Our local Trout
Unlimited group, Arkansas White River Chapter #698, is holding its annual
fundraiser. I generally refer to this gala as the TU banquet. Whatever it is
called, it is the fishing social event of the year. My wife, Lori, and I always
attend and this year is no exception. It is a great social gathering with good
food, a cash bar and a DJ (that means dancing). Just about everybody involved
in trout fishing will be there. Let the good times roll!
The event will be held
on Saturday February 11, 2017 at the Elks Lodge on 101 Elks Way in Mountain
Home, Arkansas. The doors open at 6:00 PM. The admission is $35.00 per
individual or $ 50.00 per couple. Trout Unlimited is a tax exempt (501C3) not
for profit organization. There will be a live auction, bucket raffles and a lot
of other fun activities.
It is all for a great
cause. Trout Unlimited to committed to conserving, protecting and restoring our
country’s cold water fisheries and their watersheds. They have been the local
leader in this endeavor. Whether it is a lawsuit against a major source of
pollution on our beloved Norfork River, bank stabilization projects or
enhancements on Dry Run Creek, Trout Unlimited has been there.
My personal favorite
project that they have done recently is the stocking of Bonneville Cutthroat
trout in the White and Norfork Rivers. The idea was to plant trout eggs from
Wyoming of a subspecies of Cutthroat that would be able to reproduce naturally
so that we would have another self-sustaining trout population to go with our
brown trout. Over the past few years, we have done multiple stockings of about
250,000 Bonneville Cutthroat eggs on the Norfork and 100,000 on the White
River.
As a result, we are now
starting to catch some really nice wild cutthroats. I personally caught a
really nice eleven-inch cutthroat that I was really impressed with until this
guy came into the shop the other day and showed me a photo of an eighteen inch
Bonneville that he had caught and released that day. It was spectacular. The
idea that we can now catch wild cutthroat trout like this is very exciting to
me.
Another project that really impresses me is the
Trout Unlimited Youth Camp. The mission of the Arkansas White River
Chapter’s youth program is to develop the next generation of cold water
conservationists. This summer’s camp is scheduled for is Saturday and
Sunday, June 24th and 25th. The camp will be held at the
Norfork Fish Hatchery at Norfork Dam. Youth between the ages of 10-15, along
with a parent or guardian will learn about Fly Tying; Fly Casting; Trout
Fishing; Trout Habitat; Stream Restoration and Aquatic Entomology. The schedule
includes a full day of activities on Saturday and a shorter day on
Sunday. The conservationists of tomorrow are made not born.
If this sounds like something that will be of
interest to you, please join Lori and me there.
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