www.wyflycasters.org
Vol 40 No 3
The Monthly Newsletter of the Wyoming Fly Casters
March 2013
North Platte River History
Voting time! spring break reads Cabin Fever - March 2nd
March 13th
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service to the club. In a nutshell what I am saying is do yourself a favor and get involved, you will be glad you did. The annual club elections will be held at the general meeting on March 13th. Elsewhere in this newsletter is the ballot for the election. You will notice that there are open positions with no candidates listed. We will take nominations from the floor at the general meeting. Some of the current position holders may want to run for their spot again, though I know that there are those who do not, so we may be asking for folks to step up and accept a nomination.
Presidents Letter Greetings Fly Casters, I think that I may have used this quote in the past, however it is one that I like and thought it appropriate to use in my last column as president. I would venture a guess that all of us have had some outstanding fishless days, and more than a few outings where in the telling of the days’ stories, time spent with companions or some chance encounter with the natural world made it an experience that will not soon be forgotten, though the fish might soon fade from memory. I have enjoyed my tenure as president and have appreciated getting to know the membership better. I really encourage members, who have joined the club within the last year or so, to seriously consider participating in the leadership of the club. There are many members, within just the last three years who have joined the club and shortly thereafter became a board or executive committee member. It really is an outstanding way to get to know the club and build relationships that may well turn into the companions you will be telling stories with around campfires. When you go to a meeting and look around at the twenty-five or so members present you will find almost every one of them have held multiple positions and have multiple years of
March 2013
For quite some time the Wyoming Fly Casters’ have been graced with some superb newsletter editors. I think we can honestly say that we have had one of the very best fly-fishing club newsletters in the country for years. Our current editor, Peg Novotny is finding it necessary to step down as her schedule just keeps getting busier and busier, and she can no longer give the newsletter the attention she would like.
Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after. Henry David Thoreau I would like to thank the board and other officers for their dedication and service to the club. I want to specifically thank Matt Stanton, the clubs treasurer and one man conservation committee, the organizer and conductor of two Christmas parties and soon to be two banquets, and WFC representative at multiple Trout Unlimited semi-annual meetings. He has given such quality time, sincere efforts, and made huge contributions to the club. Thanks Matt!
For any of you reasonably computer savvy members out there, PLEASE consider editing the clubs’ newsletter. From what I understand, you will not be thrown to the wolves, there is support out there for you. It could even be a team effort if need be, and if any of you former editors are itchin’ to have another go at it please let us know. The presentation for the meeting, “Nymphing 101”, will be by local guide Blake Edwards. If you have never seen one of Blake’s presentations, you are in for a treat. Get ready to hear of interesting facts and helpful tips. I hope we continue to do good things, for fish and their habitats, for ourselves, and the continuation of the club. Here’s to outings where the number and size of fish caught are the least interesting aspects of the stories.
I also know that Matt would like to turn over the treasurer’s position to some one who wants to take on that role. He is wiling to work with the person who fills the position, to help them learn the duties and processes involved.
Tight lines, ice-free guides and warm fingers.
Will
Wyoming Fly Casters
What’s inside ... Will Waterbury, President Lee Tschettert, Vice President
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North Plate History
Casey Leary, Secretary Matt Stanton, Treasurer
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Election Ballot
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Spring Reading
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Classifieds
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What’s up?
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Calendar
BOARD OF DIRECTORS Terms expire in 2013: Joe Meyer, Scott Novotny, Alex Rose Terms expire in 2014: Jim Johnson, Chris AcAtee, Bob Fischer, Spenser Amend Terms expire in 2015: George Axlund, Brian Bayer, Jesse McGregor, Philip Smith 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 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 marketingmavenaha@ gmail.com or call (708) 997-2071. 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 marketingmavenaha@ gmail.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 sub- scribing electronically, you also save the club roughly $17.40 a year in printing and postage expenses.
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.
Go to www.issuu.com and search for Wyoming Fly Casters. This site has the latest WFC issue and past issues from 2012 and subsequent years.
