December 2021
As the Holidays and the end of the year approach we are reminded of all that we have accomplished together this year, on behalf of Central Jersey Trout Unlimited (CJTU)!
We are reminded of the fun of our meetings along with the great Speakers and Presentations, the techniques and the destinations that we learned about. New Directors joined our Board and took on responsibilities right away. Once again CJTU members came together for the "Musconetcong River Clean-up and made a difference. We held our "Picnic" indoors, it was well attended and fun! "Thank you" to John Wester for again organizing the delicious event. CJTU collaborated with the Ernest Schwiebert TU chapter and attended the "Trenton River Days" as an outreach event with the nearby communities, teaching fly casting and talking about TU. "Thank you" to Tom Kapusta for representing CJTU at this worthy event!
Our meetings, held via Zoom, have been well received and allowed us to stay connected with members. And, we have invited other Chapters to join us for these informative evenings and they have done so! Our Speakers have been from a variety of places and have presented on lots of interesting topics. Our own Agust joined us from Colorado and as usual was entertaining and informative. Ben Turpin taught us how to up our game with "Guide Lessons" and Matt DeLorenzo spoke about fishing the Adirondacks. In December we will hear from our friend Tim Flagler. "Thank you to Nick Romanenko and John Wester for keeping us in the loop with our great monthly Speakers and Presentations. CJTU was represented at the FFoY's One-Fly event by one of our newest Directors, Mike Marucci. We also made a donation to the event's Auction, which was the scene of some fun Chapter bidding. We are excited to hear that Trout in the Classroom is back. CJTU is again participating through the leadership of John Wester, with assistance from other CJTU members.
Our membership has grown this year. Bart Lombardo has continued to make and stay in contact with those who have expressed an interest in joining CJTU. Let's help to grow and diversify our membership.
CJTU was recently one of the chapters that participated in the Lopatcong Creek Tree Planting. Four chapters participated, almost 100 trees were planted and I saw firsthand how much hard work was done! More work will be done in the future, so there is an opportunity for CJTU members to participate and make a difference!
CJTU will have a booth at the Garden State Outdoor Sports Show January 6 through January 9th, at the New Jersey Convention & Exposition Center (Raritan Center Expo Hall). This is a great opportunity to get the word out about CJTU and the work that we are doing in New Jersey. We need Volunteers to help staff the CJTU booth! If you would like to give a few hours on any of the days please contact Marsha Benovengo at casabeno@msn.com or (908) 216-4855 and let her know when you are able to support the Chapter. We appreciate your help! For specific information about times and other info check www.gsoss.com.
CJTU is also participating in the TU "Priority Waters" project. This selection process is happening all over the country. It will help TU "to identify a set of shared statewide "Priority Waters " to guide our organization's wild and native trout work", It will help us to develop a shared vision of TU's NJ conservation goals. Chapter and Partner knowledge and expertise will be used to identify these "Priority Waters". It will not detract from local opportunities of chapters' home waters. Our CJTU representative to the "Priority Waters" project is our newly appointed Conservation Coordinator Daniel Calligaro.
CJTU members have another opportunity to help the Chapter by representing us at the yearly Fly Fishing Show, January 28-30, 2022 in Edison. This is another great opportunity to tell the CJTU story! Please check your calendars and reach out to Marsha Benovengo at casabeno@msn.com or (908)216-4855 and let her know when you can help staff the CJTU booth. Thank you for volunteering! As the year comes to an end, we would like to "Thank you" for your support of CJTU! We are grateful for all that you do to make CJTU and our work a success! And, we are looking forward to working with all members in 2022! Stay well and safe! Wishing you all "Happy Holidays"!
Marsha Benovengo,
Interim President,
CJTU
You can contact Marsha at
November 2021
As we move towards the end of the year and look forward to the Holiday celebrations, we can again be grateful for what we have accomplished. Despite the challenges of the last year and a half, member attendance at meetings is up and steady, new members have become engaged, speakers have been interesting, informative and entertaining.
