Volume 13 • Issue 4 • April 2008

He Would Have Felt at Home in The Past

Robert Goodwin would have been at home in the same circle of adventurers who were the first white men to explore, scratch out a living, and experience the grandeur of the western mountains as they matched wits with the Utes, Cheyennes, and Arapahos, in what is now Colorado back in the 1820's and 1830's. They included such names as John Colter, Jim Bridger, Jedediah Smith, Hugh Glass, Kit Carson and other such remarkable characters.

Those who attended our March meeting, easily could have had this suspicion as Robert Goodwin, accompanied by his fine slide pictures with a backdrop of magnificent mountain scenes captured in areas still primitive and about as unspoiled as anyone might find in today's highly civilized and crowded homeland. They revealed his occupation of guiding fly-fishers by way of hikes and horseback rides to remote fishing waters. Portions of the slide presentation were enhanced by the recorded voice of a country folk singer as clear and refreshing as the mountain streams, in the heart of the mountains near Creede, Colorado.

In his unassuming way, Goodwin revealed what a true outing into the wilderness involves.

To give an idea of physical demands, the average age of his clients is about forty-five years. The oldest client he has ever guided was seventy-two. The trips consist entirely of either hiking or horseback riding or a combination of both. It usually takes about five hours to reach the camping location. The altitude ranges from 10,000 to 12,000 feet with temperatures ranging in June from 50 to 70 degrees during the day and 25 to 40 at night; July through August ranges from 50 to 80 during daytime and 35 to 45 at night. It generally rains every day to some extent, but sometimes there may not be any drops for days or weeks.

In order to reach the destination, weight taken in must be limited for clothing, gear, and personal items to forty pounds per person. A list of items available for those wishing to make the trip pretty well covers all that will be needed and will quickly but efficiently reach the strict weight limit. Just to give a sampling, here is a short list: shirts: one short sleeve, two long sleeves; pants: one pair that have legs that zip off and a couple of regular pants–the dry-fast kind; a good durable rain suit or poncho; one pair of good light-weight hiking boots and one pair of running shoes for wading and around the camp; five pairs of wool socks that will keep feet warm even if wet. Of course, some sundries, medicines, and other necessities will also be included in the limited weight allowed. All meals and tent shelters are provided on the campouts.

Forget cell phones. They won't reach anything in the heart of the mountains. There is a device that will signal an emergency and location to search and rescue headquarters that is carried by Goodwin when he takes a group out to all of the camping and fishing locations. Also, the state of Colorado requires all guides in these remote locations to be certified as having taken medical procedures to use immediately on site in case of any emergency situations. Helicopters are ready for a rescue if necessary.

What about the fishing and wildlife? Right away, our speaker let it be known that most of the fish will be relatively small, about 9" to 12", but they are wild and beautiful. A big fish would be in the 14" to 15" range. The native cutthroat clothed in brilliant, striking colors is the gem to be sought, and there is an abundance of varied waters and topography in which to seek a thrill awaiting a strike of lightning at the end of the line. Of course, other types of trout, mainly rainbows and cutbows, provide plenty of action.

As a bonus, all sorts of other mountain creatures inhabit the region elk, deer, bears, bighorn sheep, and moose, along with a variety of interesting birds.

Running through the whole adventure is a strong thread of preservation. Any trip led by Robert Goodwin or any others associated with the region strongly see to it that the presence of humans in this pristine area leaves no print of their having been there. All aspects of nature are to be left as they would had nothing of civilization ever invaded this treasured region. To emphasize the point, look over the toiletries list required for a trip into the wilderness: tooth brush and paste, deodorants are not recommended, small towel for washing up occasionally, biodegradable soap (small bottle), disposable towelettes (your option), roll of toilet paper in a zip lock type bag, small lighter to burn toilet tissues.

Quoting from the handouts Robert made available at our meeting is the following information. Two types of trips are available:

"Long trips–Duration is 4 to 6 days. Meet at the ranch Sunday or Monday morning, pack up equipment and head to the high country. You can either ride a horse to camp or hike and fish to camp. Your equipment will be packed in on horses. Horses will leave after we have ridden in and after equipment and supplies have been unloaded. Horses will come back at the end of the trip to take us and our equipment back to the ranch. There will also be the option to hike and fish our way out of the wilderness. During the week, we will fish streams and lakes within walking distance of camp (up to 2 or 3 miles). Cost is $250 per day per person.

"Day trips–These trips will leave early in the morning, fish all day and return late in the day. Lunch is provided. Cost is $300 for first person and $200 for each additional fisherman."

