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.
Well, here we are. Our summer season is nearing its end. I’m not quite sure how to describe this past summer though. Looking back it seems to me that June was pretty blustery but throughout summer’s course we had adequate rains and warm temperatures that kept our streams at base flow or above, and our corn and bean fields green and thriving. I suppose though it might have been better had the rains been more frequent rather than coming in batches that flooded our streams and put fly fishing on hold for more than a few days each time.Overall though I’d have to say I am willing to give the summer a thumbs up.
Chapter activities started with a very successful STREAM GIRLS event held at the Ellsworth Rod & Gun Club. Thirteen girls participated and enjoyed activities that included fly-casting and tying, collecting and identifying macro-invertebrates, calculating stream velocities, and an hour of fishing (yes there was some catching) to wrap up a truly wonderful day. Thanks to Linda Radimecky and Michele Bevis for putting together this great program and thanks also to Kiap-TU-Wish chapter members and friends who helped out with the activities.
Two major chapter events were held in June. Our Summer Solstice gathering was not highly attended due to the torrential rains that ruined a chance to fish. Those who did attend, however, had a very nice time talking fishing and eating grilled hot dogs, potato and pasta salads and deserts. Some members participated in fly casting bamboo rods that are owned by a few Kiap-Tu-Wish members and friends. Many thanks to Greg Olson our ex-officio president for arranging for all the food and activities.
The Kiap-TU-Wish June Fly-Fishing Clinic, held in cooperation with the Parks and Recreation Department of the City of river Falls, continued to be a great success. Participants were given instruction in fly-casting, stream-side and on-water skills, and were treated to a great lunch. Many of the participants were successful at landing a few trout as well. Matt Janquart spearheaded the program for the first time and did a great job!
More recently, the chapter’s Phil’s Full Moon Fever Event was held on August 19th at Phil Kashian’s Milkhouse Cottage and Gardens on the Rush River. Close to 60 chapter members and friends attended. Once again Greg Olson took care of the Food and grilling and the hot dogs were accompanied by pasta salads, watermelon, grilled corn, chips, baked beans and beverages of choice. Many members fished afterwards. Thank you to Phil Kashian and Kay Peterson for being such wonderful hosts.
Our new season begins on September 5th (note the day of the week change from Tuesday to Thursday for this event) with our annual Kiap-TU-Wish Open House and Gear Swap to be held at the Rush River Brewery. If you have a piece of gear that is gathering dust, put a price on it and bring it with you. If it sells the money is yours to keep. We will also be signing up new members at a reduced price of $17.50.
We have a great season of meetings lined up and I am looking forward to meeting our new members and seeing all your familiar faces during the course of the year.
I’m sure many of you are familiar with the movie “Miracle on Ice” that depicted the victory of the United States’ Olympic men’s hockey team over the Soviet Union in the 1980 winter Olympics held at Lake Placid, New York. There is a scene in the movie in which Coach Herb Brooks addresses his team before the game with the Soviets. In his speech, Herb told his players that “Great moments are born from great opportunity.”
A great moment and opportunity for me arrived when the Kiap-TU-Wish board elected me to be your president for the next three years. During my six-year term as the chapter treasurer, my knowledge of trout, and the preservation of our cold-water streams has increased exponentially through the many board meeting discussions I’ve participated in, my association with the Kinni Corridor Collaborative (KCC), and in my numerous interactions with members and friends of the chapter.
I am looking forward to leading our chapter and continuing the great work of my predecessors. Having Greg Olson as our “Ex Officio” president and my wingman is comforting. I know that whenever difficult decisions need to be made, his mentorship will be much appreciated as will the wise counsel I hope to receive from the rest of our board members.
So, with that, I would like to take this opportunity and make my first official act as one to say, THANK YOU, to all of you, for your continued support of Kiap-TU-Wish and the many projects we have completed and for those being planned for the upcoming seasons. During the past year volunteer hours continued to grow and donations and contributions have reached an all-time high of $38,264.
With your on-going support, Kiap-TU-Wish will continue to fulfill our mission to Conserve, Protect, and Restore the cold-water streams that flow through our local and nearby watersheds, while maintaining a strong community presence that benefits both young and old and our surrounding environment.
