WRMC Spring-Summer 2014 - Western Rocky Mountain Council

The Federation of Fly Fishers
Western Rocky Mountain
Council
Volume 4 Number 5
Newsletter of the Western Rocky Mountain Council
Spring/Summer 2014
A Message from the
President, Michael Bantam
Welcome to all members and clubs of the FFF
Western Rocky Mountain Council.
Spring has arrived in the Rocky Mountain
West and it is time to get that gear out, those
flies you have been tying all winter, and
planning your spring fishing trips. I have been
hearing a lot of good things going on in our
Council area. I want to thank all of the clubs
for sending information about their expos and
events. If you have not sent any information
but have something upcoming, please have your club's media person send this information to me
so we can get it in the next issue. Our large Council area has lots of interesting projects and
events going on, that other clubs and members would like to know about, and possibly attend or
volunteer to help out with. I would like to see more members send in their personal outing
information too - for bragging rights in the newsletter. So send those into me and we will let
others know about your area and interests.
My wife Patti and I had a
wonderful time in Belize
in February. We traveled
to a small island named
Caye Caulker. We had no
plan, just went to see
what we could find. We
were pleasantly surprised
by what we found.
Wonderful people, great
food, and awesome bone
fishing. We will be going back again.
So enjoy the newsletter and let us know what you're doing this
summer. Thank you, Michael Bantam
COUNCIL CLUBS - NEWS & EVENTS
FROM - Kelly Creek Flycasters: Riffles, Runs & Lies
North Idaho Fly Fishing
Expo-2014 by Brittany
Davenport
Once again, we had an amazing
Expo this year, with some
familiar faces, along with some
new ones in the crowd! For
those of you unfamiliar to the
Expo, each year the Kelly Creek
Flycasters put on a grand event
in an effort to raise funds for their
coming year. These funds help
support the club’s various
activities throughout the year
and allow us to share our world
with those interested in it!
This year, we had fly tiers come in from all over the west from as far as Jackson
Wyoming, Utah and Alberta Canada! As someone fairly new to the fishing world, and
very new to the fly tying scene, I was amazed at the amount of talent! I can only
venture a guess to the numbers of years of talent in that room…but it would be well into
the triple digits!
We had a great show of
vendors this year, from
the Red Shed and
Snake River Outfitters,
to some new faces from
Dreamcast Idaho,
Scadden Boats and the
Dahlke’s with their
amazing feathers and
hides!
Throughout the two day event, we had fly tying
classes, destination programs and a whole
slew of casting classes from beginner all the
way to advanced two handed techniques. The
show ended with a great banquet and live
auction. John Shewey graced the banquet
with a presentation that included some good
humor and some amazing photography. After
dinner was over, we started the Live Auction--this year there were a good number of items
ranging from Fly Plates, trips, rods and reels
and even some highly coveted baked goods
from our Club members. Many happy bidders
went home with some very nice items this
year!
Patti Bantam learns Spey "Finesse"
This is my second year working on the
committee for the Expo, and it seems to get better
each year. There is such an amazing amount of
energy as you walk through the event---I just can’t
imagine that energy being duplicated! We are by
no means, the biggest show out there, but I like to
think that is part of what makes our show so
special.
We offer
some
great opportunities for people both new to
the sport, and those that are well seasoned,
but still manage to keep that “small town
feel” to it.
If you have already experienced the North
Idaho Fly Fishing Expo (NIFFE), we
appreciate all of your support! If you haven’t,
consider heading down to the L-C Valley
next March and enjoy all our show has to offer! Check out our website at www.niffe.org
or follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/NIFFE.NorthIDFlyFishingExpo !
FROM - North Idaho Fly Casters: Flies & Lies
Thanks to the International Federation of Fly Fishers, Spokane Fly Fishers and North Idaho Fly
Casters, this launch will serve the sportsman in our area for years to come.
Look forward to more "Put-ins & Take-outs" up and down stream soon. Special thanks to Bob
Clark, Ed Lider and Bob Bevins for a job well done.
