Penticton Flyfishers Journal Fall 2015

Page 1


Penticton Flyfishers

Page 2 of 31 President Bob Holley 250-770-8180; bobjudy3@yahoo.ca

Volume 12, Number 2 Fall 2015

Penticton Flyfishers Box 354, 113-437 Martin St., Penticton, B.C., V2A 5L1

Vice-President Nick Pace 250-317-0299; nicklebuttz@gmail.com

Editor Ken Woodward 250-808-0393

Treasurer Ken Baker 250-493-2926; kbbaker@telus.net

Email pentictonflyfishers@gmail.com

Secretary Tom Dellamater 250-493-8183; tomdellamater@shaw.ca

Website www.pentictonflyfishers.ca

The Penticton Flyfishers are members of: BC Federation of Fly Fishers (BCFFF) BC Wildlife Federation (BCWF) Federation of Fly Fishers (International FFF) Okanagan Similkameen Conservation Alliance (OSCA)

Membership Director Tom Knight 250-492-3049; twknight@telus.net

In this issue: President’s Report ........ 3 Photo Gallery ................ 4 Penticton Creek ............ 14 Yellow Lake Dock ........ 15 PCM Derby ................... 16 Walleye & Pike............. 21 Fishing with Sandi ........ 24

Chironomids ................. 25 Flyfishing Memories ..... 27 Club Library Index ....... 28 Classifieds ..................... 31 Links ............................. 31 Events Calendar ............ 31

Cover photo by Ken Woodward


Penticton Flyfishers

Page 3 of 31

President’s Report

H

ow time flies, seems only last week we all got our fishing gear packed and headed to our favourite fishing spots. From all accounts the fires in our region did not deter many of you from pursuing your favourite pastime. With the fishing season coming to a close, it is time to turn our attention to spawning season. Tom D and his volunteers installed the fish ladders at both spawning beds. Also, with the assistance of the Freshwater Fisheries Society of B.C., we installed the fish trap into Penticton Creek. In the end, the trap collected over three thousand fish and some 60 thousand eggs were collected for our hatchery. Another milestone was reached when the redevelopment of the lower section of Penticton Creek was completed. (see article in this issue) The many onlookers were very impressed, and hoped that the city would continue to redevelop the remaining sections of the creek that have been identified. Other future projects are still in the planning stages: The building of a new hatchery with Tom D spearheading this project. Phil R is our liaison with the redevelopment of Penticton Creek and keeps the club informed of any developments that the city makes. This fall/winter the club will be addressing many issues: the small lakes issue, with Larry M keeping us informed. The most pressing issue confronting the club has been the decline in revenue; without this revenue we may have to cut back on some of the commitments that the club is involved in. One recommendation is to increase the annual dues. Our dues have not increased in over 15 years according to long time members. Discussions will be held and a final vote on what to do will be made in December, 2015. So, it shapes up to be an interesting fall/winter. As in the past, the executive encourages all members to come up with new ideas for the club. Volunteers are the backbone of any organization/club. I encourage all members to volunteer for present and future projects. Thank You, Bob Holley President, Penticton Flyfishers


Penticton Flyfishers

Page 4 of 31

Photo Gallery Link Lake Fish-Out

Salmon Lake Fish-Out

Send me your pictures of fishing trips, fish, nature or something cool you saw while out in the backcountry. pentictonflyfishers@gmail.com


Penticton Flyfishers

Page 5 of 31

Photo Gallery Salmon Lake Fish-Out


Penticton Flyfishers

Page 6 of 31

Photo Gallery Darke Lake Fish-Out


Penticton Flyfishers

Page 7 of 31

Photo Gallery Darke Lake Fish-Out


Penticton Flyfishers

Page 8 of 31

Photo Gallery Darke Lake Fish-Out

PCM Derby (see article on p. 16)


Penticton Flyfishers

Page 9 of 31

Photo Gallery Adams River Foray

Yellow Lake Kokanee


Penticton Flyfishers

Page 10 of 31

Photo Gallery Skeena Steelhead

Penticton Creek Restoration (see article on p. 14)


Penticton Flyfishers

Page 11 of 31

Photo Gallery Penticton Creek Restoration (continued)


Penticton Flyfishers

Page 12 of 31

Photo Gallery Penticton Creek Restoration (continued)


Penticton Flyfishers

Page 13 of 31

Photo Gallery

Phil's granddaughter Emmerson checking out small one caught by her dad and some big 'uns caught by Opa at Link Lake, September, 2015.

Methow River

New member Don Whitaker with his first Canadian rainbow trout on Yellow Lake, October, 2015.


