Penticton Flyfishers Journal Dec 2012

September, October,

November

December 2012

Penticton Flyfishers Journal

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Penticton Flyfishers

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Volume 9, Number 4 December 2012

Penticton Flyfishers Box 354, 113-437 Martin St., Penticton, B.C., V2A 5L1 Editors Nick Pace Ken Woodward Email: pentictonflyfishers@gmail.com

Website www.pentictonflyfishers.ca

President (in absentia) Ryan Winstanley 250-488-8757 ry_winstanley@hotmail.com Acting President Larry Martin 250-497-7881 fs-lemartin@shaw.ca Treasurer Ken Baker 250-493-2926 kbbaker@telus.net Secretary Bob Holley 250-770-8180 Membership Director Tom Knight 250-492-3049 twknight@telus.net

Th e

Penticton Flyfishers are mem bers of:

BC Feder ation of Fly Fisher s (BCFFF) BC Wildlife Feder ation (BCWF) Feder ation of Fly Fisher s (Inter national FFF) Okanagan Similkameen Conser vation Alliance (OSCA)

In this issue: President’s Report ........ 3

C&R Mortality ..............14

New Gear ...................... 4

Club Video List............. 17

Fish-Out Schedule ........ 6

Skills: The X-Factor ..... 19

Photo Gallery ................ 7

Links ............................. 20

Member Profile:............ 13

Classifieds ..................... 21 Events Calendar ............21

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President’s Report Message from the First Vice-President

O

K, so the Skaha Kokanee was not caught on a fly, which may have had something to do with bad karma as I also caught a seagull on the same rig. ‘Looking forward to fly fishing in 2013 with new-found skills as the club executive has planned pre-season sessions from experts in fly fishing, casting and fly tying. We will draw on experts from within the club complimented with seminars from paid professionals. As to club experts... we were hoping for some flycasting from Ken Woodward apprentice (or now journeyman?) casting instructor… (Editor’s note: Apprentice!) As well we may get the Grants back this year if they visit Summerland.

I am certain that club fish-outs will include Link, Idleback, and Salmon Lakes, and the Kettle River as they have become somewhat entrenched as tradition.

For those interested a group of us are planning to hit some of the lakes less travelled. Several of these lakes have limited access from older Forest Service recreation reserves: Tuzo, Pitin, Chapman and Barge to name a few. Given the current state of forest service roads, expect some challenges.

The official theme for 2013 - as our club name implies we're Penticton Flyfishers so lets do some fishing!

Larry Martin Kaleden, B.C. <')) >< Canada

These guys’ll take you into your backing…

Christmas flies... In case of emergency break glass and fish.

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New Gear Simms Jacket Simms Waders

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100% waterproof & windproof featuring state-of-the-art GORE-TEX® Pro Shell fabric technology for superior performance Extreme Wet Weather rated – up to 22” of rainfall per hour and Guaranteed to Keep You Dry® Stretch fabric in shoulders & elbows for exceptional flexibility & comfort 2 low-profile large capacity chest pockets & 2 zippered microfleece-lined hand warmer pockets with built-in heat pack pockets 3-point cinch, stowable storm hood, watertight adjustable cuffs, adjustable waist and full length waterproof center-front zipper.

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GORE-TEX® 3-layer fabric featured throughout legs with rein forced fabric in front leg panel for increased durability Wader lower features front seam construction with articulated knee to offer generous fit Zippered Flip-Out Pocket included Adjustable elastic 1.5” suspender with YKK® non-locking buckles Built-in low profile belt loop with nylon wading belt Improved abrasion-resistant material for more durable built-in gravel guards Every pair manufactured in Bozeman, Montana

Penticton Flyfishers

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Ultralight polyester dries quickly and feels good against the skin Tapered design covers the neck and staysput without constriction or tight spots Flat-sewn seams for all-day comfort Highly breathable fabric minimizes eyewear fogging and voice restriction Sublimation print for soft hand Converts into a hat, headband, neck gaiter or wristband Original art by: Josh Udesen and Tim Borski 4.8-oz 100% recycled polyester circular-knit jersey 51 g (1.8 oz) Made in El Salvador.

Sage ONE Elite

For those who appreciate elegance in fly fishing Trying to improve upon the award-winning ONE rod was a tall order, but you know we just had to try.

