Page 2 OFFICERS Melody Weinhandl, President Vacant, President-elect Andrew Sauter, Vice President Casey Leary, Secretary Matt Stanton, Treasurer BOARD OF DIRECTORS Terms expire in 2011 Bob Fischer Scott Novotny Alex Rose Bill Wichers Terms expire in 2012 Spencer Amend Neil Ruebush Brent “Smokey” Weinhandl, DDS Vacant Terms expire in 2013 Greg Groves Joe Meyer Will Waterbury Herb Waterman The Backcast is the monthly newsletter of the Wyoming Fly Casters, an affiliate club of the Wyoming Council of Trout Unlimited, the Nature Conservancy and the Federation of Fly Fishers. Editorial content does not necessarily reflect the views of the officers, board or members of the Wyoming Fly Casters. Annual dues are $20 for an individual, $30 for a family, or $250 for a lifetime individual membership or $450 for a lifetime family membership. Visit the club website at www.wyflycasters.org. The deadline for submission of information for each issue is the next to last day of the month. Make contributions to the next issue by e-mailing material to the Backcast editor at ChevPU57@aol.com, or call (307) 436-8774. The Backcast is available either in electronic format or through USPS snail mail. To receive each newsletter through a monthly e-mail, you must be able to open .pdf (Adobe Acrobat, a software program available free of charge) documents. Usually, each issue is roughly 1 MB in size, some are larger. Your e-mail provider may have limits on the size of attachments. In order to be added to the e-mail list, send a request to ChevPU57@aol.com. In addition to receiving each issue of the newsletter earlier than your hard copy peers, e-mail subscribers are able to print each copy in vibrant color -- an added plus if the issue is rich in color photographs. By subscribing electronically, you also save the club roughly $17.40 a year in printing and postage expenses.
Wyoming Fly Casters Monthly Newsletter
Drag-free Drif ts by Melody Weinhandl, President, WFC brooktrout6671@gmail.com ecently I’ve been fascinated with the concept of the golden trout, a subspecies of the rainbow. Introducted to Wyoming in the 1930s, this native Californian adapted well to the higher elevations of places such as the Wind River Range. During the Great Depression, Finis Mitchell (Nov. 14, 1901 – Nov. 13, 1995), American mountaineer and forester, packed golden trout fingerlings into several high Wyoming lakes that had previously been devoid of fish and many of those proved to be ideal for golden trout. There are also populations in the Big Horn and Absoraka mountains as well as the Snowy Range. In all, Mitchell and his wife stocked lakes with over 2.5 million trout, many of them goldens. Mitchell Peak is named in observance of his contributions to the betterment of these areas. It is one of the few mountain peaks named for a person still living at the time. Golden trout are an average length of five to seven inches. Goldens of ten inches have been recorded in California, but they are rare. According to Game & Fish, most goldens in Wyoming seldom exceed fourteen inches. Cook Lake near Pinedale in Sublette County produced a world record golden which was 28 inches long and weighed more than 11 pounds. The mountain lake sits at 10,000 feet in elevation. Goldens are a spring spawner and hybridization with rainbow and cutthroat threaten the pure bloodline. Plankton is their principal food in alpine lakes. Fisherman are often frustrated because the golden can seem to disregard their flies at certain times of the year. They only feed for very short periods of time during the day so the successful fisherman must spend a lot of time making sure he is on the water at the right time using small flies, bait or lures. Golden trout are distinguished from cutthroat by the absence of basabranchial teeth and a white border on the pelvic and anal fins. They are distinguished from rainbow by the lack of spotting on the front of the body. The golden trout should be distinguished
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from the similarlynamed golden rainbow trout, also known as the palomino trout. The golden rainbow is actually a color variant of the rainbow trout. Although goldens will not likely be the main target at the Ten Sleep outing, there is always that possibility if one ventures further up into the high country of the Big Horns. That outing, being organized by Matt Stanton, will take place the first weekend of August, so if you haven’t signed up yet, be sure and contact Matt to let him know you’d like to go. As September rolls around, be ready for our annual club BBQ in lieu of the general meeting which will start at 6:00 instead of 7:00 p.m. It will be a fine chance to visit one another and catch up on all the best places to fish. And, speaking of