Newsline. Upper Chattahoochee Chapter of Trout Unlimited. Dream Rod and Reel Raffle Tickets Going Fast! Lines from the Leader. Next Meeting- May 22

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1 Newsline Upper Chattahoochee Chapter of Trout Unlimited Volume 20, Issue 5 Chapter 436 May 2003 Dream Rod and Reel Raffle Tickets Going Fast! The 2003 Dream Rod and Reel raffle tickets are now available for $5 per ticket. The winner has his or her choice of any 2 or 3 piece, 4 or 5 weight fly rod along with a matching Abel Super 4 Large Arbor Reel, Scadden 8 Expedition Pontoon craft and a half day fishing with Unicoi Outfitters. Choose from Winston, Sage, Thomas and Thomas or Orvis fly rods. You can win all of this for only $5 per ticket!! Tickets may be obtained from any Chapter officer or by calling Bob Foster at With the additional prizes this year for the winner, tickets are selling well. There is limited supply of tickets and we may sell out of tickets this year before the auction. The person selling the most tickets will receive a Scadden IM7 fly rod and a Scadden bar stock reel! Next Meeting- May 22 Woody Gap School Stream Team I NSIDE T HIS I SSUE 2 Youth Fly Fishing Clinic 3 Chapter Workdays; Special Life Member Offer 4 Backcast; Fishing Diary 5 Fly of the Month; Fishing Reports; UCC Honor Role 6 Percy Flies; Forward Cast 1 Lines from the Leader By Mack Martin (mamjr@mindspring.com) The rains continue to hamper the local fishing opportunities as steam flows continue to be at record levels in Georgia and surrounding states. Unfortunately the chapter trip to the Hiawassee had to be cancelled due to heavy rains. On a positive note, the rain gods were with us for the Youth Fly Fishing Clinic on May 10 th. We had great weather for the clinic and taught thirty-four young people the basics of fly-fishing. Jessica Dombeck of Cumming, GA won the grand prize of a day with Dave Whitlock on the White River and for the second year in a row we have introduced a very happy young girl to the world of fly-fishing. I want to thank everyone who devoted their time to make this clinic possible along with all of our sponsors who donated so much to help these kids get started. John Gamble and his daughter, Kim, filmed the entire clinic and we owe both a very special thanks for this work. Look for the program soon on ComCast Sports. As an early reminder, we will have last year s grand prize winner, Dakota Umbel, at our August chapter meeting to make a presentation on her recent trip to the White River. She and Dave caught a lot of fish and her presentation should be very interesting. John Gamble and I escaped to the Green River earlier this month and managed to get rid of the rains only to have a bit of snow almost every day in the mountains in Wyoming. Dave Scadden provided us with one of next years prototype two person pontoon boats ( Big Horn Drifter ) for our trips on the lower and upper Green River. The day we spent below Flaming Gorge saw 1400 boats launched and the fisherman were wall to wall on the A section. It seems that the fishing there in May has gotten out of Continued on page 5

2 Youth Fly Fishing Clinic By Don Kengla A bright, near perfect Saturday, May 10th, at the Buford hatchery's fishing pond was the scene of the 3rd Annual Youth Fly Fishing Clinic sponsored by the Upper Chattahoochee, Tailwater and Flint River TU chapters, Georgia Women Flyfishers and the Orvis Company. By any standard an unqualified success, with 36 youngsters, aged 10 to 15 beginning their involvement in fly fishing. The hands-on experience began with tackle rigging and care that led to an ample period of casting on the pond with individual instructors. Between stints with rod in hand, participants were treated to a class in basic knot tying. Brian Richterkessing and Tim Chambo of Orvis presented a program on insect identification and imitation, introducing a variety of fly types and patterns. The youngsters' enthusiasm was evident in their fascination and concentration and by the number of their questions. Harry's Farmers Market provided a welcome picnic lunch to the hungry participants. Later, several fly tiers from among the event's hosts offered demonstrations in basic fly tying. The clinic provided students with more than just basic fly casting instruction. The curriculum included discussions about entomology and demonstrations of fly tying. Above, Sam Rizzio shows some fly tying techniques to the students. A highlight was the awarding of prizes provided by event sponsors and other donors including LL Bean, Cabella's and several individuals. The first rate and plentiful prizes of quality items of tackle and gear, including a custom rod by Mack Martin, were headlined by several guided fishing trips. Grand prize was a guided trip to the White River in Arkansas. Each participant left with a special certificate and a liberal and enjoyable introduction to a new sport. Many thanks to the chapter members who organized and conducted the enjoyable event!!! Ray Gentry explains and demonstrates knot tying to two very interested students. 2 Each student received individual instruction and coaching from experienced casters. Above, Don Kengla works with an American Idol. Could this be a future Joan Wulff?

