The Trout Line December 19, 2022
THE TROUT LINE
December 19, 2022
Welcome to The Trout Line Newsletter! This is our Tualatin Valley Trout Unlimited Chapter newsletter that will be coming out twice a month on the 1st and 3rd Mondays of the month.
TVTU January Chapter Meeting
Notice of Annual Members Meeting
The TVTU Annual Members Meeting will be held live and via Zoom at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, January 11, 2023, before the speaker’s presentation. The live meeting will be at the Old Market Pub, 6959 SW Multnomah Boulevard in Portland. The meeting should take about ten to fifteen minutes; the agenda is as follows:
- The President will report on the Chapter’s activities during the past year and any upcoming activities
- The Treasurer will present the Treasurer’s Report
- The members will elect Directors. The candidates are Jon Pampush, Ron Reinebach and Dave Cook.
After the Annual Meeting Report:
Speaker: Scott McEwen from Tualatin River Watershed Council is coming to present on Balm Grove Dam removal.
The Balm Grove Dam Removal
In September of this year, Clean Water Services, and its partner the Tualatin River Watershed Council (TRWC) removed an old dam outside of Forest Grove that has blocked fish passage to 87 miles of habitat for several kinds of fish since at least the 1930s.
The dam, commonly known as the Balm Grove dam, sits in Gales Creek, a tributary of the Tualatin River. Removing the dam is expected to open over 87 miles of historic, “in-stream” habitat for coastal cutthroat trout, 28 miles for winter steelhead, and several miles for coho salmon, Pacific lamprey, mountain whitefish, and mountain and largescale sucker fish. The winter run of steelhead in the creek is protected by the federal Endangered Species Act.
Gales Creek hosts one of the Tualatin Valley’s most important areas for winter steelhead. By removing this dam, we were able to open up miles and miles of historic habitat. This project has been a high priority for our watershed council for a very long time.
The dam at Balm Grove was built in the early 20th Century to create a recreational area for residents including a popular swimming hole, tavern, and dance hall. The area has not been used in several decades and the facilities are in disrepair, yet the dam remains, blocking fish passage and creating a safety hazard. Clean Water Services and the Tualatin Watershed Council completed a robust plan to ensure the dam was removed safely and fish and wildlife habitat is restored with native plants and natural stream flow.
About Tualatin Watershed Council
The Tualatin Watershed Council was formed by residents of the watershed in 1993. The Council is composed of 23 stakeholder representatives who collectively work to promote sustainability and watershed-wise practices by connecting volunteers, residents, and local organizations with resources to restore and protect the watershed.
Zoom Link:
Topic: TVTU January Chapter Meeting
Time: Jan 11, 2023 07:30 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85411802381?pwd=MEdmcTZ4akpFU1NPa09pa1AyZlg4Zz09
Meeting ID: 854 1180 2381
Passcode: 795209
One tap mobile
+17207072699,,85411802381#,,,,*795209# US (Denver)
+12532158782,,85411802381#,,,,*795209# US (Tacoma)
Fly of the Month - Egg-Sucking Wooley Bugger
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"You suck!" is not a phrase sending a good message, with one exception. Trout LOVE egg-sucking leeches and woolly buggers, and in the right conditions those patterns will outfish their nonfeasting cousins. This is especially so in rivers and streams during spawning season but is also true in many lakes.
Thread: 6/0, color to match body
Hook: TMC 5263, size 8-12
Tail: Maribou, color to match body
Ribbing (optional): Small copper wire
Hackle: Hen feather, grizzly or color to match body
Underbody: Small lead wire
Body: Olive or black chenille
Egg: White synthetic post yarn
1.Wrap a lean underbody from just behind the eye to just short of the hook bend.
2. Wrap thread back and forth several times over the underbody to secure the lead, and wind the thread to just behind the back of the lead.
3. Tie in as a tail a few strands of marabou feather with the tail about the length of the body, and clip off the excess in front of the tying point.
4. Tie in a length of copper wire and the tip of a hen hackle, both pointing off the back of the hook.
5. Tie in the chenille and wind forward to the front of the lead underbody.
6. Palmer the hen hackle with six or seven winds forward to the front of the body.
7. Counterwind the ribbing wire forward over and through the hackle fibers to the front of the body.
8. Build a head with turns of thread, with the thread ending up at the back of the head.
9. Take a 2 inch or so piece of the egg year, hold it on top of the fly with the midpoint at the thread juncture, and tightly wrap at the point with three turns of thread, then lifting the front piece of yarn out of the way to finish wrapping and tying off the head.
10. Holding the two ends of the yarn together and straight up from the hook, cut the yarn about 1/4 inch above the hook. Then with your fingers, press down and fluff out the yarn strand and the tied-in yarn will begin to look like an egg shape.
11. Turn the fly over and cement the bottom half of the fly head (to avoid getting cement on the egg material).
Fish the woolly bugger as normal, in short or long, fast or slow retrieves as the fishing conditions dictate. This pattern is a known producer.
Meetings Location and Dates
Regular chapter meetings are held at the Old Market Pub 6959 SW Multnomah Blvd., Portland, OR 97223. Food and beverage available. Social get together starts at 6:30pm and speaker starts at 7:00pm unless otherwise noted in the newsletter or website.
January Meeting - Jan 11
More Information:
TVTU Website: https://tualatinvalley.tu.org/
TVTU Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/tualatinvalleyTU/
C4C Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/christmasforcoho/
