The Candlewood Valley Chapter of Trout Unlimited (CVTU) will celebrate the 42nd annual Earth Day by cleaning up garbage and debris along the banks of the Pootatuck River in Sandy Hook center on Sunday, April 22, 2012 from 11:30 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Volunteers are needed. Those interested in helping out should meet at St. John’s Episcopal Church parking lot at 11:30 a.m. rain or shine. Representatives will be available to sign forms for students participating in community service. Please also contact Ann Astarita (ann [dot] astarita [at] cvtu [dot] org) to confirm your availability for this important event.

Immediately following the event, Steve Zakur will lead a stream walk of the Deep Brook/Pootatuck River Class 1 Wild Trout Management Area. All those who volunteered during the day are free to join Steve for a tour of the fishery and learn a bit about fishing for wild trout.

Please wear clothes and boots that can get wet and/or dirty; bring gloves, bug spray, and sunscreen as needed. Mike Burton of Michael Burton Builders is allowing use of this property for staging, and Associated Refuse Haulers has donated a dumpster. Hope to see you on Earth Day.

Thanks to all who responded to the events survey over the past few weeks. The results of the survey were very helpful in guiding the discussion at our last Board Meeting as we discussed which events to run either later this Spring or in the Fall.

The top three desired events for the future are:

1. Reading Trout Streams Class & Streamwalk
2. Housatonic River Stream Walk
3. Farmington River Stream Walk

There’s a clear preference to have these events on the weekend and there’s also some interest in having fly tyers at the meetings though that’s not something we’ve done in a few months. If anyone wants to set-up and tie a few patterns prior to the meetings, feel free to bring your vise.

Over the next couple of weeks, I’ll look into scheduling two out of three of the events above. We’ll likely have to wait until the fall to get them on the calendar but I think that’s okay. Everyone is soon going to be busy casting to Spring trout to want to attend a class.

Stay tuned.

CVTU will again sponsor a fly-tying class taught by Pete Peterson. Pete has been tying flies for decades and teaching for almost as long. Not only does he bring a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the table but his experience as a teacher makes the learning both fun and quick.

This class is especially geared towards the beginner but we have also had advanced tiers join the class and Pete has helped them build more advanced skills. Experienced tiers from the club will also be on hand so there will be plenty of one-on-one coaching and assistance. Before each class Pete provides detailed tying instructions for the patterns that we’ll be working on. For both novices and more experienced tiers, it promises to be a most rewarding experience.

Classes will start in late January followed by a break for a couple of weeks so that new students can purchase the necessary equipment. The class works around the Marlborough, MA and Somerset, NJ fly tying shows so you can visit those shows if you want to check out equipment and materials first hand.  Of course you can also visit local shops to pick up what you need.

The classes are held at Pete Peterson’s home in Newtown, CT. They begin at 7:30 p.m. each Thursday and run for about two hours. The cost of the course is $100 and this fee is donated in its entirety to the chapter to support our Youth Education and Conservation activities.

Class 1 – We will discuss tools, equipment, and materials and suggestions about where to procure them. We will also discuss useful books and web sites.  You will also receive hand outs.  You will participate in a hands-on exercise on tying on, tying a half hitch and tying a whip finish.  Accordingly, the only thing you have to bring is material to make notes.

Class 2 – We will emphasize fly-tying principles and basic techniques such as thread handing and material use by tying three different flies.

Classes 3 though 6 – In each class we will feature a different insect.  We will tie the nymph, emerger or the wet fly, and the dun of the same insect.  The materials and instructions/directions will be provided to you by e-mail prior to each class.

You will build on the skills and techniques learned in prior classes and continue to learn new methods.  The Chapter will provide the hooks for the classes.  A couple of additional Thursdays will be reserved in case a class must be cancelled due to inclement weather.

If you have any questions or comments, please contact Pete Peterson by phone at [203] 426-3004, by e-mail at cpeterson3004 [at] charter [dot] net or in person at one of the meetings.

Indicator Nymph Clinic with Housatonic River Outfitters guide Jim Plante
Saturday September 24th 10AM-2PM

Covering leader/tippet make up, split shot and indicator placement, gear used, flies, matching the hatch, covering the water, and nymphing/casting techniques. Clinic will be both inside & on the water, so bring your waders and gear, plus a pad & pen to take notes with. Max of 8 people total, cost will be $75 per person, paid in advance & non-refundable, clinic happens rain or shine.

Call the shop for more info and to register 860- 672-1010

www.dryflies.com

If you are interested in a half day group spey/switch  casting class on the Housatonic River this fall with Andrew Moy of East Coast Spey, please contact Gary Whipple. Eight people are already committed, and another 4 or 5  can be added with additional student’s commitments. Date of the class is October 10. Class will run from 10 am to 2pm with lunch included for registration of $150 (preregistration required) . Loaner equipment may be available for those who don’t yet have a switch or spey rod.

Gary has quite a track record of coordinating great classes so if you’re interested in building skills or learning new ones I recommend you attend.

Please contact Gary Whipple garyw1948 [at] sbcglobal [dot] net if you are interested.

FLY TYING CLASSES:

Loren Williams

If you haven’t been on a trip or attended one of our Master Classes you’re missing some of the best features of being a Candlewood Valley TU member. These events are reasonably priced and focused on making you a better fisher person.

