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It's not too late! Registration Deadline for the Mad River Gala is March 17th. Send your check for $40 per person to Jeff Davis, Treasurer at P.O. Box 62, Xenia, OH 45385-0062 or register online and pay by credit card at https://2020tumadmengala.eventbrite.com
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I will start out this President’s Message by reminding everyone about the upcoming Mad River Gala, the Chapter’s Annual Meeting and Banquet scheduled for March 21st from 6:00 p.m. until 10:00 p.m. at the Simon Kenton Inn, just north of Springfield. You all should have received your Eventbrite invitations via email. We’re hoping for a big turnout that will include members, their guests and anyone else that has an interest in fly fishing, the Mad River, the Great Miami River watershed and conservation in general. Everyone is invited. Get your tickets online now. There will be a few tickets available at the door, but it helps with the headcount if you purchase your tickets in advance. See you there!
The Mad River Gala should be a great time, but now it’s time to get serious…
At our fall quarterly meeting and in my last President’s Message, we tried to emphasize the importance of continued vigilance and getting involved not only with the protection of our Mad River but also with conservation efforts on a regional, national and even global scale. We’ve all heard of the on-again, off-again, on-again Pebble Mine project in Alaska and how it could adversely affect Bristol Bay, the Kvichak and Nushagak Rivers that flow into it, the native culture that depends on those waterways for their very existence, and not to mention, the commercial and recreational Salmon fishing that revolves around it. By fall of 2020, final approval of this destructive project could be in place to the benefit one giant Canadian-owned mining corporation (Northern Dynasty Minerals, Limited) and to the detriment of nearly everyone and everything else.
And we’ve all recently heard the federal EPA was in the process of “relaxing” enforcement of the Clean Water Act. Since the Clean Water Act was first passed under Nixon in 1972, it’s been amended several times; not always without controversy but typically maintaining its core value of protecting the nation’s water resources. The current iteration of the federal EPA under the direction of the current administration has, among other things, ordered a reversal of the 2015 amendments that provided protection of wetlands and the headwaters of essentially every river and stream in the nation.
Trout Unlimited (TU) has been and continues to be engaged in the fights to stop the Pebble Mine project and to hold the EPA accountable for the protection of our essential water resources everywhere. The Madmen Chapter, like TU national, works to lessen impacts and address issues of our water resources through communication, cooperation, collaboration, education, etc. with local landowners, elected officials and businesses. And we also support common sense regulations to prevent issues that may be detrimental to the greater good. We want local communities to benefit from different land uses while still protecting the vital water resources. But how are the Pebble Mine and the recent actions by the federal EPA with regard to the Clean Water Act related and how do they directly affect us locally?
Although nowhere near the scale of the proposed Pebble Mine project, there are two mining projects within the Mad River watershed that seem to be inevitable. Both are, to some extent, the result of a large regional conglomerate buying up small operations and expanding those operations beyond their existing scale. This large company is primarily engaged in the business of highway construction, concrete and asphalt paving, and aggregate extraction and transport. The extraction and transport of limestone aggregate is the focus of the two proposed projects.
The project of greatest concern includes a limestone quarry and gravel pits within the boundaries of the Mud Run watershed. For those of you who don’t know, the Mud Run watershed includes two major tributaries to the Mad River between Enon and Springfield. Full of indigenous flora and fauna and rocky outcroppings, it’s a beautiful place. It includes cold water wetlands,fens and several springs. These all combine with the other springs and groundwater sources that together make the Mad River. With the excavation, gravel-washing wastewater, heavy construction equipment and disruption of surface water and the groundwater table that will take place, what could possibly go wrong?
The other project is a gravel pit immediately south of Route 36, on the east side of the Mad River. This location is not as environmentally sensitive as the Mud Run site, but the project will no doubt have some effect on the hydrology in the immediate vicinity. The only protection of the river is a 150-foot wide “buffer” on each side and a 100-foot wide conservation easement inside the buffer, that hopefully will remain for public access to the river. The immediate concerns are more of a permanent land use alteration and access to the river that may not be beneficial to the community at large. Once again, what could possibly go wrong?
Mining for sand and gravel or limestone is essential as they are important resources for building our communities, but the scale of these proposed projects far exceeds that of the small family operations that have been in operation in this area for over 100 years. If one digs a hole practically anywhere in the western half of Ohio, they will hit limestone or glacial sand and gravel deposits. Why do these projects have to be here?
