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Wyoming Fly Casters Monthly Newsletter
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OFFICERS Melody Weinhandl, President Vacant 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 Smokey Weinhandl 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.
by Melody Weinhandl, President, WFC brook6671trout@gmail.com . A Brookie's life is full of fun He loves the waters cold He flits beneath the overhangs And sometimes he is bold. He snatches up the caddis fly And then he darts away His bright green skin is flashing In the sunshine as he plays. -- Melody Weinhandl
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he lowly brook trout. Often the brookie is overlooked as a small fish (at least here in Wyoming) that doesn't warrant a serious fisherman's time. But don't be fooled. This is an aggressive fighter that may be tiny but packs a punch when on the end of a line. The brook trout, Salvelinus fontinalis, is a species of fish in the salmon family of order Salmoniformes. Though commonly referred to as a trout, it is actually a char, along with lake trout, bull trout, Dolly Varden and the Arctic char. The brook trout is a short-lived species, rarely surviving beyond four or five years in the wild. Because of its dependence on pure water and a variety of aquatic and insect life forms, it is also used for scientific experimentation in assessing the effects of pollution. Partially as a result of its popularity as a game fish, brook trout have been introduced in some areas to which it was not originally native, and has become established widely throughout the world, including Wyoming. They are aggressive eaters and breeders and it's actually helpful to catch and keep rather than catch and release the brookie as it will encourage the remaining population to grow in size. According to Wikipedia, the current brook trout world angling record was caught by Dr. W. J. Cook on the Nipigon River, Ontario, in July 1915. The 31 inch trout weighed only 14.5 lbs because, at the time of weighing, it was badly decomposed after 21 days in the bush without refrigeration. This is the
longest-standing angling world record. A 29 inch brook trout, caught in October 2006 in Manitoba, is not eligible for record status since it was released alive. Brookies abound in mountain streams in Wyoming including places like La Prele Creek near Douglas and Soldier Creek near Buffalo. In the dog days of summer a trip to a higher elevation to fish is not necessarily a bad thing and one you might want to pursue as you consider your next angling destination. Speaking of destinations, our next outing is with former WFC president, Joe Degraw. Joe will be streamkeeping for Walker Jenkins on July 17. Many may remember that Joe moved to Laramie with a work transfer and so we have not had the pleasure of his presence for a while. It will be a great opportunity to catch up with Joe as well as catch some fish. It is with regret that Diana Holcomb submitted her resignation as president-elect. She has done a fine job for WFC as press liaison as well as coordinating outings and presentations for the membership and her organizational skills and enthusiasm have been greatly appreciated and enjoyed. We will miss her lively input in this position but will continue to enjoy seeing her and her family at WFC events. If you think you might be interested in organizing such events as well as prepare to lead WFC as president beginning next April, then please contact me at brooktrout6671@gmail.com or let one of the board members know. As we look forward to the 4th of July may we all remember what a gift we have to have been born in the United States of America. Not only do we have the freedom to travel, vote and live in general but that also includes the freedom to fish. Don't forget that as you head out and enjoy the beauty of summer. Happy angling,
Melody
Cover shot: Randy Stalker with an “average� size carp from Wheatland No. 3.
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Are you attending the Ten Sleep outing? Good! Then here some options to make the weekend more enjoyable By Herb Waterman If you are considering attending the Ten Sleep in early August, plan for a extra day in the area. A short distance west of Ten Sleep, less than a mile, a paved road takes off to the north and follows Nowood Creek; you are on the way to Renner Reservoir. Go eight miles or so on this road, then turn off to the east for about a mile, and then you will hit the Hyattville Road, a gravel road. Go north about three miles to the turnoff to Renner. A good general map for this area is the 1:100,000 scale metric topographic map of Worland. It also covers a good portion of the southern Bighorn Mountain range. Renner Reservoir contains largemouth bass and a bluegill/sunfish hybrid. A few years ago the G&F introduced grass carp to chew on some of the excess aquatic vegetation that was getting out of hand. There is a gravel boat launch and a
good restroom at the lake. The last time I was there a posted sign said no fires allowed -- a fire is hardly needed in August. The lake is extremely muddy and you are quickly in trouble if you try to wade. The one time I took a canoe to the lake, the watercraft was not a help in catching fish. I found in the late evening or after dusk, fairly large bass come right into shore and take a fly eagerly (and probably a plug, too). The hybrid sunfish are best pursued with a bubble and fly on a spinning outfit. Keep them out of the The annual outing at Ten Sleep is scheduled for the weekend of Aug. 6-8. Matt Stanton (2589915) is the streamkeeper. A $5 fee is being assessed for each person attending, to defray the costs associated with the four meals planned to be served. Sign up at the July general membership meeting. To get there, go to Buffalo, then climb up the Big Horn Mountains. From the Deer Park campground, turn north on a gravel road for seven miles to the bridge crossing the west fork of Ten Sleep Creek.
