T ro u t L i n e s
President’s Message
Several years ago a good friend and
trout fisherman, talked me into night
fly fishing for big browns on the Pere
Marquette River. The theory being
that big brown trout are nocturnal and
feed mainly at night. We geared up
with heavy weight rods and short stout
leaders and tippets. In the light of the
moon we gingerly waded the river
slinging a deer hair mouse. The large
flies would smack the surface and
through off a wake as they would
swing across the flow of the river.
It was certainly a foreign feeling being
on a river in the dark of night. Sounds
seemed to be amplified. The snap of a
twig, the calls from the
night birds and the
occasional rise of a trout
left your ears ringing.
The Pere Marquette
outing proved
unsuccessful for me that
night however the outing
was very intriguing.
That was the situation I
found myself in on an
early June Friday night
standing on the bank of
the Little Elkhart River.
It was 10:00 and the
night was dark and the
sky was clear. The moon
was just starting to rise
from behind the trees and
it was really quite. It was
an eerie feeling standing next to the
stream in the dark of night. Even
though this was a section of stream I
was very familiar with I felt out of my
element. My mind kept drifting to a
skunk I had smelled recently and I
hoped he was no where near.
I carefully stepped into the river and
worked my way into casting position.
I opted to work a large hex dry pattern
that had a lot of buoyancy. I wanted
something that would stay on top and
drag in the current and have a large
silhouette against the moon lit sky.
Summer, 2009
Summer 2009
After about 6 casts and drifts I began
to fall into a rhythm. The moon was
now high and bright. Even though my
fly would disappear into the shadows
once on the water I could see well
enough to cast where I wanted.
I would allow my fly to drift as drag
free as possible along the deep side of
the run and they swing away at the tail
out making a distinct “V” on the
surface as it would be dragged by the
current into the shallows. Just at the
tail end of the drift and just before the
fly started to get dragged I heard a
“gulp” and felt my line twitch. I set
the hook and the battle was on.
Fighting a fish in the darkness in a
river full of snags was interesting. I
could not see my leader so I had no
idea where the trout was taking me
other then the pull against the rod. Fly
rods are soft so it was difficult to feel
the direction of the fish. The trout
came to the net and I clicked on my
headlamp to examine my catch. It was
a stout 16-inch brown. The trout had
inhaled my size 6 hex spinner and it
was difficult to retrieve the fly
especially in the darkness. I revived
the trout and watched it dart away into
the dark water. I promptly pinched
Presidents Message............... 1
Annual Spring Outing ............ 2
Arrington Presents................. 2
Brown Trout Stocking............ 2
Feature Fly .............................. 3
Log Jam Clean Up .................. 4
Catch and Release Guide ...... 4
LECTU Board & Elections ..... 5
LECTU Officers Directory...... 5
down the barb on my fly to aid in
future removals.
I took several more browns that night.
With each trout caught and with every
cast I begin to feel more accustom to
night fishing. The fishing was not fast
but intriguing. Two hours flew by so
fast I had to check my watch twice. I
will most definitely do more night
fishing however the conditions have to
be right for it. The moonlight is
required if you are to have a chance of
seeing what you are doing. You also
have to be familiar with the waters
that you are fishing. Where are the
holes, where are snags and where it is
clear to back-cast is information that is
difficult to read at night. You want to
use your flashlight next to never since
it will put feeding trout down like a
spotlight on an escaped convict.
Night fly-fishing adds another
dimension to trout fishing and
everything gets more difficult and
frustrating as if fly-fishing wasn’t
frustrating enough. Some of the
browns I caught were only in 12
inches of water way outside the main
flow of current. That was a surprise
for me to find quality trout in shallow
water.
Michael L Beachy
President LECTU
Page1

