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| Volume 11 • Issue 5 • May 2006 | ||
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Plugging in the Connection
It was always there. I think some mention of the idea had occurred from time to time through the years, but no one actually began putting things together. Finally, something of substance happened that brought our Hill Country Fly Fishers together in a way that seemed as natural as two streams flowing together to form a small river. Perhaps an earlier time would not have been as easy. If I were to suggest the first persons in our club who made a move to do something tangible in the way of making things happen, "Doc" Harrison and Bill Elgin come to mind. In various meetings and private conversations, both talked of the real opportunity to establish a lasting relationship between the Hill Country Fly Fishers and Schreiner University. Both had some definite ideas about how the connection could take place and actually approached university officials about the possibilities.
Now, fast forward a bit. Several months ago, your editor received an interesting e-mail from Micah Wrase, director of campus recreation at the university, asking if I would be interested in working with a dozen or so students in connection with a new undertaking, the Volunteer Venture Program. The plans called for the participants to be selected from student applicants desiring to make a trip to the Bob Marshall Wilderness in northwestern Montana to camp for a week on one of the mountain streams and to explore various ecological and environmental matters of significance. At that time, some twenty-six persons had applied for the ten slots available–in addition, Micah and his wife would lead the group. As part of the activities, fly-fishing was to be included. None of the persons being considered had any significant knowledge about our sport, thus Micah's inquiry asking for assistance in this area.
I immediately offered help from both myself and other members of our club. Micah and I got together within the next few days and talked about what he specifically would like for us to do. Two assignments emerged: (1) advice on what types of equipment would be needed, and (2) instruction in the basics of fly fishing and what might be especially appropriate for fishing on typical mountain streams in the Bob Marshall Wilderness area.
My first response was to consult with Martin Pursch about the equipment. He immediately responded with specific recommendations that supported and added to most of my own conclusions. We had to come up with the best deals for rods, lines, flies, and tubes for traveling lightly and not taking up much room–all adding up to the general range of $150. Martin suggested items mostly available from Cabela's. Again, Martin and I were on the same page. I followed up by presenting our findings to Micah Wrase, who seemed pleased in saying that this is what he would report to his superiors for approval, which would occur a month or so later when the university's budget was determined.
Now, for the second part of the assignment, a mini-course for beginners in fly-fishing in the mountain west. Having fallen into the role of contact person with Micah and the Volunteer Venture Project, I called upon five other HCFF members ( Dr. Guy Harrison, Bill Elgin, Martin Pursch, Danny Wheat, and Roy Hickman) who seemed most appropriate at the time to help present a 2½ hour compact, yet comprehensive, orientation that would give the participants some important techniques and information that would be fairly easy to remember and that would be most useful. We also provided for forty-five minutes of practicing in casting. Below is an outline of the program.
Volunteer Venture–Fly-Fishing Instruction
- Introduction -- Mike Andrews
** A Different Fishing Experience
** The Basic Casts - The Rod, Reel, and Rigging: Martin Pursch
- Effective Flies for Mountain Streams: Dr. Guy Harrison
- Fly-Fishing Mountain Streams: Bill Elgin and Danny Wheat
- Practicing the Basic Casts: Roy Hickman, Bill Elgin, Danny Wheat, Martin Pursch, Dr. Guy Harrison, and Mike Andrews
- Handout Information: All of the above presenters provided summaries and additional handout information in addition to their oral presentations.
Friday, April 21, 2006; Schreiner University; 1:00 P.M. to 3:30 P.M.
The instructors prepared some handout material over the topic covered during their portion of the program. This afforded something tangible for the students to keep and review. We are now trying to assemble this literature to form a booklet that might be useful as a model. for future instructional opportunities.
The members of our club who participated in the Volunteer Adventure assignment well deserve praise for the contribution that each made in exceeding what might have been expected. Each one carried out his segment of the lesson plan with exceptional proficiency and experienced knowledge.
After the session, Micah Wrase asked if our club could take some of the Schreiner
students for an outing on the Guadalupe River. "Of course, we'd be delighted," was
my reply. He also said that he suspected that some would want to become members
of our club.
Thus, the first step in establishing a relationship with our local institution
of higher learning has been taken. If the success of this effort gives any sign
for advancing our association with Schreiner University, we can look forward
with eager anticipation.
–M.A.
May Meeting: Thursday, May 18, 2006; 7 P.M.; UGRA offices at 125 W. Lehmann Drive (behind the Texas Dept. of Public Safety on South Sidney Baker); Business: committee reports and current items of interest; Program: Phil Durocher, director of the fresh water division of Texas Parks and Wildlife Dept., will speak on "Developing a Two-Way Relationship Between TP&W and Texas Fly Fishers."
April Meeting. . .
Mick Mccorkle Provides A History of The Guadalupe Chapter Trout Unlimited
Mick McCorkle, president of the Guadalupe Chapter, Trout Unlimited, provided the program for our April meeting with a fascinating history of this extraordinary fly-fishing organization that has nurtured outstanding trout fishing opportunities not only for anglers living in the Texas Hill Country but for others across the span of our state and distances far and wide to tangle with the hearty trout stocked below Canyon Dam. Through the years, GRTU has emerged as the largest chapter in the national organization with around 3,000 members and has been the prime impetus in establishing a ten mile section of the Guadalupe River below Canyon Dam as one of the premier trout fishing destinations in the country.
