Fountains of Youth – Classic trout flies that have withstood the test of time … flies that remain “forever young”
by Rusty Dunn
The popularity of many fly-tying materials changes with time. New materials appear in the market, are popular for a few years or maybe even a few decades, but eventually fade from use, being replaced by newer (usually better) materials. The old materials disappear into obscurity, only to be encountered later as amusing oddities. Try to find flies today tied of hog’s wool, sea swallow, stoat tail, kapok, hedgehog belly, wren tail, or monkey fur. It won’t be easy. Each of these materials had its fifteen minutes of fame, but they are now oddball relics found mostly in antique fly boxes and long-forgotten angling books. On the other hand, some tying materials have graced our hooks for centuries. They are the furs, feathers, fibers, and flash whose ability to fool trout has never been surpassed. Such materials that have survived the most demanding test of all … the test of time. Read More
Trout Unlimited Fly-Tying Courses – 2025
Last Updated: January 4, 2025 by Drew Kasel Leave a Comment
NOTE: Classes have filled and registration is closed.
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
Posted: December 3, 2024 by Drew Kasel Leave a Comment
Learn What Your Board’s Been Up To – December 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.)
Please watch out for scam emails from TU – One thing your board continues to be 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.
Zug Bug
Last Updated: December 3, 2024 by Drew Kasel Leave a Comment
by Rusty Dunn
The popularity of many fly-tying materials changes with time. New materials appear in the market, are popular for a few years or maybe even a few decades, but eventually fade from use, being replaced by newer (usually better) materials. The old materials disappear into obscurity, only to be encountered later as amusing oddities. Try to find flies today tied of hog’s wool, sea swallow, stoat tail, kapok, hedgehog belly, wren tail, or monkey fur. It won’t be easy. Each of these materials had its fifteen minutes of fame, but they are now oddball relics found mostly in antique fly boxes and long-forgotten angling books. On the other hand, some tying materials have graced our hooks for centuries. They are the furs, feathers, fibers, and flash whose ability to fool trout has never been surpassed. Such materials that have survived the most demanding test of all … the test of time. Read More
Posted: December 3, 2024 by Drew Kasel Leave a Comment
Quick links to cool content – December 2024
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.
Posted: December 3, 2024 by Drew Kasel Leave a Comment
New Members – December 2024
We’re pleased to announce the addition of the following new member to our ranks! Read More
Newscasts – November 2024
Last Updated: December 3, 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
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