February February Meeting. President s Message

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1 February 2014 February Meeting THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 27 TH Queeny Park Greensfelder Recreation Complex 550 Weidman Rd Ballwin, MO :00 PM We have been trying to book our speaker this month for a year now. Originally, we did not have a general membership meeting scheduled for February, but when the opportunity presented itself to schedule Tony in February, I jumped at it. Tony Reinhardt is the owner of Montana Trout Outfitters located in Missoula, Montana and has been a guide on the waters of western Montana for the last 16 years. Tony was born and raised in Council Bluffs, Iowa and grew up fishing and hunting throughout the mid-west. He moved to Montana to attend college and although he earned his degree at the University of Montana, he says he spent more time on the rivers than in the classroom. He started working at a local fly shop immediately after graduation, and the following year began his career as a guide. Tony also hosts destination trips to Alaska, the Florida Keys, and Belize. He is a skilled fly tyer and avid photographer. When he is not working, you will likely find him on the water, fishing with his wife and 2 kids, or traveling to his next angling destination. Tony will present a show on Fly Fishing Western Montana. Missoula serves as a central hub for his operation with over 400 miles of fishable water within an hour of Missoula. His presentation will cover the areas four major river systems, the Blackfoot, the Bitterroot, the Clark Fork, and Rock Creek as well as some of the best small streams in the area. These are freestone rivers with some of the finest fly fishing in the country for wild trout. All of the major hatches will be covered with examples of the best fly patterns. Tony will also discuss the peak times to fish and the most effective techniques to make for a successful fly fishing trip to western Montana. If you get a chance, check out Tony s website. Hope you can join us on the 27 th, see you there. Bob Zagar President s Message Ozark Fly Fishers is a successful organization because of all the people who work hard to make it so. Jim Morrison was one of those people. We lost Jim this month while he was in Texas. Jim joined OFF in 2008 and joined the board a Treasurer in He was an active member and served with distinction. He always had a unique point of view during our many discussions. A memorial celebration is planned for April 5. We will let you know details as they become available. He will be missed. On a lighter note, February 27 th will be our general meeting. Bob has got a great program planned, so be sure to come. March 8 will be our All Day meeting with Gary Borger. This should be one of our better all day events. Look for details elsewhere in the newsletter. See you there! Bill Leslie

2 A Tribute to Jim By Jim Marstiller This past month we lost a dear friend in Jim Morrison. Jim gave so much to so many and never sought recognition or anything - in return. Jim optimized what it meant to serve; with wisdom and insight, selflessly, and with skill. If Jim called you friend, you were blessed indeed. On both the Mill Creek Watershed Coalition and Ozark Fly Fishers boards, Jim was instrumental in helping them gain 501 c 3 tax-exempt status. He was the key driver behind the highly successful Mill Creek bio-blitz this past summer. He was hugely helpful in organizing the Mill Creek joint-planning process which is becoming a model for others. Like the Geico commercial, everyone knows that. However, what many of you don t know about Jim was all the good he did and the contributions he made that were done in an anonymous fashion. You may not know that Jim was a fighter pilot in Vietnam with 800 combat hours. His particular duty was flying reconnaissance in a lightweight, unarmed F4 often at extremely low altitude. The motto of his squadron was Unarmed, Unescorted and Unafraid. Jim was a good man; so full of life. He lived his life with courage and spoke with truth. He will be missed by those who knew not only his passion for fly fishing, (even with one of those whacky Tenkara rods) but his passion for life, people and good causes. Tight lines Jim Respectfully shared, Jim Marstiller The Fly Box By Al Bourisaw Although there are more saddle hackles on the shelves of the fly shops I visit, the numbers and quality seems to be inferior to those available before the 0hair industry trend of using grizzly saddles in hair styles feather extensions. Hasn t that fad passed us by and why do we still have a shortage of good grizzly saddle hackles? I read an article the other day written by Tom Whiting, of Whiting Farms, addressing this issue. Tom noted that this trend provided for a confusing and unsettling time for Whiting Farms, but also a welcome windfall for them financially. Being an astute business man Tom used some of the windfall to look to the future. Whiting Farms built a new state-of-the-art hatchery, a solar field to supply all the electrical needed for the brooder farm, three new breeder sheds, an industrial scale composer and part of the cost of 4 new cage sheds. But why the shortage and what is Whiting Farms doing about the shortage in the short term? The answer seems to be resurgence in fashion feather sales in Europe. According to Tom, other producers of grizzly hackles are not making their product available to the fishing industry. A major demand for grizzly saddle hackles from the fishing industry has focused on Whiting Farms. Whiting Farms is using a three pronged strategy to deal with the shortage. 1. All of Whiting dry fly saddles are going for production of Whiting 100 Packs. This makes the limited product available to more buyers. 2. Whiting rarely sell grizzly saddles as full saddles, but rather sell Bronze grade as half saddles and the Silver grade as quarter saddles. Again, making the limited product available to more buyers. 3. Because some fly shops continue to actively pursue and cater to the fashion feather sales still occurring in other parts of the world, Whiting is identifying and restricting sales to these shops. The reality of the situation, at least for the foreseeable future, is that the hackle market is still being distorted by an industry that can afford to pay more money for saddle feathers than the fly fishing buyers. So, you might want to use those grizzly saddle hackles in a prudent way. Ozark Fly Fishers, Inc February 2014 Page 2

