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| The Drift As spring approaches, I hope all of you fly tyers and fly buyers have filled your fly boxes with your confidence patterns and maybe some unfamiliar ones as well that perhaps popped up during a cold winter night when you decided to check out YouTube’s numerous fly-tying channels. As of this writing, the Kinni at River Falls is running at 114 ft3/s with minimal turbidity, and the Rush is running at near normal levels and is slightly off color. Brian at Lund’s Fly Shop reports that midge larva (emergers and dries), winter stone flies (nymphs and dries), small nymphs and scuds, and buggers and small leech patterns are good options to try. My main source tells me that the fish seem to be congregated in the deeper pools and the slower water just off the main flow. I want to thank everyone who continues to volunteer for the buckthorn and box elder removal downstream of the Steeple Drive bridge on the Kinni. Randy is hoping to clear this spot through the end of March. Our fundraising efforts for the auction were very successful. Thanks to all the auction donors for their art, vacation stays, guided trips, gift cards, gear, swag and other fun stuff. The net income for the online auction is $10,560, the 3×100 chance board is $4,820, our Hap Lutter Memorial Appeal as of February is $8,290, and a donation from Tattersall of $3,000 gives us a total is $26,670. WOW!!! I want to give a special thanks to the auction committee members: Greg Olson, Ken & Missie Hanson, Michele Bevis, Jeff Himes, Tom Schnadt, Ben Belt and Matt Janquart. The auction requires extensive planning and I am amazed how it all comes together and runs so smoothly. Kudos to you all! Winners of the 3×100 Chance Drawing: Sage rod (#19) Gary Horvath, Debra Kovats Cunningham painting (#68) Norling bamboo rod (#47) Ron Kuehn. Congratulations to the winners and thank you to everyone who bought a ticket(s) for a chance on one of the items. Recently, I met with Kasey Yallaly (WDNR) and Amanda Little, a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Stout, to discuss the chapter’s sponsorship of a DNR internship program for students enrolled in Environmental Sciences at the University. A formal agreement between the DNR and Stout is currently being processed to create a DNR gift fund that will provide funding for a summer intern to help Kasey and her team with the many fisheries projects scheduled for this upcoming season. Kiap-Tu-Wish will be the donor source to the DNR fund. At the February board meeting, a motion was made and approved to fund up to $6,000 / year for a 3-year period. Any additional donations to the program from outside sources, grants etc., will be used to offset the direct cost to the chapter. Maintenance Committee Items: Rock for the South Fork of the Kinni project has been delivered at a cost $6,407, Needs for Plum Creek for grass seed/mulch: $6,000 A proposed mowing budget came in too high. The committee will review the proposal with the WDNR in order to revise the projected mowing costs. Kiap-TU-Wish board members who are up for re-election: Gary Horvath, Randy Arnold, Rainbow Barry, and Ben Belt. Please take some time and read their Bio’s below. Elections will take place at the chapter meeting on April 1st. Happy Spring, Suzanne |
The Drift – Mar 2025
