Limestone Blog

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Strategies&Techniques for Stillwaters

The website, Ask About Fly Fishing, has many interesting podcasts and live Q&A sessions with world famous fly fishermen, women and other industry experts. In the inventory of over 300 broadcasts, this 1 1/2 hour long rebroadcast on stillwater fishing is hosted by Roger Maves and features Denny Rickards. Anglers submitted questions before the broadcast for the expert, Mr. Rickards.

Mr Rickards has spent over 40 years as a guide, author, teacher and fly pattern developer.

Denny Rickard’s knowledge and abiliity to teach others were a prerequisite to establishing his fly fishing schools/clinics which have become a priority for anglers seeking the ultimate form their stillwater angling experiences.

For more information on Denny’s flies, materials, books, videos, gear and guided trips visit his web site at www.flyfishingstillwaters.com.

Featured

Firepits at LTC

Limestone has purchased and received a donated firepit that are now available for use by members and guests.  One firepit is located on the lawn in front of the cottage at Cedar.  The other firepit is located near at Birch pond near the road.

While the Birch pond pit is available on a first come first served basis, the Cedar pond pit is available primarily for guests staying at the cottage. If no one is currently using the Cedar cottage, the firepit may be used on a first come, first served basis.

Follow safety rules when using the firepits as YOU are responsible.  Please check the current State of Connecticut “Forest Fire Danger” website for the risk level.  High Danger levels along with windy conditions(>10mph) can lead to an out of control situation in a hurry. Use common sense.

Generally:

  • Clear the area of flammables other than the wood you will use
  • At the end of your use, make sure to drown all embers
  • Leftover ashes should be placed in the provided metal buckets

Connecticut has restrictions on bringing out of state cut wood into the state.  See this link. One reason is to limit the possible importation of the Emerald Ash borer, which has been found in CT.  Ideally, locally sourced firewood should be used.  This DOES NOT include firewood that is seasoned under the LTC pole barn.  If you cannot source wood locally, please bring your own wood. The local Stop & Shop has firewood for sale(may be seasonal).

Fire-Pit-GuideDownload

CT Wild Trout Management

The CT DEEP is currently scheduling Virtual Public discussions that will lead to an official Wild Trout Management Plan for the state. Connecticut does recognize that wild trout are a vital asset and already takes steps to protect this resource – like this webpage on Classifications of Wild trout habitats within the state. The local Blackberry river is considered a Class III habitat.

To fully develop a plan, based on this draft, the CT DEEP needs angler feedback in addition to the input of staff and other researchers.

As a start, the CT DEEP is asking anglers to complete a Wild Trout Fishing Survey. The survey asked about Class I, II and III areas, so it may be best to review the background link, above.

These meetings require registration so that the virtual link can be provided to those who wish to participate. Registration links are individually available on the CT DEEP website, here.

The schedule for these meetings is:

  • Monday, November 29th from 6:30-8:30 p.m.
  • Tuesday, December 7th from 7-9 p.m.
  • Thursday, December 9th from 6:30-8:30 p.m.
  • Saturday, December 11th from 2-4 p.m.

Annual Stockholder’s Meeting 2021

The September 25th, 2021 annual meeting was called to order by President Glenn Ratcliffe after 10 A.M. Glenn welcomed those members in attendance.  He recognized those Board of Directors members in attendance and cited the extraordinary efforts of all Board members who worked hard to make this a successful year, in spite of Covid-19 restrictions.

In the great news department, he commented that Scott Simko, our long time property manager, has been making an amazing recovery from his surgery earlier in the year. If physical activity heals, Scott is a great example.  He has been involved in activities of the club and back on the job much sooner than expected. Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers. We are indebted to Joe Cieslowski, Gerry Wendrovsky, Scott’s Dad and others for pitching in to help keep the club going while Scott was in recovery.

In particular Glenn cited the great job that Owen Mitchell has done as Chairman of the Fisheries Committee. Noteworthy also was the growth in new members during the year reflecting the tireless efforts of Dean Keister as Chairman of the membership committee. Membership now totals 102 with more in the pipeline.

