• Backcast
www.wyflycasters.com
Vol 45 No 3
The Monthly Newsletter of the Wyoming Fly Casters
April 2017
2
April 2017
What’s inside Blake Jackson, President Janet Sowell, Vice President
3
2017 board of directors
5
Eric McCormick, Secretary Dave Tuttle, Treasurer
6
Cabin fever
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
7
an update from Al
Terms expire in 2018: Lee Wilson Cheryl Wilson Derrick Dietz Kathy Knapp Wilbur Yankee Jim Johnson Bruce Chandler Bruce Lessig
8-10 secretary’s report
11
letter from the editor
12
classified ads
• Backcast
griffith’s gnat
CALENDAR
Terms expire in 2019: George Sichterman Joe Primrose Hank Whitaker
The Backcast is the monthly newsletter of the Wyoming Fly Casters Editorial content does not necessarily reflect the views of the officers, board or members of the Wyoming Fly Casters.
Annual dues are $30 for an individual, $50 for a family, or $250 for a lifetime individual membership or $450 for a life- time family membership. Visit the club website at www. wyflycasters.com. To pay dues or contact the club, write to P.O. Box 2881, Casper, WY 82602.
The deadline for submission of information for each issue is a week before the end of the month. Make contributions to the next issue by e-mailing material to the Backcast editor at cheryl_ea06@ hotmail.com or call (307) 267-1903. The Backcast is available via e-mail or through the Facebook page or website. To receive each newsletter through a monthly e-mail, you must be able to open .pdf (Adobe Acrobat, a software program available free of charge) documents. Usually, each issue is roughly 1 MB in size, some are larger. Your e-mail provider may have limits on the size of attachments.
In order to be added to the e-mail list, send a request to cheryl_ea06@hotmail.com. E-mail subscribers are able to print each copy in vibrant color -- an added plus if the issue is rich in color photographs. By sub-scribing electronically, you also save the club roughly $17.40 a year in printing and postage expenses, per person
NEW MEMBERS!
If you haven’t already, call Blake Jackson at 307-315-0204. He’ll give you pointers and advice to make sure you catch The big one!
Mission Statement:
The mission of the Wyoming Fly Casters is to promote and enhance the sport of fly fishing and the conservation of fish and their habitat.
Description:
The Wyoming Fly Casters club was formed in 1974. The membership currently consists of approximately 160 members. The WFC was organized by a group of dedicated fly fishermen and since the club’s inception the Wyoming Fly Casters have strived to further the sport of fly fishing through conservation and education. Conservation of our water resources is one of our primary goals and in cooperation with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department we have and will continue to carry out worthwhile projects for the benefit of Wyoming fisheries. In addition to conserving Wyoming’s water resources we encourage conserving the fish themselves. A fish safely released today will live to give sport to others. For easy access to digital version of newsletter go to: www.wyomingflycasters.org
Wyoming Fly Casters
2017 WFC Board Blake Jackson, President Janet Sowell, Vice President Eric McCormick, Secretary Dave Tuttle, Treasurer BOARD OF DIRECTORS Terms expire in 2018: Lee Wilson Cheryl Wilson Derrick Dietz Kathy Knapp Wilbur Yankee Jim Johnson Bruce Chandler Bruce Lessig Terms expire in 2019: George Sichterman Joe Primrose Hank Whitaker
3
4
April 2017
Lyin’ and Tyin’
Lyin’ and Tyin’ might be done for the season, but if you need some pointers, there will be fly tying sessions throughout the year! Watch for announcements to come soon!
Wyoming Fly Casters
5
Courtesy of Charlie’s Flybox www.charliesflyboxinc.com
Griffith’s Gnat
Pattern Description: The Griffith's Gnat was designed by the famous sheriff from Mayberry, Andy Griffith, to catch those darned redears that he and Opie were so fond of chasing. It can imitate both a cluster of mating midges as well as a single adult midge when tied in the right sizes. I prefer to tie mine with somewhat undersized hackle, to let the fly sit lower in the surface film. I often trim the hackle on the bottom of the fly flush to the body to further this low posture. This is truly a great fly for our western midge hatches and is a very simple pattern to tie.
