|
by Jim Sauter QUOTE OF THE MONTH "... it is best to keep those outdoor lights off just in case. That is one way you can help the migration." Ross Ellet, ABC Meteorologist Greetings from the TCTU Streamkeepers. In last month’s newsletter, I shared that I visited with another angler at an area trout stream, TCTU member Gene Scheffler. He graciously gave me two of his Chuck Caddis flies. Well, I had a chance to use the size 16 fly on the SB Whitewater on Saturday, May 2. Near sunset I decided to give the Chuck Caddis a try and immediately caught four nice sized browns including the largest brown trout of the season so far for me. The Chuck Caddis worked! Another angler friend recently gave me some woodchuck fur, so I will be tying some of these soon! If you don’t have a Chuck Caddis handy, the Mother’s Day Caddis will probably work. After a long drive to the SB, I encountered numerous other anglers in the area including a family with 3 children. One of the lads decided to fish very close to me, and what I thought was a splash from a trout turned out to be his large bobber. He had made a truly amazing cast with a beautiful zebco. Lots of fun! Even though the river was "crowded" by my standards, the trout remained very active. One of the other elderly fishermen that I visited with had been there since 5:00 am when the temperature was a brisk 26 degrees. The air temp when I arrived was a balmy 60 degrees. One additional observation- the birds are really chirping right now. Whether it be a pair of geese protecting their brood along the stream bed or warblers dancing near the water's edge, birds seem to be everywhere. According to meteorologist Ross Ellet from ABC, on the evening of April 4, BirdCast detected about 859 million birds on radar in flight around 1:10 am ET. That is about 2.5 birds in flight for every person living in the US. Yes, birds far outnumber humans. Ross recommends turning off those outdoor lights in the evening during this time of year to help birds navigate better during this time of year. So far this spring I have identified the following birds on my trout fishing adventures and at our feeder: Bald Eagles, Canadian Geese, Yellow Rumped Warblers, Black Bellied Plover, Mallards, Wood Ducks, Green Blue Herons, Cardinals, Brown Cow Birds, Red Winged Blackbirds, Goldfinch, House Finches, Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers, Red Bellied Woodpeckers, Trumpeter Swans, Dark- Eyed Juncos, Bue Jays, Cardinals, Sparrows, Crows, Black Capped Chickadees and the Nuthatch. Amazingly, I believe all these birds are protected. That means those beautiful feathers cannot be used for fly tying! STREAMKEEPER/SAVE OUR STREAM (SOS) CHEMICAL TESTING TRAININIG Our annual Streamkeeper training event was held on Saturday, April 18, at the South Branch of the Vermillion River. Even though the temps were in the 30 degree range, we had an excellent turnout. Our SB Vermillion readings are summarized later in this report. NITRATE POLLUTION AWARENESS WEEK IS COMING Reminder- Nitrate Pollution Awareness Week will be held from July 26-August 1, 2026. Stay tuned for more information in the coming weeks