A small group formed what was to become this remarkable Trout Unlimited chapter in the early 1970's after completion of Canyon Dam in 1964 allowed water cool enough to support trout below the dam. Trout stocking began in the late 1970's. The small group who first began to form as a fishing club below the dam continued to grow and may be given credit for those first stockings of trout that would later become the prizes so fondly sought. Time was right for the actual charter of the Guadalupe Chapter of Trout Unlimited to be obtained in the early 1980's. As one might imagine, the modest fly-fishing club from the early days grew noticeably following the introduction of the trout, but really blossomed when the organization began to lease land along the river to offer private access to some of the most enticing fishing locations below the dam. Along with the acquisition of these prime access points came additional stocking of trout and even greater increase in GRTU membership.
In 2001, GRTU negotiated vigorously with the Guadalupe/Blanco River Authority and won legal guarantee of a minimum flow of 200 cfs from the dam from May through September unless extreme circumstances made a lesser flow critically essential in cases of extreme drought. This guaranteed flow became effective in May 2003 and has resulted in the best conditions that might be expected for sustaining a healthy trout population.
Extraordinary rains and resulting flooding can have dramatic effects on the river below the dam–some quite negative but others actually positive, for instance, in the most recent overflow of the dam, a whole new channel was created that appears to offer even better fishing opportunities. The most significant detrimental effect of flooding appears to be the scouring of the river and accompanying stripping of food sources for the fish.
Another threat to trout fishing emerges from a notable population of striped bass that feed on the trout. McCorkle told of one instance when a 31-lb striper's stomach contents revealed, five sizeable trout inside.
Currently, the Guadalupe River below Canyon Dam has become one of the top–ranked tailrace fisheries in the country. From that small group of fly-fishers who first fished on the Guadalupe and eventually formed the Guadalupe Chapter of Trout Unlimited, a unique paradox has resulted: The southernmost chapter of Trout Unlimited, in a semi-arid region of our nation that has no native trout, has produced the national organization's largest chapter, and through the efforts of that chapter, one of the best trout fishing hot spots in the country now located in the least logical place–deep in the heart and the hills of Texas. Thank you, Mick McCorkle, for a fascinating program and for all of the exceptional accomplishments of the Guadalupe Chapter of Trout Unlimited.
Why Fly-Fish?
Fly-fishing flows–it engages timing with grace.
~ ~ ~
Wading sharpens our senses of balance and awareness.
~ ~ ~
Flies made of feathers and fur blend with nature to enhance the thrill of
the catch.
~ ~ ~
Flex in a fly rod energizes both the flight of the cast and the intensity
of the strike.
~ ~ ~
A fine tippet sharpens one's judgment as to how much pressure may be gambled
against the pull of a catch.
~ ~ ~
The sport of fly-fishing leads to a variety of familiarities with such activities
and interests as fly tying, photography, entomology, conservation, ecology, friends,
and–most importantly –peace of mind.
~ ~ ~
Small brooks, high mountain lakes, waters with wild creatures nearby–there
is a reason such places seem to attract mostly fly-fishers.
~ ~ ~
Fly-fishing is kind and receptive to persons of all ages, sizes, and shapes
with few restrictions; it is the perfect sport for a lifetime of mental and physical
activity.
~ ~ ~
Philosophical thoughts, good books, enchanting works of art, fantastic photography, appreciation
of nature's magic, adventure, travel, friendships, and much more are a part of
the fly-fishing experience.
–M.A.
"Fishing is a great leveler. Rock stars, schoolgirls, expert fishing guides, ordinary folk, or extraordinary folk–the fish don't much give a damn who catches them. Or who doesn't catch
them."Why else would we worship them so?
"Fish are sufficiently indifferent to human desire to be deities, which no doubt accounts for so many fishing prayers. When a fish takes our lure or bait, it is as if we are, for a moment, acknowledged by a life force we can neither predict nor control. The slightest recognition by this life force fills us with joy.
"We may not be remembered or respected by our own kind, but if noticed by a fish–even for a moment–we are able to salvage a bit of meaning from the Great Confusion. Distant, fickle, capable of existing entirely without or in spite of us–no wonder we angle for the blessings of these little finned gods. Safe in their deep, they don't give a rip if we live or die. What greater remedy for the sin of pride than to be dismissed by a mere fish?"
Paul Quinnett from his book, Fishing Lessons.
Kansas City: Andrews McMeel Publishing, 1998.
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From FFF ClubWire. . .
The Question
By Robert Prytula–Taken from the Mid-South
Fly Fishers Newsletter
You are on an island with your fly rod. You can only bring one fly. What would you bring?
This question was probably posed to Sir Izaak Walton himself [Actually, Walton did no fly fishing–ed.] in the beginning of fly fishing and has been around for a very long time. It is the ultimate hypothetical and philosophical question. No one can answer this question with certainty. Why do I bring this up? I need to think about the question for a specific reason–a one fly contest.
