President’s Message:
Dear Mid-Missouri Trout Unlimited Members,
Our next meeting will be September 5th in the meeting room on the second floor of the Conley Street Hy-Vee in Columbia. As usual social hour starts at 6:00 PM and business followed by program starts at 7:00 PM. Curt Morgret will demonstrate how to tie a caddis emerger. We will be meeting at Hy-Vee going forward with the likely exception of the Christmas Party which I intend to book at the Rock Quarry House where we celebrated last year.
Upcoming events currently planned are:
September 5th – Fly tying Curt Morgret presenting
September 9th – Iowa DNR workday
October 3rd – Colorado trip slide show
November 7th – Chapter Elections (need a short program)
December 5th – Holiday Celebration and photo Contest
January 2nd – (need a program)
January 27th - 10:00 AM at the Ragtag Theater in Columbia
February 6th – (need a program)
February 23rd – (Somewhat) Annual Banquet at the Stoney Creek Inn
March 5th – (need a program)
April 2nd – (need a program)
May 7th – (need a program)
June 4th – Hot Dog Burn
This summer the Chapter Board voted to donate to Iowa DNR $5,000 for the Iowa Otter Creek land acquisition and $8,600 for the Bear Creek and Paterson Creek habitat improvement project. The Iowa DNR and TUDARE will be hosting a conservation workday on Saturday, September 9, 2023 at the Decorah Fish Hatchery in Decorah, Iowa. The primary focus of the workday will be to build about 25 bankhides/LUNKERS to be installed as part of the North Bear and Patterson Creek habitat improvement projects. Others from MMTU are planning to go and perhaps a carpool can worked out at the September Chapter meeting.
This month, August, ten of us from Missouri joined one person from Colorado for a few days of fishing at the Flat Top Wilderness Area near Yampa, Colorado. The trip was planned by Mike Kruse and we are grateful for his hard work on this. Thank you Mike. Here is a picture of us, without Linn Kleopfer who unfortunately had to leave early.
At the Hot Dog Burn in June, Ty Figg was elected interim Treasurer and Bill Lamberson was elected interim Secretary. Thank you both for stepping into the gap to help keep Mid-Missouri Trout Unlimited working.
We are seeking a few volunteers for the nominating committee. This will be a two year appointment so that we have a team to fill unexpected vacancies that may occur between regular elections. I believe we need a Secretary candidate. Also candidates seeking to run against current office holders are always welcome.
For the photo contest I think we need to have a few rules. Clearly the photo should have a fishing theme. Other than that any rule proposals should be brought up in a Chapter meeting on or before the November meeting.
There is always a risk of not thanking all the folks that deserve to be thanked but here I go anyway. Thank you Bill Lamberson for working out the contract for the Fly Fishing Film Festival. Thank you Curt Morgret for working out the contract for the Annual Banquet at Stoney Creek Inn. Bill Lamberson and Curt Morgret have also agreed to be our Banquet Co-Chairs.
Doug Grove
June Meeting Minutes by Bill Lamberson, Volunteer Interim Secretary.
The Mid-Missouri Chapter of Trout Unlimited met on June 6 at Stephens Lake Park for the annual hot dog burn. There was excellent attendance with nearly 30 members and guests. Vice-president Travis Figg presided over the business meeting. The first order of business was to elect a new treasurer with the resignation of Brandon Butler, and secretary with the resignation of Nathan Shags McLeod. Ty Figg was elected interim treasurer and Bill Lamberson interim secretary. They will fill those positions until officer elections in December. Mike Kruse gave an update on the upcoming Colorado trip. Another trip planning meeting is scheduled for July 11 at 6:00 pm at Eatwell.
The Chapter is planning to host a banquet in late winter 2024. An emcee has been identified. Curt Morgret will work to identify a venue. Please contact Curt or Travis if you wish to volunteer for the banquet committee. There was also discussion of hosting the Fly-Fishing Film Tour. Reaction was generally favorable with spring 2024 preferred. Mike Kruse will investigate venues.