outings, Alex Rose will be organizing a night fishing outing at Grey Reef on Saturday, Sept. 25 at 7:00 p.m. Bring your own food, drinks, sleeping bags and firewood and plan to spend the night to make maximum use of your time. Also in the works is the Expo which is sponsored by Wyoming Game & Fish. If you’re interested in volunteering to represent WFC at this event, be sure to let me know and I will get more information to you. As the summer crests in this delightful time of year, I would encourage you to remember that no matter how busy life gets, it should never get too busy that you can’t take a moment and appreciate the warmth and beauty of a brilliant summer day. Imagine yourself standing in water that's crystal clear and blue as it swirls all around you. Picture what magic lies beneath that water in the form of a brook, rainbow, brown, cutthroat, or yes, even a golden trout and know that no matter what, this moment…the one in which you feel that special zing as you reel in your catch … is a snapshot in the memory bank of your mind. It is one you will likely relive countless times in your dreams. Now, don’t just imagine it…do it! Happy angling,
Melody
Wyoming Fly Casters Monthly Newsletter
Ten Sleep outing set for Aug. 6-8 The annual weekend camping outing in the Big Horn mountains adjacent to Ten Sleep Creek is scheduled for the first weekend in August. Matt Stanton is the streamkeeper, and he promises to be preparing four meals during the weekend. To help defray the costs, he is requesting a $5 fee from each WFC member attending. To let him know your intentions, call 258-9915. To get there, go north to Buffalo, then turn left and climb the Big Horn mountains. Go past Meadowlark Lake and turn right at the Deer Park lodge. Continue on the dirt road for seven miles, until you are about to cross the west branch of Ten Sleep Creek. You can settle either in the campground (for a fee), or pitch your tent or set your trailer in the meadow on the other side of the bridge. If enough fishermen attend and if there is any interest, a Saturday trip is being offered to Paintrock Creek -- one of Richard Soffe’s secret fishing spots. This small stream, located in a small canyon, sports Yellowstone cutthroat trout which are eligible for the cuttslam. For more opportunities for fishing off the beaten path, check out last month’s Backcast, in which Herb Waterman revealed some of his favorite haunts.
Ten Sleep outing and liver abuse festival
To reserve your spot, call Matt Stanton at 258-9915
BRAG BOARD
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Wyoming Fly Casters Monthly Newsletter
FLY
of the month
PARACHUTE HOPPER Hook: TMC 5212 #6-14 Thread: 6/0 tan Wing post: White calf body or tail hair Hackle: Grizzly rooster saddle Rib: Brown uni-stretch floss Abdomen: Antron dubbing Wing: Turkey wing or tail, pre-treated with flexible cement or spray fixative Legs: Knotted ringneck pheasant tail Thorax: Antron dubbing This summer is anticipated to be a banner year for grasshoppers, so be sure to have a good supply of these patterns when you hit the streams in August and September. Although conventional patterns like this one are popular and effective, the new foam hoppers are more buoyant, visible and durable.
FOAM HOPPER Hook: TMC 100SP-BL #8-10 Thread: Tan 3/0 monocord "binder" Strip: 2mm X 2mm piece of foam Body: Tan 2mm thin fly foam Legs: Brown medium round rubber legs Underwing: (optional) Mottled tan web wing Wing: Natural deer hair Glue: Zap-A-Gap CA glue Double Edge Razor Blades
The County Emergency Management Office expresses appreciation to WFC By Spencer Amend During the height of river flows, the WFC board invited me to investigate needs for helping landowners adjacent to the river deal with the high waters. As the discussions at the board went, this was an opportunity to help some members of the community in a time of significant need, showing that we care about problems not directly related to fishing. And an opportunity to build good will for WFC. After contacting several officials and landowners, I wound up with the Natrona County Emergency Management Office. These folks were very glad to hear from us. As Theresa Simpson, deputy coordinator of NCEM put it:
“Thanks for your assistance! We appreciate volunteers like you!” Although we got only one request for assistance (which was actually completed by the landowners’ neighbors without our help), I would like to acknowledge the following WFC members who replied positively within a day of our receiving the request: Eric Bowers, Joe De Graw, Diana and Steve Holcomb, Brent Weinhandl, Neal Ruebush, Charlie Shedd, Ken Christianson, Russ Newton, Jim Dean, Greg Groves, David Sweet, Dick O’Quinn, and Matt Stanton. Thanks, folks! Makes me extra proud to be a WFC member.
