Tracking trout from the sky

Trout tracking from the sky CTV's Roger Klein hits the skies to learn more about the migration patterns of Rainbow trout in Lake Huron and Georgian Bay.

The air is cold, and so is the water at this time of year and anglers know that fish are on the move.

This is a good time to try and catch the migrating Rainbow trout, often referred to as steelhead.

The trout migrate into area rivers and streams to spawn.  This happens mainly in the spring, but some fish get a head start and enter the river in the fall.

Fisheries scientist Dr. Christopher Bunt took to the air on Thursday to track the fish and measure the impact that dams have on trout migration.

“Sometimes fish that can’t pass a dam will forgo spawning all together and won’t reproduce,” says Bunt.

The aircraft is outfitted with an antenna and radio equipment to track 100 rainbow trout that had transmitters surgically implanted.

The long-term study has already tracked trout through one spring migration and back to the lake.

One of the tagged trout was caught across Lake Huron in Michigan.

Bunt says right now little is known about how far these fish will travel in the Great Lakes.

“It’s quite possible these fish are utilizing habitat in Lake Huron and Georgian Bay all the way up to Manitoulin Island.”

The tracking study will follow the fish over the winter and into next spring.