Trout Unlimited MINNESOTAThe Official Publication of Minnesota Trout Unlimited - February 2019 March 15th-17th, 2019 l Tickets on Sale Now! without written permission of Minnesota Trout Unlimited. Trout Minnesota of permission written without Copyright 2019 Minnesota Trout Unlimited - No portion of this publication may be reproduced reproduced be may publication this of portion No - Unlimited Trout Minnesota 2019 Copyright Shore Fishing Lake Superior Coaster Brook Trout: The History & Future Artist Profile: Ted Hansen Swinging for Steelhead MNTU Year in Review ROCHESTER, MN ROCHESTER, PERMIT NO. 281 NO. PERMIT Chanhassen, MN 55317-0845 MN Chanhassen, PAID P.O. Box 845 Box P.O. Tying the CDC & Elk U.S. POSTAGE POSTAGE U.S. Minnesota Trout Unlimited Trout Minnesota Non-Profit Org. Non-Profit Trout Unlimited Minnesota Council Update MINNESOTA The Voice of MNTU Meet You at the Expo! By Steve Carlton, Minnesota Council Chair On The Cover appy 2019! May the new year program. The program had a very im- bring more fish and more fishing pressive first half of the school year. Fish A coaster brook trout from Lake Su- Hopportunities…in more fishy tanks in schools around the state are now perior is ready to be released. Learn places! Since our last newsletter, I have filled with young trout growing toward about coaster brook trout, their chal- not had the time to get out, so all I can do release in the spring. Our education lenges, and current work on their be- is look forward to my next opportunity. program can always use your help and half on page 4. Photo by Scott Thorpe. Luckily, my next shot to wet a line will support. Please read their articles in this be in Maui chasing monster Hawaiian issue and get involved by donating time, bonefish. Hopefully, I’ll be able to share money or resources. You might even get some good stories at the Expo. I know to help tie some flies in a classroom, or every year we make plans to fish more release trout in April or May! often, but sometimes life, work and fam- ily get in the way. Now that my daugh- By now, I hope you know that the Great ter, Quinn, turns eleven in May, it’s time Waters Fly Fishing Expo is hosted by to drag her with me/us more often. Minnesota Trout Unlimited, through the It’s bigger than ever with so much to see In This Issue efforts of Carl Haensel, Jade Thomason, and try out. Please stop by the MNTU One of Minnesota Trout Unlimited’s and dozens of hard working volunteers booth and say “hi.” Oh, and don’t be highlights this year is our Trout in the and partner organizations in conserva- • Swinging for Steelhead afraid to buy a raffle ticket to win a new Classroom (TIC) Program. In the Sum- tion. The Expo is MNTU’s main fun- set of waders or even a guided drift boat mer of 2018, MNTU hired Amber Tay- draiser and I hope you all can attend at • Artist Profile: Ted Hansen trip. I hope to see you March 15th-17th! lor and Evan Griggs to run our education least one of the three days of the event. • MNTU Year in Review • Youth Series • “Imagine It” by Larry Gavin Table of Contents Coaster Brook Trout......................................................page 4 Foster the Outdoors.....................................................page 6 Fly Tying: The CDC & Elk................................................page 7 Swinging for Steelhead................................................page 8 Join TU Today! One Fly........................................................................page 10 Want to subscribe to this newsletter? See the back page for details or visit MNTU Education Update...........................................page 11 www.tu.org to join Trout Unlimited! MNTU Year in Review................................................page 12 Youth and Family Fishing Dates 2019......................page 14 Youth Series: Four Seasons of Trout.........................page 15 Trout Unlimited Minnesota is the of- ficial publication of Minnesota Trout Artist Profile: Ted Hansen..........................................page 16 Unlimited. Issues are distributed to all members of Minnesota Trout Unlim- Upper Mississippi River Initiative..............................page 18 ited chapters. Subscriptions are avail- able by joining Trout Unlimited. See Winter Fishing in the Southeast................................page 20 the back page for further details. Equipment and Rigging for Steelhead........................page 24 Copyright © 2019 Minnesota Trout Unlimited. No portion of this publica- Chapter News..............................................................page 26 tion may be reproduced without writ- ten permission from Minnesota Trout Reeling It In.................................................................page 28 Unlimited. Advertising rate sheet available on re- quest. Send all editorial and advertis- ing correspondence or other inquiries to the editor: Carl Haensel 2067 E. Pioneer Rd. Duluth, MN 55804 218-525-2381 [email protected] Send address changes to: Trout Unlimited, 1550 Wilson Boulevard