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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

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Proposed Changes Get a Big Thumbs Down

Fishway Work

Rumors, grumbles and a whole lot of bull crap usually escapes up from the river and travels across the phone lines to our President, members of the Board Of Directors, the Ministry of Natural Resources and eventually to my office. Over the course of a year we hear a lot and discuss a lot. We agree…most of the time. Sometimes we disagree. If I have a problem or a concern, I take it to Karl and he takes it to the directors.

About this time last year I expressed a concern about people submitting material to the Steelheaders newsletter to push their own personal causes or for that matter their businesses or other financial interests. No matter where you go, how hard you work or what you achieve, there are going to be armchair critics that want to give advice or criticism and exploit your work. These same critics for the most part, have usually done nothing for the fishery; seldom, or never giving labour or financial support to our causes.

Down In the trap!
A few weeks ago, word filtered back to me that a meeting was being planned to discuss fisheries management for the Saugeen River. Interestingly enough, it was apparent that the Ontario Steelheaders and Lake Huron Fishing Club seemed to be the last to hear about such a meeting. In fact, we weren’t even on the list of those expected to be present at the meeting. After a number of contacts with the Municipality of Brockton, the Ministry of Natural Resources, our president Karl Redin, our Directors, Mike Hahn Vice President of the Lake Huron Fishing Club and other experienced ‘dedicated’ volunteers that have worked on our programs over the years, the Ontario Steelheaders have made the following recommendations concerning the Saugeen River.

  1. No changes whatsoever to present sanctuaries and seasons for steelhead (rainbow trout) 
  2. No changes to daily or possession limits to steelhead (rainbow trout)
  3. No implementation of catch and releases zones on the Saugeen River
  4. No implementation of Fly Fishing Only zones on the Saugeen River

The recommendations were presented to Richard Radford, Chief Administrative Manager of the Municipality of Brockton and those who were expected to attend the meeting. I also have to note that our recommendations were fully supported by the Ministry of Natural Resources.

Hatchery Work
It didn’t surprise me that most, if in fact any of those originally planning to attend the meeting had ever taken part in our fish transfers, egg taking, fishway improvements or hatchery operations…Where were they when we were freezing in the trap?.. Or building fishways? Or working in a hatchery?

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The New Ontario Steelheaders/MNR Endeavour

Anyway, here’s a little last minute update. Back in June a couple of years ago, I sat with Shawn Carey, the area supervisor for Grey/Bruce, and Dave Reid the head biologist/manager of the upper lakes. Over a couple of beers (I had the brew, they had the diet cokes), I suggested that they could complement our program by raising a few fish of their own for our cause. I asked for the use of Saugeen adults only for egg and sperm use. I suggested 8 inch sized smolts only, and requested that all yearlings be stocked at Walkerton. I also asked that these fish be marked with an adipose only clip which would coincide with our regular program.

What the hell, it was a shot in the dark, but what could it hurt, a try is a try.

Surprisingly, the two bosses got back to me with an affirmative reply but with one condition. It couldn’t start immediately, due to the fact they had to find a home in a crowded provincial hatchery. That was the reasoning for last year’s late fall fingerling release of wild rainbow that the Lake Huron Fishing Club raised for the project. We seeded those 65,000 fish up into prime water in the Beatty late last November. The fish thrived in the new surrounds. We checked it.

This past spring we collected an additional 75,000 eggs, over and above our usual egg taking program. The adults were all tested for disease and eggs and survivors have been hatched and housed at Chatsworth Fish Culture Station since then. No disease or problems have hindered this program to date. The fish (probably stocked by our two clubs) will be released in March or April. It should also be noted that I approached the Lake Huron Fishing Club to make certain that this additional stocking will in no way alter our objectives, target numbers, and set locations presently used in our own program. These fish are an added bonus.

After discussion with Karl, a suggestion was made that the MNR might want to keep a thousand or so fish for a brood stock program of their own. At the present time MNR only utilizes a Ganaraska strain in their system, and haven’t gone back to the wild for eons to update their genetics. My thinking is why not have two strains in the system? …..possibly our Saugeen/Chambers Creek strain that could again, possibly be used in the future for stocking some of the bigger systems on both the Huron and Georgian Bay sides.

saugeen-steelhead-release Right now, all is fine at Chatsworth and we should be looking forward to some great additional fish to be stocked at Walkerton come spring. Working with the Ministry of Natural Resources has really been a coup for both parties and possibly anglers across Ontario. For the first time in eons we now have a new strain of rainbow added to a government hatchery and program….CONGRATULATIONS!

