RRTU General Meeting Dates Changed

Starting this September 2013 The Rahway River Trout Unlimited Chapter will now meet on the third Monday of each month. RRTU holds its monthly general meeting at the Cranford Community Center at 7:30. Following the agenda we usually have a guest speaker perform a presentation. This months meeting we will host Veteran Fly Fisher Len Ruggia. We know Lenny best from Shannon's Fly and Tackle Shop as a sales associate, fishing guide and fly tying instructor. He will do a program entitled "Flies That Work in The Gorge"  which will demonstrate patterns he ties and developed specifically for year-round success in the Ken Lockwood Gorge section of the South Branch.

Our meeting schedule for the up coming year will be as follows;

September 16, October 21, November 18, No meeting in December, January 20, February17, March 17, April 21, May 19, June 16

Our bi-monthly Fly Tying Night's, are held every month on Monday night's at the Cranford Community Center.

I'm new to fly tying, how do I get started?

Tonight RRTU fly tying Guru Frank "Jake" LaMotta will go over a list of materials for a starter tying kit. He will bring some samples of the items & show you what to look for when purchasing them at the store or online. He will also put together a list of supplier's that he's used in the past to help you locate certain items. This is just a basic list of things that should be in every tying kit. I suggest you bring a pen and notepad to add any additional ideas. See you 7:00 tonight at the Cranford Community Center...

NJ State Council Women's Initiative Open House

NJ State Council Women's Initiative invites all female Trout Unlimited members to an Open House on Saturday, June 1, 2013 from 1:00pm-4:00pm. Located at a private residence in Hampton, NJ, enjoy an afternoon with Women TU members on the Musconetcong River. Seasoned anglers bring your gear to fish, New to the sport consider bringing a friend to learn the basics of fly casting, river reading strategies, fly tying, gear information, and cold water conservation. Enjoy light refreshments and fish the evening hatch. Parking and restrooms available. Reserve your spot. Contact Kelly at kebuchta@njtu.org or call 201.669.2369.

Be a part of it...Make a difference...Leave a legacy

Fishing New Jersey Streams

     On the third Wednesday of each month the Rahway River Trout Unlimited Chapter holds its monthly general meeting at the Cranford Community Center at 7:30pm. Following the agenda we usually have a guest speaker perform a presentation. 
    This month on May 15th we are lucky to have RRTU friend & NJ fishing Guide Brian Cowden join us. We know Brian best pointing his finger as the Trout Unlimited Musconetcong Home Rivers Project Coordinator. Brian will present to us "Fishing New Jersey Streams". Join us for this insightful lecture on exploring some of NJ's best fishing locations, whats hatching and hooking up with the many species of trout in the great Garden State. Hope to see you there...

RRTU Homewaters Cleanup on The Rahway River 4/27/13

     Thank you to those Rahway River Trout Unlimited Chapter members who sacrificed their Saturday morning in supporting this local conservation project & keeping this part of the Rahway River clean of debris. 
     Swarms of local organizations, schools & families assisted in this past Saturday's cleanup depositing tons of trash alongside Kenilworth Blvd. for the township to haul-away. Even RRTU's newest member Melodie joined in on filling many bags of streamside trash. Returning member Greg from Colorado & our newly appointed Membership Chairperson Chuck lugged huge culvert pipes out. Chris & Dave retrieved & hauled many discarded tires out from their muddy homes, while Tom and Christopher assisted in scouring the area for carelessly discarded items. Please consider joining us next year for this worthy event, Happy Earth Month!      www.rr-tu.org 

Great turnout for yesterdays fly tying night. The fly's from March Fly Tying Madness were divided between our three charities ... Project Healing Waters, Casting For Recovery and NJ State Chapter of Trout Unlimited. The first of the fly's were delivered for the Wounded Warriors just in time for their next outing @ The Raritan Inn this Wednesday. Any one interested in volunteering for upcoming events with them please contact Stuart at s2rtflyfisher@verizon.net to signup. Thanks to all those that participated in this great event...

The Hendrickson Hatch

On Wednesday 4/17th we will host our General Meeting at the Cranford Community Center. Also...the one and only RRTU's Own Frank "Jake" Lamotta will cover the the Hendrickson Hatch with you from beginning to end, and will tie 6 flies that are battle tested over the years , and years and years, Jake's been fishing. From the tough Catskill Tail-waters , to the Sacred streams of the Poconos and right back to our own South Branch of the Raritan. Not to mention the game plan to get the most out of this exciting hatch! Please be sure to check the lobby board for a room change.

