Dr. Hamilton received his Ph.D. in Entomology in 1985 from Rutgers University and immediately joined the Rutgers faculty as an extension specialist in pest management to coordinate New Jersey's Pesticide Applicator Training and Pesticide Impact Assessment Programs. In 1998, Dr. Hamilton became the statewide IPM coordinator for New Jersey and was involved in reorganizing that program. During his thirty-plus-year career, Dr. Hamilton has authored over 200 extension and research publications, taught several courses including aquatic entomology and entomology for anglers, and served as chair of the Department of Entomology at Rutgers for 15 years.
Come to the chapter meeting 7:30pm Thursday, May 8th at the Whippany American Legion Hall. George Hamilton will be speaking about “Plants and Hatches: Using Nature’s Calendar to Predict Insect Emergence"
Just like insects, plants develop in response to temperature. By observing the seasonal progression of flowering plants, we can estimate when specific aquatic insects will emerge from New Jersey streams. This presentation will explore how common native blooms can serve as natural indicators for timing major hatches—helping anglers align their approach with the rhythms of the natural world.
Fly of the Month is the X Caddis. The X Caddis fly pattern was created in the 1980s by Craig Mathews and John Juracek of Blue Ribbon Flies in West Yellowstone, Montana. It's a dry fly designed to imitate caddisflies that are emerging and struggling to shed their pupal shuck. The fly is known for its effectiveness, especially in mimicking the "crippled" or "impairment" of an emerging caddisfly. Tie up six and bring them to the May chapter meeting. There will be two raffles.
