Flyfisher magazine Autumn 2010-Winter 2010

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C o n s e r v i n g , R e s t o r i n g & E d u c a t i n g T h r o u g h F l y F i s h i n gfedflyfishers.org

Education for troutflies and fishing

MIDGEMAJOR

Become a

COASTALALERTOil spill effects andshredded seagrass

FISHING FUN IN

TEXAS

http://www.hydeoutdoors.com

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22 Aftermath of the Oil SpillCan one enjoy fly fishing despite the devastation?By Tom Tripi

26 Saving Our SeagrassRestoration through conservation and corporateresponsibility. By Brandon Shuler

28 Texas Hill Country SlamA memorable trip yields three species new to theauthors. By Terry and Roxanne Wilson

30 Small Patterns, Large FishMidge fishing techniques for three seasons of success.By Bill Toone

33 The Midge Life CycleHow to imitate each stage of this trout staple.By Verne Lehmberg

4 Meet the Board6 Just Fishing

The value of FFF membership.By Phil Greenlee.

7 Letter8 I Am a Member

Meet L. Kirk Klingensmith.

9 Home WatersFly fishing news and notes.

15 Book Reviews16 2010 Fly Show Recap

Highlights from this summer’s event.

36 At the ViseCaulk Midge. By Scott Sanchez

38 Fly BoxFeaturing tiers from 2010 Conclave.By Verne Lehmberg

40 Woman’s OutlookCelebrating women at the 2010 Conclave.By Carol Oglesby

41 Fly TipsFly boxes for tiny flies.By C. Boyd Pfeiffer

42 CastingSimple cures for persistent problems.By Tom Tripi

43 Fly Rod CornerThe FFF, bamboo and friendship.By Al Beatty

44 Photo ContestWinners from the 2010 Conclave.

46 Fly Fishing HeritageVienna sausages. By Jon Lyman

Please remember to recycle this magazine and any other appropriate material.

Editor-in-Chief: Bill TooneFlyfisher is published for the FFF by:Keokee Co. Publishing, Inc.P.O. Box 722, Sandpoint, ID 83864(208) 263-3573 • fax (208) 263-4045keokee.com • [email protected]

Publisher: Chris BesslerEditors: Al and Gretchen BeattyArt Director/Designer: Jackie OldfieldDesigner: Laura WahlCopy Editor: Billie Jean PlasterAdvertising Director: Clint Nicholson

F l y f i s h e r : M a g a z i n e o f t h e F e d e r a t i o n o f F l y F i s h e r s

PRINTED IN THE USA

Flyfisher is the official publication of the Federation of Fly Fishers,published two times a year and distributed by mail free to mem-bers. Send membership inquiries, fees and change of addressnotices to the FFF Headquarters in Livingston, Montana at theaddress above. Flyfisher is produced for the FFF by Keokee Co.Publishing, Inc. Address all editorial and advertising correspon-dence to the address at left. Contents of Flyfisher copyright © 2010by the Federation of Fly Fishers. Written permission required toreprint articles. “FFF,” “FFF & Reel Design” and “FFF & FishDesign” are registered marks of the Federation of Fly Fishers.

F F F H e a d q u a r t e r s & F l y F i s h i n g D i s c o v e r y C e n t e r

Federation of Fly Fishers5237 U.S. Highway 89 South • P.O. Box 1688Livingston, MT 59047(406) 222-9369 • fax (406) 222-5823www.fedflyfishers.org

Conclave Coordinator: Jessica [email protected]

Office Assistant/Bookkeeper:Judy Snyder • [email protected]. Assist./Membership/Casting Certification/ClubWire:Barbara Wuebber • [email protected]./Presidents Club/Donations:Angie Gill • [email protected]

33

FEATURES

DEPARTMENTSMagazine

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Cover photo: Midges are often an important part of thediet of late-season trout like the rainbow pictured herewith Utah high school teacher and guide Casey Birkholz.Read on page 30 for some tips for fishing with midgepatterns. Photo by Brett Colvin

Feature photos, clockwise from top, left:

Sludge resulting from the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill.Photo by Joe Gorman

The results af careless boaters are torn grass beds anda blown sand base in this seagrass meadow. Photo byBrandon Shuler.

A close-up look at a tiny midge. Photo byVerne Lehmberg.

A 12-inch Rio Grande perch. Photo by Terry andRoxanne Wilson.

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Meet the FFF’s Directors and OfficersCounc i l Pr es iden ts

Western Rocky MtnWashingtonSouthwestSouthernSouth EastOregonOhioNorth East

Northern CaliforniaMid AtlanticGreat RiversGreat LakesGulf CoastFloridaEastern Rocky Mtn

[4] Flyfisher Autumn 2010 - Winter 2011

Ohio: David Snyder216-256-4950 • [email protected] Aaron Street, Berea, OH 44017

Oregon: Sherry Steele541-420-5532 • [email protected] Chestnut Place, Sisters, OR 97759

South Eastern: Anthony Hipps336-249-0338 • [email protected] Maple Tree Road, Lexington, NC 27292

Southern: Michael E. Ames870-578-2557 • [email protected] Normal, Harrisburg, AR 72432

Southwest: Michael Schweit818-601-9702 • [email protected] Jellico Avenue, Northridge, CA 91325

Washington: Carl Johnson360-863-9889 • [email protected]. Box 1206, Monroe, WA 98272

Western Rocky Mountain: Bud Frasca208-762-2631 • [email protected] E. Packsaddle Drive, Coeur d’Alene, ID 83815

Eastern Rocky Mountain: Pat Oglesby970-434-3912 • [email protected] Evanston Avenue, Grand Junction, CO 81504

Florida: Bill Gunn321-773-5334 • [email protected] Marion Street, Indian Harbor Beach, FL 32937

Great Lakes: Jim Schramm231-869-5487 • [email protected]. Box 828, Pentwater, MI 49449

Great Rivers: OpenContact Chris [email protected]

Gulf Coast: Kyle Moppert225-342-7551 • [email protected] Terrace Avenue, Baton Rouge, LA 70806

Mid-Atlantic: Jim Porter410-992-7776 • [email protected] Little Patuxent Parkway, Ste. 1100Columbia, MD 21044

North Eastern: Rodney Priddle518-664-3509 • [email protected] Angle Lane, Mechanicville, NY 12118

Northern California: Anne Marie Bakker707-721-6184 • [email protected] Calledel Arroyo, Sonoma, CA 95476

The Federation of Fly Fishers representsthe interests of fly fishers across the UnitedStates through its regional councils. Muchof the FFF’s most important work is carriedout through its regional councils and the flyfishing clubs in those regions. If you’re afly fisher, stay in touch with the activitiesof your council – and get involved!

THE FFF COUNCILS

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B oard o f D i r ec tors & Execu t i ve Commi t tee

Flyfisher Autumn 2010 - Winter 2011 [5]

Rick Pope: [email protected] Sovereign Row, Dallas, TX 75247

Exec. Comm • Financial Development Comm.Chair • FFF Foundation PresidentEarl Rettig: 541-330-9670 • [email protected] Antler Point Drive, Bend, OR 97702

Exec. Comm • Legal CounselJim Schramm*: [email protected]. Box 828, Pentwater, MI 49449

Wolf Schrey: [email protected] • 2141Deer Hollow Drive S.E.,Grand Rapids, MI 49508

Sherry Steele: [email protected] Chestnut Place, Sisters, OR 97759

Mike Stewart: [email protected] Loomis Street, North Granby, CT 06060

Greg Stumpf: [email protected] Pepperdale Drive, Rowland Heights, CA 91748

Exec. Comm • Flyfisher Editor in ChiefBill Toone: 406-556-7241 • [email protected] Game Trail Road, Bozeman, MT 59715

Robert Uselton: [email protected]. Box 16113, Jonesboro, AR 72403

Exec. Comm • Conservation Comm. Rep.Rick Williams: [email protected] West Two Rivers Drive, Eagle, ID 83616

Exec. Comm • TreasurerRon Winn: 321-723-3141 • [email protected] South Grant Place, Melbourne, FL 32901

Carl Zarelli: [email protected] Memory Lane West, University Place, WA 98466

Council Presidents' RepresentativeTilda Runner-Evans: [email protected] “G” Road, Palisade, CO 81526

Bud Frasca: [email protected] E Packsaddle Drive, Coeur d’Alene, ID 83815

Don Gimbel: [email protected] Sunset Trail, Livingston, MT 59047

Exec. Comm • Chairman of the Board/President • Philip Greenlee530-356-9430 • [email protected] Bechelli Lane, Redding, CA 96002

Keith Groty: [email protected] S. Palmerlee Road, Cedarville, MI 49719

Exec. Comm • SecretaryHerb Kettler: [email protected] Winston Terrace, Charlottesville, VA 22903

Michael Kyle: [email protected] S. Palisades Drive, Springfield, MO 65807

David Lemke: [email protected] Aberdeen Way, Houston, TX 77025

Bob Long: [email protected]. Box 462, Shelley, ID 83274

Roger Maler: [email protected] Gulf Winds Circle, Hernando Beach, FL 34607

Howard Malpass: [email protected] Southern Avenue, Shreveport, LA 71106

Roger Miller: [email protected] E. Fedora, Fresno, CA 93704

* not a member of the BOD

T oday we live in a world ofchange filled with discussionabout important topics such as

global environment and world econom-ics. Just think about it, the U.S. debt isnear $13 trillion and growing! Thatreality is causing many Americans(including our members) to experiencea lifestyle change. We in the Federationof Fly Fishers (FFF) have to understandhow the new reality affects everyonewhile still keeping the importance ofconservation and the protection of ournatural resources at the forefront.

From our humble beginnings morethan 45 years ago we have grown fromtwo clubs and one council to almost12,000 members in 15 councils and 17countries. Our motto – Conserving,Restoring and Educating Through FlyFishing – is as important today as itever was. I think we may have torethink our mission as stated in the lastsentence; we have to add “communi-cate with our membership” to the mix.Quite frankly, we don’t do as good of ajob communicating with our members,as we would like to think!

Speaking of membership, one otheritem I’ve discovered is we have peoplewho think they are members who arenot. Those people are members of anaffiliate club but are not members ofthe FFF. Their club pays an “affiliationfee” to the FFF for each “affiliate” mem-ber, but they are not individual mem-bers themselves. Also because the clubis designated “affiliate” it doesn’t havethe same benefits that the second typeof FFF club enjoys.

This second type of club is knownas a charter club, or 100 percent club,and ALL of its members are also indi-vidual members of the FFF. As do allindividual members, those peoplereceive the magazine, have access tothe FFF library, and enjoy participat-ing in conservation and youth pro-grams. In addition their charter clubhas the advantage of being under theorganization’s 501(c)(3) nonprofitumbrella; it receives a $237 insurancepremium each year; and they don’tpay the “affiliation fee” for each clubmember to the FFF. Membership inthe Federation and membership in acharter club is truly a win-win situationfor everyone involved, club and indi-vidual member alike.

The FFF offers a lot of fun aspects,and I get to enjoy them right alongwith everyone else in the organization.That said, I also have the responsibilityof the business side of the FFF, and, tobe honest, things are challenging.Rising operational costs and keepingup-to-speed in the ever-changing tech-nological environment are two of thechallenges I face on your behalf eachday. And keeping up with the commu-nications within the organization isalways “interesting” as well. We havemore than 300 clubs in the FFF, andthe councils do not always provide up-to-date information regarding theirclubs. All we need is current e-mail,mailing addresses and phone numbers,but much of this information is notupdated on a regular basis. This oftencauses our office personnel to dupli-

cate functions, miss sending informa-tion or to send it to the wrong location.We need your help in this area; let usknow when information goes in thewrong direction and where it shouldhave gone. We certainly would appre-ciate your input.

Another concern I have is regard-ing individual FFF members who donot belong to a club or council. In thisscenario, those members only receive acopy of Flyfisher magazine; it is oftentheir only contact with the organization.The FFF recently started a new monthlyprogram called E-News. E-News keepseveryone up-to-date on current mattersin the FFF. All you have to do is visitthe FFF website (www.fedflyfishers.org)and click on the E-News hyperlink onthe left corner of the homepage. Put inyour e-mail address and receive themonthly e-newsletter.

Those members would be wise toalso utilize the FFF website. The FFF iscurrently working on a new programthat will provide fishing informationfrom all of the FFF Councils. For exam-ple, let’s say you want to go steelheadfishing in the state of Washington. Allyou need to do is go to the “Councilsand Clubs” tab on the website, thentype the word “Washington” in the statesection of the search engine and clickthe word “search.” The next screenbrings you to a web page with all theclubs in the state, e-mail address fortheir contact person, and their websiteaddress. We hope to eventually have afishing profile of members, but for nowthe contact person in the club will haveto help with your fishing trip. See theimportance of club contact information?

We are always improving ourwebsite so that the first-time visitor willbe excited about FFF programs. Ourintent is to improve communicationsand encourage people to join us. Besure to subscribe to the free monthlye-newsletter by providing your e-mailaddress at the signup button on theupper left-hand side of the home page.Thank you for your continued supportand belief in the purpose of theFederation of Fly Fishers.

AVALUE-FOR-VALUE DECISIONMembership in the Federation of Fly Fishers

Just Fishing

Phil Greenlee,Chairman of the

Board of Directors

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By Philip Greenlee, Chairman of the Board of Directors

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Letter

In 2001, the East Fork of the Lewis Riverin southwest Washington was declaredone of the most endangered rivers in theUnited States – its endangered salmonand steelhead populations at risk. Thisonce legendary stream was “home” tothe state record, a 32-pound, 12-ouncesteelhead.

Nine years later, in 2010, it is anAmerican tragedy. Severe erosion, sedi-mentation and the breach of the aquiferduring gravel mining continues to pro-duce record-low summer flows and tem-peratures lethal to all aquatic life.

Now is the time for the LowerColumbia Fish Recovery Board, county,state and federal officials to get seriousabout enforcing the Endangered SpeciesAct. Now is the time to put aside politicaland personal differences and focusenergy on the recovery of the East Fork ofthe Lewis’ endangered fish and habitat.Now is the time to put endangered fishfirst. Habitat restoration funds are there.The science and guidelines are there.

Let’s make this an opportunity forpresent-day and future generations toexperience a thriving river, a placewhere endangered salmon and steel-head spawn and thrive.

Ben DennisVancouver, Washington

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East ForkLewis River,An AmericanTragedy

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FFF Council NortheastMember since 1974

Homewaters Conhocton River,Genesee River, Chemung River, LakeErie and Lake Ontario tributaries

Favorite fish The biggest, baddestpredator looking for a fly – trout, bass,steelhead or carp

Reason for being a memberI joined FFF as a teenager in westernPennsylvania. This was long before flyfishing was cool, and good informationwas darn scarce. FFF was a helpfulguide to my largely self-taught tyingand fly fishing skills. Though my oldbamboo rod needed frequent repairand the heavy rubber waders nearlydrowned me, my love for our sportgrew with an excitement and wonderthat still fuels my dreams.

I have become a life member ofFFF and TU.

I am part of the leadership team ofthe Twin Tiers Five Rivers chapter.This is a great group of passionate flyfishers. Our club attracts members fromas far as two hours away. Over the lastdecade, our seminars and academieshave introduced more than 1,000 folksto fly fishing. Programs feature some ofthe best speakers in the region.Conservation efforts benefit local fish-eries. With impending Marcellus Shaledrilling in our area, the threat to ourwatersheds concerns us.

Memorable fishing experienceCorning, New York, is blessed to bewithin three hours of many of the besttrout, steelheading, salmon and bassfisheries within the Northeast. I trulyhave been blessed with some amazingfishing and great friendships. In recenttimes, my most memorable experienceshave come from teaching others: watch-ing a teenager nearly jump out of mycanoe when his popper was ambushedby a monster bass; teaching theMontessori school sixth-grade class tocast and helping them all land theirfirst fish; snapping a photo of a 70-year-old’s first fly-caught trout, while hequivers with excitement; coaching a

Cornell student to land a 15-poundcarp – one of the toughest fish on a fly.

What others sayRichard Naylor, former chapter treas-urer and active member, said: “Kirkhas been an excellent leader of ourchapter for many years and has sharedhis knowledge with so many new flyfishers – fly casting, fly tying, rodbuilding – as an instructor and is agreat fishing buddy. He also volun-teers his time to conservation projectsand has been our program chairmanfor several years. He has now assumedthe role of chapter president while stillworking full-time. I have no idea howhe has the time or energy to accom-plish this and still serve his church. Ihold him in the highest esteem as domany others, and I wish him the bestin the future.”

Does your council or club have an individ-ual you would like to be considered for afuture “I Am a Member” Profile?

If so, please e-mail Bill Toone, FlyfisherEditor-in-Chief, at [email protected] your consideration. Please include abrief bio (25 to 40 words) along with thereason you feel this person exemplifies thebest of the Federation of Fly Fishers.

