Kelly Creek Flycasters

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Saker Medevarapu - Kelly Creek Flycasters President

Greetings Folks!

Can you believe that summer is over and fall is on the way? Seems like a lot has happened over the summer! I got to take several fishing trips this summer to rivers that I have not fished before. I cast streamers all day long to rainbows and brown trout on the Bow River (the bruising on my forearm is just starting to resolve), dry flies to Cutthroat on the Elf River, and floated the canyon on the South Fork of the Boise river! Plus I fished the Clark Fork, Bitterroot, Rock Creek and the St. Regis river too! That St. Regis is a real neat Cutthroat fishery plus you have the opportunity to tie into some lunker browns out there. The bonus is that it does not seem to get fished, the Clark Fork takes all the pressure! And the icing to the fishing cake appears to be that our steelhead season may be gangbusters this year! Have you all checked the counts at Bonneville, Ice Harbour, and Lower Granite? All I have to say is WOOHOO! (Let’s not talk about all the potential increased river traffic, let me just savor this small moment….)

You may also recall that this July Laura and Tim tied the knot! The Godfreys, Smiths, and myself where there to witness the bride and groom arriving on an antique, restored fire engine! Congratulations Tim and Laura! Make sure to check out the attached pictures from their reception.

Please also keep in mind that the Club is gearing up for the Fly Fishing Expo in Feb 2009, and we will need most of the membership to help in small parts to make this event to continue to grow and be a success! Our organization received a lot of public visibility from that event! Our keynote speaker will be none other than Dave Whitlock! Look to hear more about how the membership can help in future meetings!

Last but not least, the Women’s Fly Fishing Class starts next week Wednesday and the actual fish out will be the weekend of September 20^th. I am not sure of the numbers of people that have signed up, but if you are interested in helping out please contact Zach.

See you at the meeting!

Saker

Kelly Creek Flycasters SEPTEMBER Program

Thursday, September 11^th at 7:00PM

China Inn, Lewiston ID

Program: Fishing the North Fork by Dan Landeen

This month’s presenter is local author Dan Landeen. Dan has authored books such as Salmon and his People, and Fly Fishing Nez Perce Country and has presented to the club before. Keeping with tradition Dan will be offering up another show with a strong local favor. Besides being a biologist, author, and bamboo rod craftsman, Dan has also been expanding his skills in the area of outdoor photography. One of his favorite rivers to photography, and fish, is the North Fork of the Clearwater River. Dan’s slide show will be a pictorial essay on fishing the North Fork, emphasizing the unique character of the river and, of course, it’s unique inhabitant; the Westslope Cutthroat.

That OK! Again! Again!

A salty mist splashed up from the bow of the boat as we cruised through the cool morning air. We were headed to the other end of the bay, South of Punta Allen, Mexico, for a day of fishing. Our guides, Gaspar and Roberto spoke broken English at best but were very friendly. The open water crossing took about 30 minutes and soon we were at our first fishing spot in a calm shallow lagoon. Roberto stopped the boat and Gaspar stepped over the edge into the water, barefoot, and motioned me to follow. I grabbed my rod and joined him in the water, about shin deep, and we slowly walked away from the boat. Gaspar was scanning the water when suddenly he pointed and ducked grabbing onto my shirt and pulling me down next to him. “Bonies! Bonies!” he loudly whispered pointing toward some grass poking out of the water. I could see nothing. “Where?” I asked. “Bonies!!! Bonies!!!” this time with more conviction and shaking his finger at the water and grass. Still I saw nothing. Then suddenly he stood and began looking over the water again. I pretended to do the same but I had no idea what I was looking for. We started walking and Gaspar advised me to be ready. I thought I was until he whispered “Bonies! Bonies!” and again I saw nothing. “Cast! Cast!” So I began to cast in the general direction that he was pointing. “More! More!” he said as he reached over and began to strip more line from my reel. “Cast! Cast!” First cast of the morning and already I begin to struggle. How far were these fish – I could see no fish – how far do I go – how do you cast to a fish you can’t see – what was the rest of the day going to be… “Ok! Now!!!” he said. And in one big, beautiful, impressive pile, all the line I had worked so hard to keep in graceful smooth motion above my head came careening toward the lagoon, not twenty feet in front of us. “Ahhh…Stupid Americans” he must have been thinking. I was so embarrassed. And then he said “That OK! Again! Again!” No time to shed tears and feel sorry for my self. Apparently Gaspar was going to get me a fish. My goof was no deterrent to him. So again I cast, this time it was halfway decent and held the distance landing softly fifty feet in font of us. “More! More!” And so began a day of long impossible casts to fish that I could eventually sort-of see. Whenever I actually made a long cast to a school of “bonies” Gaspar would say, “Strip! Strip! Strip! Wait, wait, Strip! Strip! Strip! OK, again!” which meant recast. Finally, after much fishing I did some catching, and man do those “bonies” could fight. I don’t know who was more excited, Gaspar or me. He put me on fish all day and never lost his excitement, not even when I hooked him – just once. He simply removed the hook and said “That OK! Again! Again!”

