Wichita, Kansas www.flatlandflyfishers.org
Volume 14 Issue 6 June, 2009 Summer is here at last and the bass are hitting on top. It was a long winter INSIDE THIS ISSUE but we had good times fishing for stocked trout at the park. Bluegill fest was cold and windy, and the fishing and food were great! Some guys were getting Victory the bass going and some got all the bluegills they wanted. The landowner Page 2, 3 & 4 said that we had too much fun and needed to come back in the fall, so look for ______a date later in the summer. Blue Gill Fest The flyer below is from the Federation of Fly Fishers asking for our club Dutch Oven Recipe to help support their efforts. If you are interested in purchasing a raffle ticket or need more information please see me, Rick Brown. Page 4 ______June Meeting Page 5 ______Hawaii Bonefish Fishing Page 6, 7 ______Name That Fly Walk with Wildlife Items for sale Page 8 ______
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Anyone who would like to share Hope to see you on the water. Or even better at the next club meeting! pictures or articles for the Newsletter should contact the editors at: [email protected] Next Meeting June 4, 7:00 P.M. 2 Flatland Fly Fishers
Victory Gary Tatro
The first time I met him was at a flea market at the Kansas State Fair Grounds. He was in his late 60’s, medium height, stocky in build, with his hair and clothing equally rumpled. His beard showed a few days worth of stubble; perhaps the start of a beard or the remnants of a couple of shaves forgotten. After getting within range I realized that bathing might be on the same time schedule as shaving; he smelled about one day past ripe. We’ll call him Bill. Jo and I had gone to the Flea Market to have a look around without an agenda or anything in particular to find. We wandered the isles as one is apt to do at one of these mass garage sales – looking at the assortment of junk and crap that are passed off as collectables. I spotted Bill’s table from a couple of isles away and made a beeline for it. It stood shining like a beacon in this veritable sea of detritus of days gone by, a table filled with vintage rods, reels and lures. I stood at the table for a few moments and took it all in; the Vintage Heddon lures, old level wind reels and tubular steel casting rods; they are all part of the history and lore of the sport and I find them fascinating – but they were not what held my eye. There on the table were a number of bamboo fly rods. Upon closer inspection, the rods revealed themselves to be truly antiques; rods with the sheet cork or rattan handles and the trumpet style line guides. With actions that could best be described as soft and slow – much softer and much slower than is useful in casting. These rods are not as recognizable to the modern angler as the bamboo rods that came from the golden era of cane rods. They were very much like everything else Bill had on display – historical and interesting, but of no real value to anglers of today. Bill could probably smell the blood in the water and nonchalantly mentioned that everything he had with him was what he typically brings to flea markets. He went on to say he noticed my interest in the bamboo rods and that he did have some rods at home that I might like to see. Bill recited names like Heddon, Orvis, Granger, South Bend, Leonard and the hook was set; it was just a matter of reeling me in. Bill handed me a card, we shook hands and I committed to calling him later that week to set up a meeting. Bill’s house was out in the middle of the sticks but was easy to find with the landmarks given to me over the phone. I looked around and hoped that the condition of Bill’s house did not reflect the condition of his fishing equipment. Shack is the first thing that came to mind; but in today’s housing market that would probably adversely affect the price of homes that actually are good enough to be described as a shack. Bill’s philosophies on personal hygiene obviously spilled over into his home maintenance regimen. I knocked carefully on the back door so as not to collapse the porch structure and was immediately greeted by the furious barking of a small dog. Bill hollered at the dog and it responded by barking louder so as not to be drowned out by Bill’s yelling. This was going to be interesting. Bill invited me in and the dog offered a welcome by biting my pant leg. Yep, this is definitely going to be interesting. I followed Bill into the kitchen of his home, dragging the dog along, still attached to my pant leg. Bill again yelled at the dog which seemed to increase the dog’s enthusiasm for shredding my pant leg. The first thing to be noticed in Bill’s home was the paths; there was just enough space left for a pathway running from room to room; everywhere else was stacks of boxes, magazines and well, stuff. Stuff from every flea market Bill had ever attended. Enough stuff to stock a dozen flea markets with enough left over for a garage sale or two. Flatland Fly Fishers 3
Victory Gary Tatro
The second thing that struck me about Bill’s home was that there was no drywall on any of the interior walls; there was no covering of any sort. Not only was there no drywall, but there was no insulation either; this was probably some cold digs come the middle of winter. If you caught the angle just right, you could see daylight coming through the siding. Not only would this place be cold, but drafty as well! I hoped that Bill was in the middle of a construction project and tried not to stare.
