The 2014 Banquet: What a Blast By Ed Walsh

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1 Summer 2014 Summer 2014 Welcome to the special Banquet Issue of the Long Cast! In addition to the usual roster of terrific stories, the last pages of this edition will contain many, many photos of YOU! Be sure to peruse the pictures and enjoy! I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E : From the Editor s Desk 2 Fly of the Month 3 TU Banquet Contributors 4 New Member Profiles 6 Lawson Carey Award 8 Banquet Photo Gallery 9 The 2014 Banquet: What a Blast By Ed Walsh When this year s Banquet Committee first got together the overriding objective was clear: let s get members excited about the future, have fun and hopefully put a few dollars in the chapter s treasury. All were accomplished as 82 members and friends enjoyed a terrific dinner, many went home with some very valuable items, and all had a lot of laughs on Saturday, April 5, at the East Greenwich Veterans Firemen s Hall. Under the direction of chairman, Al Ball, the committee assembled a wide range of items to be used in the Bucket Raffle and Silent and Verbal Auc- tions. It was amazing to see individual members and businesses supporting our great sport offering some outstanding items ( see attached list ). We certainly hit the ground running when Dave Miles donated a 14 Mad River Canoe, Jay Boyer offered a hand crafted fly rod, case and net with a stipulation that the rod/case be used for a drawing for any dinner ticket holder and Joe Carr provided a Cortland Diamond Glass rod to be used for the Lawson Cary Award Raffle. With the list continuing to grow it wasn t long before we all felt this could be / would be an enjoyable and productive banquet. On the evening of the dinner, we knew Jeff Perry and Rhonda Poole were doing a great job selling bucket raffle tickets, but when Jim Less mentioned just before dinner that their sales had already exceeded last year s total income it sure made the committee members feel all the hard work was worth it. (Continued on page 4) P r e s i d e n t s M e s s a g e R o n M a r a f i o t i I hope everyone has enjoyed the tug of a feisty trout in this new fishing season. April is always an interesting and busy month as our projects kick in, members meet members among the riffles and pools our fisheries offer, and we all meet new friends with common interests, especially fly fishing. Our annual banquet is now history, but it has left many of us with fond memories of a wonderfully entertaining and happy event. We all certainly owe this year s Banquet Committee a rousing ovation for a job WELL DONE! That modest group, now labeled as TU225 s Dirty Dozen, was (Continued on page 3)

2 P a g e 2 T h e L o n g C a s t F r o m t h e E d i t o r s D e s k b y E d W a l s h If TU 225 was looking for an anthem to depict its present status, it would have to be Bob Dylan s The Times They Are A- Changin. And although Dylan introduced this song back in October, 1963, it certainly is appropriate as our chapter reinvents itself. It started a few years ago when three young guys ( Mike Muzzy, Joe Grenon, and Chris Grenon ) voiced their disappointment with the chapter s inactivity. Not only did they get the ball rolling with their comments, but they were out front organizing clean-up and streamside restoration projects. You could see the increase in membership interest and involvement with large turnouts for these activities. Realizing our chapter has obligations to TU National directives, the Habitat Assessment Group ( HAG ) was formed to evaluate the condition of our watershed as it applies to Native Brook Trout sustainability. The group, along with many other members and friends, spent substantial time meeting with RIDEM officials, coordinating efforts with the URI Watershed Watch Program, and collecting stream temperatures and oxygen levels that were assembled and prepared in a yearend report that was evaluated by TU National, Wood-Pawcatuck Watershed Association and RIDEM before presenting to our membership at our March meeting. As things were getting better, the Board As things were getting better, the Board of Directors realized getting out of the gate on a positive note was going to be very important this year. of Directors realized getting out of the gate on a positive note was going to be very important this year. They also realized the best way to grow that positive energy was with the annual banquet, and what a job they did. Under the direction of Chairman Al Ball, a committee was assembled and the results of those efforts were obvious on Saturday, April 5, at the East Greenwich Veterans Fireman s Hall where 75 members and guests were treated to some fine food, great auction items, and a lot of laughs. More than $5,000 was added to the chapter s treasury, and equally importantly, the foundation was built for sustainable success with future banquets. This important chapter activity will be even better in Communications is another area where many positive changes are evident. Meetings and speakers have been scheduled in advance and an is sent to all well ahead of time. We are also using South County regional and local newspapers to get the word out on meetings and special events. And under the direction of Lawson Cary III a new TU 225 web page is being introduced and should be up and running very soon. If you haven t been to a meeting, or supported one of our outside activities ( stream restoration / Arcadia clean-up parties, etc. ) please put one of these events on your calendar. I ll bet the changes you experience will rejuvenate your interest in TU 225. Brook trout from the Falls River.