Helicopters to stock Bighorn Mountain trout The Wyoming Game and Fish Department will use a helicopter to stock 21 Cloud Peak Wilderness waters on the east side of the Bighorn Mountains with trout this summer. These lakes will be stocked with Yellowstone cutthroat, splake (a cross between a lake trout and brook trout), golden and rainbow trout. Because many wilderness lakes lack the physical habitat needed for trout reproduction, periodic stocking is necessary to maintain a quality wilderness fishing experience. Hatchery-reared fish will be transferred via helicopter to north-central Wyoming's remote highcountry lakes that can't be reached by vehicle. Hatchery trucks meet the helicopter in the early morning. The fish are transferred to special holding tanks on the helicopter and quickly lifted to their new alpine lake homes. The stocking is generally completed in just a few hours, and it is anticipated the helicopter will travel to another coordination point for stocking lakes on the west side of the
Bighorns. According to WGFD assistant fish production supervisor Jim Barner, the stocking is done every two years in the Bighorns with individual lakes stocked on a two or four year rotation depending on the stocking needs and amount of angler use. Weather permitting, the 2010 stocking will take place on Aug. 2, or as soon as possible if bad weather causes delays. To get the required number of trout into the high elevation lakes, the fish stocked are small, generally 2-4 inches. Barner says that within 2-3 years the fish grow large enough to be of interest to anglers-either to catch and release or kept for the frying pan. "While helicopter stocking is expensive, it is less costly than backpacking or stocking fish with a pack string," Barner said. "We believe the effort is worthwhile and appreciated by the many anglers who hike in for the unique experience associated with wilderness fishing."
New to the club? Need advice? Call these guys Most people join our club to learn where to fish and to improve their fishing technique. If we are to keep members active, experienced members of the club need to be available to give lessons on technique or fishing location information. To that end, Joe Meyer and Daren Bulow
would like you to know that they are available to help and they are encouraging other members to add their names to this list so that new members can call someone for help, offer ideas on fishing spots, or maybe even take them fishing. Call Joe at 235-1316 or Daren at 247-2578.
Wyoming Fly Casters Monthly Newsletter
BRAG BOARD
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Wyoming Fly Casters Monthly Newsletter
Steve Kurtz, on tour with the Casper Civic Chorale, in Galway, Ireland, spotted these fishermen in the Corrib River, which runs one mile from Lake Corrib to Galway Bay on the North Atlantic. Five hundred yards downstream, a shore-bound fisherman (photo
on right) said the guys upstream paid good money and waited several months to get their spot in the river. His spot was free. He said the salmon there grew to twenty lbs. Maybe that’s true -- after you’ve had a few pints of Guinness.
PRFS goes green! Recycle worn waders into new fishing products Don’t let your old waders go to the landfill; they can now be recycled. Please drop off your old unwanted breathable waders at the Platte River Fly Shop. Mark Boname reports the old waders are being refashioned into wallets and chest packs.
Bring your camera along on your next fishing trip, and use it to document your catch and release fish. Then send the digital image to the WFC newsletter editor for consideration of inclusion in the next issue. Contributions are always welcome. Who knows ... maybe your photo will be the next month’s cover.
Wyoming Fly Casters Monthly Newsletter
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WFC MEMBER PROFILE by Greg B. Groves legatcn@gmail.com his month, I had a conversation with Bill Knight who joined the WFC during January 2010. Until moving to Casper during June of 2009, Bill lived in Pontotoc, Mississippi where he practiced law. He had been drawn to the west for several years and prior to the move he spent a couple of years looking at employment options in Wyoming. He toured the state and his family seriously considered living in Lander, but upon landing a new job as the Natrona County attorney, Casper became the Knight family’s new home. His county attorney duties include giving legal advice to the county commissioners, department heads and various boards appointed by the commissioners on civil matters involved in the day to day operations of Natrona County government. Bill is a busy man, but he easily makes time to tell stories about hunting, fishing and outings with his extended family. Two white tail buck mounts in his office are evidence of his love of hunting. Before he dies, he hopes to hunt moose in the Yukon. His first exposure to the WFC was during a January outing to Cardwell that was organized by Joe Meyer. During the drive to the river, Joe explained how the Cardwell access came to be. Many club members are aware of the multi-year effort that led to Cardwell, a fabuous stretch of tailwater, becoming part of the public domain. Bill didn’t catch anything on that trip but the outing gave him a thorough introduction to the club that had worked with ranchers and government agencies to make sure that Cardwell will be available to the public for generations to come. Impressed by Joe’s willingness to teach him how to fly fish and the club’s record of accomplishments, he decid-