Our Grounds and Building chairman, Jeff Shippee, was cited for the work and organizing he did on the recent, long needed repairs to the pole barn. With Jeff’s and Eric Hutchison’s organization, the work was accomplished below our projected budget for the job. Glenn thanked the crew from Juniors Landscaping and Construction of Canaan, led by owner Jason Lemon, who leveled and braced the structure.

Members recognized outgoing President Glenn Ratcliffe for his many contributions to the growth and success of the club and its strong financial condition. During his tenure many new projects have been completed along with a number of improvements in our facility.  He has led our efforts to improve our financial accounting helping us to better understand and manage our financial condition. 

The issue of the property gate, keeping it open when members are on the property, was brought up for discussion with several different opinions expressed. It was decided that the Board would look into this issue further by exploring an automated gate option. Until that issue is developed further, the board’s position is that the existing gate will be closed as members arrive and leave the property.

The shareholders voted to approve the slate of nominees for seats on the corporation Board of Directors. The approved members and status are as follows:

            Steve Lefebvre  (1st year of his 3rd term)
            Jim Oravetz       (1st year of his 3rd term)
            Eric Hutchison   (1st year of his 1st term)

The Board will be voting for a proposed slate of corporate officers at its next Board meeting on October 16th.

Glenn reviewed details for Board recommended changes in the corporation by-laws, as was proposed and mailed to every voting stockholder.  The proposed changes included eliminating the preferred share purchase requirement for any new member while honoring existing shareholder preferred share rights. The other by-law proposal was putting in place a one year timeline for share redemption after a shareholder’s membership ends. However, because of a technical issue over specific language regarding the required number of common shares for new members, it was decided to send out a request for a re-vote on that proposal with corrected text. The new proposal will be mailed to voting shareholders shortly and a re-vote will be requested. The Board recommends members vote for the proposed changes.

The meeting was adjourned at noon and was followed by a barbeque lunch enjoyed by all.  Our thanks to Dean and Liz Keister for organizing and preparing a great menu. Our newest member Max Maisano sitting in for Mark Boardman did an awesome job on the grill.

Thank you all for your support!
Jim Oravetz, Secretary

Pole Barn Rehab 2021

The club Pole barn near Cedar and Home ponds was rehabbed over a few weekends in early September. After many years on our property there were several poles that had rotted away making the barn potentially unsafe and unstable. Thanks to the leadership and organization of Grounds Committee chairman Jeff Shippee and member Eric Hutchison, the hard work of stabilizing the structure was completed. Thanks to such dedicated members the repairs came in under budget.

Jeff got help from his friend Jason Lemon and his crew at Juniors Landscaping and Construction in Canaan. That included shoring and leveling work before the poles were cut and holes dug for the Sonotubes, bracing and concrete. The work took place over the first two weekends in September finishing up with a crew of LTC volunteers working on Sept 11th.

Members joining Jeff and Eric where Glen Ratcliff, Jim Oravetz, Steve van Fleet, William Keith, Scott Simko, Owen Mitchell, Niels Jensen and his son, Chris.

One Fly Day 2021

Limestone held the annual One Fly contest on Saturday, May 15th, after a year hiatus. The event was organized by members Bob Hoffman and Eric Hutchison. Eric also helped with the trout measuring and weighing along with Scott Simko and Fred Jeans.

The beautiful day unfolded with 21 contestants vying for the chance to claim the “title”. All contestants signed in at the clubhouse with their favorite fly selection before the 10 a.m. start. Rules required the contestants to use the same fly or an exact copy during the allocated two hours of fishing. The winning fish was based on both length and weight. Taking home the phantom crown was member Joe Czielowski with a 26 inch, 6 lb. brown from Cedar pond. Congratulations Joe!

After the event, a picnic lunch was prepared by members John Mitman and Richard Marone.

