Riffles When: October 11 at 7:30 PM

Where: American Legion Hall

33 West Passaic Street

Rochelle Park, NJ

The Monthly Newsletter of the The Monthly Newsletter of the The Monthly Newsletter of the The Monthly Newsletter of the

East Jersey Chapter of Trout UnlimitedEast Jersey Chapter of Trout UnlimitedEast Jersey Chapter of Trout UnlimitedEast Jersey Chapter of Trout Unlimited

www.ejtu.orgwww.ejtu.org

Volume 48Volume 48 October 2017October 2017 Number 10Number 10

Welcome to September’s New Members

Nick Brett Oakland James Boyajian Midland Park Nilsa Benitez Lodi Lu Campagnola Maywood Louise Cimaszewski Nutley Elizabeth Rottinger Ridgewood

Schedule Oct. [TBD] Sandy Hook saltwater trip Oct. 13 [Fri] NJ State Fall trout stocking Nov. 4 [Sat] EJTU Fall trout stock- ing Nov. 8 [Wed] Speaker Dickson Despommier Dec 13 [Wed] Christmas Party Jan. 10 [Wed] Speaker: Frank De-Grazio Feb. TBD Connetquot Trip Feb. 14 [Wed] Movie Night Mar. 14 [Wed] Speaker: Capt. Jim Freda Apr. TBD Cast and Blast Apr 11 [Wed] Speaker: Tim Flagler May [TBD] Pennsylvania trip May 8 [Wed] Speaker: Ben Turpin

October’s Speaker Agust Gudmundsson

Agust, Chairman of the NJ Fish and Game Council’s Fish Com-mittee, is passionate about cha-sing native brook trout in NJ’s small streams. His presentation will be a tour of a select NJ trout streams, some wild, some stoc-ked and some a little of both.

He will also spend a little time talking about the regulation changes proposed for 2018 and will ask folks to comment on them. They are being published in the October 2nd register so the comment period is just starting.

President’s Beat

The chapter’s p o i n t s program has been around for many years and has proven to be a great way to reward our a c t i v e v o l u n t e e r s .

Other chapters, both in New Jersey and in other states, noting the program’s value, have copied it and, when properly managed, have made it a success.

Points are awarded for many of the volunteer activities that can be done for the chapter or fellow anglers or for donations that are made to help support the chap-ter. Ten points are award for every 4 hours of volunteer work or for a donation to the chapter worth up to $50. The donation could be a dozen flies you tied or an item for a prize at the annual banquet. We also award points for taking a new member fishing or for showing someone a new stream to fish. When volunteers work longer than 4 hours or do-nate something worth more than $50, the points they get are in-creased proportionately.

A listing of the prizes that are awarded and the points needed to earn them are on our chapter’s website under the Activities drop down. The LL Bean green polo

Continued on page 4

Menhaden

One of the most important fish on the Atlantic seaboard is what we used to call Moss Bunker - the Menhaden. They are a nondescript and smelly fish, but they are wanted by pet food manufacturers, makers of Omega 3 oil pills and, most importantly most fish larger than a Menhaden. So they are disap-pearing - and so will stripers and other predators!

See page seven of this issue of Riffles for recommendations on how to han-dle Menhaden fisheries. Bring back the smelly Moss Bunker!

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Conservation Notes

How to contact us: Website: ejtu.org Mailing Address: East Jersey Chapter, Trout Unlimited Box 366 HoHoKus, NJ 07423-0366 Membership Info: G. Inwood at: 201-489-7182 or email inwoodgale@aol.com For East Jersey and National Trout Unlimited information, visit www.tu.org. Go to chapter number 091 for the latest information about our chapter. Riffles is your publication; we encourage all mem-bers to contribute articles, tips, and stories. Arti-cles may relate to trout, trout fishing, fishing in general or conservation, but all articles are pub-lished at the discretion of the editors and should meet EJTU standards regarding protecting our environment and the merits of 'catch and release'. Pseudonyms may be used but the editors must be informed of the name of the member who writes the article. Email to raycapp@optonline.net

Monthly General Member Meeting: the second Wednesday of each month at 7:30PM.

Location: The American Legion Hall, 33 West Passaic St, Rochelle Park, NJ. 07662.

Board Members of East Jersey Trout Unlimited meet on the last Thursday of each month at 7:30PM.