3 Ways and Means By Mark Harris I hope that everyone who joined in the fun at our annual banquet on January 18 had a good time. It was terrific to see more than 80 members, spouses, and friends sharing stories and enjoying the evening. Many people worked together in an effort to make the night both memorable and successful. A tip of the fly rod goes to the volunteers who helped setup the auction tables on Saturday afternoon and the disbursement of prizes at the conclusion of the event. The old adage, many hands make light work was never truer. In addition, we salute the numerous members who donated beautifully-created fly collections, hand-crafted one-of-a-kind gifts, and other terrific prizes. Those donations allowed us to offer a wide range of auction items which hopefully had broad appeal to those in attendance. I also want to recognize the many companies and organizations which so generously supported our auction. BreamBugs, St. Louis, MO - Gear and flies, Feather-Craft Fly Fishing, St. Louis, MO Fly shop, Tim Wade's North Fork Anglers, Cody, WY Fly shop and guide service, K3 Guest Ranch Bed & Breakfast, Cody,WY Lodging, River Run Outfitters, Branson, MO Fly shop, guide service, lodging, Davy Wotton, Flippin, AR Guide service, Sam Potter's Tightline, Rolla, MO Guide service, Mark Crawford, Mammoth Spring, AR Guide service, Westover Farms, Steelville, MO Private water fishing, Marc Poulos, Cotter, AR Guide service, David Roller, Fountain, MI Guide service, V2 Wine Group, Sonoma, CA Wines, Auction Merchandise Source, Chesterfield, MO Memorabilia, Kennelwood Pet Resorts, St. Louis, MO Pet care, Sunset Lakes Golf Club, Sunset Hills, MO Golf, Quail Creek Golf Club, St. Louis, MO Golf, The Muny, St. Louis, MO Outdoor theatre, The Fabulous Fox Theatre, St. Louis, MO Theatre, The St. Louis Blues 14 Fund, St. Louis, MO Hockey, Pat Ehler's The Fly Fishers Fly Shop, Milwaukee, WI Fly shop, Wally Hauck Zymo Sculpture Studio, St. Louis, MO Custom-made nets, EdgeWild Restaurant & Winery, Chesterfield, MO Restaurant, OFF members can demonstrate their appreciation for these auction supporters by patronizing these businesses and our corporate sponsors when you are in need of goods and services. Please mention your association with Ozark Fly Fishers and thank them for their patronage. Wet Land for Kids By Al Bourisaw Ozark Fly Fisher Inc. will again participate in the Wet Land for Kids program at the August Busch Wildlife area in St. Charles. The program will be on Saturday, April 5 th from 9:00 AM to about 3:00 PM. OFF has one of the more popular programs as kids watch our club s tiers tie a safety pin for them or they can pick from one of the already tied safety pin flies. For this program to be successful, however, membership must step forward and help. You can help by tying a dozen or more safety pin flies and getting them to Mike Ott, Al Bourisaw or drop them by one of the two fly shops on Manchester. Anyone can tie a safety pin fly and the kids love them. The more gaudy and colorful the fly the better the kids like it. You can also help by showing up on April 5 th and help tie more safety pin flies for the kids. In the past OFF has had a great group of people tying and they really enjoyed the day. Ozark will provide tying materials just bring your own tying tools. Give Mike Ott ( ) or Al Bourisaw ( ) a call if you can attend or have any questions. Ozark Fly Fishers, Inc February 2014 Page 3

