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MUDDLER T H E M E R S H O N
Spring 2013 Volume 17 Issue 2
A LOCAL CHAPTER OF
AMERICA’S LEADING NONPROFIT
COLDWATER FISHERIES
CONSERVATION ORGANIZATION
Newsletter of the William B. Mershon Chapter of Trout Unlimited
T he time is up. Our 50th anniversary is almost here. We have so much to
celebrate. The Wm. B. Mershon Chapter has been involved and supported
so much over the past fifty years. It's awesome.
We have committed time and monies to the Rifle, AuSable, Manistee, and Cedar
Rivers. This celebration will bring to light our growth, donations, commitments,
and challenges. Our chapter has accomplished much.
The "Time-Line" that we are developing for display at the 50th anniversary banquet
will have significant information about our activities over much of the last five
decades. I hope you all take a little time to look at what we
have put together to help us all understand the significance
of what we have accomplished.
We will also have a display on Wm. B. Mershon that we have borrowed from the Lovels Museum.
Joe Bula has been putting together a display on the Wanigas
Rod Shop and it's owner, Art Neumann, because of the
amount of Trout Unlimited awareness that was brought
through the shop during the sixties and seventies. Art was in
diligent working, promoting, informing—you name it. So,
many Trout Unlimited activities came from Art at the shop.
He touched countless people who have been loyal to TU's
challenges, and it is fitting to honor Art and his shop at our
banquet celebration.
This Muddler will focus on the banquet and the past
presidents’ views of their time with the chapter as president.
Hopefully, you find the information from the past presidents enjoyable
and informational.
Above all, come to the banquet. It will be very special. I am looking forward to Ann
Miller's presentation, the special honoring of the past presidents, and seeing all you
special people.
Your involvement at our fine chapter at the banquets is the reason we've been so
successful in our endeavors. Come, have a good time, and support the chapter and everything that is stands for. Thank you! You people are what makes our banquet a success.
Founded 1963, Chapter Number 020
1989, 1996 & 1997 RECIPIENT OF THE MICHIGAN COUNCIL TU CHAPTER OF THE YEAR AWARD
Meanders A few thoughts from
the president Jac Ford
w w w . M e r s h o n -T U .o r g
CELEBRATING 50 YEARS of protection, preservation, and restoration
of Michigan’s coldwater resources
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The Mershon
chapter honors
her past
presidents
A s we celebrate our 50th
anniversary, we would like
to spend the majority of this
issue of the Muddler honoring the
men who have provided leadership,
direction, dedication, and sacrifice in leading our chapter to continued
preservation, protection, and
restoration of our cold-water
resources. These men are the
heartbeat of our chapter’s
accomplishments, and we honor
them this day.
1963-1964 A.C. Rappa Jr.
1964-1965 Dr. Don Woomer
1966-1966 William. W. Kessel
1966-1967 Larry Gariglio
1967-1968 Dr. William. Priest
1968-1969 Dr. Robert Nelson
1969-1970 Nellie Wing
1970-1972 Win Case
1972-1973 Ray Smith
1973-1974 Dr. Robert Knox
1974-1976 William Elliott
1976-1977 Art Neumann
1977-1979 Jac Ford
1979-1981 Dave Gordon
1981-1983 Harold Kleinert
1983-1985 Dave Fisher
1985-1987 Carl Hubinger
1987-1989 Ed Nemanic
1989-1991 Greg Stansbury
1991-1993 Jack Shinners
1993-1995 Jac Ford
1995-1997 Tom Newberry
1997-1999 Howard N. Johnson
1999-2001 Dan Keane
2001-2003 Bo Brines
2003-2005 Chris Radke
2005-2008 Robb Smith
2008-2009 Josh Butzin
2009-2012 Paul Morand
2012-present Jac Ford
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The final test of a leader is that he
leaves behind him in other men, the
conviction and the will to carry on. —Walter Lippman
“
The William B. Mershon Chapter of Trout
Unlimited wishes to thank all of the men who have
served as chapter president over our 50-year
history. We tip our rod to you today, with grateful
acknowledgment of your contributions to our
chapter, our state, and our cold-water resources.
“
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people in the door and they’ll spent
the money.
In my first newsletter, I wrote that I was probably the first Tu’er to admit
to being a worm fisherman. In the
water by my cottage we have
suckers, pike, bullheads and even a
few bass. In the middle of the
summer we have one of the biggest
sucker holes right in front of my
dock. Early in the year I like to take
up 5“ or 6” minnows and cast for
pike. Over the years I have
caught more pike than some people have Trout. I have taken
out 3 pike over 40”. At that
size, they are as big around as
a football.
My saddest day in TU
happened as I was walking
down the street and an older
gentleman I recognized from
TU stopped and talked to me.
He asked me if TU was still
going. He hadn’t heard anything about it for some time
and thought maybe they had
ceased to exist. I will always
remember that moment.
Trout Unlimited has been one of the
most important parts of my life and I
am thankful for every moment and
experience in it. I am thankful for the
great leaders like Jake, Howard,
Paul, Dan, Chris and Robb that have come after myself and helped build
our chapter into one of the best
chapters in the country.
Mershon
Chapter
President
Retrospective Greg Stansbury
Chapter president from 1989-1991
I joined TU in late 1988. The
following spring as
the banquet was
approaching, our chapter
was trying to line up new
officers for the coming
year. President Ed Nemenec came to me and
said there was not anyone
willing to take on the
office of President for the
coming year and would I
do it. He explained all that
was involved was holding
a monthly meeting and
making up a newsletter
each month and sending it
out. To make a longer story short, I ended up as the new
TU president after only 6 months of
membership and not knowing a thing
about it.
In those years we had meetings at the
president’s house. I Lived on
Moonglow in Saginaw Twp at that
time and we had our meetings in my
kitchen, usually with pizza. There
wasn’t a set day of the month for the
meetings. Often I would send out a notice a week ahead saying we
would have a meeting next Tuesday
or Wednesday. We had a loyal group
of directors at that time. Art Neuman
and Harold Klienert would always
show up. I remember Joe Bula and
Carl Hubinger always being there.
Our main project at the time was on
Klacking Creek and what was the
start of the Rifle River Project.
Harold was the main driving force
and kept those going along on a very
straight path.
I typed out our newsletter on Word Perfect and either copied it at my
father’s office or went to a copy
shop. I remember some of those
being done on thermal paper. You
can imagine how those looked. I was
all about doing things for the lowest
possible cost and sometimes it
looked like that.
