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Upcoming Events
May 1st
Spring Outing
This Saturday May 5th at River Bend Park, 511 East Warren Street, Middlebury, Indiana (Map) will be our 7th annual Spring Outing. On the banks of the Little Elkhart River the outing is held in an open air pavilion at the park so dress appropriately for the weather. Featured guest speaker Ann Miller will be presenting an interactive program about the invertebrates from the Little Elkhart River. River access tours, free fly casting instruction, fly tying demonstrations begin at 9:00am so get there early. The outing will conclude with a cookout and our fundraiser auction and raffle. See attached flier for more details and some of the items that will be in the auction and raffle.
Stream Cleanup
LECTU has scheduled four Stream Cleanup work days this summer. Our goal is to move log jams out of the main channel of the river to keep the water moving and cool. This provides better habitat for the trout that we are trying to protect. The more volunteers we get the more we can accomplish. I would like to start to spread out and tackle areas outside the catch and release section in the coming years. We need help in identifying problem areas, securing permission from property owners and volunteers to work on improvement projects. If we continue to work as a team I believe we can accomplish a lot. Please consider volunteering some of your time this summer to help LECTU make a difference for the river and for the trout.
LECTU has scheduled four Stream Cleanup work days this summer. Our goal is to move log jams out of the main channel of the river to keep the water moving and cool. This provides better habitat for the trout that we are trying to protect. The more volunteers we get the more we can accomplish. I would like to start to spread out and tackle areas outside the catch and release section in the coming years. We need help in identifying problem areas, securing permission from property owners and volunteers to work on improvement projects. If we continue to work as a team I believe we can accomplish a lot. Please consider volunteering some of your time this summer to help LECTU make a difference for the river and for the trout.
June 16
Our first stream cleanup will be a combined effort with help from the SJRVFF.
Stream Cleanup - 8:00am CR 43 Bridge (Map)
We will be working in the river. Bring your waders, water, gloves, garden rake, bug spray and long sleeves.
July 28
Stream Cleanup - 8:00am Riverbend Park (Map)
We will be working in the river. Bring your waders, water, gloves, garden rake, bug spray and long sleeves.
August 11
Stream Cleanup - 8:00am Riverbend Park (Map)
We will be working in the river. Bring your waders, water, gloves, garden rake, bug spray and long sleeves.
Stream Cleanup - 8:00am Riverbend Park (Map)
We will be working in the river. Bring your waders, water, gloves, garden rake, bug spray and long sleeves.
September 15
Stream Cleanup - 8:00am Riverbend Park (Map)
We will be working in the river. Bring your waders, water, gloves, garden rake, bug spray and long sleeves.
Stream Cleanup - 8:00am Riverbend Park (Map)
We will be working in the river. Bring your waders, water, gloves, garden rake, bug spray and long sleeves.
Meeting Minutes April 11, 2012
Apr 12th
Meeting Attendees
Leonard Gustin, Brandon Rasler, Lee Troyer, Court Walker, Pete Lehman, Tom Cripe, Bob Hagin, Don Fiwek, Jeff Stauffer
Meeting Minutes
The minutes from the March meeting were approved.
Fishing Reports
Mike caught 14 brown on 3/31
Court caught two browns
Brandon caught one brown
Leonard caught 2 browns
Treasurer’s Report
Our current balance is $10,543.30.
Communications
The newsletter that we snail mail should go out as soon as it gets printed and mailed. The web site has up-to-date information for our Spring Outing.
CR 43 Project
The project is all set and awaiting word from John Law. Tentative date for the project is June 16th.
Fly Casting Class
Charlie Ray has very few dates available for a fly casting class. It is either June 9th or some time in September. Five members (Don, Bob, Court, Brandon and Lee) would be interested in an advanced fly casting class and would like to do it June 9th.
Casting for Recovery
Don will check when we last donated to CFR.
RiverFest
Leonard reported that they had another meeting but they have not finalized very much. LECTU will basically have the same involvement as last year. We will donate at least $50 and maybe more, depending on the results of our fund raisers.
LECTU Decals
The decals have arrived and were distributed to the members at the meeting. We will distribute them to those that sign in at the spring outing.
