www.wyflycasters.org
Vol 40 No.1
The Monthly Newsletter of the Wyoming Fly Casters
2009
CUTT SLAM DESIGN YOUR FLY ROD
January 2013
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January 2013
Will Waterbury’s Opens 2013 Fly-Fishing Season Greetings Fly Caster’s: Many thanks to Matt Stanton, the Christmas party chair, and the rest of the folks who put together the party for the December general meeting. I have heard many comments by members about how well things seemed to flow and nice job by Peg assembling the slide show for this year. All in all a job well done Matt, Joe, Jim, Cheryl, Peg, and Lee. My apologies to any one whose name may have been inadvertently left off the list. The next events on the horizon are the Cabin Fever clinic that the club puts on in March at the Recreation Center. We’ll be giving more information about the clinic at the January general meeting. One thing I can say for sure is that we will need help with casting instruction and fly-tying demos and/or teaching. The time commitment is usually only 4-5 hours. If you have never been to one of these I encourage you to join us for a busy, but really fun day. The first Saturday after Easter, April 6th, will be the annual Banquet. Planning is already underway and we are asking all of the fly-tiers in the club to tie a fly of your choice to be donated to the Fly Plate that Joe Meyer puts together for an auction item. In years past club members have also generously donated a dozen flies to be included in Bucket Raffle assemblies or as door prizes. Again this year we hope the club members will be as
giving and provide many dozens of flies. As soon as you finish reading this paragraph, pause for a moment and ask yourself, “Whom do I have in my network of friends and family that may have a connection from which I might solicit a donation to the banquet?” Thanks! Now on to the topic of this month’s general meeting; To be an amended bylaws TU chapter or not to be an amended bylaws TU chapter, that is the question! Well, we are going to tackle that question at the meeting on January 9th. It is my understanding that Scott Christie, from Trout Unlimited, will be in attendance to give a short presentation about the plusses and minuses of amending our bylaws to align ours with the bylaws that the national Trout Unlimited organization requires to be a ‘full’ TU chapter.
In 1991 WFC became a Trout Unlimited chapter. Over the years TU has required chapters to make adjustments in bylaws for one reason or another. It seems that WFC has chosen not to make the bylaws changes TU requested and TU let WFC continue on with business as usual. Now we are in a situation where choosing not to make the changes will end our direct affiliation with TU and TU will likely see the need to start a full TU chapter in Casper. The bottom line is that we, the Executive Committee and the Board, need members to show up
at the January meeting so that a quality discussion can occur. The Board will listen to the views, opinions, and positions presented and try its best to get a good sense of the overall leanings of the membership. At the board meeting the next week the board will consider the specifics and general leanings of the membership and bring a recommendation, one way or the other, to the March general meeting where the Club’s annual elections occur. Speaking of which, have you thought about becoming a Board or Executive Committee member? Everyone I have talked to, myself included, who has participated in club leadership is glad that they did. Some have done only a year or two, and many have enjoyed it enough to do it for years. New perspectives are necessary for keeping an organization healthy and vibrant. I urge you to consider participating, it’s a great way to get to know club members, and it works out to only about 24 to 30 hours a year. I hope to see everyone at the meeting and I’m looking forward to a lively discussion. Now, go put on some good music, start a fire, for those so inclined pour a glass of your favorite wine, put a hook in the vise, and start tying those flies for Joe. See you on the 9th,
Will
Wyoming Fly Casters
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What’s inside ... Will Waterbury, President Lee Tschettert, Vice President
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Cutt Slam Revisited
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WFC Business
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Christmas Party Highlights
Casey Leary, Secretary Matt Stanton, Treasurer BOARD OF DIRECTORS Terms expire in 2013: Joe Meyer, Scott Novotny, Alex Rose Terms expire in 2014: John Dolan, Jim Johnson, Chris AcAtee, Spenser Amend Terms expire in 2015: George Axlund, Brian Bayer, Jesse McGregor 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 life- time family membership. Visit the club website at www.wyflycasters.org. To pay dues or contact the club, write to P.O. Box 2881, Casper, WY 82602. The deadline for submission of information for each issue is a week before the end of the month. Make contributions to the next issue by e- mailing material to the Backcast editor at marketingmavenaha@ gmail.com or call (708) 997-2071. 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 marketingmavenaha@ gmail.com. In addition to receiving each issue of the newsletter earlier than your hard copy peers, e-mail subscribers are able to print each copy in vibrant color -- an added plus if the issue is rich in color photographs. By sub- scribing electronically, you also save the club roughly $17.40 a year in printing and postage expenses.
