THE IRIDEUS The Newsletter of the Grizzly Peak Fly Fishers Based in Kensington, Serving the East Bay & Environs since 1982
Scientific Angling & the Art of Being in the Present Moment
Little Lakes Basin
Observing with a scientific view
A photographic trip report in the High Sierras
By Kirston Koths
By Ron Francis
sept
‘19 GPFF.ORG
CLUB MEETINGS 52 Arlington Ave, Kensington, CA Every second tuesday of every month No meeting in July Social Hour - 6:30pm Business Meeting - 7:00pm
THE IRIDEUS - SEPTEMBER 2019
FEATURES
Departments
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03 The President’s Message
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Entomology for Fly Fishers Where Am I now? Scientific angling and the art of being in the present moment little Lakes Basin
03 BOARD 04 CALENDAR 05 CONSERVATION Coversation 07 NEWS, NOTES & RANDOM CASTS 18 GONE FISHING
Sunday Creek Tributary, Trinity Alps - August 2019
THE IRIDEUS - SEPTEMBER 2019
The President’s By Brad Gee Message
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ummer is nearly gone-- its last day is September 23-- and water levels in California’s rivers and streams are finally falling. Soon most should be in prime condition, full of trout that have had very little fishing pressure since last year. Strike while the iron is hot! Don’t pass up the opportunity to fish the McCloud Oct. 24-27 with us. Keep an eye on our website for last minute pickup trips. You have undoubtedly noticed that this September’s Irideus looks entirely different from previous editions. Since reluctantly taking on the job three years ago our editor, Doug Hale, has been looking for someone to bring the Irideus’s layout, graphics and photos up to date. Fortunately, Zachary Wong, a young, highly talented and high tech member of our club, has stepped up and volunteered to take over the “look and feel” of the newsletter. The idea is that Zach will take over the “visuals” and Doug will concentrate on the words. They are committed to work together to make a better Irideus. September also brings us a full calendar of Club events starting with the Solano Stroll, Sunday September 8 immediately followed by our Open House, Tuesday September 10. I encourage everyone to attend the open house. This is an opportunity to meet new members and help them on their road to fly fisher proficiency. As usual there will be free hot dogs and soda and host of skill demonstrations. Thanks to Fish First’s generous discount, we will also offer new members the chance to win an Echo fly fishing starter kit. The Club is also continuing its work to bring young people to fly fishing. In conjunction with the Bay Area Youth Fly Fishers (BAYFF), our volunteers are teaching young people the basics of our sport. Our next teach-in will be Sunday, September 22 at the Oakland Casting Ponds. See News and Notes for details. In addition to all that we are at the beginning of another cycle of Trout in the Classroom (TIC), one of our most important contributions to the community. Contact Dave Garfin (degarfin@sonic.net) to learn more. Better yet volunteer a few hours of your time over the winter months to be a coach.
Executive Board OFFICERS
Brad Gee
Eric Larson
Mike Lippman
Bob Marshak
President
Secretary
Treasurer
Asst. Treasurer
PROGRAM CHAIRS & BOARD MEMBERS
Josh Genser
Julie Haselden
Mark Likos
Vacant
Program Chair
Conservation Chair
Education Chair
Membership Chair
Dave Garfin
Linda Friedman
Trout in the Classroom
Outings Chair
Douglas Hale Newsletter
NON-BOARD CHAIRS
Lee Hahn Webmaster
Vacant
Librarian
THE IRIDEUS
Douglas Hale Editor-In-Chief
Zachary Wong Asst. Editor
PHOTO CONTRUBITORS THIS MONTH Cover............................................................Linda Friedman Table of Contents........................................... Zachary Wong Calendar............................................................. Ron Francis Conservation..................................... Kirston Koths, EBRPD Entomology................................. Mark Likos, Richard Bartz Where am I now?................................................ Will Moore Scientific Angling........................Royal Collection Trust, UK Little Lakes Basin............................................... Ron Francis Linda’s South of the Border Paradise...........Linda Friedman Back Cover..................................................... Zachary Wong
We are always looking for photos! Submit your photos to Zachary Wong at craigwong810@gmail.com Your photo could be featured on next month’s cover, table of contents, Calendar or our Back Page
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Upcoming Events September 8 Solano Stroll
September 10 September Club Meeting - Open House
September 22
Bay Area Youth Fly Fishing @ Oakland Casting Ponds
October 8
October Club Meeting - Mike Moran from EBRPD
October 24-27
McCloud River - October Caddis Outing
November 12
Club Swap Meet & Silent Auction
Past Events August 14-18
High Sierras - Little Lakes Valley Backpacking Rock Creek Basin
August 26-30
Western Central Oregon - Willamette River
July 8 Oregon - Owahee River
June 27
Upper Sacramento River
THE IRIDEUS - SEPTEMBER 2019
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onservation onversation
With Julie Ruth Haselden
Central Valley Salmon — A message from Dr. Mark Rockwell, D.C. President & VP Conservation, NCCFFI, and Will Moore.
