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.

Event: Wounded Warriors Fly Fishing

Date: 11/8/19 Time: Noon until 3 p.m.

Each fall we call upon 15 members to assist providing fly fishing lessons for the Wounded Warriors organization, veterans of conflicts in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere in the middle east who have suffered physical injuries and mental stress. The lessons are given at the Ohio Division of Wildlife hatchery at Castalia, on Cold Creek.

October 10, 2017, CFRTU members instructed Wounded Warriors to fly fish on Castalia’s Cold Creek.

Event: November 2019 Chapter Meeting

Date: 11/11/19 Time: 7:15-9:00 p.m.

The featured speaker will be Smithville’s Dan Rice, a retired zoologist from the Division of Natural areas and preserves in the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, who will speak on “Ohio’s Native Fish and Clean Water Act of 1972.” Dan spent over 25 years working with both amateur and professional biologists surveying for and studying rare fish species and other animals living in various Ohio habitats. Dan is coauthor of three books: “The Ohio Breeding Bird Atlas” (1991), “Native Fishes of Ohio”(2014), and “A naturalist’s Guide to the Fishes of Ohio” (2019).

It has been 38 years since the 1981 revision of Milton Trautman’s 1951 classic book, “The fishes of Ohio.” Much has changed in those 38 years. The passage and subsequent implementation of the Clean Water Act in 1972 has led to major improvements in the water quality and habitat conditions found in many of Ohio’s rivers and streams. Populations of many of Ohio’s native fish, long depressed by deteriorating habitat conditions, have witnessed some remarkable expansions over the last quarter century. Using his recently published book, “A Naturalist’s Guide to the Fishes of Ohio,” Dan will illustrate some of these success stories, as well as look at some of those species for which improvements came too late. A number of non-native species like the round goby and Asian carp, which found their way into Ohio water in recent years, will also be examined. Dan will highlight the important components comprising aquatic habitats and how they relate to Ohio’s fish communities.

Event: November stocking of Apple Creek

Date: 11/09/19 Time: 10:00a.m. until noon

Place: Grosjean Park in Wooster

This will be the second fall stocking of Apple Creek. Approximately 400-500 good sized rainbow and and brown trout will be stocked in Apple Creek.

A net full of trout emptied into transport buckets.

Event: December 2019 Chapter Meeting

Date: 12/9/19 Time: 7:15-9:00 p.m.

Our featured speaker is Dan Herms, from Davey Tree Expert Company, whose topic is “Climate Change and Arboriculture: As the Earth Warms, Trees Feel the Heat.” The discussion following Herms presentation will include impact of global warming on cold water fisheries.

Herms retired from the Department of Entomology at The Ohio State University as professor and chair of the department in 2018 to assume the position of Vice President for Research and Development for Davey Tree Expert Company. He has conducted pioneering studies on the ecology of tree pests including the Emerald Ash Borer, an introduced beetle that is quickly killing Ash trees in the Eastern U.S. His studies also focused on interactions between trees and insects, and he was a member of the OSU Climate Change Outreach Team. He now heads all research and development for Davey Tree, the world’s largest full service tree care company.

The earth has warmed markedly since the beginning of the industrial revolution. Most of this warming has occurred over the last 40 years with impacts on flora and fauna that are already apparent and are predicted to intensify. This discussion will examine patterns and causes of this warming, climate change projections for the rest of this century, and impacts on biodiversity including distribution and abundance of trees, insects, and other species.

Dan Herms with his first trout caught on a fly.

Event: January Chapter meeting

Date: 1/13/20 Time: 7:15-9:00 p.m.

The featured speaker will be Kevin Ramsey, retired Ohio State Wildlife Officer, who will be speaking to us about “Fly fishing for striped bass off Cape Cod.” He will discuss different types of water to fish, fly fishing tactics, observation skills, fly patterns and understanding tides. Additionally, he will give tips on presenting and retrieving flies and when to apply these techniques.

Kevin fly fishes whenever he can. He prefers to fish rivers and streams for trout along with his love for fly fishing for striped bass. Kevin is an accomplished fly tier and has been a guest fly tier at several fly fishing shows, including the international fly tying symposium. He teaches fly casting and instructs fly fishing workshops for the Ohio Division of Wildlife each year.

Event: February Chapter Meeting

Date: Saturday, February 15, 2020 Time: Noon-3 p.m.

Place: Sippo Lake Library and Exploration Gateway, Canton

The featured speaker will be Clear Fork River Trout Unlimited member Randy Rowe. He is a retired plant disease management specialist who spent his career with OSU/OARDC in Wooster. Randy enjoys fly fishing in Ohio and Michigan, particularly for steelhead. He will speak to us on “Fly Fishing the Snake River in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming.”

Randy and his wife have been visiting the Teton mountains in the NW corner of Wyoming for many years starting with their honeymoon in 1967. Over the years they have vacationed there ten times to enjoy the spectacular views and hike the mountain alpine areas, enjoying the scenery, birds, and the wildflowers of their “most favorite place on Earth.” More recently, Randy has discovered the excellent fly fishing for cutthroat trout in the Park’s Snake River. He will show many photos highlighting the beauty of that area, and will discuss two guided drift boat fly fishing trips he took in 2014 and 2019.

The meetings at Sippo are action packed. The meetings are held in conjunction with John Rochus’ Fly tying and fishing get-togethers. In addition to the main speaker there will be door prizes, a featured raffle prize (fly fishing rod and reel) as well as drinks and snack foods to eat. The final hour and a half is devoted to fly tying. Fly tiers should bring their vises and tying tools. Fly tying experts will demonstrate how to tie various fly patterns with participants following along. Hooks and materials for tying these flies are available for $1.

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

Randy Rowe on the Snake River

Event: March Chapter meeting

Date: Saturday, March 14, 2020 Time: Noon-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.

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.

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.