SOUTH SOUND FLY FISHERS

Transcription

1 SOUTH SOUND FLY FISHERS THE GARDEN HACKLE Volume 16 Issue 3 March 2016 President Don talks about fishing prospects this spring. Also Don suggests heavier tippets on Sea Runs. Page 1 Chester Allen returns as our speaker this month. Fishing in the Yellowstone area is the topic. Page 2 The SSFF biennial club Dinner and Auction is coming April 19 th. This is a fun event for the family. Page 3 Leaders Line Greetings, March 6th Day light savings starts next week, so what are you going to do about it? Play outside I hope! It will still be light when arriving at the club meeting, so over the years, a number of the members start coming to the fire department a little early to meet out back and cast. This is a chance to show off your new string stick, share your expertise or casting problems with other members, and socialize without all the noise inside. Just saying. If you keep your gear in the car, stop after work to make a few casts in the sound, river or lake, some of each are open year round close by. This is the time to sharpen outdoor skills after a winter of tying flies, greasing lines and waiting for the rivers to drop. Make a date with another club member to meet up and share your favorite (not secret) spot or activity. Munn Lake is well stocked, the cutthroat are closer to the river mouths looking for love and/or chum fry. If you are targeting the sea runs, keep in mind that some of these trout will be post spawn, which can leave them weakened. You can t pick which fish will bite so get em in and get em off. Over playing fish stresses them unnecessarily, so avoid the temptation to use light rods (4 wt and lighter) and tiny trout tippets. I personally use heavier gear for fishing in the sound than do many other anglers. My favorite go to is an old 6 wt saltwater rod, with 2x premium fluorocarbon tippets. Sea run cutthroat are anything but leader shy, so this won t cost you any hooks ups. You can play the fish firmly, get them in as quickly as practical, and release them without over handling. This capability can have surprise benefits as well. When you cast a fly into the sound, you are sending out a party invitation, expecting a trout, and a 19 sea run is about as big as they get. But, when I first started doing this, I would get an occasional (read rare) vicious strike and strip in a bare tippet. I started using a 12lb, 2x material and that disappointment turned into a 32 blackmouth.

2 Be prepared for party crashers. Best regards, Don Freeman Page 2

3 MARCH 2016 PROGRAM Chester Allen Chester has spoken to our club many times and always presents a great program. In March, Chester will give a presentation on Fly Fishing for large trout in the Rockies and West Yellowstone. This is also the subject of Chester s upcoming book, which s not yet in print but soon to be published. Chester has graciously donated a signed copy of his book Fly Fishing for Sea-Run Cutthroat to our monthly raffle for the March meeting. He will have copies of the book for sale and signing. He will also be happy to sign any of his books that are brought to the meeting. He will be available for questions from members and loves to talk fishing with our club members. Chester has worked in daily newspapers for 17 years, including as senior reporter and outdoor columnist for The Olympian. Chester is now executive editor of Sports Car Market magazine in Portland, Oregon. Chester lives in Hood River, Oregon but he frequently returns to the South Puget Sound region to connect with old friends and pester our sea-run cutthroat. Don t miss this new Program offered by Chester!! Page 3

4 SAVE THIS DATE: TUESDAY APRIL 19, 2016 South Sound Fly Fishers Family Pot-Luck and Auction South Sound Fly Fishers welcome all fly fishers to attend our Family Pot-Luck Dinner and Auction on Tuesday, April 19, 2016, at the Black Lake Grange Hall, 6011 Black Lake Boulevard, Olympia, next to the fire station. The dinner will be at 6:00 and the auction will start at 6:45. This is a live-only auction and all funds raised will go to the club s conservation and service projects including support of: South Sound Salmon Enhancement Group Casting for Recovery Northwest Youth Conservation and Fly Fishing Academy Project Healing Waters at the American Lake Veterans Hospital Hood Canal Salmon Enhancement Group Kennedy Creek Salmon Trail This is a family pot-luck, so please bring a hot-dish, salad or desert to share. We are looking for donations of experiences and adventures (fishing trips, vacation cabins, gourmet dinners, etc.). We are also looking for higher valued items like boats, trailers, rods, reels and gift cards to be in the live auction. We thank the business owners, outfitters, guides, fly shops, lodges and ranches that have supported this auction with donations of outings, adventures, guided trips and experiences. We also encourage club members to contact business owners, guides, fly shops, lodges and ranches that they believe may be interested in making a donation for advertising purposes. For more information, to RSVP, or make a donation, please contact John Sabo at chrisonquince@comcast.net, or Dave Field at d_w_field@hotmail.com, no later than April 5, Attached is the Auction s Procurement Form. Please complete one form for each donation, and e- mail it to John Sabo or Dave Field no later than Tuesday, April 5, Please join us for an evening of fun, fine food, friendship, fish stories, and entertainment as we generate funds to continue our club s conservation and education programs. Tight Lines! Page 4

