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SlacklinesSlacklines
The official publication of the Kalamazoo Valley Chapter of Trout Unlimited Spring 2014
A 30 Year Quest March 15th will be a celebration of 30 years of fund raising at KVCTU’s Annual Conservation Banquet! Come join
with others as we raise money, enjoy a wonderful meal and share a pleasant evening
at the Fountains, 535 Riverview Drive in Parchment.
This year we offer wonderful things to do, such as those donated by professional
fishing guides Kevin Feenstra and Kelly Neuman, a fun day on a private lake for
pan fish (with fly rods) by board member Paul Hammond, two trips to Montana
(one for 4 nights with Ken and Becky Nuorala at the Nuorala Lodge on the Bighorn
River and one for a full week at Fairmont Estates near Butte donated by David Gun-
nell), a $300 package for a night’s stay with dinner and spa experience at the Hen-
derson Castle, tickets and a Goodie Bag from the Gilmore Keyboard Festival which
runs from April 24th to May 10th (value $250), 4 Fontana Chamber Arts tickets for
the remaining 2013-14 season, 2 tickets to the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra's
"Othello" on April 4th, 8 pm, at Miller Auditorium, and much more!
There are many wonderful items also, such as the Freedom Hawk fishing kayak do-
nated by Cabela’s (our grand door prize), a 65 qt. YETI Tundra cooler (ice blue), a
Montana Table of equipment, your choice of Winston fly rods (up to $750), a beau-
tiful hand quilted wall hanging by Paula Kohler, your choice of Abel fly reel with
optional Derek DeYoung artwork (up to $750), an original CD of 43 acoustic guitar
songs created especially for this banquet by KVCTU board member Steve
Schullery, 10 lbs. of succulent sausage made by KVCTU board member Bob Vac-
caro, a custom landing net made by St. Joseph Valley Fly Fishers own Joe Mitchell
and Marshall Jacobson, original artwork by the superlative David Ruimveld, an Or-
vis Impregnated bamboo fly rod (a Madison model, 8’, 6 wt., 2 pc., 1 tip, original
aluminum tube and sleeve), an engraved aluminum 5/6 wt. fly reel with ‘KVCTU’ on the back, a Nikon Coolpix S31
water proof and shock proof camera, an Orvis rolling duffle, an Orvis day pack, Orvis and Lamson fly reels, and books,
artwork, kitchen appliances, used fly fishing equipment and other items too numerous to list!
Go to our website at KVCTU.org to see more about this year’s banquet and to learn more details about some of the
items listed above. You can also purchase dinner tickets through our website using Pay Pal or by downloading a form
to mail with a check. By Al Henderson, Banquet Co-Chair
Glen Blackwood will again be with us to conduct a lively auction.
Spring Outing at Schmidt Outfitters May 16-18 by Terry Wittorp This year’s outing should be a good one, with the long winter and great snow pack, fishing should shape up nicely.
Last year for me was one of the best. First timers Tim May and Dean Williams fished with me on Friday and Saturday.
They both landed some nice trout and the weather was very nice. It was fun sharing the river with them.
Paul, the new owner of Schmidt Outfitters, and Amy made us feel right at home. This is a great place to have the outing
-- great cabins, a nice conference center for meals and a nice casting pond to hone your casting stroke.
Almost forgot: Great food and adult beverages! The cost will be $165. This includes lodging Friday and Saturday,
dinner Friday and Saturday, and breakfast Saturday and Sunday. There are rooms for couples, each having their own
bedrooms. There are 20 spots available; your spot is reserved when I have payment. If you cancel, money for food is
refunded; money for lodging is refunded only if we can fill your spot.
Contact Terry at 269-424-5138 or [email protected]. The cut off date for sign-up is April 17. Please send
checks to: Tim May, 56 Harriet Lane, Battle Creek, MI 49017.
