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Newsletter Archive Swift Currents Newsletter of the Leon Chandler Chapter of Trout Unlimited Date: June 5, 2010 Tioghnioga River Clean-Up (West Branch) Time: 9:00 AM 11:00 AM Location: West Branch of Tioghnioga River, Cortland Riverside Plaza off of Exit 11 on Route 81 Meet in parking lot behind McDonalds Synopsis: Many of you may remember that five years ago, Chapter member Mike Whitlock arranged to have an early summer clean-up along this stream. He also managed to obtain support for keeping the banks clean from both the Riverside Plaza Mall Owners and the local McDonalds. After another long winter, in which trash has built up, the concrete trash cans have been returned to the stream side (thanks Mike) so it is time to clean-up this stretch of the stream. Come on out, help clean-up and then take advantage of some local fishing opportunities. The date is to be determined, but we generally host this event the first or second Saturday in June. Date: June 8, 2010 Topic: Fly Rodding for Bass with Kirk Klingensmith Location: Badger Creek Fly Fishing in Freeville) Time: 7:00 PM Synopsis: Kirk is an avid fly fisher of trout, but also fishes warm water and saltwater. Over the last few years he has found that the majority of his fishing time is being spent pursuing smallmouth and largemouth bass. His talk will cover bass behavior, techniques, fly selection, and successful approaches. He will point out helpful adjustments to adapt trout skills to bass. He will highlight smallmouth opportunities (particularly in the Chemung River basin), via both wade-fishing and from a canoe or personal watercraft. He will also cover largemouth techniques and local hotspots. You might be surprised to learn how good the bass fishing is in our area. If you have been thinking of going after bass with a fly rod - or want to improve your hook-up ratio – be sure to attend. Kirk is a lifetime member of TU and FFF. He recently transferred into the Leon Chandler chapter. Directions: Take 13 from either Cortland or Ithaca to the intersection of Hanshaw Road and RT 13. Turn North on Hanshaw (this is a left FROM Ithaca or a right from Cortland/Dryden). You will drive by the 84 Lumber after making this turn. Follow Hanshaw Road approximately 3 miles to the end (a T in the road). Turn right and follow approximately 1 mile. Keep your eye out for a Brown Octagon House on the left. Mike’s place is the next house on the left. It is an olive house with red shutters. The shop is located in the Red Barn in the backyard. If you reach the stop sign (Sheldon Road intersection) you have gone too far (by one house). Please park in the church parking lot at that intersection and then walk back to the barn. For more information on the Shop see: http://www.mwflytying.com/new_stuff/store_map.html CHAPTER NEWS Our May meeting was attended by several Chapter Members interested in an afternoon of fishing and (not so much for) an evening of stream sampling. Six members showed up for fishing. We split up with half some heading over to Tioghnioga and half heading upstream on Fall Creek. Both groups had an exciting afternoon on their respective streams. The water was clear and cool, the sky slightly overcast, with occasional windy gusts. While there was some insect activity it was fairly sporadic. Regardless, all of us had success on both wet and dry patterns. The afternoon saw a number of browns and brookies caught and released. For me it was a great opportunity to fish with some folks who I have not seen in a while. After that activity we returned to McLean and Upper Fall Creek where we were joined by two more Chapter Members for a stream sampling and analysis. Unfortunately, the weather (cool and threatening rain) and a general lethargy among the members, served to dissuade us from conducting the sample. Instead, we shared stories, chatted about the Chapter and headed home. Since our last newsletter we also participated in the Fall Creek Stream Clean-up. Several members showed up to clean the stream from the Falls to the Black Iron Bridge. As usual, we removed lots of garbage from the stream and surrounding banks. Thanks to everyone who showed up and made this event happen. Along these lines, don’t forget the June 5th Tioghniogha River (West Branch) stream clean-up. Just a reminder, the NY State Council of Trout Unlimited has developed a youth fly fishing camp that is entering its third year. Last year, Kurt Nelson and several others worked to establish and offer an annual state-wide camp called “Trout Waters”. More information will follow. If any Chapter members are interested in volunteering for the camp they should contact Kurt Nelson at avkurt@mac.com. UPCOMING MEETINGS/EVENTS June 5, 2010 – Tioghnioga Stream Clean Um June 8, 2010 – Fly Rodding for Bass – with Kirk Klingensmith July 2010 – No meeting – go fishing August 2010 – No meeting – go fishing September 14, 2010 – TBD October 12, 2010 – TBD November 9, 2010 – Year End Party and Raffle December 13, 2010 - TBD As always, all meetings are on the 2nd Tuesday of each month (unless otherwise