East Jersey Chapter Trout Unlimited

Board of Directors

President Bruce Seiden

1st Vice President Vacant

2nd Vice President Ken Barile

Treasurer Igor Zaretsky

Recording Secretary Dino Eftychiou

Membership Secretary Gale Inwood

Education Doug Penna

Speakers/Webmaster Chris Henrickson

Points Paul Reithmeier

Riffles Editor Ray Cappock

Conservation Chair Rich Malizia

Publicity Bruce Halstater

Directors at Large Elio Chiavola

George Petersen

Founding President Don Ecker

Many of our members are saltwater anglers and still more share environmental concerns. Currently there is an issue being addressed by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, the entity responsible for establishing seasons and limits for saltwater fish and fishing. The menhaden population is the concern. These fish, often referred to as “bunker”, are a critical prey fish for striped bass and other important sportfish. Menhaden have been harvested for centuries and are used for eve-rything from fish oil pills to fertilizer. Marine scientists have determined that fluctuations in the menhaden population have a direct effect on the striped bass population. We have included some information in “Riffles” for your consideration. We hope that you will read it carefully and, if you agree with the position of EJTU and many other conserva-tion organizations, you will write and encourage the adoption of al-ternative E. This represents the best option for the protection of menhaden stocks and a direct be-nefit to the striped bass population.

The Trump administration has adopted a position to remove protections from 10 national monu-ments, including several unique environmental areas. This could result in the destruction of these special places for the benefit of a few who will profit from a loss to the rest of the citizens of our na-tion. How shortsighted and selfish. Of equal concern is the Trump Ad-ministration’s refusal to release the report developed by Secretary Zinke and the Interior Department. These are public lands. That means they belong to all of us. Not just a few special interest groups. It’s all about the money.

Closer to home, please be alert to the “flood mitigation” work to be done on Post Brook and the Wanaque, Pequannock, Ramapo

and Pompton Rivers by the town of Pomp-ton Lakes. Past experi-ence causes some concern. Work done a few years ago was highly de-structive to the rivers and sur-rounding land. Basic protocols were ignored and significant pe-ripheral damage was done. Most of what Pompton Lakes considers flood control is simply flood shifting. The communities downstream are sure to suffer if this work is done. Ross Kushner, formerly of the Pe-quannock River Coalition, is ac-tively involved in monitoring the ac-tivities on these rivers. He has asked for help to make sure the work done is in accordance with the permits that were issued. If you see work being done on any of these waterways, Ross has asked t o b e c o n t a c t e d a t pqguy@optonline.net. He will re-search the scope of the permits to make sure the work is within estab-lished guidelines.

Our thoughts are with the people of Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico whose lives have been so seriously disrupted by the recent hurricanes. The loss of life and property cannot be measured in dollars. There are lessons to be learned from the tragedies. Hous-ton has a number of superfund sites, several of which were flooded by the storm. Recently, it has been reported that 16 acres of one site was covered in 2011 with an “armored cap”. The cap was designed to last for up to 100 years but has “required extensive repairs on at least six occasions in recent years”. That was BEFORE the hurricane. So much for the cap

Continued on page 3

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asting 100 years. Maybe this is a good lesson for those people intent on capping the toxic waste in Ring-wood. This is also a time when a strong and proactive EPA should be in the forefront of recovery ef-forts. Billions of tax dollars will be spent over the next several years. The EPA should be leading the way to protect fragile resources, reclaim wetlands on which devel-opment has occurred and introduce regulations to prohibit land use abuses which have contributed to the destruction of the lives of so many people.

On Friday, October 13, 2017, NJF&W will stock the Ramapo River. It is the annual fall stocking. Water levels are very low right now and, without significant rain events, all the stocking will have to be done by hand. This means we will need some extra help to walk the areas normally done by boat. Please bring boots or waders. We will meet at the Glen Gray Bridge at the Mahwah/Oakland border at about 9:00 AM for coffee. We will need some vol-unteers to work upriver at the Park,

Halifax Road and Riverview Ter-race. The river is not “closed” dur-ing the fall stocking so, if you are so inclined, bring your gear and fish once the work is done. Please let me know if you are able to help b y c o n t a c t i n g m e a t remqcp@optonline.net or 973-304-0789.

The Chapter has committed funds to purchase a few hundred trout which will be stocked on Sat-urday, November 4, 2017. We will meet at the Glen Gray Bridge. These fish will be purchased from a private hatchery so the delivery will be made promptly at 9:00 AM. Coffee will be served streamside at 8:30 AM. Bring boots or waders. We plan to stock from Fox Brook to the bend below Patriots Way. Bring your kids if you would like them to participate and learn about some of the things we do at EJTU. Please let me know if you are able to help by contacting me at remqcp@optonline.net or 973-304-0789.

