Limestone
CHRONICLES A Newsletter Celebrating the Fly-Fishing Experience Published by Spring Ridge Club DECEMBER 2007
www.springridgeclubs.com
STEELHEAD MADNESS! Spring Ridge Club members are steelhead crazy this time of the year! November and December were memorable for steelhead fishing on our private Lake Erie tributaries! This buck pushed 30 inches!
MEMBERSHIP INCENTIVES FOR DECEMBER 2007! There are only a few more weeks for you to take advantage of the special incentives currently in place for Spring Ridge Club and Alpine River Club memberships. ALPINE RIVER CLUB FOUNDER MEMBERSHIPS — ONLY TWO AVAILABLE! The Alpine River Club Founders Incentive Members Program will close at the end of this month and with only two left, it’s time now to take action. If you join before the end of December, 2007: • Pay no dues for the first 12 months • Pay 50% dues for the second year • $4,000 cash credit in your member account that can be used for guides, gear or lodging • 50% of deposit refund at 295 members SPRING RIDGE CLUB EXPLORER MEMBERSHIPS — ONLY TWO AVAILABLE! Join before the end of December, 2007: • Pay no dues for first 12 months • “Early-Out” Clause –Can resign at the end of 2008 but retain fishing rights through April, 2009 (daily fees apply) –Full membership refund less $8,000 fee
Kelly smiles with her football-shaped steelie!
There are other benefits to membership. If you’ve been on the fence about membership, or if you know of someone you’d like to gift a membership to, this is your last chance to do so this year. Membership deposits will go up in January, so don’t miss this opportunity to get in now. Want to talk about it or have questions? Call Mike in the sales office at 814-632-9226, or visit either either website at www.springridgeclubs.com or www.alpineriverclub.com.
Lee & Roy with their Daily Double on December 4!
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A Publication of Spring Ridge Club
LIMESTONE CHRONICLES
GOIN’ WEST TO SKI?
WHY NOT TRY SOME WINTER FLY-FISHING? Gorsuch Outfitters in Edwards, Colorado, an affiliate of Spring Ridge and Alpine River Clubs, is offering great winter packages for fly-fishing on some of the best water in the west. There are a lot of reasons to check out the winter fishing. First, there are no crowds because everyone’s skiing; odds are, you’ll have the water all to yourself. Next, because they’re on the water every day, they know there are big postspawn browns and ‘bows eager to eat flies. Third, the hatches go on all winter and they know what and where they are. Think you’ll get cold on the water? They have heated drift boats and are the only outfitter around that does! Combine that with outstanding fishing and you just can’t beat it. If you book your winter fishing adventure before December 31, you’ll save 10% on the trip. Further, if you book any trip for 2008 by the end of this year, you’ll save an additional 10%. Their winter trip pricing: Full day float (no half-days in winter) (includes lunch, two people per boat) Wade Fishing • 1 person • 2 people • 3 people
$240 half day $320 half day $440 half day
$440
$320 full day $400 full day $500 full day
2008 In-Season Rates (in effect after April 15) Walk/Wade or One-Day School • 1 person $275 half day $350 full day • 2 people $350 half day $450 full day • 3 people $450 half day $550 full day (one guide) • 3 people $525 half day $625 full day (two guides) Float Trips • 2 people
$400 half day
$500 full day
DRIFTBOATING FOR THE FIRST TIME! —by Toni Duchi
I visited Gorsuch Outfitters for the first time in September. I’d never been to Colorado, nor had I done a drift boat trip, so I was looking forward to both. Colorado did not fail me . . . the scenery, of course, is spectacular, and the Gorsuch Retail Store is warm, comfortable, and fully stocked with all the best brands in fishing gear. After two days of meetings, we decided to relax a little on a drift boat trip, and so Ben and I engaged one of the terrific guides there, Peter Smith, to take us out on the Colorado. We didn’t get going until around 6, but the evening was beautiful, clear, and warm — the sun was in that sweet-light position that photographers drool over. I knew I’d get some great shots. We had only a couple of hours of daylight for what was usually a three-hour drift, so we decided not to stop and linger in any pools, but to keep moving, fishing on the fly. The drift was an easy one. There are slow stretches, punctuated at either end by quick, short rapids cont’d next page ...
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A Publication of Spring Ridge Club
LIMESTONE CHRONICLES
DRIFTBOATING cont’d . . .
DAVE’S TOP TEN FLIES FOR WINTER SUCCESS!
and riffles. Rock walls along the edges in many places offer great fish hide-outs and in fact, that’s where Ben caught most of his fish.
1. Glo-Bug 2. Sucker Spawn 3. Pheasant Tail 4. Prince Nymph 5. Midge Larvae (olive & black) 6. Freshwater Shrimp 7. Walt’s Worm 8. Wooly Bugger (olive & white) 9. Griffith’s Gnat (surface) 10. San Juan Worm
At one point, storm clouds rolled in but never amounted to anything, rolling back out just as fast to leave us with clear skies as we drifted down the Colorado toward Two Bridges, where we would land. I never saw anyone fish as fast as Ben was . . . casting left and right with one favorite fly — the Foxy Clouser. I thought it looked like a baby turkey vulture, but he assured me that it looked like a delicious dinner to the fish, and was the best fly for the evening. And he was right. He caught no less than 10 beautiful fish as we drifted quickly along down river. Peter was an excellent guide, giving Ben tips on where the fish might be in any given stretch and also expertly avoiding the boulders that lay just underneath the surface in the rapids. If you have never tried a drift boat trip, why not consider it on your next trip out to Colorado? It’s relaxing, but exciting at the same time, and the fish are fighters and of good size. We were sad to pull up at Twin Bridges but happy to have had such a terrific experience. I’d recommend it!