Materials Needed: All materials used here available for mail order. Please use the contact form for pricing and details. Hook: TMC 101 #16-26 Thread 8/0 or 10/0 black Hackle: Grizzly Body: Peacock herl
Start the tying thread right behind Select, size and prepare a grizzly the eye and build a smooth thread hackle feather. I like to shoot for about base to the bend of the hook. one to one and a half gaps on the hackle length.
Tie the hackle feather in at the bend of the hook with the outside of the feather facing up. Wrap forward over the bare stem and clip the excess.
Select six or eight fine peacock herls. Clip the tips of the herls so they are even and tie them in by their tips at the rear edge of the hook eye.
Wrap the peacock forward in slightly overlapping turns to the back of the hook eye and tie them off with a couple tight turns of thread. Clip the excess peacock flush against the hook shank.
Wrap back over the peacock with the tying thread to the bend of the hook. Return the thread to the hook eye. Wrap the hackle forward from the bend to the eye in tight spiraling turns. I usually go heavy on the hackle figuring I can pare it down later if needed. Tie the hackle off at the hook eye and trim the excess. Finished fly, side view. Yes, I know it wasn't really Andy Griffith...;-)
6
April 2017
Cabin Fever 2017
Thank you to all of the great volunteers who attended the event this year. We had several new member sign-ups and pretty steady traffic!
volunteers Cheryl Wilson Lee Wilson Donnie Whitaker Casey Leary Bruce Chandler Mike Bradford John Yost Addie Dees
Derrick Dietz Jim Johnson Hank Whitaker Erik McCormick Blake Jackson Spencer Amend Jim Belcher
Congratulations to the winner of our raffle - Gena Jensen!
Wyoming Fly Casters
An Update From Al Condor... [From a letter from Al Condor to Lee Tschetter] I’m happy to report Dona and I greatly enjoyed our meal at Fire Rock, we both appreciated the gift card and the plaque will be displayed proudly. We have been filling our time sprucing up our house; hope to get it on the market soon. Our plan is to relocate to the Grand Junction area where some of Dona’s family is located and the wind speed is a small fraction of the daily high temperature. I hope to have a space for a few woodworking tools, eat peaches and maybe even make a little sawdust. I look forward to hearing about the evolving management of the area fisheries. I believe the Casper region is in very capable hands and expect a continued excellent working relationship between the Fly Casters and Game and Fish. Thanks again, Al
7
8
April 2017
WFC GENERAL MEETING OF MARCH 8, 2017 CALL TO ORDER: President Tschetter called the meeting to order at 1912. He led the Club in the Pledge of Allegiance. REPORTS: 1) Derrick reported on Project Healing Waters. The rod building class will conclude this Saturday at the Oil and Gas Building from 9-11 AM. PHW has awarded a scholarship for guiding school to chapter member Cody. This will take place this month. Derrick reminds everyone of the WFC/PHW outing to Walker Jenkins Lake on May 21st. We will meet at 0800 at the Robertson Road Bridge parking area and depart by 0830. Derrick announces that a PHW training session will take place in Casper in May. The chief operating officer of the organization will be coming from Maryland. In addition, the Casper chapter will be hosting a PHW regional representative fishing trip this year. 2) President Tschetter requested any "Fish-A-Month" forms for 2016 be turned in. He reports that 6-8 members are trying to participate for 2017. 3) President Tschetter reported that Club dues will be increasing as of tomorrow. The individual dues are now $30 and a family membership is now $50. 4) The Board has decided to hold the annual awards banquet as a catered crawfish boil on June 24th, probably here at the IWL cabin. 