Penticton Flyfishers

Page 14 of 31

Penticton Creek Restoration submitted by Rick Simpson

A

fter years of planning by fly fishing, government and first nations groups a section of the concrete paved Penticton Creek channel was selected by the City of Penticton to demonstrate the benefits of replacing the concrete with pools, riffles and fish passage runs. Sponsors and contributors include the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Province of B.C., Penticton Indian Band, South Okanagan Similkameen Conservation Program, Freshwater Fisheries Society of B.C., Okanagan Nation Alliance, TD Friends of the Environment Foundation, Penticton Flyfishers and Downtown Penticton Association. (Newbury Hydraulics)

More information and video highlights here:

http://www.castanet.net/news/Penticton/146378/Creek-restoration-underway https://youtu.be/bCOzabl8Aew https://youtu.be/SQIOdJua6G0 http://globalnews.ca/news/2179170/penticton-creek-restoration-project-underway/ http://www.soscp.org/2015/news/penticton-creek-showcases-restoration-excellence/ http://www.pentictonwesternnews.com/opinion/323153041.html http://www.castanet.net/news/Penticton/147917/Tree-planting-event http://infotel.ca/newsitem/flyfishers-club-looking-forward-to-more-upgrades-along-pentictoncreek/it23308


Penticton Flyfishers

Page 15 of 31

Yellow Lake Dock Repair by Phil Rogers

O

n August 7, 2015, members of the Penticton Flyfishers attended Yellow Lake and conducted repairs to the floating boat dock. These repairs included replacing two floating barrels and hardware replacement to the dock and ramp. Thanks to Kevin Smith, Tom Dellamater, Bruce Turnbull, George Graw and Phil Rogers for their work on this project.


Penticton Flyfishers

Page 16 of 31

Peter Cameron Morrison Memorial Flyfishing Derby June 12-14, 2015 by Ken Woodward

F

irst off, please let me offer a BIG thanks and congratulations to Jamie and Cary Parsons of Whispering Pines Ranch and their crew of volunteers for a job well done on organizing and hosting the first annual Peter Cameron Morrison Memorial Flyfishing Derby. Here’s a report of the weekend. I started out thinking it would be short report, but it kinda grew...: Wendy and I arrived at Whispering Pines early on Friday night and it was great to see Peter’s wife, Anne-Mari, sons Braden and Brook, Brook’s girlfriend Stephanie, and Peter’s sisters, Wendy, with her son Michael, and Cheryl, with her son Danny, all there, too.

We dropped off the snazzy t-shirts that Jon (Interior Inkworks) made for the event (that guy is a printing wizard), and then we set up our camper in a nice spot up the hill from the ranch house. What a piece of property! Just down the road from 7 Half-Diamond Ranch, that area is beautiful. Shortly after we got set up Jon rolled in, rocking his new ride with a nice Spring Creek Hopper II perched on top, secured to his signature Weyerhaeuser roof rack. He managed to get one foot on the ground before I got a cold one in his hand, but just barely. :-) He and I headed down to get registered and collect our registration packages, we all shared a meal together, and then we retired to the welcome campfire (it was cold out!) that was being ably tended by Danny. Many of the derby participants were there and lots of


Penticton Flyfishers

Page 17 of 31

laughs were shared around the fire before we all hit the sack so we could get up early (7 am is my idea of early…) to roar off to our chosen lake to try to catch the big one.

Saturday morning dawned cold - there was frost on our tailgate! - but the morning sun soon warmed things up and it looked to be a great day for fishing. After a quick breakfast and coffee we discussed where we should fish. Wendy and I had never fished any of the derby lakes (as a result, my goal was “don’t get skunked”) so we deferred to Jon, who’d fished around there quite a bit. We decided that we would give Hook Lake a try, and off we went. Jon took the lead since he knew how to get there. Someone had mentioned the night before that the launch at Hook Lake was “nasty”. That was an

understatement! Just backing my trailer down to it through the maze of vehicles and an ill-placed campfire ring was a challenge. Thank goodness I have a tilting trailer or I’d not have been able to launch. The Hopper II, being light and small, was the perfect style of boat for Hook Lake. If you go to fish there, be warned - it’s not trailered-boat friendly! Most of the other derby anglers who were at Hook took off around the corner to fish, but we decided to try near the launch since our sounders marked fish there and we spied some sedge adults and the odd swirl. Jon was the first to feel the pull, being broken off by a good take during the first half hour or so. However, takes were few and far between so we decided to try some drop-offs a bit further up the lake. After a while I finally landed one and a throat pump revealed bloodworms and Chaoborus pupae, so I rigged up Wendy with a bloodworm under an indicator while I continued stripping a sedge pupa. It didn’t take long for Wendy to be fast to a decent fish but, alas, it came unbuttoned at the boat. Losing a fish seems extra painful during a derby! Jon was on the other side of the lake and he seemed to be hooking fish regularly. No more fish came to the bloodworm, so Wendy


Penticton Flyfishers

Page 18 of 31 tried a Chaoborus pupa and she was soon into another fish. I also soon landed another one or two and lost a nice one, Jon got broken off again, and then it went quiet for all of us. We started moving and trying likely looking shoals and drop-offs, trying to also avoid getting to close to other anglers.

