Mark your calendars! Conservation Chair Jim Hess has once again worked with public officials and partner organizations to plan out a series of stream workdays.
September 28 – Hefty Creek (Green County)
Clearing woody invasives and installing a brush bundle. Vince Schmitz will be leading this project.
A special plea from Topf Wells for this first workday
Please, please, please attend our September 28 workday on Hefty Creek. We have a wonderful problem with our work days. We get so much done we’re in demand. We need to finish all the brush cutting and in stream bundling in one work day (the 28th) so we can honor Dane County’s request for an October project. We’re getting help from the DNR. Mitch Trow, our acting fish biologist, who will mow work paths for us and Vince Schmitz, another great DNR biologist and the brush bundle pro, will join us on Saturday. If we have enough folks that we can start bundling as soon as we start cutting brush, we’ll do this. So, please help. BTW, this marks our third and probably final year of working on this restoration. Our work has completed the project in areas the DNR could not reach with heavy equipment.
October 12 – Falk Wells Sugar River Wildlife Area or Davidson Wildlife Unit (Dane County)
Clearing box elders and invasive woodies. Meeting with County officials on Sept 4 to evaluate. We could also end up on Kittleson. Read More
Posted: September 3, 2024 by Drew Kasel Leave a Comment
Fall Workday Schedule and a Special Call for Assistance
Mark your calendars! Conservation Chair Jim Hess has once again worked with public officials and partner organizations to plan out a series of stream workdays.
September 28 – Hefty Creek (Green County)
Clearing woody invasives and installing a brush bundle. Vince Schmitz will be leading this project.
A special plea from Topf Wells for this first workday
Please, please, please attend our September 28 workday on Hefty Creek. We have a wonderful problem with our work days. We get so much done we’re in demand. We need to finish all the brush cutting and in stream bundling in one work day (the 28th) so we can honor Dane County’s request for an October project. We’re getting help from the DNR. Mitch Trow, our acting fish biologist, who will mow work paths for us and Vince Schmitz, another great DNR biologist and the brush bundle pro, will join us on Saturday. If we have enough folks that we can start bundling as soon as we start cutting brush, we’ll do this. So, please help. BTW, this marks our third and probably final year of working on this restoration. Our work has completed the project in areas the DNR could not reach with heavy equipment.
October 12 – Falk Wells Sugar River Wildlife Area or Davidson Wildlife Unit (Dane County)
Clearing box elders and invasive woodies. Meeting with County officials on Sept 4 to evaluate. We could also end up on Kittleson. Read More
Posted: September 3, 2024 by Drew Kasel Leave a Comment
Our Workday Efforts are Growing
Those oak trees we planted at the Willow Creek restoration downstream of the confluence with Smith Hollow are flourishing. Here are photos of the same swamp white oak from last and this year. We may have tired of the rain this year but not the oaks. Thanks to Lloyd Meng and Justin Haglund of the DNR who led the restoration and the tree planting. BTW, all aspects of the restoration are in great shape. – Topf Wells
Posted: September 3, 2024 by Drew Kasel Leave a Comment
Help Dell Creek and the Aldo Leopold Chapter…
… and see 20 professionally operated chainsaws in action.
On September 19 at 8 AM the Aldo Leopold Chapter will host a work day at the 40 acres on Dell Creek that the Leopold Chapter, SWTU, the Badger Fly Fishers, the State Council Access Fund and Groundswell Conservancy helped purchase. The property is lovely with a long stretch of the stream, a brook trout tributary, and some extremely healthy oak uplands. It’s also almost impossible to fish because of the streamside tag alders. Read More
Michigan Hopper / Joe’s Hopper
Last Updated: September 3, 2024 by Drew Kasel Leave a Comment
by Rusty Dunn
Walk through late summer grasses on your way to a trout stream and – if you’re lucky – you’ll hear the buzzing and clicking of grasshoppers fleeing before you. Play your cards right, and you’ll soon be hooked to an angry trout. Hopper season is the most enjoyable time of year for many fly anglers. It’s nature’s reward for suffering through the indignities of hatch matching, tiny flies, fussy fish, and foul weather earlier in the season. No need for delicacy when fishing Jiminy Cricket. Tie a pinkie-sized hunk of fur and feather to 3X tippet, splat it noisily into trout water, and be ready for famously indelicate strikes. Trout often take hoppers with violent eruptions of water, fly, and leader. Read More
The Accidental River Buddy
Last Updated: September 3, 2024 by Drew Kasel Leave a Comment
By Dave Fowler
As many of you know, SWTU sponsors the Wisconsin Women’s Fly Fishing Clinic which was held this year on June 12-18. The Clinic first started in 2010 and, for many years, was held at the West Fork Sports Club in Avalanche. For the last two years it’s been held at the Tree Top, a state-of-the art facility in Westby.
There is a “By Women For Women” Basic Clinic and an “On the Water Skills” Intermediate Clinic for more experienced anglers. The Intermediate Clinic is held first, followed by the Basic Clinic. Over the years most of the guides for the Intermediate Clinic have been men. For the Basic Clinic, the only male that is allowed to do any sort of instruction is Mike Miller, “the bug guy.” Any in-stream instruction was done strictly by women River Buddies – until this year. More on that below. Read More
Posted: September 3, 2024 by Drew Kasel Leave a Comment
Learn What Your Board’s Been Up To (Sept 2024)
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: September 3, 2024 by Drew Kasel Leave a Comment
Progress and Mystery on Badger Mill Creek (and a New Threat)
By Topf Wells
Thanks in part to a strong and decisive public commentary, CARPC – Dane County’s Regional Planning Commission – recommended rejection of the Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District’s proposal to stop its contribution of water to Badger Mill Creek. The vote was 11-1 to recommend denial.
The CARPC recommendation now goes to the DNR, which has to decide by September 8. The DNR contracts with CARPC to analyze MMSD’s request and to solicit and consider public comment. The DNR will consider all the analysis and all the public comment and discussion in its decision making. In addition, SWTU joined local officials and advocates for Badger Mill Creek in meeting with DNR leaders as CARPC made its recommendation. (I do not think that contacting DNR at this point in the process is necessary or even helpful.) Read More
Posted: September 3, 2024 by Drew Kasel Leave a Comment
Quick links to cool content (Sept 2024)
Posted: September 3, 2024 by Drew Kasel Leave a Comment
New Members – September 2024
We’re pleased to announce the addition of the following new members to our ranks! Read More
Posted: September 2, 2024 by Drew Kasel Leave a Comment
Gordon Creek Creel Survey and Fishery Updates
By Topf Wells
More thanks to Justin and Lloyd for some pleasant reading and good news. You can find it at the DNR Trout Stream Survey page on its website and clicking on Dane or Iowa County. Lo and behold, the creel survey report for Gordon Creek.
My summary is that lots of folks, mostly local fly fishers, fish and wholly enjoy it. Not as crowded as other good streams, such as the Big Green. Harvest is just not an issue – hardly anyone is harvesting fish or even wants to. Read More
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