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www.cjtu.org |
November 2019 |
General MeetingTuesday, November 12, 2019Wendell "Ozzie" OzefovichFishing Montana
Born in eastern Pennsylvania, Wendell "Ozzie" Ozefovich grew up fishing the streams of the coal mining region. His passion for trout and their world began at age six, when a brook trout fell prey to a garden worm. That passion continues unabated for the salmon and trout he now pursues with fly and rod. After serving four years in the US Navy, Ozzie spent his professional career in training and course development in the power generation industry. His experience in teaching allows him to discuss the nuances of hydrodynamics and make them understandable. Since retiring Ozzie has spent considerable time volunteering with the Central Jersey Trout Unlimited chapter where he served many years on the Board of Directors and was the coordinator for the Trout in the Classroom program. He has also worked with the NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife by being involved with kids education programs, stream restoration projects and stream surveys. In the late 90’s Ozzie combined his love of trout and his experience in lecturing with a lifelong interest in movie making. He has produced a series of underwater videos exploring how trout feed, spawn and behave. He has chronicled wild and hatchery trout in their natural environs. His narrated video presentations have opened the eyes of thousands of anglers across the country. There are currently three dvds available -- Discovery, Feeding Lies, and Trout Vision and Refraction. Video presentations include Atlantic Salmon Fishing-Good Guides and Not so Good Guides, The Life Cycle of the Brook Trout for Trout in the Classroom Students, and Not Just Trout, a banquet presentation which appeals to not only anglers but to non-fishers alike. DVD's are available for sale on www.underwateroz.com. Wading and drift boat fishing the Missouri River from Canyon Ferry Dam to Pelican Point. I have fished the Missouri River every year since 2002. Besides wetting a line in other rivers in Montana, the Missouri is still my favorite. Fishing the Anaconda Settling Ponds in the Warm Springs Wildlife Management Area. Normally, one would not think that the nation’s largest Superfund site would harbor any fish at all, let alone monster trout. Yet, that is the case at the Anaconda Settling Ponds, located north of Anaconda and fifteen miles west of Butte. I have fished it and it's true, but there is a risk. FYI, google The Anaconda Settling Ponds Fishing Reports. Pre-Meeting Fly Tying ProgramAs a broadening of our Chapter’s educational offerings we are continuing the new pre-meeting program aimed at those in our Chapter who have interest in the pattern or techniques mentioned in the Fly of the Month. So come at 7pm this coming Tuesday if you are interested. Bill Ninke will be demoing the tying of the "Little Green Machine” featured as the November Fly of the Month. As a special added feature Bill will discuss substitutes for the once popular Dai Riki line of hooks which have recently gone out of production. Meeting LocationAmerican Legion Hall
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President’s Letter
The fishing conditions here at home can change just as suddenly during this time of year. I have had the opportunity to fish here in New Jersey a few times during October, and I have seen low water, high water, and everything in between! The fishing has been good at times, but fishing in the fall always has its challenges, but at least you don't have the crowds to deal with. 
A Maine trout stream in full colorThis month's speaker is my good friend, Wendell "Ozzie" Ozefovich. Ozzie grew up fishing the streams of Pennsylvania's coal-mining region. His passion for trout and their world began at age six when a brook trout fell prey to a garden worm. That passion continues unabated for the salmon and trout he now pursues with fly and rod. Ozzie combined his love of trout and his experience in lecturing with a lifelong interest in movie making. He has produced a series of underwater videos exploring how trout feed, spawn, and behave. He has chronicled wild and hatchery trout in their natural environs. His narrated video presentations have opened the eyes of thousands of anglers across the country. His presentation this month will take us out to the wilds of Montana. It is a program you do not want to miss! I mentioned that Ozzie produced a series of underwater videos. He will have all of his DVD's available for purchase at the meeting, and he is offering them to CJTU members at a fantastic discount. These DVD's will sell for only $10.00 each at this month's meeting. 
A fine West Virginia rainbow!I want to thank the CJTU volunteers who assisted with the Point Mountain Stocking Program and those who helped us in delivering the trout eggs to the schools participating in our Trout In The Classroom program. We could not get these programs off the ground without your help! Thank You! Along those lines, November is the time of year that we nominate members to the board of directors. We have lost several directors over the last few years, and our numbers have dwindled to near critical levels. If you would like to take a more active role in your chapter, please consider getting involved at the director level. The demands on your time are minimal, and it is gratifying work. If you want to learn more, you can drop me an email at info@cjtu.org or come talk to me at a meeting. We are moving into a hectic time of year for most folks. If you can steal some time away from work, family and holiday preparations you should try and get out on the water. The fall season gives you your best shot at a trophy trout! If you are a fly tier, you do not want to miss the 29th Annual International Fly Tying Symposium being held at the Sheridan Hotel in Parsippany, NJ, on November 23rd & 24th. CJTU does not have a presence at this event, but I will be sharing a table with Lou Digena as featured fly tiers. Stop by and say hello if you are attending the show this year.
