Flyfisher Spring-Summer 2015 by Fly Fishers International

Spring - Summer 2015 • $4.95

FLYFISHER M AGA Z I N E O F T H E I N T E R N AT I O N A L F E D E R AT I O N O F F LY F I S H E R S

fedflyfishers.org

C o n s e r v i n g , R e s to r i n g , E d u c a t i n g T h r o u g h F l y Fi s h i n g®

ut of a o , d le b m e s s lave a that fly We, in conc n o i t c i v n o c iding es to iv g firm and ab g n li g n a way of f outdoor fishing as a o m r o f t s e the fin ding. n a t s r its followers e d n u l d natura n a n io t a e r c re

YEARS

IFFF 50th Anniversary Rod and Reel Special

50th Anniversary Rods!

Limited edition salt water rod, trout rod and bamboo

SWEETGRASS RODS, THOMAS & THOMAS, ABEL REELS AND IFFF ARE TEAMING UP to celebrate the organization’s 50th anniversary with a Special Rod/Reel extravaganza! The rods are top-of-the-line pieces of beauty any fly fisher would be proud to own. The Sweetgrass Rod is a five-sided bamboo; the trout and saltwater rods are the best Thomas & Thomas has to offer; and _ the Abel Reels are their Super 4N and Super 7/8N models. All bamboo rods or rod/reel combinations are limited in availability and will be allotted on a first-come, first-served basis. Net proceeds will help fund the IFFF Conservation and Education programs.

Reels!

Sweetgrass Rods

www.fedflyfishers.org/store.aspx

Conserving, Restoring, Educating, through fly fishing®

The International Federation of Fly Fishers Name:_______________________________________________ Mailing Address:_ ______________________________________ ____________________________________________________ Phone: ________________ E-mail:_ _______________________ m Individuals - $35 m Senior - $25 m Youth - $15 m Family: $45 m Life: $500 m Canadians add $5 for postage m International add $10 for postage Enclose check or provide credit card information: Credit Card #__________________________Exp Date______ Authorized Signature__________________________________ Return to: International Federation of Fly Fishers _ 5237 US Highway 89 South, Suite 11, Livingston, MT 59047 ®

Join by sending in the form above or online at www.fedflyfishers.org 406-222-9369

FISHING PHOTO COURTESY DANANTHON.COM, OTHERS COURTESY PAT OGLESBY

Anywhere fly fishers have an interest, the IFFF can and does play a role. Join others who are dedicated to the betterment of the sport of fly fishing – Join the IFFF.

FEATURES Always Looking to the Future

Conservation as an IFFF guiding principle. By Rick Williams How the IFFF promoted fish conservation via the WhitlockVibert Box. By Bob Cunningham

Born to Fish

A biography of founding member Lee Wulff. By Jim Casada

Fly Fishing Basics for Surf

How to be successful in saltwater surf. By Nick Curcione

The Free Fly

The search for the dragless drift. By Brandt Zimmerman

Streamers for Big Fish

Use streamers where baitfish are found. By Joseph D. Bates Jr.

DEPARTMENTS 6

IFFF Directors and Officers Just Fishing

Looking back at 50 years of the Federation. PLUS: A timeline

Home Waters

19 54

Fly fishing news and notes

Biology on the Fly Tricos, the white curse

Fly Box

Buszek Award recipient patterns

At the Vise

Make your own jungle cock substitute

Woman’s Outlook

A new fly fisher gets hooked

Casting

A historical review of the Casting Instructor Certification Program

Fly Fishing Heritage

History of catch and release

Fly Fishing Humor

How to choose good trout water

Annual Donor Report

Cover photo: Lee Wulff was a founding member of the Federation of Fly Fishers back in 1965. He wrote the preamble, a portion of which is featured on the cover. The IFFF bylaws still read the same today, 50 years later. This page: This illustration is by artist Loren Smith, who did a lot of illustrations for the Flyfisher from the mid-1970s to the mid‘80s. By then photography took the place of many of the line drawings used in the earlier magazines. This illustration was first printed in the Flyfisher, Volume X, No. 3, 1977, to illustrate a story by Ernest Schwiebert titled “The Fly Book.”

Magazine of the International Federation of Fly Fishers • Spring - Summer 2015 Volume 48, No. 1

Fish Factory

Conserving, Restoring, Educating Through Fly Fishing®

IFFF Directors and Officers Board of Directors & Executive Committee International Federation of Conserving, Restoring, Educating Through Fly Fishing

IF F F H e a d q u a r t e r s

International Federation of Fly Fishers 5237 U.S. Highway 89 South, Ste.11 Livingston, MT 59047-9176 (406) 222-9369 • fax (406) 222-5823 www.fedflyfishers.org President/CEO: Philip Greenlee • philipgreenlee@att.net Operations Manager/Conservation: Rhonda Sellers • rhonda@fedflyfishers.org Education Coordinator (Fair/Clubs & Councils): Jessica Atherton • fair@fedflyfishers.org Administrative Assistant (Donations/Social Media/Guides Assn/Retailers): Judy Snyder • judy@fedflyfishers.org Membership Coordinator (Fly Tying Group): Gay Penney • membership@fedflyfishers.org Casting Coordinator: Nikki Loy • casting@fedflyfishers.org Receptionist/Merchandise: Melani Hajny • receptionist@fedflyfishers.org Bookkeeper: Sharon Cebulla • bookkeeper@fedflyfishers.org

Exec Comm • President/CEO Philip Greenlee 530-356-9430 • philipgreenlee@att.net 1911 Bechelli Ln., Redding, CA 96002

Exec. Comm • Flyfisher Editor in Chief Bill Toone • 406-556-7241 btoone@3riversdbs.net 198 Game Trail Rd., Bozeman, MT 59715

Exec Comm • Board Co-Chair • Membership Co-Chair • Len Zickler 509-720-3228 • lenz@projecttributa.com 328 West Jay Ave., Spokane, WA 99218

Exec. Comm. • Senior Conservation Adviser • Rick Williams 208-861-1325 • troutdna@cableone.net 524 West Two Rivers Dr., Eagle, ID 83616

Exec Comm • Board Co-Chair Marvin Cash • 704-759-6788 secfff@marvincash.me 7155 Chameroy Court, Charlotte, NC 28270

David Diaz • 205-444-0921 ddiaz444@bellsouth.net 2504 Chuchura Drive Birmingham, AL 35244

Exec Comm • Board Co-Chair Jeff Wagner • 970-481-5887 wagnerflyfish@gmail.com 2446 Coronado Ct, Sidney, NE 69162

Scott Erickson • 403-752-4801 rserickson@hotmail.com PO Box 1145 Raymond, AB T0K 2S0 Canada

Exec. Comm • First Vice President Frank Johnson • 307-672-5164 bighornjohnsons@gmail.com 11 Spring Creek Lane, Sheridan, WY, 82801

Don Gibbs • 303-526-9256 ddgibbs@ecentral.com 108 Chokecherry Rd. Golden, CO 80401

Exec. Comm • Secretary • Herb Kettler 434-977-6703 • herbkettler@att.net 809 Winston Ter. Charlottesville, VA 22903

Soon Lee • 909-731-8361 soons.lee@verizon.net 2380 Sunset Curve Upland, CA 71784

Exec. Comm • Treasurer • Finance Committee Chair • Ron Winn 321-723-3141 • ronwin@bellsouth.net 2103 Grant Place, Melbourne, FL 32901

David Lemke • 713-839-2572 dlemke@sbcglobal.net 4002 Aberdeen Way Houston, TX 77025

Exec. Comm. • Conservation Director Glenn Erikson • 917-817-9014 glenn.erikson.phd@gmail.com 5440 State Highway 30, Long Flat, NY, 13756

Kuni Masuda • 360-573-3310 kunim305@gmail.com 2115 NW 116th St. Vancouver, WA 98685

Exec. Comm. • Fly Fishing Fair Steering Committee Chair • Tilda Evans 970-683-8879 • lewtildaevans@gmail.com P.O. Box 344, Collbran, CO 81624

Rick Pope • 214-507-8967 rpope@airmail.net 8105 Sovereign Row Dallas, TX 75247

Exec. Comm. • Development Committee Chair • Bud Frasca • 208-762-2631 grizzking@aol.com • 2699 E Packsaddle Dr. Coeur d’Alene, ID 83815

Al Ritt • 303-678-9709 al@alrittflies.com 12492 Wasatch Rd. Longmont, CO 80504

Exec. Comm. • Legal Counsel (not a member of the BOD) •Jim Schramm 231-869-5487• jdschramm@oceana.net P.O. Box 828, Pentwater, MI 49449

Museum Committee Chair • Sherry Steele 541-549-2072 • steelefly@msn.com 69077 Chestnut Pl Sisters, OR 97759

Exec. Comm. • IFFF Foundation President • Mike Stewart 860-653-4203 • tellicofly@yahoo.com 215 Loomis St., North Granby, CT 06060

Michael Schweit 818-601-9702 • msangler@earthlink.net 7933 Jellico Ave. Northridge, CA 91325

Flyfisher Magazine of the International Federation of Fly Fishers

Editor-in-Chief: Bill Toone Flyfisher is published for the IFFF by: Keokee Co. Publishing, Inc. 405 Church Street, Sandpoint, ID 83864 (208) 263-3573 • fax (208) 263-4045 www.keokee.com•flyfishermag@keokee.com Publisher: Chris Bessler Editors: Al and Gretchen Beatty Art Director/Designer: Jackie Palmer Copy Editor: Billie Jean Gerke Editorial Assistant: Beth Hawkins Advertising Director: Clint Nicholson

Flyfisher is the official publication of the International Federation of Fly Fishers, published two times a year and distributed by mail and online free to members. Send membership inquiries, fees and change of address notices to the IFFF Headquarters in Livingston, Montana, at the address above. Flyfisher is produced for the IFFF by Keokee Co. Publishing, Inc. Address all editorial and advertising correspondence to the address above. Contents of Flyfisher copyright © 2015 by the International Federation of Fly Fishers. Written permission required to reprint articles. IFFF, IFFF & Reel Design, IFFF & Reel Design with organization’s name and phrase Conserving, Restoring, Educating Through Fly Fishing are trademarks of the International Federation of Fly Fishers. The next Flyfisher editorial deadline is August 20, 2015. PRINTED IN THE U SA Please remember to recycle this magazine and any other appropriate material.

THE INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF FLY FISHERS HAS MEMBERS IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTRIES:

Chesapeake: Ken Tidy 302-530-5115 • kptidy@comcast.net 19 School House Ln. North East, MD 21901

Oregon: Sherry Steele 541-420-5532 • steelefly@msn.com P.O. Box 1438 Sisters, OR 97759

Eastern Rocky Mountain: Bruce Brown 303-981-1245 • colo.bruce@gmail.com 3227 W. 11th Ave. Place Broomfield, CO 80020

South Eastern: Marvin S. Cash 704-759-6788 • secfff@marvincash.me 7155 Chameroy Ct. Charlotte, NC 28270

Eastern Waters: Patricia “Sam” Decker 845-283-9555 • samfishes@hvc.rr.com 530 Prospect Hill Rd. Cuddebackville, NY 12729

Southern: Larry Wegmann 314-623-3933 • lwegmann@sbcglobal.net 5619 S Roanoke Ave. Springfield, MO 65810-2725

Florida: Tom Gadacz 727-360-8030 • thomasgadacz@yahoo.com 5353 Gulf Blvd. A-201 St. Petersburg, FL 33706

Southwest: Michael Schweit 818-601-9702 • msangler@earthlink.net 7933 Jellico Ave. Northridge, CA 91325

Great Lakes: Jim Schramm 231-869-5487 • jdschramm@oceana.net P.O. Box 828 Pentwater, MI 49449

Texas: Russell Husted 972-567-4155 • russellhusted@sbcglobal.net 3416 Jerry Ln. Arlington, TX 76017

Gulf Coast: Kyle Moppert 225-343-0867 • bowfin47@gmail.com 2170 Terrace Ave. Baton Rouge, LA 70806

Upper Midwest Council: Todd Heggestad 218-310-9182 • theggestad57@gmail.com 209 Snively Rd. Duluth, MN. 55803

North Eastern: Burr Tupper 603-566-2923 • nhflyangler@gmail.com 47 River Rd. New Boston, NH 03070

Washington: Carl Johnson 425-308-6161 • flyfishalso@frontier.com P.O. Box 1206 Monroe, WA 98272

Northern California: Ken Brunskill 510-793-7913 • steamntrout@comcast.net 4731 Mildred Dr. Fremont, CA 94536

Western Rocky Mountain: Michael L. Bantam 208-323-5560 • michaelbantam@gmail.com 11896 Cedarstone St., Boise, ID 83709

Argentina Australia Austria Bahamas Belgium Belize Bermuda Canada Chile China Croatia Denmark Finland France Germany Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Ireland Israel Italy Japan

Latvia Lithuania Malaysia Mexico Netherlands New Zealand Norway Peru Poland Romania Russia Serbia Singapore South Korea South Africa Spain Sweden Switzerland Taiwan Ukraine United Kingdom United States

Ohio: Jeff McElravy 513-652-1894 jmcelravysr@cinci.rr.com Cincinnati, OH

ME WA NH

PA IA

NV CO

MA CT

OR ID

THE IFFF COUNCILS

OH IN WV VA KY

RI NJ

DE MD

The International Federation of Fly Fishers represents the interests of fly fishers across the United States through its regional councils. Much of the IFFF’s most important work is carried out through its regional councils and the fly fishing clubs in those regions. If you’re a fly fisher, stay in touch with the activities of your council – and get involved!

TN OK AZ

AR MS

TX AK

LA FL

Chesapeake (PA-WV-VA-MD-DE) Eastern Rocky Mtn (WY-CO-NM-AZ) Eastern Waters (NY-NJ***) Florida Gulf Coast (LA-MS-AL) Great Lakes (MI-IN) Northern California (CA-NV-HI) North Eastern (VT-NH-ME-MA-RI-CT**) Ohio O

Oregon South East (KY-TN-NC-SC-GA-AL-FL) Southern (NE-IA-KS-MO-IL-OK-AR) Southwest (CA-NV) Texas Upper Midwest (MN-WI-IL) Washington (WA-AK) Western Rocky Mtn (UT-ID-MT-ND-SD*)

*Parts of southwestern Canada included in the Western Rocky Mountain Council. **Parts of southeastern Canada included in North Eastern Council. ***Ontario is included in the Eastern Waters Council.

Flyfisher Spring - Summer 2015

[5]

Conserving, Restoring, Educating Through Fly Fishing®

Council Presidents

Conserving, Restoring, Educating Through Fly Fishing®

Just Fishing LOOKING BACK AT 50 YEARS OF THE FEDERATION By Philip Greenlee, Chairman of the Board of Directors

s I sit here at my desk in California reflecting on the International Federation of Fly Fishers’ first 50 years, I am in awe of where it was in 1965 and where the organization is today, with 250 clubs and about 12,000 individual members. Understand I joined the FFF in early 1968, so I’m using information from members who were there in the early days to fill in those years before I came on the scene. I apologize to anyone I may have forgotten but want to pass my thanks to those people who helped me with the early years information and research, including Skip Hosfield, Danny Beatty, Steve Raymond, Will Godfrey, Bob Jacklin and Marty Seldon (from correspondence before his passing) to name a few. After 50 years it’s not surprising there might be some disagreement on just how the organization got its start. After much research we discovered

an events timeline in Skip Hosfield’s archives that gives a very good idea just how one Oregon man’s idea grew into the organization we know today. Early in 1962 Bill Nelson, then living in Everett, Washington, expressed the idea that fly fishers would have a much stronger voice in the management of the resource (the waters) through a single, large national association rather than the many individual, local clubs in existence at that time in history. Recognizing the need for a national association and actually getting the process started proved to be a challenge. As a self-proclaimed “peddler,” Bill Nelson had the vision and drive to get the ball rolling, but many members in the Evergreen Fly Fishing Club, his hometown club in Everett, were less than supportive. In 1963 Nelson’s business interests took him to Eugene, Oregon. At that time there was no fly

fishing club in Eugene, so in March 1964 he organized one, making sure one of the stated purposes of the new McKenzie Flyfishers (McKFF) club was to promote the establishment of a national association of fly fishers. In September 1964 the club sent a task force of William Hilton, Bill Nelson, Webb Russell and Stanley Walters to Aspen, Colorado, to a meeting of outdoor writers and photographers sponsored by the Aspen Institute of Humanistic Studies. Their purpose was to meet and speak with as many attendees as possible about their Conclave and proposed federation of clubs. In a report in the October issue of the McKFF newsletter, Stan Walters

P. Vlassis esident George Federation Pr ctors and re di n tio Federa pictured with e th Biltmore staff outside the Flyfisher red (left to ctu Pi . ty York Ci Hotel in New an Kessler, ewster; Herm right) are Al Br President Vlassis; ner; Flyfisher desig n Shaw Kessler; ; Hele Nancy Vlassis Pissaro, n; and Joe A. Austin S. Hoga r. Flyfisher edito

Pete Hidy (back to the cam era) explains something to Ed Zern (left) and Ed in Eugene, Oregon. Pho Strickland at the 1965 to by Ralph Wahl meeting

IFFF Highlights FROM THE PAST 50 YEARS 1965 First organizing meeting, Eugene, Oregon Charter and Organization Committee developed

[6 ]

Flyfisher Spring - Summer 2015

1966 Preliminary draft Constitution and Bylaws Adopted Lee Wulff’s preamble to Constitution and Bylaws First President: Gene Anderegg First President’s Pin awarded First Man of the Year Awarded to Ed Strickland

Membership office in spare room in Ed Strickland’s home 1967 First McKenzie Cup Award to United Fly Tyers of Boston 1968 First Flyfisher published, edited by Arnold Gingrich and Jim Bashline

PREAMBLE TO THE CONSTITUTION OF THE FEDERATION OF FLY FISHERMEN We, in Conclave assembled, out of a firm and abiding conviction that fly fishing as a way of angling gives to its followers the finest form of outdoor recreation and natural understanding, do hereby join in common effort in order to maintain and further fly fishing as a sport, and, through it, to promote and conserve angling resources, inspire angling literature, advance the brotherhood of angling and broaden the understanding of all anglers in the spirit of true sportsmanship. wrote: “It was our good fortune to have met Gene Anderegg of Ridgewood, New Jersey. An ardent and talented fly fisher, he is one of the directors of the Theodore Gordon Flyfishers. Our talks were brief but roamed over a lot of ground. If Gene’s thoughts reflect the overall attitude of fly fishermen in the East, the potential of a national federation of fly fishermen is boundless. We also met and talked with Secretary Udall, Roderick Haig-Brown,

John Bardach, Ernest Schwiebert and Joe Brooks. We met too, a number of the leading conservationists representing many parts of the country. It was for me a memorable experience and one I won’t forget.” Returning home excited with the possibilities, the McKenzie club invited many known fly fishing clubs and individual fishermen to the first meeting. The effort was so successful that

The original Preamble to the FFF Constitution and Bylaws was presented to Ralph Moon by Gene Anderegg at Conclave 1986. Today it resides in the IFFF Museum in Livingston, Montana.

about 150 persons ended up meeting at the Country Squire in Eugene for the introductory Conclave on June 18-20, 1965. Members of the McKFF and their families worked in one capacity or another during the show. As the years unfolded the McKenzie club had set the pattern for future Conclaves – a winning formula still in use today, 50 years later. Twelve fly fishing clubs were represented as well as individuals from

The Lew Jewett Memorial Award was named for this man.

ng s a renowned angli Arnold Gingrich wa mative for ’s ion rat de Fe author during the often appeared in years. His articles e. Flyfisher magazin

Lee Wulff’s first discussion in the Flyfisher on catch and release 1969 President: George P. Vlassis Evergreen Fly Fishing Club sponsors the first regional meeting Bylaws amended to allow for regional councils

Maggie Merriman and George Gran

Conclave, early years.

Early Councils were the Eastern, the Midwest, the Rocky Mountain and the Western Joe Pisarro becomes editor of the Flyfisher

First Buszek Memorial Award to Jacqueline Knight First Order of the Lapis Lazuli Award to Ed Strickland

1970 President: Lewis Bell Brown trout eggs planted on Oklahoma’s Spring Creek

1971 President: James Gilford First Conclave of the Eastern Regional Council Preliminary steps to form a Rocky

Flyfisher Spring - Summer 2015

[7 ]

Conserving, Restoring, Educating Through Fly Fishing®

Looking back at 50 years!

Conserving, Restoring, Educating Through Fly Fishing®

Just Fishing Canada. The program featured top names of the day like Lee Wulff, Ted Trueblood, Ed Zern, Enos Bradner, Ashley Hewitt, V.S. (Pete) Hidy, Roy Patrick, E.H. (Polly) Rosborough, Cliff Wyatt, Kay Brodney and others. At a breakfast meeting on the Conclave’s last day a preliminary plan for the organization of the Federation was adopted. A Charter and Organization Committee was established to complete all the necessary detail work of drafting a constitution, bylaws and articles of incorporation. That committee had representatives from the various clubs present plus Gene Anderegg as chairman; Lewis Bell and Riley Woodford as cochairmen; and E.J. Strickland as secretary-treasurer. Special advisers were Joe Brooks, Ted Trueblood, Lee Wulff and Ed Zern. Trout Unlimited (TU) had been founded in Michigan in 1959 by a group of fly fishermen concerned with protection of trout and its habitat. But they believed that broad-based support for

Famous Canadian angler and artist Tommy Bradshaw was noted for his painting of trout, steelhead and salmon, and for his skill in tying and fishing flies for trout and steelhead.

their efforts would not be forthcoming if they promoted their program focused on fly fishermen only. Martin Bovey, President of TU, came to the 1965 Conclave in hope of dissuading those present from forming a national organization of fly fishing clubs. He argued that the main objectives could better be accomplished by joining TU, but many of those as-

tch.

the ha bert matches Ernest Schwie . an gh Calla Photo by Dan

Mountain Council Membership office moved to Arnold Gingrich’s spare room in Gardena, California 1972 President – James Eriser Wyndham Anglers Club of New Zealand joins

[8 ]

Roderick Haig-Brown and Lee Wulff enjoy Idaho’s Silver Creek during Conclave 1969 at Sun Valley.

Flyfisher Spring - Summer 2015

sembled already were members and understood its limitations. After the Eugene Conclave, the committee went to work distributing the preliminary plan to all known potential clubs who might join the proposed organization. By the end of 1965, 12 clubs had announced their intention to support the Federation. Those

Ernest Schwiebert sketched this portr ait of himself at wo Ted Rogowski stood rk while nearby with a fre shly caught salmon Schwiebert illustr . Ernest ation.

Midwest Regional Council formed Steve Raymond becomes Flyfisher editor 1974 President: Paul Collier Conservation Director Marty Seldon initiated the Wild Trout Symposium meeting series FFF in negotiations for patent on the

Gene Anderegg was chairman of the first Charter and Organization Committee in 1965 and then first FFF President in 1966.

improved Whitlock-Vibert Box 1975 Membership office moves to El Segundo, California 1976 President – Gardner Grant

clubs were California Fly Fishermen Unlimited; Cascade Fly Fishing Club; Evergreen Fly Fishing Club; Fly Fishermen for Conservation; Inland Empire Fly Fishing Club; McKenzie Flyfishers; The Fly Fishers’ Club of Oregon; the Pasadena Casting Club; Puget Sound Fly Fishing Club; Theodore Gordon Fly Fishers; Washington Fly Fishing Club; and Wilderness Fly Fishers. It was felt this was a sufficient showing to justify the release of publicity which brought inquiries from other clubs. By the time of the second Conclave at Jackson Lake Lodge, Wyoming, September 2-4, 1966, the number of clubs had risen to 29. Enrollment of individual associate members was started in January 1966 and by the time of the Conclave the total members (associate, contributing and sustaining) was 1,220. Tackle dealers (like Buszek Fly Shop in California and Fireside Angler in New York) and writers (like Charles Fox and Colonel Joseph D. Bates) made their mailing lists

available. The individual memberships were solicited both from those lists and the member clubs. Featured at the second Conclave were Helen Shaw, Jon Tarantino, Russell Colliander, Ralph Wahl, Idaho Senator Frank Church, Wyoming Governor Clifford Hansen, Arnold Gingrich, Dr. James Gilford, Vincent Marinaro and many others. During the Conclave meeting a preliminary draft of the Federation of Fly Fishermen’s Constitution and Bylaws was submitted by Lewis Bell and Lee Wulff. It was tentatively adopted. Lee Wulff ’s preamble to this document has become the Apostle’s Creed for the organization. The preamble as it was written in 1965 is shown in the sidebar on page 7. The organization’s reel emblem as suggested by Lee Wulff was first shown at this meeting as were samples of Federation jewelry and patches. Hermann Kessler contributed the artwork and also designed a Federation letterhead. A Nominating Committee headed

far left is Gene Anderegg; the 6 in Jackson, Wyoming. Seated 196 in e clav Con first the far right is Arnold from This picture appears to be tor Frank Church; and seated to the right of the lectern is Sena d; bloo True Ted be to ears speaker app Gingrich.

1977 Mike Fong becomes Flyfisher editor 1978 President: Charles F. Nelson, Jr. Celebrate 10 years of the Flyfisher magazine Granted copyright for the Whitlock-Vibert Box, June 13

by C.H. (Cap) Wissing submitted its officer recommendations and Gene Anderegg was elected first president, with Enos Bradner and Bill Nelson as vice presidents; John Jordan, secretary; and E.J. Strickland, treasurer. Elected to the Board of Directors were Lee Wulff (senior director), A.I. Alexander III, Kenneth Anderson, Vernon Bressler, John Buesch, Russell Colliander, Laurence DiStefano, Theodore Rogowski and George Vlassis. The first Man of the Year Award was presented to E.J. (Ed) Strickland and the Federation of Fly Fishermen was formally launched. Anderegg’s three years at the helm were years of rapid growth in clubs (29 to 59) and in associate members (1,200 to 3,500). Jackson Lake was the site of the annual Conclave throughout this period. The Federation membership office was a spare room in Ed Strickland’s home from which he churned out an amazing volume of correspondence until the office was moved to Rex Gerlach’s garage in Gardena, California in 1971.

Bill Nelson was the driving force behind the first meeting of fly fishing clubs in Eugene, Oregon, in 1965 that officially became the Federation of Fly Fishermen the next year.

First Conservation Award to Dave Whitlock First Don Harger Memorial Award to Mrs. Roderick Haig-Brown First Arnold Gingrich Memorial Award to Ernest S. Schwiebert 1979 First Lew Jewett Memorial Award to Gary Borger

for the Flyfisher d was editor of ok reviewer for Steve Raymon bo its continued as ion. five years and e editor’s posit ter leaving th af s ar ye many

1980 President: Errol Champion Discuss organization name change at Spokane, Washington Conclave Midwest Council split into the Great Lakes Council and the Southern Council Eastern Council split into the Northeastern, Mid-Atlantic and South Eastern councils

Flyfisher Spring - Summer 2015

[9 ]

Conserving, Restoring, Educating Through Fly Fishing®

Looking back at 50 years!

Conserving, Restoring, Educating Through Fly Fishing®

Just Fishing The first publication of the Flyfisher magazine edited by Arnold Gingrich and Jim Bashline was in spring of 1968 shortly after I joined the Federation. Although a slender 28 pages with no color, its content and layout was first quality. We can take justifiable pride in being the first organization to publish a magazine directed exclusively at fly fishers. Joe Pisarro would take over from Gingrich in 1969 and edit the magazine until succeeded by Steve Raymond from Seattle, Washington in 1972. Raymond remained at the helm with help from Arnold Gingrich (editorial adviser) and Austin Hogan (contributing editor) until 1977 when Michael Fong from San Francisco took over editing the magazine. In 1982 Dennis Bitton from Idaho Falls, Idaho, started publishing it until he was succeeded by Chris Bessler of Keokee Co. Publishing in Sandpoint, Idaho, in 1992, where it remained for the next two years until the FFF decided to evolve the magazine into two tabloid publications (the FFF Quill and

the Flyfisher) edited by Jim Abbs from Madison, Wisconsin, and later Vern Baker from Las Vegas, Nevada. In 1996 the FFF Board of Directors decided to return to a magazine format and Bessler returned as the editor with Dick Wentz as the managing editor. In 2001 FFF Executive Director Jim Rainey became the editor-in-chief and the organization awarded the publishing contract to Frank Amato Publications from Portland, Oregon. In 2004 the publishing contract was once again awarded to Keokee Publishing in Sandpoint, with Bill Toone from Bozeman, Montana, as the editor-in-chief, and it remains so to the present day. In 2007 Gretchen and Al Beatty joined the Keokee team as the publication’s editors. As you can see the magazine has evolved over the years and so has the organization. Let’s get back to the Federation’s progress. In March 1969 Lewis Bell’s Evergreen Fly Fishing Club of Everett sponsored the Federation’s first Regional Conclave at Ocean Shores,

Washington. This meeting was significant for adopting a resolution that the FFF bylaws be amended to provide for the establishment of regional councils. By year’s end the Northwest, Southwest and Northern California Councils had been established. Also 1969 was a year of change. The Conclave moved to Sun Valley, Idaho, and a new president was installed. The Anderegg years, which really began in September 1964, had come to an end. During that time he was the major force in determining the way the FFF would be organized, the plan of its development, who would hold positions of influence and who would gain recognition. Few other presidents have had as deep an influence on the Federation. Anderegg was followed by a series of three one-term presidents: George P. Vlassis, Lewis A. Bell and James H. Gilford. These were years of relatively slow growth, increased costs associated with the magazine and growing im-

Lefty George Vlassis helps clave Con 8 196 the at Kreh auction block.

