Dear HTU Members,
In case you weren't paying attention there was a board of directors election at our June Zoom Chapter Meeting. Most of the incumbents retained their status. I was elected President and Jim Langell now serves as Speaker/Programs Director. I want to say hello to all our members and especially to thank "Big Daddy" Jim. He has earned a well deserved retirement after five years. I am grateful for all the hard work he has put in to make our TU chapter the best in NJ. Last May I was asked by the board members to "volunteer" for the position as chapter president and couldn't come up with a good excuse not to. After all, I just fish, babysit, eat, and sleep!
I would like to congratulate Lucas Liston. In early July he completed the 2022 TU Teen Summit at Lake Logan Retreat Center in Canton, North Carolina where he learned about TU's commitment to leadership, conservation, community, and fly fishing. I am proud to say that our chapter contributed $500 to Lucas' expenses. We want to encourage young people to get involved with Trout Unlimited.
I was able to attend the New Jersey Council of Trout Unlimited on July 17th along with our representatives Cris Giordano, John Melluso, and John Montefusco. We met with the other chapter presidents and representatives. It was the first in-person meeting since the pandemic started. One of the important things we discussed was funding the Beatty's Mill Dam Removal Planting Plan. Without going into too much detail, the NJ Council voted to give the Musconetcong Watershed Association approximately $6,000 to help replant the floodplain area using volunteers to save on costs. Our chapter pledged $500. I'll let you know when they need volunteers to help with the planting.
Big things are being planned for this fall. We should have our first in-person chapter meeting on September 8th. Please check this website as we get closer for more details.
In addition to the regular events I want to try a Monday night fly tying session every 3rd Monday of the month from 7 to 9pm starting September 19th. We have booked a room at the Parsippany Library through December. The tying sessions will be open to all members regardless of skill level. Cliff Behrens will decide on the fly patterns to be tied and we will post a list of materials on this website. A lot of you are talented fly tyers. We would like to have you share some of your special flies. Please contact Cliff if you would like to attend or lead a session. His email address is cliffbehrens at optonline dot net.
Stay tuned and keep fishing!
Michael Peters
"There is no greater fan of fly fishing than the worm." -Patrick F. McManus