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FISH TALES BLUEWATER ANGLERS NEWSLETTER www.bluewateranglers.com www.facebook.com/groups/1513538452226134 SUMMER 2017 RICHARD (DICK) BORNAIS Bluewater Anglers President 2012 2017 It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Dick Bornais, Bluewater Anglers President. Dick was an avid fisherman and Sarnia Sting hockey fan. He was an active member of the Bluewater Anglers and served as club President for the past 6 years. His contributions to the club will be greatly missed. Dick was a good friend to so many of us. CLUB ACTIVITY CALENDAR For June - September 2017 June 13 General Membership Meeting July 8 Family Fun Fishing Day August 11 - 12 Walleye Derby September 12 General Membership Meeting September 23 Fall Big Fish Derby Check the Bluewater Anglers website or FACEBOOK for current information on upcoming club events www.bluewateranglers.com/events.html www.facebook.com/groups/1513538452226134 . GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING Tuesday, June 13, 2017 Point Edward Arena & Community Centre 210 Monk Street Doors open at 7:00 PM Meeting starts at 7:30 PM AGENDA Hatchery Update Salmon Derby Report Family Fun Fishing Day Walleye Derby Fishing Report MINI WORKSHOPS We are planning to have a series of mini workshops (15 20 minutes each) aimed at people who are new to the area or new to fishing. The workshops include ... - Where to fish in the area - Fishing techniques for beginners - Kayak fishing - Fly tying - Spey casting

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FISH TALES

BLUEWATER ANGLERS NEWSLETTER www.bluewateranglers.com

www.facebook.com/groups/1513538452226134

SUMMER 2017

RICHARD (DICK) BORNAIS

Bluewater Anglers President 2012 – 2017

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing

of Dick Bornais, Bluewater Anglers President. Dick was an avid fisherman and Sarnia Sting hockey fan. He was an active member of the Bluewater Anglers and

served as club President for the past 6 years. His contributions to the club will be greatly missed.

Dick was a good friend to so many of us.

CLUB ACTIVITY CALENDAR For June - September 2017

June 13 General Membership Meeting July 8 Family Fun Fishing Day August 11 - 12 Walleye Derby September 12 General Membership Meeting September 23 Fall Big Fish Derby

Check the Bluewater Anglers website or FACEBOOK for current information on upcoming club events

www.bluewateranglers.com/events.html www.facebook.com/groups/1513538452226134.

GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING Tuesday, June 13, 2017

Point Edward Arena & Community Centre 210 Monk Street

Doors open at 7:00 PM Meeting starts at 7:30 PM

AGENDA Hatchery Update

Salmon Derby Report Family Fun Fishing Day

Walleye Derby Fishing Report

MINI WORKSHOPS We are planning to have a series of

mini workshops (15 – 20 minutes each) aimed at people who are

new to the area or new to fishing.

The workshops include ... - Where to fish in the area

- Fishing techniques for beginners - Kayak fishing

- Fly tying - Spey casting

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HATCHERY REPORT Moving forward: One season ends and a new season begins. We have completed our spring stocking, from mid-April until early May. We have released 10,900 Salmon, 4,500 very large Brown trout and 43,400 Rainbow trout. Now we restart another cycle. There are 22,000 Brown trout and 44,000 Rainbow trout just getting started for release in 2018. Some of the bigger Brown trout may be stocked this fall depending on space and the Salmon egg collection. We do hope that our salmon egg collection and stocking numbers increase significantly. There are no major projects planned for this summer only some general maintenance to keep everything in top shape for the fall. Many thanks to the hatchery volunteer staffs that are responsible for the successful production year. They deserve a full summer of fishing. Jake

SCHOOL MINI-HATCHERY PROGRAM This year’s school mini-hatchery program came to a successful conclusion in mid-April when the Salmon they raised were released along with our hatchery raised fish. Each school received eyed-up Salmon eggs in November and helped hatch and grow them to be salmon fry ready for release into Lake Huron. The four schools plan to return for next year’s program. The mini-hatcheries we are using were supplied through the Lake Huron Fishing Club in Kincardine and funded by donations from Bruce Power.

