WFC 05/09

www.wyflycasters.org

TABLE OF CONTENTS President’s message . . . . . . 2 Editor’s notes . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Fishing reports . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Upcoming programs/outings . 3 MacTavish winner . . . . . . . . . 4 Fly pattern of the month . . . . 4 Walk-in fishing program . . . . 4 Conservation corner . . . . . . . 5

Streamside Chef . . . . . . . . . . 5 Bighorn River outing review . 6 Drift Boat Fishing 101 . . . . . 8 My Fly Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Board minutes . . . . . . . . . . .10 Exchange trip mulled . . . . .10 Club calendar . . . . . . . . . . .11 Treasurer’s report . . . . . . . .11

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.

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Wyoming Fly Casters Monthly Newsletter

Drag-free Drif ts

What do you get?

by Joe DeGraw, President, WFC

T

he question: What do you get when you have the Bighorn River; Lloyd, Ed, and Don cooking; and some 20 WFC members together?

The hint: This is not rocket science, nor do you necessarily need a pair of waders for those "special" moments.

The answer: What you have is a great weekend of fly fishing. The trout might have been kinder to some more than others. Nonetheless, it was a great weekend for the comeraderie, story telling, and a few laughs. Who knows how many times "Here fishy, fishy, fishy" was said (to quote the infamous Sesame Street segment with Bert and Ernie).

Perhaps, Steve "Doc" Burgfectel, his son Brian, Neal, and Molly could tally that up. My guess is at least two or three dozen times perhaps more.

As I sit here in Phoenicia, NY writing this letter reflecting on the Bighorn outing (hang my head low for camping and fishing in the Catskills of New York), I begin to fully appreciate the quality of Wyoming fishing. By all means, the fishing here has great qualities but it is of no comparison to the fishing of the west. We should count ourselves as fortunate.

Most fly fishers can only dream of fly fishing those stretches of waters (in Wyoming that is). We live those dreams with the North Platte at our back door.

Best of fishing to all this season.

Joe

Tailing Loops

by Randy Stalker, Backcast editor hen did I toss my first fly?

It was in the late 1970s, when I was a student at the University of Wyoming.

It was a period in which fly fishing was relatively unknown, outside of a few purists. A River Runs Through It was years from its movie release. Winston rods sold, by mail order only, for $150 and the primary reel in vogue was the venerable Pflueger Medalist.

I had never held a fly rod, but was competent with a spinning rod. I would not make the transition to fly tossing until I had graduated from the walleye and perch phase at Glendo and discover the North Platte River at Grey Reef.

The only fly I used for years was the first pattern a neophyte learns to tie. The wooly worm.

I bought a couple of wooly worms at Lou’s Sport Shop, which once stood near the corner of Third and Grand in Laramie. They cost a quarter apiece and I picked up two; a black one and a brown one. Gasoline was 30 cents a gallon, so I

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could buy flies and fuel with a couple of bucks, and off to my favorite water I went in my ‘69 Camaro.

The fly was used in tandem with a plastic bubble. The combination was productive at a small pond a few miles southeast of Ames Monument (for those unfamiliar with it, the stone pyramid stands east of Laramie and west of Buford, just off I-80).

That was 30 years ago, and no, I have not returned to that pond since.

• Remember the club banquet a few years ago, when the centerpiece of each table was a small bowl with a live goldfish?

Well, we took one of those fish home that cold April night, and the pampered pet is doing just fine.

My sixth grader named him Samus, after a character from the Metroid video game.

He is gold, long-tailed and happy.

And he doesn’t want to go to another banquet.

Tight lines, Scoop

Cover shot: Art VanRenselaer, in mid-March, fished the Rio Grande River in Tierra del Fuego, Argentina. He caught many sea-run brown trout, including this 23 lb., 35 in. lunker.

Wyoming Fly Casters Monthly Newsletter

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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.

Molly Levine with one of the many trout she caught during the Bighorn outing in April. This was one of her first fly fishing trips, and the very first one in Montana.

Spring flushing flows is May’s program subject Al Condor, of the fish division of the Casper office of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department and John Lawson, director of the Bureau of Reclamation, are to present a program on flushing flows on the North Platte River during the May membership meeting of the WFC. The meeting begins at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, May 13.

