FLY AUCTION. Spokane Fly Fishers October, 2012 OCTOBER MEETING JOHN SHEWEY STEELHEADING AROUND THE BEND

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Spokane Fly Fishers www.spokaneflyfishers.com October, 2012 OCTOBER MEETING JOHN SHEWEY STEELHEADING Once again this fall we are tapping an Oregon State connection with John Shewey.

Currently the Editor-in- Chief of Northwest Fly Fishing, Southwest Fly Fishing and Eastern Fly Fishing magazines, John s annual travels take him all around the west and to his favorite haunts from

Having fished for just about everything the west has to offer from surfperch at sea level to golden trout at 12,000 feet John still gravitates towards his favorite summer steelhead streams, where he

John has penned hundreds of articles and published countless photographs in various magazines and to date has authored 15 books about fly fishing and wingshooting.

1 Spokane Fly Fishers October, 2012 OCTOBER MEETING JOHN SHEWEY STEELHEADING Once again this fall we are tapping an Oregon State connection with John Shewey. Residing in Oregon, John is a life-long devotee to fly fishing, wingshooting, and other outdoor pursuits. Currently the Editor-in- Chief of Northwest Fly Fishing, Southwest Fly Fishing and Eastern Fly Fishing magazines, John s annual travels take him all around the west and to his favorite haunts from Alaska to Mexico. Having fished for just about everything the west has to offer from surfperch at sea level to golden trout at 12,000 feet John still gravitates towards his favorite summer steelhead streams, where he pursues these noble fish with his elegant flies, which have earned national prominence. John has penned hundreds of articles and published countless photographs in various magazines and to date has authored 15 books about fly fishing and wingshooting. Included in his titles are Steelhead Flies; Spey Flies & Dee Flies; The Orvis Pocket Guide to Fly Fishing for Steelhead; Mastering The Spring Creeks; Oregon Blue Ribbon Fly Fishing; On the Fly Guide to the Pacific Northwest; and Wingshooter s Guide to Oregon. John appears frequently as a speaker at club meetings, conclaves, and sports shows around the country begrudgingly so during winter when he prefers to spend his time hunting chukars over his Weimaraners. For our October meeting we have asked him to focus his presentation on perhaps his strongest field of knowledge, steelheading, and specifically steelheading in our region. He will take us on a stirring journey of discovery, delving into the techniques and flies and rivers and attitudes that compose this regal sport. In addition, John will give a class on fly tying. FLY TYING CLASS WITH JOHN SHEWEY The class will begin at 2 p.m. and end at 4 p.m. and will be held at the Inland Northwest Wildlife Council office on Market Street. There will be a fee of $20.00 collected for the class. We need to have a numbers count for set-up and materials, so please contact Kurt Tempel at if you plan to attend. NO HOT FOOD WILL BE AVAILABLE AT THE MEETING. OFFICERS AND BOARD MEMBERS President Kurt Tempel Vice President Gale Allen Treasurer Nedra Bayne Secretary Sherie Patano Board Position 1 Brad Thompson Board Position 2 Dan Wight Board Position 3 Mike Fortney Past President Mike Berube Sgt. At Arms Dan Wells Contact us at: P. O. Box 4141 Spokane, WA Or sffishers@comcast.net COMMITTEE CHAIRMEN Programs: Gale Allen Barbless Flyer Editor: Linda Howe Conservation: Dan Ferguson Outings Don Tietz Membership Sherie Patano Fly Fishing School: Mike Berube Librarian: Larry Ray Project Healing Waters: Norm Scott FFF Liaison: Dan Ferguson Beg. Fly Tying: Betty Smith-Lambert Int. Fly Tying: Dan Ferguson AROUND THE BEND Oct. 7, Spokane River Outing Oct. 10, SFF Meeting 7 PM October 17, SFF Board Meeting 6 PM Nov. 14, SFF Meeting 7pm FLY AUCTION

THE BARBLESS FLYER Page 2 PREZ SEZ By: Kurt Tempel OK--it's still warm and the weather forecast continues to look good. Get out there and do some fishing!