Jon went all the way up to the other end of the lake where there were a few boats around a sunken island. Eventually we made our way up there, too, and he waved us over beside him. He was doing pretty well but, like us, he was having a heck of a time breaking the 16” barrier, and we’d heard that the big fish on that lake so far was 17-18” so 16” wouldn’t cut it. The wind was a real pain. It wasn’t strong, but it changed direction every few minutes - not good for fishing an indicator towards a drop-off when you want to it stay in the zone. After switching Wendy to the new downwind side of the boat I tossed a cast towards a shoal-edge I hadn’t yet probed. A few seconds of sink time later I started a fast retrieve and got a solid take. I could tell right away it was a much better fish than the previous ones I’d landed so I took extra care in getting it to the net (thank you Moby Whale! :-)). Right away we could see that it was a contender, at least at Hook Lake. I got some photos of it and called the judge over while the fish recovered in the net in the water. He soon arrived, measured and recorded the fish, and we sent it on its way. Twenty inches! Now we’re talkin’. Fishing was fairly slow for the last hour or so before the 5 pm deadline, so with about 20 minutes left Jon wisely decided to head back to the “launch” to avoid the rush and we followed. Getting my boat out of the water onto my trailer was no picnic! We ended up having to drag it up onto the makeshift dock, back the tilted trailer under the nose of the boat, and then winch and manhandle it up onto the trailer. Luckily the other participants were very willing and

able to help. Thanks, lads! We got out of the way as quickly as possible, finished loading our gear back into our vehicles, put the Hopper II back on top of the Sequoia and headed back to the ranch for the evening festivities. To save us the trouble of breaking camp, Jon was kind enough to drive to 7 Half Diamond Ranch where the banquet, raffle, and auction was held and prizes awarded. There was a roast pig on a spit - donated by Pacific Northwest Garden Supply and well tended all day by local pig roasting expert and friend Pat Graf out of Aspen Grove (he even supplied the custom-made BBQ spit), a turkey cooked in a Bradley smoker, some veggie options (for the Woodwards - thanks Jamie!), and all sorts of other tasty stuff. I heard the smoked turkey was excellent (Hint: It was brined in apple juice, spices and Jim Beam bourbon…) While waiting we socialized, bought arm-lengths of raffle tickets, admired the prizes and raffle items - the sponsors sure supported this event


Penticton Flyfishers

Page 19 of 31

generously! - and we were herded outside for a group photo. Soon, supper was served and you could tell everyone was hungry from fishing hard all day because there was a stampede to the serving table. The chatter soon subsided as everyone tucked into a great meal. Once we were all more-or-less finished eating, Roger, the MC (a very funny guy!), got the ball rolling by drawing raffle tickets. There were lots of happy faces as participants won all sorts of cool prizes, including boxes of flies, flylines, tshirts, hats and a whole bunch of gift certificates from Wholesale Sports (the Kamloops store manager was a big help in securing prizes from three stores). From our table Fran won a nice box of flies, and Chris and Wendy kept the streak alive by winning some nice stuff. Prizes were then awarded to anglers who caught the largest fish in each lake and I was thrilled to hear my name called for Hook Lake. Then a hidden prize for the smallest fish entered was awarded - a fly rod and reel donated by Redl Sports. It was won by Kiel, a relatively new fisherman out of the 100 Mile House area. He’s now 'hooked' on fishing, so hopefully winning a fun, nice prize will have him coming back. A Princeton native by the name of Travis won the Pike Mountain Slam and caught all five species/strains of eligible fish: Brookie, Blackwater, Kamloops, Pennask and wild strain rainbow, which required he fish at least three lakes in the allotted time for the derby. It shocked the heck out of Cary and Jamie - they didn’t think it could be done! As a result they didn’t even have a prize ready. (D’oh!) Apparently the report from the officials at Round Lake said he and his partner flew up in a cloud of dust, threw their boat and gear in the water and were gone within five minutes of catching the next type of fish they needed. Cary and Jamie will be buying Travis a new Sage rod in the weight of his choice as a prize. Then came time to announce the derby winners and, again, I was thrilled to hear my name called for the longest fish overall. Woo hoo! I’m now the proud owner of a Sage Accel 697, 4200 reel and Rio Perception flyline. Thanks Far Bank Enterprises! Every time I use it I’ll remember Peter. The next seven placings received their prizes, too, and they were also very nice, from generous donors Wade Bradley, Max Cohen (also a key derby volunteer!), Trout Waters Fly & Tackle, Fred’s Custom Tackle and Black’s


