The Vermillion: History, Conservation Efforts and Fishing Tips

Only 25 minutes from the State Capitol, the Vermillion River is TCTU's home water.  In the past few decades, due to the combined efforts of the DNR, TU, the Vermillion River Watershed Joint Powers Organization, and a host of other citizen and government organization, the Vermillion and its tributaries have been transformed from an industrial sewer to a thriving fishery with planted rainbows and naturally reproducing brown trout, some of which grow to sizes that give nightmares to mice, ducklings and small children.  Join us for a tag-team presentation by two experts.  Mark Nemeth of the Minnesota DNR will discuss the history of the Vermillion and restoration efforts--past, present and future.  Matthew Doth of Mahigan Outdoors will talk about the where, when and how of fishing the Vermillion.

 

Just before we "officially" kick off the meeting at 7 pm, Carrie Pomeroy and Alex Roth from our partners at Friends of the Mississippi River will be talking for a few minutes about some restoration work that they have been doing in the Vermillion Watershed, and how TU volunteers can help. If you are zooming, please log on at 6:50.  If you are coming in person, Carrie and Alex will have a table at the Fat Pants from 6 pm onward.

 

Mark Nemeth works in the DNR's West Metro Fisheries office.  He has B.S. degrees in Fisheries and Wildlife Management from the University of Minnesota and a M.S. in Biology from the Tennessee Technological University.  His researched focused on stocked and wild trout fishery in the South Fork of the Holston River.  Before coming to Minnesota, he worked as the Fishery Biologist for the Fort Apache Indian Reservation.  He has been in his current role as stream habitat specialist for the DNR since 2013.  During his spare time, he will likely be fishing streams with family and friends and pursuing upland birds.

Matthew Doth was born and raised in the Twin Cities.  He has spent his  life hunting, fishing, trapping, camping, and hiking, including hunts in Alaska with his brother for grizzly, fishing the the North Shore of Lake Superior for steelhead, elk hunting in the mountains of Colorado, and fishing for trophy smallmouth in the Mississippi.  Matt founded Mahigan Outdoors in 2013 to share his love of the outdoors, and is well known as the premier guide on the Vermillion.

 

One lucky registrant will be selected by random drawing to win a box of flies tied by the world famous tier Paul Johnson in his studio at the fly fishing mecca of Waconia, MN--register today!