2 THE BARBLESS FLYER Page 2 PREZ SEZ By: Kurt Tempel OK--it's still warm and the weather forecast continues to look good. Get out there and do some fishing! Our streams and creeks are really fishing well and so are the lakes. I have to share something with you--this is truly my favorite time of the year to fish. I love the Fall colors, the cool nights, and the aggressive trout that eagerly take a fly. Best part is that most of the other fishermen and women have called it quits for the year so I find myself all alone on "my" piece of water. Mix in some bird hunting...i'll save that for later. Thanks for a great turn out for our September meeting. Brian O'Keefe's presentation makes me want to head back to Alaska for another two weeks of epic fishing. Kudos to the Program Committee for the great speakers we're getting to hear this year. Speaking of great speakers, you won't want to miss John Shewey's presentation on steelhead fishing during our October meeting. If you are thinking about getting into steelhead fishing you will want to hear what John has to say about chasing these beautiful fish. Be sure to attend his tying class and learn from a pro. The board voted that we will no longer charge guests to enjoy our speakers. So--bring anyone you want to bring, drop in and check out our club--no charge! Let me plug our committees again, our committee chairs are asking for your inputs as they begin to shape the next year's activities. If you want to get involved in our SFF club being on a committee is a terrific way to ease into the organization--plus our chairmen and chairwomen need your help. Feel free to give them a call. They really need to hear what you think and what you want to do for the next year. For upcoming events, don't forget the Spokane River Cleanup on September 29th. Talk to Mike Keegan or Mike Berube if you want to help. Likewise, our November meeting is our annual fly auction--but we need your flies early so bring them to the October meeting. Even if you don't tie well (that would be me) your flies are always welcome--rumor has it some of our members even purchase their flies from our local shops and market them as their own (Fred). Whatever works, as it all helps since this is one of our clubs major fundraising projects. There are still some SFF events planned for the Fall so get out there and rip some lips! Make sure you say thanks to the Outings Committee for a great cross section of trips this year. MEMBERSHIP Sherie Patano, Chair SFF would like to welcome new members Daniel and Katie Brereton, Norm Urbat and Stewart Maxson. Also welcome back Mitch and Sheri Williams. Hope to see you at our next meeting where you can pick up your SFF Directory and save the club the cost of mailing.

THE BARBLESS FLYER Page 3 NOVEMBER MEETING NOVEMBER 14th, 2012 7:00PM ANNUAL FLY AUCTION It s time to start tying flies NOW that you wish to donate for our November 2011 fly auction.

3 THE BARBLESS FLYER Page 3 NOVEMBER MEETING NOVEMBER 14th, :00PM ANNUAL FLY AUCTION It s time to start tying flies NOW that you wish to donate for our November 2011 fly auction. As you know, this function is a major fundraiser for SFF with proceeds financing much of our functions, printing, postage and speakers for the year. Our club heavily depends on your generosity and donations. Even if you don't wish to tie flies for the auction- consider purchasing flies for donation. This is always a fun meeting and a chance to pick up incredible flies tied by some of the club s and Inland Northwest s best fly tiers. Please call this year s chairman, Brad Thomson, with questions or to arrange for a drop-off. You may also bring your tied flies to our October 10 th meeting. If you plan on bringing them the night of the auction, check in time will be from 5:45 to 6:45 PM. Please call if you d like to be on the Fly Auction Committee and help with this event. FLY OF THE MONTH By: Dan Ferguson Dan s October Caddis I worked up this pattern while Mike Berube, Fred Howe and I were on the Joes last month. I m sure if I looked around, I would find one like it, but for now I m calling it mine! This fly uses a 200r sz. 8 hook, three nice long CDC feathers, spiky orange dubbing and deer or elk. I start by tying in a cdc feather by the tip at the rear of the dressed hook. I dub a fairly heavy body ¾ ways up the hook shank. Spiral wrap the cdc feather up the hook shank. Lay a cdc feather tip to the rear along the shank, tie in. Fold butt section back along side the tip and secure. Repeat on near side of hook. I trim the butts of the heavy stem. Cut a med sized clump of Deer or Elk, clean, stack and tie in as you would for any Elk hair caddis or stimulator. Don t trim the butts too close, yet. Gather a bit larger clump of hair, clean and trim, flair hair as opposed to spinning. Tie off and trim to a nice head! Fish really took to this fly! By the time you read this, Mike Berube and Kurt Tempel will have given it a complete trial on rivers to the north! Hope it works well for them!

THE BARBLESS FLYER Page 4 NORTHWEST NATURAL RESOURCES INSTITUTE By: Dan Ferguson You had to be there!

Picture 16 Fifth Grade classes (25 to 28 students per class) over two days anxious to grab a fly rod and flail about for 25 minutes. At least the weather was great!

Friday, Carla lead the kids in Drill Sargent like fashion while Mike Keegan and I handled the knots and yarn.

This is a great program where the kids learn about our natural resources with representatives from the Forest Service, Midas Gold, Spokane Conservation District,

CLARK FORK RIVER OUTING REPORT By: Don Tietz The Clark Fork River outing on September 15-16 th was the most well attended in a long time!

The group decided on floating from Superior to Sloway and hit the river in force. The weather was great and the fishing was pretty good too.

