The Day I Played With Baby Atlantic Salmon

Last week I had the great opportunity to help stock Atlantic salmon fry into a local river, as part of the Lake Ontario Atlantic Salmon Restoration Program.

I saw the opportunity to be part of the fish stocking program thanks to a Facebook post. I sent off an email, added my name to the list of volunteers, and was told when to show up – but I honestly had no idea what to expect. I was hoping to be able to help, even though I knew nothing of the process.

Ahhh, what a wonderful sight. This was part of the stretch of river chosen for stocking.

One of the great things about helping out at an event like this is that everyone you meet is friendly and eager to share information. I find I learn more than I could have hoped for, and I get to spend time talking fish and fishing with like-minded people.

After the initial meet-and-greet, the plan for the morning was outlined to me. We would have around 33,000 Atlantic salmon fry to stock within a designated stretch of the river. Stocking stations would be selected in parts of the river with suitable habitat – usually an area with a good riffle – and they would be marked with a flag. We would start downstream and work our way up to the next station to avoid walking over the area we just stocked. Each station would be stocked with roughly 1,400 fish.

The obvious next question is how do they separate 1,400 fish from 33,000? Now, I was the only person there that hadn’t participated in a fish stocking before, but I really didn’t want to have to ask the question. No problem, our fantastic leader, Aaron, explained the method to me. For a very basic explanation, picture a regular old white bucket, something like what you would use for ice fishing. Inside this bucket are marks to indicate the amount of water. You put in a certain amount of water, then knowing approximately how much 1,400 fish weigh, you can work out what volume you need in the bucket. So, water to the line + fish to the line = correct amount of fish.

Once the fish were measured out, they were put into a clear plastic bag. The bag was filled with oxygen and taped off, ready for transport to water.

At the water it was time to open the bag and release the fish. This isn’t a case of just dumping the bag out – rather you need to gradually empty the bag across the span of the river, getting the fish out into the widest area possible. One major downside I noticed with the bag is that you usually end up with a straggler that doesn’t seem to be ready for big water life and refuses to exit the bag. It requires a little more effort to get rid of those ones.

It was wonderful to see these tiny Atlantic salmon hitting the water and dispersing. Give them a few seconds and you would never know you had just released fish in the area, they were gone.

We moved on from station to station, and I got to release more than a few bags which was such a thrill. I cannot thank everyone there enough for letting me help out. I wasn’t just a bystander, I actually got to participate. The morning ended far too quickly.

While the season on inland Atlantic salmon is always closed, I have had more than a few incidental catches of these wickedly crazy fish. They jump and fight and are just bundles of energy that keep me entertained all day long. I have yet to hook into on Atlantic out on Lake Ontario, but from what I’ve heard, they put on a show and give you a good fight. I hope I hook into one soon!

It’s incredible to think that these once abundant fish were wiped out in Ontario. For a fish that is part of our natural heritage, it was a travesty that they disappeared. However, thanks to the efforts of the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters (OFAH), and the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (OMNR), as well as many other partners, the fish are being re-introduced in an effort to restore a self-sustaining Atlantic Salmon population  in Lake Ontario and its tributaries.

There are so many ways to help out and be involved in this program. From the classroom hatchery to adopting an Atlantic to fish stocking and habitat restoration events, there’s an activity for everyone. This program is about restoring Atlantic salmon, but it does so much more. It is responsible for a massive stream rehabilitation effort, which benefits everyone, not just anglers on Lake Ontario, and not just those that are looking to help Atlantic salmon. Improved habitat benefits all fish and the ecosystem. It also gets people involved in conservation, it gets them outdoors, and it educates.

As for me? Fish stocking was one of the coolest things I’ve been able to participate it. Those of you who get to do this on a regular basis have one heck of an awesome job. I’m happy to know that I was able to participate, in some small way, and maybe one day, even though I won’t know, I’ll be able to catch one of those little fish I released when it makes its way to the lake. That would be pretty amazing.

