Kelly Creek Flycasters

Riffles, Runs & Lies                                      JUNE 2008

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

Regular monthly meeting for Kelly Creek Flycasters:          DATE:            Thursday, June 12th 2008          WHERE:        The China Inn, banquet room          ADDRESS:     2007 16th 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.

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE    

Saker Medevarapu - Kelly Creek Flycasters President

 

Greetings Folks!

 

Can you believe that it is summer already?  And I am embarrassed to say that I have not been doing much fishing lately.  Time and events seem to be conspiring against me!  Although fishing the Clearwater seems to be a pipe dream right now.  It was very impressive to see massive trees coming down river and the bicycle paths and several boat launches in familiar haunts fully underwater!  I read in the paper yesterday that 2 salmon fisherman drowned on separate events about two weeks apart.  It was thought that both got tangled in their anchor lines and were pulled over; neither was wearing a life jacket.  I think that the important thing to take away from this, is that as fisherman, we need to have a healthy respect for our waterways, particularly in high flows.  I always wear a life jacket when I float the river, even in low summer flows.  Like the old adage goes: “Better to have it and not need it then need it and not have it!”

 

I look forward to seeing you all at the next meeting!

 

Saker 

 

Kelly Creek Flycasters JUNE Program

 

Thursday, June 12^th at 7:00PM

China Inn, Lewiston ID

 

Program:  Fishing the Kenia  by Ladin Langeman and Steve Ronholt

 

 

 

Take a video tour of the world famous Kenai Peninsula with Ladin Langeman and Steve Ronholt from the fishing show “Fishing with Ladin”.

 

See them Catch:

1. Rainbows on a spectacular float trip down the Kenai River.
2. Dolly Varden at Quartz Creek.
3. Rainbows at the Russian River.
4. Sockeye Salmon from the boardwalks on the lower Kenai.
5. Rainbows and a variety of Salmon as they fly out to Lake Creek.

 

Enjoy this fun presentation and learn about some great places to fish and techniques that worked for Ladin and Steve.

 

"Spring Means Work"

 

What's going on?  For those of you who have been too busy to notice, we've had a lot of high water this spring.  Due to near-record temperatures and a 150%-of-normal snow pack, about 30 inches of snow melted in 5 days.  As a fish biologist, you learn to anticipate (or at least not think about) all of the things that can and will go wrong.  Most people think of Murphy's Law once in a while; I live it.  On a cold and rainy Wednesday -- May 14th to be exact -- there were flood warnings, to start as early as the 17th.  To a certain extent, I knew in my head that it could happen, but didn't really want to believe it in my heart.

It was on a 90-degree day (Friday May 16) that I gathered my crew and started removing our equipment from Asotin Creek.  It was kind of fun at first. There's nothing like an adrenaline rush working to meet a deadline.  Or, in this case, to save my job.  After donning our neoprene waders, the first task was to rescue one of our adult fish traps, which was in the process of being carried downstream by the current.  We had to tie it to a truck and pull it up on the bank.  The next task was to secure the smolt trap (like the one on the Blue Bridge in the Snake River).  It's hard work dismantling various pieces of a fish trap in constantly-rising water.  By noon, we were exhausted.

As the water continued to rise, and the threat of a flood was no longer a threat, the reality was that we had to remove all of our equipment, including the parts of the adult trap which were on the far side of the creek.  The question was, "How do we get there?"  We decided that we could carry our tools in a backpack and approach the trap from the top of the cliff on the other side.  After finding an access point, we actually had to hike up a hill before we could climb down to our equipment.  Of course, wearing neoprene waders and felt-lined wading boots in 90-degree weather does not make for good climbing.  So, after very little discussion, we decided that the best approach was not over the top, but to use a more direct route, i.e., cross the creek in a pontoon boat.

At 8:00 p.m., I put on a PFD, secured my boat to the truck, loaded up my gear and paddled across the creek.  Unfortunately, the boat was too small for my largest and strongest crew member, so I was on my own.  By the time I made it across the creek, the water was lapping at the bank.  Using a come-along and muscle power, and by the light of a generator, I removed all of the equipment that I could.  The goal was not to get the equipment back across the creek, but rather to make it secure, which meant tying it to the basalt wall on the far side.  By Saturday 1:30 a.m., the water was over the bank and it was time to come home.  Fortunately, the pontoon boat still had most of its air.  Tethered to the truck, and minus a couple of tools, I rowed my pontoon boat down and across the creek to finish the job.

