The President's Angle

by Yves Charron
This has been an eventful fishing month for me.

• I recently brought several newcomers to the stream who were interested in learning how to fly fish. Everyone caught fish—and I have pictures to prove it!
• I completed my first trip to the Boundary Waters. I made the rookie mistake of bringing a plastic tote box and had to portage it everywhere we went.
• I am participating in the Foster the Outdoors Program for the third year. My group caught fish on their first outing.
• I used to carry a wading staff until someone showed me how he used his landing net for support while entering and exiting streams. I started doing the same and left my wading staff in the car. Unfortunately, I eventually broke my net. I took a picture of it before tossing it in the garbage.​

Chapter Meetings
We concluded our chapter meetings in May and are taking a break until fall. This year, meetings will resume in October since the CX3 event will be held in September 2026. We wrapped up the season with a meeting focused on exploring the many fishing opportunities on Hay Creek. I don’t know about you, but I found it very informative.
We also have an event coming up on June 20 at Hay Creek. There is still time to register, and it should be a lot of fun. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to attend, as I’ll be in California visiting some of our nation’s iconic national parks—and hopefully doing a little fishing in between. Have fun on Hay Creek!
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Habitat Opportunities
A major focus this June is the installation of data loggers to monitor water temperatures in the Vermillion River and several of its tributaries. Collecting this data before and after the data centers come online will be critical.This project brings together three organizations: the VRWJPO, the Minnesota DNR, and Twin Cities Trout Unlimited. Thank you to Doug Moran for working with the DNR and VRWJPO to make this project happen.

Advocacy
The temperature data collected from these loggers will support our advocacy efforts to help minimize the impacts of the future data center planned near the Vermillion River in Farmington. The information gathered will also provide valuable scientific data to the Coalition for Responsible Data Center Development (CRDCD).

Youth Education
There is still time to register for T.U.N.E. Camp. Information has already been sent out, but if you have questions, please contact Bruce Gockowski at [email protected].
I recently participated in a trout release event on the Vermillion River and helped with the youth fishing activities. If you have ever fished near Rambling River Park, you know there are plenty of trees and vegetation along the river. As a result, anglers are almost guaranteed to lose some tackle and flies to the trees or submerged logs.
To prepare for this, I brought a few extra spinning rods. One young angler—let’s call him “Joe” for the sake of the story—came back to me looking a little nervous and clearly preparing an explanation for why he no longer had a worm, hook, or bobber. As soon as I saw him approaching, I assumed he had snagged a tree or a log. Joe, however, insisted that a huge fish had grabbed the worm and broken his line. Trying to get him to admit that he had simply gotten stuck, I told him, “This line is rated for 16 pounds. That must have been a really big fish! Are you sure you didn’t get caught in a tree or a log?”  Joe stuck to his story. It was the fish, and nothing but the fish!

Special Events
Fishing Day Fundraiser at Lake Harriet Regional Park
The May 30 event was a success. Thank you to all the volunteers who helped make it happen. Be sure to check out the photos showing kids catching fish and our volunteers in action (see pictures).
Wildlife Casualty Count Week
Thank you to everyone who participated in this event.
Streamkeepers
Be sure to read James Sauter’s article this month highlighting TCTU Streamkeepers activities.

CX3 – Annual Trout Unlimited Gathering
I would also like to highlight this annual event, which will be held in the Twin Cities this year. An announcement has already been made, and we will continue sharing information in the coming months.
We look forward to strong participation from our members during this multi-day event. Click here to learn about volunteering opportunities.

Want to Get Involved?
Visit our events page to learn about upcoming Twin Cities Trout Unlimited events.

Tight lines, and have a great summer!
Yves Charron
President
Twin Cities Trout Unlimited