Lake Huron Fishing Club

Organizers Of The

Lake Huron Fish Club

The Lake Huron Fishing Club is a conservation based Sports Club formed in 1983 by a dedicated group of anglers on the Ontario shore of Lake Huron.

Thousands of hours of volunteer work are completed each year by our Club Members operating two fish hatcheries, stream enhancements, environmental improvements, projects in schools, endeavours to protect the fishing rights of all citizens and assisting government agencies on assessment, enforcement etc.

When we are not working we love to enjoy, promote & share the sport we love.

If you would like to join us as an active and/or supporting member please email us at fish@lakehuronfishingclub.com and we will be glad to bring you on board.

Salmon Hatchery - Pt Elgin

The Lake Huron Fishing Club's Chinook Hatchery is located on Upper Ave in the town of Port Elgin. It was built in 1985. The construction was completed using only volunteer labour as are virtually all of the past and present LHFC projects. It continues to function under the watchful eye of club members who volunteer to staff the hatchery during its season of operation from September to May of each year.

At present the Chinook Hatchery returns some 250,000 Chinook smolts back into the Lake Huron area. As there is no Canadian government restocking of salmon into Lake Huron, this task has been assumed by the 4 club hatcheries which operate on the Canadian side of the Lake. The 40 or so volunteers who regularly staff the Port Elgin facility, regard this task with a sense of both pride and duty.

Hatchery Phone: 519-389-4474

Trout Hatchery - Kincardine

The Lake Huron Fishing Club Trout Hatchery is located on Huron Terrace in the town of Kincardine across from the Harbour. This fish hatchery was built in 1992 and began raising fish in 1993.

The hatchery produces 2 species of sport fish, brown trout and rainbow trout for stocking into Lake Huron waters. 120,000 yearling trout are released annually into Lake Huron waters and tributaries. All operations at the hatchery are by volunteers from the Kincardine community. Click here or on the link to the upper left to learn more about our Trout Hatchery operations.

To request tours or obtain additional information please contact our Trout Hatchery Manager
Al Wilkins @ fisheye@bmts.com

Hatchery Phone: 519-396-5833

Mini-Hatchery Teeswater Hillcrest Central School

On November 17, 2010 the Lake Huron Fishing Club set up a Salmon Mini-Hatchery Aquarium at the Teeswater Hillcrest Central School in the Grade 2 & 3 class. Club Member Richard Elliott Jr of Teeswater is in charge of the project.

The Hatchery Start Up Blog may be followed by clicking here and the current Teeswater, Kincardine and Pt Elgin Hatcheries blog here.

A YouTube video of the Teeswater Mini-Hatchery start up may be viewed by clicking here. YouTube video on all hatcheries may be viewed here.

Denny's Dam Fish Monitor Camera

The MNR is installing a camera at Denny�s Dam to monitor what fish species and how many of them pass through the Fishway. This will be a permanent camera and can be viewed real time. It has been tested and will be going "live" in March 2012.

The LHFC has taken an active role with this new tool and is assisting with the monthly costs. The camera may be viewed by clicking here.

The MNR Thornbury Fishway Exit in the Beaver River may be viewed by clicking here.

Denny's Dam History - By Club Member Ron Plaskett

What do you know about where you are fishing on the Saugeen River?

You know there is Denny�s Dam and that there was an old bridge nearby. You even know about Thorncrest Outfitters with all their canoes and kayaks stored beside their house. You especially know know that the fishing is very good. But what else do you know about where you fish?

Click Here to read the Denny's Dam history.

Years Of Effort Behind Saugeen Miracle

By Club Member Darryl Choronzey, For The Owen Sound Sun Times (07 January, 2012)

Excerpt: Since the spring of 2005 members of the Ontario Steelheaders and the Lake Huron Fishing Club have been trapping adult-run steelhead at Denny's Dam. They set a collection target of 100,000 viable eggs and always have met that goal. The mixing of eggs and sperm then takes place on site at the Lake Huron Fishing Club's Kincardine fish hatchery. Depending on water temperature, club members generally carry out their total egg take and fertilization over a few days.

Once the eggs are fertilized and resting in protective trays, the members from Lake Huron Fishing Club take over the chore of babysitting for the next 12 months. It should be noted the Kincardine facility is state of the art and these babysitters are some of the best in the business.

For the complete Owen Sound Sun Times newspaper article please click here.

Ministry of Natural Resources Angler Web Tool

The MNR has a new interactive, easy to use, web tool that will help anglers and aspiring anglers plan a fishing trip from start to finish so they can get out and enjoy Ontario's great outdoors. This is one-stop shopping at its best! Click here or on the logo to visit the site. Enjoy!

Great Lakes Acoustic Telemetry Observing System

Walleye Study: To increase knowledge on walleye movement and better manage the fishery, a tracking study is being conducted with walleye tagged from Lake Huron and Lake Erie. Each fish will have up to 2 external tags and 1 internal transmitter. In the event that you catch and keep one of these tagged walleye, there is a $100.00 reward for reporting the fish and returning the internal transmitter.