In June, Scott Heywood of Angling Destinations in Sheridan, is slated to present a program on fishing in salt water, perhaps featuring bonefish.

• Make plans to attend the May 16 outing at Cardwell, with Scott Novotny as streamkeeper and chef.

The Cardwell access is located below Pathfinder dam. It was made possible through the WFC and others who purchased an easement and a minimum stream flow was returned to the former river bed.

To get there, take the highway from Casper and turn on the exit to Pathfinder. Follow the meandering road to almost the dam, and take a right.

Continue following the road until you come to a parking lot and outhouse. The best fishing is from the bridge to the canyon; some hearty individuals even traverse the rugged canyon walls to reach rarely fished water.

Cardwell access is always a productive fishery in the spring, and the WFC has traditionally held a fishing trip to take advantage of this opportunity.

Signup sheets are already circulating, so be sure to get your name on it, or notify Novotny (gscottn@gmail.com) of your intentions.

Effective patterns, based on past spring fishing trips to Cardwell, include midge nymphs, rock worms, soft hackle bead headed hare’s ears, squirrel leeches and scuds. An egg may also be productive.

Also on May 16, the cleanup of the river is also scheduled -- but much further downstream.

The next scheduled outing is set for June 6. Walker Jenkins Lake is the destination. No streamkeeper has yet been named for this outing. Walker Jenkins is 60 miles from Casper on the Shirley Basin road.

The lower North Platte River basin has been blessed by a series of snow and rain storms in April, and the moist pattern is expected to continue into May. During overcast days when moisture is threatened, batches of Baetis (blue winged olives) are hatching. So be sure to have patterns representing the nymph and pupa stages of the insect.

Meanwhile, the usual suspects are effective medicine for the river: egg patterns, San Juan worms and rock worms, vanilla buggers, scuds, pheasant tails, and pine squirrel leeches.

For those drifting the river, from Grey Reef all the way to Glenrock, reports suggest these fishermen are welcomed with numerous and sizeable spring rainbows.

Alcova is usually a good stillwater fishery in the spring, and pine squirrel leeches and wooly buggers are all a caster needs. Try using an intermediate line at Sandy Beach or Okie Beach.

No reports from small streams have trickled in yet in the prerunoff stage. Neither has anyone, so far this spring, visited A&M Reservoir. Last fall, reports suggested the fish are growing in this fishery. Neither has Joe Meyer submitted a report on his “secret spot.”

Several fly tossers have been fishing the ponds on 33 Mile Road.

If you’re into easy pickins’ on small bass or bluegill, take the family and introduce your grade schooler to the sport of fishing at either Antelope or Sheepherder.

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

HUMPY Hook: TMC 100SPBL #10-18 Thread: 8/0, color of choice Tail: Moose hock Hump: Tying thread Body: Natural cow elk body hair Wings: Tips of body hair Hackle: Mixed brown and grizzly Attach thread to hook. Stack a small clump of moose hock, exactly equal to the length of the hook from the rear edge of the eye to the end of the bend and tie the moose hock in.

Cut, clean and stack a clump of elk body hair and measure it so it is exactly the length of the shank and tail combined. Cut the butt ends off the elk hair at the two-shank lengths point and place the butt ends directly over the thread at the midpoint on the hook. Tie the very butt ends of the elk hair down with two or three very tight.

Pull up on the rest of the elk hair and wrap the thread back over it to the bend of the hook. Build the "hump" portion of the body by wrapping a smooth thread bulge.

Pull the tips of the elk hair forward over the thread hump and give the hair a slight twist to help keep it gathered together. Divide the remaining elk hair into two equal bunches and make three or four diagonal wraps of thread from the back side of the near wing to the front edge of the far wing.

Now make three of four more diagonal wraps from the front of the near wing to the back of the far wing. Stop with the thread hanging behind the far wing.

Tie in two brown and one grizzly hackle feathers and wrap at least three turns behind the wings and at least three more turns to the hook eye.

Tie off, trim the excess. Build a smooth thread head and whip finish.