When banquet time came around, I
was also the banquet chair person.
This is the only job I ever really
wanted. Trout Unlimited, to me, had
always been the spring banquet
going back to the banquets I went to
with my dad at the Germania. As a teenager, I remember winning a box
of shotgun shells. I didn’t know what
to do with them and ended up giving
them to a friend of my dad’s.
For my banquets, I wrote all the
major sporting goods companies and
received all kinds of items. I think
we still have some of the bait hooks
and sinkers in our inventory. My
philosophy was never turn down a
donation, we can use it somewhere. Art taught me two things: 1) you
can’t make anymore money than
from a free item, and 2) keep the cost
of the banquet down and get the
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(a supplier of Paul Young's Sport
Shop and Praebels Sport Shop, then
in the General Motors Building).
I came to Saginaw in 1963, opened a
practice in orthodontics and
befriended Art Neumann. Art got me
started in serious fly fishing and T.U.
He credits me with developing the
first good imitation of the little black
Chimarra caddis and carried some of
my patterns in his catalog (the
caddis, a Hex nymph with muskrat
gills and a fly Art named "Priest's
Perfect Parachute," a small wingless parachute that floats in the surface film).
Art, Dr. Bob Nelson, Larry Gariglio,
and I teamed up and enjoyed many
fishing trips together here in
Michigan and a memorable back
packing excursion to fish the Garden
River in Ontario. Art also introduced
Bob and me to Atlantic salmon on
the George River in northern Quebec
and to many of the rivers in Montana.
Mershon
Chapter
President
Retrospective William Priest
Chapter president from 1967-1968
Secretary MI Council 1968-1972
Founder, Editor and Publisher of MI
Trout Newsletter 1969-1972
National Director 1972-1976
D uring my year as president,
our spring banquet speaker
was Vince Marinaro.
Several of us took Vince up to the AuSable for the opener. The
weather, as I recall, was very good,
and the Hendricksons were hatching.
Vince returned for several years
after, bringing some of his
Pennsylvania fishing buddies with him.
Thanks to Art Neumann's
connections, we had many notable
speakers in the 60's and 70's. Among
them were Charlie Fox, Ed Zern (who was a house guest), Bud Lilley,
Ernie Schwiebert and Curt Gowdy.
Through my involvement with T.U.,
I knew and had the pleasure of
fishing with many fly-tying notables,
such as Art Flick, Vince Marinaro,
Barry Beck, Eric Leiser, Ernie
Schwiebert, Doug Swisher and
Carl Richards.
I started tying flies at the age of 9.
While in high school and college, I tied for Glenn Jueckstock in Detroit
YOU ARE INVITED C e l e b r a t e O u r
L a s t i n g L e g a c y
50TH ANNIVERSARY
Tr ou t Un l im i t ed Ban qu et A pr i l 13 , 20 1 3 | H or i z o ns Ce nt e r , S a g i n a w
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Finally, I met Art Neumann, and he
didn’t disappoint. We discussed
TU… that’s when I joined. I think it
was 1971.
That fall, Bill and I went duck
hunting. He asked, “Well, have you
had your talk with Art Neumann
yet.” We discussed TU and catch-
and-release. At that time, Bill didn’t
know that I had stopped killing all
trout in Michigan’s rivers back in
1963, when my best friends passed
away. I would let a trout go and say
a brief prayer for Buddy—the most praying ever from me.
Before the mid-seventies, I joined as
a life member, getting on the board
of the Wm. B. Mershon chapter, and
soon thereafter was the membership
and communication chairman.
The board was strong, and we had
meetings at the president’s house for
regular board meetings. We had
great banquets with many people. Our chapter was also very close-knit
with politicians and DNR people.
Three of the key people in the DNR
came to our gatherings before
banquets and to the banquets on a
regular basis. They fished with many
of us for years. Our chapter’s board,
led by Art Neumann, knew the
importance of working with these
fine people directly. We impacted
many decisions on a regular basis with these people. Art was
relentless—our board followed. The
rivers and their fishers benefitted
immensely from the work of the
Wm. B. Mershon chapter and its
mentor, Art Neumann.
During the year of 1975, our Fly-
fishing and Fly-tying classes began.
They were basically the same class
that we have today. Our chapter has had these classes for thirty-eight
years. They have taught many how
to tie and fish, but more importantly,
they have increased our membership
significantly, with many going on to
be on the board or even president.
Interesting, my daughter, Teri, taught
the first class that we had because
my work had a shipment that was too
important for me to leave. I called her, she took what she needed and
taught over twenty people for the
two-hour class. She was an early
contributor to our chapter.
When 1977 came along, I became
president for the first time. We had
the meetings at my house. Some of
the board members became new to
our organization. Dick Albosta was
one to join in and has contributed
much over the years. Sandy Paetz became our first ever Muddler
editor. We started the paper as a
means to communicate with our
members. It wasn’t professionally
done, but it sufficed until Art saved
us and got Jill Wright to become our
long-term editor, until the mid-
nineties, when Teri took over. At the
50th banquet, look all three of them
up and thank them. Their
contributions have greatly impacted our communications to our members.
And, by the way, we have received
awards from national TU as a result
of their excellent work.
During this time, we did some work
with the Martuch chapter. We helped
perform fish surveys and hired a
Mershon
Chapter
President
Retrospective Jac Ford
Chapter president from 1977-1979,
1993-1995, and 2012-present
M any years have passed
since first hearing from
my dad, Charlie, “there’s
a meeting going to be held on the
Au Sable River next week; they are
going to form a group called Trout Unlimited.” I checked the day and
had a date with a gal. At nineteen, I
wasn’t sure what all this meant. It
was over ten years before someone
brought up Trout Unlimited to
me again.
One of my workers at Steering Gear,
Bill Ballosh, brought me in the book,
Selective Trout and gave it to me. He
said that it was mine as long as I went and talked to a man at a place
called Wanigas Rod Company.
I agreed.
It was June before I made my first
trip to the shop. I was very interested
in what they had there to sell and
bought a couple bambo fly rods. One
was a Dickerson, and the other was a
McGill. Interestingly, a lady named
Louise waited on me the first couple
time that I went there. She was Art’s wife. Later, JoAnn and I became
very good friends with both Art
and Louise.
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helped greatly with the pricing while
maintaining quality
By the time my 1993 to 1995 term came around, many good things had
happened. The Rifle River work was
going strong. In 1996, the Rifle
Restoration Committee became
official. It had been functioning with
one of its founders, Harold Kleinert.
