January Backcast

www.wyflycasters.org

Vol 41 No 1

The Monthly Newsletter of the Wyoming Fly Casters

January 2014

Happy New Year!

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January 2014

What’s inside Kelly Kukes, President Lee Tschetter, Vice President Cheryl Alexander, Secretary Matt Stanton, Treasurer BOARD OF DIRECTORS Terms expire in 2014: Spencer Amend, Bob Fischer, Jim Johnson, Chris McAtee Terms expire in 2015: George Axlund, Brian Bayer, Derrick Dietz, Joe Meyer Terms expire in 2016: Cheryl Alexander Lee Wilson The Backcast is the monthly newsletter of the Wyoming Fly Casters, an affiliate club of the Wyoming Council of Trout Unlimited, the Nature Conservancy and the Federation of Fly Fishers.

Editorial content does not necessarily reflect the views of the officers, board or members of the Wyoming Fly Casters.

Annual dues are $20 for an individual, $30 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.org. 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 either in electronic format or through USPS snail mail. 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. In addition to receiving each issue of the newsletter earlier than your hard copy peers, 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.

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DOWNEY PARK

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CASTING FOR RECOVERY

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LYIN’ & TYIN’

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2013 HIGHLIGHTS

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FLYCASTER OF THE

MONTH 11 CLASSIFIEDS CALENDAR

Front Cover Image: Photo by Lee Wilson, 2013

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

President’s letter

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Dear Wyoming Flycasters!

Happy New Year! Do you have all your New Year resolutions made and started? I am still in the process but I have six days to pin them down. One resolution is to catch a fish a month. I hope I can fair the Wyoming weather and make it happen.

Speaking of the New Year, on New Years Day there will be green chili for the Polar Bear Fishing Day. John Dolan has already called and there will be chili brewing for those of us participating. This is a great way to start your fish of the month or just have fun with some Flycaster buddies. Please join us on our first outing of 2014!

We will have Lying and Tying again at the Oil and Gas Building at 8:00 am, the Saturday after the general meeting. Our speaker this month is Blake, from the Ugly Bug, talking about his trip to Mongolia. I am so excited to see the scenery and bizarre fish. It never seizes to amaze me the differences in animals and other species around the world. Please join us for this great presentation at 7:00 pm sharp, January 9, at Izaac Walton League.

Next month we will have a presentation from Colin Tierney from the Wyoming Game and Fish.

He will be describing a project that is close to our hearts in restoring a brook trout fishery.

We would love to have members present, as we are looking for feedback on a donation to the project. There is a write up in the upcoming pages to describe more.

We are looking for some volunteers to join our banquet committee board. It is a great time and great company. We would love any, and all help. Please give back to the club this year. We are looking for involvement to help sustain our club. Also, the Cabin Fever Clinic is coming up in March. We will need members to help get people interested in the sport; some instruction on casting and flying tying. This is held on a Saturday and we need as many people as we can to donate their experience and knowledge.

Tight Lines and Happy Fishing!

Kelly

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January 2014

Blue Downey Park Reservoir: A Jewel atop the Laramie Range.

Blue Downey Park Reservoir (hereafter DPR) is a one-acre impoundment on North Fork LaBonte Creek. At 7,500 ft, DPR is hidden within the Laramie Range, approximately 27 miles SW of Douglas, WY. It is one of only three public fishing ponds in the Lower Laramie Peak management basin. A mixture of sagebrush-foothill shrublands/‌prairie grasslands dominate the uplands surrounding the reservoir, while the edges are dominated by bank stabilizing wetland species.

DPR is one of three reservoirs constructed in 1954 by a local sport-fishing group from Douglas. The reservoirs have various names, but, in recent years, they area known as the Red, White and Blue Downey Park Reservoirs.

Historically, all three held populations of rainbow and brook trout. Today, the rainbows are gone and the White reservoir breached years ago. The remaining reservoirs however, are deep enough to over winter very healthy brook trout populations: populations that have survived for decades despite regular angler use and the absence of stocking. Many Douglas anglers frequent these ponds and the surrounding creeks with their families. These waters are ideal places to teach young anglers to wet a line, and some locals remember learning to fish on these very ponds. Upstream, the small creek sustains a wetland meadow bordering the small perennial water source.

