Minnesota Trout Unlimited PRESORTED STANDARD U.S. POSTAGE P.O. Box 845 PAID Chanhassen, MN 55317-0845 PERMIT NO. 4 MADELIA, MN Trout Unlimited Copyright 2013 Minnsota Trout Unlimited - No Portion of this publication may be reproduced MINNESOTAwithout written permisssion of Minnesota Trout Unlimited. Anglers Abroad - Lake Michigan Salmon Salmon Michigan Lake - Abroad Anglers Silica Sand Mining Update Mining Sand Silica Regional Book Roundup Book Regional Habitat Work - Before and After in SE MN SE in After and Before - Work Habitat Managing Forests for Trout for Forests Managing The Official Publication of Minnesota Trout Unlimited - November 2013 November - Unlimited Trout Minnesota of Publication Official The Trout Unlimited From The MINNESOTA The Voice of MNTU Executive Director On The Cover Enjoy the Diverse Fisheries You Help Protect and Restore By John Lenczewski, MNTU Executive Director Hay Creek flows through a pasture dur- ing the winter trout season near Red- hope many of you have had an op- state agencies, and the public concern- wing, Minnesota. portunity to help on a habitat project ing the needs of, and threats to, our cold- I this season and get in some qual- water fisheries is at least as important. ity fishing time with friends and family. Protecting the clean, cold water vital to The summer screamed right by and both sustaining our fisheries depends upon the summer work season and statewide continual education and advocacy work trout season are behind us. This year’s by all of you. Our advocacy efforts In This Issue weather and water levels were a chal- around the silica sand mining issue re- lenge for scheduling work days and ally brought home to me just how much • Why trees might be a trout’s some work had to be postponed to next we trout anglers incorrectly assume oth- best friend. spring. Please take a minute to contact ers know about how trout streams work. your local chapter and get on its list of I want to thank all of you who make the • The latest updates on habitat stream work volunteers. Just letting effort to educate your neighbors, co- work in SE MN. them know now that you might be inter- workers and friends. My hope is that ested in helping this winter or next year this newsletter keeps you informed and • The top books you need to have will help them get out the word when provides you with contacts and links to to find local trout. volunteer opportunities spring up or more information. work dates change unexpectedly. send an email to me at: • Silica Sand Mining Update If you would like to get on our list [email protected] As important as our habitat restoration serve for more frequent, timely updates • Updates on chapter programs and enhancement work is, our efforts to and alerts on threats to coldwater fisher- Thank you for helping conserve and and efftorts around Minnesota. educate legislators, the administration, ies in Minnesota and the region, please protect our coldwater fisheries and wa- tersheds. • And Much More! Table of Contents Managing Forests for Trout..............................................page 4 Join TU Today! Habitat Improvement in SE MN........................................page 5 Want to subscribe to this newsletter? Anglers Abroad - Wisconsin Salmon..................................page 6 Join Trout Unlimited! See the back page for details or visit www.tu.org to Silica Sand Mining Update.................................................page 8 sign up. Book Review - Finding Fish Around the Region ................. page 9 MNTU Chapter News.....................................................page 10 News From TU National.................................................page 12 Trout Unlimited Minnesota is the off- cial publication of the Minnesota Trout Reeling It In....................................................................page 13 Unlimited. Issues are distributed to all members of Minnesota Trout Unlim- ited chapters. Subscriptions are avail- able by joining Trout Unlimited. See the back page for further details. Copyright © 2013 Minnesota Trout Editor’s Angle Unlimited. No Portion of this publica- tion may be reproduced without writ- ten permission from Minnesota Trout Thinking of Spring - Already Unlimited. By Carl Haensel Advertising rate sheet available on re- he beginning of winter finds me email. We would love to get your pic- quest. Send all editorial and advertis- already planning for next spring’s tures, stories, anecdotes and tales to use ing correspondence or other inquiries Tfishing forays. The season is bare- in the newsletter this next season. For to the editor: ly done here in Northern Minnesota, those of you tying up some great new yet I can’t wait to hit the water in the patterns, send a recipie and a photo or springtime again. The winter will bring Carl Haensel two for us to consider - as long as it’s not planning, fly