Tight Lines Sept

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1 Tight Lines Sept San Luis Obispo, CA Greg & Mary Lugo, Editors PRESIDENT S LETTER Lew Leichter September 2015 John Gierach: After a long hard day of fishing: I'd finished my coffee and accepted a cold beer which tasted so wonderful I almost fell off the tailgate. My friend taught me when you're tired have a cup of coffee first so you can stay awake to enjoy the beer. ELECTION TIME - Time To Get Involved As we enter the 4th quarter it's time to start planning and organizing for December will be our annual meeting and election of board members. Our current officers, board and committees have done a great job this year and I hope many of them will return. At the same time it seems our club is becoming a "same old thing" organization. We need some fresh ideas. It would therefore be very beneficial to get a few others of you involved as you bring fresh ideas and perhaps a better way to do things to our club. Being on the board or on a committee is not hard, stressful or very time consuming. I want to encourage all club members to consider helping by being on the board or one of the committees. So let us hear from you; I know you will enjoy it. E-BLASTS FROM THE WEBSITE Thanks to Art and Ted we now have the capability to do e-blasts from the website. Historically, I had to build and maintain a SLFF GROUP and use it to send out e-blasts with all e-blasts being routed through me. I can and will start doing e-blasts through the website; another huge plus is other authorized members will have the ability to do e-blasts too. So if you are one of the handful not yet signed up on the website, you will soon be missing out. (1

2 PROJECT HEALING WATERS DONATION At our July meeting, with Cmdr. Joel Stewart as our guest, we took up a collection for Project Healing Waters. I'm pleased to report with yours and the clubs donation we were able to send them a check for $766. Thank you to all who donated. 4 SEASONS OUTFITTERS A big thanks to John and Mike for their donation of fly lines that we will use in future raffles. REMEMBER WE DO HAVE A FLY SHOP IN SLO AND THEY DESERVE OUR SUPPORT! MEMBERS SLIDE SHOW AT OUR DECEMBER MEETING December s club program will be our 6th Annual Year-in Review show led by Mark Shelton. If you have any digital photos you d like to see in this show, please them to Mark at mshelton@calpoly.edu This is an interactive program, so members can share their highlights of great trips with the club while watching the slides. Don t miss it! SEPTEMBER MEETING It's always neat to have a member of another club do a program for us. Steve Schalla of the Sespe Fly Fishers will be our guest. Steve's program "A Naturalist History of the Sierra Nevada" should be really interesting. (See below.) LAGO FIG NEWS Rick Paaske reports they found a leak in the dam and due to earthquake concerns they must drain the lake and repair the leak and then refill. Rick doubts if this will get done in time for this season. He will keep us posted. SAVE THE DATES SEPT 3 FLY TYING 6:30 at Odd Fellows Hall (see below) SEPT 10 Board meeting 5 to 6. General meeting 6:30 to 8:30 SEPT 22 Sea Jay offshore fly fishing outing (see below) OCT SWCIFFF Faire in Bishop (see below) NOV 2-4 New Outing Fish Pyramid Lake with Chris Wharton contact Tom Nicholson (see below) (2

3 Thursday, September 10, 2015 at 6:30pm Margie s Diner, 1575 Calle Joaquin, SLO A Naturalist History of the Sierra Nevada Steve Schalla I have always been fascinated with the Sierra Nevada. Growing up on the coast of California, these mountains were our eastern border and defined our state. They contained some of the highest peaks and deepest canyons anywhere within the 48 states. The landscape was impressive and diverse from the Oak Woodland foothills to the Alpine tundra. Mixed Conifers inhabited these mountains with pockets of Giant Sequoia, the largest tree in the world. The wildlife was also diverse and unique. Golden Trout, Lahontan Cuts, and Redband trout existed only within certain areas. The Sierra Nevada is a relatively young mountain range yet it has a complex history in its development from an ancient seabed to the rugged granite peaks that one sees today. Man s involvement with the Sierra Nevada is also quite complex and fascinating. These mountains provided the water and power that allowed California to become one of the most economically successful states in the Union. My program will share some of the history of the Sierra Nevada. Although many of us visit the region and enjoy the fishing, the history of the region will provide a deeper appreciation and help us understand how important this mountain range is to our families and ourselves. My background is one of a Naturalist. I grew up within the Santa Barbara area during the 1950 s and 60 s. Our family enjoyed both backpacking and fly fishing, so there were many excursions to the Sierra Nevada. During my High School years, I tended to lean toward the natural sciences with an interest in Marine Biology. We had a major oil spill in 1968 within the Santa Barbara channel and I was selected to attend a National Youth Science Foundation Oceanography program in Maine for the summer. My project there was to study the effects of oil dispersants on intertidal marine life. I attended UC Santa Barbara where I was a Botany major with a particular interest in California plants. This major brought many more trips to the Sierra where I found appreciation in the diversity of the (3

