Fantastic speaker and topic + Elections for our April 14, 2026 Chapter Gathering
SWTU is honored to welcome Jason Freund as our featured speaker for the spring (that’s him, snorkeling in a stream!). Few WI trout conservationists and anglers have Jason’s breadth of experience and accomplishment. He learned to fish and tie flies from some of Wisconsin’s most well known anglers. He has a Ph.D, in wildlife and fish ecology and post-doctoral research. He is a professor at UW-LaCrosse and directs research in the cold water ecosystems of the Driftless Area, He is an erudite and entertaining blogger with excellent observations on every aspect of fly fishing for trout (and other topics). He is the President of the Coulee Region TU Chapter.
He will talk about some stream ecology concepts and how we apply them to research questions in the Driftless Area. He present data from undergraduate and graduate students on coldwater stream research in Crawford, La Crosse, Monroe, and Vernon counties. Studies are a winter mortality study that will soon be published, their lab’s efforts on Pammel Creek – an urban Brook Trout stream, the distribution of sculpin in the Kickapoo River watershed, and past and future studies on how geology effects streams and their fishes in the Driftless Area.
Please join us at our April 14 meeting for Jason’s presentation. As usual, we’ll meet at Schwoegler’s with food and drink available anytime after 530 and Jason’s presentation starting around 7. Schwoegler’s is on Grand Canyon Drive on Madison’s west side with ample parking, good food, beverages, and service.
Board Elections
The annual SWTU elections will be held at our April meeting. We have two Board vacancies with one candidate when the newsletter went to press. The floor will be open for nominations and we can also hold the second Board position open if members who are interested need more time to think it over. The SWTU Officers will run for another one year term: Topf Wells (President), Dyan Lesnik (Vice President), Josh Reilly (Secretary), Michael Westbury (Treasurer) and Michael Williamson (State TU Representative).
Our Three Board of Director Candidates: Read More
Newscasts – April 2026
Last Updated: April 7, 2026 by Drew Kasel Leave a Comment
This issue is filled with great information, including:
Posted: April 6, 2026 by Drew Kasel Leave a Comment
Coulee Region Fish Science and Chapter Elections
Fantastic speaker and topic + Elections for our April 14, 2026 Chapter Gathering
He will talk about some stream ecology concepts and how we apply them to research questions in the Driftless Area. He present data from undergraduate and graduate students on coldwater stream research in Crawford, La Crosse, Monroe, and Vernon counties. Studies are a winter mortality study that will soon be published, their lab’s efforts on Pammel Creek – an urban Brook Trout stream, the distribution of sculpin in the Kickapoo River watershed, and past and future studies on how geology effects streams and their fishes in the Driftless Area.
Please join us at our April 14 meeting for Jason’s presentation. As usual, we’ll meet at Schwoegler’s with food and drink available anytime after 530 and Jason’s presentation starting around 7. Schwoegler’s is on Grand Canyon Drive on Madison’s west side with ample parking, good food, beverages, and service.
Board Elections
The annual SWTU elections will be held at our April meeting. We have two Board vacancies with one candidate when the newsletter went to press. The floor will be open for nominations and we can also hold the second Board position open if members who are interested need more time to think it over. The SWTU Officers will run for another one year term: Topf Wells (President), Dyan Lesnik (Vice President), Josh Reilly (Secretary), Michael Westbury (Treasurer) and Michael Williamson (State TU Representative).
Our Three Board of Director Candidates: Read More
Last Updated: April 6, 2026 by Drew Kasel Leave a Comment
Auction Action Was Fast, Fun and Lucrative
By Topf Wells
Special thanks to three wonderful groups of folks. Read More
Posted: April 6, 2026 by Drew Kasel Leave a Comment
Learn What Your Board’s Been Up To – April 2026
Minutes from SWTU Board of Director meetings can be viewed in this Google Drive. If you have questions on what you read in them, reach out to one of the Board members listed on the last page of each newsletter. (Note that you may need to click the “Last Modified” header at the top to sort the list with the latest minutes at the top.)
