September Presentation - Chris Sullivan
Housatonic River Trout and Their Use of Thermal Refuges
Zoom-Only Meeting
Date: Thursday, September 19
Time: 6:45 - 8:15
Place: This meeting is Zoom only
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Zoom Link, ID, and Passcode::
Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83350546459?
pwd=vOVOQDZkwwLPFyBeJKHlBR1KBLpZjD.1
Meeting ID: 833 5054 6459
Passcode: 527982
Chris Sullivan has studied aquatic systems ranging from small streams to the Great Lakes. His presentation will discuss his PhD work which centered around cold-water-dependent fish use of cold thermal refuges during the summer within the Housatonic River. Chris will discuss the findings of this project and other associated research projects on the Housatonic River.
Bio: Chris received his BS degree from Purdue University, MS from Iowa State University, and PhD from the University of Connecticut. Currently, Chris is now a post-doc at the University of Minnesota studying climate change impacts on upper Midwestern lakes.
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Upcoming Speakers:
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September 19 (Zoom) - Chris Sullivan, Ph.D. - Cold Thermal Refuges
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October 17 (Zoom) - Chris Murphy, President, Trout Power - The power of anglers to protect, restore & enhance native brook trout populations and habitats.
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November 21 - TBD
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December 19 - Tim Flagler - In search of steel head on Lake Erie tributaries.
Board Elections Sept 19
Board Elections - September 19th
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​Our chapter by-laws specify that all board members serve a two-year term. The President and Treasurer may serve two, two-year terms and must then either leave the board or take another board position. All other board members may stay as long as they want.
Current board members’ terms expired during this past summer. One of the board’s last official acts was to nominate and approve the following slate of new board members. Voting will take place online during the September chapter meeting. If anyone else wants to serve on the board please contact Greg Lasota, glasota@hotmail.com , and you will be nominated at the September meeting.
George Lasota - President
Greg Golinski - President Emeritus, Webmaster
Carl Swanson – Secretary
Andy Szczesniak – Treasurer
TBD – Trout in the Classroom
Dick Scordato - Vice President
Chester Prouty – Conservation, Trips Coordinator
Bob Wesolowski – Newsletter, Dinner
Board Elections Sept 19
Help Wanted . . .
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Trout in the Classroom (TIC) Coordinator - We're still looking for someone to take over this very important position. Contact Ihor Szkolar with any questions (ihor.szkolar@gmail.com) or George Lasota, glasota@hotmail.com
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Brook Trout Study Participant - TU national is undertaking an assessment of the Cross River to determine if the stream has a viable native brook trout population. This summer TU coordinator, Gerald Berrafati (Mianus Chapter), will assess habitat conditions, water quality, water temperature and other variables using “community science tools”. If anyone is interested in helping, Gerald will train TU volunteers in using these tools. He can be contacted via email at gberrafati@mianustu.org
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Chapter Treasurer - We want to thank George Lasota for having served as treasurer the past four years and welcome new treasurer, Andy Szczesniak. Andy can be reached at awslaw@verizon.net
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Chapter Webmaster - How many years has it been since Dick Scordato designed and built the current site? Too many. We thank him for his years of service and welcome Greg Golinski. Greg can be reached at greg.golinski@gmail.com

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Chapter Trips Coordinator - We thank George Lasota for serving in this important role and welcome board newcomer Chester Prouty. To get trip information or suggest a trip venue Chet can be reached at chester.prouty@gmail.com
Fall Trips
Meet and join fellow club members at one of the upcoming chapter fishing trips. Trips are open to all CWCTU members and if designated, their guests. Please review trip cancelation policy before registering.
Connetquot River State Park Preserve (CRSPP) October 10, 2024
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A perennial chapter favorite! Private access to CRSPP for a full day for those registered. Open to CWCTU members and guests and limited to 15 anglers. Two trips are scheduled:
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CANCELED: West Branch Angler Resort (WBA) - Friday - Sunday, September 20-24, 2024
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May Presentation - Tim Flagler, Night Fishing
Special Time and a Special Place
Time: 6:00
Date: Thursday, May 16
Place: Captain Lawrence Brewery
444 Saw Mill River Road
Elmsford, NY 10523
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Here's What's Going On: We wanted to have a little get together for the last meeting of 2023-2024 so we asked the folks at Captain Lawrence Brewery for help. They will have lots of great bar food and cold beer to purchase. Sorry, no freebies. They will also give us a private room where we can chow down and where Tim will do his presentation.