3 Chapter Workdays David Parker at Everyone surely has welcomed the recent rains since all of our favorite streams should now be at full capacity. The bad news is that these same rains have surely taken their toll on North Georgia s streams. For this reason your help is sorely needed. This year the Chapter will be completing two in-stream projects on Cooper s Creek and Little Rock Creek. For those of you who have never participated in a Chapter workday you have been missing out on a good time. These outings give participants an opportunity to join with other TU members for some weekend camaraderie (packed full of fish stories) and to actually help improve the structure in these streams. The benefit of the latter is that the next time you fish through these streams you ll know exactly where the pockets are that are likely holding the fish, not to mention these projects make life better for the trout which means they re more plentiful. Toss in a hearty meal from the UCC Chuck Wagon to round the day off and you re bound to have a great time. Be sure to bring along your hip waders or wading boots and a can of bug spray. Come hungry because the chow is guaranteed to be delicious. The Cooper s Creek project is scheduled for Saturday, June 28 th, and the Little Rock Creek project is scheduled for Saturday, July 12 th. As many of you know, Cooper s Creek is a gorgeous little stream and has been the Chapter s adopted stream for years now. Rumor also has it that Little Rock Creek is a brookie stream. Be sure to sign up at the next Chapter meeting or David Parker at parkeresidence@attbi.com with your name and phone number. Driving directions and further details to come. Please check the website for updates or call David at (404) We look forward to seeing you all there. Special Life Member Offer Offer Expires June 15! To encourage more UCC members to become Life Members in TU, the chapter is offering some unique incentives, however you need to act soon as this offer expires June 15! Life Members enjoy special benefits and distinctions and this is the perfect opportunity to upgrade your membership. By becoming a Life Member through the UCC chapter, you will receive the following: an Orvis T3 8½ foot, 5 weight rod, a large arbor Orvis Battenkill reel, a ½ day trout fishing at Nachoochee Bend with Unocoi Outfitters, a casting lesson with video analysis at the Atlanta Fly Fishing School and three dozen Umpqua flies in a box autographed by Dave Whitlock! Plus you will never have any further annual TU dues. To take advantage of this special offer send a check for $1000 payable to TU to Ray Gentry at 4403 Chowning Way, Atlanta, Georgia You can Ray at regentry@earthlink.net if you have questions. Hiwassee Trip Report Due to the heavy rains, the Hiwassee Trip that had been scheduled for the weekend of May had to be cancelled. Thanks to Joe DeGonge who had done a lot of work in organizing this trip. Hopefully the trip can be rescheduled when conditions are more favorable. 3

4 he was presented with the first ever Chattahoochee Champ award for his long and distinguished contributions to the river. Newsletter Editor, Sid Elliott (left), presents Don Pfitzer with the inaugural Chattahoochee Champ award. Backcast: April Meeting By Sid Elliott Mack Martin opened the meeting welcoming new members and guest. Mack updated the chapter on several items. Josh Barnett is writing an article for TU National about the Youth Fly Tying Clinic. John Gamble is working on a video of the clinic. Ray Gentry and Duane Stalnaker have received a grant from TU National for a new check in system that will track meeting attendance. Mike Franklin has updated the chapter web site and more work will be done in the future. Mack has received suggestions that a Swap Shop and Fishing Buddies section be added to the web site. The April meeting featured two presentations. First, Tic Smith of Hiwassee Outfitters gave the chapter a good update and overview on fishing on the Hiwasee River. Tic s comments were especially timely in preparation for the May chapter trip being organized by Joe DeGonge. In addition to those going on the May trip, several others indicated interest in making another trip later this year. The chapter raffle and auction ended the evening and include many lucky winners of nice prizes. Duane Stalnaker donated a trout mug, Dutch Earle donated a mouse pad, Don Kengla and Mack Martin each donated a box of flies, Willie Perry donated a book, Pat Foster donated a unique refrigerator magnet, Orvis Buckhead donated a nice chest pack, and the chapter donated two hackle patches, a fly box, a Winston cap, a set of fly fishing tools, and two books. For auction, the chapter donated one of the new chapter fishing shirts which Ray Gentry won. Congratulations to all the lucky winners and thanks to all who donated such nice prizes. Fishing Diary Lisa Klein, Department of Natural Resources trout biologist for the Chattahoochee River, is asking for our help. Lisa needs information about trout fishing success (or lack of) to assist in her research. She currently is having some fishing diaries printed that she would like for fisherman to keep and send to her. You will not have to reveal any of your secrets and the information will help Lisa considerably. Lisa continues to work closely with TU and this is a good opportunity to help her to help us. If you would like to participate in this program, please Lisa at lisa_klein@mail.dnr.state.ga.us giving her your name and mailing address. Lisa will send you the diary and related instructions when they are available. Next, Don Pfitzer provided the chapter with an excellent history of trout fishing on the Chattahoochee River that included impressive slides of fish, insects and the river itself. Don graciously shared his extensive knowledge with the chapter. Don didn t try to explain how to catch trout. Instead, he explained the history of the river as it related to trout and trout fishing. Don knows the history of trout in the Chattahoochee first hand because he was there when it happened. Following Don s comments, 4

