know the Derbies have been getting bigger and if the weather is bad there’s always some people getting wet so by expanding we’ll all benefit from it. Keep an eye on the website as we may need some bodies to help with the expansion.

Darryl Rodney and Karl Fisheries AwardSpeaking of Rod Jones it gives me great pleasure to advise you all the Rod will be receiving the National Recreational Fisheries Award from Ocean and Fisheries for all his dedication and commitment for many years to the Saugeen River and it’s surrounding area.

Rod received the award Friday May 8 so please, along with the Directors of the OSS and myself, wish him a great WAY TO GO Rod thank you. For those of you who may not know Rod here’s a little history Rod is one of the founding members of OSS and was instrumental in the building and taking care of the up welling boxes where our first Steelhead eggs were incubated to fry and then released into the Beatty back in 1977. After the boxes were discovered to not be the most successful Rod was the driving for to get things moving at the Mildmay Hatchery. When Mildmay was shut down Rod and some other key members of the OSS brokered a deal with the MNR and LHFC to start raising yearlings at the Kincardine hatchery were our yearlings are still raised. Rod also was the founder of the current Park on the bank of the Saugeen, as when he heard that the SVCA was going to close the site therefore lessening the access to the river he approached the SVCA and leased the property to keep this open for members and the public.

So closing on that note please feel free to contact myself or any Director of the OSS with any comments or questions.

Tight lines and Good Fishing

Karl H. Redin
President
Ontario Steelheaders Inc

Lake Huron Fishing Club Summer Fish Fry

Fish Fry

The Lake Huron Fishing Club (LHFC) Annual Club Fish Fry will be held at the Baie Du Dore Quonset near the Bruce Nuclear Station outside of Kincardine on Saturday June 13th. That is this Saturday Folks!!!!

  • Dinner at 6pm sharp.
  • All in attendance please bring enough salad or dessert to feed 8 people.
  • Those with last names starting with A – M bring a dessert, and those with last names starting with N – Z please bring a salad.

Cost is $15.00/adult – $10.00 for children 5 to 16 years old. Children under 5 eat free.

Our raw materials are at an all-time high so please come out and support the Club to help cover our costs. All sister Club members are welcome.

Shaded Waters Protect Trout

As global climate change, droughts and hot summers continue, many streams and headwaters will flow with low water, which could put fish into a more vulnerable situation when being preyed on by birds such as hawks and eagles.

A new study has found that adequate shade and cover in streams could reduce bird consumption of trout by as much as 12 percent, from only one species of bird – the kingfisher. This study originated from the Oregon Hatchery Research Center in the Alsea River basin, and published in the journal Ecology of Freshwater Fish.

Using coastal cutthroat trout and suggested individual fish sought cover at least as large as their own bodies. The addition of in-stream cover reduced the rate of predation from kingfishers by 12 percent and maintained better survival in areas with greater shade.

Jason Dunham, an aquatic ecologist with the U.S. Geological Survey and co-author on the study stated, “It is generally assumed that shade is good for fish solely because of temperature.

This study shows shade can make it more difficult for kingfishers to spot and catch fish. Kingfishers are the number one predators of small trout.” said Penaluna, who led the research as a doctoral student in the Department of Fisheries and Wild- life at Oregon State University . She said, “We’re able to tell fisheries managers that they may be able to increase their trout population by 12 percent – and it may be higher. It is possible that adding shade and cover to small streams may help protect trout against other predators as well.”

With that said, would improving shade and natural cover to the Saugeen River headwaters and streams help boost steelhead populations?

Its possible.

Source Article: http://oregonstate.edu/ua/ncs/archives/2015/may/study-finds-shade-cover-can-reduce-predation-birds-trout

Annual Spring Steelhead Derby Results

Well the fall 2014 derby was a soaker but that is to be expected, at least since I have taken over running the show. All of the winners and weights have already been posted on our website, so to keep this short winded I won’t get into those details.

The 2015 spring derby was delightfully the best derby I have run weather wise. Fishing was a little tougher the normal, but still produced some nice fish. We had 80 Sr. anglers and 8 juniors this derby. 1st place went to Greg Allen with a wild female weighing 7.4lbs, 2nd place was our first female to make the podium Deb Zetler with a stocked OS fish at 7.1lbs and last but not least in 3rd was Mike Sousa also with a stock OS fish at 6.9lbs & the live release caught by Steven Lombard was a wild fish 28.5” Great job guys and gal.

Now, I would like to thank our amazing sponsors and food suppliers. The club is most gracious for our continued support from Angling Outfitters in Woodstock, Hammond Power Solutions, Black Bird Tackle Pure Fishing Canada in Brantford, Ron Plasket – (with some of the best gag prizes ever, can believe buddie took the gag over the FWF Custom 13’ float rod), Sauble Area Mens Club, Pete Barber & many others. Now to the food! Once again Q BBQ Eatery did a top notch job on the brisket, Carls Custom Meats nailed the burgers and dogs and all the park patrons that donated salads and side dishes. Our hats are off to you, thanks so much and I couldn’t put on this great event without you all.

