VOLUME 54 FEBRUARY 2019 NUMBER 02 FEBRUARY MEETING. Thursday, February 21, Farmhouse Rest. Wet Fly / Social Gathering:

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1 VOLUME 54 FEBRUARY 2019 NUMBER 02 FEBRUARY MEETING Thursday, February 21, Farmhouse Rest Wet Fly / Social Gathering: Dinner / General Meeting: 6:00PM 7:00PM The President Corner! By: Robin LaRue Congratulation to Bill Keller for being awarded the coveted Fidalgo Fly Fisher of the Year for Thank you Bill for all your efforts on behalf of our Club. Nature finally cooperated and the long awaited 2018 Christmas/Holiday Party was held on January 31 st at Maple Hall in LaConner. The event was a huge success with all attending having a great evening of fun, food and excitement. A big thank you to Cathy Schafer, Chair of the Party Committee, the committee members and the setup and cleanup volunteers. Additionally, a special thank you to all the members who donated items for the raffle and live auction. Justin Spinelli of the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife (WDFW) will be the February guest speaker. Justin will be presenting WDFW s plans for addressing the yellow perch infestation issue at Pass Lake. After Justin s presentation there will be a time for Q & A s related to the yellow perch issue. The Grants Committee received one grant application this year. The Committee has made a recommendation to the Exec. Board of five other organizations to be the recipients of this year s grants.

2 With the success of the Christmas/Holiday party, $1,250 will be distributed this year. The organizations that will be receiving this year s grants will be presented at the February meeting. The Outings Committee, has been working on developing a list of outings for the coming year. At the February meeting Steven Foster, Chair of the committee, will be presenting the list of outing and seeking coordinators to lead some of the outing. In mid-january Bruce Freet and I attended an informal meeting arranged by the Evergreen Fly Fishers related to Martha Lake. The regulations on Martha Lake, located south of Stanwood near Warm Beach, were changed to selective gear regulations about two years ago. Assessments in 2018 showed the lake to be performing poorly after the rules change. Catch rates are very low, and fish are not very big. The Evergreen Club will be working with the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife to improve this fisheries. The Evergreen Club will be seeking volunteers from the area fly fishing clubs to help with Creel Surveys, Fin Clipping of planted rainbows, and a two- week long Rod and Reel Catch and Measure study. We will discuss this at the February meeting in order to gage the interest of the club members in assisting the Evergreen Club. In the past our Club has had a presence at the Earth Day celebrations in April and The Salmon Festival held in September. We had difficulty getting a sufficient number of Club members help at the booths at these events last year. I would like to discuss the Club s interest in participating in these events this year. When I first started to write my comments for this month s newsletter, the weather was getting better with sunny days, and I had actually been out fishing. As I finish writing this, the snow is flying and I am hunkered down with a cup of coffee in front of my computer. So I will spend the weekend alternating between shoveling snow and tying flies. But I have faith that Spring will soon be here and we can get out on the lake and do some fishing. This Months Presentation: By: Bill Keeler February 2019 Justin Spenelli (WDFW) Pass Lake Yellow Perch Plan

3 2018 Christmas / New Years Party Snaps By: Robin LaRue The Setup Crew at Work The Christmas Crustacean Raffle Prizes all in a Row From the Fertile Mind and Skilled Hands of Dave Barcott

4 Enjoying the Wet Fly Hour and Friends

5 Planned Presentation for 2019 By: Bill Keeler 21 March 2019 Bob Warinner (WDFW) - The Recovery and Sustainability of our Regional Fisheries in Light of a Climate Change 18 April 2019 Scott Willison Bull Trout 16 May 2019 Leaf Seaburg Methow Fishing Adventures 19 September 2019 Zack Dalton (Sage) Fly Line Selection 17 October 2019 Tom Fulk Custom Bamboo Fly Rods 21 November 2019 Member Presentations Disclaimer: All speakers and topics are subject to change. However, I am blessed to have several members who have offered to share their experiences thank you! Call for Grants: By: Dennis Wilson 2019 Grants Recommendations The Fidalgo Fly Fishers Grants Committee has recommended the following grants to the Board for 2019: Skagit Fisheries Enhancement Group - $150 Northwest Youth Conservation Fly Fishing Academy - $300 Coastal Cutthroat Coalition - $200 Wild Fish Conservancy - $300 Casting for Recovery WA - $150 Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing Northwest - $150 The Board concurs with the Committee s recommendations and will seek the approval of the members at the February 21, 2019 general meeting. Up Coming Events: January: Fly Fishing Class at Skagit Valley College January 9 th is the start date. February: Fly Fishing Show February 16 th 17th Lynnwood, WA 9am to 5pm March:

6 May: 2019 BC Boat & Sportsman s Show (Sport Fishing and Boating) March 1st thru 4th. Pass Lake Fish Census March 23 rd thru April 6 th Coordinator: Bruce Freet Chironomid Capers Saturday March 23 rd Coordinator: Robin LaRue Note: Please check the Outings and Event page on the web site, things get added from time to time.

7 For Sale: By: Richard Raisler For Sale: Don Hill Mini Drift Boat, 10 feet, oars, anchor system, anchor and trailer. Contact Richard $

8 Pictures of the Month: By: Minturn Anglers Fly Shops: The Confluence Fly Shop 2620 N. Harbor Loop Drive #9 Bellingham, WA (360)