WHERE: Grand River Fish Stocking
WHEN: May 1st and 2nd
WHO: Contact Nick Groves at stevennicholasgroves@gmail.com if would like to volunteer!
WHERE: Conestogo River Fish Stocking
WHEN: May 3rd and 4th (maybe 5th as well)
WHO: Contact Brad Knarr at rogue_wave@hotmail.com if would like to volunteer!
After a few years of stocking the Grand River Tailwater under strict covid protocols, 2022 may have changed things forever, for the better! The bucket-carrying strategy of the past has worked wonders but under 2022 COVID restrictions we needed to be more creative. The MNRF approved us adopting the canoe and livewell approach that has been successfully deployed on the Conestogo River for many many years. This meant working with a limited number of volunteers that were prepared to learn with us. With average flows and the Upper Grand River not being the best to paddle we knew we would have to learn along the way, and we sure did!
Under the leadership of Jason King, in partnership with MNRF staff – roughly 50 volunteers stocked the river with 33,000 Brown Trout over 3 LONG days. Here is the catch, we reached places that the buckets never could. The fish were spread through every little riffle, run and tail out on this river from Belwood Lake to the Iron Bridge at Weisenberg Road. Not in buckets of 100 fish but in nets of 5-15 fish per spot. It is in our opinion, the largest spread of fish stocking the river has likely ever seen, with respect to the unknown over the past 30 years of stocking.
It is our intention to operate the 2023 stocking with the same approach. There will be a time and a place to express interest in this work if you are willing/able to volunteer on one of the days available on The Grand or Conestogo River. We promise it is a day to remember!