In the last few months of the year we have several events on which to focus and participate. On Saturday, November 6th, the Fly Fisher(man) of the year event is being held at the Raritan with the One-Fly event being held on Shannon’s Private Waters. One of our new Directors, Michael Marucci, has graciously volunteered to represent CJTU in the contest. We will all be rooting for Mike! There will also be a “reservation only” lunch, for $25, which you can sign up for at shannonsprivatewaters.com. Chapters have generously donated items for the Auction. Proceeds go to support the efforts of the NJ State Council.
On November 13th CJTU will be one of the TU Chapters collaborating at the Lopatcong Creek Tree Planting. Members will assist in planting 30 large balled trees along with 70 smaller trees and shrubs. You can find out more information from our website or Facebook page. Let’s volunteer at Lopatcong Creek and make a difference!
TU has begun a selection process of the rivers to “identify a shared set of wild and native trout conservation priorities in our state using both scientific assessment and expert (chapter, agency) knowledge”. Each Chapter will participate in the process. Keith Fritschie, our TU NJ Upper Delaware Restoration Coordinator, will lead a series of 3 meetings on November, December and January to facilitate the process of selecting the priority waters. I am proud to announce that our newest Director, Dan Calligaro, has agreed to represent CJTU throughout the project.
For those members who will use Amazon.com during the gift giving season please remember to support CJTU by using AmazonSmile. When you make your purchases using AmazonSmile it does not cost anything extra and Amazon donates 0.5% of your eligible purchases to CJTU. Details are on the website. Help support CJTU!
We are very pleased that Trout in the Classroom (TIC) is back. Our TIC Coordinator John Wester along with other members assisting him, have already dropped off the eggs to our schools. Children and teachers were happy to see the members of our TIC Team!
Please remember to refer fire, police, medical personnel, veterans, EMTs and frontline workers to tu.org/service for a free TU membership. Acquaint them with the work that we do and invite them to a meeting! Let’s thank them for their service!
We are pleased to inform you that CJTU will again have a booth at the Edison Fly Fishing Show. The FF Show will be held January 28th, 29th and 30th. CJTU needs volunteers to staff the booth. Please check your calendars and volunteer to help out. It needn’t be for the whole day, start out by volunteering for 2-4 hours. We need people to talk about CJTU and sell raffle tickets. This is especially important in a time when in-person fundraising at meetings is rare. The Chapter needs your help!
Thank you for all that you do to support the TU Mission in New Jersey!
Marsha Benovengo,
Interim President,
CJTU
You can contact Marsha at
October 2021
We hope that you are enjoying the beautiful days of Fall, and some Fall fishing!
Surely you all enjoyed the informative and enjoyable presentation/chat by our own Agust Gudmondsson, yes he will always belong to CJTU, on September 14th. His presentations are always full of hints, advice and tall fish tales. Agust is one of a kind!
Our Directors responsible for obtaining Speakers, Nick Romanenko and John Wester have continued to do a great job, for the latter half of the year! We have another great presentation to look forward to on October 12th. The well-known angler and teacher, Ben Turpin, will present his “Guide Lessons” program to us. It is “designed to help the average fisherman to take their game to the next level, by learning how guides prepare for their day and execute their plan”. Please check the CJTU website for more details and Zoom sign-on instructions.
As a sign of our desire to participate in Outreach and collaborate with other TU Chapters, CJTU again volunteered with the Ernest Schwiebert Chapter at the “Trenton River Days” on September 19th at Riverwalk Park in Trenton. We helped to get children and families acquainted with Fly Fishing and aware of conservation. Thank you to Tom Kapusta for representing CJTU.
On Sunday, October 17th at 10:00am the NJ State Council will hold its 4th quarter meeting, via Zoom. The Chapter President and Chapter Delegates of member Chapters are expected to attend.
On Saturday, October 23rd NJTU is supporting Peace NJ by helping with the “Reel Hackettstown” event, which is being held from 10am to 4pm, at Alumni Field in Hackettstown. The event is free. If you can help families learn the basics of casting (push button), retrieval and maybe catching and landing a fish along the Musconetcong, we could use your help! “We are also looking for volunteers who can 1) make sure donated kids’ reels/rods are rigged and castable before the event, 2) lead a fly casting demonstration, or 3) lead a fly tying demonstration. Please sign up to volunteer at: https://forms.gle/u43ManzQP3JgHH6UA .