At 1968 C oncl was the a ave, Lefty Kreh uctioneer. Ed Strickland (left) and Ted

8 Conclave Banquet.

Trueblood (right) at the 196

Board of Directors meeting on Septe mber 8, 1968. Th Bowslaugh, Bill Lyn e members shown ch, Ray Donnersbe here, from left, are rger, Frank Grey, Colliander and Ea Bud Lilly, Lew Bell, Gene Anderegg, Ed rl Martin. Allen Strickland, Georg e Vlassis, Ralph Wa hl, Russ

Yellowstone (WYS)

Rocky Mountain Council split into the Western Rocky Mountain and the Eastern Rocky Mountain Council. The Western Council was split into the Northwest Council and the Southwest Council (exact dates not known)

1983 President – R.P. (Van) Van Gytenbeek Starts Art Gallery and Museum in WYS Dennis Bitton becomes Flyfisher Editor

1981 Name changed to Federation of Fly Fishers Membership office moves to West

1984 Remodeled building in WYS dedicated at Conclave

[10 ]

Flyfisher Spring - Summer 2015

Straw vote taken to determine if the FFF would continue Positive straw vote led to period of financial recovery and growth First Ambassador Award to Cal Dunbar Darwin Atkin and Larry Duckwall initiated the Phrozen Phantom Phlytiers fundraiser

portance of the newly formed regional councils. The 1970 Conclave returned to Sun Valley where three new awards were initiated: the Colliander Cup for the winner of the Casting Games; the Buszek Award for fly tying excellence; and the Order of the Lapis Lazuli. The first Order of the Lapis Lazuli, the Federation’s highest personal honor for long and extraordinary service at the national level, was presented to Ed Strickland as he ended five years of service as treasurer. Lewis Bell became the third president of the FFF with a reorganized administrative structure of a seven-member Executive Committee which planned to meet three times during the year in different sections of the country. Various committees were set up to deal with all aspects of FFF operations and programs. The establishment of the Conservation Committee under Mark Kerridge is regarded by many as one of the most important actions of Bell’s administration. Nobody ever had a better idea

of what the Federation should be than Lewis Bell. And no one ever stated it more clearly and completely than he did on the occasion of the First Annual Conclave of the Eastern Regional Council, May 14-16, 1971. This address was condensed for publicaFFF Senior Adviser Lee Wulff discusses catch-and-release fishing tion in the Flyfisher and with then Senator Bob Wilson and his wife. it is as timely today as it was nearly 20 years ago. with Steve Raymond as editor. In it he states a theme By the time Jim Eriser took office at we still hear today: “Above all, we must Sun Valley in 1972, the FFF had digested have a full-time, professional executive its early gains, made some internal changsecretary and clerical staff, housed in a es and adjustments, and was ready to central location.” make new gains. This began an eight-year Jim Gilford became president at period that seems almost like a golden the 1971 Conclave held in Aspen, Coloage. A succession of four two-term presirado. Gene Anderegg was honored with dents – Jim Eriser, Paul Collier, Gardner the second award of the Lapis Lazuli Grant and Charles Nelson – had a large Award. Associate dues were raised to and remarkably stable group of officers. $10 and plans were made to move the Together they led us through eight years Flyfisher to Seattle the following year

Syd Glasso was on e of the Pacific No rthwest’s steelhead pioneers and an excellent fly tier. Bennett J. Mintz (left), president of the Sierra Pacific Flyfishers and Will Colson (right) prese nt the J. Stanley Lloyd Order of the Mayfly to John Bailey in memory of his father, Dan Bailey.

1985 President – Danny Beatty Phrozen Phantoms first fund raiser fly plate First Dr. James A. Henshall Warm Water Fisheries Award to Phil Chapman 1986 Steelhead Committee started

1987 President – Al Wilkie Steelhead Committee published the first Osprey newsletter First Charles Brooks Memorial Life Award to Darwin Atkin 1988 Celebrate 20 years of Flyfisher magazine

for his Lee Wulff was well known g only usin flies ll ability to tie sma Skip y rtes cou to Pho ers. fing his Hosfield

1989 President – Keith Groty 1990 Conclave in Eugene, Oregon – 25th Anniversary The Northwest Council split into the Oregon Council and the Washington Council The Southwest Council split into the

Flyfisher Spring - Summer 2015

[11 ]

Conserving, Restoring, Educating Through Fly Fishing®

Looking back at 50 years!

Conserving, Restoring, Educating Through Fly Fishing®

Just Fishing of exceptional growth, achievement and financial stability. All except Gardner Grant were Californians living close to the membership office located first in Gardena and moving to El Segundo in 1975. This proximity of the national leadership to the FFF headquarters may have been an important factor in the success they enjoyed. Despite the increasing inflation and the economic and social turmoil of those years, the FFF more than doubled in membership, expanded its publications, developed and promoted the Whitlock-Vibert Box program (started in the early ’70s using a French Vibert box then upgrading the design and patenting it on June 13, 1978), provided increased support for the regional councils, and managed to stay financially solvent. Initiated in 1974 by FFF Conservation Director Marty Seldon, the Wild Trout Symposium series provided an international forum for biologists and conservation advocates to share the latest wild trout status, technology and

philosophy. It remains in place to the present day. The directors who assembled in Conclave at Spokane in 1980 made the most momentous decision in the history of the FFF by voting to move our office to West Yellowstone (WYS), Montana, and to construct a new building there. Errol Champion, the new president, was charged with the responsibility of getting the job done. His three-year effort to bring this move into reality proved impossible, but nobody could have exerted greater effort at more personal sacrifice than Errol did. The decision to move to West Yellowstone was a difficult period in the history of the organization, newly renamed to Federation of Fly Fishers in 1981. The fundraising drive ran headon into a deepening economic recession and unfortunately membership went into a protracted decline. The joint venture with the Museum of American Flyfishing first inflated the scope of the project and then left us with an expen-

Early Conclave with Arnold Gingrich in conversation (left) and Joan Wulff discussing a point (seated right).

Northern California and the Southwest councils First Lee Wulff Award to Orvis, 3M/Scientific Anglers, Fenwick and Cortland 1991 Darwin Atkin initiates the Great American Calendar series of fundraising fly plates First Roderick Haig-Brown Award to

[12 ]

Flyfisher Spring - Summer 2015

Joan

A group planting trout with the WhitlockVibert Box.

sive white elephant when the museum pulled out. During this time the conservation focus of the organization slowed as the financial needs for the proposed building project in WYS demanded

‘70s Conclave. and Lee Wulff in conversation at an early

Nick Lyons 1992 FFF Casting Instructors Program approved by the FFF Board of Directors Casting Board of Governors (CBOG) named First Conclave outside the USA in Calgary, Canada

rd In 1971 Jim Gilfo

F President.

was the new FF

First meeting of European fly fishing leaders in Holland, explore international FFF Darwin Atkin initiates the International Fly Tiers Fly Plate Series fundraiser First J. Stanley Lloyd Conservation Award to Sierra Pacific Flyfishers, California Chris Bessler of Keokee Co. Publishing becomes Flyfisher editor

more and more funds. By the middle of 1982, it was apparent that the fund drive was stalling out. But a considerable amount of money had already been collected and much of it already spent on consultants and design fees. The leadership felt a strong sense of obligation to the donors to see the project through in whatever way possible. Champion was persuaded to stay on for a third year in order to continue the effort to keep the project moving ahead, and Jim Eriser saved the Federation considerable dollars by renegotiating the fundraising consultant fees. The architects were instructed to get construction bids on a portion of the total project. When those bids came in far above budget, everyone knew that a new building was not possible, but the sentiment for having our national headquarters in WYS remained strong. After a long, contentious meeting, the directors voted to accept the offer of a long-term lease from the city of WYS for the old Union Pacific (UP) building for the price

Man of the Year in the early ‘70s, Will Godfrey was also an FFF Director.

1993 President: Al Beatty Membership office moves to Bozeman, Montana Keith Groty moved from President to Chairman of the Board for one term First FFF Quill published by Jim Abbs First CBOG meeting at Conclave in

of $1 per year and the assumption of the facility’s maintenance responsibilities. R.P. (Van) Van Gytenbeek, who succeeded Champion as President, resolved to heal our wounds, rebuild membership, restore the old UP building and convert it into the International Fly Fishing Center (IFFC). The IFFC would not have been possible if Ralph and Pat Moon had not personally assembled the FFF artifacts to create the museum. It remained viable during its time in WYS because of the dedicated stewardship of Ralph and Pat. During the next 12 months the essential repairs and renovations required to bring the building up to code were made using about $100,000 remaining from the fund drive plus a $50,000 grant from the Montana Historical Society. The remodeled building was dedicated at the 1984 Conclave, but much necessary work still had to be deferred for lack of funds. The maintenance needs of the building eventually proved to be financially more than the organization

sident at a Sun Vall James Eriser became the pre e Anderegg. Gen by to Pho 2. 197 in e Conclav

Darwin Atkin

Livingston, Montana First year of the Resource Conservation Tyathon with Bear Andrews First Youth Conclave and the first Junior Flyfishers’ Journal, Bear Samples Editor 1994 President: Jim Watkins The Great Lakes Council was divided into

could sustain. In becoming FFF president, Van Gytenbeek achieved the singular distinction of being the only person ever to have been president of both TU and FFF. During his second term, membership began to increase under the direction of Senior VP for Membership Danny Beatty, who succeeded him as president in 1985. During the last years of the ’80s under the leadership of Danny Beatty, Al Wilkie and Keith Groty, the FFF continued to grow in membership, improve its facilities, strengthen its financial position, expand its conservation focus, and regain much of the unity lost early in the decade. Also during this time, the FFF gained increased international stature as several foreign countries patterned their organizations on our model. In 1986 the Steelhead Committee became an important part of the organization’s conservation efforts and the group started publishing the Osprey newsletter in 1987. That

from Fresno,

California in

1972 explaini ng

his fly tying te

chnique to on

lookers.

the Great Lakes and the Great River Councils Bob Wiltshire hired as IFFC Director First Silver King Award to Lefty Kreh 1995 Established the FFF Foundation First tabloid Flyfisher edited by Vern Baker Last issue of the FFF Quill edited by Jim Abbs

Flyfisher Spring - Summer 2015

[13 ]

Conserving, Restoring, Educating Through Fly Fishing®

Looking back at 50 years!

Conserving, Restoring, Educating Through Fly Fishing®

Just Fishing publication continues to this day and is still dedicated to the preservation of wild steelhead. During Keith Groty’s last year in office, an idea from Mel Krieger regarding certified casting instructors found VP for Education Judy Lehmberg’s ear. Lehmberg persuaded the FFF Board of Directors to approve the program, and she chaired the first planning meeting at the 1992 Conclave in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. After gaining approval from the Board of Directors, the program took hold and by August of that year Krieger had gotten 15 top names in the fly fishing world to join him and the FFF to serve on the first Casting Board of Governors (CBOG). Those first governors were Gary Borger, Leon Chandler, Chico Fernandez, Jim Green, Lefty Kreh, Mel Krieger, Al Kyte, Steve Rajeff, Bruce Richards, Allan Rohrer, Barbara Rohrer, Doug Swisher, Lou Tabory, Dave Whitlock and Joan Wulff. Over the years having suffered a rough start, this program developed into one of the organization’s

showcase accomplishments. Based on a three-year grant to cover the wages, the organization hired Executive Director Larry Watson with the understanding he had those years to develop an income stream to the organization that included his wages. As the late ’80s blended into the ’90s with Keith Groty at the helm, the organization’s financial stability was firm but strained because the IFFC building continued to need renovation. Finally in 1993 President Al Beatty proposed to the Board of Directors that business functions be moved to Bozeman, Montana. The board approved and the organization’s new headquarters became Bozeman. The intent had been to leave the IFFC in West Yellowstone, but in due course it became evident that was not a sound financial choice, so in 1994 he also moved the contents of the IFFC into storage to later be moved with a lot of help from John Bailey (Dan Bailey’s Fly Shop) into the Lincoln School Building in

Whitlock modificaWhitlock-Vibert Box. The g the first trout using the ntin Whitlock. pla e up Dav y gro rtes ma cou aho to Okl e patented in 1978. Pho wer Box ert Vib l ina tions to the orig

1996 President: Tom Jindra Last Flyfisher tabloid issue edited by Chris Bessler and Dick Wentz of Keokee Flyfisher returns to magazine format Steve Jensen joined Darwin Atkin on the International Fly Tiers Fly Plate Series

[14 ]

Flyfisher Spring - Summer 2015

Livingston, Montana. I think it’s really important at this juncture to recognize the contributions of Ralph and Pat Moon, museum curator; Buck and Fay Goodrich with their son Ben; Carl and Joyce Cooper; Dennis Bitton; Bruce and Carol Staples; and the many people who volunteered countless hours at the IFFC. In WYS Bob Jacklin should be recognized for teaching casting lessons and his work at the center on almost a daily basis. Their efforts were monumental in being able to keep the IFFC in West Yellowstone for as long as it was there. During the same time frame as part of a cost-cutting effort, Al Beatty implemented publication of the tabloid national newsletter the FFF Quill and set the Flyfisher on a course to bring its publication in house. At Conclave ’94 in Kalispell, Montana Jim Watkins became the new president of the organization, and in the autumn issue of the Flyfisher, he announced that the current issue would be the last in the magazine format; fu-

Marty Seldon, Roy Haile, Dick Kennon and the late Ted Fay of the Northern California Council lead a congressional delegation investigating the impact of a proposed U.S. Forest Service trail along the pristine Upper McCloud River.

1998 Celebrate 30 years of the Flyfisher magazine 1999 President: Gregg Pitts FFF becomes involved in education on the impact of invasive species

2000 FFF Fly Pattern Encyclopedia fundraiser published by Frank Amato Publications First Dick Nelson Fly Tying Teaching Award to Chuck Newmeyer Steve Jensen initiates the Legends of Fly Tying (LOFT) fly-plate fundraiser

dard magazine format ture issues would be in in the autumn issue. a tabloid, news magaBased on the comments zine format dubbed the from Federation memFFF Quill and focused bers in the letters to the on the fly fishing trade. editor section, returnThe following year it ing the publication to a was announced in the magazine format was a FFF Quill that Monpositive move. I think tana biologist Bob Wiltit’s especially important shire had been hired as to note that the 30th the conservation and year of the Flyfisher education center direcBob Jacklin was possible because tor. In 1996 there was of President Jindra’s an announcement that foresight in bringing it back to the stanthe grand opening of the new center in dard magazine format. It never totally Livingston had been on August 5, 1996. disappeared but spent almost a year in Since Executive Director Watson was another format as a tabloid. not able to raise the funds to cover his In 1999 with Greg Pitts at the helm, wages, the position was eliminated to the organization recognized the need for control costs. a steady income stream from a source In 1996 Tom Jindra became presiother than the membership dues. Pitts dent and in due course brought Flysuggested the concept of an FFF pattern fisher magazine back into publication book featuring flies by the organizawith Keokee Publishing returning as tion’s fly tiers to publisher Frank Amato. publishers for the summer issue of the The end result was the FFF Fly Pattern news magazine followed by the stan-

versation, left, and Ed Zern in con Ashley Cooper Hewitt, ld courtesy Skip Hosfie date unknown. Photo

Joan and Lee Wulff with Ca nadian guide White at an FF Barry F function (yea r unknown).

2001 Nick Amato of Frank Amato Publications becomes Flyfisher editor First Leopold Award to Dave Rosgen 2002 Jim Rainey hired as Executive Director Adopted the Federation of Fly Fishers’ Code of Angling Ethics

2003 President renamed Chairman of the Board (04): Gary Grant Jim Rainey becomes the Flyfisher Editor-inChief with Nick Amato as Editor Adopted the Native Fish Policy 2004 Dick Wentz of Keokee becomes the Fly-

Encyclopedia edited by Gretchen and Al Beatty with photography by Jim Schollmeyer. The first printing in September 2000 immediately sold out with several more to unfold over the next years. All author royalties were donated to the Federation. The first 2001 issue of the Flyfisher was published by Frank Amato’s organization. At the 2000 annual meeting the Board of Directors voted that “a portion of all individual dues will be used to fund the local Council.” Also at the same meeting the board authorized the transfer of $20,000 to the All Fish All Waters Foundation to fund administration needs. Recognizing the need for an executive director who could focus on fundraising, Pitts led a nationwide search for a person to fill the position. Jim Rainey was the No. 1 candidate and accepted the position on May 1, 2002. He had a strong background in fundraising for the U.S. Military Academy. The organization’s charter for Rainey was to implement the business plan adopted by the board late in 2001. Meanwhile Treasurer Gary Grant

oment during

m joys a relaxed Joan Wulff en

Conclave 1986

fisher editor R. P. (Van) Van Gytenbeek becomes the Executive Director Bill Toone named Flyfisher Editor-in-Chief 2005 Membership office moves to Livingston, Montana Membership Gold Award of Merit to

Flyfisher Spring - Summer 2015

[15 ]

Conserving, Restoring, Educating Through Fly Fishing®

Looking back at 50 years!

Conserving, Restoring, Educating Through Fly Fishing®

Just Fishing led the team of Jim Boyd, Susan Halblom, Jerry McBride and Marty Seldon to develop the Federation of Fly Fishers’ Code of Angling Ethics. The code stated in part, “The mission of the Federation of Fly Fishers is to lead activities that enhance and support the fly fishing experience for all anglers who fish with the artificial fly.” The code remains a core belief to this day. In 2003 with Gary Grant at the helm, the organization adopted the Federation of Fly Fishers’ Code of Angling Ethics and also a science-based Native Fish Policy building on an early emphasis linking the fly fishing experience with conservation activities. The main thrust of the policy was to recognize the value of native fish, establish sanctuaries where clusters of genetically intact populations reside, and develop a goal of recovering native fish species into

n was the 1984 Frank Johnso ard recipient. Buz Buszek Aw

Lefty Kreh casting demonstration at a Conclave.

at least a portion of the previously occupied ranges. On the business side of the FFF, in 2004 the Board of Directors once again selected Keokee Publishing to produce the Flyfisher, Bill Toone became editor-in-chief, and Executive Director Rainey resigned due to “family issues.” Fortunately his resignation came at a time when the organization was financially quite stable but the desire

Fred Houwink served as the Conclave s in photographer for a number of year . ‘90s early the late ‘80s and Pat Oglesby has been Fly Fishing Fair photographer in recent years.

Mangrove Coast Fly Fishers First CBOG Lifetime Achievement to Jim Green, Lefty Kreh, Mel Krieger and Joan Wulff 2006 Chairman of the Board: Ron Cordes Established the Florida Council Established the Gulf Coast Council

[16 ]

to maintain that stability launched a campaign to find a replacement. In mid-2004 the group hired Van Gytenbeek to fill the position; it was the second time he filled a position of responsibility in the FFF. In the fall issue of the Flyfisher, Gary Grant announced the restructure of the organization with his position as president becoming chairman of the board. The new board of directors consists of 24 positions each serving a three-year term. Van Gytenbeek’s new title was chief executive officer/president. One of his first tasks was to move the membership office from Bozeman into the same building as the Fly Fishing Discovery Center in Livingston. On the national level famed golfer and sportsman Jack Nicklaus became a Federation spokesperson. In 2006 Ron Cordes became the chairman of the board at the same

Flyfisher Spring - Summer 2015

Launch of the International Fly Tiers Competition First Robert J. Marriott’s Scholarship Grant to Kiza Gates Hosted a group of veterans from Project Healing Waters – Fly Fishing FFF Fly Fishing Instructors Handbook created by Chairman Cordes

Spring 1993 issue, red

esigned Flyfisher ma

gazine.

2007 Established the Ohio Council First CBOG Mel Krieger Fly Casting Instructor’s Award to Joe Libeu First meeting of the Fly Tying Group – interim Board of Governors (BoG) appointed Gretchen and Al Beatty with Keokee become Flyfisher Editors

Conclave where the organization hosted a group of veterans from Project Healing Waters – Fly Fishing. In an effort to establish the FFF as a premier educational entity, Chairman Cordes created the FFF Fly Fishing Instructors Handbook. At the 2007 Conclave the Board of Directors directed the CEO to explore the merits of moving the Federation headquarters from Livingston to Loveland, Colorado. Also at the direction of the board, COO Bob Wiltshire met with a group of fly tiers with the goal of developing an FFF flytying organization. That organization would focus on demonstration tying at all levels from local to international, the Tier as a Teacher Initiative, fly plate framing and archiving flies and fly tying. The name selected was the FFF Fly Tying Group and an interim Board of Governors (BoG) was appointed until elections could be held to select a regular BoG. Those appointed to the BoG were Al Beatty, Gene Kaczmarek, Steve Jensen, Judy Lehmberg, Bruce

FFF President Gary Grant,

2003.

Staples, Herb Kettler and David Nelson (chairperson). On the conservation front in early 2008, Dr. Rick Williams and Tom Logan announced the Native Fish Refuge Policy Statement in which the “FFF supports the establishment of a national system of watershedlevel refuges intended to protect native fish species and the aquatic systems upon which they depend.” A continuing decline in the country’s economy hit the Federation along with many other groups, and the organization slid into a downward financial decline; Bob Wiltshire left the FFF to “head a new, independent program on aquatic invasive species,” while Cordes led a group of four Federators to Loveland to explore the opportunities and cost of a potential move. After careful review, the organization determined a move to Colorado would not be in its best interests, but as part of a cost-cutting measure did relocate from the Lincoln School Building in Livingston into its present location on Highway 89 South.

In 2008 the organization renamed the Man of the Year and Woman of the Year Awards to a single award titled “Federator of the Year Award.” The 2009 Conclave in Loveland signaled a change in direction in the organization when I (Philip Greenlee, former businessman and banker) accepted the reins as chairman of the board. I accepted that responsibility with the understanding we would run the organization like a business and that we conduct an audit of the books to determine just how serious our financial situation really was. To stop the flow of red ink, the Flyfisher was reduced from four issues per year to two, and a budgetary line-item review was implemented. One of the first budgetary reductions was the elimination of the chief executive officer/president’s position. I assumed those duties (as well as my own) on a volunteer basis, donating most of my time and travel expenses to the FFF. With a lot of hard work on the part of the staff and the volunteer

Sharing love of the spo rt and educating the next generation has the FFF. Above the 20 always been a main 04 Youth Fly Fishing focus of Camp and right, the 2005 Youth Camp att endees.

2008 Celebrate 40 years of the Flyfisher magazine Adopted the Native Conservation Area Policy “Man and Woman” changed to Federator of the Year Award First Federator of the Year awarded to Herb Kettler

2009 Chairman of the Board renamed Chairman of the Board/President (10) – Phil Greenlee Flyfisher becomes biannual publication 2010 First CBOG Governors Mentoring Award to Kirk Eberhard

First CBOG Governors Pin to Raffaele Mascaro, Dan McCrimmon and Barbara Wuebber 2011 Re-establish IFFF Museum at the Highway 89 South address in Livingston First Environmental Conservation Scholarship to Lee Van Put

Flyfisher Spring - Summer 2015

[17 ]

Conserving, Restoring, Educating Through Fly Fishing®

Looking back at 50 years!

Conserving, Restoring, Educating Through Fly Fishing®

Just Fishing national Federation of Fly Fishers” Museum Committee, today our to better reflect the direction we are headquarters and newly revamped taking the organization. Today we museum on Highway 89 South is are in fact “international” in every a showcase for the Federation. The sense of the word, with membership organization is on a strong financial in 37 countries outside the United path, our future looks good, and States. Our Casting Instructor Certiour progress did not go unnoticed. fication Program is developing in 17 In late 2014 I was contacted by a of them due to seed money provided gentleman, who wished to remain by the group to help grow this effort anonymous, wanting to make a and it’s been successful. Just look in donation to the organization. In any recent Flyfisher magazine at the the course of our conversation, we calendar of events, where you’ll find discussed a number of items includSkip Hosfield, a founding member of the IFFF back in 1965, ing how we ran the organization. He was a helpful resource in creating this look back at 50 years casting certifications scheduled at many different corners of the world must have been satisfied with that of the IFFF, along with Danny Beatty, Steve Raymond, Will including Spain, Italy, Germany, information because about a month Godfrey, Bob Jacklin and Marty Seldon (from corresponGreat Britain, Japan and Australia later his trust donated $914,000 to us dence before his passing) and many others. just to name a few. with no strings attached. Today that If any of you are traveling though the individual wants to remain money is invested in a conservative through our part of Montana you anonymous, I want to extend my sincere Charles Schwab account where it will should treat yourself to an IFFF facility thank you to him for his generous gift. stay for the next three years until we can visit. You will be glad you did AND the The organization will definitely put the be certain there will be no legal probYellowstone River is just across the highproceeds of this account to good use. lems from the man’s estate. Currently way from the building. We look forward With discussions starting as early as the IFFF is using the earnings from that to seeing you there or at the Fly Fishing 2011, we eventually voted September fund to finance our daily activities while Fair in Bend, Oregon, in September. 13, 2013, to change our name to “Interthe principal remains untouched. Even

FFF President R.P. (Van) Van Gytenbeek, 2005.

Bud Fr

ring Conclave

are stories du

in Atkin sh asca and Darw

2006.

2012 Formed conservation partnerships focused on invasive lake trout in Yellowstone Lake

Membership Silver Award of Merit to Southwest Council Great River became Upper Midwest Council covering Wisconsin, Illinois and Minnesota

2013 Organization name changed to International Federation of Fly Fishers (IFFF) Established the Texas Council

2014 First Council Leadership Award to Kyle Moppert First CBOG Jay Gammel Award to Soon Lee

[18 ]

Flyfisher Spring - Summer 2015

FFF President Phil Greenlee, left, prese nts the coveted Lapis Lazuli Award to form er FFF President Tom Jindra at the 2011 National Fly Fishing Fair.

Mid-Atlantic Council changes its name to the Chesapeake Council Established the Eastern Waters Council Major donation by anonymous benefactor of $914,000 2015 Fly Fishing Fair in Bend, Oregon: Our 50th anniversary

Home Waters years 50 celebrating

International Federation of Fly Fishers 1965-2015

Conserving, restoring, educating through fly fishing ®

WHAT’S HAPPENED TO OUR TROUT?

Homogenized hatchery fish have done more harm than good By Lee Wulff

PHOTO COURTESY LEE WULFF

this inability of hatchery trout to ur trout have been “managed” survive was not generally recognized. by trained biologists for many The accounting system was like listing decades. How have they fared? the number of seeds on a dandelion Not well, in the opinion of many. puff before holding it out in the wind, Had the managers been satisfied rather than measuring the number of to take only the crop and leave the wind-blown seeds that actually took necessary seed, we’d still be in excellent root, the only true measure of success. shape. But the take always has been It is ridiculous to think that a too great, the limits too large. Reductrout which never has eaten a living tions have come too little and too late. thing (nor had its forebears for many The managers have had the necessary generations) could survive tough technical knowledge, but they have winters in a wild stream. But that lacked the necessary judgment. Instead apparently is what managers expected of playing it safe on the side of taking it to do. too few, they consistently have allowed Hatchery fish planted in streams the take of too many until forced, at also have cross-bred with the tougher disaster levels, to cut bag limits. native strains, producing offspring Having taken too many trout for which, like the hatchery trout, were the wild rivers to maintain their stocks, Most trout now stocked in rivers and lakes never themselves unable to survive, and thus managers turned to hatcheries to fill the knew the gravel of a natural spawning bed. Instead the reproductive capacity of many of gap. Originally the hatcheries themthey come from sterile concrete ponds in assemblyour best trout streams has been lost. selves used wild stock but as time went line trout factories like this one. Lately there has been some on, they selected for breeding the trout recognition of the problem. A Symposium on Wild Trout was that grew fastest on the least food. From the hatchery manheld in Yellowstone National Park last fall. Some interesting ager’s point of view these were the most efficient trout. From facts came to light. Here are some excerpts from scientific the standpoint of stream survival, the hatchery trout became reports given: poorer and poorer. The common hatchery strains eventually “This study has shown that when hatchery-reared rainbow trout became incapable of surviving in streams. are added to existing self-sustaining wild trout populations, the wild trout Because the hatchery bureaucracy kept track only of the numbers decrease drastically within the first two years after the stocking number of trout stocked (put into the streams), and gave no figures on the number that survived to be hooked by anglers, Continues next page

Index of Articles What’s Happened to Our Trout?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 IFFF Council History. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 IFFF Council Profiles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21-33 New Zealand Mud Snail Wreaks Havoc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Angling Ethics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Calendar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Scoggins Receives Cuttcatch Award . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Mining Crooked Creek. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 FFF Fundraiser. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

IFFF Natural Materials Policy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Price of Our Sport. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Trout in the Classroom. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Certification Begins FFF Casting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Fly Tying Group’s First Meeting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Campaign Aims to Save Seagrass. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . History of Fly Tying Group. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IFFF Board Reinstates Chairman of the Board Position. . . . . . . Vote For Your National Board. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IFFF Guides Association . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Obituaries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

26 27 27 29 29 30 32 34 34 35 36

WHAT’S HAPPENED TO OUR TROUT? Continued from previous page

Both Adirondack starts. Abnormal mortality rates and Finger Lakes occur both in the summer and stocks of trout were winter periods. This study has used for stocking also shown that in Odell Creek purposes, but since (Montana), the stocked raineggs were much more bow adds little to the overall readily obtainable from size because of an annual the latter source, the mortality rate exceeding 99 use of the Finger Lakes percent. When the stocking strain in the Adirondacks of catchables ceased in the was inevitable. During Varney section of the Madithe past 25 years three son River, the wild trout different studies have been population was almost able conducted to evaluate the to triple in two years.” use of the lowland form in –Richard E. Vincent, Montana. the mountains. Since three Dwight Webster and Bill Flick, different generations of fisherwith a grant from Cornell University, ies biologists were also involved, we can only captured specimens of a wild Canadian conclude that each could not believe the results strain of brook trout, the Assinica, and of the former. Each experiment has shown virtuin a series of experiments compared ally no survival of Finger Lakes strain planted in it with hatchery stocks currently being Adirondack waters while simultaneous planting used. Their report said: of native strains did show reasonable recoveries in “The strain (Assinica) reaches a large assessment sampling. The management implicasize, commonly in excess of five pounds, (and) tions are obvious. has a life span of nine years. “The conclusions that one may draw “Two domestic (hatchery) strains were from these several experiments are clear-cut: 1. used for comparative purposes. One, the soWild strains exhibit consistent and outstanding called ‘Berlin’ strain, is widely cultured in performance over domestic strains, regardless national fish hatcheries in the Northeastern of the history of the parents. 2. Interstrain United States, and the other was the New York hybrids of wild and domestic strains appeared strain. Both stocks have been retained in the to offer advantages over the domestic.” hatchery environment for many generations over One “Conservation Headline Per Article CanSpread, anyone tell me howHeads taking aSmall a span of 50-75 years withoutNews” the addition good, wild trout out of a stream can make of ‘new blood.’ These fish mature early, males By Lehmberg the fishing in that stream better? That’s oftenVerne at less than one year; they have a short just one less goodmel. fish in the angling life spanorem with few fish living beyond the age of Mundi dolor ipsum opportunity offered by the 2 after release.” nominavistream. mei at, The dolor sit angling quality suffers each good On lake ubique trout, Webster reported: qui idwith habeo dicant amet, fish removed. “Aninexample minimum, graeco suseripuit vix, anfrom eumNew York illustrates The idea of maximum different from stocking of two distinct cipiantur insustained ius. Dictas impetusresults qualisque yield does not takeomittam the quality of fishtypes of lake trout Namaycuut cum, in disputationi. Sit (Salvelinus te ing into account ... only the quantity sh), one from the Adirondack upland, the other exerci ridens accupurto scriptorem, taken out. It does sata not take into from Lake Ontario-Finger Lakes Basin. has, id seaaccount rebum fugitthe minim et mea. the greatest possible number of hours verear.Ut nam maioCu nec admodum of pleasure a stream provide,an nor rumcan maiestatis, vidisse conceptam. Ea the total number of pounds of fish a agam aliquam philosopriLIVINGSTON, modo labore, eu MONTANA stream can hold. phia sed. Has an nibh eum graeciBudget oblique Host The new American scripta League nostrud,ofomnis dolorem. Nam idque Anglers (A.L.A.), exerci which eam the Federation ei, autem corporaSurrounded id, rebum by blue-ribbon of Fly Fishermenmolestie helped organize, may water andeagreat hunting! dissentiunt et utamur periculis be a vehicle to change the current sorry • In-room coffee • High-speed wireless internet vix. Feugiat deseruqui. Ei sed malorum • Pets accepted • Micro/fridge all rooms state black of trout management. many isse in sed.IfOrnatus dolores, natum vidisse The in photos have a thick-thin • Grassy BBQ area • Kitchenettes available of us join, the A.L.A. may be strong border of 4 points. vocibus inciderint est mel at,TV wisi tota de• HBO • Two-room suites enough to help give new generation no.aHarum iudico ad traxit ad. • All ground floor rooms • Quietmel location of biologists a chance toeos. give us sit,young ei utroque comprehensam Ex nec tamquam referrentur, vix 1124 consetetur W. Park, Livingston, 59047 a change for the better.maiestatis, Ut nam maiorum senserit ea, ne iusMT minim 800-727-7217 • Id 406-222-3840 an agam philosophia This article aliquam is an excerpted reprint from the harum consectetuer. nam quis altera www.budgethostparkway.com third of thescripta Flyfisher. sed. 1975 Has issue an nibh nostrud, reprehendunt, accusata instructior in PHOTO BY XXXXXXXXXX

PARKWAY MOTEL

[20 ]

Flyfisher Spring - Summer 2015

IFFF COUNCIL HISTORY During the last 50 years, the International Federation of Fly Fishers has relied upon its councils and clubs to be the “feet on the stream” volunteer groups that carried on the work of the Federation at the local level. In the early years of its organization, the IFFF had four councils: the Eastern Council, the Midwest Council, the Rocky Mountain Council and The Western Council. But as time went by and more members joined the organization, it became apparent that four councils could not serve the membership adequately. Since the early 1980s the Federation has established new councils and restructured others to better serve the organization and its members. Each council has been encouraged to evaluate their geographic area and participate in projects and serve members in a way that best serves the needs of the membership. Here are some examples of how various councils have been able to create their own program to do just that.