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ello all. Please read the L.A. Times article linked below. It tells us exactly what we’re up against in Washington to save California central valley salmon, steelhead, Delta Smelt, striped bass and others fish, including Southern Resident Killer Whales. We heard rumors that NOAA’s Fisheries Jeopardy Opinion on water operations in the Delta, a 1,123 page analysis, is being suppressed by the Administration. The opinion found proposed changes in government water operations would harm species protected by the Endangered Species Act, including perilously low populations of winter-run salmon, trout and killer whales.
The scientists who wrote it have been removed from the project. They have been replaced by a second team to do a “re-write”, i.e., to come up with the right political answer. A copy of the original report was leaked to the LA Times. Read the LA Times’s view on
the matter and follow the links to the original report https://www.latimes.com/environment/ story/2019-08-20/trump-california-watersalmon-farms I met with four others in Los Angeles last Friday with Senator Feinstein’s staff and discussed for 90 minutes the issues in the BayDelta with water and fish, and this will be sent to them as a follow-up. We asked the Senator to not allow this to happen, and to take action in an Op-Ed and within the Senate to block the administration’s efforts. Our fisheries are at stake. All hands on deck! FISH HANDLING AND PHOTOGRAPHY BASICS.
Kirston Koths demonstrates the proper handling of a fish to take a great KEW photograph - image courtesy of Kirston Koths
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hen it comes to handling fish that we plan to release, a few basic practices will go a long way. Same goes for capturing that moment in photographs. Here are a few simple things to consider the next time a fish comes to hand and the camera comes out. • Make sure your camera is ready to go! Keep your camera easily accessible and make sure that it has plenty of battery, storage capacity,
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and that settings for the current conditions are correct. This will enable you to quickly photograph your fish and then release it. • If you are raising the fish in the air, hold it in a horizontal position parallel to the water with two hands under its belly. Do not hang the fish vertically, a position that will disturb the inner organs and can kill the fish. Remember not to squeeze the lateral lines or the gills! • “Three, two, one, lift, and click!” Counting down your shots means that fish are out of the water for less time. Have the angler take a knee and keep the fish submerged as the camera focus and settings are dialed in, then communicate when everything is ready. Wet fish are dripping fish, it’s a great indicator that a fish has not been out of the water long.
water is especially warm, the fish is deeply hooked, or there are lots of predators in the area. Knowing what conditions can adversely affect the fate of released fish is just as important as knowing the best practices for catch-and-release. IF you catch a great (or even so-so) KEW photo, please send a copy to me at jhaselden17@ comcast.net. We would love to share your photo in the next Irideus. Your photo will be entered into the 2019 GPFF KEW Contest! Save the Date!
• When reviving a fish, try to work underwater as much as possible, keeping fish, net and hands submerged. Best practice is to face it upstream so that the water flows into its mouth and through its gills from front to back. If the current is heavy, move to quieter water, or shield the fish with your legs. The flow of water will help revive the fish but a fast current can stress it further. • The old fashioned method of rocking it back and forth in the current has been successfully challenged as of late. The rocking forces water to flow through the gills in the wrong direction, damaging the fish. Just cradle the fish in the water gently and let it recover on its own. • There are times when conditions simply will not allow for a photo, and that releasing a fish soon as possible is the priority. Maybe you choose not to take a photo because the
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At our October 8 GPFF meeting, we will enjoy a special presentation by Mike Moran, Supervising Naturalist of Big Break Visitor Center at the Delta. Mike is a fascinating speaker who has an energetic and entertaining way of sharing interesting information. This presentation will focus our Delta and its fish. He will also discuss fish and wildlife in our East Bay Regional Park District. Don’t miss this one!
