In this Issue:
· President's Message
· Stream Water Quality Monitoring Results
· A Day to Remember at Castalia State Fish Hatchery
· Ohio Women on the Fly Weekend at Mohican
· Conservation Corner
· Fishing a Caddis Hatch on the Little Juniata
· Fly Recipe: Caddis Emerger
· Upcoming Events
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President's Message
As the year draws to a close, it’s time to end on a high note as there is good news on several fronts. TU Ohio State Council held the biannual fall meeting a few weeks ago and I was pleased to be able to give such a great report of our Chapter’s recent happenings.
In mid-October, we had our final stream water quality monitoring session of the year. Unlike the previous session which surprised us with the rather poor results, this most recent session surprised us with startlingly good results. See the article below by Director of Monitoring Joe Nagel.
We’ve gained 190 new members since January 1, 2021. I believe that is the biggest annual increase in membership in the Chapter’s recent history. It certainly is since the 15 years since I’ve been a member of the Board.
Board Member and TU Teens Coordinator Shannon Mayes started the TU Teens Gallipolis club in 2013. This group of middle school students has brought many new fly fishers and conservationists into the sport and our Chapter. Shannon is stepping up to the plate once again by offering guidance to teacher Mike Legats and principal Chad Miller of the Noble Local School District in establishing a new TU Teens club in the Sarahsville, Ohio district. We are evaluating how to formalize a connection with the school district. Getting more young people involved is a point of emphasis for TU as they are truly the future of the sport and the efforts to conserve and protect our cold water fisheries. Please contact Shannon if you are able to help out in any way with either of those two groups. Donations of new or serviceable used gear is always welcome.
Youth is also served by the continuing growth of our Trout In the Classroom (T.I.C.) program. Beginning with programs at two local elementary schools, the program has grown to 35 T.I.C. programs state-wide. Don Dean has stepped down as the T.I.C. State coordinator, but he is still our chapter's coordinator. Following our lead, the other four TU chapters in Ohio have picked up the gauntlet and are expanding T.I.C. to schools located within their jurisdictions. Pam and Tom Allen, have agreed to help coordinate the program state-wide on behalf of the State Council, but they would welcome any and all help.
Perhaps the fastest growing and most active group in our Chapter are the women members. Under the leadership of our Women’s Outreach Coordinator ,Katie Johnstone, women fly fishers have continued to hold outdoor gatherings and group fishing events throughout the past year-and-a-half. Katie was also instrumental in the establishment of Ohio Women on the Fly. OWOTF was created to bring women in Ohio's fly fishing community together and to inspire more women to get on the water. See Katie’s article about the most recent event below.
After shutting down most activities during the pandemic, Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing (PHWFF) started to hold activities again. The Central Ohio Chapter of PHWFF was established almost single-handedly by Board member John Davis and is currently under the leadership of Director of Veterans Programs Jarod Klucho. They held a fishing outing/Halloween party a few weeks ago and another fishing outing at Briarwood recently, followed up by a fundraiser at the Nocterra microbrewery.
As you can see, our membership is growing and at the same time growing more diverse. When the Chapter was started around 30 years ago, our membership was primarily made up of men. In order to grow the sport as well as spreading the conservation ethic, Trout Unlimited has really placed an emphasis on diversity lately. We need to have all hands on deck in order have the best opportunity to save our precious cold water fisheries.
Like TU nationwide, our Chapter’s growth has seen a huge influx of youth, women and veterans members. With all of this in mind, we have decided to change the name of the Chapter from the Madmen to the Mad River Chapter. We hope that removing gender from our name signals that our Chapter is open and welcoming to all.
In the next few months (prior to the end of the Fiscal Year, March 31, 2022) we will be implementing that change with legal filings with the State, coordinating with TU national, and making revisions to the website, Facebook page, brochures, display materials, etc. Our mission of Conserving, Protecting and Restoring Ohio’s Coldwater Fisheries and Their Watersheds will remain unchanged.
I hope that everyone has a wonderful and joyous holiday season and of course…
Tight Lines Everybody!
p.s. Articles Needed!! Pam could use your help with future newsletters. If you've been on a fishing trip, or have something else you'd like to share, like a fly recipe, we'd love to hear about it. Write an article and send pictures to her at pamallen@tumadmen.org; it's that easy :)
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On Saturday, October 16, the TU Madmen conducted their second and final water monitoring session on the Mad River for 2021.
Thirteen volunteers, including Ethan Smith, ODNR, Division of Wildlife, District 1, met at the usual time and place – 9:00 am, at the Route 36 parking area. Six sites in total were sampled. The group began the session by taking samples just below the low-head dam at US Route 36. From there, they traveled to perform a sampling of the Route 29/296 access area, where Kings Creek joins the Mad. Afterwards the group split into two teams to complete the monitoring; one group went to Mad River sites on the Watson Property and at Pimtown Road, while the other group performed samplings on Mac-o-Chee Creek and the section of the Mad in West Liberty Park.