Be safe and go fishing!

Rich Malizia

Conservation Notes

Continued from page 2 Leonia Versus Styrofoam

Occasionally I see an item in the press that gives me hope that some people are truly con-cerned about quality of life and the health of the environment. Recently, Leonia school district has chosen to phase out the use of Styrofoam. Styrofoam is com-monly used to make take-out food containers and serving trays for schools. Styrofoam does not biodegrade. It just continues to break into smaller and smaller pieces until it is too small to pick up. You have all seen it floating around in the form of coffee cups and hot lunch containers. It is even used to float lobster, crab and fish trap markers. Eventu-ally, it appears as small white particles floating on the water surface. Leonia’s school board is concerned that products on the market, with which they could re-place the Styrofoam trays, cost substantially more. I’m sure if one were to add the cost of cleaning up plastic pollution the difference would not be that great. Leonia is planning a Styro-foam collection drive on October 21st from 10AM to 3PM at the Wood Park/Library parking lot. They will accept all forms of Sty-rofoam which they will subse-quently recycle at a facility which will reuse it for packing materials. While this will not remove the Styrofoam from the environment, it will at least stop the single use of such materials. EJTU should step up. Let’s get rid of the Styrofoam cof-fee cups at our meetings and use paper cups or better yet bring your own reusable cup.

Rich Malizia

Proposed changes to trout regulations

The Fish and Game Council and NJDEP Division of Fish and Wildlife are proposing amendments to the 2018 - 2019 Fish Code. There are several important proposed changes to trout regulations as well as general fishing regulations. For a summary of the proposed changes, a link to the full proposal, information on the November 14 public hearing and how to submit written comment visit : http://tinyurl.com/y9592a48 on the Division's website.

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President’s Beat

Continued from page 1

shirt is the first prize for anyone and, as more points are accumulated, the prizes increase in value up to a $500 Gift Card.

Paul Reithmeier maintains a list of volunteers and their point to-tals. Directors or whoever is run-ning a project inform Paul of who worked on the project and Paul adds the appropriate number of points to the running totals. He also gets notices of any dona-tions made by members. Paul accumulates the points and we present the prizes at our annual banquet.

Some of our regular volunteers, whether they work at our weekly trout stockings or are fly tying in-structors, quickly accumulate points and wind up with some ex-cellent gifts for their service. We periodically review the the prizes and award new ones; the latest addition was the 30 oz. Yeti Ramble cup which replaced the old beer stein.

The next time you see a member with the Green Polo shirt or the EJTU fleece jacket, remember that they earn those prizes with their hard work or donations and that you too could easily obtain similar items. Nothing gives the board greater pleasure than handing out these items to thank people for their efforts.

Bruce Seiden

Don fished with Bruce Miller and a volunteer for the DRC by the name of Ed. We fished hard, got a few "refusals", the word used instead of the usual late hook set, and a couple of boils at our streamer flies. Don's boat caught two fish; Don's was a pickerel and the other was a trout that Ed had on, but was never netted.

Fish were rising on the main branch, but fishing was very slow. There were few bugs on the water, only a few Iso's and baetis, with some caddis too. Everyone stayed on the river almost till dark waiting for "the hatch", but that didn't come. Then, once back at the DRC, there was a cookout with hamburgers, hot dogs and all the fixings, even all the way sauce was provided along with salads of macaroni and potato. There was plenty of joking around at the table and fun was had by all.

The rooms are very comfortable. The double rooms have divider walls so you're not sleeping in the same sleeping quarters with another angler, yet you're in the same room. There is a single bath per room plus a TV and fridge.

On Sunday the DRC provided a continental breakfast in the din-ning hall. They were nice

The Delaware River Club invited veterans from the Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing unit that EJTU partners with to fish the river on Saturday, September 23rd. Four veterans and Don Schalck, who served as our liaison, cook and chaperone, came on the trip, while two additional veterans had to drop out due to a health issue and a family wake.

An on the water lunch was was provided by the Delaware River Club and waders and rods were also provided for the veterans, but because of the warm weather no one used the waders. The sun was at full strength with no clouds in sight, but there was no rush to get on the river, as it was very turbid and flows were up. Also, the fish were lying low due to the bright, sunny conditions.