EARLY YEARS Four councils: Eastern, Midwest, Rocky Mountain, Western

1980s Midwest Council divided into Great Lakes and Southern

Eastern Council divided into North Eastern, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern Rocky Mountain divided into Western Rocky Mountain, Eastern Rocky Mountain Western Council divided into Northwest Council, Southwest Council

Like 1990This Northwest Council divided into Oregon and Washington

1992 divided omnis Southwest exerci eamCouncil ei, autem mo- into

Southwest and Northern California lestie dissentiunt et vix. Feugiat deseruisse in Lakes sed. Ornatus vocibus into 1994 Great Council divided inciderint est and no. Harum iudico Great Lakes Great Rivers ad sit, ei utroque comprehensam 2006 eos. Southern Council divided into Southern Gulf Coast consulatu. Est anand saepe nonumes Vidit justo Nam at sint expli-to Florida leftcu theeum. Southeastern Council form the Floridabrute Council cari gubergren, ridens ex sed. An partem blandit mandamus mel, animal 2007 left the Great Lakes Council debitis Ohio maluisset ne est, cum animal to form the Ohio Council legimus admodum in. No vel vidit iracundia consequat, ad sonet effician2013 Great Rivers changed name to tur sit, inMidwest cum dicit fuisset. Est id iriur Upper numquam signiferumque no, utinam Texas left the Southern Council and the labitur vix in. Ius an alii deleniti. LaGulf Coast Council to form the Texas bore gubergren te pri, ea nec nemore Council faeleniti. Labore gubergren te pri, ea 2014 Mid-Atlantic changed name nec nemore facilis pertinax. Est idtoiriure Chesapeake legimus detracto. North Eastern Council Bio for author. Lorem ipsumdivided dolor sit into amet, North Eastern and Eastern Waters ubique eripuit in vix, an eum impetus qualisque. Cu nectoadmodum Refer the Councilconceptad. map on page 5 to view the geographic area covered by each.

PHOTO BY XXXXXXXXXX

FFF CONSERVATION WATCH

New Zealand mud snail wreaks havoc in Idaho, Montana waters By Marty Seldon

reproduce. It’s he older I get the more amazed a double insult. I am at the very serious conseAll but one in quences of people not taking 100,000 mud into account all possible effects from snails are fertile tampering with mother nature. ConPresident Ken Tidy • Established 2014 • www.ccifff.org females that sider the latest alien species to invade The Chesapeake Council was created to serve the IFFF reproduce on Yellowstone National Park, the New members and clubs in the states of Delaware, Maryland, their own. They Zealand mud snail. I became aware of Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia and Washington, give birth to live this crisis thanks to an article from the DC. Their Mission is to assist the regional members and young that are Aug. 25, 1996, Billings Gazette (“Little clubs promote the sport of fly-fishing through education already pregnant Critters - Big Threat”) sent to our club and conservation efforts. and armored. by old friend Maggie Merriman. While the Chesapeake Council may be new, it connects Independent First discovered in North America to its members through their newsletter “Watershed mollusk expert, in central Idaho in the Snake River, Moments,” website, Facebook presence and activities which support the members and clubs. The Council Terrance Frest, the mud snail now grows as thick as attends several regional shows to promote organizational was quoted, carpets in some areas. With a penny in activities and provide educational opportunities to the “Unless the the background, the photo in the news attending public. keepers of the article made the snail look to be about Park act quickly, 0.2 cm diameter by 0.4 cm long. These they may have beasts quickly multiply exponentially to write off the with densities up to 100,000 per square Marty Seldon was Madison River as a natural ecosystem. meter. Dan McGuire, an independent FFF Senior Adviser - Emeritus. He lived in They have a choice of letting the natives biologist, who was one of the first to Sunnyvale, Calif. This be ousted, or doing something about it identify mud snails in Yellowstone article is a reprint right now. Otherwise, you’re going to almost two years ago states that he has from the Autumn end up sacrificing the entire river.” seen tributaries of the Snake where the 1996 Flyfisher. entire bottom was composed of snails and snail shells. New Zealand mud snails are believed to have arrived in shipments of trout released into the Snake in the early to mid-1980s. They have since populated the Snake from American Falls near Pocatello, Idaho to the C J Strike Reservoir near Mountain Home, Idaho. From there a bird or an angler may have transported live snails “Hooked on Fly Fishing from to the Madison River in Yellowstone A to Z” is a wonderful introNational Park. They have since spread up the duction to the world of fly Madison and into the headwaters of fishing. Often seen as complex the Firehole River near Old Faithful. These prolific exotics have become the or intimidating, this graceful dominant invertebrate on the Madison form of fishing is anything between Madison Junction and West but, and this book shows Yellowstone. The fear is that these aliens will young readers just how easy squeeze out native caddisflies, mayflies it can be. Broken down into and stoneflies, all very important trout foods. In the early portions of their simple-to-understand pieces, life they forage the river bottom for The photos have a thick-thinchildren black can quickly connect the dots on how to get aquatic bacteria, as do insect larvae. border of 4 points. Trout eat these mud snails, but unlike started in this amazing sport, literally from A to Z. declining native species these foreign interlopers can shut a trap door in their tough shells and pass through the fish undigested, alive and ready to

CHESAPEAKE COUNCIL (CHC)

Hooked on Fly Fishing from A to Z PHOTO BY XXXXXXXXXX

Beverly Vidrine

Book orders: 504-251-8800 or walgamotte.shannon@gmail.com Flyfisher Spring - Summer 2015

[21 ]

EASTERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN COUNCIL (ERMC)

By Gary Grant

PHOTO BY XXXXXXXXXX

everal years ago, an article published in one of the national sporting periodicals conveyed an interesting message about outdoor ethics. The author discussed his recent attendance at a national sporting society meeting where the issue of sporting ethics was on the agenda. Attendees generally agreed with the many views and positions expressed concerning ethics for the hunter. But, according to the author, when the topic changed to ethics for the angler, few views and positions were discussed and none agreed upon. Since that time several articles about ethics have appeared in other sporting periodicals, some even addressing angling ethics. But these discussions seemed to lack a unifying theme or approach. The issue of angling ethics did seem to call out for examination by the Federation of Fly Fishers. During the Strategic Planning meeting held in conjunction with our 2001 annual show, those in attendance unanimously endorsed the concept that FFF needed to develop and promote a common angling ethic. A committee was chartered to research and develop a code. The work of that committee resulted in the following FFF Code of Angling Ethics. The efforts of many went into this work, and several contributed more than their fair share. A special thank you is extended to Jim Boyd, Susan Halblom, Jerry McBride and Marty Seldon; without their contributions the code would have been lacking. As the reader will note, the Code expresses the belief that ethical behavior is a key component of the angling experience, and that anglers must behave ethically towards each other, non-

The photos have a thick-thin black border of 4 points.

[22 ]

Flyfisher Spring - Summer 2015

anglers, and the environment. Ethical angling behavior is not a destination for one to boast about reaching. Rather, it is a continuous journey that will improve the overall angling experience.

Federation of Fly Fishers’ Code of Angling Ethics

President Bruce Brown • Established 1980s www. fedflyfishers.org/Councils/EasternRockyMountain The primary activities of the Council have been in support of native trout recovery and habitat improvement. There are more native trout species within ERMC borders than any other council. Efforts have included projects in support of native trout species including Apache and Gila in Arizona, Rio Grande in New Mexico, Colorado Cutthroat in Colorado and Yellowstone Cutthroat in Wyoming. Individual clubs have been heavily involved in initiating and completing projects involving both This is many the caption, under the photo. Thenative photosand have a non-native thick-thin fish in cooperation black borderwith of 4 state points.and federal agencies. ERMC has received several awards relating to fish conservation at local, state, and regional levels as well as from IFFF. Going forward the ERMC will continue their conservation and educational efforts as well as communicating with council clubs and the IFFF.

he mission of the Federation of Fly Fishers is to lead activities that enhance and support the fly fishing experience for all anglers who fish with the artificial fly. As part of our efforts to educate through fly fishing, we believe that ethical behavior is a key component of the angling experience. While the need to preserve for all anglers the natural beauty and quality of fisheries for future generations is paramount, consideration for fellow anglers cannot be overlooked. FFF believes it essential that fly anglers in all waters embrace an ethic that embodies consideration for the environment and for others whether they are fishing or not. This Code of Angling Ethics complements the Catch and Release philosophy that is the hall-

mark of the Federation of Fly Fishers and reflects the importance of ethical behavior for all anglers. Moreover, it provides a framework for improving the angling experience by combining consideration of the fishery with respectful conduct towards fellow anglers. Overall, the policy denotes a journey in ethical behavior for fly anglers and not a destination. Person-to-person and person-toresource ethics go hand-in-hand. Fly anglers strive to understand and practice the land ethic of Aldo Leopold, which extends ethical consideration to the land, plants, animals, fish, and water that comprise the entire ecosystem. An important part of this land ethic is that fly anglers support those programs that sustain high species diversity, and do not support policies that could cause the premature extinction of another species. The Native Fish Policy of the Federation of Fly Fishers is based on this ethic of preventing fish species extinction. The following nine behaviors comprise the Federation of Fly Fishers’ Code of Angling Ethics: • Angling ethics begin with understanding and obeying laws and regulations associated with the fishery. Fly anglers understand that their conduct relative to laws and regulations reflects on all anglers. Angling ethics

PHOTO BY XXXXXXXXXX

ANGLING ETHICS

President Patricia “Sam” Decker • Established 2014 www.fedflyfishers.org/Councils/EasternWaters The Council serves members in New York, New Jersey, Ontario, Canada and the Keystone Club in Pennsylvania. There are 12 Clubs in the Council with interests in all types of fishing including fresh and saltwater. Its goals are projects that relate to education and conservation.

ARTICLE HEADLINE

FLORIDA COUNCIL (FLC) Subhead - sometimes needed President Tom Gadacz Established 2006 • www.fff-florida.org By • Verne Lehmberg

The IFFF Florida Councilorem is a relatively newsit Council ipsum dolor amet,and has been involved in several conservation projects while ubique eripuit in vix, an eum actively supporting issues that affect Florida waters and the sport of fly fishing. impetus qualisque disputationi.

Sit te purto scriptorem, fugit minim et

The Council worked establish an exhibitvidisse at the concepFlorida mea.toCu nec admodum Gulf Coast Center For Fishing And Interactive Museum in tam. Ea pri modo labore, eu eum graeci Largo. There thousands of school children and adults are oblique dolorexposed to the sport of fly fishing.

The Council has an annual Casting Rendezvous in the late summer or early fall at the Catskills Museum. Every May em. Nam idque The Council reaches out to the clubs and members through the Council participates in the Boy Scout Jamboree at corpora id, regular communications and posting information on its West Point where casting lessons are given to hundreds rebum utamur website. The Council holds an annual event in October of of scouts and cadets. There is a free kids’ tying lesson at periculis qui. each year in Dania Beach,eaFlorida. the November International Symposium in Somerset, New Ei sed malorum Jersey, and a free Casting Tune Up held all three days have at a thick-thin black border of The photos the Fly Fishing Show in January, also in Somerset. dolores, natum 4 points.

begin with and transcend laws and regulations governing angling and the resources that sustain the sport. • The opportunity to participate in the sport of fly fishing is a privilege and a responsibility. Fly anglers respect private property and always ask permission before entering or fishing private property. They seek to understand and follow the local customs and practices associated with the fishery. They share the waters equally with others whether they are fishing or engaging in other outdoor activities.

• Fly fishers minimize their imARTICLE HEADLINE

pact on the- sometimes environment and fishery Subhead needed

by adopting practices that do not degrade quality of the banks, By Vernethe Lehmberg waters, and the overall watersheds dolor sit amet, uponorem whichipsum fisheries depend. These ubique eripuit in vix, practices include avoiding an theeum introimpetus qualisque disputationi. duction of species not native to an Sitecosystem, te purto scriptorem, fugit minim et and cleaning and drying mea. Cu nec admodum vidisse confishing gear to prevent the inadverceptam. Ea pri modo labore,exotics eu eum tent transport of invasive graeci oblique dolorem. Nam idque that may threaten the integrity of an corpora id, rebum utamur periculis ea aquatic ecosystem. In simplest terms, qui. Ei sed malorum dolores, natum fly anglers always leave the fishery vidisse at,when wisi tota bettermel than theydetraxit found it.mel ad. Ex nec tamquam referrentur, vix • Fly anglers endeavor conserve senserit consetetur ea, ne iustominim fisheries by understanding the harum consectetuer. Id nam quisimporaltera tance of limiting their instructior catch. “Catch reprehendunt, accusata in andMundi release” is annominavi important compomel. dolor mei at, nent of sustaining premium fisheries qui id habeo dicant minimum, graeco that are being over-harvested. Flyut suscipiantur in ius. Dictas omittam anglers release fish properly cum, in exerci ridens accusata and has, with id They promote the seaminimal rebum harm. verear.Ut nam maiorum use of barbless hooks and angling maiestatis, an agam aliquam philosopractices that are more challenging phia sed. Has an nibh scripta nostrud,

vidisse mel at, wisi tota detraxit mel ad. or Ex craft. but which help to sustain healthy fish necThey do not block entrances to bays or otherwise impede othpopulations. tamquam The photos have a thick-thin ers. Fly anglers do not unnecessarily referrentur, black border of 4 points. • Fly anglers do not judge the disturb the water by improperly lowvix senserit methods of fellow anglers. Fly fishering anchors or slapping the water consetetur ea, ne ius minim harum ers share their knowledge of skills with paddles or oars. consectetuer. Id nam quis altera repreand techniques. They help others to hendunt, accusata instructior in mel. • Fly anglers always compliment understand that fly fishing contribMundi nominavi mei at,this quiCode id otherdolor anglers and promote utes to sound fisheries conservation habeo dicant minimum, graeco suscipiof Angling Ethics to them whether practices. antur ius.with Dictas theyinfish a flyomittam or not. ut cum, in • Fly anglers treat fellow anglers exerci ridens accusata has, id sea rebum as they would expect to be treated. verear.Ut nam maiorum maiestatis, an They do not impose themselves on or agam aliquam philosophia sed. Has otherwise interfere with other anglers. an nibh scripta nostrud, omnis exerci They wait a polite time, and then, if eam ei, autem molestie dissentiunt et necessary, request vix. Feugiat deseruisse in sed. Ornatus omnis exerci eam ei, autem molestie permission to fish inciderint no. Harum iudico FEDERATION OF FLYvocibus FISHERS’ CODE OFest ANGLING ETHICS dissentiunt et vix. Feugiat deseruisse in through. They ad and sit, ei utroque comprehensam eos. • Fly anglers understand obey laws and regulations sed. Harum utroque with the fishery. may inviteiudico other ad sit, eiassociated Ut nam maiorum maiestatis, comprehensam anglers to fish eos. • Fly anglers believe fly a privilegephilosophia and a responsibility. anfishing agamisaliquam Est antheir saepepononumes• conthrough Fly anglers conservesed. fisheries by limiting catch. Ad pro erudititheir consulatu. sulatu. Vidit cu eum.•Nam sitions. Fly justo fishers Fly anglers do not judge fellow anglers andnumquam treat them as they Cu mel eius domri at when sint explicari brute expect to be treated. enteringgubergren, would signiferumque no, Has an nibh ridens ex sed. An Fly anglers respect the watersnostrud, occupiedomnis by other anglers so that an occupied runpartem •blandit scripta exerci eam fish are not disturbed. mandamus mel, animal debitis or area always ei, autem molestie dissentiunt • When fishing from a watercraft, fly anglers do not crowd other maluisset est, cum animal move inne behind et vix. Feugiat deseruisse anglers or craft or unnecessarily disturb the water.in sed. legimus admodum other anglers, notin. No vel vidit Ornatus vocibus inciderint est no. • Fly anglers respect other angling methods and promote this iracundia consequat, in front of them ad sonet Harum iudico ad sit, ei utroque Code of Angling Ethics to all anglers. efficiantur cum dicit fuiswhether sit, in ainboat comprehensam eos. set.orEst id iriure legimus detracto. wading. Iudico causae mea et. Eos case Ad pro eruditi consulatu. Ad pro audiam habemus in. Ad pro eruditi • Fly anglers when sharing the eruditi consulatu. Ad pro eruditi consulatu. Cu in. Ius an alii delwater allow fellow anglers ample consulatu. eniti. Labore gubergren te pri, ea nec room so as not to disturb anyone’s Iudico causae mea et. Eos case aunemoOrnatus vocibus inciderint est no. fishing experience. They always fish diam habemus in. Ad pro eruditi conre facilis pertinax. Est id iriure legimus in a manner that causes as little dissulatu. Cu mel eius domri numquam detracto. This article is a turbance as practical to the water and gubergren te pri, ea nec nemoOrnatus reprint from the fish. They take precautions to keep Bio for author. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, vocibus inciderint est no. re facilis pertiWinter 2003 ubique eripuit in vix, an eum impetus qualisque. their shadow from falling across the nax. Est id iriure legimus detracto. Cu nec admodum conceptam. EaFlyfisher. pri modo labore, water (walking a high bank).

Bio for author. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, o • When from watercraft laboresse melfishing at, wisi tota detraxit mel ad.

fly anglers do not crowd other anglers

eu eum graeci oblique dolorem. Nam idque rebum utamur periculis ea qui. Ei sed malorum dolores, natum vidisse mel at, wisi tota detraxit mel ad.

Flyfisher Spring - Summer 2015

[23 ]

PHOTO BY XXXXXXXXXX

EASTERN WATERS COUNCIL (EWC)

SCOGGINS RECEIVES CUTTCATCH AWARD

IFFF EVENTS May 2015

Council Expo. 28-29 Texas New Braunfels, Texas. www.txflyfishexpo.com Chesapeake Council Learning Day 30 for Families. Izaak Walton League, Pylesville, Maryland. vp@ccifff.org June 2015

Great Lakes Council. Fly Fishing 12-14 School & Conclave, Higgins Lake near Roscommon and Grayling, Michigan.

www.fffglctesting.com Carp Throwdown, Intra-Club Tournament. Lake Henshaw, California. www.swc-fff.org Ohio Council Warm Water Conclave Bellville, OH. www.ohiofff.org Rush Creek Cleanup. Eastern Sierra June Lake Loop, California. www.swc-fff.org

13 27 27

July 2015

24-26

IFFF Upper Midwest Council Fly Fishing School. Rushford, Minnesota. Contact theggestad57@gmail.com August 2015 50th Anniversary of the International Federation of Fly Fishers. Bend, Oregon. fair@fedflyfishers.org. www.fedflyfishers.org

11-15

September 2015 Gulf Coast Council Fly Fair. Ocean Springs Civic Center, Ocean Springs, Mississippi. www.gulfcoastfff.org

18-19

October 2015 Florida Council Expo. International Game Fish Association (IGFA) Museum, Dania Beach, Florida. www.fff-florida.org SWC Fly Fishing Faire. Bishop, California. www.swc-fff.org 27th Annual North Toledo Bend Rendezvous. North Toledo Bend State Park, Zwolle, Louisiana. Cosponsored by the Gulf Coast and Texas Councils http://pages.suddenlink.net/w/Rendez/indexR.html

2-3 16-18 30-Nov1

November 2015 GLC Fly Tying Expo. Lansing, Michigan. www.fffglctesting.com

Events are subject to change. For the most current information, please visit www.fedflyfishers.org.

IFFF CASTING INSTRUCTOR CERTIFICATION The following events offer IFFF Casting Instructor Certification. Pre-registration is required. Call 406-222-9369 to register. You must be a current IFFF member. May 29. CI/MCI Test #1506 Atlanta, Georgia May 29. CI/MCI Test #1507 New Braunfels, Texas (Workshops available May 28)

June 4-7. CI/MCI/ THCI Test #0215 Pilichowice, Poland September 11-12. CI/MCI/THCI Test #0515 Bellingham, England

Casting test events are often scheduled with other IFFF events, so please check the IFFF Casting Testing Calendar for updates. www.fedflyfishers.org/ Casting/CalendarofEventsTestingDates.aspx

IFFF CASTING CONTINUING EDUCATION Continuing education classes for certified instructors are available and posted on the IFFF website. For more information about all casting events,

please visit: The photos havewww.fedflyfishers.org/Casting/ a thick-thin black border of 4 points. CalendarofEventsTestingDates.aspx

[24 ]

Flyfisher Spring - Summer 2015

enior Conservation Adviser Rick Williams contacted the Flyfisher staff to advise that Oregon’s Thomas Scoggins from Astoria had successfully completed the Cuttcatch Challenge. He managed to capture four subspecies of cutthroat trout during June and September in 2014. His adventure started on June 29 on Clatsop County, Oregon’s Big Creek upstream from the salmon hatchery when a 12 1/2-inch Coastal cutthroat inhaled his Yellow Stimulator. Clatsop County streams are Scoggins’ home waters, where he catches a couple thousand cutthroat trout each year. Two months later on September 17 on Idaho’s Lochsa River he caught his second fish when

a 13-inch Westslope cutthroat took his Parachute Caddis. The next weekend he found the Yellowstone River in Yellowstone National Park near the Tower Fall access trail a great place to advance his Cuttcatch Challenge goal. There he captured a 14-inch Yellowstone cutthroat on a Parachute Caddis. His journey was concluded the next day on September 25, 2014 when a Foam Hopper tricked a 13-inch Snake River fine-spotted cutthroat living in the Gros Ventre River into inhaling it. The river is located in Teton County, Wyoming just inside Teton National Park. Thomas Scoggins had to travel to three states to capture his Cuttcatch Challenge Award taking just a couple of months to complete his goal. What about all of you reading this announcement? Are you up to the challenge? Let us know if you have completed the challenge so we can feature you in this section of the Flyfisher. Good luck on the water!

GREAT LAKES COUNCIL (GLC) President Jim Schramm • Established 1980 • www.fffglc.org Since its formation in 1980, the Great Lakes Council and its clubs have been involved in numerous projects on rivers and lakes in Michigan and Indiana. While the focus has been on the Au Sable and Pere Marquette watersheds because of the Anglers of the Au Sable and Pere Marquette Watershed Council, projects have taken place in all of the area’s major watersheds. The GLC has held a Fly Fishing School & Fair in June of each year for the past 25 years. Education programs, classes and workshops for the beginner, intermediate and advanced fly anglers covering all aspects of fly fishing are scheduled. The GLC’s clubs also have many education programs reaching out to youth and adults who are interested in fly fishing. For the past 15 years on the first Saturday in November the GLC has held a Fly Tying Expo. While the event focuses on fly tiers demonstrating their tying skill, education programs are also presented promoting all aspects of fly fishing.

PHOTO BY XXXXXXXXXX

C ALENDAR

Coalition seeks to save blue-ribbon smallmouth fishery By Billie Jean Plaster

PHOTO BY XXXXXXXXXX

ARTICLE HEADLINE

Subhead - sometimes needed By Verne Lehmberg

orem ipsum dolor sit amet, of public comments, more than 1,500 conservation group has formed in Arkansas to battle ubique eripuit in vix, an eum so far, according to Emily Whitlock. against gravel mining operations in what may be the impetus qualisque disputationi. Of those, about 95 percent them country’s foremost smallmouth bass stream, Crooked Sit te of purto scriptorem, fugit minim et are in favor of the ERW designation. Creek. Dave and Emily Whitlock are heading up Crooked mea. Cu nec admodum vidisse concep“The goal is to make aware. Through Creek Coalition (CCC), a group of interested fly fishers and tam.the Eapublic pri modo labore, eu eum graeci letters to the Legislature and Governor, environmentalists, which seeks to have the creek designated oblique dolor- they will know the backing for it,” Emily said. as an extraordinary resource water (ERW) by the Arkansas em. Nam idque The PC&E was duecorpora to present Department of Pollution, Control and Ecology (PC&E). id, a recommendation at the Jan. 24 meeting of the Board of Commissioners for the state. Even The group claims that the mining to remove gravel rebum utamur though PC&E may recommend the designation, the commission from the stream bed is destroying smallmouth bass habitat periculis ea qui. doesn’t have to approve it, according to the Whitlocks. and water quality in addition to the scenic beauty of this Ei sed malorum The photos have a thick-thin black border of Smallmouth bass are sensitive fish that can’t tolerate Ozark stream. Crooked Creek was ranked in41990 dolores, natum points.as the environmental disturbance and known as “indicator No.1 stream in terms of smallmouth bass growth rates. An vidisse melpollution, at, species” of good waterwisi quality. Arkansas State University study indicates the cost of in-stream tota de“Once the fish are lost, nomel amount gravel mining is higher than the economic benefit to the state. traxit ad. of new fishing regulations can bring them back,” said Snuggs The 87-rnile stream in north central Arkansas empties Ex necBrown, a CCC member. Dave Whitlock believes that the acceleration of gravel into the White River. A recent fly-over spotted 43 gravel tamquam The photos have a thick-thin mining has already slowed down growth mines, 26 of them active. The ERW status would ban gravel referrentur,the smallmouth’s black border of 4 points. rates. He told Northwest mining and require wastewater discharge be treated to the vixArkansas senserit Times, “I think the growth rate is probably 25 to 30 percent less than was.” harum highest level of technology available. consetetur ea, ne iusitminim A letter-writing campaign has produced a record number IdFlyfisher. nam quis altera repreThis article is a reprint fromconsectetuer. the Winter 1997 hendunt, accusata instructior in mel. Mundi dolor nominavi mei at, qui id habeo dicant minimum, graeco suscipiantur in ius. Dictas omittam ut cum, in ‘The Great American Fly Fishing Calendar’ Fly Plate Series exerci ridens accusata has, id sea rebum verear.Ut nam maiorum maiestatis, an significant fund-raising event by FFF this year involves agam aliquam philosophia sed. Has the work of a dozen talented American fly tiers, a very an nibh scripta nostrud, omnis exerci cooperative couple from New Zealand, a handful of eam ei, autem molestie dissentiunt et craftsmen from California and a number of FFF leaders. vix. Feugiat deseruisse in sed. Ornatus Twelve 20” x 30” gold metal framed fly plates are being vocibus inciderint est no. Harum iudico sold as a set. Only sealed bids will be accepted, and all bids ad sit, ei utroque comprehensam eos. must reach FFF Offices in West Yellowstone by July 31, 1991. Ut nam maiorum maiestatis, A minimum bid has been set at $24,000. an agam aliquam philosophia Nancy and Bryan Tichborne live in New Zealand. They sed. Ad pro eruditi consulatu. produced a calendar for 1990 that featured the work of the 12 Cu mel eius domri numquam tiers. Paintings of flies, a pen and ink portrait (both by Nancy) signiferumque no, Has an nibh and a biography of the tier appeared as two-page displays for scripta nostrud, omnis exerci eam each month of the year. ei, autem molestie dissentiunt Darwin Atkin of Porterville, California approached the et vix. Feugiat deseruisse in sed. Tichbornes about using the calendar to support FFF. They Ornatus vocibus inciderint est no. agreed. Each tier contributed flies to match those featured in the Harum iudico ad sit, ei utroque any and all bids. Bidding calendar and FFF financed the production of the plates. Darwin is open to individuals, comprehensam eos. was assisted in this task by Wayne Luallen and Tom Leach. The Iudico causae mea et. Eos case corporations and finished plates are of exceptionally high quality. Whoever buys audiam habemus in. Ad pro eruditi businesses of any size. them will be able to display them for many decades. consulatu. Cu in. Ius an alii delThis article is a reprint from The 12 featured tiers are: Darwin Atkin, Bill Blackstone, eniti. Labore gubergren te pri, ea nec the Summer 1992 Flyfisher. Gary Borger, Steve Fernandez, George Grant, Bonnie and vocibus inciderint est no. Editor’s note: Darwin Atkin nemoOrnatus is Rene Harrop, Lefty Kreh, Wayne Luallen, Jimmy Nix, Polly re facilis pertinax. Est id iriure legimus responsible for raising many Rosborough, Lani Waller and David Whitlock. thousands of dollars for thedetracto. If a minimum bid is not received by the July 31 deadline, IFFF over the years. A special Bio for author. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, recognition must also go to FFF will auction four of the plates at the 1991 International ubique eripuit in vix, an eum impetus qualisque. Steve Jenkins who worked FFF Conclave, to be held in West Yellowstone, Montana, Cu nec admodum conceptam. Ea pri modo labore, with Darwin over the years and in 2000 took over the fundraising efforts August 5-10. The remaining eight plates will be made eu eum graeci oblique dolorem. Nam idque rebum with the Legions of Fly Tying fly plate series. He also is responsible for utamur periculis ea qui. Ei sed malorum dolores, available to FFF Councils, or otherwise utilized to raise funds raising many thousands of dollars for the IFFF. natum vidisse mel at, wisi tota detraxit mel ad. for FFF. The Federation reserves the right to accept or reject

FFF FUNDRAISER

Flyfisher Spring - Summer 2015

[25 ]

PHOTO BY XXXXXXXXXX

MINING CROOKED CREEK

IFFF NATURAL MATERIALS POLICY PHOTO BY MAX BIRNKAMMER

By Tom Logan

re those materials lying at your fly tying vise legal to be using? Most of them are, but you do need to be aware that specific state, federal and international laws do apply to the legal possession, transportation and use of natural materials (i.e. feathers and furs) for tying flies. You should also be aware that the International Federation of Fly Fishers adopted a new policy in December 2014 that fly tiers who are invited to teach or demonstrate fly tying at IFFF events possess at those events only those natural materials that are in full compliance with applicable laws regarding possession, transportation and use for any purpose. Most of the natural materials we tie with in the United States are feathers of wild game birds (quail, grouse, pheasant and turkeys) and furs of mammals (deer, moose, elk, mink, squirrel and rabbit) that are either harvested during hunting or trapping seasons set by individual state laws or raised for sale as licensed captive flocks or herds. These materials generally may be used for any purpose, traded with our friends and even sold; although, some states may prohibit sale of some harvested furs. Key is that these materials must either be harvested during a hunting season or be from a captive source. Furs of seal and polar bear are not legal for tying flies in the U.S. These animals are protected from over-exploitation in the wild under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) that prohibits possession, transportation, sale or purchase of their furs within the U.S., unless from a documented source that predates 1972. One exception is that native people may harvest these animals and sell their furs in the form of hand-made products they may sell as a historic cultural practice. The MMPA only applies to the U.S. Seal fur that may be legally possessed and marketed in other countries cannot be legally transported into the U.S. Migratory birds, other than waterfowl, deserve special attention because these species are protected from all forms of exploitation in North America under provisions of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) of 1918. This law originally was enacted when many species of songbirds, doves, waterfowl and other water birds, such as herons, egrets, cranes and plovers, were being market-hunted to near extinction during the early part of the last century. Provisions were later incorporated in the MBTA to allow regulated hunting of many species of ducks, geese, cranes and â&#x20AC;&#x153;weblessâ&#x20AC;? migratory birds, such as snipes, woodcock and doves. Feathers of legally harvested waterfowl may be used for fly tying and many also are available from domesticated captive flocks. Although tempting to pick up and use a blue jay, hawk, owl or heron feather found in the yard, woods or at waterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s edge, these feathers are not legal to possess for any purpose. The MBTA does not distinguish between a single feather found in the yard and one from an illegally shot bird in order for the law to be enforceable. A few species of migratory birds that include starlings may be taken, possessed and used for fly tying under provisions of this law at any time because they are considered established nonnative pest species.

