Kelly Creek Flycasters

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

***IMPORTANT NOTICE***

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE    

Zach Funkhouser - Kelly Creek Flycasters President

Greetings club, it’s that time again, our regular monthly club meetings start up again on September 13^th at the China Inn on Main Street.  We did try another location for you June meeting but the general consensus was that the Hell Gate Marina Restaurant was too small to work out.  Based on a need to stay in one spot for a while and we are planning to hold all fall, winter and spring meetings (up to June 08) at the China Inn.  The facilities there are not bad and they try hard to make the room work for us.

I hope everyone has had a great summer fishing.  One of the highlight’s of mine was floating through the SF of the Boise River canyon with Bob Baker and Matt VanVleet. It was a spectacular day trip with very unique scenery, lots of white water and pretty darn good fishing. If you haven’t made that trip be sure to put in on your list, just be sure you can swim and cast because who knows which skill may be required.

There are a couple of items critical to the function of the club that we will begin addressing at the next meeting.  We need several new board members this year and I’ll be forming a banquet committee to work on next year’s fund raiser.  Please give some thought to volunteering for one or both of those tasks and remember that it takes all of us to keep this club running.  Also, Bruce Young has volunteered to be the leader for the fall fish-out.  There will more information at the meeting about this event because we are going to try something new by combining a Montana fish-out with a Lochsa fish-out.  The plan is to meet over the 3 day weekend of Columbus Day and venture over to the Bitterroot for a 1 day float on our personal float craft, then we’ll head back to the Lochsa and participate in the Lochsa fish-out.  The Bitterroot should be fishing very well by then and Lochsa will be great, so that should be a lot of fun.  Be sure to contact Bruce if you are interested in participating in the Bitterroot float portion of that fish-out because organizing the logistics behind that trip will require some effort.

Steelhead are running, trout fishing is picking up and, as always, fall promises to be a lively time of year.  I hope everyone has the opportunity to get out and catch a few fish and bring a fish story or two to our September meeting.  I look forward to seeing everyone at the China Inn.

Catch you on the fly…….

Zach Funkhouser

Kelly Creek Flycasters SEPTEMBER Program

Thursday,September 13^th at 7:00PM

China Inn, Lewiston ID

Program:  Steelhead fishing in British Columbia, by Jerry Cebula

Jerry has lived outside of Lenore Idaho for the last 13 years.  In that time he has actively fishing for steelhead since 1984.  Jerry released is first steelhead but it still hasn’t let him go.  He considers himself a recovering addict but does not suffer the withdrawal pain and anger from reduced steelhead fishing opportunities in recent years.  The turning point for Jerry came when he encountered two jet-skies, sporting spey rods that came tearing up the Bulkley River.  He still dreams of a catch and release season on the Clearwater where all motorized craft are banned.  He compares this type of activity as being similar to the restricting in-line muzzle loader hunters, a tweak back toward the original intent of the sport.  Jerry will be presenting a slide show made up of parts from several trips to British Colombia in the past century.  Most of his slides are from the Bulkley and Babine Rivers.  His presentation will be a real treat as he has decided that it is time to reveal some of the lesser known waters of BC.

A Preface to an Article Provided by the Courtesy of Terry W. Sheely

Historically it has been stated that wild populations of anadromous fish have been threatened by 1) over-harvest, 2) blockage of the historical migration routes by hydro-dams, 3) poor habitat, and 4) competition and dilution by hatchery fish, often called the four H’s. In view of the wide scope of these impacts, it is reasonable to state that the threat to anadromous fish is systemic in nature. Therefore, system-wide solutions must be addressed to enhance and sustain robust populations of wild fish. Although the topic of recovering wild populations of fish is often politically charged, we, as members of a fly fishing organization, can and should take opportunities to contribute toward the recovery of the anadromous fish that we embrace so dearly.

This past summer four of our club members with the help of two from the Clearwater Flycasters assisted IDF&G in surveying and tagging steelhead smolt in the East Fork of Potlatch Creek. This baseline study on the East Fork together with on-going studies and restoration by IDF&G and the Soil Conservation Service with the help of other volunteers on the Little Bear and Big Bear tributaries will hopefully lead to meaningful recovery of steelhead populations in this watershed. The recovery efforts on the latter two tributaries have focused on increasing the biomass (vegetation) and protecting the riparian areas from human activity so as to retain water, sustain flow rate, and reduce the flooding potential. Despite the poor to non-existent flow rates at the terminus, IDF&G has estimated that more than 14,000 steelhead smolt have escaped the Potlatch in recent a year. The potential escapement with watershed recovery and stabilization is much greater.

