Kansas City Chapter February 2016 Club Meeting Date: February 26, 2016 Executive Board Meeting February 9, 2016 Location 21906 SW Woods Chapel Road Lee s Summit, Missouri Next Club Meeting Date March 22, 2016 Inside this issue: Annual Lunker Dinner, 2016 Membership Information, Special Dates, Fly Tying Classes, Frozen Rod Guides, KC Boat and Sports Show Report, Casting Large Heavy Flies, K&K FlyFisher s Clinics, President s Message, Membership App. For More Information Visit the website for the latest News and updates www.mtfa-kansascity.org 1 2 3 4 5 MTFA Annual Lunker Dinner - Tuesday February 23, 2016 (6:30 pm - 9:00pm) The nominated club officers are: Bill Beckman - President; Gary Davisson - Vice President; Ardith Haynes - Sectary; Diana James - Treas. Members at Large: Marvin Allison, David Cook, Merrill Miller, Roger Theroux. Put the date on your calendar and plan to attend the dinner. David will be conducting our annual Lunker Dinner raffle. He has procured some nice items for the raffle. Raffle tickets are $1 each or six for $5. If you contribute to the dinner, you will receive a free raffle ticket. This year, we will be doing a fly swap. Tie a dozen of your favorite fly. Contact David Cook at (816) 272-5194 to sign up. You must be signed up to participate. If you have any fishing/tying equipment you would like to donate please contact David Cook, our raffle coordinator. Brisket will be provided by the club. We need side dishes and desserts to go along with the meat. If your last name starts with an A through N bring a dessert and O through Z bring a side dish. (ex: Potato salad, Bake Beans, or Cole Slaw) Bring a guest and join in on the fun! 2016 Membership Dues are Due in January Dues for the upcoming year: Individual ($15), Family ($30), Legacy ($10). (Family membership includes all family members up to 18 years of age). At age 18 your child must register as a adult. You may mail your dues and form to MTFA, PO Box 3202, Harry S. Truman Station, Independence, Missouri 64055 or you can bring it to the next club meeting or fly tying session. For your convenience you will find the MTFA membership application on page 6 of the newsletter. (Note: Because of insurance concerns it is important that all club members have their membership paid up to date). Thank You. Special Dates to Remember: February 8th - Last day for Catch and Release at Missouri State Parks February 29th - Missouri Trout Permits Expire March 1st - Opening Day for Trout Season at Missouri State Parks
Page 2 Upcoming Events February 1, 2016 1st Class - Fly Tying February 6, 2016 Fly Fishing & Casting MDC James A. Reed February 8, 2016 2nd Class - Fly Tying February 9, 2016 E-Board Meeting February 15, 2016 3rd Class - Fly Tying February 22, 2016 4th Class - Fly Tying February 23, 2016 Lunker Dinner 6:30 pm Fly Tying Classes Starting Up Fly tying classes will be starting on February 1st - 7:00-9:00PM at, 21906 Woods Chapel Road, Lees Summit, Mo. Classes are conducted each Monday evening for 6 weeks. Enjoy the fun with other club members and non club members tying flies. If you are a beginner wanting to learn how to tie your own flies or a more advanced fly tier and need help to tie a certain fly, come and join us. MTFA will help you learn how to use all the different tools of fly tying. For more information contact Merril Miller at: merrilgofish@aol.com or call (816-673-9863) We look forward to seeing you. Frozen Rod Guides - Try Lip Balm Without a doubt, one of the most frustrating things about fishing in freezing temperatures is the tedious task of freeing up frozen fly line and rod guides in between casts. The need to chip off ice immediately after each cast is enough keep anyone inside tying flies, but there are some solutions. Try Lip Balm! A simple tried and true solution is to lightly coat the rod guides using a Chapstick style lip balm. Doing so discourages ice build-up on the guides and lets you keep fishing. Although, due to the petroleum base of most lip balms, some believe this could reek havoc on certain rod resins and/or PVC coatings on many modern fly lines. Not sure if the small amount of lip balm used would really make that much of a difference, but we d rather not take the chance. However, its come to our attention that there are now many organic or natural lip balms on the market utilizing ingredients such as beeswax instead of petroleum based chemicals. Therefore, we ve taken to trying out such products and think you should to! MTFA Officers President: V President: Secretary: Treasurer: Bill Beckman (913) 341-3260 Gary Davisson (816) 896-5221 Ardith Haynes (816) 392-2246 Diana James (816) 210-0777 Troutline Editor: Gary Davisson medman3@att.net Members at Large: Merril Miller Roger Theroux David Cook Marvin Allison Does it work as well as petroleum based balms? Not sure.. But sure like the idea of it not breaking down the gear. Give it a try! Kansas City Boat and Sports Show Report I would like to thank all those who helped work our booth at the Sports Show. The photo shows Mike Davis demonstrating the art of tying flies for both warm and cold water fishing. A number of people seemed interested in the sport of fly fishing and some had never heard of Missouri Trout Fishermen s Association. The Sports Show gives us a chance to really promote the club to a large number of people in a short amount of time. If you were not able to help this year please plan on being there next year. Thank You, Bill
