DIRECTIONS TO OUR NEW MEETING PLACE, FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, 621 College Ave., IN WOOSTER: Exit Route 30 at the Madison Avenue exit. Go north on Madison Avenue and continue straight as it becomes Bever Street. Turn right on E. Liberty Street at the Speedway shop and then turn left onto Beall Avenue. At the E. Bowman Street intersection, you will see Discount Drug Mart on the right and the church parking lot will be on the left. Signs will be on the church door indicating our meeting and location.
If you are new to the CFRTU Chapter and want to attend our meetings by Zoom, send an email to CFRTU.rsvp@gmail.com and request a Zoom meeting link. A link to the Zoom meeting format will be emailed to you the Friday before each meeting. You only need to request this once to get on our Zoom meeting list. Once you are on the list you will get a Zoom link for all subsequent meetings. Remember, you can always choose to attend by Zoom or in person.
Bruch Hall, our new spacious meeting room at First Presbyterian Church in Wooster.
Event: September Chapter Meeting
When: Monday, September 12, 7:15-9:00 p.m.
Where: First Presbyterian Church, Wooster
Speaker: Floyd Schanbacher
Topic: The Underwater World of Trout
CFRTU member Floyd Schanbacher will host the showing of an hour-long video entitled “The Underwater World of Trout: Feeding Lies”. This video, written and directed by Wendell “Ozzie” Ozefovich, with his filming company “Underwater Oz Productions”, gives the viewer a never before seen “trout’s eye view” of stream life to examine the facts and get real answers to the age-old questions of where are the fish, and what are they eating? Shot entirely in natural trout streams, the video will provide new insights into how and where trout see, live, behave, and feed in the stream – information that will improve our fishing abilities.
Rainbow trout
Event: October Fly Fishing Clinic
CFRTU members and non-members interested in learning the art of fly-fishing are invited to attend a free three-part “Learn to Fly-Fish” course co-sponsored by The Clear Fork River Chapter of Trout Unlimited and the ODNR Division of Wildlife to learn the basics of fly fishing, fly-tying, and to provide participants opportunities to test their new tackle and fishing skills.
Session #1: Intro to Fly-Fishing, Part 1
Date and Time: Wednesday, October 5 from 6-9 p.m.
Location: Wildlife District Three Headquarters, 912 Portage Lakes Drive, Akron, Ohio 44319
Session Description: Students will learn how to assemble fly-fishing tackle, how to tie essential knots, and how to recognize various fly patterns used to catch fish. This session will also include casting and an opportunity to fish.
Session #2: Intro to Fly-Fishing, Part 2
Date and Time: Wednesday, October 12 from 6-9 p.m.
Location: Wildlife District Three Headquarters, 912 Portage Lakes Drive, Akron, Ohio 44319
Session Description: Casting and on water fishing opportunity will be the focus of the first part of this session. Students will learn how to tie flies and finish with a Q & A at the end.
Session #3: Meet the Stream and Fly-Fishing
Date and Time: Saturday, Oct. 15 from 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
Location: Apple Creek, Grosjean Park, Freedlander Rd, Wooster Ohio 44691
Session Description: Students will participate in releasing hatchery-raised rainbow and brown trout into Apple Creek. A stream walk will also take place where students will learn how to recognize holding areas for trout and how to approach and fish the stream. A brief macroinvertebrate study will be conducted, along with a stream litter cleanup. Students will fly-fish for trout with help from Trout Unlimited members.
Additional details will be provided to participants upon pre-registration and at Session #1. Nearly all fishing equipment and tying supplies will be provided (a limited number of waders are available). Be prepared to go outside even in inclement weather (the last two sessions will be cancelled or rescheduled if thunderstorms occur). Participants will be asked to bring sunscreen, sunglasses, hats, water, insect repellant and other items to make the experience individually more comfortable.
Applicants must be at least 12 years of age and youths must be accompanied by an adult. Questions can be directed to Lowell R. “Skip” Nault, Clear Fork River Chapter of Trout Unlimited at bugmanosu@gmail.com. Space is limited to the first 25 registered and participants must attend all three sessions. The course is for registered participants only; no guests or walk-ins please.
All anglers age 16 and older are required to have a valid Ohio fishing license.
To register for the course, use this link: https://apps.ohiodnr.gov/wildlife/educationregistration/ then find the form under “Exploring Fly Fishing, Learn the Basics (NE OH).
or contact Ken Fry, Outdoor Skills Specialist, ODNR Division of Wildlife, kenneth.fry@dnr.ohio.gov.
Funds generated from the sale of fishing licenses go towards conserving and restoring habitat, enforcement of fishing regulations, hatchery operations, fish stocking in public fishing areas and enhancement of research and educational outreach. For more information on fishing in Ohio, call 1-800-WILDLIFE or visit wildohio.gov.