On Saturday, November 6th, CJTU will again participate in the Fly Fisherman/Woman of the Year One-Fly Contest, on Shannon’s Private Waters. We are very pleased and excited to have Michael Marucci, one of our new Directors, representing CJTU at this event. Thanks Michael! There will be a Pre-Registration only lunch @$25 that will bisect the day’s event at 11:45am, in the barn at the Raritan Inn. And, the Silent Auction, which supports the NJ State Council of TU, will again be held during the day at this event, aided by donations from the NJTU Chapters and its members. If you would like to join us for Lunch please register at shannonsprivatewaters.com. Go to “Events” from the drop down menu, click “November 6” on the calendar, select “11:45am Lunch”, click on “Register”, followed by “Register for Event” then select “Lunch” and complete the form.
Please remember that the free one year TU Membership is still available through our Service Partnership program. This opportunity applies for police, medical professionals, veterans, firefighters, EMTs, and frontline workers. Help to say “Thank you” to these folks and get the acquainted with Trout Unlimited, conservation, the camaraderie of belonging to a TU Chapter and the stress relief of fly fishing.
We are expecting to hear some details of the Trout in the Classroom program resuming. CJTU is excited about participating and helping to educate the young people of the schools to which we are assigned. Keep an eye out for more details.
I am pleased to report that the East Jersey TU Chapter will celebrate its 50th Anniversary on October 13th at 7pm, at their meeting location at the American Legion Hall Pavilion in Rochelle Park. TU’s CEO Chris Wood will be present. I am pleased to attend this monumental celebration. If you would like to send a note of “Congratulations” to EJTU, please send them to their President Chris Henrickson at chenrickson@icloud.com
Thank you for all that you do for CJTU, to help in our conservation efforts to conserve, protect and restore the coldwater fisheries of NJ and invite and educate our communities.!
Marsha Benovengo,
Interim President,
CJTU
You can contact Marsha at
September 2021
Welcome Back! We hope that you have enjoyed Summer, that you continue to be well and safe, and that you and your families were safe during the recent storms. Now that we are moving into Fall, we can look back at all that we accomplished in the first half of the year with satisfaction. We had great monthly Speakers and Presentations, we participated in the Musconetcong River Cleanup and we held a great, indoor, in-person Picnic!
Although some of us might have initially been leery of Zoom, it has been a friend to CJTU, and other Chapters during the challenging last year and a half. Zoom has helped us to stay connected to our members. We have held Board Meetings via Zoom and kept up with the business of managing the Chapter. General Meetings with great Speakers have been accessible to all, including friends from other Chapters. And, our attendance has grown and remained steady.
Coming up this Fall, we have a great lineup of Speakers arranged for General Meetings. In September, our own Agust Gudmundsson will be back with us talking about NJ Streams and trout fishing on Colorado and Montana. In October, Ben Turpin will talk about “Guide Lessons” and helping anglers get to the next level in their skills and know how, and PA Streams. And, in November Matt DeLorenzo will speak about ”High Peaks”, fishing the Adirondacks.
On September 19th CJTU will partner with the Ernest Schwiebert TU Chapter at “Trenton River Days”, a family fun day full of all kind of activities. We will help teach casting and tying to young people. This will be held at Park near the Trenton Thunder Stadium from 11am to 3pm on September 19th. If you are interested in helping please let me know at casabeno@msn.com. This is a good collaboration and a great opportunity for Outreach!
With sadness we note the passing of George Hryvniak, a Past President and long time member of CJTU.
We continue to need a Permanent President for CJTU. Think about how you might serve in the role!
In January of 2022 CJTU will again have a booth at the Fly Fishing Show in Edison. The dates for the show are January 28-30. We are looking for Volunteers to staff our booth. Please consider supporting the Chapter and helping out. If you are interested in working at this event please let me know at casabeno@msn.com.
Marsha Benovengo,
Interim President,
CJTU
You can contact Marsha at
June 2021
Greetings! We hope that you have been enjoying Spring, spending time outdoors with your families and getting in some fishing! With restrictions changing or being lifted we hope to be able to do more and begin to gather again for meetings and activities.
