Wet Net Gazette. Tight Lines

Transcription

1 e Club Calendar General Meetings General meetings are held on the second Tuesday of the month in the basement of the First Presbyterian Church, 8th and Monroe in Corvallis. Social at 7 PM, meeting at 7:30 PM. Next general meeting October 9, 2012 (we don t meet over the summer except on the water) Board Meeting Board meetings are usually held on the first Tuesday of the month. The next board meeting will be October 2. Upcoming Events Club summer camping trip Siletz River October 7 Contents Club Calendar Tight Lines President Steve Stratton Upcoming trip to the Siletz Conservation Report Fly fishers from the past Club trips and fishing reports Fly of the Month: The Purple Peril Wet Net Gazette Volume XXIX Issue 5 Fall Issue October 2012!! Tight Lines You may have heard by now that Back Country Fly Shop has changed hands. I stopped in the shop last weekend and had a great conversation with a young fellow named Spencer, who is a guide and helps new owner Wes with the shop. I was impressed by the enthusiasm I heard for making theirs a first class fly shop. It sounds like these two have great plans for Back Country. I made a pitch for them to reach out to MWFF so let's encourage that by getting to know them and doing business with them. In particular they are looking for feedback on items to stock so let them know what you want and need. I'd love to tell you all about the Blitzen trip but I had to cancel due to work commitments. Hopefully the few who went there will get us up to date. The board is still looking for someone to take over the raffle. Ron Larson did a great job for many years but has decided to retire as raffle chair. It's a job that doesn't demand a lot of time. If you are willing to take this on please let me know. You'll have plenty of help. Finally, I want to remind you all that you can make Rick Miller's job as newsletter editor a lot easier if you will send him material - a fishing report, gear review, photos, fishing story, whatever. Steve Stratton

2 Club Trip Siletz River, October 7 The Siletz outing for searun cutthroat will be on Sunday, October 7. We will meet in Siletz at 9 A.M. at the Hee Hee Ilahee Park boat ramp. To get there from Corvallis, head west on Hwy. 20 and turn north to Siletz on Hwy 229 near Toledo. After crossing the Siletz bridge, take the first right it is a couple of blocks to the boat ramp. We will float about 5 miles around the Town Loop and take out at the Old Mill Park boat ramp. To see a map and a virtual tour of the Town Loop, go to Suggested flies include royal coachmen, Knudsen s Spider, muddler minnow, and egg patterns for cutthroats and egg-sucking leaches for Coho. In August, ODFW opened the area below the Ojalla Bridge (MP 31) to allow catching and keeping 1 wild coho salmon, but it could close before our outing. I ll keep everyone posted if there is a change in the regulations. Sea run cutthroat; photo The Fly Fishing Shop

3 Conservation Corner George Long "A trout is a moment of beauty known only to those who seek it." -Arnold Gingrich Deschutes River Conservancy I thought I would do a follow up on our guest speaker we had at our September Club meeting. Bea Armstrong is the Director of Development and Communications for the Deschutes River Conservancy. She gave a wonderful and detailed talk on the Deschutes River and the Conservancy's efforts to improve and restore it. The group is a non-profit organization with the mission to restore stream flow and improve water quality in the Deschutes River Basin. This non political organization works closely with Central Oregon stake holders such as: ranchers, fisherman, local, state and federal governments. They also work very closely with the seven Water Districts of Central Oregon. Their excellent website: gives a historical background about the extensive irrigation system that takes 90% of the water out of the Deschutes River at Mirror Pond in Bend. From there the water goes east and north all the way to Madras, to water crops and animals over much of Central Oregon. One of the big problems for the Deschutes is the low water flow during the winter months. Much of the river is stored in Crane Prairie and Wickiup Reservoirs and released during the summer for irrigators. Getting more water for fish and recreation in the upper Deschutes is a major goal of the Conservancy. The group actively negotiates on acquiring and transferring water rights to improve stream flows of the upper Deschutes. One of the effective methods they use to saving water from the river, is the lining of canals to stop water loss into the porous lava rock. All in all, this was a great talk that gave members a lot "food for thought" on saving and improving the Deschutes River Basin. Bea offered to lead a club tour sometime next spring to Round Butte and Pelton Dams on the Deschutes. It will also include the infamous new water mixing tower in Lake Billy Chinook. "The two best times to fish is when it's ranin' and when it ain't." - Patrick F. McManus