THE IRIDEUS - SEPTEMBER 2019
News, Notes & Random Casts FLY TYING GATHERING September 4th 6:30pm-ish Join other fly tiers at 1062 Park Hills road in Berkeley, CA. RSVP at (510) 548-7894. SOLANO STROLL September 8th 10am-4pm Solano Ave, Albany/Berkeley, CA It’s that time of the year again for our BIGGEST opportunity to recruit new members! Stop by our booth, talk with our club’s volunteer ambassadors: Gary Bard, Linda Friedman, Dave Garfin, Scott Harrison, Kirston Koths, Eric Larson, Mark Likos and Gary Template. Our booth is will be at the corner of Carmel and Solano, prominently displaying our banner and our message of Conservation (TIC information and our participation in creek/ stream restoration), Education (information on learning to fly fish, tie flies, knot tying and more) and Fellowship (through fly fishing outing, conservation activities and meeting new friends through our educational programs). We stage this event just ahead of our Open House where we put our best foot forward to show all the great benefits of joining our club. It’s an all-day event (10am to 4pm) September 8th, 2019. Please be sure to send Mark Likos an email (mlikos@comcast.
net ) to sign up, or sign up at our next club meeting. We need our club members to give out information and answer questions in the area of Conservation, Fly tying, Fly fishing and to promote and discuss club outings. PLEASE signup, both men and women are needed to reflect what our diverse club has to offer! September Club Meeting & Open House September 10th 6:30pm-9pm Arlington Community Church Kensington, CA The Open House will highlight ALL that the club offers with FREE Hot Dogs & Soda for all attendees. Thanks to a generous discount from Fish First the club is able to award a Fly Rig to the lucky winner of the new member drawing. Once again, the Club thanks Fish First for its ongoing support. Golden Gate Trout Unlimited Annual First Cast Day September 15, 8:30am-1pm Marin Civic Center Lagoon Young people ages 10-18, will learn about casting, equipment, knots, and conservation. For more details and to register go to: https://www.youthflyfishers.org/calendar-
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THE IRIDEUS - SEPTEMBER 2019
1/2019/9/15/18th-annual-first-cast-day Bay Area Youth Fly Fishing September 22 Oakland Casting Ponds, McCrea Park As a part of encouraging new young faces to get into the sport of fly fishing, we will be teaching young people ages 9-12 the basics of fly casting and fly fishing at the Oakland Casting Ponds at McCrea Park, Carson Avenue at Elinora Ave. We need volunteers at the event to promote GPFF to attendees and guests participating in the casting clinic. Contact Gary Bard at ncaflyfisher@gmail.com or by phone at (510) 301-2005, for more details about the event and to volunteer for this great cause. YUBA FEST, October 12 Sycamore Ranch County Park Browns Valley, CA Clay Hash, the chairman of the Yuba Fest 2019 Organizational committee welcomes you all to attend Yuba Fest 2019. Yuba Fest 2019 is cohosted by Fly Fishers Internation, Northern California Council, Gold Country Fly Fishers as well as Fly Fishing Traditions. The event will be held at Sycamore Ranch County Park located in beautiful Browns Valley. Here you will learn about current conservation projects on the Lower Yuba, hone in your casting skills, tie flies and learn about the entomology of this river. You will have a chance to connect with local conservation groups, your fellow anglers and with educators who can give you that upper edge you need to fish this river. For more information, see flyer at the end of the News, Notes & Random Casts.
