LTC Opening Day 2026

Spruce pond Brooke
Birch pond Golden Rainbow

Welcome to Limestone 2026!

Opening day was Saturday, April 4th and LTC hosted 18 anglers who cast their favorite flies in Cedar, Pine, Birch and Spruce ponds during the day. As a result of the completed census forms, we have an good picture of what our fisheries look like after what most would say was a very hard winter in New England.

In total 40 trout were landed and recorded on Census forms. All trout were returned to the ponds and none were harvested! As a reminder, please be sure you complete Census forms at the end of your fishing day. This gives our Fisheries committee valuable information and helps us manage our stock better.

In Cedar, a total of 15 trout were caught and released. The largest one was a 22″ Tiger! Sweet, that will make you smile both inside and out. In total there were six Tigers(spanning 15-22″), five Rainbows(15-19″), and seven Browns(15-21″).

In Birch, a the total was also 15 trout. Of note, Golden Rainbows lead the pack there with seven caught and released(15-17″). Rainbows were a close 2nd place with six trout(15″). Browns were the remainder at two(17-19″).

In Pine, the total was 11 trout. Heavily tilted to lead the catch were nine Rainbows(14-18″) . The rest were all Browns(18-22″).

Finally, a single Brooke was caught in Spruce pond. Hint: caught on a minnow pattern.

As evident from the recorded Census forms, we have plenty of healthy trout for you to try to outsmart(and more on the way)!

Our trout are our most valuable resource so handling them properly is very important for their survival. We publish handling tips in the 2026 Members Handbook (website registration req’d to access). Here are some blog posts regarding trout handling and getting a photo of your prized catch. Also review the Tips and Tactics link.

A big Thank You goes out to the Fisheries Committee and the attention to detail from our caretaker over the harsh winter.

Wishing everyone Tight Lines this season.

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.

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.