2023 LTC Calendar of Events – Updates coming soon!

The LTC Member Handbook has a list of “Important Dates”. This page will duplicate that Handbook list and will be updated as the other To Be Determined(TBD) dates are known. The LTC often hosts events for outside clubs like Project Healing Waters and several TU chapters.

All Board of Directors meeting are held at the clubhouse, unless otherwise noted.

Club Activities:

Sat April 1st, 2023 – Opening Day at LTC

Sat April 15th – LTC Spring Banquet (Country Club of Farmington)

Sat April 22nd – Board of Directors(BoD) meeting. 10:30 a.m.

TBD April Spring Stocking of Ponds

Sat April 29th – LTC One Fly Challenge. Sign up in advance, here.

Sat May 13th – BoD meeting

Sat June 17th – BoD meeting

Sat Sept 9th – BoD meeting – Project budget requests

Sat Sept 23th – Annual Stockholders meeting. BoD meeting (see handbook)

TBD October – Fall Stocking

Sat Nov 4th – BoD meeting. Preliminary Budget discussion

Sat Dec 12th – BoD meeting. Finalize Budget for 2024

Key Outreach Activities:

TBD – Farmington Valley TU membership day

Thu July 21st – Project Healing Waters(6 anglers+helpers)

Thu Aug 4th – Project Healing Waters(6 anglers+helpers)

Sun Sep 24th,2023 – Casting for Recovery day

TBD Dates:

Bamboo “One Fly” Challenge

Connecticut River Salmon day

Fly Fishing Films online

Spring is coming so it’s time for a bit of streaming, the video kind, not something with a streamer fly or water flowing. The 15th Annual Fly Fishing Film Tour comes around again in virtual form in 2021. Another series of short films spanning the globe from Eastern Russia to French Polynesia and more.

Limited time viewing, see flyfilmtour.com and buy your tickets.

+ Mar 10, 2021 at 4:00 PM – Apr 04, 2021 at 11:55 PM

You can watch the film at your convenience, any time within this window. As long as you are accessing from the 1 linked device that you initially logged in from (go live is at 7pm EST on March 10th), you may start/pause/restart/rewatch at any time until April 4th at 11:55pm MST. 

For a sneak peak at the film, see the “Trailers” menu and for this year, here is the direct link to the 2021 F3T Stoke Reel. Multiple view packages are available for purchase including a single ticket ($20), family ($40) and more.

The American Museum of Fly Fishing, Manchester, VT, is looking for help as well. If you use this link, $2.00 of every ticket purchase will go directly to the AMFF.

CT DEEP 2021

March 2021 – CT Fishing Season is OPEN!

Gov Lamont has issued an executive order to open trout season effective March 4th, 2021 across the state. Trout Management Areas have been open for catch and release already, but this opens all waters.

No license is needed for fishing at Limestone Trout Club.

2021 Sportsmen licenses for Connecticut or out of state anglers and hunters are now available. As a member or guest at Limestone, licences are NOT needed to fish on our private property. Fishing licences are required to fish in freshwater as well as saltwater for all adults over 16 years old (Seniors can obtain a free license, but must purchase a Trout and Salmon stamp). Combination fresh and saltwater licences are available.

The CT DEEP has implemented an Online Sportsmen Licensing website which can be used to purchase fishing, hunting or trapping licences and other outdoor activity items.

Download the 2021 CT Fishing Guide that covers both fresh and saltwater rules.

Note: New for 2021, circle hooks are required when bait fishing for striped bass. This is in reaction of declines of striped bass where 90% of fish mortality is due to recreational fishing. See more info from the American Saltwater Guides Association website.

Stocking October 2020

The Fisheries committee organized a fall stocking that took place on Friday, October 30th. One of our two trout suppliers brought 450 trout – 350 rainbows and 100 tigers – which were distributed across our ponds. This effort was led by the chairman, Owen Mitchell, who worked with our supplier to get the required CT DEEP permits and make all the logistic calls.

Rainbow    Tiger     Pond
     90             30          Birch
     80             40          Cedar
     90             30          Pine
     17                0           Club
     23               0           Rock
     50               0           Spruce

Pine Pond stocking