[26 ]

Flyfisher Spring - Summer 2015

Many species of foreign game birds (i.e. grouse, partridge, quail, pheasants, tinamous and even gray junglefowl) were imported during the early to mid-1950s for experimental game stocking programs throughout the U.S. Although stockings of Chinese ring-necked pheasant, chukar and Hungarian partridge were the only successful introductions, many of these species have been maintained as captive flocks and are available from reputable sources as fly tying materials. The Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species is of particular importance to fly tiers who may travel across international borders. This international law was entered into by 151 countries in 1975 to prohibit over-exploitation of species in the wild around the world. It focuses both on harvest of these species within countries where they occur as well as their commercial trade across borders into countries where they do not naturally exist and where necessary regulations would not otherwise exist. Materials of birds of particular interest are junglefowl, some of the exotic pheasants and the colorful tropical species. Fortunately, junglefowl and the exotic pheasants are available from licensed sources for purchase in the United States and acceptable substitutes exist for the tropical species for tying fancy patterns that historically included those materials in their dressings. It may seem unnecessary for a law to prohibit the possession and use of even just one feather, but it is important to understand that a law must be written in such a way as to be enforceable and to achieve its conservation purpose. Each of those laws also includes provisions that allow levels of take and commercial trade that can be regulated consistent with wellbeing of species in the wild. It also is important to understand that these laws collectively have been very successful in the prevention of species extinction around the world and recovery of others, including within the U.S. Fly tiers can protect themselves and support species conservation in the wild with a general awareness of applicable laws, but most importantly by purchasing natural fly tying materials only from reputable and authorized sources. This is particularly important when transporting natural materials across international borders.

THE PRICE OF OUR SPORT

Fishing is a commodity that must be paid for, one way or another By Lee Wulff

t is unfortunate that those who would benefit most from the application of the only possible way of having really good, public stream fishing in the U.S. are most firmly opposed to it. It is the poor and those who want their “money’s worth” in dead fish who consistently oppose the single hook artificial. Fishing, and particularly fly fishing, is not only a sport but a commodity. It can be bought in most parts of the world and it has a value ... sometimes a surprisingly high one. Few Americans realize that the fee for one person to fish for Atlantic salmon Lee Wulff on the Alta River in Norway, for one week, is the princely sum of $5,000 and even then, except for one, the salmon he catches belong to the owners of the river. Overpriced? Nothing with a waiting list is overpriced, and there is a waiting list. Ridiculous? Only to someone who will admit that a Cadillac is worth more than a Chevrolet, but not that the opportunity to fish one stream is more valuable than to fish another. We Americans are dedicated to the foolish premise that the right to fish is God given. That it comes like rain, automatically, to be shared equally by all. In general, our streams are public, expropriated by courts who ruled that any river a canoe can float on is a navigable river when the judges knew well that the lawmakers who established the laws meant by “navigable” the passage of freighters or boats of considerable draft. Only in a few areas can individuals, like those who saved the bulk of the Continues next page

GULF COAST COUNCIL (GCC) President Kyle Moppert • Established 2006 www.gulfcoastfff.org Since its establishment the Gulf Coast Council has focused on building partnerships that have varied from restoring fish populations in Texas to creating fish habitats in Alabama. As Chris Blankenship, Director of Marine Resources for Alabama was quoted, “It is through partnerships such as this that we are able to maximize the benefits for the marine resources and fishermen of Alabama.” The Gulf Coast Council holds an annual Expo every September where hundreds of Federators and invited guests gather for fly tying and casting demonstrations.

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA COUNCIL (NCC)

President Ken Brunskill • Established 1992 • www.nccfff.org

NCC has several areas of focus including conservation efforts relating to water issues in California and particularly on fisheries focused on anadromous fish (steelhead, salmon, shad and stripers) and the 11 species of heritage trout. Education efforts are three-fold and they include the Veterans First Fly Fishing program that was initiated in 2010 and has expanded to two other councils; Boy Scouts of America Fly Fishing Merit Badge program; and Trout In the Classroom, where 1,150 classrooms with roughly 28,750 students raised trout from eggs up to fingerlings and released them into an approved body of water. NCC’s educational outreach has three regular functions that include fly tying demonstrations at the January International Sportsman Exhibition in Sacramento, California; the Learning Center at the February ‘Fly Fishing Show’ in Pleasanton; and the Veterans First Fly Fishing annual dinner on the first Saturday after Veterans Day each year.

TROUT IN THE CLASSROOM Program expanding By Charlie Cole

rograms sponsored by the Southwest Council are moving forward and expanding, reaching new people all the time. The Trout in the Classroom reaches over 3,000 children annually in schools, teaching them the importance of clean water, the life within the stream and providing an introduction to fly fishing. This program is expanding every year and we are finding more teachers wanting to join the program but only so much equipment is available. We are working to solve this problem. The Fisheries Resource Volunteer Corps, working closely with the Forest Service, is patrolling the wild trout streams Deep and Bear creeks in San Bernardino National Forest. This year San Antonio Creek in the Angeles National Forest was added. Fifty-five volunteers have made over 3,000 contacts, informing people of the stream’s regulations and in some cases providing assistance while patrolling over 2,000 miles of stream. Other national forest areas in California have requested that the program be expanded to include their streams. The Women’s Educational Program has been very well accepted by a large number of clubs in the council. The clubs have indicated an increase in activity by women at the club level and an increase in membership as a whole. The council can be proud of this program and the ladies leading the way.

This article is reprinted from the Fall 1996 Flyfisher.

Flyfisher Spring - Summer 2015

[27 ]

THE PRICE OF OUR SPORT Continued from previous page

redwoods, own and control streams and preserve their fishing value for their heirs. In general our streams are managed by men who have no special permanent interest in them and are under pressure of the voters, who are more concerned with getting their share now than foregoing present pleasure or food in favor of posterity. This is true mainly because they still will not recognize fishing for the very valuable commodity it is. So, in our ignorance, we have one license fee that permits the fishing of any stream in a large area. Streams are not graded as Chevrolets, Pontiacs, Oldsmobiles and Cadillacs are. And because of this, as soon as one stream is found to be better than the others the writers or the managers, themselves, publicize this fact. Immediately a horde of anglers rushes to the fine river to beat it down to the level of the others. No really good fishing can ever maintain itself under the regulations of “uniform easy access and uniform generous fish limits.” It is as if we were to ban the sale of Cadillacs and set the price of a Volkswagen as the maximum anyone could pay and designate that class of vehicle as the most expensive anyone could own. Who suffers? Not the rich man who can travel to and pay for the fishing on forgotten or private waters, but the poor man whose only fishing must be in the rivers near his home. The best fishing an individual can have is not fishing that is managed for the greatest production but rather where none of the crop has been harvested. Every trout taken out of a stream carrying its maximum capacity of trout makes the fishing a little poorer. If we can keep all the trout a stream will support in all streams at all times, we will have the best possible fishing available to the greatest number with the added value of a greater reward for the most deserving. It will be skill, not money which will bring its reward in fish hooked and played, a premise both truly democratic and truly sporting. One of the things that makes me proud of being an American sportsman is that ours is the only country in which

NORTH EASTERN COUNCIL (NEC) President Burr Tupper • Established 1980s www.fedflyfishers.org/Councils/NorthEastern The IFFF motto of all waters and all fish is being applied by the NEC on a daily basis. There has always been a strong focus on the trout and salmon populations in the northeast, but the Council also has had an increasing number of new members interested in saltwater fly fishing. Due to this interest the NEC has formed a strong relationship with Stripers Forever. With Stripers Forever we have cohosted a fund raising banquet, testified at a legislative hearing, and supported telephone drives. The Council provides educational activities at the Learning Center during The Fly Fishing Show in Marlborough, Massachusetts. The NEC averages two Boy Scout of America Camporees per year and for the last eight years was selected by the U.S. Military Academy to provide casting lessons at their BSA Camporee.

[28 ]

Flyfisher Spring - Summer 2015

we return fish to the stream after capture. Nowhere else in the world do anglers catch fish purely for sport, returning them again for another angler’s pleasure or their own future sport. It is time to say again “A good game fish is too valuable to be caught only once” and to add “Let our streams be filled with all the fish they will support and let our sport be the best, the most exciting, the most satisfying and, more than that, available to all. ...” One of the most respected fly fishers in the sport, Lee Wulff was among the group who helped launch the Federation of Fly Fishers and played an instrumental role in its development over the years. This article first appeared in Summer 1968, the second issue of the Flyfisher. Lee Wulff died April 28, 1991 at the age of 86.

OHIO COUNCIL (OHC) President Jeff McElravy • Established 2007 • www.ohiofff.org Ohio was a part of the Great Lakes Council until 2007. At that time it was decided to establish the council to better serve the members in Ohio. It will hold the 2015 OHC Warm Water Conclave on June 27th in Bellville, Ohio in conjunction with the Mohican Fly Fishers of Ohio.

OREGON COUNCIL (ORC) President Sherry Steele • Established 1988 • www.nwexpo.com The Oregon Council’s main focus is education and conservation and using the NW Fly Tyers & Fly Fishing Expo as its keystone and largest fundraising event. The revenues generated by the Expo are used by the Oregon Council to provide educational programs on fly tying, casting and fishing. The Council sponsors several conservation projects through different watershed groups and provides two $1,500 scholarships yearly to Oregon State University for students majoring in fishery management. Also, substantial contributions have been made to the Casting for Recovery programs over the last two years. The first Expo was held in 1989 in Eugene and is now held every year on the second weekend in March at the Linn County Expo Center in Albany, Oregon.

CERTIFICATION BEGINS FFF CASTING By Judy Lehmberg, EVP Education

f you are involved in any major sport other than fly fishing you are probably aware of instructor certification programs that assure certain standards are maintained. In the past, beginning fly fishers have had no mechanism to find a good casting instructor. Now they do. The Federation of Fly Fishers has initiated a casting instructor certification program. One of the major obstacles to becoming a proficient fly fisher is learning to cast, and a good instructor is your most valuable asset when learning. There are many excellent casting instructors, but there are mediocre ones as well. The FFF Casting Instructor Certification Program has established reasonable standards and offers the beginner a simple method of identifying qualified instructors. The program is composed of three groups, the Board of Governors, the Certification Committee and the Certified Casting Instructors. The Board of Governors is composed of 15 of the most widely recognized fly casting experts in the world: Gary Borger, Leon Chandler, Chico Fernandez, Jim Green, Lefty Kreh, Mel Krieger, Al Kyte, Steve Rajeff, Bruce Richards, Allan Rohrer, Barbara Rohrer, Doug Swisher, Lou Tabory, Dave Whitlock and Joan Wulff. The Board of Governors’ major function is to teach, test and recommend individuals as FFF Certified Casting Instructors. They will also, along with the FFF Board of Education Policies Committee, set policy, establish testing guidelines and control the program. The FFF Casting Instructor Certification Committee is

THE FLY TYING GROUP

The first Board of Governors meets in Whitefish By David Nelson

he FFF Fly Tying Group (FTG) Board of Governors met in Whitefish during the 2008 Conclave. The minutes of that meeting are posted online at the website listed at the end. The Board has representatives (view their profiles online) from 11 different councils, plus one international representative. Current projects are quite varied but all are directed toward helping fly tiers. One project is developing the FTG website. It is currently in a temporary location and will be moved at some point to the FFF website. One FTG goal is to get wider representation of all councils in our group of demonstration tiers. We were quite successful in initiating a system of contacts within the tying committees of all councils, which resulted in better representation at Whitefish. Other conclave tying projects that the FTG was able to accomplish included a video theater, a novice tier area, Flex-a-top boxes for the tiers to distribute their flies to the public, handouts, educational displays and neater tables. A plan was discussed to attract more international tiers. Hans Weilenmann, the international board member, suggested a program to find local fishermen to be “sponsors” of international tiers. We would expect them to take the guest fishing and help locate lodging and transportation where it is needed. The sponsor would not have financial responsibility for the guest. If you have any interest in participating, please contact Pat Oglesby in the United States at pcoglesby@bresnan.net or Hans Weilenmann in the Netherlands at flytier@telfort.nl.

composed of individuals who, in the opinion of any Board of Governors member, are successfully teaching fly casting. Nominated by any member of the Board of Governors, they will receive special certification without testing and will be asked to contribute suggestions to the Board of Governors. They will pay the same registration fees as the other certified instructors, a $25 initial fee plus $10 per year. The third group is the actual FFF Certified Casting Instructors. These individuals will be taught and tested by the Board of Governors. After successful testing and payment of a $25 registration fee, these instructors will receive a certificate and patch so they can be identified as a FFF Certified Casting Instructor. Their names will be available from the FFF office to anyone wishing a list of qualified casting instructors. Because this program is new we are still working out some of the details. Some of those details will be discussed at the first meeting of the Board of Governors at the Federation Fly Fishing Expo in Livingston, Montana next summer. Board of Governors members will teach casting instructors throughout the year at regional as well as international conclaves, including the Livingston show. Start making your plans now to attend the Federation Expo in ’93. You will be able to rub elbows with the finest fly casters in the world! The article is a reprint from the Fall 1992 Flyfisher.

The most ambitious project is to develop an online resource for fly tying class instructors. Jim Ferguson at j.ferguson@comcast.net volunteered to chair this effort and is interested in your help. Sample handouts are available on the website, or make your own and then share it with us so we all can benefit. Board member Sister Carole Ann Corley at srccorley@hotmail.com will chair a Youth Outreach Committee with assistance from Monte Smith and Jon Uhlenhop. Sr. Corley was the former educational and program director for the United States Youth Fly Fishing Association, so she is well qualified to chair this position. Steve Jensen will head the Framing Committee. The committee’s goal is to create an online framing guide so anyone wishing to frame flies has a place with reference material. Steve has been teaching workshops at Conclave for many years and has framed the International Fly Tyers Fly Plate Project and the Legends of Fly Tying fly plates. Henrika Prescott will head an Elder Outreach Committee. Many of our seniors are physically restricted in that they cannot get out to the streams, but Prescott has found that many are still interested in fly tying and find it is an activity that they can do despite other limitations. She was president of St. Andrews Fly Fishers in Panama City, Florida and started a local program for seniors. Contact her at panamapinkey@roadrunner.com. If you are interested in joining the Fly Tying Group or helping with a project, information is on the website at www.davidlnelson.mdjFFF_FlyTyingGroup. This article is a reprint from the Autumn 2008 Flyfisher.

Flyfisher Spring - Summer 2015

[29 ]

Campaign aims to save seagrass

By Verne Lehmberg, VP Conservation and trails through the bumper-sticker campaign urgshallow flats that can ing boaters to avoid causing be safely traversed. damage to saltwater grass flats “Drifting, poling from propellers was launched this fall and trolling motors by the Federation of Fly Fishers. would still be allowed Bumper stickers that ask boaters in these areas,” said to “Keep Off the Grass” are being disDr. Larry McKintributed initially in Texas, with similar ney, TPW aquatic stickers planned for Florida and other resources director. “I coastal states. would emphasize that “Shallow water grass flats are among these are temporary the most important marine environments measures that will be in the world,” Tom Jindra, saltwater The light lines in this aerial shot of Redfish Bay evaluated for five years through 2005. conservation chair said. “They are show damage done to seagrass. We’ll monitor what happens at both also among the most delicate and most locations and can make changes each abused. In Galveston Bay alone, we’ve precipitate out, and the root systems year as needed. We hope we’ll see most already lost 95 percent of our seagrass. help control erosion by holding soils in boaters following the voluntary guide“Now, prop scars are only one place. The grass is especially important lines and seagrass beds coming back as part of the problem, but it’s a part that in Florida and Texas, which together a result.” sportsmen can control,” Jindra said. “By have 95 percent of the 800,000 acres simply asking boaters to ‘Keep of seagrasses that occur in Off the Grass,’ we can accomthe estuaries along the Gulf plish a great deal. We must do of Mexico. The extent of the our part in protecting these flats. grass beds varies from one bay Our sport depends on healthy system to another. In Texas, fisheries, but you can’t have for example, the percenthealthy fisheries if your habitat age of the bay covered with disappears.” seagrasses varies from a low of The Federation stickers 0.3 percent in the Galveston were designed after Texas Parks Bay system to a high of 75 and Wildlife (TPW) Commispercent in the upper Laguna Shallow water grass flats are an sion approved two seagrass improveMadre. In a 1988 survey of the Laguna important nursery for many marine ment projects on June 1. The details Madre, shoal grass, Halodule wrightii, organisms such of the proposal were presented by Dr. as gamefish, Bill Harvey of TPW. Those projects, in baitfish, shrimp Redfish Bay near Aransas Pass and at and crabs. Nine Mile Hole in the upper Laguna Seagrasses also Madre, involve posting signs to delincontribute to eate voluntary “propeller-up” zones President Larry Wegmann • Established 1980s water quality by where delicate vegetation needs protecwww.ifffsoc.org causing suspendtion. Signs will also direct motorboat ed sediments to traffic to marked channels, access points The Southern Council was originally included in the Midwest

SOUTHERN COUNCIL (SOC)

SOUTHEASTERN COUNCIL (SEC) President Marvin Cash • Established 1991 www.southeastfff.org The Southeastern Council was founded in 1991 by Fred Stevenson. It includes North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee and Kentucky and originally included Florida (until it became its own council in 2006). The Council embraces the Federation motto “All Fish in All Waters” and actively supports the pursuit of warmwater and saltwater species on the fly.

[30 ]

Flyfisher Spring - Summer 2015

Council. The division forming the Southern Council included areas that would later become the Southeast Council, Florida Council, Gulf Coast Council and the Texas Council. The current region includes clubs from eight states. The Southern Council has an annual Fly Fishing Festival held on the first weekend of October in Mountain Home, Arkansas. This past year the attendance was over 600. In 2015 the featured presenters will be Lawrence Finney (from Northern Ireland), Pat Cohen, Mike George and author Jason Randall.

In addition to the annual fair the organization sponsors the White River Fly Fishing School. Included in that event is a Youth Conclave that features a day of fishing on the famous Dry Run Creek at Norfork Dam. The SOC’s goal is to bring family involvement into fly fishing.

PHOTO BY DR. BILL HARVEY. RESOURCE PROTECTION DIVISION, TEXAS PARKS AND WLLDUFE DEPARTMENT

FFF CONSERVATION WATCH

SOUTHWEST COUNCIL (SWC)

TEXAS COUNCIL (TXC)

President Michael Schweit • Established 1992 www.southwestcouncilfff.org

President Russell Husted • Established 2013 www.texascouncilifff.com

The Council was formed in 1982. It currently has 24 clubs located in San Luis Obispo and San Diego, California plus Carson City and Las Vegas, Nevada. Its focus is to introduce new people to the sport and maintain a network of communication of anything fly fishing in the region. The Council focuses much of its emphasis on saltwater fishing as the Pacific Ocean is the major body of water closest to the bulk of the membership.

Since its formation in 2013 the Texas Council has been very active. By the geographic nature of the state it serves several different ecosystems, ranging from arid and rocky to warm, green and wet. The Council has divided the state into five zones for the purposes of conservation management. Issues being addressed range from lakes dewatered by drought to invasive species. The Council has restoration projects for the endangered paddlefish and the Guadalupe bass (the Texas state fish). Its goal is to have a major conservation project in each of its zones with one or more of the organization’s 19 clubs owning each project.

The Council currently hosts two annual events. They are FlyBuy in Long Beach every January and the Fly Fishing Faire held in the Eastern Sierras in September or October. The Faire is one of the very few events that offer on-stream classes.

covered about one-third of the bottom, with manatee grass a close second at 27 percent and turtle grass at about 7 percent. There is tremendous variation in the rate that different seagrasses recover after being damaged by boat propellers, with turtle grass being one of the slower ones to grow back. Seagrass loss is a problem in many areas, and there are several causes. Jerry Loring of the (Houston) Texas Flyfishers is somewhat skeptical about how much good a voluntary “Keep Off the Grass” campaign will accomplish. “Increased barge traffic along with commercial and recreational boating are major seagrass damaging factors,” he said. In Texas, completion of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway dramatically changed salinities in the lower Laguna Madre, favoring manatee grass and turtle grass over shoal grass, which is more tolerant of hypersalinity. Old dredging practices also caused the loss of large tracts by increasing turbidity that blocked out sunlight and covered the plants in sediment. In the Redfish Bay area north of Corpus Christi, for example, 13 percent of the grass beds are gone. And in Galveston Bay, subsidence has been yet another factor. The largest source of damage that anglers cause and can stop is damage from boat propellers. The Corpus Christi National Estuary Program found seagrasses declining where anglers created high boat traffic. TPW also found substantial propeller scars and that these scars can worsen erosion of the bottom, decrease water

The Council has worked hard to serve the members in Texas and developed a very successful Fly Fishing Expo scheduled this year for May 28-30 in New Braunfels, Texas. People attending the event enjoy educational activities focused on enhancing skills and expanding knowledge of the sport.

quality and contribute to further seagrass loss. Despite attempts at replanting grasses on some Texas flats, the results have been less than encouraging. And though FFF supports continued research in this area, Jindra said the voluntary prop-up zones are appropriate and essential. They should be supplemented by an education and information campaign to help explain how boaters can best minimize additional damage and how they can further help protect grass flats, Jindra said. Boaters should, in fact, welcome the prop-up zones, Jindra said, not only because they will promote a healthier environment and more productive fisheries, but because the designated boat corridors will make it easier and safer to follow existing channels to access the flats. If a significant conservation of seagrasses has occurred in the voluntary prop-up area after the five-year study, the idea of marking voluntary prop-up areas should spread to other states such

as Florida. “This is a situation where everybody wins,” Jindra said. “What could possibly be better? Not only can we improve boater safety, but we get to protect this vital environmental resource at the same time.” Bumper stickers were being made available through the Federation’s Texas clubs and selected vendors on the Texas coast. This article is a reprint from the Fall 2000 Flyfisher.

Terry and Roxanne

Wilson Authors, speakers available for club events and shows. Slide shows, seminars, and tying demonstrations. Warmwater fly fishing. (largemouth and smallmouth bass, bluegill, and other species)

terrywil@windstream.net • 417-777-2467

Flyfisher Spring - Summer 2015

[31 ]

IFFF FLY TYING GROUP A historical perspective

By Frank Johnson and Gene Kaczmarek

o how did the IFFF Fly Tying Group get its start? During the early years, 1966 –1984, of the Federation Conclaves the demonstration tiers worked in an interesting variety of environments. At one of the Sun Valley Conclaves the tying venue was in the hallway of a hotel and there was only room for five or six tiers. During those years if a person was fortunate enough to be invited as a demonstration tier you were expected to tie all day and every day of the event. Other years the demonstration tiers were isolated in a small school classroom or some other place far away from the other Conclave activities. Eventually the tying venues improved and were located with the rest of the event activities. In this improved environment a great deal of learning occurred. Not only did the tiers teach the audience but they also learned from one another. More importantly a real sense of camaraderie had developed. Finally in 1985 the Federation’s demonstration tiers first became somewhat organized with the founding of the Phrozen Phantom Phlytyers. One founding member, Frank Johnson, drove some 800 miles across Montana and half of North Dakota in a sub-zero

blizzard to attend the first meeting in Minot, North Dakota. One highlight of the event was picking up Darwin Atkin at the Minot Airport. The temperature was 26 degrees below zero and the wind chill index at minus 86 de- The Fly Tying Group got a modest start in minus-20 degree weather in grees. Darwin stepped Minot, North Dakota. The original Phrozen Phantom Phlytyers were (back row from left) Brooks Bouldin, Craig Mathews, Ted Calvert, Boyd out of the plane and down the stairs wear- Aigner, Frank Johnson, Darwin Atkin, Larry Duckwall; (front row) Royce ing a short sleeve shirt Dam, Dennis Bitton, Ed Reed, Gary LaFontaine and Paul Bach. and casually carrying organization plus interest and involvea light jacket folded over his arm. By ment within the Federation fly tying the time he stepped into the terminal he community. Unfortunately the Phrozen was nearly hypothermic. The weather Phantom Phlytyers dissolved as a group did not get any better for four days. in 1990 but the seed was planted and A number of items came from that would soon start to take root. founding meeting: The tiers recognized Darwin, one of the former “Phana need to somehow be organized and tom” members, initiated a new fly plate also recognized their desire to conproject for the Federation entitled the tribute more to the Federation. From that four-day meeting came a series of framed displays of flies that generated revenue to the

UPPER MIDWEST COUNCIL (UMC) President Todd Heggestad • Established 2013 www.fedflyfishers.org/Councils/UpperMidwest Since the Council was established it has worked to reach out to members by attending shows to promote its activities. Volunteers have provided casting and tying lessons as well as work on conservation issues. Projects include a Relic Brook Trout project directed by Robert Tabbert in conjunction with the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point; supported efforts to raise public awareness of the Asian Long Horned Beetle threat; and supported the Rush River and the Namekagon River clean-ups along with partners Namekagon River Partnership and the National Park Service. The UMC has included conservation messages in the parent/ child classes taught at the Minneapolis area Great Waters Expo held each March. In addition, the UMC has supported Minnesota’s 2013 Washington / Ramsey County Watershed Waterfest. The Council also played a role in a fundraising event in Maplewood for conservation projects on Fish Creek. The Upper Midwest Council is pleased to announce it will be holding its first Fly Fishing School this July 24-26.

[32 ]

Flyfisher Spring - Summer 2015

WASHINGTON COUNCIL (WAC)

President Carl Johnson • Established 1990 • www.wscifff.org

The Washington State Council has been involved in many projects covering the rivers and waters in the state. Some of those projects include: •M ultilingual signage spelling out the rules for ten special regulation lakes in the Columbia Basin. • F orming a coalition of 15 fly fishing clubs in the state to fund the purchase of larger fish to restock Chopaka Lake after its rehabilitation. • L ed a successful effort to get the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) to build a barrier to keep shiners from coming up from Sinlahekin Creek and repopulating the newly rehabilitated Blue Lake. • E nlisted support of the fly fishing clubs in the state to pressure the WDFW to include the repair (or replacement) of the lower Rocky Ford bridge in its capital budget. The WSC and member clubs have many education programs reaching out to youth and adults who are interested in fly fishing and want to learn fly tying and fly casting. For the past nine years, the WSC has held the Washington Fly Fishing Fair in Ellensburg on the weekend prior to Mother’s Day. The fair is a complete fly fishing event with tying demonstrations, fly casting demonstrations and workshops and general fly-fishing seminars.

