Kelly Creek Flycasters

  www.kellycreekflycasters.com                      P.O. Box 2131 Lewiston, Idaho 83501

***IMPORTANT NOTICE***

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE    

Zach Funkhouser - Kelly Creek Flycasters President

Thank goodness winter is beginning to break.  For many of us, March signifies the unofficial beginning of our fishing season.  The Owyhee begins to fish well, April on the Bitterroot can be wonderful, May on the Mo can pop and bang, the Lochsa will be open before we know it.  And while we’re on the subject, don’t forget about our March 17^th fish-out on the Clark Fork River.  We’ve still got open spaces on drift boats, so even if you don’t have a personal float craft, we can get you on river if you’d like to attend.  We’ll be staying in cabins at the Clark Fork River Outfitters and floating the river near St Regis.  If you’d like to go, please feel free to give me a call and for those going, plan to meet after the March club meeting to discuss our final trip arrangements.

The Kelly Creek Flycasters provided a $200 donation to the American Fisheries Society, along with a group of flies tied by our club members and a fishing trip.  The AFS uses the funds for conservation and education purposes.  The donation was an opportunity for us to give something back to IDFG for all the support they’ve given us over the years and to support a good cause.  The board voted unanimously in favor of it.  We’d like to thank all of our members for their participation in our fund raisers, which allows for us to support organizations such as the AFS.

Our annual Spring Banquet will be held on Friday, May 11^th.  Be sure to mark your calendars and plan to attend.  Last years banquet was the most successful we’ve had in nearly a decade and there’s no reason to think we can’t do as well this year.  To make that happen, we’ll need a good selection of banquet items and I’d like to ask our membership for donations.  We came up with a lot of great stuff last year.  At the March meeting I’ll be circulating a sign up for club member donations.  Baked goods, flies, gardening items, fishing paraphernalia, crafts and fishing trips and all make great items.  Please consider donating your skills to our list of banquet items.

To close I’d like to say that Will Godfrey’s group of volunteers met at the Juvenile Detention Center last week.  We were impressed with the facility and it appears that the program will be a unique opportunity to give something back to the community and to a group of kids that haven’t had the same chances most of us have.  The club may get some national exposure due to the program as well had serve a worthy cause.  Thanks Will and Sandra, for the great idea.

Take care and I look forward to seeing all of you at our March club meeting.

Catch you on the fly......

Zach

Kelly Creek Flycasters March Program

Thursday, March 8^th at 7:00PM

China Inn, Lewiston ID

Program:  Saltwater Flyfishing in Western Australia by Reid Miller

Reid Miller of the Clearwater Flycasters

During a three-month stay in Perth, I was fortunate to spend three days fishing in waters off the Northwest Shelf near Exmouth with one of the very few fly fishing guides in Western Australia.  The fishing and location were spectacular, and I was really hooked on fishing the salt.  Pictures from the trip will be shown, as well as some additional ones provided by the guide, with discussion of equipment, techniques, flies, and types of fish caught there.  Western Australia is about the size of the Western US, and is an area of remarkable diversity.  I will try to describe this vast state, with a population only slightly larger than Idaho, including its limited freshwater and virtually unlimited saltwater fishing opportunities.  A Saltwater Flyrodders Club has been established recently in Perth, and information will be provided on its activities.  I have joined this club in anticipation of another three-month stay in Perth starting in October, 2007.  Maybe I will see some of you down there!

WHAT DOES FISHING MEAN TO YOU?

Fly fishing is new to me and as some of you know from a couple of our meetings, my husband (Mr. Lures) has not decided to be a part of it nor has he decided to not be a part of it.  At this time I would describe him as a full fledge supporter who is found on occasion just escorting DJ & I from one fishing hole to another. 

Our entire family has fished for years, however it was” who caught the biggest fish” or “who caught the most fish” or “what about the one that got away?”   It was fly fishing that taught us to respect the sport.  Not that we didn’t already, but now we are fishing barbless and catching and releasing feels good.  Oh, yeah, we still talk about the biggest, most and the one that got away, but we don’t feel like we have to prove anything.  For me, catching a fish on a fly rod is such a true sport that brings great pleasure to see a beautiful cutthroat emerge from the waters to catch the fly that I’ve ever so gently presented for his liking.  