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The North American Stonefly Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9Northwest Youth Academy a Big Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10Snake River Dam Removal Essential to Salmon Recovery . . . .10Wild Trout Symposium a Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

FFF Events and Casting Certification Calendars . . . . . . . . . . . . .11The Boat That Flew . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .122011 Northwest Fly Fishing Expo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13Obituaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

Home WatersTo support any FFFconservation, restoration or

education program, pleasemake a tax deductible contri-

bution to: The Federation of FlyFishers, P.O Box 1688,Livingston, MT 59047.


By David Nelson, Lauren Culler andEd DeWalt, Ph.D.

Scientists have a hard time gettingaround to all the rivers. They arelucky to get out on the water to

sample a river once every few years,while we fly fishers visit our area watersdozens of times each year. And that ishow all of you can help the scientists giveyou, the fly fisher, reliable data so youcan be more effective while on the water.

The North American StoneflyProject (www.Stonefly.us) is a combinedproject of the Fly Tying Group of theFederation of Fly Fishers and the IllinoisNatural History Survey/University ofIllinois at Urbana-Champaign. The organ-ization has two simple goals: help fly fish-ers and help scientists.

The organization can help fly fish-ers by making the scientific knowledge of the professionalplecopterans as well as the wealth of knowledge from fly-fishing guides accessible to the fly fisher. The goal is togather data about stonefly distribution and emergence on aregional or river-by-river basis, so that a fly fisher going to aparticular area would know what to tie for any given timeperiod. The website will share photographs plus tyinginstructions to help the angler tie a pattern that will matchthe natural insect on any given water and at any given time.

Fly-fishing guides and local anglers can help scientistsby collecting information for them; in other words, the scien-tific community will be using you as “citizen-scientists” to

collect data (occurrence and emergence)and specimens. The end result will bean online database that will make thisinformation available to scientists work-ing on stonefly identification and waterquality assessment. They will be collect-ing insects and information from all ofyou to be sure of the genus (and, if pos-sible, the species) of stoneflies in yourwaters. It will be your responsibility tomake our collections in a scientifically rig-orous manner so that the data is reliableenough that scientific papers can bewritten based on the collection. Howyou accomplish that task is outlinedunder the “Specimen CollectingProgram” hyperlink on our website.

Also, we are working to create a newtype of key to stoneflies that uses thegraphic and hyper-linking power of theInternet, with pictures and text at each

couplet to assist in making decisions. It will be as if you hadthe professor at your side as you consider each couplet. Paper-based keys are difficult to use. Some have described keys as“documents written by those who don’t need them for thosethat can’t use them.” For more detailed information, click the“Thoughts About Online Keys” hyperlink on the site.

Would you like to become part of the North AmericanStonefly Project team and help us catalog your waters?Interested in collecting specimens and data, plus getting toknow your area waters better? Please go to the website,www.Stonefly.US, and learn how you can help. We thankyou, in advance, for your participation.

Index of Articles

THE NORTH AMERICAN STONEFLY PROJECTHelp Scientists Keep Your Rivers Clean and Healthy, Plus Identify the Stoneflies in Your Home Waters

Illustrationby

BillNelson

By Will Atlas

F or much of the 20th century,government policy was to tame,control and utilize every possible

river to the benefit of agriculture, trans-portation and energy generation.Unfortunately, in many instances, hastilyconstructed dams did not include ade-quate fish passage and, as a result, manyhistoric spawning runs have been lost.

Even after the effects of damsbecame apparent, government agen-cies pursued a pro-dam agenda.During the 1960s and ’70s, some ofthe most egregious dams in our his-tory were constructed, often at the cost

of the locally adapted, wild salmonids.Despite these tremendous losses, evenmassive concrete structures have a lifeexpectancy. Aging dams coupled withincreasing societal pressure to recoverwild salmon have resulted in a majorpush to remove outdated dams.

Over the last decade, the damremoval movement has gained trac-tion. Many dams have been removedor are now slated for removal. Amongthe most important dam removal proj-ects to occur to date have been on theRogue River, where three main-stemdams have been removed, freeing theRogue for 157 miles. Other significantdam removal projects have been com-pleted on the Sandy River and HoodRiver in Oregon, and on the WindRiver in Washington. Next year majormain-stem dams will be removed onthe White Salmon and Elwha rivers,restoring access to nearly 90 miles ofhistoric spawning grounds.

Now, with momentum building, abroad coalition of groups are taking ahard look at the Snake River dams,which currently slow downstream pas-sage for Endangered Species Act(ESA)-listed chinook salmon, sockeyeand steelhead. The four lower Snake

dams were built during the last echo ofAmerica’s dam-building boom.Opponents of dam removal argue thatthe dams and the barges, which usetheir locks, provide the only affordableshipping option for farmers in EasternWashington, Oregon and Idaho.

Economists, however, are less con-vinced by these arguments. Surely themillions of dollars being spent on “mit-igation” could be used to improveexisting rail infrastructure, whichwould make the dams even moreobsolete. Despite the clearly harmfulimpacts of the Snake River dams,Washington’s senators Maria Cantwelland Patty Murray have refused to addtheir voices to the call to remove thedams. Indeed, some believe that thetwo senators have actively sought toobstruct any momentum towards damremoval. This is startling consideringthe fact that both came into office withstrong environmental messages.

Removal of the dams is essentialto the recovery of wild salmon in theSnake River. We need action byWashington’s senators; it’s time thatWashingtonians and their politiciansstand up for what’s right rather thanwhat is politically expedient.

NORTHWEST YOUTH ACADEMY A BIG SUCCESS

SNAKE RIVER DAM REMOVAL ESSENTIAL TO SALMON RECOVERY


Terry and RoxanneWilson

Authors, speakers availablefor club events and shows.

Slide shows, seminars, andtying demonstrations.

Warmwater fly fishing.(largemouth and smallmouthbass, bluegill, and other species)

[email protected] • 417-777-2467

By Mike Clancy, WSCFFF, Academy Co-Chair

T he Washington State Council of the FFF (WSCFFF)and the Washington Council TU jointly sponsored aweeklong conservation and fly-fishing academy for 23

boys and girls, ages 12 to 16 years old. The Northwest YouthAcademy was held in June 2010 at the Gwinwood ConferenceCenter on Hicks Lake in Lacey, Washington. The event was

hosted by volunteers from the SouthSound Fly Fishers and the OlympiaWashington Trout Unlimited (TU)Chapter. The youth were housed incabins with assigned counselors.

Each applicant was required toedit an essay explaining why they

wanted to attend the Academy andobtain a letter of recommendationfrom their school counselor or scienceteacher. Many of the applicants weresponsored by FFF-affiliated clubs, TUchapters of Washington state, and private

donations including the FFF Foundation.The academy was split into three groups for

the casting, fly tying and fishing events. The castingwas conducted by FFF certified casting instructors as

well as other volunteers. The conservation classes were

instructed by experts from various fishery agencies andretired professors from the University of Washington. Theywere held in the morning with the class exploring the con-tents of a local stream in the afternoon. The students wereexposed to the amazing life in our streams and rivers and theimportance of protecting the resources. The groups fished ina pond and various rivers around the Olympia area.

Participants were rewarded with a TFO fly rod, reeland line, and Cabela’s donated 23 fly vests. This was a veryrewarding event for the youth, as well as the more than 50volunteers. The academy is a life-changing experience forour youth’s attitude about stewardship, conservation andfly fishing.

Photoby

Mike

Clancy

You can help conserve,restore and protect our

precious fisheries. Read thered patch at the top of page

9 to find out how.

Conservation Chairs ChuckHammerstad and Mike Brinkleyfrom the San Jose, California,

FFF Club, Flycasters, Inc., joinedMarty Seldon at the Wild TroutSymposium September 27-30, 2010, inWest Yellowstone, Montana. Seldonwas master of ceremonies of theAwards Luncheon and has been onthe Symposium Organizing Committeein various positions since 1979.

Of the 43 papers and 30 posterspresented, one of them was presentedby FFF Conservation CommitteeChairman Rick Williams, on the restora-tion of a sustainable cutthroat fishery onJ.R. Simplot Company’s Meade PeakRanch located on the Idaho/Wyomingborder. The project includes livestockmanagement and riparian streamrestoration that is a model forYellowstone cutthroat trout sustainability.

Roger Bloom, head of California’sHeritage and Wild Trout Program,made a presentation on the landingefficiency of barbed versus barblesshooks. There was a lot of emphasis onclimate change, a number of papers onCanadian fisheries, and subjects thatranged from a brown trout project ona tributary of the Danube River inSerbia, to marble trout projects inSlovenia, to diversity of trout inMexico’s Sierra Madre Mountains.More than 200 fishing conservationistsand fishery professionals joinedtogether to not only get the latest infishery status and restoration tech-niques but to network in an informalatmosphere.

At the Symposium Post MortemMeeting September 30, Mike Brinkley,treasurer of the Northern California

Council Federation of FlyFishers, was elected as WildTrout Symposium Treasurer.Brinkley recently retired as asenior scientist with ThermoScientific/Duke ScientificIndustries and now lives inEugene, Oregon.

The next Wild TroutSymposium is beingplanned for 2013. Visit

www.wildtroutsymposium.com formore information.Marty Seldon is an FFF senior adviser, waschairman of the FFF International RelationsCommittee, and later chairman of FFFInternational Activities. He was previously FFFvice president of Conservation and the conser-vation editor of Angler Magazine. He has writtenextensively on catch-and-release fishing andfisheries conservation. Seldon has been on theOrganizing Committee of the International WildTrout Symposium since 1979 and is a recipientof the symposium’s Aldo Starker Leopold WildTrout Medal for outstanding long-term serviceto the cold water resource.

WILD TROUT SYMPOSIUM A SUCCESSTenth Meeting Well-Attended


CALENDARDecember 2010

4FFF Great Lakes Council - Fly Tying Expowww.FFFGLC.org

February 2011

26-27 International Custom RodBuilding Expo

High Point, NC. www.ICRBE.comMarch 2011

12-13Oregon Council - NW Fly Tyerand Fly Fishing Expo

www.NWExpo.com

F F F 2 0 1 0 - 2 0 1 1 E V E N T S

*Schedule subject tochange – see mostcurrent schedulewith details atwww.fedflyfishers.org

The following eventsoffer FFF CastingInstructor Certification.Pre-registration is required.Call 406-222-9369 to register. There is a $50 feefor Certified Instructor (CI) Testing and $100 feefor Master Instructor (MA) Testing plus a $50 feeif you pass; for Two-Handed Casting Instructor(THCI) there is a $100 test fee plus $50 pass fee.You must also be a current FFF member.

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By Dean Childs

In early September, the OlympicPeninsula Fly Fisher’s hard workcame to a successful conclusion

when a beautiful, 15-foot, Rangeley-style fishing boat was launched onLake Crescent in Olympic NationalPark near Port Angeles, Washington.After more than 800 donated hours ofwork over a six-month time frame,club members donated the handmadecedar boat to Project Healing Waters(PHW). The northwest regional coordi-nator for PHW, Chuck Tye, had thepleasure of taking the boat on itsmaiden voyage.

You might think this would be theend of the story with the PHW organi-zation sharing the boat with the manywounded veterans they service fromthe Joint Base Lewis-McChord area. Infact, this is what happened on thatSeptember day; however, getting theboat to Lake Crescent was more thanjust hooking up the trailer and taking itto the water.

To tell the complete story we haveto turn the clock back to late August

and the FFFConclave in WestYellowstone,Montana.OlympicPeninsula FlyFisher (OPFF)Vice PresidentDean Childs hadtaken the com-pleted boat to theshow to share theresults with mem-bers attending theevent. Everyonewas impressedwith the detail,evident hardwork, and dedica-tion of the 39members who worked on the project.

As often happens, everything canchange in a heartbeat, and that isexactly what happened on the last dayof the show. In a short time, an aver-age Montana rainstorm turned into amini-tornado or microburst. Thestrong winds picked up theboat and trailer, sailed bothacross the lawn and slammedthem into the concrete.

The boat received signifi-cant damage. The seats weretorn out, the hull was dam-aged, and the bow was sepa-rated. Things didn’t lookgood for the boat, which hadyet to be in the water. Notaccepting the setback, OPFFclub members got back towork immediately and madethe needed repairs so that theboat would be ready for thelaunch on September 4.

They were successful andthe boat was as good as newby that time. Chuck Tye fromPHW said it best in this quotefrom the Sequim Gazette(Washington): “We can’t sellit, because she’s one of usnow. It’s a fitting thing that awounded boat will helpwounded veterans.”

Healing Those WhoServe is the motto of thePHW, and the OPFF club

members are pleased to have beenpart of a project to help towardthat end.Dean Childs is vice president of the OlympicPeninsula Fly Fishers, past owner of WasatchAngling Products (fly-tying tools) and majorcoordinator on the boat-building project.


THE BOAT THAT FLEWBoat Built for Project Healing Waters Receives Damage

Chuck Tye, the Northwest Regional Coordinator of Project HealingWaters, takes the “storm boat” for its first ride on the water – oneweek after a tornado-propelled flight at the Conclave in WestYellowstone, Montana. Tye proclaimed: “She is one of us now; shehas been wounded.”

Photoby

Dean

Childs

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T he 2011 Northwest FlyTyer & Fly Fishing Expois slated March 11-12 at

the Linn County Expo Center inAlbany, Oregon. After havingbeen a flytier event for morethan 20 years, the expo wasexpanded five years ago to focuson the total fly fisher.

Since then, the expo hasevolved into a two-day eventwith more than 90 classes anddrawing 2,000-plus attendees.Now heralded as the “largest fly-tying event west of theMississippi,” the Northwest FlyFishing Expo is still coordinatedby volunteers from Oregon fly-fishing clubs.

Surrounding flytiers aremore than 50 fly-fishing industryvendor booths, including entre-preneur booths, where smallstart-up companies introducetheir innovative new productsor businesses.

Casting is a featured event:

A 70-footcastingpond isset up onthe mainfloor,where cer-tified castinginstructors give demonstrationseach hour; Spey casters have anoutdoor casting pond for prac-tice and instruction; and “TheCasting Doctor” offers privatetune-up lessons.

Hourly raffles allow atten-dees to win prizes donated byattending vendors and compa-nies throughout the fly-fishingindustry.

The expo concludes with abanquet Saturday evening featur-ing a live auction. All proceedsbenefit education and conserva-tion efforts in Oregon. Learnmore, sign up for classes orpurchase banquet tickets atwww.NWExpo.com.

2011 NORTHWEST FLY FISHING EXPO

The Secret to successful fishing:

go where the fish are.

Good advice if your businessis looking for customers, too

C oming in 2011,Flyfisher magazine isgoing green – the

digital way.Beginning with the

Spring-Summer 2011 Flyfisher,published in April, FFF mem-bers can elect to receive themagazine digitally only.

That means, those who sign up willreceive each issue of the magazine via theInternet rather than a printed copy in the mail.

The benefits, said Editor in Chief BillToone, is that the FFF will save printing andpostage costs while taking a step to reduce theenvironmental impact of producing the printmagazine.

The digital Flyfisher is viewable just thesame as the magazine in your hands – excepton your computer screen. To see a sampleright now – and sign up to receive digital-onlymagazines if you like what you see – go towww.flyfishermagazine.com.

Signups will also be available through themain FFF website at www.fedflyfishers.org,with frequent reminders via the FFF’s monthlyE-News newsletter.

By Mary Ann Dozer and Lou Verdugo

NW Fly Tyer Expo2011

GOT ELECTRONS?Digital Flyfisher on Tap for April 2011

We hold the future ...and then let them go.

Here’s what Joan Wulff has to say about the Federation of Fly Fishers:

“The FFF has been an important

part of my life since 1967. I’m

pleased to see its role become more

defined – that of educating men,

women and children to further both

the enjoyment and conservation

aspects of this wonderful sport.”

P.O. Box 1688, Livingston, MT 59047406-222-9369

www.FedFlyFishers.org

Make the FFF a partof your life, too.

the

FEDERATIONOF

FLY FISHERS

OBITUARIES

Clifford Edmund Adams, 92, ofEugene, Oregon, died of age-

related causes on May 16, 2010. Hewas born November 25, 1917 toRobert and Lillian (Sager) Adams inEdmond, Kansas. A chemistry majorin college, Cliff left to join the ArmyAir Force in September 1940. In theservice, Cliff operated radio equip-ment on B24 aircraft in flight; he alsomanned guns in combat over Italy.When Cliff separated from the Armyin July 1945, he settled in the LaneCounty, Oregon, area.

Clifford married Yvonne Martha“Johnnie” Roberts on August 22, 1942,in Fort Smith, Arkansas. She precededhim in death on October 21, 1982. Hewas employed as a purchasing agentand in his spare time he pursuedmany hobbies including photographyand fly fishing. He was a longtimemember of the Federation of FlyFishers and was active at the club,council and national level. He waswell-known for his ability to organize agreat auction/raffle.

He is survived by his children,

James Edmund Adams, Beverley JeanMoore, Michael Allen Adams andGail Karen Ellerbe; sisters Doris(Adams) Mizell and Arlene (Adams)Foss; eight grandchildren and threegreat-grandchildren. A grandson,Michael Edmund Adams, precededhim in death in 1995.Information provided by the Eugene (Oregon)Register-Guard from its online archive datedMay 22, 2010.

