penticton flyfishers journal june 2012

Penticton Flyfishers Journal

June 2012

Penticton Flyfishers of 23

Volume 9, Number 3 June 2012

Penticton Flyfishers Box 354, 113-437 Martin St.,

Penticton, B.C., V2A 5L1 Editors

Nick Pace Ken Woodward

Email: [email protected]

Website www.pentictonflyfishers.ca

The Penticton Flyfishers are members of:

BC Federation of Fly Fishers

(BCFFF)

BC Wildlife Federation (BCWF)

Federation of Fly Fishers

(International FFF)

Okanagan Similkameen Conservation Alliance

(OSCA)

President (in absentia) Ryan Winstanley

250-488-8757 [email protected]

Acting President Larry Martin 250-497-7881

[email protected] Treasurer Ken Baker

250-493-2926 [email protected]

Secretary Bob Holley

250-770-8180 Membership Director

Tom Knight 250-492-3049

[email protected]

In this issue:

President’s Report ........... 3

Equipment Review .......... 4

Fish Out Schedule ............ 6

Photo Gallery ................... 7

Member Profile ................ 9

PFF Awards .................. 10

F.A.C. Meeting ............. 11

Annual Dinner Photos .. 14

Tying Bench ................. 19

Aluminum Boat Repair . 21

Trolling for Truth ......... 22

Cool Links .................... 22

Classifieds ..................... 23

Events Calendar ............ 23


President’s Report Message from the First Vice-President

e're all been fishing by now so I thought I would include a excerpt from Jack Shaw's Diary May 11,1979:

Six Mile Lake - 19th trip fishing: Near 10:00 a.m. saw a fellow fishing the puddle at the gate. Told him it was not Six Mile Lake. He showed up at Six Mile a little later. I set him up with chironomids on his spin outfit, and he did have two very small fish on. Later, I took him out and showed him how to use a fly outfit. He took three fish on four casts. I cast for him. He lives on bank rear Red William's old place, so I brought him home when I came. He is all enthused now about fly fishing. Took all fish on brown chironomids 12-2XL with a black gold rib on the dropper. Stomachs: solid chironomid. Fish run from 3/4 to 1 1/2 pounds. Filleted all of them and made fish chowder out of the skin and bones, very good! Had fish and chips for supper. I was cook!! This brings to mind a project I have long considered for the club: a Penticton Flyfishers’ Diary or Lake Gilly. Those who choose to participate please send an e-mail to [email protected] documenting your fishing experiences of the day. Over time we, as a group, can archive valuable information on fishing in the local area and hopefully provide a legacy for future club members. I' ll leave the format up to you. We each have our own style and this should be reflected in your Diary entry. Some hints on information that would be helpful in the future and provide some consistency for those who may want to compile some general stats include: date, lake, road condition, fish released/killed, method of fishing, hours fished, number of people fishing the lake, what worked and what didn't - for you as well as observed from others. Pictures of flies, fish or general area would be great additions. For those who do not already know, I like to fish for kokanee. If you take a look in the BC Outdoors special spring edition you will see an article "Kokanee, BC's Silver Underdog" by Trevor Shpeley. The article includes pictures of the Tumbler lure I use. If you insist I will tell you how this article relates to the prestigious award I received at our annual Flyfishers banquet. Larry Martin Kaleden, B.C. <')) >< Canada

W

The bottom lure is a Tumbler


Shore Talk

Patagonia River Salt Jacket

he new River Salt Jacket stands up to salt spray, hard use and serious Nor'easters. Made from

Patagonia’s extra-tough 4-layer, 5.4-oz H2No® wader fabric with Deluge® DWR (durable water repellent) finish, this is the burliest waterproof/breathable fishing shell on the market. The waterproof, corrosion-resistant AQUAzip® front zipper and watertight adjustable cuffs seal out wind-driven precip. Three large, streamlined front pockets hold fly boxes, close with coated, water-repellent zips and won't snag flying line on the shoot. The River Salt is a long fishing jacket, with a hem two-inches lower than the SST's. Truly great for fishing in a boat.

