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President’s Letter John Gierach: I don’t go in for sissy sports. I’m a trout fisherman. NEW MEMBERS: Let‘s welcome our newest member Gregg Schallen. Andy Harrison finally talked him into joining the club. Gregg, we look forward to getting to know you and spending some time on the water with you in the near future. SPECIAL ECHO SWITCH ROD RAFFLE: We have a 10‘10‖ 6 weight. This is a very versatile rod and uses 8 weight lines. We will sell 40 raffle tickets at $10 each and pick a winner. Tickets will be sold at the meeting or by mail; first come, first served. FLOAT TUBES AND FINS: Thanks to the generosity of Sally Stoner we now have 2 U-Boat float tubes and 2 sets of fins in our loaner inventory. After a little repair work they will be stored at David Holmes‘ house. For a complete list of our loaner equipment and locations see the website. FEDERATION OF FLY FISHERS AND THE SOUTHWEST COUNCIL: I am surprised at how few members of our club are members of the FFF. Compared to TU & Cal Trout, FFF‘s primary goal is supporting clubs like ours. With our increased involvement and participation in the SWC (i.e. Fly Fishing Faire in Mammoth in Sept., Club Tournament on the Kern in Nov.) you might find membership in FFF something worth considering.

MAY MEETING: Lee Baermann will be our guest speaker. Mike Hildenbrand told me about Lee on a cold foggy morning at La Conchita last December. Shortly thereafter George Protsman and I spent a morning with Lee. I‘ve been fishing in the surf for a number of years with only modest success; I learned a lot that morning and since then have felt a lot more comfortable and confident and as a result have caught a lot more fish. So if you‘re new to surf fishing or just want to get better you won‘t want to miss Lee‘s program and you may want to book a morning session with him.

SAVE THE DATES: May 3rd: Fly tying 6:30PM SLO Odd Fellows Hall Bernard Pieters tying a Prince nymph. May 10th: No Board of Directors meeting. 4:30PM tying session with Lee Baermann, 6:30 General meeting at Margie‘s featuring Lee Baermann. May 25th-27th: Kelsey Bass Ranch outing. Contact Art Chapman. KERN RIVER OUTING CHANGE IN DATES: So as not to run in to the crowds at the Kernville car show we‘ve changed the dates from Oct 12th-14th to Oct 5th-7th. Guy Jeans is going to do his session on fly fishing the Kern Saturday morning and this will be a good opportunity to get ready for the SWCFFF inter-club tournament in November. Contact Lew Leichter.

May, 2012 Club Newsletter Andy Harrison, Editor aharrison99@att.net

by Lew

Leichter

http://www.santaluciaflyfishers.com/

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Thursday, May 10th, 2012 at 6:30pm

Margie’s Diner, SLO

*Special Fly-tying demonstration begins at 4:30pm!*

Guest Speaker: Lee Baermann, Surf fly fishing guide

www.flyfishthesurf.com

“I'll be showing a slide presentation on the surf species caught from the wet sand, the different people who are doing it, some of the strange things you can see on the beach, structure and the gear used.”

Lee will also present a special tying demonstration and lesson before the meeting from 4:30 – 5:30 PM at Margie‘s Diner. It will include a sand crab pattern and possibly checkerboards. This is a good opportunity to learn to tie important surf flies, as most of our emphasis is historically on fresh water fishing.

Lee‘s love of fishing began at an early age when his maternal grandfather showed him how to catch Musky in the lakes of Northern Wisconsin. After his family moved from Milwaukee to Oxnard, California in the early 60‘s, that love continued, not only at the local lakes in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, but on the beach, where he grew up. As a child, Lee began fishing from the

An Apology! When, in the April issue, we thanked various folks for their generous donations to the annual banquet fundraiser, we inadvertently omitted one of our most appreciated and regular

donors: Dave MacNamara at Four Seasons in SLO.