After an 18-hour day, I couldn't help but wonder, "What does all this water mean?"  Is this the end of our spring field season?  What will trout fishing be like this summer?  Will the rivers be fishable sooner?  Will I ever want to use a pontoon boat again?

Kent Mayer

Board Member

 

Friday, May 16^th, 2008 Kent Mayer and his pontoon boat are on the far bank of a raging Asotin Creek

 

KELLY CREEK FLYCASTERS TREASURER’S REPORT

Account Balances through APRIL, 2008

 

 

 

Kelly Creek Flycasters

2008  EVENT  SCHEDULE

 

 

 

Kelly Creek Flycasters Board of Directors

 

 

 

 

TYING CORNER – Extended Body Foam Green Drake

Article by Bob Bates, FFF Clubwire

 

 

Comments:
 
If you have a reliable hatch of green drakes in your streams you are indeed fortunate. They are big and fish like them. Depending on location, elevation and weather the green drake hatch will come off from May to July. Some anglers travel thousands of miles to catch the famous hatches on rivers like the Henry’s Fork. There are other hatches of these mayflies in the Western U.S. and Alberta Canadian. In cold water streams of Montana and Alberta the hatch might be as late as August. The hatch lasts only two to three weeks so timing of a long trip is critical. Some articles on the green drake indicate that hatching is roughly associated with 50 degree water, but some come off in water that is in the lower 40s. One interesting thing about the green drakes is that they are bright green when they first come off and darken within an hour.

  
Since they are a moving water species the buoyant foam pattern here by Max Darham of Bozeman, MT is an advantage. Max tied this one for us at the 2007 FFF Conclave in Livingston, MT.

They are one of the insects that is considerate of the angler.  Hatching starts midmorning and lasts about an hour on warm days.  On cold damp days it might start later and continue into the evening. Even after the hatch is over fish seem to remember the green drakes. So even if you are days late to catch the hatch try a few casts with a green drake pattern.

 
The green drake starts breaking out of the husk before it reaches the surface, so it is wet when it breaks through the surface. It takes a while to dry off a little and expand its wings. A drag free float is normally recommended for floating flies, but a jiggle of the line might cause the fly to look like a struggling insect.

 

Materials & Equipment:

Hook: Scud, DaiRiki 135, Tiemco 2457, etc., Size 12

Thread: 6/0 Olive

Body: Swannadaze or Larva Lace, Yellow 2-inch piece

Tail: Moose hair

Extended Body: Green closed cell foam, 2 mm thick and about 1/4-inch wide

Step 1: Wind a thread base, and leave the thread hanging about one fourth shank length back from the eye.

Step 2:  Tie a 2-inch piece of Swannadaze on where thread is hanging with about a shank length extended over the eye

Step 3: Tie on three moose hairs that are three times body length on top of Swannadaze.  Trim butts of hair in front of tie down point.

Step 4:  Tie in 2-inch long piece of foam with some sticking past eye of hook like the Swannadaze

Step 5:   To make the 2 segments on hook move the thread rearward under the hook to above the point of hook, then two or three wraps over the foam to make a bump.  Pull the thread rearward again under the hook to a point just over the barb. Then make two or three winds over the foam to complete the second bump.  

Step 6:  Pinch foam, moose hair and Swannadaze together like a sandwich. Pull the thread rearward and wind thread over foam, swannadaze and moose hair but not hook to make a bump about the same size as the two on the hook. Then wind the thread a couple of times over foam, Swannadaze and moose hair to secure the bump. Repeat two more times making each bump a little smaller than the previous one. Put extra thread winds on the last segment.

Step 7: Cut off foam leaving a little wedge.

 

Step 8: Fold Swannadaze back over the foam, and wind thread over the folded Swannadaze, foam and moose hair. Put two or three thread winds at each segment. Continue back to the first tie down point.

 

Step 9: At the segment nearest the eye make a loop in the Swannadaze and secure it in position.

Step 10: Cut extra foam and Swannadaze near eye, and cut off corners of foam a little to taper it.

Step 11: Select a dyed grizzly saddle feather with barbs that are less than gap width long, and secure it both behind and in front of loop. The color was olive with a little brown.

 

Step 12: Wrap feather 10 times around post and secure under all the wraps. He likes a thick but not high parachute. Lift up head and whip finish on the eye of the hook. Easier on curved scud hook than on a straight shank hook. Trim excess feather.

Closing Comments: The color of green drakes is different on different rivers so can use any color foam to match. Tie it in larger sizes and colors for stone flies.  My travels have never coincided with a green drake hatch, but I have a few in my fly box just in case.

 

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.