MARCH MEETING MARCH 9, 2011 RAFFLE

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1 Spokane Fly Fishers March, 2011 MARCH MEETING MARCH 9, 2011 RAFFLE Don t miss this meeting! Always an enjoyable evening, the raffle provides the funding for the club s conservation efforts. Included in our support is the Fish-in-Classroom program which we helped fund and commitments to DWFW for a pond net at the Ford hatchery. The local fly shops and the generous members have donated a great number of items to make our Conservation Raffle a success. The items will include a pontoon boat, flies, fly rods, guided fishing trips, chances to fish with a club mentor, and numerous other items, including a lot of fly tying equipment and materials. You can check in your donated items beginning at 5:30 PM. Please bring your friends, neighbors and families. Don t forget your checkbooks and/or cash. We will also be able to take Visa or MasterCard credit cards. Carla s Kitchen will be serving Chicken Enchiladas with rice, beans and a soft drink for $3.00. Ticket sales and viewing will begin at 6 PM and the RAFFLE will begin at 7 PM. The prices for the tickets are: $1 1 ticket $5 7 tickets $10 15 tickets Once you have purchased your tickets, you put your assigned number on the back and then place a ticket in the bag placed in front of each item you wish to win. If you like, you could put a lot of tickets in one item that you REALLY want. After depositing your tickets, just sit back, listen for your number, enjoy the drawings and get ready to pick up the item your prize. THIS IS A REALLY FUN, WORTHWHILE EVENT. OFFICERS AND BOARD MEMBERS President Vice President Treasurer Secretary Board Position 1 Board Position 2 Board Position 3 Past President Sgt. At Arms Mike Berube Kurt Tempel Gale Allen Bob Kowal Gail Bailey Klaus Rissmann Dan Wight Mike Melmoth Contact us at: P. O. Box 4141 Spokane, WA Or sffishers@comcast.net COMMITTEE CHAIRMEN Programs: Kurt Tempel Barbless Flyer Editor: Linda Howe Conservation: Mike Keegan Outings Don Tietz Membership Mary Kovatch Fly Fishing School: Mike Melmoth Librarian: Robert Stock Project Healing Waters: Tim Reed FFF Liaison: Dan Ferguson Beg. Fly Tying: Betty Smith-Lambert Int. Fly Tying: Dan Ferguson Club Chef: Carla Ferguson Volunteer Coordinator: Judy Kaufman AROUND THE BEND March 9th, SFF Meeting CONSERVATION RAFFLE 7 PM March 16th, SFF Board Meeting 6:30 PM March 19th, Coffeepot Lake Outing. March 26th, Amber Lake Outing.

2 THE BARBLESS FLYER Page 2 PREZ SEZ By: Mike Berube Hello everyone. I hope you had the opportunity to attend the February meeting and learn a bit from our speaker. Phil Rowley put on a great presentation. With the stillwater season almost upon us I can't wait to put his techniques to use. The fly tying seminar he put on was a lot of fun; we learned some new patterns also. I'm thinking the Balanced Leech will be a big part of my lake strategy from now on. Take a look back at the speakers we've had this year: Phil Rowley, Pat Dorsey, John Shewey, and Sean Visintainer. From stillwaters to tailwaters to steelheading to our local N. Idaho streams presentations, we really had a varied program this year. Hopefully you'll put the knowledge you gained to good use this season. Thanks Tim Reed and Judy Kaufmann for lining up these speakers for us. Things are getting busy for the club. On March 9th, we ll be holding our annual conservation raffle. This is a fun and rewarding event for all. You ll find more on the raffle elsewhere in this issue, but I want to encourage everyone to be involved, whether it s your donation items or cash for tickets. Then on April 13th, we'll be having our Fly Fishing Extravaganza. This event promises to a fun night also. The fly fishing school will be starting soon and we hope we can count on your participation. We ll be looking for help with the knot tying class specifically. If you want to help out, get in touch with Mike Melmoth, the school chairman. Feel free to attend any of the sessions to help keep things running smoothly. We have a number of outing host positions to fill. We all want the outings, but we need your participation to schedule them. I don t know if Coffee Pot will be ice free for the March outing, but I ll be there if it is. Please note the change to the May outings schedule; we had to rearrange a bit. I look forward to seeing many of you at our next few meetings and at our rapidly approaching outings. MEMBERSHIP Mary Kovatch, Chair There are eight people who have just joined the Spokane Fly Fishers. They are: Aaron Banks, Carl Griffen, Casey Charlton, Jeff Reed, Bonnie Crable-Reed, John Morrow, Thom Nephew, and Ed Chezem. Two members rejoined after a few years absence. They are: Tom Davis and Den Motoyoshi. Please give these people a warm welcome to our club. DUES Just a reminder that dues for the year are payable by May 31, There is a renewal form in this March newsletter. You may also pick up a renewal form at the general meetings in March, April and May.

