www.wyflycasters.org
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Wyoming Fly Casters Monthly Newsletter
Drag-free Drifts Fishing is much more than fish. It is the great occasion when we may return to the fine simplicity of our forefathers. -Herbert Hoover
G
reetings once again, I do believe there is something to Einstein’s Theory of Relativity, at least where time is concerned. It seems that with each passing day, time moves just a wee bit faster and our awareness of the speed of the clock is in direct correlation to our advancing years. Someone has to be monkeying with the clocks, because what else could explain how we have gotten this far into the fall with so little time-spent fishing? • The six other folks in the Game and Fish program that I worked this season and I spent a few hours fishing the north fork of the Popo Agie in early October. The river gave up some nice browns for a small stream. They refused a number of different nymphs and absolutely wore out my foam grasshopper. The last fish I caught with it got away with the legs of the hopper. Though I may have littered the Popo Agie with fly debris I think we more than made up for it by conducting our second litter pickup on the
by WILL WATERBURY
Wyoming Fly Casters adopted section of State Highway 220 through Alcova. We had a good turnout this fall with eleven of us out there, up from eight in the spring. My thanks go out to Scott Novotny, Marty and Gene Robinson, Bob Fisher, Tom McGeorge, Greg Groves, Brian (my apologies for forgetting your last
Rod building class is slated A rod building class being taught by Rex Eggleston will be held on Saturdays, Dec. 10 and Dec. 17, beginning at 9:00 a.m. at the Crazy Rainbow Lodge. Space is limited, so be sure to sign up during the November general membership meeting on Nov. 9.
President
wwaterbu@yahoo.com
name) a new member, and to those who have done both the spring and fall clean-ups, Wanda Peters, John Yost, and Russ (the phantom) Newton. Last spring we filled about 40 bags and this fall only 28 bags. Next time you drive through Alcova be sure to admire the clean roadside. • For November’s general meeting we will be watching the latest addition to the Fly Casters DVD library. If you have an idea for a presentation please feel free to call, or email, or let us know at a meeting, so be thinking about a topic you would like to see and we’ll try to put something together. December’s general meeting will be the annual Christmas party/dinner. If you are a newer member please consider giving a hand to the Christmas committee. It is a great way to meet members of the club. It’s also nice to walk into a meeting and initiate greetings because you now actually know some of the attendees. Our thanks to Matt Stanton for beginning the process of organizing the Christmas party. Matt is willing to get things rolling but does not have the time to commit toward chairing the whole event. We still need someone to (continued on page 10)
Cover shot: The ubiquitous brook trout, found in most drainages of the state, particularly small streams.
OFFICERS Will Waterbury, President Vacant, President-elect Vacant, Vice President Casey Leary, Secretary Matt Stanton, Treasurer BOARD OF DIRECTORS Terms expire in 2012 Spencer Amend Scott Novotny Neil Ruebush Brent “Smokey” Weinhandl, DDS Terms expire in 2013 Greg Groves Joe Meyer Alex Rose Herb Waterman Terms expire in 2014 John Dolan Jim Johnson Chris McAtee Andrew Sauter
The Backcast is the monthly newsletter of the Wyoming Fly Casters, an affiliate club of the Wyoming Council of Trout Unlimited, the Nature Conservancy and the Federation of Fly Fishers. Editorial content does not necessarily reflect the views of the officers, board or members of the Wyoming Fly Casters. Annual dues are $20 for an individual, $30 for a family, or $250 for a lifetime individual membership or $450 for a lifetime family membership. Visit the club website at www.wyflycasters.org. To pay dues or contact the club, write to P.O. Box 2881, Casper, WY 82602. The deadline for submission of information for each issue is a week before the end of the month. Make contributions to the next issue by e-mailing material to the Backcast editor at Chevy57stalker@aol.com, or call (307) 436-8774.
