Spokane Fly Fishers Summer, 2012

Transcription

1 Spokane Fly Fishers Summer, 2012 PREZ SEZ By: Kurt Tempel Spokane Fly Fishers and families, I ve got to tell you I m pretty excited to be the new Spokane Fly Fishers President for a couple of reasons. First, our fishing club is composed of wonderful individuals, great fishermen and very supportive families. Thanks to the outstanding efforts of Mike Berube our club has grown, developed new educational programs, improved our fly fishing class curriculum and continued bringing national-level speakers to talk to all of us. It s a daunting task to take such a well-running machine, such as our club, and try to improve it. Mike has ensured we have a strong group of officers and Board members so we re up for the task! We all owe Mike and his team a big thank you for all their efforts during the past two years. Speaking of big thanks, we all need to say thanks to Celene Olgeirsson and Brian Durheim for hosting and organizing our end of year Award s Picnic. Great work and food Celene and Brian! Secondly, I m really excited because it s fishing time! As you read this, all our rivers, streams and lakes are open and ready to fish. Whether you prefer fishing still water or streams you have to admit this is a wonderful time of the year. Just check our 2012 outings schedule in this flyer. Wow so many places to fish and so little time! It s not too late to sign up for an outing. Give me or any Board member a call and we ll get you connected to the right person. Speaking of outings, you ll note many outings do not have a host. While we desire hosts for every club event the lack of a host shouldn t stop you from attending the outing if you want to fish that body of water. Thanks to the Outings Committee for organizing such a great venue of fishing opportunities! With our new Officers and Board members we re postured well for a great fishing season and upcoming New Year. I m very impressed with the caliber of all individuals serving and supporting our fishing club. If you want to get involved with any aspect of our club give me a call and we ll get you properly placed. There are numerous opportunities within our club so if you want to make an input or have a say in the direction our club is heading get involved. For our outgoing Officers and Board members many thanks for your hard work! I look forward to sharing fishing adventures with as many of you as possible during this next year. Tight lines to all of you! Now let s go fishing! OFFICERS AND BOARD MEMBERS President Kurt Tempel Vice President Gale Allen Treasurer Nedra Bayne Secretary Sherie Patano Board Position 1 Brad Thompson Board Position 2 Dan Wight Board Position 3 Mike Fortney Past President Mike Berube Sgt. At Arms Contact us at: P. O. Box 4141 Spokane, WA Or sffishers@comcast.net COMMITTEE CHAIRMEN Programs: Gale Allen Barbless Flyer Editor: Linda Howe Conservation: Dan Ferguson Outings Don Tietz Membership Sherie Patano Fly Fishing School: Mike Berube Librarian: Larry Ray Project Healing Waters: Norm Scott FFF Liaison: Dan Ferguson Beg. Fly Tying: Betty Smith-Lambert Int. Fly Tying: Dan Ferguson Club Chef: Carla Ferguson Volunteer Coordinator: Judy Kaufman AROUND THE BEND June 6, Streamer Fishing Techniques June 7, Amber Lake Outing 4 PM June 9, Coffee Pot Lake Outing 9AM June 16/17 North Fork CDA Outing

2 THE BARBLESS FLYER Page 2 STREAM FISHING TECHNIQUES CLASSROOM AND RIVER PRESENTATION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 6, 5:30 TO 8:00 OR WHENEVER REI (1125 N. MONROE) AND THE SPOKANE RIVER BY WAYNE JORDAN & BRAD THOMPSON You still have the opportunity to sign up for this class. Wayne and Brad are accomplished streamer anglers. We all say we re going to fish with streamers, try it for five minutes, say it s too hard and then tie on another dry. Get serious with this class and learn how to catch the REALLY BIG ONES! If you want to sign up please call Judy If the river is too high we will cancel and reschedule at a later date. CASTING INSTRUCTION SUNDAY AND MONDAY JULY 15 & 16 The classes are full. The classes will be held at Gale Allen s place on the Spokane River. I will call to remind those that have paid and signed up and will give you directions to Gale s place. Any questions, call Judy THANKS TO STANN GRATER Stann s presentation on nymph fishing techniques was outstanding. We had a full house (40 members) and look forward to Stann sharing more of his knowledge and skills with us in the near future! MEMBERSHIP Mary Kovatch, Membership Chair Only one new member signed up at the end of May. He is Mark Gardner. attend some of the outings this summer so we can get to know him. Hopefully he will If your dues were not paid by May 31, 2012, this will be the last issue of the Barbless Flyer you will receive. Hopefully those who have not paid will consider rejoining. Thank you to all of the members who have been so helpful to me. I have enjoyed being your membership chairperson, but after five years it is time to pass it on. Thank you to Sherie Patano who will be taking over this role for the club. OUTINGS IN DANGER OF CANCELLATION: DUE TO LACK OF HOST Middle Fork of the Flathead (Aug. 18,19) North Fork of CDA (Sept. 8,9) Clark Fork River (Sept. 15, 16) Spokane River (Oct. 7) Sprague Lake (Oct. 15,16). Each of these outings is in need of a host. All that is required is that you call those who have signed up and possibly arrange a place to meet at the outing location. It is not necessary to arrange a meal, etc. If you can possibly help, please call Don Tietz at