Photo by DAVE
LONDEREE
FROM - Snake River Cutthroats: The Cutthroat Chronicles
2014 East Idaho Fly Tying Expo,
Idaho Falls, ID
Friday April 25th through Saturday, April 26
Be there!!
FROM - Gem State Fly Fishers: The Gem State Flyer
FROM - Bonneville Fly Fishers: www.bonnevilleflyfishers.com
Pyramid Lake Fishout: March 8-15, 2014
Posted on March 29, 2014
Rich, Ross, Jim B. and Jim H. made the long drive across Utah and Nevada arriving at Pyramid
Lake in the afternoon on Saturday, March 8.
Pyramid Lake Camp
After setting up camp on the beach there was very little daylight left
for fishing, so plans were made to awake early Sunday and hit the
water to fish for the Lahontan Cutthroats the lake is famous for.
Sunday morning began overcast and breezy with a storm forecast to
arrive later in the night. The wind steadily picked up throughout the
day, creating a chop on the water that stirred up the lake and drove the fish close to shore,
making the fishing decent. Around five o’clock in the evening the storm made its presence felt
with a steady wind that whipped the beach sand through camp so hard it drove the BFF campers
into their trailers fairly early as the fine sand found its way into every mouth and every eye.
At2:00 am the wind really started blowing hard with gusts estimated up to 70 mph, blowing one
of the trailers off the blocks it was parked on. With the wind howling so loud it was impossible
to sleep the remainder of the night, so everyone tried their best to hunker down and wait out the
night and hope daylight would bring some relief.
Ross with a nice fish
Monday morning dawned overcast and brought more wind, creating
waves on the lake three to four feet high. Not ideal weather for
camping, but the wave action made the fishing great. Average
cutthroats caught were in the 22” to 26” range.
Rich with a beautiful Lahontan cutthroat.
Not the 18 to 20 pounders that have been recently been featured in photos making
their way around the internet, but big enough and often enough to make the BFF
anglers happy to be there. Various colors of buggers and popcorn beetles were the
flies that worked the best. Monday morning also featured a couple of locals who
thought it was a good idea to launch a small Tracker boat into the lake from the
beach. An H2 Hummer pushed their trailer and boat into the surf and they headed off down the
lake to troll with downrigger setups. A few hours later they were spotted coming back up the
lake against the wind and the waves which had had not abated at all during the day but had
instead intensified in speed and duration. The Hummer driver reluctantly pushed the boat trailer
out into the waves to collect the Tracker and occupants, not knowing that the boat had shipped
enough water to make it almost un-navigable and heavy enough to make it impossible to
maneuver the boat onto the trailer. The Hummer got stuck in the sand about 20 yards out before
the water killed it. The boat swamped. You just can’t make this stuff
up (see photos).
Hummer in a bit of trouble
Wednesday broke clear and much more calm than the previous two
days, so Rich, Jim B. and Jim H. decided to drive into Reno (about
forty miles south of Pyramid Lake) and fish the Truckee River. While
a beautiful day, not a fish was seen much less found at the end of a
line. So much for the Truckee. Back to the lake.
Jim fighting a fish from his platform.
Tom fighting a nice fish
Tom arrived at camp around 2:00 am Thursday morning. By now the
weather had settled and the lake had calmed to a glassy state, making
the fishing slow and the day long. Still, some managed to hook
cutthroats throughout the day and into the evening.
Friday was much like the previous day,
sunny and calm with very little chop on the
water. The fishing slowed even more with
few hits and even fewer hookups. Jim H.
had hauled his barrel smoker out to
Nevada and spent the day smoking six
racks of baby back ribs for dinner that
night. A couple of intrepid BFFers fished for an hour after sunset to little result. By now most of
us had been at the lake for almost a week and were ready to wind down, pack up and head back
home. Ross and Rich left early Saturday morning to make the long slog back to Utah. Jim B. and
Jim H. decided to spend one extra day to unwind and relax before hitting I-80 East on Sunday
morning.
Jim cutting up the ribs.
