Idle Thoughts for Idle Anglers

Ron, Bob and Dave were fishing in a boat when they ran out of bait. Ron got up and walked across the water to get some more bait. After two hours, they ran out of bait again and this time, Bob walked across the water to get some bait. After three hour of fishing they ran out of bait again and Dave said he would get the bait. So he stepped out of the boat and went straight to the bottom. Ron turned to Bob and asked “Should we have told him where the rocks were?”

When you go fishing and you catch something, that’s good. If you are making love and you catch something, that’s bad.

Q. What is the definition of ‘live bait’? A. The biggest fish you will handle all day.

Q. What is the definition of a ‘Fisherman’s Thumb’? A. A temporary hook holder.

A young man and an older man were fishing on a pier. The young man started telling the older one that the night before he had caught a trout that was over 3 1⁄2 feet long. The older man replied, “Oh yeah, well I was here 2 nights ago and I hooked something huge. After a 30 minute fight, I finally got it to the surface and it was an old lantern and the thing was still lit.” The young man said, “You’re lying. I can’t believe that.” Then the older man said, “I’ll tell you what, you knock a couple of feet off your trout and I’ll blow out my lantern.”

Old Dave was walking along a California beach when he came upon two men pulling another man ashore on the end of a rope. “That’s what I like to see,” mused old Dave, “A man helping out his fellow man.” As he was walking away, one man remarked to the other, “Well, he sure doesn’t know the first thing about shark fishing.”

Maude shared this tidbit with her friend over a cup of tea: “I think the only reason my husband likes to go fishing so much is that it’s the only time he hears someone tell him, “Wow, that’s a big one!”

Ron had an awful day fishing on the lake, sitting in the blazing sun all day without catching a single fish. On his way home, he stopped at the supermarket and ordered four trout fillets. He told the fish salesman, “Pick four large ones out and then throw them at me, will you?”
“Why do you want me to throw them at you?”
“Because I want to tell my wife that I caught them.”
“Okay, but I suggest that you take the orange roughy.”
“Why’s that?”
“Because your wife came in earlier today and said that if you came by, I should tell you to take the orange roughy. That’s what she would like for supper tonight.”

The only time a fisherman tells the truth is when he calls another fisherman a liar

The great thing about fishing is that it gives you something to do while you are not doing anything.

The most awful thing you can say to another angler is:

“That’s a nice fish. May I use it for bait?” It was a cold winter day. Old Dave walked out onto a frozen lake, cut a hole in the ice, dropped in his fishing line, and patiently waited for a bite. He was there for almost an hour, without even a nibble, when a young boy walked out onto the ice and cut a hole in the ice next to him. The young boy dropped his fishing line in and a few minutes later pulled out a huge smallmouth bass. Old Dave couldn’t believe his eyes but chalked it up to plain luck. Shortly thereafter, the young boy pulled in another large catch. The young boy kept catching fish after fish. Finally, Old Dave couldn’t take it any longer. “Son,” he said, “I’ve been here for over an hour without even a nibble. You’ve been here only a few minutes and have caught over a half dozen fish! How do you do it?” The boy responded, “Roo raf roo reep ra rums rrarm.” “What was that?” Old Dave asked. Again the boy responded, “ Roo raf roo reep ra rums rrarm.” “Look,” said Old Dave, “I can’t understand a word you are saying.” The boy spat some bait into his hand and said… “You have to keep the worms warm.”

“I didn’t see you in church last Sunday, Thomas. I hear you were out playing football instead.” “That’s just not true, Reverend. And I’ve got the fish to prove it!”

2012 Annual Fall Steelhead Derby Results

Brian Hambley, Laurien Godin & Will Stewardson, Winners of Fall Derby 2012


fall2012derby-03

First- Will Stewardson – 8.4lb
Second- Brian Hambly – 7.8lb
Third- Laurien Godin – 7.6lb

Catch and release went to Brian Watson – 28.5″ & Junior division goes to Cory Munro with 4.6lb.

Chairman’s address:
Well folks, we had another successful derby for all those who braved the wind and rain. I would like to thank you all again. We had 84 entries (80 adults and 4 juniors) for this event. The leaders are as follows –

Congratulations go out to all this year’s winners. Don’t forget we are all winners, good day of fishing, chatting with new and old friends and an excellent meal… What could be better I ask you!?