3 THE BARBLESS FLYER Page 3 CONSERVATION CORNER By: Mike Keegan CONSERVATION DAY AT COLVILLE NATIONAL FOREST This is set for Saturday June 25th. We will likely be planting more trees at Sherman Creek. Reports are that the ones we planted last year survived very well. More shade for trout and erosion protection. Signup sheets will be at the March meeting. A great barbecue will follow the work. The picture is from the 2010 Conservation Work Day. FISH IN THE CLASSROOM Seven schools are now participating in our area which extends from Tekoa to Valley to Mead. Many thanks to Bill Abrahamse for spearheading this. FLY FISHING AND CONSERVATION CAMP There is time left to submit an application for this camp. It goes for a week at Hicks Lake near Lacey (near Olympia) in late June. Topics include fly tying, fly casting, know tying, reading water, water safety, aquatic macroinvertebrate sampling, and natural resource stewardship. It is co-educational for ages Our club is sponsoring one scholarship which includes food and lodging. Application includes a letter from a science teacher or counselor. Transportation to/from Lacey is the responsibility of the parents. We will have application forms at the March meeting. For more information, visit the website POACHER PATROL There will be another Poacher Patrol of the Lower Spokane River likely in late March. Lenny Hahn will be supervising as was the case last year. Since we know more about spawning areas, this should be even more successful than last year's effort which was good. The lower Spokane is closed from Monroe St. Bridge to Plese Flats from March 15 to June 1. We will have a signup sheet and more info at the March meeting. BEGINNING FLY TYING REPORT By: Betty Smith-Lambert Attention future chair of the fly Auction. The Beginning Fly Tying Class: Randy Smith, Chris Inman, John Schoenmaker, Ross Talbot, Kate Schlapfer, Mary Garner, Vincent Morelli, Derek Smith, Dave Johnson and Tom Davis have now taken beginning fly tying and will be able to donate flies to the next auction. They all progressed very well and their flies will surely be a good addition to the auction.