Top: Midge Larvae Bottom: Griffith’s Gnatt
The Glo-Bug is the most consistent in early winter, until around February, because there is latespawning fish activity and free-floating eggs in the water. After the first of February, the midge larvae and Griffith’s Gnat become critical because midges begin hatching on the nicer days.
ON THE BEAT . . . Putting It All Together It’s an understatement to say that Dave Krupa is busy. He holds down a full-time management position with the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections, he produces outstanding angling art (oil paintings, charcoal drawings, taxidermy, and 3-dimensional trout reproductions), runs a gallery and website to promote that art, attends his kids and grandkids’ sports events, and, oh yeah, he is a flyfishing guide for Spring Ridge Club too. “I’m a time management expert,” he says. “I just stay focused and positive. I enjoy being busy, and when it’s with everything I love, then it’s not a burden.” Dave notes that he particularly enjoys guiding our members’ children. “I am a teacher at heart, and I love showing them the correct way to fish and handle the fish they catch. I try to make a difference for them—teaching them while showing them a good time.” Yellow Creek is his favorite watershed for a number of reasons. “I am an angling romantic. I’m caught up in the history of fly-fishing in Pennsylvania and there’s so much of it there. That whole area is from another era and I’m drawn to it. I also like Upper
Above: Dave Krupa Below: One of Dave’s Reproductions Franklinville a lot—Long Stretch is such a beautiful piece of water. Each of our beats has its own personality and you have to fit into the beat. That’s one of the major advantages of the Club. You can fish everything from small, technical wild trout streams to the big water, river experience.” “It is such a pleasure to be around people who love fly-fishing as much as I do,” he continues, “Spring Ridge really puts it all together with the shop, the equipment, the best fly-fishing around, the staff and guides, and the family atmosphere. It’s got everything anyone could want and I’m proud to be associated with it.” If you’d like to see more of Dave’s artwork, visit his website at www.krupawildlifeart.com.
LIMESTONE CHRONICLES CAN YOU “READ THE RISE?” You can increase your chances of success with dry flies if you take time to stop, look, and read the rise. It begins before you ever get your feet wet. What insects rise in front of you as you approach the water? What color are they? Can you identify them? When you do get to the water, don’t approach too quickly. Stand back and watch carefully. Shake a bush and see what falls onto the water. Can you analyze the rise and match your fly to it? There are several different kinds of rises, and what you do next depends on which rise you see. When a hatch is composed of rapid emergers, you’ll see the splashy rise of fish in a hurry to eat before the insects fly away. A dimpled rise means that insects are trapped on the surface film and fish eat leisurely. In heavy hatches, or when insects are clumped on the water, you’ll see fish snouts out of the water in a gulping motion. Of course there are always variations of these in real life, but these are clues you can use to be more successful in choosing your fly.
A Publication of Spring Ridge Club
GALLERY I LOOK AT THIS! PAUL BROKE HIS NET ON THIS ONE! Tom Z., club prospect, caught this 11-pound ‘bow on Eddie’s Stretch in Yellow Creek! Maybe we need custom nets made of carbon fiber kevlar for Spring Ridge fish!
Sometimes the question is...are the fish eating from the surface or below the surface? If you don’t actually see the fish get the insect at the surface, you can tell another way by watching carefully when the fish submerges. When a fish has taken an insect from the surface, he also takes in air and then expels the air bubbles. Sometimes the “head and shoulders” rise can fool you. This rise pattern means that fish are taking emergers under the surface. Sometimes you may even see his tail break the surface as he turns. This is not a surface rise and the fish feeding in this way may not be receptive to a dry fly.
Yellow Creek Caper!
Take the time to stop, look, and listen and you may just find dry fly-fishing a very satisfying experience on the stream.
SPRING RIDGE TO AGAIN HOST REDBONE—WITH A TWIST! JUNE 20-22, 2008 MARK YOUR CALENDARS NOW! The Redbone Tournament, hosted each year by Spring Ridge Club, benefits the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and is an opportunity to fish some of the best trout waters in the east! This year, we’ll expand the tournament to include some of our famous Spruce Creek waters! Look for further information in upcoming issues!
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A Publication of Spring Ridge Club
LIMESTONE CHRONICLES
GALLERY II
EVEN THE OSPREY IS HAPPY!
PUBLIC STEELHEAD FISHING IN ERIE
PRIVATE STEELHEAD FISHING IN ERIE ON SPRING RIDGE WATERS If you’d like more information about membership in one of our Clubs, visit our websites at either www.springridgeclubs.com, or www.alpineriver club.com, or contact Mike in the sales office at 814-632-9226.
Left top: Mike with an 8-pound spawning male brown. Left bottom: What a great way to finish your “honey do” list! Right top, Jim is in ShangriLa Right bottom: Chris with a bruiser pushing 10 pounds