The Ontario Steelheaders would like to thank all those who donated prizes and time for our events:

fall2012derby-01Barry Westall – RedWing Tackle, Hammond Power Solutions, Joslin – Angling Outfitters, Ernie Jantzen – Rodman Custom Rods, Rob Marquette – Frogwater Reels , John Gratton – St Croix, and anyone else who we forgot. I would like to send a special Thanks to Mike, Dave and Brian for all the set-up and cooking. Without these people you wouldn’t have been fed; and to Dar and Lori for handling the crowd for tickets, well done Ladies! Thank you all for your continued support, it means a lot to us!

Dave Munro
Social Events Director

Tribute to a friend of the Steelheaders

Keith TributeOn October 13th, a large crowd of friends, relatives and supporters of the Ontario Steelheaders gathered at the look-out in Denny’s park to honour long-time member Keith Berkeley. Karl Redin spoke of Keith as a dedicated member who was part of the “old Guard” in the Steelheaders. He spent time as a director back in the early days, and gave countless hours of his time to fisheries enhancement. A stone memorial is placed near the lookout point where Keith and his wife Penny spent many days watching over the river where Keith loved to fish. To some, he was a friend, a comrade, a lifelong partner. To all of us, he is an inspiration. Keith was kind, patient and the most giving person we knew.

Keith Memorial“I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of those who donated to the very moving tribute to Keith at the park. Keith would have been honoured to know that you cared so much for him. He had tears in his eyes when he read his last Steelheader Newsletter. He loved the park, the people, and the work on the fishery. He was proud to be a part of it all. I was moved.- Penny”

Denny’s Park Project Report

Backgrounder: Denny’s Dam Conservation Area property was once privately owned. At the time of sale, the owners wanted the land to be maintained for public access to the river, as a result of donations from sportsmen and other funding; The SVCA acquired the land and kept it open to the public. In 1996 The Saugeen Valley Conservation Authority announced that Denny’s Dam Conservation Area would be closed to the public due to financial constraints. The possibility existed that the property may even be sold.

The Ontario Steelheaders, consistent with its mandate, approached the Authority with an offer to lease the Park and co- manage it in order to ensure continuing access for all resource users. This resulted in a significant financial commitment to the Ontario Steelheaders. Monies generated by our activities at Denny’s Park, are from time to time earmarked for park improvements and fisheries enhancement projects. Our committee works diligently to collect funds, and to run the park efficiently, in order to make these ventures possible. The Ontario Steelheaders would like to thank everyone for their timely payments which make these and other improvements to our park and our fishery possible. Thank you! It’s your park! Use it, respect it, and support it! – Enjoy your stay!

Scouts return to Denny’s!

The Scouts at Denny's Dam Park
6 Scouts, 1 Venturer and 3 Leaders travelled from Brantford in September to Denny’s Dam Park as part of their reward camp for a successful past Scouting year. To add to their excitement of this camp, the youth were informed of a bear in camp just the week before arriving. Yikes! The weather man challenged their camping skills, but thanks to the Rod Jones Pavilion, the Troop stayed out of the wind and rain.

Scouts Collecting Garbage
Five and half hours were spent stacking wood and cleaning up from the trees that were taken down by the Saugeen Valley Conservation Authority. Seven bags of garbage were collected from along the river’s edge and throughout the park.

Scouts Visit Trout Hatchery
Thanks also to Steve Carvell who gave an informative tour of the Lake Huron Fishing Club Hatchery in Kindardine. The Scouts saw different stages from egg to fry of Brown and Rainbow Trout. The Brown Trout were to be released this fall. We were advised the Rainbows would be held back for a spring release in 2013.

Conservation is part of the Scout badge work and this was also their good deed to give back. Karl Redin explained at Denny’s Dam how the fish are handled and transported in the tankers. We’d like to thank the Steelheaders for giving these young people the opportunity to see first-hand, the great work the Steelheaders do for the park and the fishery.

Steelhead Express & Scouts
Scouts Thank You Letter



OS T-shirts

We received this note from SVSA

…“I stopped in this week at Denny’s…. just a note to say that the site looks great!…Thanks! Please let your volunteers know that we do appreciate how well the site is maintained and probably do not say it often enough.” Thanks,
Al Leach, BSc
Manager of Lands
Saugeen Valley Conservation Authority

From the President

Well folks it’s that time of year for putting out another newsletter. Time has flown by and who’d believe it’s been two years since the current board of Directors were voted in. A lot has changed and the Board has really done an amazing job of getting the club back on its feet. Out of that work, we hastily drafted a constitution only to discover that it needs some fine tuning, so it is our next goal to complete that fine tuning in a timely manner.

