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Written by NutmegTrout21712Apr, 2017

Kayak fishing for trout topic April 18

Every angler has seen that trout that’s on the far side of water that’s just too deep to wade, and just out of reach of the longest cast.

Kayaks have brought those trout, usually big ones, into reach for anglers who choose to use them, and members of the Nutmeg Chapter of Trout Unlimited will learn how at their next meeting Tuesday, April 18, at Port 5, 69 Brewster St., Bridgeport.

Guest speaker Jesse Roche will teach us how to get started in kayaking and how to use that to reach places we need to get to catch elusive trout.

Roche brings with him eight years of kayaking, as well as a lifetime on the water and outdoors. He comes from a nature -oriented family. From his grandfather, a forrester, and grandmother an Audubon Society member, to his parents, both always outdoors, and father, who worked for years in marine sciences. Instead of Disneyworld, Jesse’s family spent summers in the wilderness of the Minnesota, on boundary waters in an Old Town canoe, and the White Mountains of New Hampshire. He wouldn’t trade it for anything.

After 10 years as a radio personality on 97.7 WCTY FM, he now produces and hosts Fishing Today a weekly radio program on 1310 WICH AM in Norwich as well as a podcast on wich.com.

“It’s basically NPR for fishing,” Roche said. “I try to be information and news-oriented. It’s a lot of fun because both myself and the listener can learn new things about fishing every week.”
Jesse is also involved with the New England Fishery Management Council, serving his first term as a recreational fishing panelist. There he and other representatives from our New England states set up the framework for new fishery regulations.

“I am very conservation oriented. Preserving our fishery means a lot to me,” Roche said. “I look forward to spreading that philosophy as a member of the Black Hall Outfitters Fishing team”

The meeting will also feature a look at opening day weekend and Nutmeg’s Trumbull stream cleanup, and plans for an April 29 planting along the Mill River at the Fairfield-Easton border on Congress Street.

Written by NutmegTrout21717Feb, 2017

Calendar of Events for February and March 2017

Fly Tying at Chuck’s, Tues evening, February 14 and 28, 2017, 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, February 21, 2017 7 PM at Port 5 Naval Veterans, 69 Brewster St., Bridgeport, CT. The Speakers will be Charles Petruccelli, Past President of Nutmeg TU, Brian Carey, conservation director for the town of Fairfield, and Lynn Shavinsky, president of the Mill River Wetland Committee.

The February Fishing Meetup will be on the Mill river, weather permitting. More Details to follow.

Fly Fishing Film Tour, Friday, Feb. 24, 2017, Bow Tie Marquis 16, Trumbull, CT. Join friends and fellow anglers and conservationists from the Candlewood, Mianus and Nutmeg Chapters of Trout Unlimited for a fun night of fishing films and camaraderie! The Film Tour will be held at the Bow Tie Marquis 16 in Trumbull with doors opening at 7 p.m. Tickets are $25 each online or $30 at the door with all proceeds benefitting the conservation and education work of our local Trout Unlimited chapters here in Fairfield County! Buy Your Tickets Online (The last two years have sold out).

The March 11^th Fishing Meetup will be a Casting Clinic on Lake Mohegan 10 AM to 12, weather permitting. Our own Chas Petruccelli, certified FFA fly cast instructor, will handle the teaching. RSVP’s to Cheryl G here. More details to follow.

Fly Tying at Chuck’s, Tues evening, March 14 and 28, 2017, 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, March 21, 2017 7 PM at Port 5 Naval Veterans, 69 Brewster St., Bridgeport, CT. The Speaker will be announced.

The April 9^th Fishing Meetup will be a Stream Clean and Fish on the Pequonnock. The Details to be announced.

Written by NutmegTrout21713Feb, 2017

Conservation, fly tying topics of next Nutmeg TU meeting Feb 21st

Anglers and conservationists will get an update on local conservation efforts and learn an early-season fly they can tie at the next regular meeting of the Nutmeg Chapter of Trout Unlimited, on Tuesday, Feb. 21, at 7 p.m. at Port 5, 69 Brewster Street, Bridgeport.

Immediate Nutmeg TU past President Charles Petruccelli will demonstrate how to tie hackle-less flies that have proven effective in the early spring on local streams, such as elk hair caddis, comparaduns and “The Usual.” This will tie into another presentation that will soon be announced.

The chapter will also meet Brian Carey, conservation director for the town of Fairfield, and Lynn Shavinsky, president of the Mill River Wetland Committee.

Carey, appointed May 1, 2015, replaced retired Conservation Director Tom Steinke, who had served the town for about 43 years.

Carey had previously served as conservation superintendent for the town of Stratford for seven years. He was instrumental in the 35-acre Long Beach West Barrier Beach Restoration Project, which was awarded the Coastal America Partnership Award by President Obama in May 2012.

Carey is a lifelong resident of Fairfield, where he currently lives with his wife, Maura Brennan Carey, and their two children. Carey is a graduate of Fairfield College Preparatory School and Virginia Tech, where he earned a bachelor of science degree in natural resource management.