Penticton Flyfishers

Page 20 of 31

Flies. Finally, the MC became auctioneer and some more very nice donated items were sold, including two gorgeous custom Sage Ones from Andy Snedden of Custom Rodbuilders, Inc., an Islander reel from Islander Reels (of course), a guided trip on the Bow River from Country Pleasures, a Moby Whale from Don Chatwin - customized with Peter’s regular greeting “Good Day”, a guided trip on Batstone Lake with two nights accommodation at Whispering Pines donated by Blackwater Guiding and 7 Half Diamond Ranch, and some clothing from Haa-Nee-Naa Lodge. A whopper of a surprise last-minute auction donation came from Don Hutchinson: a 10-day all-inclusive guided fishing and moose hunting trip near Dease Lake, worth over $10,000(!!). Since no one knew it would be available they weren’t ready to bid on such an item so it went for a fire sale price, but it still generated $1600 for the charities. Most (all?) prize donors were good friends and business associates of Peter’s. I was lucky enough to be high bidder on the Islander reel that will hold a special place in my heart - it has “PCM - Good Day” engraved on it. I know I’ll hear his voice each time I look at it. All in all it was a great event, and I’m already looking forward to next year. There were about forty participants this year and over $3500 was raised for the Canadian Diabetes Association and the Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC. That was pretty good considering that the North American Loch-Style Championship was on at the same time; being scheduled about a year in advance it definitely reduced the number of entries at the PCM Memorial Derby, so Jamie and Cary are going to choose a different weekend for next year. They’re considering the May long weekend for 2016 (May 21-23), and they’re also considering having it be a two-day event. Fishing is excellent in the area lakes at that time of year. It would be great to see a bunch more anglers in the derby next year. Even if you aren’t into competition it’s a great time and quite low-key, competitivewise. Consider participating and remembering Peter with us next year!


Penticton Flyfishers

Page 21 of 31

Walleye and Pike on the Fly by Doug Paton

P

ersonally, there is nothing quite like tackling a large northern pike on a fly rod. Everything from the way they smash a fly to watching a three foot fish throw itself out of the water makes the experience exciting, at least for me. The closest thing it’s comparable here in the West, I think, is the bull trout. I have had similar experiences with both fish this year. As for walleye, they might not be full of fight, but they’re a great table fish and if you find a body of water where they aren’t being constantly harassed, they’ll put up a surprisingly decent fight. There aren’t many opportunities in our part of the province to get into pike and walleye, but for those who find themselves down around the Columbia River, here’s a few pointers.

PIKE Where to Look In my experience, pike have a few standard spots you’re going to find them, hanging out under logs and deadheads or by beaver dams. They also like moving water, so feeder creeks or streams that connect lakes are also a good place to look and creek mouths, as well. I’ve had great luck at creek mouths at sunset. They’re not shy, they’ll hit within a few feet of the boat, even when you’re running a gas powered motor. What You’ll Need I wouldn’t go after pike with anything less than a six weight rod. They’re a strong fish and are often the top predators wherever they are. Expect long, impressive runs that are followed by periods of lethargy. I can’t count the number of times I’ve had a pike up to the boat, almost in the net even, only to have it disappear into the water with a forceful flip of its tail with a run that takes me into my backing line. If you’re in a position to do so, follow them with the boat. They love to hide under logs when they run, so anything you can do to keep the pressure on is helpful. You’re also going to want to get a set of pliers or something for removing your hook. They have mouths full of some pretty pointy teeth and I can tell you from experience, that removing the hook without a set of pliers or a hook remover is an extremely unpleasant experience. A wire leader, or even just some high test line, also helps. Pike are notorious for biting through


Penticton Flyfishers

Page 22 of 31

line and anything that makes it harder for them to get through the line goes a long way. I’ve used regular gear leaders, 12 pound test and wire tippet all with success. What Flies to Use Pike will hit almost anything, especially the little guys, but I’ve found there’s a few flies that are almost guaranteed to bring out the big boys to play. The first one is big leach patterns. I’ve had huge pike hit a bunny leach that was pushing four inches long and was purchased with big Alberta bull trout in mind. Big woolly buggers, even not-so-big woolly buggers, will also land you a pike. At dusk and dawn, you can get some pretty great top water action going with mice or other big floating flies. My personal favourite fly, though, is Scotty’s McFly. It’s a pattern that was designed for bass, but was extremely effective for bringing out big pike. You can get those through flymart.ca (http://www.flymart.ca/ctl_ec_product/202/389/scottys-mcfly/) or by tying up a few of your own using the handy video seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3V-ucWGDW0