The Backcast is available either in electronic format or through USPS snail mail. To receive each newsletter through a monthly e-mail, you must be able to open .pdf (Adobe Acrobat, a software program available free of charge) documents. Usually, each issue is roughly 1 MB in size, some are larger. Your e-mail provider may have limits on the size of attachments. In order to be added to the e-mail list, send a request to Chevy57stalker@aol.com. In addition to receiving each issue of the newsletter earlier than your hard copy peers, e-mail subscribers are able to print each copy in vibrant color -- an added plus if the issue is rich in color photographs. By subscribing electronically, you also save the club roughly $17.40 a year in printing and postage expenses.
Wyoming Fly Casters Monthly Newsletter
Tailing Loops Fishing is 90 percent mental and the other half is physical. - Yogi Berra
T
The fine grains of sand are rapidly trickling through the hourglass of 2011, and now, in mid-October, I step back to examine the fishing trips enjoyed this year, as recorded in my journal. Naturally, none of us had the opportunities to fish all the waters we had intended during the year, myself included. But I have sampled many favorite haunts, including stillwaters, small creeks and the Platte River during the last ten months. And will continue to do so through the balance of the year. But in 2012, I am going to make a commitment to sample several pieces of water which I have not visited for several years. Topping this list is the Firehole River in Yellowstone Park during the Memorial Day weekend. The rainbows and browns are not large in the Firehole, but the fish are not the only focus of opening day. First, the park is nearly devoid of other guests, except for the most die-hard of fly fishers; you can drive for miles without seeing another car (a little different than the bumper-to-bumper traffic in late July on the stretch from Grant’s Village to Madison Junction). The real mecca is the atmosphere of thermal features scattered throughout the entire stretch. Steaming cauldrons, fissures, geysers. I would hope that I would see other club members during this weekend in late May, although I am certainly not
by RANDY STALKER
Backcast editor
volunteering to shoulder the responsibilities of a streamkeeper. I plan to be camping at Madison junction, at the confluence of the Madison and Gibbon rivers. Another piece of water which will beckon in 2012 is the Middle Fork of the Powder River. This will be another overnighter, as I intend to hike down the Miller Trail with my fly rod and sleeping bag. Years ago, the club used to host outings on the Middle Fork, which is how I was first introduced to this marvelous stream. This is one fishery which needs to be reconsidered as a hosted outing destination. And third on the list is one or more of several candidates: Sand Creek, North Fork of the Shoshone River, Toltec reservoir south of Douglas or Soda Lake in the Gros Ventres (for float tubing), and of course finally completing my cutt-slam by heading to the area of the Smith’s Fork. If schedules allow, I would like to learn the art of spey casting (here’s an idea for a program presented by John Dolan). One thing I won’t need to prepare for the 2012 spring, summer and fall fishing seasons is my fly box inventory. My dry fly boxes remain fairly intact, as I have managed to keep pace with losses from fish teeth, tree limbs and the out-
the
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Brag
Board
chevy57stalker@aol.com
stretched hands of fishing companions. So this winter, when bone-numbing cold, battering winds and generally miserable weather leave me inside listening to music or watching the NFL on Sunday afternoons, I won’t need to be sitting at the tying bench replenishing patterns. • As the year draws to a close, I need to remind members to submit photos for the annual Christmas party slide show. Not many have been received (in the form of submissions to the Brag Board), so you have a month to email them. Only you can be sure you are represented in the Christmas program. Photos which are especially welcome are those of the embarrasing kind (small fish, holes in waders, broken rods, etc.). This year’s program promises to have more humor at the expense of club members and political incorrect themes. Speaking of emails ... each month, when the latest issue of the Backcast is electronically delivered, I get three or four messages that the newsletter could not be delivered to its intended recipient. It could be an email address was changed, a server is temporarily down, or some other snafu. After two consecutive months of receiving the same message, I delete the electronic address from the subscription list. So if you don’t receive this issue, it’s not because it was an intentional slight. Tight lines,
Scoop
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Wyoming Fly Casters Monthly Newsletter
BE INFORMED www.wyflyca sters.org
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Receive each issue of the Backcast in a timely manner, without relying on the Post Awful to deliver it. Sign up for electronic delivery! Not only do you receive each issue near the end of each month, but it will feature color photographs and graphics. And you can save the club precious money and resources because printing and postage costs and the chore of stapling, stamping and stickering the monochrome hard copy are eliminated. Just drop the editor a line, requesting electronic delivery at chevy57stalker@aol.com.
