Central Jersey Trout Unlimited

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Dunellen, NJ
Central Jersey Trout Unlimited

CJTU is one of New Jersey's leading advocacy and conservation groups leading the fight to protect coldwater fisheries and their environments.

Our mission is to conserve, protect, and restore New Jersey's coldwater fisheries and their environments.

06/12/2026

CJTU members and friends enjoyed a beautiful late afternoon picnic/cook out on Tuesday June 9th. See y'all in September ! Tight lines and enjoy your summer !

06/07/2026

Tuesday, June 9, 2026
CJTU Annual Picnic Meeting
5:00 - 8:00 pm
CJTU is having our annual picnic meeting on June 9th at the American Legion (137 New Market Road, Dunellen NJ) in the grove behind the hall. If it rains, it will be held upstairs in our normal meeting location.

This year we are having our classic spread of freshly grilled hamburgers, cheeseburgers and hot dogs. Sides of cole slaw, macaroni and potato salads, chips, water and soda. The cost of the event is $20.00 per person. As always, we would like to know in advance the number of people attending, though we will allow "at the door" folks to attend too.

05/19/2026

Members of CJTU enjoyed a day last Saturday at the annual Califon Trout Fest.

05/05/2026

Join us on Tuesday May 12 @ 7:30 pm - American Legion Hall at 137 New Market Road in Dunellen, NJ for a presentation by
Tanya Sulikowski Director of Education at the New Jersey School of Conservation. She will share an inside look at how the school serves as a hub for environmental education and stewardship in New Jersey. Located in the heart of Stokes State Forest, the New Jersey School of Conservation connects thousands of students, educators, and community members each year to hands-on learning experiences in forests, fields, and streams.
This presentation will highlight the NJSC’s role in advancing environmental literacy through immersive field programs, teacher training, and community partnerships, with a particular focus on freshwater ecosystems and coldwater conservation. Tanya will also discuss innovative initiatives such as MacroBlitz, which engages participants in studying aquatic insects as indicators of stream health, and how these efforts help foster the next generation of conservationists and informed stewards of New Jersey’s natural resources.
As Director of Education at the New Jersey School of Conservation, Tanya leads environmental programming and campus-based habitat restoration projects with a focus on freshwater ecosystems. She works closely with scientists, educators, and conservation partners to advance hands-on learning and stewardship initiatives across the region.
With over 20 years of experience in natural resource management and environmental education, Tanya has built a career centered on protecting and interpreting aquatic systems. Her background includes stream ecology research, macroinvertebrate studies, and fieldwork with the New Jersey Division of Fish & Wildlife, providing a strong foundation in coldwater conservation.
She holds an undergraduate degree in Wildlife Ecology from Rutgers and a Master’s degree in Ecology and Evolution from Montclair State University. She has dedicated her career to inspiring stewardship of New Jersey’s natural resources through science, education, and hands-on engagement.

04/15/2026

Enjoyed an outdoor special presentation by Ben Yaskulka from MWA last night in Dunellen. Hope to see many of you at Rutgers Day - Saturday April 25th , at our casting booth on the Cook campus !

04/07/2026

Join us on Tuesday, April 14th, 7:30 pm at the American Legion Hall, 137 New Market Road in Dunellen, NJ for a presentation by MWA's Ben Yaskulka - "Virtual Tour of the Musconetcong River", of the premier recreation and fishing sites that define the Musconetcong River watershed. From secluded fishing holes to popular paddling launches, this presentation highlights the diverse ways the public can engage with this historic waterway.

Ben will provide an inside look at how the river’s National Wild and Scenic status acts as a powerful engine for recreational growth. He will discuss how this designation supports vital community initiatives—such as the Musconetcong's Wild and Scenic interpretive events and the Junior Ranger Angler program—which break down barriers to the outdoors and foster a new generation of river stewards. Whether you are a veteran angler or a curious neighbor, come discover how federal protection and local outreach work together to keep the Musconetcong accessible, healthy, and wild.

Ben Yaskulka serves as the Policy and Advocacy Manager for the Musconetcong Watershed Association (MWA), where he ties outdoor recreation to smart environmental policy. As a lifelong angler, Ben’s work is rooted in the belief that protection and participation go hand-in-hand. He has been a key driver in expanding local recreational access, notably through his work organizing Wild and Scenic interpretive events and leading the Musconetcong Junior Ranger Angler program, which introduces the next generation to the stewardship of our waterways.

