SWTU, P.O. Box 45555, Madison, WI 53744-5555 president@swtu.org

Newscasts – September 2023

This issue is filled with great information, including:

A Very Special Award and Guest

Our Tuesday, September 12, Chapter Meeting

The summer Newscasts teased some big news to share at our September meeting. We can share now that the DNR is honoring SWTU with its External Partner Award.

The external partner award recognizes an external team, agency, organization or business who has partnered with the DNR advancing the agency mission exemplifying cooperation and beyond compliance effort to achieve a successful project. Five awards will be awarded each year to an external partner who best exemplifies cooperation and beyond compliance efforts to achieve a successful project.

Todd Kalish, Bureau of Fisheries Management Deputy Director, will present the award. Todd will then further honor us with a presentation covering general fisheries updates, including:

  • Major statewide and regional initiatives we are currently pursuing
  • Select Fisheries initiatives in SW Wisconsin
  • Fisheries staffing and new hires

Read More

Fall Weather Brings Fall Stream Workdays

Sawmill Creek April 2023

Everyone (yes, you!) can find a role at our Stream Team workdays. They are a great opportunity to do some good, make new friends and look with interest on a stretch of water you’ll be back to drift a fly over.

We have a marvelous schedule lined up and details still being finalized … we’ll share the exact “where” and “what” closer to the dates. Rest assured, we’ll be where the work is needed.

Please save the dates below. Jim Hess, Conservation Chair, did his best to schedule around fall events like Badger home games, Thanksgiving and hunting season. These are all Saturdays and the work goes from 9 to about Noon. Read More

Wisconsin Women’s Fly Fishing Clinic’s “WOWSKI” Grows To New Heights

By Matthew Sment

Now in it’s 14th year of empowering woman anglers through outdoor education, the Women’s On the Water Skills Intermediate Clinic (WOWSKI) grew to new heights in 2023. This standout program pairs enthusiastic woman anglers with volunteer guides on streams in the heart of Wisconsin’s Driftless region. The clinic offers students three on the water sessions where they can tune up their skills, decide which they want to build, and then work with the guides to strengthen them. (Be sure to see all the great photos below.) Read More

Sugar River Land Purchase Proceeding – Key Vote is Now

Last month, we shared that Dane County Executive Joe Parisi announced the largest conservation land purchase in the history of the County: 625 acres on the Sugar River between Verona and Paoli. Several SWTU Board Members and representatives of other conservation groups attended the press conference and were overwhelmed by the news. This purchase will lead to great improvements in the Sugar River and the surrounding landscape and greatly increase outdoor public recreation.

We asked our members to contact their County Board members asking them to support this purchase … and you did! It’s passed all committees and the County Board plans to vote on it September 7 (the date this newsletter is being sent). Watch the news reports for the hopeful good word, and we’ll provide an update at the September 12 meeting.

Survey Says … Trout!

The DNR fish biologists in our area have been busy with more excellent reports; check them out at Wisconsin DNR trout surveys More specifically, Kirk Olson reports on the many trout streams of southern Crawford County, Nate Nye on the streams of the upper Baraboo River watershed in Sauk and Richland Counties, and Justin Haglund on the Pine River watershed of Richland County. Collectively these will point you to some streams not as well known as some of the stars of the Driftless Area but with just as many trout. More importantly each documents the conservation challenges and opportunities in all of them. Read More

Red Fox Squirrel Hair Nymph

Rod Fox Squirrel Hair Nymph

Fountains of Youth – Classic trout flies that have withstood the test of time … flies that remain “forever young”

by Rusty Dunn

Fly tying owes much to Charles Cotton, who in 1676 authored ‘Part II’ of Isaac Wal­ton’s classic The Compleat Angler. Prior to Cotton, descriptions of artificial flies and how to tie them were sketchy at best. Cotton gave detailed in­struc­tions concerning insects, their imitation, tying materials, methods of construction, and the best months for each fly’s use. His flies were remarkably modern in appearance, being small, sparsely dressed, and neat. Cotton’s metic­ulous ap­proach and precise descriptions began the rich literature of fly-tying that we enjoy today. Read More

Memorial for Todd Hanson

The summer edition of the Wisconsin Trout newspaper shared the sad news of Todd Hanson’s passing. Todd was a member of SWTU and a friendly face at many of our events. As you can read in Wisconsin Trout, Todd also played a large role at the state level. He will be missed and we wanted to share information on his memorial. Read More

Learn What Your Board’s Been Up To – Sept 2023

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.)

New Members – September 2023

We’re pleased to announce the addition of the following new members to our ranks! Read More