Annual Musconetcong River clean up tomorrow, Saturday 4/13 9am

Come out and support the annual clean up of the Musconetcong River with our friends and partners at the Musconetcong Watershed Association. They will have crews that meet in San Bar Park/Alumni Field in Hackettstown, Hampton Borough Park, and on the lower river typically at the old Hughesville paper mill near the river at Cyphers Road. Wear waders and old clothes and bring some gloves. Garbage bags will be provided. The MWA serves lunch at Hampton Borough Park for those attending at that location.

MWA River Watcher program announces 2013 Training Sessions- spots available

The MWA River Watcher Water Quality Monitoring Program is inviting interested citizens to sign up to monitor the river’s health for this year. No experience is necessary; you need to be 16 years of age or older, and attend the required annual field and lab training sessions.

The River Watchers monitor four stream locations, four times per year, measuring basic water chemistry and sampling aquatic creatures that live in freshwater streams. This program is a great way to learn about the river and protect it. The full training will be held on April 6^th from 9-3pm at Warren County Community College. River Watcher monitoring usually occurs in late April, July, October, and January.

Please call the Musconetcong Watershed Association at 908-537-7060 to reserve your seat and for more details. You may also email the River Watcher Coordinator at nancy@musconetcong.org.

Fifty Percent Off...

Looking for a new reel this spring? Check this great deal out @ Orvis. Save 50% on Battenkill Bar Stock Reels! Offer expires Monday, March 25 at 7:00 am Eastern.
www.orvis.com/store 

Coldwater Conservation School

Please consider a deserving child and pass this information on.  This is a great way to build our future New Jersey conservationists.

 

The Coldwater Conservation School is a collaborative effort between the NJ DEP Division of Fish and Wildlife and the NJ State Council of Trout Unlimited, along with its supporting chapters. The school allows students to spend four days in the heart of trout country and explore coldwater habitats through conservation-related activities.

 

The goal of the school is to foster a knowledge and appreciation of coldwater habitats using a variety of hands-on activities and interactive learning methods that teach the benefit of coldwater habitats. The Coldwater Conservation School will give students the hands-on experience and knowledge about how to care for the coldwater habitat that trout and other wildlife need for survival.

 

The School will be held for its fourth year at the NJ School of Conservation in Stokes State Forest, June 27-June 30, 2013. The cost will be $275.00 per student and includes food, lodging and equipment.

Students must be 11 - 14 years old in order to participate.

Jessica is still in need of volunteers for critical activities at this weekends open house at the Pequest Fish Hatchery. Volunteers can let Jessica know by emailing her the following:

1. Their name
2. The day (s) they can help
3. Where they plan on helping in the pond or the kiddie tank
4. The hours they plan on helping for each day.

For more information contact:

Jessica Griglak
NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife
605 Pequest Rd.
Oxford, NJ 07863
908-637-4125
Jessica.Griglak@dep.state.nj.us

It's over..but just only the beginning!

Thanks to those Chapter members of New Jersey State Council of Trout Unlimited who contributed to this special event today for two great non-profit charities. This - the first and hopefully the start of an annual event, attracted many talented fly tyers and guests. As a unified group we managed to collect & donate so many beautiful flies that will surely bring a smile to a survivors face when they catch their first trout on the fly. We all should be proud of the talent we all bought to the table to make the March Fly Tying Madness a huge success!

Just a reminder...

Win this custom engraved Rahway River Trout Unlimited Fly box filled with over 50 fly patterns donated by various celebrity fly tyer attendees from The New Jersey Fly Tying Symposium this past fall. RRTU member Greg W. personally collected these flies by walking the aisles of the show to offer a thank you gift to the chapter before heading back home out west for use in a chapter hosted charity. Now's your chance win this fly box and other great prizes by doing your part by attending The March Fly Tying Madness event. Please donate your time and fly tying skills to these important charities while supporting your local New Jersey State Council Chapter. For additional information please visit our Chapter website http://www.rr-tu.org/  or our events page http://www.meetup.com/RahwayRiverTroutUnlimited/events/96021832/