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MOUNTAIN HARDWARE/COLUMBIA MEMBERS OPEN OUTLET SALE Date TBD 1410 Harbour Way S. #1010 Richmond, CA Members! Keep your eyes and ears on these dates as the Mountain Hardware and Columbia Employee Store will once again open its doors to us to take advantage of its very generous employee discount. This is a great opportunity to do some christmas shopping for family and friends who love being in the outdoors as much as you do. We will send you an email notification once more details are available. Trout in the Opportunities
Classroom
Coaching
This is the time to become a Trout in the Classroom Coach. Trout in the Classroom (TIC) is GPFF’s main educational/charity function. The aim of TIC is to create the next generation of river stewards from among elementary and middle school students. Teachers are very enthusiastic about our TIC program and there is a waiting list of teachers to join. What keeps us from taking on more classrooms than we have (about 27) is a lack of GPFF volunteer coaches. Our coaches are the facilitators who spend 6-16 hours spread over the 12-16 weeks the program runs to bring the tanks and eggs to classrooms and to assist teachers as requested. I invite you to become a coach. It will be good for kids, teachers, and the club, and good for you as well. To answer your questions or to volunteer feel free to contact me, David Garfin, at degarfin@sonic.net
THE IRIDEUS - SEPTEMBER 2019
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THE IRIDEUS - SEPTEMBER 2019
Entomology for Fly Fishers
With Mark Likos ntomology is the study of insects. For those of you that missed the August club meeting this article summarizes my talk.
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Success in fly fishing is all about capitalizing on probabilities. One of the ways to maximize your probability of success is through an understanding of foundational-entomology. You don’t need to be an expert in aquatic insects to step up to high-performance fly fishing. With a little knowledge of entomology and the application of a few steps, you can boost your productivity substantially. The vast majority of a stream trout’s diet come from 3 insect groups. The majority of those will be subsurface. IF WE CAN IDENTIFY what the trout are currently eating, we have a huge advantage over those that don’t. We can present what the trout are currently looking for rather than just guessing at what imitative fly to use. Trout, will eat a multitude of aquatic insects in addition to a few terrestrials, but the vast majority are eating one or more of The Big 3. Namely, some stage of Mayflies, Stoneflies or Caddis Flies. These insects make up the majority of the trout’s diet. They all start life as a subsurface aquatic insects and transition into air breathing terrestrial insects as an adults.
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A female subimago of March Brown (Rhithrogena germanica) mayfly resting on a Rough Horsetail (Equisetum hyemale) stem. Image reuse courtesy of Richard Bartz under Creative Commons License.
Our outing success will depend on our ability to identify which of the Big 3 is currently in the waters we plan to fish. Local fishing reports and hatch charts indicate what is normal for the time of year you are fishing. Local fly shops & guide services are excellent sources of current information on what the fish are taking, effective fly patterns and water conditions. Once on the water you can use a seine to collect insect samples. The internet has several useful videos on using overthe-net and two handed seines. Some anglers even use a stomach pump to determine what the first fish they catch was eating. Match your fly (size, shape & color) to what you find in the water and your success rate will soar! If you are interested in the August presentation where I cover the subject in much more detail, contact me at mlikos@comcast. net . I’m close to completing an audio file of the presentation to send to interested club members.
THE IRIDEUS - SEPTEMBER 2019
Where Am I Now?
With Will Moore
Editor’s Note: Every year some of our members move out of the area and, after a while, we begin to wonder how they are doing and if there are fishing opportunities they cannot wait to share with us. And, ok, maybe a B&B while we check out their new discoveries. Will Moore was a longtime leader of our club: Conservation Chair, Multi-time President and all around energizer bunny. Below is an extract from an email he recently sent me.