The Bluewater Anglers would like to thank Dave Brown and Bridgeview Marina for stepping in to help with Sarnia’s boat ramp situation during the Bluewater Anglers Salmon Derby. Without their help derby participants would not have been able to launch and fish out of Sarnia. Dave approached the Bluewater Anglers in early March with an offer to help us as much as possible. Bridgeview Marina made quick improvements to their ramp that facilitated the launching of boats. About 40 boaters took advantage of the free dockage at Bridgeview Marina during the derby. This helped reduce daily traffice on the Bridgeview Marina ramp. We have heard nothing but positive comments for Bridgeview Marina’s efforts. Thanks for the great effort.

SARNIA BAY BOAT RAMP STATUS As we can all see, there has been no activity since last fall on the new boat ramps that are to be located at Sarnia Bay Marina. Based on the latest status reports on the Centennial Park project, issued on May 24th, it does not look like we should expect to see the boat ramps completed any time soon. When asked IF and WHEN the ramps would be done, we got the following response ... “at this time, City staff do not have a completion date for the new boat ramp.”. It is unfortunate that Sarnia City staff did not honour their commitment to not remove the existing Sarnia Bay boat ramps until the new boat ramps were ready. Local boaters can use the single boat ramp located at Bridgeview Marina until the new boat ramps are completed. The Bridgeview Marina boat ramp is free. The single boat ramp is going to be a challenge this summer for the many boaters that want to access the local waters of the St. Clair River and Lake Huron. Please be considerate, courteous and patient when using the Bridgeview Marina boat ramp this summer.

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BLUEWATER ANGLERS FAMILY FUN FISHING DAY

Saturday, July 8, 2017 8:00 AM – 11:00 AM

This is a FREE activity for families. You do not need an Ontario fishing licence during the July 1 - 9, 2017 Ontario Family Fishing Week. Sign-in will be at a booth set up by the Bluewater Anglers at Centennial Park near the fishy fountain in the parking lot just south of the end of London Road at Front Street. Everybody must sign in to receive a bucket to be used to collect your gobies and get your ticket for a hot dog & pop back at the weigh-in. Children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult. A limited number of fishing rods and bait will be available at the sign-in booth. You will fish as a family. If your children have brought friends, they will count as part of your family for the derby. Boundaries are from Ferry Dock Hill to the Government Docks. Bluewater Angler volunteers will be located in the fishing area. They will be able to assist you as well as measure any fish over 8 inches. This will allow you to live release the fish if you do not want to keep it to eat. The weigh-in is at the Hatchery (north of the bridge in Pt. Edward) between 11:00 AM and 11:30 AM. Bring your bucket of gobies to be weighed-in and redeem your ticket for a hot dog & pop. There are prizes for the most gobies caught. The number of gobies caught divided by the number of people fishing in your group gives you your total score. There will be a variety prizes in the biggest fish category. NOTE: The $100 member big fish prize does not apply to this family event. The event will still occur if it is raining. If there is thunder and lightning in the area, the event will be cancelled. The Bluewater Anglers will not be liable to or for the loss of property or for injury to any person (contestant or spectator). Contestants compete in this event at their own risk and agree to hold the Bluewater Anglers and members harmless from any liability, claims and/or cost of any nature whatsoever.