The Mill River Wetland Committee, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2016, has promoted protection of open space along the Mill River in Fairfield, mainly through use of the Perry’s Mill Pond River Laboratory Area on Sturges Road for guided science education about watersheds.

Concern for the environmental future prompted the launching of River-Lab, a hands-on program of environmental science study that includes all students in grades three through six with the Fairfield public and parochial schools as an established part of their curriculum. More than 100,000 students have participated in this volunteer-led program through the years.

MRWC and River-Lab have utilized volunteers to educate and engage the community about environmental education for generations. The River-Lab program, just last year, trained 400 adults to lead study trips. Several those guides had gone through the program themselves as students.

Nutmeg TU meetings are open to the public free of charge; pizza and a cash bar are available.

The 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 may be found at nutmegtrout.org.

Written by NutmegTrout21731Dec, 2016

Dick Fincher of Westport to speak on Jan 17th.

Dick Fincher will discuss the wooden, handmade plugs he creates and sells through Westport-based Phase II Lures when he visits Nutmeg Trout Unlimited Chapter 217 on Tuesday, Jan 17, at 7 p.m.

The meeting will be held at Port 5, 69 Brewster St., Bridgeport.

Simple in design, Fincher says Phase II Lures are designed to catch fish, not fishermen.

“It doesn’t take ornate lures to catch fish,” according to www.phaseiilures.com. “It takes the right combination of design, water action and colors, all included in Phase II Lures.”

“Trout Unlimited is not limited to fly angling,” said John Kovach, programming chairman for Nutmeg TU. “We hope to attract anyone interested in angling, and in supporting conservation efforts so future generations can continue catching fish.”

“Phase II Lures are simple — readily available materials, ordinary tools, hand processes as much as possible, with hands-on/personal attention to every step — design, testing, individual lure fabrication, assembly, packing, shipping,” the website continues.

The designs are based on lure Fincher encountered growing up in the midwest, and are are “based on a lifetime of fishing experience and observation, primarily with light-medium tackle, both salt and freshwater,” according to the Phase II website/.

“I’ve concentrated on inshore saltwater fishing in the Northeast during the past 30-plus years,” he added. “I’ve caught stripers, blues and weakfish on the East River in front of the U.N. building, in Long Island Sound from the Norwalk Islands to Crane’s Neck on the Long Island side, back to The Race off New London and around Fisher’s Island, at Cuttyhunk, out to the rips and flats of Monomoy Island off Cape Cod.

I’ve landed bonefish in the Keys and St. Croix, king mackerel in Key West and the BVI’s, along with countless porgy, flounder, fluke, snappers on children and grandchildren outings in L.I. Sound. In freshwater I’ve caught bullheads in Kansas, cutthroat in Wyoming, musky, pike, and walleye in Wisconsin, perch in Lake Michigan, panfish in Virginia, large-mouth at nearly every freshwater stop, and rainbows in Colorado.”

Nutmeg TU meetings are open to the public free of charge; pizza and a cash bar are available.

The 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.

Written by NutmegTrout21731Dec, 2016

Calendar of Events for January and February 2017

The general meeting will be Tuesday, January 17, 2017 at 7 PM at Port 5 Naval Veterans, 69 Brewster St., Bridgeport, CT. Dick Fincher will discuss the wooden, handmade plugs he creates and sells through Westport-based Phase II Lures when he visits Nutmeg Trout Unlimited Chapter 217.

Fly Tying at Chuck’s, Tues evening, January 24, 2017, 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.

A Trip Meetup is planned to The Fly Fishing Show in Somerset, NJ, for Sunday January 29, 2017. This is the largest all fly-fishing show in the world – Shop and demo all the newest tackle, research your next dream trip, watch tying and casting demos and talk to industry-leading manufacturers and guides. This is a great way to shake off some cabin fever. The show is held at the Garden State Exhibit Center in Somerset, NJ – approximately a 2 hour drive from Fairfield. Meet at the Fairfield Train Station Commuter Lot (Unquowa Rd) at 10 AM to carpool or just meet at the show. Admission is $18, parking is free. Show hours for Sunday are 9:00 A – 4:30 P. For more information go to www.flyfishingshow.com. Contact Ed Grzeda at eegrzeda@gmail.com with any questions.

The general meeting will be Tuesday, February 21, 2017 7 PM at Port 5 Naval Veterans, 69 Brewster St., Bridgeport, CT. The Speaker will be announced later.

Last year’s Fly Fishing Film Tour event sold out faster than we could have imagined and this year’s screening will be even bigger and better! Be sure to buy your tickets online in advance to guarantee your seat. If you’ve never been to an “F3T” showing, you’re in for a treat. You will watch dozens of incredibly shot, exciting fishing and conservation films while enjoying a few cold drinks and fun raffles and door prizes.

Be sure to round up your friends and fishing buddies for a fun night out. While tickets may be available at the door the night of the screening, we can’t guarantee anything. Last year we had to turn away dozens of people.

Some films include graphic language and situations which may be inappropriate for younger viewers. Parents are advised to decide whether to bring their fishing-fanatic children to the event.

