LITTLE CURRENT—Each spring (if you can call it that this year) a jovial group of Little Current Fish and Gamers gathers at the Royal Canadian Legion Branch #177 for the annual rite of passage known as the Wild Game Dinner. Following that tasty buffet of wild and exotic northern meats, cooked under the watchful eye of head chef Garry Elliott, President Bill Strain takes to the podium to roast, and honour, a person that’s near and dear to the group.
This year, newly-retired Blue Jay Creek Hatchery Operations Manager Paul Methner was asked to join Mr. Strain on the stage while a slideshow of Mr. Methner’s activities since he first came to Manitoulin in the early 1990s flashed before the audience.
Mr. Strain explained that the Little Current Fish and Game Club (LCFGC) first began its walleye egg harvesting operations on Pike Lake with the help of Mr. Methner, who helped them collect eggs and teach them best practices. They then moved to Sheguiandah Bay, where floating docks proved to be most helpful with the yearly task.
Mr. Strain shared the story of Mr. Methner asking the club for “six or eight big walleye” from the Sheguiandah Bay collection nets to be taken to the University of Guelph for study. “We all looked at him and said ‘you’ve got to be kidding’!” he recalled. Mr. Strain likened the fish to the club’s own children as they helped to create those fish, protected them and watched them grow. To have him take them away was a lot to ask.
“The next week a rumour went around that those fish never left Manitoulin, that they ended up in filets at Garden’s Gate!” Mr. Strain said, noting Mr. Methner’s friendly relationship with retired Conservation Officer John Diebolt, who co-owns the restaurant with his wife Rose.
The club had many photos of Mr. Methner, from the opening of the Blue Jay Creek Hatchery to collecting eggs with the club and even of his work as a volunteer with Manitoulin Streams.
Mr. Methner noted that there are likely as many walleye in Lake Manitou now as there are lake trout though “they may be harder to catch.” He said that the MNRF didn’t like it at the time, but now they do, referring to the relatively new to Lake Manitou population.
“It’s been an absolute pleasure working with this club,” Mr. Methner said following a presentation of a framed print, certificate of appreciation and gift certificate to Green Acres restaurant, as well as some gag gifts.
“Thank you very much,” he added. “We moved to Manitoulin in February of 1990. We were at a new facility and you had to learn who people are and take on wild egg collections, which I didn’t have a lot of experience with. And I got to meet groups like yours. We grew together and we created phenomenal walleye runs, all so important to the people of Manitoulin.”
“We tried to help whenever we could,” he continued. “Sometimes it’s tough when you work for government and deliver messages you may not want to hear.”
Seija Deschenes of Manitoulin Streams also thanked Mr. Methner, who was a board member at the very beginning of Manitoulin Streams, for all of his help over the years.
John Skilling, a seasonal resident of Sheguiandah Bay, publicly thanked Mr. Strain and the club for their tremendous work over the years in seeing the walleye population make huge steps.
“When I think about where this club has gone, it’s just great what you guys have done,” Mr. Skilling said. “I want to give you my congratulations.”