Meeting Minutes
Meeting Minutes – August 11, 2010
Sep 2nd
Mike Beachy called the meeting to order.
Meeting Attendees
Mike Beachy - Leonard Gustin - Brandon Rasler
Bob Roth – Lee Troyer
Meeting Minutes
The minutes from the July meeting were approved.
Fishing Reports
Mike Beachy reported that he caught a 22 1/2 “ brown.
Lee fished last Friday and caught two browns.
Treasurer’s Report
There was no Treasurer’s report as Don Fiwek is in the hospital.
C&R Signs for Solomon Creek
Mike Beachy has the signs ready to install. Lee will try and help getting this installed.
Indiana on the Fly
Still waiting to hear from Patty Beasley about getting a discount for the show this year.
Youth Education
Scheduled for October. Waiting to hear from Marc Gantt.
Indiana Fly Casters
Mike will give them a presentation October 13th. This is the same evening as our LECTU meeting. We will decide next month if we want to change our meeting schedule.
Dave Arrington
Dave Arrington will be at our December 8th meeting. He is making good progress on the Little Elkhart project and he has received funding for another three years. He has also completed the invertebrate study and will share it with us.
Neil Ledet
Neil Ledet (DNR Fisheries Biologist) will be at our November 10 meeting. We will have trout catch data ready for yearly comparison. We will discuss our stocking program as well as discussing the possibility of the state stocking browns.
Summer Newsletter
We will try and get a summer newsletter out soon. Items to include are as follows:
September is our annual meeting
Data on catch and release rates
Middlebury Riverfest
Middlebury fishing derby for kids
Hunter safety
Fly of the month – Mike Beachy
Middlebury Fishing Derby
The Middlebury Fishing Derby for kids will be Saturday, August 14 from 9 AM to 11 AM. Lee, Mike and Brandon will volunteer to help measure fish. We are to meet at the covered bridge on the Essenhaus property.
Middlebury Parks
Mike spoke with Tom Enright as to discussions at the Middlebury Parks Board meeting. They discussed the idea that we brought to them about stocking the pond at Riverbend Park for kid’s catch and release fishing. They were open to the idea. We will make a point of discussing this with Neil Ledet to determine that if bluegills escape into the Little Elkhart during high water, if there is any negative effect.
Tom Enright also mentioned that there is a group that wants to make the Little Elkhart canoe accessible.
Cabela’s
Steve Mack of the Hammond Cabela’s store assisted us in one of our river clean-up projects. He stated that Cabela’s is having a family weekend on August 28 and invited LECTU to set up to sell memberships and do a raffle. Cabela’s can provide raffle items. This is a high traffic event. Leonard Gustin will attend and man the table.
River Work Project
We have completed work at four different sites for a total of ten volunteers spending eighty man hours.
Bob Roth reported that he has been approached by an Amish individual about a log jam on Rowe Eden causing flooding on his property. He is erroneously blaming LECTU because of our catch and release on the Little Elkhart. Bob will get with him to find out the exact location and see if our chapter can assist with the log jam removal.
Mike stated that there is a log jam by Marilyn Hodgson’s property on Solomon Creek. We will look at it to see if we can help with that.
New Business
Adopt-A-Trout Raffle rules – This was brought up at last month’s meeting. Since there was light attendance this month, this will be tabled until next month’s meeting.
September Officer Elections
A slate has been proposed as follows:
President – Mike Beachy
V.P. – Leonard Gustin
Secretary – Lee Troyer
Treasurer – Don Fiwek
3 Year Board Member – Bob Roth
Next Meeting – September 8, 2010 at 7:00 PM at the Middlebury Library
Lee Troyer – Secretary
Meeting Minutes – July 14, 2010
Jul 21st
Mike Beachy called the meeting to order.
Meeting Attendees
Mike Beachy - Don Fiwek - Leonard Gustin
Bob Hagin - Jim Phillips - Brandon Rasler
Bob Roth - Tom Taylor - Lee Troyer - Don Bates
Meeting Minutes
The minutes from the June meeting were approved.
Fishing Reports
Mike Beachy reported that he fished CR 10 to CR 35 a couple of weeks ago. He took a few smallmouth and also a couple of rainbows and one brown in the lower section. Mike also caught 13 browns last Sunday with one being 20 inches. They were hitting an olive nymph.
Brandon and Lee both fished yesterday and they each caught one rainbow.
