Please note that unless otherwise indicated, all monthly chapter meetings are held in Rm 130 in the Research Services building on the OARDC/Ohio State University campus, 1680 Madison Ave., Wooster OH. Unless otherwise indicated, chapter meetings are held the second Monday of the month from September through May, starting at 7:15 PM. Doors open at 6:45 PM, so come early and meet up with friends and catch up on what’s new.

Room 130, Research Services Building, OSU/OARDC, Wooster campus.

The Research Service building is the first building to the left of the main entrance to the campus. There is parking on the south and east sides of the building.

CFRTU Meeting and Activities

As everyone has experienced, the past six months of adjusting lifestyles to minimize the impact of COVID-19 has been stressful and impactful. CFRTU was put in the position of cancelling its last three monthly meetings (March-May) on very short notice, nevertheless we have continued to make plans and move programs forward. Here is where we are moving into the fall season:

We will have our monthly meetings, starting September 14! HOWEVER, all meetings through December will be via on-line Zoom conferences. Daral Jackwood has done a wonderful job of navigating the Executive Committee through several Zoom calls in recent months and he has a plan to set up a unique gmail account for those intending to attend the fall CFRTU Zoom meetings. We will be sending out contact information to the membership by email and to other via social media outlets prior to meetings.

Randy Rowe has done a masterful job to arrange for speakers for each of our fall meetings. For the September meeting, we have Ryan Jackwood of the Harpeth Conservancy in Nashville, TN presenting “Importance of River Restoration:Improving Water Quality and Wildlife Habitat”. This presentation points out the opportunities that Zoom provides to have remote speakers make presentations. As always, we will provide the names and bios of speakers and their presentation on our website prior to meetings. So please make it a habitat to visit this website.

While talking about our website, I hope many of you have taken the time to read one of more of the informative blogs that Skip Nault has been posting. These add to the richness of the website and, certainly, provide impetus beyond the many visits to our ever popular ‘Fishing Reports’ section. Skip has also stayed busy answering numerous questions that those interested in fishing pose.

As many of you know, Trout Unlimited nationally has moved to an April 1 operating year. Renee Jackwood has kept all of our financial and other required paperwork in order through this transition. The good news is that, although we have not been able to hold raffles last spring nor this fall, we are still solvent and doing all the things that good non-profit clubs should be doing.

Lastly, we are planning to do a stocking of Apple Creek later this fall. Details are still being worked out at this time. We are also working on grant funds that might enable another stocking next spring. If the spring stocking occurs, we will plan to also hold a training session for persons interested in learning the basics of fly fishing. These are uncertain times, however, I remain impressed with the commitment of volunteers to make these events happen!

As I close, members can look for our annual newsletter in early September. Nick Wisda, editor, plans to have it ready to send out by the end of August. Although all of us miss getting together for the informal visiting that occurs at meetings, as well as for the informational aspects such meetings afford, there are ample ways to stay informed as noted here. We do hope though that a COVID vaccine is on the horizon and that we can get back to enjoying the fellowship of fly fishing in 2021.

Regards,

Steven Slack

CFRTU President

Event: December Chapter meeting

Date: Monday, Monday, December 14, 2020, Time: 7:15-9:00 PM.

Place: this will be a Zoom meeting from your homes. To register for the meeting, contact cfrtu.rsvp@gmail.com and leave your name and email address indicating you are planning to participate in the meeting. If you registered for a previous meeting, you need not register for this or later meetings.

Our speaker is Ken Fry whose presentation is “Catching an Angler: Attracting new fishers to Ohio Fishing.”

Fry, a graduate of The College of Wooster, has been with the ODNR for 14 years, serving Ohioans as an Outdoor Skills Specialist in northeast Ohio for ten years. Fry is dedicated to educating Ohioans about the great outdoor resources the Buckeye State has to offer.

Fry has developed and facilitated multiple advanced hunting and fishing seminars which serve to attract new users as well as to re-engage former trappers, hunters and anglers. He has also employed creative ways to reach new audiences. Mr. Fry’s outreach programs include cooking and sampling demonstrations at farmer’s markets where wild game and fish are featured. The goal is to inspire those looking for local food to consider hunting and fishing as a means of procuring protein. He has continued to be instrumental in recruitment, retention, and reactivation efforts in the State of Ohio.

Event: January 2020 Chapter Meeting

When: Monday, January 11, 7:15 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Place: Room 130, Research Services Building, Wooster Campus, The Ohio State University, or a Zoom meeting if University not cleared for use because of Covid-19.

