Fish the Pequonnock May 20

Come fish the Pequonnock River Trophy Trout Area with Nutmeg Trout Unlimited.  The river is well stocked with rainbows, brookies, and browns throughout the year. The Pequonnock is a winding stream from Monroe to Bridgeport. The portion that we will fish on this trip follows the historic railroad beds that line the river, providing us easy access.

Click here to register. Event is open to the public.  You do not have to be a Trout Unlimited member to participate.

When:  Saturday, May 20 at 10 AM.

Where:  Meet at the Park & Ride of Route 25 on Park St, Trumbull, CT 06611.

Directions:  To get to the Park & Ride, take Exit 9 off the Henry Mucci Hwy (Route 25). If northbound, take a left onto Daniels Farm Road, then take your first right onto Park Street, and the parking lot should be on your left. If southbound, take Exit 9, take a right onto Park Street, and the parking lot will be your first left. There is plenty of parking available.

Regulations:  Must have current CT Fishing License with Trout/Salmon Stamp.

The Pequonnock River Valley Park follows the southern bank of the river. It is a well maintained gravel/dirt trail, along which there are various outcroppings along the trail that will bring you closer to the water’s edge.

General Information:  For fly fisherman, a fairly short rod, 8-foot in 3- or 4-weight is ideal.  My 8.5 foot 4-weight rod works just fine. The river stays fairly thin so roll casts will be your friend.

A wide array of patterns will prove productive at this time of year. I would advise you to have some small stonefly, BWO, and caddis flies on hand. As well as an assortment of different colored woolly buggers, leeches, and other streamers.

For spin fisherman, an ultra-light or light action rod in the 4- or 6-pound class will work fine.  In addition to the usual trout lures, you can try drifting nymphs with a split shot about a foot above it for weight.  

Hope to see you there!

Peterson to tie Hendricksons Tuesday night

Get ready to fill your box for the Hendrickson hatch when Eric Peterson resumes his fly tying demonstrations Tuesday, April 18, at 6 p.m. at Elks Lodge No. 36, 735 Old Town Road, Bridgeport.

Monthly tying demonstrations by Eric, who has a long association with TU, begin at 6 p.m. Pizza is served around 6:45 p.m., and beverages can be purchased from the Elks. Regular meetings begin at 7 p.m.

Tuesday’s meeting features saltwater secrets from World Record holder and guide Ian Devlin.

Click here to register.

Learn saltwater secrets from Ian Devlin April 18

Guide and Word Record holder Ian Scott Devlin will share his extensive knowledge of Fly Fishing Coastal Connecticut and Rhode Island, with bonus tips on Casting With Ian, on Tuesday, April 18, at 7 p.m. at Bridgeport Elks Lodge No. 36, 735 Old Town Road, Bridgeport.

Nutmeg TU will serve pizza at the meeting, which is open to the public free of charge. Drinks can be purchased from the Elks. Click here to register.

With more than 30 years of guiding experience, Ian is a reference for R&D for lure, flyline, and boat designs. He has been featured in many magazine articles and books.

Over the past 25 years, Ian has worked at The Complete Angler, The Bait Shop, Boca Grande Outfitter, Fishermans World and Patagonia of Westport.

Let’s learn from Ian to improve your success with blues, stripers and ablies on the Sound.

And who knows, maybe you will also win a door prize too.

Fish the “other Mill” in Hamden April 16

Explore the beautiful Mill River located in the heart of Hamden on Sunday, April 16, at 10 a.m.

The Mill (not to be confused with the Mill River in Easton and Fairfield) is a great streamer/nymph and spin fishing river. A 3/4/5 weight rod or light spinning gear are all you need.

Click here to register before the event.

Join your hosts, Jack Kovach and Rich Rosen as we explore this beautiful fishery.

We will meet at the uppermost section of the Sleeping Giant State Park parking lot. You will have a choice of fishing upstream in the park itself or downstream in the Open area.

Bring a lunch, your gear and register and we will see you on the 16th.

Rod lost on Ford Road, gear found on the Mill

Nutmeg TU recently has been contacted by two people, one who found fly fishing gear on the Mill River in Fairfield, another who lost a rod in the fly fishing-only area on Ford Road in Westport.