Will Moore’s Washington Adventure
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s you know, Claudia and I moved to Vancouver, Washington in early January to get close to our young granddaughters. We have a comfortable home in a new sub-division close to fields, forest, and Salmon Creek. The move north was quick and smooth; yet it’s taken nearly half a year to get settled; i.e., organizing the garage and landscaping the backyard. And yes, there’s plenty of rain and sunshine in SW Washington. In addition to grandparent duties, we’ve rediscovered our spirit of adventure—with mid-week jaunts to museums, waterfalls, rose gardens, vineyards, the Oregon coast, and farm stands. We’re also sampling a treasure trove of
restaurants and brewpubs in Portland. And, on clear days, I can view Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Adams, and Mt. Hood — pretty neat! You ask about a fishing report? Although there are several fishable rivers and lakes within two hours, I haven’t cast a fly this summer. But I have scouted out an easy-access fishing spot on a beautiful steelhead stream near Tillamook and hoping to investigate two small lakes in the Gifford Pinchot NF before the rainy season. Near-shore fishing is good for rockfish and an occasional halibut. And, to my delight, large bright Chinook salmon can be purchased from the Columbia River Tribes this time of year. Please say hello to my Grizzly Peak colleagues–I miss the smiles, the commitment, and the fish tales from this special group of anglers! -Will
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Scientific Angling and the Art of Being in the Present Moment By Kirston Koths Studies of Turbulent Water shows Leonardo’s understanding of how vortices move.
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his is the 500th anniversary of the publication of Leonardo da Vinci’s studies on water turbulence. Leonardo may not have been a fly fisher, but he was profoundly talented at observing the scientific world around him. He was fascinated, as are many fly fishers, with the complexity of the currents and vortices in moving water. To study them, he fashioned glass tanks and scattered grass seed into flowing water to help track the motion of its currents (see photo). Fishers of dry flies, nymphs, and streamers are all well advised to understand currents and vortices -- and to stop and observe the aquatic world into which they are attempting to present a life-like imitation of something that fish might eat. Michael Checchio’s fine piece in the current edition of California Fly Fisher points to the publication of Richard and Swisher’s book, Selective Trout, as the origin of what may be called “scientific angling” -- the art of observing, gathering evidence, and forming conclusions about fish, their habitat, and what they feed upon. “The more we inquire, the more we discover what has been hidden from us...” writes Checchio. In
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the fifty years since the publication of Selective Trout, the concept of “matching the hatch” has been engrained in those who will take the time to observe. I have noticed of late, in our harried, urbanized world, more and more people embracing one restorative tenant of Buddhism, “living in the present moment”. Checchio concludes his piece by noting “Fishing is one way to bring us back to earth. It’s a way for us to live in the present moment and to see the world as it really is.”
Leonardo da Vinci noted how water flows past a planar object & the patterns were stable & repeatable, noting flow was subject to physical laws. Images courtesy of the Royal Collection Trust.
Little Lakes Basin A High Sierra Backpacking Adventure By Ron Francis
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he three of us hearty backpacking fly fishermen, Ron Francis, Frank Otto & Mike Leong completed the Little Lakes Basin Trip from August 13th thru the 17th. We had perfect weather, and we were just late enough in the month to miss most of the mosquitos. As planned, we camped at East Fork on Rock Creek to acclimate. We then spent 4 nights in the Wilderness at Chickenfoot Lake (elevation more than 10,000 feet). Fishing
was not easy but we found fish in almost all the lakes we visited. Chickenfoot, our home base, had Brook and Rainbows…the best of which were maybe 10-11”. The nearby Gem Lakes are an easy day hike away from our base camp and produced a fair number of trout. We also made a longer hike over Morgan Pass and fished all three lakes: the lower was supposed to have lots of Golden trout but we only spotted one. I highly recommend the Upper Morgan Lake, a long stark lake with some interesting
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fish points. It provided the best trout, and we harvested a few Brooks to 11+ inches for a great dinner, poached Trout with a garlic, rosemary, balsamic, EVO reduction sauce. Our wildest adventure was deciding to Cross Country to Treasure Lakes, where the 3rd and 4th Lakes were supposed to have Golden trout. But none were found and both fishing and hiking were difficult. Frank and Mike made up for the absence of fish at other times, by fishing the creek in the meadows for the numerous smaller trout between Gem Lake and Chickenfoot. The Tenkara even came out and was effective there. Long casts in the lakes were the name of the game, and small flys at times necessary. But I hooked one at Upper Morgan on a orange rubber legs dry…so a variety was working. If you go, I recommend going mid-week. We hiked in on Thursday and out on Monday. The weekend was full of people camping and there were many, many day hikers. Here are some photos….
