Nutmeg Chapter Trout Unlimited

Written by NutmegTrout21714Feb, 2016

How to Catch 500 Fish in the Mill River

February 13, 2016

Kris Mancini, our new Vice President for our chapter, brings decades of trout fishing experience in the Mill River and more. Kris considers the Mill river as his home water, and over many years, he has managed to fish the Mill over a hundred days a year and rarely gets skunked. He has quite an impressive photo collection of trout caught in the Mill, including a 22″ Brown caught this fall. Kris fly fishes, and yet, much of the catching success has to do with tactics that will benefit spin fishers, as well as fly fishers. Kris will discuss tackle, flies, and tactics for successfully fishing the Mill. Come join us and up your game on the Mill. The meeting will be at 7 PM, in Port 5, 69 Brewster Ave, Bridgeport, CT.

Written by NutmegTrout21709Feb, 2016

Join Our Meetup Group!

Hi Nutmeg Trout members,

We’ve joined Meetup.com to make it easier for Nutmeg Trout members and prospective members to find out what’s happening in Nutmeg Trout’s calendar and to streamline how to RSVP.

Please help us to make our Meetup.com page the place to go for those interested in fishing. If you register for a free membership at Meetup.com you can join our page and add yourself to the list of registered attendees. By RSVPing to Nutmeg Trout meetings and programs you help us to show how popular we are and generate interest from those looking to be a part of our group.

To help new people find us our Meetup.com page is named Eastern Fairfield County Fishing & Conservation Meetup. You can find our page here: http://www.meetup.com/EASTERN-FAIRFIELD-COUNTY-FISHING-CONSERVATION-Meetup/ Please sign up and RSVP to our meetings. Help us grow.

If you have any questions on how to use Meetup.com for Nutmeg trout contact me at jerryg@attygoldstein.com.

Thanks for helping.

Regards,
Jerry Goldstein
Nutmeg Trout Social Media Board Chair

February 5, 2016

Written by NutmegTrout21727Jan, 2016

HELP SAVE THE MILL RIVER IN EASTON, CT

Help Save The Mill River in Easton, CT – By Scott Garland, January 7, 2016 Connecticut Local Fishing News and By Ron Merly of Ron Merly’s Fishing Guide Services

The upper Mill River in Easton, Connecticut is one of the most significant wild trout streams in all of New England. It is exceptionally unique in its characteristic. There is nowhere else in all of New England where you can find a tailwater release Class 1 WTMA (Wild Trout Management Area, containing abundant wild trout and not stocked in more than 5 years) that runs for a few short miles and empties into almost 40 ft. deep thermal refuge. Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection (DEEP) has realized the streams significance and are in the process of changing the regulations from Rte. 59 down to Lake Mohegan to catch and release only, making the entire upper stretch of the stream from the Easton Reservoir all the way to Lake Mohegan one continuous WTMA.

Just below the reservoir is a 30 acre parcel of land that has been the subject of much debate over the years. The land is presently owned by the Town of Easton who bought the property to save it from a large scale development a few years back. Easton is now looking to recoup the money and allow a smaller scale development. The problem is that there is no city sewer in that area and all of the waste, run-off etc. from any development would need to go into the ground which will eventually pollute the river and kill off a population of brook trout that have thrived in that river since the last glacier.

Please show your support in helping keep the Mill River and the natural habitat that thrive in its’ waters by signing this petition and not allowing any type of development by the State of Connecticut or the Town of Easton.

How you can take become involved and take action:

Follow this link http://www.fishingnortheast.net/connecticut-local-fishing-news/help-save-mill-river-in-easton-connecticut/ to sign the online petition and leave a comment.
Email cfe@citizensforeaston.org to receive updates.
Attend Board of Selectmen meetings (bi-monthy; agendas posted on Town of Easton website)

4. Write the Easton Selectmen: First Selectman Adam Dunsby, adunsby@eastonct.gov; Selectman Scott Centrella, carriecolangelo@optonline.net, Selectman Robert Lessler, rlessler@eastonct.gov and BCC cfe@citizensforeaston.org

Written by NutmegTrout21714Jan, 2016

Ice Fishing with Tom Bourret, January 19

Meeting at Port 5, 69 Brewster St, Bridgeport CT, 7 PM, and the pizza will be hot.

Our speaker for January will be Tom Bourret, a Sr Fisheries Biologist at CT DEEP. Tom is going to share lots of information on Ice Fishing, a program that he has helped to coordinate for the last 25 years in the C.A.R.E. Family Workshops (CT Aquatic Resources Education). He will cover ice fishing safety techniques, proper clothing and the gear that you will need. And his tips will get you ready to set up on the ice. There are 2 ice fishing events approaching: CARE Family Ice Fishing Derby, January 30^th, on Coventry Lake; and No Child Left Inside Winter Festival, February 6, on Black Rock Pond.