3 THE BARBLESS FLYER Page 3 KID S FISHING EVENT 2012 REPORT Thanks to the 20 folks that helped with Kid s Fishing Event. It was a little different this year. The fish didn t really begin biting until the weather warmed up around noon. This meant that the volunteers working in the beach area had to help cast, encourage and cheer even louder than usual. One great thing, there were lots of big fish this year that helped keep everyone happy. Thanks again particularly to those that know how to bait cast. WILLIAMS LAKE OUTING REPORT By: Bill Lundin Strong wind gusts deterred all of the Spokane Fly Fishers from fishing Williams Lake on May 9th. Dan Wight suggested trying less windy Badger Lake. The other fly fishers who stayed agreed with him and decided to give it a try. It was great exercise rowing against the wind, and Dan topped off the afternoon by landing seven trout to twenty-one inches on his home-tied black mohair leech. ANNUAL AWARDS PICNIC REPORT Celine Olgeirsson did a fantastic job in organizing (and shopping for) the picnic. The food was great. Thanks to all the members who brought side dishes, salads and desserts and thanks to the guys who manned the grill. Great Job!! The picnic signaled the end of the SFF fiscal year and the inauguration of the new board who will guide us for the coming year. Mike Berube, the exiting president emceed the event and, as usual, kept the meeting informative and fun as he thanked those who had helped him during his TWO year term. Mike turned over the gavel to Kurt Tempel who will guide us in Don t worry; Mike will still be on the board next year as Past-President. Awards were presented to a few who have been very involved with the club: Mover and Shaker Award: Sherie Patano Fly Fisher of the Year Award: Carolyn Sells Conservation Award: Dean Knudsen Lambert Award: Fred and Linda Howe As part of the festivities, there was a casting competition. Brian Durheim won a gift certificate, and bragging rights, for being the most accurate caster. Dan Ferguson held the drawing for the Sage rod raffle: The winner is.curt Byrd. FOR SALE BY MEMBER SAGE fly rod 7wt. 9 1/2 ft. RPL In new condition. $ SAGE fly rod 8wt 9ft. RPL III In new condition. $ Scientific Anglers System 2 Reel 1011, with Cortland Ultra 2 WF-8 F/S IV... Spare spool with Cortland 444 WF 9 F, Rocket taper (Never used). $ BUCKS BAG PONTOON BOAT: With side bags, oars, anchor bracket with 10 lb anchor, and attachable wheel. Excellent condition. $ Contact Mary Kovatch,

4 THE BARBLESS FLYER Page 4 CLEAR LAKE OUTING REPORT By: Mike Berube Just prior to the Annual Awards Picnic on May 12th about 15 club members hit the water at the Air Force resort on Clear Lake. What a beautiful morning, about 65 degrees and sunny with a few clouds. Everyone primarily fished the bay in front of and to the left of the boat docks. Everyone caught fish! The leftovers from the annual Kids Fishing day the week before liked the offerings of club members. Julie Neste has bragging rights as far as I can tell, they really liked her brown/orange woolly bugger. This is the first outing we've had here, we hope to fo it again next year. When we got off the water we were treated to a great BBQ lunch. ONE FLY CONTEST REPORT By: Mike Berube This year s 1 Fly Contest was an awesome event. There were 19 anglers, some new faces in the bunch.great to see. The weather could not have been better. The slight breeze produced a nice little chop on the water and the 80 degree temp made for great fishing conditions. The weather brought a very good bite, the rainbows were eager to chomp on the flies! We had thought about moving the event to another lake due to poor fishing reports.glad we didn t, lots of fish were caught. Everyone hit the water at 10 AM. The kick-boat hatch lasted until 1 PM sharp. Most armed themselves with a full sink line and their favorite lake pattern. The Damsel Nymph, Olive Bugger, Six Pack, and Olive Willy were the flies of choice. The Damsel Nymph proved to be the most productive. Dave Law used this nymph to bring TWENTY to the boat! First time in the event and he took first place, way to go Dave. Bill and Leona Strate took 2nd and 3rd respectively with 18 & 17 fish respectively. Those two are in the running for first every year. Each won a gift certificate to the local fly shop of choice ($30/$20/$10). Of course they also got the standard blue, red and yellow ribbons to go with the bragging rights. Following the fishing a burger and bratwurst burn filled everyone s bellies. Early on in the event, Eldon, Dan & Carla Ferguson s grandson did some field testing on his waders. His Hodgeman s didn t keep him dry when he fully submerged himself by the dock.maybe next year a full body suit is in order. At least a new pair of Simms G3s from Grandpa. Right Eldon? It was great to have him at the event! Thanks to everyone who helped out and brought food. Carla, Linda Howe, Pat Mielbrecht, and Mike Fortney were great. Thanks a lot. Special thanks to Carla and all of the other first responders for coming to the rescue when I had a minor grilling injury. Tight lines! Mike

