Spokane Fly Fishers September, 2015

Transcription

1 Spokane Fly Fishers September, 2015 SEPTEMBER 9 MEETING STEVE TEMPLE AND SECRETS OF THE CLARK FORK Steve Temple has guided and fished western Montana since With the great number of fishable rivers and streams in western Montana, there is little reason to venture very far away from their home waters. Raised on trout fishing in the Eastern Sierras, fly fishing to all species in all types of waters became a passion groomed over time. Guiding has become a way to transfer some of this knowledge to fellow fishermen. Steve is particularly fond of carefully teaching those new to fly fishing the skills needed to succeed at a day of fishing from the drift boat. Those new skills learned on the Clark Fork can then be transferred to stream fishing and mountain lake fishing. For the hard core angler there is nothing more rewarding to both the guide and angler than getting that experienced fisherman onto the big fish we both know lives in a particular spot. Steve and his wife, Peggy, live in Superior, Montana along the banks of the Clark Fork and frequently fish the local waters for their own satisfaction. Steve is also an active pilot and has been known to fly into the back country for a fishing trip or two. The back country provides some of the same solitude we enjoy on the lower Clark Fork. It is not uncommon to spend a day here on the river and not see another boat an experience different from the busier rivers like the Snake, Big Horn or Madison. The Temples have a son and grandson living in Missoula which places an increased meaning to passing on the values and experiences of fishing our Montana waters. You are encouraged to call Steve and inquire about the condition of the river, hatches, river flows, river clarity, lodging and camping in our area. Steve Temple OCTOBER MEETING - OCTOBER 14 Our October speaker is Josh Mills and he will be speaking on Steelhead Tricks. Be sure to join us all on October 14. OFFICERS AND BOARD MEMBERS President Claude Kistler Vice President Jodi Fitts Treasurer Joe Papenleur Secretary Rick Newman Board Position 1 Connie Tedrow Board Position 2 Board Position 3 Craig Adams Past President Gale Allen Sgt. At Arms Al Odenthal Contact us at: P. O. Box 4141 Spokane, WA Or sffishers@comcast.net COMMITTEE CHAIRMEN Programs: Jodi Fitts Barbless Flyer Editor: Linda Howe Conservation: Outings: Dan Ferguson Membership: Fly Fishing School: Gale Allen Librarian: Larry Ray Project Healing Waters: Fred Timms FFF Liaison: Dan Ferguson Beg. Fly Tying: Betty Smith-Lambert Int. Fly Tying: Mike Berube Casting for Recovery: Mary Kovatch AROUND THE BEND Sept. 9: SFF Meeting 7:00 PM Sept 16: SFF Board Meeting 6:30 PM Sept. 19: Sprague Lake Outing Sept 26-27: Missouri River Outing Oct 14: SFF Meeting 7:00 PM

2 THE BARBLESS FLYER Page 2 PREZ SEZ By: Claude Kistler If I m not going to catch anything, then I d rather not catch anything on flies. Bob Lawless That pretty much sums up my experience when I drove up to the club outing on a Saturday for a day on the St. Joe River. Nonetheless, I had a great time getting to meet and talk with club members and enjoy a great lunch and event hosted by Rick Newman. Your club has a few more outings scheduled so please participate if you can. What a tourist terms a plaque of insects, the fly fisher calls a great hatch. Patrick McManus. Start thinking about preparing for that next hatch by participating in our annual fly auction at our November meeting. During our September and October meetings we will solicit members to either tie or purchase flies to donate to the auction. This annual auction is one of our largest income producing club activities and provides critical support for club activities. This is a great way to support your club and re-stock your fly box for the next great hatch. We will have sign-up sheets at the table as you enter the meeting room in September and October so please be prepared to offer your help and support. In my summer 2015 Prez Sez article I mentioned the importance of volunteers who can step forward and help the club perform our core mission work. As I write this article in mid- August there is still a great need for members to step forward and help your club. In October, I want to hold a leadership/volunteer workshop to orient interested members on the leadership and committee needs of SFF. A sign-up sheet will be available at the September meeting. As I write about ways to support your club thru the fly auction and volunteerism, please remember the initiative started near the end of last year regarding optional giving initiatives. This is a great way to provide additional funding for our education, conservation, youth and Project Healing Waters initiatives. Again a summary of my St. Joe outing for the supreme test of a fisherman is not how many fish he has caught, not even how he caught them, but what he has caught when he has caught no fish. John H. Bradley ANNUAL FLY AUCTION November 11 The Fly Auction, with the donation of your flies (personally tied or purchased) and your generous winning bids, supports the club s activities for the year. START TYING NOW AND GET YOUR DONATION READY!!