VILLAGE OF POINT EDWARD AND THE BLUEWATER ANGLERS WALLEYE DERBY

6:00 PM August 11, 2017 9:30 AM August 12, 2017

Any person is eligible to enter the Walleye Derby provided they have a valid fishing license and have purchased a $10.00 entry ticket. This is a BOAT and SHORE event. If fishing in a group, everybody in the group must have a ticket. Tickets are available at Bucks Baits and The Outdoorsman until 4:30 PM on Friday, August 11th. Any money raised will go to support the Bluewater Anglers. Start time is 6:00 PM Friday, August 11, 2017. Weigh-in will be at the Hatchery from 9:00 AM - 9:30 AM on Saturday, August 12th. You MUST be in line by 9:30 AM to have your entries qualify. This is a single fish event ... you can only weigh in one (your largest) walleye. The Bluewater Anglers Salmon Derby boundaries apply ... in the St. Clair River south to the south end of Fawn Island, east to the harbour at Grand Bend, and north to the trailer park north of Lexington. Prizes will be awarded for the 10 heaviest walleye. 1st $500.00 4th $100.00 2nd $250.00 5th $50.00 3rd $125.00 6th-10th $25 each NOTE: The $100 prize for biggest fish entered by a BWA member applies to this event. Special thanks again to the Village of Point Edward for the donation of the $500 first place prize. Winners will be announced immediately after completion of the weigh-in. There will be a minimum of 5 draw prizes with winners drawn from all Walleye Derby entrants present. You must be present to win a draw prize. Come out and participate in the event.

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CLUB SPRING DERBY Saturday, April 22, 2017

About 30 hardy souls tried their luck on a cool and breezy Saturday morning. There were 9 fish entered ... 6 caught from shore and 3 caught from boats. This compares to only 2 fish entered last year. Boat results: 1st - Herman van Voort - 7.5 lb. Walleye ($100) 2nd - Scott Dezort - 6.0 lb. Walleye ($75) 3rd - Kyle Green - 1.6 lb. Coho Salmon ($50) Shore results: 1st - John Kurian - 8.4 lb. Rainbow Trout ($100) 2nd - Jamie Smith - 3.5 lb. Walleye ($75) 3rd - Don Snider - 2.7 lb. Rainbow Trout ($50) 4th - Alphonse Debusschere - 2.3 lb Rainbow Trout ($25) 5th - James French - 2.0 lb. Rainbow Trout ($25) John Kurian won an additional $100 for the largest fish entered by a member of the Bluewater Anglers. Five draw prizes were awarded to participants present at the weigh in. Thanks to everyone who helped with set up and clean up, weighing the fish, and preparing the hotdogs and coffee.

Herman Van Voort John Kurian 7.5 lb. Walleye 8.4 lb. Rainbow Trout

KIDS TRAINING DAY Saturday, May 27, 2017

It was a picture perfect day … sunny and warm! Another full house of 140 young anglers plus their parents and/or grandparents took part in the Bluewater Anglers KIDS TRAINING DAY held at the Hatchery. A good time was

had by all … kids, parents and volunteers. A special thanks to everybody who helped make this annual event so successful, including … - Bob Izumi’s Kids, Cops & Canadian Tire organization for sponsoring the event and providing prizes, - Kaeden Brown Foundation (cash donation for prizes), - Lambton OPP Marine Unit, - Lambton Children’s Safety Village, - Point Edward Fire Department, - Dave Ash & Point Edward Optimists (hotdogs & pop), - Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources & Forestry, - RCMP Marine Unit, - The Outdoorsman (for providing the hooks), - Jo-Anne & Ralph Eves and Sue Brook for handling the kid’s registration and scheduling (... Great job!), - Stefan Jackson for his popular kayak demonstration, - Bob Daly, Henry Kock and the kid’s casting group, - Chris Poyser, Robert Van Balen for the knot tying demo, - the many helpers around the pond who baited hooks, netted & released fish, and helped the kids, - Chefs Dan MacDonald and Larry Doan. Our apologies for the negative attitude of the fish in the pond. For some reason, they decided to play hard to catch. We appreciate everybody’s patience while you waited for your turn to catch a fish in the pond.

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The following articles were reprinted from recent Great Lakes Basin Reports.

Caught a tagged walleye? Report it to the DNR The Michigan DNR recently jaw tagged 3,000 walleyes in a number of Saginaw Bay tributary rivers. Anglers who catch any tagged fish are asked to collect information from the fish and report it to the DNR.