For those who insist on fishing with only the finest handcrafted tools possible, we’ve added a few refinements that put the ONE Elite in a class all its own. The titanium reel seat and stripper guide components add durability and a nicely balanced weight distribution for a smooth casting stroke. An extra (spare) tip gives you added peace-of-mind on your next far-off adventure. Beauty and performance, defined.

Features: • 9’ 5 weight • All-water rod • Fast action • Konnetic technology construction • Black Ice shaft color • Black primary thread wraps with Gray titanium trim wraps • Elite, flor grade, snub-nose, half-wells cork handle • Titanium reel seat with laser-etched logoed end cap • Titanium winding check • Titanium stripper guides with ceramic insert • Black hook keeper • Extra (spare) tip section

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Time to Fish in 2013

Darke Lake May ?

Kettle River July weekends TBA

Salmon Lake September 20-22

Link Lake June?

2013 Fish-Outs Penticton Fly Fishers ?? ??

?? ??

?? ??

?? ??

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Photo Gallery !"#$%&'%()&*%+,-.&*"'%)/%/,'0,#1% .*,+'2%/,'02%#3.&*"%)*%')4".0,#1% -))5%()&%'36%60,5"%)&.%,#%.0"% 73-8-)&#.*(9% +"#.,-.)#/5(/,'0"*':143,59-)4%

Stonefly nymphal shuck, Adams River

Pelicans at Mammitt Lake

A calm day on Tunkwa Lake â&#x20AC;&#x201C; yes, it happens!

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Presenting the PFF Care Bear in honour of Herb Murray

Don Freschi’s Red-eyed Blood Leech.

Phil Rogers’ version

Squirrel Streamer

Don Freschi’s Red-eyed Blood Leech.

George Graw’s version

Trout Waters Fly & Tackle’s new location on Hwy 97 as of February 1

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Georgeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Special Woolly Bugger (Agur Lake Special?)

Tom likes Georgeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fly at Agur Lake!

Kettle River Trout Tagging Project

Four members of the PFF attended this year: Doug Collins, Dean Marchand, Ken Baker & Phil Rogers. The rest of the ten-person crew from MOE & FLNRO were Jerry Mitchell, Alan Caverly, Robert Bison, Cathy Lacey, Jason Webster and project leader Tara White. 58 rainbow were caught and tagged the first day on the W. Kettle R., including one that was tagged last year. The largest fish was 33 cm caught by Dean. Phil caught a 32.5 cm fish.

On days 2 & 3 a total of 105 rainbows were caught and tagged on the Kettle River. The largest of these was a 45 cm fish caught by Cathy Lacey.

Numerous other types of fish were caught including whitefish, brook trout, suckers and squawfish. The weather was great, warm and sunny with a little wind on the third day. Day 1 and 2 were very long as we waded the rivers until 6:30 pm. Heavy slogging on some very slippery rocks in water that was chest high in places. Jerry fell into the river while trying to get onto the raft.

Unfortunately he had his iPhone in his chest pocket. He is willing to sell the iPhone at a very cheap price if anyone is interested in a stylish paperweight.

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Penticton Creek Work Party

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Penticton Creek Work Party

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PFF/Osprey Leighton Lake Fish Out (not much fishin’, but lotsa eatin’ & drinkin’!)

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Member Profile: Jim Duncan

J

im Duncan joined our club years ago and he was active before the ink was dry on his card.

Having served in the Canadian Military (as an officer) and having sat as a Justice of the Peace, being late or “No” were not attitudes or answers he understood. Jim had been working with the Penticton Shooting Sports on the Penticton Creek Kokanee Spawning Beds and when they needed help he came to us. He not only organized the Penticton Flyfishers (PFF) to help but after a couple years took over the project for the PFF and chaired it for many years. From his work on HMCS J-J the bench he understood the problems with our constitution and the society act and rewrote our constitution. Jim went on to help other clubs in BCWF Region 8 with their constitutions and served on several committees for the BCWF Region 8.

Jim participated in all of the club’s activities, especially the fishing outings that were scheduled throughout the year. Pictured above is the HMCS J–J with Big Jim on the left and Jim Duncan on the right at Darke Lake (2012). Pictured are two big men, in one small boat, with water wings on the side, catching fish at one of his favourite lakes and out-fishing other club members, which gave them the greatest pleasure and bragging rights.

