VOLUME 53 FEBRUARY 2018 NUMBER 02 FEBRUARY MEETING Friday, February 16, 2018 @ Farmhouse Rest Wet Fly / Social Gathering: Dinner / General Meeting: 6:00PM 7:00PM Reminder Meeting is Friday the 16 th of February!! From the President: By: Tim Cooley Wow, this month has come and gone quickly. The days are getting longer, but the rains just sticks around. We had a great program last month with Mark Raisler as our speaker, great to see father and son tying flies together before the meeting. Thanks to everyone that held out for the longer than usual meeting to hear Mark Gilmore our treasurer lay out the budget for the year. One of the key thing from the budget was the approval for youth education. I have tasked the Education Committee with coming up with guidance on how to approve selection for the sending of two young people to the Washington Conservation Camp on Orcas Island. I have asked Boshie Morris to take the lead for determining the selection process in a very short time frame as the applications are due on 1 April 2018. It was a disappointment to me to have to cancel the outing up here on the Skagit, in my neighborhood. The river did not cooperate and stay low enough for it to be safe for fishing. We will try another time in the future. Great to see that the alternative of Hamilton worked out, Nice Bull Trout that Christina caught. Remember the Meeting Date for February has changed to Friday February 16 th see you there!
This Months Presentation: By: Terry Abrams The Guest Speaker : Mandi McDougal and Gill Mckean's West Coast Adventures, Terrace British Columbia. http://www.westcoastfishing.ca Her Topic Steelhead and Salmon Fishing Adventure out of Terrace. Westcoast Fishing Adventures provides guided fishing adventures in a world-class fishing destination, the Skeena. Anglers from all over the globe converge on Terrace every year to experience both freshwater and saltwater fishing all in one spectacular setting. Experienced guides take anglers to locations that include more than 30 local rivers, lakes and the Pacific Ocean. Packages include pick-up at Northwest Regional Airport plus all meals and lodging in the comfortable and well-appointed McKean Mountainside Lodge for the duration of your stay. Fishing destinations can be tailored according to individual tastes for adventure. Fly of the Month: By: Terry Abrams Terry this one of my go to fly for Steelhead Steelies night mare Pink thread Tied on clear 1.4 mm tube Small dubbing loop hot pink dubbing spun Lady amherst portion to tiers desired & profile Pink Malard Crystal flash or sparkle tinsel Black Marabou Whip finish and glue
Tom Fulk Letcher Lambuth Award: By: Danny Beatty Tom Fulk, center, was presented the Letcher Lambuth Angling Craftsman Award from the Washington Fly Fishing Club s Past President, Gary Berquist, right. Danny Beatty, representing the Fidalgo Fly Fishers, introduced Tom to the WFFC. The ceremony was held on January 16, 2018 during the WFFC s Annual Awards Meeting at the Seattle Tennis Club. Cathy Schaefer organized the trip and drove the group to Seattle. Sandy Fulk also went to complete a comfortable foursome. Opening Criteria Statement for Award: This award shall be made to outstanding individuals who have made significant contributions to the knowledge, art, philosophy and techniques of fly-fishing, and to encourage and recognize significant similar contributions by others. The Award is not given unless there is a worthy candidate. Since the first award to Roderick Haig-Brown in 1975, Tom is the 29 th recipient. The list includes authors, bamboo rod makers, fly tiers and journalists from Oregon to British Columbia. A who s who of Northwest Fly Fishing History. Tom s Introduction to the WFFC: I am pleased to introduce Tom Fulk, an active member of the club. Tom joined the Fidalgo Fly Fishers in 1990 after moving to Anacortes from the east side of San Francisco Bay. He retired from the United States Forest Service where he was an administrator in the San Francisco office. Tom soon got involved with the club as an officer and president. About twenty-five years ago he bought and read Hoagy Carmichael s book about making your own bamboo fly fishing rod. This introduction and already established wood working skills led Tom to making some planing forms and buying some bamboo. A fly rod was soon the result. Since those early beginnings he has made 106 bamboo rods. Twenty-two of those rods were donated to the club for raffle prizes with the funds generated going to conservation organizations. Other rods were donated to fund Habitat for Humanities. He has repaired dozens of bamboo fly rods including Letcher Lambuth s rod number 19 which is now in the Western Washington University Fly Fishing Collection. Tom has also written three books about bamboo rod making. Another of Tom s angling craftsmanship is designing and building wooden boats. Some pictures and design explanations can be seen at the display table. He often adds a special touch to their finish which makes for interesting conversation when viewed by a person admiring their construction. To sum up Tom s introduction I refer to the first criteria from the Letcher Lambuth Award Criteria: One who has made original, significant and lasting contributions to angling, especially in split-cane rod construction, including rod design, tool development, research into bamboo, or educating others in bamboo rod construction. We believe Tom Fulk has met these criteria and much more.