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Members
Dave Gunnel 8640 Owen Drive, Kalamazoo, MI 49009
269-207-1670 (H)
Paul Hammond 12245 Southgate Dr., Plainwell, MI 49080
269-664-4100 (H) 269-207-6473 (W)
Ken Nuorala 13016 East G Ave, Galesburg, MI 49012
269-929-5259 (M)
Ben Reynolds 308 E. Davis St., Paw Paw, MI 49079
269-720-2236 (M)
Bob Vacarro 1038 E. Gull Lake Drive, Augusta, MI 49012
269-731-2962 (H)
Jared Arnold, Chapter Advisor 12440 Serenity Dr., Marcellus, MI 49067
269-488-0236 (W)
Terry Wittorp, Chapter Advisor 31477 Co. Line Rd., Dowagiac, MI 49047
269-424-5138 (H)
Board
Gerry Geik, Newsletter Editor 8400 N. 26th St., Kalamazoo 49004
269-342-6761 (H) 269-615-9678 (M)
Tom Mollet, Website 94 Fullerton, Galesburg 49053
269-665-9861 (H) 269-548-9105 (M)
Greg Potter, Youth Camp Chair 906 S. Kalamazoo Ave., Marshall 49068
269-781-5700 (H) 269-339-4686 (M)
Steve Schullery, Disborough Chair & email Guy
1020 Eldridge Dr., Kalamazoo 49006
269-372-7241 (H)
Jim Wellever, Activities Chair 1076 27th St., Allegan 49010
269-650-6645 (M) 269-664-9261 (W)
John Keagle, Resources Chair 15755 Noonan Rd., Hickory Corners 49060
269-967-1025 (M) 269-671-5614 (H)
John Bundy 6251 Village Grn Circle, #4, Portage, 49024
765-641-7063 (M)
Board Meeting Schedule:
March 13, 2014
April 10, 2014
For Board Meeting location,
contact Ed Hoover
at 269-680-1939 or
.
Check out our new web site at
www.kvctu.org Keep your email address
up to date.
Login to tu.org.
Kalamazoo Valley Chapter Trout Unlimited Officers
Ed Hoover, President & Resources Chair 2595 5th St., Shelbyville, MI 49344
269-680-1939 (M)
Don Squires, President Elect & Historian 22460 Klines Resort Road, #235, Three Rivers, MI 49093
269-649-2046 (H) 269-348-3633 (M)
Al Henderson, Secretary 601 Treasure Isl., Mattawan, MI 49071
269-375-3763 (H) 269-998-0941 (W)
Tim May, Treasurer 56 Harriet Lane, Battle Creek, MI 49017
269-964-9611 (H) 269-209-9360 (M)
Char Hammond, Past President 12245 Southgate Dr., Plainwell, MI 49080
269-664-4100 (H) 269-720-9172 (W)
Jared
Arnold
Prudential Preferred
REALTORS®
Phone: 488-0236
Superior Guidance
In Buying or
Selling a Home
Answers Solutions Results
3
Sponsor/Patron Program Contributors - 2013/14 Information Provided by Tim May, Chapter Treasurer
As of January 3rd, 71 generous TU members have donated to the local chapter’s continual efforts to conserve and pro-
tect cold-water resources. All are thanked all for their support and generosity!
CONTRIBUTORS ($10.00) David Brose, Barbara Brose, Rich Felber, Carolyn Kiser, John Linden, Jameson
MerKling, Jared Mindock, Tom Shumake, Rick Updike
PATRONS ($25.00) Ashley Agler, Adam Beam, Richard Chamberlin, Danny Covell, Janet Disborough, Tom Dunn,
David Ellsworth, Nate Greens, Mike Hanely, Ed Henby, Eric Jeska, Philip Jones, Lewis Kiser, Jerome Kisscorni, Paul
Majkowski, Greg Mindock, Bret Morgan, Pat Moskalik, Jon Rowe, Robin Rowe, Jim Shields, Herb Spencer, Don
Snyder, Betsy Start, Rick Stobbelaar, Ed Hoover
SPONSORS ($50.00) Jared Arnold, Keith Bailey, Tom Elander, Gerry Geik, Al Henderson, Barb Henderson, Phil
Gestwicki, Boyd Heckert, Tracei Holder, Dr. Merrill Katz, Rolf Kletzien, Mike Lagowski, Katie Maltby, Tim May,
Doug McDaniel, Charles Mehne, Tom Mollet, Scott Myckowiak, Michael Payne, Ralph Pernice, Jerry Reed, Ben
Reynolds, Kate Shane, Jack Spenner, Steve Schullery, Tim Siefert, Don Squires, Janet Squires, Kevin Thomason,
Paul Tulgetske, Sam VanBoven
GENEROUS SPONSORS ($100.00) James Bour, John Eichel, Errol Gilbert, Barney Naylor, David Hermann ($150)
3RD ANNUAL PHWFF SPRING FISHING TRIP by Tim May
The KVCTU sponsors the Project Healing Waters fly fishing/tying program at the Battle Creek Veterans Administra-
tion. The spring trip this year will be held on Monday, May 5. The float trip will again be on the Muskegon River
from Pine St. to Thornapple. The day runs from 9am - 3pm with lunches provided by KVCTU. Event organizer Tim
May is looking for volunteers to:
1. Take two vets down the river fishing in your drift boat
2. Volunteer to help shuttle trailers down to Thornapple landing
3. Donate flies, spinners or lures for vets to fish with and use during the day of the outing
Please consider saying "thank you for serving" by helping us out on this great day. The veterans are very deserving
and always appreciate this relaxing day on the river. Please pass the word to other guides and drift boat owners.
