The Tuckaseigee Chapter of Trout Unlimited serves the western North Carolina counties of Jackson, Macon and Swain.

Our mission is the preservation and conservation of coldwater fisheries throughout western North Carolina. One of the best ways to preserve our fisheries for future generations is through education and communication. Our previous website is located here: http://www.smokyonthefly.com/tucktu/.

Meetings of the Tuckaseigee Chapter of Trout Unlimited are held at the Community Meeting Room of the United Community Bank on highway 107 south in Sylva, NC. The meeting room is at the rear of the bank. Meetings start at 6:30 PM and are held on the first Tuesday of each month. The chapter does not meet during the months of June, July and August. Meals are provided by a rotating grub committee to chapter members at a cost of $5.

The chapter's monthly newsletter may be downloaded here:

download May 2006 THIS Adobe PDF file download Sep 2006 THIS Adobe PDF file download Oct 2006 THIS Adobe PDF file download Nov 2006 THIS Adobe PDF file download Jan 2007 THIS Adobe PDF file download Feb 2007 THIS Adobe PDF file download Mar 2007 THIS Adobe PDF file download May 2007 THIS Adobe PDF file download Sep 2007 THIS Adobe PDF file download Oct 2007 THIS Adobe PDF file download Jan 2008 THIS Adobe PDF file download Mar 2008 THIS Adobe PDF file download May 2008 THIS Adobe PDF file download Sep 2008 THIS Adobe PDF file download Mar 2009 THIS Adobe PDF file download Oct 2009 THIS Adobe PDF file download Nov 2009 THIS Adobe PDF file download Jan 2010 THIS Adobe PDF file download Feb 2010 THIS Adobe PDF file download Mar 2010 THIS Adobe PDF file download Apr 2010 THIS Adobe PDF file download May 2010 THIS Adobe PDF file download Sep 2010 THIS Adobe PDF file download Oct 2010 THIS Adobe PDF file download Nov 2010 THIS Adobe PDF file download Dec 2010 THIS Adobe PDF file download Jan 2011THIS Adobe PDF file download Feb 2011 THIS Adobe PDF file download Mar 2011 THIS Adobe PDF file download Apr 2011 THIS Adobe PDF file download May 2011 THIS Adobe PDF file download Jun 2011 THIS Adobe PDF file download Sep 2011 THIS Adobe PDF file download Oct 2011 THIS Adobe PDF file download Nov 2011 THIS Adobe PDF file download Dec 2011 THIS Adobe PDF file download Jan 2012 THIS Adobe PDF file download Feb 2012 THIS Adobe PDF file

Trout Unlimited’s mission is to conserve, protect and restore North America’s trout and salmon fisheries and their watersheds.

TU accomplishes this mission on local, state and national levels with an extensive and dedicated volunteer network. TU’s national office, based just outside of Washington, D.C., and its regional offices employ professionals who testify before Congress, publish a quarterly magazine, intervene in federal legal proceedings, and work with the organization’s 140,000 volunteers in about 400 chapters nationwide to keep them active and involved in conservation issues.

July 2009 marked the 50th anniversary of TU’s founding, on the banks of the Au Sable River near Grayling, Michigan. The 16 fishermen who gathered at the home of George Griffith were united by their love of trout fishing, and by their growing disgust with the state’s practice of stocking its waters with “cookie cutter trout”—catchable-sized hatchery fish. Convinced that Michigan’s trout streams could turn out a far superior fish if left to their own devices, the anglers formed a new organization: Trout, Unlimited (the comma was dropped a few years later).

From the beginning, TU was guided by the principle that if we “take care of the fish, then the fishing will take care of itself.” And that principle was grounded in science. “One of our most important objectives is to develop programs and recommendations based on the very best information and thinking available,” said TU’s first president, Dr. Casey E. Westell Jr. “In all matters of trout management, we want to know that we are substantially correct, both morally and biologically.”

In 1962-63, TU prepared its first policy statement on wild trout, and persuaded the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to curtail "put-and-take" trout stocking and start managing for wild trout and healthy habitat. On the heels of that success, anglers quickly founded TU chapters in Illinois, Wisconsin, New York, and Pennsylvania.

From its hundreds of local stream restoration projects, to helping lead the way to remove the Edwards Dam on the Kennebec River in Maine, to compelling Congress to strengthen the Clean Water Act, TU has a strong 50 year track record of conservation achievements. Perhaps TU's greatest strength is that it works at multiple levels of society and government to achieve its mission. From the landowner on the stream bank, to the state fisheries agency, to the Halls of Congress, TU is working to achieve its vision.

There’s one fundamental truth about rivers: what happens upstream will eventually flow downstream. Everything is interconnected, so we must work effectively not only on local streams, but also on entire rivers and river systems.

To succeed, we rely on our combination of grassroots capacity and professional expertise. A simple yet effective framework integrates our efforts: protect pristine habitat, usually in the headwaters; then reconnect it to areas we restore downstream. Sustain this work over time by building a broad coalition of people committed to coldwater conservation.

On any given river, you might find TU policy experts advocating for legislation to protect pristine lands, while staff scientists collaborate with volunteers on the ground to clean up streams and replace culverts that block fish passage. Partnership projects with local schools complement these efforts, introducing a new generation to TU’s work.

Everyone tackles a different piece of the puzzle, but the end result is miles and miles of interconnected habitat for fish, and healthier, more fishable rivers for all of us.

TUCKASEIGEE RIVER CLEAN-UP 2011

Loading Jerry's Truck

Despite high water TCTU members were able to have a successful event!

The Tuckaseigee River Clean-Up has been an annual project for the Tuck Chapter since most members can remember.

This year’s Tuckaseigee River Clean-Up was a great success despite the fact that we experienced some of the highest water levels we had seen in some years. In fact the water was so high that Base Camp Cullowhee decided to forego putting boats in the water and conduct the clean-up from the banks of the river instead.

As you can see in the photo above, Jerry Deweese was working along with his two daughters and a couple of their friends. Katherine Deweese picked up the T-shirts for our TU volunteers from Base Camp Cullowhee.

It was not a very promising beginning. Rain drizzled down on all of us and some wondered about the advisability of anyone proceeding with the morning’s efforts.Wet, wet, wet ...

Luck was with us though and we were finally greeted with abundant sunshine and much warmer temperatures. The water never did recede however. It stayed high throughout the weekend.

As can also be seen from the photo above there was trash to be picked up but most of us remarked that the trash problem seems to be less and less every year. Wouldn’t it be great to go out one year and find that there was no trash to be picked up? That’s probably too much to be hoped for.

If you missed participating this time please make an effort to join us at our next clean-up to be announced here on the website soon!

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