Topic: This is a very special presentation. Tim's will discuss fishing after dark. At certain times of the year, fishing after the sun goes down can be spectacular and the chances of hooking into a monster are better than any other part of the day. Fishing in the dark does take some getting used to but with a few tricks, some basic equipment and minor modifications to technique, it can be an absolute blast. The presentation will include a wealth of video shot recently and over the last couple of years and yes, it includes plenty of big fish.
BIO: Tim Flagler is the owner of Tightline Productions, L.L.C., a video production company located in Califon, NJ. Although he produces video programs over a wide range of topics, his specialty is fly fishing. Tim is a well-known fly tying instructor. His YouTube videos are some of the best in the business and his YouTube channel, practicalpatterns.com currently has over 116,000 subscribers and 37 million views. Almost every week he produces a new fly tying or “how to” video which appear not only on his YouTube channel but on Midcurrent and the Orvis News fly fishing blog as well. They’re also featured on Trout Unlimited’s national website and in the Orvis Learning Center. In addition, he has a regular column “Beginner’s Masterclass with Tim Flagler” in Fly Tyer magazine, which selected Tim as their “Fly Tyer of the Year” in their Winter 2022 issue. Many of Tim’s tying videos take the viewer well beyond just the tying of the fly and show what it looks like underwater, what natural it represents and how it can be fished.
Tim’s a fixture at the Fly Fishing Shows - giving presentations, teaching classes and often as a Featured Tier. He enjoys guiding year round for South Branch Outfitters (formerly Shannon’s Fly & Tackle)in Califon, NJ. and hosts annual trips to Patagonia in the spring and to the Kootenai River in MT in the summer. He’ll also be hosting several trips within the year to Spruce Creek, PA starting in 2024.
Fly Fishing & Fly Tying Classes This April
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We are very pleased to announce that our Fly Fishing and Fly Tying Classes are resuming this April. This year for the first time we are partnering with the Westchester Parks Department and holding the classes on four Saturdays at Ward Pound Ridge Reservation.
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The Fly Fishing class is geared to first time fishers or to anyone who need to brush up on their skills. The Classes will be held from 8:30 to 12:00 on April 13, 20, May 4 and May 11. The classroom work will be at the WPA Gallery at the entrance to Ward Pound Ridge. This is an ideal location since we can easily go straight to the stream for the on-stream instruction, and students can stay after class to continue fishing.
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The Fly Tying Class will be held at the same venue from 12:30 to 3:30 PM. Our Fly Tying Class is unique due to the detailed presentation and instructions that are really unsurpassed. It is ideal for anyone new to fly fishing who would like to learn more about flies, or to fly tyers who would like to improve their techique under the guidance of truely expert tiers.
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No equipment is necessary for either class. The fee is $150 for each class with all proceeds going to the conservation and education programs of our Chapter.
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Please help us promote these classes by letting anyone you know who might be interested.
Volunteer for Trout Releases!!!
Once again, we need volunteers to assist with trout releases at Ward Pound Reservation.
Students who have raised trout from the egg stage in October to fingerlings will be coming up to
WPR to release the young trout to their natural environment. Volunteers help collecting and identifying macroinvertebrates to show students what their released trout
will feed on. The day typically starts at 9:30 and goes to about 1 pm. To volunteer click on the button below. You will see a list of dates, schools, grade level and number of volunteers needed. Please double check the times as some schools may arrive earlier or stay later with extended
activities. Be sure to check back frequently as updates will be made as more schools schedule
their releases. Afterwards, you can fish the local streams!
Paddle for the Hudson
Greetings from Hudson River Sloop Clearwater! This spring marks 55 years on the Hudson River, and in celebration of this milestone, the Sloop Clearwater is hosting a Paddle for Our Hudson Challenge - a 55-mile paddling challenge that will run from May 25 to July 26.
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Paddle for Our Hudson was born from a vision and desire to see people enjoying the Hudson River. It’s been a dream of Hudson River Sloop Clearwater since its inception that the Hudson River return to being a swimmable, recreational, and life-sustaining part of our community. Over the last 55 years, Clearwater has been setting sail, teaching about the river and its ecosystems, and advocating for a cleaner and healthier Hudson. We need your help to keep fighting for this beautiful vision.
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For more info, click here.
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Ray Farrington with his First Prize Liquor haul.
Rob Johnson with his new rod
New Stream Guide Published
The new, expanded, and completely revised Fly Fishing Guide to the Croton Watershed is now available. The new guide has color maps and illustrations and much new content. The maps in the guide are based on Google Maps so you can view locations and directions referenced in the guide on your mobile phone. The Guide is available at local fly shops or buy it here online. Please allow 2 weeks for delivery. The price is $25.00.
