Category: News

Written by NutmegTrout21716Jan, 2022

Volunteers deliver trout eggs to schools

Hi all,

The Trout In the Classroom eggs were just delivered to the participating schools.  We have 10 schools this year that are participating including:

Fairfield Warde HS
Fairfield County Day School
Weston HS
Black Rock School, Bridgeport
Columbus School, Bridgeport
Shelton Intermediate
Shelton HS
Masuk HS, Monroe
Wooster Intermediate, Stratford

Thanks to our volunteers for making this all happen:

Joe Lanese
Matt White
David Ader
Alexander Jinishian
Bill Chepolis
Ken Sabol
Rich Rosen
Gian Morresi
Jerry Goldstein

Thanks as well to Jim Woodworth, Connecticut’s Trout In the Classroom Coordinator.

I asked the schools to let me know when they plan to release the trout in the Spring.  Hopefully members of our Chapter can be there for the releases.  You’ll then know where to return for catch and release later.  Watch for future updates.

Anyone wanting to know more about Trout In the Classroom can go to the Trout Unlimited TIC page at http://www.troutintheclassroom.org/.  Lots of information there.

If you would like to volunteer for a project and trip, or have an idea for a project or trip you would like to either lead or see the Chapter do, please contact me or any of the other Nutmeg Trout Board Members.

Regards,

Jerry Goldstein
Nutmeg Trout Chapter
Trout Unlimited
TIC Assistant Coordinator
jerryg@goldsteinlawct.com

Written by NutmegTrout21716Jan, 2022

Find fish on the Housy Tuesday night

Join us Tuesday, Jan. 18, at 7 p.m. on Zoom for “Fishing the Housatonic Top to Bottom” with Jeff Yates.

Click to register and receive the Zoom link.

Reaching the Long Island Sound in Nutmeg TU’s area, the Housatonic River offers anglers a chance to catch trout, smallmouth, striped bass and other species, year-round.

Jeff is TU’s National Director of Volunteer Operations, a guide in Connecticut, and author of Fly Fishing Fairfield County: Secrets of Suburban Streams.

Written by NutmegTrout21730Dec, 2021

Learn fishing spots on the Mill River Jan. 6

Jeff Yates, chapter conservation chair for Mianus TU and author of the book Fly Fishing Fairfield County will lead a virtual tour of the Mill River Thursday, Jan. 6, at 7 p.m.

Click here to register.

Jeff’s talk is part of the Learn A Local River is a series from Mianus TU to help anglers discover the streams in their own backyard.

The talk is free and open to the public. Share these learning opportunities with friends, family, colleagues and anyone who cares about the health of our local waters.

Written by NutmegTrout21730Dec, 2021

New Year means new fishing licenses

Jan. 1 brings with it the need to buy a Connecticut fishing license, good for the calendar year.

Click here to buy your printable license online direct from the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

New this year, Connecticut’s Fishing and Hunting Guidebooks are now online in an eBook version, allowing anglers to to quickly check a regulation, confirm legal hunting hours, check season dates, and more – from anywhere, anytime.

While DEEP is still printing some fishing and hunting guides (available in limited quantities), it is asking hunters, trappers, and anglers to do their part and make use of the digital options.

Written by NutmegTrout21716Dec, 2021

Are ‘Little Things’ keeping you from catching fish?

What details might you miss that could help you catch more and bigger fish? Learn from Steve Culton when he discusses “The Little Things” during a Zoom with Nutmeg TU on Tuesday, Dec. 21, at 7 p.m. The talk is open to all anglers, free of charge.
“They say that 10% of the anglers catch 90% of the fish,” Steve writes at currentseams.com. “If that’s true, it’s not because those 10% are supernaturally gifted angling demigods. It’s not because they are lucky. It’s because they do a lot of little things that other anglers don’t,” Steve writes on his blog, currenseams.com. “As a guide, I have the opportunity to observe how people fish. I see their mistakes as well as their triumphs. When I’m fishing, I am constantly making adjustments and trying new approaches. That’s what The Little Things is all about – seemingly insignificant practices that can make a big difference in your fishing.”