Dave and Four Seasons have been one of our most faithful supporters through the years and our faces are red at this mistake! Members should remember that Four Seasons is perhaps our only local outlet for good quality fly fishing gear, including Simms waders, wading boots, vests and clothing, Sage and other rods, Ross and other reels, Rio and other lines, leaders and tippet, a huge selection of flies, along with materials for fly tying. Whenever possible, members should support Four Seasons and our other donors, especially if they are local!

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docks with a 50 cent drop line, graduating from there to spinning gear, then to a long surf rod, and finally to a fly rod. Lee fishes the So. California surf at least 300 days per year. Whether guiding for his business, FLY FISH THE SURF, or just for fun, Lee has caught Barred Surf Perch, Corbina, Halibut, Leopard Shark, Striped Bass and all of the other surf species. When Lee is not fishing in salt water, you can find him in the local canals guiding for Carp. Lee also spends at least 2 or more weeks per year in Baja California fly fishing in the waters of the Sea of Cortez where his BullCandy fly has been lauded by Pam Bolles of THE BAJA BIG FISH COMPANY. To quote Pam, ―I have NEVER seen a fly absolutely dominate sales and effectiveness. It was hard keeping one for myself as guys were fighting over them.‖ On most Fridays, Lee can be found at Eric‘s tackle in Ventura, California tying flies and spreading the word on the ease of fly fishing from the beach. Most conventional fisherman express surprise at the fact that there is a sport like fly fishing in the surf. He is a Pro Staff member with Rajeff Sports, carrier of ECHO Rods and Airflo Fly Lines and Waterworks Lamson Reels. A full-time surf fly fishing guide, Lee lives in Oxnard, California with his wife Karen and their Akita dog, Nana.

You don’t want to miss this meeting!

2012 SLFF Casting Clinic Report by Bill Richmond

Another great series of 4 classes was held at Laguna Lake in March and April. This was the 4th year I attended the clinic. The sessions always help improve my techniques, as well as learn new casts. The Reach Cast, presenting an upstream or downstream in-air mend before the line lands on the water, was a new and very useful one for me. This year I finally perfected my double-haul to the point where I feel confident to use this cast routinely.

An added bonus to the learning sessions is the chance to try some of the other member‘s outfits for a few minutes to feel the action of various rods. Ray Belknap‘s 90% fiberglass/10% graphite Hardy ―The Test‖ 4 weight was a real eye opener. What a sweet rod! Thanks to Bernard Pieters, Eric Sherar, Bob Hurd, Chad McPartland, and Todd Tose‘ for their time, effort, and expertise in presenting the clinic. I‘ll be back (quoting Arnold) next year!

The editorial staff thinks our newsletter needs a new name and wants your help! Please e-mail your suggestions for the new name to Andy at aharrison99@att.net.

If your name suggestion is chosen you will be awarded a collection of flies ABSOLUTELY GUARANTEED to catch fish! Thank you for your help!

Help name the SLFF newsletter!

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Two Tying Events in May for Santa Lucia Fly Tyers by Jim Crescenzi

We will hold our regular scheduled fly tying session on May 3rd, plus the special tying demonstration and lesson by Lee Baermann before our May club meeting on May 10th. See page 2 for more info. This is a demonstration only, NOT a tying session. Leave your tying vises home! This is a good opportunity to learn to tie important surf flies, as most of our emphasis is historically on fresh water fishing.

The May 3rd session will feature the classic, highly productive Beadhead Prince Nymph, led by Bernard Pieters. Although the Prince Nymph is a well-known fly, there are some subtle techniques involved in tying it properly. Be sure to come in order to pick up the details on making this important pattern, as it will be a real asset for your trout fishing this summer. This session is held at the Odd Fellow‘s Hall in San Luis Obispo from 6:30 to 8:30 PM.

