Trout Unlimited Gold Rush Chapter #733

Transcription

1 Trout Unlimited Gold Rush Chapter #733 Septemberrr Volume 7 Issue 9 Gold Rush TU Chapter s Meeting Place Camp Glisson, Ivie Lodge, Dahlonega, GA visit their website at 1st Tuesday of the Month 6:30 PM Social & Dinner 7:00 PM Program & Meeting Next Meeting: Tuesday, 1 September 09 Program: Program begins at 7 PM. The program for September will feature: TROUT UNLIMITED GOLD RUSH CHAPTER regularly meets the first Tuesday of each month in the Ivie Lodge at Camp Glisson (two miles north of Dahlonega on Highway 60). Dinner ($8) is served at 6:30 PM for those who wish to eat. Program begins at 7 PM. The program for Sept 1 will include a discussion by Bill Hess and Tony Page from the Georgia Forestry Commission. Tony is responsible for forest management on the city of Atlanta tract at the Dawson and Paulding forests. The topics will include future land acquisitions for trout streams plus the latest mapping techniques. Visitors welcome. Contact Fred Ruppel , streamwalker2@aol.com or Deb Scott , littlebee7@yahoo.com for more information We meet the first Tuesday of every month in Ivie EPT.Lodge at beautiful Camp Glisson just north of Dahlonega. Dinner is served at 6:30 PM. while it lasts, and programs start around 7:00 PM. All members and guest are welcome! Camp Glisson is just two miles north of Dahlonega on Highway 60. Turn left onto Camp Glisson Road and continue about one mile through the camp to the bridge on your right. Cross the bridge and Ivie Lodge is 100 yards on the left. See you there! At every regular chapter meeting there will be a raffle for fishing or camping items. Fundraiser money is used for projects on education, restoration and helps promote 1

2 our vision. Bring an item to donate and a dollar or two for raffle tickets it s FUN and you might win something. We also do FLYSWATTERS You bring two flies that you have tied or bought, one fly is donated to the chapter for a future raffle at the cookout; you will receive a ticket for the other fly which is placed on the FLYSWATTER. The Flyswatter Flies are raffled that night. Tickets may be purchased for $3.00. New Website John Simmons, a dedicated member of Gold Rush TU is volunteering his time and talent and has created us a new professional website. Please check out the new website and send John a big Thank You!! I've created a couple of pages on the web site relative to the Challenge > Cup. These are on not linked to yet, so only you folks know the urls. > > > > Join the Celebration 2009 marks the 50 th anniversary of Trout Unlimited Chapter Report Deborah Scott Chapter Report Deborah Scott LOOKING AHEAD TONEXT MONTH WILL BE THE ANNUAL CHAPTER PICNIC THIS YEAR TO BE HELD AT CAMP PININEER LOCATED ON HWY 9 JUST SOUTH OF HWY 52 WEST TURN OFF HEADING SOUTH OUT OF DAHLONEGA. Hey Folks! Hope everyone is having a great summer. We will be back at Camp Glisson for our August and September meetings. No Tuesday night meeting in October, we will have our Family Cookout on Saturday, 3 October, then its back to regular Tuesday night meeting in November. The officers and board members met Monday night and they are working hard to keep our chapter active. New officers and board members will need to be elected into office by October. We ll need a president, vice-president, secretary and at least two new board members; I will be expecting some 2

3 volunteers and nominations for these positions at our August/September meetings. Next meeting, we ll have a little presentation of the history of our chapter. In September, we ll have map orienteering, or whatever you call it. Bill said he would show me how to read a compass and not get lost in the woods. Don t forget to buy some raffle tickets for the Tom Landreth print. Also, we ll be needing bucket raffle and auction items for the Family Cookout in October. These items can be store bought or hand made. All donations are tax deductible. Even donations like paper plates, cups, drinks, coleslaw, meat and beans, helps boost the profit of this fundraiser. Remember the mission, and sorry folks but it takes time and money to protect those little fishes that we so like to flick our fly s at. FISH ON! Deborah No report this month Gold Rush Chapter #733 Membership Current up to 21 July 09 Welcome New Members: Renewed/Contributed: Soon to Expire, RENEW TODAY: Expired, renew immediately: You can join/renew by logging on to or calling Georgia Trout Unlimited Back-the-Brookie is now on Facebook! The official Facebook Page for Georgia Trout Unlimited's Back-the-Brookie program. Protecting, restoring and enhancing brook trout populations throughout North Georgia. Our vision is healthy, fishable brook trout populations throughout their historical range. Click here to become a Fan. Find out more and keep up with the latest info from Back-the-Brookie and the Eastern Brook Trout Joint Venture. If you are not a Facebook member, the link provides a place for you to sign-up. You can monitor the Facebook Page without becoming a Facebook member at Unlimited-Back-the-Brookie/ Unsubscribe Privacy Policy 3