Walleye Where to Look Hands down, the hardest thing about catching walleye is finding them. Depending on where you are, the best time of day to catch them is earlier in the morning or around dusk. If you’re on a lake that is somewhat murky, or you go deep enough, you can catch them all day. Sometimes it’s a matter of finding exactly the right spot, like a 20x20 square in the water, that’s productive. I’ve been on lakes where anything outside of that square is dead, but inside that is a fish a cast. Look for rocky points, shoals or bays. In my experience, they’re typically found in water anywhere from 3 to 20 feet, depending on the time of day and time of year, but they can certainly be found a lot deeper than that. They also have a preference for moving water, so rivers or river mouths are also good places to look. Get your fly as close to the bottom as possible, ideally you’ll feel a light tap tap tapping of your fly against the bottom. What You’ll Need I typically use the same rod I use to fish for pike, since you can usually find both in the same area and I’d rather be over prepared for a walleye, than under-prepared for a pike. A six weight rod will serve you just fine


Penticton Flyfishers What Flies to Use I’ve had great success in the past using woolly buggers. It never seems to matter what colour you use, but I’m partial to chartreuse and find it effective. This last year, I had also had a lot of success on the already mentioned Scotty’s McFly, again chartreuse was my go-to colour. I also found white with orange to be a very effective colour pattern as well. Leech patterns also work, anything that imitates a fish should also be effective. As I mentioned, the hardest thing about walleye is finding them. After that, it’s almost too easy.

Page 23 of 31


Penticton Flyfishers

Page 24 of 31

Fishing with Sandi by Ralph Jolley

H

ere's a little tale and some photos from the summer, or what I did on my summer holidays.

While we were camping at Scotch Creek, I took the opportunity to go fishing at Phillips Lake, on the Turtle Valley Rd. I've never been there before, and didn't know what to expect, but I saw on the Backroad Mapbook that it had been stocked. Frankly, I just wanted to go fishing anywhere. I talked my sister-in-law Sandi into going along, and we left the campsite about 7 a.m. The lake is only about 20 minutes from Scotch Creek, paved all the way, and kind of picturesque. When we arrived, there was no one around, and I saw a sign that outlined that the lake had been rehabilitated by killing off a perch infestation. No mention of when it was done, or if the lake had recovered. Then we saw a decent size fish jump, and started loading the boat. While I was setting up the rods Sandi said there were fish by the launch. I walked over expecting a few small fish, but instead found 100 plus brook trout in two little pools in the weeds. They all ranged from 14 to 18 inches, and were just hanging around in about 4' of water. I cast a leech in amongst them, and they were totally disinterested. While we were watching them, a loon swam in, under the surface, among them. They scattered to the side, and when the loon left (empty billed) they resumed what they were doing; nothing. I'm not sure why they were there, but I wondered if they were spawners with nowhere to spawn.

We hit the lake after that, and spent the rest of a beautiful day trying just about every pattern I have. I didn't see anything hatching or present on the water. We did catch two decent size rainbows on a green leech, but also saw a couple other large rainbows in the clear, shallow water at the south end of the lake. The fish Sandi caught was delicious, cooked on the BBQ at the campsite that night, accompanied by a nice bottle of white wine (well, maybe more than one). I read online after that Phillips Lake has some large rainbow, but can be moody and frustrating to fish. Still, I think I'd like to give it a try in the spring or fall, instead of the middle of the hottest summer.


Penticton Flyfishers

Page 25 of 31

Chironomids, Chironomids, Chironomids! by Doug Paton

W

hen I first started reading about fly fishing in BC's Southern Interior, which was not long after I started fly fishing, it felt like all I read about was chironomids. I read about how they're the main food of the rainbow trout for the first month or so after ice off, I read the statistics about just how much they eat them, I read about guys like Brian Chan and John Kent, I read about people who seemed to have buckets of the little things that they carried around with them. Even my wife came back from one her fly tying classes talking about them and rattling off the stats of how effecticve they were. There was no escaping them. I didn't get it. I mean, I understand the method, it just didn't appeal to me. The presentation sounded very specific, as did the techniques for retrieving. Far too nit-picky for my tastes and, when you add to that the fact that I've never been a fan of just staring at an indicator of any kind and I just wasn't interested. Not in any serious way. What I couldn't do was ignore the fact that no matter how much I wasn't into the idea of using chironomids, they caught fish. Folks talked about the doubledigit days of 20 plus inch fish like it was expected to happen as soon as you dropped a chironnie into the water. So I picked some up and played around with them a little bit. I didn't have much luck and I certainly wasn't a fan of having a long leader. Even my first trip out to Link Lake during the peak of the season—a fantastic day of fishing with some friends—wasn't quite enough to convince me that they were the way to go. The year ended with me not totally sold on the experience, but still kind of looking forward to the next season. Over the winter, instead of spending most of my time reading about fishing, I was able to meet up with some folks thanks to a local fly tying group. Most of them were big time chironomid fishers and that was pretty much all they tied at these get togethers, and, with their help, I wound up learning how to tie them. I'm not sure if it was the magic of having tied the flies myself, or what, but when I was able to start getting out on the water again, I seemed to be catching more fish. I was catching fish on the chironomids I tied myself anytime I tossed one overboard, whether I ready to catch a fish or simply dealing with a tangle. The moment it all changed for me, though, happened on a day when I was going out fishing with my little girl in tow. She was seven or so months old at the time and I jokingly told a friend today's trip was two hours of getting ready for 45 minutes of fishing.