Register Now for Upcoming Classes!

We have finalized the schedule for the CVTU-sponsored Master Classes for the 2009-2010 season. Our planned classes include:

• Fly Tieing Class by Peter Peterson – 6 weeks begining in January, 2010
• Caddisflies by Thomas Ames on April 24, 2010
• Fly Fishing Fundamentals with George Daniel on May 10, 2010
• A Walking Tour of the Croton River by Rob Lewis in the spring of 2010

Share Your Ideas for Future Classes

The schedule of 2010 Master Classes is done but input is always welcome. Share your thoughts with the education coordinator.

The question is: what would you like covered in one or several future master class(es), and is there someone who you hold to be an expert in this area of expertise? Could be focused on a fish species, like salmon or steelhead or muskies. Could be an angling technique like tying and fishing soft hackles or swinging a fly.

Here are some ideas to prime your pump:

• Walkabout for Salmon (CT) River.
• Walkabout for Salmon (NY) River.
• Organizing your fly boxes.
• Swinging wet flies/soft hackles.
• Reading rise forms.
• Finding trout & getting them to play.
• Playing, landing & releasing large fish.
• Spey casting clinic (Note: only 5 members indicated an interest in a spey casting class when it was suggested at the meeting on January 13, so it was removed from consideration as a master class topic at this time. Three of us attended an East Coast Spey-taught class in March, and GMW recommends it to anyone wanting to learn spey casting).
• Hauls, mends & drifts.
• Up, down & across stream presentations.
• Fishing dry flies, emergers & soft hackles.
• Charles Jardine has been recommended as a person to do a casting clinic.
• Landon Mayer, author of How to Catch the Biggest Trout of Your Life, and the DVD Landing the Trout of Your Life, might be enticed to piggyback a class onto his regular trip east to go steelheading.
• If there is enough interest, we could bring in an expert in a particular tieing discipline. ie, a person who is a deer hair spinning wizard or a czech nymph tieing expert.

Let your board know what you think. No idea is too wild to consider. Post your suggestions below.

AS OF DECEMBER 8, THIS CLASS HAS BEEN CANCELLED BECAUSE OF A  LESS THAN ADEQUATE REGISTRATION.

Noted author, guide, fly tier and fisherman Rick Kustich will be doing a presentation about fly fishing for great lakes tributary steelhead.  Because of a conflict on Rick’s schedule, we are changing  the date from January 23 to February 21; there is also a possibility of changing this to a Salmon River field clinic on April 4.   If you have a preference as to classroom versus field clinic, please let your opinion be heard.

Rick Kustich is co-author of the acclaimed book Fly Fishing for Great Lakes Steelhead and has fly fished for steelhead in the Great Lakes region for almost thirty years. He is a writer, photographer, and fly tyer. He has written three other fly fishing books, is a regular contributor to both national and regional publications, and recently introduced his first DVD. For nearly ten years Rick owned and operated the Oak Orchard Fly Shop in Williamsville, New York. He lives on the banks of the Niagara River in Grand Island, New York.

The class will be a complete discussion of fly fishing for steelhead in the Great Lakes region and will include a visual power point presentation, demonstration of casting and technique, as well as a fly tying demonstration of some of the region’s most productive steelhead flies including the tube fly design. Topics will include a history of the fishery, current fishery management, steelhead behavior, timing the runs, fly presentation, strategy, flies and the rivers.

No lunch will be included in the preregistration fee of $50, but you are welcome to bring a sandwich. We will have morning coffee. Attendance will be limited to 20 preregistered TU members and guests; no walk-ins will be allowed.

Details later.

Noted author Thomas Ames is conducting a caddis flies clinic on Saturday, April 24, 2010. The session will be split between a classroom at the  Methodist Church at 92 Church Hill Road ,  Sandy hook and the Pootatuck River.

Preregistration is required; no walk-ins will be accepted. Registration is limited to 25 TU members and guests (7 seats remain as of February 9) . The $75 registration fee for this class includes morning coffee and a light lunch. On-site sign-in will start at 9:30 am on April 24. Class starts at 10:00 am sharp. Thomas will talk about caddis from 10:00 am -12:00 pm, we will have lunch (catered by Katherine’s) , and then Thomas will talk about caddis imitations. We will finish by 5:00 pm with an on-the-water session on the Pootatuck River.

If you post a comment below, and wish to be contacted, please leave contact information such as an email (preferred ) or telephone number.

Here is the registration form to be filled out and brought to the class along with your registration check:

CVTU-sponsored Masterclass

Caddisbugs with Thomas Ames

April 24, 2010

I, ____________________, am at least eighteen years of age and have prepared myself to participate in the Candlewood Valley Chapter of Trout Unlimited-sponsored class, Caddisbugs, taught by Thomas Ames. The class will include a classroom  lecture and a field survey that necessitates my  wading in the Pootatuck River.   I am in good physical condition and am capable of participating in this class.

I understand that events like this one can involve the risk of death or serious physical injury and agree to assume that risk. I also agree to release and indemnify Trout Unlimited, its officers, trustees, directors, employees, and agents, from and against any and all claims, demands, and judgments arising from injuries or damages in connection with my participation in the project.

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Signature:                                                                                  Date:

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