Downeast TU is a chapter of Trout Unlimited, a national non-profit organization dedicated to protect and conserve North American
cold-water fish species and habitat. Membership is open to all, go to www.tu.org/
Monthly meetings are the Third Wednesday of the month from October to May
The Next Meeting is Wednesday, November 20, 2024
Details will be coming soon.
Downeast Trout Unlimited (DETU) chapter 305 is dedicated to conserving, protecting, and restoring Maines cold water fisheries and their watersheds. Go to www.tu.org/join305Downeast to join-New memberships are half price! To renew call 800-834-2419. Donations may be mailed to Downeast Trout
Unlimited, c/o Dana Hunter, Treasurer; 9 Lobster Pool Road Little Deer Isle, ME 04650. Contact DETU Secretary Tammy Packie, tpackie
gmail.com or visit or https://www.downeasttu.org/ Downeast TU on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/DowneastTU
Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing Machias Two participants were able to take a guided excursion on West Grand Lake recently. PHWFF is dedicated to the physical and emotional rehabilitation of disabled active and veteran military personnel through fly fishing projecthealingwaters.org (mike.manning@
Fish Passage Projects selected for NOAA funding: NOAA has completed the second round of the Restoring Fish Passage through Barrier Removal funding opportunities under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act. These funds will help restore access to healthy habitat for migratory fish across the country through on-the-ground fish passage restoration, future project development, engineering and design assistance, and increasing the capacity of new and existing partners to design projects and manage multi-faceted restoration efforts. In the west NOAA recognized three ambitious Trout Unlimited fish passage projects on Alaska’s Tongass National Forest, Oregon’s North Coast, and Washington’s Olympic Peninsula with $16.6 million in funding. In the east DETU looks forward to opportunities to assist on the projects below as a conservation partner in Downeast Maine:
Maine Department of Marine Resources will continue construction of structures to improve fish passage at Woodland Dam on the St. Croix River. When complete, this effort will provide access to significant habitat for migratory fish, including 60,000 acres of habitat for alewife. By benefitting species like alewife, American shad, and American eel, the project is expected to result in increased prey for whales, dolphins, groundfish, and saltwater sportfish. ($7.5 million)
Downeast Salmon Federation will remove the Cherryfield Ice Control Dam on the Narraguagus River and replace it with a nature-like fishway, allowing for endangered Atlantic salmon (a NOAA Species in the Spotlight) and other fish to migrate unimpeded. The Narraguagus River has some of the highest quality habitat for Atlantic salmon in the Downeast Salmon Habitat Recovery Unit (SHRU), one of three designated regions in Maine for restoring habitat for endangered Atlantic salmon. ($9.1 million)
The Nature Conservancy will work to improve fish passage on the Piscataquis River, a major tributary to the Penobscot River. This effort will reconnect a significant amount of stream habitat in the Penobscot SHRU, one of three designated regions in Maine for restoring habitat for Atlantic salmon. It will also support local communities by reducing the potential for flooding and addressing a public safety hazard. ($19.9 million)
Do Not Eat Fish Advisories vs State Stocking: Seven freshwater bodies in Maine were stocked with fish by IFW even though state toxicologists advise people not to eat fish caught in them because they likely contain high levels of PFAS. Diane Kopec, PFAS researcher and a fellow at the Sen. George Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions was interviewed in the Portland Press Herald recently about data from the state aquatic toxicology lab. Results rendered fish unsafe to eat after a month of exposure to forever chemicals in water. “Their data should be taken seriously by officials deciding where to encourage fishing and how to alert the public to the serious health risk. Do-not-eat advisories mean what they say.”
