WFC 10/12

www.wyflycasters.org

"e Vol. 39 No. 10

Backca!

The Monthly Newsletter of the Wyoming Fly Casters

Fire Effects on Fish Population Members Fish Yellowstone Match the Hatch BBQ Highlights Tongue River Photos

October 2012

October le#er from $r President

that works with veterans. So as not to provide misinformation I’ll quit right there and let Derrick tell you all about it on October 10th. Al Conder will step in afterward for a short update on Game and Fish funding.

Hi folks, This month’s column will be a short one.

In case you haven’t been out to the river lately, it’s looking pretty good and reports are that it is fishing quite good at a number of places from the bank, even in town. That might be a good program topic, ‘Places you can fish using only one gallon of fuel, round trip’. Of course that would be highly variable, and perhaps therein lies the fun.

This month’s program was supposed to be on the geology of the North Platte River. A scheduling conflict arose and we had to move that presentation to November. This month’s program will feature Derrick Dietz, and information about a program called Project Healing Waters. Healing Waters is a program 2

If the weather stays pleasant we will do our fall roadside clean up at Alcova on Saturday October 13th.

We will meet at the Robertson road boat ramp at 8:00am. Bring Gloves and appropriate attire. We usually have lunch at the Sunset Bar and Grill and then try to get some afternoon fishing in. Many hands make light work so let’s see many of you there and make light work of cleaning the roadside. The sooner it’s done the more time we have to fish!

The most important piece of this column is to let the members know that Smokey Weinhandl and Melody are finally back home in Casper. On Saturday October 6th they are having a get together. Here is a link for more information, http:// www.caringbridge.org/visit/ brentweinhandl/?hide-mobile-info=1

He looks great, all things considered, in the picture of him you will see if you go to the link. Hope to see you at the meeting, if not sooner at Smokey and Melody’s.

Time to dig out the long johns, cooler water temps will be here sooner than later. Enjoy these great fall days before they are gone.

Will

Will Waterbury, President Lee Tschettert, Vice President 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 McAtee, 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 lifetime 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 emailing material to the Backcast editor at marketingmavenaha@ gmail.com or call (708) 997-2071.

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October 2012

October 2012 This past summer seemed as hot as the ‘cooler’ Paul Newman endured in ‘Cool Hand Luke.’

Our sweltering summer was only exceeded by the fire on Casper Mountain. It made me worry about the people, animals and fish who lived there. In doing a little research, I came across a study compiled by the National Wildlife Foundation after the July fires in Ft Collins, CO. It is a very interesting read and should not be overlooked.

This month’s issue also includes Matt and Lee fishing adventure in Yellowstone. Lee wrote a story about their experience and he’s provided some pics for us as well.

Thank’s to both of them and Randy photo’s on fishing the Tongue river. Their continued support is making our newsletter better and better with each issue.

I’d also like to ask the rest of our members for contributions in the months ahead. As I have said before, the success of our newsletter depends on you.

Please feel free to send me your input. Thanks! marketingmavenaha@gmail.com

Peg

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Will’s Letter

4

After the fire

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WFC Original

7

WFC Scouts Hit Yellowstone

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Member Notes & Classifieds

9

Joe’s Fishing Tip & Recipe Box

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October Event

11

Minutes of Last Meeting

12

Match the Hatch

14

BBQ Highlights

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Fishing the North Tongue

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WFC Calendar

CONTENTS

There’s no doubt in my mind that many of us are looking forward to the Fall season.

TABLE OF

What Happens to Fish Populations after Fire

Casper Mountain Fire 2012 photo by Peg Novotny

Excerpted from the National Wildlife Federation 7/24/12 after the fires in Ft Collins, CO

The destruction that began June 9 when a lightningsparked fire raced over more than 87,000 acres west of Fort Collins will be felt for years as storms washing over barren slopes unleash more ash, mud and debris into the Poudre—Colorado’s only federally designated wild and scenic river.

The Poudre is also one of northern Colorado’s best fisheries. Tim Romano, in a Field & Stream blog, calls the Poudre “a beautiful trout stream.”