LECTU River Work Days
It was decided that we will have work days on July 28, August 11 and September 15.
Brown Trout Stocking
We are still waiting on the hatchery test results. We would like to stock the browns the Tuesday after the spring outing. We would like to stock two places at Wilbur’s; one being straight in from the lane and the other by the steel bridge by the woods. Also at the well field and at Spring Street.
Annual Spring Outing
The date for the 2012 event will be May 5th. Mike provided a list of items for the raffles. He also provided a list of assignments for the outing. Items resolved are as follows:
- Brandon will provide a projector screen.
- Lee will either secure a fly tying volunteer or else do it himself.
- We need flies tied for the fly boxes. Leonard will supply some. Lee will also if he has time.
- Tour volunteer – We need a volunteer for the tours. No one volunteered. The discussion centered around if we need to do this every year. Maybe we should simply document what routes Chris does on his tour so we have it available for the future. Maybe a walking tour could be substituted some years.
- TFO Rods – We will have 4 of our TFO rods. We will put a 6, 8 and 12 weight in the raffle. We will put the 12’ 12 wt in the silent auction.
- Court will bring the soda and water.
- Court will help Charlie Ray set up.
- Ticket pricing will be same as last year.
Next Meeting –May 9, 2012 at 7:00 PM at the Middlebury Library.
Lee Troyer – Secretary
Meeting Minutes – March 14, 2012
Mar 27th
The minutes from our last meeting are available on line at the following location: https://docs.google.com/open?id=1CbPZuyeV0JWzhbon6f8-7KpwDyKt9oAU4s3M0jijAjVw6uecyJNREGZo92ix
Meeting Minutes – February 8, 2012
Mar 13th
The minutes from our last meeting are available on line at the following location: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1g5dTTnKOL89pGP0f3JW9VygPiJhFQYjBavtXB9da2N8/edit
Meeting Minutes – January 11, 2012
Feb 8th
Meeting Attendees
Wayne Andrews, Mike Beachy, Don Fiwek, Leonard Gustin, Bob Hagin, Brandon Rasler, Lee Troyer, Carlisle Roose, Doyle Bloss
Meeting Minutes
The minutes from the December meeting were approved.
We received a $1,000 contribution from SJRVFF.
Leonard suggested that we look at putting a fence stile on Levi Yoder’s property.
The minutes from the December meeting were approved.
Fishing Reports
Treasurer’s Report
We received a $1,000 contribution from SJRVFF.
CR 43 Project
Leonard suggested that we look at putting a fence stile on Levi Yoder’s property.
Indiana on the Fly
Annual Spring Outing
- Beau Beasley donated a book he authored titled Fly Fishing the Mid-Atlantic
- Great Lakes Fly Fishing Co donated a book titled The Valley of Light
- Guide Josh Lantz will donate a Trophy Largemouth trip for two.
- Old AuSable Fly Shop may donate a stay at their apartment in Grayling among other things.
- Wildcat Outfitters will donate misc. items
- Simms will donate hats and a jacket.
- Riverview Lodge and Cabins will donate a weekday stay on the AuSable (includes Monday thru Thursday, excludes trout opener, Memorial Day, July 4th and Labor Day)
- TFO Rods – John Bueter will make us a deal on TFO rods that are being replaced by new series. Mike bought their TCIR rods at 70% off retail, of which he has 10 rods. The deal was that we had to take all 10 rods. A couple of the rods are specialty rods.
- Headline Speaker for our Spring Outing – Anne Miller on entomology – Her new book (Hatch Guide for Midwest Streams) should be available and she will do a book signing as well as a 45 minute program.
Habitat Access Maintenance (HAM)
The smoked hams have been delivered to the landowners.
The smoked hams have been delivered to the landowners.
Brown Trout Stocking Program
Three Rivers Fly Fishers
Youth Fishing
Middlebury Riverfest
Other
New Business
Don also reported that we are required to have a separate account for our raffle. This is a requirement for our gaming license.
Don also stated that he has a time-share for May 18 – 25. The property is about 35 miles North of Traverse City and he will have a bedroom open for anyone who wants to use it. The fee would be $75 for the week.
Summer Vacation – It was decided that we will not have a July meeting this year. It was also decided that we will again have a cookout for our June meeting.
