Page 2 OFFICERS Joe DeGraw, President Melody Weinhandl, President-elect Alex Rose, Vice President Spencer Amend, Secretary Kim Levine, Treasurer BOARD OF DIRECTORS Terms expire in 2010 John Fanto Jamie Gibson Joe Meyer Gene Theriault Terms expire in 2011 Bob Fischer Scott Novotny Jim Sparks Bill Wichers Terms expire in 2012 Casey Leary Russ Newton Andrew Sauter Matt Stanton 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 Wednesday 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 format available free of charge) documents. Generally, 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 message to ChevPU57@aol.com. In addition to receiving each issue of the newsletter earlier than your hard copy peers, email 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 Joe DeGraw, President, WFC
I
am not too sure about my fellow fly fishermen. As far as I am concerned, I think these two men hit it on the head. • ". . . More than half the intense enjoyment of fly-fishing is derived from the beautiful surroundings, the satisfaction felt from being in the open air, the new lease of life secured thereby, and the many, many pleasant recollections of all one has seen, heard and done." ~by Charles F. Orvis, 1886
• “I fish because I love to; because I love the environs where trout are found, which are invariably beautiful ... and, finally, not because I regard fishing as being so terribly important, but because I suspect so many of the other concerns of men are equally unimportant—and not nearly so much fun." John Voelker, a.k.a. Robert Traver Tight lines, Joe
Tailing Loops by Randy Stalker, Backcast editor his issue of the Backcast almost never was. As recently as a week ago, I was seriously considering abandoning the idea of a monthly newsletter, and instead inaugerating a semi-monthly club periodical. You see, I had little information to put in the newsletter, and at one point contemplated putting out an abreviated four page edition. But after some gentle, and then harsh, arm twisting, some contributions trickled in and the June issue became possible. However, regular readers may notice the conspicuous absence of some regular features. It’s a lot like trying to date that cute girl in English class back in high school. After asking, and being rejected, two or three times, you get the message and move on to other prospects. The newsletter, for as long as I have been a member of the club, has always been eagerly anticipated each month. But it can only be possible, and be as interesting, as the club members themselves. Remember, we are all volunteers, both for the newsletter and outing streamkeepers. Roll up your sleeves and start chipping in. • I have been asked to remind the readership that the newsletter is avail-
T
able through e-mail subscription. Those of you with a computer can receive the Backcast earlier than the hard copy delivered by snail mail, and view it in full color. This month’s issue was sent to the electronic subscribers on Friday, May 29. But almost 70 club members persist in preferring to receive it a week later, in drab black and white. It’s no longer just a matter of personal preference. It is becoming an economic issue. The Post Awful has again increased postage rates, so it will cost the club additional dollars to deliver the hard copies each month -- an unnecessary expense. The annual dues barely covers the costs of printing and posting twelve issues. In an effort to address the potential for the club subsidizing the newsletter, the WFC board is currently mulling a controversial idea to impose two tiers of annual dues; one for electronic subscribers, and a higher one for hard copy recipients. It would be a lot simpler to provide your e-mail address and get on the electronic delivery subscription list. I have culled the list, but if there is a duplication of delivery methods, let me and the treasurer know so the records can be amended. Scoop
Cover shot: Morgan McGeorge, 14, releases a rainbow she fought and landed on May 16 during the club outing at the Cardwell access. It was caught on a pheasant tail nymph.
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FISHING REPORTS From the membership The following reports were gleaned from information presented at the last meeting, as well as from published sources, and filtered from gossip, boasting and other exaggerated claims from reliable but biased second-hand sources.
Gene Theriault and guide Boots Allen on the upper Green in early May. Gene fished with Clarke Turner and the duo caught browns on San Juan worms and rainbows on nymphs.