Through Harold and others, our
chapter was involved in the
conception. The committee, with the
support of many, has accomplished
so much over many years, and since Harold’s passing has been supported
by Bob Spence from our chapter.
Has anyone else noticed Bob’s
always getting his picture taken?
Many of the funds we raised at our
banquets have gone into the Rifle.
We continued to have great
banquets, led by John Goidoskik and
Dick Albosta, during my term and
for several more years to come.
Then, Harry Fredrick and Risty
Kalivas took over for some time,
before Howard Johnson and now Don Albrecht.
My 2012 to 2014 term will go down
as our chapter’s 50th anniversary
celebration. Usually, one significant
event will occur during a president’s
term. This year, we are having an
awesome banquet, developed to raise
funds for this year, while honoring
the past fifty years. That’s why we
have developed a timeline, which will improve awareness of the Wm.
B. Mershon chapter , Wanigas Rod
Company, and Art Neumann.
Hopefully, many attendees will learn
about our past and help us in the
future.
There are so many people that have
contributed so much to our chapter.
Many never became president but
have contributed for years and
deserve our appreciation.
Michigan State student to make
maps of the river for fish, structure,
and bank erosion. We, of course,
continued to work closely on the Au Sable River and the Au Sable
anglers. For one year, Don Check
was our coordinator on the Au Sable,
working with Rusty’s group. Soon
thereafter, Howard Johnson took the
cedar tree project and has never
stopped running with it. Look on our
timeline at the banquet for
information on how many trees they
have planted to date.
By my second term, we had begun to
have walleye dinners, instead of
seafood dinners at the Pioneer Club
and fall outings at the gun club.
These dinners have continued most
all of the years at the American
Legion on Weiss. The biggest help
getting these going came from Bob
Machala. He took over getting the
food from his grocery store, which
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A few years ago, Art and George
Griffith were inducted into the
Catskill Mountains Fly fishing Hall
of Fame. Art is in very good company, and I might add that the
company he is in benefited
considerably when he was inducted.
At the hall of Fame banquet, I was
talking to a lovely, lovely lady by the
name of Joan Wulff. A gentleman
came up, and she excused herself
from our conversation and told the
gentleman that someone told her that
a business in New York was
polluting the water. The gentleman simply said, “Don't worry, I'll take
care of it.” Done. It was such a
contrast with the 60's, when every
little issue had to be hard-fought.
And, I have noticed other issues
since the early days where a business
wanted to influence a watershed area
and was very willing to enter into
discourse with TU. How different!
If you consider all of the people
living and dead who have contributed the most to the
wonderful water we enjoy in the US,
both trout water and otherwise, I
would submit that Art Neumann is
the most important person because,
at a critical time when no one was
concerned about clean water except
Trout Unlimited, he wrestled this
organization into a viable existence
and kept it that way. Art is a classic
example of the “Power of One.”
I have already touched on the award
ceremony of Art being inducted into
the Catskill Mountains Fly Fishing
Hall of Fame. A wonderful award.
There is another award Art deserves,
and that is an award from
Washington expressing the gratitude
of the American people for his
meritorious service.
It may happen in his lifetime, It may happen after his lifetime, or it may
never happen, but he deserves it.
Fly fishing for trout has much to
offer. All of us in TU know this.
Mershon
Chapter
President
Retrospective Robert E. Nelson, D.D.S., P.C.
Chapter president from 1968-1969
S eems like only yesterday that I
was president of the chapter.
That, of course, was in the
60's. I introduced the fellow sitting next to me who was the owner of the
yellow pages. One of so many
influential people that have taken TU
and its ideals to their bosom.
At this time of year we look forward
to having a good time with our
friends at the spring banquet, looking
forward to another trout opener. But
there is so much more to TU than
having a glass of wine and getting our boots wet. The total experience
of trout fishing can be rounded out
and more satisfying if we take time
occasionally to reflect on the origins,
history, and accomplishments of TU.
At one time, we came very close to
losing the essence of what we all
enjoy as far as trout fishing is
concerned. I recall Vince Marinaro
(history will consider Vince as one
of the most influential trout fisherman of all time because of his
original thinking) sitting on a couch
in Bill Priest's cabin on the banks of
the AuSable telling us all that we
weren't going to win the fight for
protection of trout water. Vince was
a retired attorney from Pennsylvania
and had fought battles in defense of
his home waters and lost. None of us
from Michigan (as much as we
respected Vince) agreed with him—perhaps, because the ramifications of
losing were so unthinkable.
George Griffith had the concept of
TU, and Art grasped it immediately,
and they got a group together of
founding members. They had an organization, but it was failing.
There is a principle in the
development of new things that
when the goods (which in this case
was the fledgling organization of
Trout Unlimited) are on the back of
the truck, you are only 10% of the
way there. Art realized what was at
stake and that something had to be
done immediately; that, if Trout
Unlimited was going to become stable and viable, he was going to
have to do it. He took a couple of
years off from his job, traveling,
talking, influencing people, and
setting up chapters all over the
country. Being a result-oriented
person, he almost ruined his health,
realizing what would happen if he
failed. He didn't fail, he won, and for
many years his vision kept TU
on track.
After graduation from U of M dental
school, I went in the Navy and was
on the carrier USS Essex. I can still
remember being stretched on my
bunk reading national sporting
magazines, and some of them had
things about Saginaw and TU. I
think it had a certain amount to do
with my settling in Saginaw. Shortly
after I met Art, I joined TU, and I
was in the middle of the fly fishing fraternity. Soon after, I met Bill
Priest, and we became hunting and
fishing partners. I can still remember
the first time we filled the South
Branch limit of 10 pounds and one
trout. I became chapter president and
went with Art and some of the guys
to Lansing to meet with the water
resources commission . I was
astounded to find that it was just a
name. They couldn't do anything
because they had no power. They got their power from people like us (at
that time it appeared to be just us)
pushing on them. Everything we
wanted to do in those days to help
trout and clean water was a fight.
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Waters (PHW.) My youngest son,
Eric, immediately became involved
and has had a table at the Midwest
Fly Fishing Expo in Warren, Michigan, for several springs. You
would be proud of how the fishing
fraternity has responded with trips,
rods, fishing gear, money, you name
it. One of the fellows gave Eric six
handmade rods, and he said I don't
want you to auction these off. I want
them to go into the hands of
veterans. My nephew in Detroit went
to the show. He was caught up in the
interest generated within the fishing fraternity and traveled around the
state setting up chapters, including
here in Saginaw. Eric recently put
together a web site for the
organization. Type Project Healing
Waters into the browser on your
computer and prepare to feel good
about what trout fishermen are doing
for our wounded warriors. A number
or people in the Mershon chapter
have worked with the veterans in
our community.