4 THE BARBLESS FLYER Page 4 NORTHWEST NATURAL RESOURCES INSTITUTE By: Dan Ferguson You had to be there!" That sums up the kids casting portion with the Northwest Natural Resources Institute. Picture 16 Fifth Grade classes (25 to 28 students per class) over two days anxious to grab a fly rod and flail about for 25 minutes. At least the weather was great! Not that bad really. With the support of Fred and Linda Howe and Mike Fortney, I was able to keep my composure on Thursday and we JUST kept ahead of the tangles. Friday, Carla lead the kids in Drill Sargent like fashion while Mike Keegan and I handled the knots and yarn. In case we ask you to help next year, remember, I tend to exaggerate a bit! This is a great program where the kids learn about our natural resources with representatives from the Forest Service, Midas Gold, Spokane Conservation District, Spokane Co. Utilities and W. Valley Outdoor Learning Center. Thanks again to those that helped. CLARK FORK RIVER OUTING REPORT By: Don Tietz The Clark Fork River outing on September th was the most well attended in a long time! Spokane Fly Fishers overwhelmed the OK Café with 16 members who met there for breakfast then bought flies and licenses at Cantrell s Fly Shop next door. The group decided on floating from Superior to Sloway and hit the river in force. The weather was great and the fishing was pretty good too. Fish were caught by everyone on many different flies. Hoppers, Stimulators, Royal Wullfs, 20 incher, Pheasant Tails and many more caught fish. The best fly was probably a Purple Haze in various sizes. Six members stayed over for Sunday fishing from Superior to Dry Creek with all catching fish again. Dry /Droppers were the most successful with the Purple Haze again leading the way. It was great to see such a large turnout and several new members joining us on this great float. Thanks to those from the Pontoon Safety class who were a part of this outing, for some their first river trip!

THE BARBLESS FLYER Page 5 SPOKANE RIVER OUTING REPORT - AUGUST 15TH Host: Mike Berube This outing finally took place on a hot August evening, my apologies for having to move the date twice.

The five of us met at the Water Ave river access gate, rigged up, fanned out and fished from the Maple St. Bridge down to Peoples Park.

The bow nailed a GBH Caddis Pupa below a Prince Nymph almost as soon s it hit the water. I received congratulatory comments from the club members and a round of applause from the locals.

5 THE BARBLESS FLYER Page 5 SPOKANE RIVER OUTING REPORT - AUGUST 15TH Host: Mike Berube This outing finally took place on a hot August evening, my apologies for having to move the date twice. A personal event conflict and a club streamer class forced the change. Never the less 5 anglers, including me as the host, showed up and fished for several hours. The five of us met at the Water Ave river access gate, rigged up, fanned out and fished from the Maple St. Bridge down to Peoples Park. Not wanting to look like I didn't know what I was doing I managed to hook up and bring to hand a nice 18" rainbow on my first cast. The bow nailed a GBH Caddis Pupa below a Prince Nymph almost as soon s it hit the water. I received congratulatory comments from the club members and a round of applause from the locals. It was appreciated. Unfortunately that was the only fish brought to hand despite several other hook ups. Dean Knudsen's smooth casts into the riffles and swinging of soft hackles produced several hook ups, but as I brought out the camera for a glory shot they all performed a long distance release. One was a big fish, had his seven weight Sage bent in half. Just a word of caution and a reminder about the slippery rocks on the Spokane River. Even with the dropping flows the current is strong and combined with the slippery footing it can be dangerous. We had the opportunity to use our Buddy River Crossing technique. Despite having wading staffs a couple of us had to link arms and wade together. If you need to learn this techniques get with me at the next club meeting. Although not a lot of fish were caught we all had a great time. Getting on the river after a stressful day of work is just what you need sometimes. This river is right in our backyard so don't overlook it. See you on the water. ST. JOE OUTING REPORT - AUGUST 5TH Host: Dan Ferguson HOT! That pretty well sums up the St. Joe outing this year, temperature wise anyway! Fishing was pretty good too. We had great outing with 25 folks enjoying the great weather. Carla s Saturday late lunch worked out well. Hope this is a trend we continue with. Nice to see some new folks with us and we hope we accommodated them on the stream. For those who have never joined us at the Joe, you should consider it next year as the Joe is my personal favorite fishery.