4 flora. I transferred to UC Berkeley as a Forestry major. UC Berkeley at the time was ranked as the best Forestry School in the nation. We had some great faculty members that were closely connected to the Timber and Resource activities that took place within the Sierra Nevada during the 1940 s, 50 s, and 60 s. One of those Professors was A. Starker Leopold, the son of Aldo Leopold. Starker taught the Wildlife classes and was a very adept fly fisherman. In addition to taking Forestry courses at Cal, I was a research assistant for Dr. Edward Stone who taught the Ecology classes. I finally entered the workplace in 1976 starting a reforestation nursery in Carmel Valley. My first contract was 2 million seedlings for the Six Rivers National Forest. Reforestation was a very demanding field with plenty of business from major timber companies and Government agencies. I started two more reforestation nurseries in Oregon and Washington. Overall, I grew about 45 million seedlings that were planted within the Northwest. As quickly as the reforestation grew, it quickly subsided once most of the large growth timber was removed from the Pacific Northwest. I moved back to the Santa Barbara area and where I have a Reprographics business. It is ironic that once you are physically away from those fishing localities, i.e. Umpqua and Lewis River that you lived on, you become stimulated to seek the fishing opportunities and make sure that you do not miss those opportunities any further. So for the past fifteen years, I try to make a trip to the Sierra about every two weeks. My serious interest in fly fishing started when I returned and met Bob Johns and Neal Taylor. There was so much information on fly fishing that I had stacks of magazines, books, and notes filling my home office. There had to be a better way to organize this information so that I could readily access it. So, I decided to start a web site called Fly Fishing the Sierra ( in Within this site, I could put images and recipes of the fly patterns that I wanted to use. I also wanted to have maps showing how to access certain waters, what flies to use, and what fish inhabited those waters. The web site has worked well for me over time. Currently, I am developing fishing maps of certain Sierra drainages. Some fly fishing guides have assisted me in putting together maps for the Kern River, Owens River, Kings River, and Carson Drainage. When you put together a map, you get a unique perspective with a bird s eye view. It will provide information that is just beyond your view. This is what I hope to accomplish with the program to be given. A Naturalist History of the Sierra Nevada will give you that extra appreciation the next time you are fishing on your favorite stream or lake within the Sierra Outings & Event Schedule Rich Chubon Listed below is our Club s 2015 calendar for Outings and Events. We have some new events and outing opportunities scheduled for next year in addition to our favorites. Where we could, dates have also been provided. Some dates are yet to be determined. Remember also that dates can change depending on water, weather, and fishing conditions. All date changes will be announced in our newsletter and/or by an e-blast when necessary. SANTA LUCIA FLY FISHER 2015 OUTINGS & EVENTS SEPTEMBER 22 October OCTOBER NOVEMBER 2-4 NOVEMBER 7-8 NOVEMBER SEA JAY SALT WATER TRIP Andy Malovos FFF FLY FISHING FAIRE BISHOP, CA - Rich Chubon SWC INTERCLUB TOURNAMENT KERN RIVER PYRAMID LAKE with CHRIS WHARTON Tom Nicholson ONEIL FOREBAY STRIPERS Mark Shelton SCOTT RIVER LODGE STEELHEAD Steve Soenke (4