3 THE BARBLESS FLYER Page 3 CONSERVATION CORNER By: Claude Kistler The following Conservation activities are taking place in September: ANNUAL WATER FESTIVAL This event is put on by the Northwest Natural Resource Institution. It will be held at Liberty Lake County Park, Thursday and Friday, Sept. 10 th and 11 th. SFF club members (3 to 4 each day) are needed to demonstrate/teach fly casting to fifth graders. This program is part of the students outdoor education with all of the classes rotating through the fly fishing station. Last year over 400 students were able to participate. This is a fun event for the volunteers. 12 TH ANNUAL SPOKANE RIVER CLEAN UP SEPTEMBER 19 This event will take place on Saturday, September 19, 9:00 AM 1:00 PM. This clean up on public lands along the Spokane River includes the Spokane River Gorge starting from High Bridge Park, and the University District starting at Avista on Mission Street. Unfortunately this event conflicts with a club outing at Sprague Lake. If you can participate in either event please let me know by or telephone at: (509) (Home) or clkistler@comcast.net. and I will provide you with additional information. There will also be a sign-up sheet at the September meeting. JOIN THE CONSERVATION COMMITTEE On September 16, at 5:30 PM the Conservation Committee will be meeting at the Clubhouse prior to the club board meeting. I invite all members interested in being on this committee to show up to discuss upcoming events and activities. FOOD AT MEETINGS By: Claude Kistler We are in need of a Kitchen Coordinator this year. This person will purchase the food (hot dogs, buns, condiments, cookies, drinks, ice, etc.) to serve from 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM at our club meetings. Cooking, plating and service assistance has been provided by three great fellows from Project Healing Waters. If we don t have a coordinator, we won t be able to serve food. Please let me know if you can take on this responsibility. Contact me at (509) or clkistler@comcast.net.

4 THE BARBLESS FLYER Page 4 ONE FLY CONTEST REPORT - June 13 By: Dan Ferguson We moved the One Fly to West Medical after a storm caused significant damage to Browns Lake Campground. It was a really nice day for a fishing contest! Carla Ferguson and Linda Howe put on the much anticipated feast. Jeff Voight was our big winner with at least a dozen (I threw out the list!), Mike Berube second with maybe 5 or so and third was Mark Gardner with less than Mike! Thanks to the dozen or so who joined us at the outing. NORTH FORK OF THE COEUR D ALENE OUTING REPORT - JUNE By: John Hudson WOW! It was VERY hot and the fishing was extremely slow. We usually get blown out on this trip because of high water and marginal visibility but we had VERY low water and were done with catching anything by 11:00 AM. Sunday before 10:00 AM as it was already 100 degrees. I believe the club had about three fourths of the campsites in the campground which was very clean as usual. We had a good turn out with quite a number of new members. Hopefully next year s trip will be back to a more normal flow and cooler temps. KELLY CREEK OUTING REPORT - July By: John Hudson The weather was hot, the water was low and the fishing was...well slow. We had a good turn out for the trip this year with some new members making the trip. The water was very low as everywhere else and it made for a new experience looking for spots to fish. Had more people fish the Clearwater River below the campground this year looking for more water and they did OK. I believe everyone caught fish but most were smaller than in past years.

