Rip Rap – Jan 2025

by Ed Constantini | Jan 4, 2025 | Latest News, Rip Rap

The Drift:

Now that we are in “tying season,” if you haven’t already, given John Gierach’s article in the latest issue of TROUT magazine, “A Quaint and Harmless Hobby”, a look. John writes when he first started to tie flies “The way I saw it, dabblers, dilettantes and the idle rich bought their flies over the counter, while serious and self-reliant fly fishers tied their own, and like all novices, I wanted to be one of the cool kids.”

As the year 2024 ends, I hope everyone has had a wonderful time celebrating the holiday season with family and friends or however you chose to celebrate during this time. Now that winter is setting in, we can take some solace in the fact that the winter catch and release trout season will begin on January 4th . My recent review of the long-range weather forecast, however, tells me that the first two weeks of the month are going to be bitterly cold so you hearty souls might have to exercise a bit of patience before wetting a line.

Firstly, I want to thank everyone for your volunteer hours and commitment to our goals and mission for stream and habitat restoration, stream monitoring and youth education programs. Following submission of the required Annual Activity Report to TU National, I received a call from Quentin Collins, Director of TU Volunteer Operations. Quentin relayed to me his thanks for all the great work our chapter has done over this past year. He commented that Kiap-TU-Wish bubbles to the top in many conversations at TU National.

Our Annual Holiday and Chapter Awards Banquet on December 3rd was a huge success and was attended by 70 members and spouses. Chris Silver provided entertainment for 2 hours and his music added much to the event and was enjoyed by all.  As a follow-up to the event we conducted a survey to get a sense of how the banquet was received by our members. The banquet committee has reviewed all survey responses, the majority of which were very positive. Any negative issues will be responded to during the planning of the 2025 banquet. I want to extend a special thank you to committee members Greg Olson, Mike Alwin, Matt Janquart, and Allison Jacobs.  

Thanks to some excellent writing and dedication by our chapter board members, the Kiap-TU-Wish Chapter was awarded an “Embrace A Stream (EAS)” grant from TU National in the amount of $7,500 for our stream restoration project on the South Fork Kinnickinnic River. We had the opportunity through this grant to raise additional funds and earn an added reward for our fundraising efforts. Our EAS Challenge campaign brought in $1,650 from our donors. TU National donated $1,250, for a grand total $10,400. Thanks to everyone.

Fund-raising efforts are currently in full swing with the Hap Lutter Memorial Fund. In late January/early February, we will be conducting an on-line auction coupled with a 3×100 chance offering that will feature a Norling 5wt bamboo rod, an original painting by Josh Cunningham, and a Sage fly rod. Ticket sales will start in January. Watch for an announcement kicking off these events.

Suzanne

Greenwood Elementary Volunteer Day

Kiap-tu-wish sends our thanks to those who helped cut brush and trees back in October and November to prep for our Greenwood Elementary 4th grade brush burn and, thanks to those volunteers who turned out on event day to supervise the burn and make sure that it went off without a hitch.

This marks the 5th year that we have partnered with Geenwood to provide them with a service learning opportunity for the kids. A big thanks to Greenwood teacher Steve Papp for his efforts to get this program up and running each year. The kids themselves exhibited their usual boundless energy as they picked up the brush and logs and moved them to one of three bonfires which we had going. Event volunteers pictured below are from left to right; John Skelton, myself, Tom Schnadt, Chipo Robinson, Pat Sexton, Mark Peerenboom, Tom Anderson, Trish Hannah, and Ron Reigle.  

Leaders and Nymphs

By Mike Alwin

Many of you are probably already looking forward to the early trout fishing season in Wisconsin. Some of you will be out on the first Saturday of January no matter the cold temperatures. Others of you will prudently wait for a day when the temperatures are moderate and the chill wind from the north is not a factor. Some of you will be happy to be out regardless of your anticipated success while a few of you will harbor visions of catching a significant fish on a tiny midge imitation or perhaps a Tiny Black Stonefly.

Let’s start with the premise that you dearly love dry fly fishing. You crave the artful presentation and the sight of a trout rising to your crafty floating fraud. But at this time of year if you catch anything at all it’s likely to be tiddlers. Reluctantly, you see the wisdom of switching to a nymph, after all it’s estimated that 90% of a trout’s meal ticket is subsurface fare. To save time you decide to continue fishing with the same leader, most likely a 9’ 5X with 20” of tippet attached, switching out the dry fly for a nymph and adding a strike indicator. That way, once a hatch beckons, you’ll only need to switch flies and remove the strike indicator to get back in the game. But after an hour or so of fruitless casting your enthusiasm wanes so you reel up and head for home.