Penticton Flyfishers

Page 26 of 31

At first, I thought the day was going to a total write-off. The wind was blowing hard and my little canoe was being thrown around that lake like I didn't even have an anchor in the water, which I did. The only cast I managed to make resulted in a lost fly. I was getting kind of grumpy and decided that it was time to change spots before my wife had two babies in a boat to deal with. We paddled off to a calmer part of the lake, tied up to a deadhead and I tied on another fly that I had tied, adjusted the depth of the indicator and cast. In almost no time at all, my indicator went down and, after a brief, but intense, fight, I landed the nicest trout I'd ever caught on a fly rod. “Not bad,” I thought to myself. Two casts later, the indicator went down again. Another intense fight, mostly diving with not much in the way of jumping, and again, I was looking the best fish I'd ever caught on a fly rod—the first fish had been bumped down to second best. Another couple of casts and, again, my indicator went down and I was again locked in a fight with a beautiful rainbow. I was impressed. Between the wind and a baby who still wasn't sure how she felt about boats, I hadn't expected anything from the day at all. Not long after the third fish, we had to call it a day. Naptime was coming up for the little one and us adults were getting hungry. I had been on the water slightly longer than 45 minutes, but the fishing had been better than I could have possibly imagined. Score one for chironomids. The chironomid season wrapped up, at least for me, at Link Lake at the end of May and, by some crazy coincidence, it on the exact same day I'd first gone out there last year. I was looking forward to trying out a new anchor that I had and also to gettting into some fish. The action was even better than it had been the year before. I had six or seven fish to the boat in about two hours and lost a few more. Had I been able to spend the day out there, I can only imagine how many I would have caught. I left the water that day with a changed perspective on chironomid fishing. There are still aspects of it that aren't quite for me—I still don't like indicators and I struggle non-stop with long leaders— but I'll have to admit, when it comes to spending a day on the water, throwing out a chironomid or two is one way to make things that much more exciting.


Penticton Flyfishers

Page 27 of 31

Fly Fishing: Memories of Angling Days by J.R. Hartley by Ralph Jolley, Chief Librarian

I

am donating a book to the PFF Library, entitled Fly Fishing: Memories of Angling Days by J.R. Hartley. The book is purportedly a small memoir of the author's life growing up and fly-fishing in Britain in the early 20th century. I picked it up at a used bookstore several years ago and found it to be an interesting read. It's just a short (127 page) book telling stories of the author's life, all related to fly-fishing. I recently came across it again on my bookshelf and wondered if the author had written any other books. A quick search on Google told... the rest of the story. It turns out this book was published some 18 years after the book was featured in a popular Yellow Pages advertisement in Britain in 1983. In the advertisement an elderly gentleman is shown going to several second hand book stores asking if they have a copy of "Fly Fishing" by J.R. Hartley. His efforts fail, and he returns home looking dejected. His sympathetic daughter passes him the Yellow Pages (remember that?) and the next scene shows him on the phone, obviously delighted that the shop he called has a copy of the requested book. He asks them to keep the copy for him, and then in response to a request for his name, he replies slowly "My name? Oh, yes, it's J. R. Hartley." The ad was voted in the top 15 Greatest Advertisements in Britain in 2000. In 1991, author Michael Russell was inspired to publish "Fly Fishing: Memories of Fly Fishing Days by J.R. Hartley". The book was a best seller, and led to two more best sellers published under the pseudonym "J.R. Hartley". The Yellow Pages advertisement can by found on YouTube. The ad was remade in 2001, featuring fictional DJ "Day V Lately" searching for a copy of his trance remix Pulse and Thunder. J.R. Hartley's books are available on Amazon.com.uk.


Penticton Flyfishers

Page 28 of 31

Club Library

T

he following is a list of the great DVDs, videos and books we have in the club collection. Remember that club members are welcome to sign out these items at monthly club meetings - a great way to get fired up for fishing! Thanks to Ralph Jolley, Chief Librarian.

