We’ve had a strong start to the fall and need every helping hand we can get for our two remaining workdays. The work is straightforward and no experience is needed … you’ll be an expert in no time. It’s a great way to meet people, learn about streams and make a real difference for our coldwater resource.
November 9, 2024 – Sawmill Creek on a new fishing easement! Read More
Our good friend and SWTU Chapter member has lost his long battle with cancer.
Chuck was a contributor to many of our chapter fundraisers. He handled Icebreaker tickets, monthly meeting raffle tickets, door prizes, built beautiful log cabin bird houses for raffles and even played his guitar and sang for us on occasion.
He was an accomplished musician and was the lead singer for two different trios that played local clubs and venues. For many years he played at the Harmony Bar’s Jimmy Buffett night which was a fund raiser for the Goodman Community Center.
He was an excellent carpenter and wood worker. Besides bird houses he turned bowls. Many beautiful pieces were created in his wood shop. From Leopold benches to bookshelves to many other items. He was an artist with wood.
On a more personal note, myself and many others in our chapter enjoyed many fly fishing adventures with Chuck. From the boundary waters, to the Hudson Bay, to Alaska and Argentina. From Belize and many Western Unites States rivers we shared some great adventures. And of course, the Driftless. Yes, Chuck always brought along a guitar. I have probably heard him sing around a campfire as much as in a club. He was always willing to share his music, his art and his dry sense of humor.
He has been my friend for over 60 years. He will be missed by many.
(Pictured is Chuck holding his guitar, surrounded by friends, on one of their many adventures. A link to Chuck’s obituary.)
Fountains of Youth – Classic trout flies that have withstood the test of time … flies that remain “forever young”
by Rusty Dunn
When you next tie a size #20 fly to your leader, give some thought to the engineering behind that little wisp of forged steel underlying the fur and feathers. The strength of your hook might be key to subduing the trout of your dreams. We take strong, lightweight hooks for granted, but prior to the late 1800s, hooks were big, heavy, and poorly suited for dry flies. Dry-fly fishing developed in the late 1800s due to advances in hook manufacturing. George Selwyn Marryat, arguably the greatest pioneer of dry-fly design, described at the time properties of a hook needed for dry fly work:
“…the temper of an angel and penetration of a prophet; fine enough to be invisible and strong enough to kill a bull in a ten-acre field.”
You may not land a raging bull on your size #20 hook, but that tiny curl of steel will have no difficulty corralling an angry trout. Read More
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.)
Watch out for scam emails – One thing your board has been up to is sorting through different types of scams directed at them and possibly other chapter members. Often these take the form of asking a person to purchase gift cards. Generally, you can ignore and delete these – if you want to make sure an ask is legitimate, do not (ever!) reply to an email you think may be a scam … write a separate message using one of the legitimate emails at the end of each newsletter.
By Justin Haglund, Wisconsin DNR (with added stories by Topf Wells and Pat Hasburgh)
During the dates of October 22, 23, and 24 DNR fisheries management staff partnered with TU chapters and other volunteers to conduct a brown trout relocation project along Trout Creek in Iowa County. This project was aimed at removing brown trout upstream of the PL 566 structure (dry dam) and moving them to the downstream reaches of Trout Creek. This effort is being pursued to manage and restore brook trout along the upper reaches of Trout Creek where spring inputs are excellent and habitat is appropriate for brook trout. The dry dam on this stream allows for a split management opportunity on Trout Creek where a permanent barrier is in place. Over the next few years, DNR staff will be stocking brook trout upstream in Trout Creek to restore the population to historic levels. Staff will also monitor the population on an annual basis and relocate any additional brown trout that are encountered during surveys. Read More
Quite an honor: Where does he find the time? Jim Hess(pictured right), SWTU Conservation Chair and former President, was awarded the 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Bluebird Restoration Association of Wisconsin. Read all about it in the Monroe Times.
See something, say something: While on the stream, if you see runoff, erosion, something not quite right or have questions, thoughts, etc. you can report it simply at https://apps.dnr.wi.gov/ccis/. If one of us sees a fish kill, we should call or text to: 1-800-TIP-WDNR (1-800-847-9367). Thanks to Dan Oele for passing this along.