Laura Gifford

Board Member

KELLY CREEK FLYCASTERS TREASURER’S REPORT

Account Balances through MAY, 2008

Savings CD:	$ 5,130.34
Checking Account Balance:	$15,090.35
	----------------
Total Funds:	$20,220.69

Kelly Creek Flycasters

2008 EVENT SCHEDULE

September 11, 2008	2^nd Thursday, Regular Meeting, China Inn, Lewiston ID 6pm dinner, 7pm meeting & program.
September 16, 2008	3^rd TUES, Board Meeting, 5:30pm at Clarkston Physical Therapy
September 20-21 2008	Annual Women’s Program
October 9, 2008	2^nd Thursday, Regular Meeting, China Inn, Lewiston ID
October 11, 2008	Saturday, Lochsa Highway Clean-up & Fish-Out ???
October 21, 2008	3^rd TUES, Board Meeting, 5:30pm at Clarkston Physical Therapy
November 13, 2008	2^nd Thursday, Regular Meeting, China Inn, Lewiston ID ELECTIONS
November 18, 2008	3^rd TUES, Board Meeting, 5:30pm at Clarkston Physical Therapy
December 11, 2008	2^nd Thursday, Regular Meeting, China Inn, Lewiston ID Christmas Party
December 16, 2008	3^rd TUES, Board Meeting, 5:30pm at Clarkston Physical Therapy

Kelly Creek Flycasters Board of Directors

KCF Board Member	Positions	Term Exp	E-Mail Address	Phone Number
Saker Medevarapu	President	2008	geeper@cableone.net	(208) 746-7721
Will Godfrey	Vice President	2009	wgodfrey@cableone.net	(208) 798-5424
Jeanie Centenari	Treasurer	2008	Snake_river_djc@hotmail.com	(208) 791-5474
open	Secretary	2008
Fred Smith	Board Member	2009		(208) 743-2390
Ginny Foote	Board Member	2009	ginny@vfooteconsult.com	(509) 751-1750
Tim Gifford	Board Member	2010	helga27@cableone.net	(208) 791-6078
Laura Gifford	Board Member	2010	helga27@cableone.net	(208) 305-3277
Kent Mayer	Board Member	2010	upacreekk@earthlink.net	(509) 552-1270

TYING CORNER – Leslie’s Quill Gordon

Article by Bob Bates, FFF Clubwire

The name Quill Gordon is famous for several reasons. One is that it refers to Theodore Gordon a turn of the century fisherman and prolific writer. Another reason is the original Quill Gordon imitated the earliest hatching large mayflies (Epeorus pleuralis) in many Pennsylvania and New York streams. Dick Stewart and Farrow Allen in Flies for Trout have a picture of a Quill Gordon tied by J. Edison Leonard in the fashion that Theodore Gordon probably used. It had a long swept back wood duck wing and a stripped peacock herl body. The final reason: It is great for catching fish.