While it’s possible to make that rig work for nymph fishing, there are other, better choices. The simplest method (Figure 1), is a 7&1/2’ 4X leader to which you add 20” of 5X tippet material. Tie on a nymph, any nymph, add split shot above the tippet knot and the strike indicator about half way up the leader. The obvious advantage of this rig is that the split shot can’t migrate past the knot. Oh, since it’s cold, straighten the leader before throwing your nymph in the water. Fish a deeper riffle or a run and the head of the pool. There might be trout feeding or holding in the deeper lies in the riffle, and if invertebrates are dislodged from the riffle trout might hold near the head of the pool to grab the aforementioned invertebrates.

Figure. 1



Here’s a modification that adds versatility to this basic rig (Figure 2). Start with the same 7&1/2’ 4X leader. About six or seven inches up from the end of the tippet, tie on your 20” of 4X or 5X tippet using a double overhand (surgeon’s) knot. When done correctly you should have a short tag, a stub, and the tippet. Trim the stub. The short tag is called the dropper and the tippet end is called the point. Tie a nymph on the dropper and another on the point. Place your shot above the knot and the indicator about half way up the leader. The advantages of this rig are that you can use smaller shot, the shot can’t migrate past the knot and you’ve doubled your chances by using two flies. The glaring disadvantage is that you are almost guaranteed to suffer increased tangles caused by these two flies. Cast smoothly, widen your loop and strike gently.

Figure. 2

If you can appreciate the efficacy of using two flies, this next rig is for you (Figure 3). Start with the same 7&1/2’ leader. Thread a nymph onto the tippet, then add your tippet material and another nymph. You can use split shot with this rig but it works better without it. Instead, if you thread a heavily weighted nymph onto the leader before adding tippet and another nymph, you can eschew the split shot. Put the strike indicator in the customary position. You’ll still have to be careful with your cast, your loop and your hook set. But, you’re now fishing two nymphs doubling your chances and doing so with fewer tangles. Isn’t that what you wanted?

Figure. 3

Open Tying at the Shop 

By Jonathan Jacobs 

In my forty-plus years as a fly angler, I have frequented three different fly shops in eight distinct locations in seven different buildings under the ownership of five different people. In that time, I’ve gone from neophyte to experienced angler to geezer. I tell you this to establish my bona fides as a “shop rat” (The term doesn’t mean “employee;” a less sentimental term might be “hanger on”). Every one of those shops helped me immeasurably along the way. My first shop was Tom Helgeson’s Bright Waters. There I took casting lessons, an aquatic entomology class and an on-the-stream flyfishing for trout class. Tom brought in guest speakers who exposed me to facets of the sport previously unknown to me. I spent so much time at Bob Mitchell’s Fly Shop that I was more of a fixture than a regular. I learned a great deal there, too, but more importantly, I treasure to this day close the friendships with wildly disparate personality types that blossomed there. 

My current home away from home is Lund’s Fly Shop. Housed in a soulful multi-story brick building dating back to 1881 on Main Street in River Falls, WI, this emporium nails the image of what a fly shop ought to look like. Mounts of tarpon, billfish and an incongruous elk gracing the high interior walls stand watch over an extensive array of waders, clothing, tackle, fly tying materials, accessories, and fly bins, with all of that seeming to float over the vintage hardwood floor.  Staffed by friendly and knowledgeable folks, it’s a place that warms the soul. 

One of the prominent features of the building is the mezzanine that overlooks the shop. There is angling art displayed on the walls. There are a few long tables up there that are ideal for group fly tying sessions. The shop hosts two of these sessions per month, one on a Saturday and another on a Tuesday. You can find the shop’s specific schedule at its website, https://www.lundsflyshop.com/.  I’ve attended two sessions thus far and have had a wonderful time at both.  At the first one, someone asked as soon as I’d sat down if I needed anything to drink.  I said, “No, thanks, I’m good.”  The response to that was, “Ice or neat?”  Sensing that further resistance was futile, I replied, “Uh, ice.”  A glass with ice and Irish whiskey appeared in front of me. I’m not saying this is a regular occurrence, but it looks like there’s a zeitgeist that suggests that you’re welcome to bring food and beverages to share. There’s some slight remnant boys’ club attitude, but it’s a welcoming place. I’ve seen a fellow who just stopped by to chat stay to help a boy of about ten who’d come with his non-tying father. The fellow stayed long enough to get the youngster through a couple of basic patterns that employed the basics of tying.   Another man helped a young woman wearing a Green Bay Packers stocking cap master the use of a whip finishing tool. I saw my friend Sarah, an accomplished tyer, tie her first two pike/muskie Bufords. A fellow two generations younger than me reached out to me to show me the elegant soft hackles he was tying. Even among all the experienced tyers, there’s something for everyone to learn. We often come to think of ourselves as trout fly tyers or warmwater tyers or whatever, but the thing is, there’s a whole spectrum of flies that cross borders or involve techniques that can be applied anywhere. In one night, I’ve seen tied, among other things: Steelhead intruder flies, billfish flies, jig streamers, soft hackles, midges, and a CK baitfish, which, with its die-cut synthetic tail and flashy trimmed body would have been heresy just a few years ago. 