Posted: April 6, 2026 by Drew Kasel Leave a Comment
SWTU Member Survey: Open to April 20, 2026
Please don’t wait! We will keep it open until April 20.
Fantastic Start to Spring 2026 Workdays
Last Updated: April 6, 2026 by Drew Kasel Leave a Comment
By Topf Wells and Dyan Lesnik
Jim Hess organized a grand opening to the SWTU workday season. The morning was chilly but sunny with mild breezes. The work site was a Dane County easement on Pleasant Valley Creek upstream of the most downstream bridge on County H. James Brodzeller of Dane County helped Jim organize the workday.
One of the creek banks andthe adjoining hillside were overgrown with old growth honeysuckle. Our task was to clear as much as possible. As Yogi Berra said (sticking with baseball), “It was deja vu all over again.” Read More
Yahara River Workday: Saturday, April 11, 2026
Posted: April 6, 2026 by Drew Kasel Leave a Comment
Yes, there’s trout in the Upper Yahara River! The DNR has determined that the trout population in the Upper Yahara River, as it flows through De Forest, is healthy enough to be classified as a trout stream. With this news the Village of DeForest has decided to restore this stream and SWTU has made a significant donation to the Village toward this goal. It’s not often you find a new trout stream. We will be working with the village staff clearing honeysuckles and other invasive woodies. We need a big turnout to show our support for this project.
We are watching the weather and will send an email if rain forces us to shift this to another date. If you are interested in carpooling to the workday, contact Dyan Lesnik (dmlgriffin@gmail.com) and she will try to find a contact for you. Read More
Light Hendrickson (Art Flick)
Last Updated: April 7, 2026 by Drew Kasel Leave a Comment
by Rusty Dunn
At some point between mid-April and mid-May in the East and upper Midwest, fly anglers begin acting a bit strangely. Furtive glances out the windows, sweaty palms, agitated conversations, quick peeks at the clock. Such actions reveal an unmistakable sense of urgency. Worried friends inquire, “Is everything OK?”. Fly-fishing friends, however, recognize the symptoms, smile knowingly, and plan accordingly. They exchange whispered messages, reschedule appointments, evade requests for time commitments, and prepare for one the angling year’s highpoints – the hatch of Hendrickson mayflies.
Hendricksons are the first large mayfly of spring, and their hatches are steeped in tradition. They emerge on spring afternoons when stream temperatures reach 50-52 degrees. Female duns are pinkish creamish grayish brown and imitated by a Hendrickson dry fly. Hendrickson males are smaller, more reddish in color, and imitated by a Red Quill. Remarkably, female and male Hendricksons can hatch in different parts of a stream. One riffle might yield mostly females, while another yields mostly males. Hendricksons of Wisconsin are sporadic, but if you encounter a good hatch, you will probably never forget it. After a winter of short rations, even the big fish join the feast when Hendricksons are on the wing. Read More
Last Updated: April 7, 2026 by Drew Kasel Leave a Comment
Please consider volunteering with Coulee Region TU!
We at SWTU received this message from our friends at Coulee Region TU (which is coincidentally the source of our featured speaker in April). It’s an amazing part of the state and we hope you can help them with some amazing outreach opportunities. Please see the information below or find them on Facebook.
Hello Fellow TU Chapters,
I am happy to answer any questions and thank you for all that you do for TU!
Deb Muresan
CRTU Secretary-Treasurer
We have many upcoming volunteer opportunities to show your support for CRTU Youth Education Sessions for April and May and more coming this summer! Read More
Posted: April 6, 2026 by Drew Kasel Leave a Comment
Wow and Thanks to Musky Fool
SWTU deeply appreciates this extraordinary gift. We promise to put it to good use. We’re committed to improving trout habitat and teaching good angling techniques and ethics. Our local trout won’t grow as big as muskies but they’ll be as much fun. Read More
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