Thanks to all those who attended our chapter gathering last night, and special thanks to Melissa Wagner of the Lanesboro DNR office for her presentation on stocking.   You can find a a link to the video of the presentation as well as a PDF copy below.

by Jim Sauter
"The child in nature is an endangered species, and the health of children and the health of the Earth are inseparable."  Richard Louv, Last Child in the Woods

Greetings from the TCTU Streamkeepers. 
Spring has arrived, and this is the time where I am switching modes from fly tying to stream monitoring and fishing.  My contribution to the Laughing Trout Bug Bank this year was 50 pink squirrels.  I have attached a photo and recipe/ instructions at the bottom of this article.
Randy Lage, with the help of Chip Meyer and Craig Passow, organized and recruited some members of the Laughing Trout Fly Fishing Club to tie flies for various youth, veterans, and other organizations.  The purpose is to promote fly fishing, warm water fishing, and fly tying.  The Bug Bank is a sub-committee of Laughing Trout Fly Fishing Club and has provided outreach to various groups and organizations.  The Laughing Trout Bug Bank continues to explore other groups and organizations that may benefit from these donations. 
The Laughing Trout club meets every Wednesday evening at the Wayzata American Legion at 6:00 pm.  There are some very highly skilled fly tiers in this group, and they have even allowed me join, sit in, and learn a few things.  All are welcome.
There are other excellent fly tying opportunities in the Twin Cites metro area such as the St. Paul Fly Tiers & Fishing Club and at various fly fishing shops.  The St. Paul Fly Tiers meet on Thursday nights at 7:30 pm at the VFW in North St. Paul. 
Our TCTU Streamkeeper group is gearing up for our 2026 monitoring season. 

by Bob Luck
​It was 56 degrees and sunny when my plane from Tokyo touched down on Monday afternoon.  “Perfect spring weather”, I thought as I got off at the Nicollet LRT station and walked back to the apartment I had last seen in January when I decamped to Asia for warmer weather and better food.
Tuesday’s weather was less than perfect.  Overcast, with a few snow flurries, a pesky wind from the Northwest, and a forecast high of 40.  “Maybe this lousy weather will bring a good Blue-winged Olive hatch” I told myself as I got into my car and drove to my friend Mike Miller’s farm on the Lower Kinni.  Mike was still down in Florida, but had told me I could go ahead and drive down his dirt road towards the river to avoid a long walk in.  I hesitated briefly when I got to the hill overlooking the river, but the track looked good, so I drove to where the road ends a few hundred yards from the river.
Nothing was hatching, so I worked my way upstream, tightlining a nymph with my Tenkara rod.  After two hours of casting practice, I picked up five fish in a deep run that we call the Otter Hole.  

by Kevin Wier
2025 was another great year for the Foster the Outdoors mentorship program.  We paired a total of 12 youth with volunteer mentors and three of the youth this year were young ladies.  In the March edition of the MNTU newsletter we had the opportunity to highlight and thank some of the wonderful partners who make this mentorship program tick.  Of course the real MVP’s of the program are the mentors themselves and we highlight some of their adventures in the article as well.  You can see the full article here: https://mntu.org/newsletter/
At the risk of stating the obvious, we can’t run the program without mentors. 

On March 10, 2026 twelve Charter Members approved the formation of a Twin Cities-based Fly Fishing Guides Association.  The goal of the Association is to elevate the sport through scientific literacy, conservation leadership, and exceptional client experience.  If you'd like more information on the Association, please email John Edstrom or Carl Maijer.