Classifieds
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Rod Custom Design
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On the Boardwalk
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REMEMBERING the 2009 by Gene Robinson
The plan was to start our venture at 7:30 a.m.. We didn’t get on the road until 9:15 a.m. but we didn’t care. We were on our way! The 2009 Cutt Slam Dash had begun. The usual pit stops and a late lunch in Kemmerer and a short but very interesting stop at Fossil Butte National Monument and we were on to Cokeville and the Clark Country B&B on the Smith Fork. We were hoping to catch at least one Bonneville Cutthroat Trout each. We were assured they were easy to catch and we were eager to do so. The stream looked beautiful with some good holes and cut banks, clear water and a clear warm day. By evening, Nancy had one white fish and one early release of some unseen fish. Everyone else, zero. We had tried lots of flies to no avail. We had deli chicken and fixins and wine for dinner and it was time for Kathy and me to climb the ladder to the loft and settle into our beds til morning. When I did open my eyes in the middle of the night I could see out the window by my head and look at the brilliant stars in the black night. It was so quiet. When the cool morning came we decided to forgo an early breakfast and fish first. We were on the water by 7:30 and worked hard trying to find out what the fish were taking. Kristie had one on a grey mayfly, but no others, finally at about 10:00 a.m. Nancy called out “I got one on an Elk Hair Caddis!”
January 2013
CUTT SLAM DASH!
I switched flies, wondering why I had not tried that one earlier. Caddis were all over the rocks, but none in the air. It did not take long and I had caught a fish and Kathy took a picture for evidence. I handed my rod to Kathy and stepped out of the hole so Kathy could give it a try. It did not take long and Kathy had a fish on the line and on the camera. We decided to find Kristie and see if she had scored a fish. Kristie had not yet counted coup, but we were hungry and decided to go in for breakfast/brunch about 11:00 a.m. Kristie grabbed a handfull of
grapes and said she was going to fish. I followed her out with a bit more food for both of us. She fished for about 15 minutes and had her fish. We returned to the B&B jubilant and victorious. We all had our Bonneville Cutthroat Trout. We decided it was time to pick up, clean up, and pack up and move on to La Barge for the Colorado Cutt. We were again on the road for the second leg of our journey. We checked in at the Wyoming Inn in La Barge midafternoon
and then headed to the famed Moon Dance Diner for an early dinner. Kristie assuming the responsibility of historian was taking pictures as we traveled and fished. After dinner we headed up County Rd 315 (La Barge Creek Road) which turned into Forest Service Rd 10050 (I believe). We traveled some (20?) miles up to the fish dam they built and fished above it. Kristie was the first to get on the water while the rest of us were still rigging up and preparing. I was still rubbing in my bug dope when I heard Kristie squeal. I ran rubbing in the bug dope and trying to find Kristie on the other side of the willows. I got there and immortalized her fish on the camera and she handed me her rod to try to catch the next fish. It did not take very long and I had a fish on the line. Nancy had come down and was fishing downstream just a short distance so I stepped out of the hole and she stepped in to try her fortune. In no time she had a fish on and we were hollering in for Kathy to join us, she was still at the car. She came down and caught her fish in minutes. Wahoo! Two fish species down and two to go. As we were headed back to the car Nancy called out. We went went to see what the noise was about and there was a brain mushroom, almost the size of a volleyball. Cool! We knew that the Grey’s River drain
Wyoming Fly Casters
age was not far away, just up the road. So we flagged down an oncoming truck and asked if they were locals and told them we were out to get our Cutt Slam and were headed for the Grey’s River drainage. Could he help us? He gave very clear and precise instructions to La Barge Meadows and then two or three miles past that to get to the Grey’s River drainage. We then had to find a place to fish. I believe we were about 27 miles from La Barge when we stopped to fish. We were at a T intersection to our right and there was a large culvert dumping into a deep hole. Nancy was the first to hit the water and in a quick hurry was hollering “I’ve got one!” The other three of us were still rigging up but there was a quick picture taken and we were all on the water fishing. The larger fish were smart and stayed at the bottom. All we caught we minnows. We had also garnered info that we were on a road that would go through to Afton. We did not check that out. We spent until dark laughing and fishing and catching Snake River Cutthroat minnows. It’s not as easy catching the Snake River Cutt as it had been catching the Colorado Cutt. Kathy promptly threw hers back objecting to having to claim a minnow as her trophy and moved on downstream for bigger prey. Her move paid off, she got a picture with a larger cutthroat. It was dark and late when we got back to LaBarge. We celebrated with cheese and crackers and fruit, some of it fermented in a bottle. We were all
successful catching the Bear River, Colorado River and Snake River Cutthroat trout. That left only the Yellowstone Cutt to complete the Slam. Wyoming Game and Fish Department
Cutt-Slam Verification
Angler’s Name: Mailing Address: City: _________________ State: ________ Zip: Phone Number: Verifying Biologist’s Name: ________________________ ___________________________ Signature
Colorado River Cutthroat Trout
Bonneville Cutthroat Trout
Location: ________________ Date Caught: _____________
Location: ______________ Date Caught: ___________
Snake River Cutthroat Trout
Location: ________________ Date Caught: _____________ Mail to:
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for it as it flopped on the deck, we wanted to give it some relief but instead gave it release. OOPS! Kristie said, new rule, nobody touches anybody else’s fish! I anticipating ‘Hell to Pay’ but Kristie was very merciful. Kristie went upstream and Nancy went downstream. Kathy and I split up and she went down with Nancy and I went up with Kristie. The water was beautiful. Caddis and stimulators were still a good choice of fly to fish. After Kristie and I had hooked up with our Cutts we went in search of the other two. We met them coming back to the car.
Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout
Location: ______________ Date Caught: ___________
Wyoming Game and Fish Department Attn: Fish Division 5400 Bishop Blvd. Cheyenne, WY 82006 (One certificate per person, please.)
We decided that with only one trout subspecies to go and two days to do it we should move on in the morning. Sunday morning found us heading toward Dubois. We breakfasted in Marbleton at Obo’s grocery store because there were no restaurants open in La Barge or Big Piney. We snacked or skipped lunch and got on the water of the East Fork of the Wind River in the early afternoon not far from a dude ranch miles from the highway. The young ranch hand we talked to recommended s spot that was supposed to be good; although he himself did not fish it. He was right. Kristie was first on the water again and was yelling before we had our shoes changed. Marty and I went down to the water to immortalize the fish in pixels. Feeling sorry
Nancy had just scored the last of our fish needed to complete all four of our Cutt Slams. There was a little more fishing done but the sky clouded and rumbled and we were just packing in the last of our fishing gear when the sky opened up and began to rain. We went back to town, cleaned up, or not, and went out to eat and drink in celebration - not necessarily in that order. Monday morning found us in Kathy’s Coffee Shop in Dubois,where the liberals hang out. We got Kristie her coffee fix and breakfast for the rest of us. We started talking to the locals about fishing and the Cutt Slam and local waters and spent an enjoyable hour or two in conversation. We then did a little touring and headed home. After four days of fishing, traveling a thousand miles and taking hundreds of fish pictures ... we were tired but very happy to be home.
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Secretary’s Report December 19, 2012 Members present: Will Waterbury, Matt Stanton, Lee Tschetter, Casey Leary, Scott Novotny, Brian Bayer, Spencer Amend, and Joe Meyer Members absent: Alex Rose, unexcused; excused: George Axlund, Bob Fischer, Chris McAtee, Philip Smith, Jesse McGregor and Jim Johnson Guest: Don Carrier Call to order: 7:06 pm Secretary’s report: Matt Stanton made a motion to accept the Secretary’s Report as published. Motion was carried. Treasurer’s report: Matt Stanton presented his Treasurer’s Report and reported that the club pays approximately $300 a year in credit card fees. Casey Leary made a motion to accept the Treasurer’s Report. Motion was carried. Conservation Report: Casey Leary has been in contact with Al Gettings of the Game and Fish Department regarding possible conservation project at the Wyoming Flycasters Memorial Access. An Eagle Scout wants to conduct his project at this area and the Game and Fish would like to put a pathway around one of the ponds. Casey will have Mr. Gettings present more information to the Board about this project in the future. Matt Stanton indicated receiving a request from the FFF regarding the club’s yearly dues and he will send the appropriate amount. New Business: Matt Stanton will gather information on the cost of membership pins, such as 30 year award pins, etc. and bring back to the Board the estimated costs. Lee Tschetter volunteered to be the manager of the Catch-a-Fish-a-Month Club and will start in 2013. Matt Stanton, Cheryl, Kelly, Colin, Peg and Brian Bayer have agreed to volunteer for the Banquet Committee. The first meeting is to be held tentatively at the Ugly Bug Fly Shop on December 27, 2012 at 5:30 pm. If you are interested in participating please feel free to attend. The banquet will be held April 6, 2013 at Ramada Plaza Riverside. Joe Meyer needs flies for the fly plates by March 1, 2013. He needs an additional fly from previous MacTavish winners. Joe has also requested that members