Saltwater fishing is slated as June’s program subject For the June general membership meeting, Scott Heywood of Angling Destinations in Sheridan, is slated to present a program on fishing in salt water, perhaps featuring bonefish. The meeting begins at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, June 10. • The next scheduled outing is set for June 6. Walker Jenkins Lake is the destination. Chef Ptomaine and the Ten Sleep Crew are the streamkeepers for this outing. Walker Jenkins is almost exactly 60 miles from Casper. Take highway 220 (the Alcova road) and turn left onto 487. Drive south to milepost 34, then turn left onto Carbon County Road 2. The lake is a uranium mining tailing pond, and it is about four miles from the highway. The lake is a walk-in area. Hare’s ear nymphs are a good pattern for the callibaetis mayflies. Bring some wooly buggers, too. An outing on the North Tongue River is currently being organized. Stay
tuned for dates and details. This will probably be a weekend trip, with camping either in the forest or in several nearby improved campgrounds. And in August is the traditional Ten Sleep outing. It is slated for the second weekend at Deer Park. • The Wyoming Fly Casters is holding a casting clinic on Saturday, July 11, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m, at the Natrona County High football field. The clinic is free and open to families, men, women and children. Equipment will be provided for those not bringing their own. Club member Charlie Shedd is teaching the clinic. He is a certified casting instructor by the FFF (Federation of Fly Fishers), and has been teaching casting to men and women for 15 years. So let non-angling friends know that if they ever wanted to learn how to cast a fly rod, this is their opportunity! The clinic size is limited. To register, call Shedd at 436-8913.
Flows on the North Platte River have more than doubled over two weeks ago, leveling off at 2400 cfs. The river is in prime condition, with midges, baetis, PMDs, yellow sallies, scuds and rockworms getting the fishes’ attention. The river’s clarity is cloudy below government bridge, courtesy of runoff from the series of late May rainstorms, but should clear up at we move further into June. Now is the time to take a float trip down the river, anywhere from Grey Reef to Glenrock. Tributaries to the Platte are a little high and discolored, so dry fly fishing is a couple of weeks away. This includes Boxelder and Deer creeks. Streams in the Big Horn Mountains won’t be fishable until July -- at the earliest. Reports indicate fewer fish are being caught at A&M and “Joe’s Secret Spot” this spring. Cardwell remains a hot fishery, and will remain so, at least until the Sweetwater River’s discoloration enters Pathfinder, and then creeps into Fremont Canyon. Reports from Walker Jenkins indicate the stillwater fishery is either hot or cold; some say the fish are so active they attack a bare hook, while others lament they were scunked after tossing everything in their box. Don’t forget, the WFC is hosting an outing at Walker Jenkins on Saturday, June 6, the same day the Game and Fish Commission (through the state legislature) has set aside as a “free fishing day” in Wyoming. To include your fishing report, send information to the Backcast editor, c/o ChevPU57@aol.com.
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Wyoming Fly Casters Monthly Newsletter
FLY
of the month
RS2 Hook: Tiemco 101 Tail: Dark dun colored microfibett Thread: Unithread 8/0 Dubbing: Natural beaver fur. Wing: Web of dark dun saddle hackle feathers in dark dun color Rim Chung took up fly fishing 30 years ago. Shortly thereafter he designed a fly which later evolved into the RS2 (Rim's Semblance #2). His motive was to come up with a simplified nymph that resembled an emerging mayfly. Tie first tail in on your side of the shank. The length of the tail should equal the length of the shank. Two turns of the thread will secure tail in place. Tie second tail in on the far side of the shank. Another turn must be made under the two tails (between the tails and the shank of the hook). Cement at the point of the final two turns. There must be a 60 to 70 degree separation between the two tails. Apply the dubbing. As you wrap dubbing (without overlapping) toward the thorax portion of the fly, the body should be tapered. It should be slightly thicker near the thorax. The tightly twisted dubbing will create a body that has a segmented look to it and it also makes the fly more durable. Tie in the wing using saddle hackle. Trim the feathers closer to the eye of the hook. Create a well pronounced thorax by wrapping dubbing in front of and behind the wing. Tie off thread near the eye of the hook. Cut the wing by pinching and lifting the feathers straight up and inserting the scissors approaching from the tail end of the fly at an angle.
Aex Rose caught this 23-inch, five-pound rainbow in the Wind River, using a size-16 Ray Charles fly pattern.