View the list of Maine’s PFAS advisories for freshwater fish consumption
THANK YOU to all who attended the FERC meetings or filed comments in support of improving fish passage on the Kennebec River. DETU and other Maine Trout Unlimited members, along with representatives from our partners in the Kennebec Coalition (Atlantic Salmon Federation, Maine Rivers, Natural Resources Council of Maine, and the Conservation Law Foundation) as well as residents from local communities convened to support efforts to ensure the survival of Atlantic Salmon and restore other sea-run fish that are vital to the health of the Gulf of Maine ecosystem and commercial fisheries. Over 150 people attended and 58 people testified over two days to support a healthy Kennebec. Our efforts demonstrated that people in Maine overwhelmingly want safe, effective, and timely passage solutions for our communities, the fish, and the river. We were impressed by the thoughtfulness, knowledge, and passion shared during their testimony. Read this NYTimes OpEd by John Waldman, noted sea-run fisheries biologist. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/
Looking for a Gift? Downeast Trout Unlimited Gear: Hats $25, Brook Trout pins $15, Earrings $16. Happy Father’s Day to our members and supporters.
Downeast Trout Unlimited (DETU) is dedicated to conserving, protecting, and restoring Maine's cold water fisheries and their watersheds. Call 800-834-2419 to renew or go to tu.org/intro to join and use chapter code 305 for Downeast Trout Unlimited. Donations may be mailed to Downeast Trout Unlimited, c/o Dana Hunter, Treasurer; 9 Lobster Pool Road Little Deer Isle, ME 04650. For more information contact Tammy Packie, tpackiegmail.com (tpackie[at]gmail[dot]com) 207-
Join Trout Unlimited and other advocates working to restore migratory fish populations on the Kennebec River to urge FERC to take advantage of this once-in-a-generation opportunity to require effective fish passageways on the Kennebec. There are several ways you can help:
1.Sign our petition. TU will include this petition with the detailed comments we will send to FERC.
2. Submit personal comments to FERC. These may be submitted through FERC's electronic comment portal, which can be accessed at https://ferconline.ferc.gov/
Thanks in advance for joining Trout Unlimited and our partners in the Kennebec Coalition: Atlantic Salmon Federation, Maine Rivers, Natural Resources Council of Maine, and the Conservation Law Foundation to support this important effort to ensure the survival of Atlantic Salmon in the U.S.
Craig Brook National Fish Hatchery and Museum Tours The salmon have spawned and the fry are hatching. Would you or your group like a tour? Call Senior Biologist Denise Buckley at 207-469-7300.
Forestry Best Management Practices (BMPs): Forestry operations that use best management practices protect the natural ability of watersheds to support life. By preventing stream sedimentation, BMPs can maintain streambed properties and the clean water that allows fish and the aquatic insects they depend on to feed and spawn. Leaving trees that shade and provide leaf litter to waterbodies limits changes in water temperature and chemical characteristics that could improve the ability of trout to reproduce. FMI: https://www.maine.gov/dacf/
Downeast Trout Unlimited (DETU) is dedicated to conserving, protecting, and restoring Maine's cold water fisheries and their watersheds. Call 800-834-2419 to renew or go to tu.org/intro to join and use chapter code 305 for Downeast Trout Unlimited. Donations may be mailed to Downeast Trout Unlimited, c/o Dana Hunter, Treasurer; 9 Lobster Pool Road Little Deer Isle, ME 04650. For more information contact Tammy Packie, tpackiegmail.com (tpackie[at]gmail[dot]com) 207-
Reel Craft Pass The Reel Craft brewery booklet promotes craft beer and flyfishing, with 50% discount on 1 beer at over 50 Maine locations throughout 2024. Cost $20. Available at The Reel Craft Pass on Facebook or www.reelcraftpass.com Reel Craft Pass is donating a portion of the proceeds from their 2024 Maine Edition of the Reel Craft Pass to DETU. We have received over $400 to date.
Downeast Trout Unlimited Gear: Hats $25, Brook Trout pins $15, Brook Trout Earrings $16.
TU Maine State Council is seeking donations for a $150,000 legal defense fund to hire lawyers to help Maine TU deal with Brookfield in the FERC dam relicensing process for the Ripogenus, Rumford Falls and Aziscohos Hydro Projects Legal action may be necessary to protect the fisheries on these waters. Contact Steve Heinz, heinzmaine.rr.com (heinz[at]maine[dot]rr[dot]com) for more information.