Tom is a native of CT and has worked for DEEP since 1984. He has been involved in many of the projects such as Bantam Lake pike capture and spawning, Kokanee Salmon capture and spawning, electrofishing on the rivers, streams and in lakes, creel surveys on the Farmington, Housatonic, and 4 Northwestern lakes to name a few of his many projects.

Bring your questions on gear and techniques! Bring the kids too, if you want them to learn the right way to think about Ice Fishing!

Written by NutmegTrout21705Dec, 2015

Spey casting for large fish over longer distances

December 5, 2015

On December 15, 2015, Nutmeg TU will have a general meeting with speakers and the Annual Pot Luck dinner. Please RSVP to Jerry Goldstein so that he can reduce the duplicates, know how many tables to set up, and answer any questions, contact jerryg@attygoldstein.com. Your dish to share needs to feed 8 to 10 and last names beginning with A-J are asked to bring a side dish, K-Q are asked to bring a main dish, R-Z are asked to bring a dessert.

Spey casting has grown in popularity over the last 25 years to better target large fish over large rivers and salt water. The available equipment and gear have grown expansively. Our speakers, Lisa Weiner and Jerry Jahn of Spey Casting North East, www.speycastingnortheast.com, are going to share some of their knowledge on casting techniques and equipment.

Jerry Jahn and Fred Krowchenko are two of the old timers in the New England fly fishing community who began a joint venture about 6 years ago to teach Spey casting to others interested in the techniques. Their classes are limited to 4 students maximum, with two or three instructors. This gives time to work with each student and understand their needs as individuals. Their main objective is to pass on the fishing knowledge to younger people in the sport they have enjoyed for so many years.

Lisa is fairly new to SCNE and joined with Jerry and Fred this past year as one of their teachers after many lessons. She has been Spey casting for over 4 years and represents Mystic fly rods at Spey Nation and the Fly Fishing Show in NJ.

Jerry has been fishing for Atlantic Salmon for over 30 years and 25 of them have been with the two handed spey rod. He has fished the Penobscot River in Maine and the Miramichi River in New Brunswick. The rods were very long and slow in action in comparison to today’s equipment. Jerry is an excellent caster of single hand and two hand rods, his enthusiasm is infectious and very well received by all of their students. He is focused on getting the student to understand and to be successful in Spey casting techniques.

Fred enjoys the details of rod design and line tapers and will explore any new equipment on the market. He began experimenting with Spey rods over 20 years ago and really began to understand the casting in a 3-day class in 1998 with Jim Vincent and Simon Gawesworth of Rio Products. Simon and Fred have remained friends and Rio Products is one of the supporters of SCNE.

There is lots more information on their website, so check it out.

Written by NutmegTrout21713Nov, 2015

Fishing the Housatonic River with Rob Nicholas

November 12, 2015. Nutmeg TU will hold its meeting at 7 PM on Tues, Nov 15, at Port 5.

Since 1993, Rob Nicholas (owner / head guide) has been guiding and teaching the sport of fly fishing to all skill levels from beginner to expert on both the Housatonic and Farmington rivers, as well as some lesser known, smaller streams. Rob is a full time guide on the Housatonic and has over 30 years of fly fishing knowledge and experience here in the Northeast, western states, New Zealand, Chile, and Argentina. Rob became a Federation of Fly Fishers certified casting instructor in 1993. While usually the dry fly enthusiast, Rob is also well versed in nymphing and streamer techniques during non-hatch periods. He has tied some of his own flies specifically designed for the fishing the Housatonic and Farmington Rivers.

Rob is going to share some of his knowledge about fishing the Housatonic at our general meeting at 7 PM on Tues, November 15, at Port Five, 69 Brewster St, Bridgeport, CT.

Written by NutmegTrout21718Oct, 2015

From Ron Merly’s desk, October

19 inch wild Housatonic Brown Trout

The fishing in both the fresh and salt water has been consistently in consistent. With the constant high pressure, no rain and not much barometric fluctuation, the fish and the fishing has been a bit unpredictable. Out in the salt, anglers are having great days with the false albies and the stripers…. other days, nothing in sight. Blackfishing has been a bit better. Very little consistency out there.

In the streams, the Housy, Farmington and Mill Rivers are really the only fishable streams as everything else is dried up. We are currently suffering more than a 6 inch deficit in our rainfall for the year and the Housatonic is dropping quickly. The Naugatuck River has been stocked with salmon but with no water, it’s not much of a challenge.