Clifford Edmund Adams

Fred B. Stevenson, 87, ofHuntsville, Alabama, passed away

on June 22, 2010. He was born andraised in Ardmore, Tennessee, thenmoved to Huntsville, where he hasbeen a lifelong resident. He was a ser-geant in the U.S. Marine Corps duringWorld War II and a second lieutenantin the U.S. Army Signal Corps in theKorean War and served in Luzon,Philippine Islands, South Pacific,

SolomonIslands,NewGuinea,Mindanao,Japan andKorea. Hewasawardedthe BronzeStar Medalwith the“V” andOak LeafCluster

from the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve.He graduated from the University

of Alabama with a degree in electricalengineering, then entered the civilservice at Redstone Arsenal inHuntsville in July 1955, retiring in May1978. He was an avid photographer,fly fisher, flytier and was well-knownfor his custom-built fly rods. He wasvery active in the Federation of FlyFishers in various officer roles. Hissage advice was always welcome.

He is survived by his daughterand son-in-law, Patty and CurtissBaldwin; a sister, Doris Secrest; grand-daughters, Christen Cannon andCourtney Baldwin; great-granddaugh-ter, Morgyn Cannon; great-grandson,Ethan Layhew; nephew, Jim Mullinsand wife Lynette; several nieces,nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews; and a long list of lifetimefriendsThis information was provided in part by theHuntsville (Alabama) Times, originally publishedon June 24, 2010.

Fred B. Stevenson


Book ReviewsAtlantic Salmon FliesBy Richard R. TwarogFrank Amato Publications, 20067" x 5", 30 pages, $12.95ISBN 1-57188-393-2

This greatlittle book’s sub-title says it all,“Postcards fromRiver Past.” It isa collection of30 beautiful clas-sic Atlantic salmon flies tied by world-famous fly dresser Tim Trexler. Theart director and photographer, RichardTwarog, is equally well-known on aHollywood movie set as he is on aPacific Northwest trout stream. To saythis book is exquisite would be a grossunderstatement. It is the best postcardbook of beautifully tied and pho-tographed flies we have ever seen.Every flytier or photographer of flypatterns should have one of thesebooks just to know what the ultimategoal really looks like!

Tying Hair Wing Flies(Second Edition)By Al & Gretchen BeattyBT’s Publications, 20105.5" x 8.5", 128 pages, $18.50

The authors combine more than50 years of fly-tying experience tobring the reader 13 of the best hairwing dry flies theAmerican West has tooffer for the fly fisherwho’s looking for agreat trout anglingexperience. The bookis structured so thetier can learn to use amaterial, then applythat same informationon the next fly – pluslearn a new skill or application.

The concept of building new skillson previously learned skills is appliedthroughout the book. The tier startswith an Elk Hair Caddis in the firsttying chapter and ends with anEnchanted Royal Double Wing in thelast. Along the way, the student learnsabout Wulff, Humpy, Trude andParachutes patterns. Use this bookto become an accomplished hairwing flytier.

Fly Casting:A Systematic ApproachBy Sheila M. HassanCast90.com (publisher), 20098.5" x 11", 246 pages, $24.95

Over the years there have beenmany how-to books written on fly cast-ing. While the mechanics have gener-ally stayed consistent from book tobook, the words and examples used toteach them have changed. It is thewords, as well as the visual and physi-cal analogies used, that create thevalue of one how-to book over another– or even theneed to readmore than onecasting instructionbook, for thatmatter. Any goodcasting instructorknows that amethod ordescription thatconnects with onestudent may not always connect withanother. Various approaches are neces-sary to good teaching, learning andunderstanding – hence, the need fordifferent books on the same subject.

It is in this regard that “FlyCasting: A Systematic Approach”should be welcomed to the list of cast-ing instruction books to read. Theauthor, Sheila Hassan, is chief instruc-tor at the Wulff School of Fly Fishing,and is clearly influenced (not a badthing) by Joan Wulff both in style andteaching methods. As such, havingWulff’s teachings filtered through theauthor’s own approach and interpreta-tion is undoubtedly a helpful tool, inmy opinion, for those trying toimprove their cast or even be a betterteacher. I found new ways to approachmy teaching and understanding afterreading the book.Reviewed by Editor-In-Chief Bill Toone

Rope Dubbing (DVD)By Don OrdesFantasy Fly Co. with Wild Bunch Video, 2009FantasyFlies.com, $39.95

In this great 60-minute DVD, fly-tying instructor Don Ordes leads thestudent through 24 tying sequencescovering his rope dubbing technique.

It is a method ofadding any kind ofdubbing to any sizedfly and making certainthe proportion arealways correct. Wehave been tying fliesfor more than 50 yearsand found new flytying informationthroughout the DVD. Ordes’ presenta-tion has something for flytiers at allskill levels - whether it’s learning howto adjust the dubbing noodle to fit var-ious hook sizes, furling a dubbedbody, or adding hackle to a fly. Wecertainly enjoyed the time spentreviewing this DVD, and have confi-dence you will enjoy and learn fromit as well.Reviewed by Editors Al and Gretchen Beatty

Gentlemen PreferredDry FliesBy William C. BlackUniversity of New Mexico Press, 20106" x 9", 302 pages, $19.95ISBN 978-0-8263-4795-4

There is evidence that men havebeen fooling fish with fake flies formore than 700 years,possibly muchlonger, going back toChina, Macedoniaand Rome. “InGentlemen PreferredDry Flies,” WilliamBlack explores thedevelopment of thedry fly, resulting dryfly “purism,” and theevolution of the sub-surface nymph.Gathering the stories of numerous flyfishing pioneers, Black traces how theconflict between the proponents of thetwo forms evolved first in England,where the dry fly is still regarded as themore sophisticated technique, and thenwas transported to the less stiltedAmerican angling community where thetwo forms eventually began to blend.While both techniques are now equallyfascinating to fly fishers, the debatebetween those who prefer dry flies towet continues to this day. This interest-ing book is available from the publisherat [email protected] or 505-277-3291.


By Al and Gretchen Beatty

D uring the week of August 24-28, 2010, the Federation of FlyFishers (FFF) returned to another time in its history when theycelebrated their National Fly Fishing Fair and Conclave in

West Yellowstone, Montana, at the Union Pacific Dining Hall. Theweeklong event was well-attended by avid fly fishers, tiers and castersfrom many corners of the world including the United States, Canada,Great Britain and Ireland just to name a few.

Workshops presented by top-name instructors started Tuesday,August 24 and continued throughout the week; classes were conductedon the water, in the event center or at the Holiday Inn. The mainevent hall opened Thursday, August 26 with vendors and demonstra-tion flytiers entertaining the visiting public inside the building, whileskilled casting instructors were busy every day at the casting pondlocated behind the event center.

Attendees enjoyed pleasantly cool weather during the show as rainshowers moved in and out of the area throughout the week. The fish-ing in the Yellowstone area was great for those who could spare timefrom the show. However, many attendees at the event never made it tothe water as they remained focused on the continual flow of knowl-edge coming from the many experts who willingly gave their time toeducate the public in the finer aspects of fly casting and fly tying.

The book-signing booth was apopular area with a number of rec-ognized authors signing and sellingbooks. Gretchen and Al Beatty, Reneand Bonnie Harrop, Mike Lawson,Darrel Martin, Craig Mathews andRhea Topping were in attendance.Outside the building, personalitiessuch as Charles and Alex Jardine,Bob Jacklin, Bruce Richards andmany other great casters shared theirskills at the fly-casting pond.

Every year the Fly Fishing Fair(Conclave) offers a wide variety ofraffle and silent or live auctionitems. This year was no different,with stunning items too numerous tomention. They included fly plates,drift boats, flies by name tiers, fly-fishing equipment of every kind andon-the-water trips to exotic locations.The event was enjoyed by everyoneand was quite successful financiallyfor the FFF.

Speaking of those attending the show, you never know who youwill meet at an FFF function – this year was no exception. On Friday,veteran Hollywood actor William Devane took a break from fishing theMadison River near his vacation home and spent several hours wander-ing through the Fly Fishing Fair. He seemed to really enjoy himself.

If you missed this event, don’t make the same mistake next year.The 2011 Conclave will be somewhere in the West – probably inLivingston or West Yellowstone, Montana. Keep an eye on the FFFwebsite (www.fedflyfishers.org) or the E-Newsletter for an announce-ment of the actual date and time. Wherever it may be located, we willall look forward to seeing you there!

FLY FISHING FAIR & CONCLAVE 2010A Return to West Yellowstone

AWARD RECIPIENTAmbassador Award Dan McCrimmon

Ambassador Award Denise Maxwell

Arnold GingrichMemorial Life Award Les Johnson

Buszek Memorial Award Scott Sanchez

Conservation Award Bill Redman

Don Harger Award Carl Johnson

Federator of theYear Award Phil Greenlee

Lee Wulff Award Mike Michalak

Leopold Award Robert Hunter

Lew Jewett LifeMemorial Award Bill Gammel

Lew Jewett LifeMemorial Award Earl Stanek

Robert MariottScholarship Award Audrey Djunaedi

COUNCIL AWARDS OF EXCELLENCEEastern Rocky Mountain

Council John Rammell

Gulf Coast Council Brooks Bouldin

North Eastern Council Leslie Wrixon

Ohio Council Paul Blanch

Oregon Council Sherry Steele

South Eastern Council Mike Arnold

Southern Council Lawrence Murphy

South West Council Ray Bianco

South West Council Aquabonita Flyfishers

Washington Council Larry Gibbs

The National Fly Fishing Fair & Conclave 2010 Recap Articles and photos by Pat Oglesby

Veteran actor William Devane discusses dry-flytactics with Nate Brumley from Dry FlyInnovations, a Conclave vendor.

BT’s photo


T he Arnold Gingrich MemorialLife Award is presented to per-

sons of outstanding achievement inany of the several areas that are partof, or related to, the sport and scienceof fly fishing.

In the Pacific Northwest, LesJohnson is well known as an author,conservationist, environmentalist andan expert on native wild trout. He isconsidered the guru of fishing for cut-throat trout along the coast of Oregonand Washington near his home inRedmond, Washington. He was one ofthe pioneers in fishing for these trout.He spent a large part of his life learn-ing about these fish, their habits, whenand how they feed, and how to catchthem with a fly. He is highly respectedby those who know this gentle andkind man.

Johnson’s interest in the coastalcutthroat trout led him to author andco-author two books on fishing forcoastal cutthroats and salmon. Heauthored “How to Fish for Sea-Run

Cutthroat Trout” and “FlyFishing for CoastalCutthroat Trout: Flies,Techniques,Conservation.” WithBruce Ferguson and PatTrotter, he co-authored“Fly Fishing for PacificSalmon,” and the update“Fly Fishing for PacificSalmon II.”

Johnson is active inthe Washington FlyFishing Club, theNorthwest Fly Anglersand the WashingtonCouncil of the FFF. Hehas a passion for protection of theenvironment and practicing conserva-tion. As a member of the Save OurWild Steelhead organization, he madepresentations to raise awareness of thethreat to wild steelhead. His interestand concern motivated him to travelthroughout the state to attendWashington Division of Fish and

Wildlife hearings, where he testified onbehalf of the wild fish.

In Washington and Oregon,Johnson is considered a celebrityauthor and is highly respected for hispassion of protecting wild trout andtheir habitat. He once had the pleas-ure of meeting Arnold Gingrich - thusmaking this award an extra special giftto him.

LES JOHNSON WINS ARNOLD GINGRICH MEMORIAL LIFE AWARD

The FFF Leopold Award is pre-sented to an individual for out-

standing contributions to fisheries andland ecology. Robert Hunter of EaglePoint, Oregon, exemplifies the criteriaestablished for this prestigious award.Although FFF membership is not arequirement, Hunter has been anactive member for more than 30 years.

He grew up in Michigan anddeveloped a love for nature at an earlyage during family outings to fishCanadian lakes. As a teen, Hunterdeveloped a passion for tying flies andfly fishing the storied rivers ofMichigan. Along the way he devel-oped a strong conservation ethic whileearning an undergraduate degree inzoology at the University of Michigan.After obtaining a J.D. degree in law,he did legal research that stopped theconstruction of the Tellico Dam.

After graduating from law school,he moved to Oregon and soon joinedthe Rogue Flyfishers and becameinvolved with the FFF. In 1990 he was

awarded his club’s DickRuff Award for out-standing conservation.Hunter became a lead-ing spokesman inOregon for protectingsalmon and steelheadhabitat, and through hisefforts numerousstreams and rivers haveadequate flows to pro-tect fisheries. He hasbeen successful in pre-venting construction ofdams that impede fishmigration as well asremoval of in-streamstructures. With theremoval of the Gold Ram Dam, theRogue River now runs free for 157miles and much of the credit goesto Hunter.

Robert Hunter saw a need to havean organization to secure water rightsto restore stream flows. He is one ofthe founders of the Oregon Water

Trust, an organization that used a mar-ket approach to acquire old waterrights and transfer those rights back tothe stream.

His conservation accomplishmentsgo on and on, as does the list ofawards he has received. Robert Hunterhas dedicated his life to the land ethicespoused by Aldo Leopold.

ROBERT HUNTER HONORED WITH LEOPOLD AWARD



T he Federator of the Year Award is pre-sented annually to an individual who has

demonstrated unusual devotion to the FFF and,through outstanding contributions, has bene-fited the Federation as a national or interna-tional organization. This award is bestowedupon an individual for achievements wide inscope and not limited to local or regional activ-ities. The criteria require devotion and contri-butions to the FFF in order to be consistentwith FFF’s objectives.

Philip Greenlee grew up in rural Californiaand was fortunate to have a father who introduced him tothe outdoors at an early age. At around age 8, he recalls wit-nessing the huge salmon and steelhead runs that occurrednear his home on the Trinity River, and that is what sparkedhis interest in fishing. His first fly rod was a metal, telescopicrod with an inexpensive level-wind reel, but it allowed himto catch his first fish – a crappie, on a fly. And he still hasthat nondescript fly in his collection.

He discovered a fly shop within bicycle riding distanceof his house, so he spent much his free time “hanging out”at the shop, listening and learning about fly fishing and flytying. He became interested in fly tying during his later highschool years after taking a trip with a friend to Hot Creek.After missing two huge brown trout on a mosquito pattern,he realized large fish would actually take a fly. As life pro-gressed, he realized how much he enjoyed the total fly fish-ing experience.

Greenlee received a Bachelor of Sciencedegree in finance from Cal Poly University inPomona, California. His working career tookhim around California, where he wasemployed by various mortgage companies,lending institutions and real estate develop-ments. His professional career ended withretirement in 2004 when he left Premier WestBank in Redding, California.

Greenlee has a lifelong history of commu-nity service with membership in the SacramentoRotary Club and continuing to serve on the

Sacramento YMCA Board. Greenlee co-founded CarmichaelPresbyterian School and sits on the board as chairman.

Upon retirement, Greenlee took over management ofMel Krieger’s Fly Fishing School for The Fly Shop in hishometown. He currently teaches fly fishing at ShastaCommunity College in Redding.

Greenlee has a 42-year history of being involved withthe Federation since first joining in 1968. He joined the FFFas a result of his friendship with Steve Raymond. Raymond,a Federation member, was conducting a study on sea-runcutthroats, and Greenlee was impressed with this conserva-tion effort. His service with the FFF includes serving as pres-ident of Northwest Fly Anglers in Seattle, Washington, in1974 and president of California Fly Fishers in Sacramentoin 1999 and 2000. He is past president of the NorthernCalifornia Council of the FFF, having served in 2003 and2004. During his presidency of the NCC, he came up with

T he Buz Buszek Memorial Awardis presented annually to a person

who has made significant contributionsto the art of fly tying. The recipientmay be either an amateur or a profes-sional who displays tying skills, creativ-ity, innovation and shares knowledgeby teaching or publication.Consideration is given for tying skill,creativity or innovation, and sharingknowledge by teaching or publication.

At the age of 12, Scott Sancheztaught himself to tie flies using a bor-rowed vise that belonged to a relative.He studied all the books he could findon fly tying at his local library in SaltLake City. Materials came from “roadkill” and whatever animals or birds hecould acquire, along with threads andyarns from his mother’s sewing box.

Although Sanchez grew up in afishing family, they weren’t fly fishers.He wanted to learn to fly fish, so heused his spinning rod and attached a

Herter’s level-wind bait casting reelwound with level fly line. He learnedto cast by observing Lee Wulff doing acasting demonstration at a sportinggoods store in Salt Lake City. He wasimmediately “hooked” and clearlyremembers catching his first fly-caughtfish on a Mormon Girl fly pattern.

At age 14, Sanchez began instruct-ing an adult fly-tying class through thelocal community school. During thistime he used a copy of Jack Dennis’“Western Trout Fly Tying Manual”and was able to hone his tying skillsand learn more about Western troutpatterns. While tying commerciallyduring junior high school, Sanchezbecame interested in Wyoming’sYellowstone Park/Jackson area througha teacher who spent summers thereworking as a ranger. Various trips anda job offer took him to Jackson, wherehe landed a position working at JackDennis Sports.

