Allegheny Mountain Chapter of Trout Unlimited

Annual Fundraiser

We held our 57^th annual fundraiser on March 25^th. The crowd was down from the last few events, but we were competing with many other fundraisers that evening along with mentored youth day. Still a good time was had by all in attendance. Winners of this year’s annual were:

1^st prize Matt Hershberger

2^nd Kacie Rieg

3^rd Chaz Buterbaugh

Attendees had a chance to win a kayak, custom knife, donated by Chris Ireland, Winston Fly Rod as well as our usual fine spread of bucket prizes.

Due to needing to purchase many of the prizes and giveaway items the net take for the night was much below last years record. We thank the members and guess that helped by donating a prize that made this years event offer some excellent choices.

58^th Annual Fundraiser

I can’t remember when we were last here, but I believe it was in the early 1990’s. We are going back to the future. Circle April 13^th, 2024, we are going back to the former Litts Club in DuBois. Now known as Luigi’s Villa. I’m sure we still have a good number of our members that remember our dinners there. Be sure to follow us on Facebook and visit our website for updates as they become available.

Membership Meeting

Our February meeting was held at the Penn State DuBois Campus room 202 in the DEF supervisor from Bellefonte. They gave an update on items of interest to all present and took many questions from our members present. One item was the Tannery Dam and how it’s managed. While it’s a stocked fishery that warms to lethal levels for trout by late May, it also goes to waste when they stock it in February and is closed to fishing until the statewide opening day. The Officers agreed that it would be a good lake to add a stocking in either the fall or winter and be open to catch and release from mid-February to the opening day. We sent a letter asking just that to the Executive Director of PA Fish and Boat. We await a response. Being that the lake is in town and easy for children to get to along with all the people fishing before season why not make it Catch and Release during the closed season. If you agree, please contact PA Fish and Boat and tell them.

The March meeting was the fly-tying roundtable which allowed members to ask our experts questions on learning new patterns.

We also sent a letter of support to the Western PA Conservancy for the purchase of over 1400 acres in Elk Co along Johnson Run and Bennett Branch. This would be added to the Moshannon State Forest if approved.

Fly Tying roundtables

We held our popular fly-tying roundtables in both DuBois and Punxsutawney this winter. We had good attendance at both. Thanks to Punxy Pizza for hosting the event in Punxsutawney. We also attended the Mutton Hollow roundtables in Clearfield held at the Country Butcher. We were very happy to have several youths attend and learn how to tie flies. We held an evening on the water at the DHALO on the Sandy Lick Creek behind Martins. Thanks to all who helped the young tyers in their efforts to catch trout on their ties.

Environmental Day

This year we will be planting trees along Mountain Lick Run at the scout camp. This will be the habitat portion of the day. The Western PA Conservancy will oversee this part. The other stations will be electro fishing, macroinvertebrates collection, and of course fishing, using the PA Fish and Boats SMART angler program. If interested in helping, please contact George K for more information. Thanks to all the volunteers who make this day possible.

Up Coming Events

April 22^nd Tannery Dam Cleanup and Homeless children’s fishing event 9am meet at the pavilion.

May 12^th Middle School fly fishing club outing

May 1^st Cleanup Day at the Dr. Blakeslee Forest in Medix Run meet at the parking lot 10am

May 17^th Picnic with Iron Furnace in Brookville at Walter Dick Park eat at 6pm

May 19^th DuBois Middle School Environmental Day Camp Mountain Run

May 25^th Punxsutawney Elementary School Environmental Day

August 27^th Picnic Bendigo State Park Eat at noon.

For additional information contact any of the directors listed on the back of this newsletter

Picnics

We know life is busy and there are many things pulling us in different directions. The picnics listed above are a way to have a relaxing time and make a few new friends and acquaintances. The picnic in Brookville is a joint picnic with the Iron Furnace Chapter. We supply meat (hot dogs and hamburgers) and buns. Iron Furnace supplies tableware and drinks. All we ask is you bring a dish to pass. Like most events there is more food than people can eat. There is plenty of time to fish both before and after we eat. The park is very kid friendly as well so those with little ones will not be bored.

Bendigo is a joint picnic with the Jim Zwald Chapter out of Elk/Cameron Counties. This one is catered so all you need to do is show up. We have pavilion #1 which is along the East Br Clarion River. If you have never been up here your in for a surprise at the facility, ice cold water makes trout fishing good even in the hottest or driest summer. There is a real swimming pool for your children and yourselves to cool off if hot weather prevails as well as a playground and hiking trails. We will be eating around noon and if the past is any sign of it, we will have enough food for dinner as well.

The best part is this is all FREE! We do not ask for money for tickets or food. I know many of us are tired of all the solicitations for money from Trout Unlimited and our annual fundraiser, so here is an opportunity to get something back for your membership.

We welcome nonmembers to join us at all our events for a fun time, so bring a guest along with yourselves.