G&F to discuss fishing, watercraft regs Adding a 15-inch minimum size limit for walleye in Glendo Reservoir and changing the Area 4 stream regulation to apply to all streams in that area highlight some of the proposed fishing regulation changes to be discussed at public information gathering meetings across Wyoming the second week of June. Also on the agenda are proposed changes for watercraft, furbearing trapping and license issuance regulations. Fishing regulation changes approved by the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission will go into effect for the 2010-2011 regulation period. Other proposed fishing changes include adding a trophy regulation to Alsop Lake in Albany County that would allow two fish over 16 inches and allow fishing with flies and lures only. Also, a proposal to add brook trout in the six-fish limit on Turpin Reservoir in Carbon County will be presented. Various regulation adjustments concerning baitfish collection on
several waters will also be discussed, along with several minor wording changes to clarify the intent of the regulations. The Casper meeting begins at 7 p.m. in the G&F regional office on June 8. Written comments on fishing regulations will be accepted through July 9. Comments on fishing regulations can be mailed to Wyoming Game and Fish Department, Attn: Fishing Regulations, 5400 Bishop Blvd., Cheyenne WY 82006. Fishing regulation comments will also be accepted online. Comments on watercraft, trapping and license issuance regulations will be accepted through July 10 and can be sent to Wyoming Game and Fish Department, 3030 Energy Lane, Casper WY 82604. All comments will be presented to the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission prior to its Aug. 6-7 meeting in Cody.
Know anyone who’s under the weather? Do you know of a WFC member who is recovering from an illness or surgery or a death in the family? If you do, please contact Joe DeGraw at 258-0177. He will make the arrangements to send a get well card, a book or a sympathy card to that person to let them know that we're thinking of them.
Wyoming Fly Casters Monthly Newsletter
Letters to the editor Carry duct tape when you’re fishing So ... I was fishing in Fremont Canyon -- and to my good Colorado friend, Rob, that's "Cowboy Canyon" to you, and thanks for keeping this part of the North Platte a secret from your Greenie friends -- when I stepped on a rock that moved. And then I, inevitably, and predictably, fell, just as I have many, many other times in this rugged canyon. But this time, my rod fell hard, too, and I broke a part of my reel seat clean off. It then became impossible to secure my reel to my rod. So I pulled a MacGuver, ripped off a long piece of duct tape wrapped around my water bottle, and fastened my reel to my rod. I was then determined to defy all odds and catch a big fish with my new rig. Well, about an hour later, I was fishing at the base of "the meat hole" -- and Tom, Rob, Bob, and Jason all know the
place -- when I hooked into a very large and irate rainbow. He took my size-10 rock worm, tied on my English bait hook. Next, I moved downstream -- way downstream -- and fished a small, deep hole, when I caught my second big fish on a rock worm. Both rainbows were 21 inches in length. After lunch, I was walking upstream when I fell again ... this time, breaking my rod. Now, I have broken rods before, and damaged reels, but never have I broken a rod and reel -- in the same trip! I was fine with it, because I had already landed seven fish, with two of them pigs.
I had a good day. And I have learned to expect anything in Fremont Canyon. At least I didn't break a leg. The moral to this story: Always bring duct tape with you when fishing. It will not work in trying to patch leaky waders; I've tried it. But it will fix a broken reel. To borrow from a really horrible country song, "That's my sto-ray, and I'm stickin' to it." Alex Rose
A slick trick for sticky ferrules Hi folks, I was interested to read in the February edition of Backcast, the item about drift boat fishing. In this article, the author says that carbon fibre rods tend to come apart at the ferrules on a regular basis. What we encourage our club members to do is to cut the bottom 15 to 20mm off the base of a candle and carry it in their fishing vests. If you rub a little candle wax around the male part of the ferrule, that will help stop the rod coming apart. It helps to line the parts up approximately 90 degrees apart and twist the rod sections to get the guides into line as you put it together. There is no problem getting the rod apart again provided you use the recommended twisting motion as you pull it apart. I find that, during an active fishing season, I might have to wax the ferrule twice in that time and that would be done as a matter of course during a bit of gear maintenance rather than wait until the rod comes apart during a fishing excursion. Cheers, Andy Paulin, Canterbury Flyfishing Club, Inc Christchurch, New Zealand
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STREAMSIDE CHEF by Daren Bulow
Microwave Trout This month’s menu, as the title implies, cannot be cooked at the streamside; unless, of course, you have a camper and microwave oven handy. So use this recipe if you are not “roughing it” in the camp, or as a quick way to prepare fish at home which have been caught, cleaned and cooled. Ingredients: 2 trout, 12-15 inches Salt Pepper Lemon juice Onion, sliced Glass dish Plastic wrap Preparation: This is a easy and quick way to cook trout. It takes about 5 minutes prep time and just about the same time to cook, so a meal in under 10 minutes. First gut the trout and remove the head and tails. Place plastic wrap down on the counter a little more that double the length of the fish. You will be folding the wrap over and around the fish. Place the onions pieces down were the fish will be laying, Put down three pats of butter ¼ inch thick in the front middle and back of where the fish is to sit. Dribble lemon juice down the center of the wrap over the onions and butter. Wet down the fish with water and sprinkle on salt and pepper. Center the fish at one end of the plastic wrap. Repeat putting on the lemon, butter, and onions, this time placing them on the top of the fish.Take the other end of the plastic wrap and pull it over the trout and take the edges and wrap the fish up tight. Do the same for the second fish, and place both of them in the glass pan. Put in microwave for 3 to 7 minutes on high, check the fish each minute, when the skin begins to crack open or wrinkle they are done.
