Our Nutmeg Chapter outing for planting native shrubs on the Mill River is scheduled for Saturday, November 5, 2016. Meet us after 8:30 AM on Congress St in Easton/Fairfield just East of the Sport Hill Rd (CT Route 59) and the Merritt parkway interchange. Bring your shovel, work gloves, water, wear clothing appropriate for the weather and boots for the soft sand or mud areas. We are adding the rest of the plants in the area that we planted in the Spring. Contact Phil Jacques if you have questions at apjacques@optimum.net. Everyone is welcome and we need your energy!
Fishing outing is planned for Sunday, November 6th, after a visit to Art of the Angler in Danbury, CT, area. Our trip leaders are David Ader at dader1776@gmail.com, Ed Grzeda at eegrzeda@hotmail.com, Rich Rosen at rhrosen@aol.com. Meet at the TU booth at Art of the Angler at noon or meet at Devil’s Glen Park, 150-164 Valley Forge Rd, Weston, about 12:30 to 12:45 pm.
Fly Tying at Chuck’s, Tues evening, November 8, 2016, 7 PM Trumbull. Contact Chuck MacMath at cmacmath59@yahoo.com . The fly tying group will meet on the second and fourth Tuesday of every month from 7-9 pm. The cost is $2.00 per session to cover the cost of materials. Email Chuck with questions or additional information. Everyone is welcome, beginners are encouraged to attend. Vises, tools and materials are available if needed.
The General meeting will be Tuesday, November 15, 2016 7 PM at Port 5 Naval Veterans, 69 Brewster St., Bridgeport, CT. Jerry Goldstein is to be our speaker and he is going to share information on underwater photography as well as tips on how to outfit yourself for fishing without spending your whole paycheck. Yes, there will be pizza and a cash bar.
A Fishing outing is planned for Saturday, November 19th with the Mianus Chapter on the Naugatuck River for Atlantic Salmon and a cookout near Campville, CT. Contact Jeff Yates of Mianus TU, jyates@mianustu.org., or 203-216-7078.
Fly Tying at Chuck’s, Tues evening, November 22, 2016, 7 PM Trumbull. Contact Chuck MacMath at cmacmath59@yahoo.com . The fly tying group will meet on the second and fourth Tuesday of every month from 7-9 pm. The cost is $2.00 per session to cover the cost of materials. Email Chuck with questions or additional information. Everyone is welcome, beginners are encouraged to attend. Vises, tools and materials are available if needed.
Fly Tying at Chuck’s, Tues evening, December 13, 2016, 7 PM Trumbull. Contact Chuck MacMath at cmacmath59@yahoo.com . The fly tying group will meet on the second and fourth Tuesday of every month from 7-9 pm. The cost is $2.00 per session to cover the cost of materials. Email Chuck with questions or additional information. Everyone is welcome, beginners are encouraged to attend. Vises, tools and materials are available if needed.
Fishing Meetup, Sunday, Oct 23, 2016, 9 AM to 1 PM. Ed Grzeda will lead an outing on the Long Island Sound at Pennfield Reef in Fairfield. Sign up at Nutmeg’s Meetup.com page here. Meet at the beach at the base of the reef off Fairfield Beach Road to fish the outgoing and low tides. A map of Long Island Sound fishing spots can be found here. Click on the map markers in Fairfield (or in the left navigation bar) to find Pennfield Reef. 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 available on Reef Rd and Fairfield Beach Rd (east of Reef Rd). Stripers will be making their Fall run and the reef is an excellent spot for both Fly and Spin anglers. Last year we had 30”+ Bluefish crashing the Peanut Bunker as well. 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.
Paul Dinice will share his expertise on Fly Fishing for Stripers on the Housatonic at the next meeting of Nutmeg Trout Unlimited Chapter 217 on Tuesday, Oct. 18, from 7 to 9 p.m.
The meeting will be held at The Original Vazzy’s, 513 Broadbridge Road, Bridgeport, and is open to the public. Pizza and a cash bar are available.
Dinice, 62, is a lifelong Derby resident who began spin fishing and fly fishing at a very early age, thanks to an uncle who took all the family kids fishing on his one day off a week. In 1980 Dinice’s fishing focus turned exclusively to fly fishing. In 1985 he made his first foray into salt water fly fishing.
He is a member of virtually every fly fishing club and organization in Connecticut and involved in environmentally based organizations such as Trout Unlimited, Connecticut Audubon Society, and the Coastal Conservation Association. His home organization is the Housatonic Fly Fisherman’s Association, and for 35 years he has written the Fly of the Month for the HFFA newsletter and website. His closer crab” pattern appeared in the 2012 Winter edition Fly Tyer Magazine.
