Letter from the President |
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| By Josh Ethan Johnson Like many in NYC TU, I spent some time alone with my passion for fly fishing before discovering a community. I explored the Northeast's trout rivers every weekend for years before realizing my annual Trout Unlimited dues meant I belonged to a local chapter. I thought the $50 only bought me nine lifetimes' worth of home address stickers and helped a great cause. Eventually, I caught wind of NYC TU activities and dipped my toe in, testing to see if they were my people. Fly fishing had already hijacked a huge portion of my life, and now NYC TU had disrupted even more. It was a welcome disruption I didn't know I needed. |
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| | What connects us at NYC TU is our love for the stream and the city. While having one foot in each can be hard to navigate, NYC TU's welcoming modus operandi helps people like me find ways to balance both. |
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| NYC TU has a saying that fly fishing is a gateway drug to conservation. Through our events and programs, I've seen this happen many times. I've felt it myself: the more I fish, the more I want to protect the waters the trout swim in and that we drink from. My goals as the next President build on what I was doing behind the scenes for the chapter as a photographer, documentarian, and social media guy: help attract new people into the sport, get everyone together, and see what ideas come out of it. We want to keep our education programs going and ramp up our conservation efforts, including exploring opportunities to help remove dams and restore a few of our favorite streams. A big part of what drew me into NYC TU in the first place was seeing strong leadership in action. People like Devin Herd and Brandon Dale led by example. They showed that being a leader means listening and making room for others to contribute. I hope to take a page or two from their books and carry on that same welcoming environment. We all come from different places and have something to offer. If you have ideas, hopes, or dreams around freshwater conservation, we're all ears. We're a laid-back bunch, and we have fun doing what we do. I want to maintain the momentum Devin, Brandon, and the rest of the group have nurtured, and to find new ways to expand on it. I told Devin I'd only feel confident taking on this leadership position knowing I'd be working alongside him, our new Vice President Sam Sherman, and all the other hardworking volunteers busting their humps to keep the wheels spinning. NYC TU truly is greater than the sum of its parts, and I'm honored to be leading the charge into the chapter’s exciting next phase. My time with NYC TU has proven that members’ involvement is what makes everything possible. I encourage you to join our next Board meeting on October 29, or share your interest in future volunteer opportunities. There are many ways to get involved, depending on what interests you most. Let’s chat! |
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| | Join Us in Celebrating 42 Years of Community and Conservation |
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| What are you doing this December 3? Come celebrate another successful year of angling and conservation at the NYC TU annual holiday party. Everyone is welcome. No fishing experience is required to join for food, drinks, good company, and the grand reveal of NYC TU’s new logo. |
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| This year’s raffle will feature a selection of prizes that’ll make you the envy of all anglers. We’ll offer two tiers of raffle tickets. The first tier enters you to win a number of fantastic prizes. The second tier gives you a chance to win the grand prize of a bamboo fly rod handcrafted by Chuck Neuner. The rod is a 7' 3” 4-weight built on a Garrison 204E taper—perfect for the Beaverkill and Willowemoc. Grand prize raffle tickets are $20. You must be present to win. Feedback on our raffle offering is consistently enthusiastic, and each year’s raffle offers more prizes than the last. Last year’s haul included a Nation FC fishing vest, Airlite fly rod, Costa Del Mar sunglasses, a 1-year subscription to Trout Routes, and much more. |
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| | | Want to help out with coordinating the party? Know any guides, retailers, or other angling community members who might want to donate a prize? If so, reach out to Daniel Dunlow at daniel.dunlow@nyctu.org. The deadline for donations is November 30. Admission is $70, which includes food and two drink tickets. If you can’t make it, you can also donate $42 for 42 years of NYC TU to fund the chapter’s events and conservation efforts. ℹ️ What: NYC TU Annual Holiday Party
📅 When: Thursday, December 3, 7-10pm
📍 Where: Phebe’s, 361 Bowery, New York, NY 10003
RSVP today |
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| | | Board Joins TU President at The Anglers’ Club of New York |
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| Left to right: Bennett Baumer, Elise Encarnacion, Matt Beck, Chris Wood, Josh Johnson, Ron Goldin |
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| On October 15, five members of the NYC TU board attended a conservation luncheon with Trout Unlimited President and CEO Chris Wood at The Anglers’ Club of New York. Joe Anscher was a welcoming host, and the small, engaged crowd made for a great afternoon. Chris Wood spoke on the patience that conservation requires, noting projects that took approximately 20 years to achieve success. He highlighted the ongoing efforts of our local TU chapters as key examples of citizen science making a difference. In total, his address hit the point that conservation is a long game, and the work we do today can produce enormous benefits down the road. |
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| | | Respect the Redds this Spawning Season |
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| | It’s autumn, meaning it's the spawning season for brown and brook trout. Anglers are strongly urged not to fish on or near the spawning beds, or redds. Targeting or even walking through these shallow gravel areas can crush eggs, disturb spawning trout, and severely harm future fish populations. |
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| It’s best to avoid areas where trout are actively spawning and instead focus your efforts downstream or in deeper waters where fish are not reproducing. Alternatively, consider fishing in stocked rivers and lakes. While there is great temptation to catch large, vulnerable fish, your restraint and understanding will go a long way to helping keep your favorite brown and brook trout fishery healthy for years to come. Related: |
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| Get Involved with Big Apple Brookies |
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| For decades, many of the rivers and streams in the greater New York City area were assumed to be too warm, polluted, or damaged to support native brook trout. That assumption drove many of the regulatory, stocking, and funding decisions of state agencies, funders, and fisheries managers—but it was wrong. |
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In 2023, volunteers from the Mianus Chapter "discovered" a brook trout population in the Rippowam River in New York and Connecticut using environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling kits from Jonah Ventures. The discovery of a population hiding right under our noses inspired us to search for additional brook trout populations in our backyards, launching TU's “Big Apple Brookies: Searching for Brook Trout in the Shadows of NYC” project. |
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| Anyone can participate in eDNA sampling; no special experience is required. Sign up for one of the upcoming eDNA training events: To learn more or get involved, contact Gerald Berrafati at gerald.berrafati@tu.org. |
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| | | | Trout Unlimited is hosting a day on the Connetquot, offering the chance to have private access to the entire river for the day from 8am to 4pm. No experience necessary: the Connetquot is a great introduction to fly fishing for kids and beginner anglers alike.
ℹ️ What: Connetquot Fly Fishing
📅 When: Saturday, November 7, 8am
📍 Where: Connetquot River State Park Preserve, 4090 Sunrise Highway, Oakdale, New York 11769
Learn more |
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| This Orvis Endorsed lodge sits on the world-famous Salmon River, home to some of the best Salmon and Steelhead fishing in the country. The trip includes two nights’ lodging at Tailwater Lodge and guided float fishing Saturday, November 21.
ℹ️ What: Steelhead Trip with Orvis NYC
📅 When: November 20-22
📍 Where: Tailwater Lodge, 52 Pulaski Street, Altmar, NY 13302
Learn more |
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| | | Here’s a roundup of recent news stories affecting the fly angling community: |
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| | | There are a multitude of ways to stay in contact with the NYC TU community: |
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