Mad River Drift Quarter 2 Newsletter

Volume 1, Issue 2                                                September 2019

In this issue:

·  President’s Message
·  August Mad River Monitoring

·  TU Teens
·  Project Healing Waters
·  Fishing in the Volunteer State
·  Celebrating the Mad River Gorge
·  Trout Unlimited Tid Bits
·  Fly Recipe – Allen P.O.S. (a wet fly for the Mad River)

·  Upcoming Events

President’s Message

As I write this, it’s the morning after our first-ever Madmen Chapter meeting that wasn’t simply our mandated annual business meeting. I want to thank all of those who braved the I-70 construction traffic and steered their way around the massive traffic accident to find their way to Bogey’s. Special thanks go out to Kevin Ramsey, who led a casting clinic (appropriately) on the golf course’s “practice green”; Lou Uecker, who gave his presentation, “How to Approach the Mad River, a Deliberate Mindset”; and Jarod Klucho, who was introduced as the new Director of Veteran’s Programs/Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing of Columbus/Central Ohio for the Chapter.

Extra special thanks to Mark Anderson who is stepping down from his position as the Director of Veteran’s Programs. Without Mark and John Davis, who almost single-handedly established the Columbus/Central Ohio chapter, there might not be a chapter in Central Ohio.

There were 30 or so members present for the evening at Bogey’s clubhouse which, in addition to the casting clinic and main presentation, included a few Mad River-related announcements, a raffle, good food and drink, and lots of discussions of all things fishing. This being our first-ever such meeting, there were a few hiccups, but we intend on making improvements relative to acoustics, sound system, etc., as well as getting more members to attend. The next quarterly Chapter meeting is scheduled  for the third Thursday of November. Details will be made available as they are developed, but mark your calendars for November 21st. 

After a very wet late spring/early summer on the Mad, things are beginning to return to normal. We were finally able to have a complete stream monitoring session on August 10th after cancellation of the year’s first two sessions due to high water and dangerous conditions. Clearly, the recent flooding has had an affect, but we are optimistic that these resilient little critters will make a comeback. See the next article for a complete report,

The huge logjam that was present for months just downstream of SR 29/296 has been cleared by an ODNR contractor. We are working with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) on clearing a couple other smaller jams, and on August 18th a few dedicated members worked on clearing a trail along the Pimtown Road access. 

Lastly, ODNR has nearly completed the purchase of the parking area and adjacent property at the SR 29/296 access. Thanks to donations from the Buckeye United Fly Fishers, Miami Valley Fly Fishers, TU Madmen Chapter, and the TU Ohio State Council, the State will soon own this property and will be in charge of patrolling it, improving it and guaranteeing fishing access at that location for the foreseeable future.

Tight lines everybody!

Rick Hurni, President

Monitoring the Mad River
Joe Nagel

On Saturday, August 10, the TU Madmen Chapter conducted a water monitoring session on the Mad River.  Due to the high water levels caused by the multiple flood events on the Mad River earlier this year, this was first monitoring session we have been able to perform this season.
 
Leading up to our monitoring session, the biggest question being asked has been: What affect did this year’s extended flood events have on the macroinvertebrates in the Mad?
 
While our results certainly are not able to provide a conclusive explanation of our findings, we can say that what we observed on August 10, 2019 WAS quite different from previous monitoring sessions.
 
First, below is a comparison of the results from August 10, 2019 and our 2018 monitoring sessions:

These numbers by themselves do not give a complete picture; they only show the PRESENCE of different groups of macroinvertebrates.  What it DOES NOT show is the DENSITY of the bugs we found – that is, how many bugs we collected. Compared to years past, the density of macroinvertebrates collected on August 10th was SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER.  Overall, we found less bugs in our samples at every location.
 
This, in my opinion, was our most significant finding.  The bugs are present, but in lower numbers than we have observed in the past. Our next monitoring session is on October 5, 2019.

TU Teens Experience Fishing in Southwest Ohio and  Michigan

Shannon Mayes, TU Teens Coordinator 

 

TU Teens of Gallipolis took an all-girls trip to Urbana, Ohio in May. Although the weather did not cooperate for camping, the young women made do and caught fish anyway. When rain washed out their campsite and pond, and as the Mad River continued to rise out of its banks, Alan Donaldson generously allowed the girls to fish at Spring Run Farms, a private trout stream located in Fairborn, Ohio   A stream monitoring session and a canoe trip were scheduled, but with the flooding of the Mad River, these opportunities had to be canceled.   

We did get one day on the water and the young women put their fly fishing skills to work! Everyone enjoyed the thrill of catching trout and some caught several.
 

I would like to thank my wife Sandra and Tom and Pam Allen for assisting on the water.  The girls had a blast and can’t wait for the next trip!

