Nutmeg Chapter Trout Unlimited

Written by NutmegTrout21729Dec, 2017

New regulations, stamp still pending

Fishing licenses expire on Dec. 31. New licenses are needed as of Jan. 1 each year.

With changes in regulations, including requiring the purchase of a trout stamp, still pending, the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection posted this update.

2018 Inland Fishing Regulation Update: As we ring in 2018, just a simple update to let you know that the proposed changes for the Inland Fishing Regulations (including the Trout Stamp) do not take effect on January 1, 2018.

They do not take effect until formal approval by the Legislative Regulations Review Committee (possibly during their January meeting). We will keep you informed.

To take advantage of the Atlantic salmon stocking in the Naugatuck and Shetucket Rivers and for ice fishing your favorite lake or pond (which is quickly taking shape with this cold snap), buy your license now and add the trout stamp (if you desire) after it becomes available (late January or early February).

New regulations also include reclassification of portions of the Mill River in Fairfield and Easton.

Click the links to read the regulations before the Legislative Regulations Review Committee, and the DEEP’s response and alterations after public comment on the proposals.

Written by NutmegTrout21714Dec, 2017

Chopped style tying contest at party

The second annual Chopped-style fly tying contest will be held during Nutmeg TU’s holiday party on Tuesday, Dec. 19, at 7 p.m. at Port 5, 69 Brewster St., in the Black Rock section of Bridgeport.

Contestants use their own tools and thread.

Each of the materials provided for each must be used in that fly.

Contestants will have 10 minutes to complete each fly

There will be three rounds: Nymph, Streamer and Dry.

The winners of each round proceed to the next round.

Award criteria are totally subjective, based on:

• Fishiness

• Creativity

• Cleanliness of Construction

Click here to read more about the holiday pot-luck, and RSVP by leaving a comment on that story.

Fred Lord judges an entry from Tristan Wilgan (seated), winner of last year's Chopped fly tying contest at the Nutmeg TU Holiday Party. This year's contest will be held Tuesday, Dec. 19, at 7 p.m. at Port 5.

Written by NutmegTrout21706Dec, 2017

Holiday pot luck, Chopped tying Dec. 19

Celebrate the season, share food with us and if you want to answer the challenge compete in a fly tying contest when Nutmeg TU holds its annual holiday party Tuesday, Dec. 19, at 7 p.m. at Port 5, 69 Brewster St., in the Black Rock section of Bridgeport.

Dinner is pot luck. Your dish to share needs to feed 6 to 8 and last names beginning with A-H are asked to bring an Appetizer, I-P are asked to bring a main dish, Q-Z are asked to bring a dessert. Comment on this article to let us know how many people will attend and what you are bringing.

The Port 5 cash bar is available for beverages.

Jerry Goldstein will provide an update on Nutmeg TU activities and plans for 2018. The event will also raise funds for Nutmeg TU’s operating expenses.

A fly tying contest based on the Food Network show Chopped is open to all. Contestants will be given identical materials and a fixed amount of time to tie a fly. There will be eliminations after each of three rounds, and a prize for the winner.

Flies to be tied are a nymph in the first round, a streamer in the second and a dry fly in the third and final round. Contestants will need to bring their tools and thread. All the materials for each fly will be provided. When you RSVP, let us know if you want to enter the fly tie contest.

A silent auction will be held to raise funds to support conservation and education initiatives by Nutmeg TU. Fishing adventures, led by a Nutmeg TU member, up for bid include boat fishing on the Long Island Sound; fly fishing the Mill, Saugatuck and Farmington rivers; a trip to Michigan that can include room and breakfast; a trip to southwest Maine; a kayak fishing outing; smallmouth fishing on the Housatonic River; and a having a fishing outing video recorded and photographed.

Other items in the silent auction include a print by artist James Prosek; a tenkara rod, and a 9-foot Winston 5 weight rod.

Scroll to the bottom of this page to where it says leave a comment, then post a comment to RSVP and let us know what dish you will be bringing. Comments will not immediately appear but will as soon as they are approved.

