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: April Chapter Meeting

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

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.

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.

Our featured speaker, Sam DeJong was born and raised in Petoskey, Michigan, at the tip of the lower peninsula mitten. Though he didn’t get into fly fishing seriously until he was in college, he now is quite an addict to the sport. His full-time job is as an architectural designer in the Petoskey area, but in 2019, he started his guiding business, Wild Rise Outfitters. He has a lot of outdoor activity interests, serves on the board of his local TU chapter, and is associated with several other fly fishing organizations in his area. Sam will tell us about the fly fishing opportunities available in his native northern Michigan location and how he fishes for the trout he finds there.

Event: September Chapter Meeting

When: Monday, September 13. Time: 7:15 p.m.

Topic to be announced

Event: October Chapter Meeting

When: Monday, October 11. Time: 7:15 p.m.

Topic to be announced

Event: November Chapter Meeting

When: Monday, November 8. Time: 7:15 p.m.

Speaker, Bill Zawiski, Environmental Supervisor, Division of Surface Water, Ohio EPA North East District.

Topic: Dam Removal; Improving water quality in Ohio one dam project after another.

Trained as a biologist, Bill Zawiski has worked with Ohio EPA since 1989, and is currently the Water Quality Group Supervisor in Ohio EPA’s Northeast District. He has also taught Environmental Regulation and Water Resources at the University of Akron. The  OEPA Division of Surface Water  ensures compliance with the Federal Clean Water Act and works to increase the number of bodies of water that can be safely used for swimming and fishing. Bill has taken an active role in the movement in this area to remove old dams from Ohio rivers to improve water quality and restore rivers to a free-flowing state.  Zawiski  says dams and the slow-moving pools they create are a serious problem for fish and the aquatic insects they feed on. He will discuss the concepts and methods of removing old dams, and the benefits that dam removal can bring to stream ecology and fisheries.

Bill Zawiski

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.