That’s when I noticed the third thing about Bill’s home; for it was at this point that the dog relinquished it’s grip on my pant leg and retreated somewhere into the recesses of the piles of stuff and was now only growling menacingly from it’s hideaway. I looked down at the floor as the dog disappeared and saw what had to be many weeks worth of dog poop scattered along the pathways in Bill’s home. I say many weeks worth because there was the full range from petrified to still practically steaming poop. And I tried not to stare. I followed Bill down one of the paths to a corner of the house, a corner that was literally filled with rod tubes. Bill had bamboo rod nirvana stashed away in his ramshackle little home. The rods were magnificent; the rods did not disappoint; they were everything I had imagined and more. All of the chaos and filth around us was forgotten as the magic of the rods held us captive. I learned that Bill’s family had been well off and were the owner’s of a hardware/sporting goods store in Maine. That Bill’s father loved to fly fish and had taken Bill fly fishing frequently to a cabin on a lake owned by the family. These rods were a connection to a happy time in Bill’s life and it was obvious they meant a great deal to him. He was also very knowledgeable about the rods as he himself started fishing when it was not unusual to see a bamboo rod on the water. In fact, they were commonplace, the tool of choice. They were all lovely, they were all desirable; but there was one that spoke to me and I wanted above all the others; a Granger Victory 9050. The Granger was in excellent condition and it was also in my price range; Bill was willing to let this rod go for a relative pittance because it did have a slight click in one of the ferules. A deal was struck, money exchanged hands and I had my prize; promising to give Bill another call as soon as more rod money was scrapped together. Stepping carefully towards the door, I wished Bill well and left; not knowing at the time that it would be the last I would ever see of Bill and his rods.
This rod was going to be fished, so the ferule had to be fixed. A phone call to Mike Clark of Lyons Colorado and the Victory was on its way to Lyons for a little repair work. During another conversation with Mike over the phone, he mentioned that John Gierach had been in the shop, saw the Victory and took quite a shine to it. Mike said that John had been looking for a Granger 9050 and looked this one over closely. If only I had thought to ask for a signature on the rod from Mr. Gierach! I only think of those things after it’s all over and too late. Shortly after the Victory came back from Mike’s shop, John Gierach’s book “Fishing Bamboo” came out. In “Fishing Bamboo” John mentions his desire to find a Granger 9050; for me it was a cool piece of history to add to a rod that already had quite a story, given the short period of time I have owned it. (continued on page 4) 4 Flatland Fly Fishers
Victory Gary Tatro
I fish the Victory on special occasions; a special occasion being defined as anytime the Victory comes out of the rod tube. It is a sweet old rod, with the beautiful, honey colored bamboo that is a trademark of Granger. Granger achieved this color through an ammonia steam process that gave the rods their distinctive rich color. Granger’s also have a swelled butt and the unique all nickel-silver uplocking reel seat. The 9050 is a 9’ 5 weight, 3 piece rod with two tips. The Victory was on the bottom end of the rods sold by Granger; the only difference from the top rod to the bottom being the cosmetics and some concessions in the clarity of the bamboo used. As with all Victory’s, this one is wrapped in jasper and black variegated thread – a classic look to a classic rod. The Victory is one of my favorite rods and I consider myself lucky to be part of its history. It casts better than I am capable and fights fish with authority; it brings a warmth and pride of ownership that a modern plastic rod can’t match. It is a working piece of fly fishing history and will likely bring this same sense pride to a future generation fly fisherman – as long as it’s current owner doesn’t do anything stupid with it.
