NEWSLETTER wmflyfishing.com

Established 1996 P.O. Box 2187, Pinetop, AZ 85935 January 20155

WMFFC Mission Statement:

The Mission Statement of the White Mountain Fly Club is: “To assist in the development and maintenance of opportunities and to promote and participate in fly fishing in its many forms." We support the practice of “Catch and Release.” We support the use of barbless hooks and harmless netting-and-release practices. Fish should never be held out of water for longer than you can hold your breath.

“Tight Lines” — President's Column —

“Shootouts” As a fly fisherman, there will always be a time when one wants to buy or upgrade to new equipment. (I.e. rods, reels, fly line, waders, etc.) Without having to subscribe to half a dozen fly fishing magazines, one easy way evaluate new gear is to use the internet and look for various websites that do “shootouts”. A fly fishing equipment shootout is a review, test, challenge, or opinions made by a panel of experts or professionals of a large grouping of particular items by make and then ranking them in order of overall performance. The ranking outcomes are often highly subjective but generally useful. What is very useful to most everyone is the technical descriptions of the items along with costs. This knowledge will help in understanding what we should be looking for in quality, even if we don’t choose the top-of-the-line items. Below are some links to equipment shootouts that should keep you busy reading on snowy days.

In Google search: yellowstone angler gear review For a review of fly rods (4, 5, and 8 weights), reels, waders, and tippet. I especially liked the tippet reviews.

Another review: Google: 5 weight shootout http://www.tridentflyfishing.com/blog/2014-five-5-weight-shootout-orvis-hardy-scott-sage-best-fly-rod-

A review-test Google: trident reel shootout http://www.tridentflyfishing.com/blog/2013-8-weight-wt-challenge-fly-reel-review

A good starting point for fly line reviews is: http://midcurrent.com/gear/choosing-a-fly-line/

….……………. Dennis Jones, President......

1

2013-2014 WMFFC Board Members

President: Dennis Jones (928) 367-6124 Past-President: Bob Bowers (928) 367-5579 Vice President: Ted Lambert (928) 537-2115 Secretary: Ellen Hofmann (623) 451-6027 Treasurer: Doris Miller (602) 439-3262 Board Member #1: Steve Hofmann (623) 262-7491 Board Member #2: Gary Miller (602) 478-0883 Board Member #3: Don Gage (602) 973-1886 Membership Chairman: Dick Davis (480) 220-4501 Winter: Mike Styvaert Conservation Chairman: Mike Styvaert (928) 369-0092 Newsletter Chairman: Steve Hofmann (623) 262-7491 Outings Chairman: Keith Spain (520) 235-7206

December Monthly Meeting Minutes; …………Submitted by Ellen Hofmann

There was no General business meeting in December 2014. Therefore there are no Monthly Meeting Minutes for the January 2015 Newsletter. The December Christmas party was a huge success.

Announcements

 The Club is still in need of a person to run the raffle for the monthly meetings.  Club needs volunteers to help with winter Classes. Contact Jerry Duval (928-242-0938 or [email protected] if interested.  Need volunteer(s) to plan club monthly outing locations for 2015 (see last year’s schedule as a guide)  Don’t forget that the 1st installment of the Lees Ferry Fly fishing trip is due at the January 21st meeting. The final installment is due at the February Meeting. Right now, there is a waiting list for the trip  Reminder: Friday Jan 16th is the day to reserve Christmas Tree Lake Permits for May 22nd & 23rd. (HOPEFULLY there will be no more delays.)  There will be a Club Board Member Meeting January 19th. The location is not known at this time. E-mail forth coming on time and location.

