Our speaker this month will be Paul Dinice. 

Paul has been gracious enough to provide this Bio and overview of his Presentation: 

I’m 64 years old and have resided in Derby, CT all my life.   I began spin fishing and fly fishing at a very early age, all thanks to an uncle who took all the family kids fishing on his one day off a week.  In 1980 my fishing focus turned exclusively to fly fishing.  In 1985 I made my first foray into salt water fly fishing.   I live a stones throw from the Housatonic River and Naugatuck Rivers.   I’m a member of virtually every fly fishing club and organization in CT.  I’m also very much involved in numerous environmentally based organizations such as Trout Unlimited, Connecticut Audubon Society, and the Coastal Conservation Association.  I’ve made numerous written contributions to newspapers, local club newsletters, and periodicals.  My “home” club/organization is the Housatonic Fly Fisherman’s Association.  For the past 35 years I’ve written “Fly of the Month” section of the HFFA news letter and website.  I contributed to a book entitled “Over-Winter Striper Secrets” by Captain Al Anderson.   The contributions included photographs and writings which were incorporated in the section on fishing the Housatonic.  My ‘closer crab” pattern appeared in the 2012 Winter edition Fly Tyer Magazine.   I’ve also organized numerous small fly fishing expo’s here in CT.  I’m a member of the Derby Inland Wetlands Commission and have been employed by the Town of Orange as the Zoning Administrator for the past 38 years.

Fly Fishing for Small Mouth Bass on the Housatonic
 
This is an underappreciated fishery.  Learn about the behavior of ‘smallies’ and how it can assist you in catching this great game fish.  Many believe that pound for pound this is the strongest fresh water game fish available.  I’ll cover fishing tactics and techniques, best times to fish for small mouth bass, and the flies to use.  Fishing for this species is just a whole ‘lota’ fun and can assist you in improving your fly fishing skills and knowledge of the Housatonic River. 
 
 
We hope that you will join us this month for this great presentation and fellowship with folks who have an interest in coldwater fisheries conservation.  We will have pizza at 6:00, meeting will start at 7:00.  BYOB or soft drink of your choice. 

Our February 8th meeting will feature two speakers from the Delaware River Club. The Delaware River Club is located on the banks of the West Branch of the Delaware River in Starlight Pennsylvania. Open to the public, the Delaware River Club has been a fixture on the West Branch of the Delaware River for over 20 years, offering comfortable lodging along with fly fishing schools, professional guides, and  a full-service fly shop on premises.
 
Samantha Dennis Guide
Samantha learned to fly fish on the freestone mountain streams of Vermont and the small rivers of Rhode Island and Massachusetts. While brook trout will always be her first love, the lure of big browns has drawn her to many locations, including a 23-day trip to Chilean Patagonia with her husband as their honeymoon. For the past 10 years, she has been pursuing trout in the challenging spring creeks of the Midwest. It took just one epic day on the Upper Delaware to hatch an obsession and she has been returning year after year. While trout on a dry are her favorite, she loves stalking smallmouth and anything that will devour a streamer.
 
Jeff White
Jeff has over 15 years of guiding under his belt, but has been fishing ever since he was a toddler growing up in Connecticut, spending his summers near the Delaware fishing with his grandfather. After working in the corporate world, Jeff decided to make a career out of his love for fishing and began guiding full time in the tail waters of Tennessee, prior to moving to Pennsylvania to manage the Delaware River Club.
Along with the Delaware River, Jeff has guided other waters in New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and both North & South Carolina. One thing is certain – good luck finding Jeff anywhere without a river nearby!
Jeff lives in Callicoon, NY overlooking the river with his wife, Kristin, their lab and doting cat. Also keeping the family tradition alive, Jeff takes his young niece fishing as frequently as possible, but his true passion is his chase for the salt and his free time is spent seeking out stripers and blue fin tuna on the fly.

Please join us for this presentation about this great fishery and destination of many Chapter members for many years.

We hope you have had a happy and healthy holiday season.  Please join us for the January regular membership meeting on the 11th.  Following our short business meeting and raffle, Ron Graziani, Chapter member and avid angler from shore, boat, and "hard water" will give a presentation on ice fishing.

A kielbasa potato and spinach skillet dish will be available prior to the meeting starting at 6:30 pm.  Feel free to bring a beverage of your choice, adult or otherwise!