Sanchez tied commercially forJack Dennis Sports, as well as com-pleted custom orders for other cus-tomers. He has been involved with theJackson One Fly from its inceptionand was in demand for tying flies,such as his double bunny flies thatwon the contest in 1992. He is still indemand by the contestants to supplythem with his unique patterns. Whileworking for Dennis, Sanchez was fortu-nate to meet many well-known tiersand fly-fishing celebrities during theirvisits to the store. In his recent book,“The Never-Ending Stream,” he paystribute to the tiers whom he met andwas influenced by.

In 1994, Sanchez left Jackson andmoved to Austin, Texas, where hiswife was attending graduate school. Inaddition to tying flies commerciallyand teaching fly-tying classes for theAustin Angler, he enjoyed a multitudeof warmwater fishing opportunities.

PHILIP GREENLEE NAMED 2010 FEDERATOR OF THE YEAR

SCOTT SANCHEZ RECEIVES BUZ BUSZEK MEMORIAL AWARD


the idea of a fly-fishing event and started theFestival of Fly Fishing. He chaired the eventfor three years, has served as treasurer, and iscurrently the membership chair. Greenlee is anFFF certified casting instructor and was recipi-ent of the Ambassador Award in 2007.

Greenlee feels we need to be role modelsto young fly fishers and teach them about flyfishing. He feels conservation is education andwe need to put more emphasis on conserva-tion. He would like the Federation to becomemore involved with conservation efforts.

Last year the Federation found itself with-out a leader. Greenlee felt he was qualified, ashe had spent his entire career in the financialbusiness, part of which was managing people.Since he was retired, he felt he had the timeand offered his services. He immediatelyassumed the duties of president and chairmanof the board and is proud the Federation isnow run as a business. He spends each dayconducting FFF business remotely from home,and every five weeks he travels to Livingstonto spend a week in the main office.

Philip Greenlee is deeply humbled andgracious to be the recipient of the Federator ofthe Year Award, the highest honor of the FFF.He is proud to have his name included withothers who also have received the award.

After Barbara graduated with ateaching degree, they moved backnorth to Livingston, Montana, in 1996due to a job offer as national salesmanager for Dan Bailey’s. The con-

clave was held in Livingston the fol-lowing year and Sanchez was encour-aged by his employer, John Bailey, toparticipate as a demonstration tier. Heaccepted the honor and also con-ducted a fly-tying workshop that year.With a vast inventory offly-fishing programs, he soon was indemand to share them at conclaves.Since then he has been a featured tierand workshop presenter at many local,regional, national and internationalevents.

In 1994, Sanchez received thePeter Crosby Memorial SportsmanshipAward from the Jackson Hole OneFly. In 2007, he was the recipient ofthe FFF Arnold Gingrich MemorialLife Award.

In addition to his fly-tying achieve-ments, Sanchez is an accomplishedphotographer and writer. His work hasappeared in most of the popular fly-fishing magazines in the United States

and Japan. His work reflects superiortying skills, creativity, knowledge, gen-erosity and innovation. He is a mem-ber of the Scott Fly Rod Pro Staff,Whiting Farms Pro Staff and is the for-mer fly-tying editor for Fly Fishermanmagazine.

In addition to “The Never-EndingStream,” Sanchez has authored twoother books: “A New Generation ofTrout Flies” and “Introduction to SaltWater Fly Tying,” both displaying hisunique talent and ingenuity.

Scott Sanchez now resides inJackson, Wyoming, with his wife and13-year-old son, Thibaud, and works asfly-fishing manager for Jack DennisSports. He is a strong supporter of theFFF, which is evident in his generosityto further the goals of the Federation.He feels humbled to join the list ofprevious Buszek Award recipients andwould like to thank his mentor, JackDennis, for his support.

T he Conservation Award is presented toindividuals, groups or organizations that

have made extraordinary contributions tothe conservation of our fisheries resources.

Bill Redman of Mercer Island,Washington has been a member of the FFFSteelhead Committee for 15 years and hasbeen the active chairperson for 10 of thoseyears. During his time at the helm he hasworked diligently to educate the public onconservation and management of wildsalmonids in the Pacific Northwest. Redmanhas a special interest in protecting theColumbia Basin, removal of the dams on theSnake River, and is considered an expert onColumbia/Snake River management.

Under Redman’s leadership, the organi-zation has been involved in a number of lawsuits including the success-ful challenge to the 2008 Columbia River Biological Opinion. Thateffort culminated with a ruling that the 2008 Biological Opinion as pro-posed by the Bush Administration was illegal and failed to ensure therecovery of wild salmon and steelhead in the Columbia Basin.

Redman is responsible for expanding the FFF SteelheadCommittee journal – The Osprey – into much more than a print newslet-ter. He is directly responsible for growing the publication, thus elevat-ing its visibility and influence. Today, even though Redman hasstepped down as chairperson of The Osprey, he will remain an activemember of the editorial staff.

CONSERVATION AWARD GOES TOBILL REDMAN



This year the Lew Jewett MemorialLife Award is presented to two

individuals who have promoted thesport of fly fishing through distin-guished efforts to draw more peopleinto the sport, and/or enhance theknowledge and ability of the fly fisher.

Bill Gammel of Baytown, Texas,

grew up fishing with his father aroundthe Gulf Coast area near his home. Hisfather, Jay, was a college professor, sothey had time in the summer for amonthlong annual fly fishing tripthrough Colorado, Wyoming, Idahoand Montana. Bill’s interest in fly cast-ing and fly fishing instruction started atan early age, eventually conducting

classes for the Texas Fly Fishers by thetime he was 15. Bill and Jay wrote thebook “Essentials of Fly Casting” in 1990and donated the rights to the FFF.

Bill believes he was the first personto pass the FFF Casting Certificationtest during the 1992 Conclave inCalgary. Gammel was attending a cast-

ing workshop led byMel Krieger, andKrieger took Gammelfrom the audience andadministered the testthere in front of theclass. Gammel movedfrom his basic certifica-tion classificationdirectly to the CastingBoard of Governors.Bill is proud of hisaccomplishment inchairing the committeethat established the

Two-Handed Casting Certification andto be associated with the CastingCertification Program.

During the mid-1940s, Earl A.Stanek caught his first trout from aMinnesota spring creek, sparking aninterest in fly tying. He developed hisskills to the point where he was ableto put himself through college tying

commercially for 35 cents per dozen.After a stint in the U.S. Navy,

Stanek worked for 3M as an engineerand designed the System Two fly reel.During his career with 3M, the com-pany purchased the Phillipson Fly RodCompany of Denver. Stanek’s job wasrelocating it and establishing a plant tomanufacture glass and graphite rodsfor 3M.

In 1996, Stanek joined the FFFand started sharing his skills at fly-tyingdemonstrations for local clubs. His rep-utation grew, and he was eventuallyinvited to tie at a conclave. AlthoughStanek ties traditional patterns, he isknown for his unique patterns and useof non-traditional materials.

Due to the uniqueness of his flies,they became popular and in demandat auctions and fundraisers. Each yearStanek creates three shadow boxes hecalls “Living Fly Plates,” which aremounted flies on a background of skyand flowing water. They are incredibleworks of art and have raised morethan $14,000 for the SowbugRoundup, Southern Council Conclaveand the FFF Conclaves.

When Earl Stanek isn’t tying flies,he can be found fishing the White Rivernear his home in Cotter, Arkansas.

T he Don Harger Memorial LifeAward is presented each year

to an individual who is currently,or was previously, actively engagedin or closely related to some aspectof fly fishing.

Carl Johnson joined the FFF inthe ’70s while living in the highmountains of Colorado, where hefished for wild brown trout.Johnson’s career in the miningindustry took him around the West,and he eventually retired inMonroe, Washington, where he cur-rently lives. He joined the EvergreenFly Fishers in Everett, Washington, andimmediately became an active mem-ber. One of his first duties was to rep-resent his club at the Washington StateCouncil. This led him to assuming theduties of council treasurer, and then he

accepted the presidency and is cur-rently in his second term.

Johnson originated the very suc-cessful Washington Fly Fishing Fair inEllensburg, Washington. The annualfundraiser quickly grew and is now thepremier fly fishing and fly-tying eventwithin the state. He has been success-

ful in uniting the clubs in the state,creating excitement and interestwithin the council. He annuallyputs around 8,000 miles on hisvehicle while traveling on councilbusiness. Since Carl Johnson tookover leadership of the Council,membership and participationhas increased.

The first conclave Johnsonattended was in 2004 in WestYellowstone, Montana, and he hassince attended them all. He canbe found around the event volun-

teering, tying flies and selling mer-chandise from the FFF booth. He is amember of the President’s Club andan FFF Life Member. The membersof the Washington State Council areproud to have Carl Johnson astheir president.

CARL JOHNSON EARNS DON HARGER MEMORIAL LIFE AWARD

GAMMEL, STANEK ACCEPT LEW JEWETT MEMORIAL LIFE AWARDPh

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T he Lee Wulff Award is presentedto recognize the business side of

fly fishing. The recipient has shownoutstanding innovation in the industryand has shown outstanding steward-ship for water and fisheries resources.

Mike Michalak, owner of The FlyShop in Redding, California, is afourth-generation Californian who hastransformed his passion for fly fishinginto a successful business model forthe fly fishing industry.

Michalak was the founding presi-dent of North Coast Fly Fishers(NCFF) and has been the recipient ofnumerous awards from that organiza-tion, as well as from other conserva-tion and environmental groups. Hehas served on the board of theSacramento River Preservation Trustand on the board for the ShastaCascade Wonderland Association. TheFly Shop is a platinum sponsor for CalTrout and a strong supporter, bothfinancially and with staff, of the NCFFConclave when it is held in Redding.

In March of this year, he was inductedinto the Northern California Councilof the FFF Hall of Fame.

Michalak has been a steadfast andreliable supporter of his local club formore than 30 years. Each year he pro-vides scholarships to several younganglers so they can attend The FlyShop Kids Camp, a weeklong summercamp that introduces kids to fly fishingand the outdoors.

Michalak has worked closely withlocal governmental agencies and organ-ized a team of fisheries biologists andwetland specialists to transform hisAntelope Creek Ranch into one of themost ambitious stream, meadow, wet-land restoration and enhancement proj-ects in Northern California. More thantwo miles of this stream have under-gone significant restoration changes.

The Fly Shop offers anglers theopportunity to travel with them to fish-ing destinations around the world.They have an inventory of the bestfishing lodges available, some in the

most remote locations on the planet.Don’t we all refer to our local fly

shop as “the fly shop?” We do, butthere is only one that can legally usethat name, and that is Mike Michalak’sThe Fly Shop.

MIKE MICHALAK RECIPIENT OF LEE WULFF AWARD

T he Ambassador Award ispresented annually to the

fly fisher who meets certainhigh standards of sportsman-ship, fishing skill and stream-side etiquette in taking andconserving game fish on aninternational basis. This yearthe honor is bestowed on twoindividuals, Denise Maxwelland Dan McCrimmon.

Denise Maxwell ofCoquitlam, British Columbia,has a history of service to theFFF Casting InstructorCertification Program (CICP),representing a long-standing andextraordinary devotion to the organiza-tion. She became a certified castinginstructor in 1997, appointed to theCasting Board of Governors (CBOG)shortly thereafter in 1998, and becamea certified two-handed casting instruc-tor in 2007. Maxwell’s service includesholding the position of editor of theLoop Newsletter for eight years, man-aging the CICP website, and servingon the Two-Handed Casting Instructor

Committee. With this award, DeniseMaxwell is recognized for her longand selfless contribution to the FFFand the CICP.

Dan McCrimmon has always beendetermined to contribute to the CICP.He chaired the Board of Governors’International Committee duties withvigor and was able to build relation-ships with multiple associations of cast-ing instructors from around the world.He used the position to recruit new

members for the CICP far beyond theboundaries of North America.Previous efforts in this program hadfailed, but through perseverance herebuilt the CICP’s image andexpanded its reach across the world.Through McCrimmon’s work, theCICP now has members on theCBOG in Italy, Japan, Denmark andthe Netherlands. British Columbia’sDan McCrimmon is truly an ambassa-dor for the FFF and the CICP.

AMBASSADOR AWARDS BESTOWED ON MAXWELL, McCRIMMON

Photocourtesy

oftheFly

Shop

Photo by Joe Gorm

an


Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

The Aftermath in the Gulf Coast By Tom Tripi

The Deepwater Horizon disaster and its gushing oil has added to the existing problems on the Louisiana coast– a stressed and shrinking marsh and wetlands (a yearly loss of approximately 13 square miles) and the large

“dead zone” (approximately 7,000 square miles of low-oxygen content) that lays offshore in the Gulf of Mexico.

The long-term effects on the environment, the aquatic life, the petrochemical industry, the local and national economy, the fishing industry, and recreational activities are not clear. The leaked oil is not the thick, heavy crude carried by the Exx-on Valdez but, instead, is a higher-quality, light crude that is easier to burn off, to mitigate via dispersants and to evaporate more quickly. It also seems to be more susceptible to dispersion by the warm waters of the Gulf, and that may minimize the positives of its easier elimination.

The available information and opinions regarding the spill and its effects continue to grow and change, making it difficult for those in charge and those affected to make intelligent deci-sions on what to do next and how to plan for the future. For example, there have been, as of mid-October, multiple tropical systems in the Gulf that affected the recovery process; more reassuring comments from geologists and British Petroleum

The root of the problem, floating globs of con-gealed oil. This glob is from the Orange Beach area along the Alabama-Florida Gulf Coast.

(BP); more doom and gloom from local politicians who stress the need for addi-tional money and resources for cleanup; and the heartrending, dead-wildlife photography.

Nevertheless, there also have been more stories about quality redfish and speckled trout fishing than I have heard in years! The great post-Katrina fishing as reported in the Spring-Summer 2010 Flyfisher (“The Katrina Effect, page 21) definitely continues.

In August, BP announced that the static kill process to shut down the leak-ing well apparently worked. The entire news industry is now addressing how stopping the leak affects everything. Media reports say that 75 percent of the spill has, all of a sudden, dissipated. It’s interesting that no one discussed that factor until the well was capped. It appears that each side of the issue had its own agenda. Regardless of one’s position, a huge amount of interrelated data exists in relation to our “problem.”

The disaster has been extensively covered in the press. My opinion is that some news outlets have covered it to a greater or lesser degree depending on what political agenda was on the table that day. Washington wants this prob-lem over ASAP and out of the head-lines. The locals want their jobs back. Of course, many of our readers want to be able to fish again. The greatest eco-nomic impact for our area will probably

be the continuation of a moratorium on deep-water drilling put into effect just after the spill. Its consequences will affect a greater sector of the regional economy – if not nationally – than just the losses in the fishing industry. The recovery process should continue and not let up.

Approximately four weeks into the disaster, I started to hear firsthand reports from friends who pursued blue water fishing – the long-liners, meat fishermen, and the tuna and red snapper types. The Gulf was still open in areas for fishing. An appraiser I know pursued big tuna every weekend (he even paid for my data with tuna steaks!). His first post-disaster venture into the deep blue cost him most of his rigging and a few reels because of a thick, unseen tarry mess that hovered just under the water’s surface. He said that his fishing was basically over for the season and, he hoped, not longer than that. Little has been reported on the effects of this problem on sport fishing. Basically, most fish flee areas of oily contamination as it advances, and most apparently have. There have been only a few reports of major fish kills. However, bottom dwellers, i.e., littoral zone marine life such as crabs, snails and other shellfish, especially oysters, generally can’t move fast enough or at all and have been severely impacted in some areas. It is estimated that it will

take approximately three years for lit-toral species to recover, and researchers believe they will.

But there are other problems. A redfish addict who fishes every weekend told me that he and others had to give up trying to launch due to all of the “Boats of Opportunity.” Boats of Op-portunity are those of local fishermen who contracted themselves and their boats to help with the cleanup. Their traffic at boat launches and on nearby highways has really created quite a traffic jam. Offshore captains who ran charter operations are now contractors for BP or the U.S. Coast Guard. Each captain is assigned a “flotilla” of about six smaller boats. They are rigged to pull containment booms, vacuums and the like in the open water and along the edges of the marsh.

Another problem is the approxi-mately 140,000 gallons of chemical dis-persants used daily to mitigate leaking oil. These are considered as poisonous to wildlife as the oil, causing environ-mentalists to be greatly concerned. Of course, no one seems to be worried about the estimated 150,000 gallons of similar chemical products, or pollut-ants that empty into the Gulf every day from the Mississippi River. And those are the same chemicals feeding our infamous “dead zone.”

As for the marsh, yes, some areas have been affected, some permanently.


Photo by Tom Tripi

Photo by Capt. Rich W

aldner

Oil boom waiting for deployment to one of the major channels connecting the Gulf with Lake Pontchartrain, a stopgap measure to stop the contamination of Lake Pontchartrain; so far unneeded.

