Greetings Fellow CJTU Members!
I hope that you are all well and safe!
We have all been living through and continue to live through a uniquely challenging time. It has forced us to change how we meet and communicate. But through it all we have continued to focus on doing our best for CJTU members. . We have learned to innovate, we’ve held Board meetings via Zoom and we’ve had really engaging Speakers and Presentations via Zoom. And while we have had to change we have found a renewed resourcefulness.
This year CJTU played a major role in the Weis Mill Dam removal environmental study project. With our support and partnership with the other NJ TU Chapters, over a mile of great fishing water will be improved in the area of Califon, giving each of us more fishing opportunities. Our own John Wester was a fantastic competitor at the One Fly Competition. We are so thankful and proud of him. In April I was elected the first female Chair of the NJ State Council of TU, one of four women Council Chairs in the country.
We want to use this time to find out what interests you and give you a chance to share your expertise and adventures! While we are operating at a distance we are considering activities that would bring us together, possibly an online auction. Does that peek your interest?
As we move forward and conditions improve, we continue to need your help, support and participation. We are in need of a permanent President to lead CJTU. We need members to become involved and volunteer to work as part of a team, to live out our conservation mission and reach out into our community. Stream cleanups, stockings and TIC will eventually be back and we will need all hands on deck. Don’t worry about not having done a task before, there is a place for everyone. And, we want you to share your talents and expertise to help grow CJTU.
Finally, we are so grateful to our Immediate Past President, Bart Lombardo, for his many years of dedicated service to CJTU! We are very fortunate to have benefited from his leadership! We are pleased to have his continued wise counsel.
As we move into the Holiday season, we wish you wellness, safety and a joyous Holiday season!
Marsha Benovengo,
Interim President,
CJTU
You can contact Marsha at
November 2020
At the end of this month, I am stepping down as President of CJTU. I have reached the end of my term limit and can no longer serve, so I must pass the torch. At this time, we do not have someone willing to step up and fill the role. But fortunately for us, our current Vice President, Marsha Benovengo, has agreed to assume the role on an interim basis while we search for someone to take on the position. As you may know, Marsha is also holding the State Council Chair's post, a full-time job in itself, so we must fill this position as soon as possible!
This situation highlights a problem that many TU chapters are facing in the current climate. We desperately need more people to get involved with the day to day activities of the chapter. That includes everything from volunteering for an activity like a stream cleanup, event, or class to serving on a committee or becoming a board member. You can participate in any or all of these activities.
I think many folks are nervous or feel intimidated when it comes to getting more involved. I want to dedicate my final communication to chapter members as president to talk about what it takes to make that next step. I also will attempt to alleviate some of the concerns people may have about becoming a more active chapter member.
The simplest way to get involved is to participate in a chapter event. We host a variety of events throughout the year. Some examples include outreach events like shows and festivals. We typically have a table staffed by volunteers at these events. We highlight past and current projects and participate in fundraising activities like selling flies or raffle tickets. Our primary focus at these events is to talk to folks about Trout Unlimited and the excellent conservation work we do. You don't have to worry about being a spokesperson (unless you want to!); you will be working with others who gladly fill that role. There is always work to be done, and you can assist at any level your comfortable with.
One of the most critical areas where we need your assistance is our hands-on projects like cleanups, restoration work, and stocking programs. Many people may hesitate to jump in and lend a hand because they have never done this type of work before. For 99% of the volunteer work we do, no prior experience is necessary! We always have experienced volunteers on hand to answer questions and guide you.
Finally, the most important place where we need your help is to manage chapter activities and affairs. These crucial tasks are typically done through the work of various committees and the board of directors. We are always looking for folks that want to take that extra step and get more involved. Let me stress again that no prior experience serving on a committee or a board is required. We will provide hands-on training/assistance for any position. If you do have previous experience, all the better.