6 THE BARBLESS FLYER Page 6 BOOK OF THE MONTH By: Larry Ray (This feature will probably appear in each issue of the Barbless Flier, space permitting. In it will be a review of one of the books that is held in the SFFC s book collection, the volumes of which are available to members via lending.) Books by Gary LaFontaine. How many of you love to fish with caddis imitations? I know I certainly do. Yet, how many of us have heard the caddis referred to in a denigrating manner, or have so referred to it ourselves? Just as we sometimes hear that cutthroat are unsophisticated and too easy to catch, we also hear that caddis patterns are fallbacks, simple to tie and easy to use when the more complex dressings don t work and the trout are uncooperative. Heck, most common caddis patterns don t even require a tapered finish we simply clip the deer hair off bluntly to leave a head - and most of us never even bother with the antennae. But, not so fast! If you love to fish caddis patterns, read CADDISFLIES by Gary LaFontaine. This work, published in 1981, is still the best I have seen regarding tying and fishing the caddis. It demonstrates that the caddis is worthy of the same attention and esteem given to the mayfly and, in doing so, gives the lie to the smug assumptions. Typical of LaFontaine, the life histories and cycles of the caddis are meticulously researched and illustrated. There are emergence charts for each region, along with excellent tying instructions for all the various nymphs, emergers, and spinners LaFontaine identifies. There is enough scientific detail, including many wonderful drawings by Harvey Eckert, to please the most ardent caddis specialist out there, yet the book reads so easily as to appeal to the most casual of us as well. Then, aside from the entomology, there are detailed fishing instructions for the patterns imitating the caddis s cycles. Built into stories and anecdotes even involving specific streams, they are easy and fun to read. Anyone wishing to improve upon his or her use of caddis patterns will find this book to be invaluable. But don t read too fast - you might even wish to take notes! Some have compared Lafontaine's work to that of Vincent Marinaro, the famed east coast author of In the Ring of the Rise, in terms of scientific quality and detail. I think the comparison is valid, with LaFontaine perhaps being even a better storyteller. LaFontaine learned his craft in Connecticut before moving out west to fish the bigger waters for bigger fish. Sadly, he was taken from us far too soon when he died, in January 2002, from ALS (Lou Gehrig s disease). He left us with his wonderful work, including numerous articles and two other volumes, Challenge of the Trout and The Dry Fly (New Angles). Both are worthy of their own review. These, along with CADDISFLIES, are available from your SFF Library.

THE BARBLESS FLYER Page 7 SPOKANE FLY FISHERS - OCTOBER OUTINGS DATE OUTING

7 Spokane River NEED HOST 3-Float: Rapids, obstacles, sweepers 3-Wade: Slick

Don Tietz regrets to report that the above outings have been CANCELLED due to

If someone volunteers to host these events, the host will contact the members

2013 INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF FLY FISHERS FAIR HAS BEEN ANNOUNCED By: Dan

Organizational meetings will start Monday.

activities starting Thursday through Saturday.

SPOKANE RIVER CLEANUP SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 29TH There is still time to

7 THE BARBLESS FLYER Page 7 SPOKANE FLY FISHERS - OCTOBER OUTINGS DATE OUTING HOST RATING/EXPLANATION Oct. 7 Spokane River NEED HOST 3-Float: Rapids, obstacles, sweepers 3-Wade: Slick (Sunday Float) Oct. 13/14 Sprague Lake NEED HOST 1:Could be cold/windy. Don Tietz regrets to report that the above outings have been CANCELLED due to NO HOST. If someone volunteers to host these events, the host will contact the members who have signed up to attend to give them the particulars of the outing INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF FLY FISHERS FAIR HAS BEEN ANNOUNCED By: Dan Ferguson Join the IFFF for the Fair in West Yellowstone September 23-28, Organizational meetings will start Monday. The Union Pacific Dining Hall will be the location for the exhibit hall activities starting Thursday through Saturday. The host hotel will again be the Holiday Inn. More details to come. SPOKANE RIVER CLEANUP SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 29TH There is still time to volunteer to help clean up the shores of our beautiful river. If you wish to volunteer call Mike Berube at SFF FLY AUCTION WHETHER YOU ARE PURCHASING TYING MATERIALS FOR THE FLIES YOU ARE DONATING FOR OUR ANNUAL FLY AUCTION IN NOVEMBER, OR PURCHASING FLIES TO DONATE, REMEMBER OUR LOCAL FLY SHOPS.

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 OCTOBER 10, 2012 JOHN SHEWEY STEELHEADING 7:OO 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.

Spokane Fly Fishers December, DECEMBER MEETING December 14, :00 P.M. COME TO THE PARTY!

Spokane Fly Fishers December, DECEMBER MEETING December 14, :00 P.M. COME TO THE PARTY! Spokane Fly Fishers www.spokaneflyfishers.com December, 2011 DECEMBER MEETING December 14, 2011-7:00 P.M. COME TO THE PARTY! December 14th is the date of our Christmas Party. Carla and her helpers are