www.wyflycasters.org
ON THE INSIDE President’s message . . . . . . Brag Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . WFC member profile . . . . . . Editor’s message . . . . . . . . . Cutthroat need your help . . .
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Bolton Creek project . . . . . . . Special tying clinic . . . . . . . . Lyin’ & Tyin’ . . . . . . . . . . . . . Club Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . Board minutes . . . . . . . . . . .
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Page 2 OFFICERS Melody Weinhandl, President Will Waterbury, 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 Herb Waterman Vacant 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 last week 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 Drifts by Melody Weinhandl, President, WFC brooktrout6671@gmail.com
M
att Stanton, conservation chairman and treasurer of WFC, gave a very interesting presentation in January on the plight of our native cutthroat in light of the overwhelming numbers of lake trout in Yellowstone Lake. Matt volunteered to accompany a team who spent the day netting lake trout for the sole purpose of thinning their population. He learned that the presence of lake trout is slowly but surely eradicating the number of cutthroats in the lake. In light of the conservation concerns of this issue, Matt will be sending a letter on behalf of the Wyoming Fly Casters to the National Park Service that will address this problem and express our support of their efforts to reverse the loss of our only native trout in those waters. Dave Sweet of Trout Unlimited may be elaborating on that information in a presentation by him in the near future. The Cabin Fever Clinic is coming up Saturday, Mar. 5. This free clinic is a wonderful opportunity to learn how to fly
fish or to brush up on your fly fishing technique if you've already had a chance to flyfish in the past. Next month's presentation will given by Keith Schoup and Al Condor of Wyoming Game and Fish regarding the Bolton Creek conservation project. In March we will have the pleasure of hosting John Stephenson of Wyoming Taxidermy explaining how he mounts trophy trout for his clients. It is also election night for Wyoming Fly Caster officers and board members and my last official meeting as president. April brings our annual spring banquet at the Ramada Inn. It will be held on Saturday, April 2 and will be a treat to enjoy as it is every year. Please mark your calendars to plan to attend this event. As the weather clears and offers a few warmer days this month, I hope you have a chance to enjoy the opportunity to toss in a line or two. Happy Valentine's Day and as always, happy angling!
Melody
Cabin Fever Clinic is Mar. 5 by Alex Rose This year, the club's Cabin Fever Clinic will take place Mar. 5, 1:00 to 4:00 p.m, at the Casper Recreation Center, located on 1801 E. Fourth Street. The clinic is free and open to the public, and a great opportunity to introduce folks to fly fishing. The club provides the rods and all materials. Experienced casters and tiers provide one-on-one instruction on fly tying and casting. Last year, turn out for the clinic was outstanding: Approximately 70 participants took part in the clinic. We had about 10 Fly Casters teaching casting and tying, but we could have used a few more instructors. If you are a good caster or tier, and like to teach, please consider volunteering for this event. We can
always use an extra hand. This year's format will be similar to last year: Casting instructors and students will form a line, taking up most of the gym. The tiers will sit at a row up tables. The only significant difference is that this year, we will be providing an information booth, promoting the club, and actively recruiting new members. The club's resident fly fishing professor, Bill Mixer, said he would participate, and would bring along his "casting analyzer," a high-tech gadget that analyzes every aspect of your cast: Your forward cast, back cast, force used, etc. If you want to participate as a volunteer, please let me know! I can be reached by cell phone, 828/467-3789 or e-mail, alexmrose@hotmail.com
Cover shot: A Yellowstone cutthroat from South Paintrock Creek last August.