Spencer Amend reports he was visiting his cabin in late May, and when he returned, his (almost) 7 year-old granddaughter presented him with a picture. On the back was the following poem: by Sydney Amend I caught a fish on my way to Saratoga one day. He was big so I named him Fin. My playful fish was a good little fellow. He made my line jump and bellow! He splashed the water and jumped sky high. I pulled my rod and tightened my line. He grabbed that hook and shook. My line snapped and my fish said good-bye. Joe and Spencer took her fishing in early June at Water Tank, after driving to the Kaycee ponds to try and catch some bluegills (no luck; apparently that water is still too cold). We all did well at Water Tank, though‌
vegetation -- once they get into this stuff, they are just about impossible to retrieve. The last time I was there in the summer of ‘06, the grass carp were feeding close to shore. They are supposed to be vegetarians. In roughly 200 or more casts, two of them attacked a weighted wooly bugger, made short runs, and both shook the fly. Laying in my sleeping bag that night, I was trying to figure out how too one of these beasts. Ah, hah! I should have suspended a fly about a foot below a bubble and just chucked it into the middle of the milling fish. The G&F asks you to release any of the carp unharmed; they had to go out-of-state to get these fish and they did cost money. This is a delightful place to spend the night. For more information, go to the Cody webpage. Three or four miles east of Ten Sleep is a public fishing area that is roughly two miles in length. Ten Sleep Creek runs through property that the Wigwam rearing station and the Ten Sleep hatchery are situated on. The creek contains browns and rainbows and a few nice whitefish. It is very rocky, but great wet wading with nonslip footwear. A personally think it is better fishing in this stretch than further up on the mountain.
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Wyoming Fly Casters Monthly Newsletter
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Tailing Loops by Randy Stalker, Backcast editor chevPU57@aol.com Half the lies they tell about me aren’t true. -- Yogi Berra y first fishing experiences were at Sloan’s Lake in Cheyenne, using a post WWII steel telescoping rod and a Zebco 33 reel. It was in the early ‘60s, and I would walk the two miles from our home just north of the state capitol building to the lake in Lion’s Park. In those days, an old wooden T-shaped pier stretched from the shoreline, and youngsters jostled for position. You didn’t need to cast far. Just toss your angle worm below a red and white bobber, and the small perch would hammer the offering. Sometimes. Years later, I graduated to a spinning outfit, which received a workout during my college years in Laramie. It was during my senior year that I happened to stop by Lou’s Sport Shop in downtown Laramie and bought a couple of wooly worms (they cost a quarter apiece). I used them below a pencilshaped sinker, and caught many rainbows from a pond just southeast of Ames Monument. It was when I moved to Glenrock in the late ‘70s that I was bitten by the fly bug. I still used a spinning rod, but a size 8 halfback was at the end of the line. For years, that’s the only pattern I used for fishing the Grey Reef and the Mile. Of course, I did use the spinning outfit on Glendo for walleye, when I was lucky enough to be invited by a boat owner. I also competed in a few walleye tournaments at Glendo, but grew disgusted because you could almost walk across the lake by stepping on the Colorado boats saturating Airport Bay and Whiskey Gulch. It was perhaps inevitable that I would get my first fly rod. It was a cheap, entry-level Cabela’s rod, with a Pfleuger 1494 reel. The rod is long gone, but I still have (and use) the Americanmade 30-plus years old Pfleuger. I now have several fly rods, including a cheap bamboo that I always bring to the North Tongue River, and over
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BOXELDER BUG Hook: Dai-Riki 270 #8-12 Thread: 8/0 yellow or olive Wing and tail: Bleached coastal deer hair or early season elk Hackle: Brown (aft), grizzly (fore). Body: Dubbing; variety of colors And a small Thing-a-ma-bobber (variety of colors) Boxelder Creek is my favorite small stream, and I usually fish it with a small Stimulator. I added a small Thing-a-ma-bobber (or Unibobber) in front of the wing in the standard tie, to give the pattern increased floatability and visibility. I usually tie it in a size 10. Adding the small bobber on the pattern gives the pattern the flexibility to be used in conjunction with a small bead-headed nymph as a dropper. There is no way this fly will sink, and it will never need fly dressing, either. After tying the tail and abdomen sections and the wing, build a thread base and add a little Super Glue to hold the bobber in position. Then you can dub the balance of the fly. This pattern will also get a workout on North Tongue in July and August. Tied in conjuction with a Prince nymph, it packs a double wallop. Do some experimenting. The plastic bobber can be placed on other traditional patterns, particularly stone and salmon flies, hoppers and large attractors. As long as you don’t lose the pattern to the branch of a tree on your backcast, this pattern should enjoy a long life and many, many releases of fish. And when it is spent, the bobber could always be recycled for use into another new pattern.