STREAM READINGS 2026 We are early in the season and have already had 23 readings so far this year. Nicely done to our dedicated volunteers. Here is a sample of some of our more recent readings... Stream: South Branch Vermillion Date: 5/2/26 Observer: Rowe Winecoff Weather: Sunny Water Clarity: Clear, 100 cm Water Temp: 8.4 degrees C, excellent Nitrate: 10 ppm, elevated Nitrite: 0 ppm, good Alkalinity 180 ppm, good Hardness: 180 ppm, good pH: 7.5, excellent Phosphate: 0, good Chloride: 25 ppm, good Notes: Stream is down a little bit but still free flowing Stream: Belle Creek Date: 4/30/26 Observer: Bill Goodman Weather: Sunny Water Clarity: Clear Water Temp: 12.2 degrees C, excellent Nitrate: 1 ppm, good Nitrite: 0.15 ppm, good Alkalinity 180 ppm, good Hardness: 180 ppm, good pH: 7.5, excellent Phosphate: 0, good Chloride: Not taken Notes: We did not observe anything out of the ordinary on the river Stream: Hay Creek, 325th St Date: 4/6/26 Observer: John Kohler Weather: Overcast Water Clarity: Clear Water Temp: 9.2 degrees C, excellent Nitrate: 5 ppm, good Nitrite: 0 ppm, good Alkalinity 120 ppm, good Hardness: 180 ppm, good pH: 8, go Phosphate: 0, good Chloride: Not taken Notes: Water perfectly clear. Wood Ducks in the pools Stream: Little Cannon, MN Date: 4/29/26 Observer: Mike Stinson Weather: Partly Sunny Water Clarity: Murky Water Temp: 10.1 degrees C, excellent Nitrate: 10 ppm, elevated Nitrite: 0 ppm, good Alkalinity 240 ppm, good Hardness: 7 ppm, low pH: 7.0, excellent Phosphate: 100, fair Chloride: 25 ppm, good Notes: Occasional logs jutting out Stream: Brown's Creek Date: 4/8/26 Observer: Fred Schultz Weather: Sunny Water Clarity: Clear, 100 cm Water Temp: 9.3 degrees C, excellent Nitrate: 0 ppm, good Nitrite: 0 ppm, good Alkalinity 80 ppm, good Hardness: 120 ppm, good pH: 7.0, excellent Phosphate: 100 ppb, fair Stream: Mall of America/ Ike's Creek Date: 4/24/26 Observer: Wade Johnson Weather: Sunny Water Clarity: Clear Water Temp: 13.5 degrees C, excellent Nitrate: 0 ppm, good Nitrite: 0 ppm, good Alkalinity 180 ppm, good Hardness: 180 ppm, good pH: 8.0, good Phosphate: 0, good Chloride: 387 ppm, High, elevated Stream: Little Rock Creek Date: 4/28/26 Observer: Joe Chovan Weather: Sunny Water Clarity: Murky Water Temp: 15.6 degrees C, excellent Nitrate: 1 ppm, good Nitrite: 3 ppm, elevated Alkalinity 120 ppm, good Hardness: 180 ppm, good pH: 7.5, excellent Phosphate: 200, fair Chloride: 25 ppm, excellent Notes: Trees in stream after a major rain event Stream: Trout Brook Date: 4/28/26 Observer: Kevin Smith Weather: Sunny Water Clarity: Clear,100 cm Water Temp: 12.5 degrees C, excellent Nitrate: 0 ppm, good Nitrite: 0.5 ppm, good Alkalinity 200 ppm, good Hardness: 180 ppm, good pH: 8, good Phosphate: 0, good Chloride: 25 ppm, excellent Notes: Rainfall greater than 1 inch in past 24 hours Stream: Eagle Creek Date: 4/28/26 Observer: Robert Logelin Weather: Sunny Water Clarity: Clear, 90 cm Water Temp: 10.2 degrees C, excellent Nitrate: 0 ppm, good Nitrite: 0 ppm, good Alkalinity 240 ppm, good Hardness: 180 ppm, good pH: 8, good Phosphate: 0, good Chloride: 50 ppm, good Notes: Stream is a tad silty/sandy but otherwise looks good Stream: Eagle Creek Date: 4/28/26 Observer: Robert Logelin Weather: Sunny Water Clarity: Clear,90 cm Water Temp: 10.2 degrees C, excellent Nitrate: 0 ppm, good Nitrite: 0 ppm, good Alkalinity 240 ppm, good Hardness: 180 ppm, good pH: 8, good Phosphate: 0, good Chloride: 50 ppm, good Notes: Stream is a tad silty/sandy but otherwise looks good Video: Ike's Creek (Mall of America Creek) Check out a short video shot by Curt Nelson of this lovely stream. PHOTOS Weather Station on the Kinni River, Apri 21 2026, Photos by Jim Sauter TCTU Streamkeeper Training, SB Vermillion, April 18 2026, Photos by Tom Walkington
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
May 2026
Categories |
RSS Feed