www.wyflycasters.org
Vol 42 No 6
The Monthly Newsletter of the Wyoming Fly Casters
June 2015
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June 2015
What’s inside Lee Tschetter, President Spencer Amend, Vice President John Yost, Secretary Gene Theriault, Treasurer BOARD OF DIRECTORS Terms expire in 2016: George Axlund, Joe Meyer, Lee Wilson, Cheryl Wilson Terms expire in 2017: Derrick Dietz Jim Johnson Bob Fischer
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casting in the park
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kids fishing day
7-9 Bar Emerger bwo
9-10 may fishing highlights
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15 CLASSIFIEDS
meeting minutes
CALENDAR
Terms expire in 2018: Wilbur Yankee, Jim Johnson Bruce Lessig, Bruce Chandler 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 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 : Photo by Lee Wilson, 2015 ; Back Cover : Provided by Joe Meyer
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 Hello Flycasters,
Another month has come and gone and a strange one it was. I don’t feel like a duck but I think that my feet are webbed. I do know that it sure has made a mess of the river. I was finally able to catch my fish for the month of May on Sunday. I should know better than to wait until the end. I guess that’s why it’s called fishing and not catching. Spencer and I were out on Saturday and it was a slow go. We did see several other Flycasters out at Alcova enjoying the beautiful day. I hope that we all can take advantage of the nicer weather and get out on the water when it decides to clear up. Moving on to club business. I know that with the nicer weather and the beginning of summer many of us will be taking vacation and getting some yard work done but I hope that you are able to attend the general meetings. Let’s not forget that the youth fishing day will be on Saturday, June 6th, from 9 to 3. I would encourage anyone that is available to attend and lend a hand. It is very rewarding to see the smiles on the children’s faces when they bring in their catch. If you are able to help out, they would like volunteers to be there about 8:00 to get set up. Our speaker for the June general meeting will be Jolene Martinez with the City of Casper. She will be talking to us about the progress of the river cleanup. I don’t know how many of you were able to attend this year’s event but I’m sure we can agree that it is a worthwhile project. The July general meeting will be held at Speas Hatchery at 7:00. We will be hearing from Lars Alsager, hatchery superintendent. Lars will be talking a little about hatchery operation and also will be updating us on what’s upcoming at the Flycaster’s Memorial access near the hatchery. This area is going to see some fantastic improvements this year. In August we have the Tensleep outing from the 7th to the 9th. Directions to the campground and more info will follow as we get closer. Right after we get back from Tensleep we will have a representative from BuRec speaking at our general meeting. This year’s water management has been unique in some ways and I’m sure this will be an interesting presentation. On a final note, I would like to ask our members to think about programs or speakers that you would like to hear from. If anyone has any ideas, please feel free to pass it on to any of the officers or board members and we will see if we can’t make it happen. Until next month Flycasters, Tight Lines and Dead Drifts, Lee
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June 2015
CASTING IN THE PARK
The Ugly Bug Fly Shop will be hosting Casting in the Park throughout the summer. Every Thursday evening this summer you can meet up with local experts to practice your casting, ask questions, get advice, and socialize with other fly fishing enthusiasts. Festivities will start about 6:00 and will be at City Park across from the Elk’s Lodge. This is a free event and the Bug will have several rods, reels, and other equipment to try out. Feel free to bring your own rod to practice with as well. Hope to see you all there!
Wyoming Fly Casters
Kid’s Fishing Day Free Fishing Day What is Free Fishing Day? The 2003 Wyoming Legislature approved the creation of an annual Wyoming Free Fishing Day, to be designated by the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission, as part of the National Fishing and Boating Week. The Wyoming Game and Fish Commission has declared... June 6, 2015 Free Fishing Day to coincide with the beginning of the National Fishing and Boating week. Residents and nonresidents may fish Wyoming waters (excluding Wind River Indian Reservation and Yellowstone National Park, which are not regulated by the State of Wyoming) without a fishing license or conservation stamp. The City of Casper, Wyoming Game and Fish, Walleye Unlimited, and the Wyoming Flycasters team up each year to host Free Kid’s Fishing day. The event is held at Yessness Pond in Casper. Each year hundreds of kids come out to enjoy the outdoors, learn to fish, and have fun! We always need volunteers to help us out for the day. Duties include: setting up/preparing spinning rods, distributing bait (worms), check in and check out, general fishing assistance, cleaning fish (if the kids would like to keep them), and clean up. Kids will start arriving at 9:00 a.m., but we start with the set up earlier than that (8:008:30). If you would like more information, please contact one of the board members and we can get you started. If you can volunteer all day or just for an hour or two, the help is always greatly appreciated. Lunch is provided for volunteers. We hope to see lots of Flycasters at the event!
