CreditRiverAnglers

Hi all, Here is a link to a new 9 minute YouTube video showing the whole Credit River steelhead program - CRAA fish ladder, tranfer and spawning process. The video has amazing underwater video of spawning steelhead in the Credit from member Rick Matusiak. Enjoy, John

A good discussion. The QC I heard from MNR was 99.8% marking rate on re-checked fish...and we borrow the NY trailer. As for reproduction, as Tim noted, NYDEC has estimated 5-10 million wild chinook fry from Salmon River alone since the power company set minimum flows. But wild salmon fry are smaller, yet more abundant than stocked salmon fry. Stockers average 4-5 grams, wild fry 1-3 grams by mid-late May. Our north shore rivers are blessed with a huge moraine and few dams so most rivers east of Toronto are all wild steelhead fisheries and most have good runs of wild chinooks. A few streams are also stocked. The MNR has no handle on reproduction due to lack of money to fund crews and most summer research starts after the chinook fry have left the rivers. One of the keys is understanding chinook salmon have fewer reproductive needs than steelhead, browns and coho. Chinook fry hatch in April and leave the river in May-June of the same year (2 months from hatch). The other wild trout/salmon species spend 1-2 years in the stream and must survive two summers and two winters facing far greater perils...like last weeks insane heat wave. Lake Ontario is a changing system and wild creatures adapt with or without human interference. Our fishery relies heavily on wild Alewife, a non native specie and the lake has been impacted by many non natives that reproduce very will in the wild, like lamprey, goby and zebra muscles. Why would salmon or trout be any different? Still the clipping shows that both stocking and wild salmon are a key part of the fishery. But managing for predator/prey is vital. Having grown up fishing both Lake Ontario and Georgian Bay (Lake Huron), I have seen the salmon fishery up her start, blossom with hatchery fish, then have an explossion from wild fish with continued heavy stocking, then a massive crash. I have not seen an alewife in the belly of a salmon or trout from Gbay in almost a decade. 20 years ago I had a 26 lb salmon barely make the top 10 daily in the local derby on Gbay. In the past decade the daily top 10 runs 7 to 15 pounds. This past winter and spring have been slightly better, but nothing like Lake Ontario. And one trip of Port Credit last week in 5 hours of trolling I never marked a single pod of baitfish. Maybe you guys could send some over! What we do have to be thankful for is big fish and the highest catch rates ever seen for chinook, steelhead and amoung the best for coho and brown. John President, CRAA www.craa.on.ca

My little ones are 7/9 this year. To keep them entertained in past years I would bring a mix of reading books, colouring books, marbles, cards, some asst small toys and as backup for slow days when the fish are going to turn on soon, the DS. The DS also works great for hunting to keep the kids entertained while your in a blind/stand waiting for Bambi's dad. Make sure you bring some snacks and drinks too. Nothing ends a trip faster than "I'm hungry". Getting them to help drive, set/hold rods, choose lures and reel in the big ones always helps too. And so do days when you can't keep a rod down. Good luck. John

Hi all, Click the link below to read the CRAA Newsletter we just posted in pdf. Lots of updates and info. Past newsletters can be found on the clubs website and you can sign up for our mailing list too. http://www.craa.on.ca/pdf/CRAA2010LightLinesSep.pdf John

I slept in (for me that is)...up at 6:45am. Woke the kids up and we were off. After gasing up (boat and us) we launched around 8 am at Port Credit. Normally I would have launched by 5:15-5:30 and almost skipped the outing being so late. But my 6 year old daughter wanted to go. Glad we did. For 3.5 hours on the water we were 5/7. Not a big count, but 4 adult kings and a nice wild steelie about 7 lbs to net. Kings were 24-29 lbs. 1/2 pound off the 10th place fish for the week. Oh well. My daughter landed her best chinook, at 26 lbs and we ended up tag teaming the 29 lb fish after a crazy fight. The kids called this big hen the 'Ninja salmon'. After popping the rigger with the line counter at only 60 feet, the fish ripped towards Niagara, taking us to 756 feet of line. My daughter held on for dear life (with one of my hands on the rod to help). I had to take over when some other boat racing towards promenade almost cut our line (missed the fish by maybe 50 feet) (thanks to the guys in the white centre console). Then my son finished the battle with the rods up and motor off. 26 lb king (released) Nice steelie (released) Now that's a run! Andrew working it back 29 lb king (Ninja salmon) Fish were tight, 45-70 fow, down 30-50. Tight lines, John