Above: The intrepid heroes of this story Below: East Fork Campground, yes there are fish in Rock Creek as well
THE IRIDEUS - SEPTEMBER 2019
Left: Perhaps the full moon put the fishing off a little bit...
Right: High Altitude Fly Fishing on Upper Morgan Lake
Left: Chickenfoot Lake where long casts were often needed, but made setting the hook hard.
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Above: Alpine Beauty at Treasure Lake Number 3 Below: How we ever got down this Rocky Drainage I don’t know...
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By the way, Frank my brotherin-law, had the only Brown on the trip and I the only Golden, so none of us managed the Grand Slam. Mike is a fishing guru, making trips with not only our club, but the SF and Oakland ones also.
Some Final Reflections from our Trip
We all caught fish, but most of all the scenery was beautiful.
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THE IRIDEUS - SEPTEMBER 2019
GONE FISHIN’ Reports From the Field Linda’s South of the Border Paradise by Doug Hale
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inda Friedman and several of her fishing buddies just returned from another trip to saltwater fly fishing heaven. Where? Oh just south of the border, an easy flight from Oakland, on the gulf of mexico complete with fabulous food, lots of fish and world class sunsets. Where is this little slice of paradise exactly you might ask? Linda promises to tell you if you ask her nicely. She just won’t tell me mostly because she knows that I’ll end up telling everyone!
Above: The editors of the Irideus are not in any rush to encounter grasshoppers this size! Mum’s the word when it comes to Linda and where she landed this Tarpon.
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One of those world class sunsets you’d get to experience if you fish with Linda more often!
Inyo in April - A Cautionary Reminder to Check Your Gear! by Zach Wong
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ind and rain played havoc with the latter half of my trip with my fianceè after leaving the Grand Canyon the day before while breaking down camp in the middle of a snow storm we hadn’t seen in the weather reports. A near constant stiff wind of +30mph at Death Valley made setting up a tent near impossible and as adults with a bit of spending money we opted to stay at one of the four places offering shelter in the park for a nominal (read large) fee. I think that when we left Death Valley and entered the Owens Valley on the eastern escarpment of the Sierras, we hoped that the wind had stayed behind. We set up camp in Tuttle Creek and cooked dinner. That relief was to be short lived. As soon as we wanted to start a warm campfire, the appearance of droplets soon made us put most of our gear into the back of the truck and hunker down. In my entire life I have never anything like a spring rainstorm in the Eastern Sierras. This was quickly realized when now our little tent was the only barrier between us and the thick droplets of rain and wind gusts of up to 50mph! One moment we’d be reading and the next, the wind will have hit the side of our tent with such force that it nearly pancaked us inside! The
whole evening was spent with all our bags and things propped up against one side of the tent to prevent from being nearly smashed again. One harrowing night later, we woke up to find the entire campground amazingly bone dry. But the entire Inyo range nearly 50 miles away from us was covered in snow. It wasn’t before! Needless to say, I wasn’t putting on leaky waders to get into Hot Creek later that day in 8” of snow. Before leaving on any adventures, always make sure your gear is up to the task: • Check beforehad that it is clean and free of damage, if there is any damage either repair or replace the item. Our neighbor in Death Valley had his entire tent torn to shreds the night before and he was sleeping out on the ground. • Check first aid kits, make sure that everything is stocked up and still within expiry. • Always consider it a worthwhile expenditure to put a little more money into your gear. While the 50 dollar tent from a bigbox store may sound like a good idea, I’ve found that these tend to break down a lot faster with repeated use due to cheap materials. • When breaking down camp, try to keep organized. Sometimes this can be difficult when you might need to pack in a rush, but still take the time to make sure you don’t leave anything behind. • Clean your equipment as you go! If you roll up your tent full of bark and other debris from the forest floor, it may tear the netting or panels while in transport. • When you get back from your adventure, be sure to make sure your tent is dry before throwing it into storage. Damp is a big tent killer especially if it’s sitting in your closet at home! This would also be a good time to inspect for any damage you need to repair. As always, happy camping!
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Upper Sacramento at Dunsmuir below Interstate 5
