Kelly Creek Flycasters

Regular monthly meeting for Kelly Creek Flycasters:

DATE: Thursday, February 8^th 2007

WHERE: The China Inn, banquet room

ADDRESS: 2007 16^th Ave, Lewiston ID 83501

WHEN: Dinner will start at 6:00pm. Meeting and Program to follow at 7:00pm.

FOOD: The China Inn has both Chinese and American food available.

New Meeting Location: We will be using The China Inn banquet room for our next couple of meetings, so please give us some feedback on what you think.

Wow, what a rude awakening, from 90 degrees on the Yucatan to 10 degrees back here in Idaho. Although I'm looking forward to a fun fishing season this year I'd sure take Mexico in January. Bone fishing in Paradise Lagoon and floating for permit off a beautiful white sandy flat is a wonderful way to spend a week in January. If you still haven't given salt water fly fishing a try, you owe it to yourself to do so and the sooner the better. That said, I'm already looking forward to great fishing in the not too distant future. The Owyhee in March, Bitterroot in April and the Missouri in May are just a couple of the places I look forward to returning to. Have you begun planning your time on the water yet? I hope everyone has a chance to do that before the honey-do list fills in all the gaps.

While I was away I heard that the January club meeting went very well, with great food and a very good show provided by Larry Barrett from IDFG. Thanks a lot for visiting us Larry, I hope I get to sit in on that program one of these day. At the February club meeting I'm going to be asking our members to volunteer to lead some of our fish-outs, so review our calendar of events and think about whether or not you'd like to do that. Remember that organizing a fish-out is not an all consuming task. The leader is required to attend the fish-out and arrange the Saturday evening meal for all attending club members. Any proposed outing that does not get a leader to volunteer with probably be dropped from the schedule so we hope to volunteers for all planned events. On another note, we'd like to ask all our members to give a little more thought to our monthly club raffle and bringing items that will contribute to that. Baked goods such as cookies (in particular chocolate chip!!) and bread are always popular and flies and fly tying materials are fantastic contributions. If you can provide any of those items please consider doing that because it makes a huge difference to the income our raffle can provide the club.

We had several new members join the club last month and I'd like to remind all of our members to take a moment at the February meeting and introduce yourselves to them. The Kelly Creek Flycasters would like to extend a warm welcome to Mike Baldwin, Jessica Buelow, Sharon Conz, Hank Reininger and Linda Vance. We're delighted to have these folks as new members and really look forward to getting to know them. On that note, remember that it's time for us to be collecting our annual membership dues of $35 per individual and $40 per family. All club members that are paid up by the March meeting will be eligible for our drawing for a $100.00 gift certificate to the Traditional Sportsman. I know Keith Stonebraker and Ron Aldrich have won all of those drawings for the last 10 years, but please get those dues paid anyway because I'm sure the rest of us are do for a change in luck.

Our club Lie-N-Tie is schedule for February 10th at the Asotin High School. John Claassen has been working very hard to set up a great day of events for us. Last years Lie-N-Tie was a great success because it had a lot of club member participation and a lot of attendance by non-club members that heard about the event and were interested. Please check-out the agenda and plan to attend. I know Will Godfrey can help everyone with their casting, except maybe Bob Baker, and I'm looking forward to the session on streamside photography. I hope to see everyone there for an afternoon of socializing and fly fishing fun.

Most fly fisherman that hook, land, and release Steelhead make an attempt to estimate the weight of their catch. There are several ways to determine the weight. One of these methods is called “let’s guess” and then “exaggerate”. I have used this method on occasion as I suspect many of you have. The problem with this method is that the catch and release seems to grow in length and weight over time. While this method works for many there may be a better way—“The formula”! All one needs is a Steelhead and a cloth measuring tape…and maybe a calculator.

An old standby formula for estimating the weight of a Steelhead is GxGxL/800. This is the standard formula used by the International Game Fish Association (IGFA). For example a 33/15, that is, a fish 33 inches long with a girth of 15 inches would weigh 9.3 pounds (15x15x33/800). My experience of catching, measuring, weighing and releasing Steelhead on the Babine River of BC Canada indicates that an adjustment needed to be made in the formula. After measuring and weighing a small sample of Steelhead it was determined that fish 33 inches or smaller with a girth of 15 inches or less weighed right at what the formula would indicate-- but, fish longer than 33 inches in length and greater than 15 inches in girth required an adjustment in the formula in order to meet the actual weight. A new formula was therefore used by my fishing buddies and me-- GxGxL/750 or in the case of our 33/15 the weight estimate would be 9.9 pounds. In contrast, I did measure a 33/15 from the Grand Ronde at 10.3 in 2004.