Wyoming Fly Casters Monthly Newsletter
Brag Board
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Wyoming Fly Casters Monthly Newsletter
WFC MEMbEr PrOFIlE by Greg B. Groves legatcn@gmail.com
Marty Robinson
R
ecently, I spent an hour with Marty Robinson and discovered there’s a lot more going on in her life than meets the eye. Marty didn’t start out as a fly fisher nor is it her primary pursuit today. Though you will find her working at the Ugly Bug Fly Shop on most Wednesdays, most of her time is spent as a volunteer with various organizations in Casper, Wyoming. She grew up in South Dakota on a farm that had no running water, nor was there an indoor toilet. Her dad was a grain farmer who worked twelve hour days on hard labor jobs and then, with whatever energy he had left, he took care of the farm work. Her dad started her fishing with worms for black bullheads on Willow Creek. Back then the pack of kids was just starting to emerge, so it was easier for her dad to occasionally take her fishing on Sunday afternoons. Marty’s mom was a housewife who had ten children in fifteen years. The oldest of her siblings is 59 and the youngest is 44. Marty is the fourth oldest child in the family and all of them get together for a reunion every two years. When Marty was 14 her family left the farm and moved to Watertown, South Dakota, a town of about 15,000. She missed life on the farm and really disliked living in such a populated place. She was accustomed to attending rural schools that had 100 to 150 kids enrolled. In town, there were 300 kids in her ninth grade class. She completed high school but as a hands-on learner, she remembers it was a pain. Throughout her developmental years, she assumed she would be a farmer’s wife, but it didn’t work out that way. After high school, she worked in South Dakota as a dishwasher and a maid at a motel. The telephone company hired her as a lineman, which Marty prefers to call a
“pole climber” position. Later she worked as a flagger for a construction company, and she trained to be a welder. During April of 1980, Marty moved to Casper and worked for three years as a welder for NL Acme Tools near the Natrona County Airport. She reports her welding was not top notch and laughingly recalled getting very familiar with the operation of a grinder while grinding out bad welds. In 1984, Rod Robinder hired her to work at the newly opened Ugly Bug Fly Shop that was located over the First Street Bakery. Retail work was different for her, and through the years she learned a lot about fly fishing equipment, fly tying materials, and the people who buy those products. During her time at the fly shop, Bill MacTavish was alive and often visited the shop. On a day she clearly recalls, Bill showed her how to tie a comparadun which is a pale morning dun imitation that requires wings made from deer hair. MacTavish carefully showed her, step by step, how to tie the comparadun and when he was finished he left the shop with deer hair trimmings all over his clothes, but he didn’t seem to mind.
After working in the shop 30 hours a week for seven years, it was time to move on, and she took a job matting and framing pictures before taking another job making tents and teepees for two years for Slash Back Canvas in Bar Nun. About three years ago, she went back to the Ugly Buy Fly Shop to work a day or so a week. Bob Fischer hired her and she enjoys the work and spending time with her knowledgeable co-workers. During 1995 or 1996, Marty started volunteering with Habitat for Humanity. She worked all the trades required to build homes. Eventually Habitat asked her to get a contractor’s license, and she studied, took the written test, and got the license. Marty is active in St. Patrick’s Catholic Church and she’s a volunteer with the Self Help Center. The center is committed to assisting and enhancing lives through victim support and recovery programs throughout Natrona County. She also serves as a volunteer member of the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT). (continued on next page)
Wyoming Fly Casters Monthly Newsletter
Marty Robinson
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Tailing Loops
(continued from previous page) CERT is made up of citizens who are trained to take care of themselves and their families first, and then help others during the first few days following a disaster. During the last year, Marty got a passport. Though she doesn’t like to travel, she has been considering going to Haiti to help with disaster relief efforts there. When she finds time, Marty fly fishes about ten times a year with her nine foot, six weight Sage Discovery rod. The reel she uses is a Ross Rhythm that’s loaded with Rio fly line. Her most memorable fly fishing trip was a two day guided float on the Big Horn, 16 ago. The trip was a wedding gift from friends who thought she and her husband Gene would appreciate a classic Montana fly fishing experience. Marty’s dream trip wouldn’t be an international journey because she prefers to stay “stateside”. She said another visit to Lake Powell, Utah is a trip she would like to make, recalling that the guys did all the cooking. Though she’s never fly fished Lake Powell, on her last visit she saw stripers chasing baitfish at the surface and she’s given some thought to breaking out the fly rod and stripping streamers on a future visit. Marty has no favorite restaurants in Casper or elsewhere. She says she will cook only if she has to, and favors fast food over fine dining. I encourage all WFC members to get to know Marty and take a moment to thank her for all she does to make Casper, Wyoming a better place to live. On any Wednesday you may also want to catch up with her at the Ugly Bug so she can show you, step by step, how Bill MacTavish tied a comparadun. Author Greg Groves intends to alternate WFC monthly profiles between veteran members and newcomers. -- Ed.