Written by NutmegTrout21724Nov, 2017

Trout eggs delivered to TIC sites

On Friday, Nov 17, the Trout in the Classroom programs statewide received their eggs from the DEEP.

TIC coordinators gather at a commuter parking lot, where the DEEP distributes the eggs to each chapter.

The Nutmeg Chapter has 15 schools participating in this valuable educational tool. Hundreds of students throughout Nutmeg’s district are involved in raising Trout Eggs. Nutmeg TU covers the towns of Fairfield, Westport, Weston, Easton, Redding, Trumbull, Monroe, Bridgeport, Stratford, Milford and Shelton.

Through hands-on activities, TIC uses an inter-disciplinary approach that adds to the the scientific concepts taught that directly impact the student’s lives and environment. This is an important program that is training the environmental stewards and leaders for the future

“The excitement in each classroom when the eggs arrive is unbelievable, like they were getting pizza delivered,” Nutmeg TU TIC Chairman Dave Edgeworth said.

Written by NutmegTrout21722Nov, 2017

$5 trout stamp takes next step

A proposal for a single trout and salmon stamp, costing $5, is part of a new fishing regulations package sent to the state’s attorney general for review.

Once the attorney general completes review of the proposal, it will be submitted to the Legislative Regulation Review Committee for review.

The new proposal would establish a single trout and salmon stamp, which each year would cost $5. The original proposal called for a $5 trout stamp, a $10 salmon stamp, and a $12 combination stamp. After receiving online comments objecting to the fee, the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection opted to proceed with one $5 stamp.

All funds from the sale of the stamp, under state and federal law, will go toward hunting and fishing activities in Connecticut, including maintaining full production at three fish hatcheries in the state. DEEP officials held their earlier estimate of $300,000 in additional revenue, based on 60,000 trout and salmon anglers.

All anglers 16 years of age and older fishing for any species in Trout Management Areas, Wild Trout Management Areas and Trout Parks established in Section 26-112-46 of the Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies; all anglers 16 years of age and older fishing for any species in affected portions (the designated “Broodstock Areas”) of the Shetucket River and Naugatuck River; and any anglers 16 years of age and older wishing to keep trout, kokanee or broodstock Atlantic salmon (where fishing for Atlantic salmon is allowed) they’ve caught anywhere throughout the state would be required to purchase a trout stamp.

The new regulations would also extend the Mill River Wild Trout Management Area in Easton and Fairfield from upstream of the first bridge crossing below Easton Reservoir (South Park Avenue) to the Merritt Parkway, where it meets the existing Trout Management Area that continues to Lake Mohegan. Signs indicate which parts of the river are in the WTMA and which in TMA.

Click here to read the full list of amendments to the regulations.

Click here to read the DEEP’s explanatory statement.

Click here to read the notice of decision.

Written by NutmegTrout21716Nov, 2017

More than $1,000 donated for Mill River

Thanks to the support of our members and community, the Nutmeg Chapter of Trout Unlimited raised more than $1,000 in additional funding for work to restore the Mill River at the Fairfield-Easton border along Congress Street through the Embrace a Stream Challenge, presented by Trout Unlimited and Orvis.

This combined with the $670 previously awarded will allow us to complete the project in the spring of 2018.

Working closely with the Town of Fairfield Conservation Department, we have reduced the knotweed problem and planted hundreds of native trees and bushes.

A regulation change is pending at the state level which would make the area where work is being done a Wild Trout Management Area. By increasing the depth of the river along Congress Street the river will better host the wild trout population.

In the spring we will use these funds to anchor discarded Christmas trees to the banks, where the branches will trap sediment and help form new, natural banks. The riverbanks that accumulate there will reroute the Mill River to its original track, and create better habitat for the native trout.

We invite the community to join us in the spring to help with the tree anchoring. Members and nonmembers are invited to join us at our monthly meetings, fishing outings and conservation events. You can follow us on Facebook or find about upcoming events at our website https://www.nutmegtrout.org and on MeetUp.