4 THE OZARK FLY FISHERS PRESENTS GARY BORGER Saturday March 8, 2014 Creve Coeur Government Center 300 North Ballas (Between Olive & Ladue Roads), Creve Coeur, MO We have a fantastic meeting planned for the Club s all day meeting. Gary Borger, fly fishing legend, educator, conservationist and author will be here to address the Club on Saturday March 8, Gary s list of achievements are almost too long to list here, but to just give you a brief glimpse, he has been recognized in a number of Who s Who, has taught classes and lectured internationally, and currently contributes as editor and columnist to several fly fishing publications. Gary also pioneered fly fishing video instruction and fly fishing nature-music audios. He has produced videos for 3M, the Federation of Fly Fishers, as well as an additional 17 videos produced by his own company. Gary was also a consultant on Robert Redford s movie A River Runs Through It In addition, Gary is a designer of the Weinbrenner Ultimate Wading Shoe, the Gary Borger Fly Vest, the Gary Borger Signature fly rods and reels as well as many other innovative angling products and unique fly designs. Gary is a founding board member of the River Alliance of Wisconsin, a founding member of the Board of Governors or the Federation of Fly Fisher s fly casting instruction certification program, a member of The Order of the Jungle Cock, Trout Unlimited, United Fly Tyers, the Federation of Fly fishers, the American Museum of Fly Fishing, the Catskill Fly Fishing Center, and other conservation organizations. Saturday Agenda: Get to the Government Center a little early for coffee and donuts (donations accepted) and get a good seat 9:00 A.M. *Open meeting 9:15-10:30 Equipment Isn't the only thing 10:30-10:45 *Break 10:45-12:00 Sight Fishing with Nymphs from Top to Bottom 12:00-12:45 *Lunch break 12:45-2:00 Fishing the Film 2:00-2:15 *Break 2:15-3:30 Reading Waters Times and topics are subject to some tweaking based on confirmation with Gary. We hope to be able to fit in a discussion of Gary s involvement with the movie A River Runs Through It and Gary s take on Presentation The program is free to Ozark Fly Fishers members and open to the public for a $10 fee, which can be applied to the membership fee if you would like to join the Ozark Fly Fishers on Saturday. 6:00-9:00 Members only Pizza Party at Marlan Graham s club house In our thoughts Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family of Michael Flip Pallozola who passed away on January 13 th John L Tymony Ozark Fly Fishers, Inc February 2014 Page 4

5 Outings By Malcolm Royce February F.Y.A.O Outing 2014 What a great time to eat, fish, and freeze. There were 22 people who spent a weekend doing all of the above in a big way. For most everyone, except the cook, fishing was really good, with stories of many large fish. Saturday the weather got into the 30 s and people were loving life. The eating began Saturday night with an Italian Pot Luck Dinner, with enough food for 50 people. I am going to work on down sizing the requests I make in the future, but too much is so much better than to little. A very pleasant surprise was a Chili lunch provides by Bryan Davidson and Tim Ernst, which was good, even the 3 rd bowl. Saturday night was Rib-eye steaks, baked potatoes, salad and apple pie with ice cream. A lot of time was spent just sitting around and talking. I want to thank all of you who brought food, and helped cook, clean, and lend a hand. Next year, the outing will February 6-8, I have all 12 condos, cabins 9 and 10, and Searcy hall for the weekend again. Cabins 9 and 10 are already taken, but you can reserve your room with an or phone call. The Spring Chili Tie In Outing Marlin s clubhouse will be Saturday, March 29, starting around 9:00 a.m. The club house is located at 851 Country Stone Drive, Des Pere. Bring your vise, rod, or just come by, and also bring your favorite chili, snack, or finger food. Coffee, soda, and water will be provided. This is a great time to just hang out with other members. We will tie inside and the casting will be right out the doors, if weather permits. New members, this is a great time to meet fellow members and hear some of the stories we tell. (Some of them are actually true!) If you have any questions, call Malcolm Royse at [c] or [h]. May 16-18,2014 Montauk Outing The Montauk Outing will be the weekend of May 16 thru 18. We have rooms for the weekend at $82.00 per night ($ for 2 nights). We will also have use of the Searcy Room for Friday and Saturday night of food, fellowship and fly tying on both nights. Friday night will be a pot luck dinner and Saturday night the club will provide food, to be named later. Everyone attending should plan on eating too much. I will need to have all room payments by May 2, For information, please call Malcolm Royse at or me at, doorman709@sbcglobal.net. Please make all checks payable to Ozark Fly Fishers, and send them to me at 709 Cooper Way Drive, O Fallon, MO, I have it on good authority they will be stocking the park that weekend! Database Report to Membership February 2014 Last reported membership on New memberships since Former members rejoining since Total memberships as of A year ago 278 Ozark welcomes the following new members: Garrett & Kevin Doak Tracy Gerner Sheri Hagland Thomas Tom Rudd Dustin Smith Saint Louis, MO Leslie, MO Ballwin, MO Wildwood, MO Saint Louis, MO Dave Haas Membership Committee (Database & Directory) Ozark Fly Fishers, Inc February 2014 Page 5