Details

• 100% polyester microfiber shell with a waterproof/breathable H2No barrier and Deluge DWR finish; same fabric we use for our toughest waders

• Three TPU, coated, water-repellent front zip pockets sized to hold fly boxes; waterproof, corrosion-resistant AQUAzip® front zipper

• Innovative, fully vented adjustable hood designed to stay in place even when running at speed in a boat

• Watertight adjustable cuffs • Mesh draining bungee drawcord • AQUAzip® front zipper

• Innovative, fully vented adjustable hood designed to stay in place even when running at speed in a boat

• Watertight adjustable cuffs • Mesh draining bungee drawcord • 4-layer, 5.4-oz 100% plain weave with a

waterproof/breathable H2No® barrier and a Deluge® DWR (durable water repellent) finish

Patagonia Atom Stealth Sling

• 840-denier water-resistant coated ballistics nylon

• Molded front drop down panel with interior fly keeper; main zip pocket holds two large fly boxes and has interior hook-and-loop closure storage pockets for accessories TPU waterproof, interior pocket

• Exterior YKK® zippers with covered welt are highly water repellent

• 3mm air mesh back panel for comfort and ventilation

• Adjustable neck and waist strap allows for layering

• One side nylon/spandex water bottle pocket with security keeper

• Outer pack: 840-denier 100% ballistics nylon. Interior: 200-denier 100% polyester. Stretch-mesh pockets with 3mm air-mesh backing. DWR (durable water repellent) finish

T


Shore Talk Airflo Rage Compact

oo often they heard the cry for a line that cast like their Skagit Compact, but fishes as a

straight floater. So, working with Tom Larimer, Airflo developed the new Rage Compact. This new addition to the Skagit family keeps you in the "Floating" game under extremely windy and tight quarter casting situations. Its aggressive front taper gives ultimate power for driving casts into the strongest winds, and the rear taper helps load quickly, giving you incredible control in tight casting conditions. Nine sizes from 360 to 600 grains, and lengths of 27' to 32' make matching the proper size to almost any two-handed rod easy and succinct. The front loop has the line size printed on it for easy recognition.

Airflo Speydicator

The Speydicator was designed to throw an unreasonable amount of weight at the end of an unreasonable length of tippet with an unreasonably large indicator. With the help of steelhead junkies (who would rather remain unnamed) the Airflo Speydicator floating line has evolved into a tool that serious steelhead nymphers cannot live without.

The lines come in four sizes starting at a WF6. They all have a short 21 to 23 foot head with a long 12 to 15

foot rear taper. Behind the rear taper is a 25 to 30 foot heavy level mending zone. The combination of the rear taper and mending zone allows the fisherman to reposition the head after casting and still have enough mass to stack mend line for 60 feet or more. After the mending zone the line is made with Airflo's unique low stretch ridged running line, helping you to stick fish even at the end of the longest drifts.

Nick’s reviews of these lines

The Airflo Rage line is on my Hardy Zenith spey rod (13’6”) and after using it a few times I am liking it more and more. I was looking for a line that, instead of using a Scandi compact head for skating dries or grease lining, I could add a light tip if needed. Instead of changing the whole system to get a fly deeper, I could put a Polyfuse tip on. Sometimes there is an opportunity on a river for steelhead and we only have a few moments to act upon it. So this line kind of gives you that extra edge. It casts nicely and I’m sure you’ll enjoy using it to skate a dry across the water to that waiting steelhead.

I have only had a chance to cast the Speydicator line in a practice situation, but it delivered on the cast. Setting up the anchor, I found was tricky at first but after 12 or so casts I was able to cast it fairly decently.

T


2012 Penticton

Fly Fishers Fish-Outs

Time to Fish in 2012

Link Lake June 2 & 3

Darke Lake May 26

Harmon Lake TBA

Salmon Lake Sept 23 & 24

Kettle River July Weekends TBA

Idelback Lake June 16 & 17

Leighton Lake w/Ospreys August 18 & 19 (maybe)


Photo Gallery

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Chris Laurie successful on Sawmill Lake

Ruben Breitkreuz teaching at Trout Waters’ Casting Day

Nick Pace extolling the virtue of the two-hander at Trout Waters’ Casting Day

Jim Prudhomme and a Gardom Lake panorama (below)


Kelsey & Jeremy having a great day Nice fighting Fraser Valley Rainbow

Kelsey held her own that day

Mexican Panga awaiting anglers


Member Profile: Tom Dellamater his is a new section that we thought would make the newsletter interesting and fun. What we plan on doing is have a profile on a member from the Penticton Flyfishers every

newsletter. With our 51 member base I think we are covered for many newsletters to come. So, if you feel you would like us to do a profile on a certain member please contact us at [email protected]. Please include their accomplishments, stories and general information about the member in the email.

