DECEMBER MEETING. Thursday, Dec 21, La Conner Seafood & Prime Rib Wet Fly / Social Gathering: Dinner / Festivities:

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1 VOLUME 52 DEC 2017 NUMBER 09 DECEMBER MEETING Thursday, Dec 21, La Conner Seafood & Prime Rib Wet Fly / Social Gathering: Dinner / Festivities: 6:00PM 7:00PM President s Message: By: Ryan Johnson As I reflect on this past year, there were definitely some ups and downs in 2017 but in the end, we managed to make it through ok. Some of the downs were closures to some of our favorite local fisheries that we look forward to every year, injuries and hospitalizations to some of our members and unfortunate environmental impacts to some of our local waters. On the other hand, we shared in many positive experiences as well. There were several great outings, many of our members were recognized for the fine work they do in the areas of fly fishing stewardship, education, lake restoration and volunteer services for related organizations. We are also once again able to offer the Introduction to Fly Fishing Class this coming January. This is setting us up for a great start to None of what we do as a club is possible without the help of several individuals. I want to personally thank my fellow board members for all their hard work and support, our Wahoo Editor and Webmaster for their quality products, our committee chairs and members for everything they have done throughout the year and all the individuals that helped with general meetings as plate sales volunteers, greeters, gillies and equipment set-up. You all helped to make things run smoothly and contributed to our club s reputation and success. As we transition into the new year, I hope you will all continue to provide support to our new President and Board of Directors as much as you did for my administration. They work hard to make the club a great organization and provide us with many opportunities for learning and sharing new experiences. Please volunteer to help the

2 club out anyway you can and we will all be better for it. I hope to see as many of you as possible at our holiday party scheduled for December 21st. Please RSVP to our Treasurer, Mark Gilmore and help us make this a great event. As you know, this is our one and only fund raiser and is used to support conservation grants, club activities and general club expenses. Your donations and participation at this event are truly appreciated. Happy Holidays to you all, Ryan Johnson President 2017 Editor's Note: This is my final Wahoo. Former Editor Carl Hendricks will take up the task beginning in January, I want to thank Club President Ryan Johnson and Webmaster Bill Brodie for their support and counsel. To remain viable the Wahoo needs two things: Club members as readers and Club members as contributors in terms of articles, photos etc. It is, after all, everyone's newsletter. For me personally it has been a learning experience. One thing I learned for sure is that not everything is easier on a Mac. Dealing with multiple formats (.doc,.odt, and.pdf) and conversions and especially with photos embedded in text has been a challenge but I've tried my best to deliver a quality newsletter. Over to you, Carl Fly Fishing Course: By: Bruce Freet Our Skagit Valley College 'Introduction to Fly Fishing' course filled with16 students before the end of November. There appears to be four couples in the course which is a first. The article in the Skagit Valley Herald about Ann Bodle-Nash's fly fishing interest and activities certainly helped with the enrollment. The course begins on January 3rd and continues every Wednesday night through March 14th. Given that more women are enrolled, we may need a few more women Club members to assist with casting and fly tying classes.

3 In Memoriam: Silver Cartwright Submitted by: Dan Farmer Bob and Silver Cartwright started Janice Lake Fishing Camp in the mid 1950's. They played host to many Fidalgo Flyfishers over the years in a magical setting that was made even more special by their hospitality. Bob passed away in 2013, and on Nov 12 of this year, we lost Silver at the age of 99. Her obituary can be found at The Cartwright family will hold a celebration of Silver's life sometime this summer in Little Fort, BC. Details will be announced when available.

