The Drift. The President Corner. The Publication of The KC Northland Flyfishers Vol. XX III Issue

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1 The Drift The Publication of The KC Northland Flyfishers Vol. XX III Issue April 2011 The President Corner Spring has almost sprung and the doldrums of winter have almost past. You probably do not need to tie anymore flies or buy anything else for fishing season. Ok well, I guess we could always use some more of something. But now it is time to take your love for fishing outside into the world once more. I have been fortunate enough to take a couple of trips to Bennett Spring already this year. On an early outing in February, Lowell and I hit the only warm day to find the fish as happy as we were. The morning was wide open with one fish after another both above the dam and below. I credit my guide for this. While the afternoon was slower, it was also much warmer. You could almost imagine spring. This being the Midwest, it snowed only a couple of days later. On the second trip to Bennett, we found the water about a foot high and cloudy. The fishing was slow but the company was good and we had a lot of laughs if not a lot of bites. Once again, you could feel spring just around the bend. good as ever. The food is getting better and better thanks to Joe Shost and Ken Grainger Now that we are on the brink of a new fishing season, probably with some new gear or some new flies, let us all try to keep the newness alive this year. Go fish some NEW water. Go fish for a NEW species. But more importantly, help to create a NEW fisherman or woman. Take a kid out and show him or her how much fun our sport is. Take someone out and show them how to fish fly cast. After all, that is the most daunting aspect of fly fishing. Give up just one day of your fishing for the chance to open a lifetime of fishing for someone else. Drowning worms in a farm pond and drifting delicate dries in Montana have one thing in common..they are both called Fishing and they are both truly wonderful ways to spend and afternoon. Tight knots, Tight loops, and Tight lines to you all. The annual club trip to the White River was success as usual. The fishing was slower than in years past but the camaraderie was as Tom Summers Special points of interest: * Remember bring a fly Meetings are the 2nd Monday of the month April 7 pm Monthly Meeting May 7th Bennett Springs Kids Weekend May 7 pm Monthly Meeting Officers: President: Tom Summers: twocanoesonedog@yahoo.com Vice-President: Charley West cwest11@kc.rr.com Treasurer: Jim Wood: jswood1@kc.rr.com One fly outing TBA Secretary :Lowell Swank: lswank@kc.rr.com

2 P ag e 2 White River 2011 Another March has come and gone, and as usual the KC Northland Flyfishers made their annual pilgrimage to Fulton s Lodge on the White River in Arkansas the first weekend of the month. We had a good turnout of members and friends this year as well as Lowell s nephew Toby Swank from Bozeman, Montana. Any time we can get several members of the Swank family together, we are guaranteed a good time whether the fish are biting or not. A couple of the guys were feeling under the weather, but they were troopers and hung in there. I hope everyone had as good a time as I did. Most of us arrived at the lodge by noon on Thursday and the rest made it before the evening was over. The weather was nice that afternoon with no generation and we were able to catch some fish on low water in the vicinity of the lodge. We had a great BBQ dinner that evening and told a few fishing stories. Randy Vroom arrived late and did some night fishing. He caught a couple of nice fish, including a good brown, before giving it up. Friday was cooler and cloudy with a little wind but comfortable. Several of us had guides and did some drift fishing below Bull Shoals Dam for about an hour until generation stopped. The rest of the day was spent wading in the same area. We had a great lunch furnished by the guides, and continued fishing the rest of the afternoon. We caught a number of fish including a 19 inch brown. Keith & Randy also did well at the State Park that afternoon. We had heavy rain on Friday night and the weather changed dramatically. Saturday was very windy and cold. The guides started us at Rim Shoals. Fishing was V o l ume XX I I I I s s ue 2 3 By: Charley West slow and conditions were miserable. We were able to catch a few fish before breaking for lunch and discussing strategy. Several of us went back to the dam to try wading and the others went down to lower Rim Shoals. I think everyone caught some fish that afternoon but fishing was spotty. The bite picked up for us around 4pm and we caught several nice fish including two large browns caught by Chris Rockers within minutes of each other. On Sunday morning the sun was shining again and we had good luck fishing in front of the lodge. Again we caught several nice browns including one by Larry Duvall s son, Chris, with his 2wt. bamboo rod. I had fun watching him fight that fish. By noon, everyone had packed up and headed home. Our evening meals were the highlight of the trip. We had some entertainment provided by Craig Swank and Keith Sherman. Several times I laughed until I had tears in my eyes. Over all I would say that we did not catch as many fish as we have some years, but we did catch some good quality sized fish, especially browns. I think the new size limit on brown trout has immensely improved this fishery. Catching these big, beautifully colored fish made the trip memorable for several of us. Our thanks go out to Lowell Swank, Joe Shost, and Ken Grainger for the great food. I gained four pounds in four days. We would also like to thank Dale Fulton & the staff at Fulton s Lodge for their hospitality. There is a reason that we have been returning to Fulton s for years. I would also like to thank Clint Wilkinson, Kevin & Will Brantonies, and the other guides we fished with for helping us, teaching us, and being good friends to our club. I am already ready to go again.

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4 P ag e 4 V o l ume XX I I I I s s ue 2 3 Nothing grows faster then a fish from when it bites until it gets away. Anonymous

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6 V o l ume XX I I I I s s ue 2 3 P ag e 6 Meeting Location: Kansas City North Community Center 3930 NE Antioch Rd. Kansas City, Missouri We re on the Web! Kcnorthlandflyfishers.com Special points of interest: * Remember bring a fly Meetings are the 2nd Monday of the month January 1 & 2 Catch and Bennett Springs January 10 Meeting February Clubs Annual Banquet March 3-6 Annual White River Trip Fins & Feathers OF BOZEMAN Gallatin-Madison-Yellowstone-Missouri- Private Spring Creeks Toby Swank Toll Free info@finsandfeathersonline.com Wilkinson Outdoor Adventures Wilkinson Outdoor Adventures is a full service fly fishing outfitter, providing lodging on the White River, a full service fly shop, and guided fly fishing for groups or individuals. The area waters offer four species of trout. Also fly fishing and spin fishing trips are available for small mouth Bass. cgflyfish@excite.com CONTACT: Clint Wilkinson: Website: Whiteriverflyfishing.com Rainbow Fly Shop Phone: See Matt 10% discount K & K Flyfishers 8643 Grant (87th & Grant) Overland Park, Kansas Call: Website: See Kevin for 10% Discount on purchase