The elections that were to take place this fall will have to be postponed. We hope this doesn’t discourage those of you who may have wanted to take the reins and contribute to the OS, but the board felt strongly and unanimously, that with a little more time, the transition will be much smoother for our successors once this constitution and many other projects are complete. So please, be patient and we will work even harder to get things in order so we aren’t handing the “new crew” a bunch of half-finished projects and unfinished business. Remember, just 2 short years ago, this organization was in peril and grave disorder. We’ve come a long way in 2 years, but for us folks with jobs and lives outside the Steelheaders, 2 years as it turns out; simply wasn’t enough time to sort our affairs properly. In the meantime, don’t be shy! The Directors need help, and it’s a great way to show genuine interest to the voting members for when the time comes… There’s lots of work to go around, so don’t be afraid to step up.

The current low water conditions are not helping our adult fall transfer efforts as we’ve only been able to move 47 adults to date. We still have time, and hope Mother Nature comes through with some much needed rain. The low water conditions are hurting us all over as there was no water coming through the fishway at Walkerton and nothing at Maple hill until mid-October. We’ve had reports that fish were trying to get through the breach in the Traux Dam in Walkerton but this is no easy task for them and most get blown back but they keep trying!

I’m happy to report that both the LHFC and MNR (Chatsworth) hatcheries are telling us that our little guys are doing well and LHFC has indicated that as soon as their Browns are planted the Rainbows will be moved to the larger tanks and then we’ll really start to see them take off …currently they are about 2-3 inches. The LHFC has recently had their election for a new BOD’s so on behalf of the OS BOD’s please welcome them and wish them all great success in their endeavors: Brian Garnet (President), Mike Hahn (VP),Mike Blumhagen (Treasurer),Dave Armstrong (Secretary), Harold Cowan (Director),Kyle Watson (Director), Robert Greason (Director), Carmen Gazel (Director), Norm Dobson (Director) and Todd Devries (Director)

Also, the OS wishes to send a well-deserved thank you, to Past President Al Wilkins for all his work over the last number of years not only with the OS’s current BOD’s but all those previously. Job well done Al! You should be extremely proud of what you helped create, and with continued cooperation between the OS, the LHFC and MNR it will continue for years to come.

This year, between what LHFC and the Chatsworth hatcheries are raising the OS should be able to plant almost 80,000 yearling Rainbow Trout in the spring of 2013. Keep in mind that this early-winter we’ll need volunteers again to clip our little guys; we will put out a quick reminder in Feb with dates and location.

As some of you may have noticed, there are some new signs along the banks of the Saugeen regarding poaching, over limits etc. The OS has put these as a reminder that there are limits and rules and everyone must abide by them. The MNR has shown that they are taking our request for a bigger presence seriously and tell us that this will be occurring more often. Please make sure that you carry your valid fishing license with you so that when you’re asked for it you have it with you. I’ve seen a number of cases when asked people said “oh it’s in my vehicle or trailer” and the CO would either walk with the person to where it is or wait for them to return and this only slows down the CO from making his tour of the river so to help them do their job keep your license on you when your fishing.

We recently lost another friend of the river with the passing of Jim (Mac) McIntyre. Jim was a lifelong friend of Rod Jones and Keith Berkeley who left us not that long ago, Mac and Keith both helped over the years with everything from the original egg boxes to adult transfers. Mac and Keith will be missed just like the other friends of the River who passed before them.

One other thing we would like to mention if you see garbage please take the time to pick it up and drop it in the bin on your way out. We recently had a Scout troop come in and do a great job of cleaning up not only the garbage along the banks but also the limbs and pieces of wood left after the SVCA came and cut some trees that had died and were presenting a potential safety hazard. So a big thank you goes out to 20th Faith Brant Scout Troop for a job well done you’ll see some pictures and an article in this newsletter.

In closing please keep in mind that if you have any suggestions, ideas or comments please feel free to come forward with any of these to any one of the BOD or myself and as mentioned before we will address it to the best of our ability.