As I mentioned at the beginning of this letter, I am stepping down as CJTU's President. Unfortunately, we do not have an individual who can immediately replace me. Our current board of directors has shrunken in size over the years, and we would love to increase our numbers. Joining our board of directors will help existing directors free up some of their responsibilities and perhaps allow someone to take on the president's role. Although I am stepping down as president, I plan on remaining on the board in another capacity. Effective immediately, I will be taking over as the membership chair and being responsible for growing and interacting with the chapter's members.
It has been an honor and a privilege serving as President of CJTU for all these many years. I look forward to continuing to serve the chapter in other capacities. Let us give Marsha all of the support and encouragement we can muster as she takes over as interim president. Please consider joining our ranks so we can focus on finding someone to take on the role permanently.
Election Roster
Officers:
President - Vacant
Vice President - Marsha Benovengo Term ends 2021
Treasurer - Rob Paul Term ends 2021
Secretary - Sal Lauro Term ends 2021
Past President - Bart Lombardo Term Ends 2022
Directors:
Two Year Directors:
Tom Kapusta - Term ends 2021
John Westor -Term ends 2021
Nick Romenko - Term ends 2021
Dave McCready - Up for re-election
Ed Kordyla - Up for re-election
William Ninke -Up for re-election
One Year Directors:
Vacant
Vacant
Vacant
Vacant
Stay Safe,
Bart Lombardo
CJTU President
You can contact Bart at
October 2020
I hope everyone has been enjoying this stretch of fantastic fall weather. The mild days and cool nights have rejuvenated our trout streams. Flows are low and clear, but that is normal for this time of year. The state has begun its fall stocking program this week. Many of our rivers will be receiving a new batch of fish over the next few weeks. As many anglers know, not as many fish are stocked in the fall, but those fish are generally larger. Autumn is my favorite time of year to be on the water. The rivers are usually a little less crowded, the weather is often perfect, and the scenery is beautiful. Of course, the chance of catching a lunker trout certainly adds to the experience as well!
We have been conducting virtual meetings since the spring due to restrictions on public gatherings due to COVID-19. These virtual meetings have been well attended, and we have received a lot of positive feedback from the membership. If you have not participated in one yet, please consider joining us next Tuesday. The meeting begins at 8:00 pm, and you can find the link to join in this newsletter as well as our Facebook feed. These virtual meetings will follow the same format as our regular meetings with a brief business meeting at the start, followed by a presentation. Please consider joining us from your favorite comfortable chair next week!
We are still looking for members that are interested in taking a more active role in the chapter. There are many ways you can get involved. You can volunteer to participate at chapter events (when the resume); you can join a committee or even consider serving on the Board of Directors. Our Board of Directors keeps things running smoothly. It is made of dedicated men and women who genuinely care about Trout Unlimited and the vital work we do. We always welcome others to join us in our fight for clean, healthy rivers.
Our fundraising efforts were severely hampered this year by the virus. Moving forward, we need to take a look at different approaches to fundraise in this new environment. We are planning a virtual, online fundraiser in the early part of 2021. We are still fleshing out the details, but the event may include some online auctions for trips, gear, and services. We desperately need everyone's help! If you have any fishing/outdoor gear in good condition that someone else could use, please consider donating it to the chapter for use as an auction item or prize. Do you own a small business? Why not consider offering a gift certificate or a service as an auction item? It does not need to be fishing or outdoor-oriented! We still have a lot of work to determine if what we plan to do is possible, and there certainly are a lot of details to be worked out. Stay tuned for more information in the months to come. In the meantime, feel free to reach out to me at president@cjtu.org if you would be interested in donating goods or services, and more importantly, if you would be interested in helping us pull this off!
This year's Fly Fisherman Of The Year Contest looks like it will take place on Saturday, November 7th. Things will be very different this year. For starters, there will be no banquet following the event. In its place will be a mid-day BBQ. I am confident there will be a host of other changes and restrictions in place to keep folks safe. I will share new information as it becomes available on our Facebook Page and in next month's newsletter.