5 SOUTH SOUND FLY FISHERS AUCTION PROCUREMENT FORM April 19, 2016 Thank you for procuring an item for the auction! Please complete everything above the dotted line. Remember that the quality and quantity of detail you provide on this form will directly affect its sale at auction, so be thorough in your description. If you have questions regarding how to fill out the form or what information to include, please contact John Sabo or Dave Field. When you have completed this form, please to: JOHN SABO DAVE FIELD 2933 Quince St. SE nd Ave. SE Olympia, WA OR Olympia, WA Procurer (You!): Phone: What is the item? (ONE ITEM PER FORM PLEASE!): Below, please describe the item in detail. If fishing trip, please specify a date or the available time window, what you will provide and what the bidder must bring such as a floating device, waders, rod weight, fly-line type, flies, lunch/beverages, etc. Also please indicate fly fishing skill level (beginner, intermediate, advanced) if this is important to the success of the trip. If you are donating a physical auction item, please provide a full description such as size, type, model year and indicate if it is new or gently used. ESTIMATED VALUE: Please give or deliver physical items or gift certificates to John or Dave no later than Thursday, March 31 st FOR PROCESSING ONLY (DO NOT COMPLETE): Item received/stored at (location): Item to be delivered on (date): CONTROL NUMBER: Page 5

6 Fly Fishing on the Internet By Judy Graham, SSFF Education Chair Internet Fly Fishing Resources There is a wealth of fly fishing information available on the internet. You can spend endless hours searching sites and learning about all aspect of the sport including entomology, casting either a single or two handed rod, line set-up, new products hitting the market, fishing techniques or fly tying. With the Spring upon us, I thought that I d share some of my favorite websites. Before I talk about what s on the internet I want to say that my favorite place to learn about fly fishing is at our locally owned fly shop. Ours in the Olympia/Lacey/Tumwater area is The Fly Fisher. Bjorn, the owner, will give you one on one attention that you can t get on the Web. Bjorn is an amazing wealth of knowledge and a commercial fly tier who will share all his techniques with you, if you ask. I love that shop!! An excellent all-purpose website can be found at It offers forums on a variety of topics as well as archives that you can search for specific information on equipment, places to fish, and more. Forum participants must register. There are links to weather and river flow information, and even clear instructions on tying a variety of necessary knots. My favorite resource is Youtube. I use this for checking a myriad of fly fishing topics whether it s Spey casting, splicing a fly line, or various tying techniques for a particular fly I want to tie. Within Youtube I can save a library or channel of all my favorite presenters whether it s Brian Chan for lake fishing, or Davie McPhail for fly tying. Many local shops have Facebook pages, websites and sometimes Youtube channels that are helpful for current information about hatches, fishing reports, information on lakes, rivers, and Puget Sound as well as instructional videos. Since they all have valuable information, check out each site to determine your own favorites. This list is just a portion of the local shops and sites available. Local Fly Shops with websites: Emerald Water Anglers Puget Sound Fly Co. Creekside Angling Co. Red s Fly Shop The Evening Hatch Worley Bugger Fly Co. Orvis Good sites for fly tying: FFF Fly of the Month and State Fish and Wildlife sites: Washington While you re on this site you can get your new fishing license as your current license expires March 31, Page 6

