Hatchery member Vic Bodnar said, for one, the fish were definitely bigger.
“When they get to a certain point, they grow very, very quickly. So we were ready to put them in the lake, but the ice wasn’t out yet, so we had to wait a couple of weeks—and they grew a lot faster.”
Moose FM was out on the barge-style pontoon boat during the first release.
Volunteer and boat driver Gary Fowler has helped with the fish release for years.
“I’ve marked this all with the depth finder years ago, and I know where the drop- off is. So we just go out to where it drops down to 65 feet deep.”
Fowler said at this point, he no longer needs a depth finder.
“I just know where it is from doing this so many times—old school,” he said with a laugh.
Fowler added that he wasn’t able to use his own boat this year.
“Paudash Lake Marina donated the use of the boat today. Because the ice was so slow going out this year, I haven’t got my dock in yet. So I asked Rodney (from Paudash Marina), and he said, no problem.”
Another change this year is the absence of students, as the two major outdoor education programs at North Hastings High School—NERDS and NOS—were cancelled this past year.
Coun. Angela Lewis, who also attended the release, asked hatchery member Vic Bodnar how the cancellation affected operations.
“All the help they gave us (the students) was unmeasurable” Bodnar said.
“You could not ask for a better group of people to come and help. Unfortunately, that program’s no longer there.”
“My daughter took that program years ago,” Lewis added.
“She took fish and wildlife. I know so many other kids who went through that program—it’s just a shame.”
Bodnar said that although the programs were cancelled, many of the students will still come to help out at the hatchery.
He added that volunteers are always appreciated, as it takes a lot to run the facility.
“Every Tuesday, we get a whole mass of people together because we clean all the tanks, we feed them, we weigh them and count them. That way we know the growth, and we know how much to feed them.”
Overall, 1,400 young ‘Jewel’ trout were released in Paudash Lake on Wednesday morning.
