www.wyflycasters.org
Vol 44 No 10
The Monthly Newsletter of the Wyoming Fly Casters
November 2016
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November 2016
What’s inside
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president’s letter
Lee Tschetter, President Spencer Amend, Vice President
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John Yost, Secretary Janet Sowell, Treasurer
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BOARD OF DIRECTORS
6-7 dome rock resevoir update
Terms expire in 2017: George Axlund, Joe Meyer, Lee Wilson, Cheryl Wilson Derrick Dietz Bob Fischer
11 CLASSIFIEDS
miracle mile rally for public lands
CALENDAR
Terms expire in 2018: Wilbur Yankee, Jim Johnson Bruce Lessig, Bruce Chandler, Blake Jackson The Backcast is the monthly newsletter of w 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 cheryl_ea06@ hotmail.com or call (307) 267-1903. 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 cheryl_ea06@hotmail.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.
Front Cover and back cover Photo by: Lee Wilson
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
President’s letter
Hello Flycasters,
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November 2016
Another month is gone and we are moving closer to winter. Our days this fall have been warm but the wind has been a real issue with the fishing. Something about trying to toss those little fly in 50 mph wind!
The first items that I would like to address are ones that you may want to add to your schedule.
1. Congrats to Derrick on another successful Thankful Thursday event for Project Healing Waters. I heard that approximately $13,000 was raised. 2. On Saturday November 5th the WWF will be having a public lands rally at Ft. Casper Campground. This will be in support of “keeping public lands in public hands”. The rally will run from 1-3 and will have live music and some refreshments. This will be a great opportunity to find out all of the information on this topic. At our last BOD meeting a resolution was adopted showing our support for public lands remaining in public hands. 3. It’s getting close to that time of year again. Our annual Christmas party will be December 14th at the club house. Look for more to come soon. 4. It is also time to start gearing up for our spring banquet. We will need committee members to start getting together and lining up all that is involved with this event. Cheryl has said that she will not be able to head the committee this year but will be available to help. April isn’t that far off anymore. 5. Lyin’ & Tyin’ will be kicking off soon. This is a great way to stay in touch with club members over the cold months and re-stock your fly boxes. Contact Joe with any questions. Joe has been working with a group of Boy Scouts who may be interested in learning fly tying to earn a merit badge. There was discussion that we are supportive but may not want to combine this with our Lyin’ & Tyin’. Joe will make contact with the local group and find out more details. As the information is available we will pass that along to you. Al Conder was a guest speaker at our board meeting last month. He talked to us about the Pathfinder fishery and the affect that the walleye are having on that fishery. Al has submitted a short letter to us to be included in this issue of the newsletter. Please take the time to read through it. Any comments that you may have may be directed through our officers or board members and they will be put through to Al. This is an issue that our club should really try to get behind. Until Next Month. Tight Lines & Long Drifts, Lee
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November 2016
2016 Miracle Mile Outing
Click here to watch a video about the 2016 Miracle Mile outing! Pictures and video by Lee Wilson
Wyoming Fly Casters
Join WWF and a host of other organizations in Casper on Saturday, November 5th to rally in support of "keeping public lands in public hands" in Wyoming! This is a free, non-partisan event. Everyone is invited! 1-3 p.m., Saturday, November 5 Fort Caspar Campground 4205 Fort Caspar Rd. Casper, WY 82604 We'll have food and beer available, live music, and some exciting speakers, including: Chris Madson, writer and former editor of Wyoming Wildlife Magazine Tania Lown-Hecht, the Outdoor Alliance Land Tawney, President and CEO, Backcountry Hunters and Anglers We'll also have opportunities to take action and show elected officials that our public lands are not for sale. Find out more, and sign a petition to show your support, at keepitpublicwyo.com. Chamois Andersen Executive Director Wyoming Wildlife Federation P.O. Box 1312 Lander, WY 82520 chamoisandersen@wyomingwildlife.org (307) 438-1724 www.wyomingwildlife.org
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November 2016
Gordon Edwards Jr. 10/25/16 Dome Rock Reservoir Update Prepared for the Back Cast, Wyoming Flycasters Dome Rock Reservoir is a small trophy cutthroat trout fishery about 50 miles southwest of Casper.
Dome Rock Reservoir is a nine-acre impoundment with a maximum depth of 15 feet and a developed public access area adjacent to the Kortes road on your way to the Miracle Mile. It may be small, but it is worth stopping to wet your line at this small impoundment managed as a trophy cutthroat trout fishery. There is no boat launch and it’s perfectly suited for belly-boats, canoes, and car-top boats. Regulations at Dome Rock Reservoir allow only the use of artificial flies and lures and require the release of all trout less than 20 inches. Snake River cutthroat trout approach a length of 20 inches within 3 to 4 years at Dome Rock.