Well, it was choppy and the fishing was mixed with not a lot of bait and not many hooks on the graph. I had the shakers dialed in but I'll blame my guest for the four dropped matures (he was a lake newby). Ended the morning 10/22. 8 shakers, two nice steelies. Dropped four matures, a couple other fish that pulled a little line but never saw and a few bows lost jumping out back. Brutal landing ratio today. 100 fow contour. SD and green/blue fly took 9 hits off the two dipsy's, 150-250 back. Riggers ran from 40-60 in about 100 fow. Silver/green was the ticket on riggers (if you want shakers) that is. I heard a few others doing okay and others not turning much at all. John

Thanks for the reply Vince. I would have to agree that Ontario MNR have not been as supportive of kings and coho as they could/should be. But from what I have seen the DEC team have been pretty awesome (in comparrison). I wish I could get a few of the DEC guys to work up here (maybe we can trade) . Many of us give the NY/US side credit for not only finding the money to support the fishery, but realizing the economics of it. It is a truly world class, amazing fishery. And agreed that education is lacking all over the fishery, from the ports to the headwaters. Funny that much of the education is coming from angler groups. As for the club I oversee, we love all the fish the same, Atlantics and Kings, Steelies and Bass, and everything in between (calling Atlantic's beloved comes accros as a one fish state of mind which is incorrect in terms of our group) We were collecting chinook eggs for MNR back since 1990 (long before any other Ontario groups exisited or were involved in salmon) and have been involved most years ever since. The need for voluneers and conservation groups is a sad state of affairs in Ontario due to steady cuts to MNR budgets. OFAH has come to the rescue at Ringwood while our group has been working on other species since the mid 90's. We were never permitted to raise chinooks due to stocking limits. I certainly agree the chinooks and steelhead are the bread and butter and I doubt that will change in the forseeable future. On the positve side, everyone is learning a lot through online chat, studies and the clipping work on chinooks. There are many on our side of the lake that were addiment 90-95% of the kings in the lake were hatchery fish. The importance of wild chinooks is becoming very clear from the clipping program. More anglers are reducing their harvest, meanwhile our catches are excellent. I've had three, forty plus hook up days so far this summer (all 8 hour outings). So they fishery is rockin. As for Americal eel, (general info for all) they are a valuable member at the top of the food chain like salmonids, but they have been almost lost, it seems from the hydro dams on the St Lawrence River. They migrate to the Sargasso Sea to spawn and are potodomous (they spawn in the salt and return to fresh water to live). The loss of any native specie is a bad sign for the health of the lake. They are not parasitic like lamprey so they do not hurt the salmon fishery. As for Atlantic fights, I have had a mixed bag. I found they are great jumpers (as they are known for), but I have not had one large enough to battle in the lake (best is about 7 pounds thus far). In the river I've had some come in like a wet sock, while others have kicked my very experienced river fishing butt and left me shaken. But I've had the same with many steelies. Thye simply make another great component to the fishery. In rivers they turn an 9 month steelhead fishery into a 12 month fishery by filling the May-August void. In the lake they seem to be a nice bonus. If they do take, it will be interesting to see how they develop and what niche they fit into within the habitat. Lets just hope the Asian Carp don't screw it all up! Tight lines and enjoy the fishing...it is hot. John

That is a nice male Atlantic, no question on species ID. Great kype too. While I'd agree with Capt. Vince that Atlantic's seem to like the south shore more based on so many reports on LOU, we are seeing more on the north shore comparred to the last 25 years. Still the constant issue of mis-identification occurs all the time. I've seen several browns at the cleaning station that were in fact Atlantics. I know several charters that have boated over 10 on the north shore. Not sure what is meant by MNR turning their backs on chinooks? Ontario stocks the same number of chinooks we have for the past 15 years (OFAH stocked an extra 100k this year into Niagara since DEC numbers were down). However OFAH took over the main hatchery for a period starting in 2007. But much of the Ontario stocking of all the great lakes is done through fishing clubs rather than MNR. Our MNR's fish and wildlife budget funded through tax revenues is only $12 million. The remaining 70 million is funded through user fees. No question our politicians have got their heads in the sand over our fish and wildlife. At the same time there are a few mis-informed Ontarian's that seem to think by stocking Atlantic salmon the MNR is somehow hurting chinooks. Tight lines, John