Here are some Tom Dellamater highlights from his long-time friend and fellow member of the Penticton Fly Fishers club. Tom is a three times Club President, three times winner of the Gordon Marchant Award, numerous volunteer award winner, owner of an Honorary Membership, member of numerous committees, fishout chef extraordinaire, and he attends every club function and work party. If someone was to ask you “What does our club do?” it’s easy to list the many things we are involved in. Buried deep within those things one can find the backbone of the club and that would be Tom Dellamater. Tom has been a club member for a very long time. I first met him when I joined the club back in the mid 80’s and he was heavily involved then. Through the many years that followed I learned a lot from Tom as I’m sure many other club members did as well. Some good things and some, well... we will leave it at that. There are many things that make a club function and Tom, without question, makes our club function at its best. He has represented us within the community and at various affiliate club functions. His dedication to our club is not questionable and is above reproach. I cannot think of any other member that has contributed as much and as often as has Tom. In fact, we take Tom for granted far too often. I have fished far and often with Tom and though I out fish him on every occasion... well maybe 50-50 on that one, he is generous to a fault with flies, gear, and fishing help to anyone who is with him. Take a moment and reflect on what you have done for the club and at the club functions you have attended. Right there in front of you is Tom, taking tickets, selling tickets, cooking meals, tying flies, helping you to build a fly rod, fishing net, boat, just about anything related to the club and fishing. Tom will get dirty, wet, tired and broke but he will be there. I will continue to admire Tom for what he does within the club and outside. So from me to you thanks for being there and thanks for all that you have done. Okay, now that this is out of the way… when are we going fishing Tom?? Bruce Turnbull

On a personal note with regard to Tom and his tireless efforts going to meetings, joining countless commitees and projects that no one puts theirs hands up for... Thank you and we are grateful for your efforts and time with the Penticton Fly Fishers Club! Editors

T


PFF AWARDS - 2012

GORD MARCHANT MEMORIAL AWARD – Phil Rogers Awarded for being a staunch supporter of the Club and its objective purposes. Being most generous with his time and resources in support of all projects and activities. HARRY FEHLING VOLUNTEER SERVICE AWARD - Jim Duncan Awarded to the club member whose efforts in the past 12 months have created a significant benefit to the club. PRESIDENT’S AWARD – Leisureland RV CENTRE To recognize the efforts of a non-club member for their active support of the club. MOST IMPROVED FLY TYER – Bob Holley This award recognizes the improvement of fly tying skills of an active club member. MOST ACTIVE NEW MEMBER – Jace Dymonds This award recognizes the interest and contribution to the club by a new member during the year. BIG BLOOPER AWARD (Fish) – Larry Martin In recognition of a serious or series of bloopers committed by a club member. Being stopped by the RCMP when returning from a fishing trip to Lake as his boat trailer insurance had run out. As this was a Sunday with no insurance agents being open he had to overnight with his boat trailer parked on the side of the road until he could renew his insurance on Monday. Ps He only got the cheap $100 fine, not the big $500 plus one. GOLDEN THRONE AWARD (Toilet Seat) – It’s a secret! The “lucky” recipient will find out soon…


F.A.C. MEETING PENTICTON - APRIL 14, 2012

REGION 8 FISHING ADVISORY COMMITTEE AGENDA Present were representatives from BCWF, Drift Fishers, Penticton Flyfishers, BCFFF, Grand Forks Wildlife Assoc, Bass Guides (2), Oceola F & G Club, Peachland Sportsman Assoc, Keremeos-Cawston Sportsman Assoc, Otter Valley, South Okanagan Sportsman Assoc and several other clubs.

• Presentation of submitted regulation suggestions for 2013-2015 Fishing Synopsis.

• Regional approved regulation suggestions are submitted to Andrew Wilson MFLNRO in Victoria by Sept 30 2012. MFLNRO can still make regulation changes during the year for conservation needs when needed.