noted). As you can see, we need plenty of speakers and topics. Any ideas are appreciated. Josh Filter is responsible for coordinating our meetings and speakers for the upcoming year. Feel free to contact him if you have ideas for speakers or can offer a space for an upcoming meeting. PEG MILL BROOK PROJECT STATUS/UPDATE (Reprint from Last Month) First, I want to thank Steve Meyer for taking over for the remainder of the project. So, thanks Steve! I completed the interim report for the project, so that we could receive an extension on the funding provided by the NYSCTU. So, everything seems in order. I'm going to get a hold of Jon Negley at Tompkins County Soil and Water here shortly just to touch base. It's unlikely we'll be doing much until after the spring thaw, but it's good to keep on top of these things. SPECIAL REQUEST FOR DONATIONS Several years ago, the Chapter was very lucky in obtaining a significant quantity of fly fishing and fly tying items that we could use in our fund raising efforts. These included materials, flies, equipment, books, art work, mugs, hats, books, shirts and more. At present, we are running low on those stocks. I am requesting that those of you who have fly fishing and/or fly tying materials, equipment, books, works of art or other new or slightly used items – that you are no longer using or appreciating - donate to them to the Chapter. Many of you responded to my previous requests, and our raffles were well stocked. However, there are more events coming up and your donations are always appreciated. Free up some space in your home. Help the Chapter maintain its charitable activities. Give your materials and equipment a second life. Get a tax write-off . . . Contact Michael if you have items to donate. FISHING NEWS May has been warm and dry which has had some impact on the water and on fishing conditions. Overall, however, the month has been pretty good. Evenings have seen steady hatches this season with each day seeming to be better than the previous. Caddis flies, Stone flies, Olives and Hendrickson’s have all made appearances on our local streams. Added to this mix are the ever present midge hatches. On one recent outing I caught a healthy number of local species including: rainbow trout, small mouth bass, rock bass, perch and blue gill. I have also received reports of several members landing a decent number of 15+ inch browns and rainbows during the past month. Tributaries, streams, ponds and lakes all seem to be fishing well, so get out there and do some fishing if time permits. June should only see our fishing conditions improve as we add pre- and post- spawn bass to the mix. Remember, bass are legal to target (but not keep) with artificial lures in most local streams and tributaries until the 3rd Saturday in June at which time they may be kept Send us your Spring pictures so that they may be posted. www.leonchandlertu.org VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES As I write in each issue, we are a volunteer-based, grass roots organization. Our focus is on the protection and restoration of our cold-water resources. We cannot do anything without the participation of our members. We currently have the following opportunities available (for information on all activities contact Michael Lenetsky at michaell1666@yahoo.com) Trout in the Classroom – Adopt a School Volunteers. As we maintain and grow this program we need volunteers to work with classrooms on either a regular basis or to develop and present lesson plans less frequently. Do you have an elementary or middle school age child whose science class would like to host the program? Would you be interested in helping out as a mentor or supporter? Think about participating as we grow this program up in our local schools. TU – Leon Chandler Chapter Board of Directors. Currently there are opportunities to serve the board on several “general” committees. These include, the programming committee, fund raising committee, nomination committee, Ithaca Fishing Day planning committee, and as at-large members. Time commitment varies from attendance at one meeting per month to other activities. Representative at NYS TU Council Meetings – we need to have at least one Chapter member attend the NYS TU Council Meetings on a regular basis. One (or more) of you volunteered, however, I do not remember who. You need to present a brief update regarding the Chapter’s activities and status. There is fishing time built into the weekend. TROUT IN THE CLASSROOM This month I thought that I would share a story about the impact of the TIC program with the Chapter. From my perspective, I think that it is always nice to get confirmation that our efforts are making a difference when it comes to education. I experienced just a few days ago as I met with 7th graders at Boynton Middle school in preparation for their annual trips onto Cayuga Lake with the Floating Classroom Project. In previous years it seemed to me that the first exposure these students had to watershed conservation, water monitoring or anything related was their Floating Classroom Field trip. Over the