Last month‘s session, led by Ray Belknap, covered the Callibaetis Nymph, a very important fly for stillwater trout fishing. The session was well attended, and the product of the tyer‘s labors will undoubtedly serve them well at the club outing at Manzanita Lake on June 23rd. Our fly tying schedule is currently complete until August of this year. We hope to fill in the remaining 2012 schedule at this next May 3rd session, so bring your ideas and suggestions. The pattern for June will be an ant, led by Jim Snodgrass. Mike Powers leads the July session on a R.A.M. Caddis (larva).

SLFF MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION

An individual regular membership is $35.00 per year for 12 months (January through December).

Enrollment after 1 July is $20.00 for the remainder of the year.

To join, please download the Membership Form from our Website: http://santaluciaflyfishers.com/PDF/SLFF/App.pdf

Send completed form with a check for dues to: Santa Lucia Fly Fishers

c/o Secretary P.O. Box 166

San Luis Obispo, CA 93406

Fly Tying

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KELSEY BASS OUTING May 26–27 by Art Chapman

The annual Kelsey Bass Outing is once again planned for Memorial Day Weekend 2012, Saturday May 26 and Sunday May 27. We will camp at the Ranch Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights. There is no charge for camping, but fishing is $100/rod/day. Once again the Kaweah Fly Fishing club will provide lunch both days and

charcoal for the BBQ Saturday and Sunday nights which will be potluck. Bring your own meat and a side dish or dessert to share. Kelsey Ranch is just outside Snelling on Highway 59 near McSwain Reservoir. The owner kindly allows us to camp at a site that is used to hold weddings and is quite comfortable for camping with trees to cut the wind and sun. There are tables, port-a-potties, a large awning, and plenty of grass on which to pitch a tent. You have to bring your own fresh drinking and cleaning water. There is also a boat ramp, dock, and plenty of water to fish. You can fish all night if you wish (lifejacket mandatory after dark). The bass fishing is always fun with fish all over the lake. Tournament fishermen use the lake to tune and practice new techniques. Regular bass fishermen in the club are always ready to share tips and tricks with first timers. Plan on coming for at least one day if not two. Kaweah Fly Fishers has prepaid for twenty four spots. We will have exclusive use of the lake so a motor boat, tube, pontoon or even on foot from shore will work. You can view the web site at http://www.kelseybassranch.net for the latest fishing report. You can view the 120 acre lake from Google Earth also. For questions contact Art Chapman via email at artsee9660@gmail.com or 927- 9660.

SEQUOIA CREEKS AND HUME LAKE June 8-10 by Alex Beattie

Fishing is usually very good at this time of year at Hume Lake and the creeks and rivers in the Sequoias. All of the roads should be open; the snow should be gone and the hordes of people will not have arrived yet. If you get tired of catching fish, there is always the great scenery and other attractions to occupy your interests. The entrance to Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks is about 3.5 hours driving time from SLO. The quickest and easiest way is to take Hwy 46 out of Paso Robles to Hwy 41 just past Jack Ranch. Follow Hwy 41 all of the way into Fresno to Hwy 180 (exit 128). Hwy 180 is well marked with signs that say Kings Canyon/Hwy 180.