Arlington, VA, 22209. Itching to catch a steelhead in Minnesota? There are two steelhead-specific articles in this issue, learn 2 about how to rig for steelhead (page 24) and how to swing a fly (Page 8). From The Executive Director MNTU’s Strategies for Climate Change By John Lenczewski, MNTU Executive Director ld Man Winter gave us some- MNTU has been closely tracking this thing to think about during the issue for years. Beginning in 2014, we Olast week of January, as temper- have required the professional environ- atures around the state fell below minus mental firms we hire to help develop 20 degrees everywhere, and slipped be- habitat restoration designs to utilize the low minus 30 in many places. Despite data in NOAA’s updated Precipitation the recent cold snap, observant outdoor Frequency Atlas, covering Minnesota. enthusiasts know that our winters are This “NOAA Atlas 14” was updated in getting warmer and shorter, and run- 2013. The design firms typically model MNTU off from snowmelt is occurring earlier. flood flows for each watershed, using re- Connections Northern Minnesota trout streams have gional flow curves developed by USGS less groundwater, and this reduction in and the DNR, as well as the NOAA Atlas Executive Director stored runoff later into the summer puts 14 data. Projects are then designed to John Lenczewski a strain on coldwater fisheries. withstand flood flows exceeding an up- es flood resilience, reducing the impacts [email protected] dated understanding of what a “100 year of “mega-rains,” so that they do not pro- 612-670-1629 Climate and weather scientists confirm flood event” looks like. duce “mega-floods,” requires increasing www.mntu.org that Minnesota winters are getting mild- the water storage capacity of the land er. But, perhaps more disturbing, is data Reconnecting streams to as much of within the watershed, and slowing the compiled by the National Oceanic and their floodplains as is possible is a top flow of water over the land into tributar- Minnesota Council Chair Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) objective of every habitat project. En- ies. This requires that we continue edu- Steve Carlton showing that we now have more storms suring that even moderate floods (which cating and advocating for better land use [email protected] that produce heavy rainfall, and more happen every year or two) get out of the practices, such as vegetated buffers, pe- “mega-rain” storms which drop 6-8 stream channel and onto the floodplain, rennial cover crops, reduced drain tiling, inches, or more, of rain over a short time dissipates flood energy and preserves and better forest management. We all TU MN Editor period. The severe flooding produced by stream banks and instream habitat. must lend support to measures that halt Carl Haensel these storms are the most damaging for and hopefully reverse climate change [email protected] trout streams. While reconnecting floodplains increas- trends. 218-525-2381 TU MN Copy Editor Jade Thomason [email protected] TU MN Communications Coordinator Dan Callahan [email protected] Gitche Gumee Chapter Brent Notbohm, President [email protected] Headwaters Chapter Bob Wagner, President [email protected] 218-586-2798 Charlie Parson and Val Wagner of the Headwaters Chapter helping youth tie their first fly at the traveling “We Are Water” event in Bemidji. Hiawatha Chapter Phil Pankow, President [email protected] Editor’s Angle www.hiawathatu.org The Land of 4,000 Miles of Trout Water & Editorial Changes Mid-Minnesota Chapter By Carl Haensel, Editor Micah Barrett, President [email protected] ike many of you, I try to escape on the North Shore, there is something Minnesota from time to time in for everyone in the state. To highlight the winter. As I write this, it’s 17 these quality resources, we are offering L Twin Cities Chapter degrees below zero at my house, and it a new version of our photo contest this Janine Kohn, President seems like a fine time to head to warmer year, called “Home Waters.” While we [email protected] environs. The grass, however, is not don’t want the coordinates to your secret 612-564-TCTU always greener on the other side. Sur- fishing hole, we do hope you can share www.twincitiestu.org prisingly, there are plenty of times when a photo of a special place. Look for de- I’m fishing elsewhere, I think about how tails on page 19 to learn more about en- good the fishing is back at home. While tering, and how you can share why you Win-Cres Chapter there are plenty of other states, regions love trout fishing in Minnesota. Dr. Chuck Shepard, President and countries that offer fine trout fishing, [email protected] the resources that we have here in Min- After six seasons and 19 issues of TU tising, which you will see has expanded www.wincrestu.org nesota are amazing. MN, I will play some different roles for in this issue. Everyone who works on the publication, beginning with the next this newsletter is a volunteer, and we’d Hosting nearly 4,000 miles of designat- issue.