Fishing when Nobody Else wants to fish Program to be presented

The public is invited to a meeting of the Trout Unlimited Susquehanna Chapter featuring a program about “fishing when nobody else wants to” presented by Robert McCullough III. He will primarily discuss fishing at night, as well as during the Winter.

     The meeting will be held on Wednesday, Nov. 13, at 7 p.m. at the Covenant Central Presbyterian Church at 807 West Fourth St. in Williamsport. Parking and entrance to the Church is at the rear of the building with access off of Campbell Street.

     McCullough will cover both the how-to, as well as interesting experiences that he has had. Question and answer time, as well as open discussion will follow the presentation.

     He has enjoyed a long and successful career in the criminal justice system where he has achieved many professional accomplishments, was selected for notable State-level appointments and received numerous professional awards. McCullough also served as a Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission Deputy Fish Warden for 17 years.

     Now retired, he enjoys fishing local trout streams on an almost daily basis.

     For more information, please see our website at https://susquehannatu.com.

Program on Pennsylvania’s Forest Health to be Featured at Susquehanna Chapter of Trout Unlimited Meeting

     The public is invited to a meeting of the Trout Unlimited Susquehanna Chapter featuring a program about PA forest health presented by Sarah Johnson, Forest Health Program Specialist with the PA DCNR Bureau of Forestry.  Sarah will present on the impacts of forest pests, diseases, invasive plants and non-biotic factors on the health of Pennsylvania’s forests and how declines in forest health can negatively impact water quality, specifically in cold water streams.  The major forest health factors impacting Pennsylvania right now are non-native insect pests of Eastern Hemlock trees, Gypsy Moth and non-biotic factors causing Oak tree decline and mortality, Beech Bark and Beech Leaf Disease in American Beech trees, and several invasive plant species that multiply and spread very aggressively in streamside corridors.  She will also talk about large woody debris addition to streams, as well as aquatic organism passage best practices. 

     Sarah is DCNR’s Forest Health Specialist for northcentral PA, covering the Susquehannock, Tioga, Tiadaghton, and Loyalsock State Forests.  She has a BS degree in Restoration Ecology from Defiance College in Defiance, Ohio, an MS degree in Forestry and a PhD in Forest Ecology from Penn State University.  Previous to her work with the Bureau of Forestry, Sarah worked for the PA Chapter of The Nature Conservancy as a Forest Ecologist & GIS Analyst.

     The meeting will be held on Wednesday, October 9th at 7:00 pm at the Covenant Central Presbyterian Church, 807 W. 4th Street, in Williamsport.  Parking and entrance to the Church is at the rear of the building with access off of Campbell Street. For more information, please see our website at https://susquehannatu.com.

Susquehanna Chapter Trout Unlimited Picnic and Meeting at Trout Run Park on September 11, 2024

Want to learn about our TU chapter activities and conservation project updates, perhaps try out fly casting as a first-timer or sharpen your skills under the instruction of experienced fly fishers?  Would you like to learn more about fishing from a kayak?  The public is invited to a picnic and outdoor meeting of the Susquehanna Chapter of Trout Unlimited to be held at Trout Run Park on Wednesday, September 11th.  Several fly rod and reel outfits will be available for those to try out who do not have one.  A demo on fishing from kayaks will also be presented and you may want to check out the fishing platform adjacent to the park on Lycoming Creek constructed by our members, as well as some of the habitat structures placed along the stream to create fish habitat and control bank erosion.

Meet, greet and picnic will begin at 5:30 PM at the Trout Run Park Pavilion, with hotdogs, corn-on-the-cob and drinks provided, followed by the demos.  Participants are encouraged to bring a dessert or side dish to share, but if you can’t, please come anyway.  Trout Run Park is located just south of the village of Trout Run and can be accessed from the old Rt 15 highway.  A map and directions on how to get there from Williamsport can be found on the link to Google Maps at https://www.google.com/maps/@41.3815903,-77.0550486,15z?entry=ttu, or Trout Run Park – Google Maps or as found on the Susquehanna TU website at https://susquehannatu.com.

What topics do you want to hear at Chapter Meetings?

We are looking for ideas from you on what you would like to have as topics for our upcoming Chapter meetings. September 11 is our annual picnic / Chapter meeting and will be held at Trout Run Park in Trout Run. More information about the meeting will be coming in the next few days.

We have 7 Chapter meetings in a year and no meetings are held in December, May, June, July or August. It is difficult to come up with ideas and things of interest. As members or follower of the Chapter, what do you want to see or hear? Please give us some ideas.

* Is there a specific topic that you want to hear about?

* Do you want to learn about specific fishing skills or how to fish certain types of water?

* Do you want a meeting with the Director of the Fish Commission, a Board commissioner, or other state representative?

* Do you want to learn about self guided fishing trips and how to go about doing so?

* Do you want to know about fishing out west, Alaska, or somewhere in the World?

*Would you want to meet any of the PATU leadership and have them discuss the overall goals and vision of PATU?

* Would you want to meet Chris Wood or other individual from Trout Unlimited?

* Do you want to have a get together with other like minded environmental groups and see what they are doing and how we can work together on a project?

This is your Chapter and we want to provide you with the meetings and topics that interest you. Please give us your thoughts. We want to provide interesting and informative topics but need your help.

PATU Annual Membership Meeting to be held in Waterville, PA

     The Pennsylvania Council of Trout Unlimited Annual Meeting is set for Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, at the Waterville Fire Hall located at 11009 North Route 44 Highway, Waterville, PA 17776. Doors open at 8:30 a.m. and the program gets underway at 9:30 a.m.

     The meeting will feature special guest speakers, State Council officer elections, award presentations, raffles and an opportunity to network with members from across the state.

     Registration is $35 per person, which includes lunch. To register or for more information go to www. patrout.org. Registration deadline is Sept. 4, 2024.

     Guest speakers include:

      Nathan Walters, Coldwater Unit Leader for the PA Fish and Boat Commission, will discuss various aspects of the Commission’s Trout Management program, including the agency’s upcoming new and revised Trout Management Plan.

     Ralph Scherder, outdoor writer, flyfishing guide and editor of Dark Skies Fly Fishing magazine, will present a program on fishing for wild brook trout in Maine. Ralph will also discuss his website and magazine and will have some of his flyfishing products available for purchase.

     Brian Wagner, PATU Conservation Committee chairman, will provide a date on the important conservation issues and activities that his committee and PATU are following and providing input on.

     Scott Koser from National TU will provide a brief update on Priority Waters in Pennsylvania as well as showcase several National TU projects that have been implemented in the Pine Creek watershed.

     We will also introduce PATU’s new executive director at the meeting.

     Join us to learn more about important coldwater conservation issues of concern and state and national programs that can assist you in achieving your local chapter project goals.

     Local overnight suggested lodging locations are listed on the PATU website and below. Angling opportunities are readily available in the Pine Creek watershed.

New Study shows key behavioral, physical impacts of increasing water temps on sculpin

Our friend John Zaktansky, the Middle Susquehanna River Keeper, recently published the above article in his blog, Riverkeeper Reflections. Please click the link below to be taken to the article. It is a good read.

New study shows key behavioral, physical impacts of increasing water temps on sculpin, headwaters