4 THE BARBLESS FLYER Page 4 END OF THE LINE PART 3 OF A SERIES: An Intermittent Column Spotlighting SFF Fly Tyers SPOTLIGHT ON SFF MEMBER DALE ESAU By Felix Martinez and Tim Reed Dale Esau Tied Foam Caddis Flies to Donate to the 2010 SFF Annual Fly Auction Fundraiser. I bought some of Dale's foam flies at an SFF Fly Auction several years ago. I caught many fish with his patterns and marveled at the buoyancy and durability of his flies. This year's Green Caddis patterns were tied on a size 12 hook and bear the trademark smooth-edge foam bodies that Dale creates. The wings are tied in standard Elk Hair Caddis fashion, with hair tips extending slightly beyond the tail of body and cinched tightly at the neck before clipping the elk hair with their tail butts angled slightly forward. Dale employs standard 2-3 mm closed cell foam (green, orange, and yellow) for these flies. He prefers no specific brand of foam. Dale deftly uses a cigarette lighter to round the edges of the foam, creating a realistic silhouette for the pattern. He creates ripples in the abdomen of the foam body by gently compressing warmed foam between toothed pliers. Dale fishes these foam flies on the rivers of North Idaho and Montana. In the spring and early summer, he uses size 12 patterns, progressively shrinking fly size as water levels drop and as fish become more selective, using a size 16 by autumn. Dale notes that his patterns work very well in rivers having numerous cased caddis on rock bottoms. Because he often will get strikes as his fly swings or as he wades with his fly in the water, Dale thinks that his flies can imitate a diving caddis. Standard drift-free dry fly presentations also work well for Dale using these flies. I find that, by throwing short upstream mends in my line, I can impart jerky action to Dale s foam flies that, more than occasionally, triggers a strike. I like Dale's patterns because, with a little floatant on the wings, they are virtually unsinkable and allow my failing eyes a good chance to see an entire drift, even when fishing in turbulent water. I also think that his segmented silhouettes created by the rounded edges and rippled foam is hard for fish to resist, even when the fly sinks or is danced on the surface. Tim Reed asked Dale to describe how he evolved to become such an excellent fly tyer. Tim submitted the following to me: Continued on next page.

5 THE BARBLESS FLYER Page 5 COFFEE POT LAKE OUTING - SATURDAY, MARCH 19 th Host: Judy Kaufman You never know about Coffee Pot. We will assume it will be icefree on Saturday, March 9 th. This lake is a great place to begin our 2011 outings, as it usually produces big fat rainbows. The fish have an appetite for almost anything but find woolly buggers and leeches in dark colors (brown, olive, black, Halloween) to be the hardest to resist. You might also want to bring along a blood worm and a chironomid or two. String your rod with a full sink line for the leeches and buggers and bring along a floating line if you want to try the chironomids. Whatever the line, use 3x tippet at least. These fish are strong. I will do my best to be at the lake by 8:00 AM. Boats, (with motors), pontoon boats, float tubes will work, sorry no appreciable walk, wade opportunity. The wind will blow and it will probably be at the very least chilly, dress accordingly and make sure you can get back to the launch if the wind comes up. There are a few campsites if you are so inclined. Parking is adequate and the outdoor restroom is decent. Here are the directions to the lake. Travel West on US-2 to Davenport; turn Right on Route 28 to Harrington. At Harrington, turn Right on Coffee Pot Lake Road. Go approximately 15 miles, Turn Left at the Public Fishing Access Sign, (it isn t a real big sign). Please sign up for this outing so if the lake is frozen we can give you a call and save you a trip. Also it would be nice if you bring the hostess something warm to drink. AMBER LAKE OUTING MARCH 26 TH Host: Mike Melmoth Just about everyone knows how to get to this lake, but for you new folks here are the directions. From Spokane take I-90 west to Cheney exit. South through town to Mullinix Road (opposite the funeral home), East on Mullinix 10 miles to Pine Springs Road turn right. Stay on Pine Springs until you see Amber Lake sign (small) on left side, turn left and follow to parking lot. Drive to bottom unload and park back up top. I ll check folks in between 8 and 9, and then I m going fishing. I ll watch to see everyone gets back in safely and then leave for the day. Nothing special except the fishing. The fish can be big and break offs are not uncommon, so bring a good supply of chironomids and still water nymphs. Wooly buggers trolled across the ramp and across the lake from the ramp usually are productive. Chironomids and balance flies back in the weeds at the end of the lake to the right of the ramp. Left end of lake a bit of a kick, but also produces nice fish.