“It’s devastating, it really is,” says Ken Kehmeier, senior aquatic biologist for Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

scope of the damage likely won’t be known for a while, but biologists have already found dead fish in the river.

The pH of the water has changed in places, becoming more acidic in some spots and more alkaline in others from the ash, pine needles and other debris.

“That’s a huge stressor” for the fish, Kehmeier says.

Sadly, there’s a model for such disasters. In 2002, the Hayman fire erupted in central Colorado amid the dry, hot summer weather that’s becoming the norm for the region. It charred nearly 138,000 acres, leading to severe erosion in the South Platte watershed, a key water source for Denver and one of the region’s premier fisheries.

He fears the majority of the adult fish could die off.

“We lost 70 percent of the adult population of fish on the South Platte after the first couple storm events. I would say it will be at least that bad on the Poudre based on what I’m seeing,” Kehmeier says.

Roughly 30 miles of the 126-mile river that starts in Rocky Mountain National Park are affected. The full

More than $40 million has been spent to dredge a reservoir, divert sediment and revegetate the Hayman

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October 2012

large snowpack would run a flushing flow through that system and would flush out that sediment,” Kehmeier

fire area. Kehmeier says it took.five or six years to start rebuilding the fish populations in the South Platte and aggressive stocking of rainbow and brown trout.

have trouble keeping it out of their gills. Mud fills spaces between the rocks and gravel on the river bed, wiping out the trout’s spawning grounds and suffocating eggs, Kehmeier says. The mud kills the flies the fish eat. A loss of vegetation along the banks eliminates the canopy that helps keep the water cool and is home for grasshoppers and other insects the fish feed on. Kehmeier has a history with the Poudre River.

He fished it while attending Colorado State University in Fort Collins. Later, he was the regional aquatic biologist for several years.

Denver Water and the city of Aurora released water from Cheesman Reservoir to flush the sediment in the South Platte. The lack of large reservoirs feeding into the Poudre means biologists need more help from nature there. “What we really need is a big winter. A

“It’s pretty painful to see the way that river looks now,” he says.

The debris and sediment will dissipate and the insects and fish will rebound. State and federal agencies will reseed the forest. Kehmeier figures the South Platte fishery is 85 to 90 percent of what it was before the wildfire. explains. This year, dry, warm weather resulted in the lowest-ever snowpack in parts of Colorado. Sizzling-hot temperatures and parched forests and grasslands have driven wild-fires across the Rocky Mountain West this summer. More than 250 homes were destroyed and one person was killed in the High Park Fire.

photos by Tom Walker

“It will recover. The Poudre will recover,” he says. “It’s just going to take more years than people anticipate.”

The orange beetle-infested trees among the blackened trees in the Poudre Canyon are further testament to the damage caused by climate change. The winters haven’t been cold enough to kill off the bugs. Drought has weakened the trees’ resistance.

The monsoon rains Colorado gets this time of year will help with moisture but send more sediment into the river, where fish will Wyoming Fly Casters

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A WFC Original

WFC Members Fish Yellowstone!

by Lee Tschetter In August at the Ten Sleep outing I was talking to Matt and we entertained the idea of doing some “scouting” in September for possible future outing spots since the Deer Park campground may be closed next year. Matt suggested a few spots and we sort of let the discussion fall off with no solid plans being made.

When September rolled around, Matt and I got together to finalize some plans and Matt asked me if I would be interested in going to NE Yellowstone.

Having only moved to Wyoming three years ago and having never been to Yellowstone, I was more than happy to say yes to the trip. (I didn’t know how it was going to go over with the better half though.)

a beautiful day (too clear) and we fished upstream of the Lamar/Soda Butte confluence. We started with nymphs early and after having no luck changed to dries. We fished hard all day, pitching to some very particular fish. The fishing wasn’t record breaking but the ones that we did catch were healthy and strong. While the 14/15 inch fish I caught wouldn’t pose for a picture the buffalo who crossed our path was given the ‘right-of-way’ several times during the day.

