Lucas Punkari
Those who live in the Sioux Narrows-Nestor Falls area, or those that only visit the region during the summer for camping and fishing, have a brand new attraction to check out that salutes one of Northern Ontario’s biggest activities.
The Northern Ontario Sportfishing Centre opened its doors to the general public on Thursday in downtown Sioux Narrows, and so far the feedback from those who have visited has been very positive.
“What we have heard so far from those that have come in our doors is that they have been amazed at the quality and the variety of the exhibits that are on display here,” Jeffrey Port, who is the director of planning and development for Sioux Narrows-Nestor Falls, and currently looks after the operations for the building, explained.
The plans for the Sportfishing Centre, which is located on Highway 71, have been in the works for the last couple of years, with the cost of the 4,600 square foot complex costing about $2.6 million.
“It was around two years ago when the township made applications to the economic stimulus fund, and when they got the funding they thought it was going to be for a cultural interpretive centre at the time,” Port explained.
“I came on here with the town shortly after that, and we had to start thinking about being more specific into the programing that we would put into the building,” he added.
After a fair bit of research and analysis was done on determining the best fit for the new building, it was determined that a Northern Ontario Sportfishing Centre was a perfect fit for the area.
“If you look at the history of the area, it’s built on the resort industry here and it’s built on the sport fishery on Lake of the Woods, along with the other lakes around here like Dogtooth, Dryberry, Crow, and Caliper,” Port noted.
“We wanted to tell the story and be really authentic to the history of the communities, and to also make sure that the story resonated with the tourists, the permanent residents, and the seasonal residents.
“And I think we got it bang on for both accounts,” he added.
Once that process was completed, work began on getting the design for the building done prior to construction, which was an 18-month process.
“The actual construction of the building was done in early August of last year, but then you have a few more months to get everything put into place and to get all of the bugs worked out of it,” Port said.
Inside of the building itself, the main centerpiece of the Northern Ontario Sportfishing Centre is feature-length documentaries that are done on five fish species that make their home in the region.
“Three of the documentaries on walleye, bass and northern pike have been completed and are playing on a loop in our big television here, while the other two on trout and muskie are currently in production as we speak,” Port explained.
“We also have half-a-dozen iPads and a lounge area in the building itself, so you don’t have to sit in front of the television to watch the movies.
“Instead, you can just sit in one of the large, comfy leather chairs and watch the movies on the iPad at a more leisurely pace,” he added.
Besides the feature length movies, there are also a couple of artifacts that are key parts to history of the region that visitors will also notice when they walk through the doors.
“Since we are in Sioux Narrows, we have a replica of the old wooden bridge, and a wall display that tells the story behind that,” Port said.
“We also have one of the old wooden boats from the Haas boat manufacturer, which was a back bone of the area from the 1940’s until the early 1960’s.
“There’s also a heritage room with many artifacts and displays, and we also have some antique motors that are on display as well,” he added.
Thursday’s grand opening also saw a couple of different events taking place on the grounds, such as boat rides, a casting competition, and a chance to watch Sioux Narrows native Pete Horley make hand-carved lures.
Those type of one-off activities are things that Port is planning to have take place during the course of the year at the Centre, which will be open until mid-September before opening again before the start of walleye season next May.
“This year we will really be focusing on our fishing seminar series, which will be having three or six times this year,” he explained.
“That will run one day a week, probably on a Wednesday, and we will be bringing in some fishing pros to give some tips and tricks along with whatever else they want to talk about.
“In the long term, we’re keen on getting a master angler program started here, as it will be a great way to engage the anglers in the area,” he added.
Continuing to look towards the future, Port has a couple of ideas in mind to make sure that the Centre will be a place that people will visit for years to come.
“We want to make that we continue to change up the exhibits and displays so that they are always fresh,” he noted.
“That is a challenge as you need to have quite a bit of resources and time to do those things, but it is something that we want to do.
“The second thing that we need to do is to nurture and develop private sector partnerships,” Port continued.
“There is a tremendous opportunity here for boat manufactures, tackle suppliers, and distributors, and in the long run we need them to help the centre, and they can become a key part of the exhibits an the display,” he added.
