Volume 12 • Issue 1 • January 2007

A Sense of Metamorphosis

Here we are–another new year. Hope mixed with anxiety blend to open the doorway into the twelve months of 2007. It seems a comforting thought in knowing that no matter how wild the world gets, our love for fly fishing will offer some refuge and a means of keeping our heads on straight while, at the same time, touching us with numerous hours of adventure, excitement, splendid surroundings, and a choice of either calming solitude or wholesome camaraderie.

A handy dictionary defines one meaning of metamorphosis as "A transformation as by supernatural means." Come to think of it, the changes occurring from egg to spinner of a mayfly reveal a rather magical sequence of development, all important to devoted anglers of the fly. Perhaps it is not too far-fetched to draw and analogy between the mayfly and our own Hill Country Fly Fishers as we begin this challenging new year while considering observations of the year just ended.

First of all, long-time members of our club may have taken note of a remarkable number of new faces emerging from month to month on each third Thursday. The thought may have subtly crept forth that it’s getting harder to keep track of names and faces since the new ones are popping up with such refreshing frequency. Furthermore, we have been having a sprinkling of our women fly-fishing friends enhancing our get-togethers. Would it be too crude to suggest that some fresh blood is being attracted into our fly-fishing congregation by supernatural means? Maybe so, but more likely there is something our club is doing that is bringing about positive membership growth. Is our club entering the emerger stage?

One might also take note that a growing development appeared to evolve during 2006 in salt water fishing. Danny Wheat, Bill Elgin, Dianne Williams, Roy Hickman, Edd Stach, Glenn McCullough, Walter Saunders, and others have taken spontaneous outings to our Texas coast. One club outing to Aransas Flats using kayaks was scheduled for September 30th–Oct. 1st. Also, two or three trips have been organized from within our club to fish at hot spots off the east coast of Mexico and further south. This flourishing interest is encouraging and will certainly add more angling opportunities if continued into 2007.

Not only has salt water fly-fishing outing flourished as never before within the club, but indications are that talk of other fresh water opportunities will be organized. A new emphasis on fishing for white bass during late February and early March will be offered for trips to the Colorado Bend area. Previous outings there have been partially successful, but with the infusion of new members, this could rise to become an attractive fishing experience. We might expect robust attendance for the popular "Bud" Priddy One Fly event on the Nueces River in the spring. With a bit of enthusiasm, we may be able to have additional outings never tried before as 2007 unfolds.

Following a successful September meeting on fly tying, a move to increase emphasis in this important aspect of our sport is buzzing about. Expect more fly tying instruction during this new year, perhaps on a regular basis but with a more enticing format than in past efforts.

Largely due to the ongoing efforts of "Doc" Harrison, fly-fishing classes on the basics of our sport continued at Camp La Junta during two summer sessions, along with several Texas Parks and Wildlife events and with the Boy Scouts. All have been highly successful. Last summer we had a monthly meeting devoted to outdoor instruction that was well received. Talk among the board of directors indicates that greater development offering instruction among adults both within the club and for the general public on special occasions will be pursued this new year.

Certain events have proved popular enough to pretty much become annual affairs. The outing at Shonto Ranch has been on the calendar for the past two years as has the Christmas Dinner Party. As we move through 2007, we may find that other popular experiences may become annual events.

The highlight of our club’s metamorphosis will occur when we fly at the end of 2007, having emerged through a year of changes brought about by progress and increased participation in activities both meaningful and pleasurable. A precedent will have occurred from which another new year will emerge and the "supernatural" transformation may begin again just as the mayfly eggs begin to emerge.

–M.A.

"Of course, I’m not the first person to discover in fly fishing a framework for thinking about life. On its surface the analogy is obvious. If we can discipline ourselves to cast a line with perfection, perhaps we can impose an order on–or perceive some inherent order within–the chaos of daily existence. Nor am I the first writer to seize upon fly fishing as a literary vehicle by which we drive close to the heart of life’s abiding mysteries. It is informative in this regard to note the publication of the two works in American literature that best succeed in the use of fly fishing as the controlling metaphor for a spiritual quest. These are "Big Two-Hearted River" by Ernest Hemingway, and A River Runs Through It by Norman Maclean."

From Howell Raines, Fly Fishing Through the Midlife Crisis.
(New York: William Morrow and Company, Inc., 1993)

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Odds and Ends Upon Entering the New Year

Here are some at random items that come to mind as our club enters 2007:

• Your editor was unable to attend the December Christmas Dinner Party, but according to the few comments available, the event was successful for its third season albeit that the facilities were somewhat cramped and the acoustics restrained. It is nice that our members with spouses and guests may come together for a wholesome experience during this very special season the of year.