Draft Water Quality Certification: Green Lake Hydroelectric Project
Project Folder: Green Lake Hydroelectric Project
Downeast Trout Unlimited (DETU) chapter 305 is dedicated to conserving, protecting, and restoring Maine's cold water fisheries and their watersheds. New memberships are half price. To join DETU go to www.tu.org/join305Downeast To renew call 800-834-2419. Donations may be mailed to Downeast Trout Unlimited, c/o Dana Hunter, Treasurer; 9 Lobster Pool Road Little Deer Isle, ME 04650. For more information contact Tammy Packie, tpackiegmail.com (tpackie[at]gmail[dot]com) 207-
Membership: Downeast Trout Unlimited (DETU) is dedicated to conserving, protecting, and restoring Maine's cold water fisheries and their watersheds. Membership link and discount for new members: The Individual rate is $17.50, half price the normal rate of $35. DETU will receive $15 for recruiting new members. To join go to www.tu.org/gmail.com (tpackie[at]gmail[dot]com).
TU National Over 300 TU volunteers, including Tammy Packie, State Council Rep for the National Leadership Council, TU staff, anglers and conservationists from around the country attended CX3 in September to celebrate coldwater, conservation, and community on the Spokane River in Washington. CX3 2023 showcased partnerships with the Nez Perce Tribe, Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing and others to emphasize the importance of collaboration to address complex environmental challenges. Fishing on rivers with local volunteers (Tammy went with the leader of the Gonzaga Costa 5 Rivers group to learn about their activities), a stream clean-up with the Spokane Riverkeepers, the Annual Awards banquet and Members Meeting, and casting with Spokane Women On The Fly (Tammy tried fly-casting for the first time!) were fun activities for all ages. The focus of Cx3 2023 was removing the lower four Snake River Dams. Participants were given a tour of Lower Granite Dam, engaged in insightful discussions, workshops, and viewed the powerful film Covenant of the Salmon People to help understand the critical issues surrounding these dams. Thank you to all the presenters, including our keynote speaker, Nez Perce Chairman Shannon Wheeler. Attendees left CX3 armed with knowledge to advocate for the removal of the lower four Snake River Dams to recover Idaho’s salmon and steelhead. To learn more about the accomplishments TU has made in the past year and goals for the future watch President and CEO Chris Wood’s State of Trout Unlimited presentation on YouTube. Next year’s CX3 is in the Twin Cities, MN. from Sept. 25 – 29 2024.
President's Message
With fall fast approaching I want to bring all of you up to date on new and ongoing activities in our chapter. Over the summer DETU continued to advocate for habitat preservation and promote fly fishing. I attended the Downeast SHRU meeting and participated in the second Family Fishing Day with Island Heritage Trust in June. Several DETU members assisted Project Healing Waters on a weekend fishing event and taught fly-casting at a Pleasant River Fish and Game Conservation Association event in July. DETU board members continued efforts to partner with community organizations to preserve water quality and promote fish passage.
Several NGO's concerned about the Union River have contracted with a firm to do an economic study on the river. Two consultants will be conducting interviews and would like to hear from members of DETU at 8:00am on Sept. 26 at Flexit Cafe on Main Street Ellsworth. Jen and Bryan will be set up immediately to your left as you walk in the Cafe. Any and all are welcome. I will be there and would like to invite you to come and share your views. They will hold a public meeting at the Ellsworth Library at 6pm 9/26 as well.
MDI Region Hazardous Waste Collection Day Saturday September 21 from 10-2pm. Residents of Mount Desert island, Cranberry Isles, Frenchboro, Swans island and Lamoine can prevent toxic substances from entering water sources by bringing their household hazardous waste or universal waste to MDI High School for disposal at no charge. For more info on the event go to http://www.acadiadisposal.org/
Bob Bechtold, one of our members, is starting a Flies and Lies group on October 6th. The meetings will take place twice a month on Sundays from 5-8pm in Bar Harbor at the Machias Savings Bank on Cottage Street. The meetings are free and open to the public. Contact Bob at 207-288-4957 or trichoptera42gmail.com (trichoptera42[at]gmail[dot]com) for information.
