BRTU E-News
Because there's more to fishin' than just fishin'!
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#273: Jan. 1, 2023
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Happy New Year to all 800 BRTU E-News subscribers in Montana and around the country, with a hope for a decent snowpack, good streamflows, new friends, and happy trout. See you on Thursday, January 19 for our first 2023 meeting! |
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January 19 BRTU Meeting - Extreme Makeover: Upper Clark Fork River Edition! |
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The Upper Clark Fork River near Galen, a picturesque but devastated riverscape. Courtesy: Casey Hackathorn. |
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The Upper Clark Fork near Sager Lane, dewatering adds to the river's woes. Courtesy: Casey Hackathorn. |
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The gorgeous westslope cutthroat demonstrates the potential of the Upper Clark Fork if the myriad issues can be addressed. Courtesy: Casey Hackathorn. |
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One of the numerous health warning signs that dot the banks of the Upper Clark Fork River. Courtesy: Casey Hackathorn |
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Casey Hackathorn, TU's Upper Clark Fork Program Manager, on a section of the Upper Clark Fork River. |
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Almost 50 years ago, Fritz Tossberg told me about the fishing spot he had found on the Upper Clark between Bearmouth and Garrison on his many trips between Hamilton and Helena. "That's right - one spot," he said. "The river has many, many great looking spots, but it is so polluted by mine waste, it is barely worth stopping anywhere. However, if you park just upstream of the [censored] marker at the [censored], and walk down to where the [censored] comes out of the little [censored], there's a little logjam where you can usually [censored]." And Fritz was right! I have driven that stretch countless times over the years and can count the anglers and drift boats I have seen on my fingers. Fritz was also right about that one spot.
And now after decades of nauseating fish kills, expensive natural resource damage lawsuits, hard-won settlement agreements, removal of the Milltown Dam, and tireless advocacy by TU and other conservation groups, things are looking up.
The river is now getting what TU’s Upper Clark Fork Program Manager, Casey Hackathorn, likes to call an extreme makeover. Much like a complete home remodel, restoring a major river basin requires some imagination and ingenuity. You want to hold on to the best and while rebuilding the rest.
At our January 19, 2023, BRTU general meeting Casey will explore the history of this heavily-used watershed, its embattled fishery, and the multi-decade effort to bring it back to its full potential.
Casey's talk will begin at 7:00 PM on Thursday, January 19 at the Hamilton Elk's Club, 203 State Street. The public is invited to attend and there is no charge for admission.
At 6:30 PM BRTU will have a brief Annual Meeting. The annual report, the financial report, and election of board members and officers will be covered. All members are encouraged to attend this part of the meeting.
Immediately following the annual meeting, there will be an award presentation (see next story) and followed by Casey's talk.
Once again, the Elks will be serving their excellent grilled Brats and beer starting at about 6:15.
If you would like additional information, please contact BRTU Chapter President Dave Ward.
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Earl and Joan Little Award to be presented at January 19 BRTU Meeting. |
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Earl Little died at age 78 in early 2018. Earl was born and raised in Wisconsin, and after college, he worked as a Juvenile Officer and a Game Warden. An accomplished angler, flytier and gifted teacher, Earl became a successful outdoor writer. After his retirement, Earl and his wife Joan moved to Montana. When he and Joanie weren't fishing, Earl worked in several local flyshops.
Earl and Joanie were regular fixtures at youth education programs all over the valley. Among his numerous accomplishments, Earl was a founding organizer of BRTU's Bitterroot Buggers more than 2 decades ago. Generations of lucky kids benefited from Earl's skills as both an instructor and tier.
After Earl's death, the Earl and Joan Little Award was established to recognize those in the community who have dedicated themselves to youth education in our valley.
At the January 19 BRTU meeting (see above), we will be privileged to present the 2023 Earl and Joan Little Award to Geoff Fitzgerald, a fisheries biologist and past president of BRTU.
As an annual supporter of the Buggers program, Geoff has taught entomology for many years. Geoff uses a combination of primers with comprehensive descriptions of aquatic invertebrates. He also brings in aquaria full of bugs he captures earlier the day of his class. The kids and grownups at the Buggers classes thoroughly enjoy these hands-on presentations. After class, he returns the captured bugs into the same water whence they had been captured - a true conservationist!
Geoff is indeed a worthy recipient of the prestigious Earl and Joan Little Award. Please plan to attend the January 19 meeting and congratulate Geoff.