Annual Spring
Outing
The annual spring outing was met
with great success this past May at
Riverbend Park Middlebury.
Unfortunately the weather did not
cooperate as planned turning overcast
and cold after what looked like a
promising sunrise.
The guided fishing trips and stream
access tours were popular again this
year with many members taking
advantage.
David Arrington
Addresses Chapter
Dave Arrington Ph.D. presented an
update on his water quality
improvement project for the Little
Elkhart River. Dave highlighted an
over view of the project and where
they are at now in the implementing of
the best management practices.
Dave showed a power point
presentation showing the problem hot
spots. The problems that are of
greatest concern are livestock that
have free range into the river
especially barnyards that are too close
to the river. High water events cause
the manure to run off directly into the
river. This increases the level of E-
coli, nitrogen and phosphates well
beyond what are tolerable water
pollution levels.
planted with wild grasses that secure
the bank and act as a filter to prevent
manure from running off directly into
the water way. This type of project
will insure that the Little Elkhart stays
pristine. Dave remarked that now high
water events aid the river in cleaning
itself rather then being a detriment.
Brown Trout
Stocking 2009
LECTU stocked the Little Elkhart
River catch and release area with 500
brown trout in mid May. These trout
were larger then last years stocking
with many of then being quite
impressive. The trout were evenly
distributed through out the C&R
section with no one area being
favored.

In addition to high contaminates the

Andy Kitson presented a fly tying
demonstration that was enjoyed by
those observing. The wind was too
strong for casting instructions but was
available.
After a cook out lunch participants
took part in a raffle taking home some
nice prizes and raising funds for the
chapter in the process. The Adopt-A-
Trout brown trout stocking fundraiser
was held and Brian Willard of
Syracuse Indiana was the grand prize
recipient of the custom built Orvis
9foot 6wt. Fly rod and Battenkill mid-
arbor reel combo.
I would like to thank everyone for
coming to the outing especially those
of you that the local core-group had
not met prior. It was great having the
local guys getting together with other
members that traveled to the outing.
We hoped to expose you to the river
and what it offers to you, the angler. I
hope that you all felt welcomed.
I would like to thank all the members
who volunteered their time and
expertise to make this year’s outing a
success.
If you were unable to make it this year
keep us in mind for next year. This
type of gathering is good for the
chapter and it’s membership.
Summer, 2009
livestock trample down the backs
causing erosion that leads to high
sedimentation during the spring run
off and high rain events. These
sediments cover the rocky substrate of
the river bottom choking out bug life
and essential trout food with sand.
Part of Dave’s study deals with macro
invertebrate assessment and
identification. These bugs are used as
indicator species and are a way to
Funding for the stocking was made
monitor water quality.
possible through the Adopt-A-Trout
fundraising efforts of our chapter.
Thank you to all those that made
donations to make this stocking
successful. These brown trout are
there to supplement the Elkhart
Conservation Club stocking of
fingerling brown trout and to establish