Hopefully, we’ll soon get the much needed rain.

Ron M.

Written by NutmegTrout21718Oct, 2015

Fly Fishing Western L.I. Sound with Capt. Gendron

Meeting at Port 5, 69 Brewster St, Bridgeport CT, 7 PM, and the pizza will be hot.

At the general meeting on Tuesday, October 20th, Captain Roger Gendron will be talking about his experiences and sharing knowledge on fishing the western Long Island Sound. Capt. Roger has been actively “guiding” the waters of Western Long Island Sound since 1989. As a local who has spent his entire life in this area, he started fly fishing the coast of Fairfield County Connecticut over 30 years ago, and was one of the first guides in the area to specialize in fly fishing and light tackle fishing in shallow salt water. He will spend some time with us on Tuesday targeting the coastline of Fairfield County.

As well as teaching his clients fishing and fly casting technique over the last twenty five seasons, he has also been an instructor of advanced navigation and seamanship at the American Marine Training school formerly based in Stratford, CT.

He continues to offer piloting and navigation instruction to boat owners and mariners new to the area. He speaks to various clubs and organizations on the topic of fly fishing and light tackle techniques during the off season.

Capt. Roger’s focus is on his clients’ enjoyment and safety, offering a fun day on the water whether fly fishing, light tackle fishing, or a little of each!

One of Capt. Roger’s happy client!

Written by NutmegTrout21713Sep, 2015

Fall Striper Fishing Tips with Jimmie O

Jimmy O of Jimmy O’s Bait & Tackle talk about fishing the Fall Striper run at the general meeting for the Nutmeg Chapter of Trout Unlimited Tuesday, September 15, from 7 to 9 p.m. at Port 5, 69 Brewster St., Bridgeport. The meeting will include hands-on demonstrations.

Pizza and raffle tickets will be sold at the meeting.

James Orifice, sole proprietor of Jimmy O’s Bait and Tackle in the Black Rock section of Bridgeport has been serving the marine industry for over 20 years. Since its inception in 2001, Jimmy O’s Bait and Tackle has grown to become a resource for year round fishing needs by offering an assortment of competitively priced fresh and saltwater bait and tackle. The inventory includes a variety of fresh, frozen, and offshore bait, saltwater and freshwater rods from different manufacturers, reels, rod and reel combos, line and leader products, a large selection of lures and jigs, terminal tackle, lure bags/tackle boxes, accessories such as cutters, pliers and knives, nets, and traps. Jimmy O’s Bait and Tackle also operates as an official weigh station along with fishing license registration services.

As a longtime Fairfield native, Mr. Orifice possesses an in-depth knowledge of the area and is often referred to for his expert advice. Over the years, Jimmy O’s Bait and Tackle has fostered strong ties to the community and has been involved in numerous youth fishing derbies in the town of Fairfield. Additionally, Mr. Orifice has held many position titles such as past President of the Westport Striped Bass Club, past Commander of the Bridgeport Boat Owners Association, affiliation with the Fairfield Boat Owners Association as well as a Bachelor of Science degree in Parks and Recreation from Southern Connecticut State University.

The success of Jimmy O’s Bait and Tackle is attributed to a fundamental business philosophy that is customer oriented. Jimmy O’s Bait and Tackle continuously expands its inventory to appeal to a broad base of customers and strives to provide the latest fishing equipment and accessories.

Jimmy O’s Bait & Tackle shop may be found at 3295 Fairfield Ave. in Bridgeport.

Written by NutmegTrout21713Sep, 2015

From Ron Merly’s Desk, September

The saltwater action was spotty this season but when it was good, it was really good. Some very large stripers were caught in our area earlier in the season including a 65 pounder caught off of Bridgeport. Sea bass continue to be caught but mostly at night. Overall, right now the fishing in southwestern Long Island Sound is slow.

On the freshwater end of the spectrum, we are in a drought. The Housatonic River is lower than it has been in a few years which will affect the survival rates of the trout. The rest of the streams in the state remain low as we presently have a deficit of more than 1 1/2 inches of rain. We are so very fortunate to have the Farmington River in our backyard. The river has been running well and fishing well. Hatches are early in the morning through mid-day and the action has been dropping off in the evenings for the past month. The fish were keyed in on Needhami flies for the past few weeks but seem to prefer the tricos now. Terrestrials are also working well as I landed a 24.5″ brown trout on an ant. I also caught a beautiful wild brookie on an Adams at the head of Ovation Pool so sometimes it pays to think outside of the box a little bit and move away from what the fish are constantly seeing. Good luck and tight lines.

Ron Merly