• MFLNRO is guided by: o Conservation o First Nations concerns o Resident anglers o Non-resident anglers

• Dr. Paul Askey provided a review of the MFLNRO Region 8 mandate for 2011. He is the Okanagan

Region Stock Assessment Specialist with MFLNRO. o Harvest

• Wood and Okanagan Lakes - Kokanee • Mabel Lake – Rainbow

o Production

• Kettle River • Middle Vernon Creek • Similkameen River

o Client Needs

• Adaptive management (stocking lakes) w/ FFSBC & NSERC • Okanagan Boat Counts

o Other Organizations

• Sockeye into Skaha Lake – ONA • Wilsey Dam passage.

• Kokanee fishing is now open on Okanagan Lake.

• Concerns over intrusions into shore spawning zones i.e. docks and wharfs no longer part of the federal

Navigable Waters Act.

• Wood Lake – the most productive kokanee fishery in the interior but is under many stressors. Last years spawning count was the lowest in many years even with the adjusted count.


• Skaha Lake – kokanee numbers are down the past few years since the introduction of sockeye but the numbers are still good for a viable sustainable fishery. They may be a little smaller in size as well.

• Mabel Lake Rainbow – numbers depend on the number of spawning sockeye. Numbers are sustainable at present. They are full of sockeye fry at this time.

• Water issues – Kettle River, Granby River, Vernon Creek and Bessette Creek. They are being monitored and MFLNRO is trying to develop management plans.

• Small Lakes – Increased PH levels in many interior lakes. Plans include stocking with more PH tolerant rainbow strains from the coast. Introduction of sterile female kokanee in various lakes in place of brook trout.

o Yellow Lake will get 10,000 brook trout, 2,500 sterile kokanee and 2,500 reproductive kokanee. o Otter Lake – stocked trout did not survive due to coarse fish. They will try kokanee. o Kilpoola Lake – Good results last year with Abbotsford strain of rainbows.

• Trophy Lakes - three in the Okanagan and three in the Caribou.

• Dam Projects – work done on several dams in Region 8 due to the collapsed dam in Oliver.

Discussion Of Proposed Regulations:

• Proposed regulations changes to bass fishing in Vaseux Lake and lagoons are not supported by MFLNRO as bass are still considered an invasive species. Lengthy discussion regarding government attitude toward bass. Bass have been here for 100 yrs. Originally stocked by MOE. Bass are a viable and productive fishery in the south area of Region 8. MFLNRO is unable to eradicate bass from connected and flowing water systems. Bass guides want catch and release during spring spawning. Several reps that were present wanted no regulations and want to be able to catch as many as possible as they are an invasive species and do not want them to spread. People will illegally stock other lakes if bass are not managed properly on a few selected lakes and systems. Vote of 8 – 3 to ask Victoria to regulate bass as there is appears to be a viable fishery on Vancouver Island and in the South OK.

• Increase brook trout limit to 15 or 20 in creeks to prevent brook trout taking over habitat from rainbow. Yes - AIF

• Extra rod endorsement. No – AIF

• Change “Dec 1 to Apr 30 - No fishing” regulations to “No fishing thru ice”. Yes – AIF

• Remove winter closure on Lady King Lake as aeration has been removed. Yes – AIF. Discussion on proposed increase limits on winter kill lakes. Discussed the issue for “No closures” on “Put and Take” lakes.

• Remove single barbless regulation from Mabel Lake. Proposal broken down into two parts. 10 reps voted in favour of barbless only hooks while 5 reps wanted no restrictions on hooks. General discussion on the merits of barbless hooks. Some reps claim there is no difference on mortality


levels on fish hooked with barbed or barbless hooks therefore there is no need for barbless hooks. Several of us disagreed with using barbed hooks including the bass guides.