The veterans were divided into two groups of two each, with their own guides, in two drift boats. Rich N. and Herb B. fished with Samantha Dennis. Herb missed several fish, which is not unusual for anyone new to drift boat fish-ing. Rich caught a nice brown. Al and Rich M. fished with Jared Markowski. Al hooked a couple of rainbows on dry droppers with streamers and nymphs and the "other" Rich had a nice rainbow.

Project Healing Waters Trip

enough to allow our group to ac-cess the river to fish out front and extended our checkout time until whenever we wanted, so there was no rush to leave. They were most accommodating. Don has offered to lead if there is another trip like this to the DRC.

Don Schalk

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Twenty-five EJTU members and guests attended the Housatonic trip this year with most staying for the weekend and some for just a day or two of fishing.

We had cool weather and the only rain was on Saturday eve-ning. Because the water was cold enough and the water high enough to keep the fish actively feeding, most mem-bers caught fish. Our anglers caught both Browns and Rain-bows as well as Large and Small-mouth Bass. Some, like Fred Madura and Andy Preziosi, caught an exceptional number of fish, but Jesse Canella got the prize for the biggest trout, a 20 inch Brown that gave him the fight of his life. Jesse will re-member that fish for some time to come.

Friday and Saturday night’s campfires were the favorite places to gather and recount our day’s fishing exploits. Igor Zaret-

sky entertained us with his wit, his humor, and his vodka. Oh yes, and his Ukranian folk music that played in the background.

The cabins and trailers were ac-commodating and members stay-ing there had their own fires in the evening to reflect on the day

and to think about the next day’s fishing.

The Lone Oak Campsite was satisfactory to meet our needs, but the twenty-five minute drive was a bit too far from the river and it was a bit crowded with trailer folk. But it was the best we could do this year since Con-necticut’s budget shortages caused an early closing of our preferred Housatonic Meadows Campground.

Chris Henrickson and I are dis-cussing the possibility of moving this trip to May in 2018, as our favorite campsite on the river will be open, the river will be cold with plenty of water, and there should be good insect activity. Stay tuned.

In closing, while it was a week-end of great weather and good fishing, what I will remember most are the conversations I had with my fellow members around the campfires.

Ken Barile

2017 Housatonic Camping/Fishing Trip Report

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Fly of the Month

The hatches of summer are winding down and it’s time to think subsur-face. October’s fly of the month: bead head nymphs.

Bead heads currently dominate the nymph cate-gory and for good reason; the patterns have the weight and flash necessary to provide some action when nothing seems to be happening.

Tie up your favorite bead head pattern, or better yet, an assortment of your favorites and turn them in at the next meet-ing. You will receive 10 points and, more important, you will be helping your chapter raise funds for our various projects. If you can’t make the meeting, mail your flies to the chapter P.O. Box or turn them in to any direc-tor.

NY Free Fishing Days

Don’t forget that there are still three Free Fishing Days in New York State.

The dates are:

•November 11, 2017 - Veterans Day •February 17-18, 2018 - weekend preceding Presidents Day •June 23-24, 2018 - last full weekend in June

The requirement for a fishing license is waived on these days, so it’s the perfect time to introduce someone to the sport or invite friends or family from out of state.

Legislation providing for the additional free fishing days was signed by Governor Cuomo in June 2014 as a component of his New York Open for Fishing and Hunting Initiative, and these free events give those new to the sport a chance to try it out without a license. These new free fishing days will provide the opportunity to experience ice fishing and the excellent fall fishing in New York, including the trout and salmon fishing on the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain tributaries. In addition to the Free Fishing Days program, the Governor's NY Open for Fishing and Hunting Initiative will now allow organizations and groups to con-duct individual free fishing events. Those looking to learn how to fish should take advantage of the various fishing education programs con-ducted by DEC and other groups throughout the state.

Join the EJTU Board of Directors

EJTU’s By-Laws include term limits for various Board of Direc-tors positions. Therefore, at the January 2018 monthly meeting, those attending the meeting will vote for members to be elected to EJTU’s new Board of Directors.

If you would like to join the board, please call Doug Penna, Chair-man of the Nominating Commit-tee, [201-822-4409] and tell him of your interest.

Ticks and Lyme Disease

Even though it’s Fall, anglers should remember to protect themselves against ticks and tick-borne illnesses.

According to NY DEC, your best protection is to avoid contact with soil, leaf litter and vegetation. You should also:

• Dress to repel, i.e., light col-ored clothing, long sleeves and pants and tuck your pants into socks or boots.

