Recap of the April 27th, 2010 Meeting

Last night was, yet again, another great meeting.

SEWTU has some great clean-up projects coming in May and June. Project Healing Waters will continue with another outing planned for May 24th, as well as some upcoming fly-tying clinics. Check www.sewtu.org for more information on participating in these events.

two other tidbits:
1. SEWTU now has a work trailer! This will allow us the ability to deliver the needed tools for stream restoration and other projects. We'll have some pics up soon.

2. Our fashion committee has a new line of SEWTU-specific clothing, which should be available in the near future. Plans are to have a link to buy apparel via the SEWTU.org website. Stay tuned...

Guest Speaker:
Mat Wagner's presentation on "Mid Summer Fly Fishing - Tips for Catching Fish in the Dog Days of Summer" contained a wealth of great information for tracking down fish, preparing your mind and body for hot-weather fishing, and getting the right flies lined up for a productive summer day on the water. (Me) Being somewhat new to fly fishing, Mat's presentation provided knowledge on both the Viroqua area waters, as well as great general info for stream fishing.

We'll have information about our May meeting coming soon - and any updates to projects SEWTU takes part in as well.
Cheers -

The folks at SEWTU

April All-Chapter Meeting - Tuesday April 27, 2010

SEWTU's April Meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 27, 2010. Our meetings are at the Thunder Bay Grille, which is located at N14w24130 Tower Place, in Pewaukee, Wisconsin. (Immediately behind the Mobile station, just north of County Highway J's intersection with I-94). Dinner starts at 6:00ish, and our meeting begins thereafter, at 7:15-7:30ish. We have Mat Wagner, owner of Driftless Angler, joining us as our guest speaker this month.

Dear SEWTU Member or Friend:

This Saturday, April 10, 2010, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., SEWTU will help at the Washington County Kids Free Fishing Clinic.

This is a yearly SEWTU event, and one that our members have helped to make a truly wonderful tradition. We'll help kids fish for stocked rainbow trout in a pond located withinSandy Knoll County Park.

This will be many kids first introduction to fishing, and this is a great way to get kids tuned in and turned on to what SEWTU is about. Come ready to lead children, help them fish, and hopefully to take some fish off of a line or two!

The location is Sandy Knoll County Park, which is located at 2064 Wallace Lake Road, in West Bend, Wisconsin, 53090.

A map to the location is here.

Volunteers are asked to contact Dan Asmus, at 414-315-2616.

Next All-Chapter Meeting - January 26, 2010

SEWTU's January All-Chapter Meeting will be held on Tuesday, January 26, 2010. Our meetings are at the Thunder Bay Grille, which is located at N14w24130 Tower Place, in Pewaukee, Wisconsin. (Immediately behind the Mobile station, just north of County Highway J's intersection with I-94). Dinner starts at 6:00ish, and our meeting begins thereafter, at 7:15 - 7:30ish.

January’s speaker will be Mr. Bill Schultz, of New Berlin, WI. Bill is on a variety of Pro Staffs, including Wilderness Systems Kayaks. He will be giving at talk on, “Kayaking for Door County Smallies”, something he knows a great deal about. Since 1995 Bill has spent 130 days catching and releasing 3,500 smallmouth bass in the beautiful clear waters of DoorCounty. When you add his river fishing he has caught and released over 12,000 smallies during the past 15 years. In his seminar Bill will share what you need to know to have a successful fishing experience on one of the top smallie fisheries in the country. You will learn where to launch, where to fish, what lures produce and how to use them. The bonus is these techniques work on any waters holding smallies. He will also discuss fishing kayaks and related equipment to optimize your Door County fishing experience.

So stop on out, learn a little about fishing one of Wisconsin’s best and largest coldwater systems, and catch up with the SEWTU gang.

***DATE/TIME CHANGE FOR FLY TYING CLASSES***

***UPDATE*** Due to scheduling issues, the first two fly tying classes will be combined and held on January 21. The Jan 14 class has been canceled. If you have questions or would like to RSVP for either the Jan 21 or Jan 28 session, please email or call Henry Koltz at hek@sdelaw.com or 414-258-4300.

Fly Tying Classes at The Fly Fishers

SEWTU will be holding three Fly Tying Classes, on January 14, 21, and 28.

These events will be held from 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., at Pat Ehler’s The Fly Fishers. A link to The Fly Fishers’ web page is here.

These classes will be limited to 10 participants for each class, on a first come, first served basis. The first two classes (on January 14 and 21) will each be introductory in their scope, and will provide instructions to those who are new to tying, and would like to learn fly tying basics. We’ll work on what tools exist, how to use them effectively, how to use basic materials effectively, and how to tie several basic fly patterns. In short, if you’d like to get your feet wet in this noble art, this a great opportunity.

There is NO FEE for these classes. Attendees are asked, to the best of their ability, to bring their vises, tools, and basic materials (dubbing, thread, hooks, hackle, etc.). Some equipment and materials will be available for use as well. In short, there is no reason not to sign up and come on out if you’d like to learn about fly tying.

The final class, on January 28, will feature a presentation by Pat Ehlers himself, concerning new materials, equipment, and techniques, at which time Pat and other members will provide further tying instructions. Attendees from both the January 14 and 21 sessions will be welcome to attend this final meeting.

Please RSVP to Henry Koltz at hek@sdelaw.com if you would like to attend, or by phone at 414-258-4300. Please specify which date you would like to attend!

Project Healing Waters Milwaukee holds its second successful Fishing Outing

Bluegill fishing puts veterans’ skills to the test.

Milwaukee, WI - Veterans participating in the Project Healing Waters Program in Milwaukee enjoyed a morning of fly fishing on Thursday, October 1. The event took place at the Wern Valley Sportsmen’s Club, located in Waukesha County. Eight veterans were partnered up with volunteers from the Southeastern Wisconsin and Aldo Leopold Chapters of Trout Unlimited. The volunteers served as fly-fishing mentors for the veterans, who are learning the skills of fly fishing as part of their recreational therapy.

Wern Valley is the setting of several spring fed ponds which hold good numbers of bluegill and bass. The vets and their mentors soon spread out around two of the ponds and began casting beetles, wet flies, and nymphs. Fishing was slow for the first hour with a several hits and a few small bluegills landed. With a warm front forecast to roll in later in the afternoon, hopes remained high that the fishing would turn on. It wasn’t like someone flipped a switch, but as time went on more and more bluegills were being caught. It’s possible to attribute this to the rise in temperature but more likely due to the fact that the vets were putting it all together. With confidence building, casts became longer. Red turned out to be the hot color, making fly selection easier. Anglers were setting the hook just at the right time, resulting in more hook ups.

A strong camaraderie has developed between the participants in the program and the volunteers. Everyone cheers for the others around them, creating a great support network. A picnic style lunch was provided shore side by VA staff who accompanied the veterans. Many took a quick break to eat and tell some stories, then head right back out to the ponds to get a little more fishing in. No one caught any of the large bass that are said to be lurking in the ponds but a fair number of bluegills were caught. As rods were being packed up, one of the vets asked “can we do this on the ice?” Several volunteers replied “you could but you’d need to get a lot better at casting to get the fly through a hole in the ice!” All shared a good laugh and started thinking of the next trip.

Project Healing Waters would like to thank the Wern Valley Sportsmen’s Club for providing access to the ponds for the participants in this program. Thank you to all of the mentors for volunteering their time, equipment, knowledge, and patience. The program would not be the success that it is without the efforts of these volunteers. SEWTU will continue “healing those who serve” through the implementation of the Project Healing Waters Program in Milwaukee.