( The Tribal name of Long island ) Long Island Chapter of Trout Unlimited Newsletter T.U. PHILOSOPHY We believe that trout and salmon fishing isn't just fishing for trout and salmon. It's fishing for sport rather than food, where the true enjoyment of the sport lies in the challenge, the lore, the battle of wits, not necessarily the full creel. It's the feeling of satisfaction that comes from limiting your kill instead of killing your limit. It's communing with nature where the chief reward is a refreshed body and a contented soul, where a license is a permit to use not abuse, to enjoy not destroy our cold water fishery. It's subscribing to the proposition that what's good for trout and salmon is good for the fisherman and that managing trout and salmon for themselves rather than the fisherman is fundamental to the solution of our trout and salmon problems. It's appreciating our fishery resource, respecting fellow anglers and giving serious thought to tomorrow. March 2017 Next Chapter Meeting: Open House Tuesday, March 21 @ 7:30 PM Hicksville VFW Hall 320 South Broadway, Hicksville, NY Join us at the 2nd Annual Long Island Fly Fishing Expo March 18 Dear Conservationists and Fishermen, know, the Carlls is our largest watershed outside the Connetquot and hosts some reproducing trout and plenty of stockies. Come help this local water - we need you there! Put in a few hours and feel good about helping a beautiful river. 4) April TBD will be a cleanup on Alley Pond Creek in Queens - I know a lot of you are from the city or work there - now's your chance to help out the only cold water stream in NYC clean enough to support trout. On top of all these wonderful programs, we have with two spots vacant for the DEC Summer Camp this year. We sponsor two youngsters - ages 11 to 17 - to go for a week of archery, hiking, nature studies, camping, fishing etc. Don't you want your kids or friends' kids to experience a week in the catskills or adirondacks? Contact us at longislandtu@gmail.com if you have some possible candidates. Learn more at http:// www.dec.ny.gov/education/29.html. Finally, thank you to Jeff Plackis and Garth Pettinger for an excellent presentation on the conservation and water rights issues facing the Delaware River - a real complex and interesting battle that's been going on for over 100 years between NYC, NY, PA, NJ and DE. Thankfully we have stewards like these two, trying to keep NYC to its word! What do you think, winter or spring? Seems like every day the weather pendulum is swinging back and forth and keeping us confused. The bright side is this winter has had a surprising number of beautiful weekends to get out on the water - people have been on the Connetquot all season, as well as the Farmington and Croton. And everyone is catching! I'm going to make New Jersey rivers my new area of exploration this late winter chasing those blue lines on google maps! There is a big spring ahead of us folks: 1) March 4 and 11 we have the casting clinics where everyone is encouraged to send your friends (so you don't have to spend a whole day teaching them how to fish! I sent my parents and two close friends last year). 2) March 18th is the Long Island Fly Fishing Expo (liffexpo.org) to which we've all been looking forward - give yourself some hours here to watch over twenty fly-tiers teach you some tricks, make some purchases, or view some presentations - I'm definitely catching "Pike on the Fly" and "Saltwater Fly Fishing in Jamaica Bay". 3) March 25 we have the Carlls Tight Lines, River cleanup - for those of you who don't Christopher Aigner 1