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June 2015
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
Wyoming Fly Casters
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Barr Emerger Bwo Pattern Description The Barr Emerger is high on my list of favorite flies. A simple concoction of feathers and dubbing, this simple pattern is an all around great fly. The idea behind this pattern, according to John Barr, was to imitate the adult insect creeping out of the nymphal shuck. Originally John tied this pattern to match Pale Morning Duns after a day on Nelson's Spring Creek. The original pattern, too, was tied on a dry fly hook (TMC 101) and meant to be fished dry to rising fish. The pattern I present here is the wet version, meant to be fished below the surface, anywhere from streambottom to an inch under the surface. This is also the color variation meant to match the common blue wing olive hatches we see out west on a regular basis. I would say that the wet BWO version is the most popular variation, and is the one I fish most often. I typically fish the Barr Emerger as I would any nymph; down along the bottom with a split-shot on the leader and an indicator above, or as a point fly in the Hopper/Copper/Dropper system. There is no reason not to have some of these in your box. They are so quick and easy to tie and use cheap, readily available materials to boot. Get to work.
Materials Needed: Hook: TMC 2487 or 2488 (H) #16-24 Thread: 8/0 Iron Dun Tail: Brown Spade Hackle Fibers Abdomen: Olive Brown SuperFine Dubbing Wingcase: Dark Dun Spade Hackle Fibers Thorax: Grey Muskrat or Beaver Dubbing Legs: Leftover tips of wingcase fibers
Instructions
Attach the thread and wrap a base Prepare a brown spade hackle feather back about halfway down the bend by stripping the fluff from its base of the hook. and preening the fibers against the direction of growth to make them stand up at a ninety degree angle to the quill. Spade hackles are found on the edges of a dry fly cape, right around the widest part of the neck.
Cut or peel about ten or twelve fibers from the brown spade hackle and place them at the bend of the hook. Do not worry about the length, as they will be cut later. Tie the fibers in at the end of the thread base with a couple tight turns of thread. Be sure not to flare the fibers, as, rather than a tail, they will imitate the shuck of the nymph.
Continued on page 8
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Wrap forward from the bend over the butt ends of the hackle fibers to the sixty percent point on the shank. Clip the remaining butt ends of the fibers off at this point.
Dub the thread with olive brown SuperFine dubing and form a tapered abdomen from the base of the tails to the seventy-five percent point on the shank.
June 2015
Wrap the thread so it overlaps onto the front of the dubbed abdomen back to the sixty percent point.
Prepare a dark dun spade hackle feather as you did with the brown one for the tail. Peel a dozen or so fibers off of the dun feather and tie them in by their butt ends at the front of the abdomen. Wrap over the butt ends to smooth out the base and clip any remaining butts off flush.
Dub the thread with the grey beaver dubbing (think thin) and begin wrapping it at the rear edge of the index point, working back toward the base of the wingcase. Wrapping the dubbing from front to back like this will make it easier to build the ball shape we need and keep the dubbing from falling off the shoulder on the thread base.
Pull the dun hackle fibers forward over the top of the thorax, forming the wingcase, and tie them down with a couple turns of thread at the index point.
Detail of wingcase. Be sure to pull the Pull half of the remaining tips of the fibers tight before you tie them down. wingcase fibers back along the far side of the hook and bind them in place with two tight turns of thread.
Continue dubbing back to the base of the wingcase, then work the dubbing forward again forming a ball shaped thorax. You should end with bare thread hanging at the back edge of the index point.
Continued on page 9
Wyoming Fly Casters
Pull the other half of the wingcase fibers back along the near side and bind them down as well. Be sure the fibers are along the SIDE of the hook, not below or above it.
Build a smooth thread head and whip finish at the index point.
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Trim the legs so they are equal in length to the wingcase. Trim the tail to about a half shank long.
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June 2015
I want to see your fishing pictures! Grab your phone, grab your camera, or have a fishing buddy snap a picture while you’re out on the water!
May Fishing Highlights
Wyoming Fly Casters
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"We are so tied down to the pursuit of the essential dollar that we lose the best and most innocent pleasures that this old earth affords. Time flies so fast after youth is past that we cannot accomplish one-half the many things we have in mind, or indeed one-half our duties. The only safe and sensible plan is to make other things give way to the essentials, and the first of these is fly fishing." Theodore Gordon. 1847.