Jim’s failing eyesight has restricted many of his activities but he still continues to be our email contact for the club and, to all our members, constitution expert and general historian for the many projects we have worked on over the years.

Jim has always said yes to all the projects the club has taken on, chaired many of them, and has always worked for conservation, the environment and the art of fly-fishing in all aspects. For these reasons the PFF Club has bestowed upon him a Lifetime Membership. His advice and counsel is sought after at each club meeting and his presence at work projects is appreciated.

Well done and thanks, Tom Dellamater If you would like us to do a profile on any member please contact us at pentictonflyfishers@gmail.com. Please include their accomplishments, stories and general information about the member in the email.

Be sure to include photographs, too!

Penticton Flyfishers

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How Many Wild Steelhead Did You Kill This Year?

by Jeff Mishler. Reprinted with permission.

Editor’s Note: While not strictly about flyfishing, this article provides food for thought about fish handling, something of concern for all anglers regardless of angling method.

L

et’s just say for the purpose of this piece that you’re a catch and release angler. You release all wild steelhead, salmon and trout because, well, it’s the law on most rivers here in the Pacific Northwest and more importantly, an angler concerned about the future of the sport, mostly likely, has come to realize that the future of any fishery lies in the preservation of genetic diversity which can only be ensured through abundant wild adult escapement. Releasing wild fish keeps the gene pool rolling along its natural way. And while some anglers are good at catching fish and others are not, it’s very probable that some anglers catch a lot of wild fish because they target them specifically; for whatever reason, they ignore the put and take fishery available to sport fishermen in most states and choose to pursue wild fish presumably using tackle and techniques that minimize mortality of the resource.

No angler of good intentions wants routine routinely kills wild fish. But passed down the family line and they negatively impact the resource

to admit that their catch and release these routines are often old habits they can be hard to break, even if we think we are protecting.

Consider the following scenario: It’s early March. You and a buddy are drift fishing for winter steelhead on one of Oregon’s many coastal rivers. You hooked six steelhead, landed four and released all of them because most of the fish in the system at this time of year are in fact wild.

Three of the steelhead you landed, you hooked drifting a pearl/pink corkie with a single hook and one of the steelhead was hooked after you threaded a sandshrimp under the corkie rig. Let’s say you are fishing from a drift boat. The water is high and off-color making it difficult to find a place to step to shore. So, for every fish hooked, you had to fight them longer than usual because the swift current made it difficult to bring the fish alongside the boat. Each fish hung in the current downstream from the bow until it was exhausted. In fact, that is when you lost the other two. You were certain they were ready, but they made one last turn away from the boat, towards the shore and the direction of pull on the line changed. The hook pulled free and those two got away. But not the other four. After three attempts, your buddy slides a net under the steelhead and hauls it into the boat. It flops around a bit but you eventually unhooked the size 1 bait hook from the corner of its mouth.

You hold the steelhead up for a picture or two and then slide the fish over the side. You hold it upright for a moment because that’s what they say you should do to revive a tired fish, but it kicks out of your hand and swims off. Let’s just say the four steelhead you landed responded similarly. From your perspective, it would be reasonable to assume that all of the steelhead survived after release because they did in fact swim off on their own.

Could you believe that the opposite might be true? More than likely, all four steelhead died from a long-term, delayed mortality, a truth difficult for the angler to confirm because in most instances, death occurs hours, if not days later.

In the previous scenario, you, the angler, made specific choices that directly affected the overall mortality of catch and release fishing. What we do once the hook is set has more bearing on a wild fish’s survival than the gear we choose. Whether we fly fish only or pinch the barbs on our favorite plugs, equipment has little statistical impact on the overall percentage of mortality associated with catch and release. It is widely promoted that a fish hooked in the corner of the mouth or outside the mouth experiences a 3% chance of mortality if it is

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landed promptly, kept in the water and released quickly. The use of barbed or barbless hooks doesn’t seem to change that percentage significantly. Mortality is determined greatly by our behavior, or habits.

Dr. Bruce Tufts is a professor of biology at Queens University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. He has studied the physiological effects of catch and release fishing since the late 1980s. The findings from his research have helped shape catch and release regulations throughout North America.