There was discussion of a possible stream improvement project on the Current to remediate erosion at a horse crossing. Sam Potter is taking the lead on a possible project.
Jeff Holzem brought up possible interaction with an MU Five-Rivers chapter. Libby Glaser is the national TU staff contact.
After the business meeting, Curt presided over a casting competition. There were two events, distance and accuracy. Seven members participated. Distance was measured as length toward a target based on a single cast, all casters used the same rod. Curt provided a 7 wt rod for the distance event and won with a cast of 86’ 4” (coincidence?) and was awarded a six pack of PBR tall-boys. Accuracy was determined by how close a fly landed to the center of a target placed at 35’, also based on a single cast after three practice casts. Casters were allowed to use their own fly rods. Mike Kruse won by placing the fly ONE-INCH from the center of the target and took home a bottle of Yellowtail wine. Mike took overall honors by placing first in the accuracy competition and third in distance and was awarded a bottle of single-malt Scotch.
Our next meeting will be in September on our usual date, place TBD.
A note on the September 5th. Meeting.
I buy fresh eggs and vegetables, as well as honey from our neighborhood farmers’ market. I asked the bee keeper about getting some wax for fly tying. He also ties flies and he offered to mold the wax into wafers for me. If he has it ready before the meeting, I will bring some to share. - Jeff
Travis shared these pictures from the Wisconsin Trip
Bill made a bamboo rod for TU’s CEO, Chris Wood
You may have seen the in-depth CFM article on Bill’s rod building process. In addition, Chris published a piece entitled “As Zen and Cool as it Gets.” https://www.tu.org/magazine/from-the-president/as-zen-and-cool-as-it-gets/?utm_source=informz&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=none&_zs=hW5wb&_zl=CAbc3. Chris was so interested in Bill’s handiwork that he planned to come to Bill’s shop to see him in action.
Small Stream Fishing Tips video
Conservation Corner
Profit vs. the environment
After TU and Native Tribes worked for years to protect salmon in Bristol Bay from the proposed Pebble Mine, the EPA issued ruling to stop the development.
However Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy’s administration asked the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision, https://www.epa.gov/bristolbay/final-determination-pebble-deposit-area, to block the controversial Pebble copper and gold mine.
The administration filed what is known as a “bill of complaint” with the nation’s highest court that argues that the federal agency’s use of the Clean Water Act to preclude Pebble development violates the state’s right to use its natural resources. The document details the state’s complaint and also seeks permission to argue the case in full to the nation’s highest court.
Appealing directly to the Supreme Court while bypassing all lower courts is an unusual step, but it is warranted “given the extraordinary decision being challenged,” Alaska Attorney General Treg Taylor said in a statement released by the state Department of Law.
Yellowstone Rive Cleanup
Workers are stopping clean up of debris spilled into the Yellowstone River following a June train derailment near Reed Point, but officials said Wednesday they will continue to accept tips to remove more asphalt material.The teams reached an end point of the cleanup about 136 miles downstream from the derailment, just below the confluence with the Bighorn River, according to a news release. https://www.ktvq.com/news/montana-news/yellowstone-river-cleanup-of-asphalt-from-train-derailment-halts-until-next-summer
Plankton are central to life on earth - How is climate change affecting them and how can we slow climate change?
Recently, scientists reported that more than half of our oceans are turning greener, an indication that they might contain more phytoplankton. Along the California coast, hundreds of sea lions and dolphins turned up sick or dying after being exposed to toxic algae blooms caused by harmful plankton. And in Thailand, thousands of dead fish washed ashore, suffocated by a plankton bloom. https://phys.org/news/2023-08-plankton-central-life-earth-climate.html
President
Doug Grove
Vice President
Travis Figg
Past President
John Wenzlick
Secretary
Open
Treasurer
Open
Banquet Chairs
Bill Lamberson
Curt Morgret Alternative Funding Committee
Travis Figg
Education Director
John Wenzlick
Membership
Curt Morgret
Conservancy
Bill Lamberson
Conservancy
Sam Potter
e-Newsletter
Jeff Holzem
Web Master
Ty Figg
Facebook Editor
Ben Moore