The Wyoming Game and Fish Department have concerns about the structural integrity of DPR and approached the Wyoming Flycasters board in December requesting financial support. Nathan Cook (WGFD fisheries biologist) and I will be presenting the Department’s proposed project at the February meeting. Together, I hope we can answer any questions you may have about impacts this project may have on the resource, or any other questions you may have for that matter. Look for further information on the proposed project in next month’s Backcast preceding the meeting. I look forward to seeing you all in February and encourage you to explore this resource if you get the chance.

Location: East of Old Fort Fetterman Rd. (Co Rd 16) in Converse Colin Tierney

Co., ~1 mile N of Albany Co-line (Sec 35, T 29N, R 74W or UTM Aquatic Habitat Project Biologist Wyoming Game & Fish Dept., Casper Zone 13, 443405E, 4699380N).

Office:307.233.6414 Cell:541.740.7141 Fax:307.473.3433 Colin.Tierney@wyo.gov

Wyoming Fly Casters

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The mission of Casting for Recovery® (CFR) Wyoming is to provide fly-fishing retreats tailored for women who are residents of Wyoming and have or have had breast cancer. Our 2 ½ day retreats are provided at no-charge to the participants. We enhance the lives of Wyoming survivors by providing a program designed to promote and support mental and physical healing. The program was initiated in Wyoming in 2011. The retreats are held at the Absaroka Ranch near Dubois, Wyoming. In the three years since its inception, the program has had participants from 15 counties in Wyoming. The women have ranged in age from 32 to 72 and have been in all stages of treatment and survival from currently in radiation and chemo to “cancer free” for 10+ years. As demand is high, a lottery selection process is used to choose participants from a group of applications for the program.

Casting for Recovery was founded in 1996 by a professional fly fisher and a breast reconstructive surgeon. Physically, the motion of fly-casting is similar to the exercises that surgeons prescribe after surgery or radiation, thus promoting soft tissue stretching.

The Wyoming Department of Health states that 335+ Wyoming women are diagnosed annually with breast cancer.

Recovery can be emotionally and physically devastating, as women endure surgery, chemotherapy and radiation.

Survivors face physical, psychological, spiritual and financial issues at diagnosis, during treatment, and for the rest of their lives. Statistics show support and education hasten the healing process and help women return to valuable activities more quickly benefitting the survivor, her family, her employer and the community. CFR is an innovative and highly-regarded educational program dedicated to improving survivors’ quality of life. Most public initiatives focus on detection and prevention; efforts to address survivorship are relatively new. CFR focuses on minimizing preventable pain and psychosocial distress.

During retreats, psychosocial facilitators conduct sessions on emotional impacts of breast cancer. Medical facilitators provide updated medical and community resource information and lead discussions about lymphedema, a common physical condition for survivors. Fly-fishing instructors teach participants casting, knot tying and entomology. In addition to beneficial effects of outdoor recreation, fly casting offers excellent physical therapy for recovery from surgery. The schedule is full, yet there is time for making connections and personal reflection. The final day includes a non-denominational spiritual gathering, “catch and release” fly fishing with a personal guide and a ceremony during which participants are joined by major sponsors to celebrate success.

Wyoming PBS highlighted our 2011 Retreat in a Wyoming Portraits special.

For more information, please contact Mary Turney, Wyoming Program Coordinator and member of the National Board of Trustees at cfrwyoming@hotmail.com or 732 740 1569.

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January 2014

Lyin’ & Tyin’

If you want to learn how to tie flies, or just need an excuse to spend a few hours tying, come down to the Oil and Gas Commission on the Saturday after the general meeting every month (see Calendar). There will be novice tyers and experts in the same room, including Blake Jackson. You can learn new patterns, work on your go-to flies, and chat with club members.

Participation is free, and there will be some suppliers for new tyers. If you have a vice and materials, bring them along. Blake usually does some demonstrations featuring flies that work great in Wyoming waters.

8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. at the Oil and Gas Commission.

Saturday, January 11, 2014 at 8:00 a.m.

Oil and Gas Conservation Office 2211 King Boulevard, Casper

Wyoming Fly Casters

2013 highlights

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January 2014

Flycaster of the Month Name: G. Scott Novotny Where are you originally from?

