Little Elkhart Chapter’s Spring Outing 2011
The 6th Annual Spring Outing is set for May 7, 2011 at Riverbend Park, 511Warren Street, Middlebury Indiana on the banks of the Little Elkhart River.
We have been gearing up for the biggest and best Spring Outing yet. We have opted to hold an outing rather than a banquet, like most other conservation clubs seem to be having, for several reasons. First and foremost we are a group of trout fishermen and most of us would rather be fishing than to attend a dinner party. An outing allows us to mingle with other fishermen outside next to the trout stream and many of our attendees go fishing after the outing is over. Many of us are also “banqueted out” and the thought of planning another extravagant dinner/auction turns our stomach. Outings are much more fun. For 2011 we have Chris Wood, CEO and President of Trout Unlimited as our featured speaker. Chris will enlighten us on the workings of our organization and the problems they are tackling, on our behalf. Chris will field questions that you might have about T.U. as well. LECTU is truly honored to have someone of Chris’s caliber present at our outing.
LECTU President Mike Beachy will be holding a talk on the Little Elkhart River. What is LECTU doing to help the stream? Where do the trout come from? How do you successfully fish the river with what and when? Where are the best stretches of river to cover?
Chris Miller will be conducting river access tours. This is especially informative for folks new to the Little Elkhart River. You will come away with information needed to formulate a game plan for your next fishing trip on the Little “E”.
Tom Park tying flies at the 2010 Spring Outing
John Mangona and Eric Wroblewski, two local fly tiers with a lot of trout fishing experience, will be on hand demonstrating fly tying. These two guys have the skill to tie working flies and the know how to use them. Watch them tie and pick their brains on where and how to fish these flies.
Lee Troyer will be the “pro” of the casting course. You are invited to bring your gear and attempt to hit the target rings and cast through the gates like a golf course. We will be holding a casting competition with prizes given out in both the spinning and fly divisions. This is mostly for bragging rights and all in fun so don’t be intimidated.
Chef Bill Myers and his crew will be cooking up a grilled bratwurst luncheon with all the fixings around noon. Bill has earned the title of grill master and I’m sure no one will go away hungry.
After lunch LECTU will hold our raffle fundraiser. This year we have received the largest selection of quality items of any of our previous outings. Jeff Johnson has donated a three man, one day trip to Brookhaven Lake near Clare, Michigan. Brookhaven Lake is a private lake loaded with big brook trout and arctic grayling. It includes the use of a drift boat for mobility and ease of casting. Brookhaven Lake is a catch and release lake so only pictures and memories can be taken home.
Lynn Roose donated a Renzetti Traveler fly tying vise. For anyone who ties flies you know about the quality and functionality of this fully rotary vise. We have many more raffle prizes to choose from and more and more donations arriving all the time.
The Outing will conclude with the Adopt-A-Trout raffle drawing. This year’s prize is a Winston WT 8.5ft. 5wt and an Abel gold Trout II reel. This prize retails for over $1000. All proceeds of the Adopt-A-Trout raffle go for the annual brown trout stocking LECTU commits to. The Annual Spring Outing has free admission for LECTU members and non-members. You are welcome to bring a couple buddies with you. We do ask for a $5 donations for the lunch to offset our costs. Raffle tickets are cash or check only. This is our one and only fundraiser of the year. The funds generated go to assist the chapter to function and fund the projects we do. We do have an open air pavilion available to us but most of the activities will be outside. Watch the weather and dress appropriately. May sounds warm but some years it has been downright cold. You are welcome to fish the river after the outing has concluded so throw in your fishing gear and take advantage of the stream as long as you are here. Plan on attending to the 2011 Annual Spring Outing. Learn about the river, Trout Unlimited and meet some others with the same passion as you.
A special thank you to all of this year’s contributors. Here is a nearly complete listing of Raffle prizes:
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Tentative Schedule of Events
9:00 am
10:00 am
10:30 am
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11:30am
12:00 noon
1:00 pm
After Drawing
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ders, rod/reel and tackle along with an Indiana fishing license including trout stamp are required.
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View Riverbend Park in a larger map
View Riverbend Park in a larger map