Toronto Island drop off was good at first light with a few good kings and some shakers and a nice bow. 30-60 down in 60-120 fow along the drop off. Headed deep at 10 am to 330 fow. Coho and bow action was steady, but had to leave at noon. Off Port Credit after 4 pm and zipped out to 330 fow and some good coho and bow action with one lost king. Deep water was 15-40 down on riggers and 75-175 on dispsy's. silver green and silver purple or black purple were best colours. John

jbar - that is interesting news. I have heard about the odd one each spring and summer in the Credit's estuary, but never in the lake. Any chance you have a few pics you could send. The research guys at MNR and CVC have not caught any in shoreline tests, but they are not the best anglers . Thanks for the info! John

Hi Tom, Yes I am and running close to 50/50, maybe 55/45 for wild vs clipped in the shaker stage and 40/60 for wild vs clipped in the 2.5 year old stage. Last year the shakers wee 46% with adipose and 54% clipped in the shaker counts we did. But where did the fish and bait go? They are hiding. John

Fished July 21 off PortCredit. Late start (8 am) due to threatening storms that never arrived. Hit 3-4 bows and a few shakers in 60-90 fow, down 30-50. No bait and only a couple hooks on the graph. Tried deep and to the east and nothing. Missed one good rip and had a few knock offs. Not like it was! Fished July 22 off Islands. 6 am to 11 am. Few shakers and one major about 26, missed a couple other good hits and a few knock offs. Very slow and no bait at all! Water cold all over, surface about 58-60. Tried 350 for a while and nothing marked or hit. John

Just to confirm, the shore angler who caught the walleye sent me the photo. He also landed a grilse Atlantic on a crank bait off the pier. Go figure. Nice walleye, 5-6 pounds. John

That's the first over 40 in about ten years in the GOSD derby! To 10 are all over 33 lbs. Some great fishing. I still need to find a big one! John

Fishing Report July 12 Your Name / Boat Name: ============== TRIP OVERVIEW ============== Date(s): Time on Water: 5:30-1 Weather/Temp: sun/cloud/overcast Wind Speed/Direction: viarable 5-10k Waves: 1 foot and much less Surface Temp: 65-68 Location:Ashbridges-Spit LAT/LONG (GPS Cords): =============== FISHING RESULTS =============== Total Hits: 40 plus, plus Total Boated:28 Species Breakdown:23 Kings, 5 steelies Hot Lure: Anything blue/green/silver Trolling Speed: 2.5-3 Down Speed: Boat Depth: 80-220 Lure Depth: 30-80 Sorry for the delay, my new computer had some issues. Started out slow and managed to set all 6 rods and go for 10 minutes before a nice bow played. Steady action with hits every 5-15 minutes or faster. Lots of shakers and some 2 lake year fish (5-8 lbs). Turned on after 11 am with a triple, two doubles and stead hits. 9 majors landed (18-29.8 lbs) 14 under 8 lbs (7 clipped, 7 wild) 5 steelies (5-12 pounds), 2 Ontario clips, 1 dorsal damage (NY fish most likely) and 2 perfect fins (likely wild fish). My 8 year old son cranked in the 29.8. Also boated a 28, 27 and most others weer 23-26. All fish released and swam away well. John

Any chance they took a pic you could send: [email protected] There have been reports of the very odd walleye caught in the estuary and harbour of the Credit River. Very cool. I'd like to think all the river rehab is helping diversify the habitat and the odd fish is moving in to add another cool addition to the fishery. John

A friend of mine had a bow about 5 pounds die from swallowing the lure last week out there. When he cleaned it I checked the stomach. It was loaded with over 1,000 ants (mostly black, some red). The ants at the fron of the stomach were whole still. Also 20+ lady bugs and 10-20 assorted beetles. This highlights the amazing feeding diversity of the steelhead! Very cool. Time to start bringing a fly rod and dry flies to the lake...lol. John