Correspondence
Keith Edwards from Cincinnati inquired about the Little Elkhart and where to fish. He ended up catching one rainbow and one small brown.
Patty Beasley of Indiana on the Fly also inquired. Mike steered her to a section of the catch and release. No report yet.
Treasurer’s Report
Don Fiwek reported our balance at $7,961.73. He has taken out two CDs. One is for $3,000 with a 5 year and 11 month term. The other is for one year at $2,000.
C&R Signs for Solomon Creek
Mike Beachy has the signs ready to install. He would like some help in getting this completed.
Indiana on the Fly
Mike spoke with Patty Beasley about getting a discount for the show this year, considering we are a non-profit club. She will get back to us.
Youth Education
Scheduled for October.
Indiana Fly Casters
Mike will give them a presentation October 13th. This is the same evening as our LECTU meeting.
Dave Arrington
Mike left a message with Dave Arrington about putting on another program for our chapter at a future meeting.
Middlebury Riverfest
We did receive the two fly casting outfits. We had a few hoops set up for target casting and a few attendees came over to make some casts. Attendance was fairly good, considering this was the first year for the event.
Cabela’s Store in Hammond
They have expressed an interest in helping with our river cleanup project. They will send six workers for the July 31st. work date.
Dar Geegan Fish Shocking
Dar conducted the fish shocking at the Middlebury River Fest. A number of species were captured including three brown trout. Dar has volunteered to do a shocking study for us at no charge. The members had some reservations as to the effects this could have on the trout. Dar had indicated that when large browns are shocked, occasional it can have a negative effect. There have been instances where it broke the spine on the fish. It was felt that the information gathered by such a study would not add significant data to what we already know and we believe it is not worth the risk.
Catch and Release Maps
Mike provided a detailed map of the catch and release area. Brandon put it in color. This will help in discussions when referring to certain parts of the river.
River Work Project
June 19th, the club removed the log jam on the Little Elkhart at US 20. July 17th is another work day. We will work in the woods from the “tornado bend” and work upstream to the “cut through”. Mike purchased a come-a-long and some chain to assist us in moving large logs.
New Business
Our three years are up for stocking brown trout into the Little Elkhart. We will have to re-apply for additional stocking. A motion was made, seconded and passed that LECTU will pursue efforts to continue our brown trout stocking program into the foreseeable future.
Saturday, August 14th, will be a kid’s fishing derby at the Essenhaus. We have been asked to provide volunteers to assist with counting fish caught and measuring the fish.
There was some discussion about stocking the pond at Riverbend Park for kid’s fishing. There was some concern that the pond could flood and wash these fish into the river. Tom Enright will bring this up at the Middlebury Park Board meeting. It was suggested that we send a representative to the Park Board meeting. Mike will check into it.
There was a discussion held regarding the development of a professional Little Elkhart River habitat restoration plan in cooperation with the Middlebury Parks Department.
Jim Phillips brought up the ethical propriety of LECTU officers and directors winning the raffle for Adopt-A-Trout.
Next Meeting – August 11, 2010 at 7:00 PM at the Middlebury Library
Lee Troyer – Secretary
Meeting Minutes – June 10, 2010
Jun 15th
Mike Beachy called the meeting to order.
Meeting Attendees
Mike Beachy, Don Fiwek, Leonard Gustin, Bill Myers, Penny Myers, Jim Phillips, Brandon Rasler, Tom Taylor, Lee Troyer
Meeting Minutes
The minutes from the May meeting were approved.
Fishing Reports
Brandon passed around a report from our catch rate database for review. There have been additional reports of what appears to be naturally produced browns being catch. Their size is smaller than what the Elkhart Conservation Club is stocking in the stream. The only possible explanation is that we are getting some natural reproduction in the Little Elkhart.
Correspondence
Mike received an email from Andrew Krzysiek of W. Washington University asking about fishing the Little Elkhart. Mike pointed him in the right direction.
Treasurer’s Report
Don Fiwek reported our balance approximately $8,200. He suggested that we put some of this into a CD. We agreed that a $4,000 CD would be appropriate.
C&R Signs for Solomon Creek
Tom Taylor has the signs in his garage ready to install.
Indiana on the Fly
Mike has not heard back on his request for a discount for the show. The show is not until January but we will keep it on the agenda.
Youth Education
Scheduled for October.
Indiana Fly Casters
Scheduled for October.