by Randy Stalker, Backcast editor chevPU57@aol.com It was impossible to get a conversation going. Everybody was talking too much. --Yogi Berra
I
t was reassuring to learn that there are some souls who despite wet, cold and genuinely foul weather, can be counted on to continue a WFC tradition. I’m speaking, of course, of the annual Polar Bear Outing at Grey Reef, Cardwell or Alcova and Pathfinder, with a gathering at noon for burgers and beer at the Sunset Grill on New Years Day. The weather for the outing is usually crisp but dry. Not so this year. It was downright miserable, with temperatures in the single digits and a dusting of snow whipped by the stiff wind. I was among the whimps who chickened out on Jan. 1. But two diehards continued their consecutive streak of Polar Bear outings by venturing to their favorite fishing spot on the first day of the new year. “Missed you at the outing. You weren't the only one who didn't make it!” Clarke Turner reported in an email on Jan 2. “Bill Mixer and I fished below Grey Reef dam for a half hour. He caught one and I caught six. All on eggs. I wore a lucky fox head hat. We didn't see a soul on the river, not even any footprints. Thought the Fly Casters were all at the Sunset Grill. So we headed over there to have the annual green chili and bloody Mary fare. Not a soul there, either. So put this one in the WFC history books: The 2011 polar bear ounting was attended by two die hard fly casters and a total of seven fish were caught. “See you at the next one.” Alas, no photos were taken to visually document the 2011 Polar Bear outing. • Every month after delivering, electronically, the latest issue of the Backcast, I regularly get one or two messages saying some email addresses no longer exist, and others can accept no
more mail as their boxes are full. Others complain they failed to receive the latest issue. I have not culled the digital subsciption list, so everyone should continue receiving each issue. However, if for some reason the Backcast is lost in hyperspace, drop me a line and I’ll be glad to try again. Of course, each issue of the Backcast is available without a subscription to anyone. Scott Novotny does a fine job of timely updating the club website with each newsletter. Just open the WFC home page (www.wyflycasters.org) and click on newsletter. If you are a Mac user, you will see the cover of the newsletter. But if you are a Windows devotee, like myself, a rectangular outline will greet the user. Just click inside the rectangle and you’ll be ushered into the latest issue of the newsletter. • Contributors should check out the club calendar and make a mental note that the deadline for the March newsletter is Feb. 20. Speaking of calendars and preparation, WFC members should note that election of officers is approaching, and at the same time, the annual fund-raising banquet is slated. If you would like to assume a leadership in the club, step forward. You could get your feet wet as a trustee, then when you are more comfortable, run for an officer position at the March meeting. To prepare for the annual banquet, saddle up to your vise and tie your favorite pattern, whether it be dry, wet, emerger, nymph or streamer. Patterns are needed from the membership for the club fly plate, to be auctioned off during the April 2 banquet at the Riverside Ramada Inn. Let’s get more club members represented on the plate so it will command a higher price. Also, members are asked to contribute a dozen patterns for the bucket auction. They are needed by the first week of March.
Scoop P.S. Herb -- I would like the maps of the Wind Rivers, Bighorns and you are offering to a good home.
