March Fly of the Month- Blue Winged Olive

Blue-winged olives are among the first great hatches of the year in many parts of the country, especially on cloudy and raw days. They are found in moving water and can hatch almost any month of the year. Blue Wings are quite important during the winter months because hardly any other bugs hatch. And trout are very opportunistic so this is a match made in heaven for the dry fly fisher, but don’t dismiss nymphs and emergers.

Tie up six dries, nymphs, or wet flies and bring them to the March chapter meeting. There will be two raffles.

Conservation Banquet and Fundraiser, Sunday, March 5th

Please come our Annual Conservation Banquet and Fundraiser in the Hunt Room at The Olde Mill Inn’s Grain House Restaurant on Sunday, March 5th at 4pm. This is a guaranteed fun event! Many return year after year with spouses and friends. It is our only major opportunity to raise funds for conservation projects, trout in the classroom, in-stream remediation, tree planting, youth education, veterans’ programs, and chapter meeting speakers. 

There will be bucket raffles, a 50/50, a silent auction, a live auction, and the Annual Conservation Raffle drawing with six prizes! Click here to see the menu and details: BANQUET

2023 Conservation Raffle 

-1st Prize: Catskill Trip, three mid-week nights stay for four people at a beautiful fishing lodge on the Willowemoc in Livingston Manor donated by Kingfisher Catskills Angling and Vacation Rentals and one day fishing with guide Bruce Pollock, total value $1,200

-2nd Prize: New 11’ 3wt Redington Euro Nymph Rod donated by Stu Zlotnik 

-3rd Prize: Four Dozen Dry Flies tied and donated by expert Joe Ackourey

-4th Prize: Bob Breitinger Wooden Fly Box with 2 dozen Dick Hepper Flies

-5th Prize: Rite Bobbin and Deer Antler Bodkin

-6th Prize: Choice of HTU Logo Hat or Beanie

Email me to purchase raffle tickets. htuprez@gmail.com

February Fly of the Month-Little Black Stonefly

Little Black Stonefly is the common name used to describe a prolific late winter and early spring stonefly hatch that occurs on many trout streams in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The Little Black Stoneflies are very small, generally a size #16 or #18. The hatch generally will occur sometime in January through March depending on how cold or mild the winter is that year.

The Little Black Stoneflies (also called Winter Snowflies) are part of the Capniidae family (probably Allocapnia granulata) and are the first stoneflies to appear each year. These tiny Winter stoneflies have anti-freeze compounds in their body fluids to help them stay active during the cold snowy months. They hatch by crawling out of the water to the snowy bank edges to hatch and become adults. Then crawl up onto the snow to look for safe places to hide from the cold elements until ready to mate, lay their eggs and die.

Tie up six little black stoneflies, dry or nymph, and bring them to the next chapter meeting on Thursday, February 9th. There will be two raffles for the flies.