Kelsey Bass Ranch

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I usually stop in Fresno at Costco for gas and food. There is also a so-so fly shop (Herb Bauer‘s) in Fresno. Take Hwy 180 all of the way (about 35 miles) to the park entrance. It will cost $20 for entrance if you don‗t have a senior access card, so take an old guy along with you! Shortly after the park entrance the road will split. Hwy 180 to the east will take you to Grant Grove and Cedar Grove while Hwy 198 (the General‗s highway) to the south will lead to several campgrounds and lodging at Hume Lake. Camping is $20/night or $10 for old guys. Lodging at Hume Lake is about $140/night. Accommodations in the Sequoias get tight in the summer so I advise making your reservations ASAP. You can fish from the shore at Hume Lake but a float tube or boat is much better. This time of year small olive, black, rust, or white woolly buggers trolled with a varied retrieve work well, especially on a slow sink line. A Chironomid rigging with 2-3 midges fished deep with a very slow retrieve also works. There could be a little bit of dry fly activity but don‘t count on it. The creeks and rivers in the Sequoia National Park and Forest are loaded with brook trout and a lesser number of rainbows and are easy to fish--no wading required. You just need to decide which creeks and rivers are the most fishable, and where you want to fish. The nearby Marble fork of the Kaweah River should be fishable and you may wish to make an hour drive to fish the South Fork of the Kings River. Size 14-18 attractors such as Parachute Adams, Stimulators, Elk Hairs, ants, etc. on a floating line always seem to work. High stick and indicator nymphing also work but I prefer top water tactics. Stealth is advisable, as it is easy to spook the fish. Takes can be fairly aggressive, which makes for exciting fishing. I fish with an over-lined 3 or four weight rod with a 7.5-9 ft leader with a nylon 5-6x tippet. Stream side mentoring will be available if a request is received at least 5 days before commencement of the trip. Call me (Alex Beattie) at 772-5694 if you have any questions or comments or want to schedule stream side mentoring.

Pyramid Lake Outing by Rich Chubon Our Club President Lew, our V.P. Art Chapman and Yours Truly made the annual trip to Pyramid Lake on April 6th. Now you would think that with all our club dignitaries in attendance the fish would be in a cooperative mood. Last year we got caught in some snow and rain. This year the weather was much better. Last year‘s snow runoff has left the lake at its highest level for many years, good for the fish, but not the fishermen. Water temps were in the low 50‘s, so the cutthroat trout we sought were slow and lethargic. The fish had not yet begun to move into the shallows in preparation for their annual spawn.

Carson River Outing is CANCELLED The Carson River Outing, originally planned for May 11-13th, has been

cancelled due to adverse water conditions. Sorry about that!

Nice cutthroat taken with a beetle

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The high water changed the location of the drop offs we had become accustomed to fishing. We fished some new places including Wino and Sand Hole beaches. The Sand Hole beach area proved to be the most fishable. We did some indicator fishing, but all of our fish (we did catch a few) were taken stripping woolly buggers and pyramid beetles. Actually all the fish I caught were taken on a chartreuse and white beetle. The fish ran between 17 and 20 inches, not the monsters we had hoped for, but respectable. We left Pyramid with one thought in mind: Next year our announced trip date will be within a 2-3 week window. The final date will be set subject to weather and water temperatures as well as the latest fishing reports.

Santa Margarita Lake Event Enjoyed Record Participation by Jim Crescenzi

Our club held its annual Spring bass outing at Santa Margarita Lake on Saturday, April 20th, with 20 people participating. This event offers local early-season fresh-water fishing. It is a chance to try new techniques and equipment, and to generally enjoy the near-perfect environment of the area. The weather was sunny (perhaps a bit on the warm side, hitting 90 degrees by early afternoon) and calm. Several large fish were hooked, I‘m told (you know those that get away are always the largest!). Both Lew Leichter and Andy Harrison landed multiple bass. Andy‘s included a 4 pounder --nice by any standard. Most fishermen observed numerous bass in the shallows, but it proved very difficult to entice them to take our offerings (rejection can be frustrating!). A rough group catch total is estimated at a dozen fish for the morning. All enjoyed their ―fishing‖ even if it didn‘t include ―catching‖.

Club members attending included: Ray Belknap, Paul Crafts, Elaine and Jim Crescenzi, Andy Harrison, Bob Hartzell, Gaye Holman, David Holmes, Lew Leichter, Christine and Bernard Pieters, Bonnie and Ted Pope, Madeleine and George Protzman, Bill Richmond, Gregg Schallen, Jim Small, and Peter Van Hest. The noontime barbeque was quite popular, with

plenty of hamburgers and hot dogs and all the fixings consumed. Thanks to Bonnie Pope and Elaine Crescenzi for providing excellent desserts. Overall, a very relaxed time was had by all. Jim and Elaine (the barbeque organizers) really appreciated the help from Bernard and Christine Pieters who kindly pitched in to clean up and collect camp accessories for the trip home.

