www.wyflycasters.org
Vol 42 No 8
The Monthly Newsletter of the Wyoming Fly Casters
August 2015
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August 2015
What’s inside Lee Tschetter, President Spencer Amend, Vice President
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casting in the park
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TONGUE RIVER OUTING
John Yost, Secretary Gene Theriault, Treasurer
7-9 JUJU EMERGER
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
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RIVER FEST 2015
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fishing highlights
15 CLASSIFIEDS
Terms expire in 2016: George Axlund, Joe Meyer, Lee Wilson, Cheryl Wilson Terms expire in 2017: Derrick Dietz Jim Johnson Bob Fischer
CALENDAR
Terms expire in 2018: Wilbur Yankee, Jim Johnson Bruce Lessig, Bruce Chandler The Backcast is the monthly newsletter of the Wyoming Fly Casters Editorial content does not necessarily reflect the views of the officers, board or members of the Wyoming Fly Casters. Annual dues are $20 for an individual, $30 for a family, or $250 for a lifetime individual membership or $450 for a life- time family membership. Visit the club website at www. wyflycasters.org. To pay dues or contact the club, write to P.O. Box 2881, Casper, WY 82602. The deadline for submission of information for each issue is a week before the end of the month. Make contributions to the next issue by e-mailing material to the Backcast editor at cheryl_ea06@ hotmail.com or call (307) 267-1903. The Backcast is available either in electronic format or through USPS snail mail. To receive each newsletter through a monthly e-mail, you must be able to open .pdf (Adobe Acrobat, a software program available free of charge) documents. Usually, each issue is roughly 1 MB in size, some are larger. Your e-mail provider may have limits on the size of attachments. In order to be added to the e-mail list, send a request to cheryl_ea06@hotmail.com. In addition to receiving each issue of the newsletter earlier than your hard copy peers, e-mail subscribers are able to print each copy in vibrant color -- an added plus if the issue is rich in color photographs. By sub-scribing electronically, you also save the club roughly $17.40 a year in printing and postage expenses.
Front Cover : Photo by Kelly Kukes, 2014 ; Back Cover : Cheryl Wilson 2014
NEW MEMBERS!
If you haven’t already, call Joe Meyer at 307-235-1316. He’ll give you pointers and advice to make sure you catch The big one! Mission Statement: The mission of the Wyoming Fly Casters is to promote and enhance the sport of fly fishing and the conservation of fish and their habitat.
Description:
The Wyoming Fly Casters club was formed in 1974. The membership currently consists of approximately 160 members. The WFC was organized by a group of dedicated fly fishermen and since the club’s inception the Wyoming Fly Casters have strived to further the sport of fly fishing through conservation and education. Conservation of our water resources is one of our primary goals and in cooperation with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department we have and will continue to carry out worthwhile projects for the benefit of Wyoming fisheries. In addition to conserving Wyoming’s water resources we encourage conserving the fish themselves. A fish safely released today will live to give sport to others. For easy access to digital version of newsletter go to: www.wyomingflycasters.org
Wyoming Fly Casters
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President’s letter Hello Flycasters, Another month has come and gone and we are in to the 8th month already. We all know what that means so I won't elaborate any further. This will probably be a rather short letter for which I'm sure you will be happy to hear. The only personal note that I will add is to say Happy Birthday to my lovely wife Theresa. I turned the big Five-O on the first and her birthday was on the 24th. I will leave it to her if she wishes to tell you how old she is. On to business. Of course our annual Tensleep outing is coming up this weekend and I hope to see many of you there. Matt will be back as Stream Keeper and I will be helping again. Gene & Deb are going to be bringing something for supper for Friday night, Theresa will be making gumbo for Saturday night, and Matt will be doing breakfast on Sunday morning. Cheryl sent out an email requesting RSVPs so we can get an approximate head count and to this point we have only had one response. If we have not heard from you please let us know so that we can get a reasonable head count for meals. Right after we get back we are scheduled to have a representative from BuRec at our general meeting on the 12th. We are also looking for members that are interested in helping at River Fest on the 22nd. We will have an awning at Crossroads park. We will be doing fly