5) The Fly Fishing Film Tour will be in Casper at Studio City Theatres Eastside on March 22nd. Tickets are available only online at wyomovies.com. 6) Blake will be participating in an Orvis program that is aimed at teaching beginner fly fishermen and women. He will also have the "Casting in the Park" sessions weekly this summer. ELECTIONS: After a secret ballot, the new officers are: PRESIDENT: Blake Jackson, VICE-PRESIDENT: Janet Sowell, TREASURER: Dave Tuttle, SECRETARY: Eric McCormick. BOARD OF DIRECTOR, 2 YEAR TERM EXPIRING 2019: George Sichterman, Joe Primrose and Hank Whitaker. BOARD OF DIRECTOR, 1 YEAR TERM EXPIRING 2018: Cheryl Wilson, Lee Wilson, Derrick Dietz and Kathy Knapp. BOARD OF DIRECTOR, 3 YEAR TERM EXPIRING 2018: *No vote for these existing positions needed this election. Those currently serving are: Wilbur Yankey, Jim Johnson, Bruce Chandler, Bruce Lessig and Blake Jackson. PRESENTATION: Newly elected officers. Blake and Janet spoke briefly about their vision for the Club. They mentioned that the fundraising and grant application/awarding processes instituted in the past year have re-vitalized the WFC. Ideas for the future are: a possible carp tournament, name tags for people to wear at social occasions, restarting a youth segment of the club including possibly pairing up with the Casper Trout Unlimited chapter and rearranging the table/chair format at our meetings as just several early ideas. They asked for ideas from the membership. Ideas offered are: business cards for members to hand out to interested folk, a microphone to use at meetings, routine newspaper announcements of our monthly
Wyoming Fly Casters
9
meetings, expand our "meet and greet" processes for new members, bring refreshments to meetings, hold meetings at different places (restaurants or hatchery or outdoors), and more aggressively recruit new members by having current members bring at least one new person to a meeting or incentivizing members to bring in new folks. ADJOURNMENT: The meeting was adjourned at 2007. Respectfully Submitted, John Yost, Secretary WFC BOARD MEETING MINUTES OF MARCH 8, 2017 *All votes on motions are unanimous unless otherwise noted. MEMBERS IN ATTENDANCE: Lee T., Janet, Spencer, Joe, George, Derrick, John, Jim, Cheryl, Blake, Bruce C., Bruce L., Bob, Wilbur, Eric McCormick, Dave Tuttle and George Sichterman. Excused absence: Lee W. CALL TO ORDER: President Tschetter called the meeting to order at 1802. SECRETARY'S REPORT: John reported the minutes of the February 8th meeting were emailed out to all board members. No corrections or comments were made. Janet made a motion to approve and seconded by Bruce L. The motion carried. TREASURER'S REPORT: Janet handed out the Club's balance sheet and banking summary. The account balanced. Bruce C. made a motion to approve the report and was seconded by Spencer with the provision that he would like to know the balance before voting on the motion. Janet researched it and provided that figure. The motion then passed. COMMITTEE REPORTS: Wilbur encouraged all members to let a representative of the Speas/WFC Memorial committee know if a WFC member should pass away. NEW BUSINESS: 1) Janet has received the notice that it's time to renew our signpost along the Platte River Trail. Spencer made a motion: The WFC will renew our sponsorship of a mile marker on the Platte River Trail for $600. this was seconded by John. The motion carried with Janet voting "nay". 2) Lee T. wanted a discussion for our Awards Banquet. He indicated the email comments mostly desired a small function at the IWL cabin instead of a large, formal function at the Ramkota. Cheryl volunteered to organize such an event. It was decided to sell tickets for a catered meal. Blake thought he could obtain a speaker at a cost of around $200. George made a motion: WFC should have the Awards Banquet on June 10th at the IWL cabin. Cheryl seconded the motion and it carried. More discussion followed about activities. Derrick made a motion: The WFC will have a bucket raffle fundraiser. George seconded the motion and it carried. Blake also suggested we should add a 50:50 raffle and a card raffle to increase the amount raised. Bruce C. wanted to know what awards are given. The Fly Caster of the Year is the only one scheduled and a committee is in charge of choosing that individual.