I have a quick update on the Weiss Mill Dam removal project. Work is currently being done to facilitate the transfer ownership of the property to the town of Califon. Once that is completed, the project can advance to its next steps.
That's it for now. Please remember to drop in on our virtual meeting next Tuesday, October 13th!
Stay Safe,
Bart Lombardo
CJTU President
You can contact Bart at
September 2020
I hope all of you were able to make the most out of this unusual summer. With travel restricted, no indoor dining, quarantines, and all the rest of it, the summer of 2020 is one for the record books, but it is a record I hope we never break!
We are excited to get back to work here at Central Jersey Trout Unlimited after our summer break. Things will be a little different, but strangely familiar as we move into the second half of the year. We will be continuing with virtual meetings until January 2021, when we will re-evaluate the situation. The good news is we are planning to have virtual presentations as a part of these meetings. The meetings will be conducted using the ZOOM platform. Invitations to the sessions will be distributed via email and will be listed on our social media platforms. If you are not receiving our monthly newsletter, MainStream, you are not on our mailing list. To join, head over to www.cjtu.org and add your name to our mailing list. We promise not to fill your mailbox with junk, and we DO NOT SHARE your email with anyone!
We are looking for members who want to take a more active role in our chapter. I will be stepping down as President in November after completing my umpteenth term. This will create a vacancy on the Board of Directors that needs to be filled, and we have several other vacancies that have not been filled to date. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about serving as a director of the chapter. Please consider joining our team of dedicated volunteers and help steer your chapter into the future. We need your help now more than ever!
CJTU is not the only organization looking for help these days. Our State Council is undergoing some leadership changes as well. Our very own Marsha Benovengo has been elected as the new State Council Chairperson. She advised me that the State Council needs a Treasurer and Financial Overseer.
This month's presentation at our virtual meeting is entitled Fall Tactics For New Jersey Trout. The weather is starting to cool down, and many of us will be turning our attention back to trout. I will cover some tips and tricks to help you land some of the year's biggest trout. As an added incentive to bring you out to our virtual meeting, we will be giving away two $25.00 gift certificates to area fly shops. We will select two attendees at random at the end of the meeting to receive these prizes. We will also be redrawing a winner for our annual rod raffle. We drew a name in June, but after several months of trying, we have not been able to contact the winner, so we will be pulling another winner next week.
I just received word that the 2020 Fly Tying Symposium scheduled for this November has been canceled this year. This show has survived catastrophes from hurricanes, record warm temperatures, striper and bluefish blitzes, and snowstorms, but the COVID-19 pandemic finally did it in. The show's founder, Chuck Furimsky, vowed to bring the show back next year.
Here is a bit of good news for a change! The Army Corps of Engineers has denied the Pebble Mine wetlands permit in Alaska's Bristol Bay. Bristol Bay is home to one of the world's largest wild salmon populations. The proposed large scale industrial Pebble Mine would negatively affect this important salmon production area's headwaters, possibly destroying it forever. The permit's denial is a significant, hard-won victory, but the fight is far from over. With 10,780,000,000 tons of gold, copper, and molybdenum ore at stake, the mine's developers will not go down without a fight!
In light of current conditions nationwide, Trout Unlimited has canceled its annual in-person meeting. The meeting will now take place virtually on October 25th.
I think that about wraps it up! Please join us for our virtual meeting on Tuesday, September 8th. I'll see you there!
Stay Safe,
Bart Lombardo
CJTU President
You can contact Bart at
June 2020
I am sure most of you would agree this has been a strange year indeed! With COVID-19 changing how we live and work, it has been a struggle adapting to this “new normal.” One thing that has changed for me has been my fishing. It is not that I have not spent time on the water; it has just been different water! Since I thought it wise to limit my travel, I have been fishing close to home. For me, that means warm water fishing. Those that know me know this is a passion of mine, so this has been no great sacrifice, but I long to spend time on a trout stream!