6 Casting Tip February 2014 By: Bill Armon CCI I thought it would be good to go over some fly casting terminology. Every endeavor seems to eventually develop its own definitions / terminology. Some of the terminology is obvious some is not obvious at all. The FFF has tried for years to come up with standard and consistent terminology so that all of its instructors could use the same language. As I understand it, some of the most controversial discussions at these meetings have, to say the least, been heated. Therefore while the jury is still out on final definitions listed below is some of the terminology and one of the possible definitions. We will discuss specifics in future newsletters. Casting Stroke 1 full cast, a back cast followed by a forward cast power applied by the rod to the line in order to form a loop. Casting Arc - Change of the angle of the rod (most appreciated at the butt) between a back cast and a forward cast or any casting stroke. Stroke Length The distance the hand or the rod tip travels within or during a casting stroke. Loop - A moving length of line, that resembles a candy cane, which is formed by the rod tip motion. It has three parts; a top leg, a curve, and a bottom leg. Drift - The (hopefully) powerless repositioning of the rod after power is applied to the line and a line direction has been set into motion. Creep An unintentional movement of the rod in the direction of the next power application. (This is a common fault and results in a short stroke length.) More definitions will be in the next newsletter. The two main sources for these definitions have been sexyloops and virtual flycasting.com Quick note: if you have not seen and heard Gary Borger our next meeting should be a must. He is not to be missed as he is one of fly fishing and fly casting s greatest personalities! Fly of the Month February 2014 By Mike Ott Ed Story is most famous for his creation of the Crackle Back. No other fly pattern has been so popular, so copied, or so adapted to catch fish everywhere. A lesser known variation is Bob s Fly; created by its namesake Bob Story. A smaller and less-flashy pattern this is a great fly to fish everywhere particularly on the Current River and inside Montauk State Park. This was my hot fly during this past FYAO, matching the little caddis coming off that brought all the fish to the top. Again, pheasant tail, copper wire, and ginger hackle are all those things that trout love. Hook: Standard or Short-Shank Dry Fly Hook Thread: 8/0 or 12/0 Brown Hackle: Ginger Saddle Ribbing: Fine Copper Wire Body: Pheasant Tail Fibers. Secure hook in vise, start thread just behind hook eye, and advance thread to hook bend. Prepare hackle by stripping off hackle fibers from the base of the hackle feather leaving about 1/8 of bare shaft. Tie in at hook bend with dull-side toward you. Tie in ribbing wire, and 5-6 pheasant tail fibers by the tips at the hook shank. Advance thread to hook eye. Wrap an even, thin body of the pheasant tail fibers to just behind hook eye. Tie off and trim excess. Counter wrap the body with the wire rib to reinforce the body. Tie off and trim excess. Wrap the hackle forward evenly-spaced to the hook eye. Tie off and trim excess. Make a neat head with the thread, whip finish and trim thread. I fish this all day long mainly as a dry fly. Depending on the fish, I will also strip it back like a Crackleback if the fish are chasing emerging flies. Ozark Fly Fishers, Inc February 2014 Page 6