5 SLFF Tying Group Jim Snodgrass The next fly tying session will be held at the Odd Fellows Hall in San Luis Obispo on Thursday, September 3 rd at 6:30pm. Tube Flies Terry Croxton will demonstrate the tying of two different types of Tube Flies. Terry said that Tube Flies have long been used to fish for Salmon and Steelhead. A Tube Fly is basically a fly tied on a tube. The fly can slide up the leader away from the fish strike. Unlike most flies, the hook can be easily replaced on the Tube Fly and still keep the fly intact. Almost any fly that can be tied on a hook can be tied on a tube because the tying platform isn t limited to length and weight of a particular hook shank. Another positive trait of the Tube Fly is that the sink rate of the fly can be adjusted in many ways. Using smaller and shorter shanked hooks give great benefits in fish hook ups and reduce the fish throwing the hook. The Fly Tying Group will tie a couple of simple tube flies. The first is a Buck Tail Deceiver and the second a simple Spey Fly. All materials will be supplied, but be sure and bring your own thread Terry recommends either red, orange, or mono; at 6/0 or 3/0; 135 denier or 240 denier. (5

6 SLFF Website A new series of short articles written by Ted Pope and Art Chapman, designed to help you get the most benefit from our new club website. New Website Features - Members Only Section Art Chapman This month we describe how to take advantage of the Trip Book feature. Before we updated the site, these were semi-secret descriptions of favorite trips members had taken and the only way to have access was to contribute a trip to Rich Chubon who would add it to the list and burn a CD for you to play on your computer. Now, this information is available to all members. Remember, first you have to register and sign in as a member to gain access to the Member s Only section. You can avoid signing in to the website each time you enter if you simply avoid signing out when you exit. When you go to the Trip Book page, you will notice the Trip/Outing column has trip titles highlighted in red. The titles are hot buttons. Clicking on a title will take you to the article. It is always there for you as a reference. In the introductory paragraph of the Trip Book page is an invitation and instructions to submit your own Trip Book entry. We encourage you to do this to help us build our library of hot spots for your next fly fishing adventure. PRIVATE CASTING LESSONS AVAILABLE While our five IFFF certified casting instructors generously put on a series of free casting clinics for our club members each spring we wanted you to know they are available for private casting lessons throughout the year. If interested please contact them directly for additional information. Bernard Pieters Arroyo Grande bpieters84@gmail.com Eric Sherar Atascadero esherar1@gmail.com Bob Hurd Arroyo Grande rbthurd@gmail.com Todd Tose Grover Beach trtflyfisher@charter.net Chad McPartland Paso Robles chadmcpartland@gmail.com (6

7 Pyramid Lake Outing New Dates We have moved the dates of the Pyramid Lake Outing up one day to November 3rd and 4 th. We will be with guide Chris Wharton, who spoke at our club meeting earlier this year. A trailer at Crosby s has been reserved for the nights of the 2 nd -4 th. Please contact Tom Nickelson (kisutch@gmail.com or ) to reserve a spot. The trailer holds up to 8 (last one on a roll-away). Tom will need a head count by early October. MANZANITA TRIP REPORT - JUNE 16th to 20th Bernard Pieters This report gives you a review of our fishing results and compares the differences between this year and the previous two years. Our group included 10 people; Ray & Pat Belknap, Larry & Maxine Sederberg, Todd & Martha Tose, Bernard & Christine Pieters, Bob Bayer, and Bill Winston (last year we were a group of 12). The weather was nice and almost the same as last year, with highs in the mid 70 s and nights from 40 to 45 degrees, daily wind 3 to 10 mph, and no moon. The fishing pressure had been fairly high the weeks before, with people fishing daily on average during our stay. Most of us were on the lake around 9:45 am and fished until 1:30-2:30 pm. Nymph fishing started off very slow the first 2 days, improved to some degree later on, but was lower than last year. There was not a single nymph in the first 2 days that clearly stood out above all others to produce. The Callibaetis was (for most of us) the more preferred fly. If you fished it the correct way, it could bend your rod for 5-8 trout a day. Late evening fishing with a Wooly Bugger produced fewer trout some productive evenings, and others with almost no action. The famous dry fly (Callibaetis) hatches like we have had the past 2 years between 11:30-2:30 pm where almost non existent. There where sporadic rises of fish taking unidentified insects in the surface film and on top, some coming almost a foot out of the water. Catching these fish was something else! Every one of us caught fish daily. The average catch - rate during the day was much lower with 1-3 hook-ups for some and 4-7 bending the rod for others. On average the fish where bigger, ranging from 14" to 17" with a few measuring 18"-19". This year the trout were fat and round as a football (compared to past years) with their stomach full of insects. It was tough fishing even for the most experienced. Many times, the difference in having strikes or almost no strikes (in difficult fishing situations) is the ability of the fisher to fine tune his (her) fishing approach, and takes into account every detail that could effect your fishing result. It is precisely this challenge the lake is known for, that can earn us the greatest reward and pleasure. This is what brings us back year after year to this marvelous place. (7