5 THE BARBLESS FLYER Page 5 YELLOW JACKET HEAVEN OR THE ST. JOE RIVER OUTING REPORT - AUGUST 1-2 By: Rick Newman On Friday evening when the Spokane Fly Fishers gathered around the Ferguson s and Howe s BBQs, the yellow jackets were in heaven. Plenty of tasty food to eat. Some of them might have made it to heaven if they got swatted or smashed! Anyway, many folks enjoyed cooking and eating after braving the construction delays on Lookout Pass. I heard reports that there was a major glitch in the government s GPS system that detoured some folks up to the top of Bluff Creek! Those that arrived early enough to enjoy the fishing had good luck with the native West Slope Cutthroat trout ranging from a smallish 3 to a reported 18. A variety of flies ranging from Pat s Rubber Legs to Lightning Bug Nymphs did the trick. People showed up on Wednesday through Saturday to experience the annual SFF St. Joe outing. Club members Jim and Jo Gooley, Dan and Carla Ferguson, Linda and Fred Howe, Doug and Lee Keene, Ron Lyon, Dave Williams, Paul Olsen, Norm Smith, Gordon McCammon, Mike and Karen Berube, Mike Ainsworth, Rick and Donna Newman, Fred Timms, John Melzer, Jerry Foster, and Claude Kistler showed up. We were also joined by some Project Healing Waters Veterans that aren t members yet, Bill Murph Murphy, Ray Bell and his father-in-law and daughter, and Thomas Haynes attended. Mike Berube brought along Richard and Crystal Ortega who work with him at FAFB. Crystal learned just how strong the tippet was on her rod when she enthusiastically endeavored to land her first ever fly rod caught fish. They brought their daughter Josephine along to camp with us. After an enjoyable group dinner on Friday, night folks headed to bed thankful they weren t trapped in the triple digit heat back in Spokane. The 48 degree morning temperature was welcomed by all. After this summer, the cooler temperatures were very pleasant. Saturday morning saw a group of six PHWFF Veterans take off early to try their hand at St. Joe River style fly fishing. Instructors Mike Ainsworth and Fred Timms led the charge and John Melzer, Bill Murphy, Jerry Foster and Thomas Haynes learned a great deal about navigating the banks of the Joe and fishing in the low water conditions of approximately 85 cubic feet per second. The weather had been cooler in the days proceeding our outing so the water temperatures were so cool that a few folks even complained about cold feet. While not all the vets caught fish their knowledge base was expanded. Later in the day, Ray Bell, a new recruit to PHW,showed up and joined the group on the river. Rick Newman offered an introduction to St. Joe River fishing on Saturday morning and had five or six folks learn about micro drag and it s effect on cutthroat trout. Hopefully some of the folks will also remember how to do a strip strike when they fish in similar conditions in the future. The PHW folks have been working on their fly tying skills, however while developing these skills the flies are often much larger than the insects that populate the St. Joe at this time of year. Eyes popped when they saw the size of flies that did match the bugs in the river. Exclamations of how am I ever going to see that thing were popular. When some foam Chernobyl Ants and grasshoppers were donated to them, they were much happier. The trout taught some lessons in the need for quick reaction times. What do you mean I missed it? I didn t see anything. was often heard along the river. Saturday afternoon bought the group together for a sausage and corn fest accompanied by a huge selection of tasty foods brought by the members. Outstanding salads, great deserts, beans, muffins and more filled up the group. I noticed a few people that headed to their tents after the meal to nap. A local deer kept wanting to join the group but our contingent of guard dogs protected us. It was funny to watch the doe stamp her feet trying to get one of the dogs to move. I, for one, had a wonderful time. My impression is that the entire group had a great time. As a representative of both the club and Project Healing Waters, it was highly rewarding to see the interactions that transpired. It is great to be a part of both groups and be able to share fishing knowledge, a bunch of great stories and watch new friendships being made. I would like to thank all that helped me out to share the hosting duties. Hats off to all that attended!