At all of the sites, the resulting scores on the Pollution Tolerance Index (PTI) scale* were “Excellent” (which is a score of 23 or higher). Below are the scores from each site sampled:
US Route 36: 26
State Routes 29/296 (Kings Creek): 35
Watson Property: 38
Pimtown: 35
Mac-o-Chee: 30
West Liberty Park: 32
Other observations:
• Water temperatures at all locations were between 58-60 degrees Fahrenheit.
• The observable (non-scientific) density of bugs found during sampling seems to have increased, when compared to other recent samplings.
• Damselflies were found at all locations. This is the first record we have of this ever occurring in our monitoring sessions.
We will resume our monitoring sessions in the spring of 2022. Look for more information to follow in late winter.
* Pollution Tolerance Scores: 23 +, Excellent; 17-22, Good; 11-16, Fair; 10 or less, Poor.
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For those who don’t know, Castalia State Fish Hatchery is a Trout hatchery fed by a natural spring and creek known as Cold Creek, in Castalia, Ohio. It’s the newest of Ohio’s six state fish hatcheries and has been on line since the fall of 1997. The Hatchery consists of 70 indoor rearing troughs, and several outdoor raceways. Cold Creek flows its year-round 48 degree water at a 10,000 gallon per minute capacity through this facility. It creates the perfect conditions for some of the biggest trout with the most beautiful colors. It was on September 18th of this year that I was honored to go to Castalia as a member of Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing (Healing Waters) to try to pull some of the trout from that crystal clear stream.
The day began early, as I live over two hours from Castalia. I met up with a couple of Healing Waters volunteer guides just before sunrise a little north of Columbus. I left my truck there and they drove me the two plus hours to Castalia. The air was crisp, and the morning was filled with the excitement and anticipation of things to come. I was STOKED! The ride up was uneventful and filled with conversations of our military service and fishing...always fishing. My anticipation grew. We were blessed with a beautiful sunrise that spilled pastel pinks, and oranges across the sky, as if the fishing gods were smiling on us. Quickly after our arrival we staged our gear to prepare for the morning brief and some breakfast graciously provided for us. It was shortly after staging our gear that I learned the fishing gods can be a bit like Loki from time to time. In what can only be described as a tragic accident, my gear was run over and my rods, destroyed. No worries though. Thanks to a great warranty, and Healing Waters, the problem has been remedied. Here’s where I should give a shameless plug to Tenkara USA, a really great way to pick up fly casting mechanics, and a top notch warranty. Enough said about that. The morning brief having been had, as well as a little breakfast as mentioned earlier, and I found myself at the edge of Cold Creek, rod in hand, with my personal guide for the day, Patrick Haren. Within only minutes of getting my first fly into the sweet spot on the water, I found myself fighting a monster. It first came out of the water dancing on its tail, trying to relieve itself of the hook no doubt. It tugged and pulled and went in every direction it could as I tried to wrestle it to the bank so it could be netted by Patrick. But, as soon as I got it near the shore, it went under the weed bed on the edge of the water and was free of my fly in seconds. Forget about the fish, at that point I was hooked. All I wanted to do was get my fly back in the water and into another trout. Patrick, God bless him, nearly fell in Cold Creek clearing a path for future fish he anticipated I would soon catch. I impatiently waited behind him, eyeing all of the fat trout that sat, schooled, right in front of me. Patrick turned to me and said, “Would you like to try a little sight casting?” I’d never heard the term before, but I figured it out quickly with Patrick’s help. We quickly picked which fish we wished to target, and the fish played his part. Again, I was in the fight. The fish running up and down stream, trying desperately to escape, but this time I prevailed. Pulling the fish into the path Patrick had made into the weed bed landed me one of the finest and fattest fish I’ve ever caught. I stood for minutes admiring my catch. It was beautiful and colorful, and I realized this is what I was meant to be doing. Everything just felt...right. Having been informed I would be allowed to keep 5 fish, I pulled myself from my first catch to find my next. The second fish would prove to be even bigger, and prettier, a full shimmery purple. I marveled at its size but especially at its color. I was transfixed. One more fish later, and I quickly realized how much 5 fish was going to be in terms of meat and I decided I would limit myself to 3 fish. I was happy, and I think those fishing gods were happy too, in the end. A wonderful lunch of chicken, ribs and vegetables was provided, and there was more than a small amount of camaraderie shared around those picnic tables. After lunch a raffle was held and everyone brought home something. My win could not have been more perfect as it was teas and honey from Ohio. Two of my wife’s favorite things. And EVERYONE took home a new fly rod which had been donated to the program.
On the ride home I reflected on the day. I felt honored to have been invited on such a trip, but more than that, I was grateful. I want to thank the employees of the hatchery for having us, all of the volunteers who fed us, cleaned our fish, went from person to person to see if we had any needs and kept us hydrated. I especially want to thank two people — Patrick Haren and Jarod Klucho. Patrick stayed faithfully by my side all day and helped me figure out what was working on some trout that could be fickle at times; last but not least, I want to thank Jarod Klucho for all of the time he dedicates to the Columbus Chapter of Healing Waters. These two men have been a godsend to me, and I would not have gotten to go to Castalia, a trip I didn’t know I needed, without Jarod’s help and concern. So thank you Jarod and Patrick for making Castalia not just a day to remember, but the high point of a year filled with blessings.