Given the combination of camaraderie, bonhomie, the learning opportunities, you can’t go wrong. Of course, Lund’s is not the only fly shop in the area and you might be a regular at one of them or are looking for a reason to become one. Those shops likely have open tying sessions, too, ones that might provide you with as much fun as I’m having at Lund’s.  Be sure to look them up. Having a fly shop to call your home is an essential part of not being merely an informed angler, but a happy one.  

Editor’s Note: Open tying sessions are also available at Mendprovisions Fly Shop located in Saint Paul , Minnesota (mend provisions.com) and the Cabela’s store in Rogers (Link). 
Photo provided by Brian Smolinski

Views From My Side of the Vise:

By Paul Johnson

The Elk Hair Caddis (EHC) would have to be considered to be one of the most popular flies and can be found in just about every fly box. That is because it is so effective at catching fish. The fly was created in 1957 by Al Troth. At that time, Al was living and working in Pennsylvania and wanted a caddis dry fly to fish some of the broken water on his local trout stream. In the 1970s Al relocated to Montana and started guiding. The fly pattern was “discovered” at that time when Bud Lily’s Flyshop in West Yellowstone started to sell the fly.

As good as the EHC is at catching fish, it is somewhat surprising that it is such a simple fly. It really only has 3 materials: dubbing, hackle and elk hair. You could also add a wire rib if you want. Also somewhat surprising is that the EHC is a very easy and quick fly to tie. Well, until you start to tie them anyway. The biggest issue when tying this fly is that you have a big clump of elk hair that you need to keep on top of the hook. When you apply enough thread tension to keep the hair in place, that tension will want to pull the clump of hair around the far side of the hook shank. No amount of glue or head cement will hold that clump of hair in place, so don’t try that! Fortunately, your fly tying sensei (that’s me) is here to share his secret EHC tying tips. The number and length of the tips is an indication of how many EHCs I’ve tied (and screwed up). So here are the keys to attaining EHC perfection. After a few hundred repetitions this will all become second nature.

• 1. Use the smallest size thread you can make work (yes, it takes some experimentation to figure this out). My go-to thread is 8/0 Uni. I have found that the smaller thread actually helps me to get tighter thread wraps as described in Tip #3.
• 2. Take care when you are preparing the clump of elk hair to comb or pick out all of theunder fur. I also like to remove the really long and short ones so all the hair is about the same length before I stack it.
• 3. When I have the elk hair wing all set to tie in, I start with 2 loose thread wraps and then pull tight. I then add 4 or 5 additional thread wraps at that same tie-in point. Next, to keep the hair from spinning around the hook I lift about ¼ of the butt ends of the hair and get a tight thread wrap in that spot. I repeat this 3 more times before returning my thread to the original tie-in location. From there I will make a couple more tight thread wraps, lift up the butt ends and make several wraps of thread around the hook before I whip finish.
• 4. For the wing, I like to use cow elk hair. I have found it to be a little softer than bull elk.This allows me to get tighter wraps with my thread.
• 5. When tying hair wing flies during the winter, I keep a dryer sheet available that I will keep on the patch of hair to reduce some of the static.
• 6. One last tip. I like to undersize my hackle on this fly. For example, if I am tying a size 16 fly, I will size my hackle down to a size 18. I just think it looks better and allows the fly to float a little better.Hook: 1xl Dry Fly Hook, Size 14 to 20.
   
• Thread: 8/0 Uni
• Abdomen: Superfine dubbing
• Rib: Dry fly hackle
• Wing: Elk Hair

I hope that these tips will help you with your tying. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me.

Paul Johnson
Waconia, Minnesota
Paulwaconia@gmail.com

Watch Paul tie this pattern on his YouTube Channel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w84IAqAnMNE

The Picket Pin

by Ken Hanson

The Picket Pin is a pattern from the old west that gets its name from ground squirrels that were nicknamed “picket pins” by cowboys as they resembled the short stakes used to tie off horses. The original fly, developed by Jack Boeme, was tied with tail and body hair from these western ground squirrels. More modern recipes utilize fox squirrel and grey squirrel. 

I tied some Picket Pins to try out in the smaller streams in Yellowstone and later realized they were a great pattern for brook trout around home. It’s a wet fly that you can drift or strip just under the surface. You can swing it towards root wads and brushy areas and strip it back just in time to avoid trouble. It often draws a chase from aggressive brookies. It’s white squirrel tail wing provides a good contrast to the body and allows you to focus on the fly and watch for fish. The only trick is to stay calm enough for them to take the fly before you strike. 

