Volume 10 • Issue 5 • May 2005

Shonto–One Fine Outing

An energetic zebra trotting along the road was the first indication that the day would be an interesting one. A bit further, a helpful sign pointed the way uphill toward a destination that would be our gathering place, a finely crafted cedar pavilion dated on a cement slab by its builder in the year 1934. The welcoming structure overlooked a most tranquil scene of trees and grass leading to Lower Turtle Creek flowing below. Such was our greeting to Shonto Ranch and the fishing that was to unfold on the ambling creek along with its companion, a spring-fed lake resting atop the crest of what appeared to be the highest among the surrounding hills.

We did not all arrive at once. Rather, we drifted in one, two, or three at a time for several hours. There was fishing directly down a walkway from the pavilion to the water. Some arriving anglers chose to fish there briefly before joining with others to be led to one of the several selected spots known to contain roaming trout. At any one of the locations, bass and sunfish also occupied the waters. The general nature of the creek in some places afforded ample casting space with the bank tending to drop off sharply. In other places, high grass and some trees made it necessary to find a place to cast within rather restrictive conditions, but with care it could be done successfully with, in some cases, surprising results in the form of a gigantic sunfish or two. At one spot, Danny Wheat was able to take a picture of what could fairly be claimed as a 4 lb. bass that he had caught.

At around 7:00 in the evening, Dennis Glenewinkel rounded up our anglers and led the way back to the pavilion for our planned meal together. It was then that we could fully enjoy the pleasure of our friendship and break bread together while swapping tales not only of fishing but of other pleasant times and places and tidbits of adventure. Hearty laughter suggested that good humor prevailed.

Some brief business items were attended to before we headed out for what surely must have captivated one of the most delightful portions of our fishing experience together as a club. Bill Childs, owner of Shonto Ranch, led us up a winding road that revealed rare and spectacular vistas of the Texas Hill Country as the coolness of the day began to settle in, and we arrived at the edge of the property's serene and secluded lake, where the best of the big trout were suspected to roam, and where we would try to catch one.

Three of our club, Rick Wilson, Bill Emshoff, and Dennis Glenewinkel, were quick to launch their pontoon boats, soon to follow with artful casts and a few yells back and forth periodically. No official report of their success has yet been available, but it appeared from shore that all three caught a trout or more. Dennis, perched in his craft with bare feet propped atop the forward support, announced that he had one on line. It put up and extended fight, yet our fine angler managed to claim a catch. About a sixteen incher, he judged. We may look forward to final results of the various anglers when we next gather.

All the while, our friends ashore were grouped about evenly opposite each other in two groups depending on which side of the lake they chose to park. A lot of casting was taking place, but we will have to wait until the stories unfold in the days to come before we will know the measure of success.

No Loch Ness monster arose from the depths of Lake Shonto, but there were alarms shouted from the chaps on their pontoon boats that a skunk was skulking along the trail working his way toward some of our preoccupied fly casters. The boatmen seemed more alarmed than their shore-bound friends. At any rate, if the poor creature truly existed, it took mercy on all by not using the ultimate weapon. As the threat faded, so did the anglers surrender to the sinking sunlight and accept the ending of a most pleasant day. One later remarked, "It was the best outing we've ever had."

HCFF Joins the Adopt A Stream Effort

While gathered under the pavilion at Shonto Ranch, some fifteen HCFF members voted to approve participation of our club in an expanded effort coinciding with that of the Federation of Fly Fishers in a national effort to reinvigorate, conserve and protect local streams across the country. Largely due to the energetic and unrelenting efforts of Dr. Guy Harrison, our club has become involved in an effort to focus on the north and south forks of the Guadalupe River even before it was recognized that much of what our club was doing in connection with UGRA and Texas Parks and Wildlife in the re-establishment of Guadalupe bass in the Guadalupe River was exactly what FFF was encouraging as a large part of the Adapt a Stream project.

