The Grand River

I am a new member,however I fished the Grand River for over 65 years.I have seen many changes and nothing good.The worst change was the dam at Caladonia.The old dam was shaped in a shallow V to channel the main flow down the middle of the river.This kept the current away from the banks.The new dam they put in about 10 years ago?is straight across and the current flows along the banks.The river below the dam is now 85 yards wider than 20 years ago and shallower.Water temps by July are so hot that there is no oxygen .There used to be lots of minnows and crayfish and insects years ago.Today none are to be seen.Go to the dam and read the notices put up by the MNR and see the endangered species.White sucker, mussels,and shiners.Someone forgot to list the Rockbass.I caught my first one in 50 yrs in the Upper Grand 2 years ago.It didn"t help also that a water treatment plant was also opened 15 years ?ago.If you are near the outflow your nose will tell you.I have been and continue to be an avid flyfisherman and flytier.Only been add it for 60 years.My observations over the last 25 years on the Upper Grand is the greatest problem is high water flows which destroy the bottom of the river.It has destoryed stretches of rivers also altering their directions.When the dam was converted to bottom flows the MNR stocked 50,000 Brown for a number of years that were at least 10" in length.There were no Ospreys then or Eagles ,few minks and otters.Today the MNR stocks 10,000,and they are 4 to 5 " in length.The Upper Grand unlike Whitemans has no logjams or cover to hide .Last season I watched the Osprey catch 6 trout fisherman {4} zero.How far the fishing fallen in the last 10 years there ?On a good day one could catch a dozen or two trout in a day.I fished last season an average of 4 days a week.My score, 4 trout,6 walleye acouple of those went 6lbs,5 bass ,2 were 5lbs and 2 went 3 lbs 3 pike and had 2 cut me off and 2 suckers all on flies.Until there is more cover in the river and bigger fish stocked ,hopefully in early June when the flows are more stable the fishing will continue to fail.

That sucks but it seems like a trend in every river. The grand is not the only river effected by dams and politics. Credit river is a prime example.

The Lower Niagara is another one that has "changed". It is still a decent fishery but the shore line has taken a serious beating from the wakes of the Jet Boats down there. Years ago there was a rock the size of a bus that I would fish off, and now it is gone. Erosion has caused it to slide into the river.