If you lost gear on the Mill, email admin@nutmegtrout.org.

Earlier in the week we received the following note.

Dear Nutmeg Trout Members,

Absolutely heart broken over the loss of an Orvis Recon Fly Rod and Hydros III Reel which was my personal favorite and a gift from my wife. It was accidently left on the right side parking shoulder nearest the water of Ford Road in Westport today (3/29) between 2 and 6pm. Reward given to the kind soul who locates and returns to it’s rightful owner. Please call Mark at 475-731-7400 or you can reach me at mking1259@aol.com. Thank you!

Ron Merly, holding a nice Atlantic salmon from the Naugatuck River, says, “Do not let the state take this fishery from us!”

Gear up for trout season with Ron Merly March 21

Get ready for early spring fishing with Ron Merly at a talk, open to spin and fly fishermen, on Tuesday, March 21, at 7 p.m. at Bridgeport Lodge 36 of the Elks Club, 735 Old Town Road, Bridgeport.

Pizza will be provided. Click here to register if you plan to attend.

The owner of Ron Merly’s Fishing Guide Service has more than 45 years of experience fishing the trout streams of Connecticut. He has been fly fishing since age 5, possesses excellent teaching skills and is an award winning outdoor writer whose credits include On The Water, Eastern Fly fishing, Trout and American Angler magazines.

He is the author of The Fly Fisher’s Guide to Connecticut, which gives tips on how to find water to fish.

The meeting is open to the public free of charge.

The Mianus River, known for its black stonefly hatch in March, is the destination for a trip with Nutmeg and Mianus TU on Saturday, March 23. — Photo from Mianustu.org.

Fish the Mianus River March 18

Come fish the Mianus River TMA with Nutmeg Trout Unlimited on Saturday, March 18, at 10 a.m.

The river has been stocked and is known for its early black and brown stonefly hatches.  The Mianus is a beautiful, intimate suburban stream and March is a great time to fish it. Click here to register to attend.

Meet at the red barn in Mianus River State Park.  100 Merriebrook Lane, Stamford, CT 06902.

Directions:  To get to the Mianus River Park, take Exit 33 off the Merritt Parkway South (Den Road). Take a left onto Bangall Road, and another left onto Westover Road, crossing over the parkway. Follow Westover Road for a decent distance until you see a sharp curve warning sign with flashing yellow lights. Merriebrook Lane is on the right just past the sign.

Take Merriebrook Lane down to the red barn (on right), where you can find parking in that lot, or closer to the bridge.  Across the bridge the road leads to private property, so no parking is allowed there.

Parking is limited so please consider carpooling.

Regulations:  Must have current CT Fishing License with Trout/Salmon Stamp.

There are well defined trails along both sides of the river, though the western trail offers the easiest access the full length of the TMA.

The Trout Management Area is a limited harvest section of the stream.  From September 1 through the third Saturday in April , fishing is restricted to catch and release using single hook artificial lures and flys.

General Information:  For fly fisherman, a fairly short rod, 8-foot in 3- or 4-weight is ideal.  My standard 8.5 foot 5-weight trout rod works just fine.  River is smallish so long casts are generally not needed.  Dark patterns tend to work best this time of year; good to have some small stonefly imitations.

For spin fisherman, an ultra-light or light action rod in the 4- or 6-pound class will work fine.  In addition to the usual trout lures (single hook!!), you can try drifting a small black stonefly nymph with a split shot about a foot above it for weight.

Water (and possibly weather) will be cold so please dress accordingly.

Event is open to the public.  You do not have to be a Trout Unlimited member to participate.

Mill River cleanup Sunday, March 19

Nutmeg Trout Unlimited will be leading a cleanup of the Mill River in Easton/Fairfield on Sunday, March 19, from 9 to 11 a.m. Those interested may fish the WTMA after the cleanup.
Click here if you plan to attend. We will focus on the area along Congress Street, behind the Mobil service station on the southbound Merritt Parkway. https://goo.gl/maps/5cUqt7q8oJH4vLHp7
Bring gloves, waterproof shoes/boots or waders.
We welcome volunteers of all ages.