5 THE BARBLESS FLYER Page 5 SPOKANE RIVER OUTING - WEDNESDAY 25 JULY 5 PM Host: Mike Berube Hey folks this should be a great outing! The flows should be just about right by then and there should be some nicely defined riffles and pocket water to work. We ll meet at the access point below the Maple St Bridge on Water Ave. Likely area to fish will be the area right below the Maple St. Bridge all the way down past the Sandifur walking bridge to the Latah Creek outlet. Likely flies to use: Sz elk hair caddis, CDC caddis (see previous Barbless Flyer for this pattern), caddis pupa, cased caddis, X caddis. Yes it will be caddis time. An assortment of streamers could be useful also. Have some: Sz 6-10 Olive buggers, black buggers, bunny leeches, Olive or Rusty Gonga. Some other dries to consider are Sz PMDs, emergers or dries. Any little nymph dropper off of a dry would be good also, maybe have some Lightning Bugs in your box. Don t forget your soft hackles! As the outing nears don t be afraid to get with the local shops, Swedes/Silverbow/Westslope will let you know what the hot fly is. We can fish until dark then meet at a local predetermined watering hole to swap stories. Give me a call/ if you d like to get signed up. tytlynz@gmail.com or See you on the water. KELLY CREEK OUTING JUNE Hosts: John and Lisa Hudson Well the trip to Kelly Creek is coming up June 27-29th. This is our second year of hosting and 5th trip since joining the club. Last year everyone caught fish and most people caught good size fish. The water was very high which caused some people to stay away but those who came were treated to great fishing. Numerous people made it up to Cayuse Creek which feeds Kelly Creek up higher. I caught the largest cut-throat I ve landed to date there last year. Right now the water level is on the high side which will hopefully translate into plenty of water later in the summer but hopefully less than last year. If you re new to the club or have never been here this is a must do for your fly fishing to do list. There are two ways to get to Kelly Forks campground. One way is though Peirce, Idaho which is used by logging trucks but is the main road the forest service uses to access their ranger station. The second way is over Hoodoo Pass from Superior, MT. It s a trek either way but in my opinion, worth the drive every year. We will be serving breakfast on Saturday morning so join us for some awesome fishing and some mediocre food. Anyone needing driving or carpool info can call us at Thanks-Hope to see you there. John and Lisa Hudson