This fall, the Flint Rainbow club on
the PM hosted a trip for veterans,
and my daughter and son-in-law
attended. My daughter sent me some
pictures of two huge kings and a
stream brown in the 20-inch class.
When they got home, my daughter,
Erin, told Paul they were going to
build a drift boat. So, you can see
there is a strong strain of the fishing gene in our family. The point of my
telling you this is that you never
know where your interest in trout is
going to take you.
Fly fishing is a lot of fun at any
level, but there is a lot to be gained
from fly fishing, if you stay the
course and pay your dues. I can still
vividly remember a first-time
experience after finishing a fine day
of fishing the Hendrickson on the Au Sable. I climbed out of the river
and re-hashed the day. It was
perfect! And, I had some amazing
feeling over the experience. After
that, because I fished a lot, I would
have 1-3 experiences per year that
fell into the perfect category. I had
arrived at that part of my fly-fishing
journey where it was an art, and at times all of the pieces would fit
together—perfectly. It was
dependent on my having immersed
myself in trout fishing so thoroughly
for so long, with my understanding
of trout, their feeding and food
habits, fly tying (if I could conceive
a pattern for a particular use, I could
have it) and equipment that was ideal
for the sport (clothes, hat, vest,
waders; especially a Hardy lightweight reel mounted on my 6'3"
flame-hardened bamboo rod
constructed by the Wanigas Rod Co.,
that after many years I had to retire
because of landing so many large
trout. It simply got tired, like a
favorite, old hunting dog).
Another thing happened as a result
of the transmutation of sport into art.
Thoughts of the perfect experiences
kept coming back to me, as though clamoring for release. So, I wrote
poems and short stories. I have
enough for three or four books.
Someday, they will likely be
published, but everything takes time.
You never know where trout fishing
will take you—life-long friends,
undreamed-of experiences, far-off
lands, a new career, an opportunity
to do something for the heroes of our country, to name a few.
What all of us don't know is how
much. The reason is that we all have
differing amounts of experience and
expertise. I am going to give you some food for thought. In our family,
to say that a river runs through it
would be somewhat of an
understatement, like Art, Jac Ford,
and some others in our organization.
I have been lucky in my life. The
first trout I ever saw I was four years
old with my mother sitting on a
cedar logjam in the middle of my
grandfather's creek, and mom pulled
a highly colored, vibrant brook trout from between the logs. It was longer
than her hand and had a spicy
fragrance. I thought it was the most
beautiful thing I had ever seen.
I grew up in Sault Ste. Marie and
when of age I used to spend all my
summers on the farm— much of that
time along my grandfather's creek
that was called the Bark River. All of
the members of my family and
extended family fly fish, except two. My granddaughters received custom-
made fly-fishing nets for graduation
from high school.
When my son-in-law became
interested in my daughter, I took him
trout fishing. He was a natural
because he was a navy seal. He knew
water. He could wade without a
ripple. I showed him some knots for
attaching leaders and flies, how to cast a fly, turned him loose, and he
was a trout fisherman and took up fly
tying. We have had many fishing
adventures together. After he retired
from the Navy, an army friend that
frequently passed through
Davenport, Iowa, on his way out
west hunting birds told him of an
idea he had picked up at Walter Reed
Hospital for starting an organization
to help wounded veterans get back
on their feet through fly fishing, primarily for trout. Paul, being a
trout fisherman and understanding
the value, agreed, and they
developed the idea into an
organization called Project Healing
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Wing: Two dark blue, white-
tipped feathers from the speculum
of a mallard duck wing; need a
matched pair from the right and the left wing speculum. Tie feathers in
so that feathers go back over the
body, not past the end of the body,
with feathers facing inside to inside;
also, the white tips of the feathers
turn up.
Hackle: Light brown, tied in
at throat
Mershon Black, wet fly
Hook: Mustad 3906, #’s 8, 10, 12
Thread: Black
Tail: Black hen hackle Body: Black silk floss
Wing: As above
Hackle: Black, tied in at throat
References: Trout 3rd edn, Ray Bergman,
pages 95, 96. Plate No. 6; also Fly Patterns
and Their Origins, Harold Hinsdill Smedley,
page 484.
I had Mills have some tied with a
white body, and the white-bodied
Mershon proved to be more
attractive than the black-bodied.”
William B. Mershon, born in 1856
and an early lumberman from
Saginaw, Michigan, is the man after
whom this fly is named. He fished
the streams of Michigan when they
were filled with grayling. Mr.
Mershon, a voice for conservation in
the early 1900’s, was secretary of the
Michigan Sportsmen’s Association
in 1882. The Mershon Chapter of Trout Unlimited, located in Saginaw,
is the only chapter I know of that has
a fly to call its own.
Mershon White, wet fly
Hook: Mustad 3906, #’s 8, 10, 12
Thread: Black
Tail: Golden pheasant tippet
Body: White silk floss
The Mershon
Wet Fly—Two
Styles Notes, text, recipes, and photograph
generously provided by Mr. Jerry
Regan, noted fly tyer and friend of
the chapter, and of Trout Unlimited.
A quotation from a letter from
Mr. Mershon to Harold
Smedley, dated February 10,
1942: “The Mershon fly originated from the old Mowry, which was
made of a turkey wing, and it was, I
thought, not bright enough, so I
wrote to Wm. Mills & Son, New
York, and asked them to tie some
flies for me with a black silk body
and wing materials from a mallard
drake, leaving the tip of white
thereon. They did so, and afterwards
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fishing skills, how to tie flies,
participate in a river restoration work
project, and have great fun while doing
so. If you know of anyone interested in attending the camp this year, we are
still looking for a couple of
individuals. Please contact Bill Adams
(989-652-8328) or Paul Morand
([email protected]) for further
information. You can also find out
more by visiting www.kvctu.org and
clicking on the Trout Camp button on
the upper right side of the webpage.
Chapter seeks
youth to sponsor
for trout camp
this summer
T he Mershon chapter is looking
for one or two kids between the
ages of 12 and 16 to attend the
Michigan Youth Trout Camp sponsored by the Kalamazoo Valley
Chapter of Trout Unlimited. Each
year, our chapter sponsors up to three
youths to attend the camp, held at the
Ralph A. MacMullan Conference
Center on the shores of Higgins Lake.