LITU OFFICERS President: Christopher Aigner (516) 236-1260 Open House Chapter Meeting March 21 Vice President: Joe Pepe (516) 523-5925 Secretary: Mike Russell (631) 242-2707 Treasurer: Tom LoProto (516) 385-8655 Editor: Stu Buckner (631) 834-1400 Publisher: Sol Harz (631) 581-8173 Circulation: Joe Odierna (631) 563-9492 Paumonok Published monthly September through June by the Long Island Chapter of Trout Unlimited. Information, photos and articles on conservation and fishing are welcome. Please send material for publication, advertising inquiries and comments to the Editor: Stu Buckner Stubuckner.scb@gmail.com 631.834.1400 On Tuesday, March 21, the LITU Chapter will host its annual Open House Meeting. The purpose of this meeting is to have the attendees of the fly casting clinics, LIFFExpo, as well as anyone interested in fly fishing, to come and see what LITU is all about. This meeting is also an opportunity for attendees to gain insight into the sport of fly fishing and the importance of fisheries conservation. At the meeting, there will be fly tying, gear, and other demonstrations. LITU members will be available to discuss various aspects of fly-fishing, ongoing conservation projects on LI, and other chapter activities. LITU chapter meetings are held at the Hicksville VFW Hall, 320 South Broadway, Hicksville, NY LIE Wantagh State Northern State Pkwy Old Country Rd VFW Southern State Pkwy http://www.longislandtu.org 2
Tips for March 2017 Protect Your Tying Materials - If you're a fly tier, you're always adding to your tying supplies and materials. You no doubt have a considerable investment in those materials and should make every effort to safeguard them, especially from moths or other such insects. To protect your supplies, it is always a good idea to use zip-lock bags or some other airtight container for each variety of furs, hair, feathers, etc. The advantage to breaking up your materials into smaller groups is that, if one small container is infested, you will not necessarily lose all your materials. We also recommend adding mothballs or moth crystals to each container. Mothballs or crystals dissolve with time and must be periodically replaced, usually in about six months. If you absolutely cannot stand the smell of such as "Moth-Away." You can usually find these items in hardware stores and housewares sections of supermarkets. Each time you replace the mothballs, examine the material in each bag. If the feather tips appear to be eaten or if you find any insect larva, it is probably best to discard the questionable pieces. Keep Favorite Materials Handy - As a tying timesaver, keep the materials for your favorite flies, the flies you tie most often, in their own Ziploc bags rather than putting them away each session. When you're ready to tie one of these patterns, just pull out the bag for that pattern, and you're ready to start tying. This practice also tends to reduce clutter around the tying area since only the materials you need for that particular fly are out on the bench. (Ed Keegan) Use Tape for a Quick Clean Up - Keeping a threeinch roll of masking tape close at hand is one of the easiest and cheapest ways to clean yourself up after a long or unusually messy session of tying. Before your working area becomes a littered mess of clipped deer hair, hackle bits, and marabou fuzz, pull off a piece of masking tape and dab it on your clothes, desk surface, the floor-and everywhere else that stray bits of feather, fur, and hair may have settled. A piece of fresh, sticky tape will pick up everything. When you are finished, check to see that there's nothing stuck to the tape that you want to salvage and throw the used strip of tape away. Keep Glue from Spilling - To reduce the chances of a spill when you tie, use a piece of styrofoam (insulation or packing material) and cut holes for head cement and any other "spillable" materials that you use regularly. Glue the styrofoam to a piece of thin plywood or heavy cardboard cut slightly larger than the Styrofoam. Keep the bottles in the foam holes, and you can move it all over the table without fear of tipping. Also, make a smaller hole in the styrofoam and filled it with steel wool. When you stick your dubbing needle in the steel wool, it scrapes the cement off. (Jim Soychak) Send your tips to KensTUTips@verizon.net Calendar of Events Future Guest Speakers Paul McCain, River Bay Outfitters. Fishing the Farmington & Housatonic Rivers. April Chapter Meeting Tom McCoy, Tom s Fishing Stories. Beamoc Fishing Focusing on the Willow and Beaverkill. May Chapter Meeting Events March 4, Casting Clinic at Caleb Smith State Park March 11, Casting Clinic at Connetquot State Park March 18, 2nd Annual Long Island Fly Fishing Expo, for more information, click here March 21, Chapter Meeting (OPEN HOUSE) April 5, Board Meeting http://www.longislandtu.org 3