7 Fly Fishing 101 Date: Saturday, April 23, 2016 Time: 10:00 to 2:00 Place: South Bay Fire Station Class limit: 8 Cost: $50 To Register: judybeem@hotmail.com Fly Fishing 101 is an interactive, hands-on experience, designed to introduce new anglers to the world of fly fishing. During the morning you will learn the essential elements of fly fishing including equipment, rigging and knots, approaching the water, assessing water conditions, basic entomology and fly selection, fly presentation, as well as fly fishing etiquette. After a lunch break we ll go outside and learn basic casting skills including the pick-up and lay-down, false casting, changing direction and shooting line. There is no prior experience needed. Our instructor, Judy Graham, is an IFFF certified casting instructor and will demonstrate the skills and information needed to pick up this wonderful sport. Our goal is that each new angler will be self-sufficient on the water by the very next day. Saturday, June 11, 2016 Cost: Fishing the Olympic Peninsula Workshop If we have 3 people it will cost $150 per person If we have 8 people it will cost $100 With Jim Kerr To Register: Judy Graham at judybeem@hotmail.com The Olympic Peninsula is more than just good steelhead fishing. In this one day workshop you ll learn about steelhead, obviously, but also kings, resident rainbow, sea run cutthroat, summer Coho, sockeye and saltwater and estuary mysteries. Jim will have some maps, a ton of flies, some spey and switch rods to cast, a bag of spey lines to sort through and a boat load of techniques to try out. A Barbecue will be included. You need to bring a good map, a note book, waders, wading boots, polarized glasses, sunscreen, rain gear, your favorite fly rods some fly s assorted leader tippet, nippers, a camera, and anything else fly fishing you think you ll need. Page 7

8 NW YOUTH CONSERVATION & FLY FISHING ACADEMY 2016 Applications are now being accepted for the June 19-25, 2016 Academy. Up to 22 lucky boys and girls may attend the 2016 Academy at Hicks Lake in Lacey, WA. The applicant must submit an essay, explaining why they would like to attend The Academy and a letter of recommendation is to be submitted by their school counselor or science teacher. Both items may be ed to me. Enrollment fee is $300, however; there are sponsorships available. So no applicant will be turned away because of funding. Again we are very fortunate to receive financial support from the fly fishing clubs, the TU chapters, individuals and corporate organizations. The event is supported by Washington State Chapter of the International Federation of Fly Fishers and WCTU and the South Sound Fly Fishers, PSFF & Olympia TU. The applications can be obtained by contacting me or go to our website and download the forms at We now have a Facebook page with loads of pictures from last year s Academy. Just put in NW Youth and it will pop right up. If you have any questions, please contact nwycffa@comcast.net. Phone: Looking forward to another great year Mike Clancy, Co-Director, Jim Brosio, Co-Director & Tom VanGelder, Co-Director. Club Dues for 2016 are now due! Dues are $40.00 for current members and former members rejoining the club. Dues for new members joining the club are $ The additional $5.00 is to cover the cost of your name tag and club patch. Dues can be paid in cash or check at the March club meeting. There will be a membership table in the back of the meeting room. Dues can also be paid by US mail. The club address is: SSFF, PO Box 2792, Olympia WA Please make your checks payable to SSFF. Also, as we are at the start of a new year it is time again to verify your contact information. This verification will ensure the Garden Hackle reaches you and that you receive s from the club. There will be a copy of the current club roster at the membership table with spaces for you to enter any changes to your contact information. Page 8

9 Youth Fly Fishing Camp Livingston MT 2016 Do you know of any youth that are interested in learning about fly fishing? If you do, then plan on signing them up for the annual International Fly Fishing Fair Youth Camp. We are excited to be in Livingston, MT. for our 51 th anniversary and have the opportunity to teach youth about our sport of fly fishing! This year s Youth Camp will be an exciting two-day program, full of learning, fun, and fishing. It is designed for ages 8-17 and will offer a wide variety of angling and aquatic education topics. The first day classroom portion of the Youth Camp will be held at the high school in Livingston, the casting will be conducted on the school grounds. We have reserved a pond and a shelter for the fishing day of the camp. Folks interested in volunteering for this event, please go to the Fly Fishing Fair tab at our website to sign up. Volunteers will be needed to insure the youth are safe and having fun. A number of the youth will be new to fly fishing and guidance will be appreciated. The camp will begin both days at 9:00 a.m. and conclude at 4:00 pm, with a lunch break (lunch included) around noon. Anyone with special dietary needs please attend to those individually. Please make mention of any food allergy or diet restrictions when registering. Instructional topics will include entomology, fly tying, equipment and accessories, explanation of the balanced system, angler ethics, fishing safety, abeyance to regulations, catch and release, fly casting and last but not least, FISHING! I am a registered Fly Fishing Merit Badge counselor with the Pacific Harbors Council of the Boy Scouts of America. Any scouts interested in obtaining credit for requirements, please bring your own blue card and I d be happy to sign off those that are earned. Be prepared for inclement weather. Rain may not prevent continuing the program, but should high winds or lightening be present, we may have to make alternative arrangements. Participants need to bring a good hat/cap, sunglasses, sun screen, safety glasses for eye protection and a water bottle, along with any rescue medications needed. Be sure to indicate any health issues or concerns also when registering. I appreciate everyone s patience and flexibility to adapt to whatever conditions exist. I m sure we ll have a great time and a good experience. Class will be limited to the first 20 registrants for each day. All youth 11 and under must be accompanied by a parent/guardian. Plans for transportation are being looked into, kids will ride via private vehicles to the fishing. Everyone will be notified of transportation plans prior to the camp. If anyone has any questions of me in the meantime, feel free to me at mtclancy39@comcast.net or call my cell phone I m looking forward to meeting our participants and another great IFFF Youth Camp experience. Tight Lines Mike Clancy, Life Member IFFF Member WSCIFFF Council Co-Director, NWYCFF Academy Page 9