Danny Wheat, our vice-president, presented a report during the brief business session at the Shonto pavilion calling for support of the Federation of Fly Fishers' Adopt a Stream program and payment for the expense of placing a handsome sign awarded by FFF at a spot located on Camp La Junta property just south of Hunt. The marker recognizes our club's participation in the Adopt a Steam activity-- in fact, what we had already been doing with water sampling, planting cypress trees, helping remove debris, and largely cooperating with UGRA and Texas Parks and Wildlife on several objectives. Such a motion was made and passed at the pavilion meeting.

Danny also announced an anticipated outing to the coast. Below is a detailed description that he later e-mailed to your editor:

Salt Water Outing Proposal

"Yes, we are going to have a saltwater outing on Saturday, June 11 th, in the Aransas Flats, between Aransas Pass and Port Aransas. "Lefty" Ray Chapa has agreed to be our guide. We are to meet him in Aransas Pass at about 7 AM on that Saturday. It will be a kayak trip with "Lefty" using his two- man kayak, and one member can ride with him, if desired. I have two extra 11' sit-on Ocean kayaks that I will bring besides my 14' boat that I will use. First come, first served on using my two kayaks. I will supply paddles and PFDs for my boats.

"We will go out as a group, probably in the Brown and Root Flats or the Light House Lakes, looking for redfish. When they are spotted, we will probably get out and wade up to the fish. I do not think waders are required, but wading boots will be the requirement because of the danger from stingrays. Wear sun protection and bring a small ice chest to put on your boat with cold drinks and a sandwich. It will probably be pretty hot on the water. Each person will need a PFD because we will cross a short section of deep water to get to the flats. Seven or eight weight rods would be best; however, some fishermen use six weight rods with #12 tippets. I have lots of saltwater flies that I can loan out, and "Lefty" probably has some also. We will be wading in 12" to 16" deep water on a solid bottom.

"There is a strong incoming tide that Saturday morning, which would make for good fishing conditions. Wells forecast for the day is "good".

"The guide will cost $50 per fisherman, and we need at least six to sign up. Less than six may not be enough. I will be glad to answer any questions. Make reservations with either Roy Hickman or me. We will give more details at the May 19 th meeting."

– Danny Wheat

~ ~ ~ ~

"If there's one verb that describes the red drum, alias the 'redfish' or 'channel bass,' it's pull . He's not speed-crazed in the sense of a bonefish, or violently acrobatic like the tarpon, but if you want a tug-of-war, Sciaenops ocellatus is your boy." –A. J. McClane in The Complete McClane–A Treasury of A. J. McClane's Classic Angling Adventures. New York: E. P. Dutton, 1988.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From FFF ClubWire . . .

The Loop, Spring 1995 [the FFF casting instructors' quarterly]

Teaching a Crowd: Partner Up
By Dave Engerbretson

Flycasting is best taught with a small teacher-student ratio, and a class of one to six students is ideal for a single instructor. However, things are rarely ideal, and I regularly find myself teaching twenty-five students in my university class. In one extreme case, I was faced with forty students and I had no help!

My normal procedure, whatever the class size, is to bring the group together to explain and demonstrate the next skill. In explaining that skill, I will stress two or three key points critical to its success. The students then return to their casting positions to practice the skill while I move among them making appropriate comments and suggestions. When the class is large, however, I find it very helpful to have each student choose a partner and practice in pairs. One student is the caster while the other becomes the coach. Even though the coach may not be an experienced caster, he or she can watch the partner to see if the key points of the cast are being accomplished, and offer suggestions if they are not.

While teaching the single haul, for example, I may holler out to the group, "Now, be sure that the haul is put into the back cast just as the short power stroke is applied with the casting hand." And all of the coaches concentrate on watching that key point and correcting the caster, if necessary. Then the partners switch and the caster becomes the coach. When all have practiced that key point, I may say, "O.K., now concentrate on making the haul a short, crisp downward tug on the line, not just a long, slow pull." And, again, the partners coach each other, paying particular attention to the new key point of the skill. Of course, all during this time I move around the group giving individual instruction.

