Jeff Treu is a fly fisher and fly tyer with over 50 years of experience and grew up fishing the central sands streams of Wisconsin.  For the last 25 years he has fly fished specifically for migratory trout and salmon species in the Great Lakes tributaries.  As a member of Central Wisconsin Trout Unlimited (CWTU), Jeff leads their annual CWTU Dan Harmon III Fly Fishing School.  He has also served for many years as a CWTU board member and as a Lake Michigan Fishery Forum Committee member.  Jeff’s presentation on “Fly Fishing for Steelhead” is a program promoting an advocacy and overall greater awareness of our local Great Lakes tributary streams and migratory trout and salmon species.  Specifically, tributary streams of Lakes Michigan, Superior and Huron.  Jeff will cover topics related to fishery history, species, seasons, water conditions, fly fishing techniques and management strategies as they relate to steelhead or migratory rainbow trout.  The meeting on Wednesday, March 6th will be at our same meeting location, the Thirsty Goat restaurant, 3040 Cahill Main, Fitchburg.  Here is a link to the Thirsty Goat’s website.  The presentation begins at 6:30 p.m. with dinner and conversation at 5:30 p.m.  Visitors and guests are always welcome.

The Badger Fly Fishers 2024 membership dues can be paid now.  Advance dues payments made now for 2024 count towards membership through December 31, 2024.  The dues of just $20 support the great speakers we have at our meetings and the club’s on-going operating expenses.  Here is a link to the membership form for you to complete and send in by mail.  The mailing address is at the bottom of the form.  You can also pay your dues at one of our meetings.  Thank you for your continued support of the Badger Fly Fishers!

See you at the March 6th meeting!

Cordially,

Buzz McFly

The following is a list of the future bimonthly BFF meeting dates:

1. May 1, 2024 – TBD.

The following is a list of the future bimonthly Wisconsin Smallmouth Alliance (WSA) meeting dates:

1. April 3, 2024 – Stu Neville from Hayward Fly Fishing Company.

Tom Lager has enjoyed thirty plus years of fly fishing experience mixed with a passion to share the ecological wonders and values of aquatic insects and their association with the trout we fish.  While active in Fox Valley Trout Unlimited, numerous other opportunities have also arisen for Tom to teach, present and write about “the bugs of trout streams” to a wide range of audiences such as youth fish camps, Trout Unlimited chapters and statewide meetings as well as to numerous community civic and conservation organizations.  Tom’s retirement from careers as an aquatic ecologist and corporate technology developer now permits him time to advocate for the cold-water resources of Central Wisconsin.  Tom’s presentation on “The Giant Mayflies of Wisconsin” focuses on three kinds of mayflies that are among the largest in size and highly sought after by trout and therefore trout fishers need to know about them.  The mayflies are commonly named: Hex, Brown Drake and White Mayfly.  The identification, stream habitats, behaviors and seasonal hatches of each mayfly will be presented in pictures and video, useful for fly fishing as well as for the appreciation of these elegantly beautiful aquatic insects that poets, artists and novelists have portrayed for centuries.  The presentation has plenty of “how to” hints throughout it and will enlighten your experience as a fisher of trout.

The meeting on Wednesday, January 3rd will be at our same meeting location, the Thirsty Goat restaurant, 3040 Cahill Main, Fitchburg.  Here is a link to the Thirsty Goat’s website.  The presentation begins at 6:30 p.m. with dinner and conversation at 5:30 p.m.  Visitors and guests are always welcome.

The Badger Fly Fishers 2024 membership dues can be paid now.  Advance dues payments made now for 2024 count towards membership through December 31, 2024.  The dues of just $20 support the great speakers we have at our meetings and the club’s on-going operating expenses.  Here is a link to the membership form for you to complete and send in by mail.  The mailing address is at the bottom of the form.  You can also pay your dues at one of our meetings.  Thank you for your continued support of the Badger Fly Fishers!

See you at the January 3rd meeting!

Cordially,

Buzz McFly

The following is a list of the future bimonthly BFF meeting dates:

1. March 6, 2024 – Jeff Treu on “Fly Fishing for Steelhead”.
2. May 1, 2024 – TBD.

The following is a list of the future bimonthly Wisconsin Smallmouth Alliance (WSA) meeting dates:

1. February 7, 2024 – Bradd Sims on “Smallmouth Bass in Wisconsin’s Rivers and Streams”.
2. April 3, 2024 – Stu Neville from Hayward Fly Fishing Company.