The Mud Run operation is proposed in a beautiful and unique area, which is very sensitive to quality and quantity impacts of ground and surface water resources from this type of land use activity. The Route 36 operation is proposed in the largest and busiest recreational access point along the Mad River.
The reason these proposals are even being considered as potentially approvable is that in Ohio, the current regulatory requirements for siting and operating mineral mines are inadequate for large scale operations and those in areas sensitive to water resource impacts.
What can we do?
Well we can remain vigilant and try to hold the companies and regulators accountable for following the rules and regulations that are still in place. We can write our local, state and national officials to voice our concerns about the ever-increasing attacks on the environment. We can contact our friends at the Citizens Against Mining, Mud Run Conservancy, Miami Conservancy District, Tecumseh Land trust, Champaign County Farm Land Preservation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife, Ohio Scenic Rivers Association, B-W Greenways Community Land Trust, Scenic Mad River Committee, et al., that attended our fall chapter meeting to voice our support and ask what we can do to help.
The Mad River needs our help. It is a unique and valuable asset, not only for fishing and other recreational activities, but also for the quality of life and economic vitality of the communities in the watershed. If you’re concerned and so inclined, please contact Tom Allen, our Conservation Chair and former Assistant Chief of the Division of Drinking and Groundwater, Ohio EPA for names and contact information for any or all of these organizations.
Tight lines everybody!
Rick Hurni, President
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COLUMBUS, Ohio – A recent property acquisition in Champaign County will provide improved fishing access to the Mad River, a popular brown trout fishery, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife.
The access lies at the intersection of State Routes 29 and 296, just north of Urbana in Champaign County. The recent purchase of 1.2 acres adds to existing Division of Wildlife-owned property along the river. The property currently has a parking lot and primitive steps for anglers and those with small boats to reach the river. Plans are underway to provide improved access at the location, including a boat launch.
The purchase was made possible through Sport Fish Restoration funds, as well as generous donations from partners, including Trout Unlimited Madmen Chapter, Trout Unlimited Ohio State Council, Buckeye United Fly Fishers, Miami Valley Fly Fishers and Central Ohio Fly Fishers. The acquisition was finalized in December 2019.
The Mad River receives an annual stocking of 12,000 brown trout from Division of Wildlife fish hatcheries. The fish are typically 6 to 8 inches long and stocked in early October. Fishing for brown trout is excellent on the Mad River from Springfield north to West Liberty. When targeting brown trout, use fish-imitating baits, traditional artificial flies, as well as live bait. Late winter and early spring are often productive times to fish because the river rarely freezes. Other fish in the river include mottled sculpin, white suckers, creek chubs, blacknose dace, American brook lamprey and state-endangered tonguetied minnow.
The Sport Fish Restoration program is a partnership between federal and state government, industry, anglers and boaters. When anglers purchase rods, reels, fishing tackle, fish finders and motor boat fuel, they pay an excise tax. The federal government collects these taxes, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service administers and disburses these funds to state fish and wildlife agencies based on license sales. These funds are used to acquire habitat, produce and stock fish, conduct research and surveys, provide aquatic education to youth, and secure and develop boat accesses.
To learn more about Ohio’s wildlife areas and recreational opportunities, visit the Division of Wildlife website at wildohio.gov.
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A "New" Mayfly for Ohio
Don Dean, Professor of Entomology at OSU (ret.) and TIC Lead Contact for Madmen and State Council
The Dark Hendrickson, Ephemerella subvaria, has been known in Ohio for years but never reported before in the scientific literature. Brian Flechsig of Mad River Outfitters first recognized it and described it in his “Fly Fisher’s Guide to the Mad River,” back in 1996. I knew of Brian’s report, but didn’t believe him, because it was “known” to not be found in Ohio by Randolph and McCafferty (1998) in their classic work, “Diversity and Distribution of the Mayflies (Ephemeroptera) of Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin.” In sampling in the Mad River area I had only seen another mayfly, also called the Dark Hendrickson, Ephemerella needhami. Indeed, E. subvaria is mainly found in northern Wisconsin and northern Michigan in the Midwest and absent in the lower parts of those states.