If you catch a tagged walleye:

1. Record when and where you captured the fish

2. Immediately remove the internal transmitter from the fish and rinse with water. Store the transmitter at room temperature. You may keep the fish.

3. For reward and arrangements to mail in the transmitter, please contact the USGS Hammond Bay Biological Station: 989-734-4768 (Mon-Fri, 7:00 am - 4:30 pm).

At other times, leave a message at extension 111.

Your cooperation is greatly appreciated!

Our local Lake Huron MNR contact is: Lloyd Mohr - E-mail: lloyd.mohr@mnr.gov.on.ca

Additional Information my be found at: http://www.glfc.org/telemetry/walleye

2010 Rainbow & Brown Trout Stocking

The following are pictures taken by Dave Armstrong during our recent Rainbow Trout Stocking of the Saugeen River in the Walkerton area.

A Different Type Of Program on Saugeen River

From Going Fishing TV December 2010 Newsletter By Darryl Choronzey

While some are wasting fishing opportunities on Lake Ontario, other concerned volunteers and the Ontario Ministry of Lower Saugeen River Fish Ladder Work Natural Resources are still going strong and creating a miracle on the Saugeen River.

First, the Lake Huron Fishing Club and the Ontario Steelheaders got together to team up on a number of initiatives including raising and stocking healthy rainbow trout smolts far up into the mid-stretches of the Saugeen for successful imprinting. Then there�s also their program of trailering hundreds of returning adults 50 miles or more upstream to prime spawning waters. This past autumn, the two clubs even initiated an autumn transfer program which saw large numbers of winter run steelhead shuttled to these same waters. All in an attempt to increase and improve the steelhead fishing on Ontario�s finest steelhead stream.

Well, another miracle has taken place on the Saugeen this past autumn and I would like to thank the Lake Huron Club, Saugeen River Fish Ladder Work the Ontario Steelheaders and the local Owen Sound office of the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources for what they have accomplished.

For decades, migrating steelhead have been prevented from reaching prime Saugeen spawning waters at two dams located in the town of Walkerton, Ontario. The first dam in particular has been a major detriment to any upriver bound steelhead. A fishway had been installed on the lower dam, but it�s doubtful that it ever passed fish successfully.

Then the boys of all three organizations went to work and devised a plan to modify and improve the fishway. What I expected to take more than a year, was installed and completed in a few short months. It works and it will work long into the future when it comes to allowing the fish up into a true reproducing glory hole. Saugeen River Rainbow Trout

It took a lot of hard work and dedication, but it will pay off with large rewards for anglers who visit the Saugeen. The past efforts of these workers have seen the steelhead runs multiply from a count of approximately 2,000 adult steelhead a decade ago, to upwards of 20,000 fish today. Just watch how it expands even more in the future.

In the past, I�ve been often critical of some employees of the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, but in this instance I would like to personally thank acting district biologist Jody Scheifley and area Supervisor Shawn Carey for their efforts in pushing this project through. My fishing cap is tipped to you guys and again thank you very much. The Saugeen is well on its way to being the finest steelhead river east of the Rocky Mountains.

Saugeen River Producing Our Browns & Rainbows

The following two nice Rainbows were caught in the Saugeen River at Steelheaders Park by Club Member Doug Swan. If you look closely you can see the fin clips. The following day Doug caught and released 8 Rainbows. Another example of our hard work paying off! (Click Photo for larger view)

Club Completes Tree Planting

About 30 LHFC volunteers to plant trees along the Tiverton Creek Saturday 01 May, 2010 worked to plant 3,500 trees along a 400-metre stretch of land on Allen Wickert�s farm just outside of Tiverton. Tree planting helps cut down erosion and shades the creek water so the rainbow trout that swim in it can do so in the cooler temperatures they like.

Club Appreciations

The Lake Huron Fishing Club wishes to thank Ron Farrell Masonry and Taylor Sales & Service (Small Engines) Kincardine for their assistance in the placement of the Club Docks behind the Trout Hatchery. Please patronize those businesses that assist us.

Great Lakes Fish Safer To Eat

It�s getting safer to consume fish from the Great Lakes, says the Ministry of Environment�s 2009-2010 Guide to Eating Ontario Sport Fish.

The 25th edition of the guide helps anglers decide how much fish they can safely eat from 1,860 bodies of water in the province, including about 100 new locations.

While the guide does not analyze whether contaminant levels in fish are changing, the ministry says general trends can be observed.

Compared to the previous edition, the 2009-2010 guide shows:

A modest improvement for the Great Lakes, with a slight overall decrease in consumption restrictions which results in an increased amount of fish that can be safely consumed. Overall, the consumption restrictions for inland lakes stayed the same.