Our plan was to stay at Pebble Creek Campground and fish that area. When we pulled up to the campground it was full and after talking to the host we found that almost all of the campgrounds were full and were filling by 9:00 each morning. After short deliberation we decided to fish Trout Lake for the afternoon and then drive in to Cooke City and find a place to stay the night. After making the trek up to the lake we cast to the cruisers we saw and found them pretty picky. We did have a few good strikes on dries and called it an afternoon and headed for town and a couple of cold ones.

Sunday morning we packed up camp and decided to try the Lamar Canyon. The plunge pools and pocket water made for some great fishing. The fish weren’t as big as they were on Soda Butte but put up a good fight.

Matt and I threw everything we could think of at the fish. We went through our supply of elk hair caddis, Adams, gnats, ants, and stimulators. Each new fly seemed to draw their interest but then you might as well switch to another after half a dozen casts. Matt was finally able to get a picture of me holding a fish, providing evidence of the first part of my Cut Slam.

After finding a cabin for the night we headed for the main drag to find a burger and a beer and were surprised by the bull bison that decided to take up residence in front of the cabin. I know he was real because he was lying down when we came back.

Matt thought the fishing was a little slow as compared to years past but I couldn’t have been happier. I would like to thank Matt for inviting me along. This trip is one that I will remember for many years to come.

At 6:00 Saturday morning (the bison was gone) we headed back to the park and got in line at the campground to secure a spot for the remainder of the weekend. Once we had staked our claim to a tent site we donned our waders and headed out for a day on Soda Butte Creek. The 28 degree night broke into Wyoming Fly Casters

Lee Tsche#er

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Member Notes: Smokey Weinhandl and Melody are finally back home in Casper. On Saturday October 6th they are having a get together. Here is a link for more information, http:// www.caringbridge.org/visit/

Large selection of framed, signed and numbered Vivi Crandall and Terry Redlin prints (contact me for names/prices)

Special thanks to our local retailers, fly shops and lodges. You’re always there when we need you.!

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.net

and

This month’s program October 10th will feature Derrick Dietz, and information about a program called Project Healing Waters. Healing Waters is a program that works with veterans.

Our annual Robinder outing at the Miracle Mile will be held October 13. The cookout will be held at 11:30 am. If you’d like to volunteer to help, please contact the events streamkeeper... Casey Leary at 473-2441. Please see page 10 for more details.

Coleman Fleetwood Colonial Popup Camper 2005 Like New $5,000 http://www.roadslesstraveled.us/Popup.html

For more details email Scott Novotny at gscottn@gmail.com 8

Classifieds

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 The Patagonia SST Jacket has evolved over the years. New fabrics, pocket designs, zippers, belt loops are all re-designed in the 20011 SST. One thing has stayed constant over the years, the SST Jacket is superbly designed to deal with harsh conditions and be a functional tool in the arsenal of the fly fishier. The SST stands out in it's design, water proof zippers for hand warmer pockets as well as the main zipper.

The back belt loop will allow you to thread your wading belt through the jacket and create a lock down tight seal for those deep wading situations.

The SST is simply a great fly fishing jacket.

October 2012

The Fish Whisperer Joe has worked a long time training fish so he can stand on their heads.

Holy smokes, that fish is bigger than Joe. What a whopper!

WFC’s Recipe Box Honey Fried Walleye 15 mins cook time Ingredients • • • • • • • • •

1 egg 1 teaspoon honey 1 cup coarsely crushed saltines (about 22 crackers) 1/3 cup all-purpose flour 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper 4 to 6 walleye fillets (about 1-1/2 pounds) Canola oil Additional honey

Directions • •

In a shallow bowl, beat egg and honey. In another bowl, combine the cracker crumbs, flour, salt and pepper. Dip fillets into egg mixture, then coat with crumb mixture.

In a large skillet, heat 1/4 in. of oil; fry fish over medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Drizzle with honey. Yield: 4-6 servings.

Wyoming Fly Casters

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October Outing at the Miracle Mile Our annual Robinder outing at the Miracle Mile will be held October 13, 2012. Casey Leary, 473-2441, will be the streamkeeper. The Miracle Mile is about an hour southwest of Casper between Kortes Dam and Pathfinder Reservoir. Generally the wind is very strong so a heavy weight rod is helpful. Rusty scuds, San Juan worms, pheasant tails, wooly buggers and various streamers all produce fish. On occasion dry fly fishing is successful.