Rich Rosen

President

Nutmeg Trout Unlimited Chapter 217

Written by NutmegTrout21716Nov, 2017

Post-Thanksgiving striper trip in Shelton

Fish the Housatonic River for stripers and burn off the holiday desserts on the day after Thanksgiving, Friday, Nov. 24, at 10 a.m.

Dave Edgeworth of Nutmeg TU will lead the trip to the Sunnyside Boat Launch in Shelton. The public access site is located behind Sunnyside School, 418 River Road, and a roadway is next to the school.

The outing is open to all. You need not be a TU member. Both spin and fly fishermen are welcome.

Bring your Striper tackle, there is lots of shoreline to fish from and wading as well.

Written by NutmegTrout21706Nov, 2017

World record striper angler to speak

Greg Myerson, who caught the world record striped bass off Connecticut, will explain how to have the big fish find you when he speaks to the Nutmeg Chapter of Trout Unlimited on Tuesday, Nov. 21, at 7 p.m.

The meeting, open to the public and anglers of all styles, will be held at Port 5, 69 Brewster St., in the Black Rock section of Bridgeport. Pizza will be available, and beverages can be purchased from Port 5.

Born in New York but raised in Wallingford, Myerson currently holds four world records for stripers, including the striper caught off Westbrook weighing 81 pounds, 15 ounces, the all-tackle length world record at 113 centimeters, and the catch and release world record that he caught with his partner Captain Frank Crescitelli. All his fishing gear utilizes his patent-pending sound technology, and he continues to invent fishing tackle that catches monster stripers, bluefish, blackfish, sharks, and a host of other species.

Myerson’s fishing strategies, tips, and tournaments can be found at worldrecordstripercompany.com/blog.

Trout Unlimited’s mission is to conserve, protect and restore North America’s coldwater fisheries and their watersheds.

Nutmeg Chapter of Trout Unlimited (# 217) is based in Fairfield and comprised of the towns of 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.

Written by NutmegTrout21706Nov, 2017

Help win funds to fix Mill River

Local donors can help direct more money to restoration on the Mill River this week.

The Nutmeg Chapter of Trout Unlimited, a local, volunteer-led nonprofit dedicated to improving and restoring local rivers and streams, has been entered in the Embrace A Stream Challenge, a new online contest sponsored by Orvis and Trout Unlimited. From Nov. 6-12, the chapter has a chance to win its share of $50,000 in cash prizes to help fund the Mill River Conifer Revetment Project, an initiative to restore the Mill River in Fairfield County.

In early October, the Nutmeg Chapter received an $670 grant from the Embrace A Stream program to support this project, and now has a chance to win additional funds to complete the work.

To win, the chapter needs the help of its members, volunteers and community residents. From Nov. 6-12, anyone who visits www.embraceastream.org and makes a donation of as little as $10 to support the chapter’s work will help it unlock prizes ranging from $250 to $5,000. The chapter is competing in this contest with more than 40 other Trout Unlimited chapters from across the country.

“We’re excited to have the chance to raise even more money to restore and improve the Mill River in the Embrace A Stream Challenge,” said Rich Rosen, Nutmeg Chapter president. “But we need the help of all of our community members to win. If you care about clean water, and share our love for the Mill River, please help our more than 300 local members and volunteers by donating to this important project.”

The Mill River Conifer Revetment Project will focus on a section of stream that runs along Congress Street in Fairfield, where the river is more than 40 feet wide in some places, when it should average 15 feet. We will narrow the stream channel and stabilize the banks using conifer revetments to prevent future erosion and ensure that the stream at the site and downstream can support excellent trout habitat. Mill River is currently home to some of the highest densities of wild and native trout in the state, but we believe that the fishery can support even more trout with habitat improvement.