Not too long ago, I dug up Bill’s card and gave him a call. It wasn’t that there was an overabundance of cash on hand, but rather, I was feeling the Bamboo Jones pretty hard and wanted to see what could be had – I could work the money out later. Sadly, the voice on the other end of the line informed me that Bill had passed on. Bill and his place were a mess; and I believe it was likely that Bill was possibly suffering from some sort of dementia or other mental illness. But Bill was able to see the beauty in those rods and he was able to transport himself to a happier time and those rods were his vehicle. I would have gladly gone back to Bill’s home, braved the mess and the yapping, biting dog to borrow just a little more of the magic from Bill’s rod corner. Tight Lines
Blue Gill Fest Dutch Oven Recipe Saturday, May 16, about 15 club members went hunting for Blue Apple Crisp Gill at a pond around Ridge and 53rd street north. The day started 2 Lg cans pie filling at 7 under a cloudy sky and the ever present Kansas wind. We 2C oats had a wide variety of fishing methods, kick boats, floating tubes, 2C flour boat with trolling motor and bank fishing. The fish caught on 1 Tbs Cinnamon Saturday were small to large blue gill, crappie and bass from 2 to 1 tsp nutmeg 4 pounds. We had hamburgers, hot dogs, brats and an (almost 1/2 C white sugar done) apple crisp. 1/2 C brown sugar 1 tsp baking powder 1/2 C butter (not melted) more if needed
Line 12” Dutch Oven with foil. Pour in pie filling Combine dry ingredients. Add butter and mix to make crumbly. Cover pie filling. Bake until filling starts to bubble through crust and crust start to brown. Cook 30 to 45 minutes. Use 20 briquites on top and 10 on bottom. Flatland Fly Fishers 5 June Meeting
It’s the time of year in Kansas where most of the trout have gone on to swim in eternal streams far from the reach of any mortal fly angler’s best casts. While some Kansas anglers have gone back to the conventional rods and reels to pursue warm water species of fish, those of us who seem to know no other way than that of the fly can still be seen painting colorful lines through the air above many of the lakes in across our state. If memory serves me correctly, it’s been possibly as long ago as since our club invited the Whitlock’s to Wichita that we’ve seen any spinning or stacking of deer hair for bass bugs. I’ve managed to drift away from spinning deer hair in the past two years, as my search for fly patterns to tie ‘quicker’ has lead me from these flies. As with all things quicker or easier, there is a sacrifice to be made in tying a popper or diver constructed mainly of a foam body, as opposed to deer hair. For one, there aren’t many large flies that cast as easily as a spun deer hair fly, and foam bodies are no exception. The way they hinge and ‘pop’ a leader in the cast has many times made me wish my fly were made of lightweight deer belly hair. Also, there are times when you need a more subtle approach than that which a foam-bodied popper or diver can offer: Nothing lands on the water like a hair bug. Many factors have lead me back to the urge to carry a handful of spun deer hair bass flies in my box, but the one key that pulls with the most drive is the joy I get when after thirty minutes at the vise, (sometimes longer), I have a beautiful piece of artwork on a hook. The time it takes is well worth the effort, from the spinning of the hair, to the tedious task of trimming until it looks just right from all angles. When I pull the finished fly from the vise and turn it under the light, it somehow comes to life and begs to be taken out to tempt a hungry largemouth. When we join to meet for the June gathering, I will be pulling out all the stops and giving any and all information I know about tying a spun deer hair fly.
