New England Fly Tyers

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1 Newsletter President s Message - Art or Science Lets just start out with the fact that I m no Purist. Dry flies certainly have a place in my repertoire but my fly boxes are also full of streamers, wet flies, flymphs, nymphs and maybe even an egg or worm pattern or two. But in spite of my deviation from the lofty standards of Barbour coated, meerschaum puffing casters on the pristine chalk streams of Dame Julia, it is still my love of the Art of the sport that drives me. Obviously, I recognize that over the years technology has certainly improved our ability to cast with lighter and stronger materials for rods and reels, higher floating and faster sinking lines and more invisible leaders. Then there are all those new tools and materials that help make all those flies we tie look a little bit more lifelike. But its still the art at the core of the sport that is the essence of what we love to do. The overall experience encompasses learning to cast, tying the flies, understanding the fish, reading the water and becoming a part of our quarry's environs. My concern is that technology and its inevitable sibling, commercialization will overtake the art and dilute the essence of the fly fishing experience. A recent Saturday morning of channel surfing brought me to a bass fishing competition and caused me to pause and reflect on why I fly fish and how far bass fishing has drifted from those same peaceful beginnings. I watched fishermen (no, technicians) wearing uniforms adorned with sponsor s logos, climb into 250 horse power technological wonders complete with depth finders, multiple side scanning sonars, chart plotters equipped with depth contour mapping software, temperature gauges, barometers, dozens of strategically placed rods, electric motors that almost think for themselves and even a device to recommend what color lure to use. My nightmare is a fly casting technician overlooking a river, taking a photo with his or her cellphone which instantly identifies the location, reads the depths and contours of the river, accesses a detailed database of contours, structure, temperature, aquatic life, moon phase, and other associated information and responds with a strategic approach to fishing that section of river, right down to the fly to use and what size tippet to tie it on. My hope is that we as fly fishermen will always preserve the art of our sport. That we will always place knowledge and experience over technology. Don t get me wrong, there is still room in my life for both the technician and artist and I appreciate the value and contribution of each to my personality and life. But it will always be the artist that soothes my soul, challenges my skills and, I hope, makes me a better person. Tight Lines, Joe Simone, President Events to plan for: NEFT Calendar November 5 - Board of Director s Meeting November 2018 November5 Open Tying, Board of Director s Meeting November 12 - Open Tying, Favorite Fly November 19 - Open Tying November 26 - Open Tying November 12 - Favorite Fly December 10 - Macaroni and Meatball Supper December 26 - No Meeting December 31 - No Meeting January 7 - Board of Director s Meeting, Banquet Meeting January 14 - Favorite Fly January 28 - Open House February 4 - Open House, Open Tying 1

2 Annual Salmon River Trip This year s annual trek from October 18 thru the 21st, which was headed up by Tom Foley, was attended by 21 members and guests of the New England Fly Tyers. The group was hosted at the Steelhead Lodge in Pulaski New York and was a very successful fishing event. Our platoon of fishermen was blessed with outstanding weather which is half the battle when organizing a trip like this and of course this platoon of fishermen caught more fish than ever before after spending many hours on the water each day fishing several salmon streams throughout the area. We had one member of the group who said there is no such thing as too much equipment to take on a fishing trip like this as he would light up like a Christmas tree as he made his way down river. And then there s Tom Foley, who s wife has never seen her husband fishing and doesn t know what a patient man she married. There was talk of a group of our members who were sleeping in their vehicle in the early morning to make sure they were the first on the haze of the river so they would have the best spot each morning. And as a group we would all say our fisherman s prayer each morning which was, Lord help me to catch a fish so large that even in the telling of it I never need to lie. Our group expanded from last year including Bill McGowan, his son Patrick, Ed Calorie and Aimee Dubois of Rhode Island who all caught fish. We saw Artie Berthiaume land his first salmon and our past president Dick Conroy, 83 years young, land a nice size steelhead using his spey rod and reel. This year the group was treated to a BBQ lunch buffet on each day which found several of our members taking a quick nap before heading out on the cool fall afternoon for more fishing. We would like to thank Charlotte and her workers who fed us and made our beds each day along with having plenty of clean towels to go along with any request we may have to ask of them. Again those members who did not participate on this salmon fishing trip and would like to next year should see Tom Foley at one of our Monday night meetings or him at bingo54@charter.net. We would like to thank Tom for the long hours to coordinate this annual fishing trip which this year happened to be two weeks before his daughter s wedding and for his wife for allowing Tom to attend this event even though he had plenty to do, which his wife volunteered to take care of and waved to him and his passengers as they left his driveway on an early morning trip up north to be with the waiting salmon. Tight Lines, Joe Simone President 2