Karl H. Redin
President

Hats off to everyone involved in transforming this fishery. Our achievements are made possible by “Teamwork in Action”

Now My Personal Concerns

Now let me bitch just a little. Personally, I don’t like last minute meetings concerning the Saugeen when the people responsible for the present success aren’t called or possibly invited to the table. When word finally filtered out that a meeting to discuss changes to the fishery was about to take place I was a little concerned that a couple of foxes were trying to get into the hen house and I made a few phone calls with my concerns…again getting the go ahead from our President.

Our main concern is…why tinker with success? I met again with the MNR, Karl, the Lake Huron Fishing Club and some of the long time; old-timers who I believe know the river and know the fish; and I remembered a long time ago, I had a discussion with a very smart conservation officer who used to stress over and over again “why kill the cow before you take the milk?”

Simply put, we have almost year-round steelheading below Denny’s Dam, except for a few months closure below the dam and the abutments. Below Walkerton, the river is open for an entire eight months from the Walkerton dam all the way to Lake Huron.

saugeen-fishway-maintenanceRemember that “you don’t kill the cow, before you take the milk” warning? Like I said, we have created a miracle here, but this fishery still needs time to grow roots. When I sat down with Rod Jones to formulate some ideas almost a decade ago, I said then that my goal was to get the steelhead firmly established in upriver coldwater tributaries such as the Beatty and others branching off from the South Saugeen. Natural reproduction will explode.

No matter what anyone says, the waters between Walkerton and Denny’s Dam are not really suitable for natural reproduction. But, they do contain a million shallow water spawning areas. The waters are presently limited to only a few individuals with drift boats due to lack of suitable access points through farm lands. My major concern is that only a few individuals would profit from opening the river from January first until the regular opening at the end of April…..that is except the poachers that know most of those shallow water stretches.

Let’s continue to leave the steelhead alone for that four month period while they attempt to make their way back to the Beatty and other upstream, prime coldwater tributaries. We’ve built and improved a number of new fishways for that purpose. We trailer 1500 adults every year up into the Beatty for just that purpose. We work in hatcheries for just that purpose. We freeze our asses off in cold water for just that purpose…..To keep making this the finest steelhead river on the continent.

There’s enough open season time for fantastic fishing on the Saugeen without killing the cow before we take the milk…..and besides, once those fish get on the beds, they’ve got sex on their mind, not food and even worse; that white coloured flesh isn’t much good for eating.

Now we come to the subject of cameras. Bluntly put, I think it’s a lot of money to place on an experiment. Seems they are putting four cameras on the system. One at Dennys, one at Walkerton, and two at Maple Hill; boy, could we use a little bit of that money for a few more of our projects I would like to see done first! Personally I don’t think the conditions will ever be right for the cameras to work successfully. Steelhead love to run when the water is high and muddy. Will the cameras work in muddy conditions? Will they count the proper numbers? Will they even see the fish? Will they even identify the fish?

I’ve been around a lot of fishways and a lot of cameras and I just don’t think this will ever work on the Saugeen. I hope I’m wrong, because we sure could get a lot more work done with a little more money. Talking about money???? We all need it, especially the Ontario Steelheaders and the Lake Huron Fishing Club. To be honest, I’ve met more with the Ministry of Natural Resources in the last couple of years than I have in the previous forty years. We are in for big problems folks. The Ministry of Natural Resources has even bigger problems. McGuinty is killing this ministry and in the long run it only hurts our future in the outdoors. The Steelheaders and the Lake Huron Fishing Club require more and more funding every year.

When I go down to Denny’s to watch the guys climb into the cold trap, transfer adults and strip eggs under brutal conditions, it amazes me as I stare downstream and also watch a couple of hundred or even a thousand anglers every day drifting their floats. How many are members of the Lake Huron Fishing Club or the Ontario Steelheaders??? Not many! We need to recruit more members for both clubs. Hell, their success and enjoyment come from our work. When I get rumours coming in my back door, I wonder if these complainers or suggestion makers are members of either club or donating funding to these two clubs.

saugeen-release-steelhead-0303We are all getting older and we could certainly use the assistance of more young bloods. We need funding, so I’m hoping that those who are benefiting financially from our endeavours join in our labours or at least open up their pocketbooks. In my opinion every person that is benefiting from our fishing, should be supporting our fishery. Hell, I’ve had a brand new drift boat for the last past two years that hasn’t even seen the water. Instead, I’m shutting this computer down and driving a couple hundred miles up the road like many of us do, to meet up with club members and start moving fish.

