Three Rivers Trout Unlimited - February 2025 Newsletter (Copy)
Written with support from Rebecca Lavier, Dave Kyle, Wayne Lamm, Bruce Tyson, and Austin Elliott.
Kokanee fry!
Upcoming Events - Mark Your Calendars!
We look forward to seeing you!
Three Rivers Trout Unlimited Monthly Board Meeting: Tuesday February 4, 6:00-8:00pm. Please join us for our monthly board meeting to learn more about chapter operations, leadership opportunities, and how to get involved. All are welcome! Attend in-person at the Watershed Science Center on the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery (125 West Sunset Way, Issaquah WA, 98027) or virtual via (link?)
Next meeting will be on Tuesday March 4, 6:00-8:00pm - Attend in-person at the Watershed Science Center on the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery (125 West Sunset Way, Issaquah WA, 98027) or via Zoom.
UWRP Stewardship event - Saturday February 8 from 9:00-12:00pm. Join Trout Unlimited (TU) and the Lake Sammamish Urban Wildlife Refuge Partnership (UWRP) as we partner with Green Issaquah on monthly Stewardship Saturday events! This month, we'll be working at the Anthology Open Space to dig out blackberry rootballs in the wetland area along a section of Tibbetts Creek.
Legislative Day – TU will be in Olympia February 13th! This is an opportunity to meet with your representatives and support TU’s mission to preserve our watersheds and native fishes. Please email dkyle@tu.org if you would like more information about the day and if you would like to join.
Fly Fishing Show at the Meydenbauer Center in Bellevue on Feb 15-16 (9:00am-5:30pm on Saturday, 9:00am-4:30pm on Sunday). Details below!
3RTU will begin our raffle for the Sage R8 Core rod (7 wt, 9'6") and Sage Spectrum Lite 7/8 reel - $20/ticket. Drawing will occur at the Volunteer Picnic on May 31.
Kokanee Fry Trapping! Traps will go into the creeks on Sat, Feb 22nd and a training session will be held on that day on Lewis Creek at 11:00am. Find more details below.
F3T- Our chapter will be hosting the 2025 F3T Fly fishing film festival in North Bend, WA on March 16th, 2025. See below for more details!
Annual Volunteer Picnic, May 31 at the Kokanee shelter in Lake Sammamish State Park. Time TBD. We will be drawing for the sage rod and reel raffle at this event. More details to come in our next newsletter.
Kokanee Fry Trapping Starting Soon!
We are expecting record numbers of kokanee fry this season, due to the large return of spawning adults (over 8,000!) last fall. Email invites to individuals and groups for Kokanee Fry trapping volunteers has been sent out. If you didn’t receive that email, want to participate, or just want to learn more, please reach out to Wayne Lamm (wayne@threeriverstu.org) and visit the 3RTU website for more information!
https://www.threeriverstu.org/kokanee-fry-trapping
Close to 20 volunteers have responded and filled about 30% of the total time slots so far. We’ve got lots of room for more volunteers on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday evenings from Feb. 24 - May 15. Traps will go into the creeks on Sat, Feb 22nd and a training session will be held on that day on Lewis Creek at 11am for newcomers and those wanting a refresher course.
2025 Fly Fishing Show
This year’s Fly Fishing Show is at the Meydenbauer Center in Bellevue on Feb 15-16 (9:00am-5:30pm on Saturday, 9:00am-4:30pm on Sunday). The Washington TU Council has reserved a booth: 3RTU volunteers will be manning the booth on Feb. 15 in the morning, and on Sunday Feb. 16 in the afternoon. If you would like to volunteer at this event, please reach out to Austin Elliott (austin@threeriverstu.org). Volunteers get free admissions, and when not "on shift" in booth attendees are encouraged to see the rest of show! Even if you aren’t volunteering, this is an awesome event, so stop by the booth and say ‘Hello’ if you attend.
3RTU will begin our raffle for the Sage R8 Core rod (7 wt, 9'6") and Sage Spectrum Lite 7/8 reel - $20/ticket. Drawing will occur at the Volunteer Picnic on May 31.
Fly Fishing Film Tour 2025!