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park

This coming Wednesday, February 20th we will have our General Monthly Meeting. Dennis McCarthy the Rahway River Trout Unlimited President will host a presentation on his travels to The Great Smoky Mountains National Park & it's surrounding area's. There are over 800 miles of fishable trout streams in Great Smoky Mountains National Park alone. The Park, 500,000 acres in total, lies in both Tennessee and North Carolina. A fishing license from either State is all you need to be a legal angler in the Park. Here you will find mountain streams with populations of rainbow trout, brook trout and brown trout. Just outside the Park in the rivers exiting the Smokies you will also experience excellent smallmouth bass fishing.,

Cabin Fever Day

Join Ramesy Outdoor Paramus on Saturday, February 23rd for one of their favorite and most popular events of the year, their annual Cabin Fever Day. Ramesy Outdoor will have four speakers and local guides, outfitters, fly tiers, fishing clubs, and conservation organizations on hand.

10 AM: Rich Strolis: Connecticut Guide and Fly Tyer, Rich Strolis will introduce us to new techniques and fly patterns in his presentation, “Streamer Tactics For Trophy Trout.”

11 AM: George Daniel: George, Author of Dynamic Nymphing, is returning to present us with “Trout Lessons 2012.” Join us and learn new tactics from the 2009 US Fly Fishing Champion.

12 PM: Captain Colin Archer: Orvis Endorsed guide, Colin Archer, the “Average Angler” will join us and present “Fly Fishing The Jersey Shore: An Introduction to the Salt.”

Also In Attendance
Representatives from Orvis, Sage, Simms and other leading companies. Fly Tyers, Guides, Conservation Organizations and Fishing Clubs.

Fly tying tonight - we'll tie up some soft hackle flies. Partridge and orange, pheasant tail and Syl's midge. These patterns have a lot of motion and imitate a variety of insects. See ya there..

Go Fish...

Come join us for our next Fish With A Member Trip...

Our next fishing outing will be Sunday, February 10th 2013
7 a.m. on the Pequest River
The Pequest Fish Hatchery Parking Lot
605 Pequest Rd., Oxford, NJ
For more details or sign up please visit our meetup website Rahway RiverTrout Unlimited Events

Save the date...

This weekend...

A Note From the Director:
     Welcome to the 21st Somerset Fly Fishing Show. Many of you have enjoyed the show for years as loyal attendees, but if this is your first visit, get ready to be overwhelmed. There is so much to see and learn you’ll work hard to plan your routine. With fly fishing manufacturers here to present their latest products, dealers to offer everything for sale at a range of prices, tiers sharing their secret techniques, celebrities of our sport to meet face-to-face, lectures, classes, casting demos, guides, lodges, and on and on, it’s all here for you to enjoy.
     Last year we introduced our first international Film Festival to a crowd of 500+ happy fly fishers. It’s back again, with new adventures and mesmerizing filming from around the world. Mark your calendar for Friday night.
     You can visit for a day, but you’ll need all three days to just scratch the surface. There are over 10 programs every hour of each day, and over 200 exhibits to keep you very busy. The smart choice is to stay over at one of our show hotels. You’ll have lots of friends to keep the evening active.
    Thank you for all your support and enjoy the world’s largest show for
flyfishing. This is the location that all fly fishers have on their list to attend.  It's a must see event at some point. Looking forward to seeing you.
Chuck Furimsky, Director   Fly fishing Show Somerset NJ

March Fly Tying Madness

On March 16th at 9:00 AM  The Rahway River Trout Unlimited Chapter will be hosting a special Fly Tying Madness Event at The Cranford Community Center. Ten Chapters from Trout Unlimited from across the state will gather to tie fishing flies to donate to wounded warriors thru organizations such as Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing. They are dedicated to the physical and emotional rehabilitation of disabled active military service personnel and veterans through fly fishing and fly tying education and outings. This will be an epic event with some of New Jersey's finest Fly Tiers in attendance. Keep posted for more details...

30% 0ff fly Tying Stuff....

Efingers Sporting Goods 513 West Union Avenue  Bound Brook, NJ 08805 is offering a 30% sale to all Trout Unlimited members for the entire month of January. This discount is good on all fly tying materials and tools including vises. It's a great opportunity for those of us who are fly tier's. Be sure to show them your current TU membership card.

