Monthly Meetings
At our monthly meetings, members receive updates on all chapter business and have the opportunity to socialize with the rest of the group. Most gatherings have informative speakers discussing issues such as river conservation or new fishing techniques. There is also drawings for raffle prizes.

Meetings are held on the third Thursday of the month at the D’Andrea Crystal Lake Banquet Facility & Conference Center in McHenry County. It is conveniently located at the corner of Northwest Highway (Route 14) and Route 31 in Crystal Lake, Illinois. (map)

Social hour begins at 6:00 p.m. and dinner is served at 7:00 p.m.. Dinner, dessert, and a raffle ticket are included in the price of $25, if you do not RSVP Matt Gregory (847-221-5349) by noon the Tuesday before the meeting you will be charged $30 at the door. NO EXCEPTION!!! If you are not having dinner there is a $10 fee to cover the Speaker.

September 17th at 6:00 p.m. Jay Anglin - has been guiding fishermen and hunters for over 12 years and currently owns and operates Anglin Outdoors based in La Porte, Indiana. A native Hoosier, after graduating from Northern Michigan University with a degree in biology in 1996 (as well as ski and trout bum certifications), he and his wife Angie returned to Indiana where he began guiding fishermen and hunters in the Michiana region. He has been fly fishing and tying flies for nearly 30 years but is equally as experienced with conventional tackle. He specializes in steelhead 12 months a year in the Michiana region but also pursues Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass, musky, trout and salmon.

October 15th at 6:00 p.m. Nick Volk of On the Creek provides everything you need to get the most out of your fly-fishing experience. On the Creek stocks a wide variety of supplies and accessories to help make your day on the trail a memorable one. Cast a line and have fun with our guided fly-fishing trips in Cross Plains, Wisconsin. We're conveniently located near the Black Earth Creek—the home for great brown and brook trout.

November 19th at 6:00 p.m. Tom Helgeson -has been a professional journalist and editor for the past 35 years. He founded Midwest Fly Fishing magazine in 1994. Helgeson grew up in Redwood Falls, Minn., where he learned to appreciate life in the outdoors. He regularly fly fishes the rivers and streams of west central Wisconsin and southeastern Minnesota for trout and smallmouth. He has fly fished in Alaska each summer for more than 20 years and currently sponsors a trip to Kodiak Island for fall-run steelhead. Each spring he fly fishes for tarpon in the Florida Keys; occasionally he catches one.

December 5th at 6:00 p.m. 26th Annual Chapter Christmas Party and Auction. The D’Andrea Crystal Lake Banquet Facility & Conference Center in McHenry County, is conveniently located at the corner of Northwest Highway (Route 14) and Route 31 in Crystal Lake, Illinois. (map), and they can handle over 100 people. The price for this night it still at $35 per person.

January 21st at 6:00 p.m. Edward Stein of flyfishtraveler.com Join us in a pint of ale with Edward Stein of flyfishtraveler.com will get our blood flowing by telling us how to catch Sailfish and other exotics on-the-fly. Ed is a two-time past president of the Illinois Steelheaders, owner of Flyfish Traveler, an attorney, a PADI Advanced SCUBA Diver, and an avid adrenaline-fisherman. Having landed and released nearly 5 dozen Pacific sails on fly, his largest at 130 pounds, Ed has Pez Vela down to a science. In addition to technique, Ed will discuss what to bring, tackle, flies, lines, knots, etc. Ed will touch on a few other offshore fish and inshore fish to be found at his favorite fishing grounds, namely, the Pacific sides of Guatemala and Costa Rica. Ed will also talk about Peacock Bass in the Amazon and his most recently discovered trip-of- a lifetime, namely, helicopter fishing for coastal rainbows, browns and Atlantic salmon from the Pacific Ocean in Chile.

February 18th at 6:00 p.m. Matt Wagner of The Driftless Angler flyshop will speak on fishing Wisconsin spring creeks, especially after the recent floods.

March 18th at 6:00 p.m. Jeff Hastings - the project manager for the  Trout Unlimited Driftless Area Restoration Effort (TUDARE) which is founded on the good work of TU volunteers. There are more than 15 chapters within and around the region that have worked with agency partners to restore sections of approximately 60 streams in recent years. The rivers and fishery respond quickly and extraordinarily well to straightforward techniques to control erosion, reconnect the floodplain, and improve in-stream habitat. These efforts have only scratched the surface of the need and potential for the region, though, and demonstrated the potential positive impact from a regional restoration effort.

April 15th at 6:00 p.m. TBA

May 20st at 6:00 p.m. Annual casting clinic & cookout will be held at the Tyler Creek Forest Preserve on Route 31 just south of US-90. Upper section pavilion from 6:00pm till sundown. Map to Tyler Creek follows…Tyler Creek Forest Preserve

June 2nd thru 6th: Annual Wa Wa Sum Chapter OutingThis is an excellent Lee Wulff Trout Unlimited outing in the historic rustic lodge owned by Michigan State University and situated on the banks of the “Holy Waters” of the famed Au Sable River, just a short wade upstream from the very spot upon which Trout Unlimited was founded. The outing includes four nights lodging, outstanding catered meals at the lodge and fabulous fishing opportunities in the Au Sable and Manistee Rivers. Wa Wa Sum is just east of Grayling, MI. This is about a 7-hour drive from the Chicago area. Dinner will be served Thursday, Friday and Saturday, breakfast Friday, Saturday and Sunday and a sack lunch provided Friday and Saturday. The cost for this year has not yet been set, but it will be posted here as soon as it is determined. Last year’s trip cost was $300. MSU is expecting a slight increase, as is the caterer. A non-refundable deposit of $50 is required to reserve your spot with the balance due by May 3rd. Your RSVP, and deposit, will reserve your spot. To RSVP or for more info on any of these outings, contact Gordon Rudd at 815/245-2425 or McHenryFlyFisher@ sbcglobal.net

July 19th 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.: Annual Lee Wulff Chapter Picnic -