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2023 Bitterroot Buggers information. |
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Parents and kids often team up and teach other the flytying skills. Source of all photos: BRTU. |
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A key to success of the Bitterroot Buggers is an ample number of adult instructors, as seen in this photo. |
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After each class, the students enter their best efforts into a competition. |
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As the flies are judged, the students pay rapt attention to learn what makes one fly stand out from the rest. |
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For more than 2 decades, the Bitterroot Buggers has been teaching flytying, flyfishing and conservations to local kids between the ages of 9 and 14. The Buggers continues to be BRTU's flagship youth education program and is coordinated with the Hamilton Middle School.
Planning for the 2023 Bitterroot Buggers is well underway! Advance registration is required and now open. Parents or guardians interested in registering kids should contact Joe Byrne by email or phone (406-381-2815) right away as classes tend fill up quickly.
All classes are held between 6:30 and 8:00 PM at the Keystone Enrichment Center of the Hamilton Middle School, entered from Madison Street between 5th and 6th Streets. Adults are encouraged to stay to assist and learn alongside the kids.
The tying classes begin with a video demonstration of the particular fly being tackled. Then the students and volunteers head to the vices to put the lesson into practice. At the end of each class, flies are entered into a competition judged by an expert tier.
Each Bugger receives a manual with all of the fly patterns, and links to the on-line videos. Quality tools and materials may be purchased for a very nominal cost, or borrowed during the class. Rod and reel outfits are also available for purchase below cost. For information on purchasing, please contact Joe Byrne or Greg Chester.
Finally, the success of this program is absolutely dependent on volunteer helpers. It is not necessary to be a flytier in order to help with these classes. Please consider signing up to assist with the very worthwhile program. Contact Joe or Greg.
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This issue's Picture of the Week was submitted by my good friend Jeff Potts, who lives in Maryland. Jeff is an avid fisherman and is not inextricably bound to any particular type of fish or method of angling. Some of you might remember the photos he sent of muskie fishing in the upper James River in Virginia last year.
Each year Jeff makes a journey to some lovely secluded spots in Northern Wisconsin. He won't tell me anything beyond that! Late last summer, he made the trip with his family and Sawyer, his 8 year old daughter, got into some good smallmouth action. Jeff said it took some convincing before she'd hold her first one. My guess is that Sawyer will be begging to go along on the muskie trips before long!
Please send me any fishing or conservation related photos to be considered for the "Picture of the Week." Make sure that the files are less than 5 mB in size. Note that in most cases I plan to not to use "grip and grin" photos, but rather pictures of fish in the water or net.
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This week's BRTU Puzzler again comes from my peripatetic friend and colleague Seth Cooley.
Undaunted by the rather cold weather in early December, Seth was cross country skiing along Lee Creek. Lee Creek is a tributary of Lolo Creek just short of the Lolo Creek Hot Springs. As he was striding along on his skinny skiis, Seth noticed a small companion in the snow.
The Puzzler this week is to identify the critter that Seth saw on the snow. The correct entry should provide both the common name and binomial designation.
The BRTU Puzzler now has a new sponsor - Chapter One Book Store in Hamilton. Chapter One is offering a $10 gift card to each winner but it must be picked up in person. The book store is a long time BRTU supporter and has an unbelievable inventory of books and magazines. If Chapter One doesn't have the tome you want, they can get it in a jiffy. Shouldn't we be patronizing local small independents rather than big online giants?
The winner of each BRTU Puzzler can pick up their gift card by stopping in at the book store.
If you have a cool fishing, outdoor activity, or conservation related photo, consider submitting it to BRTU Puzzlemaster Marshall Bloom for the BRTU Puzzler. BRTU E-News will no longer publish grip and grin photos of native fish out of water but will highlight photos of actual fish in the water.
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Monte Dolack BRTU prints
now available at Joe's Studio.
A very few Publisher's Proofs of the limited edition "Bitterroot River-Lost Horse Bend" by Monte Dolack are still 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 BRTU sponsor, 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 Dave Ward. 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 the Montana TU office at 406-543-0054.
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
Donna Haglund; Vice President; E-mail: haglunddonna@gmail.com
Vacant, Treasurer;
BOARD MEMBERS
Charlie Harris; E-mail: hmgharris@gmail.com
JuliAnne Thomas; E-mail: thomasjulianneh@gmail.com
Vacant; (student board member)
GENERAL FACTOTUM AND NEWSLETTER PUBLISHER
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