Was it worth the long drives, hurricane force
winds and sand covering every inch of
everything? Hell yes. If you go you will need: 7
to 9 weights rods. Fast sinking line. Woolly
buggers. Popcorn beetles. Sand-proof goggles.
Visine. Good beer. Good friends
WRMC CONSERVATION REPORT
The Western Rocky Mountain Council (WRMC) clubs have been involved or are currently active
in a number of conservation projects. State wide water related issues are included along with
descriptions of WRMC support letters regarding fishery improvements. Council club members
in Idaho, Montana, Utah and the Dakota`s have submitted the following information.
MONTANA – Big Horn Alliance
The Big Horn Alliance in conjunction the WRMC conservation chairman
issued letters of support to the Bureau of Reclamation regarding
modernizing and improving water quality from irrigation canals into the Bighorn River. The
Bureau is embarking on a long overdue project to rehabilitate the irrigation system on the Crow
Indian Reservation. The two major concerns are sediments and clean water. Currently the
irrigation returns carry undesirable materials including; erosion sediments resulting in turbid
water, unsuitable nutrients, lower dissolved oxygen content, smelly warmed water that
occasionally is fatal to the river fishery. The canal system is nearly 100 years old in dreadful
state of disrepair. The project upgrades may take 10 to 15 years to complete. Once the project
is finished, sediment control and water quality will be much improved.
Great news! On January 16, 2014 the Montana Supreme Court
overturned a lower court and assured public access to the Ruby
River from bridges on land privately held. The decision sets a
precedent that validates all Montana stream bridge access laws.
Significantly, the Court held that once a prescriptive easement is
established, access extends to all public uses including recreation
use. The Court also upheld Montana`s stream access law, stating
“that Montana owns all the waters in trust for the People … and
that a riparian owner takes his property interest subject to a
dominant estate in favor of the public.” The public`s right to wade or float any river or stream
in the state has been recognized, as well as the right to access those streams at bridges crossed
by public roads.
Other conservation news – The Beaverhead Conservation District, along with other area
participants, is working on a project to enhance and improve angling quality on Poindexter
Slough. The project is designed to remove fine sediment that inhibit the quality and quantity of
spawning, rearing, trout survival and improving habitat by providing flushing flows. The District
is presently trying to raise the remaining funds to complete the work.
The Madison River Foundation 2014 projects include: Restoration of
O`Dell Creek, a major Madison River tributary and associated
wetlands. The Foundation is providing funding as well as volunteer
labor. Willow planting on BLM properties along the Madison will
continue to restore and improve riparian vegetation.
IDAHO – North Idaho Fly Casters (NIFC)
A Small Conservation Grant was awarded by IFFF to the club for the
purpose of improving fishing access on the North Fork Coeur d`
Alene River. The NIFC is partnering with the Spokane Fly Fishers,
Idaho Fish and Game Department and US Forest Service. The project provides two launch sites
for drift boats/rafts plus improved parking and road access.
NIFC is also working with the US Forest Service, Idaho Department of Environmental Quality
and Coeur d` Alene River Watershed Advisory Group. The focus is signing and river cleaning up
on the Little North Fork Coeur d`Alene River. The club continues to address stream access on
local rivers. NIFC is working with two land owners on projects that would reduce sediment
entering the Coeur d`Alene River and increase shade in these same areas.
Snake River Cutthroats - Fish habitat was improved by the Snake River Cutthroats using 70
sunken Christmas trees into Gem Lake last February. Club members placed the trees on the ice
with the trunk of the trees attached to cement blocks, cables tied to the trees were used as
anchors to keep the trees on the bottom. When the ice went out, the trees sank into the lake.
Gem Lake is a man made impoundment, on the Snake River, that is part of the Idaho Falls low
head hydro project. The fishery consists of brown and rainbow trout, smallmouth bass, carp
and perch. Club members are looking forward to seeing
the fishery improve.
In April the Cutthroats will do a cooperative project with
the Salmon National Forest nearLeadore, Id. This will
mark the 26th year, in a row the Cutthroats have worked
with the Forest Service to improve salmon and steelhead
spawning habitat in the Salmon River drainage. Projects
have consisted of putting in log plunges, clearing streams
of boulders and debris for fish passage, building fences and putting root wards in the streams.
