This month’s meeting of the Catskill Mountain Chapter of Trout Unlimited will take place on Wednesday, April 20^th at 7:00 PM at the Town of Ulster Town Hall. The meeting will commence one half hour early as a courtesy to Sean Ritchey who will be presented with this year’s Art Flick Scholarship Award. Ted Skarr and Michelle Rodden, professors of Environmental Science from Ulster Community College, have chosen Sean as this year’s outstanding student in the Environmental Studies Program. This month’s guest speaker will be D.E.C. Region 3 Fisheries Biologist, Mike Flarity. Mike will discuss the relative health of the Esopus, Ashokan and Ver Nooy Kill watersheds. If you have any interest in seeing a no-kill section established on the Esopus or if you have any concerns about the current regulations that allow the killing of up to five spawning rainbow trout per day, this meeting will provide you with an opportunity to express your concerns.

Esopus Creek Clean Up – Saturday May 14^th, Onteora High School, 9:00 AM - With this year’s flood there is a considerable amount of debris littering the stream. Your help is needed! For more information call Pat Mulligan at 246-4824 – Rain date – Saturday, May 21^st.

Youth Fishing Day – Saturday June 11^th at Onteora Lake – This year we will be hosting a number of children from Big Brother and Big Sister of Kingston as well as any other children that you would like to bring. Volunteers are needed for fly tying and fly fishing instruction and for food preparation. If you would like to help, call Paul Schoenweiss at 246-3954.

Fly Fishing Guides Needed- This year’s class of graduates from our fly fishing school will soon need guides for their “day on the stream” class. The stream location has yet to be determined but the outing will occur on Saturday May 21^st. If you would like to volunteer call Bert Darrow at 658-9784 or Bob Sills at 338-4292.

Stream Watch in Effect – After the last big flood there was a considerable amount of illegal stream work performed without the proper permits from the D.E.C. If you see machinery in a stream or working on the streambank, collect all pertinent information (location, time, date, licence plate numbers, descriptions of individuals). The D.E.C. violation hotline number is 256-3013. When speaking to the D.E.C., note time and date of call and the name of the individual you spoke with.

Catskill Fly Tyer’s Guild 4^th Annual Fly Tyer’s Rendezvous- Rockland House, Roscoe, NY- Saturday April 16^th, 10:00 AM –3:00 PM Watch the very best tyers from our region demonstrate their craft in a “one on one” setting.

Orvis Tent Sale – Huge Discounts – April 29^th-May 1^st – Old Route 7A, Manchester Vermont. Entertainment, food and seminars round out the activities along with specialty tents and exhibitions.

DEC Trout Stocking Information – To find out DEC stocking plans for this year go to www.dec.state.ny.us/ - Click on Spring Trout Stocking Tables.

Fishing Report – April 1^st – Upper Willoweemoc – Water colddd and clear. Bert Darrow reported that he hooked and lost one fish on a size 16-beadhead pheasant tail nymph.

Send fishing reports to efmeyer@surferz.net