LECTU Decal – We will look at getting LECTU decals made. Lee will check prices with Hoogie’s Sport Shop.
Next Meeting – February 8, 2012 at 7:00 PM at the Middlebury Library.
Lee Troyer – Secretary
Meeting Minutes – December 14, 2011
Jan 10th
Meeting Attendees
Wayne Andrews, Leonard Gustin, Brandon Rasler, Mike Beachy, Bob Hagin, Bob Roth, Tom Cripe, Joseph King, Lee Troyer, Don Fiwek, Chris Miller, Court Walker, Guest: Mike Oesch
Meeting Minutes
The minutes from the November meeting were approved.
Fishing Reports
Mike was the only one that had been out since the last meeting. He reported catching 5 browns in a 3
hour trip.
Treasurer’s Report
Don reported a balance of $8,924.63.
Communication
The winter newsletter was sent out yesterday by Brandon.
CR 43 Project
Public notices will go out to landowners on Saturday, December 17th.
Indiana on the Fly
The date for the event in 2012 is Saturday, January 7th. Lee, Mike, Don and Bob Hagin plan to attend.
Indiana Gaming Commission
We have received our one-day license to hold our spring rafle.
Adopt-A-Trout
Mike announced that Adopt-A-Trout tickets are available for club members to sell.
Elkhart Conservation Club Brown Trout
Mike will try and schedule Ed Evans for a February or March meeting to present his vision where he
wants to take their brown trout stocking program.
Annual Spring Outing
The date for the 2012 event will be May 5th. We are still looking for a headliner, being either a speaker
or a demonstration.
Habitat Access Maintenance (HAM)
The smoked hams will be delivered to the landowners this Saturday.
Upper Midwest Trout Unlimited Regional Meeting
There has been no further communication on this proposed meeting.
Brown Trout Stocking Program
Mike will contact the Crystal Springs Hatchery the end of this month. They do their testing in January
and the results go in with their permit application.
Program
Dave Arrington made a presentation on the work his company has been doing on the Little Elkhart river
watershed. This is a program resulting from concerns about the water quality of the Great Lakes and
the drainage that comes into the Great Lakes from rivers and streams. Dave has been working with
grant monies available to reduce the amount of sediment, nitrates, E Coli and other harmful runoff
from entering the stream. He has worked with farmers to create vegetation along the waterways and
constructing alternatives to cattle being in the waterways. Results have shown that harmful effluents
have reduced dramatically including the reduction of hundreds of tons of silt yearly. He has been
working on this for eight years and Suggests another six years of work to be done.
Next Meeting – January 11, 2011 at 7:00 PM at the Middlebury Library.
Lee Troyer – Secretary
Winter 2012 Newsletter
Dec 14th
Catch up with what is going on with LECTU in the 2012-Winter newsletter.
Dave Arrington to Present at December Meeting
Nov 14th
Meeting Notice
Little Elkhart Chapter of Trout Unlimited
Wednesday , December 14 at 7:00 P.M. at the Middlebury Public Library
Map: http://tinyurl.com/2tygvg
Little Elkhart Chapter of Trout Unlimited
Wednesday , December 14 at 7:00 P.M. at the Middlebury Public Library
Map: http://tinyurl.com/2tygvg
At the December 14h chapter meeting Dave Arrington will speak to LECTU members. Dave is the President of LGL Natural Resource Associates and a senior wildlife ecologist. He is in charge of putting together a watershed management plan for the Little Elkhart River drainage system and then implementing best management practices. Please join us to hear an update on the progress of the Little Elkhart watershed.
Dave’s project started in 2005 with water quality testing and a land use inventory. Dave and his crew test the water quality in a variety of ways however it is the automated sampling machine that can give him data every two minutes and is recorded on a computer. The auto sampler is a very effective way to monitor the water quality and the changes it goes through during a high water event.
Dave explained that the major problem with the water quality of the Little Elkhart River is directly attributed to livestock and farming practices. The Little Elkhart River contains levels of phosphorous, nitrates and E-coli that are far above target levels. Manure run off during high water events confirms these findings.