Boise Valley Fly Fishers (BVFF) – A Small Conservation Grant application was prepared by Rick
Williams, a member of the IFFF national board of directors. The application
was approved for the purpose of developing a public fishing access map of
the Lower Boise River: a Legacy Project for southwest Idaho Fly Fishers. The
project will cover a 35 mile section of the Boise River from Barber Diversion
Dam to Middleton, ID. It is planned as a joint endeavor between BVFF, the
Ted Trueblood Chapter of Trout Unlimited and Idaho Fish and Game.
Last fall major fires swept through the South Fork of the
Boise River drainage, leaving scorched, bare hillsides subject
to sever erosion. Shortly after the fires heavy rains caused
massive slides into the South Fork. Much of the vegetation
and large trees along the river were burned including
damage to culvers, power lines and camping areas. Last
November BVFF and TU helped the Forest Service with
planting 500 new trees and shrubs in various locations along
the river. Restoration work will be on going for a number of years. Also BVFF and TU helped
fund the Pierce Creek culvert replacement, allowing fish from the South Fork to enter the creek
for spawning.
A river draw down evaluation on the South Fork below Anderson Ranch Reservoir was
conducted by Idaho Fish and Game, assisted by BVFF to determine the impact on 1-3 inch fish
being stranded when flows were dropped from 600 t0 300 cfs. The Idaho Fish and Game
completed the first of the report; however its completion was delayed by forest fires and flash
floods. Other BVFF projects include: Working with the Boise Parks Department to develop a
children`s fishing dock at Merill Community Park in Eagle, Id. Also to provide non-motorized
boat launch access sites along the Boise River.
Southeast Idaho Fly Fishers – A Small Conservation Grant was previously awarded to the
Pocatello club for the new Edson Fichter Community Pond improvements including
disabled fishing access.
Kelly Creek Flycasters (KCF) – The club is involved with Idaho Fish and Game on
projects that are meaningful to north Idaho fisheries. Activities include; tagging steelhead
smolt in the Potlatch Creek drainage under the direction fisheries personnel. KCF provides
funds for equipment used by boys coming from the juvenile correction facility in Lewiston.
They work at planting willows and hawthorn in riparian areas of certain steelhead streams that
feeds the Clearwater River. Restoring the integrity of the spawning grounds both in and out of
the creeks has made a major difference in the spawning success in these streams. The club is
also custodians of about two miles of highway along the Lochsa River for cleaning up trash that
would eventually end up in the river.
Silver Creek Update – The world renown spring creek near Picabo,
Idaho has undergone two major restoration projects and are now
essentially complete. The work spans two properties, the Nature
Conservancy Silver Creek Preserve and the Purdy family`s RR Ranch.
The RR Ranch Kilpatrick pond was formed by an irrigation dam
installed in the late 1800`s and created backwater onto the preserve.
Over time the pond became very shallow through siltation. During
summer months the pond became a “solar collector” with water temperatures reaching into
the 70`s. As part of the project a new dam with a fish passage replaced the old Ranch dam. The
Nature Conservancy portion of the creek above Kilpatrick bridge had similar conditions. The
purpose of the restoration work was to remove sediment, lower creek temperatures and
restore the stream channel to a more natural flow. The exposed flats that were previously
under water will be replanted. In the long term the restoration work will enhance wildlife
habitat and provide a wonderful fishery for future generations.
UTAH – Bonneville Fly Fishers
The club indicated they are working with TU on conservation projects in their area.
SOUTH DAKOTA –Black Hills Fly Fishers
As Conservation Chairman for the WRC, I am trying to obtaining information regarding projects
in South Dakota where IFFF may be of assistance. In addition to the Black Hills Fly Fishers, the
South Dakota Wildlife Federation and TU Chapter will be
providing updates on water and fishery related issues.