Great to see so much positive pashion for the fishery. And a pleasure to fish with you and the guys at SR the other week Dave. That evening I landed a grilse on a Caroline and rose four others (but no takes). I can attest to the predatory nature of Atlantic's, having seen them rise 20 feet for a bomber in the Maritimes. I find the fight similar to steelhead, but need to put a few hundred under the belt before I pass any judgement. On the north shore fish have been mostly grilse so lacking weight and power, but I have had some high flyers, easily 6 feet. But steelhead will be as agressive and so will kings and coho. It depends on pressure and many other variables. Thiamine concern: This has been a concern for all salmonids in the Great Lakes feeding on Alewives and smelt. However steelhead have a vary diverse diet and seem uneffected. Keep in mind all the rivers from Toronto to Kingston on the Ontario side are 99% wild with only hatchery strays filling the 1%. Our runs are strong, but are depressed from 1990 levels. The opinion of most bios and serious anglers is over harvest is the cause, but our MNR moves at a snails pace due to lack of funding and other reasons. DFO (Federal Dept of Fisheries and Oceans, Canada) tested samples from all the returning Atlantic salmon last fall on the Credit River. They showed Thiamine levels four times above the limit needed for successful egg/fry survival. Thus last years data shows thiamine is not an issue whatsoever! Wild fry on the SR last year is also a positive sign. Chinooks which prey more exclusively on smelt/alewives have proved science wrong too. They are reproducing in huge numbers. While many NY tribs have barriers and lack the geology to support high levels of natural reproduction, the SR is a factory. So are the Sandy and a few other tribs. The north shore rivers also produce huge numbers of wild chinook, including many chinook that stay up to a whole year in the river (chinooks normally smolt out in May/June in the same year they hatch). Sadly MNR has no firm estimates, but visit any eastern GTA trib and you can see thousands of wild chinook fry in May. None of our eastern rivers are stocked (except a couple pier stocking sites), yet all the rivers have solid runs of chinook (few thousand or more for the main systems). Keep in mind these systems are small, 20-30 feet accross for the most part. IMHO I would estimate they average 1-4 mill a year (all the streams), but that is just an educated guess. Last year in a jack creel study our club did at Port Credit we had 46% wild jakcs, 54% clipped. Yesterday I had 5 jacks, 4 of which were clipped. But my buddy in the same area the past two days had 22 jacks/up to 12 lb fish, 14 wild, 8 clipped. It will be interesting to see what knowledge and proof of natural reproduction occurs. Having watched the Georgian Bay/Huron fishery crash in the 2004-present era, we do need to understand the lake better. That fishery started as a stocked fishery, but within two generations (8 years) stray kings went from a few hundred in the Nottawasaga river to tens of thousands running. In the last two years of major runs fish size dropped from 20-30 lbs to 8-12 lbs. Then there was little left over. Yet the steelhead were fine, albeit they dropped in body size a bit (and have since recovered). Chinook size is slowly returning (15-18 lb is best these days - and rare), but quantity is none existant. Interesting that the SSM Atlantics are still doing well in this same water and breaking 20 lbs when kings are not (or very rarely). Lake Ontario is far more prolific than Gbay/Huron, but we must be very careful. The more knowledge, the better. And it appears, as noted above that Atlantic's have a very wide range of feeding habits, deep, shallow, fish, insect, ect, like steelhead. Atlantics also grow more slowly than chinooks so they should not have the same energy consumption levels as a chinook. Based on growth I would bet somewhere between a steelhead and a king for food energy needs. I am not aware of any research on this subject