The start of the 2013 fly tying season has begun..

See what all the fuss is about...join us tomorrow night at the Cranford Community Center at 7:00 P.M. to tye up a few new patterns. Stop on by to shoot the breeze with old friends or meet some new ones. The coffee is always on! > Cranford Directions

Women’s Initiative (WI) Program at NJ TU

 

 Be Part of it......

Trout Unlimited is America's leading coldwater conservation organization

Make a Difference.....
Be a grassroots advocate for protection of the environment

Leave a Legacy.....
Work to ensure we have clean, cold, fishable water for generations to come

 

    The main goal of the NJ State Council of Trout Unlimited Women’s Initiative is to provide support for chapters to recruit new members to TU as well as engage current members to network with other women and become involved in chapter projects and river outings.  As a grass roots effort campaign, the NJ State Council hopes to see an increase in women involvement and work to empower new leaders to share their passion for cold water conservation. Whether new to the sport or an experienced angler, the idea to unite women in the state and open communication will serve to enrich our membership. There are future plans to organize outings in Spring, which will give women in the state the opportunity to gather together for fishing and camaraderie.

     If you have any questions or are interested in learning more about the NJ TU Women’s Initiative Program, contact coordinator Kelly E. Buchta at kebuchta@njtu.org

    The Somerset Fly Fishing Show will host an incredible gathering of professional women anglers and enthusiasts in a Women’s Forum. A panel of professional women in the fly fishing industry will discuss fishing lodges, world travel, conservation, retreats, angling, gear and much more. This is probably the greatest meeting ever of top women professional guides, fly clubs, authors, lodge owners and fly tiers. Panel members will provide a short introduction and the floor will then be opened for questions and answers. It will be a fun one hour of networking. This is an incredible gathering of talent and expertise in each location. Don’t miss this opportunity to have a collective panel of women experts answer any questions you have ever had.  All levels of fishing experience welcome and we encourage audience participation.  This is going to be great fun!

 

Forum Panel:

Tracey Stroup - Co Host - Kinesiologist

Wanda Taylor - Co Host - FFF MCI and TN Instructional Guiding

Kelly E. Buchta -  Co Host and President of the Joan Wulff Fly Fishers & NJ State Council of Trout Unlimited Women’s Initiative Coordinator

Sam Decker - FFF NY FF Guide

Marina Swartz - Fishing Department Manager, Ramsey Outdoor and Retreat Leader, CFR

Rachel Finn - NY & AK Guide

Capt. Sarah Gardner - NC Guide

Kiki Galvin - VA Guide

Mary Ward - Hope On The Rise - Retreats for women survivors of all types of cancer NH & VT (all states)

Emily Whitlock - www.davewhitlock.com

Kate Fox- CFR- Director of Communications and Development

 

Times are as follows:

Saturday, 1/26/13 @ 4:00 pm, Bernardsville room

Sunday, 1/27/13 @ 3:00 pm, Westfield room.

 

For more information, be sure to visit www.flyfishingshow.com

       Last night the ball dropped in Times Square to ring in 2013. The ball drop tradition dates back only to the early 1900s, when The New York Times owner Alfred Ochs, whose offices were in Times Square, convinced the city to let him throw a grand party. The first 400-pound iron and wood orb featured 100 bulbs and was lowered down a flagpole. Now it’s an 11,875-pound, 12-foot geodesic globe encrusted with 2,688 Waterford crystals. This tradition is the start of a new year which is now upon us - whether we are ready or not.
        Remember that now is the time not only to renew your resolutions but also your New Jersey Freshwater Fishing License that expired last night on December 31st. Good news...you can buy your 2013 NJ fishing license online right now and be on the water in minutes! If you’re like me and itching to go fishing on any day off from work you have, you can. Visit this page http://www.njfishandwildlife.com/als/websalesintro.htm scroll all the way to the bottom and click the Start Here button.
         To make the purchase of your 2013 NJ fishing license as painless as possible, have last year’s license handy. You’ll need the 9digit CID number off it which identifies your unique license. If you don’t have last year’s license you can still proceed with your Social Security Number. You can pay with electronic check or credit card. The License will be presented to you as a PDF file which you can save and / or print. You can even print multiple copies which is nice....keep one in your vest, one in your car and one on file!