As a follow up to his November 1st presentation, Mike Miller has provided some additional information on the risks neonicotinoid (“neonics”) insecticides pose to aquatic insects and waterways.  The additional information is from the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation which is an international nonprofit organization that protects the natural world through the conservation of invertebrates and their habitats.  Here is a link to information about the Xerces Society.  A blog post article by Rosemary Malfi from the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation titled “Tell The EPA: Overuse of Pesticide-Treated Seed Is a Threat to Waterways and Wildlife” can be found on the Xerces Society’s website at this link.

Cordially,

Buzz McFly

Mike Miller is a stream ecologist working for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and an educator at UW Madison.  When not thinking, writing, or talking about streams, he can often be found getting out-witted by animals with pea-sized brains while fly fishing for trout in the Driftless Area.  Mike’s presentation on Wednesday, November 1st will focus on the risks neonicotinoid insecticides pose to aquatic insects in Wisconsin’s streams and rivers.  Neonicotinoids (“neonics”) are the most widely used class of insecticides globally and are implicated in widespread declines of various non-target terrestrial and aquatic invertebrates.  In the Midwest, the primary use of neonics are as seed coatings for many crops including corn, soybeans, and other grains.  While there is an increasing number of studies reporting environmental harm caused by neonics, numerous studies also report no significant improvements in crop yields associated with the use of these chemicals for seed dressing prior to planting.  If a preponderance of evidence suggests significant environmental harm caused by these chemical, and little or no benefit to ag producers, who is benefiting from their use?  This presentation will focus on the physiological effects of these chemicals, their use and environmental fate, and preliminary findings of neonic concentrations found in WI streams and rivers based on results of a 2022 survey.  The meeting on Wednesday, November 1st will be at our same meeting location, the Thirsty Goat restaurant, 3040 Cahill Main, Fitchburg.  Here is a link to the Thirsty Goat’s website.  The presentation begins at 6:30 p.m. with dinner and conversation at 5:30 p.m.  Visitors and guests are always welcome.

The Badger Fly Fishers 2024 membership dues can be paid now.  Advance dues payments made now for 2024 count towards membership through December 31, 2024.  The dues of just $20 support the great speakers we have at our meetings and the club’s on-going operating expenses.  Here is a link to the membership form for you to complete and send in by mail.  The mailing address is at the bottom of the form.  You can also pay your dues at one of our meetings.  Thank you for your continued support of the Badger Fly Fishers!

See you at the November 1st meeting!

Cordially,

Buzz McFly

The following is a list of the future bimonthly BFF meeting dates:

1. January 3, 2024 – Tom Lager on “The Giant Mayflies of Wisconsin”.
2. March 6, 2024 – Jeff Treu on “Fly Fishing for Steelhead”.
3. May 1, 2024 – TBD.

The following is a list of the future bimonthly Wisconsin Smallmouth Alliance (WSA) meeting dates:

1. December 6, 2023 – TBD.
2. February 7, 2024 – Bradd Sims on “Smallmouth Bass in Wisconsin’s Rivers and Streams”.
3. April 3, 2024 – Stu Neville from Hayward Fly Fishing Company.