4 i You can join/renew by logging on to or calling Gold Rush Chapter #733 Membership You can join/renew by logging on to or calling Steam of the Month Make plans for these future fishing trips. If you would like to guide one of these trips or have a favorite stream you d like to share with the chapter members, please let us know. Jan Noontootla/Stover Creek Blue Ridge WMA Feb Amicalola DH (flexible) March Chattahoochee DH or Tallulah (Caddis Hatch) April Chattooga DH Camping (Can t miss trip!!!) May Davidson, NC (Green Drakes?) June Upper Chattahoochee (Stockers and wild fish) July Coopers/Rock Creek (Nice wet wading and dry fly action) August Toccoa Tail water (Best bet) Sept Stover/Three Forks Oct Conasauga River, Cohutta Wilderness Area Nov Smith s Creek DH Dec Dukes Creek (flexible) These are only suggestions of streams for each month, please feel free to contact any of our board members, many of our members volunteer their time and knowledge to take someone fishing on these and other waters. September Hatches: Go to the web site and click on FISH N and then go down to HATCHES, go to the appropriate month and see hatches, run your mouse out to the left to see a picture of that fly 4

5 Sunday evening in my yard.john T. Vermont, P.W.S., C.E.Consultant UPCOMING EVENTS To all our Fly Fishing for Vets Supporters, I desperately need your help. As you may know we are sponsoring the 2nd Annual Fishing for Vets Day on Sunday, November 1st. Unfortunately, my computer as hit by a virus from of all places China. The Geek Squad has been working on the problem and has cleared any reminisce of the virus. No data was taken the virus did however destroy all my files, personal and business alike. A great lesson here...back up frequently. One was a Access database file which had the names and contact information for ALL our volunteers and helpers from the first FFVD. If you signed in last year you probably already received a postcard reminding you of this year s event, which will be bigger and will have more vets attending. We are working with the Wounded Warriors from Ft. Benning, Vets from our Project Healing Waters program, the Georgia National Guard, Army Reserve, and the Marine Corp League. We will have food and drinks again, plenty of fish, plus fun things for the vet s families. What I would like to ask you to do is volunteer again this year by sending an directly to me 5

6 with your basic contact information, name, address, cell or home phone. ). Even though it was cold last year do you remember all the fun you had with the vets? Well you can be part of it again this year. It s our opportunity to say Thanks to our veterans who have given so much for us. So please me early. Many of you are members of more than one of our fine Georgia fly fishing organizations so I apologize if you receive more that one of these messages. So don t delete this message me now. I look forward to seeing you on November 1st back at Paces Mills. Thanks, Ken Griffin Latest program notes Thanks so much for volunteering to be a part of the 2 nd Annual Fishing for Vets Day. It will be warmer this year, promise. Here s an update on some of what s going on. We are working with some special people that will be joining us this year. They are part of the Project Healing Waters program at the VA Hospital in Atlanta. The exciting news from Ft. Benning is that we may not only have Wounded Warrior from the Wounded Transition Battalion, but also patients from the Army hospital on Benning joining in. The Georgia National Guard is working on our request for support like they gave us last year, and hopefully the State Adjutant, Major General Nesbitt will be our guest speaker. We have already contact the folks under the Gold dome for their support of the event and it looks like it s a go. Here s the answer to the Top Secret questions most people are asking, yes, DNR is planning to stock for us. I just can t tell you how many trout there ll be, but enough to almost walk on. Once again, thanks for volunteering. Without you and the other volunteers there would be no way to say Thanks to our vets. We have so much to do before November 1 st, but I can t help wishing it was tomorrow. I will keep you posted as new things come up. Best wishes and much appreciation, Ken September 10, 2009 Fly Tying Classes, every second Thursday 4-9pm at the American Legion, located behind Chik-Fil-A on Legion Rd in Dahlonega, Ga. Beginners 4-6pm and Advanced 6-9pm. All tools and materials provided. Donations welcome. For more details contact: Deborah Scott littlebee7@yahoo.com September 19, 2009 Council Meeting 9am-1pm at Atlanta FlyFishing School September 26, 2009 Unicoi Outdoor Adventure Day see details below 6

