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Presidents Report Spring 2014

Well folks it’s that time of year again were I have to bring you all up to speed on the affairs of your Ontario Steelheaders. Where to begin lots has happened since we last talked.

The fall transfer went well but it cost me a case of beer to Mr. Choronzey as we had a side bet that we would or wouldn’t get our 500 adults transferred my side was that we would and his was that we wouldn’t as mother nature was closing in on us. He must have a hand on her pulse as the weather shut us down and we fell short by twenty some odd fish but hey the way I look at it some is better than none and Grant McAlpine and his crew did a great job as usual so I don’t mind losing to Mr. C. We also did a stocking of advanced fall fingerlings which is an added bonus as we’ve only done this once before in 2012 when the LHFC had another banner crop of little guys and so we had to lehttp://www.steelheaders.ca/wp-admin/post-new.php?post_type=paget some go early to make room in the hatchery.

Speaking of the weather are you all as tired of this winter as I am my back still aches when I see snow flakes. It certainly has been a brutal winter for snow and cold but it is Canada and we all will get through it. If your and ice fisherman or snowmobiler you sure had a awesome winter for it. The down side of all of this is if we get a quick thaw we could be facing some bad flooding in numerous places and this could delay our time spent this spring chasing our favorite fish.

The club has all it’s paper work in order for the spring transfer of adults and now we sit and wait for the weather to break, we have three transfer tankers now so as long as we have tow vehicles available we should this year finish in record time. We will again be doing the transfer of our yearlings from LHFC hatchery. The little guys were all clipped back in February so they are eating and growing waiting for their new home in Saugeen later this spring.

Clipping this year thanks to a big turn out of OS and LHFC members set a record number of little guys clipped in one day at just over twenty thousand great job guys well done.

The newsletter is later than usual for this we apologize but as the OS is a volunteer group life sometime gets in the way and things don’t go as planned. The group has had a number of personnel health and other issues so we are moving as best as we can and there will be a newsletter in a new and improved format. We are still working towards our Not For Profit status and also planning to have an AGM later this year, we will keep you informed as things progress so we ask for your patience and understanding.

The website as you all may or may not have seen looks and works great and is continuing to evolve for the better so visit it often and enjoy the labour of love from our web guy, Scott Kidwell. Thanks Scott, job well done.

Thirty five years ago the OS started with it’s upwelling boxes on the Beatty Saugeen and have been working on this system ever since. That is a long time and things have continued to move forward like the fixing of Walkerton the addition of the fishway at Maple hill and soon another at Maple hill, other projects are in the works but are still in the planning stages so stay tuned for these will be very exciting if all comes together.

Thank you to all the people and MNR staff who over the years gave of themselves to the improvement of our beloved Saugeen and continue to do so without these selfless individuals we wouldn’t be were we are today so keep up the hard work and thank you again.

Due to all this hard work our efforts this year came to the for front as the OS and LHFC jointly were recognized by the Canadian Fishing Hall of Fame as the Conservation Project of the Year a real feather in the hat of both organizations. The presentation took place at the Spring Boat and Fishing show with all the top people in the fishing world being present. Darryl Choronzey made a very heartfelt presentation to both groups of course with a few jabs during the presentation at his peers re various issues but we also have to thank him as we all know he’s worked just as hard to help the Saugeen get to were it is just like the OS and LHFC. Along with a beautiful plaque the group received a donation of One Thousand dollars of which the OS portion was donated to LHFC to assist in the cost of feeding our little guys. We hope to have the plaque on display in Steelheader Park at the bulletin board so come take a look.

Have a safe and great rest of 2014 and we’ll be in touch sometime later this fall but keep looking at the Website as things will be posted as they happen.

Best Regards,
Karl H. Redin
President

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Spring 2014 Denny’s Dam Park Update

Saugeen River Park Damage Saugeen River Park Damage

After a long winter, we are all eager to begin enjoying the park amenities and spending time fishing the river for fresh steelhead.

Once the flood waters recede, we will begin pulling in trailers to the park as they are accessible; there is quite a bit of snow still in the farm field.

I must once again remind everyone to follow the park rules especially late night noise. It is part of our contract with the Saugeen Valley Conservation Authority that we must control excessive noise at all times.

This year, we have another series of events going on at the park. Some of them include spring trout opener, spring derby, Canada Day party, fall derby and more. Stay tuned to our website for updates on events held at the park. You can find a map and more info about the park on our website: http://steelheaders.ca/dennys-dam-park

I have to bite my tongue and report to you all, that in January of this winter, an unauthorized driver of a motor vehicle equipped with a snow plow had blazed a trail from the turnaround into the park right up to the end by the fire pit. This act of stupidity and laziness will cost the club thousands of dollars to repair. Once the way was cleared, others followed as it is easier to drive to the river than park up top and walk to the park.

But as you can see in the picture, one person was not so lucky – right up to the axles – what was the cost to get the car towed out?

As a result of these actions caused by a few, we are now creating a plan to install a steel main gate at the turnaround thus preventing this from happening again. The gate will be closed at the end of November of each year and only reopened at the discretion of the park manager!