7 Stream team 31 By Scott Darrough CURRENT RIVER WATER QUALITY MONITORING - MARCH 15, AM AT THE TAN VAT ACCESS This is an awesome time of the year to study macro invertebrates. As always when monitoring, bring a towel and spare change of clothes in case of an unexpected spring time swim. Carpooling and breakfast in route may be a possibility. If attending or if you have any questions, please contact Scott Darrough at or swdarrough@yahoo.com SANDY CREEK WATER QUALITY MONITORING MARCH 29, AM AT SANDY CREEK STATE PARK NEAR HILLSBORO, MO Anyone interested in WQM is welcome to attend this event, trained or not. Numerous volunteers are needed to monitor multiple sites. If you are unfamiliar with the Stream Team program, this will provide an excellent opportunity to see what it is all about. Note that this site is an hour or less drive from St. Louis, and is always very productive with providing a bounty of biodiversity in the form of macro invertebrates. Several Stream Teams will be coordinating on this monitoring simultaneously. Level 2 volunteers are needed to lead and mentor these various monitoring sites. This project partners with the Sandy Creek Watershed Partnership. As always when monitoring, bring a towel and a spare change of clothes in the event of an unexpected swim. If interested in attending, please contact Scott Darrough at or swdarrough@yahoo.com WANTED: ONE FLY - FOR DONATION TO THE 6 TH ANNUAL WATER QUALITY MONITORING OUTING Please bring with you a fly of your choice to the February meeting for donation to our Members Fly Board. This board is always a popular raffle item at our WQM outing in July. All proceeds from this board will go to supporting the OFF. This is an opportunity for all members to make a contribution to their club. Any questions, please contact Scott Darrough at or swdarrough@yahoo.com Ozark Fly Fishers Calendar of Events 2014 Feb. 27 th General Membership Meeting GRC Queeny park 7:00 9:30 Mar. 4 th Intro to Fly Fishing Class 1 GRC Queeny park 7:30 9:30 $ Mar. 6 th Fly Fishing Techniques 7:30 9:30 $ Mar. 8 th All Day Meeting with Gary Borger Mar. 10 th Special Tying Class Hopper patterns with Mike Ott Mar. 11 th Intro to Fly Fishing Class 2 - GRC Queeny park 7:30-9:30 $ Mar. 12 th Member Ship Tying Class Ant and Beetles Mar. 13 th Reading the water GRC Queeny Park 7:30-9:30 $ Mar. 20, 21 and 22 Sowbug Round Up 2014, Baxter County Fairgrounds, Mountain Home, AR Mar. 25 th Intro to Fly Fishing Class 3 GRC Queeny Park 7:30 9:30 $ Mar. 29 th Chili Tie In Marlins Clubhouse 9:00 3:00 Apr. 1 Intro to Fly Fishing Class 4 GRC Queeny Park 7:30 9:30 $ Apr. 5-9 Michigan Steel Head Trip Contact Malcolm Royce Apr. 8 th Beginning Fly Casting Class 1 Tillies Park 7:00 8:00 $ Apr. 15 th Beginning Fly Casting Class 2 Tillies Park 7:00 8:00 $ Apr. 24 th General Membership Meeting GRC Queeny Park 7:00 9:30 Ozark Fly Fishers Yahoo Group One of the benefits of being a member of the Ozark Fly Fishers is the Ozark Fly Fishers Yahoo group. The Yahoo Group is a direct line of communication with all who choose to join. Like any other club function, the more members participating the better. The OFF Yahoo group is reserved for Members Only to keep spam and other issues that go hand and hand with the internet under control. The Yahoo group is a great avenue to receive or post fishing reports, big and little fish pictures or thoughts and ideas on club functions as well as to seek advice from a vast wealth of knowledge on just about anything fly fishing. To become an Ozark Fly Fishers Yahoo member is easy. If you are interested in joining the group, please contact Mike Swederska Cell: (314) Office: (314) shur-way@sbcglobal.net Ozark Fly Fishers, Inc February 2014 Page 7

8 Board of Directors Officers: Directors: Chairs: Stream Team 31: President: Bill Leslie Communications: John Tymony Casting: Brian Ellis Coordinator: Scott Darrough Vice President: Bob Zagar Conservation: Wallis Warren Fly Tying: Mike Ott Blue Springs: Glenn Bish Secretary: Mark Thalhammer Education: Al Bourisaw Webmaster: Mark Thalhammer Current River: Scott Darrough Treasurer: Jim Morrison Membership: Mike Ott Librarian: Scott Darrough Mill Creek: Bill Leslie Past President: Mike Swederska Outings: Malcolm Royce Ways and Means: Mark Harris Ozark Fly Fishers Objectives Founded 1971 To promote fly fishing as the most sportsmanlike and enjoyable way of fishing and the method most consistent with the preservation and wise use of our game fish. To practice conservation of natural resources and to support efforts for environmental quality and pollution control. To provide advice, education, and assistance to promote the art of fly fishing. To demonstrate applied techniques in fly fishing, tying, casting and related subjects Ozark Fly Fishers meet at 7:00 PM on the fourth Thursday of each month at the Queeny Park Rec Center (Unless noted differently see Calendar) Ozark Fly Fishers, Inc February 2014 Page 8

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