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August 2008 |
General Meeting - September 9, 2008
Our speaker for September is Brian Cowden with a program titled
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News & Events
The August 16th Fly Casting for Beginners has been canceled.
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President’s LetterAugust 2008I hope everyone is enjoying their summer. You may have noticed that there was not a President’s Letter sent out with last month’s Main Stream. My apologies, I was not able to include one because I was out enjoying my summer! I was part of a group of four C.J.T.U members that headed out to Montana for two weeks of fishing. Although the water was still in runoff stage on a lot of rivers, we managed to find some water where the risk of drowning was somewhat diminished and found some great fishing and even got in on the elusive Salmon Fly hatch. We may even go so far as to put on a presentation highlighting our adventures in an upcoming meeting. In my absence Central Jersey Trout Unlimited was keeping busy. On July 19th we hosted a Getting Started in Fly Fishing Class up at the Pequest Hatchery. We had thirteen people show up and they received hands on instruction and even had the opportunity to fish in the hatchery education pond. For those that have never experienced the education pond it is like…well fishing in a hatchery. Lots of big hungry fish! 
Speaking about the hatchery’s education pond we will be hosting our kids fishing day there on September 20th. This is event is open to all C.J.T.U members and their families at no cost. In fact feel free to bring a neighbor’s child as well. The whole purpose of this event is to introduce children to the fine sport of fishing. The hours for the event are 10-3 and please remember fishing in the pond on this date can only be done by children ages 16 and under, we “grownups” will be there to supervise. C.J.T.U will provide the bait (only worms fished on single barb less hooks will be allowed) and rod and reels if needed. We will also provide a lunch of pizza and soda. Please look for the additional information in this month’s addition of Main Stream and sign you and your children up at the September meeting. Hope to see you there. Our chapter also hopes to have a presence at the Wildlife Heritage Festival at the Pequest Hatchery on September 28th & 29th. We are looking for volunteers to help out with this event. If you are interested ask one of the directors at the next meeting for additional information. We should also be announcing some additional work projects coming up in the next few months. As many of you know a dam was removed on the Musconetcong River this year, and a lot of additional work needs to be done at the site. Look for an Action Alert from Central Jersey Trout Unlimited when we have more information. In closing I would like to invite everyone to attend our first annual C.J.T.U Barbeque being held this October on Saturday the 4th at the Raritan Inn. Check out the article in this month’s Main Stream for all the details. It will be a day of great food, fishing and fellowship. I hope everyone and their families come out to spend the day with us. |
Photo from the “Fly Casting for Beginners” program at the Pequest on July 19th.We had 13 students and 13 instructors, and pretty much everybody caught fish. Some actually caught quite a few bruisers. It was hot as blazes, so we were very fortunate the fish were active. The students really had a good time. Agust led the casting lesson, and a few of our volunteers tried out Rich's new rod with the Sharkskin flyline. Agust pronounced it cast like a cannon but Ozzie said it was too noisy. Our Chapter also gains a few new members after free programs such as this one.
CJTU's First Fall Picnic / Fishing DaySaturday, October 4,2008Join fellow TU members and their families Saturday, October 4,2008, 11 am to 6 pm, at the Raritan Inn at Middle Valley for CJTU's First Fall Picnic / Fishing Day. We'll be featuring a pig roast, ready around 3 pm, but will have other grilled items available at noon. We welcome any special side items you may wish to bring. Soft drinks and water will be provided, otherwise it's BYOB. We'll provide the coolers and ice, you bring the rest. Advance tickets are $40 for adults, $10 for kids under 16 years of age, $45 /adults and $12 / kids on the day of the picnic. You can purchase your tickets at the September 9th General Meeting in Dunellen, or by mailing your check or money order made out to CJTU to:
Central Jersey Trout Unlimited Click here for more info on the picnic. ArticlesThis month we have a pair of articles from Stuart Shafran. The first is a report on the Musky tire cleanup that was held on June 25th titled “Tire, Tired and more Tires”. Several weeks ago, what I thought would begin as an ordinary volunteer event with the usual handful of characters, instead wound up becoming one of the most memorable and rewarding events I've ever attended. It would have been as satisfying as any fishing day I could remember if not for the fact that I had to go back to my day job afterwards. I received an e-mail from Brian Cowden, TU's Home Waters Chairman, requesting volunteers to help haul out discarded tires from the Musconetcong River. Brian included photos in his e-mail of a stretch of river formerly known as the Gruendyke Dam, with dozens of car, truck, and tractor tires along the banks and littering the river bottom. One look at those photos and there was no question whether I would help. We believe but cannot prove, that for many years someone was dumping tires into the river. Judging from the amount and vintage of what we hauled out, we're talking several decades worth. With the combination of the dam removal and recent storms, hundreds of tires were unearthed and washed downstream resting above and below the Pump House Restaurant. To continue the article, click here. The second article is a story called “Who Knew?” In a previous article I wrote that I had joined a volunteer army and together we had hauled out hundreds of tires from the stretch of river once known as the Gruendyke Dam. One of the volunteers, John Nordstedt, is an old friend of mine, a long time member of TU and of this chapter. I enjoyed his company that day as well as many other days fishing together on our chapter trips. On one of several work breaks at the old dam, John entertained me with a story that I enjoyed so much, that I asked his permission to share it in Mainstream. One of John's and my favorite rivers to fish is the Farmington River in Connecticut. Combined we have almost twenty years of fish tales at each and every pool and run from the dam at Hogback Reservoir to the Hillside Motel, in Canton. Not too long ago, mid July, John was fishing Church Pool, the most heavily fished pool on the river. It's a small stretch of river located at the intersection of Routes 318 and 181. It was just about 6 AM and John was the second to arrive at the pool. The first guy was fishing under the bridge. He was as far out as he could wade. John was standing below the bridge rigging up his rod to fish nymphs. Click here to continue the story. |
TripsThere are still a few trips left for this season. To see what is available, click here. |
Pequest Programs For 2008 - By Ozzie OzefovichDue to staffing hours reductions at the Pequest Hatchery there may not be any programs run on Saturdays or Sundays after July 1st. So, please check online or contact Ozzie at to find out the latest update.CJTU Kids Fishing Education Day -- Free !!Saturday, September 20th 10am - 3pm Kids Fishing Education Day is a special program for family members of Central Jersey Trout Unlimited. We always get a great turnout, rain or shine! All children up to age 16 that are family of CJTU members can also invite a friend to come along. Please let Ozzie know if you will be attending and how many family members/guests you will be bringing. All chapter members are invited to assist the youngsters. A pizza lunch and soft drinks will be provided.We will have spin casting outfits for the kids, with barbless hooks, and we also supply the worms. Lures are not allowed. You can bring a fly rod or bring your own fishing outfits, as long as there is someone accompanying your youngster. Safety glasses are supplied for those that aren’t wearing plain glasses or sunglasses. For information on all programs during the year, and there are many that not just in the fishing category (and they are all free): Snakes of New Jersey, Owl Prowl, Owl Pellets and what they eat, Butterflies and Moths, Life cycle of the Monarch butterfly, Indoor fossil hunt, Trees of NJ, Birds of NJ, Black bears, and more, visit www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/budding.htm . |