Hope to see you there! Tight lines ‘til we meet again!! Rory 6 Flatland Fly Fishers
The Wait Dwan Welty
I read an article that said the preparation and anticipation before your fishing trip was probably more exciting than your actual trip, that article is not correct. In May of 2008 we decided to take a vacation to Hawaii. I did some research and scheduled a vacation to Hawaii in May of 2009 and while in Hawaii I would like to try fly fishing for Bonefish. I e-mailed about 6 different guide services in Honolulu and one guide answered my mail. His name was Ol’e, short for Oliver, and his guide service is called Bonefish808. Ol’e called one Saturday afternoon and after a 45 minute conversation we had set up a Bonefish guide trip for Thursday April 30. I asked Ol’e what I needed to do to improve my success and he said practice casting. I took this to heart and went to Ark River Anglers and purchased a Bonefish taper line, leaders and tippet and started to practice. After many hours of practice I felt I was ready. We arrived in Honolulu on Wednesday, April 29, I called Ol’e to set up a time for him to pick us up on Thursday (did you get the “us” the wife just had to go along). Ol’e had difficulty finding the hotel and an hour later Ol’e arrived and we were off for the water. Ol’e has been a guide for about 8 years, before his days as a guide he was a bouncer in Vegas then moved to Honolulu to be a body guard for a friend who was going to be the guide for Linda. Linda was going to spin cast which meant she would be in deeper water and I was going to site fish with the fly rod. Linda and her guide, Robert, headed out to the deeper water while Ol’e and me started to wade the shallow water looking for the elusive Bonefish. We waded for about 45 minutes but saw nothing so we decided to head for another location. Flatland Fly Fishers 7
Dwan Welty
We drove to the other side of the island where Ol’e stopped to scope out one location. As Linda and I waited at the car Ol’e and Robert were looking at the water when suddenly Ol’e let out a yell and started running to the car. He quickly threw me the stripping basket, handed me the rod and we were off. When in the water he would take the tip of the rod point it the direction of the cast and give me a distance. After the cast he would say to far, not far enough, to far behind, to far in front or you hit the fish in the head. This did get a little frustrating. But on one cast the line went tight and I had a fish on. I stripped the fish in but it was not a Bonefish it was a Bluefin Trevelly , but I was not skunked. We continued to wade, cast and miss and then something hit the fly, an orange streamer, and yes I had hooked a bonefish. The fish took line then turned and I tried to retrieve line but (you guessed it) not fast enough. The line went slack and the fish was gone but I did hook a Bonefish. We fished for another 30 minutes but all good things had to come to an end so Linda and I were returned to the hotel. I think most fishermen, after returning, analyze their trip and come up with things they wish they would have done to help prepare for the trip. I did the same and thought more casting practice but that was not my problem I could not see the Bonefish. Ol’e could point the rod and give me a distance but I was still casting blind. Ol’e would say just look at the wave, see the green background and when you see any color that is the Bonefish, for me that waas easier said than done. Even though I could not see the Bonefish and missed my share the actual experience was well worth the wait. Name That Fly (July) If you think you can identify this pattern attend the March meeting. 1. Put your name and name of fly on proper ballot and place in ballot box. 2. Officials of club will look at all ballots and place all correct answers into ballot box and one winner will be drawn. 3. Winner will get a copy of Bill Edrington’s book and a fly, that is For a colored picture go to: tied by Bill White. www..flatlandflyfishers.org
Flatland Fly Fishers
P.O. Box 49164 Wichita, KS 67201 Flatland Flyfishers meet monthly at the Great Plains Nature Center, located at 6232 E. 29th St. N, Wichita, KS
Items for Sale: Walk with Wildlife Dyna-King Jr Trekker vice for sale for $180.00 The Club received a request from KWDP to help William-Joseph Equinox sling pack for $40.00 with the “Walk with Wildlife” event on June 13. The Mark Birchfield time is 8 till 4. They are looking for 12 volunteers [email protected] in the morning and 12 in the afternoon. If interested 316-619-9992 316-260-8520 please talk with Neal Hall.