This summer’s camp will run from
July 7–11. While at the camp,
participants learn fly-casting and fly-
erosion sites were stabilized with
rock rip-rap, starting in the Frederic
area, from Mancelona Road to the
Cameron Bridge. I served as project chairman, with Art Neumann
looking over my shoulder, and Dave
Cozad was continuing project
director, later aiding the Upper
Manistee River association in
continuing the stabilization work
down to Yellowtrees, several miles
south ofM72. Later, sand traps were
put into the upper reaches of
the River.
Crews of 25 chapter members spent
two weekends on the stabilization
project, laying rocks on the river
banks—some 800 tons of rock was
used. I shopped for, cooked, and
hauled up some 250 meals for the
two weekends, to take care of the
hungry workers. Meals were served
at Ed Nemanic's cottage. The whole
project was given a value
of $75,000.
Through the years that I served as
president, Art guided me with his
many words of wisdom. Art was
always concerned with the chapter's
growth—at times there being a lack
of it—and with the philosophical
direction of TU and our chapter in
particular. I kept a file of Art's letters
and speeches from those days, which
might well serve as future articles for
our Muddler.
Mershon
Chapter
President
Retrospective Carl Hubinger
Chapter president from 1985-1987
M y chapter presidency took
place between 1985 and
1987. As with many in my
present age bracket, my memory as to what happened then has become
hazy. Three of my years around that
time were spent organizing the
spring banquets. At those times, we
held our banquets first at Bay Valley,
then the Germania. Attendance
peaked at around 265. In spite of the
numbers, we made sure that
everyone who attended went home
with at least one prize. A lot of effort
went into local solicitations for help. TU National began adding to our
prize numbers during my presidency.
Dignitaries, such as the DNR
directors, usually attended, (I found a
letter from Ron Skoog, in which he
and his wife indicated that they were
looking forward to our banquet).
During the winters, Howard
Woolover would arrange for our
chapter to hold two dinners at the
Pioneer Club, not unlike our Walleye dinners today. Peter Jones and others
taught flying fishing and casting. Jac
Ford taught fly tying, letting me take
over the class for three years while
he went for further education after
his GM retirement.
The main event that we became
involved in during 1985–86 was the
Upper Manistee River Bank
Stabilization project. Some forty
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Outfitters. We will also be taking
sealed bids for an original painting
created specifically for our 50th
anniversary by outdoor artist David Ruimveld.
Other items include:
A two-day float on the
Au Sable—one day with Jac
Ford, one with Bob Linsenman
A print of David Ruimveld’s
original painting done for TU
National’s 50th
Eight (8) guided fishing trips
Fly-rod & reel combos
A beautiful wooden bench
Lady's silver pendant and
earrings
Special displays are also planned,
such as the history of Wm. B.
Mershon, a timeline of the Mershon
chapter, highlights of past presidents, and Art Neumann's Wanigas Rod
Company memorabilia.
We will be holding the banquet at
the Horizons Conference Center
this year, so we can accommodate
more people in a less-crowded
venue. The cost including drinks
will be $70/single, $120/double,
$480/table of eight. So, get together
with your friends and reserve a table.
We have a very special guest
speaker, author and flyfisher Ann
Miller. Ann’s recent book, Hatch
Guide for Upper Midwest Streams,
will be available for purchase and for
her to autograph. She is the president
and co-founder of Flygirls, an
organization whose purpose is to
help women to get into the field of
fly fishing. Doors will
open at 4:00 PM this year so that you can meet Ann.
She will be signing and
selling copies of her book,
and Jerry Regan will be
there tying the Mershon
Muddler.
Get your reservations in
right now to Howard
Johnson, 3157 Church St.
Saginaw, MI, 48604, or
call me directly at 989-245-5819.
It’s going to be an
exciting evening for
fishermen and non-
fishermen alike. I look
forward to seeing
our there.
The Mershon
chapter
celebrates 50
years of
conservation,
protection, and
restoration of
Michigan’s
coldwater
fisheries by Don Albrecht,
chapter advisor and
banquet chair
O n Saturday, April 13th,
we will be celebrating
the Mershon chapter’s 50 years of existence as part of
Trout Unlimited. So, we are
planning a bigger and better
spring banquet. Here are some
of the exciting things we have
planned:
We have two raffle items this
year—a Henry 30-30 caliber
lever action rifle, engraved
with the 50th anniversary logo, and also an Orvis 9-ft, 4-wt rod outfit,
embossed with the Mershon 50th
anniversary, donated by Little Forks
Guest speaker, Ann Miller, will join us for our special 50th anniversary festivities. Join us early, so you can meet Ann and purchase an autographed copy
of her book, Hatch Guide for Upper Midwest Streams .
Art Neumann, wearing the fishing vest he donated to our chapter for 50th anniversary fundraising. Rather than auctioning it off, the chapter is donating
it to the Catskill Fly Fishing Museum, in New York, where Art is installed in the hall of fly-fishing fame. This piece of fly-fishing history is just too important to send to auction.
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Rifle River - created in honor of our 50th anniversary by David Ruimveld, in his traditional style of River Maps on a heavy water color paper with acrylic paints. Featuring chapter stalwarts Art
Neumann and Harold Kleinert, the map of the Rifle River shows some of the important places along the river and features a Brown Trout lying on a bed of rocks along side an image of the Wanigas Supreme cane rod and Pflueger Medalist reel Art Neumann fished with for many years, with flies that pertain to the river. This original is matted with shadow boxes containing six flies, five of which were from Art’s
Wanigas Rod Company, donated by Art’s friend and
fly-fishing buddy, Joe Bula.
This piece will be auctioned via sealed bid, with the winner being announced at the Mershon chapter’s
50th anniversary banquet. Visit Little Forks Outfitters in Midland to view the piece, and www.mershon-tu.org to learn how you can bid on this exquisite piece.
The 50th anniversary banquet will feature two spectacular raffle
items this year:
Henry 30-30 caliber rifle, with lever action, octagon barrel, brass body, straight-grip American walnut stock with buttplate. Engraved with the 50th anniversary logo. It's both lightweight
(just 7 to 8.3lbs.) and maneuverable (39"“ long).
Orvis 9-ft, 4-wt full-flex Superfine Touch fly rod outfit, embossed with Mershon 50th anniversary, including CFO III disc drag fly reel, Hyros WF-4-F Superfine 4-wt Trout fly line, willow color, backing, rod tube, rod sack, and reel case.