RiverBayOutfitters.com Long Island's only annual fly fishing expo, bringing together the leading fly fishing organizations for a day of presentations on tactics, rigs, and fly fishing various rivers vendor displays of fly fishing gear, equipment, & guide services fly tying by many of the best on LI and featuring the Long Island Fly Fishing Film Festival > For the schedule of events, go to pages 5 & 6 4
2017 Long Island Fly Fishing Expo Saturday, March 18 th, 2017 Schedule of Events Presentations Time Hospitality Room Executive Room 9:30 10:15 10:30 11:15 11:30 12:30 12:45 1:30 1:45 2:30 2:45 3:30 Tim Flagler Jeff Yates John McMurray Bob Lindquist Duane Redford Cameron Cipponeri What s Happening Now on NE Trout Streams Act Locally: How to Make Fishing Better on Your Home Waters Saltwater Fly Fishing in Jamaica Bay, Western LI & Offshore Fly Fishing from Long Island Out (radiating to Catskills & Beyond) Hidden in Plain View Recognizing the Obvious and Exploiting the Obscure Fly Fishing Five Gold Medal Rivers in Colorado Dave Blinken Mark Dysinger Lee Weil TBD Pike On The Fly - A Worthwhile Pursuit Warm Water Fly Fishing the Southern Adriondacks Andrea Lyn & Glenn The Misunderstood Bluegill: Van Benschoten Fun on Fly! Kelly Buchta Morgan Lyle Women in Fly Fishing TBD Vendors River Bay Outfitters The Fisherman Magazine On the Water AirFlo / Pacific Fly / Scott Rods The Camp-site Sport Shop Charles Neuner Carmans River Rod Company Douglas Outdoors Drifters Lodge Fishpond / Redington / Rio / Sage Hobie Polarized Sunglasses Hook & Fly Apparel Korkers Boots Mystic Rods / Spey Northeast Orvis Westbury Rise Rods Safet Nikocevic Flies Guides Capt. David Blinken - North Flats Guiding Cameron Cipponeri - Frying Pan Anglers Mark Malenovsky - Hooks & Brooks Guide Service Capt. John McMurray - One More Cast Charters Capt. Rob Thompson Jeff Yates Vendors, Guides, Exhibitors & Authors Exhibitors Art Flick Trout Unlimited Long Island Trout Unlimited Long Island Flyrodders Salty Flyrodders Casting For Recovery Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing Cold Spring Harbor Fish Hatchery & Aquarium Save The Sound Idle Hour Fly Fishers NYS Department of Environmental Conservation NYS Parks - Caleb Smith State Park Preserve Friends of Caleb Smith Preserve NYS Parks - Connetquot River State Park Preserve Friends of Connetquot Authors Morgan Lyle Tom McCoy Angelo Peluso Fred Thorner Jeff Yates 5
2017 Long Island Fly Fishing Expo Saturday, March 18 th, 2017 Fly Tyers Mike Albano Omar Alvarado Jeff Becker Lexi Becker Dave Blinken Percy Brice III Peter Dubno Mark Dysinger Doug Ernst Tim Flagler Rich Haimes Evan Hildenbrand John Hildenbrand John Horner Linda Hotchkiss Phil Kee Chris Kraus Rick Lewis Bob Lindquist Morgan Lyle Nicole March Owen McCain David Nelson Bill Newcomb Safet Nikocevic Wolfgang Porté Duane Redford Kat Rollin Mike Scheiner Boyd Shockley Susan Solomon Ernie Tamargo Andrea Lyn Van Benschoten Glenn Van Benschoten Mark Wayne Lee Weil 2017 Long Island Fly Fishing Film Festival (LIFFFFest) Film Festival will begin at 4:30pm in the Hospitality Room Video Title Duration Production Co. By Night, By Day 07:46 Winged Reel Between the Lines 14:03 Lonely Osprey Productions Ron 07:39 NJ on the Fly Media Pagosa Springs on the Fly 05:33 Trevor Soety Seeing Red 2 04:06 Feed 'Em Flies At Water s Edge: Steelhead Alley 05:15 At Water s Edge Fishing Empty Spaces 06:45 Southern Flyway 6
