www.wyflycasters.org
Vol 41 No 12
The Monthly Newsletter of the Wyoming Fly Casters
December 2014
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December 2014
What’s inside Bob Homer, President Derrick Dietz, Vice President Cheryl Wilson, Secretary Lee Tschetter, Treasurer BOARD OF DIRECTORS Terms expire in 2015: George Axlund, Joe Meyer
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cuttslam story
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miller’s d-MIDGE
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FISHING HIGHLIGHTS
11 CLASSIFIEDS CALENDAR
Terms expire in 2016: Lee Wilson, Kelly Kukes Terms expire in 2017: Bob Fischer, John Yost, Spencer Amend The Backcast is the monthly newsletter of the Wyoming Fly Casters 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 life- time 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 secretary@wyflycasters.org or call (307) 2671903. 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 secretary@wyflycasters.org. 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 sub-scribing electronically, you also save the club roughly $17.40 a year in printing and postage expenses.
Front Cover : Photo by Lee Wilson, 2014; Back Cover : Photo by Lee Wilson, 2014
NEW MEMBERS!
If you haven’t already, call Joe Meyer at 307-235-1316. He’ll give you pointers and advice to make sure you catch The big one! Mission Statement: 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.
Description:
The Wyoming Fly Casters club was formed in 1974. The membership currently consists of approximately 160 members. The WFC was organized by a group of dedicated fly fishermen and since the club’s inception the Wyoming Fly Casters have strived to further the sport of fly fishing through conservation and education. Conservation of our water resources is one of our primary goals and in cooperation with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department we have and will continue to carry out worthwhile projects for the benefit of Wyoming fisheries. In addition to conserving Wyoming’s water resources we encourage conserving the fish themselves. A fish safely released today will live to give sport to others. For easy access to digital version of newsletter go to: www.wyomingflycasters.org
Wyoming Fly Casters
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President’s letter Dear Fellow Fishermen, Well, as the Fall turns to Winter and temperatures have dropped the last few months, there are still many good fishing days ahead along with some fun outings. Surprisingly, it may seem very cold outside when you are sitting by the fireplace, but once you get outside and move around, it is not that bad at all. With that in mind, I encourage you to take part in the Polar Bear Fishing Day. This is scheduled on New Year's Day on the Platte River. After fishing there will be a no-host chili lunch served at the Sunset Bar and Grill near Alcova from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm. The Polar Bear outing is a perfect time to get started on your Fish of the Month Challenge. However, I might remind you about having a 2015 fishing license. You will need it. Contact Lee Tschetter at 267-1528 with any questions or more information about the Fish of the Month Challenge. We will be forming a banquet committee in January for our annual banquet in April. We are always in need of helpers and I ask you to jump on board and come and help out. There is a wide variety of tasks and we need your input and help. You may contact me or any other board member. I truly hope to hear from you. No experience necessary!! Another important subject this time of year is our own New Year's Resolution. We all say we are going to do better next year on our personal goals. May I suggest some easy goals: catch more fish and become more involved with the Wyoming Flycasters Club. There are many wonderful people and good friends to enjoy. There are great programs, fly-tying workshops, rod building seminars and just plain fishing. Just wait until you catch a fish on a fly that YOU tied! In closing I hope 2014 has been a good year for you and yours. And I hope 2015 is even better. I would like to extend my best wishes to you for a very Merry Christmas and a Prosperous New Year. In the meantime, keep a taut line. Bob Homer
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December 2014
Mississippi couple makes first twice by Brian Broom Cathy Shropshire, of Terry, recently set the hook on a Bonneville cutthroat trout and in doing so, set off a chain reaction of firsts for a Mississippian. Shropshire, along with her husband Tommy, is an avid fly angler and the two have made many trips to Wyoming to fish over the years. Five years ago, Tommy managed to do something that no other Mississippian had ever done at the time — catch each of the state's four subspecies of cutthroat trout in their native range. "It's called a Cutt Slam," Tommy said. "It's a program Wyoming Game and Fish came up with. "You have to catch those fish, document them and take pictures of them." Once done, the information and images are submitted to the Wyoming Game and Fish Department for approval. Cathy caught the first of her slam in 2012 in Mill Creek in the Sierra Madre Range while vacationing in the area. "It was an excuse to go to a pretty place and try to catch that fish," Shropshire said.