Ed Rate received the coveted MacTavish award during the April general membership meeting, as he was snowed in during the annual WFC banquet on April 4. He has served the club as a board member, treasurer, outing cook, and was instrumental in the design and construction of the pier at Yesness Park.

G&F’s walk-in fishing program provides additional public access Fishing access has gotten easier in recent years with the advent of the Walk-in Program started by the Wyoming Game and Fish Department to provide more places for Wyoming anglers to fish. Walk-in fishing areas are part of the same public access program that provides walk-in access for hunting on private lands.

According to Game and Fish public land access coordinator Matt Buehler, fishing areas now available through the walk-in program encompass 272 acres of lake/pond access and nearly 97 miles of stream access on private lands. Buehler said that many of these areas allow hunters to get through private lands to get to public lands where much more access is available.

Walk-in fishing areas supplement the more than 100 places to fish that anglers can access through Game and Fish public access easements and Game and Fish wildlife habitat management areas. In addition, Wyoming has extensive public fishing opportunities on National Forest, Bureau of Land Management and Wyoming State lands.

To assist anglers in finding walk-in fishing areas, the Game and Fish has published a 46 page Walk-in Fishing Atlas containing 55 fishing spots in 10 drainages. Atlases showing walk in fishing areas for 2009 and the species of fish in each can be obtained at Game and Fish regional offices and license agents and are also available on line.

Fishing atlases are valid for the calendar year.

The walk in program is funded to a large extent by hunter and angler contributions to the Game and Fish department's AccessYes program. Donations are usually made at the time of license purchase and application.

Wyoming Fly Casters Monthly Newsletter

CONSERVATION CORNER Economic impacts, press releases, forums mulled as committee embarks on a proactive campaign Members of the Conservation Committee recently met on two occasions and began planning conservation initiatives for the Wyoming Fly Casters.

The following is a brief summary of the meetings, according to members Matt Stanton and Alex Rose: • The committee wants to gather data that shows the economic importance of fly fishing to Casper and the surrounding communities. This information would be useful when trying to persuade government agencies to support conservation, trout fishing, and the North Platte River.

• Committee members are gathering data from the Wyoming Game and Fish Department on trout populations and the North Platte. We also want to learn more about the state's management of trout populations in the North Platte.

• Committee members are in the process of organizing a forum with fly

fishing guides from local fly shops.

Members will listen to their concerns about conservation issues and the North Platte. Because of the amount of time that guides spend on the water, they may be able to provide valuable insight on conservation issues.

• The committee plans to write press releases on conservation issues. For example, before the hot summer months, the committee will write a press release concerning the impacts of warm water on heat-stressed trout in the North Platte.

• The committee is also examining water quality issues and Seminoe Reservoir, and the possible environmental impacts of dumping 93 degree temperature water from 1,250 coalbed methane wells in the reservoir.

• In May, Joe DeGraw and Matt Stanton will represent the Wyoming Fly Casters at the state Trout Unlimited meeting in Lander.

Fishermen should remember to comply with stream access laws As the warmer months approach, interest in fishing is on the increase and more anglers are getting out on Wyoming waters.

With that increased interest also comes a responsibility to become familiar with Wyoming's fishing regulations and laws. One of the more common questions G&F officials receive from anglers concerns Wyoming's laws pertaining to stream access on private lands.

As with hunting, where permission must be obtained from the private landowner to hunt or cross private lands, the laws regarding fishing are essentially the same. For boaters, Wyoming law does allow floating through private lands.

However, while the landowner does not own the water, the stream bank and stream bottom are considered private property. This means that when floating through private land, anglers must stay in their boat unless access permission has

been obtained from the landowner. State law does allow leaving the craft for short portages around non-navigable obstacles.

However, activities such as wading and anchoring on private lands without permission of the landowner constitute a trespass violation.

Some of Wyoming's navigable waters flow through areas where there are both public and private lands. Anglers unsure of the public land status of a particular water may wish to consult public land maps put out by the Bureau of Land Management. These maps are colorcoded showing public and private lands.

The state BLM office in Cheyenne (307) 775-6256 can advise which map(s) are needed for the different areas in the state.

Anglers with questions on Wyoming trespass laws can contact the G&F at (307) 777-4600. There is also a section on stream access and trespass on page 13 of the Wyoming Fishing Regulations.