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Wyoming Fly Casters Monthly Newsletter
Beating the spring runoff in
OUTLAW CANYON
by Alex Rose Vice President, WFC "The man who wishes to secure the best results from the days which he spends in search of rest and renewed vigor, will not seek the artificial life of our great hotels with all the attendant excitement, false standards of living, and a table which is an invitation to gluttony. So we in our struggle with the gigantic forces which make up modern civilization must return to nature for refreshment and renewed strength. The forest, the mountains, and the streams hide the elixir of life." -- Dr. George Parker Holden, The Idyl of the Split-Bamboo, first published in 1920.
O
utlaw Canyon offers a remote, gorgeous, rugged sanctuary to murderers, thieves, cattle rustlers, and other undesirables, including Democrats. Note: I'm not a murderer, thief or rustler. The Middle Fork of the Powder River, which meanders though this largely inaccessible canyon, is a blueribbon trout stream that presents spectacular fly fishing opportunities to those willing to descend into the rocky depths. In late April, Tom Grogan and I discussed the quandary of going after the epic spring stone fly hatch in Outlaw Canyon. Large stone fly hatches are prolific in the Middle Fork in June. However, because of spring run off, the river turns into a raging torrent that
is impossible to fish, and dangerous to wade. I have vivid memories of wading in Outlaw Canyon last June, and being swept downstream about 30 yards, tumbling from pool to pool, before regaining my footing. So we contemplated another option: Why not fish the canyon before run off peaks? Virtually no one even considers fishing the Middle Fork in May, which is precisely why we wanted to do it. According to USGS water data, the Middle Fork at Barnum was flowing at approximately 70 cfs (cubic feet per second) -- a little high, but manageable. On a Monday afternoon in early May, we decided to go camping. But we were bogged down by all the random, miscellaneous tasks that go into packing for a camping trip. For example, Grogan
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wandered around the grocery store 10 minutes looking for taco seasoning. It was maddening. Eventually, Grogan's truck was loaded and we made tracks to Kaycee. We arrived at the BLM campground at approximately 7 p.m., and immediately unsheathed our rods for a little fishing before dark. We were both thrilled to be fishing the canyon so early in the year. We made record time in scrabbling into the rocky canyon down to the river. The water was running high and was about as clear as chocolate milk. We planned to harvest trout for fish fajitas, but the fishing was slow. I laughed at the irony of the situation, at the times I released so many trout back into the Middle Fork, yet once we sought to Alex Rose frying trout over a campfire. Rose noted that the ugly red chair belongs to Tom Grogan. harvest fish -- we struggled to catch them. We fished, from pool to took our flies. In one pool, Tom and I trout fajitas. pool, as darkness closed in on the both had three "doubles" in a row. Following our delicious feast, we canyon like a heavy curtain. The fishing was truly epic in scale: basked in the warmth of a crackling fire Later, my rational wife, Erin, offered We caught and released approximately while sipping whiskey. When my eyelids an explanation for the slow fishing. 100 trout. But it wasn't just the large grew heavy, I zipped into my nylon "That's because the trout knew you were numbers of trout that made this outing palace and slept like the dead. going to eat them," she said. so remarkable. It was experiencing the I awoke just in time to witness a By nightfall, we had managed to magic of spending hours in a remote, stunning sunrise. When camping on the catch six small rainbows on large, olive gorgeous canyon. It was the sheer walls rim of Outlaw Canyon, for just a few stone fly nymphs. We cleaned the trout that reached into the sky, the wildflowbrief moments at dawn, the sun reflects with my Swiss army knife, zipped them ers that clung to patches of soil, the blue