DVDs 1. Fishing the Dry Fly .........................................................................Gary Borger 2. The Essence of Fly Casting.............................................................Gary Borger 3. Anatomy of a Trout Stream/Advanced Fly Casting .......................Doug Swisher 4. The Essence of Fly Casting II .........................................................Mel Kreiger 5. Fly Fishing For Trout ......................................................................Gary Borger 6. Nymphing and Fly Fishing For Trout .............................................Gary Borger 7. Western Fly Tying ..........................................................................Jack Dennis 8. Penticton Creek Restoration ...........................................................P.F.F. 9. Penticton Creek: Flood Debt and Years 10. P.F.F. – 1980 – 2005 11. P.F.F. – 2003 Auction 12. Instructions Trout Fishing ...............................................................Jim Teeny 13. Using GPS With Maps 14. The Theft of B.C.’s Rivers Vol. 1. Donated by Jon Pew 15. 130 Great Fly Patterns ....................................................................Mac Warner 16. Wild Salmon in Trouble 17. Cold Water Boot Camp 18. International Spey Casting ..............................................................J. Vincent, L. Stavmo, S. Gawesworth 19. PFF 2010 Kodanee Mark/Recap Study 20. PFF Casting 101 Session 2 – 2012 21. Stillwater Tales – 2012 22. Tom Johannensen Fly Tying – 2013 23. PFF Casting 2013 24. Conquering Chironomids ................................................................Phil Rowley and Brian Chan

VHS Tapes 1. Fishing the Dry Fly ..........................................................................Gary Borger 2. The Essence of Fly Casting.............................................................Gary Borger 3. Anatomy of A Trout Stream 4. Advanced Fly Casting Doug Swisher .............................................Doug Swisher 5. The Essence of Fly Casting.............................................................Mel Kreiger 6. The Essence of Fly Casting.............................................................Mel Kreiger 7. Fly Fishing Still Waters ..................................................................Alf Davey 8. Fly Fishing Still Waters ..................................................................Alf Davey 9. Fly Fishing for Trout.......................................................................Gary Borger 10. Fly Casting Clinic 11. The Essence of Fly Casting.............................................................Mel Kreiger 12. Nymphing and Fly Fishing for Trout .............................................Gary Borger 13. Western Fly Tying .........................................................................Jack Dennis 14. Western Fly Tying .........................................................................Jack Dennis 15. Proposed Dam on Similkameen, Princeton Light and Power


Penticton Flyfishers

Page 29 of 31

Club Library VHS Tapes (cont'd) 16. Tying Trout Flies ............................................................................Gary Borger 17. Where the Trout Are .......................................................................Gary Borger 18. Where the Trout Are .......................................................................Gary Borger 19. Salmon Spectacular ........................................................................Charlie White 20. Secrets of Angling Success for Large Mouth Bass 21. Strategies for Still Waters ..............................................................Brian Chan 22. How to Fly Fish Lakes ...................................................................Kevin Longard 23. How to Fly Fish Lakes ...................................................................Kevin Longard 24. Fundamentals of Rod Building 25. Flies for B.C. ...................................................................................Kevin Longard 26. Catch and Release ...........................................................................Brian Chan 27. Catch and Release ...........................................................................Brian Chan 28. Earl Anderson Tying Flies 29. Skeena Steelhead ............................................................................B.C. S.S. 30. Fishing Crustaceans & Snails .........................................................Gary Borger 31. Fishing and Tying Caddis Flies .....................................................Gary LaFontane 32. Fly Tying With John Massey .........................................................(two copies) John Massey 33. What's Up With Tube Flies 34. Understanding Fly Tying Materials 35. Trout in Still Waters........................................................................Gary Borger 36. The Fabulous Bighorn.....................................................................Gary Borger 37. Tying Flies With Jack Dennis & Friends .......................................Jack Dennis 38. Just Fly Tying From Ice Off to Ice On ...........................................Mo Bradley 39. Tying at 96b Seattle Sportsman Show ............................................Henry Hoffman 40. Tying Western Dry Flies.................................................................Jack Dennis Mike Lawson 41. Successful Fly Fishing Strategies ...................................................Gary LaFontane 42. Matching the Hatch Part 1 43. Matching the Hatch Part 2 44. Catching More Steelhead ...............................................................Jim Tenny 45. Successful Fly Fishing Tech Part 1 ................................................Tom White 46. Successful Fly Fishing Tech Part 2 ................................................Tom White 47. Flies for B.C. (same as 25) .............................................................Kevin Longard 48. Fly Fishing for Pacific Steelhead ...................................................Lanni Waller 49. How to Fly Fish – Beginners ..........................................................Kevin Longard 50. Fly Tying Demonstration ................................................................C. Cousins, H. Hoffman, S. Saprunoff 51. Fly Tying Demonstration ...............................................................C. Cousins, H. Hoffman, S. Saprunoff 52. Fishing Montana's Salmon Fly Hatch Dale Burk ...........................Dale Burk 53. Fly Fishing Strategies for Still Waters ...........................................Brian Chan 54. Using GPS With Maps 55. Where the Trout Are .......................................................................Gary Borger 56. Fly Fishing Strategies for Still Waters Vol. 1 ................................Brian Chan 57. History of Totem Fly Fishers of B.C.