• Hook: 2XL Nymph hook size 10 or 12
• Thread: Black
• Tail: Fox squirrel tail fibers
• Rib: Small copper wire
• Body: Peacock herl
• Hackle: Brown
• Head: More peacock herl

After wrapping the body, add and palmer the hackle back towards the tail and secure by wrapping the wire forward woolly bugger style. A good example of this is covered by Tim Flagler’s tightlinevideo on YouTube 

https://youtu.be/9VK5BXuYPec?si=O4Et6Grp3k26GvVu

Skip’s Loose Threads: A heretical utterance concerning dry fly hackle

by Layton “Skip” James

When I began fly tying at the age of eleven, there weren’t many fly tying books around. A book by J. Edson Leonard entitled Flies was available, and soon after I started the Family Circle Guide to Trout Flies came out. Schwiebert’s Matching the Hatch was four years away and Atherton’s The Fly and the Fish came out the year I got my first fly rod, but it was printed only in a limited edition for the Angler’s Club of New York. That same year, Bus Grove’s The Lure and Lore of Trout Fishing appeared, with a chapter on tying, and the imprint of my rubber stamp inside the cover has my New Jersey address on it. My bible in those days was Bergman’s Trout, a copy of which I received as a Christmas present in 1950, when I was nine. I had read the library’s copy almost into decrepitude and nagged my dad shamelessly for months before the holiday for one of my own. Those were the years when the arrival of the Heddon catalog, and the Payne catalog, the Abercrombie and Fitch catalog and the Sears Roebuck catalog were the highlights of a boy’s dreary, wet winter, and a sure harbinger of Spring, and the opening of trout season in the Poconos.

All these books suggested that good hackle was hard to get, and the best hackle for tying dry flies was the longest, stiffest, most web free feathers available. Of course, dry flies in those days meant Catskill style, basically copies of Halford’s British designs with stiffer tails to float on our more rambunctious streams. Stiff hackle was necessary to support the fly ‘on its toes’ as LaBranche used to say. Nowadays, of course, we have no-hackle flies, soft hackle flies, parachutes, thorax ties, upwings, downwings, palmers, all of which seem to float pretty well without the help of seriously steely hackle fibers.

But the stiff hackle dictum seems to still govern feather selection, particularly among beginning tiers. Of course, most are taught to tie Catskill style first, with an Adams, a Cahill, or a BWO. The proportions of dry flies still reflect the Catskill school of the Dettes and Art Flick. The most expensive hackle available at fly shops is, of course, extremely stiff, long and web-free. Lots of fisher folk use the classic ties and they work well, particularly on free stone streams. But our current, enlarged repertoire of floating imitations that don’t depend upon hackle for flotation should cause us to pause a moment and reexamine the knee-jerk mantra that dry fly hackle must always be stiff.

Stiff but resilient hackle was needed to float lightly dressed Catskill patterns. The old legends of fly fishing wanted their casts to ‘cock’ the fly on the water, suspended between the tips of the hackle and the tips of the tail fibers. Having fished with many a Catskill tie, I am usually able to achieve this proper attitude only once or twice with a fresh, well-dressed fly before it settles lugubriously into prone position. In my experience, the fish don’t seem to mind much either way. Often, and particularly with Variant patterns, I had trouble hooking trout. I believe the stiff, oversized hackle pushed the hook away from any point of connection with solid fish flesh. Patterns such as the Usual, Haystack, Comparadun and No-Hackle use buoyant dubbing to float the fly in the film. Split tails act as outriggers to reinforce a natural upright stance caused by the weight of the bend of the hook. Parachute flies float just as well with soft hackle as with stiff.

Is there a benefit to substituting floppy, webby hackle for the stiff stuff in dry flies? For years, fishing writers have insisted that the mobility of hackle fibers and soft dubbings are triggers to trout especially in nymphs and wets. Can these same qualities be exploited in dry flies? I can personally attest to the efficacy of soft hackle flies fished over fussy trout in glassy, slow moving water. The webby breast feathers used in these flies are tapered from stem to tip, like real insect legs. When wet, they move with every vagary of the current. I have recently started putting a clump wing of poly yarn or loop wing of Antron on these simple flies. That solves the visibility problem of soft hackles. The wing becomes a focal point for the angler and allows the fly to be fished in fast water as well as slow. Add a soft tail, perhaps a few pheasant fibers, or even a bit of Marabou to represent a trailing shuck. Do the flies float? You bet! Does the hackle obstruct the hook point?

