Tale waters The Voice of the North Arkansas Fly Fishers July 12, 2016 North Arkansas Fly Fishers Tale Waters North Arkansas Fly Fishers meetings are held on the 3rd Tuesday of each month. Meetings are held at the Van Matre Senior Center located at 1101 Spring St Mountain Home, AR 72653. Membership meeting starts at 7:00 pm. All members and guests are welcome and encouraged to attend. NAFF Board of Director s meetings are held on the first Tuesday of the month at 2:00 pm 1st Security Bank on 9th St. All members are welcome and encouraged to attend. Visit North Arkansas Fly Fishers Online at www.northarkansasflyfisher.org Officers President Ken Sickels (870) 321-2661 Vice President Tom Emerick (870) 499-3382 Secretary Pat Smith.... (870) 425-1755 Treasurer David Hea.(870) 421-7078 Directors Conservation Tommy Hagan..(870) 430-2091 Property Mark Burgess..(870) - 421-7804 Education Fred Stumpf...870-421-3746 Membership Paul Ashton (870) 425-9230 Past President Mike Tipton..(870) 404-8845 Appd. by President Vern Berry (870) 421-0720 Tale Waters is published 2nd Tuesday of each month. Article deadline is 1st Tuesday of the month. Staff: Mike Tipton & Rita Billbe Contact: sowbug@northarkansasflyfisher.org Chris Racey, AGFC Chief of Fisheries to Speak at July Meeting Chris Racey, Chief of Fisheries for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, will provide an overview of the strategic direction for the Fisheries Division moving forward and how anglers can partner with the agency to maintain and enhance fishing opportunities. Chris will touch on the agency s plans for increasing signage on the White and Norfork Rivers. He will also discuss fishing opportunities in the state, including fly fishing for pan fish and access at Crooked Creek. Chris Racey was born and raised in western Pennsylvania before moving to Arkansas in 1999. Chris has a B.S. in Biology from Grove City College and a M.S. in Aquaculture/Fisheries from the University of Cont. Pg.2 Sowbug Roundup Update The Sowbug Committee continues to meet on the 2nd Tuesday of the month in the Baxter County Library at 1:00 pm. All NAFF members are welcome to come observe or participate. We are currently working on upgrading the Sowbug website. We plan on a stand alone website with its own domain name. The cost is not that great and the approach is much more flexible than our current setup. The plan is to make the website easily updateable by the Sowbug team members. We continue to work on our marketing plan. I will have more about this in the future. We are also investigating some interesting ideas for volunteer goodies. If you are interested in becoming more active in the Sowbug Roundup join us at one of our monthly meeting or contact me directly 870-404- 8 8 4 5 o r m i c h a e l t i p - ton@centurytel.net.
Page 2 Tale waters Program from page 1 Arkansas at Pine Bluff. He has been an employee of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission for nearly 11 years, and is currently the AGFC s Chief of the Fisheries Division. Chris loves to fish for a variety of fish species all across our great state. Vacation Waters July President s Message Satisfaction. What does it mean to a fisher? Does it mean 30 fish in a trip? One big fish over 20 inches? The slam or just be able to fish for the day and appreciate nature? I m sure it means different things to everyone who has ever fished. Perhaps it changes from trip to trip. How satisfying is it to fish to a rising fish? Make a long cast with a dry fly that drifts through his feeding zone? Get the take and ultimately land the fish? To me that s satisfaction. Other days it might the watching a feeding eagle or brown bear. I Hope every day you fish is the experience you re seeking. The budget will be presented at our August meeting for ratification by members. We ll place it in the member s only section on our web site for your review. Be safe and great fishing. Ken Sickels Weather Cancellation Policy NAFF Activities or Meeting will be cancelled or postponed when the Mountain Home Public Schools Cancel Classes. Check KTLO radio website for school closing info.