7 Please consider volunteering to help us at Unicoi State Park's Outdoor Adventure Day to celebrate National Hunting and Fishing Day on 9/26/09. You don't have to be an expert outdoorsman or woman to play a vital role in the day's success. Can you help at registration or direct parking? There's a niche for everyone! Unicoi State Park Manager Scott Hudgins hosts us, Game Management Supervisor Ken handles the budget, and I handle event staffing. Many of you are veterans of this event, but the following info may help prospective volunteers to understand the roles they could play and to make the decision to join our ranks. To fill out my roster and to ensure good communications with volunteers, I would like the following info from each volunteer: Jeff Durniak with your completed form Jeff.Durniak@dnr.state.ga.us PLEASE COMPLETE THIS FORM 1) Your name : 2) Your affiliation (if you'd like me to credit your group or club) : 3) address: 4) phone number : 5) first choice of venue : 6) second choice of venue: 7) are you willing to work anywhere I need somebody (y/n)? October 3, 2009 Fifth Annual Family Cookout and Fundraiser, Saturday 1-9pm Dinner at 5pm. Raffles and Auctions! Games and Fun for adults and kids! Bring the whole family and invite some friends to enjoy a cookout at NGCSU s Pine Valley site for our traditional family cookout and funday! We will have bucket raffles and auction items, plenty of food (bring a dish if you like), games and fun for adults and kids. Plan to have a great time and help raise money too! See our flyer under Events/Family Cookout. For more details contact: Deborah Scott littlebee7@yahoo.com October 6, 2009 NO TUESDAY NIGHT CHAPTER MEETING, COOKOUT ON SATURDAY OCTOBER 3, 2009 AT PINE VALLEY October 17, Casting for Confidence - North Introducing the sport of fly fishing to breast cancer survivors. The event will be held on October 17th at Frog Hollow, a beautiful, privately owned section of the Chestatee River near Cleveland and Dahlonega, GA. Click here for more details. November 1, 2009 News release from: Fly Fishing for Vets It's official...the 2nd Annual Fishing for Vets Day will be on Sunday, November 1st, 2009 at Paces Mill just like last year. So all you wonderful volunteers mark your calendars now. This year we will be hosting the Active Army, National Guard, Army Reserves, the Marine League, and Veterans from the VA Hospital in Atlanta as we now sponsor Project Healing Waters. We have some exciting things planned and will keep you posted as the event gets near. So watch for those s. If you want to sign up early as a volunteer you can by ing kengriffin@flyfishingforvets.com We would love to have you back again this year. 7