Never! Does the cost of hackle go way down? Yep! ……*

I enjoy tying and fishing classic Catskill patterns. They look beautiful and continue to catch lots of trout. But I think it’s time we rethink the function of hackle in dry flies and experiment with more mobile, less severely stiff feathers. There is nothing turgid about a Mayfly dun. On the contrary, all the body parts are loosely joined and have independent motion. Stiff hackle doesn’t guarantee flotation. Furthermore, flies tied with stiff hackle, both Catskill and parachute, have an annoying tendency to twist leader tippets. The most compelling reason to incorporate soft hackle into dry flies, however, is it’s lifelike movement. Let the trout be the final judge…but at least give them a chance to choose! Tie up some dry flies with soft hackle this Winter, and reevaluate your personal criteria for hackle quality in the light of 1990’s fly fishing research rather than relying on the questionable assumptions of the 1950’s.

Editor’s Note: The Christmas season is a busy one for Skip and he was unable to provide his mindful prose for this issue. So, being that tying season is upon us, I decided to comb the RipRap archives looking for one of his past articles that might be appropriate for the upcoming tying season. Darned if I didn’t find one. The article is from the November, 1997 RipRap and in my mind many of his thoughts are still applicable to our modern day tying dynamics. I hope you agree! The fly pictured above is the”Jingler” an all purpose fly, very popular in the UK incorporating both rooster and partridge hackles.

Rocky Branch Elementary 

By Ben Toppel

Students at Rocky Branch Elementary have been excited about raising brown trout.  They patiently watched as the orange eggs hatched into alevin last October.  Since then, the alevin have grown into strong swimmers or “fry” and learned to eat.

The 5th Grade students are the primary caretakers and are responsible for three different jobs:  Wildlife Artists, Trout Researchers, or Water Quality Testers.
Over 50 students signed up to participate in this year’s “Trout in the Classroom” program.

If all goes well, the trout will be released into the WIllow River (at Willow River State Park) this coming spring. This activity is in cooperation with the WI DNR and Kiap-TU-Wish, our local chapter of Trout Unlimited. 

Upcoming Events:

1: Chapter Meeting, Tuesday January 7th. Dinner at 6:00 pm, Presentation “Symposium on Warm Water Fly Fishing” at 7:00 pm. Juniors Restaurant and Tap House, River Falls Wi. 

2. Upcoming virtual auction and 3 x 100 chance offering, be watching for start dates.

 2025 Kiap-TU-Wish Chapter of Trout Unlimited. All rights reserved. 

You received this email because you are a Kiap-TU-Wish chapter member, or you signed up for emails about our local events, and about protecting Western Wisconsin trout streams. You can change your preferences or unsubscribe at any time by using the link at the bottom of this email. Thanks for your interest!