Tight Lines |
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News & EventsPoint Mountain Stocking Wrap upThe last stocking of Point Mountain for this year took place on October 9th. Since March the stocking team has placed about 1750 fish in the Point Mountain stretch. We stock the fish with an all terrain vehicle we call the mule. This enables us to spread the fish out along the entire TCA stretch instead of just dropping the fish from the bridge on Point Mountain road. By spreading the fish out like this there will be fish in all the pools and the fishing will be good along the entire stretch. We work in cooperation with the Hunterdon County Parks Department and hopefully our efforts will make for a better fishing experience along the Point Mountain stretch of the Musconetcong River. I'd like to thank all the members of the stocking team who participated in the stocking this year, with special thanks to Stan Szostak and Tom Lee who helped at every one of the stockings this spring and fall. We have some pictures of the rainbow trout we put in this fall courtesy of stocking team member Dave Powell. Ed Kordyla, CJTU stocking coordinator 
Garden State Outdoor Sports ShowJanuary 9 through 12
The Fly Fishing ShowJanuary 24 through 26
https://smile.amazon.com/ch/23-7355313 Use the link above to access amazon.com and help support CJTUCJTU is now part of the Amazon Smile program. By clicking through to Amazon with the above link, CJTU will receive a small percentage based on your purchase. Fly of the MonthWilcox’s Little Green MachineTied by Bill Ninke
In honor of Ozzie’s talk this month on fishing the Missouri River I present a nymph pattern that you must carry if you fish there in the early or late season. I first learned of this pattern when I visited the Headhunters Fly Shop in Craig Montana in early October about five years ago. On any trip I always drop in to the local shop to get the latest fishing report and fly recommendations. That day a staff member there told me of combination midge, Baetis, and Psuedo activity and took me over to the fly bins to show me their top rated nymph that serves to match all of these – Vince Wilcox’s Little green Machine(LGM). As the staff member pulled one from the bin I commented “This fly doesn’t look green to me but more brown and somewhat like a BH Pheasant Tail.” She laughed and said “The rumor (*) is that Wilcox first tied the pattern on the banks of the Green River below Flaming Gorge in Utah during a Baetis hatch. He really cleaned up when he fished it so he named it the Little Green Machine. The pattern is a descendant of the Pheasant Tail nymph hence the brown tone. We like it in sizes 16 through 20.” She further pointed out that “Although the brown one came first, there is now a chartreuse one in sizes 18 and 20 which matches the small Pseudos here on the Mo better than the original brown.” She finished by saying “Buy all the color and size versions, fish them as droppers or on a deep nymph rig, and you’ll catch lots of trout.” So, I did, I did, and I did. As a result this pattern is a fixture in my tail water nymph box. Vince Wilcox runs a shop, Wiley’s Flies, in Ray Brook, New York. He has designed a number of patterns that are commercially tied and distributed. But the LGM is his best-selling pattern. It was first published on the Fly Fisherman web site in 2004. The version here is a copy of what I bought at Headhunters. Wilcox details more elaborate versions in his 2012 book and in two recent YouTube videos. But I’ve stuck with the version here and have only used it only in tail waters and spring creeks where small nymphs prevail. But Wilcox claims it works everywhere and I believe him. The pattern starts with a 1XL nymph hook. A copper bead, one size smaller than traditionally used for the hook size, is at the head. True to its PT nymph influence, the tail is of PT fibers. The dominant feature of this pattern, however, is a wrapped micro tubing body. This creates a slim body with translucence. The thorax cover.is Mirage tinsel. Gill like appendages are white antron fibers. The sparkly thorax is UV Ice Dub. It’s a pattern you can crank out in a few minutes. I tie the brown version in sizes 16, 18 and 20 and the chartreuse version in sizes 18 and 20. You should too. Although I’ve used the listed Tiemco hook in my early ties of this pattern (and the flies in the photo are on this hook), I’ve recently been experimenting with the Model 21 Competition Nymph Hook sold through the Wholesale Fly Company website. This hook is barbless in a black nickel finish and has a regular shank length, not 1XL. So the Brown is tied on14, 16, and 18s and the Chartreuse on 16 and 18s. This yields a larger hook gap for the same size fly body. Seems perfect to me to hook and hold the biggies on the Mo. I’ll have to tie up a bunch of LGMs on this hook for Ozzie to try on his next trip there to test if my feeling is right. *I recently phoned Wilcox and he confirmed the origin rumor is true. Click here for the recipe! |
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Central Jersey Trout Unlimited’s Supporters
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This month's letter from the President comes to you from the banks of the North Branch of the South Fork of the Potomac River in West Virginia! It is the end of October, and a few friends and I are enjoying some excellent fishing on this West Virginia River. The mountains are in full color, but the colors seem a little flat compared to the colors I saw in Maine earlier in the month. Traveling to fish this time of year is always a little risky. Just like at home, stream flows can be off. Last year we fished this stream in record-high flows, this year, we are faced with the challenge of low water. The weather can often be an issue, as well. A check of the weather a few days before leaving had me packing clothes for a cold, wet fishing trip. What we found when we arrived was bluebird skies and temps nearing 80 degrees! Needless to say, I came home with a lot of clean long sleeve flannel shirts that never made it out of my bag!