3 S u m m e r P a g e 3 P r e s i d e n t s M e s s a g e ( c o n t. f r o m p. 1 ) comprised of Al Ball(Chair), Jim Less, Jim Rubovits, Dick Diamond, Ed Walsh, Joe Grenon, Chris, Grenon, Mike Muzzy, Jay Boyer, Rich Benson, Lawson Cary III, and Jeff Perry thank you ALL! And thank you to all our donors we amassed a fantastic collection of donations thanks to them, and the 75 or so attendees bid willingly on every item available to provide our chapter with a much needed infusion of cash for member benefits and project support. The banquet was quickly followed by our annual cleanup for EARTH Day! April 26 started as a cloudy day with constant rain that did not deter TU225 s Dirty 13 from accomplishing their task of eliminating much of the trash that was clogging the pathways and waters of the Arcadia Management Area particularly along the Upper Wood, Falls, and Flat Rivers. Sincere thanks to these Chapter stalwarts: Joe Grenon, Chris Grenon, Mike Muzzy, Al Ball, Lawson Cary III, Rich Benson, Russ Ahlgren, Krishnan Scott and his Father John, Ed Walsh, Dick Diamond, John McCall, and I apologize for missing anyone. We offer our sincere thanks also to the WPWA and Garelick Dairies TU 225 President Ron Marafioti Fly of the Month: Parachute Adams By Rich Benson for donating supplies and refreshments for this cleanup. We have some intense and interesting projects coming up, and are in dire need of volunteers to make all of these successful. These projects include a variety of stream enhancements, habitat improvements, the culvert study, the WPWA water temperature monitoring project for headwater streams, and more. Please watch the event schedule and/or contact Al Ball, Joe Grenon, or myself as the Project leads. Best wishes to all of you for an exciting and enjoyable 2014 fishing season in either fresh or salt water a fantastic benefit of living, working, and playing in the Ocean State! Tight lines!! - Ron Marafioti The Parachute Dry Fly has been a long time favorite and a constantly productive fly for me for many years. Whether fishing a heavily hackled #12 Adams for small stream brookies or a tiny sparsely tied #20 during a bluewing olive hatch, the parachute has been an effective fly that is durable and floats well. A dark brown or tan body parachute in size #16 or #14 is a great fly for the early June hatches on the Wood River. I like straight eye hooks because I feel my hooking percentage is better with the smaller hooks. The white poly makes a great wing/post and is easy to see when fishing in low light. Great for old eyes! After catching a fish, I simply blow on the fly, squeeze it dry in my shirt sleeve and it s ready to go again. Hook: TMC 101/Orvis Big Eye Thread: 8/0 Color of the body Body: tan, brown, olive, etc. Wing: white poly Hackle: dun/grizzly and brown for the Adams Tail: dun fibers (except for Adams)

4 P a g e 4 T h e L o n g C a s t T U B a n q u e t a s m a s h i n g s u c c e s s ( c o n t. ) There certainly seemed to be a lot of smiling faces throughout the evening. Even the attendees who didn t get their named called when the bucket raffle tickets were pulled or might have been out bid in the silent or verbal auctions were having a good time. Lawson Cary III was taking a lot of pictures and not one included anything resembling a frown. Some of the highlights of the evening were Jim Rubovits sense of humor when handling the verbal auction, Rocco Androezzi prancing around with a string of feathers he won, Mike Muzzy bidding up almost every item during the verbal auction and Joe and Chris Grenon and Krishnan Scott trying to keep yours truly on point when picking tickets for the bucket raffle. On a slightly more serious note it was great listening to Ron Marafioti make the presentation to Joe Grenon as our 2014 Lawson Cary Award recipient and then for Joe to win the Jay Boyer rod/case in the attendee raffle. Also for Carl Sullivan who won the Lawson Cary Raffle and the Joe Carr Cortland rod. I am guessing Carl will get a lot of use out of his new equipment when he visits the Yellowstone Region later this fall on his first trip out west. Another highlight that must be recognized was the presentation of a rod, reel and related fishing equipment to Krishnan Scott as our youngest member. Bob Orpin donated the rod, Al Ball the reel and Dick Diamond the accessories. Our chapter wants to recognize and encourage more young people to become interested in fly fishing. Krishnan, and Dad Mike, attend most of our chapter s meetings and the young man participated in our fly tying meeting last fall. Hopefully we ll see more young people at our meetings and this presentation can become an annual event. Thank you to all the members who supported this year s banquet. Please tell members you see who weren t there what a good time you had. Hopefully this year will be just the beginning of bigger and better things to come. Thanks also to the group who organized and planned this event. In the end Al Ball must have thought what George Peppard said after episodes of the A Team: I love it when a plan comes together. BANQUET COMMITTEE MEMBERS AND GENEROUS CONTRIBUTORS The Banquet Committee Al Ball, Chairman Dick Diamond Ron Marafioti Mike Muzzy Joe Grenon Chris Grenon Jeff Perry Rich Benson Jay Boyer Lawson Cary III Ed Walsh Jim Rubovits Thank You to the Banquet Contributors: Lawson Cary III Flies tied by his father Gloria Cary Ladies toiletries Al Ball Catskill Style & Wood River Flies, fly fishing tools, fishing net, fly reels, wood carving, fly lines Elda Carrigan Jewelry Joe Carr 2/3 wt Cortland Diamond Glass Fly Rod ( Lawson Cary Award ) Jay Boyer hand crafted net, 4 wt. fly rod and cedar rod case & sock Rob Lewis West Branch of the Delaware River guided float trip Bruce Concors Two nights at his cabin on the Upper East Branch of the Delaware River Cabela s four $25.00 Gift Certificates, discount coupons Sandy Ball Hand decorated jewelry box Eileen Belleville 5 x 8 fishing scene needlepoint