Trout Opener 2012

The countdown is over, the rivers are open, and I FINALLY got the chance to head out for trout today!

As much I enjoy going out for crappie, I really love it when more water and more fish are open. As far as I’m concerned, Trout opener is almost as good as Christmas. Playful little brook trout are a great way to put a smile on my face.

Of course, consideration number one for trout opener is always, where should we fish? Neither Darrell nor I like to deal with the crowds on trout opener, so we decided to visit a stretch of river that is on private land we have access to.

Ahh, back to the river....

The moment I caught a glimpse of the shimmering water weaving through the field, and heard the water rushing through the rapids, I felt like I had returned home after a long absence. This is where I learned to fish.

Because of the chilly morning temperature we had waited until later in the morning to head out, hoping that the day would warm up, and so would the bite. Hoping our plan would pan out, I tied on a spinner, watched for any movement, picked a little back eddy, and started casting.

Several casts later, all I had was a lot of twisted line, frustration, and the need to re-tie. Darrell, however, had some better luck and had the first catch of the day.

Darrell's first catch of the day.

A better look at the brookie.

I thought we were off to a good start after that fish, but several more casts and lure changes provided no action. We moved from pool to pool, occasionally stopping to fish faster water, and though we had a few hits, nothing was serious.

Watching the water revealed little action. Now and then I’d see a shadow or a flash, I’d get a hit on my lure, but the fish were not active. Hoping to change things up and end my skunk, I headed for the honey-hole.

The honey-hole

The honey-hole is a pool located just past a curve in the river where we have pulled more quality brook trout out of then either of us can remember. This was the scene of our memorable ‘flying brookies‘ episode, and I couldn’t help but feel a sense of anticipation as I reached my place on shore and cast my Mepps Black Fury spinner. It didn’t take long to be rewarded!

My first trout of opener. Yay!

A closer look at my first trout on opener. We weren't catching big fish, but they sure were a blast.

After fishing a few more pools and finding nothing but weeds, it was time to take a snack break and enjoy a peaceful place on the river.

I could have headed out for bigger fish and busier water, but then I would have missed this great little picnic site and a chance to enjoy the sight, sounds and smells. I was so focused on the fishing that I didn't realize I had left my phone at this spot until I tried to take a picture of another brookie Darrell had caught.

Eventually we noticed increased activity on the water surface. The hatch was on! With the sun warming things up, the hatch was bringing the water to life and fish were surfacing. What a day to leave the fly rod at home…

Fortunately, the spinner was enticing enough, and I started catching fish. One of the neat things about this river is that, in addition to a healthy brook trout population, it is home to a thriving Atlantic salmon population. And they are little piggies. The season is always closed on inland Atlantics, but it doesn’t stop them from biting. They are fantastic little fighters and after a quick picture, they were released to see them grow bigger and hopefully end up in Lake Ontario one day.

By the time I had played with a few little Atlantics, and long-line released a decent brookie, I was happy and relaxed, feeling like it had been one heck of a wonderful day.

We finished our fishing in the spot we started, by the bridge. I was having a great time casting under the bridge, sending the lure farther and farther inside, while watching fish chase it and smack it. It was a great time until I got snagged and thought I was going to lose my lure. However, my awesome fishing buddy decided there was no need to lose a spinner, and went for a walk.

Off to save my lure...

While it was not the busiest trout opener in terms of fish, any day on the water is an awesome one, and trout opener is never to be taken for granted. Just watching the water, remembering how to read the river and cast in tight spaces, is reward enough for one day. Some crazy little fish were the icing on the cake. Now I have months and months ahead of being able to hit the river. After-work fishing trips can resume, and my fly rod can be dusted off and continue to it’s education of trying to slow me down (I rush things too much).

Tomorrow’s another day and another chance to play with trout. I love this!

Saying Goodbye To A River

When it came time to move last weekend, the only regret I had was saying goodbye to a river. It wasn’t just any river. This was the river that gave me my start in fishing.