River Work Project
June 19 we will be working on the log jam at CR 43 and US 20. We will meet at Riverbend Park at 8:00 AM. Mike received approval to purchase a large come-a-long to aid in log repositioning.
Middlebury Riverfest
We have been asked to participate in the Middlebury Riverfest activities at Riverbend Park on June 26. It was suggested that we set up at least a portion of our casting course with some demo fly casting. We could also bring our fly casting training rods. In addition, we were asked if we could do some fly tying demonstrations. Mike suggested that we can also set up a table with our display board and banner for the event.
It was decided to purchase two casting outfits which can be purchased fairly reasonable.
New Business
It was suggested that we get Dave Arrington back for a program to update us on his progress working on the Little Elkhart drainage. This will probably be scheduled for the fall.
Meeting adjourned.
Next Meeting – July 14, 2010 at 7:00 PM at the Middlebury Library
Lee Troyer – Secretary
Meeting Minutes – May 12, 2010
Jun 4th
Mike Beachy called the meeting to order.
Meeting Attendees
Wayne Andrews Mike Beachy Don Fiwek Michael Flowers
Leonard Gustin Chris Miller Jim Phillips Brandon Rasler
Tom Taylor Lee Troyer Tom Vanderpotten Adam Wallace
Meeting Minutes
The minutes from the April meeting were approved.
Fishing Reports
Brandon reported that members are logging their catch statistics on the web site.
Catch rates thus far are 2.4 rainbows per hour and 0.5 browns per hour.
Conservation Officer Report:
Mike met the new Conservation Officer for Elkhart County. He stated that they have been active at Solomon Creek checking fishermen but it does not appear they have done a lot of patrolling on the Little Elkhart catch and release section. Mike invited him to our chapter meeting, but they did not attend this month.
It was mentioned that the signs on Solomon Creek are no longer there. It was decided that we would put two signs at the CR33 bridge like the signs we have on the Little Elkhart. Sign costs for the Little Elkhart were $80 each.
Treasurer’s Report
Don Fiwek reported our balance at $8,529.53. The outing was a success financially. The income/expense numbers were as follows:
· Lunch $210 income $139.69 expense $70.31 net (Have not paid for the brats yet)
· Pick Raffle $670 income $0 expense $670 net
· Adopt-A-Trout $2,070 income $522.91 expense $1,547 net
· Merchandise $565 income $0 expense $565 net Total net $3,122
Spring Outing Recap
There were 46 attendance cards filled out. There were a few that did not fill out a card. It was estimated that 50 were in attendance.
· There was good attendance at the European nymphing techniques program by Jeff Stanifer.
· Chris Miller stated that he gave stream tours to 30 individuals.
· Mike Beachy reported that only 4 individuals took part in the guided fishing. We may discontinue this for next year.
· Lee Troyer reported that 8 individuals went through the casting course.
Overall it was a successful outing.
It was suggested that next year we may want to have several more items in the Adopt-A-Trout raffle.
Stocking Report
The trout arrived Tuesday afternoon at 4:00 PM and were stocked in the Little Elkhart. We stocked 100 at CR43, 200 in the meadows and 200 in the woods on Judy’s property. The trout were in good shape. We ended up getting 8 – 10 inch browns. Total cost was $1,982. Cost per fish was $2.65. In addition, we were charged mileage for 330 miles at $1.75 per mile.
Don Fiwek asked if we would be able to order two different fish sizes in the same load and he said that we would be able to in the future.
Communications
Rather than send out a newsletter right away, it was decided that Brandon would email a notification for the upcoming stream work days, the first of which is June 19.
River Work
There was a discussion about where we wanted to work on the stream at our June work session. One suggestion was to work on the log jam that is just north of the US 20 bridge where it crosses the Little Elkhart.
There was some discussion as to what is required for more permanent restoration activities, such as bringing in rip-rap and installing lunker structures. It was assumed that we would need to get a permit for this type of activity. More research is needed to determine the feasibility for this.
Casting at the Cove
Tim Scott of SJRVFF asked Mike Beachy if LECTU was interested in having a booth at the Silver Hawks ball park for the Casting at the Cove evening. Some discussion followed but there was not enough interest at this time.
Indiana on the Fly
The event will be in Indianapolis on Saturday, January 8, 2011. There was a discussion whether we should participate again this year. We did make a lot of good contacts last year. In addition, we sold 50 adopt-a-trout tickets last year. The fee is $200 for the booth. Mike Beachy will see if he can get the fee reduced because of our non-profit status.