“International Fly Tyers Fly Plate Project.” From its inception in 1992 until 1996, Darwin was solely responsible for all aspects of the project: soliciting flies from tiers around the world, designing and constructing about 14 plates annually, shipping the plates and keeping records. In 1996 Steve Jensen started working with Darwin on the project. The two worked together for the next several years until Darwin retired and left the job in Steve’s capable hands. In 2000, Steve initiated a new fly plate project entitled the “Legends of Fly Tying.” The Legends of Fly Tying fly plate project was scheduled to end in 2006. However because of demand and popularity it still continues today on a limited basis and will do so as long as Steve feels he can handle the work. He says: “I am proud of the fact that our fly plate projects have together raised over $150,000 in support of Federation of Fly Fishers programs.” It should be noted that these framing projects have created beautiful exhibits thus preserving the flies of the world’s finest fly tiers. Many of these creations are in the IFFF Museum or are held in private collections. In August of 2005 a group of interested fly tiers from the United States and the United Kingdom met to discuss

the need for a teaching credential. That discussion led to the formation of the President Michael Bantam • Established 1980s Tier as a Teacher www.wrmcfff.org Initiative. Two The Western Rocky Mountain Council was founded in the years later at the 1980s. It includes Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, South 2007 Conclave Dakota, Utah and parts of Western Canada. the FFF Board of Directors asked COO Bob Wiltshire to meet Evergreen Hand, FTG Member survey with a group of fly tiers with the goal of and an online Directory of Demonstradeveloping an FFF fly tying organization Tiers and Fly Tying Instructors. In tion. That organization’s major focus March 2014 communication between would be on demonstration tying at all the FTG and the UK Fly Dressers levels in the organization, the Tier as a Guild led to the creation of IFFF Fly Teacher Initiative, fly plate framing and Tying Skills Awards Program based archiving flies. The new group’s name on a similar “scheme” in place in the was the FFF Fly Tying Group (FTG) UK. The IFFF Fly Tying Skills Awards and an interim Board of Governors was Program was approved at the 2014 Fly appointed until elections could be held. Fishing Fair in Livingston, Montana Those appointed to that interim board by both the IFFF and the FTG boards. were Al Beatty, Gene Kaczmarek, Steve Currently the Bronze Award level is Jensen, Judy Lehmberg, Bruce Staples, available for tier participation. The Herb Kettler and David Nelson (chair). FTG is working on the Silver Award Over the next years the group Program. It will be available prior to worked on many projects including: the 50th Anniversary Fly Fishing Fair Fly Tying Standing committee, Digital in Bend, Oregon and the Gold Award Fly Archive Project, Fly Tying InstrucProgram will soon follow. tors’ Resource, Fly Plate Framing, the

WESTERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN COUNCIL (WRMC)

Sharing nearly

yearstogether

... it’s the best hookup we’ve ever made. Proud to produce Flyfisher magazine for the International Federation of Fly Fishers Publishing services • Graphic design • Web development, design and hosting • Marketing

FLYFISHER

www.keokee.com

Flyfisher Spring - Summer 2015

[33 ]

IFFF BOARD REINSTATES CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD POSITION By Len Zickler

his past summer the Board of Directors for the IFFF voted to reinstate the Chairman of the Board position, separating the functions of President and CEO from the Chairman of the Board (COB). The return to our traditional leadership model is in preparation for Phil Greenlee’s announced retirement as President and CEO in 2016. We are all grateful for Phil’s extraordinary leadership over the past six years. He has worked tirelessly to ensure the Federation is on solid financial ground. Thank you, Phil, for all that you have done for the Federation! The task of finding a new chairman of the board was delegated to the executive director (ED) search committee. The express desire of the Board of Directors was to find a COB candidate with previous experience on the board and familiarity with the fly fishing community. Unfortunately, after an exhaustive search and identification of several possible candidates, the committee was unable to identify an acceptable candidate who met the board’s criteria and who was willing to take on this very important task. In order to address the need, the ED committee recommended to the Board that they approve the establishment of a COB committee as an interim solution. This past December,

the Board of Directors approved a committee of three including myself, Jeff Wagner and Marvin Cash. We are grateful for the support and confidence the Board has placed in our committee. The three of us bring a unique blend of management and leadership to the committee. I have over 40 years of experience as a city planner and landscape architect managing an engineering firm with offices in Seattle and Spokane; I was nominated spokesman. Jeff Wagner has always worked in the outdoors industry, and much of that time in the fly fishing industry. Marvin Cash has 20 years of experience as a finance attorney, banker and consultant. As we move forward this year with the board and as we set the stage for the selection of a new President/CEO/ Executive Director, we want to make this a smooth transition. Our commitment to the membership and to the Board is to be responsive and thoughtful in our deliberations and service to the Federation. We do have several priorities which we know the Board shares. Our priorities can be identified as: Finalize the Federation’s strategic plan. In order to achieve our full potential, we must clearly understand who we are and where we’re going. Facilitate international expansion of the Federation. We have a tremendous opportunity to share the

Vote for Your National Board Re-election to a three-year term VED HELD PRO ITH P A W

nn nn nn

New Board Members Term

2018

Glenn Erikson

2018

Don Gibbs

2018

For members who have a valid e-mail address on file with the IFFF office by May 22, 2015 an electronic ballot will be sent by e-mail on June 2, 2015. Or mail this ballot to:

International Federation of Fly Fishers

5237 U.S. Hwy. 89 S., Suite. 11 Livingston, MT 59047 [34 ] Flyfisher Spring - Summer 2015

nn nn nn

David Williams 2018 Tom Logan

Len Zickler is a spokesman from the Chairman of the Board Committee.

Ballot for the IFFF Board of Directors. Indicate your vote by checking boxes adjacent to each nominee.

New Board Members

Term

VED HELD PRO ITH P W A

Rick Williams

Federation with the international fly fishing community. We need to pursue this expansion in a purposeful and thoughtful way including the Casting Group, the Fly Tying Group, the Conservation Committee and the Education Committee. Fill leadership positions on the Membership and Education Committees. Given our aging membership, it is critical to our survival that we creatively engage new, younger fly fishers. Our strategic planning process will devote significant attention to developing our expectations and goals for these committees. Diversify the Federation’s funding sources. Moving forward, we will explore opportunities to partner with the fly fishing industry and potential legacy donors. We are very grateful for the major donation received this year from our anonymous donor. We hope others are inspired by this generous gift. Wouldn’t it be exciting to receive a similar gift each year for the next decade? Developing a compelling, emotional message is critical. We very much look forward to our 50th anniversary this year. We are at a very exciting crossroads and want to partner with all of you to ensure the future success of the International Federation of Fly Fishers!

2018

Dutch Baughman 2018

nn nn

Dave Peterson

2018

Randi Swisher

2018

For nominee bios please go to our website: www.fedflyfishers.org/About/BoardofDirec tors/2015BoardofDirectorsNominees.aspx

Member Name ________________________________________Member #__________ Address ________________________________________________________________ City____________________________ State __________Zip______________________ Email __________________________________Phone ___________________________

IFFF GUIDES ASSOCIATION ÂŽ

GUIDES ASSOCIATION

he use of fly fishing guides literally around the world has been an integral element of the fly fishing experience for many anglers. Visit the IFFF website (www.fedflyfishers.org) to find IFFF Guides Association members in the form of a searchable database.

Scan for guide directory

ARGENTINA Patagonia

SSC de Bariloche, Rio Negro...Mauro Ochoa.............info@patagoniadrift.com.ar.......54-9-2944-519220

AUSTRALIA

Tarraleah.......................... William Doggett.........................willdoggett@hotmail.com.......+61 362 890 111

CANADA

St Johns............................ Clarence Button................................ cebutton@gmail.com.......709-738-1888 Stoney Creek................... Rick Whorwood............................whorwood@cogeco.ca.......905-662-8999 Mont-Tremblant................ Denis Landreville............................info@naturaventur.com.......819-425-4216

CENTRAL AMERICA

Belize................................ Julian Cabral.........................bmontgomery4@icloud.com.......011 (501) 610-1068

DENMARK

Ebberup............................ Omar Gade....................info@denmarkfishinglodge.com.......+45 28410290

GERMANY

Muenchen........................ Frank Mueller........ frank.mueller@flyfishinggermany.com.......(0)04917613673553

ITALY

Alessandria...................... Gianfranco Lenzi..........................glflycasting@gmail.com.......393-382-5326-96 Binasco Mi....................... Battistella Mauro....................................info@maxipesca.it.......39 2 905 3636 Scheggia.......................... Mauro Barbacci........................info@maurobarbacci.com.......3.93456E+11

NEW ZEALAND

Wanaka........................... Ian Cole................................................iancole@xtra.co.nz.......640 344 37870

SERBIA

Nis.................................... Ivan Randjelovic........................crnabambula@gmail.com.......(381) 628-5959 60

UNITED KINGDOM.

Hampshire........................ Paul Eslinger......................................... paul@eslinger.com.......44 (0) 14 8978 9962 Auchterarder.................... John McCallum..........................john@flyfishscotland.com.......+44 (0)7429 607158

UNITED STATES

Alabama Gadsden.......................... Frank Roden.............................................rauction@bellsouth.net........256-442-5919 Foley................................. Capt Jack Teague..........................finaticcharters@bellsouth.net........305-304-3993 Alaska Anchorage....................... Chuck Ash.................................................... briteh2o@alaska.net........907-344-1340 Anchorage....................... Damond Blankenship.................................. damondent@gci.net........907-351-6810 Anchorage....................... Cecilia (Pudge) Kleinkauf............pudge@womensflyfishing.net........907-274-7113 Kodiak.............................. Lee Robbins.......... adventure@possibilitiesunlimitedalaska.com........907-486-4093 Arkansas Bentonville........................ Kenneth (Ken) Richards......................justfishinguides1@cox.net........479-531-5741 Cotter................................ John & Lori Berry.......................... berrybrothers@infodash.com........870-435-2169 Cotter................................ Denis Dunderdale.......................................dryfly@infodash.com........870-405-9568 Little Rock......................... Chris Morris......................................... Arkansasdrift@gmail.com........501-912-0815 Arizona Marble Canyon............... Wendy and Terry Gunn.............................tgunn@leesferry.com........800-962-9755 Phoenix............................. Thomas Harper..............................tharper@thomasfharper.com........480-661-9300 California Carlsbad.......................... Dayle Mazzarella................................ emailmazz@yahoo.com........760-703-0117 Dunsmuir.......................... Charlie Costner....................................flyfishnvet@sbcglobal.net........541-601-2922 El Segundo....................... Capt Bill Matthews...................bmatthews56@roadrunner.com........310-924-1359 Kernville............................ Guy Jeans........................................guy@kernriverflyfishing.com........760-376-2040 Long Beach...................... Joe Libeu.....................................................jlspfa@ix.netcom.com........310-749-6771 Mammoth Lks................... Eric Hein..........................................................eotish@verizon.net........760-937-1865 Mammoth Lks................... Christopher Leonard...................................... chris@kittredge.net........818-288-3271 Mount Shasta.................. Craig Nielsen...........................................craig@shastatrout.com........530-926-5763 Mount Shasta.................. Jack Trout........................................................ info@jacktrout.com........530-926-4540 Oxnard............................. Lee Baermann..................................... flyfishthesurf@yahoo.com........805-486-8226 Rancho Cucamonga....... Thierry Rebeccu.......................................th.rebeccu@gmail.com........424-653-4008 Rancho Palos Verdes....... Vaughn Allen....................................... thevaughnallen@aol.com........310-505-8147 Redding............................ Greg Hector.....................................hookemheckys@charter.net........530-515-5918 Redding............................ Michael Michalak.....................................mike@theflyshop.com........800-669-3474 Redding............................ Todd Le Boeuf........................... tigertsguideservice@charter.net........530-222-2728 Torrance........................... Jeffery Priest..........................................jeffpriest12@yahoo.com........310-539-2519 Truckee............................. Matt Heron.................................mattheronflyfishing@gmail.com........518-225-6587 Somes Bar........................ Doug Cole...................guestranch@marblemountainranch.com........800-552-6284 Westchester..................... Al (Q) Quattrocchi....................................alq@tornadodesign.la........310-995-5111 Colorado Arvada............................. Michael and Alyssa McFarland..........david5kfull@yahoo.com........303-229-9663 Canon City....................... Grant Adkisson....................................... granta912@gmail.com........719-337-1177 Chipita Park..................... Scott Tarrant........................................scott.e.tarrant@gmail.com........720-314-1507 Evergreen......................... Mike Kuberski.............................mikek@thecoloradoangler.com........970-513-8055 Walden............................ Scott Graham.............................................. stgflyfish@gmail.com........303-981-8578 Connecticut Killingworth...................... Mark Dysinger........................................fishstalker@comcast.net........860-452-4154 Wallingford...................... William and Lynn Lanzoni Jr................... wlanzoni@yahoo.com........203-506-6600 Florida Bradenton........................ Robert Gilbert................................... captrobgilbert@gmail.com........941-224-4121 Chipley . .......................... Capt Daniel Snapp................................snappy252@gmail.com........850-832-4952 Edgewater........................ Capt Justin Price........ capt.justinprice@rightinsightcharters.com........386-566-4687 Islamorada....................... Rick Ruoff....................................................Cap32Rick@aol.com........305-664-2511 Jacksonville...................... Capt Lawrence Piper................................. lwpiper@comcast.net........904-557-1027 Jacksonville...................... Capt Rich Santos............................................rich@flyfishjax.com........904-497-9736 Longwood........................ Chris Myers.................................info@floridafishinglessons.com........321-229-2848

Marathon......................... Mike Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Dell.................................. captainmikeodell@gmail.com........530-318-5040 Naples.............................. Tom Shadley....................captshadley@mangroveoutfitters.com........239-793-3370 North Port........................ Steve Hall...................................................steve@flatspirate.com........941-232-2119 Oak Hill............................ Capt Drew Cavanaugh....captdrew@floridainshorefishingcharters.com........352-223-7897 Punta Gorda.................... Capt Michael Manis............ mike@puntagordaflycharters.com........941-628-7895 Sanibel Island.................. Capt Michael Rehr...................................... captflyrod@aol.com........239-472-3308 Sarasota........................... Capt Pete Greenan....................captpete@floridaflyfishing.com........941-232-2960 Sarasota........................... Rick Grassett.................................................... snookfin@aol.com........941-923-7799 Spring Hill........................ Capt Frank Bourgeois............................info@alwaysfishing.com........352-666-6234 Winter Pk.......................... Keith Kalbfleisch.........................................capt-keith@saocf.com........321-279-1344 Georgia Chatsworth....................... Chase Pritchett.....................................bluwingolive@gmail.com........706-271-8135 LaGrange......................... Paul Hudson............................................ jobillhud@bellsouth.net........706-884-8541 St Simons Isl..................... David Edens....................................blueridgerods@hotmail.com........706 540 1276 Idaho Island Park....................... Mike Lawson.................................mike@henrysforkanglers.com........208-558-7525 Ketchum............................ Ewald Grabher................................info@grabherflyfishing.com........208-726-5282 Louisiana Metairie............................ Barrett Brown.............................................captfish@bellsouth.net........504-833-1384 Maine Bethel................................ Anthony (Tony) Frangipane........... tonyandrocky@hotmail.com........207-824-4118 Gardiner........................... Michael May.....................................mike@wildriverangler.com........207-582-6402 Phippsburg....................... Peter Fallon........................................pfallon@mainestripers.com........207-522-9900 Maryland Queenstown.................... Sean Crawford............................................sc4472@yahoo.com........410-490-5942 Massachusetts Ludlow.............................. Marla Blair............................................. marlablair@yahoo.com........413-583-5141 Michigan Brownstown Twnsp.......... Brian Meszaros..................captbrian@greatlakesflyfishing.com........734-904-3474 Grayling........................... Chris Lessway............................................chris@fullersnboc.com........231-564-2099 Lake Ann.......................... Chuck Hawkins............................ chuck@hawkinsflyfishing.com........231-228-7135 Midland............................ John Johnson............................................................jocko@tm.net........989-835-6047 Traverse City.................... Alex Lafkas................................................. alafkas@hotmail.com........989-390-4023 Traverse City.................... Ted Kraimer............................................. ted@current-works.com........231-883-8156 Minnesota Ely..................................... Jim Blauch................................info@moosetrackadventures.com........218-365-4106 Menahga......................... Doug Harthan................................... front20outfitters@arvig.net........218-640-3163 Minnetrista....................... Troy Anderson...................................muskieonthefly@gmail.com........952-240-1022 Mississippi Columbus......................... Sid Caradine.............................................captsid@cableone.net........662-328-5413 Montana Alder................................. Donna McDonald............................................... uco@3rivers.net........800-735-3973 Hamilton........................... James Mitchell....................jim@montanahuntingfishingadv.com........406-363-3510 West Yellowstone............ Bob Jacklin....................................bjacklin@jacklinsflyshop.com........406-646-7336 New Hampshire Lisbon............................... Chris Clark..........................chris@clarksguidingadventures.com........603-838-5175 Madbury.......................... John McKernan...........................................grnleech@gmail.com........603-749-3080 New Mexico Arroyo Seco..................... Steve Morris..................................steve@cutthroatflyfishing.com........575-776-5703 Santa Fe........................... Jarrett Sasser........................................flyfishwithjs@hotmail.com........505-988-7688 New York Altmar............................... Raymond and Mindi Baker...................................................none........315-509-4162 Altmar............................... Eric Geary................................................samncrzy@yahoo.com........315-395-5358 Burlington Flats................ Craig Buckbee....................................easterncaster@gmail.com........607-965-2102 Lafayette........................... Mike Lane.........................................................weedrift@aol.com........315-558-0888 Webster............................ Scott Feltrinelli............................................. scott@ontariofly.com........585-694-9328 North Carolina Belmont............................ Paul Rose............................................. captpaulrose@gmail.com........704-616-6662 Linville............................... Alexander Dale............................ alexander.b.dale@gmail.com........828-260-1215 Ohio Gambier........................... Graham Stokes.................................... grahamstokes@mac.com........740-501-3180 Oregon Sisters............................... Dan Anthon................................................dan@dananthon.com........541-977-7874 Pennsylvania Wayne.............................. Ronald Nimitz........................................... rlnsailor@comcast.net........610-209-5742 South Carolina Beaufort............................ Christopher Mattson......CaptChristopherMattson@hotmail.com........843-694-7422 Ridgeland......................... Charlie Beadon........charlie@hiltonheadfishingadventures.com........843-592-0897 Tennessee Bristol................................ Travis Burt.......................................................tburt@chartertn.net........423-844-5400 Texas Bellaire............................. Mark Marmon.....................................markmarmon@gmail.com........713-666-8868 Bluffton............................. Keith Barnes..........................keith@highlandlakesflyfishing.com........325-247-8087 Corpus Christi.................. Cody Roesener.................................... cbroutfitters@yahoo.com........916 531-0078 Corpus Christi.................. Steve Utley.............................steven@blueheronadventures.com........361 334-2336 Gatesville......................... Joepaul Meyers................................ ironhorsejpm@hotmail.com........254-979-5512 Houston............................ David Lemke.............................................dlemke@sbcglobal.net........713-839-2572 Utah Circleville.......................... Emmett Doane............................circlevalleyanglers@gmail.com........435-577-2168 Park City........................... Brandon Bertagnole......................... bbertagnole@hotmail.com........866-649-3337 Virginia Bluemont.......................... Dusty Wissmath...................................... dwissmath@yahoo.com........540-554-2716 Scottsville......................... L.E. Rhodes.........................ler@hatchmatcherguideservice.com........434-996-5506 Washington Asotin............................... Kenny Thornton................................................thorntrout@tds.net........509-243-4268 Carlton............................. Rodney Griffin...................................griffsflyfishing@yahoo.com........509-929-3813 Seattle............................... Reid Curry................................ reid@emeraldwateranglers.com........216-410-7582 Seattle............................... David McCoy......................... dave@emeraldwateranglers.com........206-601-0132 Seattle............................... Ryan Smith.................................................ryan@avidangler.com........888-543-4665 Wisconsin Richland Center............... David Barron...................................................dbarron@wicw.net........608-585-2239 Wyoming Jackson............................. John (Jack) Gardner..................................dryphlies@gmail.com........307-699-3713 Jackson............................. Leigh Gardner................................................ gardnel@mac.com........513-235-2276 Pinedale........................... Mike Kaul..............................................mikekaul@wyoming.com........307-231-2590

Flyfisher Spring - Summer 2015

[35 ]

PHOTO BY XXXXXXXXXX

OBITUARIES Kenneth E. Bay

he fifth recipient of the Buz Buszek Memorial award in 1972, Kenneth E. Bay was born September 4, 1920 and died November 24, 2014 in an assisted living facility in New York. Bay helped found the Mid-Coast Fly Fishers, an International Federation of Fly Fishers club in New Smyrna Beach, Florida. “He started this club with five people,” club president Dennis O’Brien said. “Now, we have 80 members.” Bay started fishing the rivers and streams of New England as a boy. When he discovered fly fishing, he became one of the masters in that style of angling. He coauthored three books on fly tying, including “Saltwater Flies And How To Tie Them,” which was the first book on the subject. All books on fly fishing

to that point were based on freshwater fishing. Bay was part of America’s “greatest generation,” those people who survived the Great Depression and pulled the country through World War II. Bay flew missions over Europe and was called back to service during the Korean War. Former club president Mark Patterson said Bay spoke very little of his war experience, except on one occasion. “He invited me to his apartment in Ormond, he grabs this cardboard box and pours out all these medals,” Patterson said. “He had four Distinguished Flying Crosses, a bunch of Bronze Stars and a piece of flak that hit him and nearly killed him during a mission. He was just an amazing, mild-mannered gentleman, who

Information from the Daytona Beach News Journal by Godwin Kelly.

versity of Toledo, he began his Whitetail Fly Tieing Supplies business. He sold fly tying materials and gave lessons in both fly casting and fly tying. A life member of the International Federation of Fly Fishers, Chris received numerous awards over the years including their highest award in 2004, the Buz Buszek Memorial Award for fly tying excellence. He was a Certified Fly Casting Instructor and he received the Great Lakes Council Educator Of The Year Award in 2003. He traveled to England, Finland, Norway, Germany and the Netherlands numerous times to participate in fly fairs. He loved to fish around the world including northern Canada and Crooked Island in the Bahamas. He produced the Brassie Hair Packer tool to make tying with deer hair easier. Chris also designed a special fly fishing rod manufactured by the Shelbyville Rod Company. In addition he kept busy writing magazine articles and making instructional fly tying DVDs. Chris was a member of the Toledo Personnel Managers Association, a nine-year member of the Eberly Center Board at UT, a Life Member of the University of Toledo and Retirement Association, Trout Unlimited, the Toledo Zoo and other organizations.

Chris is survived by his wife, Judith Garrison Helm; sons, Brian (Maria) and Brad (Sarah); grandchildren, Austin, Jacob, Quinn and Marissa Helm; stepgrandchildren, Brooke, Julia and Drake Vandekerckhove; brother-in-law, Robert Garrison (Marie Cecile); nephew, Paul J. Helm; nieces, Anne and Elizabeth Garrison; and other nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents and his brother, Paul C. Helm. Chris’ quote: “Life was good; I had a good run.” To many of us in the IFFF worldwide Chris was a special friend. He will be missed. For those of you who are interested, Chris’ wife Judy advised us just before going to press that two new videos of his are on the market through Bennett-Watt HD Productions at 1-800-327-2893. The two new titles are the Signature Invincible Mouse and the Moorish Mouse, Bomber & Hazel.

was an excellent person.” Bay was featured twice on the Daytona Beach News-Journal Outdoors Page. Bay, who was in his 80s at the time, challenged a bait angler to something of a fishing duel in the Halifax River. Bay and a companion hooked 50 fish on a fly to the bait fisherman’s catch of three trout. The following year, Bay explained step by step how to tie a basic saltwater fly. “Ken really went out of his way to promote fly fishing in this area,” Patterson said. “He would show anyone how to do it.” O’Brien said the club will honor its founding father on an annual basis by giving the Kenneth Bay Memorial Fly Tying Award. “He was a wonderful guy,” O’Brien said. “Ken was always helpful and always giving. We will miss him immensely.”

Christopher Richard Helm

PHOTO BY XXXXXXXXXX

hristopher Richard Helm, age 73, of Toledo, Ohio, celebrated a special November 27th birthday this year. He was with his family on earth and then in heaven on the same day. He died peacefully at home, after a long-fought battle with a Non Hodgkin’s Lymphoma – Waldenstrom’s Macroglobulinemia. Chris was born on Nov. 27, 1941, in Toledo, Ohio, to Karoline Hochschild Helm and Paul W. Helm. As a boy growing up he enjoyed learning to play the drums and continued playing professionally into his adult life. He also enjoyed playing baseball and was on the former Thomas A. DeVilbiss High School (DHS) baseball team. Chris met his wife, Judy, while they were both in the DHS marching and concert bands. He graduated from DHS in 1959 and later from the University of Toledo (UT) with a Bachelor of Education degree. He began his teaching career in the local school system at Washington Junior High while earning a Masters of Education Administration. His career path eventually led him to the University of Toledo as Manager of Personnel Services. He took early retirement in 1991 after 23 years. The photos have a thick-thin black border of Just before retiring from the Uni4 points.

[36 ]

Flyfisher Spring - Summer 2015

Ramon A. ‘Ray’ Green

ay Green, 83, died April 30, 2015. Born to Glen and Esther Madson Green on November 18, 1931, in Akron, Ohio, he attended area schools and Bowling Green University before serving in the Navy during the Korean War. He married Karen “Kay” Leber on May 14, 1955, in Akron, Ohio. Ray worked summers as a greenskeeper at Firestone Country Club and for the Ohio State Fish and Wildlife Division. He graduated from Kent State University in 1959 with a Bachelor of Science degree in soil and wildlife conservation. Ray and Kay moved to Longview,

Washington, in October of 1959, where he worked as a forester for the Cowlitz County Assessor. He worked for International Paper Company from1962 to 1986, then returned to the Cowlitz County Assessor from1987 until retirement in 1995. He was a charter member of the International Federation of Fly Fishers, a founding member of the Lower

Columbia Flyfishers and recipient of the Joe Pierce Award. Ray was an artist, illustrator and calligrapher who enjoyed world travel, cooking and watching sports. Surviving family members include two sons, Jeff (Denise) and Ron (Jessica); grandchildren, Anna, Aaron, Olivia and MacKenna; a great-grandson, Ben; and numerous other relatives. Ray’s parents and brother, Billy, preceded him in death. A memorial service was held on May 8 at Emmanuel Lutheran Church, in Longview. Information from the Longview Daily News.

Raymond N. ‘Ray Marks’ Markiewicz

Walter Leslie Holman, Jr.

Information from The Buffalo News.

Information excerpted from the Valhalla Tribune.

ay Marks, of Angola, New York, a Buffalo radio news broadcaster for four decades, died February 4, 2015, in Roswell Park Cancer Institute after a lengthy battle with leukemia. He was 70. Born Raymond N. Markiewicz in Buffalo, he attended South Park High School and began his broadcasting career at WBFO-FM at the University at Buffalo. During the 1960s and 1970s, he was a newsman at several local radio stations, including WYSL, WPHDFM and WGRQ-FM, and was a news producer and assignment editor for WIVB-TV, Channel 4. Marks served three stints as news director at WGR-AM between 1980 and 2000 and then was news director at WBEN-AM. He won a statewide award while serving as news director at radio station WJTN in Jamestown. In 2006, he returned from retirement to serve as general manager and cohost of a talk show on radio station WHLD. In recent years, he contributed pieces to WBFO-FM. Highly regarded as a mentor and broadcasting educator, he was an adjunct professor of communications at Medaille College. He also taught at SUNY Buffalo State and St. Bonaventure University. Marks had a great love of the outdoors. In 1971, he founded the Niagara Frontier Chapter of the Adirondack Mountain Club. He was founder in this area of Project Healing Waters and served as its Northeast coordinator. He also was founder of the Lake Erie Chapter of the International Federation of Fly Fishers. He taught an adult education fly fishing course at Lake Shore Central Schools and was a frequent lecturer on environmental topics. Survivors include his wife of 51 years, the former Barbara Guest; a son, David Markiewicz; a daughter, Cheryl Markiewicz; a brother, Gerald Markiewicz; a sister, Delores Gilchriese; grandchildren Alicia (Dustin) Taylor, Kendall and David Markiewicz; and his dear friends Jim and Doreen Bailey. The Lake Erie Chapter of IFFF is planning a memorial in his honor with the date to be announced. Ray Marks will be missed by everyone who knew him.

alter Leslie Holman, Jr., age 85, of Madison, Alabama, passed away on March 22, 2015 at his home surrounded by family and friends. He was born in Natalbany, Louisiana, on Jan. 8, 1930, but most of his early years were spent in Bogalusa, Louisiana and Mobile, Alabama. Walt was a 1950 graduate of University Military School in Mobile. After serving in the U.S. Navy in Japan from 1950 to 1954, he attended Auburn University pursuing a degree in electrical engineering. He successfully wrote the State of Alabama Professional Engineering examination and worked as an electrical engineer for the Ballistic Missile Defense organizations at Redstone Arsenal until his retirement in 1990. Walt enjoyed playing the guitar and painting, but his lifelong passion was fly fishing and fly tying. In September 2013 he was awarded the IFFF’s Buz Buszek Memorial Award. His fly plate containing a sampling of his creations is on display in the IFFF Museum in Livingston, Montana. His retirement years were filled with appearances at fly fishing expos across the United States and numerous fly fishing magazine articles. He was preceded in death by his parents, Walter Leslie and Minnie Lee Taylor Holman; his wife of 27 years, Sue Barbour Holman; a sister Ollie Jeanette Holman Cupstid (Charles); and brother, John Holman (Millie); brother-in-law, Joe B. Averett; son, Walter Phillip Holman; and daughter-in-law Lisa Ogle Holman. He is survived by his beloved wife of 22 years, Gennie Nowlin Holman; his sister, Joyce Holman Averett; his children, Mary Lynn Phleiger-Moody (Mark), Robert Holman (Wanda) and Jay Holman (Debbie); step-children, Joni Cornelison (Ronny), Regina Matheny (Chuck), John Wilkerson (Brenda); 15 grandchildren; one great-granddaughter and many nieces and nephews. Entombment was in Valhalla Memory Gardens in Huntsville, Alabama. The family requested that in lieu of flowers donations be made to a favorite charity. Flyfisher Spring - Summer 2015

[37 ]

Future PHOTO COURTESY RICHARD WILLIAMS

Always Looking to the

Conservation as an IFFF Guiding Principle By Richard N. Williams

oday’s International Federation of Fly Fishers was founded as the Federation of Fly Fishermen with a dual mission of educating fly fishers and promoting conservation through advocacy. As a hybrid organization, it is part fly fishing club; part social club; a forum and gathering place for fly tiers; a place to learn fly casting and fly fishing techniques; and a grassroots conservation organization focused on local, regional and national issues. One of the organization’s main founding fathers, Bill Nelson saw the power of linking conservation with political activism through a national organization of fly fishing clubs as key to preserving fly fishing and its traditions. This insight was central in his proposal to the McKenzie Fly Fishers to host a national meeting in 1965 to consider starting a national federation of fly fishing clubs.

