July 2015 Monthly Newsletter - Middle Tennessee Fly Fishing

OUTINGS:
July 2015 Monthly Newsletter
July 16-19, 2015
South Holsten
July 25, 2015
Piney River “Day” Outing
NEWS FROM THE BOARD
~JULY NOMINATIONS:
We will be taking nominations for Board Member. The board member(s) serve a 3 year alternating term and
we have 3 board members. This year Randy Gerdes’s term is up. We will vote on this position at the August
meeting.
Also resigning after 6 years in office is our President Ray Alley and Vice President Tommy Hogan ,who has
served for 5 years.
To clarify, in July we will be nominating (1) board member, with election in August for a 3 year term.
Officer nominations are in September and elections in October.
We ask that you ask someone if they are interested instead of just nominating them. It is a long term commitment and a great wat to become involved in the clubs direction. The time commitment is small, our monthly
board meetings last about an hour and half. Responsibilities are to conduct, manage and control the affairs
of the Club, and to make rules and regulations therefore, not inconsistent with law, or with the Articles of Incorporation, or the Bylaws, as they may deem best. If you have someone you’d like to nominate, please contact Mickey Holton or Seth Ritter.
Prior to the meeting:
We’re pleased to have “MIKE KINGSTON” tying for us this month. Come see him tying starting @ 5:30.
The guest speaker for the night is: “JOEL DEAN”.
The topic will be a 2 part series on Entomology. The second part will be at the August
meeting.
Mike’s Insight
By Mike Kingston
Bottom Up
And
Hanging Out the Wash
In 1998 I started tying Skip Morris’ foam dragon fly the Predator. It wasn’t just the fly, but the way it was
fished that made it such a great fly. The floating fly is fished on a sinking line with a short leader that allows
the fly to be fished just above the weeds on the bottom of the lake. I was familiar with the concept of fishing from the bottom up, but had not tried it until I started tying the Predator.
Fishing the Predator over weed beds in the trout lakes where I lived was very productive for me. I was
aware of the reservoir fishermen in the UK who had been using the bottom up technique for years and Dave
Whitlock was promoting it for bass fishing. That being said, until I moved to Tennessee I mostly used the
bottom up method for trout.
I discovered that our local bass lakes are well suited to fishing bottom up with a sinking line and a floating/
diving fly. The predator is also a great warm water fly, but the deer hair diver has become my favorite bass
fly for fishing from the bottom up. You can pop it while it is still on the surface and it will leave a bubble trail
when it starts to dive. When you stop stripping the fly will start to rise and bass seem to find this action to
their liking. I get many of my strikes with the deer hair diver while the fly is starting to rise.
Many of us fish nymphs under an indicator to allow the placement of the nymph at a precise depth under
the water surface. Using a floating fly with a sinking line allows you to place your fly at a specific distance
above the lake bottom.
I have tied a trailing fly behind my divers before and fished them like a popper and dropper with some success. I recently learned that our fly fishing friends in the UK have put a different twist on fishing a floating fly
on a sinking line. The booby fly is a popular floating fly in the UK and is mostly fished on a sinking line with a
long leader. One resourceful fisherman has started fishing with the booby fly as the point fly and adding
dropper flies above it. He advocates using as many droppers as our legally allowed where you are fishing.
This long line of flies is referred to as hanging out the wash.
I fish Rio 15 and 24 ft. sink tip lines, but my favorite sinking line is the Rio Outbound Short type 6 sinking
line. For trout fishing a floating line should be your first choice, but having a sinking line allows so many
more options. For warm water fishing I think the sinking line is more useful than the floating line, but you do
need both to cover the water properly.
Hope to see you on the water.
Mike Kingston
June’s Outing was to the Caney Fork.
We had around 60+ people that attended the Saturday dinner. We had over 12 cast iron dishes
to choose from, plus salads and vegetables and appetizers, of wontons and striper nuggets. It
was pure magic when the lids came off. The smell and the variety of dishes were such a luxury
for us to enjoy. Thanks to all of you who labored and cooked for the rest of us.
