January 2021
TO CONSERVE, PROTECT, AND RESTORE NORTH AMERICA'S COLDWATER FISHERIES AND THEIR WATERSHEDS
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Board of Directors
Officers
President: Mickey Fletcher
mmltfletch@msn.com
Vice President: Eric Ferguson eferguson16@gmail.com
Secretary: Sarah Herndon
Treasurer: Bryan Eto
Conservation Chair: TBD
Project Healing Waters Program Lead: Jim Owen
Youth Programs Chair: Steve Reiter
sreiter@cox.net
Membership Chair: Steve Reiter
Diversity Chair: TBD
Social Media: Eric Ferguson
Other Board Members
Joe Fagan, Scott Koktavy
Newsletter Editor: Eric Ferguson
Address:
Old Pueblo Trout Unlimited
51985 E River Road, Suite 201
Tucson, AZ 85718
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Contents:
New and Important
Programs
Conservation
Fishing
Events
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The New and Important section includes the president's monthly message, fund raising items and news about recent developments that effect fishing and conservation. |
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Courage Wolf: 2021
Here is a story to consider in the new year, from the book; “The Way of the SEAL” by Mark Divine.
The Native American legend “The Wolves Within” tells of an evil wolf and a good wolf that live inside us, constantly battling for control. Other versions describe the two opposing forces as Fear Wolf and Courage Wolf. The lesson is that whichever wolf you feed will win the fight. We can’t kill Fear Wolf because he’s a part of us – remember, fear is natural and sometimes even useful – but we can weaken his power. Negative thoughts and energy feed Fear Wolf, weakening us, leading to performance degradation and poor health. We can lock Fear Wolf up and redirect his energy into assertiveness and discipline. Meanwhile, we need to feed Courage Wolf. Positive thoughts and energy feed Courage Wolf, strengthening the mind, body and spirit. Feeding Courage Wolf makes us more kind, patient, tolerant, powerful and present. We’ll avoid conflict and become better leaders. We won’t hesitate to lean into the hard tasks: fear won’t control us.
Another version of the story is when a young brave hears the lesson from his grandfather. He asked, but grandfather, which wolf will win the battle? The grandfather answered, “the one that you feed”.
All you have to do is ask yourself, “What wolf am I feeding?” By paying attention to which wolf you are feeding moment by moment, you’ll begin to notice another level of your thought patterns. Once you are aware of your patterns, you can better maintain a positive internal dialogue, which will manage your attention and focused on success.
“The Way of the SEA”, is the best book I ever read on Leadership and Management. The reason for this Story is to ask for HELP. The Old Pueblo Trout Unlimited Chapter is always in need of additional volunteer help. The Executive Board has many new plans for the coming year. With almost 500 members, we could use some additional support from the talent found in our community. Please consider volunteering for one event or project this year. We are all busy. Time is a priority that is important to us all. If you have been considering getting involved in the OPTU projects, this is the time to get started, consider, which Wolf are you feeding. If you are interested in any of these projects or subcommittees, please get involved. In the coming months, you will see programs and projects in our Newsletter and Web Page; that could use some extra help. It may take some courage (Wolf) to consider helping on something new and unfamiliar, but we have a talented Executive Board that is always willing to help our members. Contact the Board at any time if you need more information. Mahalo, Mickey
Mickey Fletcher, Board President: Old Pueblo TU Chapter, Tucson, AZ.
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The Programs Section below covers our regular scheduled programs and our outreach programs. |
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February's speaker is going to be John Sachen. John is a native Arizonan whose first experience fly fishing was with a Tenkara rod. He’s been hooked ever since.
Tenkara is Japanese-style fly fishing. It has a long history in Japan and is gaining popularity in the United States. In Japan, there are several methods of fixed line fishing that don’t use reels and Tenkara is one of them. The ultra lightweight and compact 20 inch rods are telescopic and when extended have a length of 10-16 feet. Tenkara is ideal for small streams and tail waters and the perfect tool when hiking high mountain streams and headwaters. The relatively-low cost of a rod and line and the intuitive nature of fishing Tenkara style make it an ideal choice for newcomers and for those interested in trying something different.
John has fished Tenkara for the past six years in streams, rivers, lakes, and ponds across Arizona and in several States here in the West, mid-West and the East coast. He’s even fished Tenkara off beaches in Mexico.
John is passionate about everything Tenkara, and his fluency in the Japanese language has helped him research the history, study the techniques, and communicate with some of the masters in Japan, a place he called home for 30 years. John loves the simplicity of fishing with only a long telescoping rod, fixed-length line, and simple fly patterns which allow him to focus less on equipment and more on presentation using tight-line fly manipulation and nymphing techniques. John’s presentation will focus on the history of tenkara, rod and line types, techniques, and answer any questions you might have.
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A big thanks to Peter Norton for his excellent presentation on the Sacramento River and Pyramid Lake this month! |
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Trout in the Classroom has been officially cancelled for the rest of the current school year. There will be an announcement made in August about the plan for the 2021-2022 school year.
In the meantime, AZGFD's magazine, Wild-Life, had an article recently that highlighted the Trout in the Classroom Program. Check out the magazine if you haven't seen it yet.
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Lie and Tie
A monthly gathering to socialize while tying flies.
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“Lie ’n Tie”
Cancelled until further notice
For suggestions of fly patterns and/or instructors, please contact Joe Fagan
JFaganFishEd@gmail.com.
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Cancelled until further notice
OPTU Teams with Dry Creek Outfitters to host a casting practice every Saturday at 8:00 am, at Ft Lowell Park. Everyone is welcome regardless of skill level. Most days there is extra equipment and experienced casters to help out beginners.
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OPTU was awarded the Club Excellence Award from Project Healing Waters. The CEO of Project Healing Waters, Todd Desgrosseilliers, presented the award to our board, Robin Marsett, and several of our members in Project Healing Waters. OPTU has earned this recognition with our ten year plus support of our local program.
An extra special thanks goes out to Robin Marsett, Jim Owen and Joe Fagan for helping to kick start OPTU's work with PHWFF, and for their continued support. They have all put in a great amount of time and effort into helping Project Healing Waters, and have had a tremendous impact on many lives. Bryan Eto, Joe Vitelli, Whitey Kuebler and many more have also helped PHWFF immensely, and we are all extremely grateful for their great work and accomplishments. A big thank you also goes out to all of our PHWFF members. We thank you for your service, and are looking forward to continuing to support PHWFF for many years to come.
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CONSERVATION:
The Arizona State Council of Trout Unlimited has created a new program for Conservation in Arizona. Volunteers are members from Trout Unlimited throughout the State, and there will be more information to come soon.
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This section contains information on outings, upcoming trips, fishing reports and fishing tips. |
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Outings Update: Old Pueblo Trout
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There are no outings scheduled at the moment. |
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Check out the Orvis Fly Fishing Learning Center and Podcast
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If you have anything to report send it to Eric at eferguson16@gmail.com and we'll include it next month. |
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Nothing new to report this month. |
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Fishing Adventures features a fishing destination each month. Some are local and rather pedestrian while others are more exotic. |
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No events scheduled at the moment |
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Nothing for sale this month.
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Calendar
Press Button Below for OPTU Calendar
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The calendar will be updated when events resume. |
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