10
April 2017
3) Derrick reported that the club rods/reels that were available at the Cabin Fever Clinic were in disrepair. Do we have others? There was uncertainty so an Inventory Committee was formed with Lee T. as head and George, Dave and Derrick as members. 4) There was a discussion of postal box keys. The Club has 2, currently held by Lee T. and Janet. 5) Blake reports the WFC website will go live soon. Board members should submit pictures and a brief bio. There will be a message board for anyone to make announcements. Email any material to be displayed to Blake. 6) Joe led a discussion about the Club Membership Committee, of which Joe is currently the primary member. Need someone else to step forward and take over his duties. Janet reports that she, Blake and Dave have ideas for this. Janet also believes all board members need to be more involved ADJOURNMENT: Jim made a motion to adjourn. Bruce C. seconded and the motion carried at 1858. Respectfully Submitted, John Yost, Secretary
Wyoming Fly Casters
Letter from the Editor
Flycasters, Another month has passed and we have been teased with a few intermittent days of nice warm weather. I hope you all have been taking advantage of those sporadic warm days! As I type this, snow is coming down hard and the wind is blowing. That’s spring in Wyoming for you, I suppose! There are a few things of importance this month. As you all might have noticed, there is no Spring Banquet this year. Compounding circumstances led us to cancel the event this year- unresponsive venue and lack of a committee were among the leading reasons.
Throwback to 2014!
In place of the Spring Banquet, we have decided to host a casual awards dinner instead. This event will take place on Friday, June 30th. We will still have bucket raffles, door prizes, dinner and fun so mark your calendars now! Thankful Thursdays is coming up just one month from today! If you have suggestions or items to donate, PLEASE contact Janet at 307-262-5882. Some of you know that Janet has been down for a while after surgery, so she could really use all of the support she can get to plan the event. This will be a big money making and publicity event for the club, so please plan to stop by The Beacon during the even to show your support! We will have more details coming with the next newsletter. The next big club event will be the free kids fishing day in June. We will be meeting with the City representatives and the Trout Unlimited group next week to discuss and finalize plans for the day! Please plan to help out with this event- there is a lot to do! Assembling fishing poles, directing families, greeting/check-in, cleaning fish and general ‘help’! As the weather continues to get nicer, remember that we will be planning more club events and outings, so check your e-mail often! That’s all for now! Send me those fishing pictures! Cheryl Wilson
11
Ads
CLASSIFIED
Wyoming Fly Casters
Patagonia SST Jacket Size: Small Color Green Great Shape Photos Upon Request
For Sale: Twenty five(25) + years collection of fly fishing related books. Most in excellent + condition. Some are collectibles, signed, or inscribed. Prices are realistic and below prices of on-line book sellers. If you have an author or book you're looking for--call or email with your request or list. Thanks--Art Van Rensselaer 307-262-7655 or avanr@bresnan.net
INDOOR DRIFT BOAT STORAGE on the river $50/month or $500/year.
$75 Email Scott for more information: gscottn@gmail.com
JAMIE LANG Sculptor
FREE See your ad here! Just send in your ad information and any picture you have to accompany it and we’ll run it for you!
ZACH EVEN Artist & Outdoorsman Lander, WY
Outdoor storage $40/month. Call Clarke 307-262-3306
PHONE 307.332.0210 EMAIL: info@zachevenart.com
info@jamielangartist. com Armadillo Storage. Cheap, safe and affordable storage located right behind the NCSD#1 central offices. Call Bill at 307-472-1073 Indoor and outdoor storage available. Local ownership.
12
Calendar
Sunday
April 2017
APRIL 2017
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
1
2
3
4
9
10
11
Passover
5
6
7
12
13
14
20
21
22
27
28
29
April Fool's Day
8
Good Friday
15
Board Meeting 6:00 p.m. General Meeting
7:00 p.m.
16
23
30
Easter
17
24
Taxes Due
18
19
25
26
Admin Assist Day
March 2017 S
M
5 12 19 26
6 13 20 27
T W 1 7 8 14 15 21 22 28 29
Th 2 9 16 23 30
F 3 10 17 24 31
May 2017 Sa 4 11 18 25
S 7 14 21 28
M 1 8 15 22 29
T 2 9 16 23 30
W 3 10 17 24 31
Th 4 11 18 25
F 5 12 19 26
Sa 6 13 20 27
Earth Day
Coming Soon! Awards Dinner - Friday, June 30th (see details in Letter from the Editor!)
April 2017
Wyoming Fly Casters P.O. Box 2881 Casper, WY 82602