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2013
North Platte River Special Collection
Wyoming Fly Casters
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or a little over a year now I have been working on a project at the public library that I think/hope some of our members may be interested in. This project began as creating a “special” hunting and fishing collection pertaining to North America. That scope was soon narrowed to Wyoming/West and was narrowed yet again to primarily focus on the North Platte River and fishing. We began by identifying some of the individuals that have been active/key in reshaping the river from the early ‘50s to present. These people helped take our river from polluted, stagnant, irregular flows to the beautiful water we enjoy today. Much of the early work was done pre- EPA & DEQ. One comment that we heard many times was, “we didn’t do it be-
cause of regulation, we did it because it was the right thing to do”. We have collected over 365 transcribed pages of oral interviews from: Fred Eiserman, Larry Peterson, Herb Waterman, Bob Wiley, Bill Wichers, Al Conder, and John Lawson as well as employees of the DEQ that were present during the Standard Oil cleanup. I’m sure that many club members are familiar with some, if not all, of these names. Some of the topics covered are: river use philosophy (changes over the years), pollution & cleanup, evolution of fish management, and the Freemont Canyon Project (that this club was instrumental in). While we are finishing up with the final revisions of the oral histories we have begun to supplement the library’s holdings in the fishing
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section. Natrona County Public Library currently holds about 200 fishing related titles and in January we added 25 more. I am also creating a wish list of titles and authors for future purchases. I have identified several and we hope to acquire some of the harder to find titles first and titles that are not held by any other public library in the state. If anyone has any questions or suggestions, feel free to ask me when you see me or stop by the reference desk at the library. I’d like to talk to you and show you what we have in the collection that you may be interested in. Hope to see you on the water,
Lee Tschetter
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March 2013
WFC 2013 Officer and Board Election PRESIDENT (Vote for one) __Kelly Kukes_______________________
SECRETARY (Vote for one)
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___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ BOARD -- 3 year term expiring 2016 (Vote for four) ___________________________________ VICE PRESIDENT (Vote for one) __Lee Tschetter______________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________
Mark through the boxes adjacent to the candidate(s) of your choice. Vote for one candidate for officer positions, and as many as four for board vacancies. In order to be entitled to vote, you must be a WFC member in good standing (dues current). Absentee ballots can be mailed to the club (P.O. Box 2881, Casper, 82602). All other ballots will be marked and collected during the membership meeting on March 13th. Nominations from the floor will be accepted before ballots are cast, especially for the position without any announced candidates. Officers and board members elected in March take office in April. The obligation of an officer or a board member is to attend a general membership meeting and a board meeting, on the second and third Wednesdays of each month, respectively, at 7:00 p.m. BOARD -- 2 year term expiring 2015 (Vote for two)
TREASURER (Vote for one) __Matt Stanton______________________
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BOARD -- 1 year term expiring 2014 FULL
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Wyoming Fly Casters
February 20, 2013 Call to Order: 7:03 PM Members Present: Will Waterbury, Lee Tschetter, Matt Stanton, Casey Leary, Scott Novotny, Spencer Amend, George Axlund, Alex Rose, Joe Meyer, Bob Fischer. Member Absent: Chris McAtee, Brian Bayer, Jim Johnson, Jesse McGregor and Phil Smith (all unexcused.) Secretary’s Report: Lee Tschetter made a motion to accept the January Secretary’s Report, motion carried. Treasurer’s Report: No report. Matt did speak with an accountant regarding our separation from TU. The accountant recommended we file last year’s report and also this year’s report in November, indicating we dissolved our partnership with TU. New Business: We have sold about 25 tickets for the bamboo fly rod and the drawing will be held at our annual banquet. Matt Stanton reported the banquet committee has been making progress and good raffles will be had. Scott Novotny reported the Fly Fishing Film Tour will be held on March 14, 2013, 6 PM at the Iris Theater, $15 for tickets at the fly shops and $20 at the door. Peg Novotny is resigning as publisher of the Backcast due to other commitments. The Board thanks her for the great job she did. If you are interested in being the publisher of the Backcast, please contact Will Waterbury. Will Waterbury will contact Phil Smith and Jesse McGregor regarding their repeated absences to board meetings. Discussion was held regarding a lack of volunteers for various club activities. Will Waterbury reported a few years ago attendance at the general meetings averaged about 30-35, now we average about 20-22. We discussed elections next month and possible lack of volunteers. Should the club not find enough volunteers, the board will operate with fewer board members and the board is comfortable with a smaller number. At the time of the board meeting, we have the following nominees: President – Kelly Kukas; Vice-President- Lee Tschetter; Treasurer-Matt Stanton; Secretary – open; 3 board positions. Old Business: Casey Leary has 10 volunteers for the Cabin Fever Clinic March 2, 2013, 1 PM, at the Casper Recreation Center. Joe Meyer had a call from an individual in Cheyenne if the WFC could present a casting clinic in Sheridan! As a side note Joe has also received calls from Douglas and Torrington about attending our Cabin Fever Clinic. Adjourned: 7:58 PM
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Great Reads for Spring Break!