10 Youth Fly Fishing Registration 2016 All youngsters age 8-17 are invited to participate in the International Federation of Fly Fishers Youth Camp during the 2016 International Fly Fishing Fair. Fill out the following information. Please Print!! Contact Information: Parent s/guardian s name(s): Address: City: State: Zip: Phone: Name of Child(ren): Age: Food allergies, diet restrictions, medications: Pick one of the following: $15.00 x (how many kids) = $: Day One Only, August 2, from 9am-4pm, $15.00 x (how many kids) = $: Day Two Only, August 3, from 9am-4pm $25.00 x (how many kids) = $: Both Days, August 2-3, 9am-4pm each day Child s experience in fly fishing (fill out additional info for each child): Name: Beginner Some experience (1-2 years) Experienced I will need equipment for the day A HOLD HARMLESS AGREEMENT must be signed by a parent or guardian in order for the youth to attend. This agreement will either be in your registration packet at the Fly Fishing Fair or will be available from the youth chairman on site. All kids 11 years and under MUST BE ACCOMPANIED BY AN ADULT. Parent/Guardian Signature: Fill out one registration form per child and submit payment along with your Fly Fishing Fair registration form. If you (parent/guardian) are NOT attending the Fly Fishing Fair, but want to sign your youth up for the camp please contact the IFFF office at to make arrangements. Mike Clancy Chairman, IFFF Youth Event 2016 Page 10

11 Mike grew up in the Seattle area and fished as a youth with bait for many years. As time moved on and he completed his working years, he retired in 2000 and learned about fly fishing. Mike joined South Sound Fly Fishers and Puget Sound Fly Fishers and It wasn t long before he became active in the Washington Council of the International Federation of Fly Fishers, committing to various officer responsibilities. In a short while Mike became a life member of the IFFF. Mike has served as an officer with the WSCIFFF since 2003 and is presently the Government Affairs Chairman. Eight years ago Mike became a Co-Director of The NW Youth Conservation & Fly Fishing Academy in Lacey, WA. When SSFF member Dick Nye founder of the Academy retired, Mike along with Jim Brosio, a SSFF SSFF member, took on the responsibility of continuing the Academy. The Academy is for boys and girls years old, conducted for one week, usually the last full week of June. Mike is proud to be part of the Youth Program at the IFFF event in Livingston, MT. The future of our IFFF organization is in the future of our youth. Munn Day 2015 (Photos courtesy of Howard Nanto) Page 11

12 Ryan s REMINISCENCES of SSFF and its members from the 1970 s and 80 s, the BF years (before fluorocarbon) By Kevin Ryan, SSFF Historian When I joined the club in the early seventies, the John Conklin had just become president. John came to Washington from the Town of Tonawanda, New York, with a bachelor s degree in forestry and a guitar. He went to work for the State Department of Revenue as a forest tax analyst and he strummed his guitar around our campfires. He worked for the Department until he became terminally ill. Then the guitar fell silent all too soon. Although I held a number of club positions from VP to chief auctioneer, it was John who had the energy and drive. He put a lot of it into the Club. He had a clever and fertile mind which he demonstrated often by composing and performing his little tunes and bits of doggerel on club outings to Lake Chopaka and a dozen other places we fished in those days. One of John s creations lives on. That is the Club newsletter, which he dubbed, The Garden Hackle. He wrote almost all the articles each month, typed the newsletter on mimeograph sheets (remember those and the alcohol smell of the fresh sheet), rolled out the copies, stamped and addressed each copy and sent them off to eager members. For the letterhead, he even created a cartoon figure of a happy angle worm that appears below in The Hackle for the first time in many years. Willy, or whatever he was called, wore a jaunty hat, waved to the reader, and sported a big smile on his little worm face. HERE IS YOUNG WILLY IN THE 1970 S Page 12