Dinice contributed photographs and writings about fishing the Housatonic to the book Over-Winter Striper Secrets by Capt. Al Anderson. He has also organized numerous small fly fishing expos in Connecticut. Dinice is a member of the Derby Inland Wetlands Commission and has been employed by the Town of Orange as the Zoning Administrator for the past 36 years.
The Oct. 18 presentation to Nutmeg TU will focus on the Housatonic River. Learn how an angler can catch trophy trout at the foot of the Berkshires, then travel an hour south to the river mouth between Stratford and Milford and catch striped bass the same day. The slide show covers fishing locations on the “lower” Housy from the Ousatonic Dam in Derby to the Long Island Sound. Dinice will cover river access points, fishing gear, flies/baitfish imitations, fishing techniques, and an array of photos of successful fishermen. He will have a limited number of A Guide to Stripers n the Housatonic.
Nutmeg Chapter of Trout Unlimited 217 encompasses Fairfield, Westport, Weston, Easton, Redding, Trumbull, Monroe, Bridgeport, Stratford, Milford and Shelton. Its mission is to conserve, protect and restore coldwater fisheries and their watersheds, particularly in local rivers such as the Saugatuck, Mill, Aspetuck, Pequonnock and Farmill. More information can be found at nutmegtrout.org.
Fishing outing for Saturday, September 24, 2016, upstate on the Housatonic River is postponed. At a later date, our trip leader will be Chuck Petruccelli at chuckp@optonline.net .
Fly Tying at Chuck’s, Tues evening, September 27, 2016, 7 PM Trumbull. Contact Chuck MacMath at cmacmath59@yahoo.com . The fly tying group will meet on the second and fourth Tuesday of every month from 7-9 pm. The cost is $2.00 per session to cover the cost of materials. Email Chuck with questions or additional information. Everyone is welcome, beginners are encouraged to attend. Vises, tools and materials are available if needed.
Fly Tying at Chuck’s, Tues evening, October 11, 2016, 7 PM Trumbull. Contact Chuck MacMath at cmacmath59@yahoo.com . The fly tying group will meet on the second and fourth Tuesday of every month from 7-9 pm. The cost is $2.00 per session to cover the cost of materials. Email Chuck with questions or additional information. Everyone is welcome, beginners are encouraged to attend. Vises, tools and materials are available if needed.
The general meeting will be Tuesday, October 18, 2016, 7 PM at Vazzy’s Restaurant on 513 Broadbridge Ave, in Bridgeport, CT. Our speaker is scheduled to be Paul Dinice.
Fishing outing for Saturday, October 22, 2016 on the Pennfield Reef. Trip leader will be Ed Grzeda,eegrzeda@gmail.com. More information will be available next month.
Fly Tying at Chuck’s, Tues evening, October 25, 2016, 7 PM Trumbull. Contact Chuck MacMath at cmacmath59@yahoo.com . The fly tying group will meet on the second and fourth Tuesday of every month from 7-9 pm. The cost is $2.00 per session to cover the cost of materials. Email Chuck with questions or additional information. Everyone is welcome, beginners are encouraged to attend. Vises, tools and materials are available if needed.
Michigan has several decent size rivers and many fish to target. The first Saturday of August I joined the Fly Girls of MI for an outing on the Manistee River below the Tippy Dam, near Wellston, MI. We met our guide by 7 AM and were in the boats as soon as they were launched, 2 women anglers plus a guide per boat for a group of 3 boats. The Manistee is wide with healthy flows in this section of the river below the Tippy Dam, the last dam before Lake Michigan. Any fish coming into the Manistee in the Fall for spawning are held in this section as the dam prevents further travel up river. Sightings of eagles were frequent as the day went on, as well, as otters, and fawn early in the day. We were targeting small mouth bass primarily, although there are several species of fish in the Manistee over the course of the year. Like many places, MI has had a very warm summer with several weeks of 85 to 90 plus days. None of us were too sure what type of fishing activity we would see. Our boat had one long distance release off the bank at an eddy pool and that was basically it for the day. We could see the fish following our bait fish replica repeatedly and yet, they simply would not bite. And if you teased them into following long enough, you could see the fish put the brakes on as soon as they reached a sunny spot and quickly return to their cover in the shade. The water was clear enough that sight fishing was almost better than fly fishing! The other 2 boats reported better fishing activity and yet, I did not see any pictures of their catches or hear what they caught. By about 11 AM flotillas of canoes, kayaks, and tubes began overtaking us as many folks were out enjoying the day on the water. The weather was perfect with an occasional breeze in an almost cloudless sky and the day warmed up to 85 or so. So the fishing was great and lots of fun, even though the catching will be better next time!
If you have a fishing adventure to share, let me know and send me a write-up. Pictures are welcomed also!