brilliant orange and red colors off the into a plastic bag, donned headsky, a slight, cool breeze, and my wife's canyon walls. Following breakfast, lamps, and began the chocolate cup cakes, which I stowed we hiked once again down long, steep climb out away in my backpack. (After offering into the canyon, and of the canyon. Grogan one of her cupcakes, he slowly worked our At camp, announced that I was his "new best way upstream, we built a friend.") fishing from large fire By mid-afternoon, we reeled in and pool to pool, underneath hiked out of Outlaw Canyon, and casting golden a grill, and haven't been back since. It turns out, we foam egg patsautĂŠed had fished the Middle Fork just before terns and large green and the water levels rapidly increased. We olive stone fly red bell pepfished the last day the water level was nymphs. pers along with below 100 cfs. As of May 21, the water The water an onion in an level is currently raging at about 200 cfs. ripped through the iron skillet. Next, Fishing is completely out of the quescanyon, making most we cooked the trout in tion. of the pools impossible to the skillet, and pulled the So now, we patiently wait for the fish. We focused on the sides of tender meat from the bones. We then water to drop, so that we can return the river and behind boulders, the softseared trout morsels while adding taco again to one of the best fisheries in cener, slower water. Wherever we encounseasoning. We rolled the trout, onions tral Wyoming -- the Middle Fork of the tered slow water, we found both rainand peppers in tortillas and dined on Powder River. bows and brown trout that aggressively
The fishing was truly epic in scale: We caught and released approximately 100 trout.
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Wyoming Fly Casters Monthly Newsletter
Drift boat fishing 101 Chapter 9: Two Flies for All Reasons, Two Flies for All Seasons (Part I) t was late August 1994, when my cousin, Ronald J. Hover, our uncle Paul Reno, Ron's son Jon Paul of Tucson (Arizona), and I walked into the Orvis shop on the south side of Calgary. The four of us were visiting the Orvis shop to get information about fishing the Bow River, learn something about what and where to fish, and buy fishing licenses. While my companions were attending to legal matters, I was looking at flies. A young sales representative strolled up and politely asked if he could of assis-
I
Doctor’s Remedy
tance. Before I could answer, he started pointing out the flies that worked best in the Bow. After showing me a dozen or so effective patterns, he asked "How many of each pattern do you want to buy for yourself and perhaps your companions?" I responded that I dared not select any flies for my companions, but, as for myself, I brought along enough material to tie the one pattern I intended to fish the whole week. My abrupt response took him by surprised. After a momentary hesitation, he asked to see the pattern that would serve me for a week on a river that I had never seen or fished. I obliged, and, from my shirt pocket, pulled out a sample of Doctor's Remedy. I said: "This pattern has worked well for more than 40 years. It has caught all kinds of game and nongame fishes throughout the states and Mexico. And there is no reason why it should not do equally well in the Bow." The young man took the fly from my hand, examined it closely, then exclaimed, "Sir, this is not a fly. It is a jig! We do not have sunfish or perch in the Bow River. We have trout-mostly rainbow and brown trout! Trout in the Bow
The following article is an excerpt from the electronic book, Hunt - Don’t Pray - for Fish, Techniques and Strategies for Fly Fishing from a Drift Boat, written by Harley W. Reno, Ph.D., a friend of the Wyoming Fly Casters and occasional program presentor. The entire content is copyrighted by the author, and is used here with his permission. The CD is available for purchase through the Federation of Fly Fishers, and 80 percent of the $25 cost of each CD is being donated by the author back to the federation for its conservation and education funds. In the coming months, other chapters of Dr. Reno’s book are to be featured in the Backcast.