13 HERE IS TEENAGER WILLY IN THE 1980 S John explained that the worm was smiling because he knew that we fly fishermen, the readers of The Hackle, would never, ever, resort to impaling him or any of his brethren on vulgar hooks. Thus the grin! Of course, then, because of the beaming image of the happy annelid, it was only natural that the newsletter be called, The Garden Hackle. But some of you young folks may ask, What the heck IS a garden hackle anyway? Well, a few years ago at a club committee meeting, the question arose. One of the newer members asked why the newsletter was called The Garden Hackle. I recounted the tale of the happy angle worm which used to appear in the heading of the newsletter. Willy seems to have wiggled off in recent years. Maybe, we could convince the Editor to let him return. (Editor s note: Yes, you will see it from time to time). Still unsatisfied, the member then got to the nub of his confusion and asked, OK, what does the worm have to do with the name of the newsletter, anyway? I explained that a garden hackle is a euphemism for --- an angle worm! You see, years ago, in a simpler time, the fishermen would go abroad to his favorite stream to match his wits against the wily trout and armed with great hopes and artful deceptions. He craftily offered his high floating Royal Coachman or Quill Gordon into the drift. Sometimes, however (often in my case), the fish god was dour and did not smile on his efforts. Then, the fisherman faced the prospect of returning home and hearth with an empty creel and a philosophic shrug to acknowledge the fickle whims of piscatorial fortunes. Page 13

14 But on the stream, as daylight waned, he thought how he might escape the ignominy and condescending sympathy that having the skunk on him brings. Stealthily, avoiding prying eyes, he would dig into the streamside loam and unearth an innocent earth worm minding his own business. This creature he threads onto his waiting hook and guides the bait into the swift flow of his stream. He might be rewarded with a welcome tug and soon have a heavy creel full of his lawful limit. Triumphant, he would return home with pride diluted only with the guilt of knowing that he achieved his goal by low artifice. His welcoming admirers, of course, eagerly would beg for the name of the killing pattern that had produced such success! Of course, he must not admit his fall from grace and, thinking quickly, divulges that the secret fly was none other than his artfully crafted Garden Hackle! However, he hastened to say that, regrettably, he lost his last one in a tree. So it was that the Garden Hackle became a part of fly fishing lore and it is from this bit of whimsy that we take the name of our monthly journal. We take our fly fishing seriously, but we appreciate life s little ironies. So, we understand and wink at his invention. We accept the place the good old Garden Hackle Fly holds in our history. So, in that spirit, we adopted the fly as the name of our newsletter. And that is the truth! To finish the story, the committee member argued for changing the name of the newsletter to something more respectable, than a disreputable worm. In repost, in the next edition of the newsletter, I argued for keeping name of The Garden Hackle, with all of its implied commonness, and offered the hope and the prayer that we would not abandon this tradition. I felt there is nothing wrong in poking a little fun at fly fishing s sometime pretention. The membership seemed to agree and so the newsletter is still (somewhat) affectionately known as, The Garden Hackle. Next time, with your continued forbearance, of course, I may be able to offer a comment or two about the club patch, the Sweeney nymph, and water safety, SSFF style. Yours truly, Kevin Remember-- do not park your car or truck in Fire Dept. Emergency Vehicle Driveway Page 14

15 Around the Bend-- April meeting is the Club Dinner and Auction at Black Lake Grange Hall on Black Lake Boulevard next to the Fire Station. Support the conservation and restoration efforts of SSFF. This event is held every two years to raise money for conservation and fish restoration in the south sound area. This is an event for the entire family. Come and enjoy the great food and spirited fellowship of your fellow fly fishers! Page 15

16 South Sound Fly Fishers OFFICERS, DIRECTORS AND COMMITTEE CHAIRS President: Don Freeman Vice President: Randy Allen Past President: Tom Bolender Secretary: Joe Spancic Treasurer: Dave Field Membership: Don Harold Conservation: Ben Dennis Education: Judy Graham Outings: (Open) Programs: Gene Rivers Fundraising: John Sabo Webmaster: Gene Rivers Newsletter: Dave Field WEB SITE US Mail Address: SSFF PO BOX 2792, Olympia, WA Club Meetings are held the third Tuesday of every month except December, starting at 6:30pm. Board meetings are held on the first Tuesday of every month starting at 6:00 pm. All meeting are held at the North Olympia Fire Station (Boston Harbor Fire Station)5046 Boston Harbor Road NE, Olympia WA. USA. Page 16