Donated by Little Forks Outfitters.
Hosted at Saginaw’s elegant Horizons Conference Center, this special 50th anniversary celebration promises spirited conversation, fierce bidding, and gluttonous
eating (all for a good cause)!
Our 50th anniversary banquet will also feature several sought-after live auction items, such as a print of the painting David Ruimveld’s created for TU National’s 50th anniversary, guided float trips with professional guides Jac Ford and Bob Linsenman, rod-reel combos, and lady’s silver pendant and earrings. Don’t miss these great items!
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The support of our chapter members,
leaders, and past leaders stretched
from the ground up. It was the
muscle in the rivers, the hours of behind-the-scenes work and
organization for our events, the work
with MITU, the wise advice from
our past leaders, and a plethora of
other thankless acts that have made
our chapter what it is and what it will
continue to evolve to be.
To say that I had much to do with it
at all is pretty funny. I was basically
the guy that made photo copies of the paperwork for the board
meetings. Having worked in multiple
industries, as well as having been
associated with a variety of
conservation organizations, I
consider myself extremely lucky to
have been welcomed into the
Mershon family by the quality
people that are its membership. I am
grateful for my time with the
organization. Thank you.
Mershon
Chapter
President
Retrospective Josh Butzin
Chapter president from 2008-2009
A s we all know, the W.B.
Mershon Chapter of T.U.
has a long and significant
history of taking a leadership role in the conservation community,
specifically in the protection of cold-
water resources. Over the many
years that Mershon members have
been working in the conservation
arena, there have been a large
number of volunteers who have
made significant and sometimes
historic impacts on the people and
resources with which they
were involved.
My time as chapter president was
made quite easy, as I was surrounded
by a group of volunteers and board
members that had far more
knowledge, experience, passion, and
dedication to our chapter than I
could ever have had. Any successes
that our chapter celebrated during
my short time as president were
entirely due to the work of
those people.
younger individuals to contribute
and help the organization grow.
Reflecting on what I consider some of the key highlights during my time
is a very pleasant stroll down
memory lane. Foremost are the
continuing friendships with others I
got to know in TU. I also remember
the board updating our bylaws to be
more in compliance with suggestions
outlined by the National TU.
That process has continued, as bylaw
updates are a bit of an
ongoing activity.
Another area I remember distinctly
was the facilitated strategic planning
session held in Sanford and hosted
by the late Reverend Bruce Hatch. It
was a significant outcome that we
recognized our chapter’s
longstanding heritage connections
with the Au Sable River. As I recall,
we decided that we should also
support restoration projects on the
cold-water sections of the Rifle
River because of the proximity to Saginaw, our membership, and the
significance of that watershed.
One additional highlight I want to
recognize, and certainly not the least,
are the river restoration projects.
These are no doubt a mainstay for
many chapters across the country. I
just love the concept of helping to
restore and preserve these key trout
habitats. What’s not to love about trout hotels, lunker structures, tree
revetments, and other stabilization
efforts? What a great heritage to be
involved in.
Congratulations to the William B.
Mershon Chapter Of Trout Unlimited
and everyone who have been involved
over these past 50 Years!
Mershon
Chapter
President
Retrospective Dan Keane
Chapter president from 1999-2001
L ike many others, I find it hard
to contemplate how so many
years have passed, and
seemingly so quickly. I’m still a
chapter member, though not a very
active one, both regarding the board
and fishing (unfortunately). I think it is important that officers serve
limited consecutive terms in
organizations. In theory, this gives
the opportunity for new and often
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The board approved the “Chapter
Award Program,” with Bruce Hatch
being the first chairperson, and the
“Funding Request Procedure” was
developed to have an organized
method to gather information about
funding requests and distribute
chapter funds. Judy Mc Cann
sponsored a request for funding for
“Casting for Recovery” program,
with one of the first funding awards
presented to this group. The board,
with the guidance of Lou Albosta
and Dan Keane, developed a
“Strategic Planning Program” for the directors to better develop long-term
goals for the chapter. I remember my term of chapter
president as an extremely busy time,
but very rewarding. The monthly
board meetings in Walt Averill’s
office basement were the nerve
center for the chapter in the 90’s. At
each board meeting, not only would
all the board members be present,
but also were many of the advisors—always including Art and Harold.
This led to some spirited discussions
about current issues, with a group of
about twenty board and advisors in
attendance.
Mershon
Chapter
President
Retrospective Howard N. Johnson
Chapter president from 1997-1999
I n the years that I was chapter
president, the chapter
experienced considerable
growth, due to the leadership of
the previous president, Tom
Newberry. Our chapter membership
was 402, and we organized a special
dinner by inviting all the new
members to meet the board and
advisors at a BBQ.
In the same year, we held the first
“Meet the Pros” at Gander
Mountain, and the chapter participated with the first Central
Michigan Fly-Fishing Show in Mt.
Pleasant. Jac Ford and Lou Albosta
began the Youth Fishing Project in
St. Charles. And, chapter director Jill
Wright designed the pin highlighting
the image of the Mershon Fly. Carl & Betty Hubinger hosted a
directors outing at their cabin in the U.P., and we also had one of the
popular “October Steak Cookout
Nights” in the fall. Dave Fisher
organized a very successful “Past
President Dinner” at the Saginaw
Club. The walleye dinners were
heavily attended, with speakers
Steve Sendek and Gary LaFontaine
in attendance. Directors Risty
Kalivas and Harry Frederick chaired
the spring fundraising banquet
several times in these years.
The second year under Newberry’s
leadership saw the chapter receive the
coveted Silver Trout Award from TU
National—the second highest national award—as well as Chapter of the Year
from Michigan TU—the first time a
chapter received this award two years
in a row. Harold Kleinert also received
the Distinguished Service Award from
TU National. And, the chapter
newsletter, the Muddler, was named
the best newsletter by TU National.
Mershon
Chapter
President
Retrospective Tom Newberry
Chapter president from 1995-1997
T he years under the able
leadership of chapter president
Tom Newberry were
productive, indeed. In his first year at the helm, the chapter honored Art
Neumann at the Saginaw Club,
followed by a trip to the Au Sable
River to place an award placard along
the river on the Knight property. The
Mershon chapter was named the
Chapter of the Year by Michigan TU,
and Harold Kleinert received their
Distinguished Service Award, as well.