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June 2015
Letter from the Editor Flycasters, Summer is almost here and fishing is good! I have been getting lots of great pictures and news of good fishing in several places. The river has been tricky in places due to the spring run-off, but don’t let that discourage you from getting out there and enjoying the weather! The month of May saw a lot of rain and cooler temperatures, but now it looks like it’ll start warming up and drying out a little. Today (Sunday, May 31st) Lee and I, along with a group of friends decided to make the best of the wonderful weather and get out on the water. We fished right around the bridge below the Alcova dam, then ventured over to Black Beach. While I was too tired to continue on, the rest of the group continued on to the Miracle Mile. The roads were (finally) passable, and while it was a pretty day, no fish were caught. We all got a lot of casting practice! I’m glad I was able to get out at least one more time before I welcome my little guy into the world, hopefully sometime in the next few weeks! Speaking of which, I would like to say congratulations to Blake Jackson and his lovely wife on the arrival of their little girl on April 30th. Kelly and Colin were also blessed with the arrival of their son, Ronan on Mother’s Day (May 10th). Congratulations to all of you! I will do my best to keep the Backcast up and running, and on time throughout the summer months as I adjust to a new schedule of being a mom. Please bear with me as I make it through the first few months! I appreciate everyone’s help, support, and suggestions. Keep those pictures coming!
Cheryl Wilson
Wyoming Fly Casters MINUTES OF WFC GENERAL MEETING OF MAY 13TH, 2015
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*The meeting was preceded by a dinner to thank donors for our annual Fundraising Banquet. The main course was generously prepared by Marcene Amend. The regular monthly meeting was called to order at 1900 by V.P. Spencer Amend as President Tschetter was feeling ill. The location was the Izaak Walton League Clubhouse. FISHING REPORT: Joe and Wilbur gave a summary of their trip to the 33-mile ponds. The flows out of Grey Reef are coming down and are now 1000 cfs. NEW BUSINESS: -Derrick reported that the 2-Fly Foundation has chosen Project Healing Waters as one of their fund recipients this year. He reports 6 new members, bringing the current membership to around 50. Bob has been a significant help in their projects. -Blake announced “Casting in the Dark”, a program where anyone can go to get casting instruction and try out new rods. It will start around 6:00 PM in the city park down by the Elks building. -Cheryl has posters for the June 6th Kid’s Free Fishing Day down at Yesness Pond. We would like club members to help with the event and to help promote it. It is always nice to show up early in order to help the Walleye Club put together the rods for the first wave of kids that show up at 9:00 AM. -The Platte River Clean-up is this Saturday. We do not have a formal club group, but everyone can still participate. The monthly meeting raffle was conducted. SPEAKER: Keith Schoup, the Wyoming Game and Fish habitat biologist, and Pete Garrett, landowner, were present to talk about the Bolton Creek Restoration Project. Keith emphasized the necessity of cooperation between the G&F and the landowner for a project t of this magnitude and duration. The goal has been to reduce silting from Bolton Creek into the main channel of the North Platte River by reducing bank erosion. The current flood plain is nonfunctional and the flood energy is not being dissipated, so the flood plain must be re-engaged. He gave a history of the first attempts to use native and transplanted beavers plus air drops of aspen. This was a partial success, but the beaver could not be controlled to construct effective dams where desired. So, now, 12 man-made “insta-dams” are being constructed by G&F which will mimic some of the beaver engineering techniques, and be an additive effect to whatever dam construction the beavers will still perform. They are also packing head cuts with Christmas trees and tree mulch from the October snowstorm to reduce tributary erosion. He believes progress is visible in areas, but will be a long term project. ADJOURNMENT: The meeting was adjourned by the V.P at 2025 MINUTES OF WFC BOARD MEETING OF MAY 20, 2015 *All votes on motions are unanimous unless mentioned otherwise. MEMBERS IN ATTENDANCE: Lee Tschetter, Gene, Lee Wilson, Joe, Spencer, Derrick, Jim, Wilbur, Bruce Lessig, John. EXCUSED: Bruce Chandler, George, Cheryl. CALL TO ORDER: President Tschetter called the meeting to order at 1900. SECRETARY REPORT: John reports that an omission in the published board minutes from the last board meeting. George had made a motion to reimburse Marcene Amend for expenses incurred for the donor's appreciation dinner on May 13th. Wilbur seconded and the motion carried. A motion was made by Spencer to approve the published minutes as amended, Jim seconded the motion and the motion carried. TREASURER'S REPORT: -Gene said the new Quick Books program is now being utilized. -Lee T. handed out "Banquet Report 2015" which is virtually complete. A brief discussion of banquet expenses occurred. -Gene mentioned that much of the Club's funds are in minimal to no interest-bearing accounts. He wondered if we should look into higher interest earning instruments. Gene will investigate and report back. -A motion to approve the Treasurer's report was made by Lee W. and was seconded by Wilbur. The motion carried.