6 THE BARBLESS FLYER Page 6 ST. JOE RIVER OUTING AUGUST 5, 6, 7 Hosts: Dan & Carla Ferguson Dan and Carla Ferguson will be hosting the St Joe outing this year. As we have for years now, we re planning on staying at Fly Flat campground. This is a nice medium sized Campground with 14 sites suitable for tents and small to medium sized trailers although some have CAREFULLY maneuvered larger RV s and 5th wheelers. Two really nice, well maintained outhouses and a pump with typically cloudy, but potable water. There is a chance that we won t be able to find room at Fly Flat as there are no reservations available. In this case we ll be moving to the Big Meadow 1 ½ miles from the main road. Look for the club banner. There are two ways to reach Fly Flat. The easiest and longest is via St Maries. Go through town and take the turn to Harrison/ Avery. Take a right turn in about a ½ mile. Take a very leisurely and relaxing drive past mile marker 76. Look for the turn onto the upper Joe Rd. Three miles on a one lane paved rd to the campground. Please allow time to stop at The Idaho Fly Fishing Co. in Avery for a sandwich or ice cream and pick up a few flies and such. Licenses are available across the Rd. at Sheffey s store as is soda, beer, ice and pricey gas! Fill up in St. Maries. You can also take I-90 to St. Regis Mt and head over the mountain. Get gas and such in town and a fishing license at Cantrell's Fly Shop, just north of town. Exit the freeway and take a left to the 4-way. Left again and about a mile to Little Joe Rd. Left again for 28 miles up and over, left just past mile marker 77. The 14 mile Montana side is gravel that can get a bit rough and dusty. The Joe is a very fine cutthroat fishery, with fish ranging from 8-18 inches. You ll always have great luck with Caddis patterns and also do very well as Comparaduns, Tan and Olive working well. Fish a Stimulator, Humpy or Turks Tarantula with a small Nymph dropper and swing Soft Hackles during the evening. Don t overlook Hoppers, Ants, and Bees! This is a great chance for the novice fisher, as cuts are always hungry and we will have plenty of experts available. It is a relatively easy river for wading and it should be warm enough for those who do not have fancy breathables yet. Our plan is to have an on the water clinic Saturday morning. This is a great outing to bring the non-fishing partner and the kids or grandkids. Bring the bikes, BB guns and slingshots! We plan on arriving Thursday. Please be prepared to share camp site as we can get cozy with all the folks on this outing. We ve talked about the problem of pulling folks off the water at prime fishing time for dinner, so have opted to do a late lunch instead. You can eat, take a siesta and be back on the water by 6! Late lunch Saturday AFTERNOON around two will be Pulled Pork sandwiches and corn on the cob. With A-F bringing desserts, G-N side dishes and O-Z salads. We realize with this being a bit more remote outing that this might not work for all. Friday evening we ll have a BYOB (bring your own beef) feed. Give Dan or Carla a call if you have any questions at or nwflyguy@comcast.net.

7 THE BARBLESS FLYER Page 7 COLVILLE NATIONAL FOREST CONSERVATION PR0JECT CALISPELL CREEK WORK DAY - SATURDAY, JUNE 23 On Saturday, June 23, we will have a workday and barbecue at Calispell Creek in Colville National Forest. The location information will be sent to those who sign up. This is about a one-hour drive from Spokane and is located north of Highway 2 and State Highway 211. We have worked in this area before and there are opportunities for fishing. Several members caught fish at the last outing. The work will start at about 9 AM under the direction of Karen Honeycutt, the Colville National Forest fisheries manager. Please contact Dan Ferguson at to volunteer. FEDERATION OF FLY FISHERS INTERNATIONAL FLY FISHING FAIR AND FILM FESTIVAL JULY 10TH THROUGH JULY 14TH By: Len Zickler The annual FFF Fly Fishing Fair (formerly known as Conclave) is one of the premier fly fishing events held in North America marks the 47th anniversary of the event. The Fly Fishing Fair is a five day fly fishing education event that attracts fly fishing enthusiasts and new-comers from around the world. The Fair is designed to be a major educational opportunity for anyone interested in fly fishing. Proceeds from the event provide the annual funding base for FFF operations and help support our education and fly-fishing related conservation efforts internationally. This is the first year we have partnered with the International Fly Fishing Film Festival. The film will be shared at two showings on Thursday July 12th at the beautiful Bing Crosby Theater. Tickets for the film may be purchased in advance at the FFF Fair Registration website. The film fair will be an important fund raiser for the FFF. The Fly Fishing Fair attracts up to 2000 attendees from around the globe. Many attendees are FFF members, however, the general public is invited and encouraged to attend. The 5 day event offers workshops, programs, and demonstrations in fly tying, fly casting, fly fishing tactics, aquatic entomology, fly rod building, angling ethics, water safety, and many related topics. Also offered are youth and women's clinics, conservation and education forums, photo contests, author book signings and much more. In addition to scheduled activities, a major feature of the show is the exhibit hall (Spokane Convention Center) where fishing tackle companies, retailers, travel services and other fly fishing related companies offer exhibits and sales of their products. This year the event will held July 10th through the 14th 2012, at the Spokane Convention Center. The Host hotel is The Red Lion inn at the Park. A newly remodeled facility that will host attendees, the Presidents Dinner and Auction Fund raiser. Spokane is a beautiful city with many attractions for Fair goers and family. There is a wide variety of fishing opportunities within a one hour drive of downtown. Check out the FFF website for more information on programs and activities. Workshops and programs are filling up fast, so please register as soon as possible. Go to to register. If you would like to volunteer for the Fair the registration fee will be waved. If you have questions, please call Len Zickler at