G&F’s aquatic invasive species program went smoothly this year Wyoming's second boating season following passage of Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) legislation in 2010 was deemed a success based on the numbers of boats inspected, AIS decal sales, and overall cooperation from boaters. Beginning this spring in May, through Sept. 15, a total of 42,805 watercraft inspections were conducted at 33 different waters throughout Wyoming. According to AIS coordinator Beth Bear, the majority were standard inspections with very few high risk inspections or decontaminations. "Only 115 of the total inspections were considered high risk, with the remainder standard and exit inspections," Bear said. "Of the high risk inspections, there were 14 decontaminations and none were found to have live invasive mussels." Waters where most inspections were conducted include Jackson Lake, (over 10,000), Glendo (over 5,000), and Flaming Gorge (more than 4,400). Watercraft come from many states where AIS is prevalent. As an example, between Aug. 29 and Sept. 15 this year, 13 high risk inspections were conducted. Four resulted in decontaminations including a boat from Illinois
with suspect attached materials. In addition, one boat from New York had attached dead mussels, another was from a personal watercraft last used in an infested water in Utah, and another decontamination was conducted on a boat last used in Lake Mead, NV where mussels are present. "As with last year, boaters were very cooperative with getting their watercraft inspected," said Bear. "Overall, things went very smoothly and even during the busy holiday boating weekends, delays were minimal. As the boating season progressed, more and more boaters were following the Drain, Clean and Dry procedure which greatly sped up the inspection process." Purchase of the required AIS decal also went well with more than 34,000 decals issued representing nearly 80 percent of the boats registered in Wyoming. The decal program has raised $431,900 this year which is used to fund the AIS inspection program and monitoring for AIS in Wyoming waters. Even though the boating season is essentially over for the year, inspections are still being conducted for boaters who want their craft inspected or have been using their boat on out-of-state waters. water.
WFC Treasurer's report month ending August 31, 2011 Date Vendor/Item Amount Income 8/17/2011 Deposit - August Raffle $72, Dues $40, Ten Sleep contribution $30 ........$142.00 8/31/2011 Interest................................................................................................................0.43 Total ...................................................................................................142.43 Expenses 8/4/2011 FedEx office - Backcast Printing ......................................................................87.68 8/10/2011 4129 - Tony Martin Backcast postage (multiple months).............................105.00 8/17/2011 4130 - IWLA rent ............................................................................................75.00 8/17/2011 4131 - Ugly Bug July/Aug raffles....................................................................181.73 Total ...................................................................................................449.41
WFC Treasurer's report month ending September 30, 2011 Date Vendor/Item Amount Income 9/22/2011 Deposit, membership..................................................................................... $50.00 9/30/2011 Interest...................................................................................................................41 Total .................................................................................................... 50.41 Expenses 9/9/2011 4132- Staples (paper for Expo) ......................................................................... 9.96 9/14/2100 4133 - IWLA rent ........................................................................................... 75.00 9/212011 Andrew Sauter (Tongue River outing, September picnic) ...........................179.18 9/23/2011 Matt Stanton (Ten Sleep outing $173.78, Expo $154.83 .............................328.61 Total ...................................................................................................592.75
Wyoming Fly Casters Monthly Newsletter
StreAmerS
On
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SAturdAyS
Abandoning the usual nymph and indicator rigs in favor OF stripping size 4 patterns
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Wyoming Fly Casters Monthly Newsletter
A self-confessed novice fly fisher’s trip to Pathfinder resulted in the biggest rainbow (so far) of her career.