tying and casting demonstrations. This will run from Noon - 6 pm. This will be a great opportunity to get the face of the club out to a lot of people. In September don't forget the Tongue River outing that will happen over the holiday weekend. I will have a signup sheet at the August meeting for those interested. Look for a separate email in the next couple of weeks with more details. This is a great time but the weather can be a little chilly. Of course that is offset by good fishing and good friends. I know that I am missing something but my now AARP qualified brain can not bring it out and our editor is waiting for this late addition. If there is anything that comes to mind from any of you please let me know and we will get emails out if necessary or make sure that it is included in the next Backcast. I hope that everyone is able to get out on the water and take advantage of the summer weather. Please remember that on these hot days the water temperature is up and fish stress easily. If it is hot and uncomfortable for us it's just as bad for the fish. Maybe that cold beverage is a better choice until the temperature comes down in the evening. Until next month... Tight lines and long drifts. Lee
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August 2015
CASTING IN THE PARK
The Ugly Bug Fly Shop will be hosting Casting in the Park throughout the summer. Every Thursday evening this summer you can meet up with local experts to practice your casting, ask questions, get advice, and socialize with other fly fishing enthusiasts. Festivities will start about 6:00 and will be at City Park across from the Elk’s Lodge. This is a free event and the Bug will have several rods, reels, and other equipment to try out. Feel free to bring your own rod to practice with as well. Hope to see you all there!
Wyoming Fly Casters
2015 Dick DePaemelere North Tongue River Outing When: September 4-6 Where: North Tongue River Campground [176 on Google Maps] How to get there: I-25 /I-90 North to Ranchester / Dayton Highway 14 west. At Burgess Jct. take 14A approx. 3 hours from Casper. The campground is located on the left side of 14A; if you cross the bridge you have gone a little too far. We will have the WFC sign as close to the road as possible. Once you turn off 14A, take the right fork to the campground [primitive]. If you don’t want to rough it, Bear Lodge is about 6 miles away [(307) 752-2444]. Fishing: Dry Fly [adams, caddis or attractors size 16-20] & nymphs, ants, beetles and hoppers. Just bring your fly box; we’ll help you figure it out. Food: We may have a main dish for one night depending on how many folks sign up. Will let you know at the Aug. meeting. Prepare to fend for yourselves. They do serve 3 meals, a day, at Bear Lodge. We will have a campfire every night [if the Forest Service lets us] and the fishing should be good. So come on up, and fish the Tongue! Stream-keeper contacts: Bob Fischer - bobynfish@wyoming.com or 472-5715 [I will be out of town fishing until Aug. 19, and will have very limited e-mail.] Randy Stalker - ChevPU57@aol.com
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August 2015
Attention Fly Tyers! We are working on getting new members ready to hit the water, and we need your help! We are currently asking for the following flies so that Joe can add these to the new member packets. Each member will receive a few flies to welcome them to the club and get them started in the right direction. Here are a few of the flies we are looking for:
Pine Squirrel Leech Halfbacks Stimulator Elk Hair Caddis Midges
Renegades San Juan Worms (various colors) Rock Worms Eggs Pheasant Tail Nymph
Flashbacks Bead-headed flashbacks
Wyoming Fly Casters
Craven’s Juju Emerger
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Credit for this pattern and instructions go to Charlie’s Fly Box, located in Arvada, Colorado. If you’re in the area, go check out his shop! Pattern Description Craven’s Juju Emerger I have often said that one of the main reasons fly tying is so compelling to so many is because it’s also so endless. No matter how long you tie or how wide the variety of your skill set, there is always something new to learn and play with. Emerger patterns by themselves could easily occupy an entire tying career, with endless variations and versions and I have to admit that I just love that! I am often asked to explain just what exactly an emerger is and the answer is almost always long winded and more complicated than it probably needs to be. As evidenced by the glut of emerger patterns available these days, there are a lot of different ways of going at tying these things and for the most part, they can all be quite effective because an emerger pattern is always but a snap shot of what really ought to be a motion picture. For our purposes as fly tyers and anglers, emergence is a process that takes place between the river bottom and the