yet. Why Atlantics went extinct in Lake Ontario? As KD noted, habitat loss and over fishing were the key factors. Lamprey and Alewives may have played a small role too as they invaded the lake as the Atlantic population was in a tail spin. Loss of access was very likely the primary cause. The Toronto area was really not started until 1791. In 1792-93 the govenor's wife wrote of huge runs of salmon in the Credit and Humber rivers, our two largest west of Trenton. Initial settlement occured in 1800-1820 along both rivers. Dams were the first things to be built. The earliest dams were simply huge trees felled across the river with rocks added. I am sure most salmon jumped them. But by 1820 the first real dams were going in. Barriers to fish migration. Stop a fish from reaching its spawning grounds and you cause their extinction quickly. The main stem of the Credit River below the escarpment falls had 68 dams by 1858 !!!!!!!!!!! The first one at the first rapids. By the 1840's salmon runs had crashed on many rivers around the lake. By 1850 the fishery was already in ruin. A slight resergence in the early 1870's, due likely to stocking by the father's of modern aquaculture, Samual Wilmot in Ontario and Seth Green in NY. A decade of below average temps at the same time no doubt helped. By the late 1870's it was obvious the fishery was lost. The very last salmon was caught in a net in 1896. The end! In 20 years early settlers destroyed a massive salmon population numbering in the many, many millions with nothing more than axes and hard work. How many salmon were there??? On the Credit, estimates in the 1830's of the run ranged from 50,000 to 300,000 fish per year. This year our steelhead run was 6,500 fish, chinooks maybe 6-10k, some coho, browns and a few Atlantics. The estimates are just that as nobody counted the fish or knew anything about fish science. Yet the recorded information we have is truly astounding. Hundreds of barrels (yes barrels) of salmon harvested in one night on many rivers including the SR. A favourite record of mine. Written by a Scottish preist who started a church in Mississauga, on the banks of the Credit River at what is now Erindale Park, our clubs home turf! On July 29, 1827 he wrote something to this effect (I'm paraphrasing from memory): After a freshet (rain) we (he and one other fellow) took to the river by the church to spear salmon. We took the canoe across and pulled it ashore. We waded into the river with spears and began our task. The salmon were so plentiful we lost track of our work from the great fun we were having. Only upon realizing we had speared so many fish the canoe sank and was pulled into the river with a shotgun and a bottle of scotch. The shotgun was recovered. I'd bet a $1000 nobody could go to that spot now and spear 10 chinooks during the run, let alone fill a friggin canoe! Two of Ontario's other top salmon rivers were the Moira and the Trent. Both rivers flow into Bay of Quinte and are known for bass and walleye today. Fish also had access 170 inland through the Oswego river system. All lost in 20-40 years due to dams, over fishing and habitat damage. Crazy. Millions of chinook salmon were also stocked into Lake Ontario in the 1870's. Some fish were reported caught, but no fishery ever survived. But by the 1880's steelhead started to access the lake and had limited stocking and isolated runs. Funny enought the wild Gbay steelhead population began around 1898 when a dam burst releasing a bunch of pond rainbows to the Nottawasaga River. They took to the lake and had access to enough spawning water to build a population. I would also agree with KD that the larger fish being caught over 15 lbs are likely SR fish, but they could be ours too. MNR has been stocking fish every year since 1988, but mostly 50-75k of fry for research and only the odd return came of them. Last year we had some four year (2 lake year) fish hitting 7-9 pounds. So they should run 12-15 lbs this year. Thanks for the support and steady catch reports...awesome fishery we have! john