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Bill Knight ed to join the WFC. He doesn’t own a fly rod nor does he have any idea what kind he might buy one day. He noted that Joe Meyer has already visited a local fly shop and picked out a rod and reel that would be a suitable purchase for a beginning fly fisher. Bill’s memory bank is brimming over with fishing stories that mostly involve catfish and bass taken from southern rivers and lakes. His most memorable fishing experience occurred near Elaine, Arkansas, which is sandwiched between the White and Mississippi rivers. It was a very remote place that he and his fellow 13 to 15 year old friends chose to fish that day. They were headed out to catch crappie and had plenty of experience literally filling coolers full of crappie during a one day outing. His uncle was a trophy bass fishermen and thanks to his generosity, Bill had plenty of his uncle’s left over gear and tackle boxes. He described his uncle as an “Arkansas River Rat,” defined as a fisherman who can overhaul an outboard motor with a screwdriver while still on the water. As the story goes, Bill and his buddies were using an old 14 foot johnboat they had just launched. About thirty
yards from the boat ramp, his friend who was driving the boat ran him into a dense cypress tree. While fighting with the cypress branches he stuck his rod in the water and immediately the water under the tree exploded when an eight pound largemouth bass took his lure. After landing the largemouth, he and his buddies returned to town to show off the prize catch. Smaller bass were common in that area of the Mississippi river system, but an eight pound bass was huge for the area. He also recalled family outings to the river on Sundays. Aunts, uncles and cousins would often load up four trucks and thanks to some strong winches they would eventually find their way to remote lakes full of catfish, crappie and bass. Trotlines were often the preferred fishing method for catfish. It was not uncommon for his family to fill several coolers with crappie and catfish during one Sunday outing. It should come as no surprise that Bill’s favorite food is fried catfish. Bill’s wife is a special education teacher. His children are learning to fish and enjoy the out-of-doors. On a ice fishing trip last winter, his six year old son caught an 18-19 inch rainbow. Though his passion is big game hunting, Bill intends to continue his membership in the WFC. He likes the fact that the club is working to acquire additional public access to nearby fisheries. While listening to Bill tell stories about his vivid fishing experiences in the south, it struck me that there’s a good chance he will some day have a collection of fly fishing tales he will tell with the same enthusiasm. I encourage all WFC members to get to know Bill Knight. As a sportsman and public servant, he is a welcome member of our community.
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Wyoming Fly Casters Monthly Newsletter
WYOMING FLY CASTERS BOARD MEETING MINUTES -- DRAFT July 21, 2010 Called to order by President Weinhandl at 7 p.m. Excused absences: Bob Fischer, Smokey Weinhandl, Spencer Amend, Alex Rose and Neil Ruebush. Janet Milek of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department reported she needs 12-15 additional volunteers to assist in the scoring of the casting competition at the WGFD Expo in September. A pentathlon will be held on Sept. 10, from 7:45 a.m.-11 a.m. She reported the Wyoming Fly Casters have been involved in the Expo for 13 years. She will complete the exhibitor application for the club. Correction to June minutes: Bill Wichers was an excused absence. The board approved the corrected minutes. Matt Stanton presented a quarterly report and was reviewed. The report was filed for audit. Seven members attended the Walker Jenkins outing and the fishing was good. Aug. 6-8 will be the Ten Sleep outing and Matt Stanton is the streamkeeper. Sept. 25 Alex Rose will be the streamkeeper for the night outing at Grey Reef, starting at 7 p.m. Casey Leary will be the streamkeeper for the Rod Robinder outing at Miracle Mile on Oct. 16. Matt Stanton reported the City of Casper is asking for
drift boat volunteers for the Platte River Revival, Saturday Sept. 11, from 8-12:30 (also the day of the WGFD Expo). Discussion was held regarding a possible fish rescue if needed below Pathfinder Reservoir when the water recedes. WFC volunteered to keep fish from being stranded and Matt will check with WGFD to see if needed. Matt also said on Aug. 25, a meeting will be held at the Fairgrounds from 6–8 p.m. regarding the master plan for Pathfinder, Alcova and Grey Reef reservoirs. Will Waterbury agreed to check into a WFC section of adopt a highway. A discussion was held regarding the Memorial Rock and it was shelved until a club member could speak with WGFD officials to see if a permanent marker could be placed on the Access area. Casey Leary and Will Waterbury will cook for the WFC annual picnic, Andrew will purchase the food. The board approved to reimburse Joe DeGraw for food expenses for the Walker Jenkins outing. Meeting adjourned.