An all-boys group of anglers from the TU Teens of Gallipolis organization headed north this past June for some camping and fly fishing along the Manistee river and some tributaries.  The boys experienced cabin camping along Bear creek as well as first class fishing on the Manistee River!

Many brown and rainbow trout were landed along with a few small mouth and small steelhead.  The weather was perfect for fishing and evening camp fires. Michigan is truly a beautiful state and we enjoyed every moment spent on the water and in the woods.  Thanks to Judge Dick Altman for his hospitality and helping to make this trip happen. Also, a big thank you to Hunter Cook, a TU Teens member, but also a mentor to these younger anglers.  Hunter helped guide these younger anglers on the water to guarantee success on the water. 
 
The boys are already looking forward to this annual trip to the great water of the Manistee!

Youth and Veterans Fly Casting Clinic

John Davis, PHWFF Volunteer 

Your TU Madmen Chapter (official sponsor of the Columbus and Central Ohio program of Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing Healing Waters Fly Fishing, Inc.) partnered with Big Walnut Middle School in their community service day activities on April 26.This is the fourth year for this unique partnering that interfaces BWMS students with PHWFF veterans.  Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing is a 501 (c) (3) national, non-profit dedicated to the emotional and physical rehabilitation of disabled active military service personnel and disabled veterans through fly fishing and associated activities including education and outings.

In previous years, 18-20 BWMS students were paired with PHWFF veterans and one or two experienced fly-fishing guides, many of whom are TU Madmen members.  Students and veterans are provided with casting instruction and then have the opportunity to fish at the Sunbury Reservoirs.  During these occasions the students are encouraged to interact with the veterans to learn more about their service days, responsibilities, experiences and sacrifices.

This year, inclement weather conditions kept the group in the BWMS gymnasium.  Students and veterans were paired and rotated through casting instruction and practice, highlights about fly fishing equipment and fishing opportunities.  An extra plus this year was that students and veterans had more opportunity to interface.  Participating veterans and volunteers (that are also veterans) represented several branches of the service including Air Force, Army, Marines and the Navy.   Several eras of veterans were represented including WWII (Bob Coyne), Vietnam, Persian Gulf and Iraq/Afghanistan.

Students, Veterans and PHWFF volunteer guides all benefited in this double-opportunity educational outing.  Students and veteran participants had the opportunity to cast a fly rod wetting their awareness and perhaps appetite for continued immersion into the world of fly fishing and cold-water preservation.  Several students and veterans mentioned their interest in continuing to learn more about fly fishing educational opportunities.  Special thanks to all volunteer guides for donating their time and expertise at this event!

Fishing in the Volunteer State

Shannon Mayes, TU Teens Coordinator

Within 6.5 hours of Columbus and Dayton and 5.5 hours from Cincinnati, happens to be some of the best trout fishing in the nation. I’m talking about the South Holston River (SOHO), and the Watauga River located in Bristol and Elizabethton, TN.
 
These two rivers are tail water rivers, meaning the flow is controlled by a dam. The release of this cold water from the dams allows for stable cold water temperatures throughout the year. The fishing can be spectacular every month of the year. 

The two rivers are within 20 minutes of one another and fish very much the same. Sulphur hatches can be unreal, along with BWOs, and a big caddis hatch in the early spring.  Both rivers fish well with zebra midges and bead head Pheasant tails under a strike indicator. 

Dry fly fishing can be outstanding, but a bit more technical than the nymph fishing. A standard dry fly rod would be a 9 foot 5 weight rod with floating line. The leader would be 9-12 feet and the tippet would be 6x or even 7x on sunny days with clear water.
 
Flies differ from week to week, so consult the South Holston River Fly Shop, for your fly needs (423) 878-2822. Rod will be there to help you out. If I were going down there with a box of flies, my box would include the following:

Puff daddy BWOs, size 16
BWO dry fly and emergers, size 16-18
Zebra midges, size 18-22
Bead head Pheasant Tails, size 16-18
San Juan worms
Black ants
Crickets
Frenchies, size 16-18 

This box should get you started. I left off Sulphurs because the fish are very specific on what they will take. Consult the fly shop for your Sulphur needs.

These are tail waters, they generate electric at both dams. Consult the generation schedule the morning you plan to fish. Generally they update it at 7 p.m., the evening before and make adjustments by 7 a.m., the following morning. THESE SCHEDULES CAN CHANGE! If you notice the water rising, getting colder, or louder, GET OUT OF THE WATER IMMEDIATELY! The dams to consult are the South Holston Dam for the SOHO River and the Wilbur Dam for the Watauga River.