DNR Stream Reports: A couple of new ones are out and very interesting to peruse, including on the Upper Yahara Watershed and Badfish Creek.
Hi everyone, I’m Kyle Olivencia and I’m thrilled to be a part of the Fitchburg team as the newest fisheries biologist! I’m originally from New York, where I graduated from SUNY Cobleskill with an Associates in Fisheries and Wildlife Technology and a Bachelor’s in Fisheries and Aquaculture. As an undergrad I gained lots of field experience working on several projects throughout New York as a fisheries technician for USGS for two summers. Some highlights were monitoring invasive Round Goby movement and their effect on native populations as well as monitoring the recovery of native Brook Trout in acid rain impacted Catskill Mountain streams. Read More
The City of Verona has sued the DNR over its decision to approve an amendment to a water quality plan. That decision made it likely that the DNR will allow the Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) to stop the discharge of its water to Badger Mill Creek. The loss of water reduces the creek by 35-40%. The SWTU Board believes that will probably hurt the creek as a healthy trout stream. The latest DNR assessment states that the creek is an improving Class 2 trout stream with a chance to improve to a Class 1. DNR fish and water quality biologists have stated that sections of the stream that now hold trout might not sustain them if the water is shut off. Read More
Steve Born was fishing at the eastern bridge over Castle Rock Creek on G and left a rod on top of his car as he drove away. The rod was a TU Lifetime Winston 4 wt with his name inscribed on it. Steve has plenty of rods, but this Lifetime TU one holds a special place, and he is offering a reward for its return. If you found it and Google brought you hear, please reach out to Steve at born.stephen@gmail.com.
Posted: November 3, 2024 by Drew Kasel Leave a Comment
Join us for an Upcoming Workday
By Jim Hess, Conservation Chair
We’ve had a strong start to the fall and need every helping hand we can get for our two remaining workdays. The work is straightforward and no experience is needed … you’ll be an expert in no time. It’s a great way to meet people, learn about streams and make a real difference for our coldwater resource.
November 9, 2024 – Sawmill Creek on a new fishing easement! Read More
Chuck Bayuk (1951-2024)
Posted: November 3, 2024 by Drew Kasel Leave a Comment
By Jim Bartelt
Our good friend and SWTU Chapter member has lost his long battle with cancer.
Chuck was a contributor to many of our chapter fundraisers. He handled Icebreaker tickets, monthly meeting raffle tickets, door prizes, built beautiful log cabin bird houses for raffles and even played his guitar and sang for us on occasion.
He was an accomplished musician and was the lead singer for two different trios that played local clubs and venues. For many years he played at the Harmony Bar’s Jimmy Buffett night which was a fund raiser for the Goodman Community Center.
He was an excellent carpenter and wood worker. Besides bird houses he turned bowls. Many beautiful pieces were created in his wood shop. From Leopold benches to bookshelves to many other items. He was an artist with wood.
On a more personal note, myself and many others in our chapter enjoyed many fly fishing adventures with Chuck. From the boundary waters, to the Hudson Bay, to Alaska and Argentina. From Belize and many Western Unites States rivers we shared some great adventures. And of course, the Driftless. Yes, Chuck always brought along a guitar. I have probably heard him sing around a campfire as much as in a club. He was always willing to share his music, his art and his dry sense of humor.
He has been my friend for over 60 years. He will be missed by many.
(Pictured is Chuck holding his guitar, surrounded by friends, on one of their many adventures. A link to Chuck’s obituary.)
Little Marryat
Last Updated: November 4, 2024 by Drew Kasel Leave a Comment
by Rusty Dunn
When you next tie a size #20 fly to your leader, give some thought to the engineering behind that little wisp of forged steel underlying the fur and feathers. The strength of your hook might be key to subduing the trout of your dreams. We take strong, lightweight hooks for granted, but prior to the late 1800s, hooks were big, heavy, and poorly suited for dry flies. Dry-fly fishing developed in the late 1800s due to advances in hook manufacturing. George Selwyn Marryat, arguably the greatest pioneer of dry-fly design, described at the time properties of a hook needed for dry fly work:
“…the temper of an angel and penetration of a prophet; fine enough to be invisible and strong enough to kill a bull in a ten-acre field.”