6 THE BARBLESS FLYER Page 6 CLARK FORK OUTING - APRIL 9TH AND 10TH Host: Don Tietz Saturday morning, at 8 AM Mountain Time, we will all meet at Clark Fork Trout and Tackle (Brooks) in St. Regis, Montana. On Sunday morning we will meet at Joe Cantrell's. Plans for the best float for the day - based on weather conditions will be formulated over coffee. Non fishers are welcome to join us for coffee - we may even put you to work shuttling vehicles. It is recommended that you wear your long johns this early in the season. If you have any questions, need directions, or wish to sign up for this outing, call Don at This trip will be a go unless the river is blown out. MCGINNIS LAKE OUTING - APRIL 16TH AND 17TH HOST NEEDED It s time to hit McGinnis Lake. McGinnis is located on the Colville Indian Reservation and opens before the general fishing season. The pros say that Chironomids and Leech patterns are the best to use for the BIG Brook Trout. Patterns: Leeches in colors black, brown and maroon sizes 8-10; Water Boatman size 16; Chironomids and Blood Worms. Getting there is easy. Head west on US 2 to Wilbur, turn north on Hwy 21 (for a very short time) then north on Hwy 174 to Coulee Dam. Find Hwy 155 and take it North toward Omak; turn right on Peter Dan Creek just past Elmer City. In approximately 3 miles, turn left on Buffalo Lake Road which turns into a dirt road that takes you to Reynold s Resort (509) ). They have accommodations for tents, RV s and also have cabins. Luxurious motels can be found in Coulee City. Saturday night potluck awaits the hungry. The Club will provide the main course and the members bring the rest. Licenses are available at the Exxon in Airway Heights, or at the resort. SPOKANE KIDS FISHING By: Judy Kaufman The 11 th Annual Spokane Kids Fishing will be held on May 7, 2011 at Clear Lake. Over 1,000 children, ages 5 14, along with their parents, are expected to attend and will have the opportunity to experience and learn about the sport of fishing. The Spokane Fly Fishers helps support this program with funding and volunteer participation. You will have the opportunity to sign up to help starting at the March meeting. This event is lots of fun and very rewarding.

7 THE BARBLESS FLYER Page 7 Continued from previous page. Spotlight on Dale Esau Dale sees his growth as a fly tyer evolving over a four-stage process. He started with just a basic drive to learn how to tie a fly. He got his first lessons from relatives and continued learning through magazine articles. His first big jump in ability was in 1974 with his purchase of the book Western Flies by Jack Dennis. Watching LeRoy Hyatt taught Dale many skills, as did taking a class from A.K. Best and watching A.K. s instructional videos. Dale says A.K. s instruction provided him a big leap in his tying abilities and locked in his techniques for tying wings and quill bodies. The second stage of Dale s progression was learning about the properties of different materials and figuring out what substitutions could be made in fly recipes without detracting from the effectiveness of the pattern. This can be quite helpful when you only have a limited amount of material on and. The third stage was learning how to design a fly, including what adds to or subtracts from making a fly turn over, what increases floatability, and what allows different ways to fish a fly. The design stage led Dale to the use of foam, even before fly shops began selling it. He is experimenting with different methods of heat to shape and attach materials to the foam. His most recent stage follows the lines of Gary La Fontaine -- trying to determine what actually triggers a fish to eat a fly. He had the good fortune to watch Gary tie flies, but has yet to put on a wet suit and watch flies underwater with the fish. In summary, Dale is a true master at his craft and is very generous in his donations to the club. INFORMATION AND PHOTOS NEEDED The Inland Empire Fly Fishing Clubs Historical Committee has asked the Spokane Fly Fishers if we might help locate photos and/or information about some of their prominent members. The members are: Herb Butler, Lee Gomes, Joe Miotke and Alex Lesine. Photos in any format including negatives can be accepted. All photos will be retuned to the owner. If you have any information or photos to pass along please contact Judy Kaufman at and I ll put you in contact with Leon Buckles of the IEFFC. SFF APRIL MEETING - APRIL 13TH EXTRAVAGANZA MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR OUR APRIL MEETING This event, hosted this year by Gale Allen, always proves to be informational and entertaining.