In recent decades the significant loss of anadromous fish has only been partially mitigated by introducing hatchery fish in some of the lower headwaters not blocked by dams. This action provided limited harvest opportunities for sport fishers and diluted the number of wild fish taken by commercial fisheries. Even those who seldom harvest a fish readily admit that hatchery fish have added to their fishing pleasure.  However, in a better world we shouldn’t have to depend on hatchery fish to provide improved fishing opportunities. The importance of wild fish in contributing robust anadromous populations has been highlighted in a recent court case where the decision now excludes hatchery fish from ESA fish counts. The decision was probably based on the weak and homogeneous genetic pool created by hatchery fish in comparison to the diverse and robust genetics of wild populations. The diverse genetics of wild fish better assures that these fish will better survive environmental stresses in comparison to domestic fish.

These survival traits of wild steelhead were richly supported by 15 years of research at Oregon State University. The results of this research were recently summarized by Terry W. Sheely of Black Diamond, Washington in an article appearing in the July/August 2007 issue of Northwest Fly Fishing. These survival traits make a very strong case for engaging in efforts to restore and sustain wild populations of steelhead in comparison to attempting to replace them with hatchery fish.

I was so impressed by the thorough findings of this research that I sought the author’s and publisher’s one-time permission to reproduce the article in our monthly newsletter for us all to read and contemplate. The board has elected to share this article with you with the hope that it will motivate us to engage in coordinated activities to restore and recover local populations of wild fish. In presenting this article to you I have added the italics to the article in order to highlight the major conclusions drawn from the research. I have also captioned the illustration into order to set up the permission and acknowledgement for the photo.

John Claassen, Board Member

Hatchery Steelhead Proven Inferior      By Terry W. Sheely

The long-simmering debate over whether stocked hatchery steelhead can be used to rebuild depleted wild runs of anadromous fish in Northwest Rivers has been settled.

And the answer is no.

Evidence found during a 15-year Oregon State University DNA study in Hood River, an Oregon tributary of the Columbia River, confirms that hatchery-produced steelhead smolts have a slim chance of adapting to wild conditions and an even slimmer chance of producing spawn that are capable of surviving in the wild. Worse still, steelhead produced in so-called fish factories negatively impact wild fish survival, according to the study.

The scientific findings are a major setback for hatchery proponents, who have long argued that wild anadromous fish (steelhead and salmon) do not need protection if they can be replaced with stocked hatchery fish. The OSU Hood River study, however, shows some defining differences between hatchery and wild steelhead.

The bottom line, according to the study, is those hatchery steelheads lose the instincts and survival traits that enable wild fish to thrive.

Scientists found that, when compared with wild steelhead, a typical hatchery steelhead produces 60 percent to 90 percent fewer offspring that are capable of surviving to adulthood. According to Michael Blouin, an associate professor of zoology at OSU, by repeatedly breeding generations of fish in hatcheries, “we’ve essentially created a fish version of white lab mice,” steelhead that are “well adapted to life in the hatchery but do not perpetuate themselves in a wild environment as successfully as native-born fish.” The findings confirm that the longer fish live in hatcheries, the poorer they do in the wild.

The study also found that when hatchery fish are released into rivers and mixed with wild steelhead, there is a high likelihood that the negative survival traits of hatchery fish are interbred into the wild population and eventually reduce the survival of native stocks. “They [fish] certainly don’t do well in the wild and can have significant detrimental effects on wild fish,” confirms Rod French, a district fish biologist with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW).

While most hatchery releases in Washington and Oregon are intended to “supplement” declining wild anadromous fish for sport, tribal, and commercial harvests and are not intended to actually rebuild runs, the evidence that hatchery fish are compromising the wild gene pool is disturbing state fish managers. The 15-year study makes it clear that traditional hatchery fish will not rebuild wild populations, says Mark Chilcote, ODFW biologist.

On the upside, the study also showed that young fish held only briefly in hatcheries before being released have a survival rate comparable to wild fish, adding impetus to the few hatchery programs that are attempting to rebuild native steelhead runs with the progeny of wild steelhead. The rebuilding efforts take eggs and milt from local wild fish, hatch and raise the young in captivity, and release them with a minimum of confinement.

An Illustration of a Steelhead (The photo was provided by the courtesy of John Shewey and with the permission of the publisher of Northwest Fly Fishing)

Wild-fish enhancement programs are in the minority, however. Most hatchery efforts are focused on using anadromous stocks bred in fish factories to churn out large numbers of factory fish to support the commercial salmon industry and as compensation for wild runs lost to dams built on the Columbia and other river systems.