Dave Munro
Park Manager

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Ontario Steelheaders Saves the Day

In 2013, Ontario Steelheaders came to the rescue when approximately 35k fish measuring 2-3 inches were scheduled to be killed as the hatchery operation had no room for them and were overstocked.

LHFC Hatchery Tank Pics 004

To save these little guys, the Ontario Steelheaders paid $1,500 to the Lake Huron Fishing Club trout hatchery for these fish and then we took it upon ourselves to transport and stock the fish into the upper headwaters of the Saugeen River. Each year, the trout hatchery can typically only house 60k steelhead yearlings and this year in particular, there was an abundant overstock. Why? The primary reason for the overstock numbers was due to a great hatch rate and less dead eggs/fry ratio. This is great news for the ecosystem and natural reproduction.

Thanks to all of our directors, members and supporters. We have created a club that can step in and take action when needed. This action is a result of our supporters. We turned a negative situation into a positive result and these fish wouldn’t have survived without the support from each and every one of you!

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HAC Restores Spring Creek

HAC Restores Spring Creek
HAC Restores Spring Creek

The Hepworth Anglers Club (HAC) completed Phase 1 of the Spring Creek Restoration Project in September, 2013. Implementing the recommendations of Parish Geomorphic Ltd., fourteen wing deflectors were constructed and installed in the stream bank at strategic locations, using mats to minimize stream bank damage. Woody debris structures were installed in the bank and numerous boulders were placed in the channel at prescribed locations. Over 280 tons of river stone were placed in three different areas of the Spring Creek to increase and improve existing spawning sites. Completion of Phase 1 will result in an improved quality of cold water flowing into the Sauble River and Lake Huron from Spring Creek and increase Spring Creek’s contribution to the migratory fishery (rainbow and brown trout, chinook and coho salmon) currently reproducing naturally in the stream.

The restoration work was made possible by two grants received by the HAC, (1) Land Stewardship and Habitat Restoration Program (Ministry of Natural Resources) and (2) Recreational Fisheries Conservation Partnerships Program (Department of Fisheries and Oceans). The HAC is awaiting word on its 2013 Great Lakes Guardian Community Grant (Ministry of Environment) application and will be applying for additional grants to complete phases 2 and 3 of the Spring Creek Restoration Project in the future.

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Fisherman Learns 52 Lessons

Trout Record Flap

Caught — and released to the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources.

Rob Scott, Crane Lake, Minn., is an angler who caught a potential 52lb world-record lake trout in February 2014 fishing a lake near the US/Canada border. The fish was 45 inches long with a 32-inch girth, Rob said.

Worried he may lose his Candian fishing license, and possibly access to fish Canadaian water again, Rob got lucky with a hefty fine plus court costs, The angler won’t get to keep the fish or enter it as a world record catch. The current record is 29 pounds, 6 ounces. so he would have won by a considerable margin. The fisherman did not contest the charges.

But because Rob’s lake trout limit was one fish and he had already kept a 4-pounder earlier in the day, he was over his limit when he kept the big lake trout. He later gave the 4-pound trout to his nephew, he said, but according to Ontario law, he had possessed both fish. “He killed two fish. You’re only allowed to kill one,” the MNR’s Elliott said.

A prime example of why to respect your local regulations and catch limits.

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Treasurer’s Report Spring 2014

Once again spring has finally arrived. What a nice change after the long, cold winter we all just struggled through, snow shovels in hand. I’m sure you are all getting antsy waiting for the fishing season that is coming. I wish you all fair weather and tight lines.

This is a list of Friends of the Ontario Steelheaders who have chosen to donate to our efforts.

  • Redwing Tackle
  • J&S Tackle
  • Hammond Power Solutions
  • Trevor Garland
  • The Sauble & Area Mens Club
  • Roberts Onsight
  • Toronto Sportsmen’s Shows
  • Jim Weir
  • Wilson’s Fly Fishing
  • Angling Outfitters
  • Centerpinangling.Com
  • Grandriveroutfitters

Financial Report April 2013 – Dec 31,2013

Month Debit Credit Balance
April $4,025.70 $2,475.19 $21,972.98
May $16,069.54 $19,373.21 $25,276.65
June $9,081.17 $19,630.27 $35,825.75
July $745.80 $417.96 $35,497.91
August $4,109.89 $2,880.31 $34,268.31
September $1,886.06 $1,537.79 $33,920.06
October $6,902.56 $3,615.65 $30,633.15
November $8,998.40 $1,650.24 $23,284.99
December $1,427.23 $0.20 $21,857.96

Thank you to the many who give of their time and effort to help maintain the fishery and keep our park in good order.

Harold Curtis
Treasurer

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Study: Trout Can Inherit Behavior

Brown Trout

The research group discovered that the behavioral traits examined were individually repeatable, i.e., fish showed personality. Furthermore, certain behaviors related to stress tolerance, such as freezing, showed statistical heritability at a level of 14 percent. This means that non-random mortality related to stress tolerance both in fish farms and in the wild can modify the heritable traits of fish populations and thus lead to changes that are difficult to reverse. At worst, these changes might weaken the ability of fish to avoid predators and decrease the fisheries’ catches unless mitigated by acknowledging the potential selection acting on fish personality.

The article is currently in Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology. Read the full article.