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STREAMSIDE CHEF

by Daren Bulow

Coconut Grayling with Pineapple Gravy There are a few areas in Wyoming that I like to fish for grayling. I love to eat grayling, they have a wonderful texture. Since it is a chore to get into those areas to catch grayling, I don’t get to get in there more than a couple of times a year. I try to keep my limit each time of fish from 10 to 13 inch fish and pack them out so I can have a special meal.

Ingredients and utensils: Sharp filet knife; 12 X 18 inch cake pan; no-stick aluminum foil; spatula; sauce pan; wooden spoon; food processor.

Fish: 6 grayling, 10 to 13 inches long, 12 fillets; 2 cups corn flakes; 2 cups chopped coconut; honey.

Gravy: 16 oz. can of crushed pineapple; corn starch.

Cooking the fish: Line the cake pan with no stick tinfoil, no stick side up. Take the 2 cups of corn flakes and 2 cups of coconut and pour into food processor and pulverize until fine. Put in a generous mound on a paper plate. Take fillets wetted with water and tamp them off with paper towels. Place the fillets in the cornflake/coconut mix, coat both sides and place in pan. After all the fillets are in the pan, sprinkle them generously on top with the cornflake/coconut mix. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, then take out the pan and run a bead of honey down the center of each fillet. Put them back in oven for 15 more minutes. You must watch them closely to make sure the honey doesn’t burn.

Gravy: Clean the food processor, then pour in the one can of pineapple with juice and pulverize.

Poor pineapple into the sauce pan and heat to a boil, and then turn heat down to a simmer. Add corn starch a little at time as it cools and stir with a wooden spoon until it thickens. Put the filets on a plate and pour pineapple gravy on top.

Serves two.

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Wyoming Fly Casters Monthly Newsletter

Tom Grogan, showing off his rainbow trout on the Bighorn River.

Spectacular weather, challenging fishing . . . and a little weirdness "Those motives to screw your boss or your employees, cheat on your spouse, rob the state, or humiliate your companions will not serve you well if you expect to be restored in the eyes of God, fish, and the river, which will reward you with hollow waste if you don't behave. You may be cursed. You may be shriven. You may be drowned. At the very least, you may snap off your fly in the bushes."

-- Thomas McGuane, The Longest Silence: A Life in Fishing

by Alex Rose Vice President, WFC

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hile traveling north on the interstate toward Montana and the Crow Indian Reservation, I asked Matt Stanton a theological question. "Since we are fishing on Easter Sunday instead of attending church, does this mean we are going straight to hell?"

Without hesitation, the former Catholic school student answered. "Well, wasn't Jesus a fisherman?"

Nineteen Fly Casters, a good combination of new and seasoned club members, participated in this year's Bighorn

Outing during Easter weekend. The warm temperatures, camaraderie, and outstanding food more than compensated for the slow fishing.

Tom Grogan, Stanton and I pulled into the parking lot of Cottonwood Camp, just in time for a delicious lasagna dinner. I greeted Joe DeGraw, who strutted around the camp, happy and cocky, apparently because he had out fished everyone that day.

Following dinner, I sat at a table, brought out my vice, and began tying gray Ray Charles flies. Dick DePaemelere looked at me and shook his head.

"There's always one, " he said, meaning that traditionally, there is always one club member that attends the outing

Wyoming Fly Casters Monthly Newsletter with a vice -- other than alcohol.

Apparently, the word on the stream was that the Ray Charles was a recent, productive fly pattern. Don Jelinek commented that he wanted one of my flies.

He then said that he wasn't sure where he had placed the Irish cream, and that his memory was failing him. (Jelinek knew that the next morning, I'd be craving a cup of Irish cream with a splash of coffee.) I immediately asked Jelinek what size hook he preferred, and if he wanted his hook wrapped with lead wire. He ordered a custom gray Ray Charles, on a size-16 hook, without the lead.

After tying several flies, I walked outside and found Stanton and the "Cheese Whiz Kid" completely inebriated, mostly due to a fifth of Crown Royal.