the years have filled perhaps a dozen fly boxes. Those two original wooly worms must have been a mating pair. The old spinning gear has been idle for years, gathering dust in the garage. The line is probably brittle from age. I’m totally a fly fisherman today. So for me, you might say the term “fly fishing” is as redundant as the phrase “liberal journalist.” • Speaking of North Tongue, it has been a tradition for the last half dozen years to visit this fishery in the Big Horns on the Independence Day holiday. Not this year. According to the Fly Shop of the Big Horns in Sheridan, the North Fork is high and muddy and not worth the trip. At least yet. The shop reports that some fly tossers are catching just three or four fish all day on the Tongue. And all on nymphs. The dry fly action is at least a few weeks away. The same is true for Boxelder Creek. The generous moisture we have received this spring and early summer may translate into higher water and better fishing just a month from now during the WFC’s annual trek to Ten Sleep for the outing at Deer Park campground. • Here’s an idea for another fly plate to be auctioned off during the April fund-raising banquet: Twelve flies, one for each month of the year, as profiled in the Backcast’s pattern of the month. We could start with the Boxelder Bug for July. Flies already appearing so far this year include Barr’s Emerger, Skinny Nelson, Wooly Bugger, Chuck’s Caddis Variant, WD-40 and Sparkle Dun. So there’s some patterns to tie to get your tying expertise featured on the plate. Readers/members are encouraged to submit their own fly, complete with a narrative and a recipe to be featured in a future issue of the Backcast. Tight lines,
Scoop
Wyoming Fly Casters Monthly Newsletter
BRAG BOARD
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Wyoming Fly Casters Monthly Newsletter
Flood water breaches the dam at Pathfinder reservoir in late June, in this photo snapped by Andrew Sauter.
Scheduled outings Fishing with Joe: Throughout May to July Joe Meyer will be offering opportunities to fish with him around the area. Joe is a wonderful patient teacher for those who are learning the art of flyfishing or for those who want to improve their technique. A signup sheet for those interested is being passed around. Be sure to circle the days of the week you're available. July 17, Walker Jenkins Lake, with Joe DeGraw as streamkeeper. To get there, take the Alcova highway west, then turn left on the Shirley Basin road. Continue south for about 30 miles. Look for the signboard. Turn left, and the lake is two or three miles east. Aug. 6-8, Ten Sleep, with Matt Stanton as streamkeeper. See page 3 for directions. A charge of $5 per person is being assessed to defray the cost of food. A possible night fishing outing,is being considered for September, with Alex Rose as streamkeeper. This outing was mentioned by Alex at the board meeting but has not been confirmed yet. On Oct. 16 is the annual Rod Robinder outing at Miracle Mile with Casey Leary as streamkeeper. And another outing at the mile on Nov. 13, with Steve and Diana Holcomb as streamkeepers.