HELP WANTED: By: Bruce Freet We May Need Boats and Mentors for the Fly Fishing Course We usually rent a private lake for students of the Introduction to Fly Fishing course to learn how to catch fish and release them. However, finding a lake is proving difficult this year and we may need your HELP. We are still looking for a private lake with trout, but if this is not possible we are seeking Club members with a boat for two people to mentor students about casting from a boat, set-up for fishing chironomids or streamers, etc. If you have a boat for two people and are willing to help students learn to fly fishing on Pass Lake from March 3 thru 17 for 2 or 3 hours, please contact Bruce Freet. The course is progressing well, and recently completed two nights at the Mount Vernon High School cafeteria learning to cast with instructors Deene Almvig, Richard Raisler, and Scott Willison. Other Club members assisting were Christina Anderson, Cathy Schaeffer, Bill Brodie, and Bruce Freet. The following class was on Knots, Leaders, and Tippets with Greg Peterka and Ryan Johnson instructing. There are 16 students including four couples and two other women.
Up Coming Events: February: 2018 Fly Fishing Show, Lynnwood, WA Feb. 17-18 th.. The Coordinator TBD. Lone Lake Outing Date to be determined, Coordinator: Cathy Schaeffer March: Abbotsford BC Boat and Sportsman s Show March 2 nd to the 4 th General Meeting March 15 th Speaker: Justin Waters Pass Lake Fish Census- Starting March 17 th thru March 31 Chironomid Capers March 17 th (this is a long standing event for us) Spey Casting on the Salt with Scott Willison TBD Casting Clinic The Double Haul TBD April Fools Saturday Apr. 31 st Tim Cooley and other FFF Members April: Fly Fishing Film Tour April 5 th at the Lincoln Theater General Meeting April 19 th Speaker: Molly Semenk Earth Day April 22 nd Howard Miller Steelhead Park Dry Falls Lake TBD Cutts and Bulls, Whidbey Island TBD Lenice Lake Outing - Coordinator: Allen Rhoads - TBD Note: Please check the Outings and Event page on the web site, things get added from time to time. WINTER STEELHEAD SEASON: By: Richard Raisler WINTER STEELHEAD SEASON or was it ATLANTIC SALMON SEASON Winter steelhead fishing season in the Skagit River ran from December 15th to January 31st and during that time many committed steelhead fisher persons cast heavy sink tips and large flies in hopes of connecting with a wild steelhead. The Fidalgo Fly Fisher hosted two spey casting clinics at the Hamilton Bar (:gravel river bar:). The growth and excitement of spey casting is adding a valuable asset to our beloved sport. It has been an enjoyable month and a half. The fishing reports from anglers have been interesting and unusual. Very few steelhead grabbed their flies, but as many as fifteen Atlantic Salmon have been reported caught and killed. This August one of eight Cooke Aquaculture net pens located in the Salish Sea collapsed releasing up to 200,000 genetically altered Atlantic Salmon. These mutant salmon have entered the local Pacific Salmon and Steelhead rivers and are being caught by steelhead anglers. Some anglers report a thrilling catch with a tasty meal to follow and others report a lifeless battle with a dead fish being thrown into the bushes in disgust..