Tale Waters Tale waters Page 3 Flys of the Month John Berry s Favorite Six for our Sulphur mayflies that are coming off now. I always tie them in a copper bead head version. It sinks like a rock and the copper bead will show off well in stained water. Wooly Bugger Hook #6, #8, or #10 (usually a #10) The only fly that has made every list of my top six flies is the woolly bugger. I remember the first time I fished it over thirty-five years ago. I was fishing the Little Red River with my brother, Dan. He gave me a couple of them and told me to give them a try. I asked how to fish them. He said that it didn t matter as long as it was in the water. That turned out to be true and I have been fishing them since. I have caught more different species with a woolly bugger than any other fly. Don t leave home without it. Ruby Midge Hook Tiemco 100, #18 Bead Silver tungsten Thread Red, 6/0 Body Red holo tinsel Rib Fine black wire The ruby midge is new to my list and it has worked its way in by being my best producer for the last two years. It has replaced the zebra midge as my go to midge pupa pattern. Since the White and Norfork Rivers are major midge waters; it is my most important fly. Most of the guides I know fish them, on a daily basis. It is the bestselling fly at Blue Ribbon Fly shop. Hare and Copper Hook Tiemco 2487: #14, #16 Bead Copper tungsten Thread Brown 6/0 Body Hare s mask Rib Fine copper wire The newest member of this year s list is the hare and copper. It is a pattern that has been around for a while. It is a simple fly with a body of hare s mask a copper bead and copper rib tied on a scud hook. It is impressionistic and kind of looks like a scud, caddis or sowbug but not exactly. It has been producing well for me and I had a young man take two spectacular cutthroats yesterday on Dry Run Creek using it. Pheasant Tail Nymph Hook Tiemco 3761BL, #14. #16, #18 (Typically #14 in a boat and #16 wading) Thread Brown 6/0 Bead Copper tungsten Tail Pheasant tail fibers Abdomen Pheasant tail fibers Thorax Peacock herl Wing Case Pheasant tail fibers On my last list, I had included the copper John. I have changed over to the pheasant tail nymph. This fly has been around since 1930. There is a reason for any fly to be around that long. The pheasant tail is easy to tie and catches fish. I have found it to be a great nymph imitation San Juan Worm Hook Tiemco 2487 BL, #10 Thread to match body Body - Chenille: Cerise, Hot Florescent Pink, Worm Brown The San Juan worm is the fly that I fish the most. I fish it every day. I generally fish two fly rigs and the San Juan Worm is my top fly. I think that it acts as an attractor and gets the trout s attention. Though I usually catch more fish on the bottom fly, I catch quite a few on the worm. After a rain, it is my go to fly because worms are washed, into the river during a rain. It is also the easiest fly that there is to tie. Green Butt Hook Tiemco 102Y, #15 Thread Brown, 6/0 Tag Bright green floss Body -Peacock herl Rib Fine gold wire Hackle Hungarian Partridge My final selection, for the list, is the green butt. I didn t choose it just because it is my signature pattern. I chose it because it works. This is the fly I tie at Sowbug and the FFF Fly Fishing Fair every year. It is an easy tie and looks elegant. It is a soft hackle and it is the first thing that I tie on, whenever I see some top water action. I developed it about fifteen years ago and have fished it ever since. It has become a popular local pattern that sells well in the shop.
Page 4 Tale waters Jimmy T s Fishing Report - July Can you say ants? Gotta love terrestrials on the surface. It s just way too much fun to watch a fish take your fly off the surface. Oh! the excitement and anticipation is addicting. June has been an exciting month and July is starting out the same way- ON TOP. Well at least when the flows allow. Morning generation has been starting out with a unit or two and a few days with some minimum flow. A little generation has been good with terrestrials in the AM before the water levels really kick up. During June once the water reached around 2 units the surface action pretty much was over so we then switched to PT s or eggs and worms and stayed near the dam. The other option was to stay in front of the water with terrestrials or even Sulphur may flies in riffle water. The Sulphur bite as of this writing is pretty much gone now. As we get into July and the hoppers pick up the surface action should work on higher flows. Of course the peak time for hopper action is August and September. Our annual cicadas will also start peaking at that time and crashing or splashing those bugs pretty close to the bank can be very productive. Black seems to be the color so far this year but, as far as foam goes, it wouldn t hurt to carry the following colors: brown or cinnamon, pink, purple, and tan. I often fish two different colors at a time to try and figure out which color and size will draw the most strikes and then just fish with one. Less trouble when it comes time to net the fish and less twist in the line when casting. If you are going to fish a cicada type foam terrestrial a grey or frosty bottom foam fly can produce and draw more strikes. Our annual cicadas have a whitish underside to them and a paint pen can be a good way to transform some of your black foam flies into cicada looking terrestrials without tying up more of them. As the summer progresses this pattern of hoppers should improve and especially on lower flows. Lake fishing with terrestrials has also been pretty good with #10 foam ants. Have been taking a buddy and my nephews on the lake in the mornings to get my fix of surface action. The action is great with tons of takes from pumpkin seed, warmouth and an occasional smally or panfish. Pretty much every cast seems to get some action. A 3 or 4 wt. would really be a good idea on this type of fishing (catching). Especially if there is a youngster or novice fisherman involved. Good fishing! Jim Traylor July Raffle 1. 12 Tenkara fly rod Streamside bag and tube 2. 26 beautiful hand-tied flies, engraved wooden box by Bob Hasse, Eldorado, WI 3. McClane s Fishing Encyclopedia and Int l Angling Guide 4. 7-piece fly holders with mount 5. A Trip Down the White River on the Trout Stocking Raft DON T MISS THIS OPPOR- TUNITY!!! 6. Wapsi Chenille and deer hair 7. Bag of chenille and deer hair 8. NAFF Tier Pack 9. New fly box plus 12 flies tied by Bob Krause 10. XL Columbia fishing shirt 11. 12-rod floor holder for fly rods
Tale waters Page 5 Sowbug Tyers Update Picnic in September Invitations to be a Demonstration Tier at the 20th Sowbug will be emailed in November. We are planning on having more tying classes and about 130 tiers this year. If you want to be a tier and have never tied at the Sowbug before, email Fred DuPre' at flytyerfred@gmail.com. If you have comments or suggestions, please send them to Fred. Fly Tying Every Friday 1:30 to 3:30 Dally s Ozark Fly Fisher All NAFF Members Welcome Our annual Fall Picnic will be held on Saturday, September 24th at the Bull Shoals lower White River State Park pavilion no. 1. (same place as usual). Picnic will be from 11am until 2pm. NAFF supplies the great burgers, brats, chips, soda, water and all the fixins for the burgers and brats. Members are asked to bring a side dish, salad or dessert of your choice. Food will be served between 11:45 and noon. Come early and swap fish stories. Feel free to bring a new or favorite rod to show off.or a special fly that has been working for you. NOTE: The picnic will serve as our September general meeting, so the club raffle will be held at the picnic. Hope to see you there. If you would be available to help, or if you have any questions, please call Vern Berry, activities director at 421-0720.
