The popular Fly Tying Jamboree is returning for our November meeting. Whether or not you tie flies, you’ll leave with some new ideas and ways to improve your fishing. If you do tie flies, please bring your vise, light and select hooks & materials to demonstrate tying your favorite fly, and include a few stories. There will be door prizes and someone will walk away with a fly box full of flies fresh from the tiers’ vises. Last held in 2018, the Fly Tying Jamboree will be a fun, relaxed, educational and conversational evening. Monthly chapter meetings typically start at 7 pm, but for the Fly Tying Jamboree arrive anytime after 5:30 for setting up your fly tying station, ordering food, drinks and socializing. As always, the meeting will be held at Schwoegler’s Lanes, 444 Grand Canyon Dr., Madison, WI 53719 Read More
Trout In the Classroom is a program that offers students a chance raise trout in a classroom setting and then release them into a nearby stream. As we all know, trout need cold water. To get trout to thrive in a classroom requires chillers to generate the cold water that they require. Unfortunately, chillers equipped with pumps are so expensive as to be beyond the budget of most school programs.
In 2023, Southern Wisconsin Trout Unlimited helped start a Trout in the Classroom project at the Sun Prairie High Schools by donating the funds to purchase their chiller equipment. Since students are bound to learn a conservation ethic as they care for and nurture the trout, this was a project that we were delighted to support. Read More
The SWTU work day crews don’t encounter invasive buckthorn as often as honeysuckle. Lucky for us because the thorns can be painful. Careful and undaunted, we eliminated truckloads from the banks of the Sugar River during the 10/12 work day.
The mission was to clear buckthorn and its traveling companions box elder and invasive honeysuckle from a lovely stand of red oaks and open more access to the Sugar River at the Falk Wells Wildlife Area, not far from the STH 69 bridge and parking lot. The clearing improves the growth of the oaks and makes room for native shrubs like dogwood. At the second spot we cleared the river looked fishy.* Read More
About 30 of SWTU and Nohr’s finest joined Justin and Jared of the DNR to improve Big Spring’s corridor downstream of the first bridge. By removing dozens, hundreds, thousands of willows and a few box elders we were going to make access easier, remove a major attraction for beavers, and create room for oaks and a healthier mix of native vegetation.
Let’s just be crystal clear. The willows were a huge pain in the butt (my left hamstring, to be more specific). Clumps of small ones were growing in reed canary grass. One of us would lop the clump or single stem while the other treated the tiny stump (no treatment = many more willows next season). Stooping and bending were the chief exercises of this workday. Read More
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.)
Trout Unlimited invites you to learn fly tying or improve your tying skills this winter. Experienced SWTU instructors will teach both beginning and intermediate level fly-tying courses in Fitchburg starting Wednesday January 15, 2025. Classes consist of instructor-led demonstrations and hands-on tutorials. The courses are completely free of charge, and all materials needed during in-class instruction are provided. You need only supply fly-tying tools and thread, a list of which is available at https://www.swtu.org/learn/flytying/flytying-classes/. Read More
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.
Newscasts – November 2024
Last Updated: November 4, 2024 by Drew Kasel Leave a Comment
This issue is filled with great information, including:
A fun and informal chapter meeting on November 12
Posted: November 4, 2024 by Drew Kasel Leave a Comment
Join in the Fly Tying Jamboree
A fun and informal chapter meeting on November 12
Trout In the Classroom: The Future is Bright
Last Updated: November 4, 2024 by Drew Kasel Leave a Comment
By Mark Maffitt
Trout In the Classroom is a program that offers students a chance raise trout in a classroom setting and then release them into a nearby stream. As we all know, trout need cold water. To get trout to thrive in a classroom requires chillers to generate the cold water that they require. Unfortunately, chillers equipped with pumps are so expensive as to be beyond the budget of most school programs.
In 2023, Southern Wisconsin Trout Unlimited helped start a Trout in the Classroom project at the Sun Prairie High Schools by donating the funds to purchase their chiller equipment. Since students are bound to learn a conservation ethic as they care for and nurture the trout, this was a project that we were delighted to support. Read More
Buckthorn is Well Named – October 12
Last Updated: November 4, 2024 by Drew Kasel Leave a Comment
By Topf Wells
The SWTU work day crews don’t encounter invasive buckthorn as often as honeysuckle. Lucky for us because the thorns can be painful. Careful and undaunted, we eliminated truckloads from the banks of the Sugar River during the 10/12 work day.
The mission was to clear buckthorn and its traveling companions box elder and invasive honeysuckle from a lovely stand of red oaks and open more access to the Sugar River at the Falk Wells Wildlife Area, not far from the STH 69 bridge and parking lot. The clearing improves the growth of the oaks and makes room for native shrubs like dogwood. At the second spot we cleared the river looked fishy.* Read More
Hard Work, Glorious Day – October 19
Last Updated: November 7, 2024 by Drew Kasel Leave a Comment
By Topf Wells
About 30 of SWTU and Nohr’s finest joined Justin and Jared of the DNR to improve Big Spring’s corridor downstream of the first bridge. By removing dozens, hundreds, thousands of willows and a few box elders we were going to make access easier, remove a major attraction for beavers, and create room for oaks and a healthier mix of native vegetation.
Let’s just be crystal clear. The willows were a huge pain in the butt (my left hamstring, to be more specific). Clumps of small ones were growing in reed canary grass. One of us would lop the clump or single stem while the other treated the tiny stump (no treatment = many more willows next season). Stooping and bending were the chief exercises of this workday. Read More
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.)
Trout Unlimited Fly-Tying Courses – 2025
Posted: November 3, 2024 by Drew Kasel Leave a Comment
Trout Unlimited invites you to learn fly tying or improve your tying skills this winter. Experienced SWTU instructors will teach both beginning and intermediate level fly-tying courses in Fitchburg starting Wednesday January 15, 2025. Classes consist of instructor-led demonstrations and hands-on tutorials. The courses are completely free of charge, and all materials needed during in-class instruction are provided. You need only supply fly-tying tools and thread, a list of which is available at https://www.swtu.org/learn/flytying/flytying-classes/. Read More
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.
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