(Note: "The Kid" requested that I don't reveal his true identity, in this context, in The Backcast, to protect his professional reputation.)

I sat next to them and enjoyed many good laughs, at their expense. The most hilarious moment occurred when Stanton suddenly stood up and announced, "I need to find out where I am sleeping so I'll know where to pass out later on."

The next morning, the Fly Casters awoke to blue skies and a gentle breeze.

Grogan, Stanton and I enjoyed a hearty breakfast and prepared for our float trip.

A Cottonwood Camp employee dropped off a rental boat at the ramp, and within 20 minutes, Stanton landed the boat's first fish, a 13-inch rainbow, taken with a golden foam egg pattern.

But for the most part, the fishing was slow, and we would go for long periods of time without catching fish. But I also noticed few other anglers on the river catching fish as well. Many anglers lounged in their drift boats or sprawled out on the banks, enjoying the warm sun combined with a slight, cool breeze. Floating this river on such a gorgeous day was pure joy, and catching fish was a bonus.

While drifting in a particularly promising stretch of water, I stood in the bow and watched my bright, orange indicator suddenly dive deep into the water, the sign of an unmistakable strike. I hooked into a large brown, and after a long fight, landed the 19-inch fish. Next, using rock worms, I caught and released

several rainbows that were holding at the bottom of deep pools.

For the remainder of the day, we went fishless for extended periods of time before nailing the fish that stacked up in isolated pockets of water. The most challenging part of the fishing was finding the trout. But once we discovered where the trout were holding, the game was up, and they pounded our rock worms.

We landed approximately 30 trout.

We returned to Cottonwood Camp, and listened to the stories of challenging fishing, with few fish landed. I'd be lying if I said that I felt guilty that we caught and released so many trout.

Later, that evening, Jelinek invited me to join several Fly Casters at a table for shots of Irish Cream. I sat next to Jelinek, who immediately poured the shot glass up to the rim.

"Here's to catching up," he said, as he slid the glass in front of me. I raised my glass and quoted the Englishman Lord Byron: "Here's to wine, women, mirth and laughter, soda water and sermons the morning after."

The shot glass was passed around the table, and random toasts were given. But the strangest toast, by far, was from Brian Burgfechtel, who raised his glass to Neal Ruebush. "Neal, " he said, with a sincere voice, "I just want to say you have great hair. You really have an awesome 'do, man."

We were all surprised at Bryan's toast to Neal's hair. Andrew Sauter lifted his eyebrows and said, "Now that was a little weird."

On Easter Sunday, we enjoyed another hearty breakfast, which included a fantastic omelet whipped up by Kim Levine. While most of the club members fished the Bay of Pigs, Grogan, Stanton and I spent most of our morning and afternoon fishing the deep holes around the Three Mile Access area.

"I need to find out where I am sleeping so I'll know where to pass out later on."

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Alex Rose ties some late-night Ray Charles sowbugs at Cottonwood Camp’s “condo” Friday night, April 10.

Grogan and I caught and released approximately 20 rainbows out of the deep run directly across from the boat ramp, using mostly rock worms and egg patterns. Stanton caught and released several trout as well. Grogan, however, enjoyed a spectacular day, having landed over 20 fish, including a very large rainbow with the shoulders of a line backer.

I want to thank Lloyd Ferguson for all of the planning and coordination that went into making this outing a success.

Don Jelinek, Randy Stalker and Ed Rate also deserve much thanks, for their hard work, good food, and for pulling this outing together. This outing would have been impossible without their leadership, culinary skills, and support. These gentlemen thought of all the details -- down to the salads, with plenty of Mandarin oranges and sugar-glazed almonds.

Ferguson said he was pleased with the turnout for this year's outing.

"The outings to me are important," he said. "It's the glue that holds the club together."

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Wyoming Fly Casters Monthly Newsletter A boat of WFC fly-tossers heads to the Bay of Pigs on the Bighorn River on April 12.

