BROOKIE NEWS

<<< Illustration “One Last Look -

Brook Trout” courtesy of Bob White

of Whitefish Studio

Newsletter of The Central

Wisconsin Chapter of

Trout Unlimited (CWTU)

August 2014

Prez Sez

It has been a busy month for me,

mostly away from TU activities.

Vacation on the east coast, illness,

injury, and new grandbabies. The

summer and season has gone by so

fast and here we are heading into the

last month of Wisconsin Trout season.

It is frightening that it seems to go by

faster each year. In spite of some

personal difficulties there were two

significant events in the third week of

August. My oldest grandchild, Collin,

departed for college at USC, and my

seventh grandchild, Sofia, arrived in

DON’T MISS THE

CWTU ANNUAL

CONSERVATION

BANQUET,

SATURDAY,

OCTOBER 4, 2014

WAUTOMA WWII

MEMORIAL HALL

this world. I think those are called

milestone events.

Here are a few announcements, some

of which will also be mentioned

elsewhere in the news letter. First of

all, you should have received a large

envelope containing information and

raffle tickets for the fall BANQUET

coming soon on Saturday, October 4.

Please make your reservations ASAP.

If you have not received this

BANQUET packet, please call me or

Laura right away at 920-622-5401. By

the way, if the stamps look like they

were placed on the envelope by a 3

year old, that's because they were. We

needed all the help we could get.

The September Board meeting is a

week later than usual, on September

16. The Program after the meeting

will include a panel discussion about

Fall Fishing. It will be good, so please

come.

We would like to have more women

members in our chapter. Know of

good candidates? Spouse, sisters,

aunts, cousins, friends? Call our

Membership Chairman, Mike San

Dretto.

The Board is considering adding a

"Chapter Historian" position to

research and capture important

information before we lose it. More to

come.

Have some great Fall Fishing. Maybe

this will be a better year for Hoppers! John Tucker

Thank You, Yes, I Mean You!

There are things we think about all the

time but forget to say. THANK YOU

FOR BEING A MEMBER OF

CENTRAL WISCONSIN TROUT

UNLIMITED. Your membership

supports local stream projects and

local Trout Unlimited volunteers

along with National Trout Unlimited

priorities.

There are no paid employees in

Central Wisconsin TU. Everything in

the Chapter is done by volunteers.

Nobody is complaining because we

have a lot of fun. Getting out on area

trout streams and making new friends.

It isn’t easy to describe what a CWTU

volunteer does. While some donate

many hours others may participate in

one or two activities. Some have a

special skill or interest and help in

that area if needed.

Would you be willing to donate 5

hours a year of your time to Trout

Unlimited? I know you are busy and

have responsibilities which sometimes

keep you from getting in all the things

you would like to do. I also know that

you are actually reading the Brookie

News and probably care a lot about

trout streams. You might enjoy

spending some time with people who

have similar interests.

Perhaps you have looked at stream

restoration days or events put on by

the Chapter with thoughts of helping

out, but had questions or wasn’t sure

who to contact. We can help with that.

Maybe you have thought of ways you

could help CWTU but what you are

thinking of isn’t on the list. That

might also work as we are always

looking for new ways to meet the

interests of our members.

Current volunteers keep coming back

because they like what they do and

feel good about it. We want new

volunteers to have the same

experience on day one. If you are at a

point where you may have a few

hours to donate know you are

welcome at any Chapter event looking

for volunteers. If you would like more

information or have ideas about new

activities let me know. And of course,

THANKS AGAIN, your TU

Membership makes a difference.

Mike San Dretto

CWTU Membership Chair msandretto@aol.com

Minutes of Board Meeting; August

12, 2014

Home of Robert and Mary Haase,

Eldorado, WI

Bob and Mary Haase hosted a picnic

dinner at their home in El Dorado

prior to the meeting.

The meeting was chaired by Vice

President Mike Sandretto, in the

excused absence of President John

Tucker. About thirty members were

present, including a quorum of the

Board of Directors. The meeting

began at 6:32 p.m.