5 S u m m e r P a g e 5 BANQUET CONTRIBUTORS (con t.) TU 225 Captain Jim Barr guided fishing trip John McCall Soft hackle wet flies / Orvis fly box Rich Benson Lamson 6/7 wt. reel Ray Rathbun fly fishing books, fly lines Dave Miles 14 Mad River Canoe John Troiano Premium cigars from Montecristo Granite Farms Restaurant gift certificate The Orvis Company fully loaded Safe Passage sling pack Steve Culton Signature Wet Fly selection Captain Jim Barr Signature assorted salt water flies Peter Nilsen color poster of 50 salt water flies, three color prints of Rainbow Trout/Cutthroat Trout/ Smallmouth Bass and four black & white prints of Brown Trout/Rainbow Trout/ Brook Trout and Atlantic Salmon John Mello hand crafted wood carving Ruffwear dog leash, bowl, toys and training tools Roger Williams Park Zoo four entry passes Eastern Mountain Sports Kayak and paddle board rentals Boston Red Sox autographed picture of John Lackey Ronald Lasko two illustrations from A Tale of Two Rivers Chris Grenon fly tying lamp, nymph fly selection Bob Orpin - Orvis 5 wt. 8 6 Orvis Rod, DB Dunn rod case Jeff Brousseau book: Striper Moon Seven Stars Bakery - $25.00 gift certificate Town Pizza II, Richmond - $25.00 gift certificate Stage Coach Inn, Wyoming - $50.00 off one night stay Ace Hardware, Wyoming Jig Saw Wyoming Package Store Jim Beam Bourbon Jim Less Orvis spin/ fly set, Clearwater reel, Shimano reel / spare spool Dick Diamond two Fenwick fly rods: 9 7wt. & 9 4 wt., fly lines, Aussie Kidney Purger, Budweiser Christmas light string, assortment of fly boxes, candy bowls Mike Muzzy assortment of hackle, feathers (pheasant, duck, etc.) Mike & Liz Muzzy Chocolate themed basket Jeff Perry Bugger Barn fly box with assorted salt water flies URE Outfitters Fly Logic 8, 4/5 wt. fly rod, two $25.00 gift certificates and six fly tying hen necks Westerly Enterprises / George Champlin 10 kt. Yellow gold necklace, 14 kt. Yellow gold stud ball earrings, 14 kt. Yellow gold black pearl/ diamond earrings, sterling rope chain, Hematite dolphin necklace and a 18 Figaro Chain Ultimate Upholstery three decorative tissue box covers with a fly fishing, pet and beach theme Lex Wiltrout assortment of fly fishing equipment and tools including sun glasses, wading belts and hooks. An original copy of Polly Rosborough s book Fishing the Fuzzy Nymph Gene Bates Fishpond fly fishing vest and flip focus clip-on 3.5 magnification lens Jim Rubovits 10 assorted fly fishing books, rainbow trout knife, trout belt buckle, miscellaneous fly tying threads and holder, jewelry, miscellaneous fishing clothing, 4/5 wt. Ross reel, many bags of dubbing material Safety 1st Security - $100 gift basket of security products Roma Kachanis two pendants: Spring Flowers / Blue Skies Joe Grenon bath cubes Clive Bennett Hex Fly assortment Salt Water Edge / Peter Jenkins - $ gift certificate, Salt Water Flies of the North East Karen Steve Fly assortment Please support our banquet contributors and say thank you to them next time you visit their businesses or see them at our meetings.

