TU, HFFA, & IDNR Bank Hide Building Project 2025
By Cameron Aker
On Saturday, August 16th, Hawkeye Fly Fishers and Trout Unlimited partnered to assemble 18 bank hides that will be used on trout stream restoration projects in 2025 and 2026. A total of 17 volunteers participated in the event at the Iowa DNR Manchester Fish Hatchery. This group consisted of HFFA and TU members, as well as Dan Kirby and Caleb Schnitzler, DNR Fisheries Biologists. We completed the build in 3 hours. During the event, we had 3 stations. Station one consisted of a Biologist and two volunteers cutting lumber to length. Station 2 was assembling stringers, this is the portion that gives the bank hide its height fish to use, and the boards that stick into the bank. Lastly was main assembly. This is where the main boards are attached to the stringers. The bank hides, weighing in at over 300 lbs., are then stacked with a tractor and loader for storage. This project could not have been completed without the help of everyone who attended. The lumber was purchased through TU with funds that were leftover from a 2024 stream project, along with a generous donation from Grau Logs and Lumber, in Elkader, IA.
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Hawkeye Fly Fishing Association (HFFA) holds events and provides resources for people interested in fly fishing, fly tying and fish habitat conservation. We are an Iowa-based affiliate of Fly Fishers International.
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