Learn about “The Mill River as a Wild Trout Fishery” on Tuesday, Feb. 21, at 7 p.m.
Click here to register. Pizza will be available, and drinks can be purchased.
The meeting, open to the general public free of charge, will be held at Nutmeg TU’s new venue, the Elks Lodge 36, 735 Old Town Road in Bridgeport. Click here for directions.
Presenter Mike Piquette is an avid fly fisherman who has fished the Mill River for 25 years. He assisted DEEP in their yearly sampling of the Mill for several years. Mike is an analytical chemist at Solvay’s R&D site in Stamford. Piquette recently led a wild trout redds survey on the Mill.
Nutmeg TU will move its monthly meetings to Elks Lodge 36, 735 Old Town Road in Bridgeport, starting Feb. 21. Click here for directions.
The Elks Lodge offers indoor and outdoor space for speakers and demonstrations.
Meetings are held the third Tuesday of each month from September through May at 7 p.m.
Get your fly fishing fix and support local conservation and education efforts when the International Fly Fishing Film Festival returns to Edmonds Town Hall in Newtown on Friday, Feb. 24. Tickets are $25 for the show, $50 for the show and a subscription to Fly Fusion.
Phil Jacques (center), with is the winner of the sweepstakes for an 8-foot, 6-inch 4-weight Winston Kairos donated by Compleat Angler. Nutmeg TU Prizes Chairman Alex Zimkiewicz, Treasurer Ed Grzeda and President Rich Rosen presented the road.
An article by Nutmeg TU member Joey Ortiz, was chosen by Tenkara Angler for its 2022-23 print magazine.
The article was first published in the fall of 2022 on the Tenkara Angler website.
Another article written by Joey, When One Teaches, Two Learn was posted on the Tenkara Angler website.
By Rich Rosen
President, Nutmeg TU
I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday and want to wish you and your families a happy and healthy new year. I’d also like to thank the board members and volunteers for their time and effort.
2022 was a transition year as we finally got back to in person meetings. We are an open and I hope welcoming group. We encourage you to get involved, volunteer and bring your friends.
Our goals as a chapter are simple.
We are a conservation group with a common interest in fishing.
We bring people together in three ways:
We would like to engage a wider segment of the general population, including women, children, and veterans. If you are interested in any of these activities, let any board member know. We want your ideas.
In 2022 we started collaborating with the Aspetuck Land Trust. We planted 50 trees along Park Avenue in Easton by the middle bridge. Working with ALT we plan to do a Christmas Tree revetment in the Warners Anglers Preserve and matched $10,000 in new donations towards the purchase of the South Park Avenue property (Prayer Center).
Along with ALT and DEEP CARE, we taught 20 + children from the Wakeman’s Boys and Girls Club in Bridgeport about fishing. In cooperation with BassPro, we will offer children going thru the program starter rods and reels and BassPro will start giving interested children store tours. We hope to continue and expand this program.
The long-delayed plan for the Mill River along Congress Street is nearly complete. It is a very exciting project which will deepen, harden, and enhance 17 spots along the river. Fundraising, permit approvals and meetings with interested parties will begin in 2023. We will be updating members and have tours as we go. Again, if you are interested in more details, let us know.
We will continue to have monthly meetings, at least one monthly local fishing trip, participate in local youth activities like fishing derbies and sponsor river cleanups. We will continue to monitor the health of some of our local rivers with temp loggers and Redds surveys. TU held a women’s event at which three of our members provided training.
In January, we will deliver trout eggs to 9 local schools again this year. If you want to help deliver the eggs, let us know. We need drivers. Next year we would like to teach the TIC students how to fish, as they are potential future members.
Going forward we would like to step up our vet, youth, inner city, and women’s outreaches. If you have a friend that wants to join, there is a 50% off intro rate.
Finally, 2022 was Nutmeg TU’s 50th anniversary. Perhaps this year you can celebrate with us.
Those who have not already done so need to buy a new fishing license and trout stamp with the changing of the calendar.
Click here to purchase a Connecticut fishing license.
The new year also brings new regulations to the state, including a statewide “Catch and Release” season for trout and kokanee from March 1 to 6:00 am on the second Saturday of April (Opening Day of harvest). The full version of the regulations is available on the Secretary of State’s web page.
Seasons
– Removes the closed season for fishing on all lakes, ponds, rivers, and streams.
– Establishes a statewide “Catch and Release” season for trout and kokanee from March 1 to 6:00 am on the second Saturday of April (Opening Day of harvest).
– Extends the season on trout management lakes from March 31 to 6:00 am on the second Saturday of April (Opening Day of harvest).
-Establishes a statewide “Catch and Release” season for trout and kokanee from March 1 to 6:00 am on the second Saturday of April (Opening Day of harvest).
– Retains thermal refuge closure to protect trout while seeking refuge in cold-water tributaries as indicated by signs posted by CT DEEP.
Species
– Revises the statewide daily creel limit for trout and kokanee to be 5 trout daily AND 5 kokanee daily (previously 5 of either, 8 in aggregate).
Waterbodies
– Establishes the following special trout regulations on East Twin Lake and Lake Wononskopomuc: During the period from 6:00 a.m. on the second Saturday in April through the last day of February the daily creel limit for trout shall be five, not more than one of which may be a brown trout, and the minimum length for brown trout shall be twenty-two inches. During the period from March first through 6:00 a.m. on the second Saturday in April, inclusive, the daily creel limit for trout shall be one and the minimum length limit shall be twenty-two inches.
– Adds Long Pond (North Stonington) and Lake Wononskopomuc to the list of Trout Management Lakes.
– Prohibits ice fishing on Factory Pond (Salisbury), Lake Chamberlain (Bethany), Lake Saltonstall (Branford, East Haven), Maltby Lakes (Orange, West Haven), Lake McDonough (New Hartford, Barkhamsted) and Shenipsit Lake (Ellington, Tolland, Vernon).
Gear
– Establishes a limit of two devices per person when ice fishing on East Twin Lake or Lake Wononskopomuc. This may be two (2) tip ups, two (2) jigging rods or one of each.
Definitions
– Establishes a definition for Cast Net, Inline Circle Hook and Culling.
– Revises the definition of Closed Season to conform with the definition provided in state statute
Join Nutmeg TU member and Connecticut Aquatic Resources Education instructor Chuck MacMath when he teaches ice fishing at the next general meeting of Nutmeg TU on Tuesday, Jan. 17, at 7 p.m. at Port 5, 69 Brewster St., Bridgeport.
Click here to register for the event. There is no charge for admission.
