Southern Wisconsin Trout Unlimited

media release: Meetings are the second Tuesday of every month, at Schwoegler’s Bowling Alley, 444 Grand Canyon Dr., Madison, WI 53719. We meet in Schwoegler’s community room on the southern end of the building. The room is just off the southernmost entryway near the pro shop.

Typical Chapter Meeting Schedule

Come for dinner from 5:30-7, general pub style menu and a good opportunity to shoot the breeze and meet some people.

Chapter announcements/business follow from 7-7:30pm

Our speaker/presentation is from 7:30-8:30.

The range of presentation topics is wide and we have had some real notables, from local fishing, to the environment, to fly tying, to travelogues of exotic (and sometimes not-so-exotic) trips. The latest newsletter has details on the upcoming meeting topic.

See below for two great reasons to join us on October 8, 2024.

First up: Interns on a Summer of Learning, Fun and Help For Our Streams

The DNR Water Quality and Fish Biologists in this area needed interns to complete their vital summer streams surveys this year. And their budget was a bit too sparse to hire them.

SWTU and our good friends at the Smallmouth Alliance were happy to help. Emma Bailie and Jonah Hoeper, the two interns, spent the summer with the biologists and technicians in surveying trout and smallmouth streams and other streams that should or might hold trout and SMBs. They saw more water than most of us will see in several years. They had fun, faced challenges and learned from some great DNR folks. And, thanks to them, we’ll know much more about streams in our area.

They’ll present a fast paced account of what they encountered this summer and answer questions. Joining them will be Kim Kuber and Camille Bruhn, the water quality biologists who supervised much of their work in the field.

Both Emma and Jonah attend UW-Platteville. Emma is a 4th year biology major with an emphasis in ecology, and she plans to be a fisheries biologist. Emma’s favorite activities are fishing and hiking. Jonah is a second-year environmental science major. He is not quite sure on a career yet, but mostly likely something with fish. Jonah’s favorite activities are fly fishing and hiking.

Second up: Helping Trout Creek Continue Living Up To Its Name

Justin Haglund is a fisheries biologist for the Wisconsin DNR, stationed out of the Dodgeville office covering both Iowa and Richland counties. He has been in this role since 2017, managing the diverse fisheries we have to offer in SW Wisconsin. Before this position, he worked for the office of applied science with the Wisconsin DNR, covering fisheries research projects across the state. He received his B.S. degree in biology from the University of Wisconsin Platteville and his M.S. degree in Fisheries from the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point.

Justin will be presenting the upcoming trout relocation project on Trout Creek in Iowa County. This project will focus on removing and relocating Brown Trout from the upper reaches of Trout Creek. Historically, this trout fishery contained an excellent population of Brown and Brook Trout. Over the years, habitat degradation has impacted this fishery and the Brown Trout have surpassed the Brook Trout population and now dominate the fishery. Given the dry dam that separates upper and lower Trout Creek, an excellent opportunity exists to restore our native Brook Trout. Project goals and plans for this relocation will be discussed along with an excellent volunteer opportunity for chapter members.

Also note: The Trout Creek article in this newsletter.

The photos below are from a similar successful project last year at Melancthon Creek, where many SWTU volunteers helped make a real difference.