PHW-Milwaukee Works a Day at the Fish Hatchery

Veteran participants from Project Healing Waters Milwaukee lent a helping hand at the Rushing Waters Trout Farm on Monday, August 22. Rushing Waters, located in Palmyra, WI, raises rainbow trout and supplies the fish to local grocery stores and restaurants. Our veterans, armed with their fly rods and an assortment of recently tied hoppers, caddis, parachutes, and foam beetles, took to the waters and proceeded to catch a years’ worth of trout in one morning. TU volunteers on hand raced to keep up with the bounty of rainbow trout being caught. The trout were put in buckets and collected by the hatchery workers to be processed and shipped to market later that day.

While the fishing was easy, (maybe a little too easy) the experience of hooking, playing, and landing dozens of fish in one morning greatly improved the angling abilities of all who participated. Our hope is that these veterans will be well prepared to make the most of future fishing outings when the strikes may not be so plentiful. As always, VA staff provided a lunch featuring chicken, various pasta salads, and dessert, to all who participated. Many thanks go out to SEWTU’s Larry Wirth for organizing the event, all the volunteers for their hard work, and to Rushing Waters for allowing us access to their incredible fishery.

If you would like to learn more about our program or contribute (either through a financial donation or volunteering); contact Program Lead Mike Kuhr at mikek.trout@yahoo.com or (414) 588-4281.

We're Back!

Quick note - we are planning to revamp our website, so please be sure to check our blog more often for updates on SEWTU workdays, PHW outings, and other associated SEWTU events.

First off, we have a nice write up from our workday out on Rosenow Creek, from Mike Kuhr:

Rosenow Creek Workday a Success!

On Saturday, July 16, 2011, 40 volunteers from Trout Unlimited worked to restore Rosenow Creek, a class 1 trout stream in Oconomowoc, WI. Led by the Wisconsin Dept. of Natural Resources, volunteers broke up logjams and removed elodea (an aquatic invasive species), both of which were impeding the flow of the stream. We worked in the Nature Hill area just north of the new middle school.

The creek had long been cared for by local teacher Mike Olander and his students. Since Mike’s retirement several years ago, no one has been around to clean up after several severe storms washed trees and debris into the creek. Mike reached out to the DNR who in turn contacted SEWTU. It’s not often we get asked to work on a class 1 trout stream in our own area!

After we got the stream flowing again, volunteer took some time to enjoy an SEWTU Brat Fry and share their favorite Rosenow Creek fishing stories. It turns out that many of members have fond memories of catching wild brook trout in years past. Then the DNR crew electroshocked a small stretch of the improved stream and found many brook trout ranging from 4-9”. It’s good to know these wild, native fish are still doing well in a stream so close to urban development.

Thanks to all who showed up to lend a helping hand and until next time, we’ll see you on the river.