by PEG NOVOTNY
S
ept. 24 was a beautiful day, the kind of fall day that Wyoming natives treasure. With winter on the horizon, each day of good weather becomes more valuable … sunny, a little breeze and 75 to 80 degrees … a perfect day to fish. My brother Scott and I arrived at Pathfinder around 9:30 a.m., just in time to see Joe Meyer catching a nice-sized rainbow trout. My fishing buddies that day were Joe, Scott and Bob. They have been members of the Wyoming Fly Casters (WFC) for a number of years but I am a novice fly fisher and a new member with much to learn. Being that this is end of my first year of fly-fishing, I was hoping to beat my previous “record” sized fish, a 6-inch rainbow trout. Well, we all have to start someplace! As you would imagine it takes patience to fly-fish. If you’re a novice and you’re envisioning scenes from “A River Runs Through It” when Brad Pitt hooks the big one and literally goes down the river with the fish still on the line -- forgetaboutit! That, as they say, is the stuff dreams are made of (thank you Humphrey Bogart). But if you want a wonderful outdoor experience that is contemplative, therapeutic, invigorating and doesn’t comply with every short-cut there is to be had in life, then this is the “reel deal” for you. Once we arrived, I went to see Joe fishing off the pier. Naturally he had a good size fish on his line. You may not know Joe, but it would be unusual if you didn’t see him with a fish on his line. Joe leads many WFC fish outings to ponds,
Joe Meyer, the mentor, sore-mouths the rainbow trout at Pathfinder Reservoir.
rivers and reservoirs. These trips are called, “Fishing with Joe,” but WFC members like to refer to them as “Watching Joe Fish.” Both Joe and Scott have generously shared their fishing expertise with me. I’ve no doubt this information has played an invaluable role in any success I might now be experiencing. For instance, check your lines. This means you should pull some leader matrial off the spool and stretch it in opposite directions with the strength that a hooked fish might have. If you’re purchased a 5x leader it should support a 2 to 4.5 pound fish and a 4x should withhold a 3 to 6.5 pound fish. If the line doesn’t break, you’re good to go. If it breaks, take a little more line off the your leader spool and test again. Sometimes the beginning or outside of the line might be a little brittle. The strength test should let you know what is good. No sense in getting your hopes up at that first cast and then immediately having them dashed away when the line breaks. Trust me, there will be plenty of opportunity for the fish to break your line all by himself. Next, when tying your fly or streamer on your line, be sure you test your knots. Again, there’s no need to make it easier for your fish to get away, especially with a fly in his mouth. I’ve learned this lesson personally. I felt guilty about a fish swimming around with my fly in his mouth. What would his fish buddies think? “Oh, Tommy got a new piercing!” or “Geez have you seen that guy, what he won’t do for attention.” We wouldn’t want to put him through that embarrassment and I don’t
Wyoming Fly Casters Monthly Newsletter
intend on worrying that one of my fish was swimming around getting harassed. So, to ensure that you won’t lose a fly you tied to your line, practice … practice … practice those knots! Better yet, tie those knots at home. I guess it wouldn’t hurt to tie some line to several of the fly’s you think you might use at your destination. Gee, wish I thought about this before we arrived at the pier. Anyway, after watching Joe land his fish, I went back to the truck to get my gear. Rod, reel, fly box, camera and hat in hand, down to the pier I went. A couple of casts later, I was at ease and dreaming about a fish pursuing my fly. I pulled on my line in a pattern I thought might appeal to a fish. Who knew? Although my repertoire of pulls is rather limited, I had several from which I could choose. Some were deliberate pulls and some knot! As a matter of fact, when landing my record fish, I was in the process of untying a fly line knot from around my reel. Do the fish wait until you can’t respond appropriately? Who knows? But this time was different. Aha! I was working my pull pattern when I felt a real strong tug on my line and I set my hook. Wow! It worked! Perhaps a little late on the set but none-the-less, I had a fish. The strength of its pull told me it was definitely a bigger catch. Could it be true? After all, reeling in this fish did take considerably longer than the second or two it took to reel in my 6” record. Thankfully I had another experienced fly fisher and fellow WFC member to my side. Bob was really a big help to me. So I had a strong fish on the line – great, now what? How do I get him? Bob guided me on how to bring him in. I brought him over to water’s edge, and from on top of the hill overlooking the water, my brother yelled out to me to remove the hook myself! Apparently he and Joe had taken notice when I screamed I had a fish on my line. They must have seen Bob standing to my left and thought I’d have Bob remove the
hook. Can’t say I didn’t think about it after I looked to see where my fly had lodged. Eeeh gads! Now I had to remove the hook. Well it’s easier to remove a fly on a small fry; he can’t fit the whole fly into his mouth. But it was way more of a challenge with the fish I caught. Yep, 14 inches and a pound and a half rainbow trout, thank you very much. But he had swallowed the hook
I knew I had broken my record, but it’s kind of tricky measuring the size of a fish. down his throat a bit (see picture), which is why I knew I didn’t set the hook as soon as I should have. I think this fish grabbed a bite, and then went on to swallow it before I really knew I had him. So, I had to retrieve the swallowed fly. It was positioned near his gill and I remember what Joe said that if the fly cuts into the gill and it bleeds, the fish is a goner.