5 Fly of the Month: Shop-Vac By Salvelinus Fontinalis The Shop-Vac was the number one nymph pattern in the Yellowstone area last year. This fly will be deadly on our home waters too. This bead-head nymph is suited to be fished deep with a split shot and an indicator or dropped behind a dry fly. Recipe Hook: Tiemco 2487, size 16 Bead: Gold 3/32" Thread: Black 8/0 Body: Pheasant tail fiber Rib: Fine copper wire Wing: White Zelon Tying Instructions 1. Debarb and slide bead onto hook. 2. Attach tying thread and advance to the rear of the hook. Attach both the pheasant tail and the wire rib. 3. Wrap the pheasant tail fiber up to behind the eye. Tie off. Follow by counter wrapping the wire rib up to behind the eye. Tie off. 4. Attach a short tuft of white zelon on top of the hook shank extending half way down the shank. 5. Whip finish forming a small neat head. Go Fishing! Tiers Table Update Please note. Due to the Memorial Day holiday, Tiers Table will not be held in May. Stay tuned next month for updated information. UCC Honor Role At the beginning of each year, the chapter asks members to considering making a special voluntary dues contribution of $10. These dues are strictly voluntary and very helpful in supporting the chapter s programs. Last year we had 61 members pay these dues. This year so far, only 31 members have responded. As we are now approaching the middle of the year, we will not continue to ask for voluntary dues after this month, but we would really appreciate more members supporting this effort. For members who are unable to participate in various other chapter projects, this is an especially good way to help support our efforts. If you have not already done so, please consider paying the small amount of $10 to Ray Gentry, regentry@earthlink.net, Secretary/Treasurer. You can give your check or cash to Ray at a chapter function or you can mail a check to Ray at 4403 Chowning Way, Atlanta, Georgia Members already on the 2003 Honor Role are: Mack Martin, Ray Gentry, Kin Craig, Larry Leiber, Don Kengla, Ed Sullivan, Kit Rehm, Richard Quinn, Skip Remter, Clyde Buchannan, Ted Nixon, Bob Beck, Bob Foster, Bob Heydet, Sam Rizzio, Gail Rizzio, Dean Koester, Sid Elliott, Leon Zalkow, Curtis Mills, Bill Laber, Steve Johnson, Mike Elliott, John Gamble, John Grover, Stephen Glenn, Glen Lee, Gary McKelvey, Howard Boone, Carl Riggs and Michael Blair. We look forward to many other members joining this group again this year. Thank you in advance for your support. Fishing Reports The most effective technique being employed on local streams is patience! Continuous rains have made the rivers un-fishable, but this will eventually change. In the meantime, to maximize your future opportunities: clean all your flylines and reels, practice casting in your yard at least three times a week, organize your fly tying materials, restock your fly box, tie some new patterns, clean the basement and do every inside chore you (or your spouse can think of), take your spouse out to dinner at least once a week, take your spouse to breakfast every Saturday morning and attend church regularly. And if you can find a pond to fish for bream, do it! hand. Our trips on the upper Green found no one for ten miles during our floats. For those interested in a two-man boat, the Big Horn Drifter handles very well and drafts about 4four inches with a full load. The boat should be available late this year or by the first quarter of Remember, we will announce the winner of the Youth Fly Tying contest at the May meeting! Hope to see you there. Mack Lines from the Leader Continued from Page 1 5

6 Thank you, Percy Flies Our chapter enjoys the support of a wide variety of members and sponsors. The support we receive comes in different forms from different people at different times. This year we received support for the Youth Fly Tying Clinic from a new sponsor that we want to recognize. Percy Flies ( provided 36 great fly boxes containing 18 fly s each at his cost. This allowed us to give each child in our clinic a great fly fishing gift to take home with them. Sponsors such as Percy Flies, Orvis and Umpqua, Cabelas, Harry s Farmers Market, and Bass Pro Shops really make this clinic much better than it otherwise would be. We encourage our members to support these sponsors in return by trying their products and thanking each one for their help with our kids programs. Since you may not be familiar with Percy Flies, check out their web site. Forward Cast Following is a list of Chapter events. Please check for updated information. Note: Chapter Meetings are held at Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen at Davis Drive, Alpharetta, which is off Mansell Road just west of Ga 400 ( ). Social hour and dinner begin at 6:30 p.m. and the program begins at 7:30 p.m. May Tiers Table- Cancelled!!! 27- Chapter Meeting- Toccoa River Watershed Stream Team June- 21- Tiers Table (Orvis Norcross) 24- Chapter Meeting- Memphis Vaughn, Operations at Buford Dam 28- Chapter Workday- Coopers Creek July- 12- Chapter Workday- Little Rock Creek 22- Chapter Meeting- Kim Ryals- TU Southeast Coordinator Upper Chattahoochee Chapter- Trout Unlimited 9815 Summer Oaks Drive Roswell, Georgia ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED Interested in knowing more about or joining the Upper Chattahoochee Chapter of Trout Unlimited? Check out 6

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