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

Make a Difference – The Stream Team Way!

The November 16 event was cancelled due to weather conditions.

Our next and last workday of the year will be on Saturday, December 7, at Milum Creek, which is located on Fritz Road, south off of Dane County Road A.
Detailed information for this workday will be sent out at a later date.

Donation Campaign to Begin in December

Your support can help us do so much more
In mid-December, you will receive a letter from SWTU asking you to donate so that we can continue and expand our work to protect and improve the trout streams we love to fish.

We will use the funds you and your fellow SWTU members donate to support more restorations of trout streams, more easements for public fishing and restoration, and better maintenance of streams which have been restored.

Our 50th Anniversary reminded us of how much we have done. With your help and generosity, we’ll accomplish even more in our next 50 years. The Officers and Board members of SWTU unanimously support this request. Thank you for your continued support for the work we do at SWTU!

— Your SWTU Officers and Board

PS If you donate $50 or more, you’ll receive one of our 50th Anniversary caps, debuted at the Banquet.  Watch for the letter in mid-December.

Escape the cold with a Costa Rica fundraiser

Amazing opportunity from (and for) Badger Fly Fishers
Do you want to get away from the cold weather in Wisconsin this winter? Here is a fantastic opportunity to do just that! Bill Weege, a longtime Badger Fly Fishers member, has very generously donated a weeklong February 2020 sport fishing and sightseeing trip to Costa Rica for a fundraising auction.  Read More

Icebreaker: Save the date / Exciting presenters!

Your donation will make a difference

Our daylong annual Icebreaker event will be held Saturday January 25.

 We’re excited to announce that the Icebreaker will feature Carl Haensel and Jade Tomanson of Namebini Fly Fishing. The presentation topics will focus on “Exciting and Accessible: Trips and Tactics for the Adventurous and DIY Angler in the Upper Midwest.” Read More

Workday report 1: “It’s a jungle”

By Topf Wells
With help from Justin Haglund of the DNR and his crew of most excellent assistants and the Gray Langfoss family, SWTU opened the fall work day season with extraordinary productivity.  We probably had 15-20 SWTU volunteers. Read More

Workday report 2: Snow in the air, oaks in the ground

By Topf Wells
With Jim Hess providing leadership and logistics, SWTU had another successful work day on Saturday, 11/2.  About 15-20 of us  planted oaks and cut willows for different reasons but one purpose,  to improve the health of two trout streams. Read More

“Holy smokes! I can’t believe what I’m seeing.”

By Topf Wells
That was pretty much the response of SWTU Board Members in October when we looked at the Dane County restoration of 2100 feet of the Sugar River on the Falk/Wells Wildlife Area below the Bruce Co. bridge.  This stretch has been wide, shallow, featureless, with a sediment/sand bottom.  Carp were the fish who enjoyed it the most and not many trout at all.  SWTU contributed $5,000 to this major restoration  and supported  the County’s creation of its own stream restoration crew.  This is the crew’s first project. Read More

New Members – November 2019

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

Newscasts – October 2019

This issue has lots of great information, including:

Nash Williams Banquet October 2019

Pass Lake Special

Pass Lake Special

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

by Rusty Dunn

The Pass Lake Special.  A local legend.  A home­town hero.  Created by Badger ingenuity.  Or was it?  The tangled web of fly pattern genealogy is lengthy for this mainstay of Wisconsin fly boxes.  Like all great flies of today, the Pass Lake Special was borne of great flies from yesterday.  Read More