1. Mike Sandretto, Vice President,

called the meeting to order.

Mike requested review and

discussion of the draft minutes

of the previous Board meeting

of July 8. Following no

discussion, it was moved and

seconded and the minutes were

approved unanimously.

2. Treasurer’s Report. Mike

Schaefers presented a written

summary of the financial status

of the Chapter. Discussion

followed on the handling of the

profits of the Fly Fishing

School. Previous years’

accumulated net income was

reported at $4100; of that

amount, $500 was expended on

the Youth Fishing Program,

leaving a net of $3600. In

addition, the net income from

this years’ Fly Fishing School

was about $2400. This total,

about $6000, was presented for

discussion. Following

discussion, Dan Harmon moved

that the amount of $6000 be

donated to the University of

Wisconsin-Oshkosh as “donor

advised funds” with the

intention that the amount be

deposited in a trust account to

serve as a source of tuition for

students engaged in graduate

degree programs focused on

clean water fisheries. Dan

Harmon noted that this

scholarship program has

assisted a number of scholars,

some of whom have been hired

by the Wisconsin Department

of Natural Resources. John

Gremmer added that our

Chapter helped these students

launch their careers. The

motion was seconded and

passed unanimously. Motion to

accept the Financial Report was

made by Bob Haase and

seconded by Linn Beck; the

motion was passed

unanimously.

3. Clean Water Act and Statement

on Headwaters. Mike

addressed a sample letter to be

addressed to legislators

supporting recognition of the

headwaters of streams as vital

to fisheries and that they be

protected under the

administration of the Clean

Water Act. TU national

agressively supports the

initiative. Following

discussion, John Gremmer

moved to support the initiative,

which was seconded and passed

unanimously.

4. New Member Mailing. Mike

indicated that the Chapter

intended to send a package of

materials to all new members.

Often, people who join TU

national are not aware that they

automatically are included in

CWTU if they are located in

the area. The package included

two license plate holders and

materials on the Chapter. The

costs of doing this were

estimated at a total of $55 per

year. John Gremmer moved

and Bob Haase seconded a

motion to carry out the plan,

which motion passed

unanimously.

5. Wisconsin Trout Unlimited

2014 Youth Fishing Camp.

Linn Beck reported that 15

students attended the camp,

sponsored by 12 TU Wisconsin

chapters. This was the first

year of the camp, and it was so

successful that plans are

already being made for next

year. Linn specially thanked

John Gremmer and Bob Haase

for their leadership and Ira

Giese, Dan Harmon, and John

Erickson for their support and

participation. Linn noted that

16 students was a good number

given factors including

supervision, training and

transportation and that it was a

fine experience for the faculty

to see the interest and

enthusiasm of the students.

6. Commemorative Bench

Project. Dan Harmon reported

that the four benches are now in

place commemorating the

contributions of four former

CWTU members: Arling

Erickson, Tom Sopkovich,

Nash Williams and Richard

“Ozzie” Osbourne. Dan

praised the DNR’s cooperation

in finalizing the effort,

including Scott Bundy and

Kendall Kampke and

specifically thanked members

who contributed to the effort,

including Rene Kerska, John

Wilcox, Bub Burke, Dick

Krause, Jim Sullivan, Jerry

Strom, Ray File, John Tucker,

John Sullivan, and Russ Bouck.

Dan was applauded for his

organization and management

of the project. Dan reported

that each bench must be

checked twice annually, during

the spring and fall fishing

seasons. There was a

discussion begun by Bob Hasse

on possibly adding benches for

Bob Hunt and Elward Engel.

Dan reported that he has

hardware for four additional

benches. Bob Haase said he

could build two.

New Business

1. John Gremmer reported on the

September meeting noting that

it is set for September 16

rather than the usual second

Tuesday of the month. John

said the program will be “All

about Fall Fishing,” and will

include ten specialists who will

each have a three minute

introduction followed by

individual table conversations

with each of the ten speakers.

John also said he was thinking

about a “Bob Hunt Annual

Lecture Series,” and general

discussion followed.