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I really didn’t want that to happen, so with my brother screaming words of encouragement to me, I went in. Slippery little devil that he was, (the fish not my brother) I didn’t want to squeeze him too hard, or hold him too long. I just wanted to remove the hook with the least amount of blood as possible. With a camera on my shoulder, my lanyard (fishing necklace) with forceps hanging at easy reach and Bob at my side, I removed the
hook. Took a picture and then sent him on his way. But he didn’t really swim away. He was swimming upside down. Oh my, what had I done? I asked Bob did I kill him? Bob, said just to rotate him so he would swim upright and give him a little push. I did and held my breath. Voila! He was ok! Whew! I knew I had broken my record, but it’s kind of tricky measuring the size of a fish. He looked to be between 20 and 25 inches and about 5 lbs. but you know as a fly-fisher, I would be amiss not to exaggerate a wee bit. I asked Bob. Bob said the rainbow was about 14 inches and probably around 1.5 lbs. … no really, that’s what Bob said, and I believe him. I had done it. Well, certainly not alone. I couldn’t have caught him without a year of practical hands-on experience and the knowledge and fishing gear generously shared with me from my WFC support team. Thanks guys! Stay tuned for my first experience cleaning a fish or should I say ‘watching Scott clean a fish!’ Eeh.
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Wyoming Fly Casters Monthly Newsletter
Christmas Party! Wednesday, Dec. 14, 6:30 p.m., IWL Clubhouse Tie up a half dozen flies and wrap them in a holiday package. Remember which ones are yours. All those participating will walk around a couple of tables where the small packages are haphazardly arranged. When the holiday music stops, participants are to grab one of the packages. The walk resumes until the music stops again, and again until all flies are removed from the tables. No kicking, gouging, cutting in line or bribery will be tolerated.
A T D e V n A ta N ti C v E e S N c O h T e IC d u E le
Tickets for the annual Christmas party are available at the Ugly Bug Fly Shop. Cost is $10.00 per person. Also Matt Stanton, the chairman, has tickets available (call 258-9915, or by dropping him a line at stntnmtt@gmail.com). The deadline for picking up tickets is Dec. 5 to give the club time to let caterer know how many members and guests are anticipated and how much food to prepare. Those of you who receive the newsletter electronically will still have time to meet the deadline; for those hard copy recipients, by the time you receive this issue from the postman it will be too late. The meal is being catered by The Herbadashery. The menu includes BBQ brisket & BBQ chicken, salads, baked beans, dessert, tea and lemonade. Desserts from club members are welcome.
• Why join the WFC? • Prize drawing for guests • Christmas fly results/awards
• President’s greeting
• Slide Show This is a PowerPoint presentation on the many activities, functions and outings the club has held over the past year (primarily). This year’s program is approximately 20 minutes long and is set to music and without narration. More humor at the expense of some club members has been injected into the 2011 edition -- the ninth annual. After the first two minutes of the program, if your ribs are not hurting from laughter, you need an appointment with Doc Weinhandl for a root canal without anesthetic, because you obviously are already deeply sedated.
• Christmas fly contest explained Tie the gaudiest, most imaginative fly on a holiday theme in Christmas colors and assorted materials. It can be as diminutive as size 32, or as jumbo as a 2/0. All creations should have an appropriate name. The only requirement for an entry is that it be tied to a hook or hooks. Gift certificates are to be awarded to the first three places. An impartial jury (the membership) is to select the winners. These are NOT the official rules, just some observations of the Backcast editor.