8 Gold Rush Members please contact: Deborah Scott , if you plan to attend. November 3, 2009 TROUT UNLIMITED GOLD RUSH CHAPTER regularly meets the first Tuesday of each month in the Ivie Lodge at Camp Glisson (two miles north of Dahlonega on Highway 60). Dinner ($8) is served at 6:30 PM for those who wish to eat. Program begins at 7 PM. Program to be announced. Visitors welcome. Contact Fred Ruppel , streamwalker2@aol.com or Deb Scott , littlebee7@yahoo.com for more information. November 21, 2009 Gold Rush Chapter Cup Challenge We have planned a fly fishing challenge to be held on November 21st. We're looking for contestants who believe they can out fish other fly fisherman. The location will be at Frog Hollow Fly Fishing's trophy trout stream. We are limiting entries to ten two man teams who will get an equal opportunity to fish different sections of the river. Prize money for the winning team will be $1000 plus two custom rods. If you would like more details, click on Events/Cup Challenge in the navigation bar or click on the following: Gold Rush Cup Announcement Gold Rush Cup Rules Gold Rush Cup Poster The Johns Creek Kiwanis is a sponsor for the upcoming 2009 Kids Fishing Event at the Buford Dam on Saturday, September 26 th. We are partnering with the Cumming Kiwanis, the GA Dept of Natural Resources, the Cumming Optimist Club, Johnsonville, The Dam Store, Bass Pro, Nothin But Fish, Rainbow Ranch, Up the River Outfitters, National Wild Turkey Federation, and several others for this great community event. The event flyer can be found at Below is an template with a few attached flyers to forward to family, friends, coworkers, schools, neighbors, fellow Kiwanians, fellow Kiwanis Clubs, and other civic organization to help get the word out. By forwarding the invite below (and attachment) to 3 people within the community it will immensely help get the word out. Several of our members and members of area Scout troops will be volunteering with event activities such as: Loading fish at the Buford Fish Hatchery Early setup/coordination activities Preparing Hot Dogs (hot dogs will be provided and cooked by Johnsonville) Streamside assistance Rod/reel set-up Fly/spin casting Loaner rods control Face Painting Registration Sign- 8

9 up Unloading Fish at the Park Parking Coordinators Club Photographer and much more This is a great opportunity to have fun and enjoy time in the water (& sun) for parents and kids alike. If you would like join the festivities please wait as a volunteer website link will be forwarded within the next week to help coordinate activities. I assure you that a great time will be had by all. PS Don t forget to bring the kids. My son Matthew will be with me. (It has become a father/son tradition for going on for several years.) PS #2 A separate logistics will be sent in a few weeks for those volunteering. PS #3 Pass on the word to others. I look forward to seeing you there and Thanks! for helping spread the word about the event. Bill Talbot Johns Creek Kiwanis o: e: bill.talbot@johnscreekkiwanis.org 2009 Kids Fishing Event below Buford Dam What: The Georgia DNR will release thousands of young trout into the Chattahoochee River at Buford Dam on Saturday, September 26 th. Kids under 16 are invited to fish for free. Other demonstrations and exhibits are planned including a casting competition, and fly/spin casting demos. Hotdogs, beverages, and tons of fun will also be provided. Who: The local public is invited. Sponsors: DNR Fisheries, Johns Creek Kiwanis, Cumming Kiwanis, Cumming Optimists, Trout Unlimited, Rainbow Ranch, and a few more Where: Lower Pool Park below Buford Dam (See details below) When: Sept 26 th from 9 AM to 1 PM Directions: (Directions included within event flyer at 9

10 FROM GA400 Take GA 400 North to exit 14, Exit on GA Hwy 20 and travel east, Turn left at first traffic light onto Market Place Blvd., Continue past Home Depot and Lowe s until road ends, Turn right on Buford Dam Rd., Go approx. 5.0 miles (past West Bank Park) and turn right into Lower Pool Park where the road turns sharp to the left and just before traveling over the Buford Dam. A flyer to forward to friends, neighbors, colleagues, schools, etc. can be found at NOTES OF INTEREST BE SURE TO CHECK TU WEB SITE FOR ALL NATIONAL PROGRAMS AND NEWS ON A REGULAY BASIS From: Jeff Durniak <Jeff.Durniak@dnr.state.ga.us> I need your help in spreading the word about Unicoi Outdoor AdventureDay and the other 9/26/09 events sponsored by WRD. Notice that theunicoi event this year features FREE parking - no state park pass willbe required on that date. Please pass the flyer or poster on to families and youth group leaders (scouts, church, school clubs, etc). Thanks in advance for your help. It is critical to the success of the September 26 events. ar= ) The rain this week may have our rivers high, but cooling air andwater temperatures should make it a good weekend for outdoor activities. rom=36hr_topnav_business If big rivers are flooded (check your "USGS Real time" river gauges), try some smaller streams, which clear quicker. DNR's Perry Thompson lists the best bets for stocked trout, which are usually bigger now, at the end of our stocking season: Hooch on WMA, Dicks, Tallulah, Wildcat. 3) Finally, enjoy this news about a monster cat. 10