The Badger Fly Fishers are extremely happy that Jason Randall will once again be our speaker to kick-off our club presentations at the Wednesday, September 6th meeting which starts our 2023/2024 season of presentations.  Jason has made several excellent presentations to our club at past meetings.  Jason credits much of his passion for fishing to his father.  He recalls some of his earliest and happiest memories involved fishing including many trips to Canada and Minnesota for pike and smallmouth.  As a young man he learned fly fishing from other mentors.  Jason believes that the blessings he has received are meant to be passed on to others, so in 2002 in order to share his passion and knowledge he began a career as an outdoor writer with feature articles appearing regularly in American Angler, Fly Fisherman, Fly Tyer, Eastern Fly Fishing, Northwest Fly Fishing and many other outdoor magazines.  Jason’s first book, “Moving Water: A Fly Fisher’s Guide to Currents” was released in 2012 by Stackpole/Headwater Books.  The book studies the effect of current on trout, their prey species and a fly fisher’s angling presentation.  His second book “Feeding Time: A Fly Fisher’s Guide to What, Where and When Trout Eat” was released in August 2013.  This book focuses on matching fishing strategies to the trout’s feeding strategies, especially when targeting large trout.  In 2014 a third book in the “Fly Fisher’s Guide” trilogy was released and titled “Trout Sense: A Fly Fisher’s Guide to What Trout See, Hear and Smell”.  This book offers anglers an opportunity to know more about the quarry they seek.  In April 2017 Jason’s forth book was released from Stackpole/Headwaters Books and titled “Nymph Masters: Fly Fishing Secrets from Expert Anglers”.  This forth book explores the depths of nymph fishing and advanced nymph fishing techniques.  In 2017 Jason joined luminaries Bob Clouser, Ed Jaworowski, the late Lefty Kreh and many others on the TFO National Advisory Team and was the lead advisor for designing the TFO Drift rod and the family of TFO Stealth nymphing rods.  Jason appears and presents at major regional fly fishing shows, clubs and events throughout North America.

Early in Jason’s fly fishing journey, Lefty Kreh told him that 90 percent of all trout caught were caught by as few as 10 percent of the anglers fishing.  This comment by Lefty inspired Jason to become one of that 10 percent……but how?!?  On Jason’s quest to reach that goal, he feels blessed to have fished with and trained under some of the best anglers in the world.  He discovered some commonalities among their philosophies, methods, approaches and techniques.  Jason’s 50-minute presentation titled “10% of Anglers Catch 90% of all Trout Caught; Reaching the 10%” lays the foundation for improving a fly fisher’s angling success starting with the athletic mindset and also covers specific recommendations for leaders, rigging, approaches, tips and tactics.

The meeting on Wednesday, September 6th will be at our same meeting location, the Thirsty Goat restaurant, 3040 Cahill Main, Fitchburg.  Here is a link to the Thirsty Goat’s website.  The presentation begins at 6:30 p.m. with dinner and conversation at 5:30 p.m.  Visitors and guests are always welcome.

See you at the September 6th meeting!

Cordially,

Buzz McFly

The Badger Fly Fishers (BFF) fundraiser will take place on Wednesday, May 3rd at the Thirsty Goat restaurant, 3040 Cahill Main, Fitchburg.  This is our regular meeting location.  Here is a link to the Thirsty Goat’s website.  The event will allow attendees to have dinner, socialize and browse auction prizes.  The auction will be a combination of 45 silent auction packages and one grand ticket raffle item of a commemorative knife set for the BFF’s 35th anniversary made and donated by John Beth.  Everyone is

familiar with John’s handsome and highly sought after knives.  John’s handmade knife is 7” overall with a 3” blade of beautifully patterned bird’s-eye damascus.  It has 127 layers of 1095 / 15N20 steel(s).  The top of the spine has a hand filed “vine of thorns”.  The handle is exhibition grade stabilized red maple where the front of the wood is bird’s-eye and then the wood transitions to “flame” maple.  There are two 1/8” brass pins and a large dry fly brass mosaic pin in the rear.  The liners on the handle are red and white Vulcanized fabric.  The sheath is 9 oz. premium cowhide with a colorized and embossed leaping brown trout on the front. The letters “BFF” are horizontally across the top and the bold number “35” is on the bottom signifying the 35th Anniversary of the club.  Vintage brass tacks finish the front.  The back of the sheath also has BFF embossed with the year we started in 1988 and our 35th anniversary year of 2023.  The all hardwood magnetic display stand holds the knife, the sheath and has a center display with our club pin inlayed.  Here is a link to a list of all the silent auction packages.  The doors will open at 5:00 to allow time for dinner, the silent auction and grand raffle winners will be announced beginning at 7:00 and the event will be over before 8:00.  Payment can be made by cash, check, or credit card and there is also an ATM available on site.  Visitors and guests are always welcome.

Jason Randall and Mac Brown will be teaching a three-day educational event in the Viroqua, WI area on June 8th to 11th.  Here is a link to all the complete details on the event.  Jason is an accomplished fly fishing author and educator who has made some excellent presentations at our club meetings in the past.  Jason is scheduled again to make a presentation at our September 6, 2023 meeting to kick off our next season of presentations.