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During November of 2019, Ohio Women on the Fly (OWOTF) held their first Weekend at Mohican. They had one cabin and six women attended. A few others joined for the day on Saturday and they fished for rainbows from sunup to sundown. By the end of the weekend, everyone was looking forward to getting together again in 2020.
As the pandemic continued throughout 2020, OWOTF decided to postpone the event. Thankfully, this past November they were able to host their second annual Weekend at Mohican.
This time, they had two cabins and twelve women attended. Due to a delay in the stocking, the group had to be flexible and change their fishing plans. They hit Apple Creek Saturday morning and several rainbow trout were caught. In the afternoon, they hit the Upper Clear Fork and caught brown trout. One woman from Dayton, who had never held a fly rod in her life, caught her first brown trout that day! Everyone cheered in excitement when it happened. On Sunday, a few women went back out and fished in the snow. It was a beautiful day to be out.
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As the weekend wrapped up, it was clear this event will be one that continues year after year. Lots of laughs were had, many fish were caught, several new friendships were made and connections between those who already knew each other grew stronger.
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Conservation Corner
Take care of the stream and the fishing will take care of itself
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UPDATE Ohio H.B. 175: Deregulate certain ephemeral water features
Ohio H.B. 175 was passed by the Ohio House of Representatives and is currently being considered by the Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee. If the bill passes the Ohio Senate and is signed into law by the Governor, it will remove regulatory protection of certain ephemeral water features resulting in negative impacts to Ohio's streams. Such action would be counterproductive to the millions of dollars being invested in programs to address existing impacts to Ohio's waters. Proponents of the bill have shared a lot of misinformation about ephemeral streams. Here are just a couple of points to take into consideration which identify the importance ephemeral streams play in protecting overall stream quality and the watershed:
- Ohio EPA estimates that there are over 36,000 miles of ephemeral streams in Ohio;
- Ephemeral streams provide important benefits in processing and filtering nutrients and sediment, and dissipating energy and excess flow;
- Ephemeral streams sustain aquifers, supply clean water, provide recreational opportunities, sustain aquatic biodiversity, reduce flooding, create habitat for aquatic and semiaquatic organisms; and
- Modified ephemeral streams are a leading source of impairment to water quality of larger streams and can impact the overall quality of the watershed.
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Conservation Work on the Mad Continues
Thanks to all of the volunteers who helped with activities on Mad River this past year! Hours of work went into trail clearing, honeysuckle removal, in-stream habitat improvement, opening logjams, monitoring, picking up litter as part of the ADOPT-A-BRIDGE/STREAMWATCH Program and organized cleanups. The work is making a difference. Planning is now going on for work activities in 2022. Please consider being a volunteer. Also, it is a great time of year to fish the Mad and while you are there please pick up the litter.
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Fishing an active caddis hatch on the Little Juniata, or any stream for that matter can be a frustrating experience. Fish are exploding on the surface, but you can’t get a look on your favorite caddis dry fly. It’s time to switch to a wet fly and swing it in front of the feeding fish. Often, this will result in a violent strike to your fly.
This was the case in May of 2021, while fishing with my friend KB on the Little Juniata River in central Pennsylvania. We arrived at the river in the early morning, and trout were just starting to feed on hatching caddis. Were both tempted to fish dries, but we agreed that the trout were feeding on the emerging caddis pupa and we put on a caddis wet fly. Turns out we were correct, and we had a memorable morning fishing the wet flies swung in the current of some choppy runs. Later that morning the fish switched their feeding to the surface and we were able to take advantage of that, as well, using a deer hair caddis dry fly.
The key for success when fishing the caddis hatch is your ability to identify which stage of the hatch fish are feeding on. Often, early in the hatch, fish will be targeting emerging caddis pupa. The rise form is strong as the trout intercept the pupa just as they get near the surface. Splashy rises are a key indicator that trout are feeding just under the surface. This is a good time to break out the wet fly. Cast the fly across and slightly downstream of you, and mend your line, letting the fly sink some. As the fly comes towards the end of the drift, let the fly follow your rod tip across the current and hang on. Often the strike will come as the fly begins to ascend toward the stream surface.
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Fly Recipe: Caddis Emerger (see picture in Little Juniata article)
This is a wet fly that fishes well during the caddis emergence. This fly would fish well on the Mad River during a caddis hatch as well.
Hook: Wet fly hook 1X short
Back legs: Hen neck hackle, palmered for three turns evenly ¾ of the way up the hook shank over your tying thread.
Body: Pearl Core Braid (root beer, olive, tan) Use a lighter to singe one end of the braid. This seals the braid and adds a little taper to it.
Thorax: Ice Dub, Golden Brown (pick some fibers out and make it scraggly)
Front legs/Antennae: 1 ½ turns of brown Hungarian Partridge
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Articles Needed!! I could use your help with future newsletters. If you've been on a fishing trip, or have something else you'd like to share, like a fly recipe, we'd love to hear about it. Write an article and send pictures to me at pamallen@tumadmen.org; it's that easy :)
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