tying and trips to the winter 6614 McQuade Rd season in SE MN in just over a month. your secret pattern! If you’ve got a tall Duluth, MN 55804 It will be cold, but I know the trout will tale to make up, send it our way as well. [email protected] be waiting. Thanks to all the people that have Our chapters statewide were busy helped make this first season of a re- this season with many miles of streams newed TU newsletter a success. I look Send address changes to: worked on, and some work on lakes up forward to another print issue hitting the in the NE region as well. press in early February, so keep your Trout Unlimited, 1550 Wilson Boule- eyes open and check your mailboxes vard, Arlington, VA, 22209. As you plan for next season and look around then. over all the good memories that were made on the water this season, take a couple of minutes and drop me a line via 2 Minnesota Council Update Moving Forward By JP Little, Minnesota Council Chair elcome to the 2013 fall Min- cally. As things stand today (financially) common across the U.S.), and the fund- nesota Trout Unlimited state- we have enough annual operating funds raising done by the chapters is now sig- Wwide newsletter. in the Minnesota Council to put out two nificantly funding the role of part time As anticipated in my last column, the hardcopy editions of the newsletter each Executive Director. We are now raising “round 5” funding recommended by the year. plenty of money to do the very important Lessard Council was appropriated by the stream projects via the Lessard Council Minnesota Legislature. Minnesota TU My most important job as Council and Legislature, and we need the state- has been entrusted with $2.47M for cold- Chair is to review and sign contracts wide coordination that John provides. MNTU water resource projects. Teams across with the local contractors and suppliers Connections the state have been rocking all summer doing much of the work on these large Lastly, new blood on the Minnesota using funds from previous rounds of scale construction projects. Our Execu- Council is always welcomed and needed Executive Director funding. Stream work has been done on tive Director, John Lenczewski contin- to keep moving Trout Unlimited for- John Lenczewski over 30 miles over the last 5 years, with ues to build our relationship with the ward in the state of Minnesota. If, as [email protected] no end in sight. You’ll hear about much Lessard Council and Legislature and se- you read this, you would like to get in- 612-670-1629 of that stream work in other articles in cure grants for “on the ground” projects volved please contact me at jp.little@ www.mntu.org this edition of the newsletter. across the state. It is very impressive to surescripts.com. I’d be glad to buy you watch. Thank you John!! lunch and figure how your skills could The first two editions of the revital- best be put to use! Minnesota Council Chair ized statewide newsletter were put out One other bit of very good news – JP Little on paper, and were very well received. the chapters across the state recognize Tight Lines! [email protected] However, funding constraints are dic- the value and importance of having an tating that this edition go out electroni- Executive Director in place (pretty un- TU MN Newsletter Editor Carl Haensel At First Glance [email protected] Looking Forward to Our Next Issue 218-525-2381 Gitche Gumee Chapter Ken Benoit, President [email protected] Headwaters Chapter Bob Wagner, President [email protected] 218-586-2798 Hiawatha Chapter Carl Berberich, President [email protected] www.hiawathatu.org Mid-Minnesota Chapter Ken Nodo, Acting President [email protected] A North Shore coaster brook trout sampled by a TU member during electrofishing with the DNR this fall near Grand Marais. Look for an upcoming article in February to highlight the challenges, issues and re- cent details that we’ve learned from survey work on the North Shore. Twin Cities Chapter Mark Johnson, President [email protected] 612-564-TCTU www.twincitiestu.org Waybinahbe Chapter Rod Prusi, President [email protected] Win-Cres Chapter Joe Lepley, President [email protected] www.wincrestu.org Visit MNTU Online www.mntu.org 3 Managing Forests for Trout Northern Minnesota’s Trout Need Old Trees By Jade Thomason t’s been said that trout are made In-Stream Habitat of trees. There’s even an excel- Ilent children’s book by that title. When riparian trees fall into a In Minnesota, forests show their stream they provide a whole host greatest benefits for trout in the of new benefits to trout. Logjams northern part of the state. There, and large-woody debris create streams with less spring flow are necessary habitat for both fish and dependent on the many qualities their invertebrate prey. To get these of the forest to retain the ability to positive benefits a forest needs to support trout.