Last year saw the return of the Meicher Madness Auction – one of SWTU’s most fun and profitable events that got held up by COVID for a few years. After raising more than $4,000 least year, we’re doing it again this September and hope to see you at Schwoegler’s Lanes for it!

Larry Meicher was a founding member of SWTU and a tremendous force for good in our Chapter and at State Council. Larry did everything for us, serving as an officer and board member, a fly tying instructor, a participant at work days, and always as a passionate conservationist. One of his many contributions to SWTU was the creation of the March Madness Auction. At his passing we named the event Meicher Madness in his honor.

The madness and fun will continue on September 9. Everyone will have chances at some cool and highly usable gear, and the proceeds will support all the Chapter activities.

Here are some needs and reminders about our renewed and refreshed auction:

Help. We need about a dozen folks to help at the auction itself: cashiers, folks to check in all the bidders, organizers of all the gear, and runners to make sure the bidders get the stuff they win.

Contact Topf Wells at topfwells@gmail.com if you can help.

No Junk. Traditionally members have brought in just about any gear they no longer had a use for. Along with great stuff, we must have received a hundred leaky waders and other equipment that had aged into oblivion.

That was sometimes fun but we now have had a mountain of really good gear donated to the Chapter. Much of it from the families of deceased members or those who cannot fish anymore. This auction will be focused on selling those excellent rods, reels and other gear. We just won’t have the time anymore to deal with junk.

Buyers. With all this gear, we need buyers who want or need fishing stuff. Lots of you might be like me. At last count, I have 10 fly rods, 3 working fly reels, and 6 spinning outfits. I’ll buy something at the auction but not sure what that might be. For those of our 800 members and friends who might be new to fishing, trout fishing or still gearing up, this auction is a golden opportunity to get some top notch fishing stuff at extremely reasonable prices. This will be a great meeting to invite a new member of the Chapter or a new angler.

Special Request. Trips and flies tied by our skilled fly tying members were the best sellers at

all the previous auctions. Those fly tyers have been supplying flies for great causes and we have not offered any trips for over a year. But any trip or flies would be a most welcome addition to this year’s auction.

We’ll have more details in our September Newsletter. Please mark your calendar and think how you could help make the revival of a fun event successful.

– Topf Wells and Dyan Lesnik (SWTU President and Vice President)