• The trout were placed successfully into the waters of our three leases. Roughly fifteen to twenty persons helped introduce these beautiful and spirited fish into the waters we will be fishing for the next five months or so. By available accounts, our club anglers have been making some good catches and seem satisfied with the condition of the fish whether they be small, medium, or large.

• The board of directors will meet on January 9^th to put some finesse on plans for club programs, projects, and events during 2007.

• At our regular club meeting, the most important event will be the election of new officers.

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From FFF ClubWire. . .

First Lady FFF Council President is Seated
By Roger Maler, Past SOC President

The Southern Council steps into the history books with the first lady Council President ever in the FFF. Sheryl Knight took the reins in October of the largest Federation Council. From Arlington, Texas, Sheryl has deep roots in fly fishing and the Federation since the early 80's.

Serving successfully as SOC Outreach Chair and VP of conservation on their Board of Directors, she has been an impressive addition to the council and our National Conservation Committee.

She was a founding board member of the Heart of America Flyfishers and has also served the Ft. Worth Fly Fishers on their Board of Directors for some time as well as being recognized in "Texas Flyfishing Women." Sheryl also brings to the position a 20-year professional as a CPCU insurance executive giving lectures around the country in her areas of expertise

Her husband, Ron, introduced her to fly fishing and is also a passionate fly fisher as well. He is the author of Fly Fishing Spinner Baits, a recently published book which has been very successful. They are members of the FFF Presidents Club; the two make a great team and will certainly bring a new and fresh vision to the FFF with a lady’s slant on the sport.

(They do switch off paddling the boat if that tells you anything!)

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Fly Tyer Gone Wild
By Charlie Place–taken from the Connecticut Flyfisherman’s Association Newsletter

I’ve decided that I have too much stuff and have been spending too much time looking through feathers, tails, dubbing and such and not enough time actually tying bugs. So I’ve been trying to keep my collection of tying materials down to half a closet full. Some of my material boxes haven’t been opened in months because, well, they are behind the other boxes that haven’t been opened for a while either. Anyway, when I do get in the back of the feather closet, it turns out to be more of a treasure hunt than a bug tying session. I usually discover things that I don’t remember buying, like my most recent find of six blue bucktails? It’s a good thing I found six packs of blue saddle hackles to go with the bucktails. I also found one large package of mallard flank, dyed blue. I bought that to go with the saddles, I guess. I know that I must have had something in mind when I bought all the blue material. I just wish I could remember what it was though.

Anyway, when you really think about it, all that tying stuff in the feather closet isn’t doing much good unless it’s on a fish hook, is it? I decided to clean house, so to speak. I went through everything, box by box, Zip Loc bag by Zip Loc bag and culled all of the stuff that I hadn’t used or seen in a long time. I parted with some of the things that I had way too much of, like rabbit dubbing. I mean could it be possible that there are that many bunny rabbits out there running around naked? I refuse to take responsibility for the scarcity of blue deer though, because after all, I only have six of their tails. Well, actually seven because I have a spare bucktail box and a working bucktail box. I found another blue bucktail in the working box. Okay, then. I’ll take part of the blame for blue but not the pink deer because I only have one pink bucktail. And, well, there is that sort of ruby-colored bucktail that I liked a lot but the fish didn’t. I don’t even want to think about the chickens. I will say that when I was a kid, I didn’t realize that chickens came in so many different colors.

I gave all the usable stuff to a friend that spends the bulk of his money on college tuition. The lousy stuff, or you could say the stuff that I stored because I thought that I might use some day, I tossed. It doesn’t do any good to give it away because even though it’s free, it’s still lousy and may actually be discouraging to a new fly tier. While I was at it, I put most of the material in clear plastic storage boxes so that I can actually see what’s in them before I open them. That saves me some time, which seems to be at a premium lately.

Now this is not to say that when I see a bargain or some really neat fly tying material that I don’t buy it. Last week I found some extra long Craft Fur in a bargain bin at a fly shop, so I bought three packages, one tan, one cream and one brown. I brought it home and added it to the other packages of tan, cream and brown extra long Craft Fur that I have. I purchased it because, as you know, extra long anything is not easy to find, and you never know when you might want to tie up a bazillion bay anchovy imitations. There was a spool of bright orange, flat waxed nylon thread in the good buy tub that just kept calling to me, too. I figured that I didn’t have that color, and for a change I was right. I didn’t. However, now I only have one spool, so I better get a spare.