Robert Goodwin, a comfortable guy to be around, has been guiding for thirty years during the fishing months in Colorado. The rest of the year he resides in Plano, Texas. He works in conjunction with Circle Divide Outfitters and is also associated with a number of big name fly-fishing manufacturers in testing and providing input on their products.

Yes, Robert could have been a mountain man about back in the early 1800's, though in today's world he's an outgoing, pleasant, clean-cut chap, who reflects an image of the mountain west with all of its enchantment mixed in with some really fascinating fly-fishing. If anyone wants to give it a go, you may line up an outing (maybe the day trip for many of us) by calling him at 972-424-3011 or cell 972-989-3833 or by e-mail: rpgoodwin@verizon.net.

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The Status of Communication

Our Hill Country Fly Fishers have grown in a number of ways during the last year or so. Increased membership has been one of our top priorities for a long time, and now it seems to be blossoming due to the input of new activities and opportunities for participation among the members, both men and women. So many new activities are emerging that it is hard to keep track of all that is going on. Outings, educational opportunities, participation in regional and state events, fresh enthusiasm within the new Gulf Coast Council of the Federation of Fly Fishers, and much more are filling our calendar. Indeed, all of the above fall into the category of progress, and that is good.

One of the offshoots taking place is an increase in communication between and among individuals, groups, and the club as a whole. Five methods of getting information out seem to have evolved, each one having some advantages along with disadvantages. Let's take each of the five one at a time to get some frame of reference for the role each plays as our club advances in enriching its methods of informing not only our members but others near and far of our unfolding events and experiences.

Monthly Meetings:

The positives of our regular gatherings of the club each month are quite obvious. First, they provide for largest gathering of club members on a regular basis. They offer the best opportunity for club business to take place and to experience the general pulse of how members feel about different aspects and ideas concerning just about anything of interest within the club. Secondly, We are exposed to the very latest information about club activities both ongoing and upcoming. Finally, we usually have outstanding programs, instruction, or entertainment for both our pleasure and our knowledge about fly-fishing either from club members or by speakers from many sources dealing with our sport.

The negatives regarding our monthly meetings mainly boil down to one important point–that hearing about the meeting or reading a report about what took place cannot replace being there and being a part of the camaraderie, the details, meeting new friends, talking to old friends, getting to the heart and soul of our club.

The Newsletter:

The Back Cast has been around since our club was founded in November 1995. Until several years ago our newsletter was mailed to each member. The April 2005 issue was the first to be posted on our new website. At once it was exposed to readers anywhere on the Internet who might hear about our club or accidentally stumble upon it. It's appearance is no longer like that of a publication printed from an earlier era. It continues to cover as much as possible of what is going on our club's fly-fishing experiences month by month. It seems to be a valuable source for helping bind our members together and to provide a bit of food for thought.

On the other hand, our newsletter has its handicaps. We are now having so many activities that passing news by mail for the newsletter is comparable to sending it by the pony express. By the time it appears on our website, a lot of timely information concerning upcoming events has already taken place. Important events that members should know about doesn't reach them until it's past history. There is an answer that is available to solve this problem, but so far it has been neglected. That would be greater use of our bulletin board on the club's website.

The HCFF Website:

When our newsletter found its way to the Internet, so did a significant bonus, the bulletin board by which anyone may make posts of all sorts raising interesting discussions, fly-fishing reports on various fishing locations, virtually anything our members and others far away wish to put out for discussion, to ask questions, or make announcements about things either too early or too late to put in the newsletter.

This tool is available to make up for what the newsletter cannot accomplish. But there is a mystery concerning the bulletin board. For all practical purposes, it is not being used. Part of the reason is that members are communicating with each other by direct e-mails to the individuals or groups intended to read the content. That makes good sense; however, our club may be missing input on the board that might be useful or interesting to anyone checking the latest messages about any sort of topic concerning our sport posted by our members or, for that matter, anyone interested who has a computer and finds our website. We may be missing some good discussions in addition to some prospective new members who have been referred to our website or have incidentally happened upon it. The lack of usage by our club members may be (1) They don't know how to get set up to make posts though it is explained at the top of the board ; (2) They are reluctant to have their words exposed to an unlimited audience, perhaps they fear making some mistake or appearing ignorant in some manner ; or (3) They simply are not interested in this type of participation.

Doug Teter's New Blog Site:

Doug has put a lot of work into establishing his new blog site. It's too early to tell how it may work out. If any of you click in on it, you will be impressed by its format. With Doug's nurturing, it may turn out to be quite successful. This new means of communication offers some advantages over our HCFF bulletin board in that Doug has designed it to be closely attuned to the very latest information concerning our club, and it also has short cuts to sources that tie into things our members and other fly-fishers would be especially interested in examining. Let's hope it develops into a popular success. Check it out.

