FISH STOCKING

You couldn't have asked for a better day for our Fish Stocking adventure with the North Shore Fisheries.  A helicopter is used to stock the lakes that you can't drive a truck into.  They transfer the fish from the tanker truck into the tanks in the helicopter and then release them when they fly over a lake.  For the rest of the stocking, we follow a tanker truck to various streams and either hose them in or pail them from the truck to the stream when the truck can't get close enough.  It was hose them in for our 4 streams so we got off easy.
The volunteers got a great lunch of sausages and big hamburgers - even sliced tomatoes and onions, pickles, cookies and apple juice and water.  Delicious.
They transfer the fish from the truck to the helicopter by measuring out how many fish are required for each run.  The truck driver scoops out the fish with a net and empties them into a large funnel that, when released, slows into the tank in the helicopter.  The gentleman on the right is a volunteer with the North Shore Fisheries along with his twin brother.  I am amazed that they still look so much alike and they are both outdoors men.  They have those tanned lined faces of men who have been outside the majority of their lives.  They are avid outdoors men and I enjoy them.  The man on the left is the truck driver who also doubles as a fish stocker.
You can see Rick waiting for the fish to be released at one of the streams and then you can see the water shooting the fish out into the water.  Some don't make it but the ones that do sometimes remain right by the release site - we have to spook them into swimming away.  The stream where all the volunteers are looking over the railing into the water, was the best - deep and clear.  We watched for a while.
Our group consisted of Jerry, Ginny, Rick, Rejean and myself and the truck driver.  Ginny and I had it really easy but we were an important part of the group.
It was a great day - sunny, cool and just a few bugs.