a resident population of brown trout
required to have a year round trout
fishery.
The cleaner the water the more bugs.
They are measuring the amount of Being able to fish trout in the late
bugs before and after to use as a tool summer and fall in Northern Indiana
to make sure the project is working. with a reasonable possibility of
Dave informed the T.U. members that success and having a resident brown
there are plenty of bugs for trout to trout population large enough to make
feed on and the river should support it worth the effort is simply awesome.
trout with no problem. This chapter is responsible for that and
you should take great pride in the
Dave showed slides before and after
knowing that as a member of this
of fencing projects that his
chapter you helped make that a reality.
organization has done. The livestock
were fenced out of the water way by
20 feet on either side then the area was
Page2
 Thread bead on hook, attach thread in Attach turkey feather section of wing
Feature Fly shank making a small football to stop casing material. Dub a big thick thorax
“Olive Mid-Body bead from sliding forward. Slide bead body of Dark Olive ‘Possum Dubbing
onto thread stop keeping it 1/16” back the same size as the bead between the
Bead Nymph” from eye. Cross thread over bead and abdomen and the bead. Jump your
wrap front and back several times at thread forward of the bead
by Mike Beachy different spots on bead to secure.
Wrap thread on behind bead.
This nymph is one that I began to tie
after taking a class from renowned
Northern Michigan fly tier; Dennis
Potter. In his class he taught a
pheasant tail tied in a like fashion. The
mid-body bead is hidden inside the
thorax of the fly and is not exposed as
a giant head behind the eye of the
hook. The other detail that Dennis
taught was to go ahead and bend the
tail of the fly around the bend of the Attach olive ostrich herl and wrap
hook. A natural drifting nymph is several times around the shank like
usually wiggling through the current Tie on 3 to 5 olive pheasant tail fibers you would a hackle in front of the
and is seldom laying flat. The bent tail about half the length of shank for tail bead making the nymph legs.
section of the fly appears more length. Wrap tail around hook bend a
lifelike. little so fly looks curved when
complete and not perfectly flat. Tie in
Dennis used rubber legs on his nymph fine copper wire for ribbing on the
rather then the ostrich herl but you can next step.
do what feels right to you. I have
never found an advantage to the
rubber legs in rather strong current
although they may look good in
slower flows. I have also found that
brown trout have a tendency to tear up
the rubber legs and I just end up
fishing them with tore off legs and do
Bring wing casing over the top of the
just as well without them.
‘Possum, the bead and the ostrich hurl
and tie down. Continue to wrap thread
I use this fly as one of two flies in a
to create a head in front of herl and
nymph rig or as a trailer fly tied on 20
Use olive Spectrablend dubbing and behind the hook eye. Tie off thread
inches behind a streamer fly dangled
dub a cone shaped abdomen from tail and glue.
into a run or around woody cover. It
has worked very well for me this early to 1/16” behind bead. Spiral-wrap fine
season of ’09 and I will most likely copper wire to form rib separations on
continue its use into the summer the abdomen then bind down with
however I will most likely downsize it thread.
to a size 14 or 16 when the water gets
warmer and shallower.