Youth Education
The plans are to work with the 4-H fishing club in October. Charlie Ray plans to assist us in this. He has a lot of experience in youth education as related to fly fishing.
Indiana Flycasters
Indiana Flycasters wants us to put on a program at their meeting in October.
New Business
Leave No Trace is willing to put on a program for our chapter. This is about minimizing your impact in the environment, taking out what to pack in, etc.
River Bend Park
It was suggested that we look stocking the pond at River Bend Park in Middlebury with bluegills, primarily for kids fishing. Some research would need to be done to determine what is involved.
Meeting adjourned.
Next Meeting – June 9, 2010 at 7:00 PM at the Middlebury Library
Lee Troyer – Secretary
Meeting Minutes – April 14, 2010
Apr 19th
Little Elkhart Chapter of Trout Unlimited
Meeting Minutes – April 14, 2010
Mike Beachy called the meeting to order.
Meeting Attendees
Mike Beachy
Don Fiwek
Michael Flowers
Mike Gibbs
Leonard Gustin
Bob Hagin
Chris Miller
Bill Myers
Brandon Rasler
Bob Roth
Lee Troyer
Charlie Ray
Keith Loutzenhiser
Meeting Minutes
The minutes from the March meeting were approved.
Fishing Reports
March 20 – Mike Beachy caught 4 rainbows.
March 21 – Mike Beachy caught 8 browns and 1 rainbow.
April 6 – Lee & Sandy Troyer caught 2 rainbows and 1 brown.
April 13 – Leonard Gustin caught 2 browns
Wayne Andrews caught 1 brown and 1 rainbow
Treasurer’s Report
Don Fiwek reported our balance at $7,880.77. There are no payables outstanding. Adopt-A-Trout ticket sales thus far are $478 in excess of the associated expenses.
Stream Improvement
On March 27, volunteers moved a large tree on the Oesch property in order to function as a wing dam. This stretch has a lot of siltation. This has resulted in the silt being washed away down to gravel in this area.
Casting for Recovery
A motion was made to donate $250 to Casting for Recovery. The motion was seconded and passed. Don Fiwek will handle the donation.
Youth Education
Mike Beachy has been in contact with Marc Gant of the 4-H fishing club. Their club meets the first Tuesday of each month. We will work with them to introduce them to fly fishing at their October 5th meeting. It is estimated that 20 youths would participate.
Charlie Ray was in attendance and he does extensive work with youth groups introducing them to fly fishing. His programs are through the Plymouth Park Dept and the Culver Summer Camp.
Charlie suggested that with 20 participants, it would work best if 4 or 5 stations could be set up. Participants then could be divided into groups of 4 or 5 and then rotate through the stations. This will allow more personal attention to the participants. The stations could be fly casting, fly tying, entomology, stewardship, essential knots, … as examples.
Brandon reported that there will be another fishing derby for youths at the Essenhaus ponds this summer (August timeframe). Tom Enright has asked if our TU Chapter wanted to participate and possibly put on a fly casting demonstration.
Communications
The newsletter will go to press tomorrow. Brandon suggested that we establish stream improvement work dates so that he can include them in the newsletter. Mike Beachy will get him those dates.
SJRVFF Tie-A-Thon
Brandon Rasler and Lee Troyer represented LECTU at the fourth annual Tie-A-Thon on April 3rd. Mike Beachy also donated flies but was not able to attend. This year there were 7,000 flies tied by volunteers bringing the 4 year total to 20,000 flies. This year the flies will go to the Kalamazoo Valley TU Youth Camp as well as Reel and Heal.
Next year the flies will be donated to Project Healing Waters.
Adopt-A-Trout Raffle
Ticket sales have been good, thanks to the members who have been selling them. We are over $400 ahead of expenses. Everyone is encouraged to continue to sell tickets over the next two weeks.
Brown Trout Stocking
The stocking permit from the DNR has arrived. The letter certifying that the trout are disease free is in the mail. Once we receive that, we will forward it to the DNR. The Crystal Springs hatchery can deliver the trout for stocking the second week of May. Mike Beachy will get an exact date from them. Chris Miller will coordinate the stocking. Volunteers are Leonard, Chris, Lee, Bill Myers and Bob Roth.
Lee will contact Sam Hoover to get permission to access the stream across his farm property.