Here’s a few pictures from those that went.
2nd Annual Fly Fishing Derby
Special thanks to the sixteen club members who attended the Derby. Everyone
took home a prize.
The following members placed in the Derby.
1st Rainbow:
2nd Rainbow:
3rd Rainbow:
VERNON BENNETT
Kurt Laemmel
Randy McKernen
1st Brown:
2nd Brown:
3rd Brown:
VERNON BENNETT
Larry Rollins
Randy McKernen
Largest Rainbow: Tie between Vernon Bennett, Randy McKernen,
Larry Rollins
Largest Brown:
Randy McKernen
Smallest Rainbow: Kurt Laemmel
Smallest Brown: Frank Yost
Continue to support the businesses that provided auction items for
the Derby.
Cumberland Transit
Fly South Tennessee
Hareline Dubbin
Image Connection
Loon Outdoors
Southern Trout Magazine
Traditional Flies
Unicoi Outfitters
Wind River Gear
*Unfortunately due to the low support for the Derby the last two years the
Derby will be discontinued next year. The MTFF Board is looking at other fund
raising methods.
From left to right:
Kurt Laemmel, Randy McKernan, Larry Rollins,
Vernon Bennett, Frank Yost
Thank you
To all of our participants
July’s Outing South Holsten (SOHO)
Outing Leader: Joel Dean
July 17-19, 2015
The South Holston:
The South Holston River is one of Tennessee Valley Authority's Dam controlled rivers. The Dam is a Hydroelectric plant, producing electricity for surrounding areas. The river itself comes out of the bottom of a deep
mountain lake. This keeps the water at constant temperatures 12 months a year. That means cold water,
and good trout fishing year round.
The South Holston River is famous for its Sulphur Hatches. These hatches occur from April thru early November, daily. And because of our years of experience, we know where on the river they occur during
different months. The summer is especially good for Sulfur hatches while TVA releases water from the dam.
From June thru September, a Sulphur Hatch WILL occur.
Some of the biggest, brown trout eat the smallest flies and biggest streamers. 20" Wild Rainbow and Wild
Brown trout are a common occurrence to the fly fisherman. A 20 Lb. Brown trout was caught earlier in this
year.
The river is home to 5,000-6,000 trout per mile. All Brown Trout are wild fish, and the South Holston is full
of them.
The Watauga:
The Watauga River near Elizabethton, TN is another one of the TVA tailraces in East Tennessee. The Watauga is a beautiful river full of Browns, Rainbow and Brook Trout. You have a great chance of catching a Grand
Slam on the Watauga River. The Watauga has Awesome Caddis hatches during the Spring time, and Great
Blue Winged Olive hatches during the Fall, Winter and Spring. After the Caddis hatches are done the Sulphurs start, and the fishing is great. The Watauga River is home to 4,000 to 5,000 fish pure mile.
If you will go to the MTFF website, click Outings, then go down to the South Holston & Watauga Rivers
Outing and when you click on that you will find extreme detailed list of anything you might want to know
about this outing.
July’s “Day” Outing Piney River
Outing Leader: Jeff Barrett
July 25, 2015
After hearing Zach’s presentation about the Piney River at the June’s monthly meeting….. Who’s interested in
exploring the Piney River? Let’s plan to float it on the 25th of July, learn more about this river together and
determine if this should be a yearly outing.
I’m planning to camp at the Pinewood Canoe & Camp campground on Friday and Saturday and float both of
those days. Please contact me (Jeff Barrett) if you are interested in floating /fishing with me on either of
these days. We plan to meet at the campground and go up river 6 miles and float back to the
campground. You can check out the Pinewood Canoe & Camp LLC at pinewoodcanoecamp.com They offer
canoe and kayak rentals, shuttle service along with the campground services.
I hope to stop by and check them out before the July MTFF meeting and plan to be at the meeting on the 1 st
to discuss details for the outing. Please plan to call, email, or text me if you are interested in attending this
outing.