Lew with a nice hook-up

Bernard works the shallows as Gaye and Dave motor past

Noontime BBQ!

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Upper Nacimiento River/Fort Hunter Liggett Outing Report by Andy Harrison

Here‘s a recipe: take bass, bluegill, and large trout. Add combat fishing on a skinny creek, then stir in some peaceful solitude on a virtually private bass pond. Blend with one parking-nazi campground host and top it off with poison oak. What do you get? The Upper Naci/FHL Outing, which took place last weekend! 14 SLFF members participated in this year‘s 3-day outing—some showing up for the day and others camping out.

Art Chapman got things rolling Friday morning by arriving early at Ponderosa Campground and grabbing our choice campsites. After securing camp, we headed over to Fort Hunter Liggett and met up with Ray Belknap, Gregg Schallen, and Lew Leichter at Del Venturi pond. We had a fun afternoon, fishing from both float tubes and the bank. A couple small bass and lots of bluegill were caught on poppers and nymphs. That evening we had a cookout in camp, which went very well despite a parking snafu that got smoothed over after Gregg bribed the campground host with a fiver!

Saturday morning was Opening Day of trout season, and apparently every fisherman in the area got the memo because trucks were getting into position on the Upper Naci well before daylight. Faced with low flows in the creek and lots of fishing pressure, it didn‘t take long for the large stockers to get lockjaw. Catching trout in the Upper Naci is tough enough under normal conditions; the traffic and low flows made it extra challenging. We gave it our best shot and several large trout were landed by SLFF anglers on nymphs and wooleys. Joining the campers (Art, Andy, Gregg, Ray, and Lew) in the trout fun on Saturday were Paul Crafts, David Holmes, Larry Sederberg, Terry Croxton, and Roger Grizzle.

It seemed the key to catching these trout was lots of persistence and even more luck. As the day wore on and the trout hunkered down it got very difficult. One key was using a fly that you could see in the water, so you could follow its drift precisely and know if and when it was near the trout‘s mouth. Most of the time the trout wouldn‘t move for it, but sometimes after multiple drifts and trying different flies the trout would finally change its mind and bite. And when they

did bite, the take was very subtle and hard to detect. Landing these

big trout in a small creek was another challenge; Andy hooked one that ran upstream and broke off the 2x tippet without even slowing down!

Paul Crafts stalks a big trout and is

rewarded; Art helps net the fish.

A nice 24 incher

Larry stalks a pool in the Upper Naci

Del Venturi bluegill

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Sunday morning, it was time to shift gears and go after Fort Hunter Liggett bass. The excellent ponds on the south end of the base were open for the first time in weeks. The campers broke

camp and headed down to the Hunter Liggett Fishing Check-In, where they were joined by Rich Chubon, Jim Crescenzi, and Bill Winston. We made quite a caravan as we headed out on dirt roads to El Piojo. Tom Nickelson was already there. At one time there were 9 SLFF anglers out on the water, which must be some sort of record for fly anglers at FHL! We enjoyed a beautiful sunny day and multiple bass were caught, along with some bluegill. Successful flies ranged from big black and purple wooley buggers to smaller olive nymphs. Later in the day some members moved on and fished at Woodrow and Hughes ponds, reporting success and multiple bass. All in all, it was a great outing! Hopefully, no one got poison oak while fishing the Upper Naci. Poison oak usually has a 10 day incubation period, so we‘ll see if anyone is scratching at the next SLFF meeting! The Games We Play by David Holmes

Before I fell in love with fly fishing, my sport was technical rock climbing: Yosemite Valley’s sheer cliffs and spires, ropes and all that.

After I’d been doing it for a while, I realized that climbing was simply a game.

After all, if you just want to get to the top of El Capitan, the easiest way to do it is simply to hike up the backside. And on Half Dome, the Park Service even provides cables for you to hold onto. (What’s next: a Starbucks at the summit?)