Annual Spring Outing
The Annual Spring Outing will be held at RiverBend Park on May 1st. Volunteers need to arrive by 8:00 AM sharp to help set up. Mike reviewed activities, duties and supplies needed. Assignments are as follows:
Greeting and Sign-In table – Bill Myers, Leonard Gustin and Don Fiwek
Purchase Food – Mike Beachy
Food Cooking & Service – Bill Myers and Bob Roth
Slide Show – Brandon Rasler
Fly Tying – Tom Park of GO-2-Flies
Fishing Guides – Mike Beachy
Access Tour – Chris Miller
European Nymphing demonstration – Jeff Stanifer
Casting Course – Lee Troyer
Apparel – Don Fiwek
DNR Officer Patrol
Lee Troyer will contact the DNR to request a Conservation Officer to patrol the catch and release area on opening day.
Creel Reporting Process
Mike Beachy stated that we should track our fishing catch rate again this year so that we have the statistical database for future reference. Brandon Rasler will construct a link on our web site so members can post their statistics. The reporting process will include hours fished, # rainbows caught, # browns caught, C&R Y/N, and an experience rating.
Meeting adjourned.
Next Meeting – May 12, 2010 at 7:00 PM at the Middlebury Library
Lee Troyer – Secretary
Meeting Minutes – March 10, 2010
Apr 19th
Little Elkhart Chapter of Trout Unlimited
Meeting Minutes – March 10, 2010
Mike Beachy called the meeting to order.
Meeting Attendees
Wayne Andrews Chris Miller
Mike Beachy Brandon Rasler
Don Fiwek Lee Troyer
Leonard Gustin Adam Wallace
Jim Phillips Tom Taylor
Bill Myers Penny Myers
Meeting Minutes
Don Fiwek made an amendment to the minutes changing the wording for the supplemental trout feeding discussion from “the matter will be dropped” to “the matter has been dropped”. The minutes were approved as amended.
Fishing Reports
February 20 – Mike Beachy caught two browns and one rainbow.
March 7 – Mike Beachy caught three browns and one rainbow while Don Fiwek caught three rainbows.
March 10 – Lee Troyer caught two browns. One was two inches long. This is significant because it has to be a naturally reproduced fish. Both Mike Beachy and Leonard Gustin have had that same experience.
Mike reported on his trip to the Brookville tailwaters. Mike was not able to catch any fish but a few were caught by the people he was with. Mike stated that the locals are very unfriendly, which validates what we have been hearing. Mike had his vehicle keyed, which had been reported by others previously.
Treasurer’s Report
Don Fiwek reported our balance at $7,395. Adopt-A-Trout ticket sales thus far are $277.09 in excess of the associated expenses.
Communications
The newsletter went out yesterday. Mike suggested that we need to start on the next newsletter soon as that one will have a lot of information in it for our spring outing.
LL Bean Donation
We have received two fly fishing outfits from LL Bean. The fly rods are 8 ½’ 6 weight rods complete with reels, backing and line.
Carmel Orvis Program
Mike Beachy stated that the program that our chapter put on at the Orvis store in Clay Terrace went well. There were approximately 15 in attendance. However, they did not sell many Adopt-A-Trout tickets. Orvis did donate a fly reel to our chapter.
Orvis days are the first week of May. They want us to come back for that.
Jim Phillips questioned why we are giving programs around the state about the Little Elkhart, and thought that we had discussed in the past that we would not do that. No one could remember such a discussion and nothing was found in previous minutes to that extent.
Fly Masters
They stated they will get in touch with us in regards to a donation.
Lunkers Extravaganza
Brandon and Mike were on fly tying duty for the Lunkers event. Brandon stated that most people that stopped by were interested in bluegill flies.
Shipshewana Taste of Summer
It was decided that our TU chapter will not participate in the Shipshewana Taste of Summer event. Their theme is too far removed for our Trout Unlimited interests.
Youth Education
Mike is still waiting to be contacted by Marc Gant for the 4-H fishing club.
Adopt-A-Trout Raffle
Members are encouraged to keep selling tickets for the raffle.
Brown Trout Stocking
Jim Phillips reported that we will not be able to get fish for stocking this year from the same place as last year due to disease issues at that hatchery. Mike Beachy found that Cedar Brook had fish available and he ordered 500 7” – 9” browns. Mike has already been talking to the IDNR to help expedite the permit process. Stocking from this source is dependent on the hatchery passing the tests that their fish have to go through to be able to bring them across state lines.
