CVC Trout Spawning Survey
Yesterday I had the privilege of taking part in a trout spawning survey organized by Credit Valley Conservation (CVC). It was the first time I had participated in such an event and even though I had no idea what to expect, I had eagerly filled out the registration for Darrell and myself.
The weather could not have been more perfect for a day on the river. The snow from Friday had disappeared and the sun shone bright as we parked at the check-in point on Forks of The Credit.
The sign welcoming visitors to the Credit River
The side of the road was soon lined with vehicles as survey participants began to show up. I had been told that quite a few people did sign up for the survey, but I surprised at the sheer number of people out for the Saturday morning event. We had a group of Scouts with their parents, a few biologists, and a few anglers (such as ourselves), looking to help out.
Waders were required for the survey and the CVC was well-equipped to handle the demand.
Talking to some of my group members.
There were three reaches of the river that were to be included in this survey, so the participants were divided up. Darrell and I decided to join the group that had the farthest walk, although I really hadn’t accounted for how long a walk that would be in waders!
Before the groups were sent off, we received instruction from Jon Clayton, an aquatic biologist with CVC, as to how we would identify redds (the ‘nest’ where fish spawn) and how to catalog our findings. When we came across an area that looked like a redd we had to decide how confident we were in that conclusion, and what type of fish made it. We were looking for redds belonging to brook trout, brown trout and, hopefully, atlantic salmon.
Receiving in-the-water instruction from Jon on what to look for. There were a few redds in the area that served as our guideline for the rest of the day.
After the instructions were done we broke into our groups and set off to our location. Our group certainly had a bit of a hike as our starting point was in Forks of the Credit Provincial Park. I was immediately struck by what a great group of people I was with. Our leader was Pat Kelly, a CVC volunteer whom also represents both the Izaak Walton Flyfishing Club and Trout Unlimited. Pat’s knowledge was immediately evident as he started pointing out various pools in the river and telling us about some of the landmarks. He was so friendly and interested in teaching all of us. I was thrilled to be around someone so knowledgeable.
The other four members of our group were biologists. Some had more experience with fish than others, but they were all there to learn and everyone took time to chat with each other. It was nice to hang around a group of people who could take about fish all day long!
Finally at our starting point
We eventually reached our starting location and two people were dispatched to the other side of the river for a better overall view. We were told to stay out of the river as much as possible so we walked along the bank and kept an eye out for an area with lighter color and a bit of a depression. It was apparent pretty quickly that identifying a redd would not be easy.
It was a few minutes up the river when we came across our first suspected redd. The color was a little lighter than the surrounding area, indicating a fish may have fanned the gravel away. A closer look revealed a bit of a depression and a consensus was reached to call it a category 3 redd – meaning it looked like a possible redd, but we weren’t sure and there was no fish found near it. After recording the location and taking some pictures we continued up the river.
A sign near the river outlines the regulations. I wish more people would actually pay attention to these signs and the regulations!
A sign showing the fish of the Credit River. If you ask me, the brown on that sign looks more like a rainbow trout than a brown trout.
We came across more possible redds and would discuss each one before deciding whether to mark it down or not. Pat was a great leader and always let the group consensus take it, and he would make arguments for and against the location being a redd.
While I enjoyed the walk, the conversations, and the search for redds, I was really hoping to see some fish. The first one we spotted was a sucker and it got us all excited to finally see a fish. Then we came across an incredibly dark fish that looked like it was sitting on a redd.
An incredibly dark fish that caused a lot of excitement and discussion.
We were all excited to come this fish and the cameras quickly came out. While others moved in inspect the redd, Darrell, Pat and I were more intrigued by the fish. It didn’t spook at us and looked like it may be in its last days. Whether it was a brown trout or an atlantic salmon, we weren’t sure. We had a closer look as the fish was only inches from us, and from that view the spots were more visible, making me fairly confident this was a brown trout. It was an odd fish to come across and provoked a lot of discussion afterwards.
We came across some interesting structures along the river which Pat was quick to point out as a project he had been involved in with the CVC youth corps. The structures are debris catchers – logs tied together with wire and weighted with rocks, designed to catch debris as it floats down the river, thereby providing structure for the fish to relate to.
A closer look at the debris catcher
A better idea of the size of a debris catcher.
As we neared the end of our reach there was one more exciting event – watching a large atlantic salmon swim by. He came out of nowhere and I didn’t see him until he was swimming by Darrell, but it was a nice sized healthy fish. Darrell saw the large kype that let us know it was a male. It’s possible we could both be wrong about it being an atlantic, as it’s not always easy to tell when they’re in the water. But we’re both pretty confident that it was an atlantic, not a brown. What a treat!
Leaving the Credit River...
It was an incredible day on the river and another amazing learning experience. The Credit River is an absolute jewel and I now have a few more spots to hit for brookies next year. Huge thanks to the CVC for providing the opportunity for people to be involved in something like this spawning survey. It was an incredible learning experience and I met a lot of wonderful people. It’s nice to spend some time helping a fishery that provides so many great angling opportunities.
To participate in upcoming CVC events, check out their Events Calendar.
Watch a video interview with Pat Kelly.
Credit Valley Conservation is on Facebook. Like their page to keep track of current information, including contests.
argosgirl
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That survey would be a blast to participate in! Very jealous… What a learning experience too. Good for you in helping out.
It was a blast. I hope to do it more often. It’s a great way to learn more about fish and their habitat and behaviors.