will not hit a jig. "Please let me assure you," he went on, "that no fly fisherman dares floating the Bow without carrying along a goodly assortment of woolly buggers and beadhead nymphs." Without responding, I gathered my
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companions and left. For the next seven days, Doctor's Remedy was the most effective fly we fished. Even Ron -- a diehard dry-fly fisherman -- switched flies, learned another fly-fishing technique, and started hooking those rainbows for which the Bow River is internationally famous. Six years later, Paul and I revisited Canada. We fished the Old Man, Bow, and North Saskatchewan rivers of Alberta and the Homes, Fraser, and Elk rivers of British Columbia. Again, one pattern of fly was fished exclusively. The pattern was Streamliner, the successor to Doctor's Remedy. We caught cutthroat, rainbow, and brown trout in the Old Man and Bow Rivers, Moon Eye and northern pike in the Saskatchewan River, steelhead, chum salmon, and Dolly Varden in the Holmes and Fraser Rivers, and cutthroat trout and mountain whitefish in the Elk River.
M Y F LY B OX Neil Ruebush has the essentials covered in just two boxes. One holds the small stuff (work worms, nymphs, midges, and even some dry flies), while his large box holds the T-bone steaks of the fish buffet world (wooly buggers, vanilla buggers and leeches.
Streamliner tied on a 1/32 oz. jig head
What Is a Fly, and What Is a Lure? For more than five decades, I have heard fly and lure fishing authorities debate the questions: What is a fly, and what is lure? And when is a fly a lure and a lure a fly? Fly fishermen contend -albeit loosely -- that anything made from feathers, yarn, hair, or synthetic materials wrapped on or tied to a hook, and cast and controlled with a fly rod, reel, and line is a fly. Anything else is a lure. Lure fishermen argue that anything that wriggles, flashes, darts, bounces, or swims and is controlled with a casting rod, reel, and line-a spinning rod, reel, and line in some quarters-is a lure. Yet, some flies are large and heavy enough to be cast with casting or spinning equipment. And some lures-especially many made during the 1930s, 40s, and early 50s-are small and light enough to be cast and manipulated effectively with a fly rod. Today, flies are made from more types of material and combinations of material than there is time to discuss or
space to list in this book. Many flies are so heavily weighted with lead wire, tungsten, or pop-tops from beer or soft drink cans that, when cast, they splash the water just like lures. Other flies are so small and light that casting a flake of snow or grain of pollen would be easier and probably just as productive. There just is no clear-cut definition of what constitutes a fly or a lure. Both arguments are flimsy and fraught with subjectivity. Perhaps definitions are inappropriate and distinctions academic. To some fly fishermen and fish-andgame authorities, a jig is a lure because it has a lead head. In reality, the lead has nothing to do with the jig, except to impart weight to whatever is added to the hook. What makes a jig a jig is the hook. That is, during fabrication of a jig hook, the eye end of the hook shank is bent downward 90 degrees, and the eye of the hook is rotated 90 degrees to parallel alignment with the shank. To make a lead-headed jig, a bead or ball of molten lead is cast around the right-angle bend of the hook. When a leader or line is fas-
tened to the eye, the hook turns upside down, and, when fished, movement is up and down. Lead, though, is not the only weight that can be fastened to the right-angle bend of a jig hook. Dumbbell-shaped eyes made of any metal can be secured to the right-angle bend beneath the eye with a few crisscross wraps of thread and a dab of head cement. That kind of weight makes the hook rotate upside down and move just like a lead-headed jig. I ask, if a 1/32-ounce lead-headed jig with a size 4 hook and a jig hook (size 4) equipped with a dumbbell-shaped weight of approximately 1/32-ounce are each decorated with exactly the same kinds of fly-tying materials, and, if those concoctions look and act exactly the same, are they not both flies (or both jigs) by definition? If they are flies, then there really is no difference between a jig and fly and vice versa. But, if they are not the same, what can the difference be? After all, many sinking flies are heavily weighted with lead wire; yet, they are unanimously regarded as flies.