The address for Pinewood Canoe & Camp LLC is 2011 Cash Hollow Road; Nunnelly, TN 37137. Their phone
number is 931-729-1042.
They are located 45 mile west of Nashville.
To get here take I-40 west to exit 163. Turn left when you get to the end of the exit ramp ( onto 48 Hwy). Go
a little over 6 miles down 48 and turn right onto Cash Hollow Road.
The campground is a mile down Cash Hollow Road.
ALERT: Do not follow GPS or directions from yahoo or google. They will put you
driving 5 extra miles down a very bad dirt road
August’s Outing Caney Fork
(*Youth Fly Fishing Class)
Outing Leader: Allen Bartine
Youth Class Leader: Vern Bennett
August 14-16, 2015
A FREE YOUTH Fly Tying and Fly Fishing 101 Class
In conjunction with the August 14-16th Caney Fork Outing, on Saturday, the 15th starting in
the morning with:
~Basic Fly Tying & discussion of Basic Fly Fishing and Fly Fishing equipment
~Then breaking for a provided lunch.
~Returning after lunch for casting lessons and more basic information before heading to the
water to fish.
This class is again FREE and geared toward youth’s ages from 8-18 years old and is being
sponsored by a few of our own club members. No equipment is needed, but if you do have
you own supplies and fly rod & reel, feel free to bring it along.
It is imperative that a sign up is requested in order to provide enough supplies and/or rod & reels for all attending. To do so, please send an email
to [email protected]. In the email, let him know how many will be attending, ages and if they have their own equipment. Please do so as soon
as possible.
Also keep in mind it will be your responsibility to provide your own
fishing license and trout stamps for those children over the age of
13 years old. You can get them on line at https://
www1.tn.wildlifelicense.com/start.php or at any local fly fishing
shop.
September’s Outing Cumberland River
Outing Leader: Terry Gerdes
September 11-13, 2015
The Cumberland River below Lake Cumberland is one of the premier trout fishing destinations in the southeastern United States. Home to the state record 21-pound brown trout and a 14-pound, 6-ounce rainbow
trout, the 75-mile Kentucky portion of the Cumberland tailwater rivals the White River of Arkansas and the
Caney Fork in Tennessee.
Trophy brown trout swim in the Cumberland River, as do bountiful numbers of rainbow trout. The river is also home to walleye, sauger and oversized striped bass. This is also the home of the Wolf Creek Hatchery so
you know the river will be loaded with fish.
The first 16 miles of water from Lake Cumberland’s Wolf Creek Dam to Winfrey’s Ferry is a great place for
canoeists, kayakers and owners of small johnboats to float and fish. A few mildly challenging shoals exist in
this stretch, perfect water for beginning canoeists and kayakers to hone their skills. Now that they have completed the work on the dam wade fishing is ideal right below the dam.
Fly anglers should try beadhead pheasant nymphs or smaller midge patterns for summer rainbows. Browns
hit larger olive, brown or black wooly buggers, shad-colored streamers and crayfish patterns fished near
woody cover. Both species go for the Chicago fly, a generalist beadhead nymph that resembles a sparser version of a black Mohair leech.
Go to our webpage for more
detailed information on camping, etc..
Also remember you will need
to purchase a Kentucky State
License and DO NOT bring in
fire wood from out of state. It’s
prohibited.
October “Day” Outing Harpeth River
Outing Leader: Tony Mitchell
October 3, 2015
The Harpeth River, 115 miles long, is one of the major streams of north-central
Middle Tennessee, United States, and one of the major tributaries of the Cumberland River. Via the Cumberland and the Ohio Rivers, it is part of the Mississippi River watershed.
Plan on spending the day with us on this scenic river and enjoy a little fishing as
well.