   ~For this story, names have not been changed to protect the guilty.~ 

Each summer we hook up with a group of friends and head for Skull Creek which runs into the North Fork just past Aquarius and before Quartz Creek.  Several families are involved and always lots of kids. We spend our time swimming, playing games, fishing, walking, 4-wheeling, spirits through out the day and campfires at night.  Creating good memories.  One of the items on the agenda for this campout has always been, “Who caught the biggest fish” contest.  This brings a new story each year, but it also means that you have to prove it.  If the fish isn’t brought back to camp, it’s just a fish story.  We’ve learned to live with fish stories.  And we’re fine with it.  But a lot of our good friends are not quite there yet.

This last summer one of our more competitive family friends, Rocky, caught a real nice cutthroat.  It was about 17” long and so thick that you could hardly get your hands around it.  He’s not a fly fisherman, but he’s still a friend.  He’s comes a bee-bopping into camp real slow in his pickup with coolers in the back trying to take the bumps as careful as possible.  Everyone knows to watch out for this guy.  He can catch a nice fish from time to time and then we’ve got to listen to him for the next year telling us how he knows how to catch the biggest fish.  So as he’s pulling into camp ever so slowly, one of the young guys, Jared,  in camp reaches into his cooler as the truck is moving and pulls out this nice cutthroat without Rocky  seeing.  Jared runs it into his trailer and chops the head off. 

Well while all of this is happening Rocky has his head out the window asking everyone how their fishing went.  Stories start to fly, Rocky gives a thumbs up, when he’s asked about his day and then he parks his pick up and walks to the back, he opens the cooler and as you could imagine starts digging through his cooler, then he empties his cooler, then he’s looking around in complete confusion as Jared comes running out of his trailer to show off his catch of the day.  Everyone is completely amazed by this nice thick bodied cutthroat that Jared scored for the day.  Rocky congratulates Jared on his fish, while telling everyone that he caught a nice fish too, but he’s not sure where it is.  Sure, Rocky!!  Jared then returns the fish to his camp trailer.  Some time later, around the campfire, Rocky just can’t let this fish story die.  Jared looks over at Rocky and gives him a grin.  Rocky, then knows that the fish without a head was his own.  On that day, the best catch of the day, was Rocky.

~For me, fishing means family, friends and in turn the creation of a lot of Good Memories~

Jeanie Centenari

Board Member

The Fly, Tie, and Lie in Retrospect

The fly fishing clinic has come and gone but the good memories associated with the event have not. It is clear that the clinic is fulfilling a need in the greater community. The clinic had not only attracted people from the valley but also families and individuals from distant communities such as Coeur d’Alene, Palouse, and Walla Walla. Mothers and fathers accompanied their youngsters to help them develop skills in tying knots, reading trout waters, choosing the right fly pattern, and fly casting. Adults with entry level skills also attended these same classes to enhance their understanding of the many details associated with fly fishing. The more experienced attended the advanced classes in nymph fishing techniques, fly fishing techniques suitable for ponds and lakes, intermediate or advanced fly casting, and spey casting. Although the basic classes were well attended, the largest turnouts occurred in these more advanced sessions. I was delighted that well experienced fishermen attended an advanced course in knots and that I could impart some useful knowledge to them. I believe that Zach was equally delighted to see that a course in streamside photography, that he had recommended, was so well attended.

On the casting fields I heard comments like "I should have taken this class long ago to break the bad (casting) habits that I had developed." and in another case "I didn't know that spey casting could be this much fun".  At the indoor classes I heard comments like "I wish I had had a lesson in tying knots like this before going to a trout stream for the first time." and "I know of three other friends that would have liked to come had they known of the clinic earlier". So I have concluded that the clinic was well received and appreciated.

Perhaps the best feature that we added this year was the snack bar. In addition to providing us with goodies during the morning sessions, the ladies there brought us together over pizza and drinks during the lunch hour. This was a period during which we had the opportunity to make new friendships and renewed old ones.

I want to thank all the contributors for making the clinic such a success. Thank you tiers for serving as a focal point for fellowship and mentoring. I understand that some of you had to give up your vises (hopefully your vices too) to the youngsters you had mentored. When we get a youngster involved, we have achieved our objective. Some tiers gave time that they would have like to have spent in class. This kind of sacrifice was appreciated.