Drift boat fishing 101 Chapter 8: Aggressive Casting ly fishermen who fish from a drift boat, regardless of whether they are rod wavers or fly casters, generally are not aware of the fact that water remains constant, and habitat is forever changing. As the drift boat glides along at a speed slightly slower than the current, banks are changing from vertical to gently sloping, to brush covered, to deeply undercut. The main channel is a repeating series of riffles, pools, deep holes, runs, log jams, and backwaters. And, ever so frequently, the main channel splits into a myriad of side channels, which in themselves are microcosms of the main channel. The surprising thing about such a kaleidoscope is that each habitat also exhibits the illusion of vanishing upstream. Few fly fishermen are prepared to fish all those situations, opting instead to fish riffles and smooth flowing, shallow areas.

Perhaps this is the place to introduce some lessons learned and a strategy developed decades ago by tournament bass fishermen. Bass fishermen learned three lessons. First, they learned that

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habitats in lakes are varied and that bass frequent several habitats in the course of a 12-hour period. As a result, tournament fishermen carried three or four rods, each rigged with a lure specific for fishing one or two habitats or environmental conditions. They found that they saved time by changing rods instead of cutting off and retying lures.

Second, tournament fishermen learned that most strikes came within the first five feet of retrieving the lure. As a result, the bass fisherman made a short cast, worked the lure for the first four or more feet, quickly reeled the lure back, and made another cast. Oh sure, he was aware of the bass that struck the lure just before the lure was lifted from the water and over the gunwale. But those fish were too few and too infrequent to waste precious time concentrating on them.

Most fish were caught, as already noted, within the first few feet after he started to retrieve the lure.

And third, tournament bass fishermen learned that the more casts made per unit time, the greater the chances of

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.

catching a bass or, more importantly, catching more bass during the day. In order to maximize the number of casts per unit of time, the bass fisherman adopted the strategy of making short casts to every place that likely held bass.

Simply stated, it took less time to cast

Wyoming Fly Casters Monthly Newsletter and reel 20 feet of line than it did to cast and reel 40 feet of line.

Those three lessons and the strategy derived from those lessons have great utility to the fly fisherman fishing from a drift boat. First, always carry two fly rods as a minimum. Rig one with a floating line and floating fly and the other with a sink-tip line or sinking fly. Since each cast is slightly downstream of square out from the boat, the fly fisherman already is looking and fishing slightly downstream.

That means he or she is positioned to anticipate changes in habitat and should be ready to change tackle to capitalize on each change in habitat.

Second, in any given habitat, there are numerous microhabitats that may harbor fish. However, in a given habitat, the distribution of fish is not uniform.

Somewhere along the bank, in a run, along a drop-off, or under a log jam, for example, fishes are bunched together.

Competition for food by fishes in that spot usually results in a strike as soon as the fly alights on the surface or sinks a few feet beneath the surface. That means, if the boat passes close to or alongside a place or structure that likely attracts and holds fish, the fly fisherman should have in hand the casting system that is best suited to fish that place or structure. He or she should be prepared to make numerous short casts to microhabitats along, over, and under each place or piece of structure. Undulations along the bank and variations in width, height, density, and depth of structure sometimes necessitate making casts of various lengths, but no cast longer than is needed to control and work the fly, while thoroughly exploring the place or structure. Several short casts always produce more fish per unit time than one or perhaps two long casts in the same period of time.

Third, most strikes come within a few inches of drift by a dry or subsurface fly and within the first few feet of drift of a large wet fly (fishing small wet flies, as noted in Chapter 3, is probably an exception to that generality). Think about your experiences while fishing from a boat. When did most strikes occur? Did they occur almost instantaneously or after a long drift? If they occurred almost immediately, why

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M Y F LY B OX When Dick DePaemelere visits the Bighorn River, as he did on April 10-12, he thinks small -- diminutive flies like Ray Charles sowbugs, scuds, pheasant tails, rockworms, and various midge and baetis imitations. And, of course, he regularly fools the fish on this stretch of the Montana river. not ease the boat closer to the target and shorten each cast? That way many more casts can be made, and more microhabitats fished per unit of time. Never let a dry fly drift more than a few inches or a sinking fly travel more than a few feet horizontally.

The fly fisherman who applies those lessons and adopts the strategy increases the odds of getting strikes and catching more fish during each float. That is the essence of aggressive casting.

U n f o r t u n a t e l y, novice and advanced fly fishermen alike are reluctant to adopt such a radical approach.

