KSTU Board and Member Meetings

Dennis Goodlin, PA licensed guide from Northern Cambria, will present a program on Tues. March 10, 7:00pm at the Indiana Golf and Country Club, detailing the restoration efforts that lead to the recovery of the West Branch of the Susquehanna River from once being an acid mine impacted river into a self-sustaining wild trout fishery. These improvements resulted in Pa Fish and Boat designating 26.1 miles of the West Branch as wild trout catch-and -release all tackle regulated fishery. Goodlin will also discuss the hatches, fly patterns and fishing techniques relative to the river.

2020 Event Calendar
April 4th Annual Banquet: Indian Springs Golf and Country Club.
May 12th Little Mahoning/Cessna Run macro invertebrate survey.
Our meetings are open to the public. Board meets at 5:30

KSTU Spring Fund Raising Banquet Meeting

There will be a meeting of the banquet committee on Wednesday, February 26th, at 6:00 pm.
The location is the Homer City Fire Hall. All members are welcome to attend. We will be finalizing preparations and prize/raffle listings.

The Annual KSTU Spring Banquet Fundraiser is coming!

Keep this date & time open: Tuesday, April 4th, 2020 at 4:00pm. Why? That is the date for our annual KSTU Spring Fund-raising Banquet at the VFW/ Indian Springs Country Club in Indiana, PA. Food, drink, door prizes and raffles galore. Come on out and support our chapter by attending the only major fund raising effort of the year. Cost is $30.00 per person. Dinner will be served around 6:00 p.m. Beverages are available but not included in the banquet price. Seating will be first come first seated. If you wish to seat a group at a single table (maximum of eight people) you must make it there early to assure your spots.

Our annual awards ceremony and raffle drawings will follow dinner. There will be a grand array of high dollar prizes as well as smaller items that can help to round out your outfit. Rods, reels, fine art prints and fly fishing accessories are already donated and just waiting to fill out your collection.

Help us continue to advocating for cold water fisheries, both here and nationwide.

For directions to the VFW/ Indian Springs Country Club please click on this link.

KSTU Fly Tying Class

This Saturday, February 15, will be the final session of our 2020 KSTU Fly Tying Class. This year we began the class with 18 students, both young and old. Our participants 12 years to 18 years old get free tuition with our adult tyers paying a nominal fee of $25.00. They enjoy skilled instruction in over a half dozen patterns, some classic and some newer types. All materials and tools, including vises, are provided. Most students finish the six week class with at least 20 individual flies and a wealth of technique at their disposal, so these folks have a good start on their fly collection by the end of the class sessions.

Chief instructors for the class are Ted Pluchinsky and Dan Cardellino. Ted is actually a product of the course having taken it as a youth back in the late seventies. Both are well-versed in the art and pass on their knowledge with a lot of enthusiasm. We have a good bunch of assistant instructors as well. Keith Ewing, Roger Phillips, Deb Heggenstaller, Mark Domenic, Jeff Uschak, Barrie Mann and Bob Sagely are typically on hand to help students on an individual basis. Other members drop in on occasion so a newbie fly-tier never has to struggle alone for long.

Keep your eye on this site for news of the next class. Advertising and registration will begin in early December. If you are looking to explore this hobby (some end up calling it a "passion"!) in a no pain/ low cost manner this could be the ticket. We hope to see you there.

March General Membership Meeting

KSTU will be holding its March membership meeting on the 10th of the month at the Indian Springs Country Club/ VFW Post 1989. The program commences at 7 pm. The Board of Directors meeting precedes the program and begins at 5:30 pm. General members and non-members alike are welcome to both meetings.

Our guest presenter will be Dennis Goodlin. He will be speaking about conservation work on the West Branch of the Susquehanna River along with the fishing opportunities. Thanks to extensive cleanup efforts, the upper portion of the West Branch of the Susquehanna River now supports a fine wild trout fishery.

Annual KSTU Fly Tying Round Robin

This year's Fly Tying Round Robin, held on Feb. 11th, was extremely well attended, both by the number of demonstrators in attendance as well as by those wanting to see quality fly tying . Over twenty enthusiasts came to strut their tail feathers and tie a few on. Many donated flies to the chapter in support of our upcoming Spring Banquet Fundraiser.  We again want to thank VFW Post 1989 and the Indian Springs Country Club (https://www.indianspringspa.com/) for allowing us the use of their fine facility.

The variety of creations was wide-ranging. From clousers to midges to big, ol' streamers, the crowd watched the techniques and adept skills of fly tying enthusiasts both young and old(er). Professional fly-tyers and a few PA guides were in attendance, along with a couple of retail suppliers. Amateur tyers were not outdone and produced some fine looking "trout candy". There were even some graduates (recent and some not quite so freshly matriculated) of the KSTU Fly Tying Class conducted each winter. They more than held their own at the vise and did their KSTU volunteer instructors proud.

Keep an eye peeled next winter for the date of our 2021 Fly Tying Round Robin. Plan on attending, either as a fly-tier or just to see what is going on  in the world of feathers and fur on a hook. The event is always free with beverages available for purchase from the VFW. We'll be looking for you!

KSTU hosted a large number of fly tyers which drew a nice size crowd.

Shawn Holsinger and his father, both professional tyers and guides, were on hand to share their skills. They own Holsinger’s Fly Shop in East Freedom, PA.