The river ran through the property we were living on and was a five-minute walk from our house. Starting the winter we moved in, Darrell would take me down to the river and point out features he thought were interesting. At first I took nothing in. But eventually I began paying attention to the nuances of the water, looking at the holes Darrell excitedly pointed out, and I began to understand how complex a river can be. I learned what areas were likely to hold fish under certain circumstances and when to fish them. I learned to read the water.

One of the last fish I caught in the river.

Flying Brookies!

Last night I had one of my favorite stream fishing experiences.

We were fishing the river out back and, as usual, I was using a spinner – a Panther Martin in this case. I caught both a brookie and an atlantic while fishing faster water and keeping my spinner near bottom. Eventually I changed it up and started using a small spoon which got me a couple of bites, including a big buck brookie with magnificent colours that shook the hooks free right as I was about to lift him out of the water. All-in-all a good little fishing trip.

The really fun part, however, was watching what happened when Darrell tied on a little white tube jig. For some reason I rarely toss tubes for brookies but after last night I may change that. On Darrell’s second cast with the tube a bullet launched itself at the lure and Darrell pulled in a nice brookie. He released the fish and before the tube even hit the water on the next cast there was another brookie launching out of the water and inhaling it. I have never seen anything like it. What an awesome site to see this fish so eager to take the bait that he flew out of the water!

Our shouts of “Did you see that?” and “that was insane!” followed by a lot of laughter on my part seemed to turn the fish the off in that hole so we moved on down the river.

After hitting a few more holes we stopped by our favorite spot. This hole is deep, with lots of structure thanks to a downed tree, and the current is always swift.  We’ve caught many large fish out of this hole but never before have I seen what happened last night.  Darrell tossed the tube in and on his first couple of retrieves brought it back slowly with no results. Then he fished it fast and on top of the water and…holy flying brookies!

The fish were flying out of the water to hit the tube. As long as the retrieve was quick and the tube was at the top in fast water these little guys were all over it. I watched as they kept coming out of the water at the tube and while none of them were brought in, apparently you need a good hookset with the tube, it was an awesome sight.

The sun had disappeared behind the trees by the time we left the river, but tripping over everything on the way back home was worth it for having that experience. What a blast!

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If you’re looking for some entertainment today, watch the weigh-in for the Pride of Georgia Bassmaster Elite event at 3:15pm EST. After day three Ish Munroe is in the lead with KVD and Edwin Evers right behind him. It looks to be wide open heading into the final day of the event. You can find updates all day long at www.bassmaster.com.

Another Full Day At The River

Darrel managed some more nice brookies today.

After the excitement of yesterday’s trout opener I was more than ready to hit the water again today and see what we might come up with.

The day started with a short burst of rain as we headed to a river with a pool holding some large brown trout. With Jack leading the way we crept up to the bank with big, juicy worms dangling on our hooks. The water level had risen and it was harder than yesterday to find a steady spot on the bank. We each cast our worms in and let them drift down with the current. And waited. And waited. And waited some more. Do you sense a pattern? I am an impatient person and fishing with a worm tends to bore me. I would much rather be casting, covering water and changing my lure. It wasn’t long before I took off the worm hook.

A Fish-Filled Trout Opener

When I woke up this morning it was still pouring rain. My hopes for a dry, sunny Southern Ontario trout opener disappeared. But this was the day I’d been waiting for and nothing was going to stop me from hitting the river.

After a quick breakfast Darrell and I gathered our gear and, with Jack running ahead of us, walked down to the river.

Open and ready to fish...what a great sight!

The rain had slowed to a drizzle as we made our way to the first pool. I chose to start the day with a Mepps Black Fury spinner on my new Bass Pro Shops ultralight rod. The water was still high and fast so it took a few casts to figure out how to make the spinner work effectively. It didn’t take long before I had my first hit, I saw a flash, felt the weight, set the hook…and it was gone.