As for accommodations and places to eat, both cities of Bristol and Elizabethton have plenty of motels; if you are looking to camp, check out Cherokee Trails Campground (423) 367-1879. They have tent spots, RV spots, and small cabins. As for dinner, Ridgewood BBQ (423) 538-7543 in Bluff City is the best around. If pizza is your thing, then go to Jiggy Ray’s in Elizabethton (423) 518-1500. Best pizza ever!

As for smaller streams in the area for brookies and stocked fish, try these streams — Beaver Dam Creek, Stony Creek, TN Laurel Creek, Laurel Fork Creek, and the Doe River.

I fish these waters a lot, so if you have any more questions please call me at 740-645-9105. 

Celebrating the Mad River Gorge

Katie Johnstone, Women’s Outreach Coordinator

You are most likely familiar with the Mad River, but do you know about the Mad River Gorge?  The Mad River Gorge is another hidden gem in Springfield, OH. Originally a dumpsite, it is now a recreation area for rock climbing and hiking. In May of 2017, the Clark County Park District, with the help of the Ohio Climbers Coalition, purchased and opened the gorge. It was a trash-littered mess, but over the last 2 years more than 4,000 volunteer hours have turned it into a destination climbers and hikers seek out.
 
To celebrate all the hard work that has gone into the gorge, the Clark County Park District and Ohio Climbers Coalition are holding a climbing festival September 28-29, 2019. The event will involve climbing, a scavenger hunt, climbing clinics, a raffle, camping, and stewardship activities.
 
Many of our board members plan to attend the event and help with the stewardship activities. We are also in the works of hosting a river cleanup during the event. Since we all enjoy spending time on the Mad, we thought this event would make for a great collaboration. More details will be shared in the coming weeks on our involvement. 
 
More information about the event can be found on the Ohio Climbers Coalition website. If you have any questions please reach out to Katie Johnstone. We hope to see you there!

 

Trout Unlimited Tid Bits

Tom Allen

What I hope to do with this article and future articles is to help our members become more familiar with Trout Unlimited on a state and national level. The Madmen Chapter of TU was formed when representatives of the following fly fishing clubs saw a need to protect for future generations, the river they loved and fished:
Central Ohio Fly Fishers (COFF)
Buckeye United Fly Fishers (BUFF)
Northern Kentucky Fly Fishers (NKFF)
Miami Valley Fly Fishers (MVFF)

Thanks to on-going support from these clubs and the efforts of TU Madmen members, the Chapter has continued its focus of protecting Mad River all while expanding Chapter activities, including programs for veterans, youth and women; stream cleanups and monitoring; and in-stream habitat improvements.

In the State of Ohio, the Madmen Chapter is one of five chapters. The other chapters include the following:
Fallen Timbers Chapter in Northwest Ohio (Brad White, President)
Emerald Necklace Chapter in greater Cleveland (Scott Saluga, President)
Western Reserve Chapter in Akron/Canton (Mark Ferguson, President) 
Clear Fork Chapter in Wooster (Skip Nault, President) 

The State Council for Ohio serves as a state-wide umbrella organization for the five chapters. The Council includes the presidents of the five local chapters and other volunteers from around the state who fill a specialized role and have previously served or are currently serving as officers or directors of a local chapter. Council officers are elected by chapter representatives. The State Council is the key link between the TU national and local chapters and plays a critical role in supporting the efforts of the local chapters and advocating for steelhead, trout, and the native Ohio Brook Trout at the state level. The current State Council officers include:
Don Dean, Chair
Jim Augustyn, Treasurer
Skip Nault, Secretary
Chris Steffen, Ohio Representative to the National Leadership Council
Tom Allen, Environmental/Conservation Chair; and
the presidents of the 5 local chapters, listed above.

New officers will be elected at the October meeting of the State Council. Tom Reardon (Fallen Timbers) is slated to take over as Chair. Don Dean deserves a huge thanks for his work as Chair of the State Council and as the state-wide lead for the Trout in the Classroom program. If you are fishing and want advice, reach out to local TU members, including those in other states! They have a wealth of knowledge.

The Original Allen P.O.S. Fly
Tom Allen

Hook:  #16, 3x long, nymph 
Body: Peacock herl
Wings: Soft hackle from hen’s neck
Body: Strands/fiber of pheasant tail

Upcoming events:

·  9/14 — Ohio Trophy Trout Hunter Fall Clean Sweep; before participating in the Ohio Trophy Trout Hunter-sponsored Clean Sweep, TU Members also can help with trail clearing at the State Route 36 bridge starting at 8:00 a..m.
·  9/28 — Rock the Mad Festival
·  10/5 — Monitoring/Sampling
·  11/21 — Chapter Quarterly Meeting. Location TBD