Events – FORBES TRAIL CHAPTER TROUT UNLIMITED

2024 Vets & First Responders Fishing Day Registration Open

Our 6th annual Veterans and First Responders Fishing Day will be on Saturday, October 5, 2024 at the Kingston Sportsman’s Club near Latrobe, PA.

The event is free to all military veterans and first responders but you must register in advance.

See the Veterans Page for more details and to register.

Events

2024 FTTU Summer Picnic

Trout cake from the Pie Shoppe
Talk about your lucky day, John Kiser won both the Orvis rod and the Yeti cooler
This young angler has a new outfit to take fishing with Grandpa
Bill and Kathy Somogyi hit the 50/50
Winner of th Echo fly rod combo
The chow line is open!
The Taylors
The kids activity table
Ellie and Tim Schultheis and Monty Murty
Andy Fricano and Joann Maroltz
David O'Lear
The crowd inside the pavilion
The food by FTTU member and retired chef Dan Ferguson was delicious
AFLOAT members Joe Lester (former FTTU President), Pat Byers and Tom Werner
George and Judy Mizikar
The Myers Family Matt, Amber, Bria and Lily
John Anderson and Family
Sage Storm and the Herrholtz's
Bring your own chair and sit out in the shade and the breeze, why didn't I think of that?

Forbes Trail Chapter of Trout Unlimited held its annual summer picnic on Saturday, June 22^nd at Twin Lakes Park in Hempfield Township. It was an opportunity for the Chapter to celebrate a very active year of in-school programs, stream fishing with youth, a fishing event for military veterans and first responders, studies on Linn Run, and numerous community events. It served as a thank you to all the member volunteers who gave of their time and talents to make the events successful.

Ninety-four guests, including eleven youth, registered to attend. Although it was the hottest day of the summer to date, a soft breeze kept the hilltop comfortable, and many guests opted to relax in lawn chairs outside the pavilion. Retired chef, and TU member, Dan Ferguson, prepared and served an out-of-this-world lunch for the guests which included, sweet Italian sausage, meatballs Roma style, mac & cheese, redskin potatoes, two salads and fresh watermelon. Dessert was two full sheet cakes decorated with a large rainbow trout, provided by The Pie Shoppe in Laughlintown. Raffle prizes included an Orvis fly rod, a Yeti cooler, wine basket, several youth rod/reel combos and Yeti travel mugs. Activities for the kids included wooden trout silhouette painting, tying a “crazy fly” to display on pack packs, bean bag toss and volleyball. The Chapter thanks all of the guests and volunteers

who made the event a success!

Events

Forbes Trail Trout Unlimited History and Conservation in the Ligonier Valley Presentation.

Forbes Trail Chapter of Trout Unlimited is happy to announce that a history of the Chapter, and its coldwater conservation efforts, is on display at the Ligonier Valley Library as part of its 22nd Annual Historic Photo and Document Show. The display, including photos and written essay, is a result of several months’ worth of research and documentation by TU members Scott Minster and Monty Murty. Additionally, Monty will be doing a presentation on the Chapter history at the Library on Tuesday, June 25^th at 6:00 PM.

Events Fishing Trout Trail

Laurel Highlands Trout Trail Poker Run

Announcing the first annual Laurel Highlands Trout Trail Poker Run!

Here’s how it works:

Fly-Fish all 10 of the top ten Laurel Highlands Trout Trail streams
Take a photo of participants at each of the Top Ten Stream signs and submit the photos to us at info@trouttrailtu.org
Participants submitting all ten photos will be included in a drawing for the prizes
Adult prize is a Douglas ERA fly rod with Cheeky Preload 375 reel with line and backing
Youth prize is a Echo Gecko youth outfit with rod, reel and line ready to fish
Registration fees are $20 for adults and $5 for youth 15 and under

Visit the Laurel Highlands Trout Trail website laurelhighlandstrouttrail.org for all the details and locations of the LHTT top ten streams and signs.

The Poker Run goes from April 6th to July 31
Photo submission deadline is August 7, 2024

Download the Flyer: Poker Run Flyer

Download the Rules and Registration Form: Poker Run Rules and Registration

Events Meetings

Spring Events Rescheduled

Steady rain and a soaked parking area at the Nimick Center forced us to cancel the April meeting scheduled for April 3rd, and with it the “Slide Show ‘n Tell” program. We have decided to reschedule the “Slide Show ‘n Tell” for the May meeting on Wednesday, May 1 and push the swap meet/flea market to Wednesday, June 5. Both of these events will be held at the Nimick Education Center in Ligonier. Check back for details on the swap meet/flea market.

Prospects For Opening Day?
Local streams were running fast and extremely high earlier this week, but have begun to recede. Be careful wading strong currents if you venture out on opening day.

Events Veterans

FTTU Presents Member’s Vietnam War Experience

On March 13, Monty Murty, past president of FTTU, put on a presentation covering his on-the-ground experiences as an infantry army commander in Vietnam in 1968, the deadliest year of the war.