Kiap-TU-Wish Chapter of Trout Unlimited
P.O. Box 483
Hudson, Wisconsin 54016

www.kiaptuwish.org

Rip Rap – Nov 2024

by Ed Constantini | Oct 30, 2024 | Latest News, Rip Rap

The Drift: The solution to any problem – work, love, money, whatever, is to go fishing, and the worse the problem, the longer the trip should be.” As many of you are aware, John Gierach recently passed away. I have enjoyed many of his books and writings and will miss his quarterly article in the TROUT magazine published by TU National. Rest in peace John. Our trout season is now closed and the browns and brookies are now or soon will be on their spawning redds. In the next few months you will hopefully have plenty of time to wash and hang-up your waders, clean your wading boots, clean your lines and inspect them for any damage, oil your reels, and maybe check those rows in your fly boxes for empty spaces that you can fill during the up-coming tying season. This is an exiting time for our chapter. The Annual Holiday and Chapter Awards Banquet will be held on Tuesday December 3rd, at Juniors Restaurant and Tap House in River Falls. Menu items have been selected by our Banquet Committee and details regarding event time and ticket purchases will show up in your email in-box via Mail Chimp. We will have live entertainment as well. Chris Silver, an outstanding local musician, will be playing and singing during the buffet dinner. As roots music renaissance performer and multi-instrumentalist, Chris Silver has made a name for himself as a songwriter and is known throughout the U.S. for his virtuosity on guitar, mandolin, and fiddle. His music is soulful and innovative and takes the listener to a musical space where Americiana roots music is fused with jazz, blues, folk and country with the sensibility of a contemporary singer/songwriter. So mark your calendars and be looking for further details and ticket purchasing options. Fund-raising efforts are in full swing with the Hap Lutter Memorial Fund. In late January/early February, we will be conducting an on-line auction coupled with a 4 x 2 chance offering featuring a Norling 5wt bamboo rod and an original painting by Josh  Cunningham. The DNR  sprayed and cleared the willows on the South Fork of the Kinni. Randy and some volunteers also helped with the cutting down of some  large willows. The rock from Haas Trucking  that was selected in September for the bank restoration and installation of ERO structures will be delivered and stored  on site.    Randy has already started his volunteer brush and tree clearing season and is gearing up for more projects as the winter progresses. Please watch your email in-box for his announcements and join Randy for some good quality outdoor work and fun. If you stick around at one of his outings, he may even offer you a couple of hot dogs and a few cookies to boot after all your hard work. Suzanne  Summer Fieldwork: Volunteers from Kiap-TU-Wish assisted Nate Anderson and his crew with seeding and mulching on three restoration projects this summer. The first was the newly restored stretch of Parker Creek downstream of the Pleasant Ave. bridge.  Helping out were James Patterson, Chip Robingson, Dan Wilcox, and Tom Anderson.     In late August we helped out with the newly restored Martin Easement on Plum Creek, immediately upstream of the Von Holtum easement. Volunteers assisting at the Martin easement were Jeff Dahl, Tom Anderson and Dave Gregg. In mid September volunteers were out again helping with the seeding mulching at the new Moody easement, over 4,000 feet of single bank restoration immediately downstream of the Main Street bridge on the Kinni as you enter River Falls from north. Those helping at the Moody easement were William Doherty, Tommy Doerenbush, and Tom Anderson.  Josh Kucko (WDNR) and I installed “kissing gate” stiles on both the upstream and downstream sides of the bridge at the Gutting easement on the Trimbelle.  Volunteers turned out in late July and early August to help Kasey Yallaly and her crew with their annual shocking surveys of both the Rush and Kinni Rivers.  Helping out were Ben Toppel, Chip Robinson, Rainbow Barry, Tom Anderson, Mathew Chaplinsky, David Brockway and Brent OHara.  On Sept. 8th, Loren Hasas, Jeff Himes, Chip Robinson, Ed Constantini, Bob Diesch, John Skelton, Dan Donahue, Sally Noll, Tom Anderson and Cary Wood turned out to help me with this years Pheasants Forever Youth Field Day held at the Game Unlimited hunt club in Hudson WI where we worked with over 50 youth having them each tie a fly, receive fly casting instruction and finally taking a stab at catching a fish at the small lake which is on the club grounds.  I met up with Kasey two weeks ago where we visited sites on the Kinni in need of buckthorn, box elder and other invasive management.  We identified the stretch of the Kinni between the Main ST. bridge and the Hwy 35 bridge as a site to use for the 4th grade class at Greenwood Elementary School in River Falls to use as they help us with a brush burn to serve as a service learning project for the 80 some students, teachers and parent chaperones. Cutting will begin there in the coming weeks to prepare enough cut brush for the kids to drag to a burn pile sometime in late November or early December Kasey and I also identified several sites where I plan to go in with volunteers in the coming weeks to do a foliar spray application of herbicide to kill off any buckthorn which has sprouted or was missed during recent restoration efforts on those sites. Recently I was out today on the South Fork of the Kinni along with Dave Gregg, Tom Anderson, Chip Robinson and John Skelton as we worked to remove a number of really large willow trees which stand  way of some  upcoming restoration work. Randy ArnoldKinnickinnic River Land Trust: Nature Night On October 5th the community came together on the banks of the Kinnickinnic River at Green Pastures Family Farm in River Falls, WI for a new annual event hosted by the Kinnickinnic River Land Trust called Nature Night. The day was off to a windy start but turned into a beautiful fall evening just in time for the event. Nature Night celebrated the conservation efforts of the Kinnickinnic River Land Trust, partners, and community members within the Kinni watershed and shed light as to why protecting this natural resource is so important. The Stump Grinders opened the event with their foot-stomping old-time music that filled the air with sounds of joy. The