4 TOM FULK CHOSEN FOR LAMBUTH AWARD: By: Danny Beatty Cathy Shaeffer received an on December 4th explaining that Tom Fulk s nomination for the Washington Fly Fishing Club s Letcher Lambuth Angling Craftsmanship Award was approved by the club s Awards Committee. The award will be presented to Tom at their January 16, 2018 Awards Ceremony. Bill Neal, Awards Chairman, wrote in his I am pleased to report that the Awards Committee has approved presentation of the Letcher Lambuth Award to your (club s) nominee Tom Fulk. Letcher Lambuth was a bamboo rod maker in the 1930s. He was a charter member of the Washington Fly Fishing Club (WFFC Seattle) which formed in Lambuth was most noted for his 39 spiral bamboo rods and many were gifts to friends. Lambuth kept strict records of his rods and other things related to his fly fishing. To honor the memory of Letcher Lambuth, the WFFC established the Letcher Lambuth Award, with the following criteria: This award shall be made to outstanding individuals who have made significant contributions to the knowledge, art, philosophy and techniques of fly fishing especially in one of the following categories: Split-cane rod construction, including rod design, tool development, research into bamboo and/or educating others in bamboo rod construction. The list also includes Literature, Entomology, Fly Tying, Angling art, Scientific investigation and Conservation. The award is not necessarily given every year so that it has become the most prestigious Fly Fishing related award in the Northwest. Fidalgo member Tom Fulk easily meets the Category of Split Cane Rod Construction. During the about 20 years that Tom has been developing his skills in making bamboo rods he has met all the criteria listed. Members of the club have bamboo rods that were the end result of a rod building class. Patrick O Hearn wrote: Tom has designed and built many rod making jigs and tools including tapering devices, rod winding aids, planing form improvements, and many other tips, tricks, and techniques to make rod building more accurate, professional, and accessible to many. Cathy s to the committee stated: Tom is the quintessential fly fisher and outdoorsman, who is a true ambassador for his sport. And Terry Abrams praised Tom s dedication: Nominee Tom Fulk has the attributes of being a highly skilled craftsman and an extremely generous and caring person. Designing and building high end instruments of the sport is an achievement admired by many. Donating these works of art for our club s annual fund raising, year after year, demonstrates dedication above and way beyond. Knowing that this fund raising directly benefits fish and wildlife conservation is highly admirable and to be commended. Tom often stated that his rod must be a part of the raffle because then it is possible for any

5 of the $1.00 tickets to be a winner. For some club members, Tom s wooden boat building skills have brought about unique designs and improved methods which they enjoy each time they are out fishing. Those skills were not mentioned in our Award Nomination because we stayed with his bamboo rod building and his extending that knowledge to other club members. Fidalgo Fly Fishers President Ryan Johnson speaks for all of us: Congratulations, Tom, on this momentous achievement. You are a true ambassador to the sport of fly fishing." Tom fishing at Janice Lake B.C. where he led many outings for Fidalgo Fly Fishers. Photo by Dan Farmer Notice how he integrated the anchor system in the wooden boat of his design.

6 Club Members Create Interesting Programs: By: Danny Beatty Having club members present the program at the November meeting has become a tradition. This year three programs held the interest of those attending and the comments afterward were positive. Richard Raisler was the leader of a five-member group to fish the Grande Ronde river in far SW Washington. His pictures showed a section of the river that is accessible and where a person can set up camp and enjoy a few days of fishing after the long drive. This picture of the river, taken by Ralph Wahl, is featured in his 1971 Book, Come Wade the River. It shows that the river is inviting to fish because its size allows the fisher walking and wading access. Richard showed how that worked out for the group with his pictures of members out fishing. One close-up picture of a traditional fly fishing rod and reel, focused on what I believe is a large Hardy Perfect attached to the rod. The Grande Ronde river fits that focus because the river itself is where much of the Mystique of steelhead fly fishing has occurred over the years. A film titled Never Name the River indicates that the original discussions to form the Federation of Fly Fishers now FFI, were done by a group that annually visited the Grande Ronde. Other stories relate to fishers trying to keep the good fishing from being broadcast to the media. Richard showed pictures of members fishing, of a steelhead caught and released and his commentary told of many highlights during the trip. Loren Greenwood took us to Squalicum Lake. First Loren explained how to get to the lake located northwest of Bellingham. Driving north on I-5, exit at the Sunset Avenue Mt. Baker (Hwy 542) exit and go about 5 ½ miles to the Y road. From this point on Loren told about how getting to the lake for the first time is a rather unique experience. There is no access that allows you to drive to the lake. He showed a picture of a padlocked gate where you walk around the fence post. Be sure to read the many signs posted. The trail up to the lake is well trodden where at first you use the driveway of two homes. As Loren approached the lake his pictures showed some upside-down boats in a row, left there by fishers who had been able to transport them up the trail. The condition of a couple of the boats looked like the original owner may never retrieve them. Finally, the last picture was of the section of trail where you reach the lake and launch your packed in floating device. For more information about the access and the fishing, google the lake where you will find many web sites. During the same time frame that members of the Fidalgo Club

