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: 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.

CFRTU will raffle a Temple Forks Outfitters, 7-weight, 10-foot fly rod and matching large arbor fly reel perfect for battling steelhead in Lake Erie tributaries. The rod & reel retail for over $550. Proceeds from the raffle will help the chapter with cost of stocking trout in our home waters.

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.

Event: April Chapter meeting

Date: Monday, April 13, 2020, Time: 7:15-9:00 PM.

Place: Rm. 130, Research Services building, OSU campus, Wooster

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: May Chapter meeting

Date: Monday, May 11, 2020 Time: 7:15-9:00 PM

Place: Rm. 130 Research Services Bldg. OSU/OARDC campus, Wooster

The featured speaker will be Ryan Jackwood who will present an illustrated talk on “Importance of River Restoration: Improving Water Quality and Wildlife Habitat.”

Ryan joined the Harpeth Conservancy in Tennessee as the Watershed Science and Restoration Program Director in March 2019. He provides strategic direction for their science-based programs and implements restoration priorities based on water quality assessment. Ryan is originally from Ohio where he earned a B.S. degree from The Ohio State University and an M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Toledo researching issues with water quality and harmful algal blooms on Lake Erie. He will present on the sources and impacts of surface water pollution and restoration strategies that can be used to improve our waterways. Ryan will approach these topics from perspectives of his work in Ohio and Tennessee.

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.