8 Channel Islands Fishout Sept 22 nd Time flies when you are having a great Summer fly fishing and enjoying the great outdoors, and Labor Day shows up real quick. This year SLFF members will get the chance to fish the Channel Islands and sample the wide variety of fish available on an overnite trip. Calico bass, bonita, barracuda, white sea bass and yellow tail have been caught from the 46 foot SEA JAY skippered by John Fuqua. We arrive the night before at the Channel Islands Harbor in Oxnard, select our bunks, and get our gear ready. John shows up at 4:30 am and we motor out to the Islands (about an 1 đ hour trip). Some days we get into hot furious bites of barracuda and bonita or slow steady activity with assorted bottom fish, we never know, but always have a good time. Pictures are from past club fly fishing trips. We usually fish from 6am to 3pm, catch and release or fillet and take home. Cost for the trip is $ plus $10 for fillets and tip. There are spots available for 6 fly casters. Join the FUN! Andy Malovos or phone to see if any spots are still available. Andy Malovos (8

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10 Attention ALL Club Members On line registration has opened for this year s Southwest Council Fly Fishing Faire. This link will take you to the registration web site: The Faire will be held on October in Bishop, California. It s a great event loaded with fly fishing activities for beginners and experts. As we have in the past, our Club will be teaching the Beginning Fly Fishing Class. The class is a two-day class consisting of a 3 hour classroom orientation session Friday afternoon followed with a 3 hour basic casting and on the water session on Saturday morning. If you are interested in helping with the class please contact Rich Chubon. You don t have to be an expert, just interested in supporting our Club s efforts. Don t miss out on this great event. It s a beautiful time of the year to be on the East Side of the Sierra. Take time to enjoy the Faire activities and squeeze in a few hours of fishing as well. Let me know if you plan on attending. We will help coordinate travel and lodging arrangements for folks who plan to attend. Rich Chubon SLFF MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION An individual regular membership is $35.00 per year For 12 months (January through December). Enrollment after 1 July is $20.00 for the remainder of the year. To join, please download the Membership Form from our Website: (10

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12 OFFICERS President Vice President Secretary Treasurer Directors Bernard Pieters Rich Chubon Jim Snodgrass Lew Leichter Art Chapman Sheri Bryant Judy Chubon Ron Bryant Mark Shelton Tom Nickelson Committees Conservation Tom Nickelson Website Art Chapman Ron Bryant Ted Pope Doug Daniels (TIC) Newsletter Greg and Mary Lugo Education David Holmes Programs Rich Chubon Casting Bernard Pieters Mark Shelton Eric Sherar Membership Mark Shelton Fly Tying Jim Snodgrass SECFFF Coordinator Lew Leichter Rod Building Mike Powers Rich Chubon Fresh Water Outings Art Chapman Rich Chubon Salt Water Outings Andy Malovos Library Steve Soenke Lew Leichter Fundraising Bob Bayer Banquet & BBQ Sheri and Ron Bryant Lew Leichter Rich Chubon George Protsman (12

13 P.O. Box 166 San Luis Obispo, CA Come wet a line with us! Thank you for supporting those who help support our chapter. (13