All that was before my collecting pal, John Lorenz, and I did some sampling on Cedar Run in late March 2019. The Dark Hendrickson was plentiful there as nymphs. I contacted Flechsig to ask if he was sure he had seen Ephemerella subvaria. Flechsig said he was sure and even sent Dean a recent video clip of collecting on the Mad with the bug clearly shown. I then wrote it up and it was recently published in the Ohio Journal of Science (https://doi.org/10.18061/ojs.v119i2.6967). So now it’s official. Ohio has a “new” mayfly, which has probably been around, isolated for 10,000 years, since the last glacial period left the Cedar Bog area as a remnant of what was a larger bog similar to what now exists 500 miles north.
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On February 1st, the Greater Cincinnati Fly Fishing Show was held at the Oasis Conference Center in Loveland. Throughout the day there were several presentations, including the first ever Women's Fly Fishing Open Forum.
The panel was held by four women from local fly fishing organizations. Katie Johnstone, our Women’s Outreach Coordinator, was one of the panelists. The others included Cari Vota from Buckeye United Fly Fishers, Paula Smith from Miami Valley Fly Fishers, and Kerry Premec from the Northern Kentucky Fly Fishers.
The presentation room was set for thirty and every seat was filled! The panelists had talking points prepared in case the audience hesitated to ask questions, but the women fired away with one question after the other. Topics included safety, gear specific to women, places to fish and much more. It was great to have so many women engaged in the conversation.
Overall, the open forum was a hit and the women are already planning to do another presentation next year!
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On April 8th, the Buckeye United Fly Fishers are holding women-focused meeting with guest speaker, Jen Ripple of Dun Magazine. Jen’s talk is on the history of women in fly fishing. All women in attendance will be entered into a special raffle. The club meeting starts at 6 p.m. with the speaker starting at 8 p.m. Attendance is free and the meeting will be held at 7850 Voice of America (VOA) Park Drive, West Chester, OH 45069. http://www.buckeyeflyfishers.com/
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BUFF Women's Outing
The Buckeye United Fly Fishers are hosting a women’s outing April 23rd-26th. The cabins for the trip are booked, but women are encouraged to join Friday and Saturday for fishing. Please reach out to Cari Vota, BUFF, at vota@zoomtown.com if you are interested in attending.
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Trout in the Classroom
Don Dean, Professor of Entomology at OSU (ret.) and TIC Lead Contact for Madmen and State Council
This school year 16 schools and programs participated in the Madmen Chapter's Trout in the Classroom program. Four are new this year (one dropped out). For the first time as many schools received rainbow eggs (8) as brown trout eggs (8). Some schools are rearing both species in different tanks and observing the very different behavior of the two species. The participating schools are: Benjamin Logan Elementary, Middle and High Schools; Graham Elementary and Middle Schools; West Liberty/Salem High School; Northwestern Middle School; Southdale Elementary School; Fairfield High School, Fairbanks High School; Miami Valley Career Technology Center; Upper Valley Career Center; New Albany; Wellington School; STEM Middle School; and Cincinnati County Day School. Our schools are stretched from north of Bellefontiane, east to Reynoldsburg, and south and west to Cincinnati.
On November 21st, 2019, Jeff Davis (and grandkids) and Don Dean counted the brown trout eggs and delivered them to schools in the Mad River watershed. On January 21 and 22, 2020, Don shipped and delivered rainbow eggs to the remaining 29 TIC schools throughout Ohio, and to the other Madmen schools that are rearing rainbows.
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TU Teens learned about fly tying from Hunter Cook and James Eggers on February 25th.
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It’s getting to be that time of the year when we’re all thinking about the year’s upcoming fishing trips. And when I’m thinking about those trips, it brings to mind past ones. I think it was in mid-May three years ago, when Tom P. and I spent a week in north central Pennsylvania in the vicinity of Pine Creek.
Now Pine Creek is over 100 yards wide in places; hardly what I would have called a “creek.” It’s the largest tributary of the West Branch of the Susquehanna River and has the largest watershed of all the West Branch’s tributaries. Flowing through Potter, Tioga, Lycoming, and Clinton counties, the “creek” is some 90 miles long. Within Tioga County, over 23 miles are designated as a Pennsylvania Scenic River. There’s a 2.8 mile long Special Regulations section of the creek called “the Stretch” that runs from the mouth of Slate Run down to the mouth of Bonnell Run. This is a section that averages about 100 yards across. The Slate Run Tackle Shop’s Brown Trout Club stocks this section of the creek regularly with, you guessed it, Brown Trout. The fish vary in size from 14 to 23 inches when they are released. Believe me, there are a lot of big fish to be caught and released.
