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Theodore Gordon Flyfishers, Inc.
P.O. Box 2345,
Grand Central Station, New York, NY 10163-2345
May 9, 2008
Dear Angler,
Theodore Gordon Flyfishers Inc. is proud to announce the launch of a large-scale initiative to restore spawning access to tributaries of the Beaverkill River: TGF BEAVERKILL RESTORATION. TGF is taking the lead role in this multi-year, multi-phase action to promote stream protection and self-sustainable salmonid populations.
Phase One of the initiative includes the restoration of Horse Brook as a spawning tributary. Preliminary work on the Horse Brook Project has begun with an estimated end date in 2010. The TGF initiative will replace a culvert located one quarter mile upstream of the mouth of the brook with a structure that will eliminate any aquatic barrier that exists. The new structure will allow passage not only for fish, but also for many other aquatic organisms necessary to complete the food chain, thus providing for a more functional aquatic ecosystem.
Historically Horse Brook provided important spawning habitat for trout swimming up from the Beaverkill. Records show that three species of trout -- brook, brown and rainbow -- spawned in Horse Brook until 1996 when flood waters changed the riverbed and blocked the access of fish into the upper reaches of the tributary.
Horse Brook is the only tributary within a 6 mile span of the Beaverkill capable of sustaining spawning trout. According to Ed Van Put, a fisheries professional with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, restricted passage by spawning trout into this and other tributaries has contributed to the decrease of the population of wild fish in the Beaverkill.
In Phase One TGF has partnered with the Upper Susquehanna Coalition (USC). USC is a network of county and regional natural resource professionals working to protect the headwaters of the Susquehanna River and Chesapeake Bay watersheds.
TGF is committed to the success of the restoration initiative and to the preservation of stream conditions as related to property and life along the river.
We are asking you to contribute to this project initially through a raffle of a custom built bamboo rod, with a second prize of a set of two unique Poul Jorgensen “Millennium May Flies”. This raffle will directly benefit the work on Horse Brook. It is, in fact, one of the very first steps in the direct funding of this larger new project in cooperation with the Upper Susquehanna Coalition.
The rod will be custom built for you by Mike Canazon. It is a 7 1/2 ft., two piece bamboo rod with two tips for a 4 wt. line. This rod is lightly flamed, has oxidized hardware, an agate stripper, and a cigar grip. Mike will build it based on a Payne 101 taper, or another rod with a different taper if requested. He has a waiting list like most excellent rod makers and has been crafting cane rods for private collectors for almost a decade. He is a traditionalist when it comes to building Catskill river type rods.
Mike Canazon has fished the Beaverkill and Willowemoc Rivers for 35 years and used cane doing it. He knows what kind of rods work on those rivers and uses tapers of traditional Catskill river rod makers. His inspiration and instruction comes from Bob Taylor, a perfectionist and former rod maker for both T&T and the Leonard Rod Company.
The second raffle prize is a set of two identical flies called the “Millennium May Fly”. They are extended body flies mounted in a shadow box, designed and dressed by Poul Jorgensen. The flies are mounted on clear plastic posts, one done in the traditional side view of the fly while the twin is mounted so that the viewer can look at the fly from the top position. They are a parachute type fly with hackle tied around the wings. These are a fine and unique example of the fly tyer’s art.
We are making available only 250 tickets for this raffle at $25 apiece, with the intent of raising $6,250 in funding for this project. We will also be looking to our members for individual donations, TGF will be sponsoring other fund raising events and we will be seeking foundation grants as well to support our leadership in this project. Since this is not the only conservation project that TGF will be involved with in the next 3 years, we need to solicit new funding so TGF can maintain its leading role in conservation advocacy.
To purchase raffle tickets, please send a check to be received by May 30 for the number of tickets you would like to TGF ATTN: Rod Raffle, P.O. Box 2345 Grand Central Station, New York, NY 10163-2345.
Include your check for the number of tickets you’d like at $25 each, along with your own a self-addressed envelope so we can return your numbered raffle ticket stubs. Remember, the cut-off date for the receipt of checks is May 30.
We hope to see you at the Conservation Fund dinner in Roscoe on June 7 where the two winners of the raffle will be announced and you’ll have a chance to discuss this important new TGF initiative. But the real winners through your contribution will be the trout of the Beaverkill.
Regards,
Bert Darrow, President
Theodore Gordon Flyfishers
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