4 Fly Fishers from the Past Ernest (Polly) Herbert Rosborough Polly was born in Arkansas were he began fishing with worms for catfish, perch, and bluegill at the age of 4. At an early age he moved to the Northwest. It wasn t until he was 22 that he began fly fishing on Butte Creek in Siskiyou County, Ca. Becoming an adamant and very observant fly fishermen he was frustrated by the lack of durable fly patterns and so few that imitated aquatic insects in the region. Little was known about aquatic insects in the early 1900s so Polly became an amateur aquatic entomologist and at the age of 28 taught himself how to tie flies. He became a firm believer in the importance of streamside research to identify and imitate the foods eaten by trout. Polly was also a fur trapper, running a trap line between Diamond and Crater lakes, near his home in Chiloquin, where he lived most of his life. He was also a hunter so he used the materials he had at hand and became very proficient at dying them different colors. He became one of Oregon s most well known fly tiers and published a book titled Tying and Fishing the Fuzzy Nymph first published in His patterns were developed from the local waters around his home including the Williamson and Wood rivers. He felt strongly that fur and feathers gave a fly a much more life like look in the water than synthetic materials. His book was also one of the early publications emphasizing the importance of the nymph stage for trout food. Residing in Chiloquin Oregon since the late 1950s he tied flies commercially to various customers including the Chiloquin Hardware store. He became a master at fishing the local waters in the Klamath region. He won multiple fly tying and teaching awards in his lifetime. The Muskrat nymph

5 Fishing Reports Fall on the Blitzen River Jim Hemming spending a peaceful moment on the Blitzen photo by Nancy H. The only MWFF folks who made it to the Blitzen (for various reasons) were George and Kathy Long and Jim and I. The weather was hot (up to the low 90s) making fishing from late morning to early evening downright uncomfortable if not foolish. The river was low, the scenery was beautiful, and the wildlife abundant. Though the Page Spring campground was nearly full, there were relatively few fisherpersons on the river. The river had been very warm, but was starting to cool just before we got there, so there were fish in the river, though mostly deep during the day. In the evening, there were some small hatches and, if you were there at the right time, there was some fishing on the surface or just below. George, Jim, and I each caught several fish over the few days that we were there despite the limited hours of fishing. The flies that worked included elk hair caddis, silverbrown buck, dragonfly nymphs, and a variety of other smallish nymphs. Large woolly buggers, which had been recommended, were not very effective I had a large redband come up, take a look at it and roll away thumbing his nose and neither George nor Jim had much luck with it either. Hoppers were present, but not numerous so we didn t fish with them at all. Nancy Hemming

6 The Blitzen River Nice High Desert Redside caught in the Blitzen

7 Fall on the Deschutes A great way to start the day; a 30 steelhead; caught this fall on the Deschutes by my daughter Swinging a fly in the fall for steelhead on the Deschutes has been a passion of mine for 32 years. Sometime in the early 90 s I saw my first spey rod on the Deschutes. Now I rarely see a single-handed rod on the river in the fall. Spey rods are more efficient (keeping your fly in the water longer due to less false casts), cast farther, and cast when you re backed up to the trees. On the Deschutes I like a spey rod at 12½ to 13 ft long with a 7 wt line. Sage, Loomis, and others are continuing to improve these rods all the time. Now I m hearing Sage has a brand new 4 wt with plenty of backbone for both the fish and wind. It wasn t long ago one of the top rods of choice for the Deschutes was a Sage 15ft, 9 wt, which I used for 10 years after graduating from a Cabela s spey 9 wt, 14 ft I built in the early 90s. Three years ago I have downsized to a 12½ ft, 7 wt Sage, which I really like. One of the most effective fishing methods is swinging a dry line in the morning or evening when the shadows of the canyon rim are on the water. Pick a run and than start casting at a downstream angle, let the line swing, take a couple of steps, and do again until you re at the end of the run. I often go back and fish the run again, with a different fly (usually a different size). I like the hair wing flies such as the Skunk or Purple Peril in a size 4 to 6, tied in a low water style (see the September newsletter and photo for fly of the month). But other flies also work well. Swinging sink tips and nymph fishing with indicators also works. Below are a few shots from a trip down the river with my family the first week of September. Rick Miller

