News & Events
Fly Tying School Returns!
Part 1: Saturday, February 11, 2023
Part 2: Saturday February 18, 2023
10:00 to 3:00 PM
Beginners Fly Tying Class
This is our entry-level class for the person just getting started in fly tying or who has very little experience. We will cover the basic tools, techniques and materials necessary to tie a variety of basic flies, concentrating on patterns that work well on local rivers and streams.
Learn to do things “right from the start” from our excellent instructors who are some of the best in the East. Techniques are taught in a sequence that continually builds competence. Our instructors watch you and make sure you are doing things right. Further, we will provide a quality vice, tools, hooks and all materials or you can bring your own. Finally, we provide a manual with summarized tying descriptions for each pattern plus a reference to a web video we believe is the best for that pattern.
Intermediate Class
This class is for the intermediate tier who has acquired the basic skills in handling tools and materials either by previously taking a beginners course and/or tying flies regularly for a year or two.
While our Beginners Classes are the same from year to year, our Intermediate Class constantly evolves. New patterns, techniques and materials introduced by tiers through-out the world are monitored, and the best ones that mesh with the skill set of the intermediate tier are selected. Thus the class remains interesting to past attendees and also to those who have never taken it before. Students must bring their own vise and tools, some materials will be provided.
The cost for all classes is $50.00. To register or ask questions contact us at cjtutying@cjtu.org. Please register early so CJTU can plan ahead to make your course a success.
Fly tying classes will be held in the American Legion Hall, 137 New Market Road, Dunellen, NJ 08812
This course is open to members and nonmembers. We welcome anyone who has an interest in the sport of Fly Fishing or Fly Tying.
Our courses are taught in a relaxed atmosphere of camaraderie. We feel that with the patient, guiding help of our instructors, everyone will finish the course with a good working knowledge of how to tie flies.
Please remember to bring a light for your vise, lighting conditions in the building might not be as bright as you may like.
The Fly Fishing Show
January 27 - 29
New Jersey Convention & Exposition Center
97 Sunfield Avenue
Edison, NJ 08837-3810
2023 Musconetcong River Clean-Up
Central Jersey Trout Unlimited (CJTU) will again be participating in the Musconetcong River Clean-up from the Point Mountain location. The Musky Clean-up will be held on Saturday, April 15th, beginning at 9:00a.m. At the completion of the Clean-up, probably between 11:00a.m. and 11:30a.m., we have been invited by the Musconetcong Watershed Association (MWA), to attend a BBQ at their headquarters at 10 Maple Avenue, in Asbury, New Jersey. It's a fun time!
MWA will supply gloves and garbage bags for whatever trash we collect.
Please bring your own water bottles so that we don't add to the trash by supplying individual plastic bottles.
There will be a couple of large reusable canisters of water so that we can refill our own personal bottles.
This is a great event, one where we can do good work and get reacquainted! Invite a friend! Please let Marsha Benovengo know if you are able to participate in the Musconetcong River Clean-up on Saturday, April 15th. You can reach Marsha via email at casabeno@msn.com.
Thank you!
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Fly of the Month
Wood’s Micro Leech
Tied by Bill Ninke
Winter is finally here. Trout are down deep. How do you get at them? Use a nymph with a large tungsten bead, of course. But wouldn’t adding a second fly increase your chances? Certainly, and what should it be? It could be the Mayer’s Mini Leech I described in January 2020. But I’m strongly suggesting this month’s pattern, another leech, but smaller and quite fluttery in the bottom currents as the tungsten weighted nymph drifts stoically along.
I first saw this pattern in a video by John Wood, a professional fly tier from Billings Montana. He created it for use on the nearby Bighorn River. It uses only a hook, thread, and a 1/16 inch wide zonker strip cut from a tanned Pine Squirrel hide. Such narrow strips are hard to cut uniformly. So if you don’t want to cut a hide into such strips yourself, Wapsi offers them all cut precisely for you.
I’m particularly fond of patterns from professional fly tiers, and especially those tiers who publish their productive patterns and thus freely share them with the fly fishing community. Wood is such a tier and has numerous recent articles in Fly Tyer and American Fly Fishing. He sells his flies widely and gets performance information back from his customers both directly (letters and emails) and indirectly (order history), If he gets no repeat orders he knows a pattern probably is a dud or needs further work. Wood cites quite positive customer trials for this leech not only on the Bighorn but also on the Guadalupe, Madison, Yellowstone and Missouri.
In warmer conditions you needn’t use this leech in a duo nymph rig but can just fish it shallow on its own. River trout seem to like a dead drift with an occasional twitch. I’ve fished this pattern quite successfully for bass and panfish in ponds with slow pulls intermixed with slight twitches. No matter where or how you fish this leech, always use a loop knot connection.
The key to good performance for this pattern seems to be the short heavy wire hook which gives it good keeling and tracking. Tying couldn’t be simpler as you will note from the attached short set of instructions. Micro Pine Squirrel zonker strips come in many colors. Black and olive have worked best for me locally. But Wood also recommends brown, purple, rust and natural. He claims the natural represents the aquatic worms present in western tail waters. His first recommendation for thread color is red, always good in leech patterns. Or thread color can be chosen to match the color of the squirrel strip. The fly in the photo and instructions is tied with a black strip and red thread. Wood originally tied this pattern with an olive thread and an olive strip for use in the Big Horn which has lots of moss.
Click here for the recipe!
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