Our chapter will be hosting the 2025 F3T Fly fishing film festival in North Bend, WA on March 16th, 2025.The festival features a series of short films that celebrates fishing adventures and deep connections with the sport. The film will be shown at the North Bend Theater and starts at 3 pm. Tickets are available in advance online for $20 or day of at the door for $25. We will also be offering a free raffle for $1000 work of awesome prizes! https://tu.myeventscenter.com/event/F3t-Fly-Fishing-Film-Tour-2025-105287
Other exciting news….
Operations Manager position- TU is hiring!!!
Our local chapter and national staff are in need of some support. We are announcing that we are looking to hire an Operations Manager. This position will support chapter operations, fundraising efforts, and events. The position will also support our local staff in their conservation efforts and outreach as time allows. Initially, this position will be half-time, but we are confident that the right candidate will excel, and the position will expand into a full-time role. If you, or someone you know may be interested in being considered, please email Dave Kyle (dkyle@tu.org).
Kokanee Incubators-
In Lake Sammamish, TU operates three remote stream egg incubators(RSI). These systems are essentially mini hatcheries plumbed in to rapidly recolonize steams that have been recently reconnected or restored by capitalizing on salmons' ability to imprint on natal waters. TU has just finished seeding 10,000 kokanee eggs in our RSI's which is the largest in the program's history. Were excited with this program because monitoring has shown that eggs seeded in our boxes have come back as adults to spawn.
Nominating committee activities-
Our chapter is in need of additional board members. As the largest chapter in the state, we have a broad membership, and we are asking for your support. Additional board members will allow the chapter to offer more activities to the public and grow our membership. The current board has formed a nominating committee to help fill our board. If you have any interest in serving on the board, want to know more about how the board functions and board member responsibilities, or just want to come participate in a board meeting please email Bill Gerdts (billg2166@gmail.com) or Austin Elliott (austin@threeriverstu.org)
And finally, a fishing story…..
Bull Trout Quest
The Pacific Northwest is an iconic fishery, known the world over for its legendary steelhead and pacific salmon. The pursuit of these prize fish leads anglers to some of the most stunning natural landscapes in the U.S. with wild, often glacier-fed freestone rivers flowing through old-growth forests and surrounded by alpine peaks. One such river is the Sauk, where I travelled to on November 9 th in search of a lesser known, but no less iconic species, the bull trout. Bull trout are similar in appearance to dolly varden, which leads many anglers to mistakenly believe they are the same fish. Although bull trout are in the char family, and therefore related to other char species in North America, such as dolly varden and arctic char, their closest genetic relative is the white spotted char of Asia. Bull trout are solitary apex predators, while dolly varden can be found in large schools and behave much like other trout. Like dolly varden, bull trout are rare in Washington State. They are also considered an indicator species, with their presence signaling a healthy river system. For these reasons, targeting them is prohibited in many waters and if caught they must be released unharmed. Anglers wanting to target bulltrout should carefully read the regulations. The Sauk River is closed to fishing in September and October to protect the bull trout spawn, but it opens in November for catch and release.
The Sauk is a popular place to fish for bull trout due to its healthy fish population and access. The river passes through the town of Darrington from where good roads follow the river upstream or downstream for many miles from the upper river in the cascades to its confluence with the Skagit at the town of Concrete. Portions of the river run through the Mount Baker Snoqualmie National Forest providing good access. During my visit on November 9 th, I chose to go upstream from Darrington into the national forest and parked at a trailhead. The trail winded along the riverbank through pristine old growth forest, which provided a stunning backdrop. I had to break some brush to get to the river, but it was well worth the effort. My weapon of choice was a 7wt Spey rod with a Skagit head and a T-8 sink tip. It only took about 15 minutes of fishing before I felt a strong tug at the end of the swing as a fish ate my white streamer. After a minute or so I could see it was a bull and brought it to the net after a five-minute fight. It was not particularly big as bull trout go, but the 20” fish made a solid effort against my 13’ 7wt. After releasing the fish, I relocated further upstream and fished for another three hours without a single hit, but I did not mind. The day had been well worth the trip. (This story was submitted by Austin Elliott. If you have a fishing story to share, please email Rebecca Lavier (rebecca@threeriverstu.org), and we’ll highlight it in our next newsletter!)