past few years, the teachers have really turned this trip into an annual tradition, and have added on other activities including a visit to an organic farm (Jerr-Del), and an opportunity to paddle the dragon boats on Cayuga Inlet. All-in-all, this has become an excellent experience for the students, and has been well supported by the teaching team members. I found, however, that when I would visit the classes ahead of time, it would usually be very difficult to get students to volunteer questions, comments and observations about the lake and about conservation issues. I really had to work in order to stimulate discussion about the objectives for our lake cruises. In the past I chalked that up to a lack of direct, personal experience with water conservation/resource concepts. That opinion was reinforced through the thank you notes I would receive from students following the cruises. Those notes would have comments similar to the following: "I especially enjoyed looking at the plankton under the microscopes. It was amazing, and I never knew we had plankton in Cayuga Lake- I thought it was only in the ocean!" Now, I would fast forward to this year- I go to meet with the classes and start by sharing this story with them and ask, “What do you think about that?” Students in every class replied- "We fed plankton to our trout last year- and you said they were at the base of the food-web in streams and lakes all around us." This was very gratifying, but it gets a little better. The students this year had “a million” questions about the lake and how healthy the water was. They quickly picked up on watershed issues like stream erosion and its impact on the inlet and lake. We had an excellent discussion about whether the siltation process at the south end of the lake constituted "pollution" or not. This was a totally different experience from prior years- and I attribute a great deal of it to their Trout in the Classroom experience in sixth grade. I am sure it will only get better as kids from the elementary school programs advance through the school system. On a related note, as we move through the Spring, we are concluding our programs and releasing our fish. We can always use assistance with the releases. Here are the dates, if you have time to help out: June 7 - Enfield trout release at Lower Treman Park- in the morning. General stream study, art and the park staff help out, also. June10 - South Hill 4th Graders release trout to Buttermilk Creek as Lower Buttermilk State Park. same general deal... 3 classes, multiple activities. Sometime in June... Belle Sherman will release trout to 6-Mile Creek at the wildflower preserve... or visit Caroline. Still working on it! WE REALLY NEEED TU ASSISTANCE AT THESE EVENTS. Contact me if you can help out. Thanks, Bill Foster Trout In the Classroom Coordinator (607)-272-7256 parsifal@twcny.rr.com VICE-PRESIDENT’S REPORT Last month I wrote about the environmental issues presented to our local cold water resources by the proposed Marcellus Shale Hydro-Fracking/Drilling projects. I talked about taking our children (or grandchildren or nieces or nephews or neighbors children) fishing. I wrote about how wonderful it is to watch a child figure out how to catch a trout through trial and error. What I wanted to focus on however, was that in order to do this we have to fight to protect our resources. One aspect of that fight to make sure that the businesses that want to utilize our resources (whether oil or gas or coal or gold) do not do so without taking care of the environment from which they are taking those resources. Our job as stewards of the earth (and I think that as members of an environmental group like TU we are stewards) is not to enjoy and destroy the planet, but to enjoy the environment and pass on a healthy planet to our kids and grandkids. We need to carefully balance the needs of our society with those of a healthy planed. To me this can only be done by teaching people (particularly young people) about the importance of the environment and our cold water resources. Three years ago, we started our Trout in the Classroom (TIC) Program with two small grants and one classroom. Over the next two years we received a larger grant and added eight classrooms to the program. Next year, Bill and I hope to grow a bit more. The TIC program introduces children of all ages to environmental conservation with a focus on our cold water resources. The students learn about the growth and development of fish from eggs to fingerlings. They spend most of the academic year watching the fish develop. In the process they are introduced to the food web, learn about entomology, and begin to understand in greater detail why clean water is important. From those of us that fly fish, the students also learn why we fish, and why we care about our cold water resources. Bill Foster wrote earlier in this newsletter about his perception of the impact of this program. While the evidence presented by Bill is anecdotal in nature it still shows that we are getting through to the kids. At this point, I would again say to all of you “We need