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A Last Minute Update …and a Couple of Personal Opinions

Saugeen RainbowBoy oh boy have we made something spectacular out of the old Saugeen River. When weather and water come together we’ve changed and improved the steelhead run into one of the finest if not the finest steelhead stream on this continent. In my humble opinion the runs are well over 50,000 fish when you combine autumn and spring. How do I know? I do my math and observe the fishways and upstream ‘tribs’ more than most. Again, we were averaging more than 300 fish in a lift with the trap down for just a little more than an hour. Think about the long term, when that trap is out of the water r 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for weeks at a time. And those fish are running non-stop from mid-September all the way around the calendar til late April, or even mid-May. Think of the total number of fish that are caught daily behind Steelheaders Park from mid-September til late May. The returns have been outstanding!

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Fishway News

As we all witnessed, spring came early to Grey & Bruce Counties, bringing with it some fabulous runs of rainbows. Unfortunately shortly after, we experienced very low water conditions occurring much earlier than ‘normal’. Low flows left many fish stranded throughout the landscape with the combined effect of significantly less nursery habitat available to the year class of 2012.

On the brighter side, in early June MNR Fish & Wildlife Technician Dustin Veenhof placed Temperature loggers at 4 different locations on the Beatty Saugeen (Concession 12, 14 + 16 and below the dam at Orchardville). Loggers record and store temperature readings every hour.

Maple Hill Fishway
On average, temperatures remained below 20C, while on a couple of occasions the temperature did creep up to 25 or 26C. Rainbow trout temperature range is 12-20C, with 26C being fatal. Some rainbows can locate refuge in deep pools, cold tributaries or springs somewhere in the river during the hottest days. This is typical for a lot of local cold/cool water systems, and although it may not be perfect, it is still possible for them to thrive in this river system. Fish can still survive ‘out of temperature’ for a period of time but development, size and weight is directly affected.

For the most part these temperatures suggest the main Beatty Saugeen River is suitable for brown trout and even better for rainbows. Remember this in the context of one very hot summer with very low flows, these results are very encouraging! As with all fish species, environmental factors play a huge roll in annual recruitment.

The Good:

Low water levels also allowed the completion of phase 2 of Maple Hill fishway. Although rainbows did navigate this fishway in the spring, recent improvements should increase effectiveness. The current stop logs allow for adjustment of water heights through-out the fishway. Once observations are complete and fine tuning occurs, concrete will replace hemlock stop logs.

MNR is still on course for the placement of temporary cameras on the Walkerton and Maple Hill fishways to monitor next spring’s migration.

Early indicators suggest more exceptional angler opportunity on the Saugeen this fall! Enjoy!

Jody Scheifley Fish & Wildlife Technical Specialist Ministry of Natural Resources Owen Sound

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How to Fish Trout Beads

Trout beads are an excellent choice of bait when fishing for Steelhead. Although they have been around for years, this type of bead (rigged tandem bead-to-hook) has been traced back to the 60’s and perhaps earlier in the United States. With their increased popularity to produce fish throughout their Alaska and the West Coast origin, they are now going main stream in and are gaining popularity in parts of the Great Lakes Regions with the highest demand presence in Up State New York, USA. As many Ontarians Steelheading across the border, and the power of online media and forums, Troutbeads are now quickly gaining popularity in our local rivers, yielding many fish to the bank and at times may out-fish roe.

Since Steelhead and Salmon naturally lay their eggs in Rivers, beads offer an excellent way to imitate one of these single eggs being swept by the current down stream to an eagerly-awaiting steelhead looking for a meal. Beads may also benefit as being the next best alternative bait to natural eggs gained by one having to harvest steelhead and further dampening the ever-depleting numbers in our local rivers.

There is an abundance of different sizes and colors; however we will feature here the Troutbeads.com brand as one of the most popular main stream bead. Made from high density plastic, these beads offer the best quality and finishes, known under the trademarks Troutbeads, Mottled, Blooddot and Glowbeadz. You can find these in most Ontario tackle shops specializing in steelhead float fishing tackle ranging in price from $2.25 to $4.00 Pkg. To make your selection easy, some popular-best sellers are the Egg yolk, Caramel roe, Orange clear, Peach fuzz, Chartreuse Pearl, Cheese Pearl, Cotton Candy just to name a few.

Trout Bead Rig
A good way to start fishing beads is to simply drift them below your float just like any other artificial or organic bait. Drifting them in faster current seemed to work best for the beads where steelhead may be holding behind boulders and undercuts waiting as it drifts by. You can use the smaller 6 or 8mm size with smaller hooks during cold winter conditions when steelhead are sluggish, not as active and their feeding somewhat slows, looking for smaller size bait. Come Fall and Spring when water levels are up and fish are actively moving in warmer water, they start looking for big meals and you can move up to 10-12mm beads with larger hooks, using bright colors for increased presentation and visibility to the fish. This is not a rule however, and at times any bead will work well and when a particular bead size or color may be thought not be the best selection you may quickly realize it was the best producer that particular day …so it’s a good idea to have a good selection at all time in your vest, as it pays to try different colors in a day’s fishing.