There Are No Outings Scheduled for 2015 yet. If you want to be on a committee to plan the 2015 outings; Please let Dennis Jones know. Below is the schedule we had for 2014 that you can use as a starting point. Month Outing 2014 Alternative Lake January Show Low Lake Silver Creek February Fool’s Hollow Lake Becker Lake March Horseshoe Cienega River Reservoir April Hawley Lake Earl Park May Christmas Tree 23/24 Becker Best days June (Banquet) Silver Creek X Diamond July Big Lake Reservation Lake August Crescent Lake Reservation Lake September Reservation Lake Big lake October San Juan river trip November Sunrise Lake

2 There are no Club Activities planned for 2015 yet. If you want to help to plan the 2015 club activities; Please let Dennis Jones know. Below are the club activities we had planned in 2014 (excluding monthly meeting). You can use the below as starting point. WMFFC Club Activities for 2014 without monthly meeting/outing Month Dates Activity March 11 Fly Tying Class-1st in a series of 6 March 18 Rod Building Class - 1st in a series 4 March 18 Fly Tying Class March 25 Fly Tying Class April 1 Fly Tying Class April 5 Rod Building Class April 8 Fly Tying Class April 12 Rod Building Class April 15 Fly Tying Class April 14 - 17 Lees Ferry Fishing Trip April 19 Rod Building Class May 16 Phil Rowley Special Presentation May 17 Becker Lake Best Days May 23-24 Christmas Tree Lake Outing June 7 Annual Fund Raising Banquet Oct 14-17 San Juan River / Troops First Outing Dec 13 Club Annual Christmas Party TBD Various dates Project Healing Waters

January Meeting speaker will be Steve Hofmann. He will talk about how modern “graphite” fly rods are manufactured. The talk is based on a factory tour of the Scott Fly Rod manufacturing facility in Montrose, CO last summer. He even has some samples of that magic raw material.

November/December Outing Report ……. No formal report. The November and December outings were informal gatherings at Horseshoe or Becker Lake based on rumors at RT Black Bulls during the breakfast club social hour. Below are some pics that were sent in.

…. Bill Langdon’s nice fish at Becker Dennis Jones …Cold weather gear employed at Becker

3

.. DJ: Yes! Another nice fish DJ’s nice Cutthroat

……………..... Fly Fishing Question of the Month ……………..... Question: It looks like most of us are done fly fishing for the year. What are some of the best ways to store your fly fishing gear for the winter?

Answer: 1. Rods: Wash them thoroughly with the damp cloth, or even take them into the shower with you. You can use an old toothbrush to lightly scrub the hardware, making sure all the grit is out of the reel-seat threads and anywhere else in the seat. Scrubbing the cork will remove a lot of the nasty color you’ve added over the year. There is some cork cleaning products (wonder cloth) on the market that you can also use. Completely dry the rod. Some people swear by wiping it down with “pledge” or “fly line dressing”, and then put it back in its and tube. Lay the tubes horizontally, and if you don’t fear mice or other vermin, leave the end caps off the tubes to allow the rods to “breathe” and to ensure heat or moisture doesn’t build up inside. Note: if you own a bamboo rod, store it in its sock in a vertical position in a dry location. 2. Reels: Wash them thoroughly, taking them apart to ensure you’ve gotten any dirt, salt, or other gunk removed. Use soapy water and a toothbrush. Rinse and then dry thoroughly, making sure you turn the reel parts several times during drying to make sure all the water gets out. Store the reel in its bag, but before you do so, back the drag off completely to take pressure off the drag materials. Check with your reel manufacturer for any other points. Some reel manufacturers like you wipe internal moving parts with a light oil… however, some manufactures do not. 3. Lines: Take them off the reel spool, clean with the manufacturer’s recommended solution, and then wipe them clean with a rag. Check for damage to the line and make any replacements as necessary. Put them back on the spool. 4. Waders and : Air them out completely and make sure they are perfectly dry. Check for leaks and make any repairs. Hang for the winter. -foot waders should be hung upside down by the boots. 5. Flies: Open all your fly boxes and let everything inside dry completely before storage.

The important thing, as you’ve probably figured out, is to put everything away CLEAN & DRY!

4

……………Fly Fishing Quote of the Month …………….

“If people concentrated on the really important things in life, there’d be a shortage of fly rods”. – Doug Larson

…………Fly Fishing Humor …………

The Elk Hare Emerger

Version 1 Version 2

.. ... … …

5

Shop and Support These Advertisers

PINETOP SPORTING

GOODS (928) 367-5050

…..

…..

If you have an Ad or Article that you would like featured in the next Newsletter, please contact Steve Hofmann at 623-262-7491 or [email protected]

6