Any questions please call Tim May at 269-209-9360.
Waxwing by Mark Karaba After nearly forty years of trout fishing, I am starting to figure a few things out. (I do not consider myself a
quick learner.) The last few years, I have been paying a lot of attention to the trees above the water and the
birds that appear at the time I anticipate trout to become active. I am referring to the venerable Cedar Wax-
wing in particular.
My fondness for birds has been with me for about the same length of time as trout fishing. I was very much
interested in identifying as many birds as I could and got pretty good at being able to do so -- even by their
calls. So for me, much of my time trout fishing has become a dual purpose hobby, as the trout stream is always a haven for insect
eating birds, such as the Waxwing.
The area that I live in and spend most of my fishing time has been hit hard with the Emerald Ash borer and therefore the stand-
ing, bare limbs afford the Waxwings a perfect perch with a clear view of the air above the water. I have gotten used to looking to
the trees as I approach certain familiar waters these days, and at times, I become caught up in the amazing agility of these mid-
size birds. They will leave the perch and dive or swoop to catch one single insect and then return to their perch, though I have
seen them take several bugs in a single flight before returning to a non-specific branch. In addition to the Cedar Waxwing, the
trout stream is also a haven for both the yellow warbler and the yellow throated warbler. Though very colorful and a joy to
watch, neither of these smaller birds put on a show with their aerial acrobatics like the Waxwing.
Spending time on trout streams has provided me with many wildlife encounters in my lifetime: bears, elk, beaver, otter, eagles
and more. But the last few years I am drawn to the tops of bare limbs as my barometer for the insect activity and the anticipation
of active fish. And if the mayflies are present but the trout are not, the Waxwings will be there to put on a show that will take the
sting out of a fishless day on the water.
4
YOUR OLYMPIC TEAM A President’s Message By Edward Hoover
As I started putting this message together, I was trying to put a positive spin on all the snow and cold weather we
have had this winter. I was thinking about how the massive snow amounts will be beneficial to build our ground wa-
ter supplies and maintain our coldwater fisheries if we do not get a sudden warm up which could flood out our
streams. Then I started to get bored and turned on the Olympics. While I watched all the different events that are
held, I realized that we support the “team” due to the pride we have in our country and do not realize all that goes into
what to takes to make up our team. That got me looking at what our Chapter does and all the events and activities we
undertake, and I realized many of us do not know all the work that goes on, and who the contacts are that make our
Chapter considered one of the leaders in TU.
It starts with our Executive Committee which is responsible for the long term goals of the Chapter. The Exec Com-
mittee is made up of the President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer and Past President. Through the guidance of
Char Hammond and Marion Alexander, we revised our Strategic Plan and Chapter By-Laws the past few years --
making my job a lot easier this year.
The Banquet Committee is chaired by Don Squires who also serves as chapter Vice President. The Co-Directors Al
Henderson ([email protected]) and Kate Shane ([email protected]) are putting together the 30th An-
nual Conservation Banquet with a lot of wonderful prizes and many fun activities. Be sure to read the full article in
this Slacklines.
The Activities Committee is chaired by Jim Wellever ([email protected]) and his committee is responsible for
our monthly meetings; they are currently working on next year’s meeting speakers and activities. If you have any
suggestions please contact him. The committee is also responsible for the Spring and Summer outings. The Spring
outing will be at Schmidt Outfitters, May 16th-18th, and Terry Wittorp ([email protected]) is the contact. The
Summer Outing is at Wa-Wa-Sum, July 9th-12th, and the contact is Al Henderson ([email protected]).
The Communication Committee is responsible for promoting Chapter information within the community through the
Slacklines newsletter, the website (KVCTU.org) and email communications. We have made a lot of improvements
within this committee this year and which is led by three top notch individuals with support from the other committee
members. Gerry Geik ([email protected]) heads up the Slacklines Newsletter. Tom Mollet
([email protected]) is our website manager. Steve Schullery ([email protected]) is better known as the
email guy.