Written by NutmegTrout21716Dec, 2021

Aquarion to draw more water, monitor streams

The Town of Fairfield has announced an agreement with Aquarion Water Co. to increase the amount of water diverted from the Mill River watershed in Greater Fairfield.

Fairfield, Fairfield Conservation Commission and several other local groups that had challenged the proposal, citing on environmental and supply concerns. The agreement approves the diversion but adds monitoring safeguards.

Click here to read more in the Connecticut Post.

Written by NutmegTrout21716Dec, 2021

Trout are spawning on the Mill River

Nutmeg TU volunteers prepare to look for trout Redds on the Mill River Nov. 27.
On Saturday, Nov. 27, a team of hardy Nutmeg members  identified brook trout Redds on the upper Mill River.
Assisting Mike Piquette were Alec and Luke Kieffer, Don Bell and his grandson, Allen Kasden, Gian Moressi and Rich Rosen.
They started at Buck Hill and went upstream. They then traveled to the first bridge and went downstream. In total, 14 brook trout Redds were located and logged.
Special shoutout to the Kieffer brothers who picked up trash along the way!

Written by NutmegTrout21710Dec, 2021

TU member selling fishing paintings in Easton

Trout Unlimited member and artist Jonathan Milo is having an exhibit of his work in the Easton Library, with a special one-day-only ”Christmas Art and Print Sale” from 1 to 4 pm Saturday, Dec. 11, in the conference room at the library, 691 Morehouse Road in Easton.
The exhibit at the library has been extended until Dec. 30.
On Dec. 11, Milo will offer a table full of unframed and unmatted limited edition prints of his paintings for $10 and $20 each. The images are mostly bass, trout, as well as some deer, ducks, and dogs. There are also framed prints and originals available for purchase, just in time for the holidays.
Milo’s work can be found at milofish.wixsite.com/mysite.
Click around the 12:11 mark in this video to watch a 2018 interview with Milo around the time he illustrated the 50th anniversary cover of Bassmaster Magazine, as streamed on Yankee Fisherman, formerly on the HAN Network.

Written by NutmegTrout21730Nov, 2021

Aspetuck Land Trust raising funds to preserve land near Mill River

The Aspetuck Land Trust is raising money to acquire land along the Mill River in Easton, and Nutmeg TU is urging anglers and clean water advocates to donate to ALT.

Aspetuck Land Trust has proposed that it purchase of 18.6 acres of the 29.5- acre South Park property owned by the Town of Easton, and an eye toward buying the entire property from Easton. The parcel currently being purchased is the most environmentally sensitive 18.6 acres, basically the shoreline of the Mill River.

  • The land is currently not protected in perpetuity by deed.

  • Conveyed to ALT, it will be deed restricted for preservation and conservation.

  • The $470,000 purchase price is exactly what an independent appraiser set.

  • The State of Connecticut agreed the price is fair and awarded ALT a $188,000 grant to help purchase the property based on it. ALT will pay the balance. The state’s grant award remains in full force and effect.

Click here to visit the Aspetuck Land Trust South Park website and donate.

Written by NutmegTrout21718Nov, 2021

Help find nesting trout on the Mill River

On Saturday November 27, at 10 a.m. help us locate wild trout Redds on the Mill River.
It’s trout mating season and Nutmeg TU, led by Mike Piquette, is going to the Mill River to identify and map Redds.
Identifying the Trout Redds gives us a good indication of the health of the wild trout population. It also provides valuable data should we ever need to prove that this is a wild trout river that needs protection.
We will meet at the South Park Avenue/Buck Hill parking area, surveying upstream and downstream from there. If we have enough volunteers, we may also be able to survey the Mill River along Congress Street in Fairfield/Easton. Waders recommended.
Please click on this link to register.

Those who search the river will record their findings using Redd Survey in Survey 123, the same base platform as RIVERS.

Click here to view recent Redd survey digital training: https://youtu.be/vdAKhp2HT64.