2. The next work day is Saturday,

August 16, on the Main Branch

of the White River.

Following a request for any new

business, which went unanswered, the

Chair entertained a motion and vote to

adjourn the meeting, which concluded

at 7:27 p.m. Respectfully submitted,

Robert Burke, Acting Secretary

A Yellowstone Adventure

This year, six intrepid CWTU

fisherpersons set out for a week of

fishing in Yellowstone National Park.

Below are a few of the comments that

they passed along to Ye Ed regarding

this latest iteration of “Western Trout

Fishing on a Budget.”

David Seligman:

This year’s traveling trout bums

included Mike San Dretto, Jim

Murphy, Bob Rennock, Bob Burke,

Ira Giese, and David Seligman. Linn

Beck was unable to make the trip due

to work schedule changes, and Bob

Haase had health issues (now

thankfully resolved) that kept him

from traveling. Gary and Pat

Herlache, traveling the West in their

own camper, joined us at the site.

Gary and Pat Herlache at Soda Butte Creek

Photo courtesy of Mike San Dretto, our sixth.

Two years ago, I made contact at the

TU Annual Meeting in Asheville,

North Carolina, with Marcia

Woolman, a TU National Trustee.

Marcia had raffled off a week at her

cabin in Yellowstone, and although I

was not fortunate enough to win, I did

indicate my interest in a possible

future booking. To my delight, Marcia

was able to arrange for our group to

stay this year in July at her place and

to do so at a discounted rate, as it

would be just after the fishing had

really opened up in the Park and just

prior to her own family’s use of the

cabin. Needless to say, I jumped at

the chance. Although I knew that

Marcia and her husband, Hank, had

operated a fly shop on the premises at

one time, I was delighted both with

the pleasant company and the

unerringly good fishing advice from

Marcia that came along with the

cabin, making for a truly memorable

trip.

Marcia Woolman’s Cabin

Among her suggestions was a

booking for a horsepacking trip to the

remote Third Meadow on the Slough

Creek with the wranglers and guides

from Skyline Ranch, which turned out

to be one of the trip highlights.

On the trail to the Upper Meadow

Following a day on horseback, and

recovering from the associated pains

and aches, we took a day for

sightseeing in the YP.

The Yellowstone River Valley

Yellowstone Lodge

Old Facefull

Yellowstone Falls

Ira Giese:

Dave asked each of us to write about

the most memorable part of our trip to

Yellowstone N. P. Not the Cutthroat

(which were beautiful, and I felt

averaged about 1-2 inches larger than

those normally caught on the North

Fork of the Tongue River).

Not the herds of buffalo that managed

to snarl traffic as they moseyed down

the highway in the Lamar Valley.

Rush Hour

Not the incredible views and vistas of

the Beartooth Mountains

or Yellowstone N. P. Not the horse

trip back into the third meadow of

Slough Creek. No, as great as all

those were, the best part for me was

sharing the experience with 5 other

CWTU fellow fishermen. What a

contrast, in professions, tastes in food,

fly fishing experiences, and lots of

other categories. However, it was a

great pleasure sharing the trip with

these 5 other fishermen, all with a

common goal of enjoying some time

in the great outdoors. I thank Jim

Murphy for encouraging me to hike

up to 14 miles/day to fish the upper

meadows in Slough Creek. I thank

Mike San Dretto for joining us on the

hike one day, and patiently explaining

his work as a radiologist.

Mike San Dretto gearing up for the hike with

the help of Seligman and Murphy

I thank Bob Burke for being such a

culinary genius with the most basic of

materials. I thank David Seligman for

his TU contact with the owner of the

home we stayed in, and for organizing

the trip. And, I thank Bob Rennock

for his sense of humor, and his most

comfortable Ford pickup. What a

good group of fellas from a great

organization!

Lunch at Yellowstone Lodge

Bob Rennock:

I can't say enough about how pleased

I was as a member of the CWTU

group that traveled to Yellowstone

Park for fly fishing and a bit of

sightseeing. Everything from the

excellent lodging, terrific

companionship and the beauty of the

park added to our adventure.