Though Tom and I fish other waters in the vicinity when we visit the area, we always spend a good amount of time fishing “the Stretch” -- often in the evening after we’ve spent the rest of the day elsewhere. One particular evening, we went there after an early dinner to see if we could catch a spinner fall. We parked just upstream of the bridge at Slate Run, got geared up and waded in. There was no significant spinner fall that particular night but there were a lot of fish actively feeding on the surface.
After Tom and I started fishing and spread out a bit, I spotted a consistent “riser” nestled amongst three rocks about 50 yards below the bridge. With its primo holding spot, it had to be a big, dominate fish. I waded out about 40 yards from the bank, positioned myself above it and started slack-lining my Parachute Adams down to the rising fish. I was getting great drifts, right into pocket created by the three rocks. I was seeing naturals on the water. The big Brown was feeding consistently; but I got no takes…no looks…
After I saw him take a few naturals just inches away from my fly, I decided to change it up. I must have tied on 10 different flies but to no avail. When it started getting too dark to safely wade, we packed it in. As I left the water, I could still see the bastard in the same spot, casually, consistently feeding.
The next evening (or maybe it was the evening after), I told Tom that we needed to go back. He agreed and so we did. After parking the car and getting ready, we walked over to just above the bridge. He was still there! In the exact same spot! Casually feeding away. “Tom…I’m going in. I’m gonna catch that S.O.B.” Tom waded in above the bridge and started fishing. I walked on the bank to just downstream of the bridge so I could wade straight out to take up my casting position above the three rocks. I didn’t get more than 10 feet off the bank when my feet slipped out from under me. I went down in a fraction of a second. The water wasn’t that deep, but I went completely in. Pulling myself up, I regained my footing and took inventory. I had bumped my shin pretty hard on a rock but otherwise was unhurt. I checked my rod and reel. Luckily they didn’t appear to be damaged. I was, however, completely soaked.
After getting back onto the bank, I took off my vest, my boots, my waders, my socks and my shirt and hung them on some branches. I checked the rod, reel and line again to be sure that nothing was damaged. Everything looked fine. I was a bit shaken and my shin was sore but otherwise OK. You know that ad campaign for the insurance company…the one with that guy “Mayhem”? That’s what it probably looked like; me sore and soaking wet, my stuff hanging all over the place…and the fish still out there in the same spot…casually feeding…mocking me. After a half hour or so, things were “dry enough” to put back on, the fish was still there and still feeding. Neither my rod nor my leg were broken and there was still an hour or so until dark. What the heck…I’m still gonna try to catch that fish.
After getting ready AGAIN, and using my wading staff this time, I gingerly waded out into perfect position above the fish. There were still naturals on the water so I tried a couple of different dry flies. I was getting great drifts but still no takes…no looks. Then it hit me. Duh…how about trying an emerger? Genius! I tied on a size 12 partridge and yellow soft hackle and presented it deftly downstream towards the pocket…first drift…right there…HE TOOK IT!
He immediately took off on a run downstream. He jumped. He jumped again. Having already gone swimming once that evening, I didn’t want to try to follow him downstream. I just let him take line. He stopped his run so I started to take up line. He took another run; I took up more line. After a decent fight, I finally reeled him in close enough to net. Getting him into the net, my barbless hook fell out of his mouth and he (actually a “her” as it turned out) lay in the rubber basket of my net. You know, she was a nice fish but not huge…about 18 inches.
But I felt vindicated. I had stuck with it. I had figured it out. I yelled across the river to Tom who was maybe 60 yards away. I held my net up; proudly showing off my catch. He gave me a thumbs up. I lowered my net to the water to release my prize. I watched as she took off downstream. It was then that I noticed my beautiful ash, walnut and bubinga wooden landing net floating down the river. Apparently, the lanyard had come unclipped from my vest when I fell in…
It truly was mayhem on Pine Creek.
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Hook: nymph hook 12-18
Bead: black tungsten or brass
Thread: Black
Rear abdomen: black peacock ice dub
Legs: black small rubber legs
For step-by-step instructions and to watch the video, click here
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