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Wyoming Fly Casters Monthly Newsletter
Trout Unlimited needs your help I need your help! As most of you know, the Yellowstone National Park Fisheries Conservation Plan EA has been released for comments from the public. I along with Jack Williams, senior scientist for TU, and Bruce Farling, executive director of MT TU, have been working on increasing TU's influence over how the fisheries in the park are managed. Collectively, we believe a higher priority should be placed on the decline of the Yellowstone cutthroat trout in Yellowstone Lake due to lake trout predation and a more scientific approach taken to recover those cutthroats. The EA addresses this situation and the decline of other natives in other parts of the Park for the next 20 years. We support the preferred alternative in the EA with some reservations. On the Jan. 18 we sent out an Action Alert to all TU members in the western part of the U.S., asking for anyone who has concerns about fisheries conservation in YNP to voice their opinions by way of formal comments on the EA. For those of you who have already submitted your comments, thank you! For those who have not, I strongly urge you to consider doing so. I don't have to tell any of you about the importance of this fishery. Our voice must be heard very strongly. Copied to the right is that Action Alert. It describes the situation briefly and then gives a few talking points. Please take the time to submit your comments ASAP. Those of you who are chapter presidents, I urge you to forward this announcement on to your members and consider writing comments in the name of your chapter. Please don't just copy and paste the talking points; comments have far more impact if they are in your own words. And please feel free to voice any other concerns or support that you have on the EA that we have not addressed. Thank you for your consideration and for your efforts to Protect, Reconnect, Restore, and Sustain Wyoming coldwater fisheries. Yellowstone National Park is over 90% within Wyoming. Dave Sweet, Yellowstone Lake Project Manager, WY Council of TU
ACTION ALERT Dear TU Member, Please take action today to help conserve the native trout of Yellowstone National Park. Yellowstone National Park, the nation's first national park and home to some of the world's most acclaimed wild trout fisheries, has developed a draft plan and environmental analysis addressing future protection and restoration of the park's native trout. The purpose of this plan, the Native Fish Conservation Plan and Environmental Assessment, is to outline important conservation actions for the next 20 years to benefit these native fish. WHY WE CARE All three native salmonids in Yellowstone National Park occur in, at best, small portions of their historical habitat. It appears that the original streamdwelling grayling may no longer occur within the Park. Westslope cutthroat trout occupy but a fraction of a percent of their historical habitat. The Park Service proposes re-introduction projects to benefit both of these fish. Most critically, Yellowstone cutthroat trout, estimated to have numbered some 3.5 million in Yellowstone Lake and its tributaries, have been reduced to a remnant population. This famous fishery has been decimated, primarily by an expanding population of non-native lake trout, which were illegally introduced and discovered in the Lake in 1994. The Yellowstone cutthroat is a keystone forage species in the Yellowstone ecosystem, with more than 40 other species dependent upon it as a food source, including eagles, grizzly bears, ospreys and river otters. Trout Unlimited members from around the country should tell the Park Service that native fish conservation should be the number one fishery priority in the Park, and that reducing the harm non-native and highly predacious lake trout are having on Yellowstone Lake's cutthroat trout should be its top conservation concern. Members can submit online comments or can write to the Park Service. WHAT YOU CAN DO Submit your comments online, or submit written comments to: Yellowstone National Park attn:Native Fish Conservation Plan Yellowstone National Park P.O. Box 168 Yellowstone National Park, WY 82190 Tell the Park Service that: 1) You support its stated objective to make suppression of lake trout in Yellowstone Lake the highest priority action for native fish conservation in the Park; 2) You support the Park's stated, measurable targets for restoration of the Yellowstone cutthroat population in the lake, as well as the objectives for stream miles to eventually be occupied by westslope cutthroats and grayling; Also, ask the Park to: Increase the time and resources it dedicates to lake trout removal to ensure the population of this non-native predator is reduced to numbers that result in a significant rebound of Yellowstone cutthroat trout numbers. Employ rigorous monitoring to ensure the Park meets its stated objectives, and to implement important research projects that help the Park better understand where lake trout spawn and how they move about the lake. This important information will help ensure the Park achieves its objectives. Implement the recommendations from a science panel the park convened in 2008 to help guide its efforts on the lake. Submit your comments today. Help Yellowstone National Park's world famous native trout.