Mike has estimated that the cost this year will be between $1,700 and $2,000.
Annual Spring Outing
Lee Troyer will be taking care of the casting course for the outing.
Mike has a number of fly rods and reels for the raffle. In addition, we also have an LL Bean Tech vest in addition to our hats and T-shirts. Mike stated that he would like to have some additional miscellaneous items for the raffle.
SJRVFF Tie-a-Thon
Mike asked how many members were participating in the SJRVFF Tie-a-Thon this year. The date is April 3rd. Mike, Brandon and Lee have tied their 100 flies. Lee and Brandon will attend on April 3rd. Don Fiwek may also attend.
Meeting adjourned.
Next Meeting – April 14, 2010 at 7:00 PM at the Middlebury Library
Lee Troyer – Secretary
Meeting Minutes – February 10, 2010
Feb 18th
Little Elkhart Chapter of Trout Unlimited
Meeting Minutes – February 10, 2010
Mike Beachy called the meeting to order.
Meeting Attendees
Wayne Andrews Bob Hagin Chris Miller
Mike Beachy Brandon Rasler Cliff Buell
Don Fiwek Lee Troyer Lynn Roose
Leonard Gustin Adam Wallace Tom Enright
Jim Phillips
Meeting Minutes
The minutes from last month were approved.
Fishing Reports
Some of the members reported both browns and rainbows being caught during January. Mike Beachy caught a 22 inch brown.
Treasurer’s Report
Don Fiwek reported our balance at $7,064.90. We have no open accounts payable as all bills are paid. We have also received enough in Adopt-A-Trout ticket sales thus far to cover our expenses so all future ticket sales will go directly to trout purchase.
Communications
Brandon reported that a newsletter will be going out soon.
There is also a link to the Asian Carp web site on our web site.
Brandon is working on the technology of getting a photo gallery set up for our web site.
Adopt-A-Trout Raffle
Members are encouraged to keep selling tickets for the raffle.
Brown Trout Stocking
Jim Phillips reported that we have reserved 500 brown trout. We will be buying the larger ones like we did last year. Jim is working on the necessary permits. We plan to release the fish on May 10th.
Youth Education
Mike Beachy reported that we will not be working with the 4-H Fishing Club in March as previously planned. This will have to be moved to a later schedule.
Programs:
Ø Carmel Orvis Program
Mike Beachy will be giving a presentation at the Carmel Orvis store on our Trout Unlimited Chapter on Saturday, February 27th. Brandon Rasler and Leonard Gustin will also attend.
Ø Indiana Fly Casters – They have contacted us to put on a program for their club. They also meet on the second Wednesday of the month. They have openings for a program in May, June, July, Sept, October and November. Because of our activity schedule, Mike Beachy stated that he would prefer doing this later in the year.
Ø Lunkers Extravaganza – They have asked us to do fly tying demonstrations at this year’s event. Mike Beachy and Brandon Rasler have volunteered. The event is scheduled for March 5 – 7.
Ø Middlebury Riverfest – Tom Enright of the Middlebury Parks and Recreation Department reported that they plan to have a Riverfest this year on June 26th. There will be a number of activities planned. He invited LECTU to also participate. Tom received a positive response from the LECTU members.
Ø Shipshewana Taste of Summer – This is an annual event that is held in Shipshewana with various activities. It is scheduled for May 23rd and they expect 4,000 plus visitors. Booths are free to non-profit organizations and any tickets we sell ahead of time ($5.00), we keep one-half. It was suggested that we think about this and discuss at the March meeting.
Annual Spring Outing
Tom Park of Noblesville will be tying soft hackle flies.
Jeff Stanifer will be demonstrating European nymphing techniques.
The LL Bean order has been sent in.
Flymasters will make a donation if we can provide an event poster to them. Mike will deliver it when he is at Orvis this month.
The materials for the casting course have been acquired.
New Business
TU Training
There will be a stream restoration training clinic on March 20 – 21 at Westby, Wisconsin. Mike Beachy and Chris Miller are interested in attending.
TU Stream Clean-up
TU is sponsoring a National Stream Clean-up on April 17th and June 26th. There will be prizes for the number of volunteers and the amount of material removed.
Supplemental Feeding of Trout
Jim Phillips made a comprehensive presentation in relation to the supplemental feeding of trout in the catch and release section. His overall objective is to increase the number of trout in that section of the stream. He stated that with supplemental feeding, the trout will become more readily established in that stretch of the stream rather than migrate to other sections. The process would involve feeding twice a day for the first two weeks and then twice a week for the rest of the year. He is asking that LECTU formally adopt a supplemental feeding program.