8 THE BARBLESS FLYER Page INTERMEDIATE FLY TYING REPORT By: Dan Ferguson The club held another great intermediate tying session this year. We had Wayne Jordan, Brad Thompson and Bob Newman as our featured tyers. Bob needs little introduction as he s been involved in our tying program for what seems like forever. With his professional tying experience, Bob offers the tips and techniques to tie the pro quality flies. Brad s been around helping with shows and our Fly Fishing School. As a Montana guide, Brad knows the patterns that WILL catch fish! Wayne s new to the club and has been eager to share his wealth of tying experience. Wayne comes to the area via Maine, Florida and the Seattle area and as such has an extensive tying portfolio. My personal thanks to these guys and all who helped set up and take down the room. We re already thinking about next years program and have been looking at patterns we d like to see. Any of you who might be interested in taking the six week course, please contact me with your ideas. nwflyguy@comcast.net I doubt you can find a class of this level for $35 anywhere, especially when nearly everything is provided for you. We limit the class size to around 25, (= the number of hooks in a box!) so be thinking about it for next year. We have a tentative start date of January 5 th.

9 THE BARBLESS FLYER Page OUTINGS SCHEDULE Chairman: Don Tietz DATE OUTING HOST RATING/EXPLANATION 3/19 Coffeepot Lake Judy Kaufman 1: Could be cold and windy 3/26 Amber Lake Mike Melmoth 1 4/9-4/10 Clarkfork Don Tietz 2: Float: Bridge abutments Small rapids, obstacles 4/16-4/17 McGinnis Lake NEED HOST 1 4/30 Pontoon Safety Still Water Class at Medical Lake 1 5/7 Kid s Fishing Day 5/18 Badger Lake Mike Berube 1 5/21 One Fly Contest West Medical Lake Dan Wight 1 5/21-5/22 Bailey/McDowell CANCELLED 1 6/2-6/5 Kamloops Area Lakes J. Kaufman, Mike Berube 1 6/8 Williams Lake NEED HOST 1 6/11 Coffeepot Lake NEED HOST 1 6/18-6/19 Grande Rhonde Carolyn Sells 4: Wade: slick rocks, boulders, visibility. 4: Float: Low fast water, Obstacles 6/18-6/19 N. Fork of CDA Mike Melmoth 2; Wading 6/25-6/26 Blackfoot River Carolyn Sells 3: Float: obstacles, sweepers 6/25 Conservation Outing Mike Keegan 7/8-7/10 Georgetown Lake Gale Allen 1 7/16 Spokane River Judy Kaufman 3: Float: rapids, obstacles, Sweepers 3: Wade: slick 7/22-7/24 Kelly Creek Jim and Lisa Hudson 3: Wade: access, slick 8/5-8/7 St. Joe River Dan &Carla Ferguson 1-3 Wade: some locations 8/20-8/21 Kootenai River Dan Wight 2-3 Float: rapids 9/10-9/11 Clark Fork River NEED HOST 2: Float: bridge abutments, Small rapids, obstacles 9/16-9/18 Missouri River Carolyn Sells 2: Float: obstacles 10/1 Spokane River J. Kaufman/T. Reed 3: Float: rapids, obstacles, Sweepers 3: Wade: slick 10/1510/16 Grande Rhonde Carolyn Sells 4: Wade: slick rocks, Boulders, visibility 4: Float: Low fast water, Obstacles. For Outing Ratings, please see the February Barbless or check the website. Some of the outings listed above need hosts. If you can be of assistance, please call the Outings Chairman, Don Tietz, at

10 THE BARBLESS FLYER Spokane Fly Fishers P. O. Box 4141 Spokane, WA RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED PLEASE REMEMBER TO BRING YOUR NAME TAGS TO THE MEETING NEXT MEETING MARCH 9, 2011 CONSERVATION RAFFLE TICKETS AND VIEWING AT 6 PM RAFFLE AT 7:00 PM ST. FRANCIS SCHOOL 1104 W. HEROY THE MISSION OF THE SPOKANE FLY FISHERS IS TO PROVIDE A FAMILY FRIENDLY ORGANIZATION FOR PROMOTING THE SPORT OF FLY FISHING THROUGH EDUCATION, APPLICATION, AND CONSERVATION.