BRTU E-News
Because there's more to fishin' than just fishin'!
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February 28, 2021
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2021 Fly Fishing Film Tour !
F3T is THE preeminent tour of fly fishing films! And Bitterroot Trout Unlimited is proud to have partnered with the F3T to bring you the tour virtually this year. That's right! BRTU is a partner in F3T.
This year’s F3T has an incredible line up with everything from Arapaima in the Amazon basin, Bream and Tarpon in the same film, Smallies, Pike, and Steelhead. These films are some of the best angling footage ever captured! This is a great opportunity to sit back with family and friends and enjoy the Fly Fishing Film Tour on your own time.
Did you know Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had a special relationship with long time bonefish guide and freedom fighter Ansil Saunders from the island of Bimini? All of these stories and more are part of the 2021 F3T streaming virtually March 10 and tickets are on sale now.
When you access these terrific and informative films, you will be helping Bitterroot Trout Unlimited! As part of our partnership this year $2.00 of every ticket sold through our link will be given back to BRTU! So by watching the films, you will be supporting our education and habitat protection efforts.
You can spread the word to any friends or family that may be interested. Simply share the link so we can work together to strengthen our fishing community. Remember the more tickets sold through the link the more money we raise!
What does your ticket to F3T get you? A lot!
Full access to the 2021 F3T, from March 10th at 6:00pm EST thru April 4.
You can watch as many times as you would like from the original device used to play the movies. (Only 1 device can be used per ticket)
PRIZES!!!! You'll also score a chance to enter the Trout Unlimited COSTA 5 Rivers Conservation Sweepstakes, found on the event page. All proceeds go to TU chapters at college campuses nationwide, promoting the sport and conservation to the next generation of anglers.
The F3T Grand Prize is worth $85,000. You can sign up here or go to www.flyfiltour.com/win. You will have the chance to win a trip to Australia, Mexico, Bahamas, Russia, and the Seychelles!
And there is an incredible list of gear and merchandise from the F3T sponsors! BY FAR THE BIGGEST GIVEAWAY EVER ASSOCIATED WITH THE F3T!
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Fifty Years of Montana Outdoors - and Paul Maclean to boot!
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Faced with the unpleasant and depressing news on every front, there are 2 things that always brighten my day. The cover on the latest New Yorker and the arrival of the latest issue of Montana Outdoors. The more reliable, but less frequent, is Montana Outdoors which is published by a small cadre of dedicated Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks staff in Helena. If you don't subscribe, you should and here's where you can. The subscriptions are so cheap, it is comical not to subscribe.
I started subscribing shortly after moving to Montana in 1972 and the magazine always offers a terrific mix of stories about fish and fishing, wildlife and birds to be amazed about, landscapes, hunting and conservation stories.
But the reaction I had when the March-April 2021 issue of Montana Outdoors arrived last week was akin to opening a closet door and rediscovering a long-forgotten RL Winston flyrod with a Bogdan trout reel. It was the Golden Anniversary Issue and it was filled with stories, photos, and covers spanning half a century. Thumbing the pages I was struck by how much people's attitudes about things like native species, angling and hunting have changed. In some, but not all cases, for the better.
The issue also compiled some little known pearls about the predecessors to MO, like that found on page 10. In 1936-1937, the department published a monthly mimeographed booklet called "Montana Fish and Game Notes." The editor was Paul Maclean, younger brother of Norman Maclean. The short feature even quoted an editorial Paul Maclean wrote about poachers and has a photo of him. You'll have to buy a copy of Montana Outdoors to see it, or wait until the issue gets posted on line.
All of the back issues of the magazine have been scanned and uploaded to a site called archive.org. If you go to that site and type Montana Outdoors and the year in the Search box, you will be delighted to see all the issues published in that year, view the Table of Contents and read any story you fancy.
I did just that and was able to find an article that has haunted and motivated me since I read it many years ago - 1980, in fact. Here it is. Read it and let me know if you have the same reaction I had in 1980 and still do.
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Angling Etiquette.
Have you ever had this experience? You're on a float below Darby with your daughter so that she might score a nice fish on a Golden Stonefly. The pleasant experience is interrupted as another raft with a couple of obstreperous characters careens around the bend and parks in the hole you were eying while you tied her fly on. After retrieving the beer cans they pitched out before moving on, you try to explain to your daughter that not everyone has good manners while fishing and mutter under your breath about angling etiquette.
She also recommends this hysterical but spot on video.
It is in disputable that we are going to encounter more and more people on the river in years to come. So, take a minute to review these common sense measures that can aid in everyone's enjoyment.
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This week's picture was submitted by TU member and supporter Dr. Neil Ku.
Neil is an infectious disease physician from Billings who is an avid angler. Neil sent me this photo of a baby permit he caught. He didn't tell me exactly where and when, but I am guessing it was not on the Big Horn.
Please send any photos of fishing, fish or other cool stuff to me. I will try to include them in the BRTU Picture of the Week spot.
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I have received a few incorrect guesses about the location of this scene, so here's a hint. If the camera were pointed in the opposite direction, you could expect to see a squad of folks standing near their cars peering through spotting scopes.
This week's BRTU Puzzler was submitted by Denny Westover. The photo shows a log cabin in winter with a set of cross-country ski tracks. As a hint, the location is south and a little east of Hamilton.
To win the Puzzler, you must guess the location of this iconic western winter scene.
Chuck Stranahan has generously offered a prize to all winners of the BRTU Puzzler. The winner will be able to can claim a prize of hand-tied trout flies by contacting Chuck.
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Monte Dolack BRTU prints
now available at Joe's Studio.
A small number of Publisher's Proofs of the limited edition "Bitterroot River-Lost Horse Bend" by Monte Dolack are now available at Joe's Studio. BRTU commissioned Monte Dolack in 2007 to create this iconic print of the Bitterroot River.
The remaining Publisher's Proofs are $375 and all proceeds support BRTU efforts to protect trout and streams.
Joe's Studio, a regular sponsor of our banquets, is located in Hamilton at 220 Marcus Street (961-4586, joesstudio@aol.com)
The "U" in BRTU
Unlike many groups, BTRU has no paid staff. We are an entirely volunteer organization. We are always looking for new members to get involved in projects or to join our board and assist with maintaining our focus on native fish, clean healthy streams and education. If you would like to help out, please contact BRTU Chapter President Jeremy Anderson. We could sure use your help!
In other words, how about putting a little "U" in BRTU?
If "U" are not already a member, "U" can join TU today by going to the the BRTU website. chapter number is #080. If you have a question about your membership, please call Clayton at 406-543-0054.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, BRTU board meetings are now being held virtually on ZOOM. They are open to all BRTU members. Date and time vary, so please contact Jeremy. if you would like to log in and learn what is going on.
The BRTU Mission statement is "To conserve, protect, and restore the Bitterroot River and it's watershed," directly in line with the Montana TU mission statement.
For your information, here is a tabulation of our current hard-working BRTU officers and board members.
BOARD OFFICERS
BOARD MEMBERS
Gavin Marston (student board member)
GENERAL FACTOTUM AND NEWSLETTER PUBLISHER
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