Speaking of flies, Robb Cotiaux, Maine TU's Trout Camp Coordinator, has put out a request to the Maine chapters for donations of flies suitable for use on the Kennebec River. The camp's stockpile of flies is running low and needs replenishing. He is asking the fly tiers among us to donate a half dozen or more of the same pattern. Of course those members who don't tie flies, like me, can also donate flies. After 50 years of fly fishing I have accumulated boxes of flies, many of which I don't use, or have more than I need. I have been going through my boxes and pulling out those to send to Trout Camp. Flies should be sent to Robb Cotiaux at 91 Tufts Road New Gloucester, ME. 04260.
2024 Trout Camp: Everyone had a good time, fish were caught, and new skills learned. The two teen mentors were excellent, and Cody Leighton, from DETU, has stepped up to adult camp board member status. Many thanks to all who taught, stayed overnight, and supported our efforts. Trout Camp 2025 will be held from Sunday, June 22 to Thursday, June 26. Applications are on the State Council TU website. If any member is interested in volunteering please contact me for details.
The Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing Machias group (PHWFF-M) is continuing to grow. They meet monthly at the Downeast Salmon Federation headquarters where they tie flies with some DETU members, host speakers, and view fly fishing films. In October the group will be going to Echo Lake in Acadia National Park for an afternoon fly casting clinic and Brook Trout fishing. I will be there teaching with a couple of other DETU members. If anyone wants to join or become a volunteer with PHWFF please contact me or Mike Manning, Program Lead, mike.manningprojecthealingwaters.org (mike.manning@
DETU is continuing to advocate for fish passage to be included in the design for the rebuilding of the Branch Lake dam. The city of Ellsworth has formed the Branch Lake Fish Passage Working Group that includes city staff, a member of the Branch Lake Association, Down East Trout Unlimited, Downeast Salmon Federation, and Green Ellsworth. At this time we are waiting for the engineering firm to submit their preliminary design drawings.
Trout Unlimited has hired a new Maine Project Manager, Lauren Pickford. I've invited Lauren to speak at one of our meetings to outline her goals for TU in Maine. Lauren has a Masters degree in Wildlife Conservation and Management from Unity College and has worked on a number of watershed projects in the Sebago and Belgrade Lakes areas.
As a reminder, our Annual Meeting is in April. This is an important meeting as all four officers on the board will have reached their term limits and will be stepping down from their current roles. We are looking for replacements to step up and help out the chapter. If you can help support DETU in this important way please contact me. I will be sending out more information on this in the upcoming months.
At this time our member meetings will continue to be hybrid on the third Wednesday of the month at 5:30 pm at the Moore Center in Ellsworth, beginning October 16 and going through May. We are in the process of lining up speakers for this year, and do not have a speaker for October yet. Some of the topics to be presented are a Brook Trout study by IFW, Fly Fishing in Cuba, and Frenchman's Bay Conservancy's land acquisitions in the Union River watershed. If you would like to do a presentation, or know of someone who would be a good speaker, please contact me, Tammy, or Mark Whiting our Program Coordinator. mark.c.whitinggmx.com (mark[dot]c[dot]whiting[at]gmx[dot]com)
Finally I want to pass on a word about wading safety. I just read an article on this subject and in it they said that when it comes to wading, be a chicken. Chickens rarely drown. For years I neglected an important piece of equipment, a wading staff. I added that to my equipment this year. After years of not listening to friends urging me to use one I finally got the message. Since using it this season and seeing how much easier and safer wading is I can't believe I was so foolish for so many years. I urge those of you who don't use a wading staff to get one and use it. And let's not forget a wading belt, another piece of safety equipment that can save your life.