Mike Beachy stated that according to Neil Ledet and Bill James, it is legal to feed the trout in the Little Elkhart. However, they feel it will have little benefit and that the key is habitat and suggest that is where our emphasis should be.
Mike also contacted National Trout Unlimited. TU supports wild trout, and while they do not specifically support stocking programs, they realize that is unavoidable in certain circumstances. TU does not have any formal policy on supplemental feeding but suggest using management practices that support as close to a natural environment as possible.
All the members at the meeting were given a chance to give their thoughts on the subject. There were five members that were strongly against any form of supplemental feeding. Some of the reasons stated were public perception, ethics and a possible hindrance in ongoing relationships with the IDNR.
There were four members that would not be against supplemental feeding during the first week or two of the trout being released, but no one stated that the process should be endorsed by LECTU. Chris Miller stated that he fed 25 browns that were released on his property last year, but he would not repeat that practice in the future.
A LECTU board meeting was held after the membership meeting to determine the next steps to come to closure on supplemental feeding. It was determined relatively quickly that it was pretty obvious that the members did not want LECTU to have a supplemental feeding program. Since no motion was ever made for or against supplemental feeding, the matter has been dropped.
Next Meeting – March 10, 2010 at 7:00 PM at the Middlebury Library
Lee Troyer – Secretary
Meeting Minutes – December 9, 2009
Jan 8th
Little Elkhart Chapter of Trout Unlimited
Meeting Minutes – December 9, 2009
Mike Beachy called the meeting to order.
Meeting Attendees
Mike Beachy, Leonard Gustin, Don Fiwek, Wayne Andrews, Lee Troyer
Meeting Minutes
The minutes from last month were approved with corrections.
Fishing Reports
Mike Beachy reported that he caught a couple of browns on the Rowe Eden. Both Mike and Leonard reported catching a couple of fish in the two inch class. This is significant because it may be an indication of natural reproduction. Leonard stated that the fish stocked by the Elkhart Conservation Club were larger. Mike will double check with Ed Evans on exactly what was stocked.
Treasurer’s Report
Don Fiwek reported that we received a deposit from the council. There was some confusion in the process because the direct deposit did not work since we were changing our account at the time. Therefore, he is not sure if this deposit was for last year or this year. It was for $295.00. Total current balance is $7,388.11.
Apparel
Mike reported that we are waiting on Imagemill for T-shirts and caps.
Annual Outing
Mike will reserve the pavilion for our annual outing. We will target May 1 if available. The alternate date is May 8. Don suggested that we look at varying our activities so that we do not do the same thing every year. Jeff Stanifer had put on an interesting Czech nymphing demo at the SJRVFF outing last May. Mike will contact him to see if he could do that for our annual outing.
Communications
Mike produced a sample of the Adopt-A-Trout tickets. Once he gets the annual outing date finalized, he will put that date on the tickets. We will order a minimum of 500 tickets.
Adopt-A-Trout Raffle
This year’s winner will receive a Winston rod (which we already have) and an Orvis reel (which is on the way).
Brown Trout Stocking
Jim Phillips will take care of the application process for our trout stocking this year.
Indiana on the Fly
LECTU will have a booth at the Indiana on the Fly event which will be held on Saturday, January 9 at the Indy Fairgrounds Ag-Hort building from 9 AM – 5 PM. Setup is on Friday from 8 AM-5 PM. We will have a 10 X 10 booth with a couple of tables and chairs.
In the booth, we will have our banner, display boards, raffle tickets (Brandon), caps, T-shirts, and fishing guides (Don).
There will be a reception on Friday evening at 6:30 located at 1454 W 86th street. Discounted lodging is at Marten House at 1801 W 86th street.
Habitat Christmas Project
Mike and Wayne will deliver the hams to the landowners Friday or Saturday.
Youth Education
Plans are to put on a program for the 4-H fishing club in March.
Middlebury Park Business
No report on the brainstorming session.
New Business
We need to get dates for the presentations to Fly Masters, Orvis and Three Rivers Fly Fishers. Mike will speak with Orvis and Fly Masters while in Indy in January.
Next Meeting – January 13, 2010 at 7:00 PM at the Middlebury Library
Lee Troyer – Secretary