According to Tufts, factors such as time out of water and length of fight combine to determine a released fish’s chance of survival. In his study, Physiological Effect of Brief Air Exposure in Exhaustively Exercised Rainbow Trout: Implications for “Catch and Release” Fisheries, Tufts studied the effect of time out of water periods of zero, 30 and 60 seconds for rainbow trout after exhaustive exercise. In 57-degree (F) water, after 12 hours of recovery time, the control group - fish that were held in captivity but not exercised - experienced no mortality.

The group not exposed to air immediately after exercise experienced 12% mortality. The group exposed to air for 30 seconds after exercise experienced 38% mortality, and the group exposed to air for 60 seconds after exercise experience 72% mortality. 7 out of 10 trout died after 12 hours when exposed to air for 60 seconds.

Tufts concluded: …the brief period of air exposure, which occurs in many “catch and release” fisheries, is a significant additional stress which may ultimately influence whether a released fish survives. According to Tufts’ study, any exposure to air significantly decreases a salmon, trout, or steelhead’s chance for survival.

In the above fishing scenario, how long would it take you to clear the net, unhook the fish, take the pictures and then put the fish back into the river? It is very, very difficult do it in less than a minute. I’ve timed numerous anglers trying to do exactly what I have described and in most instances, it takes two minutes or more once the fish is brought on board. So one might conclude that if 7 out of 10 rainbow trout die after an air exposure of 60 seconds, then 3 of the 4 steelhead netted and brought into the drift boat died within 12 hrs after release.

Tufts states in a 2004, In-Fisherman article: When you remove a fish from water the secondary lamellae in the gills collapse, inhibiting gas exchange. Tufts and I use similar analogies when trying to explain how detrimental it is to hold a fish out of water for long periods of time after landing it. Imagine running 100 meters as fast as you can and when you cross the finish line someone grabs you my the back of the head and forces it underwater for a minute. What’s your chance of mortality? Salmon, trout and steelhead breathe air about as well as we breath water.

Tufts states in There’s No Excuse Not to Stop Killing Salmon, an article published in Atlantic Salmon Journal, Spring 2001: …the studies have documented (delayed mortality) in salmon and other species…it is not something that occurs immediately after the period of exhaustive exercise…therefore not something that would be apparent to an angler releasing a fish. Delayed mortality can occur in fish that appear absolutely normal at the start of the recovery period.

60 seconds out of the water and you’ve killed 7 out of 10 fish. This is somber news.

Additionally, Tufts does not take into account the cumulative affects of removing a fish’s protective slime by netting and bringing the fish on board, increasing the chance of bacterial growth on the skin after release and the accompanying increased stress levels. Nor does he address the mortality impacts of hook placement and the increased blood loss from the most vital organ, the gills, when a fish is hooked inside the mouth on a delicate gill rake. Some states have made laws requiring anglers to use single barbless hooks and to keep fish in the water at all times if it is to be released to reduce the chance for post release mortality.

Whether the capture of wild salmon and steelhead is intentional or accidental, catch and release fishing causes mortality at a rate higher than most well intended anglers could ever imagine. It is possible that the angler who chooses to target wild fish kills more wild steelhead, salmon or trout than the equally effective angler who chooses his angling opportunities according to the run timing of specific hatchery returns and kills every legal hatchery fish he or she catches, the determinant being the combination of variables the angler has no control over, and a few that one does. If I catch 20 wild steelhead in four days of fishing and handle them carelessly, it is possible that I might have killed 14 of them, six more than the eight fish, four day limit of the angler whacking and stacking hatchery fish. One has to ask: Whose behavior is better for the resource?

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So, considering the previous angling scenario, the high water day from the drift boat, what could you have done differently to increase the chance of survival for those four wild fish you released?

• First, wear waders if you can. Hip boots are fine. An angler has to get down into the water to properly release a fish. If the water is in fact too high and there is no accessible shore, pull anchor and find calmer water to land the fish.

• Use a net with a rubber or soft mesh. Hard nylon is too hard on the fish. If you can get to shore, slide the fish into the net but leave it in the water. Don’t reef up on the handle and haul it out onto shore. If you net the fish from the boat, don’t bring the fish into the boat. Leave it hanging over the side.

