Spokane Fly Fishers February, 2010 FEBRUARY 10TH MEETING SPEAKER: JIM SCHOLLMEYER CHASING WESTERN HATCHES

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1 Spokane Fly Fishers February, 2010 FEBRUARY 10TH MEETING SPEAKER: JIM SCHOLLMEYER CHASING WESTERN HATCHES Jim Schollmeyer is a profession fly fishing photojournalist from Salem, Oregon. Raised in North Dakota where he fished for bullhead, yellow perch, and pike (one of his favorite fish), he picked up his first fly rod in the late 60 s and since then has been chasing hatches, tying flies to match them, and fishing for trout throughout the West. Jim sold his first photograph (a picture of a March brown mayfly to Field and Stream in 1981, was a guide on the Deschutes River in Oregon for 9 years, and is a Life Member of the FFF. He has written for most of the fly fishing magazines and is the author of Hatch Guide for the Deschutes River, Hatch Guide for Western Streams, Hatch Guide for Lakes, Nymph Fly-Tying Techniques, and co-authored with Ted Leeson The Fly Tier s Benchside Reference, Tying Emergers and The Benchside Introduction to Fly Tying. His presentation Chasing Western Hatches is a seasonal look at important Western hatches along with some of the waters where they occur and tips on how to fish them. TIE FLIES WITH JIM SCHOLLMEYER If you tie flies this is an opportunity you don t want to miss. From reading Jim s bio you can appreciate his contributions to fly tying. We are offering the chance to tie with Jim on Wednesday afternoon, February 10 th. The class will be held at the Inland Northwest Wildlife Council Building on 6116 N Market (about 2 blocks south of Francis). The class will begin at 3 o clock and last no longer than 5 o clock. The cost is $25 for members of the SFF and $30 for non-members. Tying materials for the patterns will be provided. The cost for the materials is included in the class fee. Tiers will need to bring their tying tools, vise, thread and tying lamp (if needed). There is room for 20 students and reservations are required. If you are interested, please call Judy Kaufman as soon as possible (the class will fill quickly). SFF Officers and Board Members President Mike Melmoth Vice President Bob Hudson Treasurer Ray Baker Secretary Gail Bailey Board Position 1 Mike Berube Board Position 2 Kurt Tempel Board Position 3 Tim Reed Past President Fred Howe Sgt. At Arms Klaus Rissmann Contact us at: P. O. Box 4141 Spokane, WA Or sffishers@comcast.net AROUND THE BEND February 10th, Fly Tying with Jim Schollmeyer, 3 PM February 10th, SFF Meeting 7PM, Jim Schollmeyer February 17, SFF Board Meeting 6 PM March 5,6,7, Great West Sport Fishing Show March 10, SFF Meeting 7 PM RAFFLE March 17, SFF Board Meeting 6 PM March 18, FLY FISHING SCHOOL BEGINS March 20, Coffee Pot Lake Outing