Duane Marler
WRMC Conservation Chairman
CURRENT CALENDAR FOR WRMC CLUB ACTIVITIES
Big Horn
River
Alliance
Black Hills
Fly Fishers
Boise Valley
Fly Fishers
Bonneville
Fly Fishers
Gem State
Fly Fishers
Kelly Creek
Fly Casters
Magic City
Fly Fishers
Magic Valley
Fly Fishers
Big Horn River Youth
Adventure
6/24 6/27/2014
www.bighornriveralliance.org
Bighorn Lake Carp
Tournament & Festival
6/27/2013
www.bighornriveralliance.org
Monthly Meetings
2nd
Thursday of
every month
http://blackhillsflyfishers.blogspot.com
Monthly Meetings
2nd
Thursday of
each month
http://www.boisevalleyflyfishers.wildapricot.org
Monthly Meetings
2nd
Tuesday of
every month
http://bonnevilleflyfishers.com
Club Meetings
3rd
Tuesday of
every month
www.gemstateflyfishers.com
Fly Casting Classes
April 21 - 22
Annual Picnic in the
Park
August 19,
2014
Monthly Meetings
2nd
Thursday of
every month
Women's Clinic on the
North Fork
9/5 9/7/2014
Club Meetings
1st Tuesday
of every
month
www.kellycreekflycasters.org
http://mcffonline.org
www.magicvalleyflyfishers.com
Missouri
River Fly
Fishers
www.missouririverflyfishers.com
North Idaho
Fly Casters
Christmas Dinner
12/19/2014
www.northidahoflycasters.org
North Idaho
Fly Casters
Casting For Recovery
Benefit/Auction/Dinner
10/04/2014
www.northidahoflycasters.org
Member Meetings
2nd
Wednesday
of every
month Oct.
thru April
www.snakerivercutthroats.org
East Idaho Fly
Tying/Fly Fishing Expo
4/25 4/26/14
www.srcexpo.com
Last Membership
Meeting for season
4/10/2014
www.orgsites.com/id/seidahoflyfishers
Annual Banquet
4/12/14
www.usrff.org
Henry's Fork Club
Float
6/10/14
Snake River
Cutthroats
Southeast
Idaho Fly
Fishers
Upper Snake
River Fly
Fishers
Western
Rocky
Mountain
Council
[email protected]
WRMC Rendezvous
TBD
Non-Western Rocky Mountain Council Shows:
Washington
Council
Washington Fly Fishing
Fair
5/25/3/2014
www.washingtoncouncilfff.org
FREE
FUN!
EDUCATIONAL
SATURDAY
KID & FAMILY
FRIENDLY
FEBRUARY 1ST, 2014
CABIN FEVER
RELIEVER
LOTS OF
ACTIVITIES FOR
EVERYBODY
AC
No Boredom Here
This event is designed to get kids and their families out of the house
and chase away those winter blahs. There will be plenty to keep
everyone busy here! Fishing and hunting pros will be on hand to help
with tips and coaching on fishing, casting, archery, water safety, and
conservation. Kids will be able to earn a certificate of completion and
a prize after completing the course. New autos, recreational vehicles,
4 wheelers, etc. will be on display. Local vendors will be sharing
information, products, food and fun!
KIDS FIRST CAST, INC.
P.O. Box 3916
Nampa, ID 83653-3916
208-442-8836 ext 801
www.kidsfirstcast.org
February 1st, 2014
Saturday Only
WE'RE ON
FACEBOOK!!!
Brittany Davenport, President
of Kelly Creek Flyfishers,
developed a new Facebook
Page for the WRMC!
Look us up, like us, and soon
we'll have hundreds of new
friends. This will enable us to
share current events, news,
flies that worked (or didn't)
and piscatorial bragging pics!
WESTERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN COUNCIL OF THE IFFF
A huge' Thank you' to Brittany, for getting us up to
speed with social media!!!
Here is the link:
https://www.facebook.com/WesternRocky
MountainCouncil
At The Vise: Braided Butt Damsel
By Al & Gretchen Beatty
In the mid 90s we purchased several
pounds of flies from an offshore factory. When
the flies arrived we learned why they had been so
inexpensive – we had thousands of “assorted”
flies all dumped together, size 22s with size 2/0s
and everything in between. We also learned just how many flies were in a pound – a lot!