Well, my time as president of Kiap-TU-Wish is coming to a close. It is hard to believe it has been three years already?!?! Well, you’re still here and the chapter is still solvent, so I didn’t muck things up too badly. That is testament to a fabulous board and you chapter members who helped me along the way. I couldn’t have made it without you! It has been a privilege and an honor to serve as your president and I can’t imagine a finer TU chapter and I am proud to be a member.
Looking back over the past three years it’s amazing what we have accomplished. I figured I would never see a River Falls dam removed in my lifetime; to thinking I would see one removed, to now being very hopeful that both will be gone! During this process we have strengthened ties with KCC and TCTU, demonstrating the great things we can accomplish when we work together.
We’ve overcome the difficulties with meeting during the COVID outbreake, although I never overcame the difficulties with setting up a ZOOM meeting …… The Kiap-TU-Wish Holiday Banquet was revived and since has been a huge success; it has been wonderful to see our members come back and support it.
The on-line auction continues to expand and coupled with the chance drawings, the Hap Lutter appeal, and most importantly our member’s generosity, our fund-raising efforts continue to reach new heights.
The addition of a June and August outing has allowed members to stay connected during the summer months and both events were well received last year. Look for the Sulphur Solstice and Full Moon Fever at Phil’s to continue this summer.
Important chapter work continued. Education opportunities such as TIC, BIC, PFF Youth Day, TU Camp, and the RF Fly Fishing Clinic went on as usual. We expanded our offerings with the addition of a Stream Girls program which has been an exciting development, thanks to board members Linda Radimecky and Michele Bevis. We now have board member Rainbow Barry on the Pierce County Groundwater Advisory Committee to make sure our interests are considered and studied. Badger Flowers and Scott Larson are heading up chapter communications efforts and bringing us into the 21st century, a dream come true as we are getting all the chapter documents, research, and history stored on the cloud. Trout stream restoration work continues, making our trout habitat world class! Don’t forget, due to your efforts we received the 2022 Wisconsin TU Chapter of the Year!
Thanks again for all the support and encouragement you have given me, the board, and the chapter over the past 3 years! None of it would have been possible without you!
The KIAP-TU-WISH auction is now live!!! It is our biggest auction ever! Over 100 items!!! There is something for every interest and every budget! Vacation stays! Guided trips for trout, bass, pike, steelhead! Many, many fly boxes packed with proven flies! Casting lessons and fly fishing school! Rods from Winston, G.Loomis, Echo, and TFO. Reels from Ross, Cheeky, and Sci Anglers. Cooking class, books, beautiful art, farm tours, gift cards from area merchants…. the list goes on and on! Remember, this auction along with our Hap Lutter appeal and 3 x 100 drawing is where the chapter gets the majority of its funding so bid early and often! Auction ends February 18th. Here is the link! https://go.tulocalevents.org/kiap2024/
Speaking of 3 x 100 drawing, we are now sold out of Sage rod tickets, but still tickets remain for the Cunningham painting and Norling rod, get yours now, before they are all gone!
Cunningham Painting tickets remaining: 46 Norling Rod tickets remaining: 24 Sage Rod tickets remaining: 0
Our annual 3 x 100 chance drawing is now open until February 18th!!!
Just a reminder, from the TU annual renewal dues that you pay, we get nothing. That is used to pay salaries of national TU staffers, to pay for your TROUT magazine subscription, national grants, White House lobbyists, etc.
This event combined with the Auction and Hap Lutter Appeal is where the vast majority of the chapters funding comes from for the entire year. The chapter needs donations in order to continue to do our work and most of that has a monetary requirement: from boulders, to chillers, to Randy’s hotdogs and cookies. Please help!
To purchase tickets, email Greg Olson at gregolson@kiaptuwish.org. I will let you know if we have tickets remaining (I will be sending mailchimp updates once a week). You can either send me a check made out to KIAP-TU-WISH or pay on-line via our website, let me know which drawing your donation is for (but email me first to make sure we have tickets left!). I will also have these items at our February chapter meeting, selling tickets at Juniors, if any tickets are left.