Game and Fish has worked to “dial-in” a stocking rate, frequency, and size of fish that works best at Dome Rock. Annual stocking was reduced to biennial stocking in 2011 at Dome Rock (odd years), following the observation of reduced condition and growth of Snake River cutthroats in 2008 and 2009. This management change benefited the fishery by reducing the competition for forage. Aquatic insects and zoo-plankton provide the bulk of productivity in Dome Rock, supplemented by an abundance of larger prey items such as fathead minnows and crayfish. Stocking requests for all waters are subject to hatchery production and availability. Most recently, 400 sub-catchable-sized Snake River cutthroats (7.6 in average length) were stocked in May 2015 at Dome Rock reservoir from Dan Speas Fish Hatchery near Casper. Dome Rock is on schedule for spring 2017 with a target of 700 to 1,000 advanced fingerling (approx 4.1 inches) Snake River cutthroats.
Wyoming Fly Casters
Short-duration netting (≤ 1 hour per net) is used every other year (even years) to collect data for monitoring this fishery. This technique maximizes the survival of sampled fish to minimize impacts on this small trout population. The condition of trout at Dome Rock improved substantially since 2009, and remained steadily above average since 2010. In 2016, the overall condition of cutthroats was above average, showing balance between trout abundance and productivity of their environment. Abundance of trout, indicated by the average gill net catch rate, was slightly down in 2016 (3.9 fish/h) compared to 2014 (5.0 fish/h). The cohort of 16-18 inch (age 3) cutthroats was strongest in 2016, followed by a group of 10-12 inch fish (age 1), which was consistent with 2014 sampling. However, no trout exceeding 20 inches (age 5+) were sampled in 2016, which may simply reflect fewer fish overall. Several fish were just shy of the 20 inch benchmark and the largest fish are most difficult to sample. So, it remains safe to say that some trophy cutthroats are waiting for anglers at Dome Rock reservoir.
Dome Rock Reservoir survey results from 2016 indicated good survival of Snake River cutthroats stocked in 2015 (10-12 inches) and 2013 (16-18 inches), and a fair chance of catching fish over 20 inches in 2017.
Click anywhere on this map to go to the Game and Fish Website for a larger and more detailed map!
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November 2016
WFC GENERAL MEETING MINUTES OF 0CTOBER 12, 2016 CALL TO ORDER: Vice-President Spencer Amend opened the meeting at 1906. He led the club in the Pledge of Allegiance. FISHING REPORTS: Janet, Joe and Spencer all gave positive reports on the river fishing. It was generally agreed that small, size 18-20 flies, particularly RS2, are working well. Some dry flies are working also on the Platte. ANNOUNCEMENTS: 1) Casey reminds members of the upcoming annual Miracle Mile outing this coming Saturday. Food and drink will be provided and the meeting place will be at a picnic site to the left side after crossing the bridge. 2) New members and visitors are acknowledged and introduced. 3) George announced that our Club's presentation at the last Rotary Club meeting went well. 4) Derrick announces that Project Healing Waters held a hunt with a companion veterans group. 2 trips have been held recently, and there have been 123 PHW members participate in the various programs offered so far. Also, the annual PHW fundraiser, "Thankful Thursdays" at the Beacon Club, will be October 27th. Please try to attend. 5) Joe announces that Lyin' and Tyin', the Saturday get together where members tie flies during the fall and winter months, will start in November. It typically takes place once monthly on the Saturday after the general meeting at the Oil and Gas Building. It typically starts at 0900 and goes for 2-3 hours. 6) Spencer acknowledges the Club's participation in the recent Platte River Revival. We had 12 people help out under our banner. 7) Wilbur brought up a possible opportunity for our club to help out with the organization, "Give Cancer the Boot". He suggests we consider offering to teach skills like casting or fly tying, or to sponsor outings to this group who are dealing with cancer. SPEAKER: Janet Sowell introduces Jessica Halvorsen, who is the Wyoming State Program Coordinator and a Workshop Facilitator and Presenter for Wyoming Project Learning Tree. WFC has given a grant to PLT and Jessica is here to tell us more about how the grant money will be used and what her organization is and does. As background, Jessica was a forester with South Dakota initially, then became involved with PLT 15 years ago with the last 6 years, serving as the state Coordinator. The American Forest Foundation is the sponsor of this program and the program headquarters is in Washington, DC, but every state has a chapter. The program began in 1976 with non-profit status being attained in 1998. Generally, Jessica describes PLT as an organization that trains teachers to present a natural resource curriculum via a series of workshops conducted by facilitators in classroom, and sometimes online, settings. One guiding principle of PLT is to teach kids, "how, not what, to think". They also conduct facilitator training workshops. Specifically, Jessica would like to use the grant money to conduct a unique workshop with teachers in 2017 that would involve both classroom instruction, then field work over a 2 day period. She would like to partner with 2 other organizations, Project Wild and Project Wet, in order to broaden the scope and power of this workshop. Jessica then entertained questions from the audience. ADJOURNMENT: Vice-President Spencer adjourned the meeting at 1945. Respectfully Submitted, John Yost, Secretary