Boaters ask questions about aquatic invasive species decontamination Concerns about zebra and quagga mussels commonly referred to as Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) have prompted questions from boaters about the decontamination process that may be needed on some boats. According to WGFD AIS coordinator Beth Bear, if a watercraft has standing water, it may need to be decontaminated. "This includes water in the live well, bilge, ballast and motor," Bear said. Bear also said that if mussels are found on a watercraft, the watercraft will need to be quarantined as well as decontaminated. "The quarantine allows drying time to kill any remaining mussels and to ensure the watercraft no longer poses risk of transporting mussels into our waters," Bear said. Depending on the size of the boat and how much of the boat needs to be washed, the decontamination process alone (in addition to quarantine time if necessary) may take several hours. "This makes it imperative that boaters follow the Drain, Clean and Dry process to avoid decontamination being needed," Bear said. Detailed information on AIS and AIS regulations is on the WGFD website http://gf.state.wy.us. The decontamination process involves spraying the exterior of the boat and /or flushing the interior compartments with scalding (140 degree) water to remove and kill any AIS that may be on the watercraft. After decontamination, the watercraft may be inspected again to ensure the decontamination was successful. Do-it-yourself decontamination methods such as using a car wash or spraying the watercraft with bleach may not be entirely effective. The water used at car washes does not reach the high temperatures needed to kill AIS. In addition, the effluent may drain into a water and spread any AIS washed from the watercraft. "Decontamination of watercraft is done by authorized inspectors and usually takes place on a surface such as dirt or gravel where the effluent water can evaporate," Bear said. Using chemicals such as bleach are not approved decontamination methods. Bleach has not been proven effective in disinfecting all AIS and may damage your watercraft and equipment. Hot water and drying are the only approved decontamination methods in Wyoming. The Drain, Clean and Dry process remains a proven method to safeguard Wyoming waters against the spread of AIS. "The bottom line is that if boaters want to avoid delays, they should make sure they are towing a dry boat," Bear said.
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WFC MEMBER PROFILE by Greg B. Groves legatcn@gmail.com During the June board meeting, we discussed the merits of writing a column that would profile one or more club members each month. In my short time with the club, I've been continually impressed with the knowledge, skills and abilities of the members I've met. I've also observed that many members only know a few of their fellow members and are therefore missing out on the wealth of fly fishing information that other members are willing to share. I don't know about you, but I need all the help I can get. The board decided it was a good idea to spend some time letting the membership know a bit more about the people in their club. Who knows, you may learn that the new place you're planning to fish is well known to several club members who are willing to give you some tips. During the remainder of the year, I hope to interview one or more members each month and write a column that profiles who they are, where they've been and what they want to get done in the future. Established and new members alike will be the subjects of the new column. This month, I had a conversation with Tony Martin and it's a pleasure to let you know a little about this long standing member of the club. ony has lived in Casper since accepting the credit manager position with True Companies during 1982. He continues to work full-time and though he has no definite timetable in mind, he has a place in Arkansas and another in the works in Bozeman that will make fishing and spending time with family into fulltime pursuits. He's been a member of the club for several years. If you receive a copy of this publication by mail each month, you have Tony to thank for that. Tony makes time to copy and mail the newsletter to about half of our membership. The other half receives the newsletter via the Internet. By the way, Tony pointed out that it's much less expensive to receive the newsletter on line than to receive it in hard copy. The on-line version is in color and if you prefer to hold the Backcast in your hands while you read it, it's only a matter of printing it on your own. Tony was born in Memphis, TN but was raised in Atlanta, GA and Chicago, IL. He's been fly fishing for
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45 years but he qualifies his years of experience by saying he really only has one year of experience 45 times. His advice for members who are new to fly fishing is: "Fish on your own as much as you can but the best way to improve your skills is to get hands on instruction from more experienced fly fishers." He notes that the club outings are a great way to get some help with casting, fly selection, reading water and fighting fish. Recently, Tony spent a few minutes with club member Joe Meyer and he says he learned more about casting in that short session than he had learned in the previous 45 years. His most memorable fishing experience was many years ago on the Au Sable River near Detroit, MI. At the time, Tony had been invited to become a member of a local Trout Unlimited chapter that owned a fishing lodge on the Au Sable. The rural retreat of Henry Ford was just above the stretch of river that Tony was fishing when he caught a nice brown on a fly he tied. It was the first time he caught a fish on a fly he had tied. He can't remember what pattern he had tied but knows it was a, "sloppy something, probably a
His everyday rig is a R. L. Winston 5 weight with a Hardy reel.