11 Following is a news release from the Georgia Department of NaturalResources Wildlife Resources Division. Releases can be found online at Also follow Wildlife Resources via Facebook ( YouTube ( Twitter ( ), Flickr ( and the free e-newsletter Georgia Wild ( MONSTER FLATHEAD CATFISH CAUGHT ON OCMULGEE RIVER SOCIAL CIRCLE, Ga. (August 19, 2009) - The Ocmulgee River has monstersmonster catfish that is! A 103-lbs. flathead catfish was caught by Mr. Tom Head, age 76, near Warner Robins earlier this week, according to fisheries personnel with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Resources Division. The fish was more than 57 inches long and greater than 41 inches in girth. The head itself was almost 16 inches wide. Is it a new state record? No. Even though this fish beats the current flathead catfish state record weight by 20 pounds, it was caught using a method called jug fishing that is not considered eligible for state record status. To be eligible, it must be landed using sport fishing tackle. Bush hooks, trot lines, jugs, baskets, nets, etc.,while popular methods of fishing, are not considered sporting tackle. Flathead catfish have a flattened head, yellowish mottled with brown and green coloring, small eyes and a lower jaw that extends beyond the upper jaw and an unforked tail. For anglers trying to land a large flathead, heavy tackle is a must - large spinning or casting tackle with at least 20 to 50-pound test line with heavy weights to keep bait on the bottom. Recommended flathead baits are live goldfish, bream and shiners. Mr. Head was using a live bream on a tuna hook when this flathead was caught. Anglers fishing rivers during the day should target deep holes containing rock or woody structures. During dusk, dawn and at night, anglers should concentrate on shallow sandbars and shoals nearby the deep holes fished during the day. Though most species of catfish are active throughout the day, the best summer fishing is at dusk and during the night. The best time of the year to fish for all catfish species is from early spring through the fall, with a peak in the summer. 11

12 Flathead catfish are a non-native fish to the Ocmulgee River. This species continues to suppress native bullhead and redbreast populations in the river. Unauthorized release of flathead catfish or any other fish species into public waters is illegal in the state of Georgia and violators can be prosecuted. The Ocmulgee River flows from the piedmont region of Georgia below Lake Jackson to Macon, then winds southeast through the upper coastal plain where it joins the Altamaha River east of Lumber City. It is considered great river for canoeing and fishing. For more information on flathead catfishing in Georgia, visitwww.gofishgeorgia.com. ### Editor s Note: Photos of the 103-lbs. flathead catfish are available for viewing on both Flickr ( and Facebook ( If you need a copy ed to you, contact Melissa Cummings at Melissa.cummings@dnr.state.ga.us or at Georgia TU Leaders: OAD is a big deal run by one of our own..jeff Durniak..and we need to offer a lot of support. It would really help Jeff ifsome TU member would act as liason between him and TU volunteers. Thatperson would assign the TU volunteers (hopefully 60-70)to the various jobsthat Jeff would pass on to him/her. Do you know someone who can/will do this job?? Let me know and/or ask themto contact me. This is important and a good chance for someone to step upand really serve TU and DNR. THanks, Charlie From: Jeff Durniak [mailto:jeff.durniak@dnr.state.ga.us] Subject: Unicoi OAD (9/26/09) - First Call For Volunteers Please consider volunteering to help us at Unicoi State Park's OutdoorAdventure Day to celebrate National Hunting and Fishing Day on 9/26/09. You don't have to be an expert outdoorsman or woman to play a vital role in the day's success. Can you help at registration or direct parking? There's aniche for everyone! Unicoi State Park Manager Scott Hudgins hosts us, Game Management 12