donate 12 flies each for door prizes at the banquet. Will Waterbury reported that raffle tickets for the bamboo rod are slow. Will Waterbury reported that Alex Rose will contact the Casper Rec Center to schedule a date for the Cabin Fever Clinic. Scott Novotny reported that the web page is up for renewal. Matt Stanton made a motion to renew our website and the motion was carried. Al Conder and Matt Hahn will present a program in February. Elections will be held in March. Blake Jackson will present a program on drift boat rowing and insects in April. The Board is asking the general membership to present program suggestions for the monthly meetings. Old Business: Next month Scott Christy of Wyoming Trout Unlimited will present a program on the possibility of the Wyoming Flycasters becoming a TU chapter. Don Carrier, who is essentially a charter member of this club, commented that when the club was first formed, its intent was to be more of a social club that interacted with each other and had a good time. He expressed his opinion of continuing the Wyoming Flycasters as originally intended rather than becoming a TU chapter. Will Waterbury reported that the Wyoming Flycasters vests are ready for use. Brian Bayer reported that the Wyoming Flycasters sign stand is 2/3 complete.
Meeting Adjourned: 8:28 pm
January 2013
Wyoming Fly Casters
WFC TREASURER’S REPORT – OCTOBER & NOVEMBER 2012 DATE INCOME
VENDOR/ITEM
10/10/12 10/12/12 10/21/12 10/31/12 11/26/12 11/27/12 11/30/12
Deposit Deposit Deposit Deposit Deposit Deposit Deposit
– – – – – – –
Membership $110, Return expo candy $43.10 October raffle ARS donation to offset Miles landing dedication expenses Interest Christmas tickets $125, Nov. Raffle $114, Renewal $20 Christmas tickets Interest
$ $ $ $ $ $ $
153.10 75.00 100.00 .39 259.00 100.00 .37
$
687.86
#4208 AMBI – September Backcast #4209 IWLA – Sept/Oct Rent Auto charge – Credit Card provider compliance fee #4210 Matt Stanton – Oct/Nov raffles (signed by Will Waterbury) #4211 Staples – TU discussion copies, Christmas tickets #4212 AMBI – October Backcast
$ $ $ $ $ $
72.89 150.00 99.95 184.74 38.71 48.49
Total
$
594.78
$ $ $
5.00 9,281.37 17,384.05
Total Expenses 10/10/12 10/10/12 11/06/12 11/10/12 11/10/12 11/25/12
Account Balance 11/3012 Savings Checking Money Market
Polar Bear Outing 2013 New Year’s Day
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January 2013
Christmas Party Highlights
Wyoming Fly Casters
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Custom Rod Design with Rex
Five members of the WFC met at the Crazy Rainbow Lodge on December 1st & 8th to get some expert advice on how to build a custom fly fishing rod from Rex.
January 2013
Wyoming Fly Casters
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Pier Professionals Cliff Outdoors www.cliffoutdoors.com North Platte Lodge www.northplattelodge.com North Platte Walleye’s Unlimited www.npwalleyes.com Platte River Fly Shop www.wyomingflyfishing.com Sportsman’s Warehouse www.sportsmanswarehouse. com Ugly Bug Fly Shops www.crazyrainbow.com
Classifieds Classifieds Classifieds Classifieds Classifieds Large selection of framed, signed and numbered Vivi Crandall and Terry Redlin prints (contact me for names/prices) and Men’s Chaco Z/1 Sandal. Size 13. “Matrix color. New in box, $45. OBO Matt Stanton 307-258-9915
All Patagonia SST jacket XXL $300.00 2011 model NIB; SST jacket women’s older style XL $125.00 NIB SST jacket Small; older style used $50.00 Scott Novotny 307-315-3534
COLMAN FLEETWOOD COLONIAL POPUP CAMPER Scott Novotny gscottn@gmail.com 307-315-3534 http://www.roadslesstraveled. us.Popup.html
January 2013
1 TUES 9 WED
10 THUR
Polar Bear Outing General Meeting Izaak Walton Lodge 7 pm Spring Banquet Meeting Ugly Bug Fly Shop 5:30 pm
12 SAT
LYIN’ & TYIN’
16 WED
WFC Board Meeting
The Backcast Newsletter www.flycasters.org