A cookout will be held about 11:30 AM. I will try to have the cookout on the west side of the river upstream from the bridge, near the large group of cottonwood trees, if available.

Please call Casey Leary for further information.

Casey Leary

Name this fly-fishing landmark in central Wyoming.

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October 2012

Minutes from August 2012 board meeting.

Members present: Will Waterbury, Matt Stanton, Bob Fisher, Chris McAtee, Brian Bayer, Lee Tschetter?

Scott Novotny Meeting was called to order at 7:03pm The minutes from the board meeting on July 11, 2012 were read and approved. Lee Tschetter made a motion to approve the minutes, Brian Bayer seconded the motion.

Treasurer’s Report Matt Stanton gave the report. A very brief discussion followed. Will Waterbury made a motion to approve the minutes, Scott Novotny seconded the motion. The vote was held and the motion carried unanimously BLM plaque Will shared with the board the generic plaque that the BLM presented to the Flycasters at Miles Landing Dedication Ceremony on July 14.

Bar b que Will be Sept 12. Matt Stanton will purchase food, Casey Leary will organize the cooking. There was a brief discussion about coordinating diversity in potluck dishes.

Summer Meetings There was a discussion about reducing the number of board meetings during the summer months. The consensus was to continue with current meeting schedule and to look at the possibility of board members voting via email. It may require a change in the by-laws.

Brian Bayer is working on a stand for the large plastic WFC logo sign. The stand will be made out of metal. He has also done research on vests. He found Khaki vests for $11.25 plus shipping. Matt Stanton made a motion to authorize up to $300 for the purchase of vests for members to wear at public functions.

A brief discussion about multiple sizes followed with Brian Bayer seconding the motion.

There was a discussion about having a sign-up sheet at Expo for youth who might be interested in Flyfishing activities Scott Novotny initiated a discussion about the prospect of a member “bonus” for participating in club activities such as meetings, events, and outings. Perhaps making the award at the annual banquet was suggested as a possibility.

Matt Stanton asked if Herb Waterman is still involved in the 4x4 post at the WFC Memorial Fishing Area next to Speas Hatchery. Members were unsure about where that project stands at this point. It was suggested that Game and Fish be contacted about moving the current outhouse to a different location that is not in front of the stone with the deceased members’ names. Will Waterbury will make the contact.

Meeting Adjourned 7:48 PM.

Wyoming Fly Casters

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How to Match the Hatch Posted by: Tom Rosenbauer Excerpted from: OrvisNews.com Date: 07/07/11 Choosing the correct fly at the height of an insect hatch, when the trout are selective, is the most complicated, exasperating, and, when you find the right fly, satisfying experience in fly-fishing. The challenge involves not only what species of insect the fish are feeding on, but also the stage—is it an emerging adult, a drifting nymph, or a spent egg-laying adult?

The classic case of dry-fly fishing is when you arrive at a stream or lake to find the trout rising and the water covered with hatching mayflies. You pluck a fly from the air or the surface of the water, lay it on the lid of your fly box, and choose the fly in your box that matches it in size, shape, and color. Then you proceed to catch lots of fish.

rising. Find one that's rising steadily, and keep your eyes glued to the spot. Did he take the big cream mayfly or the little gray one? Perhaps he keeps rising but the flies that float over his head remain untouched. Are there bubbles after a take? If there are none, he's probably taking the emerging nymphs just under the surface.

It's seldom that easy. Faults in your presentation may tip the fish off to the fact that your fly isn't real. (We'll cover those problems in a future post.) You can have what is called a masking hatch, usually a large fly that is hatching at the same time as a smaller, less obvious fly. But the trout may prefer the smaller fly, because it's more abundant or easier to capture.

Subsurface Clues

Every trout-stream insect has a Latin or scientific name, and you may hear other fly fishermen using these names. Latin names eliminate confusion about insect hatches between different areas of the country— an Ephemerella subvaria is called a Hendrickson in some parts of the country and a Whirling Blue Dun in others. It isn't necessary to know Latin names to catch fish. It isn't even necessary to know the names of the flies in your box until it's time to reorder. As long as you can match the natural to its imitation, you'll be a successful fly fisherman.

