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Jeff Yale of the Regional Water Authority will share the secrets of fishing Lake Saltonstall Tuesday, April 17, at 7 p.m. at Port 5, 69 Brewster St., Bridgeport. The meeting is hosted by Nutmeg Trout Unlimited.

Written by NutmegTrout21705Apr, 2018

Learn Lake Saltonstall April 17

You’ve probably wondered about fishing that body of water just beyond New Haven when you drive over it on I-95. Learn the secrets of accessing and fishing Lake Saltonstall from Jeff Yale, Program Specialist for the South Central Connecticut Regional Water Authority, on Tuesday, April 17, at 7 p.m. at Port 5, 69 Brewster St., Bridgeport.

The talk, open to all, is hosted by the Nutmeg Chapter of Trout Unlimited. All are welcome, free of charge; pizza and beverages can be purchased.

Yale will talk about how anglers can get into the property, which only hosts a limited number of fishermen at any one time, and what species can be caught there. Nutmeg TU is planning a trip there for April 23.

Jeffrey Yale is a graduate of UMaine, Orono with a BS degree in Wildlife Ecology. A lifelong Connecticut resident and avid hunter and fisherman in our state, he has been with the Regional Water Authority for 16 years.

Written by NutmegTrout21726Mar, 2018

Derbies get kids into fishing

Spring fishing derbies are a great way to introduce kids to angling, and there are several in the Nutmeg TU area.

The Fairfield PAL will hold its annual derby Saturday, April 7, from 9 to 11 a.m. at Gould Manor Park, 749 Holland Hill Road, Fairfield. Registration starts at 7:30 a.m. The Fairfield PAL Trout Derby is open to ages 3 to 15; prizes are awarded for the largest and smallest fish.

The 50th Milford Children’s Trout Derby, sponsored by the Milford Striped Bass Club, will be held Saturday, May 5. Trout Derby co-chairmen Shawn and Jenn Lalond have been organizing and running the event for more than 10 years. They can be reached at poolshark442@aol.com.

The Stratford Recreation Dept. is having its annual Catch-and-Release Fishing Derby for children of all ages on Saturday, May 5, from 6:30 to 8:30 a.m., at Brewster Pond in Stratford. The fee is $5; register April 2-May 4 online at www.townofstratford.com/recreation or in the Recreation Dept. office at 468 Birdseye Street , Stratford.

The 15th annual Monroe Police Fishing Derby will be held Saturday, May 19, from 6 to 9 a.m. at Wolf Park’s Great Hollow Lake in Monroe. The event is open, free of charge, to children 3 to 15. Prizes are awarded for the heaviest fish in the age groups 5 and under, 6-7, 8-9, 10-11, 12-15.

Tim Barry, supervising fisheries biologist for the Connecticut DEEP

Written by NutmegTrout21727Feb, 2018

The lives of trout in CT March 20 topic

Learn about trout in Connecticut and how they are kept healthy and available for anglers on Tuesday, March 20, at 7 p.m. at Port 5, 69 Brewster St., Bridgeport.

With new regulations including a salmon and trout stamp, plus changes to designations on the Mill River just approved, Nutmeg TU will welcome Tim Barry of the DEEP.

The meeting is open to the public free of charge.

Barry will deliver an update on the pending rewrite of the 20-year-old Statewide Trout Management Plan and how TU figures into the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection’s R3 (Recruitment, Retention, and Re-activation) licensing efforts.

Barry earned a bachelor’s degree in natural resource conservation from the University of Connecticut in 1978 and a master’s degree in fisheries science from the University of Massachusetts in 1983.

From 1978-80 he was a volunteer fish technician for the Peace Corps in Honduras.

After working as an aquatic scientist for Ecosystem Consulting Service in Coventry from 1982 to 1984, Barry joined the DEEP (then the Department of Environmental Protection). He was a fisheries biologist I from 1984-87, a fisheries biologist II from 1987-2012, and in 2012 became a supervising fisheries biologist for the DEEP Fisheries Division.

Barry has worked extensively with species such as trout, northern pike, walleye and largemouth and smallmouth bass on projects throughout the state.

Pizza and beverages are available for purchase.

Written by NutmegTrout21727Feb, 2018

Rep Your Water adds CT hats

RepYour Water, which supports Connecticut Trout Unlimited’s mission, has added new Connecticut-themed hats to its offerings.

One features a brook trout, the other a striped bass, both on hats emblazoned with Connecticut. Another hat features a Colonial era flag bearing a trout, embroidered with New England. Click here to see the entire Connecticut collection.