6 P a g e 6 T h e L o n g C a s t T U W e l c o m e s n e w m e m b e r s! Grover and Andy Fugate Grover and Andy recently moved to North Kingston after 26 years in Warwick. They have two daughters. Amy is a Pediatric Dentist and Heather a Forensic Accountant. Grover received his BS in Natural Resources from the University of Connecticut, studied Public Administration at Memorial University, Newfoundland, Canada, and completed his MBA with program emphasis in resource policy analysis also at Memorial. He is the Executive Director of the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council, a position he s held for the past 28 years, and he is also Adjunct Faculty at URI. Andy received a BS (Hons.) in Biology from Memorial and a BS in Pharmacy from URI. She is a pharmacist with Rite Aid. Grover was introduced to fly fishing by an uncle at 12 years of age at Moosehead Lake, Maine and got Andy actively involved five years ago, although both admit as a native Newfoundlander fishing was in her blood long before she picked up a fly rod. Most of their fly fishing locally is on the Wood River but they will, and have, tried other spots in the state where there is trout habitat. They have also fished in Maine, Newfoundland, Labrador, Quebec, Connecticut and Florida. They look forward to testing their skills in other states, regions and countries as time allows. They have become regulars at our monthly meetings and actually won the raffle at the first meeting they attended in early summer. On behalf of the membership of Narragansett TU 225 let s welcome Grover and Andy Fugate to our chapter. Joel LaSalle Joel is from Woodstock, CT. and lived there until coming to R.I. for college. He is a graduate of Bryant University with a B.S and Masters (BSBA) in accounting and works as a CPA for a public accounting firm. Joel lives in Cranston. Joel has always enjoyed fishing but only got into fly fishing a year ago when a cousin got involved in this great sport. He s fished locally at Wallum Lake, Beach Pond, Narragansett Bay and the Wood River and regionally all throughout New England and Pennsylvania. He lists Allagash Lake in the North Woods of Maine as a favorite destination. Joel hope s to learn more about fly fishing from veteran TU 225 members and expects to take an active role in the chapter s conservation efforts when time allows. He s also ties his own flies and has attended the Wood -Pawcatuck Fly Tying Program run by our own Jay Boyer. Joel wants to let everyone know how much he appreciates the warm welcome he s received from our members. Having talked to Joel a few times I say the pleasure is all ours.

7 S u m m e r P a g e 7 F l y o f t h e M o n t h ( c o n t. f r o m p. 3 ) Note There is an excellent video on tying parachute flys (thanks Ron) utm_source=fd&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=newsletter but is very different from the way I tie mine. I tie in the tail first, then the wing. Next, I dub the body on up to and around the wing. Next, tie the hackle with the stem pointing towards the eye of the hook and wrap the hackle around the wing. When the stem is secured, lift the hackle and apply a small amount of dubbing in front of the wing to complete the fly T U B o a r d o f D i r e c t o r s Officers President - Ron Marafioti / C: (571) / rmarafioti@msn.com Vice President Dick Diamond / C: (401) / diamonddri2011@gmail.com Secretary Position Open Treasurer Jim Less / C: (401) / james.less@verizon.net Board Members Al Ball Banquet Chairman / C: (401) / ozziepup@gmail.com Rich Benson - H: (401) / jbenson22@cox.net Chris Grenon C: (401) / gimpdog1@cox.net Joe Grenon C: (401) / 22joey44@gmail.com Lawson Cary III (401) / lawsoncary@gmail.com Long Cast Ed Walsh Editor C: (401) / walsh4613@cox.net