Embrace A Stream is a matching grant program administered by Trout Unlimited that provides funds to local chapters and councils for coldwater fisheries conservation. Since its inception in 1975, the grant program has funded more than 1,000 individual projects for a total of $4.4 million in direct cash grants. Local chapters and councils contributed an additional $13 million in cash and in-kind services to EAS funded projects, for a total investment of more than $17 million. The Embrace A Stream Challenge is a new national online contest sponsored by Orvis and Trout Unlimited to connect people who care with a chance to support improvements to the rivers and streams in their communities.

“This year, more than 40 local Trout Unlimited chapters from across the country have brought forward plans to take care of the rivers that they love to fish,” said Russ Meyer, chair of the Embrace A Stream grants committee, a group of Trout Unlimited volunteers who review and approve all grant applications. “The Embrace A Stream Challenge gives everyone in your community the chance to join us in supporting this important local project.”

Written by NutmegTrout21727Oct, 2017

Grant to help restore Mill River

The Nutmeg Chapter of Trout Unlimited has received a grant for restoration of the Mill River and been entered in the Embrace A Stream Challenge, a new online contest sponsored by Orvis and Trout Unlimited. From Nov. 6-12, the chapter has a chance to win its share of $50,000 in cash prizes to help fund the Mill River Conifer Revetment Project, an initiative to restore the Mill River in Fairfield County.

In early October, the Nutmeg Chapter received an $670 grant from the Embrace A Stream program to support removal of invasive species and shoring up of the banks of the Mill River near the Easton-Fairfield border, along Congress Street in Fairfield.

From Nov. 6-12, anyone who visits embraceastream.org and makes a donation of as little as $10 to support Nutmeg TU’s work will help it unlock prizes ranging from $250 to $5,000. Nutmeg TU is competing in this contest with more than 40 other Trout Unlimited chapters from across the country.

“We’re excited to have the chance to raise even more money to restore and improve the Mill River in the Embrace A Stream Challenge,” said Rich Rosen, Nutmeg TU president. “But we need the help of all of our community members to win. If you care about clean water, and share our love for the Mill River, please help our more than 300 local members and volunteers by donating to this important project.”

The Mill River Conifer Revetment Project will focus on a section of stream that runs along Congress Street in Fairfield, where the river is more than 40 feet wide in some places, when it should average 15 feet. TU volunteers and their partners will narrow the stream channel and stabilize the banks using conifer revetments to prevent future erosion and ensure that the stream at the site and downstream can support excellent trout habitat.

The Mill River is currently home to some of the highest densities of wild and native trout in the state, but TU and other experts believe that the fishery can support even more trout with habitat improvement. Pending before state officials is a regulation change that would make the stretch a catch-and-release only area dedicated to wild trout.

The site is near the Merritt Parkway and a heavily used service area, and frequently needs litter removal in addition to replacing invasive species with native fauna, which Nutmeg TU has been doing, in cooperation with the Town of Fairfield, for four years.

“This year, more than 40 local Trout Unlimited chapters from across the country have brought forward plans to take care of the rivers that they love to fish,” said Russ Meyer, chairman of the Embrace A Stream grants committee, a group of Trout Unlimited volunteers who review and approve all grant applications. “The Embrace A Stream Challenge gives everyone in your community the chance to join us in supporting this important local project.”

The Nutmeg Chapter of Trout Unlimited serves more than 300 members in Southwestern Connecticut. Nutmeg TU works with partners to restore local rivers, engage area youth in outdoor education and protect trout streams that are a mere stone’s throw from Manhattan, specifically the towns of Fairfield, Westport, Weston, Easton, Redding, Trumbull, Monroe, Bridgeport, Stratford, Milford and Shelton.

Nutmeg TU meetings are held the third Tuesday of every month, September through May, at Port 5, 69 Brewster St., in the Black Rock section of Bridgeport. They are open to the public free of charge. The Nov. 21 meeting features Greg Myerson, who holds the world record for the largest striped bass.

Trout Unlimited is the nation’s largest coldwater conservation organization, with more than 300,000 members and supporters dedicated to conserving, protecting, and restoring North America’s trout and salmon fisheries and their watersheds. Visit TU online at tu.org.