Cathy with her Yellowstone Cutthroat
This fall, Shropshire wasn't looking for excuses, she was on a mission. With a friend guiding her, she began checking fish off the list. First, it was a Yellowstone cutthroat from Bear Creek in the Shoshone National Forest. The next day, she landed a small Snake River cutthroat from Grey's River south of Jackson. The final stop was Salt Creek in the Bear River Drainage for a Bonneville. "The last one was really the hardest one," Shropshire said. "It was in a marshy, scrubby place and I'm not a good caster." Concerned about staying hung in brush and grass on her back casts, Shropshire looked A Bonneville Cutthroat at Salt Creek for an area suitable for her abilities. "We finally found one pool with trout rising just at the edge of my casting range," Shropshire said. Contact Brian Broom at (601) 961"With a couple of hits and misses under my belt, I finally hooked a 7225 or bbroom@jackson.gannett.com. small Bonneville on a bead head soft hackle caddis." Follow The Clarion-Ledger Outdoors on Facebook, @BrianBroom on Twitter and When the Bonneville was photographed and released, she clarionledgeroutdoors on Instagram. accomplished two more firsts for Team Shropshire. She became the first Mississippi woman to complete a Cutt Slam and the pair became the first Mississippi couple to do so. "It's really not that difficult," Shropshire said. "You've just got to have someone with you that knows where to go." You also need to like traveling. "We drove dang near 1,200 miles to do it," her husband said.
Wyoming Fly Casters
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WFC BOARD MEETING OF NOVEMBER 19TH, 2014 President Bob Homer called the meeting to order at 7:03 PM Members Present: Bob Homer, George Axlund, Derek Dietz, Joe Meyer, Spencer Amend, Bob Fischer, Lee Tschetter, Kelly Kukes, John Yost Brad Cleverly presented an update on his Eagle Scout project, the shelter and picnic area at Walker Jenkins Lake. Brad showed slides that indicate the project is close to completion with most of the work being done in September. He submitted receipts totaling $1613. 84, which exceeded the original club obligation of $1,500. A discussion ensued primarily about how to handle the funding so that the foundation might be able to reimburse the club. It was felt that this issue should be presented to Rob Thompson for advice on how to handle the situation. Kelly K. made a motion to fund the entire $1,613.84 out of the WFC account. Lee T. seconded the motion and the motion carried on a unanimous vote. Lee T. made a motion to take the receipts to Rob Thompson for advice and counsel. George A. seconded and the motion carried on a unanimous vote. The minutes from the last Board meeting were published in the Backcast. Kelly K. made a motion to approve them as published. Bob H. seconded and the motion carried on a unanimous vote. Treasurer Report: Lee T. handed out copies of the October report with $173.45 in income, 81.95 in expenses and a total of $28,017.66 in our account. Joe M. made a motion to accept the report. Kelly K. seconded and the motion carried on a unanimous vote. Kelly K. gave a report on the Christmas Banquet on Dec. 10th. The caterer is all lined up and ready. The WFC cost will be $16.50 per person with the tickets priced at 10.00 per person. Kelly says we need people to help decorate. George, Bob H., John and Joe volunteered to show up at 2:00 PM , and Kelly will send out a reminder. Bob H. indicated that we should have better directions for our outings. Lee T. will look into getting a map that could be distributed prior to outings. Lee T. handed out copies of a proposed letter to WG&F concerning our obligation toward the Blue Downey Park Reservoir project discussed at the last Board meeting. George A. suggested a more direct statement concerning the end of our commitment after 10/31/15 so the WFC is not left with an open-ended financial commitment if the project is further delayed. Derek D. suggested saying that our proposal expires on that date. Lee T. will revise and represent the letter. WFC Fish-A-Month forms for 2015 were handed out. Spencer A. suggested that WFC donate money to Project Healing Waters since we are a sponsor. A discussion ensued that pointed out a formal request for funds from PHW has never been made, and the club has donated many man and woman hours toward PHW activities. Bob F. asked how and PHW usually funds its activities and Derek D. gave a brief presentation on chapter funding. Spencer A. pointed out that the club gave a donation to Nature Conservancy without a formal request. George A. recommended waiting till a specific request is made and that PHW would be welcome to come to the WFC with any funding requests after the first of the year. Spencer A. suggested that PHW should give WFC an annual report as well. Joe M. mentions that Derek offers WFC memberships to all vets. Lee T. mentions that 2014 Fish-A-Month forms should be turned in before the Jan meeting. Kelly K. announced she can't do much of the spring banquet planning this year due to her busy schedule. Bob H. asks for volunteers. Kelly might help with organizational issues at first, and we should solicit volunteers in the next Backcast and at the Christmas Party. Derek D. announced he will need volunteers for the PHW Thankful Thursday Fundraiser. No firm date has been announced yet, but we should be thinking about this. George A. suggested business cards for the club. President Homer adjourned the meeting at 8:19 PM. John Yost, acting Secretary
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December 2014
Attention Fly Tyers! We are working on getting new members ready to hit the water, and we need your help! We are currently asking for the following flies so that Joe can add these to the new member packets. Each member will receive a few flies to welcome them to the club and get them started in the right direction. Here are a few of the flies we are looking for:
Pine Squirrel Leech Halfbacks Stimulator (See next page) Elk Hair Caddis Midges
Renegades San Juan Worms (various colors) Rock Worms Eggs Pheasant Tail Nymph
Flashbacks (pg 9) Bead-headed flashbacks
Do you want to learn how to tie flies but don’t know where to start? Join us for Lyin’ and Tyin’! We meet the second Saturday of the month throughout the cold winter months. There will be spare vices and supplies needed to learn how to tie like a pro in no time! Call Joe Meyer at 235-1316 for more information!