The DNR has tagged more than 100,000 walleyes in the Saginaw Bay area since 1981. Jaw tagging is part of a long-term research project to monitor survival and harvest rates and to learn about walleye movement. The program depends on anglers to report when they catch a tagged walleye, catch location, as well as the fish’s length, weight (if known) and tag identification number. Once reported, anglers will receive a letter back detailing the history of their fish. This year about 20% of the tags include a $100 reward for reporting the tag. Each tag is stamped with a unique identifying number and a P.O. box address. If anglers prefer, they can report a tagged walleye online at http://www.michigandnr.com/taggedfish/tags. Anglers can keep or release the fish. Anglers are reminded that to be eligible for a reward, photos of the flattened tag are required. If the fish is released and anglers are not interested in being eligible to receive a reward, anglers should leave the tag in the fish’s jaw and not remove it. Also new this year is a brightly colored disk tag used on

some fish to test how well anglers notice and report the tags. “This information is essential to measuring the health of the population and is critical data that is directly used in planning the future management direction needed to protect and enhance this important fishery,” said David Fielder, research biologist out of the DNR’s Alpena Fisheries Research Station. “Besides ensuring the walleye fishery remains sustainable, we also annually estimate the population size with the aid of these tag reports.” The tagging operation occurs each spring on the Tittabawassee River and other Saginaw Bay tributaries during the walleye spawning run. They are collected with electrofishing boats that temporally stun the fish to allow fisheries biologists and technicians to collect vital statistics, tag the fish, and release them back into the river after the fish has recovered. After spawning, walleyes migrate back into Saginaw Bay and a large number migrate out of the bay into Lake Huron. The fish that migrate out of the bay have been found ranging to the Straits of Mackinac to the north and Lake Erie to the

Report Any Atlantic Salmon Caught to the DNR Determining effectiveness of Atlantic salmon stocking is critical to its future with the DNR. This is where anglers come in! "We're asking anglers - when they catch an Atlantic, especially one that has a clipped fin - to report it to us," explained Cwalinski. "This allows us to start seeing not only if the fish are surviving, but where they're coming from in terms of stocking site and years." The department has been marking the Atlantic salmon it rears and stocks to assist in their management. Fish stocked at Lexington, Thunder Bay River and Au Sable River all have coded wire tags in their heads and have missing adipose fins. Anglers are asked to save the head, put it in a plastic baggie, and document catch information (included length of fish, date, fin clip and angler name) before taking it to a coded wire tag drop-off point. Fish stocked at other ports can have several combinations of fins clipped or missing - they too should be reported by anglers to their local DNR fisheries biologist.

NOTE: Joe Cooper caught a Michigan tagged walleye off Point Edward last summer. Several Atlantic salmon have been caught in the area last fall and this spring. You can drop off your frozen Atlantic salmon heads at Anderson’s Pro Bait in Port Huron. They are a wire tag drop off point. The more returns the Michigan DNR gets from our area, the better our chances of getting more fish stocked.

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2017 SALMON DERBY SUMMARY

The Bluewater Anglers 41st Annual Salmon Derby was hampered by high winds, rain and dirty water during most of the 10 day derby … the worst weather ever! Five hundred and eighty (580) fish were entered in the 2017 Salmon Derby. This is the lowest number of fish entered in the Salmon Derby over the past 10 - 15 years. The type and number of fish entered this year are summarized in the table below. The overall numbers are about average based on the few days that were fishable. Derby ticket sales (890 singles and 59 families) were about 10% lower than last year’s sales (1019 singles and 47 families) but comparable to 2013 & 2014. While the final Salmon Derby profit is not known at this time, we hope the 2017 Salmon Derby will raise around $15,000 for the operation of our hatchery. There will be more information available at the June 13th General Membership Meeting. The Bluewater Anglers would like to thank all the 2017 Salmon Derby sponsors and everybody who participated in this spring’s derby. We hope to see all of you again next year!

2018 SALMON DERBY

The Bluewater Anglers Salmon Derby is a multi-species, in-shore event intended to maximize local fishing opportunities for both shore and big & small boat anglers. The early spring timing is chosen to take advantage of the predator fish being drawn closer to shore to feed on the bait fish that are gathered in the shallow, warmer waters of the lake at this time of year. Late April is generally the optimum time most years. We are looking for a few new Salmon Derby Committee members. If interested, contact Paul Heckley for more information (519-869-2593 or [email protected]). The 42nd Annual Salmon Derby will start on Friday, April 27, 2018 and end on Sunday, May 6, 2018.