The secret is observation. Before you start flailing the water with your favorite dry fly, watch the fish that are 12

Here is what usually happens during a hatch: from a couple of days to an hour before the flies hatch, the nymphs or pupae become restless and drift in the current or scamper around on the aquatic vegetation in a lake. Trout pick off these nymphs, but we have no clues unless there has been a hatch for the past few days or your fishing diary or a book on trout-stream insects tells you a hatch is due on this date.

Because the trout are preoccupied with underwater food, they'll probably ignore floating flies, so you'll want to try a wet fly or nymph. Turn over a few rocks on the stream bottom. The flies that are due to emerge will be more abundant on rocks at the stream's edge, and their wing cases will be almost black. Choose a nymph from your fly box that matches them as closely as possible.

At the beginning of the hatch, you'll see a few flies in the air and a few on the water. Rises will probably be

October 2012

... Match the Hatch continued

Downwing

scattered and erratic. What you're most likely seeing is fish feeding just under the surface; occasionally they'll misjudge and break the surface or cause a swirl. This is the time for a wet fly fished just under the surface, an emerger pattern, or a floating nymph.

Trout feeding just under the surface can be exasperating. You see a fish rise, toss your dry fly to him, he splashes at it, the water bulges under it—and you strike and come away empty. This is called a refusal. It may occur because your fly is the wrong size, but often occurs because the fish doesn't want a fly that is floating that high. He puts on the brakes at the last second, but his momentum causes him to break the surface. You might think that he missed your fly or you didn't strike quickly enough. Don't believe it. An adult trout seldom misses his target, and when he wants a dry fly it's tough to take it away from him.

Comparadun

correct size and color should work. Rises to adult mayflies are usually more sedate, unless the mayflies are very large or the wind is blowing them across the surface like tiny sailboats.

It's usually not good enough to gauge the size and color of a hatching fly by observing it in the air or on the water. Flies look larger in the air, and color in a moving insect can be deceiving. Catch a sample to be sure that your match is correct.

Another clue to subsurface feeding is a splashy rise from which erupts an adult fly that flies away. The fish has chased a nymph off the bottom but hasn't been quick enough. This is a very common sight during caddisfly emergence. If you see little mothlike flies popping out of rise forms, put away your dry flies and fish a caddis-pupa imitation just below the surface.

At the height of a hatch you may see fish taking adult flies, know you're fishing with the right size and color, and know that your presentation is OK—and still get refusals. This is the time to switch from a standard hackled dry to a thorax fly, no-hackle, or comparadun, something with a slightly cleaner silhouette. The change to a different pattern of the same size and color will often fool a difficult surfacefeeding trout.

During hatches of many mayflies and caddisflies, the trout take the emerging flies throughout the hatch and bother little with the adult flies resting on the water's surface. You may catch a few on dry flies, especially if your fly isn't floating too well, but you would have been more successful using an emerger or wet-fly pattern. In most hatches, however, there will come a time when there will be enough flies on the surface to tempt the trout to take the adult insects—and your high-floating dry flies. Rises will be deliberate, rhythmic, and you'll see bubbles.

There are thousands of different dry-fly patterns. Most aquatic insects are gray, cream, brown, or olive, and if you have one pattern in each of these colors in sizes 10 through 24 you'll be able to match almost any insect hatch in the world. This approach is much less confusing than trying to fill your fly box with hundreds of different patterns, many of them redundant when it comes to imitating a particular insect.

Splashy rises indicate fish taking insects that are fluttering on the water; as I've said before, this usually indicates a caddisfly hatch. A downwing dry fly of the Wyoming Fly Casters

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BBQ Fun with Family & Friends

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October 2012

Wyoming Fly Casters

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Smokey & Melody

Project Healing Waters, Derrick Dietz

Robinder Outing 11:30 am Alcova Cleanup 8am

Board Meeting 7pm

Halloween

)e Backca! Newsle#er www.wyflycasters.org

Wyoming Fly Casters P.O. Box 2881 Casper, WY 82602