Early IFFF conservation efforts

In spite of the focus on grassroots activism, IFFF members played key advocacy and advisory roles on nationally important conservation and environmental legislation in IFFF’s early

[38 ]

Flyfisher Spring - Summer 2015

years (1965 to 1980). Significant legislation included the Clean Water Act (1972), the Endangered Species Act (1973), formation of the Environmental Protection Agency (1970), passage of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (1968) and the Central Idaho Wilderness Act (1980). U.S. Senator Frank Church of Idaho sponsored the latter two bills and relied extensively on advice from prominent IFFF member Ted Trueblood (1913-1982), the well-known writer, outdoorsman and conservation spokesman. The Central Idaho Wilderness Act created the Frank Church— River of No Return Wilderness, the largest wilderness area in the Lower 48. From 1965 to 1980, while IFFF was involved with national land use policy actions, IFFF members also developed and promoted several national conservation and education programs, including catch and release and the Whitlock-Vibert Box (an in-stream egg-incubation system for trout and salmon).

Catch and Release

If Ted Trueblood represented the typical IFFF conservation “man of action,” no one better represented all of IFFF’s diverse

PHOTO BY VERNE LEHMBERG

Founding fathers like Bill Nelson understood the importance of one strong voice in the preservation of the resources like this Bonneville cutthroat trout and the water it calls home. Opposite, left: Lee Wulff played an important role in establishing a conservation direction and catch-and-release policy for the FFF during its formative years. Middle inset: Marty Seldon was another driving force for conservation in the IFFF. His long involvement in wild trout conservation began in the 1960s. Over the years he wrote extensively on catch-and-release fishing.

angling interests than Lee Wulff (1905-1991), a writer, conservationist, fly tier and innovator. Wulff’s innovations include the Royal Wulff dry fly, fly line design and big game angling using short, powerful fly rods. However, Wulff’s greatest contribution may have been his championing of catch and release as a conservation tool for all fisheries. Catch and release was derived from Lee Wulff’s famous statement in his “Handbook of Freshwater Fishing”: “Game fish are too valuable to be caught only once.” Wulff was led to this perspective by his passionate pursuit of Atlantic salmon, a species that he watched decline during the course of his lifetime. The IFFF, with Wulff and Roderick Haig-Brown (1908-1976) as highly visible advocates, played a central role in developing and promoting catch and release to relieve harvest pressure on all highly prized species. The Federation promoted the practice through advertising, logos and patches, educational messages, and “how-to” brochures. Today the concept is widely practiced as a means of reducing anglinginduced mortality to help sustain healthy fish populations and to maintain blue-ribbon fisheries.

Whitlock-Vibert Box

Another long-standing IFFF program came about in the 1970s, when Dave Whitlock and the Green Country Flyfishers designed a fish-egg stocking device based on one developed by French scientist Richard Vibert. It became known as the Whitlock-Vibert Box (WVB) after the patent was approved June 13, 1978. Using the Whitlock-designed box, adult fish that mature from planted eggs will return to the same stream to spawn naturally. Only available through the IFFF, the WVB is used as a tool to enhance wild fish stocks, for research, and for educational purposes like classroom presentations such as Trout in the Classroom.

IFFF Native Fish Program activities

The Federation has long focused on native fish conservation as its primary conservation mission. Increasing focus on native fish conservation occurred in the late 1990s when the Native Fish Committee (myself, Verne Lehmberg, Dick Brown and Richard Izmirian) developed an IFFF policy addressing native fish conservation. This policy relied heavily on current scienFlyfisher Spring - Summer 2015

[39 ]

Ted Trueblood (far left) and Senator Frank Church (far right), at the 1966 annual FFF Conclave at Jackson Lake Lodge, Moran, Wyoming, where Senator Church was a keynote speaker.

serve wild steelhead and restore them to levels approximating historical abundance. Accomplishing this will require habitat restoration, restrictions of sports harvest, phased elimination of mixed stock fisheries, modification of hatchery practices, and removal of obsolete dams. The committee is also a partner in ongoing salmon and steelhead litigation efforts such as the recently mandated moratorium on using hatchery steelhead to rebuild steelhead stocks in the Elwha River (Washington) where two century-old dams were removed in 2012 and 2013.

Gila Trout Project

PHOTO COURTESY THE BOISE STATE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY SPECIAL COLLECTIONS, TED TRUEBLOOD COLLECTION

tific literature and best practices for native trout, Pacific salmon and steelhead. The IFFF Native Fish Policy established a priority for IFFFâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s conservation activities on native fish and their habitats. It set priorities of restoring native fish populations to their historic habitat. It provided guidance to avoid further declines in diversity and called for establishment of native fish refuges. Building on the fish refuge concept, the IFFF developed a Native Fish Conservation Area Policy that called for establishment of a system of native fish conservation areas throughout the country where clusters of native fish species occur. A system of refuges would act as an insurance policy for fisheries managers by creating a network of native fish populations that would be protected and could be used for transplants, reintroductions, or other recovery efforts. A few de facto refuges already exist, such as Glacier National Park, Kelly Creek, the Saint Joe River, and the Middle Fork of the Salmon River.

Wild Trout Symposium

Although IFFF placed increasing importance on native fish conservation start-

[40 ]

Flyfisher Spring - Summer 2015

ing in the late 1990s, the organization had long been a leader in wild trout conservation. Initiated in 1974 by Conservation Director Marty Seldon, the Wild Trout Symposium series provides an international forum for biologists and conservation advocates to share the latest wild trout status, technology and philosophy. Since 1974, there have been 11 Wild Trout Symposiums each with published proceedings. Marty Seldon remained actively involved in the Wild Trout Symposium until his passing in late 2011. Primary symposia sponsors include: the International Federation of Fly Fishers, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the USDA Forest Service, the Trout and Salmon Foundation, and Trout Unlimited.

The Osprey

Conservation education and advocacy for Pacific salmon and steelhead is also an important part of our conservation work on native species through the Steelhead Committee (started in 1986) and The Osprey newsletter (see www. ospreysteelhead.org) first published in 1987. The committeeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s goals are to pre-

Another conservation focus since the late 1990s has been the decline of native trout of the desert Southwest. In Arizona and New Mexico, Federation members worked as partners on restoration projects focused on Apache trout and Rio Grande cutthroat trout. In Arizona, the Southwest Council initiated a project on the West Fork of Oak Creek to reintroduce Gila trout and funded feasibility studies totaling $17,000. This was the largest native fish recovery project in Arizona and New Mexico and met a unique requirement of the Gila Recovery plan. The project ran about 12 years, involving many collaborative partners, but difficulties working in wilderness areas, escalating costs, frequent personnel turnover, and cuts to federal and state budgets, all took their toll; the project finally collapsed in 2009.

CuttCatch and BassCatch Programs

Learning to value species in their native range is a critical first step for the public to appreciate the diversity of native species. It is particularly important to understand the value of the many subspecies of cutthroat trout (western United States) or black bass (southeastern United States). In an effort to help, the Federation created two awards. Members who successfully catch, document and release four subspecies of cutthroat trout or black bass receive a CuttCatch or BassCatch patch, pin and certificate for their accomplishment. We also recognize each individual that receives the award with a short article in Flyfisher magazine.

Invasive Species

The Federation was deeply involved in education work on invasive species from 1999 to 2009. Aquatic invasive species (AIS) are plants, animals or microbes that compete directly for habitat and food, thus impacting bodies of water and native fish. Key staff (Bob Wiltshire, Kasja Stromberg and Leah Elwell) established the IFFF as an important partner working with agencies and other non-government organizations to educate anglers and slow the spread of invasive species. In 2009, the Invasive Species Action Network (ISAN) became the national leader in invasive species education and how clean angling practices can stem the spread of AIS. The organization continues to work closely with ISAN on issues related to invasive species education and is a partner in the Clean Angling Coalition. In 2012, IFFF joined conservation partners (U.S. Geological Survey, the Greater Yellowstone Coalition, Trout Unlimited and the National Parks Conservation Association) in a research initiative to investigate lake trout, an invasive, nonnative species in Yellowstone Lake. This voracious predator has severely impacted the native Yellowstone cutthroat trout in this watershed. Information from the study will allow managers to target suppression activities to reduce lake trout numbers in this ecosystem and set the stage for rebuilding their numbers in Yellowstone National Park.

IFFF’s Conservation Small Grants Program

In 2010, the Federation recommitted itself to the rebuilding of grassroots conservation funding from the national office to the councils and local clubs. At that time contributions to the Conservation Small Grants Program increased, making $1,500 available to each of its 17 councils. Frequently, councils provided matching funds to clubs that gained national conservation grants, thus increasing the IFFF’s investment in conservation. In 2011 the organization awarded 21 conservation grants to clubs in 12 different councils. The scope of the projects ranged from trout habitat improvement to invasive species mitigation.

PHOTO BY RICHARD WILLIAMS

Yellowstone Lake Trout

Idaho’s Middle Fork Salmon River is well known as a wilderness river and native fish stronghold; it has potential as a Native Fish Conservation Area.

Partnerships

An important part of IFFF’s approach to conservation work is to partner with other like-minded organizations on important conservation issues. Our frequent and valued conservation partners include: Trout Unlimited, the Native Fish Society, the Nature Conservancy, the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, the Invasive Species Action Network, Save Our Wild Salmon, Pacific Rivers Council, and Earth Justice just to name a few.

Conclusion

The International Federation of Fly Fishers was founded nearly 50 years ago with a vision of the role conservation

and activism could play in its activities and legacy. Federation members and clubs continue to do many worthwhile conservation projects, particularly those supported by our growing Conservation Small Grants Program. At the national level, the IFFF strategically partners successfully with many other organizations on issues of regional and national concern as the “voice of fly fishers.” Rick Williams is the Executive Committee Senior Conservation Adviser and a member of the Casting Board of Governors. He dedicates this article to longtime conservation crusader Marty Seldon. This piece is an excerpt from a chapter written for another publication. Due to space limitations the full chapter could not be printed but can be read on the Federation’s website at www.fedflyfishers.org/Conservation/History.aspx.

Flyfisher Spring - Summer 2015

[41 ]

DAVE WHITLOCK PHOTO

The Fantastic

or professionally trained fishery Intro by Dave Whitlock manpower. The first motivation ince it began 13 years common among FFF members ago, the Federation of and others will naturally be Fly Fishers Whitlockto improve their fishing by Vibert Box (WVB) stocking more fish via this program has developed from one simple “hands-on” method. As Oklahoma club’s dream to an you study the WVB program internationally popular program. before actually planting eggs, With the backing and funding a learning process begins that of the Federation and Bob develops your understanding Cunningham’s total dedication Bob Cunningham and Dave Whitlock have put many, many hours into the development of the Whitlock-Vibert Box program, sponand appreciation for the water, to the program as WVB service sored by FFF. It’s one of the great conservation success stories of its environmental conditions, chairman, we have been able to the Federation. and all the wonders of wild realize our goals for this unique trout. With either success or trout, char and salmon stocking failure, you receive a gift of knowledge that enriches your life management tool. No one knows our success story better than and the lives of those around you. Bob. His review here of WVB’s history is a story every FFF Holding the eggs, planting the boxes, seeing the eggs member should know, understand and take great pride in. hatch and eventually holding a fine WVB hatched mature But first, before Bob begins, allow me to put my two cents trout in your hands (or seeing such a fish return to the WVB in about WVB. The day I became involved with the original plant sites three or four years later to spawn) is a true spiritual Vibert Box, my life began to change for the better. Each year experience. this program pays back 10 times what I put into it – not a bad Like any new idea, it challenges the establishments of fishery investment for these days! I will explain why. management programs. It is not directly in competition with The WVB is a very efficient, simple tool to incubate and these but rather an offer of an additional tool for better fishing. hatch eyed salmonid eggs when properly set in a suitable FFF has carefully progressed to explain, ensure and prove WVB stream environment. It releases the very young fry into the merits with these people and agencies here in the United States stream as they become physically able to swim, eat and avoid and over the world with fine, well-conceived approaches. Bob natural dangers. Such fish adapt and survive as wild fish or they Cunningham, our 14 consultants, the WVB handbook, WVB perish just as naturally produced native species do. It works no slide show and funded research have established WVB and FFF biological miracles but allows each user of it to observe and credibility for this program. A lot of doors are now open that learn what a wild trout’s interaction with nature truly is. were tightly closed just a few years ago. But we have learned This tool can be successfully used by trained amateurs

[42 ]

Flyfisher Spring - Summer 2015

Fish Factory By Bob Cunningham

to improve our methods, educate, promote and train for WVB programs with minimum objection in most cases. We have now recorded so many successes, it might be said we are on the downhill side of the struggle. There is still a lot of room for improvement in the egg stocks, methods and places one can be used. We plan to move ahead with WVB research, development and education. A WVB program carried out by any group of qualified individuals, clubs, organizations or agencies will bring many benefits besides more fish. We have regularly seen strong new friendships developed, new clubs organized, older clubs revitalized, opposing interest groups brought together and new cooperation between fishery managers and angler. (Less abuse in laws, more environment improvements, more catch-and-release policies and a strong sense of pride is developed among those involved.) Every person reading Bob’s article should be enriched by becoming involved in the WVB program. We would welcome your efforts and suggest that they will ultimately produce a better environment for you and the fish.

leven innocent words appear as the first goal established by the Green Country Fly Fishers (GCF) in its formal organizational meeting and recorded in GCF Bulletin No. 1, January 18, 1969. They were to “Initiate a project which will create a new brown trout fishery.” It was a simple goal. Determine if the water analysis, summer water temperatures and aquatic life of Spring Creek, near Locust Grove, Oklahoma, might sustain a brown trout population. If so, the club would acquire what fingerlings it could afford and introduce them into the stream. It might also be necessary to do some stream enhancement for trout protection and temperature control. The decision of the 10 charter members under the leadership and strong encouragement of Dave Whitlock did not seem to be much beyond routine. None of us dreamed that it would result in the development of an efficient instream salmonid incubator and nursery, which today is the Federation of Fly Fishers’ most outstanding and valuable program, at least in my opinion, and I know many Federators who will agree with me. It has been my good fortune to be involved with the program from that very first day and to see it unfold like a fairy tale. During the summer of 1969, repeated Spring Creek studies indicate the qualities deemed desirable for a brown trout fishery. The State of Oklahoma gave its approval to the project and suggested that its development be kept secret because of the remoteness of the area and their inability to police activities along it. Milton Blaustein, a charter member of GCF, had been assigned to locate and price a shipment of 10,000 trout. In April he determined that the best source of brown trout would be those ranging 6 to 8 inches in length delivered from Getz Trout Farm in Colorado at a cost of $2,500. Although the membership had grown to nearly 50 members by that time, it was highly questionable that such funds could be made available that year. Garvice Loucks, vice president of GCF and manager of a Tulsa sporting goods store, suggested that we package fly tying materials and sell them through his store. By October it was obvious that the funds would not be available in time and the project would be delayed a year. Blaustein’s assignment was fulfilled, but as a scholar of fly fishing he chanced to read an article in “Trout,” that involved the use of Vibert Boxes, an instream incubator, by the Catskill Chapter of Trout Unlimited (TU) in New York. This incubator was invented by Dr. Richard Vibert in France in the 1950s. Milton also located a source of brown trout eggs at Paradise Brook Trout Company in Cresco, Pennsylvania, at a price of $6 per thousand plus air freight. Dave Whitlock contacted Don Warren of the TU club in New York to determine the source of Vibert Boxes and to gain the benefits of TU’s experience with them. One hundred boxes and a small pamphlet describing how to use the box were obtained, and the first setting of 50,000 eggs was made December 12, 1970. Recovery of the boxes February 20, 1971, indicated a 94 percent hatch rate. Similar annual settings were made with similar or better results. The success of this work and the values of hatching trout in what was to be their natural environment was recorded by Dave in The Flyfisher, Volume V, Nos. 2 and 3, 1972, under the headline “Trout by the Boxful.” Dave carefully paralleled the work in Spring Creek through the use of aquariums in his garage at home. He photographed the entire process from the Flyfisher Spring - Summer 2015

[43 ]

receipt of the eggs to the recovery of the boxes, as well as the development of the salmonids in the aquariums. He prepared material for the step-bystep, audio-visual program that was developed and placed in FFF’s film libraries. It was titled simply “The Vibert Box.” Three significant observations were made from the frequent in-stream checks on the hatching process and the work done by Dave in the aquariums. The first was positive. The attitude of the working crews toward trout fisheries changed incredibly by watching trout emerge from their eggs, absorb their sacs, and struggle to survive in a wild environment. Catch and release became the game, not only in Spring Creek

dropped into the gravel upon hatching. At this point GCF had accomplished its goal, but Whitlock was intrigued with overcoming the adverse aspects, as far as possible. GCF continued to assist him with this development, but the project was now being sponsored by FFF under Dave’s direction. He met with FFF personnel, others qualified in fisheries management, and experts in box mold design on a regular basis. Recognition is given these persons on Page iii “Acknowledgements” in the “WhitlockVibert Box Handbook,” a subject to be discussed later in this article. Many prototypes were tested. The final design involved a larger, two-tiered box. The top tier, the incubator, could contain 500 average size trout eggs in two layers,

Continuing usage indicated modifications would be beneficial to the original design. The changes made were minor but of great value. They reinforced the hatchery door for snug closure and reduced the slot sizes in the nursery to prevent exposure of egg-sac fry; however, no overall dimensional changes were made. In the first 2.5 years there was no publicity outside the FFF on this program, but in 1978 Whitlock’s article “Revolution in Trout Rearing” appeared in the February issue of Outdoor Life. In late January of that year, inquiries by letter and phone began pouring into the FFF office. At first there were two or three letters a day. The numbers steadily increased to

Dave Whitlock at work in his garage with his aquariums and experiments. A lot of Dave’s time here went into the development of the FFF-sponsored WhitlockVibert Box program and the WVB Handbook. Tools of the trade – the WhitlockVibert Box (WVB) program, that is. How each of these items is used is explained in detail in the WVB Handbooks available through the FFF.

but in salmonid fisheries generally. It was gradually realized these Vibert Box trout, ranging from 6 inches to 6 pounds, were too precious to eat or take home to show off. The desire to keep trophies was overcome by the desire to return them unharmed, to be caught again, and to reproduce in season. The second finding was the 500 eggs held in “cube form” in the Vibert Box allowed fungus from dead eggs to spread rapidly to successive eggs in all directions in the affected box. The third finding was that the redds, prepared with selected and sized gravel ideal for hatching, were also ideal for many bottom feeding predators. They provided predators a place to live beneath the gravel and advance to feast upon the helpless egg-sac fry as they

[44 ]

Flyfisher Spring - Summer 2015

to reduce the spread of fungus by less contact and removal by increased water flow. Upon hatching, the egg sac fry would drop into the bottom tier, the nursery, until the sacs were absorbed, they were free-swimming, ready to start feeding, and better able to avoid predators. With this design only minor predators could move into the nursery because the size of the slots was only sufficient to permit fry to escape. After thorough testing, the WhitlockVibert Box was patented and placed on the market in September 1975; the new Whitlock-Vibert Box audio-visual program was placed in FFF’s film libraries. In 1977 it was augmented with a copyrighted 47-page “Whitlock-Vibert Box Handbook.”

a peak of 63 in one day in August 1978. Letters were promptly answered with a standard reply. Marginal notes were made to specific questions. Inquiries still arrive occasionally from persons who have just read that old issue. In the two and a half years prior to Dave’s article, 3,954 boxes were distributed. In the five years since, 13,582 more have been distributed, making a total of 17,536 boxes (see the editor’s comments at the end of this piece) and 1,911 Handbooks. The Handbook is in its second edition, including revisions and additions. The device has steadily gained favor with governmental fisheries agencies across the United States and Canada as well as with sportsmen’s groups. In most states and provinces, it has brought the groups together in a

DAVE WHITLOCK PHOTO

spirit of cooperation, joint ventures and better understanding of attitudes toward salmonid fisheries. Care must be taken to continue to improve this relationship. There were many boxes ordered by FFF and TU groups and others in the United States and Canada in 1982, but it is interesting that eight orders from Japan totaled 1,020 boxes, two orders from Austria 425 boxes; four orders from Australia 425 boxes; and from Argentina, 33 boxes. Fisheries management in British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec ordered 191 boxes. Many of the 1982 orders were repeat orders, some for the third time. During the life of the program, orders have been received from 41 states and all the Canadian provinces, in addition

recognized as the fine tool that it is, the FFF trained persons from strategic locations across the United States and Canada to become WVB consultants to serve as instructors and leaders to nearby groups who request their services. Each consultant is available on his personal priority basis. Dave has trained two groups, bringing them to his home on the White River in Arkansas where the training requires four days in the classroom and one day of actual work in the stream. An April 1983 program is being set up by the Southwest Council, where Dave will train several persons, which will add several to the 14 consultants now on call. The FFF has contributed funds to certain universities for projects involving the Whitlock-Vibert Box. Some of their findings are interesting. Also, reports from many users suggest the system is labor intensive and siltation sometimes a problem. Redesign and enlargement prototypes are under study. Also under study is the probability that more consideration need be given to using species and strains of salmonids that prosper best in specific areas. These A typical field shot shows members of a fly fishing club may be the subjects of later placing Whitlock-Vibert Boxes in a river suitable for the articles. program. Pricing of boxes and handbooks has been kept at cost. Increases are consistent with production and postage costs. The program sustains New Zealand, Cumbria (in the United itself, but the monetary returns are not Kingdom), Holland, Germany and directly accounted by FFF. To redesign South Africa. and tool present prototypes, indications We are excited by the large reorders are that it will cost about $15,000. from successful users, but even more Extensive testing will continue. refreshing are when certain orders or It is important to understand that requests for information are received. while the Whitlock-Vibert Box, properly In January 1983, a Handbook and two used, will produce more than 80 percent Whitlock-Vibert Boxes were given to the swim-up fry, the box will perform no McKinley High School Aquatic Ecology miracles. Nor can it cause a failure! It is Department, Buffalo, New York, for a tool that when properly used provides experimental use. It is the policy of FFF the answer to whether the tested water to fill such requests gratis. In the past will produce and sustain the particular there have been instances where high strain of salmonid whose eggs are used. schools, college students, Boy Scout The FFF is gathering information to troops, and at least one Eagle Scout determine which species, subspecies used Whitlock-Vibert Boxes to reach and strains seem to thrive best in certain their respective goals. geographic areas. As it became apparent that The development of the Whitlockthe Whitlock-Vibert Box was being

Vibert Box is quite timely, proving itself most valuable as costs of hatchery operations soar, and as many fisheries experts begin to recognize that better quality salmonids result from instream incubation and retain the instinct to return to those same areas to reproduce. Dave sees the results of some of his efforts firsthand, for in “his” White River below Bull Shoals Dam, he and the White River FF have made repeated incubations of brown trout eggs. The river is stocked regularly with large quantities of catchable rainbows, yet the upper section of that tailwater has become predominately a brown trout fishery. As recently as five years ago, this was not so. As long as Dave and people like him with curiosity and inventiveness are allowed to exercise those God-given gifts, we can expect to look back upon the day the Vibert Box will be classed as the Model “T” and the Whitlock-Vibert Box as the Model “A” Ford. Nothing is constant but change. This article is a reprint from the spring 1983 issue of The Flyfisher. Editor’s note: The WVB is an IFFF success story of the first order. Since the mid-1970s the organization has sold and shipped thousands of boxes to countries including Norway, Japan, Germany, Canada and the United States. The program has “helped fish get a start in life” and let the Federation do conservation work that otherwise could not have been accomplished. The Federation thanks Dave Whitlock for his generous and lasting contribution to the organization.

Jocko s

Fly Fishing guide service

Fly fishing BIG

mid-Michigan smallmouth

Scenic, seldom fished rivers Guided trips • Flies • DVDs Casting instruction • Programs 989-835-6047 • jocko@tm.net

www.JockosGuideService.com Flyfisher Spring - Summer 2015

[45 ]

Lee Wulff: Born To Fish By Jim Casada Photos supplied by Lee Wulff

lthough he is a man of many parts, if ever an individual was born to fish, it is Lee Wulff. There is, in my opinion, no one more widely known in today’s world of fly fishing. This fact derives in part from Wulff’s accomplishments as a fisherman, author, instructor and innovative designer of all sorts of practical fishing “gadgets.” The vital factor in his widespread renown, however, lies in his efforts as a fly tier. Lee’s de-

velopment of various attractor patterns, all of which feature hair wings as well as being generically known as “Wulffs,” have made his name a household word. Indeed, I suspect a surprising number of fly fishermen regularly speak of fishing with Royal, Blonde, Gray, Grizzly, Brown, White and sundry other Wulffs, without realizing the connection with their origin. Certainly such once was the case

with me. Though I blush to admit it even now, I fished with Wulffs throughout my innocent (and ignorant) adolescence under the mistaken impression that my favorite flies were somehow connected with that consummate predator, the wolf. I now know better, but the fact that I fish Wulffs more often than anything else remains unchanged. Ironically, homonymic misattributions notwithstanding, my association of the flies with the savvy, savage wolf was not all that far-fetched. As an angler, Lee Wulff is a relentless, wolf-like stalker of fish, and he will readily tell you that man is the ultimate predator. In fact, one of the basic principles with which he seeks to imbue students at his fly fishing school is that in order to become highly successful anglers, they must hone their predatory skills. It was the instincts and intelligence we associate with particularly

Above, Lee Wulff today, fishing a small stream and enjoying himself immensely. His popular series of flies are used everywhere.

[46 ]

Flyfisher Spring - Summer 2015

adroit anglers of his ilk that underlay the development of the Wulff patterns. Flying directly in the face of conventional wisdom, Lee decided at an early age that no self-respecting trout was going to swim any appreciable distance for what he laughingly describes as “anemic English flies.” So he developed highly visible hair wing dry flies with buck tail as a basic component. (Today kip tail or even opossum belly are sometimes used, but Lee still swears by his original material.) Along with being easy to follow at a distance or in turbulent water, the flies were incredibly durable. Lee

Lee Wulff in 1933 with the then typical “big fish” photograph. Lee sewed the vest he’s wearing himself.

tells of catching upwards of 50 trout on a single Royal Wulff while fishing with a skeptic shortly after he introduced the fly. In addition to these qualities, the Wulffs offered fish something that appeared “meaty.” The rest is history; quite possibly no single pattern enjoys wider usage, or greater success, than the Royal Wulff. The revolutionary development of hair wing flies is, however, only one wellknown aspect of Lee Wulff’s multifaceted career. Photographer, artist, bush pilot, engineer, entrepreneur, inventor and conservationist, he is a man who has always shown a marked ability to wring from life the essence of all it has to offer. He has been at it for better than fourscore years and shows no sign of slowing down. When I interviewed Lee for this article, he talked passionately of an undiminished ambition to better several of his cherished angling feats, most notably taking sizeable Atlantic salmon on tiny flies. This suggests, and rightly so, that for all the variegated activities that characterize his career, he has always been first and foremost a fisherman. This fact should be kept firmly in mind as we take a glimpse at the man and a few of his many accomplishments. Lee was born February 10, 1905 in Valdez, Alaska, the son of Charles G. and Lillie (Arneberg) Wulff. He was a self-confessed “kid fishing freak.” Encouraged virtually from the toddler age by his mother – her Scandinavian roots, with a deep love for water and its creatures, are mirrored in her son – Lee was fishing before he reached 2 years of age. Equipped with the most rudimentary of equipment in the form of a bent pin, willow pole and string, with a bit of bacon as a lure, he soon was taking tiny trout from the stream that ran behind the family home. Borrowing a page from the region’s original inhabitants, he

also snared, speared and netted fish. Conversion to better things, however, came quite soon. In 1914, when Lee was only 9, an Englishman who was a devoted fly fisherman came to town. He took Wulff under his wing in a particularly fine example of the timeless sort of partnerships that can develop between a seasoned angling tutor and a pupil. Sensing his son’s love for this new dimension of sport, Wulff’s father soon ordered him a fly rod. Fly tying soon followed. By the time he was a teenager, Lee was a seasoned, dedicated fly fisherman, and he has never really looked back. He studied engineering and played football at Stanford in order to please his father. After earning his bachelor’s degree in 1926, Lee studied in Europe for a time, showing a particular aptitude in art while enrolled at Julien’s in Paris. Later he would put his artistic talents to good use in self-illustrating a number of his books. After returning from France, he went to work for a New York City advertising agency in 1927. Still he fished in New Jersey, the Catskills and the Adirondacks at every opportunity. Gradually the realization dawned that he had always known his true place in life. Eventually, in his own words, Lee said “to hell with the world of business.” He realized that happiness, peace of mind and closeness to nature meant far more to him than material wealth. As a result he turned to freelance writing, film production and most of all fishing as a livelihood. This article is a reprint from the Winter 1988 issue of the Flyfisher.

