Spring Rituals

Every spring around the end of March, I always look forward to one of my favorite spring rituals. In the town of Cobourg, Ont. There is an old dam that blocks the movement of fish as they try to migrate upstream to spawn. Each year a great group of volunteers, MNR staff & Ganaraska Conservation staff, join together to lift 200 adult fish over the dam.

The dam only prevents fish from accessing the prime spawning habitat located upstream. Many fish will spawn below the dam but the fish lifted should have a higher percentage of spawning success. The adults that remain after spawning will also offer angling opportunities in the upper creek once the season opens but most will make their way back over the dam after spawning, riding high water from a spring rain or storm back downstream to the lake.

With lots of help from willing volunteers, the fish are chased upstream from below the nearby road bridge into the pool located at the base of the dam. Then a fence in placed across the creek to keep the fish in the pool.  

Volunteers net the fish and bring them to the waiting pens, where they are identified as male or female and notes are taken if fin clips are observed. Fish with clipped fins are stocked fish and we usually only see a few each year. Today we didn't see any. A good testament to the natural reproduction taking place in this watershed.
Some fish are sampled by taking measurements and scale samples before they are loaded into a waiting basket and hauled up the dam and released to continue their journey.

Fish of all sizes are brought to the nets and we have seen some great fish over the years. Today the largest was a big male trout estimated around 16-17lbs. Gorgeous fish with awesome spring colors.
Only 200 fish are lifted as a natural population of Brook Trout reside above the dam and too many large rainbow trout would create strain on the population of brookies.
After we have 200, the fence is removed and the remaining fish return to a less exciting Saturday below the dam.

It is also a great chance to engage some of the youth that always turn up to watch this spring event. A few moments are spent showing people a close up look at the fish and kids are always surprised when they touch one at how cold they are. :)

This lift has been going on every spring for decades and is a great example of anglers supporting their resource. I certainly enjoy this event and it is always high on my spring rituals list.
A fun day with friends in Cobourg, Ont.

Goodbye Winter, if that's what you want to call it!

This has been a poor winter for weather. Being a Canadian, I like a good cold winter with some nice snowy days and a foot or two of snow for enjoying some winter fun. Nothing crazy like 8-10 foot snow drifts but hey, it comes with the territory around here...sometimes. I like getting outside with the kids for sledding, snowball fights, making snowman or even shoveling the driveway, it can be fun if you do it with your family.
This year has been a curve ball. It is the first of march and we have maybe 3 inches of snow and that was received in the last day or so.

This past weekend while ice fishing, I noticed the sound of snowmobiles for the first time this winter. Nice! Nothing like investing a few thousand dollars into a new snowmobile and being able to use it for one weekend. I'm sure there are a few people disappointed on the purchase of a trail pass or booking of a winter holiday with plans to ride the trails.
Winter is a big part of our economy. Ski hills, ice hut operators, snowmobiles and related business all depend on a decent winter and this year will hurt them. Lots of workers also earn income by plowing or removing snow, a tough winter for them.

However all is not lost. I'm sure the vehicle accident rate is down and businesses and municipalities will have saved on snow clearing expenses. The deer, turkeys, moose and grouse will have enjoyed a good winter due to lack of snow. But something just seems to be missing this year and mostly it is the snow.

I suppose I shouldn't complain and I honestly don't think global warming has anything to do with this weather. It is just a mild winter. Of course, they have all kinds of reasons for it and everyone remembers the winters from "when I was a kid" but the seasons just fluctuate and this is a warm one. I will always remember speaking with and on old farmer in his 80's, who told me that during his lifetime he had plowed his fields in every month of the year. So I think this is one of those years when you could have taken a plow to the field in February and expected to get some work done.

So good bye winter of 2011-2012, you were disappointing for snow and cold. I did find some great ice fishing but even that will end soon with and early ice-out expected this spring.

I shall start my preparations for spring panfish, turkey hunting and of course the Rice Lake Fishing Festival.

http://ricelakefishingfestival.ca/home