• Change Vinson Lake to catch & release. Change Loon and Larry Lakes to 1 over 50 cm only. This is a 2-year proposal only by MFLNRO. They will bring data back to the committee to see if changes were a success or not. There will be a new vote at that time to keep or remove these changes. Proposal passed 9 – 4 Yes. Some reps were against the proposal, as they do not want any regulations unless it is needed for conservation. I stated that there are only 3 lakes in Region 8 for fly-fishing only (and catch and release) out of only 200 plus lakes and that this is a means for MFLRNO to manage lakes including an increase of trophy lakes. These same reps response was that all anglers should be able to fish all lakes in any way they want in BC. I replied that fly-fishing is a chosen style of fishing and having the three Region 8 lakes dedicated to fly-fishing should not be too much to ask for. We are not seeking any large increases in the number of fly-fishing catch and release lakes (we haven’t asked for any increase) but we don’t want to loose the few that we have.

This was the first F.A.C. meeting in Region 8 where interested parties had a chance to sit down and discuss the different regulation proposals that had been put forward in the region. Past meetings were just information meetings in which MOE advised us which regulation proposals they supported and would be forwarded to Victoria for approval. I feel this is a step in the right direction and a chance for all parties to put forward and discuss their views on fishing in the region. It remains to be seen how these proposals are received in Victoria. Phil Rogers Penticton Flyfishers Member of BCFFF


PFF Annual Dinner & Auction 2012


Tying Bench: Olive Seal Leech Ken Woodward

ne evening at Tunkwa Lake few years ago, during the

typical late June/early July doldrums when there are few chironomids or anything else hatching and fishing can be slow, I was chatting with an American angler on shore. As you can imagine, our chat was about how fishing had been that day, and the fellow shared that he had had a pretty good day fishing “seal leeches” and he would show me the fly later. Well, as luck would have it, we never crossed paths again so I didn’t get to see the fly. A year or two later, again during the June/July doldrums, I decided to see if I could come up with a seal leech that would do the trick. I dug out my seal fur and marabou and went at it, blending a few shades of olive for the tail, mixing brown-olive and olive seal for the body, and counter-winding the body with fine copper wire for a bit of shine and durability. To be honest, I was a bit disappointed in the look of the fly in the vise – it looked too spiky and bulky to me – but when it got wet it was transformed. It softened up, slimmed down, became translucent and came alive. The seal fur, when wet, was very mobile and the whole fly breathed

and pulsed with the slightest movement.

The fish would be the ultimate judges, though, and I wasn’t disappointed; the fly was a hit with them. It caught fish when nothing much was happening and other typical “go to” patterns like the K-Mart Special, Dazzle Leech, Wooly Bugger and so on were ineffective, and for some reason it seemed to attract big fish - always a bonus! I tied up a few more and gave them to my pals who also enjoyed lots of success with them.

As often happens with some patterns, it seems like the more chewed up and sparse this fly gets, the better it works. A couple of my fishing pals are Don and Dan Stevens (father and son). In their shared fly box, Dan had one of my olive seal leeches - a favourite on which he’d caught many nice fish. It was but a shadow of its original self – most of the seal was gone and much of the tail was missing, but he thought of it as a bit of a lucky fly so he kept it tucked away and he’d tie it on when fishing was

tough.

One day Don and I were fishing Leighton Lake together and it was a bit slow. Dan was back at the Coast at work. Having a penchant for vicious hook sets, often resulting in break-

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Penticton Flyfishers of 23 offs, Don was under Dan’s strict orders to not use that fly. Dan was afraid he’d lose it. You know what’s coming… The desire to catch fish was too great and Don dug out the fly, tied it on and cast it out. As you can imagine, a fish took right away and, in his typical fashion, Don set the hook like he was fishing Springs, summarily breaking off the fish. Bad words were uttered. That was a few years ago and I’m not sure Dan has forgiven him yet.

FISHING STRATEGIES AND TECHNIQUES

The olive seal leech is a reasonably effective fly when trolled, but in my experience it works best when cast and retrieved on a full-sink intermediate line. If I haven’t a clue what’s happening in a lake, this is often the first fly I try. If I’m alone in the boat I fish a chironomid under an indicator on one rod, left in a rod holder and actively fish this fly on the other rod.When I’m not sure at what depth the fish are located, I typically cast it out, count down 15 seconds, and then fish it with a twitchy (2-3” strips) retrieve, pausing every few strips. If I don’t get a take, I cast again, then count down 30 seconds before retrieving, and so on – a typical searching method. When I’m pretty sure about the depth of the fish, I use a line of appropriate density, count it down to depth and retrieve it as above. Takes are usually very solid and, as I said before, this fly usually attracts good fish. Since starting to tie the Olive Seal Leech I’ve discovered that it is a lot like Denny Rickard’s Seal Bugger, minus the hackle.