Penticton Flyfishers

Page 30 of 31

Club Library Books 1. The Gilly. Club Copy 2. The Gilly. Donated by Herb Murray 3. The Compleat Angler. Donated by Herb Murray ...........................Isaak Walton 4. Fishless Days, Angling Nights 5. Fly Fish the Trout Lakes .................................................................Jack Shaw 6. Tying Flies For Trophy Trout (Missing since 1998?)(see 29) 7. Lee Wulf on Flies 8. Steelhead Fly Fishing and Flies 9. Trout An Angler’s Guide ................................................................Timothy Frey 10. Western Streamside Guide 11. Northern Bush Craft........................................................................Mors L. Kochanski 12. Index of Orvis Fly Patterns .............................................................Donated by Chris Cousins 13. Tying Flies for B.C. Game fish.......................................................Jim Fisher 14. Streamer Fly Tying and Fishing. Donated by Dick Williams ........Joseph Bates Jr. 15. Fly Fishing Simple to Sophisticated ...............................................Al Kyte 16. Western Trout Fly Tying Manual Vol II.........................................Jack Dennis 17. Tying Flies with Jack Dennis and Friends 18. Tying Nymphs ................................................................................Randall Kaufman 19. The Art of Tying The Dry Fly ........................................................Skip Morris 20. Tying Glass Bead Flies (two copies) ..............................................Joe J. Warren 21. Fly Fishing with Children ...............................................................Philip Brunquell 22. Practical Fishing Knots ...................................................................Mark Sosin & Lefty Kreh 23. Flies of the Northwest 24. Fly Fishing British Columbia 25. Fly Fishing Small Lakes for Trout ..................................................Gordon Honey & Kenneth Strand 26. A Primer of Fly Fishing ..................................................................Roderick Haig-Brown 27. Greased Line Fishing for Salmon & Steelhead...............................Jock Scott 28. UBC Bibliography of Angling & Sport Fishing 29. Tying Flies for Trophy Trout. Donated by Herb Murray ...............Jack Shaw 30. Flies from Sportsman’s Cigarettes. Donated by Gordon Marchant 31. Fly Patterns for Stillwaters..............................................................Philip Rowley 32. Fraser River Sockeye 1994 33. The Angler’s Companion................................................................Brian Murphy


Penticton Flyfishers

Page 31 of 31

Classified Ads

Interesting Links Columbia Basin Bulletin: http://www.cbbulletin.com/ - "The Columbia Basin Bulletin's objective is to keep readers fully informed about significant developments related to salmon and steelhead recovery and other important Columbia/Snake River Basin fish and wildlife issues."

PCM Stickers for sale - $2 each. Proceeds will go to the Canadian Diabetes Association and GoFishBC. More info here. Interested? Contact Ken Woodward at 250808-0393 or ken.woodward@gmail.com Please email me with your items to sell. Provide a phone number, email address and let me know when it’s sold. There is no cost to post items in the classifieds. Hint: Items with photos sell much faster.

Calendar of Events November 5: Club meeting November 8: Okanagan River Restoration Initiative Restoration Planting at Penticton Channel Spawning Beds 3. Questions or RSVP - Lee @ 250-499-5404 or mariposaorgf@hotmail.com December 3: Club meeting January 7: Club meeting February 4: Club meeting March 3: Club meeting April 7: Club meeting May 5: Club meeting June 2: Club meeting Do you know about an upcoming event? Send the details as soon as possible to pentictonflyfishers@gmail.com

Fly Casting REV Challenge: http://flatswalker.com/category/casting-revchallenge/ - "Join the REVolution. REVup your casting and REView the fundamentals. This is the first in a challenge to myself: one casting video a week (52 for the year) focusing on the fundamentals of casting a fly rod. We’ll look at basic casting principles, mechanics, common faults and even mobility issues. These will be drawn in part from the plethora of casting woes I witness as I daily guide anglers to tailing bonefish on the saltwater flats of Grand Cayman Island. Over the years I’ve had to learn how to quickly diagnose an angler’s cast, ignoring most of the issues but focusing on the biggest problem so we can go fishing. This forum will allow me to elaborate on some of the problems upstream and downstream of the major issues like wrist-ing, raising the elbow and failing to stop the rod." History of Salmon in the Columbia Basin: https://youtu.be/SH1A8M62s7g?list=UUxs6T 7rvuyPXAnQmbnsX_5w - "This is the first webinar in the Winter Webinar Series hosted in partnership between the Kootenay Conservation Program and the Columbia Basin Watershed Network." Watershed Watch: https://www.watershedwatch.ca/- "Our focus is to elevate the dialogue surrounding wild salmon and to improve our chances of saving them."


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.