Art Flick Chapter Trout Unlimited

East Quogue  NY ~ March 24, 2026 / 13:19 hrs.
Revised:  3-24-2026 / 14:29 hrs. (typo graphic error) 
    
***It’s time to do some Spring cleaning by helping to clean up at our “Annual Carmans River Clean-up” on March 28, 2026.  Spend the day with fellow anglers and HS students cleaning up the Carmans River.  Meet at 8:30 AM in Southaven County Park- Yaphank N.Y. at the Camping Grounds Pavillion (Entrance off of River Road/Park’s Eastern Boundary).  We will provide garbage bags and we have several Grab Pick-up tools to pick up the trash.  It is suggested that you bring along a pair of work gloves for the handling of trash.  As a special treat, we will have a barbecue lunch for our volunteer Team after the cleanup.  So don't miss out on the festive day.  It is a great opportunity to meet and work alongside fellow AFTU members and friends.  If you have grandchildren that you would like to encourage giving back to the community, please feel free to bring them along with you.  Please let us know if you plan to help out with the cleanup so we will have enough food for lunch.  Contact Rich Cosgrove at Rcosgrove50[at]gmail.com.  Thanks in advance for volunteering.

April is here with Spring coming on strong.  All of the Chapter’s fishing equipment is clean and now in tip top shape ready for our high school fishing days, thanks to our volunteer members.  We need your help instructing the students. These days are only successful if we have volunteers to assist with helping the students on the river.  On April 4, 2026 we will be working with Copiague HS, and on May 3rd we will be working with Walt Whittman HS at the Connetquot River State Park Preserve in Oakdale NY.  So please check your calendar and let Rich Cosgrove know if you can participate in these two events.  Please email him asap to let him know which day or days work for you.  His email address is Rcosgrove50[at]gmail.com.  Your special reward for helping on the day is the opportunity to continue fishishing after the students leave. Who wouldn’t want to fish and enjoy the serenity of this World Class Spring Creek loaded with eager Trout to perhaps put a bend or two in your rod!

Our 2025 recipient of the Michael Barger Memorial Art Flick TU Fly Fishing and Fresh Water Conservation Camp Scholarship is chapter member Mitchell Safer.  Mitchell is presently working on creating “Fly-braries” for Connetquot River State Park & Preserve as part of his Eagle Scout project.  He could use our help crafting flies to place in the boxes so anglers can use them to fish on the Connetquot River in barbless & lead-free fashion.  If you have any question or donations, please contact Annmarie Cosgrove at  Acosgrove2017[at]gmail.com.

Last year AFTU held its first Catch a Rainbow outing for breast Cancer patients in any stage of the disease.  It was such a huge success, so we decided to offer it once again this Spring. On April 25, 2026, we will hold our 2nd Catch a Rainbow event. If you know of any woman battling breast Cancer or even if they are in recovery, please share the flyer with them. We are hoping to get 12 women to participate in the day.  If you have questions, please contact Christina Galicia through email at CatcharainbowLI[at]gmail.com.

Art Flick TU will have their Connetquot River State Park & Preserve monthly fishing day on Monday, April 27, 2026. There will be 2 sessions. If you would like to fish on this special day, please contact Paul Puma by email Paulpuma50[at]Yahoo.com.  You must send him a check for $30 for each session you wish to fish so he can pay the park in the morning.  Mail the check to him at 33 East View Road, Ronkonkoma, NY 11779

Our Cold-Water Fisheries Conservation Bamboo Rod Sweepstakes is underway.  This event helps Art Flick TU to fund the activities we hold for conservation education, habitat improvement and promotion of the sport of fly fishing bringing awareness to our cold-water fisheries.  We also supply schools with trout eggs and/or fish fry to raise as part of the Trout in the Classroom program.  Please use the QR code to make a donation to AFTU and enter the sweepstakes to win this beautiful bamboo rod. Doug Ernst, a dedicated member of many years, has hand crafted this favorite rod taper for you too to enjoy!  Please participate in this fundraising event. Help AFTU continue to implement the many valuable activities it offers.

There is once again a lot of events happening at Art Flick TU. Our Chapter is only as strong as its members are. We need you to participate and volunteer to help out with our events. If we can’t get the assistance from our members then we won’t be able to offer such a wide variety of activities. Please find time in your busy schedules to help out at our events. The rewards are great!

Our June Elections will soon be here. Our Chapter needs an infusion of new blood to step up and join our board. We will have three vacancies on the Board. My tenure as President comes to a close this June, so we will need a President, as well as a Vice President.  In addition, one of our Board members needs to step down for personal reasons so that leaves three positions open.  I will remain on the Board as former President.  I will always be there to assist in any way I can. Please think about joining our Board.  Contact me by email if you have any questions or concerns: Acosgrove2017[at]gmail.com.

Our next Chapter meeting will be on April 14, 2026.  Our guest speaker will be Mark Romain. He will discuss the state of our aquifers with suggestions on how to promote healthy fresh water.  Please attend our meeting to find out about this important topic. Doors open at 7:00PM. At 7:30PM we will hold a brief meeting then take a break. Our speaker will present this valuable topic at 8:00PM.  I look forward to seeing you all at our April monthly gathering.! 

Warm regards,

        
        I

 POSTED: 04-07-2026

*** ENGAGEMENT: SPRING RESUMES WITH  "OUTDOORS YOUTH EDUCATION"...

Copaigue HS Introduction to Fly-Fishing & River Ecology Program 

POSTED: 03-30-2026

*** "SPRING" MISSION ACCOMPLISHED... YOU HELP MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

 

           

 *** EVERY LITTLE BIT HELPS... DO YOUR PART TO SAVE OUR PLANET!

    "Every Little Bit Helps"... the "Monofilament Recycling Collection Stations" along the Carmans River in Southaven County Park are proving their worth in helping to keep the surrounding environment void of old fishing lines.  
    
DO YOU KNOW THAT... 
     Plastic isn't a material that decomposes, but must be recycled. Instead, plastic tends to break down into smaller particles until they are too small to be seen. This means that every molecule of plastic produced since 1907 is still present in the environment.

 POSTED: 03-08-2026

  *OUR IMPACT ON OUR ENVIR0NMENT... how easy it happens!

***PROTECTING & CONSERVING***

 ~ BE EVER VIGILANT... OUR HOME WATERS OF THE CARMANS RIVER REQUIRES YOUR CONTINUOUS SUPPORT ~ PUBLISHED BELOW A REMINDER OF WHAT CAN HAPPEN...IT NEVER GETS OLD! 
WE DON'T WANT HISTORY TO REPEAT ITSELF

 Posting: 1/19/2020
   Lily Lake Dredging Update:  Exciting news of Dredging Permit withdrawal ...

Postings: 11/2018    

*NEWS12 Long Island TV : "Environmentalists: Lake project has 'significant impact' on LI's native trout"... >>>CLICK TO VIEW<<< 

BE A CARMANS RIVER GUARDIAN...

~ YOU ARE THE EYES, EARS & VOICE FOR THE CARMANS RIVER... IF YOU SEE IT BEING ABUSED... SAY SOMETHING... BE THE RIVER'S VOICE!  CONTACT YOUR LOCAL NYS DEC LAW ENFORCEMENT OR CONTACT THE REGION 1 NYS DEC FISHERIES GROUP IN STONYBROOK HDQ ~

"An Ounce Of Prevention Is Worth A Pound Of Cure"... Benjamin Franklin
    

SOME THINGS WE DO...

    CLICK A BUTTON TO VIEW

   IT'S JUST WHAT WE DO...

      
                                                                                   Art Work Donated by James Prosek