Title: 30 Years and Still Stumped – Attempts at Mastering the Brown Trout of the Upper Clear Fork River

The evening’s speaker is Dave Radomski, a resident of Butler and just minutes away from the upper Clear Fork River. This is what Dave has to say about himself. Father of some, grandfather of more, Dave is VP and Director of Operations at a manufacturing company in Mansfield. He has lived near the Clear Fork River since moving to Ohio in 1990. He thought his fly fishing career was over when he transferred from CT to OH, but then found this little gem. Since then, he has spent as many hours as permissible on the Clear Fork learning what works (and what doesn’t) for brown trout. Dave thinks that few things in life are more enjoyable than fly fishing for trout. It has developed into a passion that he doesn’t (usually) mind sharing with others interested in discovering what the Clear Fork River has to offer. Though by no means considering himself an expert, he has paid his dues out there enough to be successful the vast majority of time, while loving every minute of it. Dave will explain to all of us the best techniques he has found that work to fool those Clear Fork brown trout.

Event: February Chapter Meeting

When: Monday, February 8, 7:15-9:00 p.m.

Speaker, topic and venue to come.

Event: March Chapter Meeting

When: Saturday, March 20, noon until 3 p.m.

Place: Sippo Lake Library and Exploration Gateway, Canton

The featured speaker will be Tim Cammisa, a fly fishing and fly tying professional from Western Pennsylvania (http://www.trout and feather.com/). His fly fishing base is the State College area, though he has fished all over the country. Some of his favorites are the Delaware and Missouri Rivers. Tim is one of the new generation of fly fishers who have taken to social media to promote and teach the sport. A fly fisherman and fly tier for over 30 years, Tim makes fly tutorials and posts them on You Tube. He has made over 250 videos on many fly fishing and tying topics, like purchasing and maintaining gear, tying with certain materials and specific fly patterns. Many of these are on his website.

Tim will speak to us on “Fishing success with Emergers.” In this presentation, he will discuss both mayflies and caddisflies, concentrating on emergence, a stage when they are extremely vulnerable to fish. Tips and techniques will be discussed to identify this stage, fish it more successfully, and purchase or tie flies to effectively match the nuances of what’s going on. Tim will break down the notion of an emerger, share some of his most successful patterns, and show the audience techniques that will help to catch more fish.

A Temple Forks Outfitters fly rod (5-wt., 9-ft) and matching large arbor fly reel valued at over $500 will be offered at the raffle. Also, door prizes galore will be offered after the speaker completes his presentation. Free snack foods and drinks will be available throughout the meeting. Bring your fly tying vice and tying tools. Tim will guide us through the tying of some of his favorite emerger fly patterns.

The Sippo Lake Library and Exploration Gateway is located at 5712 12th St. NW, Canton Ohio 44708. Members and non-members alike, are invited to attend the meeting.

Event: April Chapter Meeting

When: Monday, April 12, 7:15-9:00 p.m.

Title: Fly Fishing for Atlantic Salmon on the Miramichi River in New Brunswick, Canada

Bob Rohr, a member of our CFRTU chapter, is a lifetime member of Trout Unlimited. Bob has been fishing for over 60 years. His family owns Bass Lakes, a local fish hatchery that also had pay lakes at one time. Bob took up fly fishing over 25 years and has fished in many parts of the world. For the last 15 years, he has been making an annual trip to New Brunswick, Canada, to fly fish for Atlantic Salmon on the Miramichi River. Bob will tell us of his adventures on this northern river and his experiences with Atlantic Salmon.

Event: May Chapter Meeting

When: Monday, May 10, 7:15-9:00 p.m.

Brian Kozminski will present an illustrated talk, “Fly Fishing Northern Michigan,” Brian, known as “Koz” by friends, has been fly fishing Michigan waters for over 30 years. Originally from Grand Rapids, where the Rogue and Grand rivers were his home waters, his frequent trips to Grayling to fish the Holy Waters of the Au Sable were not enough. Over a decade ago, he and his wife, Lesley, daughters, Simone and Camille, made ‘Up North’ a permanent way of life. A recent transplant to Boyne City now allows the Jordan and Boyne Rivers to become his backyard home waters. A lifetime member of Trout Unlimited, he shares his passion for the resources by guiding and teaching the art of fly tying. An advocate for catch and release, Koz is also sales representative for several lines of fly fishing gear. He has been tying flies since his father taught him at the age of nine. Although Steelhead and large Brown Trout at night are exciting, the true treasure of northern Michigan lies in the vermiculation and blue halos of the native Brook Trout from its cold, clean and clear rivers. Brian will tell us of his many adventures fishing for trout in Michigan’s north country. Further information on Brian and his fly fishing business can be found on his website “True North Trout”.

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.