Wyoming Fly Casters Monthly Newsletter
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Bolton Creek, before (above) and after
Some flies were tied during the January edition of Lyin’ and Tyin’ at the Wyoming Oil and Gas Conservation building. The monthly tying sessions continue through the remainder of the winter on the Saturday following the regular Wednesday club meeting.
Special fly-tying clinic Feb. 26 Bolton Creek project is slated program topic A summary of the Bolton Creek riparian restoration project is to be outlined during the Feb. 9 meeting of the WFC by Keith Schoup, Casper region terrestrial habitat biologist. The objectives were to restore cottonwood, willow and riparian vegetation communities, restore connectivity between Bolton Creek and its floodplain, attenuate sediment and flood energy following extreme precipitation events, reduce bank erosion and vertical channel adjustment, reduce fine sediment inputs into the North Platte River, and raise the water table allowing for expansion of riparian vegetation. By late December, approximately 82,000 pounds of aspen trees have been deposited into existing beaver dam complexes. This was accomplished by the use of helicopters. Field observations on Nov. 5, showed beaver have used the deposited aspen trees to create three dams; one reconstruction and two newly created dams. Other dam building activity is occurring along Bolton Creek, and these three dams were created using the aspen trees.
by Andrew Sauter The Wyoming Fly Casters has arranged with Blake Jackson, the best guide on the Platte River (he told us to say that) to present a fly-tying clinic on Saturday, Feb. 26. The event is to run from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the oil and gas conservation building on the Three Crowns golf course. Blake will show all those in attendance how to tie his favorite flies (he told
Lyin’ and Tyin’ clinics slated The next one is Feb. 12 at 9 a.m.
us to say that too) for use on the Platte. He will not hold back! These are the best! Blake will show his best patterns and help you tie your own, so bring your tying stuff. Nothing special needed! If an odd material is needed he will supply it (I think he told us to say that)! Best of all, this is a free clinic! So mark your calendar and show up. For the answers to any questions call me at 265-3932.
The Lyin' and Tyin' clinics will again be held at the Wyoming Oil and Gas Conservation Commission building on Three Crowns golf course. For new members not familiar with these clinics, they provide an excellent opportunity for tiers of all skill levels to socialize while tying flies. The sessions are also a great opportunity for beginning fly tiers to learn from the experienced tiers, and to get one-on-one tips and instruction regarding the art of tying. New members or beginning tiers simply show up with a vice and materials, and the pros will show, step-by-step, how to tie bugs.
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Wyoming Fly Casters Monthly Newsletter Treasurer’s report ending Dec. 31, 2010
Income: Deposit, return change from Christmas party .......................... $100.00 Deposit, Christmas party ticket sales .................................. $630.00 Total ..................................... $730.00 Expenses: Cash (change for Christmas party .......$100.00 Online payment FedEx Office (Oct/Nov Backcast) ................... $171.24 Void (Herbadashery, wrong amount) .......... $0 Herbadashery (Christmas party catering)...... $1,559.25 Total .................................. $1,830.49
Ty Hallock, a WFC member, is offering prints of brown and cutthroat trout paintings for sale (one is on display at the Ugly Bug). They are for sale for 80.00.There are only a few of the brown trout prints (featured in the teaser box on page 1) remaining. For information, contact him at: thallock@trihydro.com or call (307) 265-0053.
FEBRUARY Club Calendar SUNDAY
MONDAY
TUESDAY 1
WEDNESDAY THURSDAY 2
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
3
4
5
10
11
12
Groundhog Day
6
7
8
9
Lyin’ and Tyin’, 9 a.m.
Regular meeting, 7 p.m.