Fly Tying at Chuck’s, Tues evening, August 23rd, 2016, 7 PM Trumbull. Contact Chuck MacMath at cmacmath59@yahoo.com . The fly tying group will meet on the second and fourth Tuesday of every month from 7-9 pm.
Fishing outing is planned for Saturday, August 20, 2016, on the upper Housatonic River. You can join in the bass fishing fun as suggested by Jerry Goldstein by registering at the Minus River Chapter site: Mianus Trip http://www.mianustu.org/upcomingevents/chaptercalendar.html
Fly Tying at Chuck’s, Tues evening, September 13, 2016, 7 PM Trumbull. Contact Chuck MacMath at cmacmath59@yahoo.com . The fly tying group will meet on the second and fourth Tuesday of every month from 7-9 pm. The cost is $2.00 per session to cover the cost of materials. Email Chuck with questions or additional information. Everyone is welcome, beginners are encouraged to attend. Vises, tools and materials are available if needed.
The general meeting will be Tuesday, September 20, 2016 7 PM at Vazzy’s Restaurant at 513 Broadbridge Rd, Bridgeport, CT 06610.
Fishing outing is planned for Saturday, September 24, 2016, upstate on the Housatonic River. Our trip leaders will be Chuck Petruccelli at chuckp@optonline.net or Dave Ader at dader1776@gmail.com or Dave Edgeworth at eggsofan@hotmail.com.
Fly Tying at Chuck’s, Tues evening, September 27, 2016, 7 PM Trumbull. Contact Chuck MacMath at cmacmath59@yahoo.com . The fly tying group will meet on the second and fourth Tuesday of every month from 7-9 pm. The cost is $2.00 per session to cover the cost of materials. Email Chuck with questions or additional information. Everyone is welcome, beginners are encouraged to attend. Vises, tools and materials are available if needed.
Fly Tying at Chuck’s, Tues evening, June 28, 2016, 7 PM Trumbull. Contact Chuck MacMath at cmacmath59@yahoo.com . The fly tying group will meet on the second and fourth Tuesday of every month from 7-9 pm. The cost is $2.00 per session to cover the cost of materials. Email Chuck with questions or additional information. All are welcome, beginners are encouraged to attend. Vises, tools and materials are available if needed.
Fly Tying at Chuck’s, Tues evening, July 12, 2016, 7 PM Trumbull. Contact Chuck MacMath at cmacmath59@yahoo.com . The fly tying group will meet on the second and fourth Tuesday of every month from 7-9 pm. The cost is $2.00 per session to cover the cost of materials. Email Chuck with questions or additional information. All are welcome, beginners are encouraged to attend. Vises, tools and materials are available if needed.
Fishing outing is planned for Saturday, July 23, 2016, on the Farmington River has been canceled.
Fly Tying at Chuck’s, Tues evening, July 26, 2016, 7 PM Trumbull. Contact Chuck MacMath at cmacmath59@yahoo.com . The fly tying group will meet on the second and fourth Tuesday of every month from 7-9 pm. The cost is $2.00 per session to cover the cost of materials. Email Chuck with questions or additional information. All are welcome, beginners are encouraged to attend. Vises, tools and materials are available if needed.
Tying at Chuck’s, Tues evening, August 9th and 23rd, 2016, 7 PM Trumbull. Contact Chuck MacMath at cmacmath59@yahoo.com . The fly tying group will meet on the second and fourth Tuesday of every month from 7-9 pm.
Fishing outing is planned for Saturday, August 20, 2016, on the lower Housatonic River. Jerry Goldstein will be our team leader. You may reach Jerry Goldstein for questions or RSVP at jerryg@attygoldstein.com.
Pat Fowler presents a grant from Orvis to Nutmeg TU President Charles Petruccelli and Treasurer Phil Jacques.
The Mill River planting project scheduled for May 22 has been postponed to Saturday, June 4, at 8 a.m.
Thanks to retail grants from Orvis and Patagonia, Nutmeg TU has the funds to proceed with the planting of indigenous plant species along the Congress Street section of the Mill River in Fairfield.
If enough volunteers step up, Nutmeg TU will be able to clean the area as well. Those who can help are asked to email Ed Grzeda at eegrzeda@gmail.com.
Those who attend should dress appropriately — long sleeves, long pants, boots, work gloves, hats, etc. There is poison ivy on the site and biting insects and ticks are possible.
Please be careful while parking and walking on Congress Street. It is an autobahn, lots of German cars traveling at unlimited speeds.
Refreshments will be served.
What makes the Mill River so special and a history of Nutmeg TU’s work and its current status.