Trout Bead Setup: Stopping the Bead
There are several ways to keep the bead stationary on the line. Some fishermen use a method called “Pegging” by first passing your leader through the bead hole and jamming the point of a toothpick inside the bead hole keeping it on the line where you wanted, and then tying your hook usually about 1 to 2 inches below the bead for best-natural presentation. Another method is to use a “Bead-Knot” and begin by passing your leader through the bead hole then coming around and passing it through again. Once through, you then wrap the line around the loop of the line 7-8 times and pull straight. This causes the wraps to disappear into the bead hole and then finish off by tying your hook below the bead.

Both methods seem to work fine, some thinning may be required to the toothpick to get it deep, as it may sometimes come loose due to limited tension on the line or if too-much tension it’s possible you could damage the line. The Bead-Knot also works fine. Care should be taken not to curl when pulling the wraps tight by lobbing the knot.

Trout Bead Rigging
A new bead rigging tool introduced recently is based on the same concept using a toothpick. The pick itself though is made of flexible silicone called “PEG-IT” available from Top Brass Tackle and a similar product from troutbeads.com. The Peg-It is probably the easiest way to peg your bead quickly and easy, consisting of a thin-tapered peg, about 11/2” long looks just like a toothpick. Its key-feature is its elasticity …that once you pass your
Trout Bead Accessories
Trout Bead Accessories
line or leader through the bead and then push the narrow end of the peg-it into the bead hole until it sticks out the other end, you then pull it to stretch and jam the peg in the bead hole then clip the excess off at top and bottom sides of the bead keeping the bead securely wherever you want it.

The soft silicone peg will not damage the line and the bead can be moved up and down the line easily, yet hold firm. The Peg-It will also work for other type beads with a larger bore diameter to a maximum of about 2mm.

Packed in 15 or 50 count with a retail price range of $2.95-$5.95 available now in most specialty tackle shops, including in our pro-shop using this link http://www.centerpinangling.com/steelhead- flies.html#troutbeads See you in the river & happy fishing!

Article by: Jim Maragos-centerpinangling.com
Special thanks: Cameron Howthorne-troutbeads.com

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Jessie James and His Gang Are Back!

Jeez, autumn! A little rain, a little cold weather and it was predictable that the rainbows would be running the Saugeen. As expected, Jessie James and his gang were also back, prowling along the banks of the Saugeen.

Yes I know, Jessie James and his gang have all been dead and buried for more than a hundred years. Still, I like to refer to these present day guys as the James Gang. It seems fitting to me. Both groups broke the law. The guys now buried stole from banks. The guys now living steal from our fishery, but still walk the banks. Really, they’re still nothing more than poachers.

A few years back poachers could be referred to as rippers and runners. They’d rip the fish up and run away with their spoils. Not to say that some aren’t still around. It’s obvious today though that poaching is a little more refined and so are the outlaws. Even with long rods, light lines and float reels some of these clowns can really put a dent in our fishery, especially on the Saugeen. Our biggest problem on this river is the taking of more than the limit.

Tell me you haven’t seen it. Some of these jerks will go down to the river, make a few casts and fill out their limit. They may go home and drop off their catch. Some will head back to their trailer, chill the fish in a cooler and have a beer and a nap. A few might just head back to the trunk of their car and stash their catch in a blanket. Still, they head back to river to start all over again. Hell, it has gotten so sophisticated that last autumn on the Saugeen some of the boys from Metro even had their girlfriends ferrying coolers of fish back and forth from Bruce County to the city! You have to admit, these guys are real outlaws.

Releasing Steelhead Smolts

Just about everyone on the river is well aware of what is taking place and who the outlaws are. Trust me, Karl hears complaints, the Directors hear complaints. Hell, I can sit in my office down on Lake Erie and I get phone complaints almost daily. There’s no denying poaching and poachers are running rampant. The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and especially the enforcement branch are understaffed and overworked. Karl and I have both been in constant communications the supervisors and our local conservation officers. A crackdown has been promised and is presently underway…. These guys (left) didn’t dedicate a lifetime to this fishery to see it poached!

 Now here’s what you can do. Instead of bitching and complaining about poachers, report these outlaws. If you witness infractions, contact the Ministry of Natural Resources at 1-877-TIPS-MNR…..1-877-847-7667. You might even want to take a picture of these clowns carrying out their dirty deeds. A picture of their car and even a license plate photo helps as well.

Again, the Ministry of Natural Resources has promised us a more active presence on the Saugeen this year. Don’t let these people spoil our fishery. Down with the Outlaws!