3 Pot Luck Dinner Pot luck dinners are always a hit with NEFT members and the October 15th meeting was no exception. The highlight of the meeting was not the food or the presentation but the great attendance of the evening. It was clearly our best attended meeting in a long while and the hall was a-buzz from one end to the other all evening. The close second highlight was without a doubt the food supplied by members. If anyone went home hungry it was their fault. From salad to pasta to protein to dissert, it was all on the table and delicious. Members put a lot of effort into their contributions and take great pride in placing them on the table. The evening wrapped up with a presentation on Fly Fishing the Lower Cape. The presentation s goal was to provide enough information for someone who has never fly fished the cape for salt water species to tie a few flies and head down for a day or two and catch some fish. It included where to go, what equipment to use and tactics to fish the verities of structure encountered. The focus fish were Striped Bas, Bluefish and False Albacore. Book Review: Making and Using the Fly and Leader For this month s book review we re going to take a trip back down memory lane and review a classic from 1933 by Paul H. Young, Making and Using the Fly and Leader. Making and Using the Fly and Leader was Mr. Young s attempt at demystifying the art of fly fishing. The book must have been popular whereas the original edition was published in 1933 and mine is a third edition printed in If you ever wondered what fly fishing was like in another era there seems no better way of doing so than picking up a how to book from times gone by. Young s book is exactly what you need to travel back to the 1930 s and experience the sport at that time. What s great about this book is that he covers it all including fly tying, rod selection, line criteria, leader construction and the tactics used to combine them all and catch a fish, 1930 s style. Imagine using fourteen inch lengths of waxed thread that you waxed, using 3

4 Book Review: Continued wax you made, held in place using thread clips rather than bobbin spools. Imagine making leaders from cat gut which is actually silk from a caterpillar and not some remnant from an unfortunate feline s stomach. For me perhaps the most interesting aspect of the book is learning how similar the discussions and ideas of over 80 years ago about fly fishing are similar to those of today. Line weights and tapers, rod construction and action, leaders and tippet size and even which trout (brown, rainbow or brookie) is best to catch were all considerations back then as much as they are today. A really interesting read for today s fly tyers and fishermen. The book is still available for purchase but I m willing to LOAN my copy to any club member wishing to look it over. Curt November Calendar November 5 - Open Tying, Board of Director s Meeting November 12 - Open Tying, Favorite Fly, Tom Foley will be tying a Parmachene Belle and demonstrate how to marry wing segments. November 14 - NEFT demonstration tying at Mass. Fish and Wildlife at Rabbit Hill Headquarters, Westboro, MA November 19 - Open Tying November 26 - Open Tying Fish and Wildlife Demonstration Through the efforts of Armand Courchaine, the will be providing a fly tying demonstration at the Rabbit Hill Fish and Wildlife Headquarters in Westboro on November 14. This is a great opportunity for the NEFT to demonstrate its value to the fly fishing community and perhaps encourage a few visitors to become members. Please swing by if you have a chance and support the tyers. Please consider signing up for the 25 fly donation effort to help support the club. This is a great way to do what we love to do and contribute to the club also. Sign up on Monday nights. 4

5 To Promote Fly Fishing and Tying NEFT Our mailing address is: PO Box 164 Worcester, MA The NEFT meets every Monday evening at 7 PM from the Monday after Labor Day to the Monday before Memorial day. We meet at the Singletary Rod & Gun, 300 Sutton Ave., Oxford Ma. NEFT is a non-profit organization of fly fishers and fly tyers. The purpose of the organization is to foster the art of fly tying, to promote the challenge of fly fishing, to encourage conservation and sportsmanship. NEFT began in Worcester, MA in Our current membership comes from over 50 cities and towns in Worcester County. We believe that the NEFT is one of the most active clubs of its kind. We meet every Monday night from the Monday after Labor Day to the Monday before Memorial day, a total of 36 meetings in 9 months. We re on the Web 5

6 Membership Renewal Form Last Name: First Name: Regular Member: $30.00 Junior Member: $15.00 Life Member: Donation Paid by Cash: Amount: Paid by Check: Check # Amount: Personal Contact Update: Mailing address: Phone # Membership Questionnaire: Please Print all Information so it is legible In an effort to keep NEFT activities current with the interest of membership, please take a minute to fill out the following questionnaire: What species of fish do you primary fish for? What type of flies do you most often tie? Do you travel to fish and if so where? What s your Favorite Fly Shop? What is your Favorite Style of Fishing? Would you be willing to share your fly fishing knowledge with other members of the : What fly fishing or fly tying experience would you like to try that you have not yet to experience or learn: ADDITIONAL CONCERNS OR COMMENTS THAT YOU MIGHT WANT TO SHARE: As you all know, a club is only as strong as its membership. Please check off any of the following volunteer activities you might be willing to assist in: Board of Directors Club Greeter at Activities Favorite Fly Favorite Fly setup and take down Banquet Committee Banquet Set Up or Take Down Membership Outreach Youth Outreach Program Monday Night Setup or Take Down Coffee Setup and Take Down Newsletter Contributor PLEASE COMPLETE THIS FORM AND HAND IT TO US AT OUR MONDAY NIGHT MEETING OR MAIL IT TO THE FOLLOWING CLUB ADDRESS. NEFT P.O. BOX 165 WORCESTER, MA