Western suburbs of Chicago What is your occupation?

Recently retired after 37 years with the Natrona County School District Why did you join the Wyoming Flycasters?

Learn how to become a better fly fisherman and participated in conservation projects to increase habitat What is your favorite fishing experience?

Floating the Platte with my sons Mick and Connor and fishing the high country lakes with them What is your favorite rod to use?

Redington What advice could you give new members to the club?

Become active in the board and as many other WFC activities that you can or positions where you can serve the membership Are there any outings/events with the club you are looking forward to?

Gear swap in the fall and spring. Teaching young and old newbies to enjoy our waters and valuable outdoor resources. Have a club cast off, knot tying, fish catching competition If you could fly fish anywhere in the world, where would you go?

Patagonia with my two sons Connor and Mick Besides fly fishing, what are some of your other hobbies?

Hiking, backpacking, racquetball, cooking on my “Big Green Egg� to name just a few

Wyoming Fly Casters

Letter from the Editor

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Happy New Year Flycasters!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas, and a very happy New Year. I have have been busy with work and home life, as I’m sure most are this time of year, so this issue of the BackCast wasn’t everything I had hoped it to be. I do intend to do more with the newsletter, including fly tying tutorials and more recipes. I have made a few resolutions for the new year, including to catch a fish a month. I almost made it in 2013, just missed October. Lee and I are also getting married this year!

Just a few things, most of which Kelly covered in her President’s letter. We are looking for people who are interested in helping us put together the Spring Banquet. Even if you are not able to attend the banquet committee meetings, any help will be greatly appreciated. Also, please send me your fishing pictures- otherwise you are going to get really sick of seeing me, and the Lee’s!

Later this year, we will have Mary Turney with Casting for Recovery come talk to us about her amazing program (see page 5). I will go over this more in the January general meeting.

I also encourage all of you to be more involved in the club in 2014. The Wyoming Flycasters is depending on the involvement of our members to make this a great year. The Cabin fever clinic will be in March- it would be great if we could have volunteers for teaching casting and doing fly-tying demonstrations.

Here’s to a great new year!

Cheryl

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January 2014

Secretary’s Report December 18, 2013 Call to order: 7:00 p.m.

Members in attendance: Kelly, Lee T, Lee W., Cheryl, Spencer, Jim, Derrick, George, Matt The previous meeting minutes were approved. Jim made the motion to approve, Derrick seconded.

The Treasurer’s report was reviewed. The board discussed renewing our membership with FFF- to fully renew, they would need a complete list of the members of the Flycasters, including all contact information. We decided not to renew, and to not give them all of the club members’ information.

We will renew if they do not need all of the information. Flycasters membership fees are due in January- everyone can renew at the general meeting in January or contact Matt Stanton. Cheryl motioned to approve the Treasurer’s report, Lee W. seconded.

Colin Tierney made a presentation to the board from the Game and Fish office. You can read a description of the presentation on Downey Park in this issue of the BackCast. Spencer made a motion to dedicate time/funds to this project (amount of involvement will be discussed at a later time).

We discussed possible involvement in Casting for Recovery, which is a program to help women who are fighting breast cancer through fly fishing. You can read more about this program in this issue of the BackCast as well. Mary Turney will be making a presentation to the club later this year, most likely in June.

We discussed the Cabin Fever Clinic (March 15th) and the Spring Banquet in April- we are looking for volunteers for both of these events.

The highway access was also discussed. The Game and Fish Department is willing to back the project. George will talk to the highway department.

The Natrona County Public Library has a new section in the Reference department covering the History of the North Platte River. There are books and other reference materials, including interviews with notable fly fishermen in the area. Look for more on this in the February issue of the BackCast.

Meeting adjourned at 8:17 p.m.

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Calendar

January 2014

POLAR BEAR OUTING

GENERAL MEETING 7:00 P.M.

LYIN’ AND TYIN’ 8:00 A.M.

BOARD MEETING 7:00 P.M.

A look ahead: February’s Lyin’ and Tyin’ will be on February 11th, at 8:00 a.m.

Cabin Fever Clinic will be held on March 15th

Wyoming Fly Casters P.O. Box 2881 Casper, WY 82602

January 2014