I used to be so good about getting next year’s license the last week of December. Not so much in recent years. So, here’s a reminder for all of us. Talk about money well spent — a fishing license remains a tremendous value in Connecticut. Now, if we could only get the pols to stop futzing with the hatcheries…
Support your local trout.
The following (within quotes) is a cut-and-paste from Stripers Forever:
I hope the holiday season finds you surrounded by people you love, and by love itself.
Merry Christmas to all — and especially to those who love fishing.
Good news, but something that never should have been under consideration.
For more information, visit the Farmington Valley TU site here.
Fred says, “Thanks for all those emails to your representatives.”
The Governor’s obtuse, short-sighted recommendation that funding for Connecticut’s hatcheries be eliminated met with a stalemate. A special session of the legislature has been called for Tuesday, December 8. If you have not done so already, please contact the Governor’s office and your representative to voice your opinion. A link with more information from the CT River Salmon Association and ways to contact the Governor and legislators can be found here.
Also, here is a pdf from the Fisheries Advisory Council with supporting information: CostofCuttingHatcheries1.
Make your voice heard!
No hatcheries, no Farmington River Survivor Strain.
And a happy Thanksgiving to you.
I have so much to be thankful for, but I would like to start with you. Thanks for taking the time to read and visit currentseams. For those of you who have signed up (wow, 343 people), thanks so much for following. As Ray Bergman wrote in Trout, “This is my visit with you, our fishing adventure together.” I am grateful for the opportunity to share my time on the water with you.
And of course, I’m thankful for the blessing of fishing with my sons. Here’s Cam with a recent acquisition.
Once again, the Governor of the jolly old yo-ho-ho State of Connecticut has decided that a good way to save money would be to close our hatcheries. Never mind all that stuff about Connecticut and the Farmington River being a destination for anglers all over the northeast, or those bothersome guides and small businesses that would go under without a viable fishery, and never mind all the pesky retail sales and business entity taxes — who has time to count all that up, anyway?.
(The author of this post now gives out a long sigh, and searches for a word that best describes Governor Malloy’s thinking. Ah. “Obtuse.” Yes, that’s it.)
So, here’s how you can help. Sign this petition.
Thanks.
Fred here is in favor of keeping our hatcheries. But Fred can’t sign the petition. Help a brother out, will you?
I’ve already posted the striper flies that Grand Prize winner Ray Hamilton chose. Here are the trout streamers won by our 2nd and 3rd place contestants:
(starting from the left row, bottom to top) Culton’s Hi-Liter, German’s White Nightmare, Culton’s Deep Threat (brown/orange), Culton’s Deep threat (grey/olive) Culton’s Mickey Finn Soft Hackle, Galloup’s Zoo Cougar. One of each for both of you.
I hope to have these out tomorrow. Tight lines, gents.
The last two times I’ve cut the lawn (today included) I’ve noticed an abundance of black crickets milling about. I would think a black cricket fished dry or wet would draw a lot of attention if it were drifted or swung along a grassy bank.
Something like this: braid or dubbed body. palmered soft hackle, deer hair wing/caddis-style head, only all black. Size 8-12.
The Stripers Forever Release A Breeder Club encourages anglers to practice catch-and-release for striped bass of breeding age and size. To become a member, you need to catch and release a striped bass of at least 36″ (about a 20-pound fish) and provide a photo or a witness.
While club membership admittedly walks the line of narcissism, I am pleased to say I’m now a two-time member. But, let’s give credit where credit is due: this year I was simply in the right place at the right time. Still, I’ll take it. There is precious little in fishing that matches the brutish power of a twenty-pound ocean-going bass in four feet of water.
I’ve been certified.
~
Today’s word is: “shoulders.” Can you say “shoulders?” Sure. I knew you could. This isn’t the winning fish, but it’s still a good one.
Stripers Forever is a non-profit, internet-based conservation organization that advocates for the conservation and responsible stewardship of wild striped bass along the Atlantic Coast. They seek game fish status for wild striped bass on the Atlantic Coast. You can find out more about Stripers Forever and the Release A Breeder Club here.
currentseams.com 