February 2016

News & Events

General Meeting - Tuesday, February 9, 2016

Rabbi Eric Eisenkramer

“The Fly Fishing Rabbi”

Rabbi Eric Eisenkramer, also known as the Fly Fishing Rabbi, will guide us on an exploration of the the spiritual side of casting a fly. With pictures, discussion and readings from his book, Fly-Fishing; The Sacred Art, Rabbi Eisenkramer will share what fly-fishing has to teach us about reflection, solitude and the wonders of the natural world. Topics will include: fly-fishing and harmony, fly-fishing in Argentina, a pilgrimage to Montana, conservation and fly-tying.

Rabbi Eric Eisenkramer is the co-author, along with Rev. Michael Attas of Fly-Fishing The Sacred Art: Casting A Fly As A Spiritual Practice. He writes a blog, The Fly Fishing Rabbi and is a contributor to Trout magazine and Reform Judaism magazine. Rabbi Eisenkramer is the spiritual leader of Temple B’nai Shalom in East Brunswick NJ and he fishes the cold water streams of New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.

American Legion Hall
137 New Market Road
Dunellen, NJ

Meeting starts at 8 PM - Non Members are always welcome!

Pequest Open House

Saturday and Sunday, April 2 and 3, 2016
10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Come celebrate the arrival of spring and the opening of trout season at the Pequest Trout Hatchery Open House. There are activities for people of every age. Come see some of NJ's wildlife artists, taxidermists and carvers. Get to know some of NJ's conservation groups and learn what they do for NJ's natural resources. Visit with historical reenactors or learn how to safely shoot a bow at our archery range.

There are many activities for kids including fishing in the education pond for kids between the ages of 8 and 16 (all equipment provided), younger kids can try to catch a fish in our kiddie trout tank, or visit our exhibit hall to see some of New Jersey's animals. You can even take a self-guided tour of the hatchery and see where more than 600,000 trout are raised each year for NJ's rivers and streams. Don't forget to visit the Sportsmen's Flea Market for some great deals on fishing and hunting related items.

Trout Season Opens April 9, 2016

Fly Casting and Fishing for Beginners

Pequest Hatchery
Saturday, June 11, 2016
10:00 a.m.

Learn the basics of fly casting and fly fishing in this program run by Wildlife Conservation Corps volunteers from Central Jersey Trout Unlimited. Topics will include equipment, knot tying, entomology, stream tactics and casting techniques. This program is geared for ages 8 and above. Adults in the program should have a valid NJ fishing license which can be purchased the day of the event.

Fly Tying Classes Underway!

Trout in the Classroom

Dick Turse

In early December CJTU's TIC Coordinator and star filmmaker, Ozzie Ozefovich invited me to join him as he was asked to present a program on underwater stream photography. Eugene Pirog, teacher at Bridgewater-Raritan High School who has a TIC tank in his classroom, wanted his students to get a great look at what trout do in the wild. Ozzie with his underwater photography has quite a reputation. Oz invited me because I live nearby and am part of his TIC team.

The program was scheduled for a Thursday but Ozzie insists on checking out the equipment and setting before he gives his presentation. So we descended on the school on the previous Tuesday. Eugene took us to the auditorium where we checked out the computers and AV equipment. Everything was working fine but we could not try to project the video onto the auditorium screen because students were on the stage setting up for a play that was to begin on Thursday.

So when we came back on Thursday we were informed that plans were suddenly changed. We could not use the auditorium because of the play. They shunted us of off to a large classroom which fortunately had some AV equipment. Of course, we had never tested it on Tuesday. Thank goodness it worked fine. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise because there were about 70 students who would have been probably scattered in the auditorium that holds 500 students.

The presentation was great and the students as well as some teachers and assistant principal enjoyed it immensely. I've seen it several times before but it never loses its great appeal. Maybe you know some school that might be interested. If so, contact Oz and let him know.

Cold Water Conservation

Rich Post - Cold Water Conservation Co-Chairman

As I write this article for Mainstream on February 3, the rain is falling and the snow is disappearing. It makes me think of stocking the Musconectcong Point Mountain TCA which will start in late March, weather and river conditions permitting. Any CJTU members that are interested in joining our stocking team must be a NJFW registered volunteer. Go to the NJFW website and fill out the volunteer member application and submit it with a passport size photo. NJFW will return a badge with your photo on it to identify you as a volunteer.

We currently have 12 active team members who help out with the 4 to 5 spring stockings and the final one that occurs in mid-October. Most of us are gray haired fishermen who do not move as quickly as we did in past years. So the more members we have available make it that much easier for us to accomplish our work. We work together in two man teams to evenly distribute the fish throughout about a 1 mile section of river, keeping our own safety in mind. We put a lot of effort in keeping the fish healthy during the process of their move from the stocking truck to the river. This is a good way spend time with people who share your same interest and by doing so enhance a cold water fishery that all can enjoy.

February Fly Tying Sale and Demonstration at Efinger’s

CJTU fly tiers will be conducting fly tying demonstrations every Saturday, 10 am - 3 pm during the month of February at Efingers.

Feb. 6:

Lou Digena - K.I.S.S. patterns
Bill Ninke - Mayfly Duns and Spinners


Feb. 13:

Bart Lombardo - Euro-style Nymphs
Dick Turse - Landlocked-salmon Streamers and Dry Flies


Feb. 20:

Paul Erdo - Traditional Nymphs
Larry Gove - New Saltwater Patterns


Feb. 27:

Rob Paul - Exciting Emergers
Ed Kordyla - New Techniques

Efinger’s fly tying sale: 20% off all fly tying materials including vises. TU members get an additional 10% off. That’s 30% off your fly tying materials.

Fly of the Month

“Craven’s CDC Comparadun”
by Lou Digena

Comparadun or Haystack dry flies are great to use when trout are selective because these flies sit flush in the surface film like the natural. The CDC wing is easy to see and floats well. Remember only to dress the fly with a power floatant like Frogs Fanny, other paste floatant’s matt down the CDC and reduces it’s effectiveness.