The rules are as follows. One fly. You lose the fly to a fish, you're done. You break off in a tree, you're done. Your fly comes apart after a few fish, you're done. The fish don't like your fly; you can't change flies, so you're done.
Some would think this to be the answer to the question. Unfortunately, a one fly contest opens the flood gates for more questions.
I hope to represent the Mid-South Fly Fishers in the Dr. Bud Priddy Memorial One Fly Contest on May 20th on the Nueces River. The money raised from the contest goes to the Alamo Fly Fishers' conservation efforts on the Nueces and other rivers in the area. The categories are for the largest Guadalupe bass, largest perch (Texas for bream), and the most total fish caught (any and all species).
So, now to the point–What the heck am I going to do? What fly do I choose? Do I target larger bass with larger flies, removing the probability of smaller fish hitting the fly? Do I go with a known bream pattern to target the smaller fish? What fly will be durable enough to survive all day? A nymph, a popper, a dry fly or a streamer? Will it be sunny, windy, cloudy, raining or partly cloudy?
I have narrowed down the choices in my mind. An Olive Woolly Bugger, a foam rubber-legged fly, a Clouser Minnow, Bream Killer or a midge emerger.
An Olive Woolly Bugger is a good choice in almost any water. Tied with flash in the tail or down the sides, it has taken large numbers of trout, bass and bream for me in the past. It is durable, effective and a good choice for almost any condition.
A foam rubber-legged fly is also another top pick of mine. I tie a version similar to a foam spider with and elk hair wing and a marabou tail. I then take a sharpie pen and color it to mimic a frog or just put spots all over the foam. I have taken numerous bass and bream with this fly. Being foam, it is fairly durable, but on occasion after several fish, the rubber legs pull out. Even without the legs, it is still very effective. A foam bug will be a good choice to fish topwater.
A Clouser Minnow pattern usually tied in chartreuse and white has done well for me in the past. I have taken lots of smallmouth and large bream with a Clouser. It is very durable, but will limit my catch to larger fish and has a bad tendency to get hung on rocks in shallow water. Still, it too, would be a good choice.
A Bream Killer, as most know, is one of the best patterns to target bass and bream. It worked exceptionally well for me at the Palmer House outing last May in Mississippi. I caught and released lots of large bass and bream using a Bream Killer. It is a durable pattern but can only be fished wet. If the situation calls for a dry, I am out of luck. It does sink slowly, unlike a Clouser, and has those rubber legs "twitching" as it falls within the water column.
A midge emerger would also be a good fly. The Alex Midge I tie is a slow sinking fly that doesn't spook fish. When fishing them in tandem, I often get two bream at a time. It is a great fly, but very small in size. It must be fished with fine tippet, so the possibility of a break off is ever present. Being small in size may also limit the larger bass hitting this small offering.
I will wait and see what weather and river conditions I am facing. This will probably be the determining factor. I want to get a look at the river to see if it is deep or shallow. I want to know if the river has long, flat pools or lots of riffles. In the meantime, I will ponder the ultimate fly fishing question. . ."If I only had one fly."
| PRWeb | Jack Nicklaus, Legendary
Golfer and Avid Sportsman Agrees to Join the Federation of Fly Fishers as a National Spokesperson and Honorary Chairman of the FFF President's Club |
| PRESS RELEASE | |
| NEWS WIRE | |
| (by way of FFF ClubWire) |
Livingston, MT (PRWEB) April 13, 2006–The Federation of Fly Fishers (FFF), a fly-fishing conservation and education organization representing over 30,000 fly fishers world wide, announced today an association with golf legend and sportsman Jack Nicklaus.
Jack Nicklaus has agreed to be a national spokesperson on behalf of the Federation of Fly Fishers, as well as to become Honorary Chairman of the FFF Presidents Club. Members of this charitable arm of the FFF represent those truly dedicated individuals and organizations that have made a 10-year financial commitment to support the mission of the FFF. Mr. Nicklaus is the first to be honored with this position. In addition, he has agreed to become a member of the FFF Board of Directors.
Mr. Nicklaus has been an avid fly fisher for most of his life and has visited many exotic worldwide destinations to pursue this passion. Mr. Nicklaus' philosophy is very consistent with that of the FFF.
"I am an avid outdoorsman and few activities or sports provide me with as much joy as fishing," he said. "If you want to break it down even further, it would be fly fishing. I actually prefer to fly fish because I enjoy the skill, art and challenge of it."
Roger Maler, President of the FFF's Southern Council, stated, "The commitment to the FFF by an individual of the caliber and renown of Jack Nicklaus is an acknowledgment of the importance of the Mission of FFF."
Dr. Ron Cordes, incoming Chairman of the FFF Board of Directors, added, "The participation of Jack Nicklaus in furthering the efforts of a non-profit organization such as the FFF, the success of which is based upon the support of a vast number of volunteers, cannot be underestimated. His presence alone will send an important message to individuals and corporations alike whose potential support is critical to the FFF."
Visit www.fedflyfishers.org to learn more about the Federation of Fly Fishers, its Mission, and its accomplishments on behalf of the sport of fly fishing and the environment.