Flyfisher Spring - Summer 2015

[47 ]

According to this author, fly fishing can go on during the winter months. All you need for this saltwater activity are a few

Fly Fishing Basics for Surf

Story and photos by Nick Curcione

ut here on the West Coast at least, the prospect of a fly rodder tossing feathered offerings in the salt isn’t quite the novelty that it was just a few short years ago. For example in King Harbor at Redondo Beach, California, which is practically in my own backyard, on any given weekend there may be an “invasion” of long rod aficionados from a local fly rod club in the Southern California area. However, there still remains one area on the saltwater scene that is still in its infancy for the majority of West Coast fly rodders. And when you consider the ease of accessibility, the simplicity of equipment requirements and the meager expenses involved, it is somewhat paradoxical that more anglers haven’t approached the surf with their fly rods. Admittedly my own introduction was not totally of my

Barbara south all the way down the coast into Baja. Actually there are 19 species of surf perch in California that belong to the family Embiotocidae. The most abundant are the barred perch (Amphistichus argenteus) and they can serve as a great introduction for the fly rodder who ventures into the surf. Size wise the barred perch have been known to exceed 4.5 pounds in weight, but the average size along California beaches is more in the neighborhood of about 1.5 pounds; however, in Baja, especially on the beaches in the vicinity of San Quentin, 2-pound-plus fish are quite common. Don’t be put off by their comparatively small size, because they are incredibly strong fish. I like to refer to them as souped up versions of the popular freshwater bluegill. Barred perch spend much of their time in a harsh environment. Anything that lives and feeds in the surf line has to be hardy just to withstand the constant turbulence. And they are voracious feeders. Not all sections of beach are equally In Southern California and Baja you can take them on a year-round basis, but in the winter productive, and just as in stream fishing months the larger fish move in toward shore for trout, you will have to learn to “read” searching for food in preparation for their annual the water. spring spawn. Thus, the winter months are a prime time to fish for barred perch for a number own doing. True, for years in the Northeast I waded into the of reasons. You can take larger fish; they are close to the beach, salt in pursuit of species like bluefish, stripers and weakfish. making casting chores much easier (50- to 60-foot casts are But this took place primarily along the north shore of Long generally sufficient); and they are hungry. Unlike corbina that Island Sound, and in many areas there isn’t any surf to speak can be very selective, barred perch will readily strike most small of. It was more like wading into a big lake. If things kicked artificials including your fly. And there is no doubt about it when up you simply didn’t use fly gear. On they grab because they really pounce on the other hand, chucking a fly from an it. As rolling waves stir up sand crabs and exposed stretch of beach (in California other small crustaceans, the perch must alone the Pacific laps the coast a distance dart in and grab their meal quickly. In of approximately 1,000 miles) is a very contrast to corbina feeding over a shallow different proposition. Even on relatively water sand bar, barred perch don’t grub calm days, the rolling surf can seem for food. They pursue it in the manner of quite formidable, and you can almost a high speed chase. The closing distances always count on the prospect of having may be comparatively short, but this to cast directly into the teeth of the wind. doesn’t detract from the determination of Having fished the surf for many years the strike. with conventional tackle, I was aware of Despite the fact that out here in the Pango and smaller calico bass provide great the difficulties involved, so when a friend West we are fortunate enough to have sport on a fly rod who is a well-known tackle dealer and mile after mile of free access and public excellent fisherman in his own right, first suggested that I try my beaches, surf fishing with fly gear (or any other tackle for that fly gear off the beach, I was somewhat hesitant. matter) is not just a simple matter of walking down to the Though I had not done it myself, I knew that a handful water’s edge and making casts. Not all sections of beach are of light tackle enthusiasts armed with freshwater spinning gear equally productive, and just as in stream fishing for trout, you could make some truly remarkable catches on barred perch will have to learn to “read” the water. Especially for barred using a variety of small artificials. Occasionally they can even perch you want to fish steep-sloping beaches and spots where tie into corbina, which are notorious for their finicky feeding there are holes and depressions in the bottom. By learning habits. In fact, as far as light tackle for the surf is concerned, to read the breaking pattern of waves, you can get a fairly these two species are the mainstay of the fishery from Santa good idea of what the ocean floor is like. If the waves break

[48 ]

Flyfisher Spring - Summer 2015

close to shore and crash practically at the water’s edge, it indicates a steep-sloping beach. Many sources of food for barred perch, as well as other species, are constantly being churned about by pounding waves until they are eventually swept into the relatively calmer water pockets formed by holes and depressions in the ocean bottom. This is where you want to fish, and the way to find such spots is to watch the wave action. As they roll in from the open ocean, waves will break over shallow areas, but when they roll over deeper cuts and holes, the water surface smooths out, and the foam and froth tend to dissipate. So for example, if you see a flat stretch of water situated between breaking waves, you can be sure there is deeper water at that spot, and this is where you should focus your casts. Even though barred perch can be ravenous feeders, I like to help things along a bit by chumming. Some purists may scoff at this, but surf fishing is sufficiently challenging in itself and I see nothing unsportsmanlike in provoking fish into a feeding spree. The best method I’ve found is to chum with dead anchovies. Select a stretch of shore that looks like it holds fish and begin tossing small handfuls of anchovies into the area. The danger of over chumming in this situation isn’t as great as it is in calmer water, because the turbulence of the surf will constantly buffet the bait. For this reason, once you start chumming you have to continue. If you are alone, every few minutes or so, stop fishing and take the time to toss out a couple of handfuls of bait. Once you get the perch going, the action can be nothing short of phenomenal. I have held barred perch in an area for over two hours where they were so eager to feed that I was getting struck on practically every cast. Of course even where chumming is concerned, you want to pick the optimum tidal phases so you are not fishing slack water. Approximately two hours before an incoming high tide can produce good action; you can also work the outgoing tide, but if you continue to fish during periods of slack water all you are likely to get is casting practice. Chumming the surf in this manner also works well on halibut and bass that often prowl the surf line in search of a meal. And during the spawning months of March and July, the barred perch themselves can contribute to this action. Like all other members of their family, female barred perch are live bearers. In fact they are so prolific in this regard that live bearing females can literally inundate a given area with their small, silvery fry. In Baja I have seen halibut the size of pillow cases come cruising right along the shoreline to feed on the recently spawned offspring. To connect with halibut and bass under these conditions, all you have to do is change flies because the patterns used for barred perch and corbina, which in many cases are exactly the same, generally will not produce well on the former species. First of all, regarding the flies I tie for the surf, they are models

Casting in the surf is a great way to spend some on-the-water time.

of simplicity. And they have to be considering the demanding conditions under which you will be fishing them. In terms of construction, the two most important qualities a surf fly must have are durability and resistance to fouling. If the fly isn’t durable, it will quickly be reduced to a tattered mess by the pounding surf. And because of the ever-present wind and churning water, any fly that is prone to fouling will do so with frustrating frequency. For that reason alone I want them tied as simply as possible. For barred perch and corbina, I like to use a pattern that closely resembles the comet series. These are tied on Wright and McGill 254SS hooks in sizes from 2 to 6. Bright attractor color combinations like red, yellow and orange work well. I also use brown and tan to simulate the color of sand crabs, which are a prime source of food for both species. For halibut and bass, especially when the barred perch are spawning, I Flyfisher Spring - Summer 2015

[49 ]

The search for the dragless drift like to use a small version of the popular Lefty’s Deceiver. White with a few strands of Mylar provides a good simulation of the barred perch fry. And lengthwise they are not much longer than perch and corbina flies. Generally I have found that about 2 inches (give or take) is about right. They are tied on the same-style hooks, except that for the latter species I seldom go smaller than a size 2. An ideal fly fishing system for most of your surf fishing needs would be an outfit designed for 8- and 9-weight lines. Most of the time I opt for shooting heads because they are easier to cast into the wind. And even though the water depth seldom exceeds more than 15 feet or so, I use fast sinking lines and lead core heads. Most of the fish in the surf line are feeding close to the bottom, so you want to get the fly down to where the action is. However, regardless of your choice of lines, one piece of equipment that is absolutely essential for this type of fly fishing is a stripping basket. It is neither necessary nor practical to wade any farther than knee-deep water, but you still have to contain the stripped line. The turbulence is such that, if the line falls into the water, it will become hopelessly tangled. The best device I have found for this is a soft, plastic container that is designed for use as a wastepaper basket. It measures approximately 15 inches deep and 7 inches wide. The flat sides lie close against your hips, and the added depth of the basket prevents the line from easily spilling over. Since the basket remains waist high, your body movements are virtually unimpeded. About the only other item you may need are chest-high waders. As I mentioned previously, wading deeper than knee-high water isn’t recommended. The undertow and the possibility of stepping into a hole can present real hazards. But any time you step into the surf you are bound to get wet and waders can make things a lot more comfortable. Even the Pacific as far south as Baja can get quite chilly, so it always pays to bring a pair of waders. Depending on your physical constitution you can opt to fish bare-legged, but in the event the weather turns cold, it’s always nice to have a pair of waders to slip into. Besides, when wearing chest high waders that are traditionally associated with surf fishing, maybe people won’t stare too hard when they see you toting a fly rod. Nick Curcione is a well-known saltwater author in Southern California who is rapidly developing an international reputation both as a fisherman and a writer. This article is a reprint from the Fall 1984 Flyfisher.

[50 ]

Flyfisher Spring - Summer 2015

Story and photos by Brandt Zimmerman

here shall the anglers of tomorrow look for new development of their art? I believe we shall discover, as have many contemporary scholars, scientists, and sociologists, that some of the answers of the future lie hidden in the past! Threaded throughout the centuries of angling history are countless clues pointing, enigmatically, toward the need for FREE-FLY fishing. It is astonishing that FREE-FLY fishing, in some form, was not adopted at least a century ago, at which time “eyed” hooks began to receive mention with some regularity. Unfortunately, by that time a premise, first in the middle of the 15th century (in the Wagstaff Manuscript) and first published in 1496, in the second “Book of St. Albans,” had undergone nearly 200 years of plagiaristic embellishment. I contend no fish ever related the hook to leader, to line, to reel, to rod, to fisherman to danger! They may run in terror at the sight of you. They may glide quietly out of sight at the scintillations of your waving rod. They may pause apprehensively during feeding at the thundercrashes of your line falling on the water overhead. But none of these bear upon a fish’s refusal of your fly when it drifts past him in the midst of his feeding. So long as the fish is feeding, he is not afraid, and when he is afraid, he is not feeding. I’m suggesting, therefore, the sight of our leader did not, to the trout, entail the frightening idea of “being caught!” In this case we must look elsewhere for a reason for refusal. We need only ask what forces might act upon real food and compare with our artificial offering under like circumstances. Three things can happen to any insect as it floats downstream. All are movements; caused by one or more of the following – the insect itself, the wind and the water. By assuming our insect to be inert and the day windless, we must conclude there only remains the action of the current upon the insect to give our trout a sign or warning that shouts food or fraud. Isolated down to this last “moment of truth,” a trout’s final decision to feed or not depends solely upon the attitude of the fly on the water. What can we learn about this relationship of current to flies and insects? A stream-angler’s “drag,” caused when portions of the fly line and leader travel at speeds differing from those of the water in which the fly is moving, is commonly understood and methods to overcome it are legion. But is the cross-current

The

Free Fly

motion or drag of the fly the only UNnatural action of the fly? I was forced to the conclusion that it was not. Even the finest monofilament attempts to equalize all forces acting upon it. During casting, flies tend to spin because they are never perfectly symmetrical. Nylon monofilament cannot comfortably rotate upon its longitudinal axis and when forced to do so, will seek to return to a state where all stresses involved can reach a point of equilibrium. In simple terms, the monofilament tries to unwind. Thus our flies must be subject not

the simplest is what I call the “HEAT KNOT,” although it isn’t a knot at all. It is simply a ball of nylon formed on the end of the monofilament by heating with a flame until it melts back upon itself. The technique is similar to the method many fly tiers use to make imitation eyes for their fly patterns. Maximum size is limited because as the melted ball grows larger, it becomes heavier and has a tendency to sag, which seems to weaken the junction between the tippet and the ball. This is often accompanied by the kindling of a faint blue flame which often ends up

(on the left side of illustration No. 3). It is simple to tie using the same techniques as forming the surgeon’s knot many anglers use to attach tippets to leaders. Experimentation will determine which of these, or other possible stopper knots, best suits your own fishing circumstances. After threading your fly well up on the tippet, tie or melt the chosen stopper (knot) and test to make certain it cannot be pulled through the eye of the hook. Once you have the right combination of hook-eyeto-stopper size for your favorite patterns and have learned to trust the junction,

1 2 3 Some different end knot styles for free-fly fishing. The leader thickness determines knot bulk. Figure-of-eight is on the right and the three-fold over-hand knot is on the left. Top, left, the heated ball, perfectly formed on the left will hold as well as a knot on the medium to heavy nylon tippets. The poorly shaped glob on the right will cause trouble and probably will break. Bottom, left, the floating “free fly” with a perfectly formed heat knot requires nothing more than the courage to use it.

only to drag in the normal sense of the word, but to a “secondary drag” while attempting to unwind after the fly lands upon the water and during its subsequent float! I think the solution is obvious. WE MUST NOT TIE OUR FLY FIRMLY TO THE LEADER! Rather, we need a “ball-and-socket” kind of attachment, thus allowing the fly freedom to spin merrily along during false-casting and even more important, permitting it to continue to move about or oscillate freely on the end of the leader after it is on the water. In theory, angling with a fly that has complete freedom to move in all directions should help eliminate much of the “secondary drag.” Let’s now consider methods by which we can accomplish our ball-andsocket FREE-FLY attachment. I think

destroying the monofilament ball due to “over melting.” Refer to illustration No. 1 and note a ball resembling the right hand one is weak and often will fail while a properly formed ball like the one on the left is capable of taking a large fish on a size No. 14 hook. Illustration No. 2 shows how this method looks when applied to a hook. The second method uses a handtied FIGURE-OF-EIGHT as a “stopper” knot (on the right in illustration No. 3). While essentially fail proof, it is not perfectly symmetrical, making it less desirable than the melted monofilament. Its best use is for very fine tippets and small hooks. We might as well call our third stopper a “BLOOD KNOT,” although it is technically a “three-fold over-hand knot”

you will happily discover they cast no different than your customary method, and often the leader is not as prone to twist and tangle. Give the Free Fly a try! You’ll be glad you did! Excerpt from an article in the first issue of The Flyfisher, 1968. Editor’s note: We’ve been using this method for a short time after discovering it lying dormant in the archives of our Flyfisher magazines and highly recommend it. We have not used it with fluorocarbon tippet material and would appreciate learning of your results if you venture into that angling opportunity. We can be reached at albeatty2@aol.com.

Flyfisher Spring - Summer 2015

[51 ]

By Joseph D. Bates Jr.

Streamer Flies

for

[52 ]

BIG Fish

Flyfisher Spring - Summer 2015

any highly successful anglers consider streamers and bucktails the most consistent producers of all fly types. Others may have tried them and passed them by, perhaps due to errors in selection and presentation. Since streamers and bucktails are baitfish imitators, they should be top takers wherever baitfish are found, whether in freshwater or salt. They are called “the big fish flies” with good reason. Small fish waste energy chasing small foods such as flies and nymphs, while the bigger ones lurk near bottom awaiting easy access to schools of baitfish, often called “the meat and potatoes” diet of the tackle busters. These big game fish are smart enough to expend less energy seeking bigger foods, hence they grow faster. The tricks for taking them lie mainly in proper selection of streamers and in their presentation. These rather simple tricks are standard procedures with successful anglers, the ones who bring home the trophies. Should we always prefer streamers to dry flies or nymphs? No, as nothing is more fun than to hook fish on dry flies when they are surface feeding or to feel the subtle take when they are sipping nymphs. But hatches don’t occur all the time. Even when they do, the trophies often are lying deep, ignoring the smaller near-surface foods in favor of the heartier fare of baitfish. Thus, the basics of fishing streamers are important to the fly fisherman; perhaps more so than any other method. During a lull in the fishing, a good investment of time is to peer into the shallows to see what baitfish look like and how they swim, because we need to imitate these two characteristics in our fishing. See how slim they usually are! Beginners in fly tying usually over-dress their streamers, but the most successful ones are sparse, such as the Pinfish and the Sidewinder. When in doubt, dress more sparsely. Wet the newly dressed fly to be sure it has the streamline shape of a baitfish. Streamers look quite different when wet. Nature gave baitfish somewhat similar color characteristics; a dark brown or greenish back, perhaps a black median stripe, and a light belly. While baitfish vary considerably in colors, the dark back and light belly is a good combination to start with. Baitfish with barred sides can be imitated by streamers with natural or dyed grizzly hackles. Effective streamers may be dressed simply. The more complicated, fancier ones please fishermen more than fish. A second rule, when in doubt, is to select smaller rather than bigger sizes. Unless there is reason to the contrary, start with sizes 6 or 8, rather than a size 2 or 4. An exception is in trolling, where large sizes may provide better visibility. Water depth also should influence fly size. Try bigger flies in deeper water, but smaller ones in the shallower stretches. The imitation of prevalent baitfish by fly size and color tones can be tempered a bit by considering the brightness of the fly compared to how the fish sees it in relation to the sun. I haven’t seen this discussed by other angler-writers but it can be successfully applied under bright or dark conditions. If you are fishing downstream with your back to the sun, the sunlight is in front of fish, or nearly so. When the fish sees the fly against the sun, a darker fly with minimum flash gives a better silhouette. The fly, between the fish and the sun, may blind the fish somewhat, so fly brightness can be a disadvantage.

Conversely, when the sun lies behind the fish, a lighter fly with more tinsel should tempt more strikes because the fish sees detail and flash more clearly. Of course these two conditions are of lesser importance when fly and fish are in shade. When the sun is overhead or when the day is cloudy, a fly of medium tone seems to work best – one that is not overly bright or overly dark. Under dark conditions, such as fishing at night, a dark fly usually produces best because it gives a better silhouette. A fly with a lot of red and yellow is recommended for discolored water because these colors are more easily seen. The Mickey Finn bucktail or the Colonel Bates streamer are good examples. Perhaps this question of streamer fly selection could be simplified to three basic types: bright, medium and dark, in suitable sizes. The medium patterns will be used most often and should most closely resemble the color tones of prevalent baitfish. However, no angler is content with only a few patterns. We

baitfish rarely swim. An important element of presentation, therefore, is to work streamers as near bottom as seems practical. This rarely is a problem in shallow streams, but steps should be taken to make flies fish near the bottom in deeper streams. A floating line and a tapered leader about as long as the rod should be ideal with an unweighted streamer in thin, shallow water. To go deeper it might be better to try a sink-tip floating line, a shorter leader and a weighted streamer. This suggests carrying two streamer fly containers, one for unweighted patterns and another for weighted ones. Working streamers close to bottom sometimes isn’t necessary, so it usually is a last-resort technique; a last resort that can turn a blank day into a productive one. This is because rivers contain bottom-dwelling baitfish such as sculpins, bullheads or the Cockatush minnow that Don Gapen imitated with his famous Muddler. Presentation in streamer fly fishing isn’t difficult if we remember to work the

When in doubt, dress more sparsely. Wet the newly dressed fly to be sure it has the streamline shape of a bait fish. like to collect them and usually carry too many. Is there a universal pattern, the one to have if we could have only one? If so, it might be the famous Muddler Minnow. It can be drifted as a dry fly (perhaps resembling a grasshopper) until it sinks. On the sunken drift it seems to be taken as a nymph. Given action, it acts like a baitfish. Worked slowly along the bottom, it suggests a baby bullhead or a sculpin. Fly selection is important but far less so than presentation. Depth can be vital in presentation, especially in the deeper stretches. If fish are not surface feeding, expect them to be lying on or close to the bottom. Too many beginning anglers fish middle depths. In the middle-deep stretches of the water, the streamer then may be being fished too far above the fish for them to bother to rise up and take it. Middle depths usually should be avoided also because baitfish seek the protection of the bottom. A streamer fished too high above bottom won’t attract many strikes because it is at an unnatural level where

flies in similar ways to those in which baitfish swim. In addition to methods previously described, streamers can be fished deeper by casting quartering upstream. As the fly drifts down-current, retrieve line or let it out to maintain control and to give the fly maximum drift. Try to work it near large rocks, ledges, fallen tree trunks and other presumed holding positions. The fly can be worked with short twitches during the drift, but that is optional. When it starts to swing, avoid excess speed by mending the line upstream. At the completion of the swing, let the fly dangle in the current for half a minute while twitching it in several times. Big fish may follow a swinging fly and hit it “on the dangle,” when it has stopped its swing and is hanging directly downstream. If nothing happens, strip the fly in slowly because strikes sometimes are obtained during the retrieve. My own method for fishing flies of the sculpin type is the same as above except that they are worked longer when hanging downstream. Work them in a few feet and then let them down

slowly, at the same time providing slight action. Strip some line from the reel and let them down even more. While doing this slowly move the rod-tip from side to side to cover maximum area. These notes apply particularly to most trout and to some of the salmon. What about the basses, pickerel and other pond fish? All take streamers of proper size, and close imitation of baitfish is less important. I usually fish for bass with small fly rod poppers, but a productive variation is to use a multicolored streamer about four inches long with a wing of four or more soft hackles. Splash this onto the surface, and let it lie there momentarily. Then fish it in. If a bass is eyeing it, the strike should come when action begins. Pickerel take simple, light-colored streamers avidly, but a few inches of fine wire between fly and leader is necessary because of their sharp teeth. Since game fish usually strike at streamers because they are hungry, imitator patterns are most important. Game fish often ignore baitfish that act normally but go for any showing unusual action (such as wounded ones), which may be the reason why they strike wisely selected and properly presented streamers so often. But game fish also strike at streamers because they are curious or playful and because of anger. When they go for colorful attractor patterns it may be for the first of these reasons. The anger instinct seems more important, second only to the urge to satisfy hunger. Big fish claim good holding positions and strike at anything that intrudes – even streamer flies. Similarly, bass angrily strike at anything encroaching upon their nests during spawning time. The anger instinct may account for the success of streamers with maribou wings that, when fluffed in currents or during jerky retrieves, don’t look much like baitfish. A game fish temporarily having no interest in food often will strike at a fluffing maribou streamer being worked close to its holding position. If you know the location of a tackle buster, try this technique. You may have to keep the streamer working there even as long as a few minutes but, finally, the fish may become so annoyed at its presence that you’ll get an angry and solid hit. This article is an excerpt from the fall 1983 issue of the Flyfisher.

Flyfisher Spring - Summer 2015

[53 ]

Conserving, Restoring, Educating Through Fly Fishing®

Biology on the Fly TRIGGER FOR THE WHITE-WINGED CURSE By Ken W. Davis

pider webs are riparian billboards. Flapping in the wind, they scream “Look what I caught. Check out this tiny green mayfly before the resident spider wraps it into a bug burrito.” For the curious fly caster, spider webs announce the latest hatch, provide a close-up look at captive mayflies, and provide information about cryptic life cycles. In the summer and fall of 2005, I used spider webs along a trophytrout stream in Northern California to monitor the Tricorythodes (tricos) and Callibaetis hatches. Beginning at 10 a.m. the webs mirrored the trico hatch. At high noon they were loaded with hundreds of male Callibaetis duns. Three hours later, the spiders had caught a significant number of water boatmen. One day in July, I made my routine survey along the creek to monitor the spider orbs for mayflies. I found some interesting “bug shots” that I photographed with a digital camera for later processing. Weeks later when I was using Photoshop to check several of my “mayflies-caught-in-the-spider-web” images, I noticed something that piqued my curiosity – a green ball on the butt of a female trico. What was that dimpled thing? Several days later, the webs captured two other trico females that held the green masses. Now, the green objects really had my attention! Under a microscope, it was obvious that they were egg masses. Field events like this can drive a fly fishing biologist “bug wild.” I’ll tell you why. Trico hatches can be monumental and totally frustrating for the fly fisher,

The image shows an adult female trico (Tricorythodes minutus) caught in a spider web. The tiny mayfly “spinner” was caught in the web when heading for the creek. She would have deposited the green egg ball on the end of her abdomen that contains hundreds of fertilized eggs.

and that is why the tiny mayflies are called the white-winged curse. My favorite fishing guide claims that trout key on the females. That makes sense as the females are slightly more robust and have a light-green abdomen. Males have a light-brown to black abdomen. A more complete answer might be revealed by examining the Tricorythodes’ life cycle. After mating, a female trico moves to the nearest vegetation to squeeze the fertilized eggs in her abdomen into a mass that is carried near the base of her tail. When ready, she flies back to the creek and dips her tail into the water where she deposits the green ball containing hundreds of eggs. Does the green mass, containing

Returning later that afternoon, with the powerful Nikon D2X digital camera, I was greeted by empty spider webs. No mayflies, no spiders, no spider-wrapped bugs.

• $3

did not have a camera in the pickup capable of capturing a high-resolution image.

2006

The first day I discovered the spider webs that held more than 200 live mayflies, I

Ken W. Davis is an aquatic biologist/wildlife photojournalist. He lives in Sacramento, California. The article is a reprint from the Summer 2006 Flyfisher magazine.

Summer

Eco-mystery

the light-reflecting eggs, serve as a beacon for feeding trout? To investigate the iridescent egg mass as a known “trout trigger,” I checked out 40 fly fishing sources, including guides, books and websites. I discovered several notations about the trico egg masses, one comment on tying a fly with a green ball on the posterior, and zero “egg-carrying” trico patterns. My hypothesis is that the egg mass might be the key to catching those “iffy trout” in the middle of a trico hatch. Let’s find out. I provided your editors (Al and Gretchen Beatty) with the image on this page and asked them to design a trico female with a green egg sac attached to the butt. They found a small Adams Parachute with a green butt to be an excellent, productive imitation.

fedflyfish

ers.org

Cons ervi ng, Rest orin g & Educ atin g Th roug h Fl y Fi shin g

A PASS FOR ION CAUSE

Jack NiTHE

FFF natio cklaus steps nal spo up kesperso as n

After several days of observation, I finally witnessed the demise of the mayflies. Do you know what happened to the captive Callibaetis and Tricorythodes? E-mail me at ken@creekman.com with your guess.

What ma

kes

[54 ]

Flyfisher Spring - Summer 2015

BLUEG for a really good ILL PON D? TROUBL E IN TH Californi a’s thir E DELTA st hurts fish ery

By Verne Lehmberg

C Dragonfly Bill Blackstone Ojai, California 1985

elebrating 50 years of service to fly fishers also includes a celebration of exceptional skill in fly tying. Since 1970, some of the most gifted fly tiers in the IFFF have been given the prestigious Buz Buszek award. A few of their flies are shown on this page, ranging from the most realistic dragonfly by Bill Blackstone to the impressionist but effective that Red Hot Chili Pepper by Tony Spezio. Please thank these skilled tiers who inspire younger, upcoming IFFF members to emulate the best.

Verne Lehmberg from Dayton, Texas, is a longtime Federation member and Flyfisher contributor.

Parachute Caddis John Newbury Chewelah, Washington 2009 Blue Quill Steve Fernandez Venice, California 2012

Muddler Minnow Bruce Staples Idaho Falls, Idaho 2001 Camel Hair Wulff Royce Dam Kenosha, Wisconsin 1994

Grasshopper Billy Munn Bridgeport, Texas 1984 Coffin Fly Reginald Denny Edmonton, Alberta, Canada 2005 Circle Sculpin Marvin Nolte Bar Nunn, Wyoming 1995 Waterwalker Frank Johnson Sheridan, Wyoming 1984

That Red Hot Chili Pepper Tony Spezio Flippin, Arkansas 2011

Woven Hair Feather Top George Grant Butte, Montana 1973

Casual Dress Polly Rosborough Medford, Oregon 1975

Caddis Pupa Oscar Feliu The Villages, Florida 2014

October Caddis Soft Hackle Bob Jacklin West Yellowstone, Montana 2000

Conserving, Restoring, Educating Through Fly FishingÂŽ

Fly Box

Conserving, Restoring, Educating Through Fly Fishing®

At the Vise JUNGLE COCK SUBSTITUTE

With Jungle Cock imports banned, here’s a new fly tying idea By Jim Council. Photos by Hanson

ince the ban on importation of Jungle Cock capes, fly tiers have been trying to devise a suitable substitute for this valuable material. A substitute that has worked for me is a natural material that often goes unused by tiers. Have you ever wondered what to do with the larger hackles on the bottom two-thirds of a neck? I have, especially after the size 10 and smaller hackles have been used. If you look closely at the large feathers of a Grizzly neck, you’ll find they end in a white tip! Those are your Jungle Cock substitutes. And I have worked out a method for using them which can work as well for you. First, find two large feathers of the desired size with white tips. To check for size, wet a thumb and forefinger, then moisten the feather by stroking toward the tip. Once you’ve selected the correct size feathers – that is, the correct size tip – strip the remaining barbules from the quill. Then place a drop of head cement (I use celluloid enamel) on thumb and forefinger and apply to the tip, using the same stroking method. Repeat this step three or four times, allowing each coat of cement to dry thoroughly. This application of cement will hold the tip barbules together and give a glossy finish similar to the natural. In the final step, tie the prepared substitute Jungle Cocks to the fly, just as you would the natural. These eyes are white. If you want an amber color you can easily stain the feathers. Wet thumb and forefinger with the ink from an orange magic marker and apply to the feathers, using the previously described stroking method before applying cement. This substitute Jungle Cock has worked for me on streamers and jassids. Flies with these eyes have taken trout and panfish. I see no reason why they won’t work for you as well.

Choose a hackle tip of the proper size.

Apply a drop of cement to complete the substitute.

This tip is a reprint from 1972, the Volume 5, No. 1 issue of Flyfisher magazine.

A jassid tied with the substitute.

At the request of many fellow fly tiers, Dena and Jerome Hebert created this book. It contains over 50 different fly tying techniques and step-by-step photos with instructions for tying over a dozen fly patterns. Jerome developed and used these patterns as a fly fishing guide pursuing bass, crappie, and large bluegill, in 1995-2005. Books are available by calling

337-356-2991

[56 ]

Flyfisher Spring - Summer 2015

A completed streamer with the substitute.

TAKES MORE THAN SWINGING HIPS, EVEN IN FISHING, SAID THE QUEEN OF THE NILE By Floriza Garcia Photos by Earle T. Norman

he wind was getting stronger and now it seemed to be more than just a fall breeze. It became increasingly difficult to control my DT-6-F line. To the appropriately tapered, three-sectioned leader, we had tied a 0.006 tippet. Being persistent, in spite of the now strong wind, I continued to cast. Suddenly, there was a Having been instructed by a clutch of experts, the author knots on a prize-winning Black Gnat she tied sharp sting at my left cheek. I and prepares to try it on her own. shrieked. Ed spun around and yelled “Hold it!” Instinctively in fly tying class. I had brought my hand up to Nervously, I tried to recall all the dos slap as you would a mosquito bite. Reand don’ts of fishing techniques and etimaining rigid, I must admit, it was frightquette, as I quietly and carefully waded ening. This was the Adams from a “can’t back into the river. Without really being miss Yellowstone collection” a journalist aware of it, I had waded to a spot which friend had personally flown down for my Ed had pointed out earlier as a productrip. Ed cut the tippet with skill. Don Moltive pool. Selecting my riffle, I made my let approached, glint in his eye, knife in first cast. Carefully turning my fly over, hand, ready to perform surgery. The barb I watched the drift. Retrieving my line hadn’t embedded itself, thus it wouldn’t be I now made a second cast, annoyed at necessary to force the hook on through. myself because I was visibly trembling We waded out of the water to Ed’s with excitement. Then it happened, just camper, where he quickly located his first before my fly floated into the whitewater aid kit and gallantly blotted my wound of the riffle. WHAM, SPLASH, a hit! with cotton soaked in alcohol. I proceeded My temples throbbed loudly, wildly the to tell the fellows about my pending “opthoughts came, “Rod forward, tip down, let eration.” Instead of listening to me, they him run.” As my reel sang, I thought, “It’s pointed at their scarred ears, foreheads, really a BIG one!” I stumbled and slipped cheeks. It was easy to see there wouldn’t downstream, forgetting all the cautions be any sympathy offered here. Oh well, so diligently drummed into me. Luckat least now I could look like a veteran ily, somehow, I managed to keep my scarred fly fisher, as a result of my Adams balance. Now, suddenly, there was no Kiss. Also, here was a perfect reason for action, my trout had stopped. Perhaps I wearing a wild Italian brim straw hat. had lost him. Trying to decide whether Across the river, Jim Eriser, past presito reel in or not, suddenly he tugged at dent of the Long Beach Men’s Casting my line and off he went toward some Club and a member of the FFF, as well huge boulders. as Prescott A. Tolman, secretary of the Earlier as I walked the river bank I Federation of Fly Fishermen, had hooked had noticed some huge, deep pools darksome trout. All around them were rises. ened by the shadow boulders along the They were hooking and releasing their edge. I knew that if he made it to one of trout as fast as they could reel them in. those pools I would lose him for sure, since Excitedly, my companions grabbed their I would not be able to wade much deeper. fly rods and carefully waded upstream, With determination, now I started to gain leaving the downstream section for me. line on him. Slowly he came to me. HoldMeanwhile, I fumbled and finally maning my rod up at about the 11 o’clock aged to tie a Free-Fly Knot to a size 14 angle, I barely lifted him out of the water Black Gnat, which had won me first prize

It worked! In spite of all the advice she received, the author succeeded in hooking and landing a 2-pound cutthroat, which was promptly released after it was suitably admired.

and reached out and netted him. My beast who had fought like a 22-pounder was really only about a 2-pound cutthroat; but by golly, he had sure given me a good fight. Carefully, I lifted him out of the net, removed the hook, as I guiltily imagined that he glared at me angrily. I had earlier observed a trout release for the first time. Now I tried to imitate Pres Tolman; I held my cutthroat gently, headed upstream, stroking him so he’d get oxygen. Now as he started to move with renewed strength, I released him. Quickly he disappeared into the protection of the shadow-darkened pools. Standing there I could not help but wonder, how long will it be before he gives another fisherman the thrill of a good fight that I had just experienced? Will they also release him, I hope? My first prize Black Gnat, though now mangy looking, brought me renewed pride. As I started back to camp, wondering if tomorrow’s fishing would be as thrilling, the meaning of “The Lore of the Lure” became clear. My cutthroat was free, I was the one who was hooked! This article is a reprint of one that appeared in the Fall 1969 issue of the Flyfisher.