RepYourWater provides creative and unique designs on high-quality apparel and merchandise while making a difference for wildlife habitat around the country. By teaming up with Colorado Trout Unlimited early in its existence, RepYourWater has been able to contribute to the conservation of Colorado fisheries and set in motion what the company is today.

Rep. Your Water has now joined with conservation organizations across the United States, including the Connecticut Council of TU, as 1% partners. Rep Your Water distributes 10% of sales among those 1% partners, based on sales of designs to the Trout Unlimited chapters of Connecticut, Canada, Wyoming, Pennsylvania, the Southeastern Conservation Project and New Mexico; Backcountry Hunters and Anglers Chapters in Utah, Alaska and Montana; the Wild Steelhead Coalition and The Bonefish and Tarpon Trust to provide financial support for the protection of the natural world.

RepYourWater also donates 50% of the proceeds from the Bristol Bay, Native Fish Society and the WILD steelhead hats to the Renewable Resources Fund, Native Fish Society and Wild Steelhead Coalition respectively.

The message to Connecticut anglers is, the more Connecticut merchandise you buy from Rep Your Water, the more money comes back for local conservation efforts.

For more information on Rep Your Water’s relationship with each non-profit, choose from the drop-down menu on its home page, repyourwater.com.

Written by NutmegTrout21716Feb, 2018

Exciting events open to all

Fellow fishermen and conservationists:

Wow! Our February board meeting just ended and I am excited! Your Board really stepped up and put together a great agenda for the next five months. I needed to share our plans with you so here goes!

Our speaker agenda will bring us new ideas and hints for local fishing.

February 20 Jimmy O is going to tell us about Winter striper fishing on the Housie.
March 20 Tim Barry from DEEP will enlighten us about stocking plans, DEEP’s new fish finding tech, and the new expanded TMA on the Mill River. Plus much more!
April 17 Jeff Yale from Regional Water will talk about fishing Lake Saltonstall. The lake is easily accessible (visible from Rt. 95) and loaded with a wide variety of fish, including Walleye, Bass, trout and much more.
May 15 Sonny Yu talks fly fishing for American Shad. We’ll have a trip the Saturday after this meeting to fish for Shad on the Mill River in Fairfield (who knew?)

Kudos to John Kovach for creating such an exciting agenda. The meetings are always at Port 5 in Bridgeport and pizza and drinks are available. We also have some fun auction items available at every meeting to raise some funds to support our programs.

In March we start our fishing trips and hands on activities. All of the trips will be led by one or more of our experienced fishing leaders from our Board and membership.

March 31 – Trout fishing the Saugatuck on Ford Road.
April 21 (World Fish Migration Day) – This is a big one!

In cooperation with Beardsley Zoo we will have a Pequonnock River Day.

Activities to include:

- River cleanup.
- River walk and insect study.
- Bird of Prey animal encounter.
- Fly casting clinic (5 LL Bean donated rods will be available for use).
- Tree planting.
- And of course, we will cap the day off with some fishing on the Pequonnock.

Get your hands dirty, learn to fish and catch some fish. Come for all or part of the day.

May 20 – Shad fishing on the Mill River in Fairfield.
May 23 – Trout fishing at the Limestone Club (fee charged, space limited – email me to register rhrosen@aol.com)
May 26 – Striper fishing on the Housatonic at the Audubon center in Milford.
June 24 – Trout fishing on the Farmington.

On the Conservation front we resume our work on the Mill River at Congress Street. Watch your emails for the date. Many hands will be needed as we work to deepen the river by anchoring Christmas trees to channel the river. Last year we planted hundreds of trees here. This next important phase will insure the Mill river will continue to be a premiere fishing spot for years to come. It can’t be done without member’s like you helping.

I hope you agree that we have some great stuff lined up and member participation is key. All of the meetings and trips are free (except for the Limestone outing) and the public is welcome.

Rich Rosen

Nutmeg Chapter President

Written by NutmegTrout21731Jan, 2018

A message from Nutmeg’s president

Hello TU Nutmegers:

Welcome to 2018. Your Board of Directors is working to make programming and participation even better. Today we have over 350 dues paying members in the Nutmeg chapter and together we can take care of our rivers, learn and have fun.

Each of us belongs to TU for different reasons. As a chapter we try to offer diverse programs and activities to meet everyone’s interests. Like most, my active involvement in TU started slowly. My only regret is that I did not get more active in TU sooner.

What does Trout Unlimited mean to you?