8 THE BARBLESS FLYER Page 8 BOOK OF THE MONTH By: Larry Ray When asking someone if they fly fish, have you ever heard them respond with something like No, that s to complicated, or something similar? And then, despite your assurances to the contrary, you knew they went off unconvinced? I know this has happened to me more than once. Fortunately, there is a book out there that thoroughly debunks the mystique and undue pretense of our great sport. THE CURTIS CREEK MANIFESTO, a delightful work on fly fishing that, with its humorous, compact, simplified instruction, is just the ideal tool! It could certainly can be called a comic book, crammed as it is with illustrations reminiscent of the counter-culture comics of the early seventies (remember the Freak Brothers?). In fact, the author s introduction inside the cover ( Sheridan Andreas Mulholland Anderson angler, artist, wanderer, eternal foe of the work ethic ) seems to validate his membership in that genre. But, the Manifesto is so much more. No other work that I have found provides such compact, solid instruction, while stripping away the intimidation that too often surrounds our sport, than does the Manifesto. Periodic reading of the Eleven Commandments (page 5) would serve any of us well. For example, Thou shalt fish upstream, and Thou shalt avoid fly-drag like the plague and watch thy lure like a hawk are examples of sage advice to which we would all do well to adhere. The discussion of tackle (pages 21 25) conveys, through cartoons and witty examples, the necessity of solid equipment but without frills or excessive spending. Like, on automatic reels drop one in a sandy creek and learn something about applied mechanics. There is a common theme of do-it-yourself simplicity throughout (such as making one s own wading shoes from canvas sneakers and making a vice from a deer antler and wing nut). The section on flies ( FLIES and FOOFARAW ) is likewise reassuring, conveying a basic understanding of styles and uses. Similarly disarming sections on stalking trout (heavily emphasized), reading water, flies, fly tying, hooks and knots, casting, cleaning and cooking trout, and even Guddling-Tickling (catching trout with one s bare hands!), are all presented in an engaging cartoon style. The Manifesto is still found on the shelves of most book sections in fly shops, and I recommend it as your first gift to anyone who you might mentor in the sport. But, should you just want to spend a delightful evening reading thoroughly insightful fly fishing advice, driven home by a humorous cartoon style and punctuated by some hearty laughter, come check out THE CURTIS CREEK MANIFESTO from the SFF Library. LIBRARY SUMMER HOURS: The SFF Club Library will not be open on any specific days during the summer months. Instead, anyone wanting to visit the library and check out books can call Larry Ray at to make an appointment. Larry will be glad to meet you there if you call.

9 THE BARBLESS FLYER Page 9 SPOKANE FLY FISHERS 2012 OUTINGS DATE OUTING HOST RATING/EXPLANATION See May Barbless for: June 2/3 Chopaka Lake NEED HOST 1 Access by Large Motorhomes and Trailers may be limited. Check access road. June 7 Amber Lake Fred Howe 1 (Date Change from 6/6) June 9 Coffeepot Lake Mike Melmoth II 1-Could be windy. June 16/17 North Fork CDA Mike M. II & Aunt Sue 2-Wading June 23/24 Blackfoot River Brad Thompson 3-Float: Obstacles, sweepers July 20/22 Georgetown Lake Gale Allen 1 In this Summer Barbless: July 25 Spokane River Mike Berube 3-Wade, slick (Wade only-wednesday evening) July 27/29 Kelly Creek John Hudson 3-Wade: Access, slick August 3/5 St. Joe River Carla Ferguson 1-3-Wade: Depending on where. August 18/19 Middle Fork Flathead NEED HOST Will be in September Barbless: Sept. 8/9 North Fork CDA NEED HOST 2-Wading 3-Float: Rapids, obstacles, sweepers. Sept. 15/16 Clark Fork River NEED HOST 2-Float:Bridge abutments, small rapids, obstacles Sept.28/Oct.1 Missouri River-Craig, Mt. Carolyn Sells 2-Float: Bridge abutments, obstacles Oct. 7 Spokane River NEED HOST 3-Float: Rapids, obstacles, sweepers 3-Wade: Slick (Sunday Float) Oct. 15/16 Sprague Lake NEED HOST 1:Could be cold/windy. SEE PAGE 7 OF THE FEBRUARY BARBLESS FOR RATING DESCRIPTIONS SUPPORT OUR LOCAL BUSINESSES. THEY SUPPORT US.

10 THE BARBLESS FLYER Spokane Fly Fishers P. O. Box 4141 Spokane, WA RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED PLEASE REMEMBER TO BRING YOUR NAME TAGS TO THE MEETING NEXT MEETING SEPTEMBER 12, 2012 SPEAKER TO BE ANNOUNCED 7:OO PM ST. FRANCIS SCHOOL 1104 W. HEROY THE MISSION OF THE SPOKANE FLY FISHERS IS TO PROVIDE A FAMILY FRIENDLY ORGANIZATION FOR PROMOTING THE SPORT OF FLY FISHING THROUGH EDUCATION, APPLICATION, AND CONSERVATION.