Accomplishing the same thing with technical rock climbing skills on the front side involves, in essence, a choice: doing it the more difficult way. (continued…)

Bill Winston lands a nice El Piojo bass as Jim Crescenzi and Tom Nickelson cheer him on

Rich Chubon with a nice Hughes bass

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And why would we want to do it the hard way? Because it’s more challenging, gives you an adrenaline rush, feels like more of an accomplishment, builds character (doubtful - I knew excellent climbers who were characters and not in the good sense) impresses the tourist girls, whatever.

Fly fishing is a bit like that (the more challenging part; not the part about the girls – well, at least not usually.) It’s a game that we choose to play, according to self-imposed rules and limitations, depending on the level of challenge we select, and understanding that our choices may make success more difficult.

Think about it: In lots of situations, other forms of fishing are not only easier but have a higher success ratio.

If you’re fishing for bass in the depths of lakes or ponds, you can probably do as well or better by using spinning gear, or bait fishing, than using a fly rod carrying a sinking line. I’ve been out with some of my best friends on bass ponds or lakes, while they dredge the bottom with sinking line and a streamer, and I wonder why they didn’t just borrow one of my spinning rods, bought at one-fourth the price.

That may even be true of most methods of fly fishing in salt waters, depending on the target species. (Do we really need fly gear to fish effectively for surf perch? I suspect not.) And a spinning rod is a LOT easier to cast, and can cast further, than a fly rod, as well as being simpler to learn with.

So, aside from the other benefits of fly fishing (fly casting looks cool and is probably the most versatile method of fishing, flies can imitate insect species better than almost any other method of fishing), we’re playing a game; making it tough on ourselves when we could often fish as well (or better) with other equipment and techniques, and because making it tougher feels good, at least when we do it right.

In fact, the game can be played on a number of levels. For example, many fly fishermen go through these stages of development as they progress:

• Catching fish. • Catching lots of fish. • Catching big fish. • Catching different species of fish. • Catching difficult fish. And we can play the game other ways. For example, we can fish light gear, or

use only dry flies, or nymph without an indicator. Or decide to learn new techniques, such as Tenkara fishing.

And, at least for me, that’s part of the charm of the sport; lots of ways to play the game and lots to learn.

One day, we can go out and just have a hoot pulling in 30 bluegill in an afternoon, and the next day spend the better part of an hour stalking a trout in a particularly difficult lie, knowing that your first cast may be the only chance you’ll get.

So, let’s go play, as another new season starts. And realize that, on one level, it’s just a game and, on another, that games can

be one of the sweetest parts of life. © 2012 David E. Holmes

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BONUS PHOTOS of the Fort Hunter Liggett Outing, El Piojo pond, courtesy of Roger‘s wife Dagmar Collins.

Thank you Dagmar for the wonderful photos!

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2012 Officers, Directors, & Committees Officers Directors President Lew Leichter Bernard Pieters, Craig Kincaid, Vice President Art Chapman Jim Creszenzi, Ted Pope, Secretary Sheri Bryant Ron Bryant, Mark Shelton, Treasurer Nick Boche Andy Harrison

Committees Conservation Ron Bryant, Doug Daniels Education David Holmes

Membership Mark Shelton Rod Building Mike Powers, Rich Chubon Newsletter Andy Harrison, Ted Pope Casting Bernard Pieters, Eric Sherar Website Craig Kincaid Fly Tying Jim Crescenzi, Rich Chubon Programs Rich Chubon, Mark Shelton Banquet & BBQ Sheri & Ron Bryant Outings, Salt Water Andy Malavos, Mike Hildenbrand Raffle David Holmes, Lew Leichter Outings, Fresh Water Alex Beattie, Rich Chubon Library Rich Pavlich SWCFFF Coordinator Lew Leichter

P.O. Box 166 San Luis Obispo, CA 93406.