2 THE BARBLESS FLYER Page 2 PREZ SEZ By Mike Melmoth February already and only one month until our first Outing at Coffee Pot Lake. I really doubt we will need to worry about ice out this year. It s been so warm even the yellow jackets are confused. I think we should get out and FISH. Maybe that rush is what made me push through the general meeting so fast last month. I do need to apologize for not asking Craig to do a question and answer session, but then no one put tape over the member s mouths either. I guess we were all a bit stunned by how early we were wrapping it up. Personally I would have liked to know where all those pieces of water Craig talked about were located in the park and if they required being hiked into or were easy access. This month we have Jim Schollmeyer as the speaker and once again it is open to the public and we have a fly tying session before the meeting held at the Wildlife Council Building. If you thought Craig was a tying wizard, look out - Jim is a master tier from way back. Most serious tiers have, or wish they had, a copy of The Fly Tier s Benchside Reference to Techniques and Dressing Styles by Ted Leeson and Jim Schollmeyer. This is one of the best and most thorough presentations of techniques to dress a fly that has ever been written. If we could sit down and memorize this book and remember when and how to use all these methods, we could tie anything we saw and create new flies to match any bug encountered. Well we should have a great year of fishing ahead. With the warm winter not killing off the bugs, the hatches should be ferocious. Now as long as there is water in the streams and rivers we should do fine. To take advantage of that good fishing make sure you put aside some shekels for the March CONSERVATION RAFFLE. Mike Keegan promises this is going to be a fantastic one. The conservation committee is also anxious to know what their budget is going to be for next year s projects, since the money is always a year ahead of the expenditure. Makes for tough budget balancing but who s complaining. This year we have committed a fair amount but it doesn t look like it will actually get spent until our new budget year starts in June. I ll let the conservation committee chair explain that one. Also coming up in March is the Great Western Sportsman Show down at the convention center (same as last year). Mike Berube will be getting a hold of many of you and could use the assistance of many more of you to make this a feeder for the fly fishing school for the club and educate the community to the tenants of the club. Conservation, fly fishing, fly tying and fun in all things, so come on out and either help or browse. The busy part of the year is upon us and we will all feel the pressure to take part in events, outings and long trips. For those of us who are retired that means more exhausting events, for those of us young enough to handle the exertion that means where do we find the time around our work schedule, so take your pick. Select those you can afford time wise and financially and come on out and play. Tim Reed and I were honored to receive, on behalf of Project Healing Waters, three custom made fly rods from Al Barrett of Barrett Custom Fly Rods. Al made these three beautiful rods on behalf of himself, his brother and his mother and promised to make three more before Christmas. I think Tim plans to present these rods to veterans who take part in the fly tying and fishing trips the club sponsors for the VA and PHW (Project Healing Waters). It is really fantastic to have this kind of community involvement in our work with veterans and PHW. Thank you Al.

3 THE BARBLESS FLYER Page 3 CONSERVATION RAFFLE - March 10, 2009 The clubs annual Conservation Raffle will be held at our March 10th meeting. Mike Keegan, our Conservation Chairman, has agreed to chair this event. For this wonderful program, we contact local fly fishing and sporting goods store and ask for donations. We also ask you, our members, to donate new or gently used items and/or services which can be raffled off for this good cause. Last years raffle included many fishing trips, books, flies, tying materials and a lot of fishing items. We even had a pontoon boat. If you have items to donate, please call the people below to arrange to drop your item off: Northside: Dan Ferguson Southside: Fred Howe Southwest: Mike Keegan Valley: Judy Kaufman We will also be accepting items at the February meeting. Those who get their donations in early, by February 27th, will be entered into a special drawing with a chance to win a $50 gift certificate to the fly shop of your choice. The actual raffle begins by members purchasing tickets and then dropping them into bags representing each item. You can put your tickets in separate bags for a chance at winning many items or, if you wish, load up one bucket to increase your chances of winning something that you REALLY want. This is a marvelous money maker for the club. It provides the funds for our conservation projects and it is a wonderfully fun meeting. See you on Wednesday, March 10th. ADVANCE CONSERVATION RAFFLE TICKETS AVAILABLE: Advance Conservation Raffle Tickets will be sold at the February Meeting (to avoid the long lines at the March meeting). Make your donation and save time at the Conservation Raffle. The advance purchase will record your raffle number and will allow you to pickup your pre-paid raffle tickets at the raffle at the March meeting. You will then be ready to place your raffle tickets for the raffle drawings of your choice." Visa and MasterCard will be accepted for presales and in March. You may call the chairperson, Mike Keegan, at , with any questions. FISHING CAMP By: Mike Keegan Trout Unlimited and the Federation of Fly Fishers are sponsoring a Fly Fishing Academy at Hicks Lake in Lacey, WA (near Olympia). This is for youths from 12 thru 16 years of age. Any of you who have a child, or grandchild, who would like to apply, please sign up the sheet at the January meeting and we will provide an application. Our club will underwrite the cost for one or more children. An essay and a recommendation from a science teacher or counselor are part of the application. The camp lasts a week (June 20-26, 2010). Parents must arrange transportation. Contact Mike Keegan at MEMBERSHIP Mary Kovatch, Chair Please welcome the following new members to the club: Ken Pelton, Harvey Morrison, Al Greco, Gordon Larson, Jerry Searfoss and Al Payne (who is rejoining).