Flyfisher Spring - Summer 2015

[57 ]

Conserving, Restoring, Educating Through Fly Fishing®

Woman’s Outlook

Conserving, Restoring, Educating Through Fly Fishing®

Casting IFFF CASTING INSTRUCTOR CERTIFICATION PROGRAM A Historical Review By Bruce Richards

‘M

el Krieger had a dream. Having written perhaps the most acclaimed fly casting book of all time, having trained fly casters and their instructors across North America and Argentina, and having founded a fishing travel company, he set his sights on a big idea. Why not, he wondered, do for fly casting what the sports of golf and tennis had done to promote competency in their instructors? These sports had an official certification process for their instructors. Aspiring golfers and tennis players could readily find a qualified instructor in their field merely by contacting the certifying bodies in the respective sports and requesting the name of a qualified instructor in their area. For tennis, it was the United States Professional Tennis Association; for golf, it was the Professional Golf Association.” This is the first paragraph from Macauley Lord’s excellent article on the history of the Casting Instructor Certification Program (CICP). I do not think the program’s start could be stated any better. Krieger had been mulling the idea of developing a fly casting instructor program for some time. In the early ’90s the idea began to gel and in 1992 the first CICP planning meeting was held at the FFF Conclave in Calgary. At that meeting it was decided there was a need for such a program. After the Conclave, Krieger sent a letter to 15 nationally known fly casting instructors asking them to be members of the Casting Board of Governors (CBOG). All accepted and the CICP was born. As with most fledgling endeavors, there were some struggles early on. There were many different opinions about just what the CICP should be. Questions arose on how we would determine who was qualified to be a certified instructor, how we would test and content of the test. But over the first years, those things were resolved and what is now the Casting Instructor (CI) test was fine-tuned with an emphasis on instructing ability. Most of the early members remained on the board for many years, ensuring stability and continuity of the program. Today,

[58 ]

Flyfisher Spring - Summer 2015

governors are limited to three five-year terms to ensure a steady injection of new ideas. Early popularity and success of the program made it clear that a higher level of certification was required beyond the “basic” CI test. The Master Certified Instructor (MCI) test was implemented in 1995, with the first master’s tests given at the Conclave in Livingston. Thirteen people took the test and 11 passed; most went on to later become CBOG members themselves. Initially the MCI test consisted of a performance test and a written essay test. It was quickly found that the written essay test was very difficult for candidates to complete in a reasonable amount of time, and even more difficult for examiners to evaluate uniformly. The written test was replaced with an oral interview that remains in place today. As the years unfolded the popularity of the CICP grew, but initially only CBOG members could conduct tests. With only 15 governors there were many areas around the country that had no examiners nearby, making logistics difficult for both examiners and candidates. It was decided that we needed a larger board to help spread the workload. Over the next several years, the CBOG was grown to a total of 30 members. Later it was decided that MCIs could conduct CI tests themselves and assist CBOG members with MCI tests. This decision greatly reduced the logistical testing issues. One of the benefits of the CICP was that it brought together many fly casting instructors from across the world, and they had to discuss fly casting! To this point many instructors taught a specific “style” of casting and few were the same. When we all got together to talk about casting it became clear that we’d have to concentrate on the “substance” of casting, not the style. It was a huge step forward when we all finally realized that no one style was better than another and were able to concentrate on substance. Up to this point there had been a lot of talk about two-handed casting, where it fit in our program or if it fit at

all. Although there weren’t a lot of Spey casters on the CBOG at the time, we decided that Spey casting IS fly casting and Spey casters need instructors, too. In 2004 the Two Hand Certified Instructor (THCI) program and test was launched and has been a very popular addition to the program. Although the CICP was by far the biggest and most successful instructor program in the world at this point, we still didn’t have widespread acceptance from the fly fishing industry. Guides and fly shop staff did a lot of casting instruction but the quality of that instruction varied greatly. Some forward-thinking shops started to notice our program and asked if we could help them. This was the impetus for the formation of the Professional Development Committee. As a result, today we conduct training and certifications for many shops around the country. Until recently, all CICP board members and MCIs were automatically qualified to administer tests to others. We know that taking and passing a test does not necessarily make someone a good examiner, so the board recently approved the Examiner Development Pathway (EDP). Now anyone wanting to be part of the examining staff must go through the EDP, thus ensuring a more fair and consistent testing process. So, the CICP is alive and well. Today there are approximately 1,430 IFFF certified fly casting instructors worldwide; 250 of them are master certified, and 90 are two hand certified. About 1,000 of these instructors are in the United States, and the rest are spread around the world. We are continually growing and demand for our service remains strong. I think Mel Krieger would be proud to know where his vision has taken us. Bruce Richards is a charter CBOG member from Bozeman, Montana, who is considered an expert in fly fishing, casting and manufacturing of fly lines. He is the author of “Modern Fly Lines” and is currently working on a fly casting book. He has written numerous magazine articles and was named 2006 “Angler of the Year” by Fly Rod & Reel magazine. He is co-owner (with Dr. Noel Perkins) of CastAnalysis, LLC, designers and manufacturers of the electronic Casting Analyzer.

Conserving, Restoring, Educating Through Fly FishingÂ®

PHOTO BY VAL ATKINSON, WWW.VALATKINSON.COM

Joan Wulff and Mel Krieger look on as Lee Wulff demonstrates a casting technique.

Flyfisher Spring - Summer 2015

[59 ]

Conserving, Restoring, Educating Through Fly Fishing®

Fly Fishing Heritage A BRIEF HISTORY OF CATCH AND RELEASE By Jon Lyman

eleasing a portion (1913), provided modern of one’s catch is instructions on how to not a new conhandle and release fish cept. Often managers are not kept as food. He quoted that “fishing for concluded, “A fish just fun” began in the 1950s as up to the limit should a pseudonym for the first invariably have the catch-and-release fisheries. benefit of the doubt and Some fly fishers maintain be restored to its native that catch and release element.” In chapters on began with Lee Wulff ’s fisheries management, 1939 admonition that “a Halford spoke for sport fish is too valuable to conservative size and bag be caught only once.” In limits. He also provided 1910, as president of the an argument for releasing Long Key Fishing Club, undersized fish: “Let Zane Grey posted limits there be no mistake on one’s catch at the end about it! The pot-hunter of the pier admonishwishes to kill all he can, ing anglers to release fish regardless of size, and taken above those limits. the sportsman is not only Releasing a portion of willing to return any one’s catch is, however, below the legal limit of far more ancient in origin the water, but exercises than the early 1900s. the greatest care both In Western literature in extracting the hook a poem by Martial and returning the fish from the first century to the water.” admonished that all In the years after the bream under 3 pounds American Civil War, the be released. Piers waste of fishing resources Ploughman, written in the by industrial development, 1300s, advised anglers to commercial fishers and release small fish. Some anglers forced American fly anglers maintain that anglers to respond. As Dame Juliana’s advice on noted in this column last staying right with God issue, Adirondack Murray by never taking more and others fueled the Izaak Walton, “The Compleat Angler,” 1653 fish than you can use is return to Nature as healer, actually a call for releasing and releasing a portion of part of your catch. It is interesting to note that Izaak Walton’s one’s catch was part of that healing. Writings on sport fishing portion of “The Compleat Angler” (1653) contains no even as far afield as the Langley Lakes of Maine gave advice on reference to releasing fish, but by the 1670s, Charles Cotton’s releasing a portion of one’s catch. fly fishing addition to the work advised the novice angler to During the 1890s and first decades of the 20th century, release undersized fish. In 1819, Sir Humphrey Davies, head there were many references in print to releasing fish. of the Royal College, began “Salmonia” with a discussion Theodore Gordon remarked: “I know Mr. LaBranche by on the appropriateness of fishing from a moral point of view. reputation, and his ideals are high. He fishes the floating fly He stated plainly that most anglers release a majority of their only and kills a few of the large trout. All others are returned catch unharmed. to the water. ... I fancy that a trout should be big enough to Francis Francis, in “A Book on Angling” (1867), wrote: “I take line from the reel before it is considered large enough to hate a man who slaughters kelts and ill-conditioned fish more kill.” (McDonald, 1947) than any other species of poacher going. What good does it In “Streamcraft” (1919), George Parker Holden took do him? He has had his sport. Let him be satisfied; and let time out from describing the habits and lures of trout and bass the poor beast live and grow fat and healthy, and don’t take a to declare “not the least of the beauties” of fly fishing is that mean advantage of starvation and illness.” the quarry is hooked “lightly through the lip.” Holden then Fredrick Halford, in “The Dry Fly Man’s Handbook” instructed on how to release fish easily, with minimal damage.

[60 ]

Flyfisher Spring - Summer 2015

HOW TO CHOOSE GOOD TROUT WATER By Gloria Winger

Holden declared: “Do not be afraid to join the slowly growing fraternity of those anglers whose password is ‘We put ’em back alive!’ ” “Hewitt’s Handbook of Fly Fishing” (1933) touched briefly on releasing fish in the section on “Articles Carried in Pockets”: “It is surprising what freedom and relief one feels when the basket is left home. I rarely carry one anymore, as I seldom kill more than one or two fish for a day’s sport, knowing only too well how long it takes to grow these fish and how few of them are in any stream. I do not want to injure my own sport or the sport of others in future.” These writings and many others led to Lee Wulff ’s famous quotes: “Game fish are too valuable to be caught only once,” and “The fish you release is your gift to another angler, and remember, it may have been someone’s similar gift to you.” We should be aware that releasing one’s catch was supported because fishing was accepted as a blood sport. Releasing a portion of one’s catch still implied that your intent was harvesting some fish as food. This is a crucial distinction between catch and release as advocated by an earlier generation and those who view it as nearly a religion today. Many 21st century fly fishers honestly believe that they are doing no harm when playing fish on light tackle for extended periods of time, when holding fish out of water while fumbling for a camera, when landing them on sandbars or in boats before release. Anglers should know the biology of their fisheries, the levels of stress their catch can survive, and appropriate tackle and handling techniques when practicing catch and release. In short, when advocating for the release of one’s catch, fly fishers need to take into account the older understanding that we play a blood sport. Jon Lyman is the IFFF’s vice president of education programs. He lives In Juneau, Alaska. This article is a reprint from the Summer 2005 Flyfisher.

eginning fisherpersons sometimes find it difficult to pick good fly fishing water. If you’re a beginner, you probably read and reread the magazine articles about riffles and falls. You drool over the advertisements of fishing lodges along well-known rivers. And you eavesdrop on the fly shop conversations of those in seasoned gear. But somehow you know something is missing. You know that there are secrets no one is revealing to you. Well, it’s time for someone to tell you the truth, the real truth about choosing trout water. So here it is. There are three qualifications of good fishing water. First, and foremost, it has to be over 100 miles from wherever you live. Never mind that you live on the famous Au Sable. If you live there, it couldn’t possibly be the best for you. It might be the best for thousands of other fisher persons, but not for you. Time and distance are important elements here. The more there is of each between you and the water under consideration, the more likely that the fishing will be incredible. Then, the road must not be completely or entirely passable. Good trout water does not parallel interstate highways. If it intersects at all with a road, the bridge could not possibly be a choice spot. If everyone can get to it, it can’t be that great. The best water will be found on topo maps at the end of dotted lines. For example, along Route 44 to north central Pennsylvania’s Pine Creek, these road signs appear: Caution, Falling Rocks; Unimproved Road; No Guard Rails; Single Lane; and Travel at Your Own Risk. With each sign, your excitement mounts. If you survive the road, this fishing trip is certain to be a success. And last, the habitat cannot be friendly. Mountain streams are at their best between two cliffs. If you have to scale anything to get to the creek, the water must be full of fish. Rivers meandering through farm country should at least have an electric fence and a bull to give them status. Rocks, snakes,

swamps and poison ivy all indicate good water is ahead. Pennsylvania’s Pine Creek has a ghost town called Tiadaughton that exemplifies this important quality of inaccessibility. Some people reach it by canoe, but there is another route, a road of sorts. You start on the top of a mountain, put your vehicle in first gear, hold the brake pedal tight, and scream the whole way down. At the bottom of the mountain is a 90-degree mud turn. The experience is a lot like a roller coaster ride without the security of wooden tracks. Once you’re in Tiadaughton, another consideration is getting out. If it rains, you can’t get back through the mud until it dries. You won’t be worrying about the road, though; you’ll be having the time of your life. Do not be fooled by cars parked around a bridge near a mowed field. The real fishing is being done 3 or 4 miles up or down the creek. If you can just walk in, it is not worth the walk. A knee-killing hike over rough terrain, however, will lead you to trout worth their weight in liniment. The next time you’re reading your favorite fly fishing magazine and dreaming of new adventures, remember these three important truths about good fishing water. Start to plan your trip early. It’s going to take you a few months to convince your spouse to go. Unless you’re lucky enough to be married to someone who fly fishes! This article is a reprint from the Fall 1988 issue of The Flyfisher.

Flyfisher Spring - Summer 2015

[61 ]

Conserving, Restoring, Educating Through Fly Fishing®

Fly Fishing Humor

2014 IFFF ANNUAL DONOR REPORT Each year the International Federation of Fly Fisherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s general revenues depend on the generous support of individuals and organizations to sustain our programs. The board of directors would like to express their sincere appreciation to the contributors noted below who provided that support in 2014. Special Recognition Henry Hoffman Patagonia Inc. - World Trout Initiative YOT Full Circle Foundation Employee Matching Gifts Programs Aerojet, Inc. Bank of America Matching Gift Program Chevron Easy Match GE Foundation Matching Gifts Program Grainer Matching Contributions Gift Program John Hancock Merrill Lynch Co. Foundation Standard Insurance Company _______________________ PRESIDENTâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S CLUB Pledges of $5,000+ Platinum Mosley, Paul Gold Long, Bob Schramm, Jim and Dorothy Silver Bishop, Don Brown, Richard and Mary Cordes, Ron Great Lakes Council FFF Grant, Gary Stroh, Bill Trishman, Fred Van Gytenbeek, Peter Winn, Ron Bronze Evans, Lew and Tilda Frasca, Bud Gibbs, Larry Greenlee, Philip Groty, Keith James, David Jindra, Tom and Debra Johnson, Carl Kettler, Herb Knight, Ron Lewis, Dean Lovell, Doug Maler, Roger and Tracie Malpass, Howard Michalak, Michael Miller, Roger and Sandy Mustain, Sheryl Northern California Council FFF Sadler, Tom Schmitz, Fred Scientific Anglers, Del Kauss Steele, Sherry Stewart, Michael _______________________ Patron Chouinard, Yvon Gimbel, Don Hoffman, Henry Mizik, Joseph Schramm, Jim and Dorothy

Tikchik Narrows Lodge Inc. Williams, Bruce Benefactor Arkansas White River Chapter TU Bishop, Don Gadacz, Thomas Grant, Gary Great Lakes Council of IFFF Groty, Keith Heide, Ralph Herritt, John Jensen, Steve Klaus, Edward North Arkansas Fly Fishers Reed Family Foundation Sales, Robert Webb, Michael Advocate Atkin, Anna Bank of America Employee Giving Black, Jean Brown, Dale Crawford, Michael Eck, Robert J. Evans, Lew and Matilda Frasca, Bud Gibbs, Larry Grand Valley Anglers Hill, Gordon Hubbard, James Imatani, Ken and Karen Jindra, Tom and Debra Johnson, Carl Johnson, Howard Kaweah Flyfishers Keck, Stuart Knight, John Knight, Ron Lemke, David Lewis, Dean Maler, Roger and Tracie Masterwork Electronics McCann, Dennis Miller, Roger and Sandra Mustain, Sheryl Office Lounge & Liquor Store, The Pitts, Greg Sadler, Tom San Pedro Fly Casters Southern Oregon Fly Fishers Inc. Steamboaters Steelhead Society of B.C. Stewart, Michael Sullivan, John Walter, Jonathan Winn, Ron Supporter Anderson, Alva Archer, Jon Baron, Richard Beatty, Danny Beckstead, Jay Boake, Alastair Bolling, Timothy Broomhall, Peter Brown, Rodger Buckeye United Fly Fishers Callow, Eric Carlson, Art

Carlton, Jeff Cederwall, Mark Coggins Jr., Charles Cordes, Herman DiCicco, Anthony Duffield, Curtis Fechner, Roger Felsen, Oscar Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund Fullerton, Clement Gay, Phil Gonzalez, Mark Grand River Fly Tyers Griffin III, Dana Hagness, Dean Harpole, Jim Harsh, Michael Helm, Chris and Judy Holder, James R. Hopkins, Nathan Hult, Dennis Jacklin, Bob Jenkins, Felton Koester, Allen Lammers, William Scott Lund, Jon Macdiarmid, John Malencik, Dean May, James McRoberts, James Miller, Lawrence Montgomery, Tom Mortimer, Steven R. Moser, Robert North Star Consulting Group Osborne, Brown Patch, Thomas Peterson, Harry Reap, James Rettig, Earl, Rubery, Paul Sager, John Schaad, Douglas Spieske, Doug Stark, Malcolm Starr, Michael Sternberg, Terry Wanamaker, John Washington State Council of the IFFF Wesley, David J. Williams, Stephen Zahn, Michael Contributor Adams, Darwin Adams, James Adkins, Ron Allen, Bruce Altrock, Bruce Amazon Smile Foundation Amideo, William Ansley, Charles Antilla, Rodney Armour, V.K. Arthur, Paul Aserlind, Margot Asher, Stephen Ashley, Bruce Atkin, Eleanor L. Atkinson, Don and Sally Aubrey, Jim Bachman, Ken Baker, Bruce

Baker, Bruce M. Ballard, Charles Barbaro, Louis and Wanda Barber, George Barker, Clifford Barker, Phil Barnard, Donald R. Barnard, Donald Barney, Jamie Barnhart, James Barnhart, Teddy Bauman, John BC Federation of Fly Fishers Beatty, David Beauchamp, Joseph Beckman, Paul Bedsworth, Gary Bemer, Matt Bennett, Richard Bergen, Chandler Bergeson, Jim Bernero, Gino Berryman, Jack Bettzig, Bob Beverly, Keith Biesecker, Ron Blake, Jesse Bleakley, Mark Bodine, William Bogaard, Joseph and Amy Bogan, Jim Boley Law Library Bonamarte, Dick Boswell, Harold Bourgeois, James Boyce, John Brace, David Brant, William Braud, Ronald Bright, Jeff Brinkley, John Brown, Barbara, Brown, Joseph Brown, Larry Brown, Richard Brown, Robin C. Brown, Russell E. Brumitt, Clint Bryant, Michael Bucaria, Charles Buckner, Frederick Bulkley, Gregory Burton, Kirk Butler, Richard Byrne, David Byrnes, Gerry Cameron, Trudy Ann Capuano Jr., Anthony and Charlene Carns, Rick Carter, Fred Cave, Mark Chervenak, Louis Christy, Arlene Clancy, Mike Clark, Hugh Clark, Rex and Katherine Clark, Robert Clay, Phillip Cleaves, David Clemons, Marvin Cole, Jonnie Collins, David Collins, Tom

Connolly, Gregory Conover, Jane Corson, John Craig, Sam Crane, John Crisera, Richard Croft, Larry Crosby, Christian Crosetti, Steve Cunningham, John Curtis, Jerry Dame, James Davidson, Gene Davis, Gary Davis, John M. Davis, Lance Davis, Rodney Dean, Dan Dean, Jeffery L. Del Rio, Roger Delaney, Mark DeLoach, Brian Dempsey, David Denchfield, Chris Dennis, Ben Depoe, Kenneth Deunk, Paul Deveney, Gina Devore, Jeff Dexter, Richard Diener, Terry Dilbone, Ron Domoto, Paul Donaldson, Broderick Doughty, Russell Drake, Stephen and Sandra Duncan, Louis Dunham, Patrick Dussler, Bob Duvendack, Robert Dwyer, Pat Dyslin, Ronald Eastman, Kevin Ehrman, Gordon Erickson, Richard Ester, Leslie Evans, Merilyn Evenson, William Farrell, James Fearn, B.T. Ferber, Arthur Ferguson, Joe Ferroggiaro, Rob Field, Daniel Figura, Eric Firelands Fire Fishers Fisher, James Fletcher, Thomas Ford, Pat Ford, David, Forgey, T.C. Fraunfelder, Robert Freesen, Cathleen M. Frencer, Richard Freuler, Bill Friis, Belinda Fung, Richard Furukawa, Robert Gabrion, Michael Garland, Richard GE Foundation Matching Gifts Program Gearheart, Charles Gershey, Edward

Gillen, William Giving Tuesday – Network for Good Glander, Karl Godfrey, Will Good, Larry Goodwin, Paul Grabski, Daniel Graham, James H. Grantham, Ron Graves, James Greb, Scott Grebe, Walter Green, Kevin Gueldenzoph Jr., Roy E. Gula, Michael Gummow Sr., Kenneth B. Hagen, Scott Halstead, Frank Hammerstad, Charles Hansen, Phil Hartz, Lyth Haskell, Stephen Haskell Hastings, Stanley Havens, Daniel Hayes, Allan Hebert, Pierre Hedeen, Kurt Heidel, Ed Heintz, Howard (Bud) Hellawell, Dennis Henderson, Tom Henry, J.W. (Bill) Hermanson, Jerry Heyden, Don Higgins, Jack Hill, Lawrence Hobson, Barbara Hodges, Bill Hoffberg, Neal Hofmeister, Ronald Holman, Walter Hoschouer, Jim Hough, Wallace Hubert, Jeffery Hubiak, Bruce Hunter, Bob Hunter, Jim Huntley, Hugh Inland Empire Fly Fishing Club Ishimura, Misako Jacot, Kenneth James, Luke Jantz, Elmer Jauquet, Joseph Jenkins, John Jiles, Jeff John L. Olson Family Foundation Johnson, Bill Johnson, Claudia Johnson, David Johnson, Lewis Johnson, Mark M. Johnson, Ray W. Johnson, Richard Johnson, Richard E. Johnson, William D. Johnston, William Jones, Dundee Jones, James Jones, Jay Jones, Jack Jones, John Jordan, John June Kim, Hee Kapolka, Michael Kasza, Teresa Kataoka, Keith Keil, George

Kelly, Jim Kelly, Joe Kilburn, Guy Kindelan, Juan Kneass, Don Korf, Kit Kozak, Stephen Kozuki, Mits Kuipers, Mark Kustich, Rick LaBouy, Bob Labranche, Laura Lacy, Craig Laing, Michael Landwehr, Doug Langlois, David Latiolais, Richard Lawson, David Lawson, Tim Leasure, Robert Lentz, Dave Leonard, Christopher Leonard, Craig H. Levinthal, Dick Levit, Peter Lewis, Herbert Lewis, Steve L’Hommedieu, Alan Liedle, James Lind, Karen and Yancy Lipuma, Joseph P. Lockett, Dennis Lofaro, Daniel Lombard, Bill Lord, Fred Lovell, Eunice Luallen, Wayne and Donna Lum, William Lurie, Rob Lurie, Robert Lyons, Gordon Mace, Richard Mackey, Robert J. MacMahon, James Madison, Chris Magee, Thomas Mantua, Nathan Marchando, Elsie Marshall, Edward Martin, Bryan Marvin, John Masonis, Robert Matuszewski, Michael McCabe, George McCormick, Edward McDonald, Gregory McDougal, William McDowell, Paul McGarrell, Ed McGilvrey, Timothy McIntosh, Hod McKey, Tom McQuary, Willard McTeague, Dave McTeer, Dennis Meeks, Roger Merriell, Joe Milanowski, Richard Miller, Hugh Miller Miller, Ann Miller, Reed Miller, Wayne Mitchell, Jack Mittelstaedt, Don Mittleman, John Montag, Jeff Montgomery, Linda Moore, Frank

Moricoli, J.C. Morrison, Brian Morrison, Bruce Morrison, John Most, Charlie Mulcahy, Brian Munn, Billy Murphy, John Murray, Kenneth Mutziger, John Myers, Charles Myers, Kate and John Naill, John Nam Kim, Kook Narver, David Naylor, Fred Nelson, G. Allen Nelson, William H. and Lois Neuman, Richard Nichols, Paul Nolte, Tom Northrup, Gordi Oaks, Stanley Oberhelman, William O’Connor, Terry Odell, David O’Donnell, Ed Oldham, Dave O’Neal, Sarah Opie, Dave and Zoe Orr, Craig Osle, Mike Paine, George Paul, Josey Pay, Rick Pearcy, Bill Peck, Dave Pederson, Garvin Perry, Robert Pettine, Eric Peven, Charles Phoenix, James Piekarski, Timothy Piesbergen, Kent Pijacki, Paul Ploss, Norm Ports, Norman Potter, Frank Powell, Roy Powell, Virginia Powell, James Pratt, John Raehl, David Rainey, Jim and Meg Randolph, John Randolph, Tad Rasmussen, Stanley Rathborne, Robert Read, Richard Redman, Bill Reeves, Jerry Reid, John Reinhardt, George Rendon, Rick Rhoades, Ralph Richards, Jim, Richardson, Gaylord Robinson, Stephen Rodriquez, Gregg Rogers, John T. Rogers, Michael Rose, John Ross, Brian Rougeau, Victor Rowland, Patrick Ruhl, Donald Ruiz, Diane E. S & D Capital LLC

Sadik, Server and Nancy Sawyer, Don Sawyer, Donald Schaeffer, Chuck Schlatter, Herbert Schmidt, Jimmie Schober, Jon Schomburg, Dell Schramm, James Scoggins, Thomas Scott, Paul Sedlock, Evan Sergent, Doug Serunian, John Shanahan, John Shaver, Harley Shaw, Charles Shearer, David Shepeluk, Joseph Shim, Michael Shively, James Shoemaker, Fred Simms, Bill Sims, Paul Slay, James Smelter, Craig Smirl, Bill and Ann Smith, Blake Smith, Doug Smith, Edward Smith, James Smith, Robert and Frances Smoragiewicz, Jim Snow, Lynn Solie, Hans Sommer, Mark Sommercorn, James South Jersey Coastal Fly Anglers Soverel, Peter Spalding, Kenneth Spooner, Charles Spottke, Al Sprung, Douglas Stanton, Stanley Staples, Brad Starkin, Donald Steele, Craig Steinberg, Ronald Stevens, Morrie Stewart, Raymond Stewart, Richard Stewart, Rob Stewart, Stew Stillwell, Donald Stjern, Chris Stone, Joseph Sullivan, William Sunshine Fly Anglers Sussman, Maurrie Swank, David Sweeney, Michael Tarleton, Robert Taylor, Chris Taylor, Eric Team Dead Drift Thayer, John Thompson, Mary Thompson, Sam Thyer, David

Tichay, Eric Timberlake, Dale Timberlake, Gregory Tippett, James Titland, John Toone, Bill Townsend, Clinton Trammell, John Traphagen, Dake Tresher, Rick Trimble, Rich Trimm, David Trimm, David and Kathy Tronquet, Peter Trotter, Patrick C. Tuck, Robert Turner, Steve Turner, William Turner, Herbert and Charlene Tuttle, Mark Robert Uber, Alex Updegrove, Kenneth Utz, Paul Van Loan, Jim VanKirk, Robert Vettori, James Volland, Leonard Walker, Robert Walker, Keith Wallace, Scott Walling, Mike Walthour, George Walton, James Ward, Alexander Warden, Jeff Warren, Robert Wasmund, Thomas Watts, Dick Watts, Scott Weaver, John Webb, Carolyn Webb, Steve Weitz, Paul Welty, Dawn Weseloh, Tom West, Brad Wetherell, Ralph Wierzbinski, Stephen Wilder, Steve Williams, Donald Williams, Kenneth Williams, Norman Williams, Vince Willis, Michael Willis, Norm Willis, Russell Willoughby, Trae Wilmot, John Wilson, James Winzler, John Wood, Francis Woolman, Henry and Marcia Wright, Sam Yee, Glenn Yin, Bernard Young, Richard YoungTTEE, Stanford Zellner, Robert Zimmerman, Charles

Thank You!

International Federation of Fly Fishers Â®

5237 U.S. Highway 89 South, Ste. 11 Livingston, MT 59047-9176

Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage

PAID

Post Falls, ID Permit No. 32

Himalayan Flyfishing Adventures the only western-style guided excursions into the heart of the himalayas

Mahseer Snow Trout Brown Trout

Bhutan India Thailand

IFFF Certified Casting Instructor and HFA guide Bryant Dunn with Himalayan Golden Mahseer

Cast Flies on Top of the World! www.FlyfishHimalayas.com +1-208-720-6668