It took us about six months to sort the flies, figure out their names, and store them by
category/type. We had about 40 dozen of this really good-looking adult damsel pattern that we
just couldn’t find its name. We really liked the way it caught fish and started calling it the
running-line damsel because the body looked like it was made from braided line used for that
purpose.
One day we were doing research for a magazine article and we found the pattern in Gary
Borger’s book Designing Trout Flies on page 110. It was called the Braided Butt Damsel.
Finally, we had the proper name for it.
While reading damsel chapter in the book we learned Gary and Bob Pelzl developed the
fly while they were in New Zealand capturing video footage for “South Island Sampler.” While
there a fellow angler showed them an adult damsel pattern with a braided monofilament
extended body. The idea lights flashed on how they could improve one of Gary’s patterns. They
removed an extended body constructed out of deer hair from a parachute adult damsel pattern
and substituted it with the braided monofilament. They had a winner the fish really liked and the
fly was much easier to tie than the pattern using the deer hair.
Gary ties the fly using the blue color you seen here today to represent an adult male damselfly or
uses a mustard color to mimic the teneral (and some females). No matter which you elect to tie,
you will find this pattern incredibly easy to assemble and very attractive to the fish. It is our “go
to” pattern when we want to present an adult damsel.
Materials
Hook: Size 10 or 12, standard dry fly
Thread: Blue or match the body
Abdomen: Braided monofilament, blue & black permanent marker
Thorax: Blue dubbing
Parachute post: Blue poly yarn
Hackle: Blue dun, parachute style
Back/head: Blue poly yarn
Step 1: Place the hook in the vise and apply a thread base
over the front half of the shank. Wrap a small ball of thread in
the center of the shank. Leave the thread there for the next
step. Use a blue felt tip to color a section of braided
monofilament then mark small bands with a black marker.
Use a cigarette lighter to melt a small ball on one end of the colored monofilament.
Step 2: Tie the braided mono to the hook forming an extended
body 1 ¼ inches long. Be sure to position the body so the
melted mono is on the end.
Step 3: Tie on a segment of blue poly yarn and a blue dun
hackle feather so they point up from the center of the hook.
Step 4: Apply dubbing to the thread and wrap the thorax
starting at the front of the hook and ending at the poly
post/hackle. Be sure to leave the thread hanging behind the
poly yarn.
Step 5: Wrap the hackle around the poly post parachute style.
Tie it off on the post using three thread wraps. Pull the thread
forward over the thorax to the hook eye and anchor it there.
Trim the waste end of the hackle at the base end of the poly
post. Note: We like to tie our parachutes off on the post. If
you like to tie off at the hook eye then adjust how you place the dubbing in the previous step so
your thread ends up at the hook eye.
Step 6: Pull the parachute post over the thorax to form the
back. Tie it off at the eye and trim the poly material to form
the head. Whip-finish, trim, and apply head cement to
complete the fly.
WRMC Newsletter Sponsors
Please support these businesses
The Western Rocky Mountain Council of the IFFF publishes a newsletter
twice a year. If you would like to place an ad in our newsletter the cost will
be $10.00 per issue. Some folks have opted to buy the ad for one issue to
see if there is a substantial pay back. The ad will be business card size of
your logo with your information.
If you would like to place your ad in this next newsletter send a check to:
WRMC
% Dave Londeree
P.O. Box 1004
Athol, Idaho 83801
Please email a JPEG of your logo/ad to me at :
[email protected]
WRMC Contact Information
Michael Bantam, President,
208-724-7944
[email protected]
Bill Bishop, 1st Vice President,
208 895-8064
[email protected]
Peg Kingery, Secretary,
208 699-1858
[email protected]
Dave Londeree, Treasurer,
208-946-6631
[email protected]
Duane Marler, VP-Conservation,
208-846-8342
[email protected]
Nancy Davison, Newsletter,
208-538-7425
[email protected]