We are excited to be holding the CJTU Annual Picnic on Tuesday, June 8th 2021 at 5:00pm outdoors at the American Legion Hall in Dunellen. The cost is $10. If you plan on joining us for the long awaited in person event please email Sal Lauro at slauro10@gmail.com and let him know that you will be attending. We will observe the necessary guidelines as we gather for the first time in a year.
The NJ School of Conservation reopened on May 29th! This is an amazing facility with a long history of environmental education, conservation and inclusion of all communities. They have provided camps for youngsters and teacher education opportunities for educators. On June 5th “Hooked on Fishing, Not on Drugs” will hold its annual fishing event at the NJ SOC for children. If you would like to volunteer and help kids and parents with contests and prizes please contact Marsha Benovengo at casabeno@msn.com. This will also be an opportunity for you to see the NJ SOC for yourself and all that it offers
The CJTU Board of Directors has been busy considering ways to get activities ramped up again. There are many things being considered such as an extensive fly tying school on a Saturday in the Fall, led by our experts. We are also looking forward to once again being involved with the Fly Fishing shows. We will need members to volunteer to staff the booths. More information to follow. And because we are so dedicated the Board will be meeting in July and August.
The Board is also working on a Strategic Plan to help us direct and grow the Chapter. Any member would like to help us develop our plan, please reach out to a Board member. We know that we have many experienced members and we could use your expertise.
Important, we need a permanent President! If you are interested in serving in the role please reach out to Marsha Benovengo or any of our Board members.
The TU Service Partnership Program is moving full steam ahead. We would like to support this very worthwhile endeavor. It has grown to include not only military personnel but law enforcement personnel, medical professionals, firefighters and other frontline workers. This includes a complimentary one year TU membership, Trout magazine and a connection with our TU Chapters and their activities.
TU National will hold its Annual Meeting virtually on September 30th. Planning is continuing. As soon as we have more information we will pass it onto you. Be well!
Marsha Benovengo,
Interim President,
CJTU
You can contact Marsha at
May 2021
Greetings CJTU Members and Friends!
We hope that you are enjoying the season, getting outdoors and doing some fishing!
The CJTU Board has been busy working on our behalf. They are considering bringing back some of back some popular outdoor activities, such as the Annual June Picnic. Once the details are finalized you will receive them. We hope that you will attend and help to bring back all of the camaraderie that the event is known for!
And, we are hoping to bring back fishing trips, a past time that many members enjoyed. We’ll start with small groups led by a Chapter member. So, if you have a favorite spot that you would like to share with other CJTU members, please let us know. Pick a river or stream, give advice on the setup and a favorite fly and we’re off fishing. Of course, we will be observing social distancing and whatever guidelines are in place. Keep an eye out for further details.
The CJTU Board will be working on the Chapter Strategic Plan to help give us direction for the future.
If any member has volunteer hours spent on Chapter business, from April 1 2020 to May 15 2021, please get that information to the Chapter Treasury, Rob Paull, by May 15th. You may email the information to him at robertmpaull@gmail.com.
Speaking of fishing, don’t forget that the New Jersey Free Fishing Days are June 5th and October 23rd! These days are a perfect opportunity to introduce someone new to fishing. And, the discounted “Buddy Licenses” are still available and offers both a current and new angler (or two new anglers) reduced price fishing licenses. A “new angler” is considered a resident or non-resident who has never purchased a fishing license or has not had an annual fishing license since 2010”. More details can be found at www.njfishandwildlife.com.
Final details for the TU Temperature Monitoring Project on the Musconetcong River in the Point Mountain area are forthcoming. Our Conservation Committee Chair, Gordon Vickers, will be heading that effort along with Keith Fritsche, our TU Staff person for the region. We hope that CJTU members will consider volunteering to support this conservation project.
Our own Bart Lombardo will be doing a presentation for the Ernest Schweibert TU Chapter on Monday, May 10th on “Warm Water Fly Fishing” at 7:15pm. Please check the Chapter’s website for further details, www.esctu.org.
The NJ State Council hosted a successful “Virtual Women’s Gathering” on April 27th. There were women from throughout the region, with various levels of experience discussing learning and perfecting their skills, and belonging to TU. There will be further conversations and outings.