8 Waiting for the evening shadows

9 Fishing the Haul Road, Alaska The Alaskan Dalton Highway, or the Haul Road travels from Fairbanks to the oil fields of Prudhoe Bay and the Arctic Ocean. Not for the faint of heart or new pick-ups it is 414 miles of potholes, 18-wheeler dust, mud, and grizzly bears with nonexistent services (that means no gas). Open to driving without permit since 1995 the road crosses dozens of incredible fly fishing streams for arctic char, dolly varden, white fish, and especially arctic grayling. The highway sees most of its traffic during the bow and arrow caribou-hunting season in August and September. Even then the fishing is remote and one might never see another individual with a fishing rod. Early summer fishing (July and August) for 12 to 24 grayling is excellent dry fly fishing. Almost any fly that hit s the water works. Mid-August through September is a mixture of drys, emergers, and nymphs. I spent 17 days on the highway this year fishing and hunting caribou. As you can see from the fish photo, grayling are excellent table fare and we do catch and eat. if you would like to know more about fishing in Alaska I will be back in Corvallis mid-october. Jerry Brooks

10 Summer Club Trip East Lake Photos by Jim Russell

11 Fly of the Month Purple Peril Classic steelhead hair wing patterns: yellow butt skunk (#4), purple peril (#6), and Mark Bachmann s pink special (#6). Tail: purple calf tail Body: purple chenille or dubbed purple hareline Ribbing: silver tinsel Wing: purple calf tail with a few strands of purple crystal flash Hackle: purple hen hackle Tied in the style of a classic hair wing fly, similar to the skunk. These patterns swing very nicely just under the surface, ideal in the green steelhead waters of the Pacific Northwest and British Columbia. If dressed with too much material they tend to come up to the surface in faster water. That is why I like the low water style shown above (body comes to about half to twothirds between the eye of the hook and the hook tip). There are numerous patterns called the Peril Peril that look very different. This pattern is similar to the way Ken McLeod ties it. In Trey Combs Steelhead Fly Fishing he states; My list of favorite standards is short: Ken McLeod s Purple Peril, Frank Amato s Night Dancer, Bob Arnold s Spade, and Randall Kaufmann s Ferry Canyon and Signal Light. The Purple Peril has become a classic because it works.

12 MWFF OUTINGS SCHEDULE 2012 DAY TRIPS April 21- Mckenzie River at Armitage Park. Trip leader is Jim Hemming WEEKEND TRIPS April 27-29, Mann Lake. Trip Leader: George Long May 18-20, Metolius River, Gorge Campground. Trip Leader: Russ Milstein June 15-17, Hosmer & Lava Lakes, Little Lava Lake Campground. Trip Leader: Ron Larson July 14-15, Deschutes River. Trout Creek Campground. Trip Leader: Jim Russell August 3-6, East Lake, Cinder Hill Campground. Trip Leader: Duane Higley September 15-16, Diamond Lake with the Linn Benton Family Flyfishers, Broken Arrow Campground. Trip Leader: Bob Burke September 20-23, Blitzen River. Trip Leader Steve Stratton October 7, Lower Siletz River. Trip Leader: Jim Hemming LBFF Trip Schedule 2012 January Metolius March 3-4 Crooked River March 24 Big Creek April Florence June 1-3 Middle Fork Umpqua June Diamond (weather dependent) July Gold Lake/Middle Fork Willamette August East Lake Sept Diamond Oct. 5-7 Otter Lake Oct. 27 South Santiam Call Bob Burke at for details on these trips.