The event, held at the Westmoreland Conservation District barn, was attended by 64 veterans and guests.

So what does this have to do with Trout Unlimited anyway?

Trout Unlimited started a “Service Partnership Program” many years ago to teach military veterans and first responders to fly fish as a means to heal the body and soul. This has been a time-proven, effective healing technique. Forbes Trail has held five fishing events beginning in 2018. Veterans and first responders are invited to attend the event this fall at the Kingston Veterans Sportsmen Club, east of Latrobe, on Saturday, October 5^th from 9AM to 3PM. The event is free and fishing equipment, lunch and mentors will be provided. Preregistration is required. Details and registration instructions will be provided here on our web site in the spring.

Events Veterans

Veteran's and First Responder's Fishing Day Registration Now Open

Our Veteran’s Fishing Day date has been announced for Saturday, September 16, 2023 and registration is now open. This year, we are opening the event to First Responders as well.

You must register to participate.

To register, go to the Veteran’s and First Responders Fishing Day page, fill out and submit the form. We will email you with confirmation.

Events Youth Education

FTTU Assists with 2023 Envirothon

Forbes Trail Chapter of Trout Unlimited was invited to participate in this year’s Westmoreland County Envirothon at Twin Lakes Park in Hempfield Township. Westmoreland Conservation District organizes the annual event and seeks local businesses to help sponsor it. One hundred and twenty-five students were tested on their knowledge of Current Issues, Aquatics, Forestry, Wildlife and Soils. Trout Unlimited provided a separate station where students learned to cast a fly rod and tie a trout bug pattern called a Green Weenie, designed by a former Forbes Trail tying instructor Ken Igo.

Groups of 20-25 students spent 30 minutes at each of the stations being tested on what they’ve learned in each of the subjects. Some school districts provided up to three teams. Each team consisted of five students who would collaborate on the tests. TU teaches coldwater conservation, fly tying and fly casting in schools, to scout groups and to adults on a regular basis. They even take classes of students on local fly fishing field trips.

The Envirothon is quite different. It’s like speed dating where instructors have just 30 minutes to teach a very concentrated lesson on either tying or casting. A group of ten students would sit at a table with a vice, tools and materials and follow along as an instructor explained the tying process step-by-step. Most of the students produced a final product that any trout would chase.

Another group of ten would watch a casting demonstration by experienced castors, then grab a fly rod and try to emulate the instructors. The students were taught the “back cast” and “roll cast”, the two most common casts used on trout streams. Students eventually learned the hand placement on the rod, line control and the arm rhythm to where they could hit their target…most of the time. For many of the students, this was their first exposure to fly tying and casting, which was TU’s intent…plant a seed and watch it grow.

Events

50th Anniversary Celebration

The Forbes Trail Chapter of Trout Unlimited celebrated its 50^th anniversary on March 18^th at Ferrante’s Lakeview in Greensburg with 200 guests in attendance. The Chapter was formed in 1973 in response to the devastation caused by Hurricane Anges the summer before. The storm damaged much of Ligonier driving the waters of Loyalhanna Creek over its banks and destroying everything in its path. The creek was left looking essentially like a lifeless canal.

Local sportsmen and businessmen chartered a new chapter of Trout Unlimited to work with the PA Fish Commission, Penn DOT and the Army Corps of Engineers to redesign the creek into the premier trout stream that it is today. The section of stream running through Ligonier is designated Delayed Harvest Artificial Lures Only (DHALO) and also a PA Select Stream which qualifies it to receive more and larger trout. It is included as one of the top 10 streams in the Trout Unlimited Laurel Highlands Trout Trail www.laurelhighlandstrouttrail.org A true success story for the region!

Many of the Chapter’s original leaders and members, captured in the news clippings, slideshow and photos on display at the event, shared stories of their stream remediation work and the beginning of their education and outreach programs. Guest speaker, Alan Stansbury, was a close friend of one of the early leaders, Don Robb, and spoke of how Don helped fuel the interest in fly fishing in the region. Don operated a tackle shop in downtown Ligonier where he built custom bamboo fly rods and tied flies for local anglers, some who traveled worldwide pursuing trout and salmon.

Westmoreland County Commissioners issued a proclamation to the Chapter for their service in the community and for protecting coldwater fisheries. Commissioner Doug Chew attended the event and presented the award. Monty Murty, past president for the Chapter, was Chair of the Banquet Committee and Board Director, Rod Cross served as Master of Ceremonies.

Forbes Trail is one of 49 chapters in PA and has over 500 members. About 50 active members teach coldwater conservation, fly tying and fly casting in local schools. They sponsor an annual clinic for disabled military veterans to teach them to fly fish as a means to heal the body and Soul. And 40 volunteers recently completed a two-year study to develop a Cold Water Conservation Plan for Linn Run.