air throughout the entire water column, with the insect actually changing shape, profile and often color, as it nears the end. As a mayfly or caddis “emerges”, it travels from the stream bottom to the surface and either there, or along the way, starts to shed its nymphal husk and emerge as the adult form of the insect. There are many pitfalls that can occur along this path and many insects become trapped in the surface film or even in their own shucks, don’t emerge completely and sometimes end up on or near the surface with a wing or abdomen trapped in said shuck and flip flop endlessly trying to free themselves, and sometimes, they even sink back down into the water partially emerged, making a bit of a rewind factor come into play. Technically, these trapped and/or broken versions would be referred to as cripples (how we still get away with using that term these days is beyond me), although I still consider these as emergers as the process of emerging is what actually got them there. Now imagine videotaping this entire process, from the nymph leaving the stream bottom to the full blown adult version potentially flying away off the surface...every frame of this film would be representative of an emerger pattern that would match that exact stage of the emergence, something that trout come into contact with every day and is easily recognizable to them. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why we have so many different yet effective emerger patterns to choose from! Ah yes, the wonders of nature and the endless opportunities it provides for both the trout and tyers! The pattern I’ll tie here is something I’ve been working on for some time now and is meant as a generic mayfly emerger. Altering the colors and sizes makes it an effective representation of a host of different mayfly families, from baetis to Pale Morning Duns, Sulphurs and even Green Drakes. Tied with a short CDC wing topped with a few luminescent strands of Flouro Fiber for a touch of movement imitating sparkle, a prominently ribbed and segmented abdomen and a widely split tail to aid in flotation when needed, the Juju Emerger borrows heavily from my Jujubaetis nymph pattern as well as the ubiquitous Colorado pattern, the RS-2. I most often fish this pattern on a conventional nymphing rig with split shot or putty and under an indicator or line marker of some sort, in riffles and runs where fish stack up to pick of emerging insects on their trip of a lifetime, but have also fished it dry on the end of a long leader either solo or behind a slightly more visible dry fly like a Vis-A-Dun or Parachute Adams. The Juju Emerger will float well given its buoyant CDC wing and those split tails do indeed add surface area to keep the fly perched on the film. Those seemingly silly strands of shiny Flouro Fiber add a good degree of visibility to the pattern when fished on top as well. This fly imitates but one frame of the emergence movie we talked about earlier and the variations on the theme can be endless. Longer or shorter wings, alternate coloring for the thorax and abdomen and where in the water column you fish it will determine which frame you are representing and opens up a whole world of options...which is exactly why I will always love this game! Continued on page 8
8 2015
August
Instructions Materials Needed: Hook: TMC 101 #18-22 Thread: TMC 16/0 or Veevus 14/0, Olive Tails: Brown Tailing Fibers, Split Abdomen: Olive and Brown Superhair Thorax: Olive Brown Superfine Dubbing Legs: Mottled Brown India Hen Saddle Fibers Wing: Natural Gray CDC Topping: White Flouro Fiber Head: Olive Brown Superfine Dubbing
2. Return the thread to the starting point, maintaining a smooth underbody and tie in two strands of olive and one strand of brown Super Hair. Wrap back over the Super Hair strands back to just short of the tail. I like to stop about two strand widths from the tail. If you wrap all the way back to the base of the tail, the first wrap of SuperHair will disrupt the tails, so leave yourself just a tiny bit of room for clearance.
1. Begin by dressing the shank with a layer of thread starting about one third of the way back from the hook eye all the way to the bend. Now mount two tailing fibers about a shank length long at the bend of the hook and split them with a figure-eight of thread.
3. Return the thread to the starting point once more, this time building a slight taper to the underbody as you go. Begin wrapping all three strands of SuperHair as one unit at the bend of the hook so the wraps line up neatly creating the segmented abdomen. Hold the Super Hair strands as close to the hook as you can as you wrap them to keep them from spreading apart.
Continued on page 9
Wyoming Fly Casters
4. Wrap the Super Hair all the way up to the starting point and tie them off. Clip the excess. Now build a small ball of Superfine Dubbing on the front edge of the abdomen to form the thorax.