• Continue to use insect repel-lant

• Remove ticks as soon as you find them. This will reduce the likelihood of contacting disease.

Visit the East Jersey TU web site

www.ejtu.org

Also check out EJTU on Facebook

http://tinyurl.com/ptq2u3t

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Menhaden, a.k.a. bunker, Recommendations

Background Menhaden, a.k.a. bunker, are a keystone species for marine life in the Atlantic. The commercial har-vest of menhaden is as a “reduction” fishery, the fish are ground up and sold for livestock feed, pet food, paint, cosme-tics and fish oil supplements. The reduction use accounts for 80% of the catch. An additional 20% is used as bait for lobster, crab and recreational fisherman. Virginia is the only state where “reduction” fishing is still allowed. Historically, the annual runs of menhaden were heralded in fishing villages up and down the East Coast. They were valuable as fertilizer for crops. When the whaling industry declined, menhaden oil became as a substitute lubricant for whale oil. With its increased us as a reduction fishery, the menhaden population plummeted. The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) regulates commercial fisheries from the coast to 3 miles offshore. In 2006, the ASMFC recognized the dramatic decline in the Chesapeake Bay striped bass population and imposed restrictions on this species as well as the reduction menhaden fishery. The 2011 menhaden stock assess-ment indicated a further decline and in 2012 to rebuild the menhaden stock the Commission approved a management plan (Amendment 2) for the menhaden stock.

What are the issues There are 2 key issues related to the current menhaden management plan. 1-The establishment of an eco-system reference point (ERP) for a keystone species. 2-The establishment of an interim management plan that will continue until an ERP can be established.

1-The method of calculating a fish population involves two basic concepts. One, how many fish die or are removed by commercial or recreational industry and two, how many fish are replaced by the breeding stock. Counting the fish in the ocean (biomass) is responsibility of the Technical Committee of the ASMFC. They review and conduct independ-ent surveys and using formulas based on those results are able to create “best estimates” of the species biomass and how much biomass can be safely removed before decreasing the population to a level below its sustainability. The re-sults are called the single-species reference points.

However, one species does not exist in a vacuum. The interaction of species especially a keystone forage and prey species such as the menhaden need to be measured in the context of the ecology of the species. This concept is known as the ecological reference points. The establishment and use of ERP in a management plan is unprecedented in fisheries management and would provide the Commission with the best scientific data to be used in the manage-ment of this and other species. The technical committee has stated they can calculate the ERP however it may take them several years to develop the appropriate computer modeling. To preserve the healthy stock of menhaden, several options have been proposed in Amendment 3. These are: 1-Continue a species-specific assessment, i.e. maintain the status quo. (Option A) 2-Accept the concept of ERP for menhaden, but continue the same management plan until the Technical Committee develops the ERP. (Option B, C and D in various forms) 3-Accept the concept of ERP, but use a management plan that requires 75% of the current biomass remain (25% of the population would be available for commercial catch) but if the biomass falls below 40%, the fishery would be closed. (Option E)

Recommendations Option A does not support the best science and should not be considered at all. Options B, C and D do support ESP as the best method for stock assessments. However these options still allow for changing catch quotas which has been and will be challenged annually by the industry and since the ESP system may take as many as 5 or more years to complete there is no assurance the stock will not decrease again. Option E is the preferred conservation option. It sets specific quotas which looks at the needs of the fish that feed on the menhaden by ensuring a healthy unfished stock with the target of 75% of the current biomass. Should the stock drop below 40% it would result in the immediate closure of the fishery.

What you can do Fly Fishers International has partnered with the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership and has signed onto a letter supporting management of menhaden by ERP. The letter is being sent to all the ASMFC Gov-ernors recommending option E.

FFI members and friends can send individual email comments to comments@asfmc with the subject line to refer-ence “Draft Am 3”. These comments will become part of the public record. Written comments can also be sent to Megan Ware, FMP Coordinator, 1050 N. Highland St, Suite A-N, Arlington, VA 22201

In addition Council and/or Chapter representatives and individuals can testify in person at one of many public hearings throughout the Atlantic coast. Here is a link to the public comment meetings. http://www.asmfc.org/uploads/file//59a84236pr40MenhadenDraftAm3_Hearings_Revised.pdf Both the public comments and the written comments will be accepted until 5:00 PM (EST) on October 20, 2017.

The full document can be found at http://www.asmfc.org/files/PublicInput/AtlanticMenhadenDraftAmendment3_PublicComment.pdf