Unfortunately, we are entering that time of year that we need to give trout a break. I did happen to spend today on a trout stream, and by midday, the water temperatures had crept up to 70 degrees. If water gets much warmer than that, it is dangerous for the trout that is hooked and fights on the end of a line. In warmer water trout have difficulty recovering from the fight, and the results are often fatal.
During this is the time of year we need to consider giving our finned friends a break. Make sure you take a thermometer with you on the water and check the temperature frequently, and if you are practicing catch and release, stop fishing if it exceeds 70 degrees. You may find fish schooled up during the warmer months, seeking the thermal refuge of a spring or colder tributary. It is wise to give these fish a break as they are under a lot of stress trying to cope with the warm water.
Does this mean we need to stop fishing? No, it does not. When it comes to trout fishing, you can still enjoy quality fishing by starting and ending early in the day before things heat up. But please check those water temperatures. As reveal restrictions begin to lift a few hours drive to the west or north can put you on some streams that are running a little cooler. Or you can do as I do and change venues switching over to warm and saltwater fishing.
The National Trout Unlimited organization has lifted the restrictions on meetings. Unfortunately, we are entering our summer break period, so we will not be meeting in person until September (if all goes well). We are planning a virtual meeting for Tuesday, June 23rd. We will be using the platform ZOOM to conduct this meeting. First of all, I want to bring everyone up to speed on the chapter and our activities, and yours truly will be giving a presentation on warm water fly patterns. You don’t have to put that fly rod away just because it is too warm to fish for trout! The big news is we will be drawing the winner of our rod raffle! Look for an action alert in your inbox with instructions on how to log into the meeting.
Just as a reminder. Trout Unlimited has extended a free one-year membership to the Military, First Responders, and all essential workers. You can find information about the program here:
https://www.tu.org/blog/tus-chris-wood-to-essential-workers-free-tu-memberships-to-all/
The Trout Unlimited Chapters of New Jersey successfully raised the money needed to begin the process of removing the Weiss Mill Dam on the South Branch of the Raritan River in Califon. There is a lot involved with this endeavor, and I am sure there will be unexpected bumps in the road, but we are anxious to begin moving this project forward.
I hope to see some of your faces at our virtual meeting on June 23rd. Until then, get out on the water and enjoy the cooler temperatures coming our way. With nighttime temperatures in the fifties, it should cool our streams off a bit, but don’t forget that thermometer!
Stay Safe,
Bart Lombardo
CJTU President
You can contact Bart at
May 2020
I hope that everyone is navigating a safe course through these challenging times we now find ourselves in. As we suspected, it would be the case; Central Jersey Trout Unlimited has suspended all operations until further notice. This includes our general meetings, events, and on-stream conservation work. The Board of Directors is conducting regular virtual meetings to ensure the chapter continues to function and meet our financial obligations.
Since our regularly scheduled general meeting can not take place, we are looking to plan a “virtual meeting” sometime during the month of May. It will NOT be taking place on our traditional meeting date of the second Tuesday of the month. We will be using the ZOOM platform for the meeting, and invitations will be sent out in advance of the meeting to everyone on our mailing list. So if you are reading this, you will receive an invite to the meeting. You are encouraged to share that invite with anyone you like.
Trout Unlimited has extended a free one-year membership to the Military, First Responders, and all essential workers. You can find information about the program here:
https://www.tu.org/blog/tus-chris-wood-to-essential-workers-free-tu-memberships-to-all/
Central Jersey Trout Unlimited and other TU chapters within the state have made a financial contribution to a dam removal project on the South Branch of the Raritan River. There is currently an effort underway to remove the Weis Mill Dam in Califon NJ. We look forward to sharing more information in the future about this exciting project.
We are still planning to draw the winner of our Orvis Euro Nymphing Outfit next month! We will announce the winner in June once we work out the logistics.
Look for more information on our virtual meeting to hit your inbox soon. Please try and attend! We hope that everyone remains safe for the remainder of this crisis. In the meantime, to relieve some of the stress, you may be feeling. Get out on the water and enjoy a few hours of fishing! That is “social distancing” at it’s finest.