As each day arose, we were on a new

and exciting venture. The fishing

proved to be a bit challenging with the

high and cloudy water in the bigger

rivers but as all good fisherman, we

finally found an excellent fishing area

called Slough Creek.

Typical Cutbow

Yellowstone cutthroat were are target

but on the way to the river we

experienced buffalo, lots of buffalo,

black bears, grizzly bears, antelope,

badger and weather. Afternoon rain

with hail became commonplace to us.

We also encountered rainbows, cut

bows and brown trout. We even had a

taste of rainbow at supper one

evening. Some members of the group

(Ira and Jim) put on lots of miles of

backpacking in received the benefit of

amazing fishing. Some of the rest of

us found our own secret spots.

At the Third Meadow

Anyway, this was one of my most

satisfying and excellent fishing

experiences and I cannot wait to go

back to secret spot 2 with Bob Burke

and to secret spot 3 with Dave

Seligman as the fishing there was

amazing.

Bear facts

Heading out to the Triple Secret Spot

Jim Murphy: Awoke on the morning of July

15th to a Montana Blue Sky with a

few white clouds floating by. This

was a day Mike, Ira, David, Gary, Pat

and I had been looking forward to for

months. A trail ride to the famed

"Third Meadow" of Slough Creek.

Anticipation was running high as we

met Luke ,the wrangler, and his

daughter. The ride was exhilarating

and the scenery beautiful. The horses

we'll behaved except for Pat's sassy

mule who made her ride miserable.

Pat’s “sassy” mule

Once at the meadow the group split

up and Ira and I headed down stream.

Everyone caught "Cuts", some close

to 20" and"Football Fat". About 3:00

PM, a nasty storm rushed in over the

mountain. Wind, rain, thunder,

lightning and hail sent everyone

scurrying for cover and sent the fish

to the bottom.

Hail and Farewell

We rode back in an intermittent rain

but no ones spirits were dampend as

the stories of fish caught or lost began

to flow and would continue well into

the night. Definitely a day to

remember. A day spent with friends,

catching fish, swapping stories, and

celebrating my Birthday. Doesn't get

better than that.

That’s my story, and I’m sticking to

it.

A lot of bull

Bob Burke:

There once were six Wisconsin

fishermen for trout

and Yellowstone cutthroats they did

seek out.

Dodging buffalo pies, they hiked and

horsed for miles

While curiously maintaining their

smiles,

Double secret spots on Slough Creek

and Soda Butte Creek they now know

about.

A

Yes, there’s an antelope in the middle ground

and a bison herd in the background

A CURIOSITY?

From: Jim Voigt <norjim56@gmail.com> Subject: Goldfish! Hi John, Me again with another short story. The BW and I were coming back from our Wednesday of volunteering @ VA in King, when we stopped in the little town of Rural, just south of Waupaca on Hwy 22. We had an ice cream cone at the little 'General Store' and were chatting with the proprietor, when a elderly gentleman walked in. He appeared to know the owner very well as he sat down and started talking. After some local political bickering, talk got around to fishing. The elderly gentleman exclaimed that he been trout fishing last week. (As soon as he said trout fishing, my ears perked up!) He went on to say that he was on the Crystall River, and had caught one really nice 'brown'. Then he said he saw something he had never thought he'd ever see. When asked what that was, he exclaimed "Goldfish". (Now this really got my attention). He said he saw about a dozen of them, and they were all about a foot long or bigger. The man seemed to be sincere in what he was saying, and past the age where he would not want pass any gossip just for the sake of just that---gossip. Have you or any members ever heard of goldfish in the Crystall River, just off so Shadow Rd? As you know, goldfish are carp, and as carp can do great damage to any waters they inhabit. Not only that, but now with the damn out at Little Hope, these carp will be able to access the Chain of Lakes in Waupaca. The stream however was my concern, as I have spent many hours of my youth in its clear, cold waters. If the carp start multiplying, hard to tell how much damage they could do, where ever. Jim Voigt Mem# 409822228

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