This month’s well-known speaker, Jay “Fishy” Fullum is sure to bring back many memories of fishing and lessons learned.
TU is planning a national annual (virtual) meeting to be held on September 30th. As details are confirmed we will get them to you.
CJTU continues to urgently need a permanent President. Please consider stepping up to serve the Chapter, with the support of a great Board.
Thank you for all that you do for CJTU!
Marsha Benovengo,
Interim President,
CJTU
You can contact Marsha at
April 2021
Spring has sprung! Good things are happening!
We have weathered the pandemic and we are carefully and selectively venturing outside, while still enjoying virtual gatherings.
The CJTU members will be participating in the Musconetcong River Clean Up on Saturday, April 17th at 9am, starting at Point Mountain. We will observe all TU Guidelines and Protocols, local and state laws as well as CDC restrictions while we work, socially distant, to make a difference!
Our CJTU Conservation, Gordon Vickers, has reached out to members seeking your participation. Please read his very informative article below or on the website. And, if you would like to join the CJTU Musconetcong Clean Up Team please reach out to Gordon at g_vickers@comcast.net and let him know. Your participation matters!
Also, on April 17th, from 9am to 12pm, the Raritan Headwaters will be holding a Clean Up. You can find out more information about the event at their website raritanheadwaters.org.
National Volunteer Week is being held April 18th -24th (www.pointsoflight.org). During the week there are several opportunities for celebrating and recognition.
Earth Day is on April 22nd, you can find information at tu.org/get-involved/celebrate-earthday.com.
One of the most exciting virtual events to take place is the “Spirit of TU Award”, on April 23rd., at 8pm. This award “recognizes the outstanding achievements of its members, chapter and councils that have embodied the values of TU and fulfilled its mission”. If your schedule permits, please register to attend the Spirit of TU Award event at tu.org/spiritoftu.com. It is going to be a special night!
Arbor Day is being celebrated on 4/30. Help by holding a family event, with those in your immediate household, and plant a tree.
The NJ State Council of TU will be holding a “Virtual Women’s Gathering” on April 27th at 7:00pm via Zoom. If you would like to connect with other women anglers, get acquainted/reacquainted with other women in the region, meet women who are new to fly fishing and learn about women in the fly fishing community pleas JOIN US!
This NJTU Virtual Women’s Gathering is a great opportunity for us to share experiences, get to know each other better, learn about leadership and mentoring possibilities and discuss how supporting each other is essential to all of our success. If you would like to attend the NJTU Virtual Women’s Gathering please feel free to contact Marsha Benovengo, NJTU Council Chair (and CJTU Interim President) at casabeno@msn.com, by Thursday, April 22nd. Feel free to invite a friend and share with others!
The Friends of the New Jersey School of Conservation (NJSOC), a not-for-profit organization has finalized a temporary access agreement with NJDEP to reopen the NJSOC for limited programming starting in May.
The New Jersey School of Conservation provided a place of conservation education and outreach for almost 80 years. Elementary, high school and college students received specialized education and one of a kind camp experiences at the NJSOC. Teachers were also afforded advanced educational training.
The New Jersey School of Conservation is located in Stokes State Forest in Sussex County. It was originally started as an outdoor education field center in 1949. In 1981 Governor Bryne established NJSOC as a field center for environmental study. “Over the years, more than 500,000 students, teachers and researchers from across the state, nation and the world have participated in education and training programs there”. Despite a recent closing the Friends of the New Jersey School of Conservation has worked diligently to get the NJSOC reopened and back to its former glory. Programming has already started.
The New Jersey School of Conservation is a one of a kind historic operation and we want to do whatever we can to help it succeed!
CJTU is still looking for a volunteer to fill the permanent role of Chapter President. We ask that any member who is interested please reach out to Interim President, Marsha Benovengo at casabeno@msn.com or any of our Board Members.
Be well and safe, and enjoy the Spring!
Marsha Benovengo,
Interim President,
CJTU
You can contact Marsha at
March 2021
As we look forward to Spring, and all that it will bring, it is an exciting time of change and renewal. We are grateful for the work of members and we are looking forward to the contributions of longtime CJTU members a well as new members.