Stay Safe,
Bart Lombardo
CJTU President
You can contact Bart at
April 2020
I hope this letter finds you healthy and safe. Our world has become a much different place in the short span of a month! COVID-19 has affected all of our lives, and it has undoubtedly impacted the operations of Central Jersey Trout Unlimited. With the health of our members our prime consideration, we have suspended all physical operations through June of this year. At the end of June, we will re-evaluate the conditions on the ground and decide on how best to move forward. For those of you that had pre-paid for our annual BBQ, a refund check will be mailed out to you shortly.
Does all of this mean that we will be resting on our laurels while we wait things out? Certainly not! We are currently exploring ways that we can keep engaged with our membership and possibly provide everyone with a little entertaining distraction while we are cooped up at home. We are in the process of working out the details of delivering some virtual content in the weeks to come. This could include some live fly tying events using platforms like Facebook and Instagram Live or perhaps using an online meeting platform like Zoom or Google Meet. We are also considering holding a virtual meeting in May, complete with a presentation! Stay tuned!
Enjoying the great outdoors is certainly a good idea during these trying times as long as you use a little common sense and employ solid “social distancing” practices. This Saturday would have been the traditional trout season opener. “Social Distancing” and “Opening Day” (at least in NJ) are two phrases that would not work well together. As a result, New Jersey Fish and Wildlife decided to open all trout waters to catch and release fishing on April 1st, with the standard regulations going into effect on opening day. While this was initially a welcome change for anglers looking to break their self-isolation and get a little outdoor time, it was relatively short-lived. A recent Executive Order from the Governor has closed all state forests and state and county parks. Also, many municipalities have closed their parks and public spaces as well. This action will severely restrict access to many trout stocked and wild trout waters. As of this writing, all NJ Wildlife Management Areas remain open, but that may be subject to change as we move forward through this crisis. If you are considering heading out to a wildlife management area to fish, keep in mind many others may have the same idea. This could make proper “social distancing” a problem. Someone recently shared a photograph with me showing one of our more popular fishing access areas jammed packed with vehicles. Conditions like this undoubtedly contributed to the decision-making process to close our parks and forests.
Perhaps a better idea is to do what I’m doing. Instead of traveling to a popular trout stream and risk exposure to other people, I am fishing close to home on warm water lakes and ponds. I have yet to cross paths with another angler, and I am getting in some quality outdoor time, which has been great for my physical and mental health!
In closing, I wish that all of you safely navigate these challenging times, and I look forward to a time in the future when we can all meet face to face to discuss our passion for protecting and conserving our coldwater fisheries.
Stay Safe,
Bart Lombardo
You can contact Bart at
March 2020
Unless Mother Nature throws us a curveball, this has been a year without winter, at least in my little corner of New Jersey. I have been on the water in nothing shirt sleeves quite a few times this winter. Earlier this week, it was in the sixties, and I took my first bass and panfish from a local pond. It goes without saying that fishing for cold-water species like trout has been excellent this winter.
March is usually a quiet time for Central Jersey Trout Unlimited, but this year is a little different. Our fly tying classes are in full swing, and we have a bumper crop of new students going through the beginner's class this year, along with the usual intermediate/advanced group. One of our members generously donated a bunch of fly tying materials for all the students in our beginner's class. Each student went home with a bag stuffed to capacity with fly tying materials. Thanks, Glen! We have one event going on this month, the March Madness Fly Tying. Rahway River TU sponsors this annual event, which is held to tie flies to support fishing events for Project Healing Waters, Wounded Warriors, and Casting for Recovery (a women's breast cancer recovery group). We will have a number of our members attending this event. The event will be held this Saturday, March 7, in Cranford, NJ, at the Cranford Community Center from 9 am till 3 pm.