I would also like to give a big shout out to Carlo, Paul & Jake for helping with the cooking & Erica King and Carol Tuner for the awesome job they did hustling all those raffle tickets, this raises a great deal of money for the club and our project such as our stocking project on the Suageen river. I hope to see you all the weekend after Canadian thanksgiving for our annual fall derby.

Tight Lines.

Scottie Redin
Derby & Events Director

Rod Jones Receives Fisheries Award

I was happy to be a part of the celebration this week with Ontario Steelheaders president Karl Redin when Rod Jones was presented with the Canadian Recreational Fisheries Award for his long time commitment to the Ontario sport fishery. Rod has been dedicated to the game for more than 40 years. Congratulations Rod! You are joining a small elite group of conservation minded individuals. You definitely deserve the recognition. Way to go.

Darryl Rodney and Karl Fisheries Award

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Spring 2015 Derby Details

Once again it is that time of the year for the annual spring Steelheaders Derby. Hopefully it isn’t going to be as soggy as the past couple, but I know no one is holding their breath onthat….lol. I have posted a volunteer signup sheet in the park for any one that is willing to help us out with a couple of the tasks that are required to make the derby fun and enjoyable for all. If you sign up for a task, we will depend on you to be there and in functional condition (you will have to save the partying till your task is completed).

Any one that is going to donate prizes could you please get them to me ASAP or at least let me know what it is that you are going to donate. This will give us a better game plan & idea of what we have for our always awesome prize selection. Once again thank you very much to all that donate, you all know the money raised goes to a great cause.

There is a women class that was added last fall, but unfortunately none of the ladies landed any chrome. So to all you lady Steelheaders this is your chance to be the first on the trophy. There is also a plaque for the spring and Fall derbies now for the live release class, so if youget a beauty that won’t make the leader board get its length & let it go to breed and be caught another day.

Now for a reminder of some of the derby “Rules”: Three air horn blasts at the end of the park will indicate 1 hour remaining to weigh in, 2 air horn blasts will indicate 30 minutes remaining & 1 long air horn blast indicates that the derby is officially close. My iPhone is going to be the set time that this is based around, so it may be a good idea to sync your watches and cells to my time. All fish will be weighed with the scale provided by the Ontario Steelheaders & only this scale, no exceptions. There will be no exception for late weigh-ins, no matter how great yourstory (fishtale) is. If there is a tie, the 1st person to weigh in one of the tying fish takes the top position. Last but not least, tight lines, have fun and be safe.



Best Regards,

Scottie Redin
Derby & Events Director
Ontario Steelheaders

Details

Date

Spring Derby: May 2 2015

Time

Derby: 7:00AM – 5:00PM
Dinner served at 5:30PM
Raffle & ceremony at 6:00PM

Entry Fee

Price: $10 donation
*Price subject to change.
**You do not need to be a club member to enter the derby. Anyone is welcome.

Questions & Donations

Submit questions and prize donations to derby director, Scott Redin.

Camping

Overnight camping is available at the Denny’s Dam Park located on the Saugeen River. Members and non-members are invited to camp with tent, travel trailer or RV for the event. For more information, see the park page.

Map & Directions

The Saugeen River derby is held at Denny’s Dam Park on the Saugeen River near Southampton Ontario.

Revealing Spawning Video

Tip of the hat to Ken “Creekman” Davis for illustrating the latest California WaterBlog with his 35-second video of salmon spawning in Putah Creek. In an early December survey, Ken found that an estimated 200 salmon came to spawn in the stream – by far the most in more than 30 years on annual surveys. UC Davis fish biologist Peter Moyle couldn’t be happier: http://bit.ly/1FfRiD2

Posted by UC Davis Center for Watershed Sciences on Thursday, March 12, 2015
Salmon Spawning Video

2015 Spring Adult Transfer Complete

A very long four days, working with the Ontario Steelheaders with our annual spring adult steelhead trap and transport program on Ontario’s Saugeen River. We trap 1,000 pre-spawn adults at Denny’s Dam and drive and trailer them 50 miles upriver to the Beatty Saugeen and it’s great spawning waters. We only lower the trap twice a day for only an hour and trap an average approximately of 500 plus fish a day in the two lifts. We can only handle 50 fish in each of the 3 trailers a trip. It took a little more than five days to capture the thousand adults. Adults average 7 pounds plus, but we always see fish over 15 pounds. Lots of tough work on the boys and their trucks. The fish are driven to the Beatty and tubed into the stream. Next up, we stock 50,000 yearling smolt next week. The Saugeen now see runs of 40,000-50,000 adults yearly due to volunteer efforts. Some of us are getting a little old for this type of workout.

Spring 2015 Steelhead Trout Transfer on Saugeen River Spring 2015 Steelhead Trout Transfer on Saugeen River Spring 2015 Steelhead Trout Transfer on Saugeen River Spring 2015 Steelhead Trout Transfer on Saugeen River Spring 2015 Steelhead Trout Transfer on Saugeen River Spring 2015 Steelhead Trout Transfer on Saugeen River Beatty Saugeen