As I informed you last month we have two new Directors on the Board, Mike Marucci and Gordon Vickers both of whom are very dedicated. Mike has agreed to become the CJTU Financial Reviewer. This is an important role for someone who has no check signing ability, who will aid the Chapter by regularly review our accounts. He will be our second set of financial eyes. Gordon has agreed to serve as our Conservation Committee Chair and help to grow our Conservation efforts. Both of them are looking forward to meeting and working with as many CJTU members as possible on a variety projects. This gives us something to look forward to! We hope that more members will step up to participate in activities and events, do presentations, bring in new members and build and support our conservation work.
Just a reminder, CJTU will be partnering with the Ernest Schweibert Chapter of TU at the Trenton River Days on 9/12 at the Riverwalk Park, near the Trenton Thunder Stadium. We will send out the further details as soon as we have them.
We are hoping that members will volunteer to assist with the Temperature Monitoring at the Point Mountain stretch of the Musconetcong. This activity will help TU’s efforts and give the Chapter an opportunity to make a difference. There is even talk of an App that will help with the collection and submission of data. Gordon is hopeful that this will be one of the activities that bolsters CJTU conservation efforts and allows us to connect with other Chapters. Planning is going on now. We promise to keep you in the loop with additional information.
We have an exciting speaker for our March 9th meeting, Kiki Galvin of Ms. Guided. She has a wide and varied background as an angler, teacher and guide. Kiki is well known for her extensive history in conservation and community outreach. We are looking forward to hearing Kiki’s presentation on “Classic Streamer Fishing”.
We would like to put together a written account of the CJTU history. If you have anything important, interesting or especially poignant about the CJTU history that you would like to share with us, please let me or any of the Board members know about such an item. Old articles, write-ups or photos would be greatly appreciated. We would love to have a copy of your contribution. Hopefully when we get back together members will be able to share stories and memories.
By the way, the catch and release fishing prior to opening day has been approved. We will have the full details shortly. The free fishing days in NJ are June 5th and October 23rd. Thank you for your support! Stay safe !
Marsha Benovengo,
Interim President,
CJTU
You can contact Marsha at
February 2021
Now that we have moved into the New Year we can look forward to what Spring will bring! Although we are operating in an unusual time the CJTU Board is continuing to operate with the Chapter’s best interests at the center of their planning. The pandemic has made us more resourceful and determined.
There is a new Membership Plan being put into the works. New members are being sought and invited to join and become involved with CJTU as Volunteers, Committee members and Board members. And, we are going to reach out to folks who have been members for awhile, connecting with them and asking for their feedback and participation. We want to know what interests you and what you would like to see happen. Think about how you would like to become involved, how you can support the Chapter and consider how you might use your talents to help enliven CJTU. These evolving membership plans are being led by our Immediate Past President, Bart Lombardo.
CJTU has continued to have interesting and informative Speakers through the efforts of Nick Romanenko and John Wester. They have consistently made sure that our members have stayed informed and up to date on the latest techniques, flies, equipment and destinations, with very knowledgeable and engaging Speakers. This month we will hear from Captain Stephen “Pogo Pike” Pogodziensk,I, about what may be a new species for many of us, “Pike and Musky on the Fly”. In March, they have arranged a presentation by Kiki Galvin, a well-known angler and guide.
Our Zoom meetings and presentations have continued to run smoothly because of the efforts of tech savvy Dr. Rob Paull, who also serves as CJTU’s Treasurer.
CJTU will be collaborating with the Ernest Schweibert Chapter of TU on a couple of activities later this year. In September our members will jointly be a part of the Trenton River Days event, which will combine history, culture and recreation. This event will be held at the Riverwalk Park, near the Trenton Thunder Stadium. It is a great day of outreach to young people and families, teaching them about fishing basics and the importance of a connection with the outdoors. As the time draws closer we wil put out more information for members. We are also hoping to partner with ESCTU atl the Trenton Youth Fishing Derby on October 17th. More information about this event will also be coming.