• The fish must stay in the water. Make sure its head is submerged. Get down on your knees, wait for the fish to calm down, and reach in carefully to remove the hook with a pair of pliers.

• Don’t rip the hook out of the mouth. Gently back it out, the direction it went in. Even with a barb, if the hook is lodged in the corner of the mouth or lips, the hook should come out easily with a soft tug.

• If the hook is buried in a gill rake, down in the gullet or buried in the tongue, don’t remove it. The fish’s chances of survival with such a hook placement are reduced as it is. Removing a barbed hook from these areas will certainly kill it. Clip the leader, leaving at least 18 inches trailing outside the mouth and do your best to revive the fish. The old myth that the hook will dissolve over time can be questioned when one uses stainless steel or chrome hooks designed not to rust. (How many shiny hooks have you found hanging in the shoreline brush long after the mono has rotted away?)

• When you are ready to release the fish, gently hold it upright in the current. Don’t move it back and forth.

This drives water and sediments under the gill plate from the wrong direction inhibiting the all important gas exchange, effectively smothering the fish.

• When the fish seems ready to go, hold on to it a little longer. Its fins should be erect and its movements positive. Most fish will bolt from the hand out of fear when they start to get their senses back but haven’t recovered enough to hold themselves upright in the current. If allowed to swim away, they often roll over and die under a rock somewhere downstream. This is the “not apparent” part of the delayed mortality Tufts refers to. Yeah, they swim off, but some of them die.

• Don’t touch the gills. The angler who puts his fingers into the gills of a fish they plan to release, for whatever reason, has probably killed that fish by damaging the delicate lamellae needed for gas exchange (breathing).

If you want to take a picture of the fish hold it gently at the wrist of the tail while supporting the girth under the pectoral fins. Keep the head in the water while the photographer focuses and sets the exposure. Only when the photographer is ready, when they say so, should you lift the fish out of the water an inch or two. Take the picture and immediately place it back into the water. Reset and repeat if you like. Don’t stand up and hold it out.

Stay low. If you drop the fish, it’s close to the water and won’t be injured. How many times have you seen someone drop a squirming fish onto the rocks or into the bottom of the boat? All bad. I can always tell if a fish has been out of the water for a long period of time by the amount of water running off its body. Sadly, most fish are bone dry when pics are taken.

Unfortunately, ego and pride often overtake common sense in those exciting moments when a big wild fish works us over. Taking a fish out of the water is purely a convenience for the angler or guide. Yeah, we want that baby. Gotta get a picture of that bad boy. But, if you fish with the intent of releasing the wild ones, why wouldn’t you, in good conscience, do everything you can to ensure that the trophy you plan to release realizes its purpose? Go buy the right net. Pinch your barbs. Get out of the boat if you can. Don’t use divers and bait during the wild run. (Gut and gill hooked fish experience 68-80% mortality depending on which study you use.)

Keep the fish in the water at all times. Fight the fish quickly.

The wild ones are amazing creatures and should be released unharmed to spawn and provide future angling opportunities. It’s our responsibility as stewards and primary users of the resource to make sure that happens. I know that some habits die hard and the processes we’ve used for years are often second nature, but taking additional care when releasing wild fish is just plain ol’ common sense that doesn’t compromise the experience, so why not try? We will all benefit from your effort.

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Club Video Collection The following is a list of the great videos we have in the club collection. Remember that club members are welcome to sign out videos at monthly club meetings - a great way to ward off winter fishing withdrawal!

Video 1 2 3 4 5, 6,12 7, 8, 9 10 11 13 14 15 16 17, 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47

Title Fishing the Dry Fly The Essence of Fly Casting Anatomy of A Trout Stream Advanced Fly Casting The Essence of Fly Casting Fly Fishing Still Waters Fly Fishing for Trout Fly Casting Clinic Nymphing and Fly Fishing for Trout Western Fly Tying Proposed Dam on Similkameen, Princeton Light and Power Tying Trout Flies Where the Trout Are Salmon Spectacular Secrets of Angling Success for Large Mouth Bass Penticton Creek Strategies for Still Waters How to Fly Fish Lakes Fundamentals of Rod Building Flies for B.C. Catch and Release Earl Anderson Tying Flies Skeena Steelhead Fly Fishing Still Waters Vol. 2 Fishing Crustaceans & Snails Fishing and Tying Caddis Flies Fly Tying With John Massey What's Up With Tube Flies Understanding Fly Tying Materials Trout in Still Waters The Fabulous Bighorn Tying Flies With Jack Dennis & Friends Just Fly Tying Fron Ice Off to Ice On Tying at 96 Seattle Sportsman Show Tying Western Dry Flies Successful Fly Fishing Strategies Matching the Hatch Part 1 Matching the Hatch Part 2 Catching More Steelhead Successful Fly Fishing Tech Part 1 Successful Fly Fishing Tech Part 2 Flies for B.C.