The reason that fishermen have difficulty integrating those lessons into a strategy can be attributed to the fact that fly fishing is perceived as a leisure sport rather than an exercise in project management. Relaxation is the name of the

Always carry two fly rods as a minimum. Rig one with a floating line and floating fly and the other with a sink-tip line or sinking fly.

game. I admit there is something poetic and dreamy about watching an imitation of a Mayfly float forever on the surface of a placid stream. Perhaps the wonderment of that image is one reason that fly fishermen in a drift boat float flies, for what seems to me, forever-or at least until the flies are dragged under the surface by the current. By drifting flies long distances, those same fly fishermen let hundreds of feet of fishable habitat pass unmolested. I further admit that aggressive casting from a drift boat is hard work, but it is productive. Few casts and long drifts are fine for a wade fisherman, but they are of limited value when practiced from a drift boat.

Let me ask you this: if a fish does not take a fly in the first few inches or feet of its presentation, what makes you think that the fish will take the fly in 20 feet of drift? For those who adopt an aggressive approach to casting, the numbers of fish caught per unit time goes up-and numbers of fish per day per trip will increase dramatically! Moreover, the aerobics of aggressive casting also might have a positive effect on an over-sized waistline.

Just a thought!

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Wyoming Fly Casters Monthly Newsletter WYOMING FLY CASTERS BOARD MEETING MINUTES -- DRAFT April 15, 2009

The meeting was called to order by Alex Rose [acting in the stead of President Joe Degraw] promptly at 7:00 p.m.

All Board members were present except for Joe DeGraw [excused absence], John Fanto [unexcused absence], Bob Fisher [excused absence], Russ Newton [excused absence], and Andrew Sauter [unexcused absence].

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.

February and March treasurer’s reports will be included in the next Backcast.

Thanks were expressed to the banquet committee; the banquet netted

Exchange trip mulled with USRFF club Joe DeGraw, the new president of the Wyoming Fly Casters, has entered into a discussion with Jason Hurley from the Upper Snake River Fly Fishers regarding an exchange trip.

He had suggested it might be of interest to the members of the Upper Snake River Fly Fishers and the WFC to do two joint club outings. One will be on the Henry's Fork or the Snake River and the other on the WFC’s home North Platte River.

Details are yet to be determined. Anyone willing to partake or act as streamkeeper is encouraged to DeGraw at 258-0177.

approximately $6,000.

The conservation committee reported on several items: (1) Game & Fish trout management plans for the North Platte, expressing an interest in the numbers used, the economic impact of the fishery, increasing the profile of the fishery, and gaining an enhanced focus on the fishery throughout the community, (2) using a “Guide Forum” as a mechanism to gain insights from these important users as to how the WFC might want to focus our conservation efforts; this will be started by contact with head guides from each of the outfitters, (3) increasing public education on such matters as when to take extra care not to harm fish due to high temperatures, (4) water quality issues [eg. Seminole well drilling: baseline needs, who monitors, who pays, why is a 10 percent degradation apparently acceptable, etc.]

Information from BuRec, G&F, and DEQ will help sort out a possible role for WFC. TU has a river clean-up day scheduled for June 13; apparently WFC has participated in similar events in the past. The proposed Green River water diversion pipeline was mentioned; this needs to be watched.

President-elect’s report: Al Condor will present the May 13 program dealing with Gray Reef regulations and other items. May 16 is the planned Cardwell outing [Scott Novotony stream-keeper]; this is a possible joint outing with the Upper Snake River Fly Fishers. Up to $200 was approved for Scott’s use on the outing.

Bighorn outing report: 19 members had a good time; the weather was great; the food and company were great; the fishing was somewhat challenging, although some nice fish were hooked – a few were even landed!

In response to the large amount of recyclable material going into the trash on the Bighorn outing, and to enhance WFC’s “green-ness”, Matt Stanton was approved to purchase a recycling container for use at all future club meetings and outings. He will take the lead on getting the container, and will coordinate with other volunteers on the task of sorting materials gathered.