Trout fisherman in Eastern Fairfield County are very fortunate to have the Mill River in Easton, and Fairfield, Connecticut. The river is a tail water of the Easton Reservoir. For approximately one and a half miles it runs cool and free to Lake Mohegan in Fairfield. More than half of it is bordered by town property or parks, state forest, or open space. Only a quarter mile is bordered by private property on both sides. The cold water releases from the dam keep this section below sixty degrees Fahrenheit throughout the year. Thus the stream supports wild populations of brown and brook trout. It is one of eight Class 1 wild trout streams in Connecticut and one of its most urban.
It is unique amongst the Class 1 streams for it flows into an approximately thirty-acre pond ‘Lake’ Mohegan, an old gravel pit which has a maximum depth of thirty-five feet. Brown trout in the stream over the years have dropped down into the lake and put on weight and size. Lake Mohegan is located completely within a wooded open space owned by the Town of Fairfield, which does not allow boats on the Lake, making for some quite remarkable fishing in the fall, when these large browns make their spawning run.
The Nutmeg Chapter (217) of Trout unlimited members understand how fortunate we are. We have wild trout fishing all year long minutes from our homes, thirty minutes at most for our chapter members. The Mill is the crown jewel of our local streams, however, we know we need to protect, restore, and improve it for it to support the ever increasing fishing pressure. Furthermore, we continual advocate for the river whenever it is threatened. We understand this is our responsibility as a conservation organization.
To help meet this responsibility Spring 2013, our chapter developed, and started acting on a prioritized Mill River Improvement Opportunity list. First on the list was improvement of the ‘Congress Street’ section of the river. Paralleling, then running under, the Merritt Parkway you can see GE World Headquarters from this section. (I did mention it was an urban stream.) The Fairfield Town property was unmanaged open space, frequently used as an illegal dump site. It represented approximately three acres of riverside which has about three eighths of a mile of underutilized fishing access. Two acres of which is a sandbar. The plan is to clean up the site, remove the invasive species, Japanese Knotweed, Flying Euonymus, Japanese Bar Berry (one of the deer tick’s favorite habitat), primrose, and honeysuckle. Then replant the site with native species of bulrush, mountain laurel, rhododendron, dog wood, grasses, and under story trees to hold the sand bar and banks. Thus providing a more diverse environment and more welcoming environment for native fauna.
This project grew from a request in 2013 for permission and support from the Town of Fairfield for a massive cleanup of this section. Besides the illegally dumped rubbish and the usual fisherman trash, there was the litter from the nearby gas station and rest area on the Merritt Parkway. The Conservation Departments Manager of Open Space gladly agreed to haul away the collected rubbish. He also asked if we would be interested in undertaking the removal of invasive plants and replanting the site with native species. Given the site provided some of the most level access to the river, the less agile or young children could easily access the river here, right from one of the areas main side roads. We realized it was a great place to start our first major project of the last few years. So in the Spring 2013 we started our improvement project with the major cleanup.
Following the cleanup we formed a Mill River task force which put together a plan to get the invasive species under control. After researching removal of Japanese Knotweed and reviewing the site the task force realized to be effective we would have to clear all the Knotweed from both sides of the river. The work area grew from three acres to five and a half acres, with the additional acreage on private residential land. This increased the amount of administrative preparatory work to get all the permissions lined up. But we did it. We started June 2013 with Japanese Knotweed cutting and bagging work sessions every weekend of the month. We successfully cut out all the knotweed.
From our research we also realized we would have to spray the knotweed to get it under control. In discussions with the State DEEP Invasive species experts and the Nature Conservancy in Weston, CT. we found a licensed environmental engineering firm to do the spraying. We contracted for three sprayings performed Fall 2013, Spring 2014 and Fall 2014. In the Fall of 2014 the Open Space Manager sent me an email telling me the site was ready for planting. Since then we have continued to cut the remnants to keep the knotweed under control. And of course we have continued our annual spring cleanups of the area.
Now that we have the site preparation complete, we have scheduled a planting for Sunday, May 22, 2016. For those of us involved from the start this planting has been a long time coming. If you have time available that Sunday, please come, help with this conservation project. If you are unable to help with the planting but want to support our improvement efforts on the Mill River you may donate to the Nutmeg Chapter (217) of Trout Unlimited by check or through our website. For those interested in donating go to https://www.nutmegtrout.org/get-involved/donate/ and click the Donate Button on the Right side of the page.
Tickets can be purchased online for $18 in advance or at the door for $20 (credit card only at the door).
The Yale FFC is a non-profit organization. All profits will be split equally between two non-profit organizations: Rivers of Recovery and Take a Vet Fishing (of CT). The goal is not only to help these two organizations, but to create a greater level of interest in this sport and help publicize the code of ethics that support our fisheries.