RECIPE: Hook: Sz. 8 3XL nymph hook

(e.g. Mustad 9672) Thread: 6/0 (70 denier) brown-

olive or olive Weight: A few turns of lead wire

(or equivalent) on front half of hook shank (optional)

Tail: Various shades of olive marabou, shank length

Rib: Copper wire, fine, counter-wound through the fur.

Body: 50/50 blend of olive/brown&olive seal fur, spun in dubbing loop, sparse, brushed out. Variation: Spin a copper wire dubbing brush and forgo the wire rib.

Tying method: 1. Place the hook in the vise and

start the thread behind eye.

2. Optional: Wrap a few turns of lead wire on front half of hook shank and cover with thread.

3. Tie in the wire and overwrap with it thread to the bend.

4. Combine several small clumps of various shades of olive marabou, ensuring the tips are somewhat aligned, and then tie them in atthe bend of the hook.

5. Clip the marabou butts at an angle and bind them down securely. Note: On most flies with marabou tails I tie in the marabou just behind the eye then bind it on top of the shank to the bend in order to form a nice, level underbody. If possible, I do that on this fly too, although my various

shades of marabou come in various lengths which makes it tricky to keep the tips even and tie them all in near the eye. I suppose I could even up the butts instead, and tear the tail to length after tying them in, but I prefer the look of the naturally-tippedmarabou.

6. Form a dubbing loop with the thread and then wind the thread in open turns to the eye.

7. Insert a sparse mat of the blended seal fur into the dubbing loop and spin it into a loose rope.

8. Tightly wrap the seal fur rope forward to the eye, stroking back the fibres with each wrap. Tie off and clip the excess.

9. Counter-wind the wire forward through the seal in open turns, tie it off at the eye, break off the excess wire, whip finish, and then apply head cement.

10. Using a dubbing brush (The hook part of Velcro glued to a Popsicle stick works very well), brush the seal fur back towards the tail.

I typically tie this in size 8 3XL. I’ve tried smaller and larger sizes and size 8 has been the most effective.

I vary the tail blend depending on what I have on hand, but the tail is almost always made from various shades of olive marabou. The body is always a blend of olive and brown-olive seal fur. A recent modification has been to tie them as balanced leeches, but that’s fodder for a future article…

Repairing your leaky aluminum boat Ken Baker

f you have an aluminum

boat that leaks, this article is for you. If it doesn’t leak now, keep this article in asafe place, for one day for it probably will. Having repaired several leaky boats in my time I have a few good tips to pass on. Most car-toppers are constructed of fairly light gauge metal to keepboth the cost and weight down. This usually results in the rivets eventually working loose, causing leaks, wet feet, and nasty comments from wives, fishing partners and others. The first step is to identify which rivets are leaking. I do this by marking the offenders with a soft lead pencil. The next step is to attempt to repair the leaky rivets. At first I tried tightening them up by having someone hold a heavy weight on one side while I whaled away on the offender with a hammer on the other side. The problem with this method (besides contributing to hearing loss) was it was rarelysuccessful, as they just worked loose again. In a

moment of divine inspiration Ithought, “Why not bolt it together?” The solution was at hand. I tried it on a leak and it worked very well. Tools required to do the job are: a sharp wood chisel, a small punch, 1 inch #8 stainless steel PANHEAD machine screws, nuts, and a good marine caulking compound. I recommend Sikaflex, which can be found at marine stores in both squeeze tubes and caulking gun cartridges. To affect a repair I first remove the loose rivet by cutting off the head with a wood chisel. While doing this be careful not to compound your problems by cutting a gash in your boat. Remove the rivet with a 1/8” or 3/16” pin punch. After removing several or all the leaky rivets, squeeze a little caulking

compound between pieces to be reunited. If there is any moisture around you might want to apply some heat before the caulking compound to make absolutely sure the surfaces are completely dry. Insert the

machine screws with the panhead to the outside. You will need someone on the other side to hold them from turning. If you have a secure relationship with your significant other by all means use her but be warned, this is right up there with hanging wallpaper for stress factor. After all the screws have been tightened securely, and the caulking compound has cured, cut off the excess screw with an angle grinder or a cut off disk on an electric drill. The caulking compound will provide a waterproof seal and also serve to “glue” the nuts to the screw preventing them from working loose. Once I started using this method I don’t recall having to redo any trouble spots. It is an effective and inexpensive way to fix leaks in riveted aluminum boats.