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Wyoming Fly Casters Monthly Newsletter
WYOMING FLY CASTERS BOARD MEETING MINUTES -- DRAFT May 20, 2009
The meeting was called to order by President Joe DeGraw at 7:05 p.m. All board members were present except for Melody Weinhandl [unexcused absence], Alex Rose [excused absence], Jamie Gibson [excused absence], John Fanto [unexcused absence], Jim Sparks [unexcused absence], and Russ Newton [unexcused absence]. Don Jelinek also attended. Secretary’s note: At the board’s request, I will be including a list of absent members in each month’s report. A list of board members can be found in each month’s Backcast. Unless otherwise noted, all board decisions – being done according to proper procedure – are by unanimous vote. Any positive suggestions for improvement in subsequent meeting reports will be carefully considered. Minutes from the previous meeting and the treasurer’s report were approved. Future treasurer’s reports will include year-to-date information. The Conservation Committee reported on attendance by Matt Stanton and Joe DeGraw at the recent Trout Unlimited annual meeting. The main item was a program patterned after the “Home Waters Initiative.” Based on a set of criteria [Matt will clarify these for us], clubs like WFC can nominate waters and submit applications for funding through September. Their perception from this meeting was that funds are available for good projects, including from NRCS grants and other sources. President-elect’s report: nothing provided. Vice President’s report: [reported briefly by Joe DeGraw] The date for the casting clinic will be July 11. The clinic will be held at the Natrona County High School football field, and will be led by Charlie Shedd and Marty Robinson. Old Business: Thanks to Dick DePaemelere for his work in repairing and repositioning the Parkway Memorial bench. In the future, we may want to replace, rather than repair the old bench, which is apparently vulnerable to damage. Perhaps the old [current] bench could then be relocated to another site. There is some question about our obligation to the Parkway Authority for the current bench; this will need to be clarified before anything different is done. Bill Wichers reported that the Wyoming Wildlife Federation’s petition to join the Lusby lawsuit on the side of Game & Fish was denied by the judge. His reasoning was that Game & Fish already adequately represents sportsmen. Therefore the $500 [and perhaps more to be requested later] pledged to WWF for legal fees by WFC won’t be needed. WWF Board member Dave Moody will be their liaison to WFC. Scott Novotny will be our liaison to WWF. The potential addition of names to the Speas Memorial stone was dis-
cussed. President DeGraw will assign the membership committee the task of coming up with draft criteria for deciding whose names get added. Re FFF dues owed by WFC: Kim had no new information, but will follow up again. New business: The Walker Jenkins outing will be June 6. The Board approved $100 for use by Don Jelinek and his band of merry men for food costs for this outing. At the recent Cardwell outing, Scott was able to feed the 16 club members who were there at lunch time, plus 4 additional fishers who just happened along, and who are potential new members. The topic of signing up for an outing and then not showing up got considerable discussion; ethical as well as financial concerns were expressed, including charging a fee at the time of sign up to try and assure participation. It was decided not to pursue additional fees at this time, but to try and get folks to subscribe to the following: IF YOU SIGN UP, SHOW UP, or let the streamkeeper know in advance. It seemed that the board was tending more strongly toward the notion of “user pays” for future outings. Scott will send Randy a notice along these lines for including in the next Backcast. Don Jelinek volunteered to help with the 2010 banquet, encouraging the board to decide what kind of banquet is desired: one more along the lines of our last several – focusing more on club members and their families, or one more along the lines of banquets by outfits such as Ducks Unlimited, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, and Wild Turkey Federation – large, fundraising events. If club members have opinions about the type of banquet you want, please contact a board member with your thoughts. Don will begin a quiet campaign to find members willing to serve on the banquet committee – including in leadership roles. The board approved Don’s volunteering [along with the “10-Sleep Crew”] to do the cooking for the September picnic. Randy reported to Joe DeGraw that Backcast publication costs currently exceed membership dues, prompting another discussion of the need to raise dues, and possibly consider other methods to distribute the Backcast. President DeGraw will ask the membership committee to develop recommendations for a new dues structure – perhaps with one cost that includes a hard copy, mailed Backcast, and a lesser cost that includes receiving the Backcast electronically. One of the new tables used at outings has been damaged [destroyed]. The board approved up to $150 for Don Jelinek to use in purchasing replacement(s). The meeting was adjourned at 8:30 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Spencer Amend, Secretary, May 21, 2009
Wyoming Fly Casters Monthly Newsletter
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JUNE
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SATURDAY 6 Walker Jenkins outing
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Full moon
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WFC Board Meeting, 7 p.m.
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Father’s Day Summer Solstice
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Deadline for Backcast info
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Wyoming Fly Casters P.O. Box 2881 Casper, WY 82602
www.wyflycasters.org
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.