Fly fishing clinic students and instructors.Event: October Chapter Meeting
When: Monday, October 10, 7:15-9:00 p.m.
Where: First Presbyterian Church, Wooster
Speaker: Patrick Robinson of Steelhead Alley Outfitters will speak to us about “Steelheading the Alley.”
”Patrick will be presenting the basics of steelheading based on his 15 years of guide experience on Steelhead Alley. Following the basics, he would like to have an extended time of sharing based on the needs and/or interests of those in attendance and offer content specific to those needs. Come out and be a part of what is sure to be a great evening learning and sharing on this great fishery!”
Patrick Robinson with a happy fly angler.
Event: November Chapter Meeting
When: November 14, 7:15-9:00 p.m.
Where: First Presbyterian Church, Wooster
Speaker & Topic: Daily Record Outdoor writer Art Holden will speak on how to catch fish year-round in Ohio, from what species to target, to where best to catch them. Holden has been writing outdoor stories for The Daily Record since 1987. Though retired since 2019, he continues to work as the paper’s outdoor correspondent. In his presentation, Holden will also touch on his late July fishing trip to northern Manitoba, where he targeted giant pike and lake trout with his son, Izzy, on a remote fly-in lake.
Holden, and his wife Jean, also do several monarch butterfly talks each year, as his wife promotes planting milkweed and pollinator plants to help boost the population of the marvelous insect with such an interesting life cycle.
Art Holden
Event: December Chapter Meeting
When: December 12, 7:15-9:00 p.m.
Where: First Presbyterian Church, Wooster
Speaker: Tim Cammisa
Tim Cammisa, central PA fly fishing and fly tying professional, will present “Successful Strategies to Catch More Trout”. Tim will focus on many areas within fly fishing to improve your fishing success. Paying attention to the small details will pay dividends in the long run, and those are discussed, including some of the strategies Tim employs to catch more trout. With topics such as insect identification, reading the water, and employing varying techniques, lots of new information is shared, leading to greater success on the water.
Tim Camissa
Event: January Chapter Meeting
When: January 9, 2023, 7:15-9:00 p.m.
Where: First Presbyterian Church, Wooster
Dalton Middle School teacher Laura Grimm Will be telling us of her experience as a “Teacher at Sea” participant this past year on Lake Erie.
Laura is the K-8 Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math (STEAM) teacher at Dalton Elementary and Middle School. She will share with us her experience as a Teacher at Sea with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) during the summer of 2022. She was stationed aboard the research vessel NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson and helped scientists (hydrographers) map the floor of Lake Erie in the vicinity of Cleveland, South Bass Island and Presque Isle, PA. The survey identified hazards and changes to the lake floor and provided data for updating NOAA’s nautical charts to make it safe for maritime travel.
Event: February Chapter Meeting
When: February 13, 2023, 7:15-9:00 p.m.
Where: First Presbyterian Church, Wooster
Speaker: Jerry Darkes
Program: “The Trout Club of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History- 45 Years of Conservation and Education”
The CMNH Trout Club has a long-standing history of supporting cold-water conservation and fly-fishing education. In recent years, there has been a focus on supporting mainly local and regional projects. At present we are focused on the Ohio Brook Trout Restoration Project and research on Lake Eries’s migratory smallmouth bass.
Jerry Darkes is Executive Director of the CMNH Trout Club. A life-long fly fisher with over 50 years of on-water experience, Jerry is recognized nationally as a writer and authority on fly fishing the Great Lakes region. He is retired from 30 plus years as an on-road sales rep for an extensive group of fly-fishing product manufacturers. His focus these days is to educate anglers on the fly fishing opportunities available across the Midwest and Great Lakes areas.
Jerry Darkes
Event: March Chapter Meeting
CFRTU will meet jointly with the Sippo Lake “Fly Fishing Get Together” group on a Saturday from noon until 3. Date and meeting details to be announced later
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Event: April Chapter Meeting
When: Monday, April 10, 7:15-9:00 p.m.
Where: First Presbyterian Church, Wooster
Speaker: John Navarro, ODNR Division of Wildlife
Topic: Stream Restoration in Ohio. Details to follow.
John Navarro
Event: May Chapter Meeting
When: Monday, May 8, 7:15-9:00 p.m.
Where: First Presbyterian Church, Wooster
Speaker: Joe Conroy, ODNR Division of Wildlife
Topic: DOW Put-Grow-&-Take Brown Trout Program. Details to follow
Joe Conroy
The CFRTU Chapter is always looking for speakers for our monthly meetings. Please Contact Us for suggestions for speakers on fly fishing, conservation of aquatic resources and related topics.