It is time for some of the instructors to mentor a successor so that we too can attend some of the classes. I, for one, am amazed that after 12 years of fly fishing, I remain intrigued by the new aspects of fly fishing that I hadn’t yet encountered. Perhaps this is what continues to attract me to this method of fishing. It is, after all, a lifelong avocation.

Frankly, there were a few classes that didn’t “fly” well this year or could have been better organized. In this regard, your board is committed to assessing the realities and improving the clinic the next time around. Perhaps in the future you will see some sessions that are 85 minutes long instead of 55 minutes to make sure that the topics are covered to the satisfaction of the student and instructor alike. After talking to an angler from Walla Walla, it is clear that we need to contact the outlying communities earlier with the announcement of the clinic so prospective attendees have time to plan their trip this way.

I am convinced that we can no longer take this event casually in view of the serious response that we got. In making this comment, I am not foregoing the possibility that it could also be fun. Should you have insights as how the clinic could have been better conducted or into subject material that you would like to see covered, please contact any board member.

Best fishes to all,

John Claassen

KELLY CREEK FLYCASTERS TREASURER’S REPORT

Account Balances through February, 2007

                          Checking Account Balance:                    $2,173.31

                          Savings CD:                                          $9,860.18

                                                                                   ----------------

                          Total Funds:                                        $12,033.49

Kelly Creek Flycasters

2007  EVENT  SCHEDULE

Kelly Creek Flycasters Board of Directors

 TYING CORNER – Drowned Ant

Article by Eric Schubert - North Idaho Fly Casters Club

Illustrations by Adrian Jund - North Idaho Fly Casters Club

One of the most important food sources for trout is the lowly ant. Ants can be found around rivers and lakes throughout most of the year. They are easily blown into the water by the wind and then swept downstream by the river currents and consumed by hungry trout. Aquatic biologists confirm this finding by examining the stomach contents of fish; ants just seem to be in great supply.

Author Edwin O. Wilson, writing in the The Naturalist has this to say: "By my estimate, between 1 and 100 million billion ants are alive at any moment, all of them together weighing to the nearest order of magnitude, as much as the totality of human beings."

Like all insects, ants have six legs, and each leg has three joints. The legs of an ant are very strong; they can run very quickly. If a man could run as fast for his size as an ant can, he could run as fast as a racehorse. The folks who study ants also tell us that an ant brain has about 250,000 brain cells; the human brain has about 10,000 million. That means that a colony of 40,000 ants has collectively the same sized brain as a human. Ants have a life expectancy of about 45-60 days; perhaps this statistic is impacted by voracious trout.

Because ants are such an available food source for trout, fly fishers will generally carry an assortment of ant flies in their fly boxes. Our Fly of the Month, the Drowned Ant, is an effective design from the vise of Grant Sapronoff, a fly tier from British Columbia. Grant began his fly tying under the tutelage of his father and uncle. His patterns were refined after fishing them on the west arm of Kootenay Lake as well as on the Columbia River in British Columbia. Grant is currently assisting his friend Joe Warren with the Canadian portion of a book which features fishing strategies and flies for the  Columbia River.

When tying the Drowned Ant, use a Daiichi #1273 hook, or equivalent, Sizes 14-16. The body is composed of three glass beads, the two rear beads being the same size; the front bead is smaller than the rest. Position the beads onto the shank of the hook and secure them with thread and a coating of epoxy. Be sure to leave some space between the two larger and one smaller bead. Tie in two brown hackle tips for the wings at the area between the large and small beads. Complete the fly by wrapping several turns of black hackle in front of the area where the wings are tied in.

Fishing ant patterns is relatively easy. I fish most ant patterns at the bottom of a multiple fly system, with the "wet style" ant being at the bottom. The fly of choice for the upper portion of this rigging system would generally be a soft hackle type. You might even try a dry fly style ant instead of a soft hackle fly at the top. Fish your patterns around weed beds, banks and especially under brush that is overhanging the water's edge. Many ants are blown into the water from overhanging branches and the trout position themselves to intercept the ants that drop in.

If you are interested in researching Grant Sapronoff's other fly designs, they can be found in a book, entitled Contemporary Fly Patterns of British Columbia authored by Art Lingren in 2006 (ISBN 1-57188-375-4). Your local fly shop should have a copy available for you.

http://www.fedflyfishers.org/ClubWireArchives/TheFlyBoxDocs/DrownedAnt.pdf

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 contacting

Diane at KCFNewsletter@cableone.net or by phone at (208) 743-8970.