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Walleye dinner and spring
banquet changes and successes
New fundraising and
camaraderie opportunities at the
January Pheasant Hunts
Major funding status for the
helicopter tree drops on the
Au Sable
Continued and increased
participation at the Rifle, Pere Marquette, and Au Sable
Rivers’ lunker structure and
erosion prevention project
weekends
Continued participation in the
Au Sable River Cleanup
weekend
Funding of the Au Sable River
Police Patrols, the Grayling and
Ogemaw Drain Projects, Casting
For Recovery Program, Youth
River Camp Project, the Griffith
Challenge Program, the
Michigan Hydro (dam) Relicensing Program, and many
more projects
Participation in the State
Council of TU’s Legislative Day
in Lansing
Continued quality Muddler
publications and the addition of
author-contributors like Bob
Linsenman
A continuation of Jac Ford’s fly-
casting and fly-tying classes at
Swan Valley High School
Extremely successful
participation in Hemmeter
Elementary School’s Hobby
Day
And many more successes
which the next group of leaders
must meet and exceed
And the great thing about the
Mershon chapter is that each new
group of volunteers and leaders will
step into their roles gladly, with
determination, and with no doubt
that they will succeed!
Speaking of Saginaw’s importance
in the founding and growth of Trout
Unlimited, I have often been asked
Mershon
Chapter
President
Retrospective Chris Radke
Chapter president from 2003-2005
M y most pervasive
memories of the Mershon
chapter from 2003–2005
are about the personal exemplary
qualities, hard work ethic, and
extensive list of accomplishments
achieved by our membership,
volunteers, directors, and officers; and of the fact that every time we got
together, everyone had a great, fun,
funny, difficult, and rewarding time
together—always.
Below is a copy of my last
president’s article to the chapter,
which lists some of what you
members and leaders accomplished
during those two years.
President’s Message
May 25, 2005
As my term as chapter president winds down, I am very pleased to
see that we had no problem finding
extremely qualified and willing
individuals to step forward into
leadership roles with the chapter.
Plus, we are seeing more attendance
and volunteerism at chapter events
by young members, members from
regions outside of our geographic
area, and new members in general.
I should not be surprised by the
vitality of Saginaw’s William B.
Mershon Chapter of Trout
Unlimited. When I moved from
metro Detroit to Saginaw, I was
unaware of the importance Saginaw
had in the founding and growth of
Trout Unlimited. However, I very
quickly became aware of how
dedicated the then-current
membership and leadership of the
chapter was. Ten years later, these same men and women are very
involved in TU’s continued success,
even though year after year new
volunteers and leaders have joined
the ranks and worked at increasing
TU and the chapter’s good works.
With so much history and so many
great people working toward
common goals, success is expected,
and I believe your chapter has met its continuing financial, educational,
scientific, and conservation
challenges with the following:
3-year Macro Invertebrate Study
of the Rifle River
Complete revision of the chapter
bylaws
Continuous ‘Cedars For the
Au Sable’ funding and
volunteerism
Adoption of 1 mile of the Mason
Tract for 5 years of planting and
watering of cedar trees
Implementation and leadership
in Saginaw’s ‘Catch Me If You
Can’ youth introduction to
fishing program
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Earl H. Longworth
William J.B. Mason
Arthur C. Muehlenbeck
Donald T. Nash Arthur C. Neumann
William Pochelon
Alex A. Reid
Albert L. Riedel
R.C. Rieder
Ralph E. Sager
A.G. Sager
Clarence L. Salmer
J.C. Scheib
G.H. Schrader
Dr. Martin C. Sharp R. Perry Shorts
James H. Smith
Henry D. Snyder
William J. Spear
E.P. Schutt
W. Roland Stewart
S.H. Swift
John W. Symons
__ Thayer
David W. Ward
Thank you members for making the past two years so eventful,
challenging, and successful. Thank
you to my wife, Karen, and my
children for letting me spend so
much time on this great resource.
Finally, thank you chapter board,
officers, and advisors; you do such a
great job of counseling, cajoling,
joking, setting high expectations,
introducing new ideas, and following
up on assignments. I’ve truly enjoyed this opportunity and look
forward to continuing to work in
changing capacities in the future.
As seen above, this Saginaw (Mershon) chapter started with and
continues an intense involvement
with TU and a very high demand for
improvement and success. I look
forward to being a part of these new and
expanding successes. Thank you.
questions about the names of
individuals from Saginaw who were
involved in the founding of Trout
Unlimited up at George Griffith’s cabin on the AuSable River.
Of course Art Neumann’s role as the
first Executive Director of Trout
Unlimited and as the person who
traveled from 1959–1963 (like
Johnny Appleseed), opening new
chapters and state councils across the
country, is well known. But, did you
know that, of the original 113
organizers of Trout Unlimited (at the second meeting at George Griffith’s
cabin), 42 were residents of
Saginaw? The largest contingent
from any city!
The 42 organizers from Saginaw in
1959 were:
F.N. Andersen
Russell M. Bingham
G. Morley Boyd
Ward J. Blunt
Roswell Burrows Dick Davis
Henry DeGeus II
Andrew Ellis
Kenneth Fawless
G.S. Garber
Dr. J. Orton Goodsell
John B. Gricar
Thomas C. Harvey
Dr. Don M. Howell
Nelson Joyner
William W. Kessel Alex S. Levinsohn
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cedars in our area. They have
attempted to plant replacement cedar
seedlings only to have the deer and
hares eat them again. With the
introduction of
the "Cedars for
the Au Sable"
project, river
property owners
began the forestation of
Northern White-
cedars along
our northern
rivers on the
private property
by using
exclosures to
project the
growing
seedlings.
In October
2004, the
Mershon
chapter also
sponsored and
participated in
the Mason Tract
Northern White-
cedar
Reforestation
Project. This is the first
planting on state-owned land. This
was a five-year project to plant and
protect White-cedar cedars within
the Mason Tract, along the south
Chapter
celebrates
fruitful history
with “Cedars for
the Au Sable” by Howard N. Johnson,
“Cedars for the Au Sable” founder
and Mershon chapter advisor
T he William B. Mershon Chapter of Trout Unlimited
and “Cedars for the
Au Sable” have had an exceptional
relationship since 1997, the first year
of the planting project. The chapter
has supported the cedar tree planting
and protection
project each
year by
donating funds
to help with the
purchasing of cedar seedlings
and the fencing
to protect the
growing cedar
seedlings along
both the
Au Sable and
Manistee rivers.