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hether you’re on a permanent Spring Break or about to go on a temporary one, it’s always a good time to read a good book. If it’s a book about fly-fishing, all the better! Recently I was looking at ‘self-help’ books for frustrated flycasters (imagine that) and I found these. While they may not make you a pro overnight they do provide some good tips, share some good advice applicable to life and offer some great short fly-fishing fiction. “The Little Red Book of Fly-Fishing” should, under no circumstance, be confused with “The Little Black Book of Fly-Fishing.” The mission of this book is to demystify and un-complicate the tricks and tips that make a great trout fisherman. Consider this a digestible primer on the basic elements of fly-fishing; the cast, presentation, reading water signs and selecting flys. Who wouldn’t want to reflect on ways to perfect their fishing technique? Some idiot I guess? Who woulda thunk it? Yep, the Fonz’ “I’ve Never Met an Idiot on the River”(makes me feel better) is a collection of humorous anecdotes and heartfelt observations about fishing and life. Henry Winkler observes that the river ‘is like a washing machine for my brain, it recharges me and reminds me that anything is possible.’ He shares his angling trips with his wife and 3 sons. As a result he has grown more to appreciate the support his wife and children give him, learned to listen, and developed the confidence to publish his outdoor photography in his first non-fiction book. Guaranteed to please “In Hemingway’s Meadow” is a timeless collection that feature among the finest fly-fishing stories in the sport’s modern history. Authors include: Pete Fromm, Seth Norman, Keith McCafferty, Richard Chiappone, E. Donnall Thomas—and Robert Traver/John Voelker himself. An excerpt from the “Frenchman’s Revisited” story by Robert Traver ... ‘My beery reveries were suddenly disturbed by the splash of a rising trout.’ Yea, tell me you haven’t had that thought before! Ha! Have a great Spring Break!
March 2013
Wyoming Fly Casters
Classifieds
Member Notes
Classifieds
Let’s Tie some Flys! March 1st is the Final deadline for fly plates. It would be great to get 2 fly’s from each McTavish recipient, 1 from anyone else AND any member can tie onedozen for door prizes! Contact Joe Meyer at: bjoem@bresnan.net
Remembrances 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) 234-4278 or e-mail her at faith10@bresnan.net.
WFC Spring Banquet Tickets ON SALE NOW!
Classifieds Member Notes Classifieds Member Notes
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Member Notes Large selection of framed, signed and numbered Vivi Crandall and Terry Redlin prints (contact me for names/prices) and
Men’s Chaco Z/1 Sandal. Size 13. “Matrix color” New in box $45 OBO Matt Stanton 307-258-9915
INDOOR DRIFT BOAT STORAGE on the river $50/month or $500/year. Outdoor storage $40/month. Call Clarke 307-262-3306
Scott Novotny gscottn@gmail.com 307-315-3534
All Patagonia SST jacket XXL $300.00 2011 model NIB; SST jacket women’s older style XL $125.00 NIB SST jacket Small; older style used $50.00
http://www.roadslesstraveled. us.Popup.html
Scott Novotny 307-315-3534
COLMAN FLEETWOOD COLONIAL POPUP CAMPER
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March 2013
Wow, now that I have your attentio The digital newsletter should be out in time to remind all of you about the upcoming Cabin Fever event. It will be held on Saturday, March 2nd from 1 pm - 4 pm at the Casper Recreation Center. This is a great event where all members can help new fishermen learn flycasting techniques and the art of fly-tying. FREE! What could be better? It’s open to enthusiasts of all ages. If you’re a member, please come and help with those who attend the event. If you’re an enthusiast, we’re looking forward to seeing you there. Before you can say, “A River Runs Through it,” our Spring Banquet will be upon us. April 6th at 6 pm, Ramada Inn. Cash bar opens at 6 pm, dinner will be served at 7 pm. This is a great opportunity for members, family and friends to enjoy an entertaining evening with door prizes, silent and live auction, and other fantastic give-aways. It’s also a great time to get re-aquainted with fellow fly casters that have been hidden away all winter. Spring is just around the corner, time to get together and talk about all the “great ones” that got away. See you there! Our re-occuring monthly events are upon us as well. General meeting will be Wednesday, March 13th at Izaak Walton. Club elections will be held then too. Also that night the third annual FT3 Fly Fishing Tour will be at the IRIS theater on Yellowstone. Tickets are available at Ugly Bug for $15 Last but not least, the Wonder Bar will be hosting a beer garden during the event and they’ll be giving away a bottle of Wyoming Whiskey as a door prize. Be sure to get in on some of dat! Fly Tying will be at the Gas & Oil Building, Saturday, March 16th at 9 am. This is waaay fun; a must see and definitely worth getting outta bed on a Saturday morning. On a more personal note I’d like to thank the Wyoming Fly Casters for having enough faith in me to produce the newsletter this past year. I have thoroughly enjoyed it. Wish I could continue it but my life is far from settled and I just don’t have the time. Perhaps one day I could pick it up again. We’ll see. I’ve been so busy with other obligations that I have often missed fishing opportunities so I’d have the time to put the newsletter together. Now, I know Joe Meyer isn’t going to keep calling me indefinitely. So I best get my gear on and get going. I believe there are a few fish out there with my name on them... hopefully they’re big fatties! I’ll let you know. Thanks again, Peg
Wyoming Fly Casters
on!
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March 2013
The Backcast Newsletter www.flycasters.org
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Cabin Fever 1 - 4pm, Rec Center General Meeting Izaak Walton Lodge 7 pm Ft3 Fly Fishing Tour Club Elections Fly Tying 9 am, Gas & Oil Building WFC Board Meeting