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Trolling for Truth (Q&A) n this section we will be posting articles that we find on the internet, fly magazines or direct links to fly fishing, environmental concerns and so on. If you have any interesting articles or links, feel free to email us

at [email protected] us what you want to see in this newsletter! Suggestions and member submissions are always welcome.

Dear Trolling for Truth,

Here is a question I am often asked about chironomid fishing. Where do I start from with my chironomid?

Well generally one will say 1ft off the bottom of the lake is where the fish are most of the time. Now this holds truth too many of our lakes and we set a foot of the bottom and we start catching fish. However having a depth finder will often shed light onto the trout’s feeding habits that day. Also remember the different lake structures such as weeds and rocks. Not all lakes are flat muddy bottoms but we are very lucky that many are. Just because there is a hatch going on with chironomids it doesn’t mean you have to set your indictator (glorified bobber) at 20ft each time you cast. Using your fish finder you can see if the trout are swimming at a higher zone and taking those chironomids working their way up. I have often taken my depth and halfed it when there is a major chironomid hatch going on. The results for me at least… More fish in a shorter time frame and the quality of those fish have been many times better. How often do we cast a chironomid and a fish hits your fly after a few seconds in the water?

To be honest I rarely use a fish finder (mostly because I always forget it), but knowing the structure of the lake and seeing how the hatch is developing helps me. By watching how the fish are taking the emerging chironomids (slurping or swirling) determines if I send my line all the way down or shortening it up. I do use a simple way of mearsuring my arm length once I get to the right zone in the water, because having to get your hemostat out and measuring each time sucks. My full arm length is about 6ft 1” and it has come in handy to measure the successful length after each fish. I will start my set up mostly at either bottom to 2ft above the bottom and it has been successful for me. Again many fly fisherman start right on the bottom as the trout are basically munching in that zone. It works and that’s great, just try moving the indicator from the standard way if things are slow.

The reason for this article is that you have never stick with the rule one foot off the bottom everytime when you chironomid fish. Try different levels throughout the day and when you hit that zone remember that level and have fun catching fish.

Sincerely,

Nick Pace

Cool links • Something to think about when planning a weekend or a few days of fishing:

http://www.guestranchbc.com/ • Some steelhead content: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqfmSeNjz6k • Cool teaser on fly fishing rivers: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3T1sB385YS4 • Tying the bulldog fly: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFA7yVrYWWM • Leaky waders?: http://www.simmsfishing.com/site/gallery/gallery_display.html?gallery_id=00006

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Classified Ads!Fly fishing gear for sale: • Sage graphite rod 9 ft 5 wt (B589 GFL),

like new, with DB Dun case plus System One 789 reel with WF 6l 444 line plus 2 spools, WF 6S 333 line, WF floating line.Package price: $300. Rod and case separately $225; Reel, spools and line separately $100

• Sage graphite rod 9ft 7 wt, like new, with Visible Rod Case: $225

• Kunan Advantage fly rod 8'6'' 5-6wt (72866), like new, with Cortland Aluminum Case: $125

• Loomis GL3 rod 8' 4 wt (F1084B), like new, with Payette River Case plus System One 678 reel with WF 5 wt 444 line and 2 spools, 1 with WF 6F 444 line & 1 empty spool. Package price: $225. Rod and case separately: $150. Reel and spools separately: $100

• Cortland 9'6" 7/8 GRF rod (GRF 1000XP) with fighting butt, like new, could double as switch rod: $125

• Commodore Graphite 6'6" spinning rod (CB66ML, 914271, 20-30 lb line), like new, with Penn Reel: $75

• The Measure Net, extendable handle, like new: $35

For more information contact Cecilia at [email protected]

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Calendar of Events%• No events to report this issue.

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1st, 2012. Send the details to

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