See you at this important fundraising event for the club and thank you for your continued support of the Badger Fly Fishers!

Cordially,

Buzz McFly

The March meeting presentation will be made by Tim Landwehr on “Planning Your Fly Fishing Adventure – Tips and Tricks on Domestic to International Travel”.  Tim is the owner of Tight Lines Fly Fishing Company in De Pere, WI.  Tight Lines has been a full-service fly shop for over 22 years offering a full retail/online store, guide service, classes and international travel.  Tim is also the co-author of the best-selling smallmouth bass book Smallmouth: Modern Fly-Fishing Methods, Tactics and Techniques and brings his years of experience from guiding, shop life and travel to all of his programs.  In addition, he has had the good fortune to travel the world with fly rod in hand fishing some of the most remote fly fishing destinations on the planet.  Tim has been a friend of the Badger Fly Fishers from the shops very beginning and has had the pleasure of guiding some of the club’s members for over 22 years.  Join Tim for his program on unique fly fishing destinations and how to get the most out of your domestic or international fishing trip.  He will break down everything you will need to know from questions for your guide, packing, passports and visas, immunizations, gratuity and everything in between.  You won’t want to miss this information packed presentation for the beginner to seasoned traveler.  Tim’s dynamic talk is sure to entertain, educate and help you get over your cabin fever!  The meeting on Wednesday, March 1st will be at our new meeting location, the Thirsty Goat restaurant, 3040 Cahill Main, Fitchburg.  Here is a link to the Thirsty Goat’s website.  The presentation begins at 6:30 p.m. with dinner and conversation at 5:30 p.m.  Visitors and guests are always welcome.

The Badger Fly Fishers are meeting once again and thus membership dues will need to be paid starting with the 2023 calendar year.  Dues payments made now count towards membership through December 31, 2023.  The dues of just $20 support the great speakers we have at our meetings and the other membership benefits outlined on our website.  Here is a link to the membership form for you to complete and send in by mail.  The mailing address is at the bottom of the form.  You can also pay your dues at one of our meetings.  Thank you for your continued support of the Badger Fly Fishers!

See you at the March 1st meeting!

Cordially,

Buzz McFly

The following is a list of the future bimonthly Badger Fly Fishers meeting dates:

1. May 3, 2023 – TBD.

The following is a list of the future bimonthly Wisconsin Smallmouth Alliance (WSA) meeting dates:

1. April 5, 2023 – WSA Auction Fundraiser.

The January meeting presentation will be made by Dan Donovan on “Fly Fishing for Musky”.  Dan owns the Musky Fool Fly Fishing Company located on Main Street in Waunakee.   Here is a link to the Musky Fool’s website for additional information on the fly shop and guided fishing trip services.  The meeting on Wednesday, January 4th will be at our new meeting location, the Thirsty Goat restaurant, 3040 Cahill Main, Fitchburg.  Here is a link to the Thirsty Goat’s website.  The presentation begins at 6:30 p.m. with dinner and conversation at 5:30 p.m.  Visitors and guests are always welcome.

The Badger Fly Fishers are meeting once again and thus membership dues will need to be paid starting with the 2023 calendar year.  Dues payments made now count towards membership through December 31, 2023.  The dues of just $20 support the great speakers we have at our meetings and the other membership benefits outlined on our website.  Here is a link to the membership form for you to complete and send in by mail.  The mailing address is at the bottom of the form.  You can also pay your dues at one of our meetings.  Thank you for your continued support of the Badger Fly Fishers!

See you at the January 4th meeting!

Cordially,

Buzz McFly

The following is a list of the future bimonthly Badger Fly Fishers meeting dates:

1. March 1, 2023 – Tim Landwehr.
2. May 3, 2023 – TBD.

The following is a list of the future bimonthly Wisconsin Smallmouth Alliance (WSA) meeting dates:

1. February 1, 2023 – Pat Ehlers.
2. April 5, 2023 – WSA Auction Fundraiser.

Just want to begin with a brief reminder that the Badger Fly Fishers’ (BFF) meeting on Wednesday, November 2nd will be at our new meeting location the Thirsty Goat restaurant, 3040 Cahill Main, Fitchburg.  Here is a link to the Thirsty Goat’s website.  Our meetings will be in a quiet room which will seat 50 people and includes a small bar serving multiple refreshments.  The Thirsty Goat offers excellent and affordable food.  The presentation begins at 6:30 p.m. with dinner and conversation at 5:30 p.m.  Visitors and guests are always welcome.