As a board we wonder what motivates members to join and stay connected: events, meetings, outings, conservation …. So we ask:

What speakers do you want to see at our meetings?
Do you want to learn about fishing local waters or destination fishing?
What will make your Nutmeg TU Chapter better?
- Opportunities to fish with friends
- Meeting fishing buddies
- Learning new skills and fishing spots
- Improving stream quality, or
- Just being part of a national organization that advocates clean fresh water fisheries

More opportunities to volunteer in 2018.

I would like to see our conservation efforts expand to include micro invertebrate monitoring
We should do more with youth and engage our veterans
We will continue to improve the Mill River habitat – watch for updates as we will soon use the Embrace a Stream funds to deepen the Mill River’s Congress Street section by channeling the river with recycled Christmas trees
Join the board, lead a fishing outing, participate in a river cleanup, do water sampling, work with TIC …

If you are a Nutmeg TU member and simply want to support a national advocacy group for clean water, we thank you for your participation, numbers are important. However, on the local level, none of the annual membership fees go to the local chapter. It all stays with TU national. Our funding comes from grants, donations and the raffles we run at the meetings. It costs money and takes volunteers to run our meetings, support the 15 Trout in The Classroom (TIC) local schools and do our conservation work. Your financial support is appreciated, and every dollar goes a long way because the Nutmeg chapter of TU is a 100% volunteer organization.

As we begin the new year I want to take this time to thank my fellow Board Members John Kovach, Dave Edgeworth, Jerry Goldstein, David Ader, Ed Grzeda, Cheryl Groesbeck, Phil Jacques, Chuck Petruccelli and Gian Morresi, for their wisdom at our monthly board meetings; volunteering to lead fishing trips, river cleanups/conservation work, sharing the load; and for the pleasure of fishing together in and around our lovely part of Connecticut.

On behalf of the Board of Directors I want to thank you for your continued support. Our goal is to have fun while doing good in our community. We hope you find the chapter welcoming and choose to participate in this valuable organization.

Happy New Year to all and I look forward to seeing you in 2018.

Rich Rosen

President TU Nutmeg Chapter

Written by NutmegTrout21711Jan, 2018

Tickets still available for Fly Fishing Film Tour

UPDATE: Some tickets are still available for tonight’s showing of the Fly Fishing Film Tour at the Trumbull Marquis & BTX Theater.

Tickets can be purchased online for $25 (a $5 discount) until 2 p.m. by clicking here.

Tickets MAY also be available at the door, if any remain, at a cost of $30.

Doors will open at 6:15 p.m.

ORIGINAL POST: The Candlewood, Mianus and Nutmeg chapters of Trout Unlimited wii host two showings of the Fly Fishing Film Tour in the coming week, with proceeds supporting conservation projects and environmental education in Fairfield County.

The first showing will be held Friday, Feb. 2, at the Trumbull Marquis & BTX Theater. The the second will be Friday, Feb. 23, at the Stamford Majestic Theater. Doors open at 7 p.m. for each show. Tickets are $25 each online or $30 at the door.

Click here to buy tickets to the Feb. 2 showing in Trumbull.

Click here to buy tickets to the Feb. 23 showing in Stamford.

Last year’s F3T in Trumbull sold out faster than organizers expected. In addition to fly angling movies on the big screen, the events include drinks, raffles and door prizes.

While tickets may be available at the door the night of the screening, we can’t guarantee anything. Last year organizers had to turn away dozens of people.

Some films include graphic language and situations which may be inappropriate for younger viewers.

Trailers can be viewed at flyflimtour.com.

Written by NutmegTrout21709Jan, 2018

Fishing roundtable Jan. 16

UPDATE: Tonight’s meeting will be held as scheduled at 7 p.m. at Port 5, 69 Brewster St. Bridgeport.

Ever wonder about how to get started fishing? Or if fly fishing is as complicated as it might seem? Or where to fish in Eastern Fairfield County?

Get the answers to these and other fishing questions when Nutmeg TU holds a fishing roundtable Tuesday, Jan. 16, at 7 p.m. at Port 5, 69 Brewster St., in the Black Rock section of Bridgeport.

The meeting will be informal, with members sharing thoughts, advice and insights. Pizza and beverages can be purchased.

This is a great chance to make angling friends, learn about the many fishing trips Nutmeg TU holds throughout the year, and discover ways to help on conservation projects.

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.

TU members and volunteers abide by the motto: “If you take care of the fish, the fishing will take care of itself.”

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.