There is an opportunity for CJTU members to participate in a TU project to measure stream temperatures on the Musconetcong, to help develop wild trout conservation plans. Volunteers will measure temperatures at specific sites when you are going fishing or when you set out to do this information gathering specifically. On a non-rainy day in July or August CJTU members can help by hitting a few sites and providing the date, time, temperature of the water and GPS coordinates to Keith Fritschie, our NJ TU Staff person. The thermometers will be provided for Volunteers by Keith. Preliminary plans are being drawn up. If you are interested in helping with this opportunity to provide this critical temperature measurements, that will help to prioritize where to protect, reconnect and restore habitat, to improve our fisheries, please reach out to Marsha Benovengo, at casabeno@msn.com.
In an effort to foster and support TU women in NJ, the NJ State Council will be holding Women’s Gatherings. These gatherings will include women from all ten Chapters, Conservationists, Environmentalists, Guides and Anglers. The preliminary plans include a setup of at least two sessions, the first will be a Get Acquainted, Who are We, What Do We Do and a second longer session will include Speakers and Demonstrations, conversations on What we Want to Happen in the Industry and fishing! There will be lots of opportunity for input from attendees. As soon as we finalize the plans we will be reaching out to all women in the region.
Don’t forget that we continue to need a permanent President, a Conservation Chair and help and ideas for all members. I am pleased to inform you that we have two new members of the Board of Directors, Michael Marucci and Gordon Vickers! We welcome them and thank them for stepping up to support CJTU.
For your information, the Free Fishing days in New Jersey are June 5th and October 23rd.
Thank you for your continued support! Stay safe and well!
Marsha Benovengo,
Interim President,
CJTU
You can contact Marsha at
January 2021
As we embark on a New Year we do so mindful of what we have accomplished through a challenging time. CJTU has continued to hold our meetings, through the Zoom platform, with well-known speakers and interesting topics. Arrangements are continuing to be made for more activities so that our members stay connected.
Let’s look back at our end of year meetings and forward to the first meeting of 2021:
- September - our own, Bart Lombardo - “Fall Tactics for Trout”
- October - Lou Zambello - “20 Amazing Places in New England to Fish”
- November - Henry Ramsay – “Pennsylvania Hatches and Streams”
- December - Anita Coulton – “More Effectively Fishing Pocket Water”
- January - our own, Lou DiGena – “KISS Guide to the All-Around Trout Fly Box”
Annually during the Holiday season Jim Holland and the staff at Shannon’s Fly & Tackle in Califon, NJ, do something special for NJ anglers. Each December, they stock the South Branch of the Raritan River’s waters around the town of Califon with an assortment of Rainbow, Brown, Tiger and Palomino Trout. This Holiday Season stocking always involves some trophy fish, including two tagged fish affectionately called “Bubba”. If you catch “Bubba”, remove its jaw tag and document its release, you can return the tag to Shannon’s in exchange for a fabulous prize!
This year the shop’s effort was expanded to include the Point Mountain Tract of the Musconetcong River. In mid-December, at the invitation of Jim Holland of Shannon’s Fly Shop, CJTU along with three other Trout Unlimited Chapters (Hacklebarney, Ridge & Valley, and Fred Burroughs) supported and participated in stocking 350 12” – 20” rainbow trout in the point Mountain Trout Conservation Area. This program gives anglers on both watersheds an opportunity to enjoy some quality winter fishing! Our thanks go out to Shannon’s for their continuing efforts to partner with and TU and NJ anglers.
CJTU continues to need Volunteers to fill the President’s position and the position of Conservation Chair. We invite all members to step up and become involved in the Board or helping with Club activities. CJTU needs and values your experience and welcomes your help!
We wanted to make sure that all of our members are aware of the information that was put out by the Governor’s office regarding the COVID vaccine. The website to pre-register for the vaccine is now live. Please visit https://covidvaccine.nj.gov/ to register. The general public can now pre-register, and this will allow you to put in your information, and will also allow individuals to schedule an appointment for those who are eligible based on screening questions. Also, if you haven’t gotten the chance to get tested and you would like to, you may make arrangements to do so by going to doineedacovid19test.com. The site will help you find a location that should be convenient to you, based on your zip code.
CJTU wants to know what interests you and what you would like to see the Chapter include in it’s activities. Feel free to talk to any of the Board members or myself and share your suggestions!
Thank you! And, stay well and safe!
Marsha Benovengo,
Interim President,
CJTU
You can contact Marsha at