Through the
chapter’s
contributions and
participation
with the
project, over
17,000 cedar
seedlings have
been planted
and protected,
by over 500
river property
owners. Many
of the earlier plantings are
now in their larger exclosures or
completely out of the fencing and
surviving on their own along the
river bank.
The northern white-
cedars along the river
bank provide needed
shade to maintain the cold-water fishery of
the river. The presence
of the cedar sweepers
at the water line
provides protection for
the fish, increases the
amount of large woody
debris in the water, as
well preserving of the
riverbank by locking
in the soil.
It was determined in
the 1990’s that there is virtually no
natural reforestation of northern
white-cedar in northern Michigan.
Many believe it is mainly due to the
tremendous deer populations in our
northern counties. River property
owners have long recognized the
complete absence of any young
Mason Tract Cedar Planting, South Branch of the Au Sable, planting in 2007, Mershon chapter section within the Mason Tract.
left to right: chapter members: Craig Bublitz, Keith Scharf, John Bumstead
Chapter member: Bill Adams
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WILLIAM B. MERSHON CHAPTER OF TROUT UNLIMITED
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
MEETING SCHEDULE
All Board meetings will be held on the first Wednesday of the month (*unless noted) at 5:30 p.m. at Case Funeral Home on Mackinaw in Saginaw, Michigan.
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Wednesday, February 6, 2013*
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Wednesday, April 3, 2013 Wednesday, May 1, 2013
*before the Grin and Grub at Los Cuatro Amigos
No meetings during the summer months.
We welcome you to attend any of the board meetings.
Your input is an invaluable resource in our efforts to serve the resources we enjoy.
left to right: chapter members Reid Calcott, Jimmy Comment, Harry Stuart
branch of the Au Sable River. The
section of river adopted by the
chapter is from Chase Bridge
downstream about one mile to Potter’s Landing. Each year for five
consecutive years, chapter members,
along with family and guests,
planted and protected 50 cedar
seedlings within this area. Over 100
chapter members participated with
the project. All together, over 250
cedar seedlings were planted by the
chapter in five years. These cedars
continue to grow today and will
eventually have larger exclosures installed by chapter members when it
becomes necessary.
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WILLIAM B. MERSHON CHAPTER
OF TROUT UNLIMITED
2012-2013
Donald Meyer
642-9093
Ralph Omness
989-280-0316 (C)
Greg Stansbury
751-3925 (H/FAX)
Nick Thomas
989-450-6869
Todd Zwetzig
989-225-2478
Advisors Bill Adams
989-652-8328
Bo Brines
989-832-4100 (W)
989-832-9528 (H)
Joe Bula
781-2047 (H) [email protected]
David Cozad
684-7947 (H)
Carl Hubinger
642-5487 (H)
Howard N. Johnson
753-6373
Risty Kalivas
790-8614 (H)
Rich Kemerer
781-5220
Bob Kren
810 659-8470
Art C. Neumann
777-0484 (H)
Christopher J. Radke
249-6420 (H)
Jake Shinners
781-3003 (H), 752-7700 (W)
Robb Smith
989-893-3792 (h)
989-233-1922 (cell)
Newsletter Layout
Teri Skidmore
781-0040
Website
www.Mershon-TU.org
Officers President Jac Ford
781-0997 (H/FAX)
Vice-President
To Be Announced
Treasurer Dave Case
642-5286 [email protected]
Secretary
Bob Spence
799-6617 (H)
Past-President
Paul Morand
989-893-7132
Directors Dick Albosta
989-791-4042 [email protected]
Don Albrecht
989-245-5819 [email protected]
David Fisher
781-4932 (H), 792-9641 (W)
Jim Lewis
790-3151 (H), 989-751-0344 (C)
Andy Ludy
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Quality Outdoor Clothing
Instruction and Classes
Fine Fly Fishing Tackle
Fly Tying Supplies
Sporting Books
143 East Main Street - Midland
989-832-4100 Tollfree 877-550-4668
www.littleforks.com
Special thanks to our sponsors: The Mershon Chapter of Trout Unlimited wishes to extend a heart-felt thank you to these businesses and individuals. Their generous support helps to defray the costs associated with distributing this Muddler.
If you would like to help cover the cost of this publication, please contact Jac Ford at 989-781-0997 or [email protected].
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Clip and Save: Mershon Event Calendar 50th Anniversary Spring Fundraising Banquet Saturday, April 13, 2013
Horizons Conference Center, Saginaw 4:00 p.m.~ Displays 5:00 p.m.~ Cocktails 7:00 p.m.~ Dinner
Opening Day Trout Season Saturday, April 27, 2013
Rifle River Restoration Work Day Saturday, August 10, 2013
Time & location to be determined
Monthly Board Meetings: 5:30–7:00 pm, 1st Wednesday of each month
—No meetings during summer months—
at Case Funeral Home, Mackinaw Road, Saginaw
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MUDDLER
P.O . Box 6920 Sa gina w, MI 48608 -6920
T H E M E R S H O N
Newsletter of the William B. Mershon Chapter of Trout Unlimited
Non-Profit
Organization
U.S. Postage
PAID
Permit No. 187
Saginaw, MI
Address Service Requested
Mail to: TROUT UNLIMITED, PO BOX 7400, Woolly Bugger, WV 25438-7400 (Please remember that board members can help you sign up new members at the membership rate of $17.50 and that
all of this money comes back to the Mershon chapter if the membership application references our chapter #20.)
YES! Please begin my one-year
introductory membership in Trout
Unlimited at the rate I have checked at
right. I understand my dues payment
entitles me to all regular membership
benefits, including a TU decal, personal membership card and quarterly issues of
Trout magazine with Action Line.
Name (please print)
Address
City
State Zip
Telephone
020 Mershon
Chapter
Michigan Council - Code 5449
Sponsor
Please check membership category:
New member membership ($17.50)
Regular membership ($35) / r 3 years ($90)
Family membership ($50) / r 3 years ($100) Sponsoring contributor ($100)*
Conservator contributor (250)*
Individual Life ($1,000) (No further dues)*
Family Life ($1,100) (Husband and Wife)*
Senior (62 and over) membership ($20)
Full-time Student/Youth (under 18) ($20)
Business membership ($200)
Payment enclosed** Please bill me
Visa # Exp. Date
MasterCard Exp. Date
Signature
All contributions over
$12 are tax deductible.
*Note: special benefits
provided for these
membership categories.
**Make checks payable
to: TROUT UNLIMITED
Clip and mail this
application to join TU
today!
APPLICATION FOR MEMBERSHIP