6 THE BARBLESS FLYER Page 6 SPRAGUE LAKE OUTING SEPTEMBER 19 Host: Dan and Carla Ferguson The club will meet at Sprague Lake Resort for this late season outing. Not too hard to get to. Take I-90 West to Sprague, go into town and follow signs to the resort. This is the resort on the NE side of the lake, not the one you see from the freeway. Sprague Lake Resort, Phone: , 1999 Sprague Lake Resort Road, Sprague, Washington We'll be there around 9 AM with sweets and coffee to help folks get going. The meal will be served at 3 PM so there will be a chance to get another couple of hours fishing in. Carla will be preparing a Chili Feed for Saturday afternoon. We ll need some stuff to go along with this, i.e. corn bread, rolls, chips, deserts. Please drop Carla or me a line at nwflyguy@gmail.com or call at if you have questions or want to sign up. This isn t 3 or 4 weight water! Bring your bigger stuff to troll for big (up to 8 lbs.) bows! Tie on wooly stuff, like leaches, muddlers and maybe a chironomid. MISSOURI RIVER OUTING - SEPTEMBER Host: Jim and Jo Gooley As always, we are looking forward to the Missouri River outing primarily a float trip. For those of you who are camping we will be at the Stickney Creek Campground downriver 4.5 miles from Craig, MT. Go straight through Craig, cross the bridge and turn north (left) on Recreation Road. To get to Craig go east on I-90 past Missoula and turn on to Highway 200 at the Bonner exit. Follow Highway 200 to milepost 100 and turn right and drive about 18 miles to Wolf Creek. Travel north on I-15 for 11 miles to Craig Exit 234. If you would like to make other lodging arrangements you can Google Wolf Creek, MT, Pruitt Creek, MT or call the Trout Shop in Craig at for information. **** There is limited lodging anywhere close to where we will be fishing so if you haven t checked into it already you need to do it today! The Missouri River has an abundance of fish but by September they have been well schooled on artificial flies so this river is a rewarding challenge. Nymphs that have worked in the past are Copper Johns, Zebra Midges, Caddis Pupa, PT s, Purple Lightning Bugs, Streamers (Wooly Buggers) - or your favorite nymphs. Dry flies that have worked are Caddis, Parachutes, Hoppers (may be too late for hoppers) and again your favorite dry flies. The Trout Shop will have all the latest information! We will meet Friday morning at 8:00 AM (MT time) at The Trout Shop. Friday s float will go from Wolf Creek Bridge to Stickney Campground. As folks get off the river you can bring your favorite heavy hors d oeuvre and beverage of choice to the gathering spot (it will be obvious) and we will share food, drinks and the fish tales of the day. For the last couple of years it has been a bit of a problem for the restaurant in Craig to provide room for our group, and with all of the noise in the restaurant it is also hard to visit. So, this year we decided to try something new and have our dinner at the Stickney Campground on Saturday night. Jerry and Carlene Searfoss have graciously offered to fix a dinner of pulled pork sandwiches, and, of course, Jerry s famous desserts. They have also offered to donate the food so if you are so inclined, you can make a donation that will go to the Club s speaker fund. Pasta salad, chips, pickles/etc. will also be available. Again bring your beverage of choice. We are planning on arriving on Wednesday and doing a float on Thursday. If you are interested in joining us, be at the Stickney Campground Thursday morning. If you would like to sign up for this outing or have any questions, call Jim/Jo at or them at jim464@centurytel.net

7 THE BARBLESS FLYER Page 7 MEMBERSHIP By Jodi Fitts, Chair It has been a long, hot and dry summer. Fall is just around the corner and our monthly meetings will start up again on, September 9th. Please keep an eye out for new members at the meetings and make them feel welcome. Shake their hand, ask them questions and maybe even ask them to go fishing. Remember, it can be very intimidating to walk into a room as a stranger, especially a room full of Fly Fishing Men and Women. Please welcome the following new members to Spokane Fly Fishers: Robert White and John Melzer. I am stepping down from the Membership Chair Position. If anyone is interested in volunteering for this chair, please contact Claude Kistler or myself. If you have not paid your dues for the June 1, 2015 May 31, 2016 club year, please bring cash or a check to the meeting and I will be happy to renew your membership. We can take credit cards, but that slows the line down. However, we are happy to renew your membership online with your credit card. See you all at the meeting. CLARK FORK RIVER OUTING - SEPTEMBER CANCELLED By: Dan Ferguson We are cancelling the Clark Fork River outing because we do not have a host. Given the fire situation, I wouldn't be surprised if we'd have to do a last minute cancellation anyway UPCOMING OUTINGS SCHEDULE DATE OUTING HOST RATING / EXPLANATION Sept 19 Sprague Lake Dan & Carla Ferguson 1-Float Sept Missouri River Jim & Jo Gooley 2-Float: Bridge abutments, obstacles Oct Grande Ronde River Dan Ferguson 4-Wade: slick rocks, boulders, visibility 4-Float: Low fast water, obstacles

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 SEPTEMBER 9, 2015 STEVE TEMPLE SECRETS OF THE CLARK FORK 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.