Next Meeting August 1, 2013 7:00 P.M. Flatland Fly Fishers 2
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August 2013 Volume 18 Issue 8 Bighorn River Youth Fly Fishing Adventure Adam Urban Wichita, Kansas www.flatlandflyfishers.org It turns out that I was able to get out of At the time I applied for this and was state right before our first real heat wave selected we had already planned and that some of you might remember as hap- booked our regular summer trip and it hap- pening in the later half of June. I hadn’t pened to fall directly after the Youth Ad- INSIDE THIS ISSUE planned it like this but with my dislike for venture. We ended up going straight down hot windy weather it worked out nicely to Colorado for our week in Granby which and I’m glad it did. I took a little over two is between Winter Park and Grand Lake, to Alaska Trip week leave from here in KS and ended up give an idea of location. I got to fish a heading west for a couple of different rea- wide variety of water and caught fish in From The President sons and locations. most places but the dry fly action wasn’t as Page 2 The first of which was that I applied for good as I had hoped for and ended up re- ___________________ and was selected to attend the Bighorn sorting to nymphs most of the time. Not Minimal Fly Fishing River Youth Adventure which as its name that there’s anything wrong with that Page 3 & 4 implies was held in Ft. Smith, Montana on though, between Rocky Mountain National the famous Bighorn River. Park, the Fraser river, the Colorado river, ___________________ and a couple of private waters I was lucky Blue Gill Fest enough to get access to. It was a great trip What’s Cooking and prevented a letdown that would have Page 4 definitely occurred after the Bighorn expe- ___________________ rience. McKenzie River Page 5 ___________________ My Tenkara Experience Page 6 ___________________ The Youth Adventure is put on by the Club Information Bighorn River Alliance and the Federation Page 7 of Fly Fishers and is their yearly event where they select 12 youth between ages 14 to 18 to come stay in Ft. Smith and re- ceive four days of guided fly fishing, tying Between these two places I could bore instruction and various other events all at you to death with a huge article but instead no cost to the participants. With all of this I’ll be doing a short presentation on it at to look forward to I headed off to Montana the August meeting. Also doing a short and in short; flies were tied, fish were presentation will be Bruce Garren who was Visit our website caught. I just had an overall great time lucky enough to take a trip to Alaska. www. flatlandflyfishers.org/ with all the other young people who were Hope to see you all there. just as into fly fishing as I am. Next Meeting August 1, 2013 7:00 P.M. Flatland Fly Fishers 2 Alaska Trip From the President Bruce Garren "After many years of dreaming of a fishing trip to Alaska, my son Jarad and I recently managed to make that trip. Flying from Anchorage to King Salmon we made the last leg of our journey to Naknek River Camp. You will be able to see a slide show of some of our fishing and bear adventures while we ex- perienced the wide open spaces of the Alaskan wilderness." Hey, July was not so bad. We got some rain and the temperatures were fishable. I hope that you got out and wacked a few fish. At our August club meeting two of our members, Adam and Bruce will do presentations on the trips that they had this summer, I know I’m looking forward to seeing their pictures. In other club notes it will be November before we know it, and as you know November will be the club elections, so if you are inter- ested in seeking a position on the board let me know. You know that if you give a kid a fish he or she will have a seafood dinner. Teach a kid engineering princi- ples and they could start an aquafarm, or devise a better fishing system or maybe come up with an entirely new way to combat your chronic fishlessness. Science is not just for scientist. Teach what you know to a kid and take them fly fishing. Last November the club went down to Roaring River for the opening of the catch and release season. If you would like to do a club trip this year let me know so that I can call the resort and set up a room rate. If you go you will have to make your own reservations with Roar- ing River Resort. There will be more information on this trip in upcoming newsletters. The top water Bluegill season is going strong right now so get out there and smack a big one. Flatland Fly Fishers 3 The Essentials of Fly Fishing Chapter 1 Rick Brown How to be successful at My Fly Fishing Ten Essentials The Basic Fundamental Indispensable Stuff needed to get minimalist fly fishing out on the river. 1. At least one good 9’ 5 wt. 4 pc. Rod. Can you have more than one rod and still be a minimalist, sure you can. But when I was out fishing in Colorado a few years ago and while you head down to the river pick one. standing in the middle of the river I heard some noise on the 2. At least one good reel with a good drag system. Same river bank, when I turned around a young guy popped out the thing for reels as for rods. You may want to have an extra bush and bounded down a steep bank into the river behind me spool for that reel. and bounced across the river in about four steps. All he was 3. Good Fly Line (weight forward floating) (line weight to wearing were wader boots and swim trunks with a ball hat and match rod) no shirt. He had his fly rod taken apart and was in one hand. 4. A selection of leaders and tippet material. A person could When I asked where he had been fishing he said, as he went build their own leader. by, that he had been in the upper end of Brown’s Canyon. That 5. A selection of flies (Trout, Bass, Bluegill’s, etc.) was three miles upriver from where I saw him. He was able to 6. A pair of forceps and nippers. (With zingers) (Dr. Slick cover a lot water that day because he did not have anything and Redington make both in one tool) with him he did not need. I watched as he made his way up to 7. At least two fly boxes (water proof) (that fit in your vest or the parking lot, pitched his rod in his old car and was gone. bag or pocket) When I got out of the river that day it took me about half an 8. Some type of vest and or bag. If your vest weighs forty hour to get out my boots and waders not to mention all the lbs. you have missed the idea here. other stuff I had with me; like a vest with nine fly boxes, net 9. At least one pair of good waders and wading boots, etc.. The point here being; I had all the toys and spent two Wading staff (I know these are three items but they go togeth- hours setting up and tearing down for two small fish and I had er) only fished about five hundred yards of river. The other guy 10. Net covered six miles of river that same day and had twenty some fish and one that was up around 21”. Note to self, there has to Remember this is a basic list and some of the items may be be a better way. exchanged for other items that fit your needs better. Could the list have items added so that it becomes the fifteen or twenty essentials, yes it could but keep it simple. Over time you may get it down to seven items. If the idea is to be a minimalist fly fishing person then you need to have some sort of guidelines. You need to have a fly fishing philosophy. If you want one can go all the way to the extreme of minimalist fly fishing. Sell all of your rods and all the other stuff you have and buy a Tenkara rod. One rod, no reel, ten feet of level line, some tippet materi- al and 6 to 12 flies. That’s as thin as it gets. Here are some things to think about. Do you really need to wear your waders or can you wet wade? Do you really need My vision here is to present a concept. The concept of how your vest or fishing bag, how about putting your fly box in to make our fly fishing life simpler and not try to make it more your pocket? How many flies do you really need for a day’s complicated than it needs to be. So what does it really mean fishing on a river that you know well? The right small fly box this minimalist fly fishing? Minimal means the minimum. It’s will hold a hundred flies. The same for your leaders and tippet; that simple.