Category: Chapter events

Ed Grzeda will lead an outing on the Long Island Sound at Penfield Reef in Fairfield.  Meet at the beach at the base of the reef at the end of Lighthouse Point (off Fairfield Beach Road) at noon Saturday, Sept. 18,  to fish the outgoing tide.  A link to a map of the meeting location can be found here.  Lighthouse Point is a small road and public access point off Fairfield Beach Road between beach homes that will take you straight to the reef.  Street parking is available on Reef Rd and Fairfield Beach Rd (east of Reef Rd), leaving only a short walk to the reef.

Stripers and Blues will face into the current and wait for anything edible to be washed over the reef.  The cooler nighttime temps will hopefully bring the fish in close as the Fall migration gets underway.  This is an excellent spot for both Fly and Spin anglers.  Waders make things easier but casting from shore or the reef as it is exposed by the outgoing tide is also possible.  Fly anglers should bring an 8-10 weight rod.  Intermediate sinking lines are ideal or floating lines for poppers.  Standard flies include Clousers, Deceivers and other Saltwater baitfish patterns.

Email Ed at eegrzeda@gmail.com or contact at (224) 234-3381 with questions.

Come fish the West Branch of the Farmington River with Nutmeg Trout Unlimited.  The Farmington is a world class trout stream just up the road in Litchfield County!!  It is a popular river that Connecticut DEEP does a great job stocking.  It is not unusual to see license plates from neighboring states in the parking lot or to have a few tubers float by when the weather is warm.  At 4 p.m., Nutmeg TU invites you to join us at Parrott Delaney Tavern to socialize and talk about the day, fishing, and conservation.  Appetizers are on us!!

When:  Saturday, June 26 at 9 AM.  Socializing at Parrott Delaney Tavern starts around 4 PM. NOTE: The restaurant is a change from the original time announced.

Where:  Ovation Pool in New Harford.  The parking lot is next to the Ovation Guitar Factory and Parrott Delaney Tavern.

Directions:  From Rt 8 North, follow to end of the two-lane highway section.  Make a left onto Rt 44 East and follow for about 5.5 miles into downtown New Hartford.  Make a left onto Reservoir Road (Duncan Donuts on your right), go over the river then make a left onto Greenwoods Road.  Follow Greenwoods Road past Hillside Ave (on right) then bear left down into the parking lot.  The river will be on your left.

Regulations:  You must have current CT Fishing License with a Trout/Salmon Stamp.  This section is part of the Farmington River TMA which allows year-round fishing and where catch-and-release only regulations apply.  Only barbless hooks are permitted in this section; fully pinching down the barb on a barbed hook is acceptable.

General Information:  The West Branch of the Farmington River is a beautiful world class trout fishery.  It is a tailwater which means the water flows are controlled and the river’s temperature stays cold even during hot summer days.  This along with the catch-and-release only regulations in this part of the river means it fishes well all year round and yields some nice sized fish.  Ovation Pool is large and provides a variety of water types which will allow anglers to spread out and find the type of water you like to fish.   

For up-to-date information on river conditions and hatches, check out UpCountry Sportfishing’s River Report at http://www.farmingtonriver.com/river-report.  BTW, when checking river flows for this section, you need to add the contribution from the Still River to the West Branch flows as the Still River enters the Farmington above Ovation Pool.  If you are looking to take a break from fishing, UpCountry Sportfishing is about 1.5 miles away.  It is well stocked with fishing equipment, books, and fly-tying supplies.   

Please join us at Parrott Delaney Tavern around 4 PM for a bite to eat, a refreshment or just talk with other anglers about fishing and conservation.  Appetizers are on Nutmeg TU!!  You can fuel up to fish the evening hatch for the hard core among us!!

You must click here to sign up.

Hope to see you there!!

Contact:  Alex Ziemkiewicz  agz3026@gmail.com or 203-209-6689.

We are now taking reservations for the 6th annual Nutmeg Trout Unlimited trip to the Limestone Trout Club located in Canaan, Connecticut.

You must use this link, https://limestonetroutclub.com/nutmeg-tu/, to register. The trip is limited to 15 anglers.

The trip is fly fishing only:

This is primarily shore fishing, with a few boats available.

Please arrive by 9 a.m.  Fishing is permitted from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

For more information about the club visit limestonetroutclub.com.

There are 3 deep (70-plus feet) quarry ponds and 3 shallow ponds providing a variety of venues and conditions.

While most members practice catch and release, catch and kill is allowed for one fish 17 inches or smaller per person.

Fees:

The fee for TU members is $50 and includes lunch.

We welcome new TU members. To join TU, go to: Join Trout Unlimited Today | Trout Unlimited Donation Site

Payment is due upon arrival.

Lessons learned from previous years: bring some egg patterns, large flies, tiny flies and bug spray for the ticks.

Directions – Take route 8 north to Winsted and turn left onto Rte. 44 west.

Drive through Norfolk and past the Blackberry River Inn and Freunds Farm Market in North Canaan.

After passing the marker for East Canaan turn right onto Casey Hill Rd. (there is a sign on the right at the corner, set back from the road for O’Connor Sand & Gravel).

Drive a short distance to a stop sign, where Casey Hill Rd. becomes Allyndale Rd.

Continue straight on Allyndale Rd. about 100 yards. The unmarked driveway is on the left, across from a driving range.

The clubhouse phone is 860-249-9996.

Start off your weekend early by joining Nutmeg TU members for a little fishing after work on Friday, April 23.

We will start at 3 p.m. in The Cascades at Lake Mohegan, located north, or on the far end from the beach parking area. Drive to the bottom of the hill past the lake, park there. We will meet in the lot and walk upstream to the falls. Those who arrive late should walk upstream from the lake to meet us.

Fish from the shore, fish in the steam, fish in the pond or just render useless advice. It is all catch and release, so there are still plenty of fish to be caught. Click here to read regulations: Parts of the Mill River are trout management areas.

If you plan to join us, please RSVP to Rich Rosen at RHRosen@aol.com.

A development proposed on habitat crucial to sea-run brook trout was recently rejected, despite government approvals, in Massachusetts. Learn how this victory was won, how the fight will continue and what can be done to restore these native fish when Geoffrey Day talks on Zoom at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 20, on Zoom.

Click here for the Zoom link. The meeting, open to all, is hosted by the Nutmeg Chapter of Trout Unlimited.

Geoffrey is a co-founder and Executive Director at Sea Run Brook Trout Coalition.  He has a B.A. in Human Ecology from Connecticut College, and a background in aquaculture, recreational and commercial fisheries advocacy, fund-raising, management, technical and internet marketing consulting.

Geoffrey bought his first fly rod for five dollars from the bargain bin at LL Bean, and his first fly-caught striper was on an original streamer he created from a kit ordered from the Herter’s Catalog in the sixties.  He has been working with sea-run trout monitoring and restoration since the early 1980s.

Geoffrey can be reached at gday@searunbrookie.org