Hook: 1Xlong nymph hook size 12

Bead: 1/8” tungsten faceted black
Tail: Olive pheasant tail fibers
Abdomen: Spectrablend light or
dark olive, fine copper wire rib
Thorax: Awesome ‘Possum
dubbing dark olive
Wing Case: Pre-glued turkey or
pheasant tail section
Thread: 6/0 black
Legs: Olive ostrich herl

Summer, 2009 Page3

 River Log Jam
Clean up
For the third year LECTU will be
holding four workdays this summer.
The focus of the clean up is to open up
the main river channel and clean out
some of the logjams that impede the
flow of the river. The logjam clean out
accomplishes several objectives.
By opening the flow of the river,
water is allowed to flow more freely.
Moving water creates oxygen and
prevents warming that occurs when
water is backed up. Moving water will
help scour the bottom creating more
trout habitat. Opening flow through
areas help make log jams more
fishable by removing snags.
The debris that are removed from the
log jams are then either discarded up
on the bank or rearranged to narrow
the river and deflect flow creating
more trout habitat. Legally all work
has to be done by hand and using hand
tools only otherwise permits have to
be secured. Many times the logs that
require moving are heavy and require
several guys to accomplish the task.
We need volunteers to assist in these
projects. The camaraderie is good and
we always have a blast. I would
encourage you to come and help out.
Bring someone with you especially if
they are young and strong. The work
may be hard but the rewards can be
fulfilling. It is a great way to get to
know the river and it’s secret spots. It
will make you a better fisherman once
you are in tune with the river.
You will need to come ready to get in
the water. Waders and bug spray is a
must. I would recommend a garden
rake and some rubberized gloves.
Scheduled workdays are Saturday July
11, July 25, August 15 and August 29.
We will meet at Riverbend Park just
east of the stoplight in downtown
Middlebury at 8:00am each day.
Generally we work until noon and
then go fishing. We will work if it is
lightly raining however if it is a
downpour and if there is lightning we
will not work.
Summer, 2009
Safely Release Your
Catch
These guidelines have appeared
in prior newsletters however
they are worth mentioning
again. Our trout are a great
resource and the reason why we
enjoy our sport. The more trout
in our waters the better fishing
we have. Fish are good to eat
but are more fun to catch. The
practice of catch and release has
proved to be successful and
allows the pleasure of fishing
without depleting the
population. Trout are a fragile
fish that require special care to
successfully survive being
caught and released. Knowledge
of the following guidelines will
aid in this process.
Keys to successful catch and
release:
a) Do not over play a fish to
exhaustion. Land them in as
quick as possible and get
them back into the water
b) Always wet your hands
prior to handling a fish. This
will reduce the damage to
the trout’s protective slime
layer. Better yet never touch
the fish. Slide your hand
down the line to the fly and
unhook it.
c) Keep the fish in the water as
long as possible. Unhook
the trout while it remains in
the net in the water.
d) Turn the trout upside down.
If you have to handle a fish
turn it upside down. This
will disorient the trout and it
will temporarily hold still
and not flop around. It also
eliminates the need to
squeeze the fish.
e) Pinch the barbs down on
your hooks. You may loose
some fish but it speeds up
unhooking and reduces the
chance of damaging the
fish’s mouth.
f) If a fish takes your fly deep
cut the tippet as close to the
fly as possible and
get it back into the
water as quick as
possible. Do not
tear a fish apart in
an attempt to
recover your fly
Face the trout into
the current free
from sediments to
revive a fish if
necessary. Silt in a
trout’s gills will
decrease its ability to take in
needed oxygen. Release the fish
gently back into the river. Do
not toss it.
"A good gamefish is too
valuable to be caught only
once."
- Lee Wulff
Page4
 LECTU Board of Directors & Election Meeting
Recently LECTU adopted a new set of bylaws for the governing of our chapter. As a result in the timing of this project LECTU was
void of three acting Board of Directors. In recent action taken at the June meeting three active members in good standing volunteered
to serve as interim Board members until our September 9, 2009 annual membership meeting. At the September meeting Board of
Directors elections will take place and the Board of Directors will be voted into those positions.

The members who volunteered and will serve as interim Directors are Brandon Rasler, Tom Taylor and Jim Phillips. The remaining
Board of Directors are the officers of the Chapter and the most recent past president.

The Annual Meeting of the Little Elkhart Chapter of Trout Unlimited will be held on September 9, 2009 at 7:00 p.m. in the
Middlebury Library. At this meeting we will be holding our annual elections. The seats that will need to be decided are:

President

Vice President

Treasurer

Secretary

Board of Director (one-year term)

Board of Director (two-year term)

Board of Director (three-year term)

Any member of good standing (at this point everyone is) who has a desire to serve in any one of these capacities needs to contact one
of the LECTU officers to have their name included on the election slate. Nominations will be taken from the floor as well prior to the
election. The slate of officers will be posted on our web-site (LECTU.org) prior to the September meeting as required by the bylaws.

Little Elkhart Chapter Officers Directory

President ............................ Michael Beachy.......... beach@npcc.net ................................574-534-1123
V. President........................ Leonard Gustin........... gusnlg@embarqmail.com ..................260-463-5020
Secretary............................ Lee Troyer.................. lst100@maplenet.net .........................574-875-5432
Treasurer............................ Don Fiwek .................. dfiwek@comcast.net..........................574-291-7566
Newsletter Editor ................ Brandon Rasler .......... rasler@qmail.com ..............................574-333-3349

LECTU Logo merchandise available at www.lectu.org

Get the official LECTU logo apparel on the web site. Need a hat, shirt or jacket? Why not sport your T.U.
chapter logo. Proceeds go to the chapter projects and support a worthy cause

“My biggest worry is that my wife, when I’m dead, will sell my fishing gear for what I said I paid for it.”
-Koos Brandt

Summer, 2009 Page5