Tony Martin wooly bugger." Today, his favorite fly pattern is the Adams. Not the fancy Parachute Adams but rather the old fashioned traditional fly. While living in Michigan, a friend taught him how to tie the Adams and commented that the fly was first tied by a probable relative who tied it for a fishing buddy named Judge Adams. Research indicates that Len Hallady tied the first Adams in 1922, for Judge Charles F. Adams. Both men were from Michigan. Through the years, Tony accumulated several fly rods and reels. Most were made by Orvis. His favorite small fish set up is a 3 weight Sage with a Ross reel. He uses it while fishing beaver ponds. His everyday rig is a R. L. Winston 5 weight with a Hardy reel. The Hardy was a gift from his wife. His biggest trophy on a fly was a large rainbow caught on a San Juan worm in the North Platte below the Speas hatchery. After playing the fish for about 15 minutes, he realized the fish was too big to fit in his net. When he finally landed the fish, he hurriedly decided to use the net as a measur(continued on page 9)
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WYOMING FLY CASTERS BOARD MEETING MINUTES -- DRAFT June 16, 2010 Called to order by the president. Excused absence: Meyer, Leary, Rose. Un-excused: Wichers. Mr. Sauter reported that there were 10 responses to the letter mailed to delinquent members. Mr. Stanton reviewed the current state of the treasury including the last banquet deposit. Mr. Stanton reviewed the conservation committee status including: Next meeting at 7:00 p.m. Wednesday at the Wonder Bar. Casper Mountain land swap map is available on line. Miracle Mile signage is gone and needs board authorization to re do. Ms. Holcomb reviewed up coming presentations: July - John Lawson, Water Flows August - Lisa Ogden, North Platte Tributaries And Outings July 17 - Joe DeGraw, Walker Jenkens Reservoir. August 6 Matt Stanton, 10 Sleep TBD - Alex Rose, Night Fishing the Platte. October 16, Casey Leary, Robinder Outing at the Mile November 13, Miracle Mile Outing A motion was made, seconded and passed (M.S.P.) to keep
W.F.C. and the W.F.C. Incorporated, T.U. (W.F.C. Incorporated, T.U. was formed to interface with T.U. as a T.U. chapter) separate entities. Mr. Amend suggested that the W.F.C. offer support to the landowners during the Platte at flood stage. He will pursue. M.S.P. If Mr. Amend finds the need, W.F.C. will organize aid. Mr. Groves led a discussion on "getting to know" members by including bios of current and new members in the Backcast. Mr. Waterman discussed his views of the Casper Mountain land swap. Mr. Waterman suggested that Michael's Fence and Pedens have a less expensive alternative to etching rocks for future memorials. Mr. Sauter presented a second estimate for adding names to the Speas W.F.C. memorial and will offer a detailed description to the candidates for a more accurate estimate of the work. M.S.P. to keep the membership list (particularly addresses) and W.F.C. financials off the W.F.C. Web Site. M.S.P. to adjourn. Respectfully submitted by Andrew Sauter, sitting secretary
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WFC TREASURER'S REPORT PERIOD (ending May 31, 2010) Date Income 05/13/10 05/13/10 05/13/10 05/18/10 Expenses 05/12/10 05/12/10 05/12/10 05/13/10 05/19/10 05/19/10 05/20/10 05/24/10
Vendor/Item
Amount
Deposit-Dues Transfer from Money Market Deposit-General Meeting Raffle Deposit-Dues Total
$280.00 $3,000.00 $149.00 $20.00 $3,429.00
#4039 - Izaak Walton League-May rent #4040 – Wyoming G&F – Expo sponsorship #4041 – Fed Ex Kinkos – April Backcast #4042 – Ugly Bug Fly Shop – May Raffle merchandise #4043 – Herb Waterman – Cardwell Outing #4044 – Scott Novotny – Hats #4045 – Matt Stanton – TU Jackson Expenses (signed by Melody Weinhandl) #4046 – Dick Depaemelere – Membership list copies Total
$75.00 $1,000.00 $83.88 $103.78 $57.04 $247.31 $49.61 $8.66 $1,625.28
Tony Martin profile (continued from page 7) ing device. After laying the net on the bank, he laid the rainbow on top of the net only to discover the fish was longer than the entire net. Eager to return the fish to the river, he put the butt of his fly rod against the butt of the net handle and used his fingernail to mark where the end of the trout's tail touched the rod. When he returned home, he laid the net and rod on a table and used a tape measure to determine the combined length of his net plus the several inches of rod where the trout's tail reached. Based on this improvised method of measuring his catch, Tony concluded the rainbow was 29 inches long. During recent years, Tony has fished six to seven times a month. During one year, he fished every month and caught fish during all months except November and December. Tony likes to talk about conservation. Since becoming aware that boots and waders are often the culprits when diseases are transferred from one fishery to another, he spends time carefully scrubbing his boots before he moves from one area to another. His short-term fishing goals are to fish more often than in the past and he wants to float with his son Alex on one of the rivers near Bozeman, Montana. Without a doubt, the two places he wants to fly fish before he dies are Alaska and New Zealand. I encourage all members to get to know Tony Martin. He's a wonderful resource to the club, great story teller, and someone who enjoys listening to your stories as well.
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Wyoming Fly Casters P.O. Box 2881 Casper, WY 82602
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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.