Vice President’s report: To help with membership efforts, a casting clin-

ic is planned for the public for midto late-July. Scott is lining up the Natrona County High School football field for our use. Scott is also pursuing a possible role for WFC during the June NIC Fest. Randy Stalker will be asked to help in efforts to redesign and update the membership applications. A discussion ended with favorable inclination to keep the Backcast available online for anyone who wants to read it.

Old Business: Nothing new on Lusby. A discussion regarding the parkway bench [now repaired] resulted in our not having enough information to proceed regarding where to put it, etc. Need input from Joe DeGraw on this. Similar results on a discussion of updating the Speas memorial stone. Game & Fish have indicated that they do not need WFC sweat equity for the Cardwell redd improvement project. They may want help with some tree planting [backcast hazard placement] sometime in May. New business: FFF dues were discussed; they have sent a notice saying we owe them $250 to maintain our associate status, which apparently cost $100 in the past. Kim will investigate and seek action at the next meeting. This topic led to a general discussion [with no conclusion] regarding associate membership benefits and costs generally. Kim indicted an interest in serving as stream-keeper for a possible Yellowstone outing. The board reaffirmed our commitment to the 2009 Game & Fish EXPO for $1000, which includes $250 for a booth and a $750 donation; Alex will contact Richard Soffe regarding his continuing to be the club contact regarding the EXPO, and will seek additional assistance if required. Kim will provide options for the board regarding possible ways to increase the interest that we receive on club funds.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:20 pm.

Respectfully Submitted: Spencer Amend, Secretary, 4-16-09

Wyoming Fly Casters Monthly Newsletter

MONDAY

SUNDAY

TUESDAY

Page 11

WEDNESDAY THURSDAY

FRIDAY

MAY 3

4

5

6

7

SATURDAY

1

2

8

9 Full moon

10

11

12

14

15

Cardwell outing; river cleanup

18

19

20

21

22

31

25

26

27

23 Firehole River opens for the season

WFC Board Meeting, 7 p.m.

24

16

Regular meeting, 7 p.m.

Mother’s Day

17

13

28

29

Memorial Day

TREASURER’S REPORT FOR FEBRUARY AND MARCH, 2009 Income 2/2/2009 2/12/2009 2/12/2009 2/18/2009 2/18/2009 Expenses Check # #3943 #3944 #3945 #3946 #3947 #3948 #3949 #3950 #3951 #3952 #3943 #3954 #3955 #3956 #3957 #3958 #3959 #3960 #3961 #3962 #3963 #3964

Description Deposit - cash return - Ck # 3942 100.00, Sport Show - 1,016.00, dues 130.00 Deposit - Big Horn Outing Deposit - 2/11 Raffle - 124.00, Banquet Meals - 150.00, dues - 505.00 Deposit - dues Transfer from Money Mkt Acct Total Income

1,246.00 510.00 779.00 60.00 4,000.00 6,595.00

Description Terry Paddock - 50/50 drawing Sport Show Izaak Walton League - Feb 09 Rent U. S. Postmaster - Postage Stamps U. S. Postmaster P. O. Box 2881 Rent Kinkos - Jan Backcast - 81.66, Membership lists - 87.89 Wyoming Stationery - Raffle Tickets The Nature Conservancy - Annual Donation Federation of Fly Fishers - Annual Donation Marty Robinson - Banquet Items Ugly Bug Fly Shop - 2/11 Raffle Don Jelinek - Sport Show Expenses Izaak Walton League - March 09 Rent Platte River Fly Shop - Banquet Items Scott Novotny - Lamination -Backcast - Sport Show B W Insurance Co., Liability Ins. Kinkos - February Backcast Merback Awards - Banquet Awards Baven Reels - Banquet Item Wyoming Wildlife Federation - Affiliate dues Parkway Trust - Mile Marker Sign The Reef - Banquet Items B. W. Insurance - Dishonesty Bond Bank Service Cge - Feb 4.95, March - 3.00 Total Expenses

Amount (120.00) (75.00) (16.80) (70.00) (169.55) (11.54) (100.00) (100.00) (243.18) (104.32) (42.95) (75.00) (624.64) (15.52) (515.00) (78.63) (70.67) (264.00) (50.00) (500.00) (448.00) (170.10) (7.95) (3,872.85)

30

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.