Tale waters Page 6 The Spring River has been looking great. The river has been low and clear. Running at about 405 cfs at the spring. The trout have been hitting great on woolly worms, woolly buggers in a variety of colors and big nymphs. Having some really good luck on some days swinging a small nymph behind a Y2k. Wet wading has been the way to go with the heat of the summer here. Don't forget the wading staff. Heavy canoe hatches on Saturday and thru the week but on Sunday the river can be very quiet. Tight lines and good luck, Mark Crawford 870-955-8300 Spring River Fishing Report Book Report Twenty years ago Dave Hughes wrote Wet Flies, the definitive volume on Tying and Fishing Soft-Hackles, Winged and Wingless Wets, and Fuzzy Nymphs. Twenty years later he has updated the book to Wet Flies: Second Edition: Tying and Fishing Soft-Hackles, Flymphs, Winged Wets, and All-Fur Flies. The updated name reflects the evolution of wet flys and Dave thoughts about them over the intervening twenty years. The book has four parts. Part I is a survey of the history of wet flies and an overview of wet flys. Part II goes into great detail in how to tie the various styles of wet flys listed in the title. There are full color pictures of how to and of the many fly patterns. These photos are great improvement in the 2nd edition as in the original they were all black and white and not that good. There are chapters on tying soft -hackles, Flymphs, winged wet flys, and all-fur wet flies, and a chapter with experiments using beads, flash, and other modern materials. Part III describes methods for fishing wet-flys. After a review of tackle (which can be summarized as use what you have with you ) he describes how to fish the traditional wet-fly swing that we all use and that I learned from this book. And then he goes into detail on other wet-fly techniques. There is a lot more to wet-fly fishing than swinging soft-hackles and Dave describes all of the advanced techniques. There is a chapter describing Davy Wotton s methods and chapter on fishing wet-flys in small streams. In Part IV Dave tells us how to match the hatch with soft-hackles and other wet-flys. He describes specific patterns for mayflies, caddis, stoneflies, midges and others aquatic insects. I own the original book, I bought a copy shortly after it came out. I learned how to tie and fish softhackles from the original. The March Brown Spider soft-hackle that I fish all the time came out of this book. The second edition is well worth the investment. With five new chapters and full color illustrations it is a fine upgrade to the original. As I often tell people, I pretty much learned to fly fish from books written by Dave Hughes. Therefore, when NAFF started the program of inviting name fly fishing personalities to speak Dave Hughes was the first that I invited. As a result, NAFF is mentioned in the book and Dave was able to write the chapter about Davy Wotton s technique. Note: I bought my copy Wet Flies: 2nd Edition from Amazon in the Kindle edition which I then read on my ipad. This book is excellent in the Kindle Edition. Mike Tipton
Page 7 Tale waters Riverside Retreat on the White River Cabins with hot tubs and fireplaces Lodge that sleeps 20~Guided Fishing 10 minutes from the North Fork River www.whiteriverresort.com 870 499-3056
North Arkansas Fly Fishers PO Box 1213 Mountain Home, AR 72653 Activities of Interest to NAFF members July Tuesday 5th NAFF Board Meeting 2:00-4:00 First Security Bank Monday 11th Trout Unlimited 6:00-8:00 El Chico Tuesday 12th Sowbug Committee Meeting 1:00-3:00 Baxter County Library Tuesday 19 th NAFF Club Meeting 7:00-9:00 Van Matre Senior Center Casting starting at 6:00 August Monday 1st Trout Unlimited 6:00-8:00 El Chico Tuesday 2 nd NAFF Board Meeting 2:00-4:00 First Security Bank Tuesday 9th Sowbug Committee Meeting 1:00-3:00 Baxter County Library Tuesday 16th NAFF Club Meeting 7:00-9:00 Van Matre Senior Center Casting starting at 6:00