Small gold spoons were the flies of choice during this mid-June redfish trip at the peak of oil contamination. Chuck Ives (holding a great 10-pound red) and Honore Aschaffenburg reported that oil slicks were only a few miles away.


Dead areas will eventually erode away, joining the hundreds of square miles recently lost due to hurricanes and subsidence. However, some lightly oiled marsh has already started to revive with second growth, surprising every-one, especially the press. In reality, the marsh that has been severely affected is small in comparison to the unaffected areas. Over the years, I have witnessed firsthand marshy areas that have been affected by oil contamination. Oily sheens, tar balls and the like have been naturally occurring in the Gulf and environs long before man came on the scene. According to a report at http://e360.yale.edu/content/feature.msp?id=2302 as much as 690,000 bar-rels of oil seep into Gulf waters natu-rally each year. It leaks from the ocean bottom, shallow bays and, in some cases, even up through the soil.

Most oiled marsh (barring future hurricanes) is located along the immedi-ate shorelines facing open bays and lakes just off the Gulf. Although severely oiled marsh is dead, its contaminating oil is continuing to seep back into adjacent water. Then the wind and tides will move it and, unfortunately, the oil will affect previously untouched areas.

One marshy area where oil was removed and declared clean is sud-denly in the headlines. It seems that a coastal zone manager was making a final inspection when he stepped on a crab hole and oil gushed out. They’re still trying to remedy that dilemma. These types of problems are, thankfully, limited to small areas. They are located along the open bays once directly exposed to concentrated surface oil pushed inland by constant wave action. Very little oil has penetrated interior marsh areas away from shorelines. Only

a few hundred acres of marsh have been permanently damaged, accord-ing to some reports. That loss is far less than the approximately 13 square miles of marsh/wetlands lost to subsidence each year in southern Louisiana. This is not to say that contamination farther inland will not occur, because it could, in a heartbeat. Even a small storm could easily move a 6-foot storm surge over the marsh and move oil inland for miles. Let’s hope that doesn’t happen.

Now, let’s review some good news. First, the great majority of inland

marsh is alive and well.Second, although in July shrimp-

ing was being written off for the season, amazingly the shrimp season reopened on schedule. That availability of shrimp means there will probably be adequate feedstock for the big speckled trout that return in the fall as well as for my weekly shrimp po’boy. (No one I know has stopped eating seafood caught in local waters. In fact, we probably eat more!)

Third, big redfish are available for the taking. They are numerous, the water is clean and clear, and, if you can take the heat, they’re hitting small gold spoon flies. Fourth, recreational fishing opened in mid-October in 95 percent of the areas that were previ-ously restricted to “no kill fishing only.” Number four is important!

Fishing reports on various sports-

men blogs concerning the redfish or speckled trout “run” indicate “They’re baaaack!” Captains are returning to guiding, and their trip reports have been fantastic, both for inside and even some offshore waters. Yes, minor issues concerning an oily sheen here and there do occur. But in reality, oily sheens have been around since before I can remember. That is the nature of our location – an active petroleum production area.

The most productive areas for fish-ing are interior ponds and canals and, now, along the front beaches, such as on Grand Isle. Grand Isle is a seven-mile-long barrier island facing the Gulf, south of New Orleans. It offers any type of fishing one can imagine. Grand Isle is home to the Grand Isle Tarpon Rodeo, the oldest fishing tournament in the United States. My first large fish was taken in the surf on Grand Isle, a 3-foot sawfish caught on a 16-foot cane pole. Now, however, Grand Isle is the location of one of my more recent fly fishing pursuits, Spey casting in the surf. The Grand Isle surf contains many game fish including bluefish, big ladyfish and mackerel, and especially specks as fat as your leg. A few reds are always around just to keep you on your toes. And all of them love to take flies, espe-cially anything that sparkles in chartreuse and silver or gold.

I enjoy Spey casting in the surf, as it allows for long, sweep-ing casts along and between breakers and the extra length of the rod – mine is a 15-foot 11-weight – helps keep line off the water for mending. When not using a Spey rod, a 9-foot 8-weight with a sturdy salt-water reel and plenty of backing is

Honore Aschaffenburg holds an early morning red. Light tackle, a small gold spoon and clear, glass smooth water.

Photo by Chuck Ives

321

Tiny Golden Gems for the Louisiana Marsh

By Tom Tripi

Clean, clear, skinny water. A 7-weight rod with a long, light leader. A one-man kayak. Now all we need are a few reds! And, oil or no oil (or even hurricane), that hasn’t been a problem in the southern Louisiana marsh.

The fly of choice with little exception is the gold spoon, apparently the smaller the bet-ter. Tiny gold spoons are easy to cast even for inexperienced casters. These lightweight flies flutter slowly down the water column, giving reds both time to see the fly and when attracted, time to strike. The trick is allowing the fly to wobble just above the nutrient-rich sand and mud that form our quiet, marshy flats. And that lightweight leader imparts added action during retrieves, making the spoon come alive for hungry reds.

There are as many variations of spoon flies as there are flytiers. Following is a basic recipe for a popular spoon along with a photo showing how varied spoon flies can be. If you have questions, please contact me via my website: www.tomtripi.com.

Ferris’ Gold Spoon

Mike Ferris, New Orleans

HOOK: Stainless, sizes 4-8

MATERIALS: Fine, bright copper wire, 5/0 red nylon tying thread; 5 Minute® Ep-oxy; fine gold glitter, head varnish and toothpicks

INSTRUCTIONS: Wrap thread one-third down the curve of the hook shank. Hold 8 inches of copper wire perpendicular to the bend in the hook and tie the middle of the copper wire onto the bend of the hook. Evenly wrap remaining shank of hook with red thread to just behind eye. Place the barrel of a pencil adjacent to hook and wrap cop-per wire outside the pencil, looping the wire around to just behind the eye of the hook. Re-peat on other side of hook, forming an open teardrop or delta shape when completed. The form/shape should bend slightly down the bend of hook and be parallel to slightly below the shank of the hook on each side.

Tie in wire behind eye of hook, forming a neat head. Knot and varnish wrap. Mix 5 Minute® Epoxy and let stand for two minutes or until it begins to harden; using the tooth-pick, drop epoxy into/on form, then smooth and flatten, filling the form. Immediately rotate the fly so the epoxy does not run (one minute +/-); sprinkle gold glitter on the tacky epoxy, then apply a fresh thin coating of epoxy over gold glitter, rotate until dry.

Variations include edging the epoxy with red or chartreuse nail polish, placing black dots on one side, or coloring each side of the tear differently. Next, tie the spoon on a leader and then start thinking about those redfish!


my primary tackle. To be successful, you should not be able to see your first cast, as it is still too dark in the early morning. My last cast of the morning is around 8:30, unless I’m into a school of trout. Most casting is in knee-deep water. Unfortunately, due to its almost seven miles of beaches, Grand Isle was basically ground zero for wave-driven oil contamination. Due to cleanup ef-forts, the beaches are now as clean as I have ever seen them, and almost all of the beaches are now open.

Interior bays and lakes evidently produced great catches of redfish and black drum all summer; however, the public was not allowed access even though there was no oiling in most of those areas. One woman who runs a part-time charter service stated that she and her family were not allowed to even drive to their summer home on the bay-ou, much less run their boats. Others who found openings in the “blockades” were running out every weekend.

Case in point: Chuck Ives and his friend Honore Aschaffenburg, two of the area’s avid fly fishers, found such an area and, in spite of the oil, had a great summer chasing bull reds with fly rods. According to reports from their guide, Capt. Rich Waldner (www.fishwithrich.

com), the big reds never stopped bit-ing. (He’ll probably tell you they haven’t stopped biting for 25 years). Waldner was one of the first guides in the area

to specialize in fly fishing and is now one of the more experienced. These

fly fishers love skinny water and sight-casting to tailing reds. “Their” water is nearly always crystal clear and filled with reds, although it’s located only a few miles from major, oil-contaminated areas in the coastal marsh of St. Ber-

nard Parish. Their flies of choice

are small gold spoons fished just under the surface.

This is an ever-changing, never-ending story; no one can even guess how it will end. A trip to Grand Isle in August confirmed that progress with the cleanup was definitely being made. Locals were still reporting a smell of oil in the air at times, and I saw very light sheens in the marsh just off the island; however, none of this appeared to be bothering fishing activities.

Periodic updates will be posted on www.tomtripi.com under Resume and Articles. Questions on where to go or what to use are welcomed through the author’s website.

Master Casting Instructor Tom Tripi is from Folsom, Louisiana, where he uses a fly rod and canoe to pursue his favorite fish, teaches casting to students of all ages, and studies astronomy in his spare time.

Editor’s note: Tom Tripi deserves a special thank you for reporting on a most difficult situation in the Gulf of Mexico and its shoreline and marsh-lands. The oil spill story is far from over, and its effects will last much longer than the time the news media covers it.

Opposite, from left: 1) Typical oiled marsh located inland from the Gulf on the north shoreline of Bay Long. Contamination only ex-tended into the marsh a few yards. This area will probably regenerate next year; 2) In the marshes of South Louisiana, more than a dozen producing wellheads are located in a great habitat for reds and specks; 3) Inland marsh near Grand Isle. According to a nearby fisherman, this marsh was lightly oiled about a month prior to the taking of this photograph. Some marsh was affected but will regenerate; 4) This marsh grass seems to be thriving in spite of a light sheen; 5) Grand Isle beaches now appear to be clean. Three fisher-men on the right were crabbing; one on the left was fishing for specks; a shrimp trawler was working the shoreline; and the platform in the distance was still producing oil.

Photos by Tom Tripi

54

http://www.tomtripi.com


Kenny Wright is one of those guys you may get an e-mail from at 5 in the afternoon asking you for a favor or at

3:30 in the morning with a brilliant idea. He is unassuming and soft-spoken, and seemingly shy, but don’t let his veri-table shyness fool you. No, behind those eyes is a man hell-bent on saving the seagrasses that provide an environment for some of the fly fisher’s favorite spe-cies – snook, tarpon, snapper, grouper, redfish and speckled trout.

Wright’s official title at Seagrass Recovery is executive vice president of sales and marketing. The organization’s goal is to recover lost seagrasses in our bays and estuaries, and it was founded in 1995 by Jim Anderson, a sod farmer and nurseryman. The birth of Seagrass Recovery was one of those moments where necessity was the mother of invention. Basically, Anderson was tired of blocked access to his favorite fishing holes and waterskiing bays due to closures brought upon by damaged seagrass beds. So, he did something about it: He created a number of pat-ented inventions and services to provide coastal communities a cost-efficient means for replanting and restoring damaged seagrass meadows.

Seagrass recovery is generally a long and elegant way of saying, “We’re resodding the bay’s floor.” As one can imagine, resodding destroyed seagrass is a messy, wet proposition and just the kind of project many FFF clubs would find of interest. But Wright, the “idea man,” wanted to make sure his reme-diation crews weren’t out in the water

in beat-up T-shirts and unco-ordinated attire. No, he wanted his crews to be recognized by boaters and law enforce-ment, to stick out from the rest. Enter serendipity and the phone call that started a movement.

Scott Welch is the global corporate relations manager for Columbia Sportswear. One of his duties is to manage the profes-sional corporate groups Columbia sponsors. Basically, the company out-fits groups that fit within the dynamics of eco-responsibility. One example is the overnight outfitting of the entire volunteer group responsible for cleaning up the recent Haiti earthquake disaster.

Late in 2009 Columbia manage-ment was searching for a way to give back to the communities that support the company by wearing its sporting goods. Since Columbia outfits almost every type of outdoor endeavor pos-sible, finding the one line of clothing that would best fit a need was daunting.

Then one sunny, Florida afternoon Wright picked up the phone to thank Welch and Columbia for its corporate sponsorship of Seagrass Recovery. Of course Welch, back on the West Coast in rainy Oregon, was pleased to hear from Wright because giving back to the outdoors is a longtime corporate goal for Columbia.

Columbia’s leaders think that

Saving Our SeagrassCombining Corporate Responsibility and ConservationStory and photos

by Brandon Shuler

Seagrass Recovery’s Kenny Wright pre-pares seagrass to begin the long process of gridding a blown-out prop scar.


“giving back” is so important, that their employees may vol-unteer up to 16 hours a year to an organiza-tion of their choice and the company will match that em-ployee involvement up to $1,000 a year. Company manage-ment has instilled a sense of frugality and corporate conscience into the workforce and this pays off for us – the recre-ational angler and the Federation of Fly Fishers.

On Columbia’s webpage on Seagrass (www.columbia.com/seagrass), Tim Boyle, president and CEO of Co-lumbia Sportswear Company, is quoted as saying: “Columbia Sportswear is proud to partner with The Ocean Foundation’s SeaGrass Grow Campaign to help raise awareness and protect our seagrass habitat before it’s too late. Columbia is all about helping our consumers enjoy the Greater Outdoors, and healthy seagrass is the foundation of healthy fisheries and aquatic ecosys-tems. We look forward to educating the public about this important conserva-tion issue.”

To expand the SeaGrass Grow campaign, Columbia and Seagrass Recovery teamed with The Ocean Foundation to act as the clearinghouse for any proceeds earned by the project. The Ocean Foundation is essentially a nonprofit organization that helps fund large-scale projects in communities that may not be able to fund remediation or conservation efforts. The Ocean Foun-dation’s mission is to support, strength-en and promote organizations like the FFF that are dedicated to reversing the trend of destruction of ocean environ-ments around the world. Our motto to “Conserve, Restore and Educate Through Fly Fishing” fits hand-in-hand with their slogan: “Tell Us What You Want To Do For The Ocean, We Will Take Care Of The Rest.”

The Ocean Foundation works with a number of conservation groups, in-

cluding the FFF, to improve the health of all ocean species globally. The funds are raised through individuals, private foundations, corporate donors and gov-ernments. It meets its mission through five lines of business: Fiscal Sponsorship Fund services, Field of Interest grant making funds, green Resort Partner-ships, Committee and Donor Advised Funds, and Consulting services.

So, how does Columbia blend with other corporate sponsors? Enter two more organizations that have bought into the visions of Wright and Welch: Bass Pro Shops and Academy Sporting Goods.

“We wanted to start a program that touched on a multipointed effort,” Welch said. “Essentially we wanted to build a campaign that incorporated a grassroots effort and a strong educa-tional component.”

What Columbia created was a version of its Performance Fishing Gear (PFG) line that gives back to the community by donating a portion of the proceeds of the sale to the Sea-Grass Grow Fund held by The Ocean Foundation. The shirts that are sold in Bass Pro Shops and Academy Sport-ing Goods feature a distinctive seagrass logo and are part of the PFG line. Also in September, Columbia launched another line of shirts with distinctive artwork depicting coastal species in

their natural, seagrass habitat. In addition to a shirt, supporters get a sticker to place on their boat or car to show solidarity with the program and promote the organization to other users.

The educational component of the campaign falls in line with FFF goals and was started in September when Columbia sponsored a group of high-pro-file users to get out and educate boaters

on ways to avoid damaging seagrass meadows. The “educators” – captains, writers and outdoor personalities – es-poused proper boat handling skills and the reasons why we should protect our seagrasses.

Consider the environmental com-mitment of Columbia’s leaders that is redefining the message of corporate responsibility. The effort to restore lost seagrass habitats from irresponsible boating, man-made disasters or lack of nutrients comes at no better time than now with the long-term effects of the Deepwater Horizon BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico still to be seen.

Healthy seagrass meadows are vital to coastal ecosystems as nursery grounds for snook, redfish, speckled trout, snapper, tarpon and grouper. The health of our seagrasses also contributes directly to the health of our oceans and to the environment. The photosynthetic process of the seagrass captures carbon dioxide. The by-product of photosyn-thesis is clear, breathable oxygen. Does more need to be said?

To see how seagrasses are being restored by the SeaGrass Grow campaign, to contribute or just learn more, check out www.seagrassgrow.org, http://oceanfdn.org/, www.seagrassrecovery.com or www.columbia.com/seagrass.

Brandon D. Shuler is a fishing guide and writer. His articles appear in Outdoor Life, Saltwater Sportsman, Shallow Water Angler, Environ-mental Magazine and Flyfisher, and his fiction appears in numerous literary magazines.

For acres and acres of prop scars, it takes a thousands hands. Here is how grass-roots, no pun intended, efforts begin.

The Texas Hill Country Slam Photos and story by

Terry and Roxanne Wilson


The San Marcos River, located 30 miles north of the Alamo in a region known as the Texas Hill

Country, is full of surprises. Its clear, spring-fed waters are swift and deep with cypress trees standing sentinel along its shores. Plentiful rock outcrop-pings, overhanging brush and deadfalls provide cover for a remarkably diverse fish population. The river’s constant flow and stable water temperatures provide a year-round bass fishery that ranks as the region’s finest. Its blue-green waters harbor three species of bass including largemouths, smallmouths and native Guadalupes – the Texas state fish.