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June 2015
OLD BUSINESS: -There was a discussion of the Blue Downey Project. Even though the 2014 Banquet designated that project for the funds raised, it was re-emphasized we no longer have a commitment to that project since the project has been altered. -We need to postpone the discussion of the By-laws, especially the idea of changing our fiscal year definition, since George is not here. -Lee T. will distribute a copy of the By-laws electronically or via paper. -A brief discussion of the Donor Dinner was held. It was thought to be a good idea, but to increase attendance, we need to do better at advertising and contacting the donors. -Gene still needs a list of members. Cheryl may have this. Also, we still need a list of Board emails as Lee T. would like to email the agenda and treasurer's report prior to each board meeting. -A discussion of monthly general meeting speakers was held. Spencer thinks we should solicit ideas from the general membership. He also suggested that Al Conder give a presentation on last year's NP River sampling survey. Also, Jolene Martinez could give an update on the Platte River Revival. It was mentioned that WFC should have someone on that board. Lars Alsager suggested that we have a meeting out at the Speas Fish Hatchery. -Spencer inquired about our copy of our membership application. Scott Novotny apparently believes that the electronic copy is with Vista Print. Lee W. believes we can re-do this form ourselves. Joe Meyer is our acting Membership Chairman and brings application forms to each meeting. Joe would welcome help with this position. NEW BUSINESS: -Lars Alsager, Wyoming Game and Fish Hatchery Superintendent for the Speas hatchery gave a presentation on a "Wyoming Fly Caster's Access and Interpretive Trail" project. A handout was distributed which highlighted the proposed 4 sections and assigned a price to each section totaling $5,717.05. Lars has made a grant application for $10,000 from the "Worth the Watching" fund that is sponsored by several conservation groups. He requests $5,000 from WFC which will extend the funding from the grant, and potentially allow additional projects beyond the trail construction. Lars further emphasizes this recreation area has become the most heavily fished area (including Jessica's Pond) in Wyoming, and the goal is to enhance the recreational experience for the users. This project will also require several work days to which our membership could surely assist. Derrick made a motion to donate $5,000 to this project. Spencer seconded and the motion carried. Lee T. will contact Lars with our decision and he will be added to our email Backcast list. Lee W. proposes additional donations, and Gene suggesting asking Lars for guidance on possible future donations. -Joe suggested that WFC members be available to send to other clubs for fly fishing/casting demonstrations similar to what we just did for the Izaak Walton League. Also, it would be informative to get a presentation from the IWL. Gene is a member and will inquire about that possibility. -Spencer suggested that the club vests be made available for purchase. Spencer made a motion that any member who wants a vest can purchase one at $15. Joe seconded and the motion carried. -Jim reported on the organizational meeting for the "Kid's Free Fishing Day" at Yesness Pond on June 6th. Jim offered our members as volunteers to assist. A sign-up sheet went around at our last general meeting. It was stressed to have some show up at 8:30 AM to help assemble fishing gear before the first wave of kids show up at 9:00 AM. -Lee T. mentioned that Scott Novotny is the administrator on our web site, and has renewed our domain. Because Scott is very busy, we may want to get someone else involved in this area as a backup. -Lee T. then brought up a letter he received that was critical of club fishing outings, both in quantity and quality. A discussion followed. We currently have 3 major recurring outings, with the "Fishing With Joe" outings to fill in the gaps. It was mentioned that any one of us can volunteer to lead an outing at any time. Lee T. concludes that we all think about this issue, and continue the conversation at future meetings. -Gene led a discussion concerning the monthly meeting raffles. Currently, the Ugly Bug and the Platte River Fly Shop provide the majority of the items. Should this be spread around to others, like Cliff's? It was added that our budget for these raffles is $50-$75, and we usually break even. Should we consider a longer duration raffle for a larger prize, like an expensive fishing rod? -Gene inquired about taxes for 2014. Lee T. said he is doing those, but may need to contact Matt for some advice. ADJOURNMENT: President Tschetter adjourned the meeting at 2119. Respectfully Submitted, John Yost, Secretary
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Wyoming Fly Casters
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Calendar
Sunday
Monday
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June 2015
JUNE 2015 Tuesday
2
Wednesday
3
Thursday
4
5
CASTING IN THE PARK 6:00 P.M.
7
8
9
10
11
GENERAL MEETING 7:00 P.M.
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Flag Day
15
16
Father's Day
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17
23
18
24
Ramadan begins
CASTING IN THE PARK 6:00 P.M.
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30
May 2015 S
M
3 10 17 24 31
4 11 18 25
T W Th F 1 5 6 7 8 12 13 14 15 19 20 21 22 26 27 28 29
July 2015 Sa 2 9 16 23 30
6 KID’S FISHING DAY 9:00 a.m. 3:00 p.m.
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13
19
20
26
27
CASTING IN THE PARK 6:00 P.M.
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June Solstice
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Saturday
CASTING IN THE PARK 6:00 P.M.
BOARD MEETING 7:00 P.M.
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Friday
S
M
5 12 19 26
6 13 20 27
T W 1 7 8 14 15 21 22 28 29
Th 2 9 16 23 30
F 3 10 17 24 31
Sa 4 11 18 25
Wyoming Fly Casters P.O. Box 2881 Casper, WY 82602
JUNE 2015