Board Meeting

We held our meeting Thursday March 24th at the Lakeside Methodist Church. We welcomed our new Director Dave London back to the board. Kelly assigned tasks for all at the annual fundraiser to be held on April 9th. Codey gave out a list of dates for chapter activities up to September. A full list of these will be at the end of the newsletter. After the two years with little or no activities it feels good to be back to active mode. We wrapped up our fly-tying roundtable with our session on March 14th. We hosted boy scouts from Curwensville who were learning to tie a fly and catch a fish to earn their merit badge. Thanks to those in attendance lending a hand and helping these boys tie their flies. If you want winter to pass quickly, then mark your calendar for January 2023 when we will once again have the weekly fly-tying roundtable.

Membership Meetings

March 21st, we held our monthly membership meeting, and we were able to have Clearfield County WCO Justin Schillaci come give us an update of the upcoming trout season. We also had Dan Collins come to our February membership meeting with a presentation on his time working for Trout Unlimited. Chapter member Tony Kumitis came to our roundtable and gave a presentation on his work in Wyoming last summer for the Fish and Wildlife Department. The plan is to start back up with monthly meetings with the next two being a field trip and picnic before our usual summer break.

We joined with the Jefferson County Conservation District in applying for a Cold-Water Heritage Grant for Clover Run. The chapter looks forward to helping create a conservation plan and hopefully remove the remnants of the old Punxsutawney reservoir. We have not yet heard as to whether or not the grant was accepted and should hear shortly.

56th Annual Banquet

We had a fun debate on whether this was our 56 or 54 due to the loss of two years from Covid. Since the chapter started in 1966 and we have had some sort of fundraiser every year. I’m going with this being the 56th annual.

April 9th marked our annual fundraising dinner after a two-year break. We had a good attendance and was great to see everyone again after being shut in for so long.

Winners in our annual raffle (Yellow tickets)

1st Prize Gary Lyons $400

2nd Wendy Steele $100.

3rd Joyce London $50.

Congratulations to Rich Ferrara being awarded the Golden Reel Award this year at the banquet. Rich was honored with the work he has done with setting up our new shed and the presentations he has given on Euro nymphing and teaching fly tying.

If you missed this year, here is the save the date on next year. We will once again be at the Falls Creek Eagles the date will be March 25th due to Easter being the 2nd Saturday of April.

We will need some help in preparing for next year’s fundraiser, if you’re interested in lending a hand, please reach out to one of our directors. We really need to have help soliciting prizes and it’s never too early to start.

Dates to remember:

April 23rd Earth Day Clean up at the Tannery Dam in DuBois meet at the lake 8:30

April 23rd Family fishing event sponsored by the Chapter and Lakeside Methodist Church. Help needed to assist kids fishing. Meet at the Tannery at 10am

April 25th Chapter meeting at Cardiff mine reclamation. Meet at St Joseph Church in Force at 6PM

May 6 DuBois Middle School Fly fishing outing at the Tannery Dam

May 12 Cleanup at the Dr Blakeslee Memorial Forest in Medix Run. Meet at the parking lot on 555

May 14th DuBois Girl Scout family fishing at Camp Mountain Run. Help needed to assist the girls fishing.

May 18th Our annual picnic at Walter Dick Park in Brookville. Bring a covered dish to pass. Also bring your fishing gear.

May 20th DuBois Area Middle School Environmental Day at Camp Mountain Run

June 3rd Clearfield County Youth Field Days we host the macro collection for the kids always can use extra hands.

June 25th Jefferson County Youth Field Days Renlow Park. We host the kids fishing at the lake.

August 28th Chapter Picnic with Jim Zwald Chapter Bendigo State Park. We supply all the food

Some background on some of the above.

The April 25th meeting, we will be touring the old Cardiff mine site on Cherry Run in Force. The chapter donated $3000 to the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy to build passive treatment and replant the area as well as removing a large mound of red dog that was polluting Cherry Run which was unable to hold fish once it flowed into the old mine area.

May 12 We made a major donation to the Dr Blakeslee Memorial Forest to make this area happen and to keep it looking good, the chapter does a cleanup of the area removing dead trees that have fallen on the trails and clearing brush as well. It usually doesn’t take that long so there is time to fish either Bennetts Branch or one of the other streams in the area.

The youth events can always use additional help and it is very easy to get the clearances to work with children. Please consider helping us so we can maintain these very worthwhile events. The field days and the environmental day are very fun and easy to help with as you do not need to be an expert in any field just a willingness to help. .

May 18th and August 28th are chapter picnics and really a good time to just hang out with members share some stories or even cast a line.

As stated above the 18th the chapter will provide the meat and buns all we ask is that you bring a dish to pass. Since it is at the park on the North Fork in the fly fishing only section you are sure to have many fish to try and catch. This is a family event so pack up your children and bring your spouse or significant other for a fun night.

August 28th is our annual picnic with the Jim Zwald Chapter held at Bendigo State Park. We provide ALL the food for this event so all we ask is let us know you will be attending and show up. This is catered so it’s not the usual picnic fair. We have pulled pork, hot & sweet sausage, hot dogs, various salads, baked beans and of course deserts. We have reserved pavilion #1 which can seat 60. We know this is a little bit of a road trip, but it offers a swimming pool and trout fishing regardless of the weather due to being a tailwater fishery that never gets above 65.