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SALMON CATEGORY WINNER

Brian Donkers, Camlachie 14.46 lb. Chinook Salmon

TROUT-BOAT CATEGORY WINNER

Scott Dezort, Sarnia

7.20 lb. Rainbow Trout

TROUT-SHORE CATEGORY WINNER

Tyler Pavli, Sarnia

14.56 lb. Brown Trout

LAKE TROUT CATEGORY WINNER

Justin Tadgell, Grand Bend

20.80 lb. Lake Trout

to all the winners in the 2017 Salmon Derby.

WALLEYE CATEGORY WINNER

Clayton Rennie, Sarnia

8.94 lb. Walleye

LADIES DAY WINNER

Brittany Smith, Kettle Point

12.58 lb. Lake Trout

KID’S BIG FISH WINNER

Sam Dezort, Sarnia 13.92 lb. Lake Trout

SENIORS DAY WINNER

Andy Ross, Sarnia

14.38 lb. Lake Trout

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Page 9: FISH TALES - Bluewater Anglers | Home - 2017 Summer.pdf · FISH TALES BLUEWATER ANGLERS ... MINI WORKSHOPS ... This year’s school mini-hatchery program came to a successful conclusion

The winner of the SALMON DERBY BONUS DRAW PRIZE #1, an Excalibur

Crossbow, compliments of The OUTDOORSMAN, is Chris Dewsbury from Camlachie.

The winner of the SALMON DERBY BONUS DRAW PRIZE #2, a 1 day

Tuna Charter compliments of Waypoint 04 Deep Sea Fishing & Marine Adventures plus

2 nights for 2 people at the West Point Lighthouse Inn is Chris Vandenheuvel from Sarnia.

The winner of the DICK BORNAIS PRESIDENT’S MYSTERY DRAW PRIZE, a tackle

assortment, is Rick Ball from Seaforth.

The winner of the BLUEWATER ANGLERS MEMBERS ONLY DRAW PRIZE,

a $1000 Canadian Tire Gift Card, compliments of CANADIAN TIRE, is Phil McNally from Wyoming.

Action Fishing Adventures & HOTFISH Lures

The winner of the HOTFISH LURES DRAW PRIZE, drawn from all Lake Trout entered, is

Ryan Henry of Kettle Point.

The winner of the ‘OUT FISH STEVE DAY’ PRIZE, a $500 shopping spree at The OUTDOORSMAN, is Bill Maxfield from Grand Bend.

2017 SALMON DERBY SPONSORS

Our sponsors are the reason that the Salmon Derby is so successful each year. We appreciate the continued generous support.

Please support our sponsors when you make your purchases.

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CN DONATION

$500 to the Bluewater Anglers in recognition of CN retiree Ross Bishop’s

volunteer activities with the Bluewater Anglers and the community.

CN DONATION

$500 to the Bluewater Anglers in recognition of CN retiree John Harris’

volunteer activities with the Bluewater Anglers and the community.

BLUEWATER ANGLERS AND OFAH MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION

The Bluewater Anglers are an affiliated club of the Ontario Federation of Anglers & Hunters (OFAH). Membership in the Bluewater Anglers includes membership in Ontario Federation of Anglers & Hunters (OFAH) since all members of an affiliated club must also be members of OFAH (www.ofah.org). Members can choose between a “basic” OFAH membership which includes the personal insurance and OFAH benefits but not the Ontario Out of Doors (OOD) magazine or the “full” OFAH membership which includes the personal insurance and OFAH benefits plus the Ontario Out of Doors (OOD) magazine. You can join the Ontario Federation of Anglers & Hunters (OFAH) at a discount rate through the Bluewater Anglers. If you have a current Ontario Federation of Anglers & Hunters (OFAH) membership through another club or organization, then you only need to pay for your regular Bluewater Anglers membership. Complete the form below to become a Bluewater Anglers member or to renew your current membership. More information about membership benefits can be found at www.bluewateranglers.com/membership.html and www.ofah.org. Contact Ralph & Jo-Anne Eves (519-383-0873 or [email protected]) for more information.

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