Please join us for our Thursday, April 11 Chapter meeting

In addition to a 50/50 raffle, this meeting will also feature a silent auction for some great sets of flies! Please see below for details.

April’s speaker is an award-winning member of our Chapter and a leader in conserving our local trout streams. Sara Rigelman, winner of State Council’s Bob Hunt Award, will speak on Dane County’s acquisition of land and easements and restoration of trout streams in the Sugar River Watershed. 

Sara is Park Property Planner for Dane County Parks in the County’s Land and Water Resource Department and leads the County’s trout stream easement and restoration programs. The County has been extraordinarily active and effective in the watershed throughout Sara’s tenure with the County with the result that miles of high quality trout streams are now protected and available to the public. In addition, hundreds of acres are now available for walking, hunting, foraging, birding, and other outdoor activities. SWTU has supported these efforts with donations and volunteers. Sara will let us know what the future might hold for these waters and lands.

We had also hoped to be joined by Dan Oele, the DNR fish biologist for Dane, Green and Rock Counties. Dan has been integral to recent efforts to protect and restore trout streams in the Sugar River watershed and throughout Dane County. Dan wrote with a pretty good excuse for not being able to attend: “Please accept my apologies, I can’t make it that night, will be running nets all day on Mendota then hustling up to Steven’s Point to give a talk the following morning about Indian Lake carp removal project, then back down to keep on running nets! Next time!”

There will be a 50/50 raffle to help cover the room fee. Tickets will be available from 6:30 – 7:45 pm for $5 each. The drawing will take place at 8:00 pm, or as soon as possible after the featured speaker is completed. This is a must be present to win drawing. One winning ticket takes home half of the cash raised.

March auction results … and another opportunity on Thursday, April 11!

Thanks to the generous donations and bids we had a great Meicher Memorial Auction in March that netted $3,517!  With a dwindling crowd near the conclusion, we were not able to auction all the great flies generous and skilled tyers donated. Folks donated these flies to be used and raise funds for the Chapter. Instead of holding on to them for another year, let’s get these flies on the stream where they belong!

The April 11 meeting will feature a silent auction for some great sets of flies. The auction will be ready to go as soon as you step in the door. Here are just some of the flies we’ll be offering:

• 3 sets of 6 by Tom Mulford– #18 Parachute Caddis, #20 Comparaduns, #18 Comparaduns
• 6 Dan Wisniewski wet flies
• 6 John Strauss spring nymphs and dries
• 20 John Gribb mayflies
• 6 bluegill and trout streamers from Badger Fly Fishers
• large collection of bluegill flies
• large collection of bass, pike, and musky streamers.

As usual, the meeting is upstairs at the Coliseum Bar and Grill on East Olin Avenue at 7 p.m. but please get there early this month if at all possible for auction items, drinks, food or sharing stories!