Wyoming Fly Casters
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WFC BOARD MEETING MINUTES OF OCTOBER 19,2016 *All votes on motions are unanimous unless otherwise noted. MEMBERS IN ATTENDANCE: Lee T., Joe, John, Jim, Janet, Bruce C., Wilbur, Spencer, Derrick, Lee W. Excused absences: Bruce L. and Blake. CALL TO ORDER: President Tschetter called the meeting to order at 1905. SECRETARY'S REPORT: John has emailed out the minutes of the September meeting last month to all board members. No comments or questions were brought up. Bruce C. made a motion to accept the minutes as written which was seconded by Janet. The motion carried. TREASURER'S REPORT: -Janet handed out copies of both the last Reliant bank statement and the Club's banking Summary/Balance Sheet and reported that all accounts reconciled. -Janet reports that the Grant Proposal Committee has received all the contracts back from the successful recipients except for the G&F water level loggers. -Janet reports that our rent for the Izaak Walton League Clubhouse is about 1.5 years in arrears. We do not receive statements from IWL but we may have to cover this unpaid debt at $75/month. We will have to sign a contract when we renew. -Janet gave a report on the Club credit/debit card situation. Originally, we were going to just cancel the debit card and get a credit card from Reliant, but Janet is having second thoughts and believes we should solicit other banks for a credit card. Others mentioned were First Interstate, Platte Valley and Hilltop. Derrick made a motion: The Club should follow the recommendation of our Treasurer to gather additional information about moving our account to a different bank. After additional discussion, Derrick decided to amend the motion by adding this: The Club will authorize a delay in obtaining a credit card while the new information is being gathered. Bruce C. seconded the motion as amended and the motion carried. OLD BUSINESS: 1) Joe reports that we still need to produce proof of insurance to the Oil and Gas facility so we can hold our Lyin and Tyin sessions. Janet and Lee T will assist with this. 2) Lee T. suggests we start planning for the Christmas Party which will be on December 14th this year. In addition, we should also start thinking about the Spring Banquet. Lee W. says that Cheryl will not be able to head the Banquet Committee this year. 3) Spencer has created and submitted a letter requesting that WFC receive a Commissioner's Tag again this year. He believes we will know the outcome around February. 4) Wilbur reports that 3 new nameplates (Herb Waterman, Mike Houston and Dick Depaemeler) have been installed at the Speas area WFC Memorial. 5) Derrick reminds the Board of the annual PHW Fundraiser at the Beacon Club on the 27th starting around 5:30. NEW BUSINESS: 1) Al Conder is a guest speaker and spoke of G&F efforts to try to manage Pathfinder Reservoir as a trout fishery. The apparent dilemma is that Pathfinder appears to be declining in trout numbers as it appears that walleye are dominating. In response to this apparent situation, G&F have already started stocking larger trout in the 10"-10.5" range to reduce predation on the stockers, but have to reduce the numbers planted with this approach. Other approaches such as increasing the limit on walleye harvested are opposed by groups like the local walleye club who are not convinced that walleye populations are expanding at the expense of the trout population. They would like better data before such control measures are implemented. So, Al proposes a study that would run January 1-July 31 and would consist of 2 professional technicians plus volunteer help to compile a survey located at the AIS check stations. Unfortunately, Al reports there is no money available for this survey as it would be between budget cycles. He wonders if WFC could provide some money toward this effort. He will also contact the walleye club to see what their interest is in helping to finance this effort. A general discussion ensued following Al's talk. It was generally agreed that this request should go through the grant application process that WFC has recently set up. We do not have specific dates for doing each round of grant considerations and perhaps we should. The grant committee headed by George, should be in charge of setting regular dates for that process, and/or setting up a new round of application requests that Al's proposal would be among those considered. It was generally decided that George will be charged with getting his committee moving forward on this situation. 2) Janet reports
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November 2016
