Housatonic, youth fishing topics May 16

Harold MacMillan of Housatonic River Outfitters will discuss late spring and summer fishing on the river in northwestern Connecticut when he visits the Nutmeg Chapter of Trout Unlimited on Tuesday, May 16, at 7 p.m.

Teen Devin Brandes will also speak about his initiative, You Can Fly, which teaches youths from Bridgeport and other areas how to fly fish.

The meeting at Port 5 Naval Veterans, 69 Brewster St., Bridgeport, is open to the public free of charge; food and a cash bar are available. Tuesday night’s meeting will also include the election of officers for Nutmeg TU.

MacMillan has more than 30 years of fly fishing experience and has traveled to Russia and Belize, but his talk will focus on spots closer to Fairfield County. Cool water refuges make for strong trout fishing in late spring and early summer, and smallmouth bass are ready to put a bend in a rod when air temperatures make it too hot to target trout.

Housatonic River Outfitters Inc. is a full-service fly shop, outfitter, and lodging and guide service at 24 Kent Road in Cornwall Bridge, at the junction of routes 44 and 7. The shop is located on the Housatonic River, famous for some of the most prolific mayfly and caddis hatches in the East. More information may be found at dryflies.com.

The Mianus Chapter of Trout Unlimited is sponsoring a fishing trip and barbecue at Housatonic Meadows State Park in Cornwall Bridge on Saturday, May 20, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Lunch will be served at 1 p.m. To register visit mianustu.org.

The Nutmeg Chapter of Trout Unlimited 217 encompasses Fairfield, Westport, Weston, Easton,  Redding, Trumbull, Monroe, Bridgeport, Stratford, Milford, and Shelton. Its mission is to conserve, protect and restore coldwater fisheries and their watersheds, particularly in local rivers such as the Saugatuck, Mill, Aspetuck, Pequonnock, and Farmill. More information may be found at nutmegtrout.org.