Several species of sunfish thrive in areas where the current is slowed near bank-bound brush, behind deadfalls and in slow pools created by old dams and once-active gristmills. The most abun-dant is the “yellowbelly sunfish,” which is a regional moniker for the redbreast sunfish (Lepomis aruitus). This brightly col-ored fish has endeared itself to fly fishers by displaying a fondness for feeding on

the surface, its shear aggression and its tendency to grow larger than many other sunfish species.

Surface-feeding yellowbellies are nearly always near structure. Casting ac-curacy can be the key to catching larger specimens, but they’re not choosy about the menu. Poppers, sponge spiders and small floaters/divers are effective surface flies. There are times, however, when slowly fished wet flies produce the best catches. “Match the Minnow” streamers in sizes 8 through 12 are also successful, with Spot Tail Shiners, Stonerollers and Fathead Minnows constantly available. A wide variety of flies can be success-ful, and we would encourage trying your own favorite panfish flies, but it’s beneficial to remember that the guides’ recommendations should be heeded. They fish the river daily and have come to know the preferences of the fish.

Allow the fly to settle near structure by counting it down so that it can be returned to the point of fish contact on subsequent casts. A slowly imparted “lift,

drop, strip” retrieve with frequent pauses proved lethal on our trip.

Most interesting of the panfish is the Rio Grande perch, which isn’t a sunfish at all – it’s actually a cichlid (Cichlasoma cyanoguttatum) with a distinctive shape, coloration and an elusive nature. Its angular face has a pronounced brow line and bulging forehead. Its color ranges from deep blue to dark olive with its en-tire body covered with turquoise freckles. They are very strong fighters that can grow to 12 inches or more. These unique fish prefer slack-water areas where small (sizes 12 and 14), dark flies fished using a slow retrieve work best.

Five-weight rods served us well, but rod choice should be made with the size, weight and wind-resistance of the flies to be cast in mind, not the size of the fish you’ll fight. Floating line is likely all you’ll need and leader tippets need not be fine because these fish are not leader shy.

Our San Marcos River adventure began when our friend Bill Huegel, 2009 Gulf Coast Council Conclave pro-

Expect fast water and a strong current on the spring-fed San Marcos River.


gram chair, contacted us about giving seminars at the event in New Braunfels. Immediately we inquired about fishing opportunities – after all, Texas fish-ing is legendary. Huegel responded by recommending that we contact Kevin Hutchison, owner of Austin-based Hill Country Fly Fishers. It was a good match. Hutchison’s passion for fly fishing for warmwater species equals our own. He is a big, affable fellow with excep-tional boat handling skills and, as author of “Fly-Fishing the Texas Hill Country,” has an intimate knowledge of the rivers and the fish that inhabit them.

Hill Country roadsides display spectacular wildflowers in spring. We drove along back roads through rolling hillside pasturelands decorated with Texas bluebonnets, Indian paintbrush, wild mustard, red clover and pink prim-rose to our pre-arranged rendezvous with Hutchison and Harrison Nash, 17, the youngest fishing guide ever licensed by the state of Texas – he was licensed at age 15. We launched two comfort-able, two-man catarafts that offer the option of casting from a seated posi-tion or a solid casting platform with railing that enables the caster to stand. Each vessel stowed rods, fly bags, iced sodas and a five-star shore lunch, which included folding chairs and tables, and tablecloths (no kidding).

Within the first minutes of the launch a scrappy 8-inch yellowbelly was brought to hand, an omen of the great day ahead. It was the first of perhaps 70 fish we caught that trip. Our own size-8 Bully’s Bluegill Spiders accounted for many with chartreuse leading the way. We also sampled Hutchison and Nash’s guide box of flies and used their “Swamp Monster” and Nash’s “Frail Fry” patterns with great success.

Early into our float, the younger of us shouted as a strong fish turned her 5-weight into a witching rod. The tip top plunged near the surface as the fish bore toward a submerged log. Nash confirmed that it was a big Rio and finally netted the 12-inch monster. We also caught a number of Guadalupe bass measuring near the maximum size of 12 inches for that indigenous species.

Guadalupes are beautifully marked with broad and dark striped lateral bands. They occupy a variety of habitat

from rock-strewn outcroppings, deadfall hideouts in quiet backwaters, and the edge of current seams. Although choos-ing slightly larger flies might attract more bass, our size 8 and 10 panfish selections provided plenty of Guadalupe hookups.

Within the first hour we had com-

pleted our goal of catching what we had agreed would be the “Hill Country Slam,” which consisted of a yellowbelly sunfish, a Guadalupe bass and a Rio Grande perch. All were large for their species, in prime fighting condition, and, to top it off, were three species we had never caught before. Priceless.

Our adventure continued when we traversed the rapids known as Cot-tonseed Dam, the site of a long ago, abandoned cotton gin. The dam was blown out by flooding rains that created potentially dangerous rapids and should be run only by highly skilled rivermen. Half a mile downstream is an impedi-ment that simply must be portaged, where whitewater plunges 18 feet over Martindale Dam. Our boats had to be tied to ropes and lowered over the dam to the waters below. We portaged our gear around the obstacle.

Another dozen fish later and with our mission accomplished, we docked at Shady Grove Campground/Spencer Canoe where our car had been parked. Here Pat and Jack Spencer offer canoe and kayak rentals, shuttle service, clean restrooms and beautiful campsites. It’s a good place to headquarter your trip. Call them at 512-357-6113.

Accommodations and eateries to fit any budget may be found in San Marcos and nearby communities. We particularly enjoyed a great meal over-looking the beautiful Guadalupe River at the Grist Mill Restaurant located at 1287 Gruene (pronounced Green) Rd. We also recommend a traditional Ger-man dinner at Friesenhaus Restaurant and Bakery located at 1485 Castell. Both are located in New Braunfels.

To begin your quest for the Hill Country

Slam, visit Hutchison’s website www.hillcountry flyfishers.com, then either drop him an e-mail at [email protected] or phone 512-589-3474. To find accommodations and restaurants that meet your needs, contact the San Marcos Chamber of Commerce for a complete listing of each at www.sanmarcostexas.com or New Braunfels’ Chamber of Commerce at www.nbcham.org.

Terry and Roxanne Wilson of Bolivar, Missouri, are longtime Flyfisher contributors focusing on warmwater fly fishing. For more articles, tips or schedule them to speak at your club, visit their website at www.thebluegillpond.com or e-mail them at [email protected].

Top: The Yellowbelly sunfish is a beautiful complement to the steady action on the San Marcos. Middle: This 12-inch Rio Grande perch launched Roxanne’s pursuit of the Texas Hill Country’s slam. Bottom: The Guadalupe bass is a beautifully marked native species.

By Bill Toone

Midges are those ubiquitous, little insects trout lovebut most fishermen hate. Although they are oftenthe only game in town for late fall, winter and

early spring fly fishing, many fly fishers unfortunately avoidmidge patterns like the plague. After all who really wants tofish a size 22 fly, especially in the low light and cloud covermost common during the winter and early spring months?Yet, fishing midge patterns doesn’t have to be the tedious,brain-damaging activity many think of, and, in fact, it canbring about some of the best fishing of the year.

Midge is the name given to a group of small aquaticinsects in the Chironmidae family consisting of approximately1,000 different species. In loose terms they resemble a smallmosquito in appearance but without the biting proboscis.Midges have many generations per year, so they are avail-

able to trout as food year-round. In fact, due to prolificnumbers and year-round availability, trout are used to seeingmidges float by. They are most important in the food chainduring the late fall, winter and early spring months whenother larger aquatic insects are less active. This is the time-frame I find the following techniques most successful. Thelarvae and pupae stages can be quite productive, but it isthe mating adult stage that can bring the most spectaculardry fly fishing to the angler.

Small Patterns, Large FishMidge Fishing Techniques for Three Seasons of Success

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The adult midge isoften mistaken for amosquito, but thank-fully this importantfood source for troutdoes not bite.

Larvae StageMidges in the larval stage of their life populate the bot-

tom of rivers, streams, lakes and ponds. They have a grub-like appearance and are the loose equivalent of the nymphstage for a mayfly or stonefly. Popular larvae patterns includezebra midges, brassies and candy cane midge larvae to namea few. Black is a highly effective, all-around color, but here inthe West, as we move into the February and March time-frame, red patterns can be like candy to trout. Be sure youhave both colors in your fly box, because you never knowwhen one color will be more effective than the other.

Selecting the right larvae pattern is generally not theproblem; it is getting the pattern in front of the fishthat can be the most daunting. The method Iuse during the primary midge months ofNovember to March is to offer my size 18to 22 larvae pattern as a trailer behind alarger, weighted nymph such as a size 8golden stone nymph. I use a 12- to 16-inch piece of 4X or 5X tippet with animproved clinch knot tied directly to thebend of the lead nymph’s hook. Thelarger weighted nymph has a twofold pur-pose. First, its weight will help get the smallerlarvae pattern down along the bottom wherethey are most commonly seen by trout. You want to beclose to the bottom so a small split shot may need to beadded to the equation to get the flies down. Second, thelarger nymph frequently will get the fish’s attention to help itfocus on the trailing midge larvae. As they need to eat largenumbers of midge larvae to survive, they will not want topass up your presentation.

Be patient and deliberate with your fishing approach.When the water temperatures are colder, the fish are lessactive, necessitating a presentation closer to the fish than isrequired at other times during the year. Because of this, youwill need to cover your fishing water with more casts andvaried angles than normal, giving you the best opportunityto drift your fly by the fish just right. In other words, reallycover the water.

Pupae StageAs the larvae mature, they will pupate on the bottom

among the rocks, pebbles and silt. As it becomes time forthe midge to become an adult, the pupae will swim or wig-gle its way through the water column and try to breakthrough the film. Fish taking midge pupae can usually beidentified by swirls under the surface, dorsal or tail finsbreaking the surface and/or “slappy” rises. Although midgeswill emerge throughout the day during the colder months,the best fishing, I find, is from late morning to dusk whenthe water temperatures have raised enough to increase fishactivity. While there are midge emerger type patterns, fish-ing one can be a difficult proposition due to its small sizeand the low light conditions often found during the coldermonths. My solution is to fish a size 20 to 22 pupae patternshallow using an indicator. A midge pupae imitation pre-sented eight to 16 inches under a small indicator will often

do the trick. The indicator helps identify the strike as well askeeping the patterns higher up in the water column, similarto pupae trying to emerge. You will often find fish pickingup pupae in the current in shallower riffles or at the seamwhere the water drops off. This same shallow presentationworks well for these conditions as well. A bead-head patternwill help it get down into the water column quickly if fishingfaster riffles or if conditions require a short drift.

If midges are on the surface or I am fishing a slowerrun or pool, I will use a dry fly such as a size 14 to 16Renegade with my pupae imitations on the dropper, insteadof a small indicator. This can also be a good way to hedgeyour bet if you are not sure the fish are on dries or emerg-ing pupae.

AdultsIt is the adult stage, especially when midges are mating,

that can bring superb dry fly fishing to the angler. Whenthe adult midges mate, they do so on the surface of thewater, rolling around in little balls or mating clusters. It isthe mating clusters and not the individual midges that I usu-ally try to imitate. A size 14 to 18 Renegade or Griffith’sGnat are generally my go-to patterns, but other midge clus-ter patterns will work as well. During March and April,when midges and blue-winged olives are coming offtogether, I will trail a smaller BWO pattern off the back ofthe midge cluster, hedging my bets. On the rare occasion Ifind myself needing to fish a spent midge or single midgeimitation, I will trail it behind a midge cluster dry, using thelarger pattern as an indicator. I generally use 5X tippet forthe trailer to help make a drag-free float, usually 12 to 16inches behind the lead fly.

Fish can be lined up so thick when taking midges off


The author’s favoritepatterns are, clockwisefrom lower left, theGriffin’s Gnat, theCandy Cane MidgePupae, the Renegadeand the Cluster Midge.

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the surface, it seems as if they are packed in shoulder-to-shoulder. Slower runs and seams, as well as pools with somecurrent, are good areas for the fish to congregate. Foampockets that form in the eddies are particularly good areasfor rising fish that are taking trapped midges out of the sur-face foam. Try fishing the lee side of the river, as a strongwind blows midges against the shoreline – concentrating theinsects and the fish there as well.

Just as with midge pupae, the warmer hours of the daycreate the best conditions for fishing midge dries. Carefullyscan the water, looking for heads bobbing up to the surfacelike buoys – a sure indication they are taking dries. Thoughthe fish may be actively feeding, a drag-free drift is impera-tive. Depending on water conditions, a 4X tippet shouldwork, but be prepared to switch to something lighter if youfind the fish are ignoring your fly. I suggest approaching apod of fish in a pool from behind them and downstream. If

you get a hookup, try to lead the fish out of the pod inorder to avoid putting the rest down. It is often hard to tellthe size of the feeding fish if you simply see their snoutspoke through the water surface. I have had many a pleasantsurprise hooking an exceptionally nice trout that I presumedwas a smaller fish.

This year, when cabin fever moves into your life, tryrelieving it with some time on the water and midge fishing.If you attempt the techniques mentioned above, it maymake your late/early season fishing more productive andenjoyable. You may very well find yourself alone on thewater or – a worst-case scenario – sharing it with me.Bill Toone is this publication’s editor-in-chief and lives with his wife, Arletta,in Bozeman, Montana, where he telecommutes to his day job as director ofpurchasing for the Hylton Group in northern Virginia. He is also an instruc-tor and guide for the Yellowstone Fly Fishing School as well as an FFFmaster casting instructor.

O’Hair’s Spring Creek nearLivingston, Montana, is anenvironment where midgesare available to the trout allyear but are really a mainstayduring the colder parts of theyear. The main concentrationof midges are shown here onthe left bank near the greenfloating algae.

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The Midge Life CycleHow to Imitate Each Stage

Story and photos by Verne Lehmberg

T he non-biting midges are members of the orderDiptera, the flies. As their name implies they haveonly two wings, in common with the housefly and

horsefly. Thousands of tiny midge species are found inNorth America, ranging from 2 to 12 millimeters long. Themidges in genus Chironomus hold their front legs up whensitting on grass blades, easy to distinguish from other smalldipterans. The observant fisher needs to match the colorand size of the natural midge when selecting an imitation.

Most midge patterns are small, sizes 20-24 being the mostcommonly tied.

The four-stage, complete metamorphosisChironomidae life cycle begins when the adult midgesmate and the female deposits her eggs on the water’s sur-face. The eggs drift to the bottom of slower movingstreams or lakes, hatch and develop into wormlike larvae.There, the larvae spin protective tubes and mature in themuddy bottom, filter feeding or scavenging plant detritus.

Gray midge with front legsraised, far left, and blood redmidge larvae, 4 millimeters long.


Blood Midge

Zebra MidgeAndrew Puls

Sweetwater Fly Shop, Livingston, Montana Red Z-Bro Midge Green Midge Beadhead

Midge EmergerAl Gadoury

6-X Outfitters, Bozeman, Montana

Scuttle Muddle MidgeAl Beatty

Boise, Idaho Micro Midge size 26

Midges can live in the muck where the dissolved oxygen islow, 1 or 2 milligrams per liter, while the trout in the waterabove prefer 7 to 12 milligrams per liter oxygen. Themidge larvae color varies. Some hemoglobin-containingmidges are blood red. Other species range from yellow to

brownish olive, black to cream color. The larvae some-times drift in the current and are then available to thetrout. Carp and other bottom-feeding fish probe the waterymud for these larvae continually. Many midge species gothrough a complete life cycle several times per summer; sotrout commonly see all life cycle stages.

The midge’s third stage, the pupae, is when it devel-ops an enlarged head region with wing buds visible. Whenready to pupate, midges develop a gas bubble around thehead, and it rises to the water’s surface somewhat as a cad-dis fly does. This bubble sparkles with reflected light asthe midge pupae ascend. The pupae sometimes have diffi-culty breaking through the surface tension. Most species

poke their abdomens through the water’s surface and thentwist their body through, ending up floating on the sur-face. Very quickly the pupae splits open the shuck and theadult stage emerges, dries its wings and flies away to seeka mate. Like mayflies, Chironomidae mate and die after

they reach the adult stage. A few will take plantnectar, but their primary goal as adults is to repro-duce. Just as with emerging mayflies and caddisflies, this emergent stage is a very vulnerable timefor the insect, and trout most often take this form.Some pupae species’ bodies hang down below thesurface with their heads up in the film as they pre-pare to break through. Each stage of the transfor-mation from pupae to adult may be imitated withflies. Every fly representing a different stage isfished at the different levels relative to the surface;hanging below the surface, up in the surface film

and finally when the adult midge wiggles out of itsexoskeleton onto the surface, with the empty shuck trailingbehind it.

Flies are tied and weight or flotation added on appro-priate fly parts to match the different midge life stage. Forexample, to match the drifting larvae stage, the San JuanWorm, or even a curved hook covered with red, black orolive thread will do. These are best fished with a tiny strikeindicator or tied to a dry fly’s hook bend. One effectiveway to fish the midge larvae in deeper water is to tie on aweighted nymph ahead of the midge, and dead drift it nearthe bottom using standard nymphing techniques. Often atrout may swim out to inspect the larger, attractive nymph

Size 22 (equivalent) midgeexoskeleton, or shuck,reflects sunlight as it floatsunder the water’s surface.

