Serving Northern Illinois

This month we will do water monitoring at Millard Ravine on Saturday May 26th. Our friends at the Park District are busy on our usual 3rd Saturday, so we will move our monitoring to May 26th at the usual 9-11:00 a.m. Millard Ravine is at the end of Ravine Dr. in Highland Park.

June 2nd join our friends from SEWTU and the Aldo Leopold Chapter of TU along with others on Bear Creek for an old fashioned “Lunker Building Day”. Off Hwy 130 1.25 miles north of Hwy N. The fun starts at 9:00 a.m. This is a great time to be in the Driftless, so if your up that way, give a morning to a great project. There is also a Contact Mike Kuhr at mikek.trout@yahoo.com and let him know you’ll be showing up.

Saturday, June 16 is the “Big One” our Ravine Work Day. We will meet at 9:00 a.m. on Millard Ravine to create bank cover, restock gravel spawning beds, move some rock for fish passage, and do lots of planting to stabilize the banks. Please bring your own work gloves, boots the can get wet, and eye protection. Bring a shovel if you have it. We will provide lunch afterward. Please, put this one on your calendar as there is lots of fun projects to accomplish and we will need a good crew! Contact Matt Jennings at mattsbug@comcast.net to RSVP.

Matt Jennings

Conservation Chair

May 19th will be a Mukwonago River Workday-with SEWTU and the WDNR to remove culverts on the Rainbow Springs Property in Mukwonago, Wi. Volunteers are asked to contact Mike Kuhr at  mike.trout@yahoo.com  to RSVP. 9:00-Noon with Brat Lunch to follow.

Bring the Family to GBTU’s June 14th Picnic! Bring the your rod, kid’s fishing gear, balls, Frisbees, scooters, or even a boat or canoe! This year’s picnic will be back at the Century Park, Boat Dock Pavilion in Vernon Hills between Little and Big Bear Lakes. The pavilion is off Lakeview Parkway just North of Rt. 60, turn where the sign says Century Park next to the Lakeview Presbyterian Church.

We will gather at 6:00 p.m. and food will be served at 6:30. The chapter will provide Hot Dogs, Burgers, Brats, Sodas, Waters, and all utensils.   We are asking attendees to bring their favorite sides or deserts: last name beginning with A to M – a side dish, last name beginning with N to Z – brings a desert. Remember, no alcohol is allowed in Vernon Hills Parks.

There will be a fishing contest for the kids with prizes for the winner and runner up. The contest will be for most fish caught from 7:00-7:30. We will also have a casting distance contest for GBTU members.   GBTU will provide the rod.  Year long Bragging Rights will go to the winner! So, come out and enjoy a nice evening with friends and family!  This will be our last membership meeting until September.   Let’s kick off the summer right!

I am happy to announce that Jim Moore has taken on the position of Acting Communication Director for the Gary Borger Chapter.  Lets give Jim a warm welcome to this position.  Welcome aboard Jim.

Darwin Adams

President of Gary Borger Chapter of Trout Unlimited

The fundraiser was a success.  Everybody enjoy themselves with food, drinks, conversation and raffle items.  Then some of the members walked over to the theater to watch Robert Thompson’s Fly Fishing Film Tour movie.  The Bottle Shop was a nice change of pace for our fundraiser.  Thanks to all who donated items for the raffle, to members who help in setting the fund raiser up, the people who came, people who purchase raffle tickets, and The Bottle Shop for letting us to hold our happy hour in their shop.  A special thanks to Kyle Kamp who was the leader of this project for such a wonder evening.  Nice job Kyle.

Catskill Fly Fishing Museum- Livingston Manor, NY

GBTU member Fung Chin was honored to be the Master of Ceremonies at the Fly Fisher’s of Distinction held at the Angler’s Club of NY on May 24. This dinner recognized the fly fishing contributions of the late Gardener Grant of the Angler’s Club of NY and Patricia ”Sam” Decker of the Joan Wulff Fly Fisher’s Club.

As part of his ongoing pro bono work, a building model was delivered to the museum to aid in the fundraising for the building addition. This 2 level addition will showcase the Lee and Joan Wulff Gallery on the upper level as well as a permanent location for the Catskill Rod building work shop on the lower level.  The shop will accommodate other crafts such fly tying, net & reel making, and arts related to fly fishing.

The last trout release took place on April 13th at the Millard Park Ravine in Highland Park.  The final tally of 83 rainbow trout was released into 4 pools by an enthusiastic crowd of student, parents, and invited guests.

The students of the Braeside Elementary School raised the fish for 5 months after being delivered shortly after Thanksgiving.  Jim Tingey using Floy tags, in which more information may be retrieved in the future, tagged a number of fish.

Dignitaries such as the Mayor of Highland, council members, Park District officials and the guest speaker, Mark Miller, Director of the ILDNR were in attendance. Rebecca Grill of the Park District had a major role in coordinating the event.

On April 14-15, GBTU presented the TIC program and it’s connection to the Ravine restoration program to the TUDARE conference in Westby, WI. Presenting on behalf of GBTU were Matt Jennings, Rebecca Grill, and Fung Chin.  A number of national TU representatives and GBTU members were in attendance.

Thanks to Maine East High School, Hubbard Woods School and Braeside School for a successful year. For the 2012- 2013 TIC program, AP Programs from Highland Park and Libertyville High School will be joining Maine East High School.

Yes, that’s right; we are planning two trips to the Driftless region this Fall!

The first trip will be our traditional trip to Avalanche, WI. We are planning to go the second to the last weekend in September – Friday, September 21 thru Sunday, September 23.  This will help to avoid the crowds of Wisconsin’s closing weekend the following week.

Our second trip will be to Iowa (where the trout season does not close) from Friday, October 12 thru Sunday, October 14.  This timing will give us a couple of weeks to rake the leaves at home between trips, but still be early enough for good weather.

More details will be coming, but mark your calendar now to save the dates.  You won’t want to miss the good times and good fishing.

We’re back from a great trip to the Driftless area, with its miles of spring creek fishing and hungry trout.  Our headquarters was the historical, and refurbished, Fenway House hotel.  With a number of great trout streams nearby, and a welcoming bar to come home to, we could not have made a better choice.

Several of our members report that they had some of the better days of fishing that they had experienced in a long time.  Even for those whose fishing was a bit slower, the sky was blue and the winds were warm, so it was still a wonderful weekend.  We were also happy that several of our women members joined the group – some for the very first time.

Darwin and Randy each landed rainbows that measured in way over 20 inches.  The debate may never be resolved as to whether or not it was the very same fish!  Either way, we hope that you will be able to join the GBTU when we travel back to the Driftless this Fall.

Our friends at Trout and Grouse will be hosting free fly fishing courses at their Deerfield location.  Click here to download the flyer for more info.