To get a sense of what you’re in for, click here to watch movie trailers from the tour!

The February Fishing Meetup will be on the Mill river, weather permitting. More Details to follow.The general meeting will be Tuesday, January 17, 2017 at 7 PM at Port 5 Naval Veterans, 69 Brewster St., Bridgeport, CT. The Speaker will be announced later.

Written by NutmegTrout21708Dec, 2016

Dec 20, 2016, Annual Potluck Dinner at Port 5.

On December 20, 2016, Nutmeg TU will have the Annual Pot Luck dinner and a Fly Tying Contest! The doors open at 6:45 PM at the Port 5 Naval Veterans, 69 Brewster St, Bridgeport, CT. Your dish to share needs to feed 6 to 8 and last names beginning with A-F are asked to bring an Appetizer, G-L are asked to bring a Salad, M-R are asked to bring a main dish, S-Z are asked to bring a dessert. Please RSVP to https://www.nutmegtrout.org/event/december-potluck-dinner-raffles-contests/ so we know how many tables to set up, and how much fly tie materials to provide. If you have any questions, contact jerryg@attygoldstein.com. Yes, the cash bar is available for beverages.

Contest Contestants will need to bring their tools and thread. All the materials for each fly will be provided. There will be a specific fly for each round of the contest. And there will be prizes for each round of tying. When you RSVP, let us know if you want to enter the fly tie contest.

There will be silent auctions for various prizes from Orvis, Patagonia, and Complete Angler that include gift cards, Tenkara fishing rod, Winston rod, a local fishing trip with Rich and more. And there will be bucket raffles for gift cards, a fishing vest, Orvis rods, DVDs on fly tying, nymphing techniques, books, flies, and more. So, bring your cash or check book to take advantage of these great prizes. Or, mail in your check to our treasurer at Nutmeg Chapter Trout Unlimited, P.O. Box 1594, Fairfield, CT 06825

Written by NutmegTrout21703Nov, 2016

Underwater Photography and FlyFishing Gear with Jerry Goldstein

If you ever wanted to peek below the surface of the water and get a photo or video of fish in their natural state this month’s Nutmeg Trout presentation is for you. Nutmeg Trout Co-President Jerry Goldstein, will be presenting his well-received Underwater Photography presentation at the November 15 Nutmeg Trout meeting. Using relatively inexpensive digital extreme underwater cameras that can be fully outfitted for about $150.00 you can take awesome underwater pictures and videos, bringing home your fishing experience.

While Goldstein has only been fishing a few years, he has taken to it avidly. Goldstein enjoys fly and spin fishing for bass, salt water fishing on the Long Island Sound, angler kayaking in many of Connecticut lakes and rivers, and travels all over the state fly fishing. When he is not fishing, or spending time with his family, Goldstein runs a successful law practice out of Shelton, CT. For over 28 years Goldstein has been protecting the rights of his clients in the Connecticut courts. In his spare time, he also enjoys computers, music, and, mostly, being with his wife and son.

Along with the Underwater Photography presentation Goldstein is also giving a short presentation on Outfitting Yourself to Fly Fish & Angler Kayak Inexpensively. Like any hobby fly fishing’s and kayaking’s costs can add up. You can go out and buy a $400 to $1,000 fishing rod but, if you are just taking on the hobby or wanting to introduce a friend or family member, that price may be way too steep. Goldstein will be teaching those attending how to find cost effective alternatives to the big price tagged fishing gear.

Kayaking adds an extra dimension to fishing that allows you to venture far beyond where waders let you venture. You can spend thousands outfitting yourself for kayak fishing or find out what inexpensive alternatives are out there by coming to this presentation on Tuesday November 15, 2017 at 7 pm at Port 5 Navel Veterans Hall, 69 Brewster Street, Bridgeport, CT. Pizza will be sold along with a cash bar. Bring a friend and share the fun.

Written by NutmegTrout21713Oct, 2016

Calendar of Events for November 2016

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 6^th, 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 19^th 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.

Written by NutmegTrout21713Oct, 2016

Paul Dinice will Speak at the October Meeting

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.

Written by NutmegTrout21713Sep, 2016

European Nymphing simplified, Membership meeting September 20, 2016.

European Nymphing has become very popular as of late. With all the different styles out there it can be confusing on what you need and how to get started. Shawn Kelly from Orvis Darien will be discussing the best tactics to use to get out on the water and be effective immediately. After a two-year journey of just “Euro Nymphing” he has learned what the essentials are for this style of fly fishing.

Shawn began fly fishing at a young age, chasing trout on the waters of Connecticut and New York. With the help of a local pro shop, Shawn ventured into saltwater fly fishing, and his passion for both sports hasn’t stopped growing. Shawn enjoys fishing the waters of Long Island, Westchester, lower Fairfield County, and upstate New York. Shawn comes to Orvis Darien from Orvis Yonkers, where he holds the position of Fishing Manager.

Join us at 7 P.M. in Vazzy’s Restaurant at 513 Broadbridge Rd, Bridgeport, CT, for pizza and our September speaker.