Life is a journey, not a destination by Tom LoProto Many years ago I recall playing with my 2 high green plastic army soldiers. There were 100 or so soldiers in a plastic bag that I d dump out on my floor, and then spend an hour or two setting them up in strategic locations throughout our den. When I was all done, I would appreciate my creativity for about 2 seconds, and then gather up the little green men, only to immediately set them all up for another battle. Even to this day, many things I do focus more on the preparation and anticipation, rather than the climax. And that holds true for me whenever I am flyfishing. The night before any flyfishing adventure, I will lay out all my clothes and gear on a table in my basement. Unfortunately for me the art of flyfishing has not yet found its way to the prime real estate on the first floor of my home. I ll check my gear about 10 times the night before ensuring I have not forgotten anything, even though it is only a day trip that I am going on; no sleepover on this particular trip. I ll then spend the rest of the night thinking of where to fish the next day it ll be somewhere between Livingston Manor and Hancock, but I need not make that decision until I am in my car driving the next morning. No need to set the alarm, as my excitement will wake me at 5:15am, and I will be out of the house at 5:45am, and take a two minute drive to my local coffee shop. The coffee shop does not open until 6:00am, so I am not sure why I always get there 10 minutes before it opens, but I just sit in my car and wait for the owner to flip the sign from closed to open. I order the usual, large coffee, and corn muffin with extra butter, knowing full well the extra butter will seep through the paper bag sitting on my lap, and create a small stain on my pants. It s a given. There are about 10 different ways to eventually get to the NYS Thruway. I do the one that is ingrained to memory..nsp, CIP, WB, HRP, CCP, NYS Thruway! No thinking required. Getting close to exit 15, I strain my eyes out of my right window to check the flow on the Ramapo River. I have no idea why I always do that, but I just do. I believe if I see water there, that is a good sign of things to come. First detour, the service area near Sloatsburg. I refill my coffee, buy a donut I really do not need, and stock up on a big plastic bag of NYS travel brochures. I ll eventually will leaf through all of them looking for something new and interesting to do in NYS; but it highly unlikely I will attend the annual hog calling festival in the Saugerties.but you never know. a lesson learned the hard way a long time ago. Back in 2008, I was a little too complacent and driving at some un-god-ly speed down the long hill near the town of Thompson. As I passed a State Trooper, barely hiding behind a tree, I immediately slowed down, saw him turn on his lights, and pull out after me. I pulled over thinking the trooper may offer some form of leniency for my perceived admission of guilt. I rolled down my window and the trooper asked What s the hurry, do you know how fast you were going? I thought of using a line my friend used once that actually got him out of a ticket, but I thought best to just admit my mistake, and apologize. Possibly my apology did help a bit because the trooper lowered the speed he clocked me at, so that my ticket would only be $150! In hindsight, maybe I should have tried the infamous line my friend used but I ll never know.my friend s response to the trooper who stopped him inquiring do you know how fast you were going, my friend said sorry officer, I don t know, my speedometer only goes to 120 mph. Continuing past exit 100, I now start to see the rivers, and need to make a somewhat quick and educated decision on which river or rivers I will be fishing. River to the left, river to the right.someone once told me the rivers cross Route 17 exactly 18 times..but I never counted. I decide to fish my secret spot on the Willow, alongside the 9 other anglers already there. No worries, I still have a few sips of coffee left, so I sit on the hood of my car and enjoy the sound of the river. About an hour later I gear up, and on the third cast I catch an 11 brown trout. I toss him or her back, and simply stand there for an eternity looking for recognition from someone, anyone. The rest of the afternoon is quiet, but simply standing in the middle of the stream, gentle current passing by, rays of sun peeking through the trees, anticipation of a rise or a strike, that s all good enough for me. Around 4 pm I head a little west to the Riverside Café, plunk myself down at the corner spot