• Drawings for gift certificates Two winning tickets are to be drawn, with both featuring gift certificates to the two fly shops. The first is the membership (remember dropping a ticket into the bucket for attending each meeting?). The second is from the bait box containing non-winning tickets from the raffles conducted during the last eleven months. The amounts of the gift certificates are usually quite generous; the size had not yet been determined by Backcast deadline.
• • • •
• Closing remarks Note: Due to time limitations, there will be no white elephant exchange during this year’s Christmas party.
Here is the agenda and some snapshots of proposed activities following the dinner:
Christmas fly balloting begins Asking the Lord’s blessing Buffet dinner by The Herbadashery Fly Walk
Wyoming Fly Casters Monthly Newsletter
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Plans being made for the annual Christmas party
The Wonder Bar offered a special luncheon plate in conjuction with and in opposition to PETA’s protest against fishing in late September at the Ugly Bug Fly Shop.
Wyoming catfish travels 415 miles to meet Iowan’s hook in Montana The channel catfish traveled 415 miles from Leiter (east of Sheridan). The angler traveled about 810 miles from Okoboji, IA. The two met on the Yellowstone River near Pompey's Pillar, MT. The result was the fish taking the dead minnow the general surgeon offered and the discovery of what's thought to be the longest documented fish movement in Wyoming fish tagging history. How long it took the catfish to swim to just downstream from Billings, isn't known for sure, but Wyoming fish biologists do know this: the catfish was netted and tagged June 27, 2007 just below the Kendrick Diversion Dam on Clear Creek east of Sheridan. The age was unknown, but it measured 15.2 inches and weighed .9 lbs. Then in mid-April this year, Dr. Brian Luepke boated about a 3-pound, 20-inch channel catfish with his son, Paul, the Columbus, MT. game warden. In unhooking the fish, the father/son noticed a tag in the dorsal fin and fulfilled the tag's purpose by relaying the info to the Wyoming G&F. "This is a really remarkable fish movement when you consider all the hazards this fish had to face in swimming that far," said Paul Mavrakis, Wyoming's fisheries supervisor in Sheridan. "But what's probably more remarkable is the fact the fish could swim that far without being blocked by a dam." The Powder River -- of which the now famous fish negotiated 240 miles -is one of the continent's longest waterways without a dam. But, after it took a left turn up the Yellowstone River in Montana it was able to negotiate four irrigation diversions in swimming the
150 miles from the mouth of the Powder to Pompey's Pillar. "Although it's difficult, it's not impossible for fish to get by these irrigation diversions," said Earl Radonski, fisheries biologist with the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks in Billings. "The fish probably got over the first three diversions during high flows and around the fourth via a side channel." The only fish Montana has documented that negotiated the same diversions swimming upstream was a sauger tagged near Miles City. The native walleye-like fish was netted again by a Montana fish crew in May 2010 five miles upstream from Pompey's Pillar -three years and 100 miles later. Due to the absence of dams and probably sudden high flows triggered by thunderstorms, the Powder River has registered other interesting fish travels. In June 2006, a channel catfish was tagged in Wyoming's Powder River near the mouth of Crazy Woman Creek. Five days later it was recaptured by the same fisheries crew 25 miles upstream. Two shovelnose sturgeon tagged in Crazy Women Creek in June 1984 were also recovered in Montana's Yellowstone River: one a month later near Rosebud and the other near Glendive. "The distance this catfish traveled shows how important it is to have connected river systems where fish can move and complete their life cycle," Mavrakis said. "Ocean run salmon are the most famous example of fish traveling long distances but many fish in Wyoming also need to be able to travel long distances for spawning, overwinter habitat, and to escape adverse conditions like a prolonged drought."