Our sources of communication offer a host of ways to take part in our club's activities and to keep up with the latest happenings along with many opportunities by which we may communicate with each on anything worth mentioning concerning our fly-fishing interests. Moreover, except for our regular monthly meeting, each of the other sources is available for communication among ourselves and with others who drift into our network of contacts. You might find it both useful and fun to explore some of these avenues we have available. Take part in our monthly meetings along with the other gatherings we have. Write an article or send some pictures by attachment for the newsletter (send to guadbass@yahoo.com). Make a post on our website's bulletin board (www.hcff.org). Contribute to Doug Teter's blog site (http://.dteter-kerrville.blogspot.com. As active as our club is, we can make good use of all of the above in staying in touch.

By the way, an updated calendar and a map of fishing locations on the north branch of the Guadalupe prepared by Danny was recently sent out by attachment from our president, Dianne Williams, to all members on our mailing list. Either she or Danny could probably send you an attachment if you did not receive one by e-mail. Dianne (ifish@ktc.com), Danny (ccwdpw@gmail.com).

–M.A.

 

From FFF ClubWire. . .

Getting Barbed
By Jim Duda
Taken from the Connecticut Fly Fishers Association Newsletter

Generally, I belong to the Farmington River School of mashing barbs–or going "barbless." However, there have been exceptions to my rule that apply to some salmon rainbow trout and steelhead. Enough said:

Not so long ago I was hooked and held by a barb. Maybe it was the Creator's way of reminding me of the discomfort I visited upon my exceptions in occasionally tying on a barbed hook.

Mark, my son-in-law, and I were fishing near Missoula, Montana, in a recent year. The Clark Fork, Big Blackfoot and Bitterroot Rivers were not fishable because of high summer water temperatures. As a result, we prospected for cutthroat trout on nearby cold water mountain streams. The stream we fished that day was about two miles from where we parked. Downhill we went through dense stands of Ponderosa pine where there were ample signs of grizzly activity.

Montana "streams" are as wide as some Connecticut rivers like the Naugaatuck.

Additionally, these fast and rocky streams are laced with "deadfall" that can keep you from, in this case, moving downstream.

I was attempting to cross a rather deep section of the stream by walking across a deadfall tree. I was about two-thirds across when the log started to roll. Immediately, I sat down. At this point I felt something sharp enter my waders near the crotch. I called Mark for help.

There I sat with a leg lock around the log and one hand pressed into the bark in order to balance myself, with the other holding my fly rod. I slid backwards a bit to determine the extent of my crisis. Yes, something had penetrated my waders with a sharp point and was not going to easily let go. I was "barbed." I tried to wiggle like my exceptions to dislodge the stub, but without success.

"So, what is the problem?" Mark said before he started laughing. "Let me explain," I offered. "I am caught by the log and I need to get off of this @%$* thing. We need a plan that will not injure me at my crotch. Get it?" I exclaimed. After some careful thought, Mark suggested that he take my rod and we roll the log so that I was suspended below it. I would let go, fall into the stream, and gently float away to safety with only slightly damaged waders. This sounded like a good idea to a desperate man.

"I can't swim," I lamented. "Don't worry, you will float and I will catch you a little bit downstream. This will be very easy." Mark stressed. We had a plan.

I leaned over the side and Mark added momentum to the log roll until I was under the log and above the stream. Mark ran downstream a bit, positioned himself and prepared to grab me. Then he bid me to let go. Let go, I did! It was a beautiful release with both arms and legs acting in unison. There was, however, a little resistance. The stub did not want to release the waders immediately, and I was suspended like and inverted V above the stream. I wiggled and there was a ripping sound as my waders were torn along one leg to the knee. I then hit the water creating a huge splash.

The waders filled quickly with water, but I floated and moved in a surge downstream around and past the point where Mark was positioned. Sometimes in our life we simply pick the wrong current seam. There I went bouncing and rolling about a hundred yards until I could get my feet down and wade to the shore in my new quick-draining waders. I was wet from head to toe, but alive and not hurt. That was the outside of me. The inside of me was bubbling with conflicting emotions that required a considerable amount of anger management.

We fished on catching some very nice cutthroats that afternoon in late July. It turned out to be a great day for shallow wading. We climbed out of the forest and drove back to Missoula in Mark's SUV. The cloth passenger seat, to my satisfaction, absorbed the remainder of the moisture in my clothing. I was dry by the time we reached the Cougar Ranch.

I guess that each of us who fish confront the unexpected. Often, we just have to deal with it. However, I cannot help but believe that there are fish I have caught, who can now smile when I offer them a barbless treat.

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