Sediment levels in the Little Elkhart River elevate drastically during high water run off due to live stock having direct access to the river proper and the ditches that feed the river. The livestock will trample the banks causing erosion and sedimentation run off. This sedimentation of the river covers the rocks and gravel inhibiting bug life that are key to trout survival.
Dave has identified the major sources of these problems and is now in the restoration phase of the project. In his presentation Dave showed photographs of a barnyard before and after a restoration. The creek was fenced off 20 feet from the waters edge, preventing cattle direct access. Seasonal grasses were planted in the buffer to build up a natural filter between the pasture and the creek. A crossing was then constructed with fencing and lined with stones. Cattle do not like to stand on the stones and will prevent the livestock from standing directly in the water, as they often do in the heat of the summer. The stone prevents sediments from running into the creek during rains and keeps the banks intact on either side.
Dave has his work cut out for him. In the headwater area alone he has identified over fifteen miles of river and creek that will require fencing improvements like he outlined. Thanks to Dave and the Soil and Water Conservation Districts of LaGrange and Elkhart Counties our home waters will see water quality improvements that will have a lasting effect.
Meeting Minutes – November 9, 2011
Nov 11th
Meeting Attendees
Mike Beachy, Don Fiwek, Leonard Gustin, Tom Cripe, Court Walker, Lee Troyer
Meeting Minutes
The minutes from the October meeting were approved.
Fishing Reports
Mike reported catching 14 browns in two trips in the well field area during October. Several browns were approximately 4 inches, indicating natural reproduction. Mike reported seeing a few redds where browns were spawning.
Treasurer’s Report
Don reported a balance of $8,915.01.
Accident Insurance
Mike stated that we received the accident insurance policy. The Secretary will keep it on file.
Communications
Mike would like to get the winter newsletter out in December. Items to include are as follows:
- Indiana on the Fly
- Tie-A-Thon – Beneficiary this year is Casting for Recovery
- Trout catch rate statistics – Maybe Brandon can put a report together
- The President’s letter is ready to go
- Brandon has an article about the Little Elkhart that could be included
- Lee will do the Featured Fly
- Court will do a write-up on the Hoosier River Watch project
- Adopt-A-Trout
Stream Improvement
The work that was completed from Tornado Bend past the C&R downstream boundary in the park is really turning out well. It has created holes with gravel bottoms and the structures are holding up well.
CR 43 Project
John Law informed us that we will need to get a permit from the DNR for the project. There is no hearing scheduled and it is our understanding that none will be necessary. Mike has the public notices prepared for delivery to the landowners. We will need to send a $200 check with the application once the public notices have been delivered.
Indiana on the Fly
The date for the event in 2012 is Saturday, January 7th. Thus far, Lee, Mike, Don and Leonard plan to attend. Lee is in the process of ordering hats to sell and also for the Spring Outing.
Indiana Gaming Commission
We do not need to re-qualify for a gaming permit to sell raffle tickets. The application is already sent in.
Adopt-A-Trout
The rod and reel for the raffle arrived. Mike printed 1,000 tickets. Members need to get out and sell the tickets.
Elkhart Conservation Club Brown Trout
The trout are scheduled to be released next week. It is anticipated that the Little Elkhart will get a substantial number. Ed Evans wants to discuss with us his ideas for their trout program. He mentioned keeping the trout for two years, thus raising substantially larger trout before they are released.
Annual Spring Outing
The date for the 2012 event will be May 5th. Mike has reserved the pavilion. We need to come up with a featured speaker for the event.
Middlebury Parks/Hoosier River Watch
Thanks to Court Walker and Brandon Rasler for assisting with testing on the Little Elkhart. Court reported that he does not have the results yet from Tom Enright.
Habitat Access Maintenance (HAM)
We will again be giving out smoked hams to the Little Elkhart landowners. Lee will get the hams from Old Hoosier Meats and Lee and Mike will distribute them as follows: Schwartz 3, Yoder 1, Oesch 1, Hoover 1 and Adam 1. These are approximately 5 lb hams that will run approximately $230.
Trout Unlimited Resolution
Mike reported in our October meeting that TU passed a resolution that TU Chapters are not to participate in hatchery trout stocking of non-native species in waters that hold native populations of trout. Apparently this has generated quite a bit of controversy within TU. However, it does not affect our chapter as our waters are not home to native trout populations.