Thank you all for the support and kind words. Our group (and all partners here in Ontario) hope the day comes when an Atlantic is not a surprise, but another chromer and 20 lb fish are not once in a life time, but slightly more common place. The biggest recorded from Lake O was 48 lbs from Salmon River way back in the 1840's. Not sure of that will happen again, but it would be pretty sweet. To answer a few questions, They do live up to 10 years and can start spawning at age 3 (1 lake year) and spawn up to 4-7 times. Very similar to steelhead. I know a study stream on Lake Superior that has a few steelhead spawning 8-9 times now (no harvest stream). Run times vary with these fish from April to November, but all spawning occurs in late fall (Oct-November). There have been a few fish running one river on each side of the lake since April. Runs in Ontario have been small, but stocking is just starting to kick in. About 80 back to the Credit last fall. Which is why I encourage release (we need all the spawners we can get)! But that is up from 50 in 2008 and 1 in 2007 (zero in 2001-2006). So the trend is good. Ask me in November this year! Tight lines, John

I use spoonfed's method of release at side/stern of boat unless the fish is larger (say 15 plus). The side release is great and never had a problem. However one key method I did not see noted here is: Fish with barbless hooks. Yep, you read it right. I have rigged barbless for 15 years. Never had an issue and I land just as many fish as I did with barbs. As long as you don't leave you line slack for a while the hook stays put. A twist with the plyers and the fish is on its way to the depths. If you net a fish its also great. A quick unhook, pic and release. And your lure comes out of the net fast and you don't blow 5 minutes unhooking your net from the barbs! I also swithed to smaller treble hooks like excaliber rather than large siwash hooks. I found I get better landing rates and far less mouth damage to the fish I intend to release. Keep in mind 30 seconds is your time limit for good post release survival out of water (less in hot weather). So every second counts. As I noted in another post, the group I run tags a couple thousand steelhead a year and we see many of the fish back that have been caught and released in the lake. The only bad news is 90% of the tagged fish reports from the lake are kept, leaving only 10% released. But more and more anglers are letting the bows go and it is very helpfull for the wild fish many of the tribs have! Great thread! Thanks, John http://www.craa.on.ca

Hi all, The fishing has been nothing short of fantastic accros the lake. This includes by for the most and largest Atlantic salmon being caught that I have every heard about in 25 years. I run one of the lead groups in the Atlantic salmon reintroduction program in Ontario and have little doubt the showing of more fish is a result of significant stocking to re-establish the specie in Ontario in addition to NY's stocking at Salmon River. So I ask you to consider releasing any Atlantic salmon you catch until they have a chance to get a foot hold and begin reproducing and to grow larger. I am aware of 3 over 20 pounds so far this year and well over 100 others over 10 pounds, plus lots of younger fish. Atlantic salmon can live to age 8-10 and if the 5-6 year olds are hitting 15-20 pounds it bodes well for bigger fish in a few years. We need to give them a chance to get bigger and come back to spawn several times to spawn. Unless a salmon or trout is hooked deeply (in gills or throat), post release survival is very good. CRAA tags our steelhead and every summer I have at least 50 reported by NY lake anglers. Of the fish released, most have returned to spawn the following fall or spring to the Credit River proving releasing fish works just fine. And keep in mind fish stray all over the lake for feeding. Many of our tagged fish are caught off Rochester and Mexico Bay in July-August, but they migrate to the west end to spawn. In fact, 75% of our lake tag returns come from NY waters. Maybe you guys are better at catching the bows than us Canadian guys, but I think it has more to do with deep water habitat and more angler effort. A pic of one I landed on June 25 off Port Credit...released of course. Report is in the north shore section of LOU. Thank you for your help! Tight lines, John Kendell President, CRAA http://www.craa.on.ca

Fishing Report Your Name / Boat Name: ============== TRIP OVERVIEW ============== Date(s): June 25 (am) Time on Water: 6-11 am Weather/Temp:sunny Wind Speed/Direction:West 10-15 knots Waves: 1-2 feet Surface Temp: 58-62 F Location: Port Credit LAT/LONG (GPS Cord): =============== FISHING RESULTS =============== Total Hits: 12 Total Boated:7 Species Breakdown:Kings, Coho, Atlantic, Steelhead Hot Lure: Trolling Speed: Down Speed: Boat Depth: 140-200 Lure Depth: 30-70 ==================== SUMMARY & FURTHER DETAILS ==================== Fishing was good. Justin and I fished 140-200 fow and turned some sweet fish. On the water around 5:50 and off by 10:45. Nothing for the first 45 minutes, then... a triple spread over 10 seconds from the first to third fish. 6lb chinook (clipped), 6 lb bow and a third fish about 10 (jumper so maybe bow - lost about 20 feet back...but the rod holder fought this one for the first few minutes while the other fish were brought aboard). On the first reset the rod fires before I can add the stacker. 7 lb Atlantic...and it put on a nice aerial show. While still setting after that another rod fires with what we assume was another steelie - ldr. Quiet for 20 minutes, then rigger fires 70/180. 300' run and 10 minutes later a 32-33 lb king on the digital scale. A lull for about 90 minutes then a double, 5 lb bow and a king about 17-18 lbs minutes later. Last action was a double or triple (not sure). First rigger fires, 12 lb coho, second rigger fires, but lets go, then the dipsy fires a few seconds later, big fish rips line and breaks the 20lb line. Oh well. 7/12 plus 2 knock offs. Fish were down 30-70 on rigger (some on sliders), and 120-160 on the dipsy. Greens and blues top, with several bows on orange, all on spoons. All fish released. John See you another day. Nice Coho 32-33 lb King Atlantic Steelie (notice no dorsal - hatchery fish) Teen chinook Release shot