Treasurer’s Report

Well it’s fall and once again we are no doubt, looking at another season of excellent fishing .With the changing of the leaves, the cooler temperatures and some rain, I am sure everyone is chomping at the bit in anticipation of the fishing opportunities that are quickly coming our way. I have already witnessed great fishing on our beautiful Saugeen, despite the recent low water levels. A weeks’ vacation is coming up for us and we are looking forward to plying her waters.

On to other matters,… Any organization, group or club is only as solid as the membership itself. We have been fortunate in this regard as our members have stepped forward time and time again. For your labour, time given and financial donations I would like to thank you for all your concerted efforts. Our financial situation is very good. The collective funds of the Ontario Steelheaders lay in wait to feed our ‘babies’ or any other necessity that could arise.

Below you will see a list of people and organizations who have befriended the Ontario Steelheaders. Thank you all for your generosity:

  • Joseph Lawson
  • Brian Branton
  • Al Frenette
  • Paula Jones
  • Scott Graham
  • Ernie Jantzen
  • The Sauble and Area Men’s Club
  • Roberto Rossi
  • Employees of Crown Verity Jolanta Strzelczyk
  • Pete and Rosemary Munro Kevin Chaffe
  • Debbie Zettler
  • Tom Judge
  • The Lake Huron Fishing Club
  • The crew at the dam
  • Brian Hambly
  • And special thanks to the park gang Carol, Doug, Gary, Pete, Bob and Derek and Ivan

I apologize if I have missed anyone, be it known all your efforts are appreciated. Once again thank you for all that has been accomplished.

Harold Curtis
Treasurer

From Madeline’s Membership Desk

We are coming up to our two year anniversary since the current BOD was established and our membership roster continues to grow and presently we are well over 190 members. Membership renewals and new sign-ups were held at the Fall Derby. The Spring Derby of 2012 was also a huge success.

I hate to beat an old horse (so to say) but there truly is ‘Power in Numbers’. The Ontario Steelheaders success is directly related to the strength of its membership, so I urge you all to continue to support our efforts by renewing your membership. I can assure you all that, your Board of Directors has been working diligently over the past two years to restore this organization to what it once was Your membership support has, and will continue to make this work possible.

Please keep in mind that all membership dollars received are 100% directed to the Ontario Steelheaders and their goals and objectives. The money received from the actual membership fees is relatively small compared to the donations, grants and bursaries from businesses, government organizations and other community groups. However, to be considered relevant by many of these organizations it is beneficial for our organization to show a wealth of members within its membership roster. The power is in the numbers, as it demonstrates to these various organizations that we have a committed (and large) group of people who continue to support our objectives and efforts through a spirit of volunteerism.

On a somber note, it is with great sadness to report the passing of one of our long standing members, Mr. Jim McIntyre (Mac). Mac passed away suddenly in June. On behalf of the Ontario Steelheaders, I express our condolences to his family and friends.

Also with a heavy heart, I report the passing of another long time Ontario Steelheaders member, Mr. Keith Berkley. Keith succumbed to cancer after a courageous fight. Mr. and Mrs. Dave Munro organized the procurement of a granite memorial and many of our members donated money to help cover the cost. Again on behalf of the Ontario Steelheaders we wish to express our condolences to Keith’s friends and family for their loss.

I continue to view my role as Membership Director as being an interactive role. I have the responsibility to ensure that our members receive the information, handouts, memos, updates etc. that our directors prepare for us. You should note that the most recent membership application form provided an option for those of you who wish to opt out of receiving mail through Canada Post and only receive email communications. I realize that for some of our members continue to depend on receiving our communications through Canada Post and this will continue. However for those of you who have selected to opt out and receive email communications only, I thank you, as this does reduce our overall operating costs. However, regardless of how you wish to receive your communications please ensure that I have received your most up to date contact information.

I continue to ask for any and all of your input regarding any suggestions that you may have, as this is YOUR organization and your input is valued. Please send your comments to: membership@ontariosteelheaders.ca, or include them with your membership renewal.

I enjoyed seeing many of you at the fall derby on October 13, 2012. I would like to thank everyone for their ongoing support and I look forward to the challenges that lie ahead of us in the coming year. Please feel free to contact me with any concerns or questions regarding your membership or club communications, and I would be only too happy to assist.

Madeline Walker
Membership Director