The Resource Committee is responsible for
stream improvement projects and evolution of
coldwater fisheries issues that affect our Chapter.
The committee, under the guidance of John Kea-
gle ([email protected]), has several projects sched-
uled for this summer. Look for more information
coming soon.
The Youth Committee is responsible not only for
the Youth Camp, which is in it’s 19th year, but
other community outings in which youth are involved such as: the Portage Youth Day (May 17th), Battle Creek Math
and Science Center outdoor studies and several Boy Scout events. The Committee is chaired by Greg Potter
([email protected]) and each event takes many volunteers to educate and develop our next generation of conserva-
tionists.
The Chapter also has two funding committees. The Disborough Committee works with the Kalamazoo Community
Foundation to provide scholarships to promote college level cold water fisheries studies. The Weber Committee pro-
vides grants to 501C3 organizations for Special Projects involving cold water fisheries.
After a review of what we do, and this list is far from exhaustive, I for one am very proud of our Team. None of
these activities could be accomplished without you, our volunteers. If you have any ideas about activities in which
our chapter could make a difference or if you have questions, please contact the proper committee member. As al-
ways, I am always available.
Tight lines and thank you. Ed Hoover, KVCTU President ([email protected])
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ANNUAL TIE-A-THON - April 12, 2014
Members of the Kalamazoo Valley Chapter of Trout Unlimited and the St. Joseph River Valley Fly Fishers and many
others will come together at the Elkhart Conservation Club to tie flies for three worthy causes: The National Fishing
in Schools Program, The Michigan TU Youth Trout Camp (sponsored by KVCTU) and Warriors and Quiet Waters (a
non-profit organization that provides traumatically injured U.S. servicemen/women from Iraq and Afghanistan with a
high quality restorative program, utilizing the therapeutic experience of fly fishing on Montana waters).
The purpose of the Tie-a-thon is simple: Dozens of tyers tie as many flies as they can to donate to the cause. Joining
forces with KVCTU and SJRVFF again this year are The Brotherhood of the Jungle Cock; Reel Women, Reel Men
of Indianapolis; Grand Rapids Fly Tyers; Flygirls of Michigan; Anglers of the Au Sable; Little Elkhart Chapter of
Trout Unlimited, Duneland Fly Fishers and many more individuals. Many tiers will come together to tie 100 flies
each on this Saturday. Our goal is to surpass our previous all-time high of 13,300 flies.
If you’re interested, pick just one pattern to tie, buy a box of 100 hooks, select the materials and get tying! To get
you there, Chef Terry Wittorp will offer a fantastic lunch for all tyers in attendance. Everyone is welcome, but please
call ahead so lunch can be planned accordingly.
Contact: Tim Scott Terry Wittorp
[email protected] [email protected]
574-538-1936 269-424-5138
www.sjrvff.com www.kvctu.org
By Greg Potter
For an application, visit our Kalamazoo
Valley TU website at www.kvctu.org.
Financial support for campers may be
available through the
Dustin Robins Fund.
To volunteer or if you have any questions,
contact Greg Potter at (269) 339-4686
or email [email protected].
Michigan TU Youth Trout Camp July 6-10, 2014
The four-day camp is all about
getting outside, trout fishing,
canoeing and coldwater conser-
vation for boys and girls 12-16
years old. Base camp is the
Ralph A. MacMullan Conference
Center on the north shore of Hig-
gins Lake with fishing and field
studies on the Au Sable River
system.
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February 20, 2014
Chapter Meeting - Michigan Guide Presentation Kevin Feenstra, Speaker
March 15, 2014
Annual Conservation Fundraising Banquet Location: The Fountains in Parchment
April 12, 2014
Annual Tie-A-Thon Contact: Terry Wittorp at 269-424-5138
April 5, 2014
Macro-Invertebrate Stream Sampling Contact Dick Chamberlin at 269-671-4507
April 17, 2014
Chapter Meeting - Meet the DNR Night, Fisheries Biologist, MDNR Presentation, Q & A
May 5, 2014
3rd Annual Project Healing Waters Outing Contact: Tim May at 269-209-9360
May 16-18, 2014
Annual Spring Outing Schmidt Outfitters, Wellston, MI
Contact: Terry Wittorp at 269-424-5138
July 6-10, 2014 Michigan TU Youth Trout Camp
Ralph MacMullen Conference Center, Roscommon
July 11-13, 2014 Annual WaWaSum Outing
Contact: Al Henderson at 269-375-3763
Chapter Meetings are scheduled for the 3rd
Thursday of the month.