You may not land a raging bull on your size #20 hook, but that tiny curl of steel will have no difficulty corralling an angry trout. Read More
Posted: November 3, 2024 by Drew Kasel Leave a Comment
Learn What Your Board’s Been Up To – November 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.)
Watch out for scam emails – One thing your board has been up to is sorting through different types of scams directed at them and possibly other chapter members. Often these take the form of asking a person to purchase gift cards. Generally, you can ignore and delete these – if you want to make sure an ask is legitimate, do not (ever!) reply to an email you think may be a scam … write a separate message using one of the legitimate emails at the end of each newsletter.
Trout Creek Brown Trout Relocation Project
Posted: November 3, 2024 by Drew Kasel Leave a Comment
By Justin Haglund, Wisconsin DNR (with added stories by Topf Wells and Pat Hasburgh)
During the dates of October 22, 23, and 24 DNR fisheries management staff partnered with TU chapters and other volunteers to conduct a brown trout relocation project along Trout Creek in Iowa County. This project was aimed at removing brown trout upstream of the PL 566 structure (dry dam) and moving them to the downstream reaches of Trout Creek. This effort is being pursued to manage and restore brook trout along the upper reaches of Trout Creek where spring inputs are excellent and habitat is appropriate for brook trout. The dry dam on this stream allows for a split management opportunity on Trout Creek where a permanent barrier is in place. Over the next few years, DNR staff will be stocking brook trout upstream in Trout Creek to restore the population to historic levels. Staff will also monitor the population on an annual basis and relocate any additional brown trout that are encountered during surveys. Read More
Posted: November 3, 2024 by Drew Kasel Leave a Comment
Quick links to cool content
See something, say something: While on the stream, if you see runoff, erosion, something not quite right or have questions, thoughts, etc. you can report it simply at https://apps.dnr.wi.gov/ccis/. If one of us sees a fish kill, we should call or text to: 1-800-TIP-WDNR (1-800-847-9367). Thanks to Dan Oele for passing this along.
DNR Stream Reports: A couple of new ones are out and very interesting to peruse, including on the Upper Yahara Watershed and Badfish Creek.
Welcome to the New Fisheries Biologist
Posted: November 3, 2024 by Drew Kasel Leave a Comment
Hi everyone, I’m Kyle Olivencia and I’m thrilled to be a part of the Fitchburg team as the newest fisheries biologist! I’m originally from New York, where I graduated from SUNY Cobleskill with an Associates in Fisheries and Wildlife Technology and a Bachelor’s in Fisheries and Aquaculture. As an undergrad I gained lots of field experience working on several projects throughout New York as a fisheries technician for USGS for two summers. Some highlights were monitoring invasive Round Goby movement and their effect on native populations as well as monitoring the recovery of native Brook Trout in acid rain impacted Catskill Mountain streams. Read More
Posted: November 3, 2024 by Drew Kasel Leave a Comment
Fight to Protect Badger Mill Creek Continues
By Topf Wells
The City of Verona has sued the DNR over its decision to approve an amendment to a water quality plan. That decision made it likely that the DNR will allow the Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) to stop the discharge of its water to Badger Mill Creek. The loss of water reduces the creek by 35-40%. The SWTU Board believes that will probably hurt the creek as a healthy trout stream. The latest DNR assessment states that the creek is an improving Class 2 trout stream with a chance to improve to a Class 1. DNR fish and water quality biologists have stated that sections of the stream that now hold trout might not sustain them if the water is shut off. Read More
Posted: November 3, 2024 by Drew Kasel Leave a Comment
New Members – November 2024
We’re pleased to announce the addition of the following new member to our ranks! Read More
Posted: October 12, 2024 by Drew Kasel Leave a Comment
Lost Rod: TU Lifetime Member Stephen Born
Steve Born was fishing at the eastern bridge over Castle Rock Creek on G and left a rod on top of his car as he drove away. The rod was a TU Lifetime Winston 4 wt with his name inscribed on it. Steve has plenty of rods, but this Lifetime TU one holds a special place, and he is offering a reward for its return. If you found it and Google brought you hear, please reach out to Steve at born.stephen@gmail.com.
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