at the bar and look for a familiar face.don t see any. As I sip my first and only glass of Cabernet (still need to drive home), dig into my salad with the sesame dressing, and wait for my medium rare cheeseburger, I listen to 3 guys talking about the nice 19 Brown one of them caught earlier that day. 19, hmmm, my guess the fish was most likely 15, but whatever makes you happy. After a great meal, I debate if I should have a second glass of Cab, fish for another hour behind the Riverside, get a room for the night, and then drive home in the morning. But I decide to head back to LI after dinner, and enjoy the peaceful ride home. To me this is a perfect day that I can repeat over and over. However the day is not quite over, still have one more important decision to make..should I or shouldn t I stop at the Sloatsburg rest area and get myself a McDonald s soft serve vanilla ice cream cone! I am now back in the car, passing Woodbury Commons, now on Route 17, which always seems like the longest stretch of the ride, but definitely the most enjoyable.especially in Autumn. I maintain my cruising speed at 65 mph, staying in the right lane, As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, Life is a journey, not a destination. 7
Chris Wood's statement on Trump's Clean Water Rule order Submitted by chris_hunt on Tue, 2017-02-28 Conservation Trout Magazine The Trump Administration can change direction on this Rule but they can t change the fact that clean water is not a political issue. It is a basic right of every American. Gravity works cheap, and it never takes a day off. The Administration cannot stop water flowing downhill and we all live downstream. Today, President Trump signed an executive order that begins to unravel the protections of the Clean Water Act for small headwater streams. To be effective, the Clean Water Act must be able to control pollution at its source, upstream in the headwaters and wetlands that flow downstream through communities The Clean Water Rule was finalized in 2015 after more to our major lakes, rivers, and bays. The Administration s than one million public comments and extensive scientific action places the health of 60 percent of the stream miles review. It provides protection to streams and rivers includ- in the U.S. at risk. ing 60 percent of the stream miles in the U.S. that flow Trout Unlimited intends to work with our hundreds of seasonally. thousands of members and supporters to reverse course Protecting these headwaters is important not only to an- on this misguided direction. glers, but also to the one in three Americans whose drink Chris Wood, President and CEO, Trout Unlimited ing water comes from small seasonal streams. The Executive Order directs the Army Corps of Engineers Screen Shot 2017-02-28 at 9.43.16 AM.png and the EPA to rescind and revise the Clean Water Rule. It also directs the agencies to use former Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia s minority opinion that said seasonal streams do not merit protection, as a basis for the revision. If Justice Scalia s direction is followed, 60 percent of U.S. streams and 20 million acres of wetlands would lose protection of the Clean Water Act; an unmitigated disaster for fish and wildlife, hunting and fishing, and clean water. ( Clean Water Rule Factsheet 17-02.pdf.) Sportsmen and women have a simple question for the President and EPA Administrator Pruitt: Are we going forward or backward on clean water? Today s announcement is a big step back. Legally, scientifically and logically a reliance on Justice Scalia s opinion is wrong-headed but there s still time, working through the new rulemaking process, to make it right. When the new Administration replaces the Clean Water Rule, it must listen to the voices of tens of millions of sportsmen and women who want more clean water, more fish and wildlife habitat, and more hunting and angling opportunities. Photo: An angler fishes a small Montana stream that is protected under the Clean Water Rule. A new executive order begins the process of removing protections from this and thousands of other small headwater streams and wetlands across America. 'If Justice Scalia s direction is followed, 60 percent of U.S. streams and 20 million acres of wetlands would lose protection of the Clean Water Act; an unmitigated disaster for fish and wildlife, hunting and fishing, and clean water.' 8