13
14
15
Deadline for Backcast info
27
21 President’s Day
28
17
WFC Board Meeting, 7 p.m.
Valentine’s Day
20
16
22
23
18
19
25
26
Full moon
24
Fly tying clinic
9Wyoming Fly Casters Monthly Newsletter WYOMING FLY CASTERS BOARD MINUTES January 19, 2011 Excused absence – Bill Wichers Unexcused – Andrew Sauter, Neil Ruebush, Scott Novotny Called to Order: 7:02 p.m. November meeting minutes approved. Treasurer’s report – Matt Stanton presented the treasurer’s report for review. He did state the money in the CD was placed in a money market account in case some money was needed for Government Bridge Project. Matt reported he paid the WGFD $3700 for the Bolton Creek Project and an invoice for $1300 will be forthcoming. He will submit to the foundation for possible reimbursement. Luke Lynch of the conservation fund reported the Government Bridge Access land has turned over to the conservation fund, no longer with the landowner. The conservation fund is now seeking some form of reimbursement. A motion that the WFC will not commit our money until we have assurance the BLM or other entity is going to purchase the property was carried. Matt presented information on the Yellowstone environment in which Trout Unlimited is claiming the National Park Service is not doing enough to protect Yellowstone Cutthroat trout from lake trout predation. Discussion was held and the club will write a letter in support of the suppression of lake trout in Yellowstone Lake. The FFF and Nature Conservancy sent in renewal memberships to the WFC as an affiliate. The board approved to renew each membership at minimum levels, with the condition Smokey Weinhandl will present information on benefits of being an affiliate member to the club. Matt reported the club received insurance renewal information. Matt will look into other estimates and report back to the board. Matt also reported club dues are due. Herb Waterman presented information regarding the WFC Spea’s Memorial. He reported we currently have nine names on the memorial. Herb reported Betty Carrier, Moon Mullin, Bill Ryan and John Traut are additional names to be added. He presented various options the club can use. The board approved a memorial consisting of a capped white plastic post, with brass name plates added as needed. Will Waterbury volunteered to fill the position of President-elect and the board approved his nomination, effective immediately. The Cabin Fever Clinic is scheduled at the Casper Recreation Center on March 5, 2011. Alex said we have 10-11 members who have volunteered for this event. A press release will be sent to appropriate news outlets. The board approved to spend $500 for this event, including $165 rent, $200 deposit (to be returned if facility is not damaged), $100 for a raffle and $80 for posters. Discussion was held regarding a new membership pamphlet. The Board approved to make a new membership pamphlet with information about what projects the WFC has supported/completed including monetary amounts. Smokey Weinhandl will review the pamphlet, add any additional information, get estimates of cost and report to the board at a later date. Bob Fischer and Greg Groves volunteered to chair the spring banquet committee and have volunteers to assist. The banquet will be held April 2, 2011, 6:30 p.m. The room has been reserved. Discussion was held regarding the possible renting of billboards at the cost of $530 a month, buy one get one free, for possible use to advertise the banquet. Bob reported that last year we were close to capacity at the banquet. Smokey will get additional information and report back to the board. The board thanked Greg Groves for planning the Christmas party. Smokey Weinhandl discussed the possibility of a sister partnership with fishing clubs in other countries. He will look into the matter further and report back to the board and the motion was tabled. The meeting was adjourned at 8:08 p.m.
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CLASSIFIEDS
GOOD STUFF FOR SALE (CHEAP!) Patagonia SST jacket, XL, Brand new. $175 (list $315). Scott Novotny 266-3072 • Dan Bailey SL felt sole wading boots , men’s size 5, speed laces, EVA insoles, padded ankle, light weight. $65 new, sale $35. Kaenon UPD sunglasses $169 new, slightly used price $95. Marty Robinson 235-1730
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.
Protect our environment
Inspect - Clean - Dry 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) 234-4278 or e-mail her at faith10@bresnan.net.
Take the Clean Angling Pledge www.cleanangling.org