Town & Country

4 WINNIPEG FREE PRESS, SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 23, 2017 R O B L I N Something fishy is happening in Roblin. Anglers from throughout North America are being lured in by a desire to catch a rare, football-shaped rainbow trout weighing up to 20-pounds and measuring well over 30-inches. "If that sounds like a whopper, the only fishy thing about a Mar- kosky trout is the fish itself," says Ben Brodeur of Roblin Economic Development. The massive trout is named for Ken Markosky, an area rainbow fingerling grower and seller who raised several pet fish, leftover lurkers from the end of his season's business. Markosky built a special retention pond to house his "babies," which he and his customers hand-fed daily for about two decades, including winters. Two years ago, Brodeur asked Markosky if he would be interested in releasing a few of his gigantic fish into trout lakes near Roblin. Brodeur's idea was to draw anglers and tourists to Manitoba's Park- land Paradise by advertising the extraordinary trout as unique to the area, which was no fish tale. Markosky liked the plan and in the fall of 2015, several of his gar- gantuan babies were released, mainly into Bench Lake on the out- skirts of "the Fishing Capital of Manitoba," as Roblin is called. With Markosky's help, Brodeur expanded his successful piscatorial strategy by hatching another idea — to grow more enormous trout in two years and let them loose in East and West Goose lakes, bodies of cool, deep water favoured by trout. This spring, a school of two-year-old Markoskys was released into the lakes to coincide with the 15th National Fly Fishing Champion- ship and the annual Bug Chucker Cup in Roblin. "The young fish, which were fed up to three times a day, were already 22-to 24-inches long when released," says Brodeur. "That's remarkable when you consider a trophy trout of most regular strains is 20-inches long." (According to the Manitoba Master Angler Program, the provincial record for a regular rainbow trout is 30.5 inches.) With the blessing of Manitoba Fisheries, Brodeur says the Mar- kosky fish were tagged for catch and release. "Within two to three days, they were being hooked by fishermen using lures," he says. To keep track of the rare rainbows, anglers record the number on a trout's tag before returning the animal to the water. The number is emailed to Swan Valley Sport Fishing Enhance- ment Inc., which in turn sends Brodeur an updated list of caught fish for his records. "The trout with tag number 100 is rare even among Markoskys," says Brodeur. "We are thinking about awarding a special prize to the fisherman who first lands the beautiful animal." Brodeur describes the fish's colour as deep purple, compared to bright silver common to Markoskys and the majority of rainbow trout. "To snag this gorgeous animal would be similar to catching a blue lobster," he says. Indeed, the president of Fly Fishing Canada recently acknowledged Roblin as one of the three best areas in the world to fly fish, if not the best, according to Brodeur. "Not bad considering the president has fished in 14 countries known for their excellent trout waters," he adds. A nod of a bug chucker's hat is also due to Roblin for funding the growth of Markosky's second school of pet trout, including his stock, feed, hydro and related expenses. Though Brodeur concedes that his original idea was to promote fish- ing in Roblin by creating two splashy videos of the release of Markosky trout, his plan has taken on a life of its own in the form of a fish stew- ardship program to support and improve Parkland Trout Fisheries. "I am not at liberty to disclose information at this time, but it is possible that more Markoskys and other species will be raised in our own backyard for release into lakes in the Parkland Paradise, where habitat is deteriorating." Sound fishy? To dispel any doubt, take a look at the YouTube video MK Ultra 2017 Project, featuring the release of 23-inch Markoskys this May. 622 - 3rd St. S.W. Dauphin, MB Canada R7N 1R5 Phone: 204-638-4602 Toll Free: 1-888-638-5930 Cell: 204-638-2778 Fax: 204-638-4390 e-mail: dcp@mymts.net web page: www.dcp.ca Free Delivery • Drive-Thru Service • 10 Pharmacists to Serve You MINITONAS COMMUNITY STORE 267 2nd Ave., Minitonas, Manitoba R0L 1G0 P: 204-525-4944 • F: 204-525-3243 email: waito@mymts.net workwear + custom embroidery + fishing tackle + footwear + outerwear + sporting goods + men's & women's apparel + hunting & camping supplies + personal gifts 138 Main Street, Roblin, MB 2 0 4 . 9 3 7 . 3 6 1 8 WORKWEAR OUTERWEAR CUSTOM EMBROIDERY FISHING TACKLE SPORTING GOODS FOOTWEAR MENS WOMENS APPAREL HUNTING CAMPING SUPPLIES PERSONAL GIFTS -AIN 3TREET 2OBLIN -" Unique Lakefront Container Home at Lake of the Prairies $299,000 Has an awesome 40' high lookout tower!! 1,088 SF of living space. 3 bdrms. 2 baths. MLS #1712422 Karen Goraluk Salesperson Cell: 204-773-6797 north-star.ca Oak Ridge Meats Ltd Custom Slaughtering - Beef & Bison Government inspected plant One of Cantor's Grocery Suppliers We promote local Manitoba producers. Our beef and bison are antibiotics free. No added hormones • Hand picked animals Lorne Nagorski - GM 204-835-2365 204-476-0147 (cell) 1055 Boundary Ave, McCreary, MB Doris's Pizza Takeout and Delivery 132 Main St. Roblin, Mb 204-937-4992 Brad Michaleski MLA for Dauphin Constituency Office Unit 16 – 1450 Main St. S. Dauphin, MB, R7N 3H4 t. 204.701.0238 tf. 1.877.245.8238 e. dauphinmla@outlook.com www.bradmichaleski.ca Boat rentals catch on Parkland Boat Rentals has earned its share of praise over the past year, including recognition as an Innovation Award finalist in Travel Manitoba's 19th annual Manitoba Tourism Awards. The winners were announced shortly after Town & Country went to print. The project was launched last year, after Fly Fishing Canada chose Rob- lin, Russell and Rossburn to host the 15th Canadian National Fly Fishing Championship & Conserva- tion Symposium in May and June of 2017. With help from a Manitoba Agricul- ture, Food and Rural Development Partners for Growth grant, Roblin and Rossburn municipalities part- nered to buy 16 flat-bottom Jon boats to be used in the national tournament, and rented out to local fishers and tourists. The 14-foot, two-seat boats are available to rent at Patch's Bait & Tackle in Roblin and at Parkland Re- creation Rentals in Rossburn, and fishers can access dropoff and pick- up service at several different lakes in the region. The boats have silent electric mo- tors, so they're ideal for stocked trout lakes where gas-powered mo- tors are prohibited, and they hold a charge for up to 10 hours. Planning a fishing trip next year? Find boat rental information at parklandsboatrentals.ca and check out all the hotspots at parklandsparadise.ca. Over the Rainbow SPECIAL TROUT SPAWN FISH TALES IN ROBLIN BY DAVID SQUARE The special fish were tagged for catch and release. Photo courtesy of Roblin Economic Development

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