I’m now almost down t a half closet full. This is good, because I was fishing stipers with Jerry the other day, and he was using an experimental fly that the stripers couldn’t resist. It had so much flash on it that he jokingly called it the Christmas tree fly. In any event, I don’t have the flash that Jerry used on his new fly. I looked through my red bucktails too, and I don’t have the exact shade of red that he used to tie the festive fly with either. Nor do I have the hook he used. Well anyway, I figure now that I’ve "cleaned house" I have room for some new stuff.

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A Successful Guided Fly Trip Begins with. . . .
By Capt. Pat Damico, FFF Certified Instructor,
CapMel.com Fly–fishing Editor Posted 9/6/06
Fishing Florida Online Magazine–Fly fishing Report

Once or twice a week I have phone conversations with several guide friends who specialize in fly fishing. We share information about our most recent trips After discussing the type and number of fish, where they were located, tide and weather conditions, moon phase, water temperature, the number of fish brought to the boat comes up. Then I described the client as part of the answer. "The guy was a pleasure to be with. He didn’t listen to a single thing I told him. He kept telling me about his other successful trips, a real jerk. I took him back early. I spent most of the day giving him casting lessons. I made every cast for him. He hooked me twice," etc. The movie, A River Runs Through It, has spawned a new breed of "fly fishers," who ply the water in search of the rewards of the sport. Experienced clients whom we have never met are also anxious to put a few notches on their fly rods with a successful saltwater trip. As guides, we are supposed to be a part of the learning process. How can we make clients’ trips an experience that they will enjoy?

My friends would all agree that success or failure will depend primarily on one thing–casting ability. All factors being equal, the person who can cast well will be successful. Eight hours is a long time to spend on a flats boat with someone who has poor casting skills. Can a person not cast well and be a successful fly fisherman? I guess that depends on how you define success. If success means catching fish, read on.

I recently fished a trophy trout stream in northeastern Pennsylvania that was loaded with healthy native trout. The stretch of water was limited to fly fishing only, from the bank, in very clear and for the most part relatively shallow water. The urban setting means that every day, all year long, these fish are bombarded with flies by some very astute anglers. The catch and release regulations mean that these fish have been caught many times. Are they difficult? They are for the most part, impossible.

I always advise doing a little research before doing any casting. I’ve spent many years fishing for freshwater trout so that I gathered information from some friends who are frequent visitors, as well as from a few of the local experts. I saw a few fish caught. These are some of the requirements for success: Six X, nine foot leaders with seven or eight X, two to three foot tippets used. Flies as small as size twenty-six, and twenty-eight were common. Some Tricos were hatching and these were what was needed to successfully match the hatch. Many of the trout would sip these small natural morsels, refusing an imitation that was a little too large, the wrong color, had a floating leader, or exhibited a hint of unnatural drag. Many fish were caught within a few feet of the bank.

As a certified casting instructor, I knew that the casting skills needed for this type of fishing blew my mind. Very few fishermen had more than two or three feet of fly line extending past the tip of their eight and a half or nine foot, four or five weight fly rods,. Imagine doing this every trip and catching fish. Here we have a fly fisherman who has great skill in stream entomology, stealth, presentation and remarkable fly tying skills and consistently catches fish with only a few feet of fly line line past the fly rod tip, using a very long fragile leader. The technique could be called "high sticking" or "dabbing." Casting skill is almost nonexistent. He is, however, in the eyes of his peers, a master fly fisherman.

Contrast this to a June trip scheduled to catch a one hundred pound plus tarpon along our beaches where a twelve weight nine foot fly rod with a weight forward line attached to a 3/0 fly will have to be cast a minimum of fifty feet, quickly and accurately, usually in the wind to a moving fish, with a minimum of false casting. I realize I am using two extreme examples, but they both are factual and do exist. If I take one of my best saltwater clients and put him in the above freshwater situation, what will his success rate be? They are both difficult, and herein lies the allure of fly fishing. If you want diversity, a challenge, a never ending learning curve, you picked the right sport. The successful freshwater angler will be a disaster in the salt water. This is the situation we frequently have to deal with.

Get as much information before your trip into a different fishing environment and come prepared. Do your homework and be honest about your skills and experience. Your fly rod must be thought of as an instrument. An instrument performs only as well as the person holding it, and requires hours of practice. Get some help from someone who is knowledgeable; do your homework; duplicate the fishing situation before you arrive, and you will have a successful trip.