MidgeOscar Feliu

The Villages, Florida

Glo-Ronomid MidgeScott Erickson

Calgary, Alberta, Canada K.F. Brassie Mojo Midge

Lady McConnellAl Beatty

Boise, Idaho

ComparadunNaomi Okamoto

Los Angeles, California

Hot Spot RenegadeAl Beatty

Boise, Idaho


and perhaps refuse it, then take the tiny midge larvae.As larvae mature into a pupae, it develops an enlarged

head and wing case. Flies representing either the larval andrising pupal stage include the Blood Midge, Zebra Midge,Red Z-Bro Midge, Green Midge Beadhead, Glo-RonomidMidge, KF Brassie and other variations and colors in sizes22-24, tied on a curved hook. These flies are oftenweighted with tungsten or brass heads. The Mojo Midgehas the curved body shape of a midge at the surface.

As the nymph reaches the surface and attempts tobreak through, its buoyant head may be in the surface filmand its body dangle. The René Harrop CDC MidgeEmerger is perfect for this stage, as it is fished with a bit offlotant on the CDC head, the CDC in the surface and thebody hanging down. The Harrop series mimics midge lifestages from emerger to adult. Oscar Feliu’s midge has awhite poly wing that is dressed to float in the film while

the body dangles beneath the surface, a very effective pat-tern. Al Gadoury’s Midge Emerger has a trailing shuck andrepresents the midge as it partially emerges on the surface.Similarly, the Lady McConnell midge by Al Beatty, the size26 Micro Midge and Naomi Okamoto’s Comparadun 24Midge all have trailing shucks.

Adult midges are floated on the water’s surface.Patterns for the adult midge include Beatty’s ScuttleMuddle Midge, Harrop Biot midge adult and the variouscluster flies. Sometimes clusters of males try to mate with afemale. Even in the dead of winter on the Madison River,midge clusters may be found on a sunny day. This surfacemating activity is imitated by size 16-18 cluster flies. Theold Griffith’s Gnat pattern is one of the most effectivemidge patterns for these clusters. Peacock herl seems togive a lifelike sheen to the Griffith’s Gnat. The more easilyseen Harrop’s CDC Cluster Midge and the various

Renegade flies alsohave the attractivepeacock herl bod-ies, and are largeenough to bespotted on thewater by agingangler eyes.Fly Box Editor VerneLehmberg is fromDayton, Texas, wherehe has recently joinedthe ranks of thenewly retired.

Harrop’s CDC Cluster

René Harrop CDC Midge Series; Transitional Midge,Emerging Midge, Hanging Midge. Biot Midge Adult.

At the ViseCAULK MIDGE

Conserving,RestoringandEducatingThroughFly

Fishing

MATERIALS

1Step

Cement the hook shank, start your thread and make a base.Tie in a turkey biot by the tip with the concave side up. Wrapthe biot on the rear two-thirds of the hook shank and tie it off.

Hook: Dai-Riki 320 standard dry fly, sizes 16 through 22Thread: Black 8/0Abdomen: Dun turkey biotWing: A sliver of dun-colored caulk backing foamPost: White, black or pink Antron or polypropyleneHackle: Dark dun, size 2 hook-gaps in widthThorax: Black dubbing

3Step


Cut a sliver of caulking foam from the edge of the foam. This willnaturally round the end of the wing, without extra trimming. Thewidth of the wing should be about two-thirds of the hook gap.

2Step

Secure the front end of the foam to the thorax. The wing shouldextend just past the bend of the hook. The rearmost thread wrapsshould be done with light tension to keep the foam from drasti-cally flaring.

Story and photos by Scott Sanchez

Midge hatches cover the late and early ends of thefishing season and provide great opportunity duringthese down times. You can enjoy plenty of solitude

from other anglers while enjoying the company of numeroustrout. When you see trout rising to November midges, it iswise to take advantage of some of the last surface feeding ofthe year. Then in the new year, winter and spring midge fish-ing is a great start to the full-on fishing season.

In my home waters of the Greater Yellowstone area, theaddition of more year-round fisheries has added to alreadyexcellent options. The Snake in Wyoming, the South Fork(the Snake in Idaho), lower Henry’s Fork, Gallatin, Madisonand Yellowstone all have some great midge fishing. Withlower flows, the larger rivers are much easier to wade.

The best fishing is usually in the afternoon. In Jackson,Wyoming, and surrounding areas, skiing in the morning andfishing in the afternoon is a common occurrence. The troutwill still be found in winter habitat adjacent to deeper, moder-ate currents. Inside corners, back eddies and slack water tail-outs are prime midge fishing locations. The fish can move inshallow water but are still found near deeper retreats.

We fish many patterns during midge hatches; pupa andclusters have become fashionable, but sometimes a good-old,single midge adult is the ticket. A variety of wing materialscan be used for midge adults; however, foam makes an inter-esting wing. Razor Foam or similar foam look good, but myfavorite for imitating the translucent wing is a sliver of win-dow-caulk backing foam. I tripped across this material whileI was looking for a certain color of foam for my big foambox. Tying some midges for spring fishing was my next proj-ect, and the caulk foam was the correct color. I cut a sliverof the foam off of the edge and secured it over the body. Atest drive on the Snake River proved that the fish liked theappearance as well.

This foam is sold in hardware stores as a foundation tofill in cracks around windows and frames before caulking.The cylindrical foam is sold in 3⁄8, 1⁄2 and 5⁄8 -inch sizes andcomes in a color I would call medium dun. I believe it’s apolyethylene product. A 20-foot roll will set you back about$6. The stuff is pretty, tough and, when trimmed, looks verysimilar to the real deal. The sheen on it is nice – it almostlooks like it has venation. In addition, it ties in with very littlebulk. The foam on the outer edge will have a skin on it. Thissection of the foam will make a more durable wing.

Olive, black, brown and dark dun are standard bodycolors and the same foam can be used for the wings on allof them. Tying flies with this caulking foam is fun and pro-ductive, and besides it beats the heck out of using it for itsintended purpose.Scott Sanchez, the 2010 Buz Buszek Memorial Award recipient, is a flyconsultant for Dan Bailey’s and a longtime member of the Scott Fly RodCompany’s Pro Staff. He is also the author of “Introduction to SaltwaterTying” (Pruett Publishing) and “A New Generation of Trout Flies” (WildRiver Press). He was recently awarded the Arnold Gingrich Memorial LifeAward by the Federation of Fly Fishers.


Fishing

Dub the thorax and figure-eight wrap a little dubbing on the base ofthe post. A little dubbing at the base of the foam wing will help con-tain it.

Wrap the hackle down the post, tie it off and whip finish.

5Step

7Step

Tie in a hackle at the base of the post, and then tie it to the post so itis anchored at the hackle’s starting point.

C. Boyd PfeifferAVAILABLE FOR

SHOWS & CLUB EVENTS

Slide showsSeminarsWorkshopsBanquets

For information:

410-527-0717 • [email protected]

4Step

Secure a bundle of polypropylene fibers in the middle of the bun-dle. This will be centered in the thorax over the wing butts. Firmlywrap the base of the fibers with thread to create a solid post.

6Step


BT’S ROTARY TYING STATIONThe Station includes the vise,

pedestal/tool base,and seven brass tools.

BT’s Fly Fishing Products11965 W. Reutzel Dr. • Boise, ID 83709-4414

888-243-3597(toll free phone & fax)

[email protected]

Fly BoxConserving,RestoringandEducatingThroughFly

Fishing

Photo essay by Verne Lehmberg

Flytiers from California to Floridacontributed to the FFF by takingthe time to demonstrate their fly

creations and techniques to everyoneattending the National Fly Fishing Fairand Conclave. When attending a nationalor council event, please express yourappreciation to our talented flytiers.Verne Lehmberg from Dayton, Texas, is a longtimeFederation member and an excellent photographer.His contribution to Flyfisher is always appreciated.

Rhyacophila CaddisOscar Feliu


Mayfly SpinnerBill BlackstoneOjai, California

Red GutBill Heckel

Franklin Park, Illinois

Damsel with nymph shuck and adultAl RittLoveland, Colorado

Wiggle DamselJohn Newbury

Chewelah, Washington

E. P. Yellow PerchDr. Steve Jensen

Springfield, Missouri

Stonefly NymphTom HarmanDillon, Montana

ClodhopperMike Stewart

N. Granby, Connecticut


Pocket Water Caddiswith adult green caddisJames FergusonSalem, Oregon

Ribbon CaddisOscar Feliu


CONSERVIN

G• RESTORIN

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EDUCATING

Leave a

For further information contact Phil Greenlee at FFF headquartersin Livingston, Montana, telephone (406) 222-9369.

The Federation of Fly Fishers Foundation, Inc.Post Office Box 1688Livingston, MT 59047

LegacyFeel good today about the gift youleave tomorrow. By making a deferredgift to the FFF Foundation, you willhelp to ensure the sport you love isfostered and kept thriving with ourfuture generations.

The principal of your gift will remainin the Foundation to fund youth edu-cation, conservation and scholarshipsupport. In addition, there are attrac-tive income and/or estate tax benefits.

The FFF Foundation was establishedin 1995 as a 501(c)(3) public charitablefoundation and is managed by anindependent board of trustees.

T H E F F F F O U N D AT I O N

By Carol Oglesby

Most of the week I carried arain jacket while walkingalong the broad streets of

West Yellowstone, Montana. The airwas cool and showers were imminentamid the quickly moving storm clouds.The spirits of people, from days not-so-long-past, linger in the memories andimaginations of visitors passing throughtown. It is a place where history isembedded in the aura surrounding themountains, rivers and roads.

Envision a land once disturbed bypassenger trains spewing plumes ofblack smoke and announcing, withshrill toots and whistles, the dailyarrival of vacationing guests. I wantedto stay long after the 2010 National FlyFishing Fair & Conclave was over andlinger over a passing vision. I imaginedbeing the first woman with a fly rod tostep boldly from a private berth withmy bevy of fishing gillies – one toattend to my silk fly lines andimported cane rods, one to tie andcare for my many finely dressed flies,one with a hand-knotted net to landmy keenly hooked fish. The latterwould dispatch them, lay them to restin a wicker creel lined with fresh, wetmeadow grass, and later deliver theday’s catch to the Union Pacific DiningHall where the trout were served up atthe evening meal. My vision stoppedshort of imagining the impracticalclothing women wore “back then.”

It’s true, “we’ve come a long waybaby,” and the 2010 Conclave wasproof positive of that adage. This is agreat year to celebrate women in flyfishing, and kudos are due to themany women who attended, taught,planned and supported the successfulevent. Top the list with JessicaAtherton who breathes life into the FlyFishing Fair. Thanks also to the othertalented women of the FFF staff:Angie Gill, Barbara Wuebber andJudy Snyder are the backbone of thefair, a unique and solid team thatmakes event planning look easy. Theyare all the best!

How many times did you hearthat this year’s women’s fly fishingclinic, “Getting Started, Getting

Better,” was the best class ever? Iheard it from nearly every participantand instructor! Thanks to MollySemenik, for planning and leading thetwo days, and thanks to DorothySchramm for teaching and providingthe printed materials from the FlyGirls Club in Michigan, and a hugethank you to all of the instructors whomade the program a great success. For

the 2011 clinic, remember the class fillsquickly, so do not procrastinate insending in your registration! Thisyear’s class filled in the first few daysof advertising, and the majority of thestudents were either intermediate oradvanced in their skill level. Thisproves that women keep coming back,and they are passionate about thesport (or “obsessed with it” as severalwomen in class described themselves).The beginners in the group were intro-duced to the sport by an enthusiasticfishing partner (as were most of uswho enjoy the sport of fly fishing).Class was held at the beautiful Bar NRanch just five miles west of town, onthe South Fork of the Madison River,where the women fished on the sec-ond day of class.

Maggie Merriman carries the his-toric torch for women in fly fishing.

She provided a great pictorial and nar-rative account of our heritage in thesport that was displayed in a wonder-fully conspicuous area adjacent to theconclave registration desk. Merrimanhas been a premier fly fishing instruc-tor for more than 30 years. One of hermany accomplishments includes the1982 introduction of the first fly fishingvest designed by a woman for women.

It was the beginning of the long-over-due inception and progression ofwomen’s fly fishing apparel. She wasalso instrumental in the FFF for intro-ducing and encouraging classes forwomen at the annual conclaves. Manyfemale fly fishers today remember bor-rowing or buying boys’ or men’s gearthat was ill-suited (excuse the pun) fora woman on the river. Clumsy boots,waders, jackets and clunky grips onrods made for an unpleasant experi-ence for female anglers and were adeterrent for beginners. Hooray for themanufacturers that design and the flyshops that sell women’s fishing gear!Support them and thank them!

Joan Wulff introduced the worldto women fly fishers through hergraceful performances featuring ballet-à la-fly-rod and proved that womenare admirable contenders in casting

Conclave 2010 Women’s Fly Fishing Clinic attendees on theSouth Fork of the Madison River. Photo by Pat Oglesby


Fishing Woman’s Outlook

CELEBRATING WOMEN AT THE 2010 CONCLAVE


Tiny flies are fun to fish but a nuisance tostore. Use a regular fly box such as aplastic, compartmented case, and tinyflies (size 18 and smaller) can mixamong various compartments, gettingyour Griffith’s Gnats mixed up with tinytricos. In addition, the tiny flies can eas-ily blow out when opened during thetiniest breeze or briefest gust of wind.

Boxes with individual, lidded compart-ments (Wheatley) can lessen the blow-away problem, but within the main boxthey can still mix up flies from variouscompartments.

To solve this problem, get a simple pill-box from your local drugstore. Almost

all of these have individual, lid-ded compartments. One of thebig advantages of such boxesis that the inner lids are ridgedalong the edges to prevent anylooseness and loss of flies ormix of flies getting into adja-cent compartments.

These pill boxes are availablein a wide variety of styles,from the four-compartmentbox to hold pills for one day,to those with seven compart-ments for weekly use to those with 14for two weeks or even those with 28 forfour weeks.

C. Boyd Pfeiffer is an internationally knownsportsman and award-winning photojournaliston fishing, hunting and the outdoors. His 27

books include many on fly fishing and fly tying.


Fishing

competition. Today she remains themodern-day mentor for all femaleanglers. Maggie Merriman proddedthe male-dominated industry, kickingand screaming, into a new phase ofreality regarding women in the sport.Yet, it was Fannie Krieger who unifiedthe women. She brought us alltogether in celebration of women as aunited force in fly fishing. In 1995,Krieger had the brilliant idea to hostan international festival for femaleanglers. A year later, the plan was inplace for a gathering in San Francisco.I like to think of the festival as the“Woodstock for Women in Waders”(not to be confused with any calen-dars!).

The response was overwhelming.Two hundred women from around theworld gathered under one roof to dis-cuss, learn, encourage and promote flyfishing for women. I was one of thelucky attendees, and today it is stillone of the highlights of my fishing-related adventures. There was discus-sion on every topic of concern tofemale anglers: clothing, the responseto women in a fly shop, clubs forwomen … the topics were endless.

Someone dared to ask, “Dowomen actually want to know themechanics of casting?”

“Well, yes!”I believe this single event had a

major impact, and ripple effect,throughout the fly fishing industry.More clubs for women were formed;

manufacturers and retailers took noteand began accommodating the femaleconsumers, and we women werestrengthened in our unity. Teachers,guides, artists, writers and anglers blos-somed. New friendships were formedthat remain solid today – all becauseof the inspiration of one woman,Fannie Krieger. Never doubt that youas one voice can make a difference.

Krieger was the featured speakerat the President’s Banquet, receiving astanding ovation for her inspirationalpresentation about female anglers andabout getting youth involved in flyfishing. Our thanks to Fannie forinspiring so many fly fishers! Be sureto check out her new DVD:

“Tomorrow’s Fly Fishers.”What are the future trends for

women in fly fishing? I’m not sure Ihave an answer, but I understand sta-tistics show that fishing and huntingsports are on the decline. I fear, as aresult, our rights as anglers andhunters may be in jeopardy sometimein the future. We are all responsiblefor getting youth involved in outdoorsports to protect our heritage andrights as Americans. Women as nurtur-ers and coaches may lay the funda-mental steps in getting youth directedto a love of the outdoors and its heal-ing qualities, as well as teaching theresponsibility of preserving open andwild spaces for future generations.Together we can encourage, inspire,teach, be companions, stabilize,expand and enjoy the sport we love.Take the time to introduce someone tothe sport.

I can’t individually thank everywoman for her involvement in theFederation of Fly Fishers. But collec-tively, I want to say a heartfelt thanksto every woman who taught a class,who attended the 2010 Conclave, andto all the female members of the FFF.Please keep renewing your member-ship and encouraging new members –together we can keep the sport aliveand have fun in the process.Carol Oglesby from Grand Junction, Colorado, isa regular contributor to Flyfisher on female flyfishers’ interests. She may be contacted [email protected].