October Outing White & Norfolk Rivers, Arkansas
Outing Leader: Joel Dean
October 23-25, 2015
Rim Shoals Resort, located on the beautiful White River, is home to one of the worlds finest catch and release wading areas in the country. Rated as one of the 20 top places by Field and Stream Magazine to fly fish
for record breaking brown trout, Rim Shoals is a one of a kind trout destination.
Since the 1950's the Rim Shoals tradition has kept alive the spirit of anglers and has brought with it some of
the top fly fisherman in the world. Tucked deep into the Ozark Mountains in your own little private getaway,
Rim Shoals offers guided fishing trips, boat rentals, shuttles and all of your accommodation needs in one
place. Come getaway from the stresses of life and experience the traditions only Rim Shoals Resort can
offer.
Sign up for this great trip early, we’re staying in the lodge!
Below is a picture of the resort / fly shop at Rim Shoals in the Blue Ribbon Trophy
area. The next page is a few beautiful pictures from last years trip.
**Send your pictures to:[email protected] with a brief description prior to the 17th of the month to be included in the next
month’s newsletter.
TOMMY HOGAN caught this 15” Rainbow Trout while fishing
in the Montauck State Park in southern Missouri.
TOMMY HOGAN
caught these at Percy
Priest Lake in midJune.
How to Tip Fishing Guides and Lodges
This is a wonderful article on the MidCurrent website.
They’ve put together an extensive review of tipping practices at lodges, etc. Answers a lot of questions for a lot of different situations. Ones we may have always wanted to ask,
but never did. Others we thought we knew and didn’t.
Read it if you’re planning on doing any destination fishing
this season or just want to know what’s an acceptable gratuity for a fishing guide.
To view the article……...
First click on:
how-to-tip-fishing-guides for a review of tipping practices at
lodges and locations around the world.
THE MOST CURRENT “RIVER REPORT”
Caney Fork River: The generation schedule has FINALLY backed down to offer plentiful wading opportunities early in the day most days.
Cumberland River, KY: The generation schedule has been backing down slowly lately. Without rainfall the schedule should get right here soon.
Elk River: The water release has backed down to offer wadable windows and the fishing has
been good.
Duck River: The generation schedule has been good and offers plenty of wading opportunities.
Hiwassee River: Water flows have been really good lately.
Holston River: The water levels have been good lately and the fishing is good.
South Holston and Watauga Rivers: The generation schedules on both rivers have improved
lately and good fishable opportunities exist.
Clinch River: The generation schedule has been heavy lately with small windows of no generation, but fishing has been really good during the low water times.
Obey River: The generation schedule is offering low water windows early in the day most
days.
Mountain Streams: Water levels have been good lately in most streams and the fishing has
been terrific.
J. Percy Priest Lake: Striper fishing has started to slow down with the heat.
Old Hickory Lake: Bass fishing is slow currently.
Harpeth River and Its Tributaries: Water levels are good and the smallmouth fishing is
starting to pick up.
Cumberland Transit
2807 West End Avenue Nashville, TN 37203 (615) 321.4069
Fly South
115 19th Avenue South Nashville, TN 37212 (615) 251.6199
Jones Fly Company
1006 Fatherland Street Nashville, TN 37206 (615) 815.5589
Little River Outfitters
106 Town Square Drive Townsend, TN 37882 (865) 448-9459
Orvis
2122 Hillsboro Drive
Nashville, TN 37215 (615) 383.5553
Constant check their website as they offer monthly Fly Fishing 101 & 201 classes that fill up fast.
Tennessee Traditional Flies
228 Norfolk Lane
Nolensville, TN 37135 (615) 618.4970
Tim’s Flies and Lies Outfitters 384 Flowertown Road Normandy, TN 35360 (931) 759. 5058
OUTINGS:
COMING IN AUGUST
August 14-16, 2015
Caney Fork & Youth Fly Fishing 101
Upcoming Events and Happenings
The Annual PHWFF Caney Fork Outing June 26 & 27.
There are:
26 camp sites
89 veterans attending
136 volunteers including several MTFF members
12 boats and guides
Look for more pictures and information on their Facebook page.