03/03/2026

Join us on Tuesday March 10th - NEW TIME - @ 7:30 pm at the American Legion Hall, 137 New Market Road in Dunellen as
Tim Flagler presents “An Intro to Trout Spey”

Trout Spey is nothing new, it’s just a more effective way to swing flies like streamers, soft-hackles and classic wets. Yes, you can use it for nymphing and dry fly fishing, but swinging and stripping is where trout spey works best. The real difference comes when you employ either single-hand or two-hand spey casting techniques. These make for no back casts to worry about, much longer casts, easy, fast changes of cast direction, more effective mending and generally more relaxing fishing. Presentation is largely video-based but includes an equipment show-and-tell at the end.

Tim Flagler is the owner of Tightline Productions, L.L.C., a video production company located in Califon, NJ. Although he produces video programs over a wide range of topics, his specialty is fly fishing. Tim is a well-known fly tying instructor. His YouTube videos are some of the best in the business and his YouTube channel, https://www.youtube.com//videos currently has over 125,000 subscribers and 41 million views. He produces a new fly tying or “how to” videos which appear not only on his YouTube channel but on Midcurrent as well. They’re also featured on Trout Unlimited’s national website and in the Orvis Learning Center. In addition, he has a regular column “Beginner’s Masterclass with Tim Flagler” in Fly Tyer magazine, which selected Tim as their “Fly Tyer of the Year” in their Winter 2022 issue. Many of Tim’s tying videos take the viewer well beyond just the tying of the fly and show what it looks like underwater, what natural it represents and how it can be fished.

Tim’s a fixture at the Fly Fishing Shows - giving presentations, teaching classes and often as a Featured Tier. He does monthly “Tie-Off’s” with Tom Rosenbauer (Orvis) and Cheech Pierce (Fly Fish Food) as well. He enjoys guiding year round for South Branch Outfitters (formerly Shannon’s Fly & Tackle) in Califon, NJ and hosts annual trips to Patagonia in the spring and to the Kootenai River in MT & Northern British Columbia in the summer. He also hosts several trips within the year to Spruce Creek, PA and to the Erie area for steelhead in early December.

02/04/2026

Join us on Tuesday February 10th - NEW TIME - @ 7:30 pm at the American Legion Hall, 137 New Market Road in Dunellen, NJ as our own Lou Digena presents:
Designing Fly Patterns - Using observation, triggers, and references to create patterns you can call your own.
Lou Digena will share his philosophy and method for designing fly patterns.

Lou, a Life Member of Trout Unlimited, former CJTU President, TU's National Leadership Council, representing New Jersey, and served on CJTU's board for over 25 years. His formal fly-tying training started in 1988 at CJTU's Beginners fly-tying course.

Lou uses his fine arts background to create patterns with studied yet straightforward elegance. Lou follows the KISS rule (Keep It Simple, Stupid) when designing patterns. His primary target is trout throughout the United States. Lou's home waters are in the northeast, where he is fishing for native Brook Trout, wild Browns, Bass, Panfish, and toothy critters. He enjoys tying traditional patterns like Frank Sawyer's Pheasant Tail and Killer Bug, as well as creating new patterns, such as his Lou's Stonefly Creeper, Tiger Baetis, Bubble Pupa, CE Crayfish (Close Enough), SP Baitfish (Simple Perch), and KISS Crane Fly Larva.

Lou is on the Regal Vise, Solarez Pro, Ewing Feather Birds, Pro Teams, and TenkaraUSA Ambassador teams. He also guides for South Branch Outfitters in Califon, formerly Shannon's Fly Shop.

01/24/2026

CJTU members and volunteers from other New Jersey TU chapters at our booth this weekend - The Fly Fishing Show - Edison

01/14/2026

CJTU members and guests hosted Don Baylor last night, and got to see some of his artwork, books and a great presentation on "Stream Science".
Hope to see many of you next week at the Edison Fly Fishing Show Jan. 23-25. Come visit the CJTU booth.

Address

137 New Market Road
Dunellen, NJ
08812

Website

http://www.cjtu.org/

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