8 Joe Grenon wins Lawson Cary award TO JOSEPH GRENON LAWSON CARY AWARD Joseph Grenon has distinguished himself as an outstanding role model for members of the Narragansett Chapter of Trout Unlimited through his hard work in conserving, protecting, Joseph restoring, Grenon has and distinguished sustaining the himself coldwater as an fisheries outstanding role their model watersheds for members in Rhode Island of the over Narragansett the past 3 Chapter years. of Trout Unlimited through his hard work in conserving, protecting, restoring, and sustaining the coldwater fisheries and their watersheds in Since Rhode joining Island this over Chapter the past in 3 August years. 2010, Mr. Grenon served as the Chair of the Projects Committee, and now serves as a member of the Board of Directors and the Conservation Since joining Committee. this Chapter Mr. Grenon s in August dedication 2010, Mr. and Grenon success served at rejuvenating as the Chair of the the Projects Committee Projects Committee, has led to and improved now serves water as flow a member and retention of the of Board acceptable of Directors water and temperatures Conservation in the Upper Committee. Wood River, Mr. both Grenon s of which dedication help sustain and success trout populations. rejuvenating For the past Projects two years, Committee Mr. Grenon has led planned to improved and completed water flow numerous and retention important of acceptable and beneficial wa- the habitat ter temperatures and improvement in the Upper projects, Wood and River, re-energized both of which the membership help sustain to trout participate popula-itions. For that the promote past two the years, conservation Mr. Grenon mission planned of this and Chapter. completed Upon numerous the recent im- reor- activities ganization portant and of beneficial the Conservation habitat and Committee, improvement Mr. Grenon projects, continues and re-energized to spearhead the the Projects membership Group under to participate the Committee in activities umbrella. that promote He is also the an conservation active member mission of the of Wood this River Chapter. Fly Fishing Upon the Club. recent reorganization of the Conservation Committee, Mr. Grenon continues to spearhead the Projects Group under the Committee umbrella. As a member of this Chapter, Mr. Grenon initiated and led projects including roadside and As a streamside member of cleanups, this Chapter, stream Mr. and Grenon bank initiated restoration and projects, led projects culvert including assessments, roadside tree and trimming streamside and cleanups, path clearing stream activities. and bank Because restoration of Mr. projects, Grenon s culvert leadership assess- and and dedication ments, and to tree the Chapter s trimming and mission, path participation clearing activities. of the membership Because of Mr. in projects Grenon s and conservation-related leadership and dedication activities to the has Chapter s increased, mission, and as participation a result, more of has the been membership done to improve in projects fish and habitat conservation-related and user safety in activities a short time. has increased, and as a result, more has been done to improve fish habitat and user safety in a short time. Mr. Grenon is an avid fly angler and fly tier, and is known for his warm welcome to all newcomers Mr. Grenon who is an chase avid trout fly angler on the and river. fly tier, It is and not is uncommon known for to his see warm him welcome testing his to skills all newcomers on the river who against chase a trout wily trout, on the salmon, river. It or is steelhead, not uncommon often, to with see mixed him testing success. his skills on the river against a wily trout, salmon, or steelhead, often, with mixed The success. singularly distinctive accomplishments of Mr. Joseph Grenon reflect great credit upon himself and the Narragansett Chapter of Trout Unlimited. The singularly distinctive accomplishments of Mr. Joseph Grenon reflect great credit upon himself and the Narragansett Chapter of Trout Unlimited.

9 P a g e 9 T h e L o n g C a s t B a n q u e t P h o t o G a l l e r y

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11 T h e B a c k P a g e M E E T I N G S A R E H E L D O N T H E L A S T W E D N E S D A Y O F T H E M O N T H A T T H E C O V E N T R Y E L K S C L U B 4 2 N O O S E N E C K H I L L R D W E S T G R E E N W I C H, R I S O C I A L H O U R 6 7, M E E T I N G B E G I N S 7 : 0 0 S E P T E M B E R T H R O U G H M A Y M E E T I N G S A R E H E L D A T T H E COV E N T R Y E L K S. J U N E T H R O U G H A U G U S T S T R E A M S I D E M E E T I N G S A R E H E L D A T T H E A R C A D I A M A N A G E M E N T A R E A C H E C K S T A T I O N, R T , E X E - T E R, R. I. S T R E A M S I D E M E E T I N G S S T A R T A T 6 : 0 0 P M W I T H H A M- B U R G E R S, H O T D O G S A N D T R I M M I N G S E R V E D. Directions From North: 95 South Take Exit 6 to Rt. 3 N to Nooseneck Hill Road.5 miles on right From South: 95 North Take Exit 6 to Rt. 3 N to Nooseneck Hill Road.5 miles on right Membership If you are interested in learning more about joining the Narragansett Chapter of Trout Unlimited, visit our website All members also receive TROUT, TU's award-winning color magazine. You'll get four issues a year, full of conservation news, updates on TU activities, grassroots success stories, and fishing destinations recommended by "The Budget Angler." (This paragraph was excerpted from Trout Unlimited's National web site. )