PhotosbyPatOglesby

Fanny Krieger, honored speaker at thePresident’s Banquet, Conclave 2010

FLY TIPS: Fly Boxes for Tiny FliesTip and photoby C. Boyd Pfeiffer

Story and photos by Tom Tripi

In the casting classes I teach, I often observe the sameproblems raising their ugly heads. Having come up withsome simple cures, I’ve filed those ideas in my mind’s eye

with the intent of sharing a solution or two. I hope the fol-lowing tidbits on casting problems will help the novice andeven more experienced fly fishers become better casters.

Most fly fishers have trouble with the notion of slowlyaccelerating the casting stroke, then suddenly stopping therod in order to form a loop. The first technique I was taughtwhile learning was to compare the same action to throwingan apple on a stick. Everyone knows the drill. When afriend in New York gave me my first demonstration of thetechnique, he sailed the apple 30 feet. It looked interesting.But the concept was already familiar to me.

One of my summer jobs while growing up was to pickup “wind falls” under our numerous pear trees. Being quitelazy, I quickly “developed” a technique of stabbing the pearswith a sturdy stick and throwing them almost 100 feet intoan adjacent cow pasture. I had developed a great forwardstop, and I was only 12 years old! When learning to castand applying the same technique, I found that it greatlyhelped to create loops.

Now, when teaching, I round up a few of our crabapples and persimmons or make tennis ball-sized mud ballsfor students. I use a short stick to demonstrate/explain thethrow/stop technique; about five repetitions later studentshave the motion mastered. Then, I immediately transfer thetechnique to an actual cast. I grab a prepared rod with aline already extending out on the ground. After a little prac-tice, students usually associate the stop idea rather quickly,soon nailing the forward cast. I find that the abrupt stoprequired to propel any object via this method is moredefined than, say, the cleaning-the-paint-brush technique.And students absorb the “stop” idea much quicker.

Note, if you practice or teach with the paint brush tech-nique, it works better when a real brush and a bucket ofwater is used. Students see the resulting distance of thethrown water when the technique is properly applied. It’sharder to see results when using a dry brush, or worse, ifyou’re pantomiming a fast stop without a brush.

So, we’ve cured that problem. How about working onstraightening your fly line before the pickup for a backcast?Whether you’ve stripped in too much line or struck to set ahook and missed, there always seems to be slack line on thewater prior to the pickup. I’ve tried various methods to helpstudents understand that slack should be removed prior tothe pick-up. I’ve demonstrated the advantage of having astraight line to maximize the loading of the rod, but in manycases to no avail. Many have a hard time taking out slack.

Whenever I anticipate such a problem, I leave 25 feet orso of garden hose lying out on the lawn, coiled just right andready for use. The technique follows: Without telling the stu-dent what to expect, I ask them to grab the coiled hose and,using a side-arm motion, fling it out of the way. It alwaystakes two or three tries to move the entire hose. Then Iexplain how it would be easier to move if the hose was lying

straight. I proceed tostraighten the hose andhave them try again.Immediately the entirehose is placed intomotion and it moves“in the direction of thespeed up and stop” (alittle Lefty Kreh lingothere). I then ask,“Now, do you see whyslack in your fly linedoesn’t load the rod orhelp the cast?” Thenext few practice castsare usually much betterthan those before usingthe hose!

A word on leaders:To me, a leader is likethe tail on a kite. If thetail is too short, the kiteis unbalanced andwon’t fly correctly; ifit’s too long or heavy,the kite usually doesn’tfly at all becausethere’s too muchweight. When the tail is just right, the kite flies high andlong. In comparison, when using a short or perhaps lightleader with a heavier fly line, the heavier fly line turns theunbalanced leader over too quickly, causing it to slap thewater or puddle short of the target. On the other hand, alight fly line can’t efficiently turn over a heavy leader, espe-cially if it is carrying a big fly.

A balanced line and leader (and fly) is essential to castthe long, delicately looped lines that we all strive to achieve.When making my own leaders, I use an accepted formula of60 percent butt, 20 percent middle and 20 percent wearing(tippet) end. Many resources exist online and in books onmatching the diameter of a leader to the end of a line.Review this information and your casting and fly presentationwill improve, I promise.

I attach my leader to the line via a small, rather uncon-ventional loop made at the end of the fly line. I’ve neverused loop-to-loop connections on leaders or in fly lines.Most are oversized, some form hinges, attract stream grass,loosen when casting, etc. I once had a chance get-togetherwith a wise, old fly-fishing curmudgeon from the “CatskillSchool.” It was pouring rain, and we happened to be sittingtogether under a streamside shelter for a while chatting. Hehad fished the same 7½-foot Payne for more than 20 years;used a fine, oiled, double-taper line; and hand tied his lead-ers from a supple mono (although he yearned for the silk ofhis earlier years). His leader knots were small and surgicallyprecise. Even at 15-feet long they turned over beautifully. His

SIMPLE CURES FOR PERSISTENT PROBLEMS


Fishing

Casting “hoses” ready for use: Trying tomove the curved hose in one motion is muchharder than moving the straight hose.


Various leader to fly line connections: Thesize and color of the wrapping thread canbe varied so the connection can be used as astrike indicator if desired.

Casting

Story and photo by Al Beatty

T he headline may lead the reader to believe that I’ve become a bam-boo rod builder, but that’s not the case; I’m still semi-sane. I’m justa fairly competent flytier who has observed our bamboo rod-build-

ing friends at conclaves and other fly fishing functions perform their magicon simple-looking pieces of the raw, wild grass. I’ve not ruled out buildingbamboo rods but also have to face the reality that my woodworking skillsleave a lot to be desired.

I remember well my high school woodshop teacher telling me that Imight want to focus on fishing because I sure didn’t have “it” regarding hiswoodshop. I’m kind of glad I took his advice to “focus on fishing,” becauseI’ve sure enjoyed fly fishing over the years, sharing the avocation with mywife, Gretchen, and the many friends I’ve made in the sport and theFederation of Fly Fishers (FFF).

Even though my woodworking skills were never developed, it is inter-esting how people who had that particular skill have come into my life andused it to express their friendship while I, in turn, shared flies with them.To prove the point, I have many handmade fly boxes, like those picturedhere, that I’ve been given over the years by friends.

It’s funny how a discussion about bamboo or wood can evolve into adiscussion about friendship and how much the FFF and the people in it haveaffected our lives. When we look at our fairly large group of friends, we findeveryone on the list is associated with the Federation in one way or another.

We never know when guests will appear at the door for a visit thatcould last a couple of hours or several days. For example in the recent pastwe got an e-mail from Jon Lyman, former FFF education chair, and awriter for this publication. His message was succinct; he wanted to know ifwe would be home. I advised him I was here, but Gretchen was gone. Lessthan an hour later, the doorbell rang and it was Jon. I thought his e-mailhad been sent from his home in Alaska, but, as he was standing at myfront door, it was really obvious it wasn’t.

I invited him in and made a pot of coffee. Aconversation with Jon is always interesting, and Iprepared for several pleasant hours reviewing amultitude of topics. It wasn’t meant to be; he wason his way to a job as a ski instructor. The pur-pose of his visit was to give us a bamboo fly rodhe had built as a token of friendship. I wasstunned! I thanked him and he was on his way,having stayed only a few minutes. He had spentmany hours building the rod and drove milesout of his way to give us that beautiful bamboorod, then only visited for a short time.

A simple thank you for such a wonderfultoken of friendship is far from adequate. Thatsaid, it is all I have to offer except for this shortcolumn here in Flyfisher to recognize the great gift an FFF friend gave uswith no expectation of anything in return. On the other hand, that’s howtrue friendships evolve; doing for others with no expectation of a return. Forthat matter, it seems like a great concept when thinking of membership inthe FFF as well, giving with no thought of anything in return. My member-ship in the FFF has proven to be an important and eventful part of my life.In my opinion a membership in the FFF is a great return on investment.

What is your opinion? If you are thinking of letting your membershiplapse, don’t do it. You never know when the doorbell could ring.Flyfisher Editor Al Beatty is a longtime FFF member from Boise, Idaho, who enjoys tying flies,fishing with his wife, Gretchen, and working with her in their family business – BT’s FlyFishing & Photography.

THE FFF, BAMBOO AND FRIENDSHIPline-to-leader connection was via a verysmall mono loop tied to his fly line, whichgave me some ideas for later. He “tuned”his leaders quite well over the years, and itshowed. The old Payne was smooth andaccurate, dropping cast upon cast in thecenter of each rise. That, my friend, wasgreat fly fishing!

I make my line-to-leader connection asfollows. First, I make a 45-degree cut at theend of the fly line. Then I simply fold overone-half to three-quarters of an inch of thefly line forming a small loop. Next, using 3/0nylon tying thread, wrap the end and line asyou would the foot of a snake-guide on arod. No knots are required; I seal the threadwith a small drop of super glue, forming aninstant chemical bond on both ends of thefly line and thread. Just snip off the excessthread and it’s done. I tie the leader ontothe loop via an improved clinch knot. Thisforms a strong, slim connection that passesthrough guides smoothly and lasts, in somecases, all season. My leader material ismedium stiff – just flexible enough to carrythe energy of the cast and turn over the fly.(Of course, it helps to balance the size ofthe fly with the size of the tippet.)

Last, some thoughts on matching rodsand lines. I remind all of my students thatmost modern graphite rods can handle acouple line weights up or down from thatrecommended by the manufacturer. Thatbeing said, I always test students’ equip-ment to check if rod and line do balance.I like to overload graphic rods by one andsometimes two line sizes. And I’vewatched other instructors do the same.However a few forget an important point.Always test lines on the water, not grass,and, if possible, with a hook-less fly thatmatches the leader. Some forget about theweight that water adds to a line, not tomention the weight of a big, wet fly. Thatadded weight affects the rod’s action, espe-cially lighter ones.

Many more innovative hints and cast-ing aids may be found in the exhaustive(and free) volumes of The Loop locatedon the Federation of Fly Fishers’ website:www.fedflyfishers.org. If you have unique,helpful hints that you use in teaching orcasting and want to pass them along,please contact me via my website,www.tomtripi.com. I’ll mention you andthem in future articles or you can submitthem to The Loop.Master Casting Instructor Tom Tripi is from Folsom,Louisiana, where he uses a fly rod and canoe to pur-sue his favorite fish, teaches casting to students ofall ages, and studies astronomy in his spare time.

Fly Rod Corner



Fishing

The “friendship gifts” are justtoo special to take to the water,but who knows what may hap-pen at some future date.

The FFF National Fly Fishing Fair and Conclave 2010 Photo Contest Winners


GRAND PRIZE OVERALL“Klingon” by Patrick Richardsof Hereford, Arizona

PEOPLE’S CHOICE“Casting the Brenta” collabora-tion by Les Rosenthal andPietro Brunelli of Gig Harbor,Washington

NATIVE FISH OF N. AMERICA1st: “A Moment’s Glimpse of

the Glory” by PaulHinchcliff of Charleston,South Carolina

2nd: “A Trout’s View Aboveand Below” by Sharynand Bob Jacklin of WestYellowstone, Montana

NATURALS AND THEIRIMITATIONS1st: “Klingon” by Patrick

Richards of Hereford,Arizona

2nd: “Can You See Me?” byPatrick Richards ofHereford, Arizona

3rd: “Early Morning HatchedMayfly” by SteveHegstrom of Mission,Kansas

FLY ANGLERS IN THEIRELEMENT1st: “Casting the Brenta”

collaboration by LesRosenthal and PietroBrunelli of Gig Harbor,Washington

2nd: “Double the Anticipation”by Michael Witt ofDardanelle, Arkansas

3rd: “Getting our Baitfish for aDay of Fly Fishing – Baja”by Patrick Richards ofHereford, Arizona

INTERNATIONAL FLY FISHINGEXPERIENCES, SALTWATER1st: “Rooster Fin” by Patrick

Richards of Hereford,Arizona

2nd: “Manta” by Les Rosenthalof Gig Harbor,Washington

“A Moment’s Glimpse of the Glory” by Paul Hinchcliff

“Rooster Fin” by Patrick Richards


“Klingon” by Patrick Richards

“Casting the Brenta” collaboration by Les Rosenthal and Pietro Brunelli

By Jon Lyman

Ikilled fish all summer. A run ofhatchery king salmon returns to thecove in front of my house each

spring, and this year I trolled dailyfrom the first of May until the runended in mid-July. Friends andstrangers shared my boat, with anglersfrom across Florida to Hawaii joiningwith Alaskans in the slaughter. Wekilled more kings last summer than Iusually do in a decade. Great, broadfish, ocean bright, from 12 to 40pounds, destined to either be taken byanglers as food or to die in the deepgyre of the cove’s tides. When thekings petered out, coho salmon ran sostrongly that we stocked the freezers offriends too old, infirm or land-boundto fish. But I’m done with it – tired ofthe killing.

I recently pulled Leo Braudy’s“From Chivalry to Terrorism” fromthe bottom of a local book bin – toothick for a quick read, too heavy forsummer. To make his tome morepalatable, I have been alternating read-ing chapters with sorties into JamesBabb’s “River Music.” The two booksare so different in theme and style asto be an odd juxtaposition. Braudy’s

academic research and reasoning onthe origins of the Celtic heroic and itsevolution into 21st century terrorism iscleanly crosscut by Babb’s wonderfulprose and humorous, fine insights intofishing. The themes and styles are sofar apart, I avoided confusion until Iread Babb’s chapter “Tales of theVienna Sausages.”

It’s a simple story, about foodanglers’ quarry, and a justification forkilling a few fish, once in a while, forlunch. My problem is that I spent two

months butchering fish. Regardless oftheir hatchery source or my altruisticmotive for taking them, surely such anincredible harvest was an act of fishingterrorism. The needs of friends andfamily aside, my dialing-in and repeat-edly hammering those fish does notfit my definition of ethical angling.Babb’s image of the cans of chickenparts and mechanically shreddedbeef and pork blend in my mindinto coolers full of red-fleshed salmon.I needed a break from blood:Fortunately, an evening with our local4-H fishing club helped clear mythoughts.

I teach fishing for our 4-HOutdoor Skills Club in the summer. Itis hard to believe, but in Juneau,Alaska, where fish seem to be every-where, at least a third of all kids havenever fished. To go beyond the one-day wonders of fishing events and leadkids and parents toward angling avid-ity, volunteers join agency staff at a dif-ferent venue each week to teach fami-lies to fish. With the salmon comingin, we took the ever-growing club (54new anglers one week in mid-September) fishing at Point Louisa,

north of Juneau.The Point Louisa peninsula juts

from shore to form a tight, horseshoe-shaped bay in front of the old AukVillage. The Auk Tlingit Indians had afine pebble beach. It had a southernexposure with wondrous views ofsnow-capped mountains and the sea,and great fishing for thousands ofyears. The village was abandoned inthe 1920s: Now only a single totempole marks the site. Today, PointLouisa is a public park offering pic-

nicking, scuba diving and fishing.Recently the father of two new

anglers sat in a folding chair above thereceding tide, casting pixies. Phillip isnot in good health. He is overweightand slow to walk to our outings fromhis car. But he has learned to love fish-ing with his sons. Each week he hascast vainly from his lawn chair whilethe boys attempt to outfish each othernearby. On this evening Phil hooked asea-run Dolly Varden. It was a goodfish, in the mid-teens in length, and itfought hard.

His boys rushed eagerly up as Ihurried to help him land the char.They had killed fish all summer andnow cheered their father on. It was hisfirst fish. Phillip’s drag was initially settoo loosely, and the Dolly ran far outand leapt as he attempted to reel it in.When he did bring it to shore, and Iscooped it into the net, Phil said,“Wait a minute. Can we let it go?”

It was lightly hooked, tired but notexhausted. No blood showed.

I said, “Sure.”His boys stood by him, then

joined me in the water to watch theDolly swim away. Phillip said, almostapologetically, “I just wanted to give itback its life.”

I need to get my fishing life inorder. I want to read “To Know ARiver” again and spend a coupleweeks perfecting the taper for a bam-boo trout rod that waited on mybench for final planing and glue allsummer. Each stroke of the plane willquiet me, each final scraping of ten-thousandths of an inch will take mefurther back into why I love to fish –back to where catching fish is the leastimportant part of fishing. With anyluck, Roderick Haig-Brown will finishthe job.

Often in October, cutthroat andrainbow trout and Dolly Varden charare in the streams, picking eggs fromthe pebbles behind spawning salmon.I decided to wait until then to fishagain. And for lunch I took a can ofVienna sausages.Jon Lyman from Juneau, Alaska, describes him-self as just a trout bum on the lam in ski coun-try with a writing habit.

VIENNA SAUSAGES

Fly Fishing Heritage

“The willful summoning up of past styles ofcultural behavior as a way of dealing withthe present is always with us … (a)sleep intheir splendid caves until they are needed.”

Leo Braudy, “From Chivalry to Terrorism,” 2003


Fishing


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P.O. Box 1688Livingston, MT 59047

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PAIDPost Falls, IDPermit No. 32

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Documents

Flyfisher magazine Autumn 2010-Winter 2010