I find that having students pair up is beneficial to both the caster and the coach. While the casters are practicing the actual skill and receiving individual help, the coaches are reinforcing the techniques in their minds and are getting valuable mental practice. The entire learning process is enhanced, and the potential handicap of a large class can be turned into a positive factor.

~ ~ ~

A book review by Bruce E. Harang of Tying Classic Freshwater Streamers by David Klausmeyer.
Woodstock, Vermont: Countryman Press, 2005.
(150 pages, hardbound, illustrated, color, suggested price $39.95)

This is another fine fly-tying manual by David Klausmeyer. Here for the first time is a book that explains and illustrates the process of tying classic freshwater streamers of every type. The book starts out with chapters that explain the anatomy of the classic freshwater streamer and the materials needed to tie these beautiful flies. Following these two chapters are chapters with step-by-step tying instructions for the Carrie Stevens style streamer; the upright featherwing streamer; tandem hook streamers; a chapter showing how to tie one of the most involved classic freshwater streamers; marabou streamers; bucktail streamers; Thunder Creek streamers; and the muddler minnow. The final chapter is an excellent selection of classic style streamers both old and new, tied by some of the foremost fly tyers practicing the craft today. The book concludes with a list of materials suppliers, a bibliography, and a list of the streamer tyers showcased in the book.

The step-by-step photo sequences are extremely well thought out and illustrate all of the nuances of tying this style of fly. However, unfortunately, many of the photographs are of poor quality with the texture of the materials completely gone and the images looking like someone had painted them with latex wall paint. The use of a black background in many of the photographs makes the images so startling that they are hard to view. In addition, the text for each step needs to be placed along side the photograph to which it pertains to help the reader clearly understand what that step encompasses. Finally, the materials are not listed in the order they are tied on in the various steps. For example, the text in a step will say to tie in floss for the body and tinsel for the rib that is exactly in reverse of the tie-in order necessary.

Overall, this is a beautifully illustrated book that will teach everyone interested in how to tie some of the most gorgeous freshwater flies, but it needs some serious editing in the next printing.

A review of Tying Flies in the Irish Style by E. J. Malone,
Yorkshire, England: Smith Settle Ltd., 2000.
(227 pages, hardbound, illustrated, color and black and white, suggested price $25)

Colorful flies and Ireland seem to go together like strawberries and cream For all those who would really like to understand how to tie these colorful and productive flies, this book is the answer.

The fly tying portion of the book is divided into three main sections. The first section details materials, methods,, and design criteria for tying flies in the Irish style. It includes extremely lucid line drawings which truly complement and supplement the text. The second section is a collection of various Irish fly styles illustrated by specific patterns that have line drawing step-by-step tying instructions, full recipe, pattern history, and an outstanding color photograph of the fly. The third and final section on fly tying is a pattern book of many famous and popular Irish fly patterns including such patterns as the Blae & Black, and the Cock Robin.

The final two sections of the book are devoted to arguably the most famous Irish trout fly tyer, Tommy Hanna, and a collection of his newspaper articles concerning fly tying. The last section is one of letters to Tommy Hanna from G.E.M. Skues concerning fly design and related musings reprinted for the first time. For those fly tyers interested in the history of the craft, these last two sections are a treasure.

The book is extremely well designed , written, edited, and printed. The color photographs are beautifully reproduced maintaining the lighting that shows the texture of the natural materials so well. The line drawings are well thought out and executed. This is the way books are supposed to be published but seldom are anymore. This is definitely a keeper.

Correction: Last month's issue of The Back Cast contained an error in announcing Dr. John Jackmon of Texas A&M as our speaker for the May monthly meeting. Please accept the apologies of your editor. The monthly announcement below contains the correction.