event included many activities such as a nature art tent facilitated by KRLT’s Social Media Coordinator, Jane Taylor. Children and adults alike enjoyed painting mini pumpkins donated by the local Leisen Family Farm, creating nature bracelets while learning about the native prairie grasses, and putting together a backyard pinecone birdfeeder for our feathered friends to enjoy. One of the highlights for many was the river ecology station. This provided the opportunity for folks to get up close and interact with the star of the show the Kinni River. Thanks to the help from KRLT, the Kiap-TU-Wish Chapter of TU, and community volunteers, attendees were able to identify aquatic insects, feel the cold waters of the Kinni, and understand the importance of protecting such an incredible ecosystem. It was a joy to see the expression on children’s faces when they realized the underbelly of the rocks pulled from the river were full of life and squirming insects. In addition, Bob Nasby and his grandson provided the opportunity to learn about the skill of casting and fly fishing.   Also at the event were the St. Croix Valley Birding Club, WE Co-op, Kinni CC, The Prairie Enthusiasts, Farmer-Led Watershed Council, and The Humble Horse. Each had an opportunity to share their story and bring light to the importance of their role in the conservation story of the Kinni. As the sun slowly started to set, local favorite Chris Silver took the stage as eventgoers enjoyed the views of the Kinni. Nature Night was a huge success, and it wouldn’t have been possible without the incredible support from our sponsors, volunteers, members, staff, and the entire community. From laughter and games to music, art, and science, the evening was filled with joy and purpose. Molly Barritt-Luebke Donor and Community Relations Manager Kinnickinnic River Land TrustSkips Loose Threads:One of those last of season, beautiful Fall days on the Rush, my dog Java and I had enjoyed fishing tiny imitations to dainty sippers for an hour or two. Java had fun trying to swim upstream with branches in her mouth, until she picked one that was just too big. Her four legs and tail just weren’t equal to the task. I had released three browns, and I was appreciating the superlative action of my Sage 389LL, matched with a Hardy LRH Lightweight. My tippet was a twelve-foot 6X. Just above the run we were fishing, was a stretch with a large boulder sticking its head out of the water. I knew, from past adventures there, that there was a deep hole behind that rock, the lair of one of the biggest Browns in the creek. As I approached, there was a clatter of grasshopper wings from the surrounding foliage, and one of the unfortunate ones fell into the current a few feet above the boulder. As I watched, a dark form rose from thebottom of the pool and the unlucky hopper became lunch, in a showy, splashy rise. As my heart beat faster, I corralled Java away from my backcast space, retrieved my fly, and opened my chest pack to find a suitable imitation. One of Bob Mitchell’s original ‘Jolly Green Giants,’ size 10, presented itself for duty, and I hastily tied it to my tippet. After one false cast, I delivered my offering and the fly landed in the current two feet upstream from the rock. As I watched the fly on the surface, I again saw that dark shadow of the hungry trout rise out of the gloom behind it. All of a sudden, therewas a terrific splash as my Jolly Green Giant disappeared in the fish’s mouth. I set the hook with much too much enthusiasm, and my line and leader came flying back to me, without the fly, and without the fish. I had a word or two to say at that point that I was glad no one else was around to hear, but the lesson I learned, and that I should have learned much earlier, is that you don’t fish a size 10 hopper on a 6X tippet! But alas, what a thrilling way to end the season and knowing that same fish will still be there next May, when everything is green, fresh, and new. Leyton “Skip” James Editor’s Note: Skip informed me that Java died on March 19th, 2012 at age 15 and her ashes are buried under a beautiful dogwood in his back-yard.Views From My Side of the Vise: In some of my recent articles I have made reference to taking some fly tying classes at a fly shop in the Twin Cities when I was first getting started. It was at one of those classes that the instructor sparked my interest that has since grown into my love for Yellowstone National Park.On my many trips to Yellowstone I have always based out of Gardiner, Montana. During these trips, I spent a lot of time hanging out at Parks’ Fly Shop, where I first got to know and to fish with Walter Wiese. At that time, Walter was the head guide at Parks’. Walter now operates Yellowstone Country Fly Fishing out of Livingston.From those early trips, it was obvious that I could learn a lot from Walter’s books, website, and also his YouTube fly tying videos. Several years ago, Walter did a video of a nymph he calls the “Gussied Lightning Bug”. For some reason or another, this was a fly that looked to me like it would catch a lot of fish.After watching the video, I headed right to my vise and started to tie up a half dozen or so. The next time I went fishing, I tied one on and guess what? It caught fish, so I headed back to my vise to tie more. That was when I started to make some very minor changes to the fly and actually simplified the tying process. That is how my Gussied-Up Lightning Bug was created. (Have you noticed how creative I am when I name a fly pattern?)This fly is now a mainstay in my fly box. I fish it throughout the season either under an indicator or as a dropper below a hopper. The fly has a very slender profile so it sinks pretty quickly.Until recently I always tied this fly with micro tubing for the rib. I found that the micro tubing was kind of slippery on the tinsel body, so I have now switched up and started to use wire for the ribbing because it makes the fly a little easier to tie. I have also added a silver-bodied variation that has fished well when the water is a little off-color. You should put some of these flies in your fly box. I think you just might like them as much as I do! As always, please let me know if you have any questions / comments / suggestions.Hook: Size 14 Scud Hook Bead: 2.8 mm Tungsten in Gold Thread: 14/0 Red Tail: Brown Improved Micro Zelon Abdomen: Red Holographic Tinsel size Medium Legs: Red Midge Tinsel Thorax: Super-bright Dubbing in Peacock Paul