During the Hood River test, OSU biologists collected and saved scales from fish swimming up the river since 1991. Scientists obtained DNA from the scales, enabling them to trace the history of each fish and determine whether it was of wild or hatchery origin.

The next worry for biologists is if they can hold, even briefly, successive generations of wild fish in hatcheries without altering their wild survival traits. Critics point out that today’s inferior hatchery products were developed originally from wild fish.

Just a Note

At our annual banquet in May I was presented with the Kelly Creek FlyCasters "Fly Caster of the Year" award. (Bill Alspach Memorial Award).  I was not at the banquet to receive this honor as a family reunion in Orlando, Florida occupied my time.  I was surprised but grateful to have received this award and I would like to thank the members of our club for the honor.  Bruce Young presented the plaque and the traveling trophy to me this summer.  It is great to be a member of KCFC.

Will Godfrey

KELLY CREEK FLYCASTERS TREASURER’S REPORT

Account Balances through AUGUST 2007

                          Checking Account Balance:                    $4,328.72

                          Savings CD:                                         $10,000.00

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

                          Total Funds:                                        $14,328.72

Kelly Creek Flycasters

2007  EVENT  SCHEDULE

Kelly Creek Flycasters Board of Directors

TYING CORNER – Gun Metal Pheasant Tail Nymph     

Article by Bob Bates, FFF Clubwire

Materials & Equipment:

Hook: DaiRiki 075 #14-16
Bead: Glass gun metal blue bead

Thread: Griffith shear thread 14/0, tan or brown
Rib: Brown copper wire
Body: Pheasant tail
Throax: Peacock herl
Hackle: Whiting Brahma or other soft hackles like partridge or pheasant

There have been many variations of the Pheasant Tail Nymph since Frank Sawyer, River Keeper on the Avon, first tied it in the early 1900s. Gary Barnes, Rigby, ID, was tying this fish catching version at the 2007 Western Rocky Mountain Council Fly Fishing Exposition, in West Yellowstone, MT June 30, 2007.

Pheasant Tail Nymphs imitate several mayfly nymphs so you want to move the fly through areas where fish might be feeding on them. In shallow moving water I usually use a floating line and throw the fly upstream near shore and then work outward, wading if appropriate. (Too many anglers immediately wade into a stream so they can fish the far bank, and they scare near shore fish.) Let the fly drift drag free. This fly is not heavily weighted so you might need a sink tip line or non-lead weight on the leader to reach some fish.

Lake fishing has its own approaches. Floating, sink tip and full sinking lines are all useful. If you are alone in a boat you can rig up five rods and be ready for a variety situations and water depths. One time a floating line, a pheasant tail nymph and cooperative rainbows made me late for dinner. This version of the Pheasant Tail Nymph might have worked better. Unless the mayflies are hatching you might have to go down for the fish. You want the fly to move just over the weed beds so use a countdown method to control the depth. If you start picking up weeds shorten the time you let the line sink. Also vary the retrieve until you find something the fish like.

Step 1: Smash the barb down so it will easier to put on the bead and release the fish you hook. Slide bead to front before putting hook into vise.

Step 2: Start thread at about the midpoint of hook.

Step 3: Lay the copper wire on side of hook, and wind thread over the wire toward rear of hook. Stop winding just above the barb.

Step 4: Pull four natural pheasant tail fibers straight out from the shaft to match their ends. Cut them off and tie them on hook to give shank length tail.

Step 5: Wind thread forward to a little in front of mid shank. Make first wrap of pheasant tail cover the tie down thread. Wrap remaining pheasant tail forward to thread, secure and trim excess.

Step 6: Take one piece of peacock herl bend it around thread, secure it right at front of body and make a couple of wraps forward to a point that leaves a little space behind the bead. Tie off peacock herl and trim excess.

Step 7: Take one wrap of wire at the tail so the fish’s teeth will not damage it, spiral wire forward to front of herl, secure and trim excess. Wind the wire in the same direction as the peacock herl. Do a quick whip finish

Step 8: : Push bead back and bring thread in front of it. Hold feather by tip, stroke most of the fibers back and tie it in by the tip.

Step 9: Wrap feather one turn stroking the barbs back as you wrap, secure and trim excess.

Step 10: Form a neat little head, whip finish and trim thread.

This is an easy fly to tie, and Gary says that it catches lots of fish. To me it just looks like a fly that should catch fish. It has the magic of pheasant tail, a little peacock herl and a soft hackle.

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.