January 2010 President's Message

Happy New Year to all of you. It is time to take down that old 2009 Trout Unlimited calendar and put up the new 2010 calendar you probably received in the mail a month or so ago-if you renewed your membership that is. Although it is not as much of a problem in this wonderful age of technology, it is time to write "2010" when you date your notes and letters now. Having said goodbye to 2009, it is now time to say hello to 2010 and look ahead to the next string of 12 months on that new calendar of yours. I will try to do that with regard to Great Bay Trout Unlimited in the lines below.

As you read this there are seven cooler-equipped aquariums, five in Dover school classrooms, and two in Hampton classrooms, with slowly developing brook trout eggs in them. As one of our last Trout-in-the-Classroom activities last year, GBTU Vice President Mark Seymour, and I, took a drive to the New Hampton fish hatchery to collect the eggs for delivery. The tanks had been prepared prior to our trip. As the winter and early spring months pass, the students in these classrooms will watch the eggs develop into brook trout and eventually swim up looking for food. If they manage the water temperature in their tanks well, the swim up should take place in late April or early May, just in time for the Dover raised fish to be released into the Cocheco River as part of the Cocheco River Day festivities scheduled for May 15th. I am sure the look on those student's faces will be quite a sight to behold. Don’t miss it!

We are also looking forward to teaching some Dover Middle School students, and their parents (if they would like to participate), how to tie flies in an after school program starting January 5th and running for six weeks. Our newly acquired fly tying kits and materials will also be used to help a Newmarket Eagle Scout candidate work toward that Eagle Scout Badge. It is wonderful to be able to provide these services, and it is generous supporters like Summit Supply, Eldridge Brothers Fly Shop and Stone River Outfitters that make it all possible. Make it a New Year's resolution to do some business with our supporting businesses this year.

The bugs in our new Great Bay TU website (www.greatbaytu.org ) are being exterminated rapidly. I think you will be seeing some attractive and useful changes taking place over the next month or two, so make another New Year's resolution to stop by and check it out as you surf the net. Don’t forget to tell your friends to sign up for our email list on the website in the "Contact Us" section. That way they can also receive all the e-Newsletters and event announcements just like you. You are signed up, aren't you?

Very shortly we will be going into high gear in preparing for our annual Fly Auction. This year the date will be March 29th, and the location the same as last year, Weeksie's Pizza, in Dover. Information will be posted on our website, and sent by email as the event draws near. Now is the time to ask for your generous donations that have made this event such a success over the years. With the great food and drink, generous donations, the warm and friendly atmosphere, and the good fellowship assembled, it should be a very pleasant evening as we welcome spring. What better way is there to collect all those flies you will need for the fishing season?

This year, due to an extremely generous donation by Dan Duggan of Riverstix, we will be raffling off a custom made Casting for Recovery bamboo fly rod, to raise funds for future Casting for Recovery programs nationally and locally. Pictures, information and downloadable tickets will be available on the website early in January, and at our January, February and March club meetings. The rod will also be available at these meetings if you want to have a close look at it. It really is a work of art! The drawing for the rod will be held at the Fly Auction March 29th.

There is so much more to talk about. The start of our Cocheco Kid's River Days, the fourth Youth Conservation Trout Camp, the Lamprey River Cleanup, the Exeter Kid's Fishing Day, the Casting for Recovery Day...the list goes on. If I sit at this keyboard much longer I will start missing events myself! See you at the meetings, and hopefully on the water once things thaw out a bit. I think it's going to be a great year!

Mitch Kalter