4 THE BARBLESS FLYER Page 4 COFFEE POT LAKE OUTING - SATURDAY, MARCH 20TH Host: Fred Howe, On Saturday, March 20, 2009, we will head to Coffee Pot Lake for our first outing of Bring warm clothes and maybe a thermos of coffee to chase away the chill. At this time of year this is a wooly bugger and leech lake. Some do fish chironomids with success, but these early fish are stocking up on the big stuff. Black, Brown, Olive and Halloween buggers. A full sinking line and 3X tippets will bring these bruisers in. Good fishing is available within 200 yards of the launch. Outhouse and covered picnic tables are available. Directions: Go West on US-2 to Davenport, Right on Route 28 to Harrington. At Harrington, make a right on Coffee Pot Lake Road (there is a good sign). Go approximately 15 miles, turn left into the fishing access site. Someone should/will be at the Lake by 8 A.M. Please Fred at frednlindah@comcast.net or call him at before heading out for this trip. The lake could be frozen. If so, we will have to cancel or have an alternate trip planned. CLARK FORK OUTING MARCH 27TH - 28TH Host: Carolyn Sells 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 Carolyn at This trip will be a go unless the river is blown out. AMBER LAKE OUTING SATURDAY APRIL 10TH Host: Mike Melmoth, Yes I know we put it out as the 4th, but who has a wife that lets him go fishing on Easter Sunday? So, I m moving it to Saturday the 10th of April. One day easy float, electric motor allowed if you are disabled, minimal amount of shore fishing available at the put in. No wading available at this lake. DIRECTIONS: Take I-90 west from Spokane to the Cheney exit. South on 904 through Cheney to Mullinix Road (across from the funeral home on the right) turn left. Travel East to Pine Springs Road, approximately 10 miles, turn right. In 1.25 miles turn left at a small amber lake sign and follow the dirt road to the parking lot, room for two handicapped drivers to park at the bottom. The rest must drive down and unload then park back up top. Be sure to get your new license and parking permit. Last year s expires April 30 th but beat the rush. We will meet up top at 9:00AM. If you have questions or need assistance call me ahead of time.

5 THE BARBLESS FLYER Page 5 MCGINNIS LAKE OUTING - APRIL 17TH AND 18TH Host: Chris and Ellen Kassa 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 Hwy155 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. Our host for this great weekend outing is Chris Kassa & Ellen Kassa Please call and let them know you are coming so they can bring enough of the main course, and also let them know what you will bring for the dinner. Licenses are available at the Exxon in Airway Heights, or at the resort. SPECIAL DEAL FOR SFF CLUB MEMBERS - FLY FISHING SCHOOL By Fred Howe The board has decided that, this year, SFF members can take the fly fishing class for the low price of $60 (instead of the $100 paid by nonmembers). This special rate does not include the next year s membership fee. So, now is the time to take this great school which starts on March 18 th and concludes on April 29 th. To sign up, or for more information, contact the SFF web site at or contact Fred Howe at PONTOON OR BOAT HANDLING CLASS Some members have expressed an interest in a class to learn the proper handling of their pontoon boat on lakes and rivers. A sign-up sheet will be at the February meeting. If there is enough interest, a class will be scheduled. GREAT WESTERN SPORTFISHING SHOW MARCH 5TH, 6TH AND 7TH SPOKANE CONVENTION CENTER By: Mike Berube 2010 will be the third year that the SFF has participated in this show. Mike Berube is the SFF coordinator for the booth this year and Dan Ferguson will again be the coordinator for the Fly Tying Theater. Club members are needed for tying in the SFF Kid s Tying Booth, or in the main booth greeting visitors, and promoting our Fly Fishing School registration. Our volunteers will get free show admission. Attend the show, help out and view some of our best tyers in action. We still need volunteers to work in the Kid s Fly Tying Booth to teach them to tie Wooly Buggers. If you need more information or wish to volunteer contact Mike at or at