Wyoming Fly Casters
Miller’s D-Midge
Credit for this pattern, and images below go to Charlie’s Fly Box. If you have a minute, check him out on Facebook, and on his website - http://www.charliesflyboxinc.com/
Start by threading two glass beads Start the thread immediately behind onto the hook and pushing them up to the front bead and build a small nub the eye. Mount the hook in the vise. of thread behind it sufficient to hold it tightly against the hook eye.
Push the second bead up tight against the thread bump and jump the thread toward the rear of the hook over the second bead.
Wrap a smooth thread base down the Tie in eight strands of (white) Flouro shank to the bend and back again to Fiber at the back edge of the bead with the back edge of the second bead. just a couple turns of thread. Be sure the stub ends are flush to the thread wraps and that the Flouro is tied in on top of the hook shank.
Tie in a piece of wire along the near side of the shank at the back edge of the second bead. Again, use just a couple turns of thread to secure the wire in place.
Hold the Fluoro Fiber and wire in place in their respective positions and wrap back over them to the bend of the hook. The Fluoro should stay atop the shank and the wire should stay along the side. Work forward again with the thread building a slightly tapered abdomen to the back of the bead.
Wrap the wire forward to the bead Jump the thread forward into the space with about four evenly spaced spiral between the two beads. wraps, tie it off and helicopter the end to break it free. Clip the tail fibers so they are about as long as the abdomen. Continued on page 8
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Lay the remaining eight strands of Flouro Fiber in between the beads along the far side of the hook and tie them down with a few wraps at the center of their length.
December 2014
Pull the forward facing fibers back Whip finish the thread between the along the near side of the hook and beads. Clip bind them in place with a few more turns of thread.
Trim the legs to just slightly longer Add a small drop of head cement to the thread wraps between the beads. than the second bead.
Olive version Olive thread and beads, Black/Purple version Black Fluoro Grey Version Grey thread, Pearl black wire and Olive Fluoro Fiber, Silver wire, Purple Beads and Beads, White Fluoro Fiber and Black black thread Wire
Pattern Description, from Charlie Craven This cool little pattern comes from my dear friend, Dennis Miller. Dennis runs the flyshop down in Almont during the summer months and both he and his son, Brad (see the Span Juan Worm here on the FlyBox) create some super effective, guide-style fish catchers. The D-Midge is Dennis' answer to an all around dropper style fly that can be taken for a variety of insects. Tied with two glass beads and a bit of sparkling flouro fiber, the D-Midge is a crafty little bug that deserves a spot in your fly box.
Wyoming Fly Casters
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Letter from the Editor
Flycasters, The year is coming to an end, but there is still good fishing to be had, if you want to brave the cold, or the wind. Personally, I would rather brave the bitter cold temperatures than the hurricane force winds. We went out this evening despite the below freezing temps and managed a few strikes in between de-icing my eyelets. I decided not to stay out too long, but we had some fun while we were out at Speas, none the less. Just a few things to keep in mind, as have been previously stated in here. The Christmas party is December 10th, 6:30 p.m. at the club house. Please RSVP and get your tickets no later than December 3rd! This is very important so we can tell the caterers how much food we need. Here is a menu: *BBQ Pork *Chicken *Coleslaw *Green Garden Salad with House Dressings *Grilled Asparagus *Oven Roasted Potatoes and Carrots *Scalloped Potatoes *Bulio Rolls *Dessert variety *Tea and Lemonade Please plan to attend! There will be the buffet dinner (always really good food), a slideshow of club events throughout the year, door prizes, the second change raffle, attendance raffle, a Christmas fly contest, and more! Please stop by the Ugly bug by December 3rd, or call me at 267-1903 to reserve your tickets ASAP! A few more things- Lyin and Tyin will be December 13th, at 8:00 a.m., at the Oil and Gas Commission building. See page 6 for more information. The Polar Bear Outing will be on January 1st, as always. This is an informal outing out to Alcova, with green chili served at the Sunset Bar & Grill around noon. Lee and I will not be attending because we are going on our honeymoon- New Orleans! I also STRONGLY encourage everyone to consider helping out with the Spring banquet committee this year - we will be forming the committee soon and need volunteers. It takes a lot of people to pull the event together, but the more people we have, the smoother it will go. Thanks for reading!
Cheryl
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December 2014
NOVEMBER FISHING HIGHLIGHTS
Joe Meyer out on a chilly day in November
Spencer with a nice lookin’ trout!
Rick and a nice Rainbow out near Alcova
WFC member Larry Good sent this picture in from his trip to Wyoming this July. He is from Kansas but maintains membership in the club. Thanks for the great picture Larry!
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Calendar
CHRISTMAS PARTY 6:30 P.M.
December 2014
LYIN’ AND TYIN’ 8:00 A.M.
BOARD MEETING 7:00 P.M.
A look ahead: • The Polar Bear outing will be January 1st!
Wyoming Fly Casters P.O. Box 2881 Casper, WY 82602
December 2014