We hope you had a great summer and thanks for supporting DETU. If you’re not already a member consider joining us today to support our work and connect with Downeast Maine’s fishing community. www.tu.org/join305Downeast
Rob Packie
President Downeast Trout Unlimited
rbpackiegmail.com (rbpackie[at]gmail[dot]com)
207-288-5442 –h
207-610-0976 -c
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Most lakes and ponds Downeast are open to fishing in the fall. Please check your lawbook before fishing. Grand Lake Stream is open until October 25th for salmon. Fisheries biologist Greg Burr suggests using a Black Ghost, a Montreal, Barnes Special, or Colonel Bates flies. Other salmon waters are West Grand Lake, Cathance Lake in Cooper, Donnell Pond in Franklin, Long Pond or Echo Lake in Southwest Harbor, and Beech Hill Pond in Otis. For Brook trout try West Pike Brook Pond in Deblois, Witch Hole Pond in Bar Harbor, Echo Lake in Southwest Harbor, Simmons Pond in Hancock, Upper Hadlock Pond in Northeast Harbor and Monroe Lake in T43MD. Poor weather lowered use in the Penobscot region and offers a better chance to catch fish this fall according to biologist Kevin Gallant. For brook trout try Tomah Lake in Forest Township and Little Greenland Pond in Danforth (artificial lures only). You can keep fish on Flatiron Pond (T3 R9 NWP) and Wapati (Davis) Pond in T5R7 WELS. For white perch try Folsom Pond in Lincoln, Boyd Lake in Orneville and Crooked Brook Flowage in Danforth.
Fishing Tip: Fish become sluggish as water temperatures drop. Slow your trolling speed and casting retrieve, this will give the fish a chance to hit your line.
· Special regulations in place during the fall months as some species are spawning
· Dress in layers and always wear a life jacket when on the water as cold water and cold air temperatures can quickly lead to hypothermia .
· Hunters will also be sharing the woods and waterways, so please be mindful and wear orange or bright clothing to increase visibility.
Downeast Trout Unlimited (DETU) is dedicated to conserving, protecting, and restoring Maine's cold water fisheries and their watersheds. Call 800-834-2419 to renew or go to tu.org/intro to join and use chapter code 305 for Downeast Trout Unlimited. Donations may be mailed to Downeast Trout Unlimited, c/o Dana Hunter, Treasurer; 9 Lobster Pool Road Little Deer Isle, ME 04650. For more information contact Tammy Packie, tpackie
288-5442 or visit https://www.downeasttu.org/ or our Facebook page Downeast TU:https://www.facebook.com/
pages/category/Nonprofit- Organization/Downeast-TU/
Donations can be sent to:
305 – Downeast Chapter Trout Unlimited
9 Lobster Pool Road, Little Deer Isle, ME 04650
The Coastal Stream Survey Project is a collaborative effort that began in 2014, and seeks to recruit volunteer anglers to gather data on wild brook trout in Maine’s coastal rivers and streams. Wild brook trout may move considerable distances during the course of their lives. Some wild brook trout that live in coastal streams may spend part of their lives in both saltwater and freshwater, a life history strategy called "diadromy.” Diadromous brook trout may leave their freshwater environment for periods ranging from a few months to over a year. Typically, they migrate from fresh to salt water at an early age, probably to take advantage of the more abundant food resources in salt water estuaries and perhaps also to seek thermal refuge during certain times of the year. Learn more about the Coastal Stream Survey.
Volunteer Anglers Needed
We need your help! Thanks to the overwhelming response from anglers and the conservation community, we are pleased to announce the launch of the seventh consecutive year of the Remote Pond Survey Project. There are lots of exciting places to explore this year, and we are seeking new and returning volunteers to assist with this effort. You too can be part of this exciting conservation effort and backcountry adventure!
The success of this project is entirely dependent on the data collected by volunteer anglers, so please consider helping with the Remote Pond Survey Project. This is your chance to make a significant contribution to the conservation of native brook trout in Maine. If you love to fish for brook trout and are looking for an adventure, we need you!
