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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/join305Downeast and use chapter code 305 Downeast TU.

Monthly meetings are the Fourth Wednesday of the month from October to May at the Moore Center, 125 State Street, Ellsworth, ME

Register Today

 
Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife

Join us in Augusta for a day of fishing!

Fishing at SAM

The days are heating up, and we have two Learn to Fish events coming up next week! Join Maine Outdoor Programs brought to you by Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife to celebrate National Go Fishing Day and National Women's Fly Fishing Day with fun filled days by the water.  Whether you are new to angling or have been wanting to practice those skills, MDIFW staff and volunteers are eager to spend a day fishing with you.

All ages and skill levels are welcome, however fly casting instruction will be ages 10+. Choose your session and register for either fly fishing or spin casting for the day.

What You'll Learn:

Participants will leave with a better understanding of angling in Maine.

  • Gain a basic understanding of various angling equipment
  • Learn the techniques and trouble shooting aspects of angling and casting
  • Build confidence, community and skills to continue angling
  • Enhance knowledge of aquatic conservation and fisheries management in Maine
  • Discover the magic of being hooked on fishing!

This is a free event and all fishing gear will be provided, however you are welcome to bring your own gear. If you catch a fish from one of the two ponds stocked with trout, our instructors are eager to show you how to safely release your catch or how to ethically harvest it. There will be a station set up to cook your fish as well.

A fishing license is required to participate. Licenses can be purchased at mefishwildlife.com or on the new ME Outdoors App, available on the Apple App Store and Google Play.

This event is held on two different days next week. Participants are welcome to register for one or both events.

Learn to Fish: Outdoor Skills Day

Learn to Fish

Everyone is welcome to celebrate National Go Fishing Day with us!

Date/Time: Wednesday, June 18, 2025 from 9am - 1pm

Location: Sportsman's Alliance of Maine Outdoor Center

2273 N Belfast Road, Augusta, ME

*Register for spin casting or fly casting for the day.

Register Online

Learn to Fish: Outdoor Skills Day

Fly fishing reel

Everyone is welcome to celebrate National Women's Fly Fishing Day with us!

Date/Time: Friday, June 27, 2025 from 9am - 1pm

Location: Sportsman's Alliance of Maine Outdoor Center

2273 N Belfast Road, Augusta, ME

*Register for spin casting or fly casting for the day.

Register Online

 

 

 

 

Artist and Downeast Trout Unlimited member Joe Rizzo has created "Chance" an amazing 14 foot Sea-run Brook Trout as part of an installation to bring awareness for the need to protect, conserve and restore brook trout habitat in Maine. Part of Rizzo’s vision for “Chance” is to raise awareness of conservation groups in Maine whose work has helped preserve and protect the waters where sea-run brook trout live, especially the Downeast Chapter of Trout Unlimited and Downeast Salmon Federation. Contact Joe at joeyrizzoartatgmail.com (joeyrizzoart[at]gmail[dot]com). Rizzo’s art can be seen at https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/joe-rizzo. Wish to give a gift in support of “Chance” and future work? Gifts can be made via Zelle. “Chance, Risk and Opportunity” will be displayed at the Bangor Public Library in Downtown Bangor through November. If you visited “Chance” we’d love to see it, so throw us a line – or at least a hashtag!
#ChanceSculpture #JoeyRizzoArt #BangorPublicLibrary #Downeast TU #Trout Unlimited #DowntownBangor #ArtoberBangor
https://downtownbangor.com/chance-risk-and-opportunity/  Check out Joe's work here on FB

 

 

 

Penobscot River Trip October 18: Tickets are selling fast! Hosted by the Bar Harbor Whale Watch Company this 9.5 hour trip will combine fun, photography and environmental education with stops at 10 lighthouses. Join members from the founding organizations of the Penobscot River Restoration Trust: American Rivers, Atlantic Salmon Federation, Maine Audubon, Natural Resources Council of Maine, The Nature Conservancy, the Penobscot Nation and Trout Unlimited and learn about past and current conservation efforts on Maine’s largest river. 

 

Naturalist Zack Klyver and Bob Trapani Jr., President of the American Lighthouse Foundation, will host the tour. Photographer Michael Leonard will be onboard along with B&H Photo to discuss your photography and demonstrate equipment. Cost is $229, but if you are an active TU member or member of one of the organizations representing the Penobscot River Restoration Trust, you can receive a 25% discount of $57.25. Contact Tammy Packie tpackieatgmail.com (tpackie[at]gmail[dot]com) to confirm your TU membership status and receive the discount code. Purchase tickets on the BHWW website, go to Oct. 18 Light house tour on their calendar.

 

Maine Sea Grant funding restored and welcomes three students to the 2025 cohort of the Maine Sea Grant – NOAA Fisheries Undergraduate Internships in Sea-run Fish Research! They will spend the summer supporting critical research and conservation efforts focused on sea-run fish populations across Maine. Meet OliviaAudrey, and Wade through their profiles. umseagrantatmaine.edu (umseagrant[at]maine[dot]edu)

TU will continue efforts to keep public lands in public hands. Stay updated and stand for public lands, Use this link to send a message to your representative: https://www.tu.org/conservation/action-center/?vvsrc=%2fCampaigns%2f126244%2fRespond

Our public lands are the foundation of healthy watersheds and strong communities. From remote trout streams to working forests, these places provide clean water, vital trout habitat and public access for all Americans. Efforts to privatize public land threaten us all. Thanks to our collective efforts, public lands remain so today. 

THANK YOU for taking part in this year’s Annual Activity Report. TU is proud to say that in the past fiscal year, together we made a difference with:

More than 645,051 volunteer hours committed - that's the equivalent of more than 309 full time staff and over $22 million in volunteer hour value!

3,741 conservation and science projects mobilizing over 20,000 volunteers

3,298 youth engagement events reaching more than 120,000 young people

4,624 community engagement activities connecting with 112,318 members and supporters

 

Reconnecting with Members and Supporters

Over the past few months, TU has been inviting members who opted out of certain communications in the past to get back in touch with TU.  Please visit www.tu.org/recconect and enter your Member ID (found on your member card, the back address label of their TROUT magazine, or by calling 800-834-2419) to resubscribe. You will be able to choose levels of communication, such as Chapter or Council emails only.

TU offered a rod and reel combo package as part of a sweepstakes for those who verified their emails and reconnected with TU. Mr. Wayne Snelley was the lucky winner and is already headed out to use it in the northeast, pursuing brookies, browns, rainbows, and more!

 

Downeast Trout Unlimited Gear: Hats $25, Brook Trout pins $20, Brook Trout Earrings $16.

Downeast Trout Unlimited (DETU) is dedicated to conserving, protecting, and restoring Maine's cold water fisheries and their watersheds. New memberships are half price. For NEW memberships only go to www.tu.org/join305Downeast. Use the link and DETU will receive $15. Call 800-834-2419 to renew Donations may be mailed to Downeast Trout Unlimited, c/o Arthur Benson, Treasurer; 32 Cottage Way Hampden ME 04444. For more information visit https://www.downeasttu.org/ or Downeast TU on Facebook

 
 
 

 

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, tpackieatgmail.com (tpackie[at]gmail[dot]com) 207-288-5442 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

 

 

 

 

Stream Survey ProjectThe 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!

 

Trout Unlimited

Brook trout Ponds

Visit our Brook Trout Ponds page and volunteer to help us survey Maine's Brook Trout Ponds.

 


Trout Unlimited

Trout Unlimited

Trout Unlimited is a national organization with more than 140,000 volunteers organized into about 400 chapters from Maine to Alaska.