Next month we will be attending the annual Rutgers Day event on Saturday on April 25, 2020. This is a great event where we get a chance to tell the public about Trout Unlimited and introduce folks to fly casting. We will also be participating in the Musky Watershed Clean-up on Saturday, April 18, 2020. As usual, we will be working on the Point Mountain section of the Musconetcong River. Please consider spending a few hours with us to clean up trash along this section of the river. If you can help out at either event, send an email to volunteer@CJTU.org, and we will fill you in on all the details. We have a program in place to reward members who volunteer for chapter activities. At our annual BBQ in June, we will be giving away four $25.00 gift certificates to those folks who volunteered at least 4 hours of their time at chapter events. For every four hours, your name will be entered into a drawing for one of the gift certificates. We want to give back to those that give to us!
We have some great speakers lined up for you for the rest of the year. Attend our general meetings to check them out. The meetings are held eld on the second Tuesday of the month. They start at 7:30 pm for a little socializing and fly tying. Pizza, snacks, and beverages are usually on hand. The business portion of our meeting begins at 8:00 pm, and our guest speaker goes on immediately after. This month Tim Flagler of Tightlines Productions will be giving a presentation on Ken Lockwood Gorge. The Ken Lockwood Gorge on the South Branch of the Raritan River in Hunterdon County is one of New Jersey's premier trout fishing locales. The gorge is beautiful, has both wild and stocked fish, and is open to anglers year-round. As a result, there are often crowds, and the fish get pressured. Fortunately, there are some tips, techniques, and things to look for that'll help you to catch more fish in these challenging conditions. The presentation will include video of the gorge, its water, the bug life, and the flies we use to imitate it. This is a presentation you don't want to miss! I hope to see you there.
Tight Lines
Bart Lombardo
You can contact Bart at
February 2020
I hope everyone has been enjoying this unseasonably warm winter we have been having. I have been getting on the water regularly and enjoying some exceptional winter fishing. Just this past Monday, I was fishing in nothing but a flannel shirt, and the water I was standing in was 45 degrees. Not your typical February weather for sure! I have a feeling we may still see some winter weather before its all over, but for now, I am enjoying these warmer days.
As usual, January was a bust month for Central Jersey Trout Unlimited. My thanks go out to all the volunteers who made the shows we attended last month a success! We had a strong showing of volunteer support for both shows. We will be continuing our volunteer raffle this year. For every four hours of volunteer time, you give you will get a ticket to win a twenty-five dollar gift certificate to one of our supporting fly shops. We will hold this drawing at the BBQ in June. This is yet another reason to come out and enjoy an afternoon of good food and fellowship at our annual BBQ!
Looking forward, we have a couple of events on the horizon. In April, we will once again be attending Rutgers Day. This day-long event will take place on Saturday, April 25th. We will be giving casting lessons/demos, talking about the work Trout Unlimited does in NJ, and promoting our 2020 Fundraising Raffle. We will be starting to take volunteer information for this event at our general meeting next week. Please consider coming out and lending a hand.
You don’t often get to fish
in shirt sleeves in February!
We are also working with The Raritan Headwaters Association on offering an Introduction To Fly Fishing course. The instruction will take place on April 3rd and 4th, 2020. We are looking for volunteer support on either or both of those days. If you would be interested in helping out in any way (you don't have to be a fly fishing expert by any means!), please send me an email at president@cjtu.org, and I can discuss things further with you and share additional information as I get it.
Another similar project is in the works with a local private school. I don't have any details to share yet. Still, this event will be an excellent opportunity to introduce young people to the outdoor world, and the superb work Trout Unlimited is doing nationwide. More to follow soon as additional information becomes available.
If you have not yet had an opportunity to participate in this year's fundraising effort, we will have the prize on display and tickets available to purchase at all of our general meetings leading up to the BBQ in June, where the winner will be selected. This year's prize is an Orvis Recon 10' 3wt Euro Nymph Rod with the new Orvis Hydros reel, a Tactical nymph line, and a box of nymph patterns tied by our members. Are you a fly tier? Please consider donating a dozen of your favorite nymph patterns! I will be collecting these flies at our general meetings through May. If you can't make a meeting drop me an email at president@cjtu.org, and I will make arrangements to pick them up.
