September 27th will be the 34th anniversary Bitterroot Trout Unlimited Banquet

September 27th will be the 34th anniversary Bitterroot Trout Unlimited (BRTU) banquet - a pretty amazing record, and this is your invitation to attend!I could list all our volunteer efforts for the past year, but this picture of 9-year old Ellie Lint says it all – kids, native trout and clean water!

BRTU Bugger Ellie Lint - photo by her Dad

Ellie was in the Bitterroot Buggers and tied the fly on which she caught this gorgeous cutthroat on a spring trip with her dad. In times like these, it is crucial to educate young people about conservation and to work hard so kids - like Ellie - will always have a place to fish. The work of BRTU, and your continued support has never been more important. You can help us out by attending the banquet.

Plan to join us Friday, Sept 27 at the Bitterroot River Inn as we celebrate our success and prepare for another year of conservation and education. Riversong Catering will serve a great gourmet dinner highlighting local foods, and the Banque Club will provide beverage service, featuring brews from the Bitterroot Brewing Company. Plus, you can say hi to Ellie and ask her about her trout! The doors will open at 5:00 pm, and dinner will be served at 6:30.

There will be Live and Silent Auctions, bucket raffles, door prizes and much more – tackle, trips on the Missouri, Kootenai and Bitterroot, fine art, gourmet dinners, unique wines, clothing and crafts. This year we are presenting an award for Lifetime Achievements in Conservation to Monte Dolack & Mary Beth Percival. They will be attending the banquet, so come help us congratulate them. And of course, there’s always ample time to swap stories and start planning for next year.

Tickets are $50 per person and are available now at Western Flies & Guides, Chuck Stranahan’s Flyshop, Angler’s Roost, River Otter, Bitterroot Fly Company. You can reserve tickets by calling Western Flies & Guides at 406-363-9099. You do not need to be a TU member to attend and join in the fun. Mastercard and Visa will be accepted the night of the banquet.

 Why should you come down and join in? As Bud Lilly told me more than 25 years ago, “There’s more to fishing than just fishing!” Bud was right then and today his words ring even truer.  That’s the approach that BRTU has taken over the last year. Of course we love to fish, reveling in the pleasure that fishing gives, and we put on some great fishing programs for the club and the public.

But our chapter knows that if we want to keep the fishing good and the streams clean, we need to invest time and energy without a rod in our hand and sometimes not even near the stream. Here are some examples., That’s why we run programs like the Bitterroot Buggers to teach kids about flytying, conservation, native fish and ethics – in order to vouchsafe the next generation of TU members and anglers.  That’s why we put on classes for adults, too, and sponsor kids to go to the Georgetown Lake “TU “Kid’s” Camp this and every year. That’s why we worked on riparian and stream protection projects and funded MSU student Don Foster to work as a native trout intern with our US Forest Service fish biologist, and supported a scholarship for a student at the Bitterroot College pursuing a degree in resource Conservation. That’s why we provide with you with timely information about natural resource issues and represent the trout in a variety of forums. We do these things and more because we know that “There’s more to fishing than fishing.

And every year we hold a banquet to raise the funds to underwrite these efforts on behalf of our fish and streams. And that’s why we are asking you to come down to the banquet and help us out. BRTU is an all-volunteer organization and our club members work hard. All the money we raise stays in Montana, most of it right here in the Bitterroot.

If you would like to make a donation, volunteer to help out, or learn about our banquet sponsor program, please contact me (363-3485, drtrout@mtbloom.net) or Doug Nation (363-2137, douglas.p.nation@gmail.com)