Johnson  Paulwaconia@gmail.com Editors Note: You can watch Paul this pattern on his YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQ_u8QOu11AFrom the Archives: Elevated Riparian Optimization (ERO) Structures: What are they?In 2020 we witnessed three individual storms that dumped over four inches of rain with the epicenter of the storms within 150 miles of each other. With every major rainevent, tons of sand are moved from the highlands to the valleys and much of it ends up in our trout streams. Many streams, particularly those containing brook trout, are small and move much too slowly to endure the onslaught of the resulting sand load. The job description of a stream is to move the mountains to the ocean one grain of sand at a time. Most small streams can’t keep up with a constant influx of sand and a number of previously renovated streams have again filled in. It takes a specific amount of water, at a specific velocity, to move the sand and sustain deep scoured streams. Sand is a desert, and few insects can live and reproduce in it. When introduced into a stream it can easily fill in man-made lunker structures, naturally occurring deep holes, and pocket water. Lacking food and deep-water hibernaculum to winter in, brook trout die or are forced to move down stream to bigger water. Typically, brown trout inhabit and dominate the lower big water stretches of our streams making it difficult for the brookies to compete and survive. After witnessing many small renovated streams fill in with sand,I began looking for a solution to this problem. It took many days on skinny water, lugging equipment up and down stream, and recording multiple water velocity readings in order to find some possible answers. Occasionally I found extremely large deep-holes and deep flats on very small streams. At the same time, I observed pools and deep flats on renovated streams that were either filled or in the process of filling in with sand. Three main factors were related to this difference; the velocity of the water, the width of the stream, and the shape of the banks. The compromised streams needed some type of constrictor,choke point, or narrowing to accelerate the water and scour the sand away. The name I chose for this structure was Elevated Riparian Optimization (ERO). It is a type of Bernoulli structure that narrows the stream, increases its velocity, elevates the riparian, and optimizes the force of the water. Anything that narrows a river or stream is technically using the Bernoulli principle. Credit Bernoulli, he was a genius.That’s it for physics, I promise. Once I had the concept for the structure in my head, I just couldn’t let it go. I would talk about it to anyone who would listen. This kind of explains why for two years, nobody would have lunch with me. My apologies.At a meeting with personnel from the WDNR, NRCS, County SoilConservation, TU DARE, and Kiap-TU-Wish, we received permission to install five experimental ERO structures on Hay Creek in Dunn county. Jeff Kitelinger from NRCS provided the first drawings of these structures.Using the drawings as a guide, we aggressively narrowed the stream in specific locations and rather than pulling back the banks, elevated the riparian with large rock. During low water or normal water flows there is little noticeable effect, but when torrential rains fall, the added water volume and subsequent increased velocity potentially provides enough energy to scour sand from the stream. Within two weeks post installation we got our first rain event on-site. It washed out a lot of stream bank grass seed, but it also demonstrated the structures would work. The result was deep water habitat for about 20 feet or more downstream of the ERO.  We are still in the experimental stages with these ERO structures, but so far results have been positive. Brook trout need year-round habitat. As proof, a subsequent electro-shocking survey by Kasey Yallaly with the WDNR, revealed Hay Creek brookies are already using the deep water for cover and there are more of them with better size.A side benefit of the ERO structure is the insect population within the structure. The fast water and cobble-sized rock that dominates just up and downstream of the structure is perfect insect habitat. Lifting one rock reveals hundreds of confused insects squirming around wondering where their water source suddenly went. Replacing the rock exactly where it was found ensures healthy insect populations, and well-fed trout. As a result of sand deposition in recent years, brook trout populations have plummeted in the South Fork of the Kinni. In early October,Nate Anderson of the WDNR installed nine ERO structures on the SouthFork. Sand started moving immediately, the true potential of the new ERO structures won’t be realized until next year’s major rain events. Sand load is only one of the problems on the South Fork; beavers are another. The remains of a beaver dam can slow water velocity andretain sand indefinitely. This can be rectified by total removal of all dam remnants. If you come upon an ERO structure plugged with debris, please clear it as best you can and please report any beaver activity tothe WDNR. The South Fork continues to be choked by willow saplings growing out over the water. Besides making it impossible to fish, willows slow the water down during high water stages, ultimately forcing the sand out of suspension, allowing it to aggregate on the bottom. It takes volunteer labor to fix these problems. So when a notice for awork day on the South Fork of the Kinni is announced by Randy Arnold,please answer his call to help reclaim this treasure of a stream not onlyfor your continued enjoyment but most importantly for the preservation of its Brook Trout population! Loren Haas Editor’s Note: The above article was plucked from the November 2020 edition of RipRap. Its author, Loren Haas, will be the featured speaker at our November chapter meeting. I encourage all of you to attend or stream his presentation on the Kiap-TU-Wish YouTube channel. Loren will be providing updates on the major effects of ERO structures on our local waters. Upcoming Events: 2024 1: Chapter Meeting: Monday, November 4th moved from Tuesday November 5th (voting Day). Dinner at 6:00 pm, presentation (ERO Structures: A six-year update). at 7:00 pm. Speaker Loren Haas. Juniors Restaurant and Tap House, River Falls, Wi. 2: Annual Christmas and Awards Banquet: Tuesday December 3rd, 2024. Watch for more details.