On Dec. 14, in lieu of the regularmonthly meeting of the WFC, the annual Christmas party is to begin at 6:30 p.m at the Izaak Walton League clubhouse, 4205 Fort Caspar Road. All members, significant others and anyone interested in the WFC are invited to attend. The dinner is to be catered by The Herbadashery and will include BBQ brisket and BBQ chicken, salads, baked beans, dessert, tea and lemonade. Tickets are $10.00 each and can be purchased during the November regular club meeting. Tickets are also available at the Ugly Bug through Dec. 5 or by contacting Matt Stanton at stntnmtt@gmail.com or call 258-9915. The event will include several prize drawings, a Christmas fly competition, a fly walk and a slide show featuring the fishing year 2011.
Annual dues for 2012 are
NOW DUE! Individual: $20 Family: $30 Lifetime: In order to continue receiving club benefits, send in your annual dues to: WFC P.O. Box 2881 Casper, WY 82602 Or Drop off checks at the Ugly Bug Fly Shop
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If you would like to be on the "Fishing with Joe" mailing list please send your email address to fishingwithjoe2@gmail.com
CLASSIFIEDS
GOOD STUFF FOR SALE (CHEAP!) Patagonia SST jacket, XL, Brand new. $175 (list $315). Scott Novotny 266-3072 • Drift Boat - '97 Hyde (pre dove tail) With all the stuff you would expect AND an extra front seat with storage. $3500.00 Andrew Sauter 307-265-3932 • One Regal vise with pedestal mounts, $50.00 Art Van Rensselaer 307-262-7655 • Large selection of framed, signed and numbered Vivi Crandall and Terry Redlin prints (contact me for names/prices) Men's Chaco Z/1 sandal. Size 13. "Matrix color. New in box, $45, OBO. Men's Chaco Z/2 sandal. Size 12. Black color. New in box, $45, OBO. Matt Stanton 307-258-9915 Classifieds are a free service to WFC members. To advertise your item for sale, drop a line to chevy57stalker@aol.com.
Wyoming Fly Casters Monthly Newsletter
10,000 Yellowstone cutthroat stocked in Little Tongue River Anglers are now able to enjoy a new Yellowstone cutthroat trout fishery thanks to a three-year cooperative project between the Wyoming Game and Fish Department and the Bighorn National Forest. Following three years of removing all the fish in the drainage, the upper Little Tongue River was stocked on Aug. 29, 2011, with 10,000 catchable (8-10 inch) Yellowstone cutthroat trout. The fish were raised and distributed from the Clark's Fork Hatchery near Cody. These fish are available to anglers right now and should provide an enjoyable fishery. Native Yellowstone cutthroat trout are believed to have historically occupied most of the lower Tongue drainage near Dayton, Wyo., but past stocking of other trout species and habitat changes have restricted native Yellowstone cutthroats to only a few streams in the eastern
Bighorn Mountains. Brook trout will outcompete and rainbow trout will hybridize with cutthroats, so to have a pure cutthroat fishery the other species had to be removed. Brook trout and rainbow trout were removed from the drainage over a threeyear period using rotenone; a powder made from roots of plants grown mainly in Peru. The chemical is mixed in the stream and only affects organisms with gills. Warm blooded animals are not affected and insect populations quickly rebound. Many of the fish were stocked along Black Mountain Road where most fishing occurs. These fish should reproduce and sustain the fishery without future stocking. This project has created an additional 15 stream miles of Yellowstone cutthroat trout habitat for current and future anglers to enjoy.
President’s message be the chair and folks to take the lead on decorating the club meeting space. The club has always been good about pitching in once there is a leader to steer the event. Regardless of the length of your club membership please step up and lend a hand. Should your calendar be so busy that this holiday season will not work for you don’t be too disappointed. The banquet committee will be forming shortly. The groundwork needs to be laid before the first of the year but most of the work commences in January. We have the notes and details from last year so we don’t need to reinvent the wheel and hence the whole process should seem less cumbersome. The banquet is an important event and needs quality time devoted to it. It is our single
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biggest fundraiser and the event that allows us to participate in worthwhile conservation projects. The Wyoming Fly Casters are a quiet but well respected group in the community. Our name is on some important projects and fundraising events like the banquet help ensure that we can pursue our mission statement. Again, it’s a great way to meet other members of the club. We’ll see you at the meeting and please send the newsletter editor, Randy, any and all pictures of members in Halloween costume, especially the fishy ones! Tight lines and unfrozen guides,
Will
Our members are very special to us and we want to remember them in times of adversity. If you know of a member or their spouse who is ill or is recently deceased, please contact Donna Diesburg at (307) 2344278 or e-mail her at faith10@bresnan.net.