7 were working on the regulations for Pass Lake, members of the Fourth Corner Club were working on fly fishing only and catch and release for Squalicum. If you are willing and able to pack in your necessary equipment, then Squalicum is a close by, rather limited, but usually not well attended lake to fly fish. The final member production by Bruce Freet and Carl Hendricks was neither mentioned in the Wahoo nor in the meeting agenda but a delight to feel one riding and gliding down the Methow River. If you feel overwhelmed when considering large rivers such as the Skagit, take a drive over the hill and you will find the Methow much more to your liking. The Methow river is noted for its nice size Native Cutthroat Trout and, in season, some steelhead fishing. Remember, these steelhead started their long journey to spawn at the mouth of the Columbia River. During the past five years, the club has had a number of programs about the Methow by river guides promoting their business. The short program trip we took really showed what it is like to float down the river, watching for those special spots to cast a fly. Drifting down the Methow river using the pontoon boats gave us a feeling of how it is possible to get really close to the river environment. From Richard s group in the most Southeast area of Washington to Loren s most Northwest Fly fishing Only waters with Bruce s and Carl s river somewhere in between, club members gave us an interesting series of locations to cast a fly. Danny

8 Steelhead on the Skagit Outing Coordinator: Patrick Smedile Dates: TBD The objective of this outing is to get members to be able to understand and control the swing, select the appropriate flies for the conditions and secondarily to improve their casting. This outing is for both two handed and over hand rods. The day will start in the early morning, meeting at an agreed upon location and end with a fun lunch at a restaurant. More than one outing may be scheduled if there is interest in doing so. If you are interested please complete the Survey by December 15th or contact Patrick directly so he can plan a great outing. Tim Cooley has been kind enough to allow at least one Outing to use his facilities on the river near Concrete.

9 Speyapalooza: By: Ryan Johnson The Speyapalooza event sponsored by the North Sound Chapter of Trout Unlimited and the Confluence Fly Shop was held on December 2nd at the Howard Miller Steelhead Park in Rockport. The event was well attended by fly fishers from across the northwest including not less than a dozen Fidalgo Fly Fisher members. Industry reps were on hand to let attendees try out much of the new gear available and answer any questions the attendees might have. Pictured here, members Dean Almvig and Christina Anderson go over some of the finer points of casting a spey rod. Thanks to all from the Club that showed up to help make this event a success.

10 Upcoming Events: Note: Please check the Outings and Events page on the web site; things get added from time to time. Go to: fidalgoflyfishers.com Outings and Events Fly Shops: The Confluence Fly Shop 2620 N. Harbor Loop Drive #9 Bellingham, WA (360) Other Retail Outlets: FFF member suggested fly fishing services: Holiday Sports, Burlington Cabela's Sporting Goods, Tulalip Pacific Fly Fishers, Mill Creek Orvis, Bellevue North 40 Fly Shop, Omak Carlton General Fly Shop, Carlton Headhunters fly shop, Craig, MT Please see: If members want to add to the list on the Links, they can contact with their recommendations.

11 INVITATION FIDALGO FLY FISHERS December Meeting The presence of your company is requested at the Fidalgo Fly Fishers Holiday Dinner Meeting Thursday, December 21st, 2017 La Conner Seafood & Prime Rib 614 S. 1st Street La Conner, Washington BUFFET DINNER Entrées: Parmesan Baked Cod, Marinated Beef Tenderloin, carved to order, & Chicken Marsala Spring Green Salad with Pine Nuts, Red Onion and Shaved Asiago Cheese Artisan Breads, Seasonal Vegetables, Pasta Alfredo & herbed Tossed Red Potatoes Apple Crisp and Fudge Brownies ala Mode $30.00 per person Wet Fly, Ticket Sales & Conversation 6:00 7:00 p.m. Dinner 7:00 p.m. Presentation of Awards, Raffles & Auctions 8:00 p.m. The evening's festivities include raffles and live auctions for such items as a hand-crafted bamboo fly rod made by Tom Fulk, the Fidalgo Fly Fishers Fly-of-the-month fly plate, guided fishing trip, and many other items. The presentation of the Presidents Award, Fidalgo Fly Fisher Award, and other special awards. To be eligible for a special drawing for one years free membership, please submit your 2018 membership dues by December 13th prior to the party. You may include your $30.00 dues along with this reservation (same check). To assist in planning the evening s events, reservations should reach Cathy no later than December 13 th, No refunds on cancellations after December 13 th, Reservations can be made by sending a check and reservation (make checks out to Fidalgo Fly Fishers) form to Fidalgo Fly Fishers: C/O Mark Gilmore, P.O. Box 325, Anacortes, Wa Additional info or cancellations: call Mark Gilmore , Cathy Schaeffer

12 Reservation Fidalgo Fly Fishers Holiday Dinner Name: Guest Name: $30.00 per person = $ (Enclosed: make checks out to Fidalgo Fly Fishers) Mail to: Fidalgo Fly Fishers C/O Mark Gilmore, P.O. Box 325 Anacortes, Wa