Whatever your thoughts are about catching these fish, the presence of farm raised, genetically altered Atlantic Salmon in the Salish Sea and tributaries creates serious concern. A State investigation finds that Cooke s Aquaculture negligence was the primary cause of the net pen collapse. To learn more about the hazards of Atlantic Salmon and to help prevent further damage by this invasive species go to wildfishconservancy.org. To support Senator Barbara Bailey s efforts, go to: <Barbara.Bailey@leg.wa.gov> WDFW is considering opening a two week catch and release wild steelhead fishery in the upper Skagit, Saulk and Suiattle Rivers this Spring. The pros and cons of this fishery are being passionately discussed. Personally, I do not want this opening as it will result in the killing of wild steelhead by anglers and commercial fishing interests. The challenges facing wild steelhead survival are much greater than the thrill of the tug. I like talking to anglers at boat ramps and did so recently after a day walk-wading the Skagit River. A couple was loading their jet boat after spending the day spey casting with eleven foot, five weight rods with sink tips and a small weighted minnow pattern. They were targeting Bull Trout. We like the caughting part of fishing, they commented, as opposed to just casting for steelhead. Last summer we caught and released our largest cutthroat trout ever in the Met, (Methow River). Light weight spey rod fishing is here to stay in the Pacific Northwest. Respectfully, Richard Raisler UP Date Heart Lake: By: Jim Rains This past summer and fall the city hired a company to treat the lake for milfoil using the herbicide fluridone. It applied the herbicide 3 times, once in July, August and September. It looks that work was initially successful as most of the milfoil has died back. We will have to do follow up plant surveys in the spring and summer of 2018 to see what milfoil survived and may need to do spot treatments at the lake with herbicides. This spring we are planning to treat the lake for algae. That can be done a couple of ways; the most common is to use aluminum sulfate to bind the phosphorus so it is not available for plant growth, the other is to use a product called phoslock.
We expect that we will do this work in mid spring before the trout are planted but are still researching the best timing due to the trout, native amphibians, etc. We will have a public meeting to lay out our plans and answer any questions we can probably in early March. We will publicize the date, time and location once we have it all set up. Thanks, Jonn Lunsford Anacortes Parks & Recreation New Members: By: Danny Beatty Ralph Hansen (New Member), Carl Hendricks (Sponsor); Russ Asbury (Sponsor), Lynnette Cooke (New Member), Cathy Schaefer (Sponsor); Terry Abrams (V.P. and Membership Chairman) The Fidalgo Fly Fishers Welcomed two new members at the January 2018 meeting. Terry Abrams introduced Lynette Cook and Ralph Hansen and presented them with their membership packets. Tim Cooley read the club s charge from the by-laws. The membership heartily welcomes the new members aboard and look forward to fishing and working with them as new committee members! LYNETTE COOKE Last summer Lynette Cook contacted the Fidalgo Fly Fishers through the Club website inquiring about fly fishing instruction. I was then asked to contact Lynette and that contact led me to discover a very pleasant person with great love for the outdoors. Over the last six months Lynette has added ocean kayaking and fly fishing to her activities. Lynette normally winters in Arizona spending the warmer months on Fidalgo Island - yes, she is a Snowbird and this Snowbird that received her membership packet at the January 2018 meeting is now looking into serving on a Club committee. To the unmarried guys in the Club - "Sorry to tell you this, Lynette has a boyfriend". Russ Asbury, Sponsor. I met Lynette Cook on an outing at Ala Spit. She is an enthusiastic beginning fly fisher who is grateful for any input that will improve her fishing technique! She will be a great addition to our club. Cathy Schaeffer, Sponsor. RALPH HANSEN
Our club welcomed Ralph Hansen to its ranks at the January Meeting. Originally from Anchorage, AK, Ralph relocated with his family to Washington state via California at a young age. Ralph is a longtime fisherman who only recently picked up fly fishing after watching fly fishers along the rivers he passed during his trucking career and exploring our website. Ralph plans on participating in club activities, especially outings, to expand his fly fishing experience. Mark Gilmore, Sponsor. Steelhead on the Skagit: By: Bill Brodie Coordinator: Patrick Smedile Instructor: Deene Almvig and Richard Raisler Guest Instructor: Mark Raisler Dates: January 13th and January 20th The Steelhead on the Skagit Outing was a great success and many thanks to Pat Smidle for coordinating the event. Deene Almvig and Richard Raisler were extremely generous with their time and effort helping members with their casting and practicing the "swing". A special thanks to Mark Raisler for introducing us to Trout Spey and the 90 second teaching experience. A slide show of the event can be seen here: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1iblcdhfokff_pj5h4umkifpjfj5yddvmkgnsel_ltco/edit?usp=sharing Some photos of the day on the river.
Photo of the Month: By: Bill Brodie Nice fish that Christina caught. Fly Shops: The Confluence Fly Shop 2620 N. Harbor Loop Drive #9 Bellingham, WA 98225 (360) 312-7978