The November 2nd meeting presentation will be made by Dick Dragiewicz on “Save the Menominee River Update”.  Dick has been fishing since early childhood.  For nearly 20 years he’s enjoyed river smallmouth bass fishing primarily on the Milwaukee and Menominee Rivers.  His streamside conservation work has included trout stream improvement programs, electro shocking for warm water species, river clean ups, signage installation, etc.  For the past 15 years Dick’s focus has been on protecting the Menominee River and Lake Michigan’s smallmouth bass and walleye fisheries from the resulting pollution a proposed

metallic sulfide mine would produce.  The Menominee River, Lake Michigan, and the local environment continue to be threatened by the proposed Back Forty mining project.  The former owners of Aquila Resources, Inc., wanted to develop the Back Forty as an open pit metallic sulfide mine, but nothing went according to their plans.  After spending more than $100 million over 20+ years they had nothing.  Faced with the possibility of going out of business they sold the company to Gold Resource Corporation (GORO) a Denver, Colorado based mining company.  GORO hasn’t provided much information on its plans for the Back Forty mining project but it has said that a feasibility study will be completed in the Fall of 2022 and production will start in 2025.  Before starting any mine site construction GORO will need to obtain five unconditional mining permits.  The Coalition to Save the Menominee River has made arrangements to have each of the five permit applications professionally reviewed and analyzed.  These reports will be used to convince the State of Michigan that the Back Forty mine should not be built.

The Badger Fly Fishers are meeting once again and thus membership dues will need to be paid starting with the 2023 calendar year.  Dues payments made now count towards membership through December 31, 2023.  The dues of just $20 support the great speakers we have at our meetings and the other membership benefits outlined on our website.  Here is a link to the membership form for you to complete and mail to Bill Engber.  The mailing address is at the bottom of the form.  You can also pay your dues at one of our meetings.  Thank you for your continued support of the Badger Fly Fishers!

The following below are a few pictures of some gorgeous Atlantic salmon caught last month by Bill Engber and Steve Born while fishing in Iceland.  If you would like to share a picture of a fish that you caught, please send it to this email address (badgerflyfishers@gmail.com) and the Buzz will periodically post the pictures on our website.  Enjoy and take care!

Cordially,

Buzz McFly

The following is a list of the future bimonthly BFF meeting dates:

1. January 4, 2023 – Dan Donovan.
2. March 1, 2023 – Tim Landwehr.
3. May 3, 2023 – TBD.

The following is a list of the future bimonthly Wisconsin Smallmouth Alliance (WSA) meeting dates:

1. December 7, 2022 – Hunter Dorn.
2. February 1, 2023 – Pat Ehlers.
3. April 5, 2023 – WSA Auction Fundraiser.

After much discussion and contemplation the Badger Fly Fishers’ Board of Directors has concluded that it is best to cancel its annual fundraiser, the Badger Fly Fishers Spring Opener.  This annual fundraiser supports local conservation projects and was scheduled for February 11, 2023.  A couple of factors that came in to play for the Board’s decision were the inability to predict what new COVID-19 variant may or may not be present at the time of the February fundraiser and if it is prudent to promote bringing 250-300 people together if a new variant is impacting the United States.  Secondly, because of serious supply chain issues throughout the country, many raffle and auction donors such as equipment manufactures that have historically contributed items will very likely not have items available to donate to our 2023 Spring Opener.  While we are certain this action will disappoint many people, we feel it is the safest approach for the Badger Fly Fishers organization, our club members and the Spring Opener attendees.  Our future plans are to have the Spring Opener fundraiser on February 10, 2024 and we hope to see you there.  Thank you for your patience and understanding.

On a positive note, the Badger Fly Fishers’ Board of Directors has begun to plan for an alternative fundraiser such as a trash and treasure event.  The fundraiser is tentatively planned for our last meeting on May 3, 2023 so begin to consider what fishing equipment “trash” you may have to donate that will become someone else’s “treasure” and therefore raise money for the club and its conservation efforts.  Additional details will be announced in the near future.  Thank you.

See you at the next meeting on Wednesday, November 2nd.

Cordially,

Buzz McFly