13 SupervisorKen handles the budget, and I handle event staffing. Many of you are veterans of this event, but the following info may help prospective volunteers to understand the roles they could play and to make the decision to join our ranks. To fill out my roster and to ensure good communications with volunteers, I would like the following info from each volunteer: =================================================== PLEASE COMPLETE THIS FORM 1) Your name : 2) Your affiliation (if you'd like me to credit your group or club) : 3) address: 4) phone number : 5) first choice of venue : 6) second choice of venue: 7) are you willing to work anywhere I need somebody (y/n)? ====================================================== First come, first served. Below is the narrative from previous years volunteer instructions to help you understand the duties. Thanks for your consideration. We can't pull off this event without an army of vols! Venue Info: 2. Registration & Raffle tents. These workers will greet visitors and get signed liability release forms and pens back from them in exchange for raffle tickets. Detailed instructions will be provided to you on Saturday (9/26), as Kim trains you. Visitors will put one copy of the raffle ticket into the raffle bucket of their choice and keep the other copy. They will use that copy as proof of signing the release form (so they can shoot or canoe) and as proof of a winning raffle ticket number. The raffle will start at 1 PM for free prizes. I have a small, separate work force assigned to the raffle. Volunteers on my roster are eligible for prizes, also! 3. Parking. State Parks staff will guide visitor vehicles to orderly parking in the big field. Parks staff also have a plan for overflow parking, if needed. They may need a few helpers. 4. Archery. Hands-on. One-on-one instruction by WRD and Bow hunters Association. Note that this venue is on far side of Smith Creek, next to the laundry building. It can be reached by the road crossing up near the dam or by the footbridge over the creek to the group camp. Some of you may be asked to provide security. Just stand at edge of venue and 13

14 prevent visitors from straying into the line of fire. 5. Air gun. Hands on by WRD, 4-H Club, and other volunteers. Same as #4,and located next to it. Again, a few of you may secure the perimeter.6. Canoe. This venue will be up on lake, in the west corner of the dam along the highway. Paved 16-car parking lot and restrooms. We are still looking at our staffing capabilities (limitations) before deciding whether we can offer canoeing in An outpouring of vols can affect our decision. 8. Skeet. Handled mainly by well trained DNR and USFS Rangers and Game Management Technicians. 500 yards downstream from main event (safety, safety). A few of you may simply help at the sign-in tent and keep waiting guests away from the shooting area (no experience needed). 9. Fishing tent. This is where visitors can exchange a driver's license for a loaner fishing pole and bait. Biologists, fishing guides, TU'ers, and other fibbers can answer questions and give fishing tips. Fisheries staff will need at least 5 helpers to stay at the tent to handle loaner rod untangling, knot-tying, bait distribution, and rod checkout. This is a busy tent. 10. Fly casting. Part of the field will be set aside for casting instruction. I suggest that volunteers bring a rod that they don't mind visitors tinkering with (DON'T BRING YOUR GOOD SAGE OR WINSTON!!!). I am venue leader for casting and tying. If you tie, bring your tying stuff with you, too. 11. Fly tying. Bring your supplies and an extra vise if you have one. Let visitors sit down at the table and tie his/her own fly to take home. Variations of the woolly worm (W. bugger, anytime/anywhere, etc.) or San Juan worm have worked well for me in the past. Kids love a gold bead and a big, gaudy fly. Beads from craft store, yarn from Wal Mart. Cheap, easy, and fun for visitor. Many visitors are shy, so you may have to speak up and encourage youngsters to come over and tie their own fly. We will try tohave power to the tent (if generator is not too loud), so consider bringing a small lamp. 12. Fishing -stream helpers. Grab a pocket fishing kit (hooks and shot) and some bait (corn) that WRD will supply and go help people fishing on stream. Search them out - look at stringers, tackle used, and forlorn faces. Find a kid and work with him/her for an hour or so on reading water, casting, setting hook, etc. Mentoring! Fishing is NOT 14

15 restricted to kids only (parent has the driver's license, so they must be hooked, too). Feel free to bring some of your favorite baits to help your reputation as an awesome fishing guide. We will have about 100 loaner poles available, but feel free to bring an extra Zebco outfit if you have one to loan to your "student, since we made 400 loans at our last event. (See item #9). Some of you can help WRD staff stock creek around AM. Get some kids to help too - we're bringing buckets to get them involved. 13. Wildlife and Camping venues. The experts pretty much run their own shows. Volunteers here will mainly help Smith gall Woods Education Specialists Sheila Humphrey (Wildlife) with logistics needed by the demonstrators (tables, chairs, PR, food and water, etc). Thanks for considering the donation of your Saturday to preserve the future of your sport! Jeff Durniak Regional Fisheries Supervisor Georgia Wildlife Resources Division 2150 Dawsonville Highway Gainesville, GA Phone: Fax: Jeff_Durniak@dnr.state.ga.us 15