Guest Speaker Presentation January 25, 2017 The Ausable River, Adirondack Mountains, NY, presented by Evan Bottcher & Matt Delorenzo, The Hungry Trout Highlights by Jason W. Creech On January 25, 2017, Evan Bottcher and Matt Delorenzo from the Hungry Trout visited the Chapter and gave an informative and enticing presentation on the Ausable River to a packed house of flyfishers eager to knock the dust and ice off their gear and get out to the their favorite streams to kick off the season. Evan took us away to a place of gorgeous, mountain streams, lakes and ponds loaded with large, willing, and, of course, hungry trout. The water they shared with us features numerous waterfalls, deep pools, boulder-packed runs, and picturesque ponds. The Hungry Trout is located in the heart of the beautiful Northern Adirondack Mountains, features spacious accommodations, gourmet and pub dining rooms, spectacular views and access to world class outdoor recreation: Whiteface Mountain, trout fishing and hiking along the famous Au Sable River, miles of road and mountain bike trails, The Flume swimming holes, canoeing, birding, and much more. It is a 6 hour drive (nonstop) from Long Island and is located in Wilmington, NY, about 10 miles outside of Lake Placid. The Au Sable River system was the focus of the presentation, including the West Branch, East Branch, and Main Stem. Of the three, the West Branch is the most nutrient -rich, trout-friendly river and features distinct bug life from its sister-streams. Prime fishing on the West Branch is from May to early June. However, there are 94 miles of water near the Hungry Trout, so be sure to check out other streams such as the Saranac and Salmon Rivers, as well as flatwater fishing on Twin, Big Duck, and Little Duck Ponds. Visit hungrytrout.com for details. The Long Island Fly Rodders meet the first Tuesday of each month at Levittown VFW Hall at 8:00 PM. 55 Hickory Lane Levittown, NY www.liflyrodders.org RiverBayOutfitters.com 9
Raffle for a Bamboo Rod Crafted and Donated by Chuck Neuner, Carmans River Rod Company 6'-3", 2-piece, 4wt. Retail price: $1475 - Only 60 tickets will be sold $40/ticket, $100/3 tickets NYSDEC: Wednesday, November 2, 2016 Specifications 6'-3", 2-piece, 4wt. Crisp-casting proprietary taper based on the Paul Young Midge. Three Salmon Poachers Arrested After Early-Morning Chase - Medium-flamed cane, hand-split and hand-planed - Polished nickel silver ferrules, fittings, and reel seat hardware - Select cork reel seat, turned on-the-rod for perfect concentricity - Polished nickel silver stripping guide with select agate insert - Hard chrome finished Snake brand line guides - Premium maple burl reel seat insert - Translucent cinnamon silk wraps - Hand-rubbed spar varnish finish - Complete with mirror-matched spare tip, sailcloth rod bag, brass-capped aluminum rod case, and ferrule plug. To purchase raffle tickets, contact Tom LoProto at tloproto@aol.com 10
LONG ISLAND S FLYFISHING SHOP SALT & FRESHWATER All Major Brands Able Reels - Bauer - Scott Flyrods Tibor/Pate - G. Loomis - Sage St. Croix - S. A. Mastery - Lamson - Rio Simms - Airflo Whiting We can outfit you for trips from Montauk to Mongolia. The Camp-Site Sports Shop 1877 New York Ave. Huntington Station, NY 11746 Tel 631-271-4969 11
Join Trout Unlimited = Help Preserve Our Cold Water Fisheries Membership Application Page 2 Published by the Long Island Chapter of Trout Unlimited March 2017 Stuart Buckner, Editor 8 Cardinal Lane East Islip, NY 11730 CALENDAR OF EVENTS March 4, Casting Clinic at Caleb Smith State Park March 11, Casting Clinic at Connetquot State Park March 18, 2nd Annual Long Island Fly Fishing Expo Monthly Meetings On the 3rd Tuesday At 7:30 PM Hicksville VFW Hall 320 So. Broadway, Hicksville, NY March 21, Chapter Meeting (Open House) April 5, Board Meeting April 18, Chapter Meeting 12