AUGUST Club Calendar SUNDAY 1
MONDAY
TUESDAY
2
3
WEDNESDAY THURSDAY 4
FRIDAY
5
6 Ten Sleep outing
8
9
10
11
SATURDAY 7 Ten Sleep outing
12
13
14
19
20
21
26
27
28
Regular meeting, 7 p.m.
Ten Sleep outing
15
16
17
18 WFC Board Meeting, 7 p.m.
22
23
24
Deadline for Backcast info
Full moon
29
30
25
31
Wyoming Fly Casters Monthly Newsletter
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WFC TREASURER'S REPORT (ending June 30, 2010) Date Income
Vendor/Item
Amount
06/16/10 Deposit-Dues $180, Merchandise $10, Donation $15
$280.00 Total $280.00
06/05/10 $75.60 #4047 – Scott Novotny – Hat Stitching 06/08/10 $71.69 #4048 – Fed Ex Kinkos – May Backcast 06/09/10 $10.50 #4049 – Scott Novotny – Merchandise Storage Container 06/16/10 #4050 – Izaak Walton – June Rent 06/16/10 $9.85 #4051 – Postmaster – Stamps/Expo App. Postage
$75.60 $71.69 $10.50 $75.00 $9.85 Total $242.64
Expenses
Try for the cutt-slam this summer A record number of anglers fulfilled the requirements for Wyoming's cutt-slam program in 2009 bringing the number of anglers that have received certificates to 716 since 1996 when the program was started. Last year 143 anglers were recognized. This is, by far, the most participants in a single year. In previous years, less than 100 anglers have received certificates. Nine anglers have been awarded certificates so far this year and the WGFD expects a big increase in the next few months. Typically, most entries are received in late summer when streams clear up and anglers take advantage of improved fishing conditions. Anglers who complete the cutt-slam are recognized for catching Wyoming's four subspecies of cutthroat in their native range in Wyoming. The four subspecies are the Yellowstone, Snake River, Bonneville and Colorado River cutthroat trout. Successful anglers receive a certificate listing the name of the angler, color artwork of the four subspecies and notation on the date and location of each catch. The cutt-slam program has been featured in fly fishing magazines and on several television programs. The cutt-slam was the idea of the late Pinedale area fisheries supervisor Ron Remmick, who wanted to draw attention to the management efforts being done on behalf of the cutthroat. He looked at Wyoming's four cutthroat subspecies and the cuttslam was born. One of the key components of the cutt-slam is that each of the fish must be caught in their native range in Wyoming. Over the years, several of the cutthroat subspecies have been stocked in waters outside of their native drainages. Cutthroat caught in these waters do not qualify for the cutt-slam's native range requirement. Anglers completing the "slam" come from many states and several foreign countries. To qualify, an angler needs to provide a photograph of each fish and information on the date of catch and water where it was caught. There is no minimum size requirement. Releasing of fish is encouraged and may be required depending on the regulations for different waters. Wyoming's cutthroat management efforts are ongoing with some of the more notable efforts being the recent reclamations of LaBarge Creek and waters in the Little Snake River drainage for Colorado River cutthroat. Other reclamation efforts include several waters in the Bighorn Mountains and Dead Indian Creek in Sunlight Basin to benefit Yellowstone Cutthroat.
Our members are very special to us and we want to remember them in times of adversity. If you know of a member or their spouse who is ill or is recently deceased, please contact Donna Diesburg at (307) 2344278 or e-mail her at faith1@bresnan.net.
CLASSIFIEDS
GOOD STUFF FOR SALE (CHEAP!) Outcast Pontoon Boat with 9 ft. pontoons, like new, Originally sold for $1000 priced at $300. Sage Z-Axis 906-4 brand new, unused, with warranty card original price $695 priced at $375. Orvis TLS Power Matrix 905-2 brand new, unused, with warranty card original price $395 priced at $175. Art Van Rensselaer 307-265-9287 (H) 307-262-7655 (C) • Patagonia SST jacket, XL, Brand new. $175 (list $315). Scott Novotny 266-3072
Classifieds are a free service to WFC members. To advertise your item for sale, drop a line to the marketing department at chevPU57@aol.com.