DON’T DELAY!!!!! EMAIL NOW!!!!! See details below!
The 3 X 100 chance drawings will start today, with the winners drawn on February 18th.
The first item, a beautiful painting by our 2022 Silver Trout Award artist, Joshua Cunningham!
The painting is 8”x10”, Oil on Linen, titled “May on the Rush.”
Only 100 tickets will be sold at $20 a ticket. You know you want (or is it “need”) this original painting of one your favorite rivers. “Own” a piece of the Rush River in your home! Get your ticket(s) NOW!!!
The second item is a beautiful Norling bamboo rod!
The rod is a 5-wt, 7′ 6″ rod with two tips, agate guides, rod sock & brushed aluminum travel tube with cap by renowned rod makers Dave Norling Sr. and Dave Norling Jr.
Only 100 tickets will be sold at $20 a ticket. You know you want (or is it “need”) this heirloom quality rod! What are you waiting for! Get your ticket(s) NOW!!!
The third item is an incredible fishing tool, a new Sage Foundation 9′ 4 wt with case!
Equipped with a high-performance blank (Graphite IIIe), the FOUNDATION has a fast action providing excellent casting power and effortless control. It’s the very foundation of what defines a Sage rod – Performance – taking your game to another level. Armed with this rod, the trout don’t stand a chance! More info on the Sage website: https://farbank.com/collections/sage-foundation-freshwater. Donated by Cabelas Rodgers and KIAP-TU-WISH.
Only 100 tickets will be sold at $10 a ticket. You know you want (or is it “need”) this high performance rod! What are you waiting for! Get your ticket(s) NOW!!!
Hope you all had a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! It was awesome to see so many Kiap-TU-Wish members at the Holiday banquet, last year we had 64 people attending and this year we topped 100! It reminded me of an Olson family Christmas, where I would see some faces that I hadn’t since the previous year. It was the only day all my uncles, aunts, cousins, and grandmother were together in the same house and what a full house it was, with my father being one of ten kids! The only downside was that the house reeked of lutefisk. The swedish meatballs, lefse, rommegrot, krumkake, and rosettes made up for the smell though. If you have any feedback about what you liked about the banquet and ideas to improve it, please let me know. No worries, we will never be offering lutefisk at Juniors!
I’m looking forward to the Wisconsin early trout fishing season opening up on Saturday, January 6th. If the temps get above freezing, winter can be fun to scratch that itch and get a little fishing in. The way this winter is going, there could be a lot of January and February days above freezing. I supposed I just jinxed that…. I believe I have mentioned it before, but a pair of insulated, boot foot waders has really made winter fishing much more enjoyable for me. I had tried my stocking foot waders with bigger boots, different combinations of wool socks, foot warmers, etc., but regardless it would not take long for my feet to turn to blocks of ice. However, that has all changed with the insulated boot foot waders. I have spent time at the vice, cranking out midge patterns that dominate the winter hatches and I am ready to go! Don’t forget to volunteer for some of Randy’s work days! Those always make the winter go by faster.
I’m really looking forward to our chapter meetings in the new year as well. I can’t wait to see what Sarah Sanford and her friends the Gillespies come up with in January. Then we have the Dick Frantes fly tying meeting where we are thinking of offering some fly tying challenges to those that want to participate. March brings renowned artist and guide Bob White to Juniors. In April, we have the usual chapter business to attend to and then Kent Johnson and Dr. Clarke Gary will present some of their recent aquatic bug sampling findings on the Kinni compared to findings at the same sites decades ago. Carl Nelson will also report on sampling he and his team did on the Rush. In May we will have Kasey and Nate back!
Our on-line auction and 3 x 100 chance drawing will be starting in January. The auction is shaping up to be bigger and better than before. If you have any items to donate, you can bring them to the January chapter meeting or any of the area fly shops: Lunds, Mend, or Bob Mitchells. For the 3 x 100 chance drawing, we again will have a Joshua Cunningham painting, this one titled “May on the Rush”, a Norling bamboo rod, and a Sage 4wt graphite rod. Last year the tickets sold out quickly, so be sure to get yours while they last!