more volunteers.” I recognize the time commitment of this program, but I assure you, it is very, very rewarding. Please, think about giving your time to this program in the coming academic year. If you want to see the potential results of this participation, please join us for one of the three remaining releases schdeuled (June 7 - Enfield trout release at Lower Treman Park- in the morning. General stream study, art and the park staff help out, also. June10 - South Hill 4th Graders release trout to Buttermilk Creek as Lower Buttermilk State Park. same general deal... 3 classes, multiple activities. Sometime in June... Belle Sherman will release trout to 6-Mile Creek at the wildflower preserve... still working on it!) I have really enjoyed my time volunteering in the TIC program and would encourage you to do the same. Thanks, Michael PRESIDENT’S REPORT Well it seems that summer time is upon us and as such I don’t really have too much Chapter business for this President’s report, so I would like to take this opportunity to write about a couple of things that I have been thinking about lately. Over the past couple of weeks, I have been spending a lot of time chasing warm water species in the lower reaches of Fall Creek. The action has been pretty good and I have managed to catch a number of species including smallmouth, sunfish, rudd, perch, brown trout, rainbow trout, and my personal favorite – carp. I have spent so much time in lower Fall Creek that I haven’t even ventured to a “real” trout stream in almost 3 weeks, though that is likely to change soon. While out on Fall Creek I have noticed that, despite our Chapter’s cleanup effort several weeks ago, a lot of trash has made its way back into the creek. I was particularly dismayed to find that a bike that Steve Meyer and I went to great lengths to remove from the creek has found it’s way back in. Additionally, I have come across a lot of other debris. Perhaps you, too, have come across some nice holes with shopping carts and old bikes tossed in them. Or you have found banks littered with coffee cups, bottles, cans, and fast food wrappers on the way to and from some of your favorite spots. While we may be able debate whether or not these items constitute structure, the one thing that is for certain is that they are quite unsightly. I guess what I am getting at is that our streams really tend to take a beating. Regardless of who the offending parties are I urge you to do your part to make the stream just a little nicer than it was when you arrived. I often carry an old Wegman’s bag in my vest and pick up some of the trash I find in the stream and along the banks. I throw it in my car, tote it home for disposal and feel good about what I have done. I have also been known to pull shopping carts, bikes, balls, cans, traffic cones, and street signs out of the stream for no other reason than that they are there and so am I. I am already in my wading gear and I am already in the water. I figure who is in a better position to pick that stuff up than me. On several occasions I have had passersby thank me for my efforts and it is nice know that it is appreciated. As fisherman and users of the water we are in a unique position to set an example and to make small, but very positive steps toward a cleaner, healthier and more beautiful landscape. As a final note, I would like to remind everyone that we still have raffle tickets available for our Youth Activities Fund Raising Raffle, which I wrote about in last month’s newsletter. The prize is a Greys GRXi+ 9ft 5 weight fly rod and case, with a Greys G-series reel. This is a complete outfit that includes a Cortland 5 weight fly line, backing, leader, and a fly box filled with an assortment of favorite patterns tied and donated by chapter members. We are also including a fishing vest (just donated). This is a really nice prize package that we have been able to put together thanks in large part to generous gear donations from Mike Hogue. The cost of each raffle ticket is $10 and the raffle is limited to just 50 tickets. We will hold the drawing once all 50 tickets are sold. I strongly encourage everyone to purchase at least one raffle ticket to continue to support our Chapter’s outreach programs, as well as for a chance to win this exceptional prize package. Remember there are only 50 tickets available! Also, Father’s Day is coming up and it would be nice to stick a raffle ticket in the card that you send dear old dad this year. I will have tickets available for purchase at our June meeting. If you would like to purchase tickets via the mail, you can send $10 per ticket along with your name, email address, and phone number to: Leon Chandler Chapter of Trout Unlimited C/O: Michael Lenetsky, Chapter Vice President 802 Coddington Road Ithaca, NY 14850 We will fill out the ticket for you and send you the ticket stub(s). Please make checks payable to Leon Chandler Chapter of Trout Unlimited. Tight Lines, Josh This newsletter written (in part) and edited (in part) by: Michael Lenetsky, Chapter Vice-President |
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