5. Tie a small clump of mottled brown India hen saddle fibers in on each side of the thorax. The tips of these fibers should to just short of the hook point. Anchor the fibers in place along the sides of the thorax and trim the excess.
6. Tie in a small clump of natural CDC fibers on the top of the shank at the front of the thorax. Trim the clump so it is about one-third to one-half a shank length long. Trim the butt ends flush.
7. Lay three long strands of white Fluoro Fiber in along the far side of the shank in front of the wing and capture them at the center of their length with a few wraps of thread.
8. Pull the long butt ends of the Flouro Fiber back along the near side of the shank and anchor this clump in place as well. You should have three strands on either side of the wing. Trim the Flouro so it is about one third longer than the CDC wing.
9. Dub a small head from the base of the wing to the index point to complete the thorax. Whip finish and clip the thread.
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August 2015
Ten Sleep
The annual weekend camping outing in the Big Horn Mountains adjacent to Ten Sleep Creek is scheduled for the weekend of August 8th. Lee Tschetter and Matt Stanton are sharing the streamkeeper responsibilities this year. If you plan to attend and haven’t signed up already please call Lee at 267-7261 or email to leetschetter@yahoo.com so we know how many to prepare food for. To get there: Go North on I-25 to Buffalo, then head West on highway 16 and climb into the Big Horn Mountains. Travel about 50 miles and just past Meadowlark Lake you will turn right at the Deer Haven Lodge. Continue on the dirt road for seven miles, until you are about to cross the west branch of Ten Sleep Creek where you will see Deer Park campground. You can settle either in the campground (for a fee), or in the meadow on the other side of the bridge. In general fishing in the area is good to excellent this time of year. The small streams in the West Tensleep lake area are packed with energetic trout and are typically anxious to hit a variety of dry flies. A good selection of flies to bring along might include: Terrestrials (hoppers, beetles and ants), Adams, Renegade and Stimulators. Nymphs including Copper John, Prince and Hares Ear have also been used when the fish aren’t looking up. Historically, attendees have an excellent time and for some this is a must attend outing. Even if you can only make it for one day, camaraderie and hungry fish are a guarantee. Hope to see you there.
Wyoming Fly Casters
Executive Director Job Description
Joy Bannon Field Director Wyoming Wildlife Federation P.O. Box 1312 Lander, WY 82520 mobile: 307.287.0129 joybannon@wyomingwildlife.org
The Wyoming Wildlife Federation seeks a qualified individual who is interested in wildlife issues with special emphasis on fund-raising and development to serve as Executive Director (ED). This position will serve under supervision of the President of the Board of Directors (Board). The Executive Director oversees all organization operations and provides leadership for members and staff in adherence with existing policies, by-laws and resolutions. The ED coordinates with the Board regarding administration, advocacy, fund-raising, development and membership. The ED is expected to provide leadership, goal setting, and short/long term planning and implementation for WWF. Compensation and benefits will be competitive and will be described in an Employee Agreement. The salary range is $53,000 to $63,000 with a 5% bonus commission for new funding sources brought into the Federation. This is a permanent, full-time position. WWF’s headquarters are based in Lander, Wyoming; some flexibility exists for the ED position location within Wyoming. Duties of the Executive Director will emphasize development, fund-raising and membership services. Specific duties include: • Expand, create and implement membership, fund-raising, and development programs in conjunction with board and staff; Diversify funding • Network throughout Wyoming and the region on behalf of WWF; sources including major donors and grant support; and • Develop endowment and planned giving programs. The Executive Director is the face of the Federation and will advocate for Wyoming’s wildlife, habitat and outdoor opportunities. Specific duties include: • Provide direction and oversight for WWF programs and strategize for best available outcomes; • Collaborate with like-minded organizations on various campaigns and issues; • Nominate, communicate and mentor volunteer members; • Organize and facilitate meetings for local members and the public; • Review and provide oversight for Federation’s responses to National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) documents; • Represent WWF in governmental affairs, including lobbying on wildlife and hunter/angler legislation; • Monitor and testify at Game and Fish Commission, State Land Board, County Commission and other state, local and federal agency meetings; • Consult with legal counsel regarding appeals, lawsuits and other legal action; • Represent the Federation with the media, such as writing and editing opinion editorials, press releases and providing interviews; and • Design and implement successful strategies for priority issues. The Executive Director is also the Federation’s primary organizational developer. Specific duties include:
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August
Letter from the Editor Flycasters, August is here and that means we are edging closer and closer to several club outings and events. First up is the Ten Sleep Outing, August 7-9. See information in the President’s letter and on page 10. Lee and I will not be able to make it this year, but I hope lots of you can make it- it’s always a fun time with lots of great fishing! Next up is Riverfest 2015 on August 22nd (See next page). This year the flycasters will have a booth/table set up and we need volunteers. We will be offering fly tying demonstrations, casting lessons, and we will also need some people just to hang out and give people information about the club and answer any questions they may have. Please consider volunteering for this- it is a high traffic event that the city puts on each year and it would be a great opportunity to get new club members! The 2015 Dick DePaemelere North Tongue River Outing will be held over Labor Day weekend. For more information on that outing, please see page 5 of this newsletter. You can also contact Randy Stalker or Bob Fischer if you have any questions. National Public Land’s Day will be coming up in September, so keep an eye out for information regarding volunteer opportunities that day- Jolene Martinez gave a presentation to the club regarding their master plan and projects so most of you should have a pretty good idea what their goals are for the North Platte. I’m sure I am forgetting something that I will remember as soon as I send this out, so watch your e-mails for updates on club events.
Roger is one month old! He should be getting out on the river in no time!
Have a great month!
Cheryl Wilson *** The meeting minutes for the board meeting on July 15th were not recorded, as John Yost and Cheryl Wilson were both absent from the meeting. The meeting was recorded digitally, and a copy of the meeting minutes will be available at a later date this month, on request. Thank you, yet again for your patience and understanding! - Cheryl Wilson
Wyoming Fly Casters
Riverfest 2015
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Riverfest is going to be on Saturday, August 22nd this year. The Flycasters will have a table set up to promote the club. We will be answering questions about the club, and provide casting and fly tying demonstrations. We are looking for volunteers for this event. If you are interested in helping us out for any amount of time that day, please e-mail Lee Tschetter at leetschetter@yahoo.com, or call him at 307-267-7261 What: Riverfest 2015 When: Saturday August 22nd from noon6:00 p.m. Where: Crossroads Park (near the baseball fields on Poplar) Contact: leetschetter@yahoo.com 267-7261, or Cheryl Wilson at cheryl_ea06@hotmail.com, 267-1903
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August 2015
July Fishing Highlights
Submitted by Spencer Amend- a friend of Spencer’s with a nice big rainbow!
Submitted by Spencer AmendBruce Chandler looking pretty happy with his rainbow trout!
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Wyoming Fly Casters
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Outdoor storage $40/month. Call Clarke 307-262-3306
PHONE 307.332.0210 EMAIL: info@zachevenart.com
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Float Boat! J. W. Outfitters Explorer For Heavier People Extras - Did Not Leak Last Time! $350.00 265-3932 Andrew Sauter
Calendar
Sunday
August 2015
AUGUST 2015
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
14
15
21
22
CASTING IN THE PARK 6:00 P.M.
9
10
11
12
13
GENERAL MEETING 7:00 P.M.
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23
17
24
18
19
25
CASTING IN THE PARK 6:00 P.M.
Aviation Day
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BOARD MEETING 7:00 P.M.
CASTING IN THE PARK 6:00 P.M.
26
27
RIVERFEST 12-6
28
29
CASTING IN THE PARK 6:00 P.M.
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31
July 2015 S
M
5 12 19 26
6 13 20 27
T W 1 7 8 14 15 21 22 28 29
Th 2 9 16 23 30
September 2015 F 3 10 17 24 31
Sa 4 11 18 25
S
M
6 13 20 27
7 14 21 28
T 1 8 15 22 29
W 2 9 16 23 30
Th 3 10 17 24
F 4 11 18 25
Sa 5 12 19 26
Upcoming Events: Tongue River Outing: September 5-7 (Labor Day Weekend)
Wyoming Fly Casters P.O. Box 2881 Casper, WY 82602
August 2015