6 THE BARBLESS FLYER Page 6 SFF OUTING SCHEDULE FOR 2010 CHAIRMAN: DON TIETZ DATE OUTING HOST RATING March 20 Coffee Pot Fred Howe 1 Could be cold/windy March 27/28 Clark Fork Carolyn Sells 2 Float: Bridge abutments, small rapids, obstacles April 10 Amber Lake Mike Melmoth 1 April 17/18 McGinnis Lake Chris & Ellen Kassa 1 May 1 Kids Fishing May 5 Badger Lake Mike Berube 1 May 8 One Fly/Williams Kurt Tempel 1 May 15 Fan Lake Dan Wight 1 May 22 McDowell Lake Don Wright 3 Access June 2 Silver Lake South NEED HOST 1 June 12/13 Conservation Mike Keegan June 19/20 North Fork CDA Mike Melmoth 2 Wading June 26/27 Grande Ronde Carolyn Sells 4 Float: Rapids, fast water July 3/4 Clark Fork Jim & Jo Gooley 2 Float: Bridge abutments, small rapids, obstacles July 9/11 Georgetown Lake Gail & Cheryl Allen 1 July 17 Spokane River Tim Reed/Judy Kaufman 3: Float: Rapids, obstacles, sweepers 3: Wade: Slick July 24/25 Kelly Creek Mark Potter/ Paul Pimentel 3: Wade: Access, slick August 7/8 St. Joe Art Ross 1-3: Wade: depending on where August 21/22 Deschutes River NEED HOST 2-4: Wade: depending on where 3-4: Float: depending on where August 21/22 Lochsa River Don Tietz 3-4: Wade: access, pools, fast water August 25 Amber Lake Fred Howe 1 Sept. 10/13 Missouri River Carolyn Sells 2: Float: obstacles Sept. 13/19 Yellowstone Area Judy Kaufman/Karen Reed (Many locations, many ratings contact hosts) Sept. 18 Spokane River NEED HOST 3: Float: rapids, obstacles, sweepers Sept. 25/26 Kootenai River Dan Wight 2-3: Float: rapids Oct. 9/10 Grande Ronde 4: Wade: slick rocks, boulders, Steelhead Fishing Carolyn Sells visibility 4: Float: low fast waters, obstacles Oct. 9/10 Clark Fork NEED HOST 2: Float: Bridge abutments, small rapids, obstacles Oct. 16 Sprague Lake Dan Ferguson 1 EDITORS NOTE: The above schedule is correct. In the January Barbless, I made four mistakes on the outing dates. These were Amber Lake and McGinnis Lake in April, Silver Lake in June and Georgetown Lake in July.

7 THE BARBLESS FLYER Page 7 What the.. A Waters / Operator Rating Guide? By: Don Tietz When the Outings Committee got together for the first time this year there was a universal thought throughout the group. Fun & Safety! The first direction the committee had was to determine where the outings would be and assign hosts, but there was more to do. Each outing is a bit different. Some outings are pretty easy to access, float and fish. Some are a bit more difficult and others are challenging. Every member wouldn t match up with every outing. Not good for the fun part if a member shows up at an outing that isn t what they expect. The outing may not match their idea of fun or their ability to handle tough access, difficult water (safety!) or very difficult fishing. A better description was needed for each outing. Through much discussion came the Waters and Operator Ratings guide. The committee brainstormed ideas for quite awhile to come up with a rough draft of a rating system for outings. It was designed with a 1-5 rating for two separate, yet connected areas, the waters and the operator. Levels were assigned to water from lakes with easy access (1) to rivers with complex waters, changing hydraulics etc (5). Levels were assigned to operators from first time pontoon / drift boat operator (1) to expert boat handler with experience in complex waters, complex hydraulic situations with the ability to read and react quickly and correctly (5). The rough draft has been cleaned up from a rather demanding sounding document to what was intended, a guide for you as a club member to use when deciding which outing fits you best. On each outing signup sheet there is a section titled Outings Rating. Grab one of the Waters and Operator Ratings guides and compare the rating number for the outing with the one on the guide. If it looks like something you will enjoy, sign up. If it looks like something you will enjoy but may be a bit of a stretch sign up anyway and indicate you need a mentor. The host will set you up with an experienced person who will help you through your first time on a new type of water making your experience both fun and safe! We have many people who enjoy being a part of helping members learn a new skill that will make them more comfortable and safer on the water, take advantage of their enthusiasm and willingness to teach! Enjoy the rapidly approaching prime fishing time remember, have fun and be safe!

8 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 FEBRUARY 10, PM JIM SCHOLLMEYER CHASING WESTERN HATCHES 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.