Author Gary Borger Gary Borger Doug Swisher Mel Kreiger Alf Davey Gary Borger Gary Borger Jack Dennis Gary Borger Gary Borger Charlie White PFF Brian Chan Kevin Longard Kevin Longard Brian Chan B.C.S.S. Brian Chan Gary Borger Gary LaFontaine John Massey Gary Borger Gary Borger Jack Dennis Mo Bradley Henry Hoffman Jack Dennis, Mike Lawson Gary LaFontaine Jim Teeny Tom White Tom White Kevin Longard

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Club Video Collection (continued) Video 48 49 50

Title Fly Fishing for Pacific Steelhead How to Fly Fish – Beginners Fly Tying Demonstration

51 52

Fishing Montana's Salmon Fly Hatch International Spey Casting

53 54 55 56

Fly Fishing Strategies for Still Waters Using GPS With Maps Where the Trout Are Strategies for Still Waters Vol. 1

Author Lanni Waller Kevin Longard C. Cousins, H. Hoffman, S. Saprunoff Dale Burk Jim Vincent, Simon Gawesworth, Leif Stavmo Brian Chan Gary Borger Brian Chan

Fairplay!

A couple goes on vacation to a fishing resort in the BC Interior.

The husband likes to fish at the crack of dawn.

The wife likes to read.

One morning after several hours of fishing the husband returns the boat to their lakeside cottage and he decides to take a short nap.

Although she isn't familiar with the lake, the wife decides to take the boat out.

She motors out a short distance, anchors, puts her feet up and begins to read her book.

The peace and solitude are magnificent.

Along comes the Conservation Officer in his boat.

He pulls up alongside her and says,"Good morning, Ma'am, what are you doing?"

"Reading my book," she replies, thinking “Isn't that obvious?”

"You're in a no-fishing area," he informs her.

"But officer, I'm not fishing, I’m reading."

"Yes, but you have all the equipment.

For all I know you could start at any moment.

I'll have to take you in and write you up."

"If you do that, I'll have to charge you with rape," says the woman.

"But I haven't even touched you," says the C.O. "That's true, but you do have all the equipment.

For all I know you could start at any moment."

“Have a nice day, Ma’am.”

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Skills: The X Factor (and tying leaders) Gary McLaughlin

E

ver wonder what that “X” means on your leader package?

You know, that “X” you see right next to the pound test rating. E.g. you buy a leader that is rated at 8 lb. test and next to that you see 3X. So what? Really not much, unless you plan to tie your own tapered leaders This article is not dwelling on hand tied leader formulas but for those who are interested, you may find some here tips that will help you tie a better leader.

When constructing a tapered leader a heavy butt section of 30 to 40 lbs. is needed then tapered down say to 8 or 4 lbs. But, using the “lb. test” rating as a guide won’t work well.

Why? Well there is a big difference, especially nowadays, in the diameter of a specific weight rating from one leader manufacturer to another. Just check the back of a leader package.

This is where the “X” factor comes into play. The “X" factor starts at 0X and runs down to 8X and represents the “diameter” of the leader or tippet you want to use.

The “X” just means how far, say 3X (.008”) is removed from 0X (.011”) in thousandths of inches.

This means that 3X (.008”) is 3 times (3 thousandths) smaller then

0X or 6X (.005”) is 6 times (thousandths) smaller than 0X. Of the three possible basics, lb. test, X factor or diameter of tying tapered leaders I personally prefer to use just the “diameter”. The reason for this is you are now seeing, more often, “point zero 1X” (.01X) or .02X and so on which is X thousandths up from 0X and to try and memorize all this is a bit foolish.

