www.cjtu.org

October 2022

General Meeting

Tuesday, October 11th, 2022

Steve Schmidt - Fly Fishing Argentina

Steve is a writer, photographer, was a fly-fishing guide and currently an owner of Western Rivers Flyfisher in Salt Lake City, Utah; a fly-fishing retailer and outfitter since 1986. A lifelong angler, he’s the author of Fly Fishing Utah. His work has also appeared in Gray’s Sporting Journal, Patagonia, and Fly Fisherman magazine. He's also a committed conservationist who has been involved in shaping Utah and the west's fish future.

On Fishing Argentina, Steve writes: “Over a decade ago, I was asked to take a group of shop regulars to Argentina. Given we have access to some of the world's greatest fly fishing in Utah and throughout the west, I thought I'd go once. This coming April will be my 12th year of leading groups and organizing trips to this amazing country. I've also explored other countries in South America; Chile, Peru, Uruguay, yet Argentina is still my favorite. It's an incredible destination that offers a cornucopia of fly-fishing opportunities, but that's just part of the reason I and others return year after year”.

Zoom Link for those who can not attend in person

American Legion Hall
137 New Market Road
Dunellen, NJ

Meeting starts at 8:00 PM - Non Members are always welcome!

News & Events

Return of Stocking Operations at Point Mountain

After two years of not using the CJTU stocking team at the Point Mountain stretch of the Musconetcong because of Covid restrictions, the NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife is going back to stocking the Pt. Mountain stretch using the Hunterdon County ATV and the stocking team. The fall stocking of the stretch will take place on Wednesday, October 12th.

Anyone interested should be a NJ Wildlife Conservation Corp volunteer. You can sign up by going to the division's website, wwwdep.nj.gov/njfw, and filling out the forms. This is done for insurance purposes. The team will be meeting at the Point Mountain parking lot at 8:00 AM on Wednesday, October 12th. Bring waders.

Ed Kordyla, CJTU stocking coordinator

Help CJTU when you shop at Amazon!

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Use the link above to access amazon.com and help support CJTU

AmazonSmile is a simple way for you to support your favorite charitable organization every time you shop, at no cost to you. AmazonSmile is available at smile.amazon.com on your web browser and can be activated in the Amazon Shopping app for iOS and Android phones. When you shop at AmazonSmile, you’ll find the exact same low prices, vast selection and convenient shopping experience as Amazon.com, with the added benefit that AmazonSmile will donate 0.5% of your eligible purchases to Central Jersey Trout Unlimited.

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Fly of the Month

CDC Winged Ant

Tied by Bill Ninke

Air and water temperatures are dropping. Large mayflies and caddis are sparse. Baetis and midges haven’t yet started. So what do you fish. Terrestrials, of course. Heavy frost hasn’t yet hit so there are still plenty of them around. You can throw hopper, a beetle or, my favorite for this time of year, an ant. This month’s pattern, which has been very productive for me over the last two years, is an amalgam of many patterns described on internet blogs and videos. I like it because it does double duty. You can fish it as a dry on shallow runs under trees close to shore. Leaves, which are just starting to drop, can carry an ant with them as they descend. And trout can be quick to pounce on a new arrival. Or you can fish it wet in more midstream currents. Ants that don’t get picked off when first arriving get drowned by the turbulence as they are carried to these currents.

The pattern is very simple. Besides the hook and thread, it requires only peacock herl, a hackle, and CDC feathers. Herl forms the gaster and head. The hackle is wound to form the thorax. And the CDC forms the wing. Once you get these materials laid out on your bench, you should be able to tie a fly in under five minutes. Sizes 14 and 16 have worked best for me. So crank out some to use now and also a few extras to save for late Summer or early September next year when we experience flying ant falls. It works great during these. If you are fortunate enough to be on a stream when one occurs you won’t believe the many trout rising all around you.

As with other CDC flies when fished dry, this pattern floats well until slimed by a caught fish. Then you need swish it in the water to remove the slime, blow it as dry as possible, and dip in a powdered floatant before casting it again. Remember your reach cast. Real ants float at the speed of the current and trout know this. They are more tolerant of movement when fly is fished wet.

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