×

NEWS & STORIES

Announcements & Press
All
Announcements
Dispatches from Atz Kilcher
In The News
PHW Spotlight
Press Releases
By Location
All
Alabama
Alaska
Florida
Georgia-South Carolina
Kentucky-Ohio
Mid-South
Midwest
National Capital
New England
New Jersey
New York-New Jersey
North-Carolina
Northern New York
Northwest
Pennsylvania
Regional
Rocky Mountain Northeast
Rocky Mountain Northwest
Rocky Mountain South
South Central
Southern New York
Southwest
Tennessee-Valley
The Heartland
Virginia
West Virginia
By Event
All
2018 2-Fly
Broadmoor Invitational
Freedom Ranch for Heroes
Healing Saturday
Hike to Heal Veterans
HoF NOVA
Holy Waters
Mossy Creek Invitational
Phil Johnson Exceptional Leadership Award

The Battle Creek VA Medical Center Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing program hosted their sponsor, Kalamazoo Valley Chapter Trout Unlimited, Monday, March 7, who presented an abbreviated class on aquatic animals. The class was given by one of the many TU volunteers, Greg Potter.

Greg definitely knows his bugs. Throughout the spring and summer Greg conducts entomology classes on the local waters for TU members. He also has a class for children at their annual kid’s camp. The bugs were taken out of a local creek and brought for the veterans to learn what the bugs looked like, how they moved, and different color variations. Many bugs were identified however; favorites were the cased caddis, damsel fly and fresh water shrimp or “scuds”. Most of the veterans were amazed that of some the bugs were so small and others like the stone fly were bigger.

battle-creek-entomology-2

Dragonfly Nymph

battle-creek-entomology-3

A stone fly (left) and a burrowing Mayfly (right).

Veterans learned that lots of bugs in their nymph and larva state are in undercut banks on the streams and rivers. After the class was given, the veterans were taught to tie on different styles of hooks. The veterans then learned to tie a scud a few different ways as well.

battle-creek-entomology-1