Here are a few tips when constructing your tapered leaders.

• Don’t use the lb. test rating. I have seen more than 5 lb. test variance in the same X factor.

• Forget about the X factor. Look for the diameter.

• Note that there is different stiffness or limpness in leader material of the same leader diameter.

• For the above reason it is best to stick to one leader brand.

Saying this, Maxima Chameleon has good stiffness and makes good butt material.

• The butt section can be tapered down 2 to 3 times on its own.

• The mid-section can be tapered down 2 to 3 times but with less stiffness then the butt.

• The tippet is one piece and as long and stiff or limp as you like, depending on the size of the fly size you are chucking.

After reading all this, you say to yourself “Gary has his head in the tank (single malt). All I want to do is fish, not spend my time tying leaders.”

Remedy: Go to your favourite flyfishing shop and buy a knotless tapered leader, lb. test of your choice, tie it on your fly line and go fishing.

But for those of you who are now losing sleep over this and want to tie your own leaders you say to yourself, “I know Gary has his head in the tank but where do I go to start?

Remedy: Go to your favourite flyfishing shop and buy a knotless tapered leader, lb. test of your choice, tie it on your fly line and go fishing.

You may want to consider using straight level diameter leader while you figure it out. Why? 1. Unless you make that nice forward power stroke ending with a crisp stop your leader is not going to turn over that well anyway.

2. Our Kamloops rainbow trout are not leader shy.

Footnote: I was working on a gizmo to quickly tie blood knots for this article but I cast that aside for now as I’m now trying to tie a Figure 8 loop on one end of a piece of leader with one hand while trying to tie a non-slip uni-knot loop to the other end with my spare hand.

Tight lines, Gary

.

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Links!

I

n this section we post links that we find interesting: articles that we find on the internet or in fly magazines direct links to fly fishing and environmental concerns, and so on. If you have any interesting links, please send them to us by email at pentictonflyfishers@gmail.com.

• Casting a Voice (five minute teaser): vimeo.com/54377477 • FlyBC forum: www.flybc.ca/forum/ • Fly Craft Angling: www.flycraftangling.com/ • Global Flyfisher Hyper-Compleat Principles of Leader Design: globalflyfisher.com/fishbetter/leadercalc/ • Innovative Fly Fisher: innovativeflyfisher.com/ • Kalamalka Fly Fishers Club: www.kalflyfishers.ca/ • Lonely Loons Fly Fishing Club: www.facebook.com/LonelyLoonsFlyFishingClub • Mel Krieger – The Essence of Fly Casting: youtu.be/JW1C5jxL48E (part 1); youtu.be/08v8VkqVQjw (part 2) • Osprey Flyfishers of BC: www.ospreyflyfishers.com/ • Proposed B.C. angling regulation changes: a100.gov.bc.ca/pub/ahte/angling • Skagit Master: skagitmaster.com/ • Speypages: www.speypages.com/ • Who Needs Jaws? short video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LPQnpy6034

Please tell us what you want to see in this newsletter!

Suggestions and member submissions are always welcome – and needed!

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Classified Ads!

Calendar of Events%

Trout Waters Fly & Tackle is moving!

Well, the time has come for us to grow our business here at Trout Waters Fly & Tackle.

So in saying that starting February 1, 2013, we will moving to our new location at 2340 Highway 97 North, Kelowna, BC, V1X 4H8 which is across from Staples and Safeway (just down from the corner of Leckie & Hwy 97). It’s the same plaza as Yamaha, True Outdoors and the former location of Deviate (the lime green store). You will see a transition in January but it’s business as usual at our current location. We want to thank our loyal and great customers for making this move possible. Thanks, Trout Waters WANTED: Lightweight truck camper If you have, or know of, a lightweight truck camper for sale that is suitable for an F-150 long box, please contact Ken Woodward (ken.woodward@gmail.com, 250-491-0644).

Thanks!

• January 3, February 7, March 7, April 4, May 2, June 6: Club meetings • January 10, February 14, March 14, April 21, May 9, June 13: Fly tying • March 23: Tom Johannsen presentation • April 20: Annual Dinner & Auction • Do you know about an upcoming event? Please let us know as soon as possible. Send the details to pentictonflyfishers@gmail.com.

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