Name: Credit River Anlgers (John Kendell - President) Location: Mississauga, Ontario Home Port: Port Credit Boat Name/Type: Sabala (tarpon in Spanish), Sylvan 16' I fish for: Anything chrome (Tarpon and bone fish fit into this scenario)! ================== I look forward to sharing info and news with many of you. I do recognize quite a few names from other boards too. I run a very large conservation groung called the Credit River Anglers Association (CRAA) based in Mississauga. We work directly on the Credit River and have projects on many other rivers (past and present) including Bronte Creek, 16 Mile Creek, Humber River, Rouge River, Duffins Creek, Bowmanville Creek and the Ganaraska River). But the Credit is our primary work load! Check out our site and lots of sub pages for more info. www.craa.on.ca Stream rehabilitation, fish passage, fish ladders, transfers, hatchery work and tree planting our the groups top priorities, along with lower harvest limits to support a better long term fishery. On a personal note, I have been rigging Lake Ontario off Port Credit since 1985 and seen the good and not so good years. I have also been fishing most Lake Ontario tribs on both sides of the bored since the late 80's. Tight lines! John Kendell

Hi all, Our association, the Credit River Anglers Assocition, has been tagging wild steelhead from the Credit River for the past decade in Mississauga, Ontario. Over the past ten years 75% of the tagged fish reports from Lake Ontario have come from NY anglers, with most reports between Olcott and Rochester. Perhaps some of you have seen or caught our tagged bows. If you catch a tagged fish or hear about one please report it to our group via to internet. http://www.craa.on.ca Click the report a tag icon. I would also ask that you consider releasing the fish once you have noted the tag number and some basic info about the fish. Sadly the harvest rate for reported fish in the lake is over 90%. If you release the fish please leave the tag in the fish. Hopefully we see him or her back for another spawn. This year we had our first fish on its 5th spawning run! We have a couple each year on a fourth run and 10-20 captured each year for a third trip to spawn. This year we also had a fish that was caught in the lake in summer 2009 in 300 fow of Port Hope that was released and came back to the fish ladder in early April 2010! Very cool. All this work on the Credit River is done by volunteers, with minimal help from the MNR. Our MNR have no money so much of this work and stocking falls to volunteer groups on the north shore these days. The tagged bows are wild fish from the Credit River and have not only been lifted by us at the Streetsville fishway, but also transported by truck past two more dams and released into a pristine tribuatry of the Credit River. This program has increased juvenile steelhead counts by over 700% in the five years since we started. A Youtube video: Our group has also spent tens of thousands of volunteer hours on improving the western GTA rivers and planted close to 400,000 trees to help improve habitat in the long term. This summer we (yes a fishing club) will be building a fish ladder with MNR at the second dam so in future these fish can get to their spawning grounds on their own! CRAA is also a leading partner in the Atlantic salmon program. Still early, but we are seeing some small returns and it appears catches are becoming more common. Tight lines, John Kendell President, CRAA

Hi all, I'm new to the site, writting from Mississauga, Ontario. Home of the Credit River. And President of the Credit River Anglers Association. Here are a few thoughts on this subject. However, without a great deal more detail on the small stream and the fish and follow up work over the whole season it is just some possibilites. Is it possible to have wild fish from a stream that dries up in summer...yes. As long as the stream dries up after late June. Another option is to have small pools form in the stream fed by a little groundwater to create cool water zones for fish to survive. The life history for a steelhead in this case would be migrating to the lake as fry and or long before smolting. This short stream life is not uncommon on many Ontario streams that are very small in all Great Lakes. However it also depends on the geology of the area. Much of north western NY lacks sufficient groundwater due to geology until you move east towards the Salmon River or closer to the Allehany range. The fish could also easily be hatchery fish that have strayed, especially if you have a nearby stocking site. Wild steelhead tend not to stray very much, as evidenced by our groups steelhead tagging program (and lots of research). We have only had 4 tagged fish reported in other rivers over the past ten years, out of over 10,000 tagged fish and almost 1,000 tag returns back to the Credit. Fish are amazing creatures...give them half a chance and they will surprise us all. Tight lines, John