December Meeting Program
Dave Arrington will be the speaker at our December meeting.
New Business
- TU 2012 Film Tour – Mike received communication about the TU 2012 Film Tour. The club would have to pay $800 but TU would do the advertising. This probably needs to be hosted in a larger metropolitan area than we have available to our chapter.
- Regional TU Meeting – There is an effort to organize an Upper Midwest Regional TU Meeting. There will be further details coming.
- GLC/FFF Fly Tying Expo – This will be held at Holt High School on December 3. Lee and Mike plan to attend.
Next Meeting – December 14, 2011 at 7:00 PM at the Middlebury Library.
Lee Troyer – Secretary
Meeting Minutes – October 12, 2011
Oct 17th
Meeting Attendees
Mike Beachy, Don Fiwek, Leonard Gustin, Brandon Rasler, Carlisle Roose, Lee Troyer, Court Walker, Joseph King, Jim Phillips
Meeting Minutes
The minutes from the September meeting were approved.
Fishing Reports
Mike reported catching 12 browns on three different trips during late September and early October. The Pine Cone fly worked well. Lee hooked two kings and his wife hooked one at Leper Park on October 6th.
Treasurer’s Report
Don reported a balance of $9,599.20. We netted $1,523.77 during our fiscal year. Mike gave Don an invoice for $110 for our accident insurance.
Communications
The fall newsletter went out.
Habitat Project
Work was completed from Tornado Bend past the C&R downstream boundary in the park.
CR 43 Project
All paperwork has been submitted by John Law. John tells us that there is a chance that we will not even need a permit because it is not a major project. We are waiting that determination.
Indiana on the Fly
The date for the event in 2012 is Saturday, January 7th. Our registration and fee has been sent in and accepted. LECTU is on the show poster. There was a discussion as to whether we should sell hats at the show. Mike said we only have 4 in inventory. Lee will order a dozen hats. The preferred color is olive or beige, preferably with the underside of the bill being black to enhance visibility. Don suggested that we try and get a higher quality hat this time. There is no need to order any more T-shirts.
Indiana Gaming Commission
The qualification application has been sent in. We need to allow 8 weeks for the process. Once qualified, Mike will fill out the application and send a check.
Adopt-A-Trout
Mike reported that the Hardy reel has been received to go with the Winston WT 9’ 5 wt rod.
Annual Spring Outing
The date for the 2012 event will be May 5th. The date was needed so that we can put it on the Adopt-A-Trout tickets.
Middlebury Parks/Hoosier River Watch
This is a structured program to measure and monitor water quality and bug life on streams. LECTU volunteers (Court Walker and Brandon Rasler) participated with the first sampling on October 6th. Tom Enright will share the findings with LECTU. The program calls for a minimum of 8 assessments in 24 months but Tom Enright wants to do it more frequently.
Trout Unlimited Resolution
TU passed a resolution that TU Chapters are not to participate in hatchery trout stocking of non-native species in waters that hold native populations of trout. This does not affect the Little Elkhart as trout are not native in the Little Elkhart.
Trout Stocking
Crystal Springs hatchery has been cleared by the State of Indiana to bring trout into the state for 2012. Mike reported that they will not have the 7 – 9” browns available as they are that size already. However, the trout will be less expensive than those we purchased from Cedar Brook. Last year we spent $2,000 for the browns. The browns from Crystal Springs will cost $2.50 each with the transportation cost of between $150 and $300, depending if we can share costs. Lee moved we get our browns this year from Crystal Springs. Past experience is that they supply a higher quality product. Motion was seconded by Don. The motion was passed.
Christmas Habitat Support Project
Don moved that we continue the project of buying hams for the landowners that allow us access to the Little Elkhart. Lee seconded the motion. The motion passed.
Valparaiso University Lecture Series
Valparaiso University is conducting a series of lectures on Healthy Rivers. Mike passed out a flyer with the dates and speakers.
New Business
Lee suggested that we try again to get Dave Arrington to put on a program for LECTU this fall. Mike will try and contact him.
Next Meeting – November 9, 2011 at 7:00 PM at the Middlebury Library.
Lee Troyer – Secretary