that we have received a notice from the National Bighorn Sheep Interpretive Association inviting our members to their 23rd annual fundraiser in Dubois on November 5th. There was discussion that we could get some ideas for our fundraiser by attending this one. 3) Joe has been working with a local Boy Scout troop who may be able to get a fly tying merit badge. He wonders if we could assist with the interested scouts at our Lyin and Tyin sessions. There was a general discussion that expressed the idea that it could dilute our original mission and atmosphere for Lyin and Tyin, and that it might be better to hold those sessions at a different time. Also, that our Club would be quite willing to help with this project under the right circumstances. Spencer, an Eagle Scout, made the excellent suggestion that Joe contact the scoutmaster and request a "merit badge pamphlet" for this particular badge so we will know what we would be required of us. 4) Spencer announces the WWF is sponsoring a Public Lands Rally on November 5th from 1-3 PM at the Izaak Walton League Clubhouse. The idea is to let our state lawmakers know of significant opposition to the idea of the transfer of federal lands to the states. Jim made a motion: WFC adopts a resolution showing our support for public lands remaining in public hands. This motion was seconded by Spencer and the motion passed. ADJOURNMENT: Jim moved to adjourn and Derrick seconded. The motion passed and the meeting was adjourned at 2045. Respectfully submitted, John Yost, Secretary
Letter from the Editor
Flycasters, November marks the beginning of the holiday season. I know it definitely snuck up on me. The weather has been unseasonably warm, and I have to wonder how it’s affecting the fly fishing out there. Lyin’ and Tyin’ is coming up this month, and if you’ve never been, I highly recommend it! If you’ve never tied a fly before and want to learn, this is the best way to get started! I will also have Christmas party tickets available at the General Meeting in November, as well more information on the party. Thanks everyone!
Cheryl Wilson
CLASSIFIED
Wyoming Fly Casters
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Calendar
Sunday
6
Daylight Saving
November 2016
NOVEMBER 2016 Monday
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Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
1
2
3
4
8
9
10
11
Saturday
5
Veterans Day
12 Lyin' and Tyin'
General Meeting
7:00 p.m.
9:00 am-3:00 pm
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14
15
16
17
18
Board Meeting 7:00 p.m.
19 Lyin' and Tyin' 9:00 am-3:00 pm
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21
22
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27
28
29
30
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December 2016
October 2016 S
M
2 9 16 23 30
3 10 17 24 31
T W Th F Sa 1 4 5 6 7 8 11 12 13 14 15 18 19 20 21 22 25 26 27 28 29
Thanksgiving
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M
4 11 18 25
5 12 19 26
T W Th 1 6 7 8 13 14 15 20 21 22 27 28 29
F 2 9 16 23 30
Sa 3 10 17 24 31
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Upcomming Events
Lyin' and Tyin' December Dates: December 10th, December 17th Christmas Party Dec. 14th
Lyin’ and Tyin’
Lyin’ and Tyin’ is back! The first meet up will be held on November 12th. For the next few months, we will be meeting on the second and third Saturday of every month, starting at 9:00 a.m. Where: The Oil and Gas Commission on King Blvd. Don’t have fly tying gear? Give Joe a call and he will make sure you are all set up to start learning to tie with a club vice and materials. Questions? Call Joe:235-1316
A Special Request... We (Casper Fisheries Management Crew) hope to obtain current information on angler demographics at Pathfinder Reservoir and the Miracle Mile. Specifically, the percentage of anglers fishing for walleye, trout or both, the seasonality of each fishery, harvest rates, sizes of fish harvested and an estimate of the number of angler days. We expect to also learn more about the desires of anglers fishing these waters for our approach to management. The primary question we want to answer: has angler interest changed from a desire to have a trout and walleye fishery to an interest in management for walleye? This information is needed to evaluate our trout stocking, our management of walleye and fishing regulations. To update this information we propose spending a great deal of time talking to anglers fishing these waters in 2017 so it is available for our management planning in 2018. Beginning January 1, 2017 and continuing through August is necessary to capture the majority of the fishing season for the various angler interests. Unfortunately, we do not have sufficient funds in our budget to begin this study in January. I’m asking you to consider helping to obtain this information by volunteering to help our creel clerks collecting the information during busy periods. We would develop a schedule of when and where our check station would be located. Your assistance in the mid afternoon early evening at the check station would be a great help. While we are attempting to plan this study as economically as possible, we could also use some help with funding. We will need to hire two technicians for the entire period and particularly the January – June period will be extremely difficult to fund with our existing budget. We welcome your assistance or ideas for funding the effort and thank you for your consideration. Sincerely, Al Conder
November 2016
Wyoming Fly Casters P.O. Box 2881 Casper, WY 82602