13 Online Resources for Fly Tying and General Information Fly Anglers online West Fly (the seasonal hatch charts for individual waters are especially helpful) Hatches free online fly tying magazine (tips, materials, information, & great pics ) ( ) Fly tying & fishing site Author Marv Taylor; great information source on still water fishing YouTube (great site for watching different patterns being tied) Classic Trout Fly Fishing NW Rivers Forecast the place to check on current river levels FFF clubwire newsletter Brian O Keefe s online magazine, very nice photos HookedNow an online bimonthly magazine by northwest authors and fly fishing and tying experts Rick Hafele, Dave Hughes, and Skip Morris. Backcountry Fly Shop 900 NW Kings Blvd. Corvallis, OR Creekside Flyfishing 350 Liberty St SE Salem, OR Fly Fishing Resources Two Rivers Fly Shop 204 First Ave W Albany, OR trfs@live.com

14 MID-WILLAMETTE FLY FISHERS CLUB MEMBERSHIP FORM 2011 MEMBERSHIP DUES Calendar Year: $25.00 Dues for 2012 need to be paid by February 28, 2012 Please mail this completed statement with your payment to: Mid-Willamette Fly Fishers Club P.O. Box 22 Corvallis, OR DATE PAID AMOUNT PAID Pursuant to ARTICLE VI of the Bylaws: Hold Harmless Agreement SECTION General Conditions. All activities arranged by or for the mid-willamette Fly Fishers Club are for the convenience and pleasure of the members and their guests who desire to participate. However, The Club does not assume any responsibility for the well-being or safety of the participants or passengers or their property in any matters pertaining to said tours and other activities. Members and their guests participate at their own risk and shall not hold the Club or its agents responsible in any way. SECTION Terms and Conditions. As a condition of acceptance of a membership application by the Board of Directors, and participation in the events and activities of The Club, each member shall affirm in writing that she/he; (i) assumes all risks associated with events or activities arranged for or by The Club, including property loss or damage, personal injury, or death, and (ii) agrees to hold harmless and indemnify The Club s agents from any loss or claim in connection with arranged events and activities, and; (iii) understands this agreement is binding upon their heirs, assigns, legal representatives and others, and that none of them will make any claim against or sue The Club or its agents. I agree to the Article VI, Hold Harmless Agreement, and understand the Terms and Conditions of the Bylaws. X Signature Print Name New Membership Renewal

15 Please complete the following if you are a new member or information has changed. Address: City: State Zip Phone: Committee Preference: Club members are actively encouraged to participate in club committees. Please select one or more from the list below: Auction Conservation Education Fly Tying Expo Outings Favorite Outings? (Location / Type / Activity) Picnic Program What kinds of speakers would be most interesting? Raffle Banquet Newsletter What kinds of speakers would be most interesting? Additional MWFF Family Membership Detail $2 for each additional member Print name(s): Contact information (if different): Address: City: State: Zip: Phone:

16 Board of Directors: President: Steve Stratton Vice President: Ron Perry Secretary: Nancy Hemming Treasurer: Russ Milstein At Large: Jim Hemming George Long Dale Lyster Rod Kaiser Rick Miller Outings Committee: Jim Hemming (chair), Conservation Director: George Long Education Director: Charley Renn Fly Tying Chair: Vacant Membership Chair: Dale Lyster Newsletter Editor: Rick Miller Copyright 2012 by the Mid Willamette Fly Fishers. Copying in excess of rights otherwise established under copyright law is permitted without individual permission or payment of a fee provided that copies are made or distributed for non-profit purposes and credit (author or illustrator name if stated, otherwise the MWFF) is given for the source. Abstracting with credit is permitted. Explicitly copyrighted material may only be used with the expressed permission of the copyright owner. MWFF PO Box 22 Corvallis, OR 97339