Meetings are held at: The Fountains
335 S. Riverview Dr. Parchment, MI
Wetlines/Cocktails - 6:00 p.m.
Dinner - 7:00 p.m.
Program - 7:45 p.m.
Meetings are open to the public.
Please RSVP
to Jim Wellever at 269-664-9261
A No Smoking policy is in effect
at all meetings.
Chapter Calendar of Events - 2014
New email address??
Login to tu.org, go to VIEW MY PROFILE,
click on EDIT MY PROFILE,
then click on USERNAME AND
PASSWORD to update your email address.
You are encouraged to keep your email address current.
7
REMEMBERING RON by Mahlon Lantz
I was sorry to learn of the death in mid-December of friend and fishing pal, Ron Olsen. My work life involved many
meetings and I couldn’t handle more, but after retirement in 1986, I joined KVCTU. During one of the meetings, I met
Ron and our friendship led to fishing and travel adventures.
A skilled fly fisherman, Ron managed to match the hatch whether trying for trout, salmon or warm water species such
as bluegills, crappies and bass. We fished many Michigan waters including the Kalamazoo, Dowagiac, Little Manistee,
Au Sable, Pigeon, Muskegon Rivers and several local lakes. Ron’s canoe and my twelve foot outboard served as
transport in deeper waters.
Ron was fun to fish with and we had an easy relationship. A confirmed pipe smoker, he lit up his favorite corn cob
before making his first cast. I would tease him about that and about the jar of spicy sauce which he always carried and
used to flavor his meals. He made some of his own from home-grown peppers and complained about the cloud of eye
irritant which emerged from the blender.
Ron had interest in numerous salmonids, would read the literature, and declare that this was the “year of the bull trout”,
or some other species. A trip would be organized and the target species became the focus of the year. He often fished
with his brother and displayed several mounts of large catches in his home.
During 1999, Brook Trout became the target. Ron
learned about an opportunity to fish Lake Ternay in
Quebec. He organized a TU outing and five of us
signed up: Barney and Judy Naylor, Fred Peabody,
Ron and myself. Ron despised staying in a motel
and his van was outfitted for sleeping. He and I
drove from Kalamazoo to Labrador City, Newfound-
land, (the same distance if we had driven to Yellow-
stone Park) stopping once in a farmer’s field for a
little shut eye. A De havelin Otter was our transport
a hundred miles west to the lake. The camp manager
sent us out daily in outboards to fish the rapids for
spawning brookies. We caught and released hun-
dreds up to five pounds in weight. Sizable lake trout
and pike were dinner targets.
Another expedition was to the Norfork River in Ar-
kansas. The river was a torrent that year and we
rented boats for fishing. A one-day guide showed us the technique (one person fished attractors deep, drifting with the
current, while the other person managed the motor avoiding obstacles) and one day we caught four species of trout.
Both received awards for catching and releasing tro-
phy browns of about 25 inches. Of course, we spent
the nights in Ron’s van at a local campsite.
Steve Schullery organized trips to Florida and Ron
joined us for a couple of these. These were the years
of ladyfish and Spanish mackerel, both species being
great sport on a fly rod. Once in St Joe Harbor, Ron
snagged a ray and after a half hour of fighting the
monster, began to curse his luck. The critter was
finally dragged up on the beach and released, thank
goodness.
Following the death of my wife, I moved to New
York to join family and lost track of Ron. I still
treasure the outdoor adventures we had together.
8
KVCTU is now on Facebook.
Check it out! Look for
Kalamazoo Valley Trout Unlimited.
Slacklines is the official publication of...
Kalamazoo Valley Chapter Trout Unlimited 8400 N. 26th St.
Kalamazoo, MI 49004
www.kvctu.org
Spring 2014 Edition Contributors: Tim May Al Henderson Mark Karaba
Terry Wittorp Mahlon Lantz Ed Hoover
Greg Potter
Gerry Geik, Editor, can be reached at [email protected]
ADVERTISE IN SLACKLINES 1/6 Page Ad - $30/issue 1/3 Page Ad - $57/issue
Reach a select audience of anglers. Contact Gerry Geik at [email protected]
As the long-awaited season approaches,
we wish you all...
pleasure on the streams, good fishing, and
tight lines.