Wyoming Fly Casters Monthly Newsletter
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WYOMING FLY CASTERS BOARD MEETING MINUTES Call to order: A board meeting of the Wyoming Fly Casters, was held on October 19, 2011. The meeting convened at 7:02 p.m., President Will Waterbury presiding, and Casey Leary, secretary. Members in attendance: Will Waterbury, Casey Leary, Matt Stanton, Spencer Amend, Scott Novotny, Neil Ruebush, Greg Groves, Joe Meyer, Herb Waterman, Jim Johnson, and Andrew Sauter. Members Absent: Alex Rose and Chris McAtee, both unexcused. Approval of the minutes: Motion was made to approve the minutes of the September 14, 2011 meeting. Motion carried. Officer’s reports: Matt Stanton provided a quarterly report for review by the board. The September treasurer’s report was presented. Motion: Moved to approve the September treasurers report as presented. Motion carried. Committee reports: Conservation report: Dick DePaemelere provided information from the US Forest Service indicating possible changes of the West Tensleep and Deer Haven campgrounds in the Big Horn Mountains, the location
of the Tensleep outings. The paperwork was reviewed by members. The WFC and WFC Foundation will each be providing $20,000 to the Land and Wildlife Conservation Fund as part of our agreement, which helped secure access on the North Platte River below Government Bridge, once all specific details regarding the land purchase are secured. Old business: Will Waterbury spoke to WGFD officials regarding raffles at the Expo and the requirement is that all monetary funds raised at the Expo must either go to conservation projects or to the Expo. Will was also advised all booths have to have volunteers and cannot be unmanned. Andrew Sauter reported the WGFD Commissioners license was sold for $5500. After the selling agent took their fee, the other club and WFC split the remaining proceeds. Andrew Sauter reported the $2250 was placed into the WFC Foundation account. Discussion was held regarding By Laws changes, specifically the position of president elect. Will Waterbury will make sure all board members receive the current By-Laws. Motion: Moved by Joe Meyer that recommended the WFC eliminate the president elect position
and redistribute the duties later and seek membership approval. Motion carried. New business: Christmas party. Motion: Moved by Greg Groves that Matt Stanton be the chairman of the Christmas party committee (Matt volunteered), pay up to $20 per plate, reserve a caterer and arrange for the tickets be printed. The WFC, at the cost of $20 a plate, will charge $10 admission per plate, if the cost is higher, the board will reconsider cost of admission. Motion carried. Discussion was held regarding programs and club videos. It was recommended that we post a listing of all club videos on our website. Motion: Moved by Andrew Sauter that Scott Novotny be authorized to research, critique and purchase 2 videos at a cost of not more than $80 to go to WFC club library. Motion carried. Announcements: Scott Novotny wanted to thank Herb Waterman for donating lures, flies and materials for use in his outdoor education classes at NCHS. Joe Meyer is seeking input from anyone on how to generate more members, please contact Joe Meyer. Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 8:22 p.m.
NOVEMBER Club Calendar SUNDAY
6
MONDAY
7
TUESDAY
SATURDAY
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3
4
5
8
9
10
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12
Regular meeting, 7 p.m.
14
FRIDAY
1
end of Daylight Savings Time
13
WEDNESDAY THURSDAY
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16
Veterans Day
Full moon
17
18
19
24
25
26
WFC Board Meeting, 7 p.m.
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21
22
23
Thanksgiving
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28
29
30
Deadline for Backcast info
Wyoming Fly Casters P.O. Box 2881 Casper, WY 82602
www.wyflycasters.org
The mission of the Wyoming Fly Casters is to promote and enhance the sport of fly fishing and the conservation of fish and their habitat.