I am happy to announce that we have filled our beginners fly tying class! My thanks go out to everyone who helped get the word about this class! I want to especially that Bill Ninke for the display that he built to promote the course at the shows we attended last month. I feel that was one of the reasons we were so successful in recruiting students for this year's class. For all you folks interested in the intermediate course, get your registration in; classes start next week!
We have a great speaker lined up this month! Anita Coulton will be giving a presentation on Contact Nymphing. Contact Nymphing has caught on considerably in the last few years. Anita is a member of Cross Current Guide Service, has won the 2017 NJ Flyfisher of the Year competition, and her presentations are in high demand. Anita will show you how to put more fish in your net by upping your nymphing game using the tight line technique. This informative seminar will cover all aspects of contact nymphing, including getting started and how to progress your skill sets. This presentation is one you don't want to miss! See you there!
Tight Lines
Bart Lombardo
You can contact Bart at
January 2020
Another year is in the books. Let me start by wishing everyone a very happy, healthy, and prosperous new year! January is by far the busiest month of the year for Central Jersey Trout Unlimited. We start the new year off with a bang! We will be attending the Garden State Sports Show in Edison, New Jersey, this week. The show runs Thursday, January 9th through Sunday, January 12th, and takes place at the New Jersey Convention & Expo Center. You should have received an Action Alert Email asking for help to staff this event. Please consider helping out. Send an email to volunteer@cjtu.org with your name and the time you can help, and I will give your name to the front desk so you can get a free pass into the show.
Right on the heels of this show, we will be attending the Fly Fishing Show at the same location on January 24-26. We also need help at that show, so please consider giving us a few hours of your time. If you are attending the show anyway, why not stop by our table and lend a hand for an hour or two? If you can help at that show, please send an email to volunteer@cjtu.org and gives us an idea of when you would be available to assist us.
Volunteering at shows is a fun and enjoyable activity. We encourage you to come out and lend a hand even if you have never done it before. We need help selling flies, promoting our 2020 fundraising campaign, helping kids tie flies, and just spreading the word about our organization.
For this year's primary fundraiser, we are giving away an awesome Euro Nymphing Set up. The complete outfit will include an Orvis Recon 10' 3wt fly rod, the new Hydros II reel, an Orvis Tactical Nymph Rod, and a selection of Euro Nymphs tied by CJTU's expert fly tiers. A $5.00 donation will get you in the drawing. Tickets will be available at all events we are attending this winter/spring. The drawing will be held at our annual picnic this June.
We are getting ready to kick off this year's fly tying classes. They will be held in the same hall where we hold our meetings. The class dates are February 12, 19 & 26 & March 4, 11 & 18, 2020. The class will run from 7:30 to 9:30 pm. There are still spots available in our beginner's class, and the intermediate/advanced class is filling up. The classes this year are FREE! Beginners don't even need a vise, tools, or materials as everything will be provided (you are encouraged to bring your vise and tools if you have them). Send an email to cjtutying@cjtu.org to reserve your spot today!
We have a great speaker lined up this month! Tom Gilmore is an avid fly fisherman. He has fly fished around the world for over 50 years. Tom has recorded the details of landing over 12,000 game fish on a fly rod. He is an accomplished author having written numerous articles and recently completed his sixth fly fishing book, Flyfisher's Guide to New Jersey Coldwater, Warmwarter, and Saltwater. There are many fishing opportunities and different types of fish available to New Jersey anglers. Tom will look at all of these species and the "hot spots" to target them with a fly rod.
We encourage you to bring a guest to our general meetings and introduce them to CJTU. If you do, both you and your guest will receive a free ticket to our meeting bucket raffle!
Tight Lines
Bart Lombardo
You can contact Bart at