While fly fishing the Babine and Kispiox Rivers of British Columbia Canada, we caught and measured Babine fish 40 inches or longer and with girths at 20 inches or greater. We found that the formula needed another adjustment to accurately reflect the weight by scale. The factor changed to 700 in order to give an accurate representation. On the Babine and Kispiox Rivers we determined that 22x22x40/700 would prove to be a 27.7 pound fish. The actual weight was 27.3 pounds. Another example was a 44/23 Buck from the Babine which figured to be 33 pounds. The fish actually weighed 31 pounds and 12 ounces. On the Clearwater, a 39 inch fish with a 20 inch girth should weigh around 22 pounds using the 700 formula. That estimate appears to overstate the weight of the fish. Perhaps the use of 750 as the factor results in a more accurate representation. After talking with several local fly casters it is the general consensus that a 39 inch Steelhead from the Clearwater weighs about 20 pounds. I do have one example of a plug caught Steelhead from a friend of mine on January 26^th of this year, a 42 incher, which weighed over 21 pounds dressed out.

As a side note, a 40 inch Steelhead from the Kispiox will weigh more than a 40 inch Steely from the Clearwater. The fish from the Clearwater spend some of their girth traversing the 300 or so miles through seven dams to get to the measuring point and the loss in weight can be substantial. Kispiox fish that were measured had come up the Skeena River about 120 miles or so and with no obstructions. They had not spent their body mass to make the trip. They carry a lot of their weight in the shoulder and back behind the anal fin.

Recently, a new formula for estimating the weight of a Steelhead was developed by Lewis Lum, Professor of Mathematics at the University of Portland. He calculates that LxLxGx.0007 will give the best estimate of weight about 92% of the time. In the process of developing his formula he first took the 70 Steelhead measurements on file at IGFA headquarters and correlated them with 17 actual caught and measured fish. In mathematical terms he tried to “fit” actual data to the IGFA measurements. Any time one uses the “statistically fit” term there must be a certain level of mathematical confidence in its use. In the end and after testing Lum determined that the IGFA 800 formula worked pretty well. For those of you who enjoy math incantations as well as smoke and mirrors, the correlation coefficient of .88 between estimated weight and true weight was the outcome using the 800 formula. That is pretty good considering that 1.0 is the ultimate fit. However, Lum wanted more accuracy than .88 and so he developed his own formula—LxLxGx.0007. Using this formula our 33/15 Steely would weigh 11.4 pounds.

I tried the formula on a Kispiox 40/22-- 40x40x22x.0007=24.6 pounds. The formula came up short by 2.7 pounds of the actual weight. After evaluating other large fish measurements, it would appear that the Lum formula is not particularly accurate when predicting the weight of larger Steelhead notwithstanding the so-called .92 correlation coefficient. On the other hand, the formula, GxGxL/700 estimated the weight more accurately at 27.7 pounds, over estimating the weight by .4 of a pound.

Well, what is a guy to do? The question begs an answer. Shall we use the IGFA formula or the (Will Godfrey) adjusted IGFA formula? Shall we use the Lum formula or some other variation. Maybe it’s better to just lie,… I mean exaggerate. It is probably a lot more fun to just exaggerate and play “one upsmanship” with one’s fly fishing buddies. That way your fish can grow as you need it too. Whatever method you choose to use, just remember, that after all is said and done, fish weight and length issues will be corrected at the Pearly Gates because Saint Peter knows and your “salvation” may be at stake. You could be banished to a Steelhead river…forever. Tight Lines and bring your calculator and measuring tape.

Back again by popular demand will be the Kelly Creek Lie-N-Tie. New this year will be sessions on Spey Casting, Still Water Techiniques, Introduction to Nymphing, and a Description Regional Troutwaters.

The eastside Washington lakes are popular local haunts. Although the “scab lands” consist of endless, dry, rattlesnake infested desert, there are lakes that dot the country side. Every spring, anglers flock out to such places as Coffepot, Lenore, and Dry Falls but with good reason. These stillwaters have a reputation for large but selective fish. Because of the heavy fishing on these lakes, fish earn their Ph.D.s in Evasion!

Chris Donalley from the Washington Dept. of Fish and Wildlife will be our speaker this month. Chris is not only a biologist, but he incorporates his interest into fly-fishing still waters as well. Chris will share his knowledge of these lakes, and hopefully let slip a few secrets as well.