Page 3 Casting Large Heavy Flies: This past club meeting in my presentation on Steelhead fishing in Michigan I talked about the chuck and duck method of casting large flies with a lot of weight. Regardless of where you are fishing, if you are planning on fishing heavy flies and/or rigs, there are a few casting principles to consider. Here s a few tips to help keep you chucking without ducking. 1. Widen Your Casting Arc. Without getting too technical, good tight loops are achieved by a straight line path of the rod tip. Although this is usually the main objective of a good cast, when casting heavy rigs, tight loops are not always the best option. The added weight of your fly and/or rig can cause the top leg of your loop to cross over the bottom leg often resulting in a tangle. Therefore, it is important to widen your loops when casting heavy rigs. To do this, make sure to widen your casting arc on both your forward and back casts. Rather than creating a straight line path with your rod tip, think of drawing a convex arc with your rod tip instead. This will allow you to open your loops to effectively cast even the heaviest of flies. 2. Slow Down. This goes hand in hand with widening your casting arc in order to open your loops. It is important when casting heavy flies to slow down your stoke in order to let your rod load. Remember, you are casting more mass and thus must bend the rod deeper in order to throw it. Rushing the cast will most likely not allow the rod to load enough, causing gravity to take hold of your heavy setup, resulting in a tailing loop. Slow down and let the rod load. 3. Get Your Fly Up. Make sure your fly is high in the water column before attempting to pick it up into your back cast. Attempting to pick your fly or sink tip up straight from the depths will cause your rod to load fully while lifting the fly to surface, leaving little energy left to form a proper back cast. Smoothly lifting the rod, stripping in line, or even roll casting can provide the energy needed to get your fly near the surface before making your back cast. 4. Belgian Cast. The Belgian cast is a great cast for casting heavy rigs, especially in windy conditions. Also known as an elliptical or oval cast, the Belgian cast consists of casting on two different planes. The back cast is made low and to the side, while the forward cast is made over the top. By changing planes between the forward and back casts, you are able to cast wider loops resulting in less chance of tangling, while also keeping the fly away from your body at all times. 5. Up the Line Size: Depending on the weight of the rig you are attempting to throw, it may be best to increase your line weight. Over-lining your rod is a great way to help turn over heavy rigs. It takes mass to move mass, and there s no law that says the rod weight and line size must match. If your fly is not turning
Page 4 February - Fly Fishing Saturday Clinic s February 6 - Fly Casting Basic Skills February 13 - Big Game on the Fly February 20 - Double Haul - Distance & Power February 27 - Smallmouth Streamers All classes start at 9:00 AM. (Call if you plan to attend) 8643 Grant St, Overland Park, Ks. 913-341-8118. President s Message: The Sports Show was a success do to those who came out to work, THANKS. We had new member sign up and lots of interest in our programs including Fly Tying, Fly Fishing / Casting Classes, etc. Thanks to Gary Davisson for the great presentation on Steelhead Fishing in Michigan at our January Meeting. Check your Calendar for upcoming events in February. Fly Tying Rod Building February 1, 8,15,22,29, 2016 MDC Fly Fishing Class PHWFF Meeting /E- Board MDC Fly Tying Class MTFA Lunker Dinner February 6, 2016 1pm February 9, 2016 7pm February 16, 2016 7pm February 23, 2016 6:30pm Opening Day March 1, 2016 Fishing report: They are still catching fish at Bennett Springs during Catch-and-Release season. Shopping with your Husband is like Fishing with the Game Warden Thanks to everyone for their club participation. Bill ><)))*> ><)))*>
MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION DATE I wish to become a member of the Missouri Trout Fishermen s Association, Kansas City Chapter and join in their endeavor to improve the sport of Trout Fishing in Missouri. I agree to abide by the Constitution, By- Laws and Rules and Regulations of the Association. These can be found on the chapter website MTFA- KANSASCITY.ORG. NAME NEW MEMBER ( ) RENEWAL ( ) ADDRESS Cell Phone (Hm)/(Wk) Other Phone CITY STATE ZIP EMAIL ADDRESS BIRTH MONTH: How did you hear about our club? Have you ever been a member of any chapter of the MTFA? Send Newsletter via email: Yes No Yes No Year joined Most Recent Year Paid Dues: Individual Dues: $15.00 Family Membership: $30.00 MTFA Legacy Member: (25 + years) $10.00 If a Family Membership (spouse and children 18 years of age and under), list those who should receive membership cards and individual email newsletters. Name Birth Month EMAIL When this form is completed, mail to: Missouri Trout Fishermen s Assoc. PO Box 3202 Harry S Truman Station Independence, MO 64055 CODE OF ETHICS To practice the principles of good sportsmanship and conservation of wildlife, and to encourage others to do the same. To cooperate with the constructive efforts of the Missouri Conservation Commission and comply with the Objectives and Purposes of the Missouri Trout Fishermen s Association to the extent of using single point hook lures when fishing in Missouri trout water. To assist in the expansion and development of trout fishing in the State of Missouri, including the wise utilization of available waters and their protection from agricultural and commercial encroachment. To help conserve wildlife and its natural habitat, cooperating with Federal, State and private agencies directly concerned with the conservation of wildlife, forests, soil and water. To lend assistance to the Missouri Conservation Commission and its representatives in the enforcement of the laws and regulations for the taking of fish and game in the State of Missouri. The above has been read and agreed to by: Rev. September, 2014