The short and cold days of winter often mean the end of fly fishing for most of us. As the year comes to an end and the snow flies, almost all of the fly fishers that I know are busy cleaning last year's gear and getting ready for the upcoming spring, by replenishing their arsenal of flies. Contrary to popular belief, the winter months often provide some outstanding opportunities for fly fishing success for those who want to brave the cold elements. Wherever there are ice free conditions, the trout fishing can be excellent.

Most fishing tactics that are used in the spring, summer and fall months can also be successful during the colder times of the year. Although not many insect hatches may be evident, there are plenty of midges available to the fish, even in the most difficult weather conditions. Make sure that you proceed with extreme caution as you approach a river or lake. A fall into icy water can be disastrous, especially if you opt to fish alone....something that I discourage during this time of year. Also, let someone know where you are fishing and when you expect to return, for obvious safety reasons. There is also some excellent foul weather gear now available that will keep you warm during cold fishing conditions.

A very successful fly fishing pattern during the winter and early spring months is the Copper John, our

Fly of the Month. This pattern, designed by John Barr of Boulder, Colorado was the best selling fly worldwide in 2004, according to Fly Tier magazine. Although it is most often used as a "dropper" pattern, suspended below a dry fly, it is an effectively fly also when used alone. The Copper John is an excellent fly pattern for use as a small midge pattern in sizes 18-24; in larger sizes and darker colors it also carries a classic stonefly profile.

When tying this pattern I prefer to use a TMC hook, style 5262 or 5263 in the previously mentioned sizes. If you can't find TMC hooks, use a similar style made by other manufacturers. In order to achieve a quick sinking effect, use a small cone drilled bead, followed by several turns of lead wire. For tails, use brown turkey biots; then construct the body from medium copper wire. Most fly tiers that I know, also construct the body from other colors of wire, including red and olive. The thorax is constructed from peacock herl, covered by an epoxy covered wingcase, consisting of Thin Skin with a Flashabou center strip. The addition of partridge legs completes the fly. Your local fly shop can assist you in finding all the necessary materials. A series of 34 photos as well as an accompanying text of detailed tying instructions can be found by accessing internet site http://www.flyanglersonline.com/flytying/fotw2/020204fotw.html Don't be concerned about the numerous tying steps; this fly is not a difficult pattern to tie.

To fish this pattern effectively, cast your line upstream and let this fly bounce along the bottom of moving water, allowing it to drift with the current. Gently raise your rod tip when you detect any subtle movement of the fly. Most of the movement will be caused by the fly bouncing along the river bottom, but often it will be a large trout that is eagerly awaiting a winter morsel.

Don't let adverse weather keep you from catching some sizeable fish this time of year; try a Copper John and be especially safety conscious.

Riffles, Runs & Lies is edited by Diane Lillibridge on behalf of the Kelly Creek Flycasters.

All club members are welcome to submit articles for inclusion into the club newsletter by

February 8^th	2^nd Thursday, Regular Meeting, 6pm dinner, 7pm meeting at China Inn.
February 10^th	Lie-N-Tie
February 20^th	3^rd Tuesday, Board Meeting, 6pm at the upstairs loft of Main Street Grill.
March 8^th	Next month’s meeting.
March 17-18	Clark Fork fish-out
May 11^th	Spring Banquet
June 2^nd	Club picnic
July 14-15	First Lochsa fish-out Adopt-A-Highway cleanup
August 18^th	Kelly Creek fish-out
September 15	Tentative Montana fish-out
October 6th	Second Lochsa fish-out and Adopt-A-Highway cleanup

KCF Board Member	Positions	Term Exp	E-Mail Address	Phone Number
Zach Funkhouser	President	2007	Zach84@cableone.net	(208) 743-0435
Terry Nab	Vice President	2008	oregrande@aol.com	(208) 746-4810
Jeanie Centenari	Treasurer	2008	Snake_river_djc@hotmail.com	(208) 791-5474
Bruce Young	Secretary	2007	grizzlyhackle@hotmail.com	(208) 746-7079
Fred Trevey	Board Member	2007	trigby@cableone.net	(208) 743-5465
Ginny Foote	Board Member	2009	ginny@vfooteconsult.com	(509) 751-1750
John Claassen	Board Member	2008	steelheadjohn@tds.net	(509) 243-8958
Will Godfrey	Board Member	2009	wgodfrey@cableone.net	(208) 798-5424
Matt VanVleet	Board Member	2009	mvvleet@yahoo.com	(208) 276-3202