Leslie Wrixon was building on a lot of history when she tied this fly at the 2007 FFF Show and Conclave in Livingston, MT. The main change she made was to substitute porcupine hair for the stripped peacock herl. Porcupine hair is much stronger than peacock herl and doesn’t need the gold wire rib or lacquer coating for support.

Some mayfly species, like Epeorus pleuralis, hatch in faster sections of streams where they have difficulty getting off the water. This is an ideal fly for such situations. It floats fairly well and has a good imitative silhouette. A drag free float is needed to present a fly like this one. If you have trouble with the drag free float talk to some good anglers in your fly club or get a lesson from a certified FFF Fly Casting Instructor.

For more information on Theodore Gordon and the Quill Gordon check the FFF website Fly of the Month for January, 2001.

Materials & Equipment:

Hook: Any dry fly hook, sizes 14-18
Thread: UNI-Thread 8/0 Black
Tail: Mixed grizzly and brown
Body: Porcupine hair
Wing: Wood Duck
Hackle: Dark Badger

Step 1: Start thread at front and wind smoothly to rear. You can use any thread you like, but Leslie prefers 8/0 UNI-Thread.

Step 2: Use hackle that has no webbing to it so the barbs give a shiny appearance. Pull the barbs off the stem, and lay them down so you can pick them up easily. Leslie put them on a little dish. Then repeat with another hackle, and lay the barbs on top of the first bunch. Pick them up so they mix; snip off the bits of shaft that came with the barbs. Make tail about shank length. Don’t be a slave to the exact formula, the idea is to tie something that is pleasing to the tier, angler and fish. Make one wrap under the tail and one above to raise tail up a bit and spread it.

Step 3: Now for the wings. Barred wood duck is preferred, but mallard flank feather will do also. In gathering up a bunch of fibers, make sure there is enough to look good after they are divided. (Can use an entire feather.) Tie it in about the same length as the tail. Put a thread dam in front to hold up the wing a little. Trim butts on a slope to help shape the underbody.

Step 4: Divide the fibers, and do a figure 8 with the thread to hold them apart.

Step 5: Then post each wing. Two or three thread wraps will do.

Step 6: Leslie’s secret head cement for traveling is CA Glue or generic “Crazy Glue” she gets four for a dollar at Wall Mart. Put it in a puddle on a piece of foil for example, and it will last about 45 minutes. Put a little drop behind the wing with a dipping tool or bodkin. Wrap thread to rear to make a smooth tapered underbody.

Step 7: Porcupine hair is very durable, shiny, flexible and will not break when wrapped. Tie it in by the small end on top of hook in front of tail. The hair comes in different diameters on the animal. Select hair in proportion to hook size. Also some hair will wrap flat rather with nice quill segments. Usually this is lighter color hair at the larger end.

Step 8: Wrap the hair forward in adjoining turns. Take a little extra effort to wrap the hair in a tidy fashion. Leave a quarter of the hook shank empty. Snip off the excess and bind down the stub. Save the cut off piece for other flies.

Step 9: Select a hackle with barbs about 1-1/2 gap widths long. Trim some of the larger fibers off the stem for a little more holding power. Tie it down, shiny side up, behind the wing leaving space for the hackle. Move the thread forward and bind down the rest of the stem in front of the wing. Tie it in so when you start wrapping the barbs will be perpendicular to the shank and shiny side forward. Trim off any excess that points forward over the eye. (Traditional Quill Gordon recipes say brown and grizzly or medium dun.)

Step 10: Wrap the hackle four times behind the wing and three times in front. Not a hard and fast rule; it depends on what looks good. Mainly it is what looks good and will float. Move the tread out of the way and snip off the excess hackle. Then put on a whip finish and a little head cement.

Closing Comments: This is an easy fly to tie, catches fish like mad and is very durable. The only problem is getting the porcupine hair. Fly shops generally don’t carry it. You need to search the internet for it, or talk to some of your Native American friends. Porcupine hair is used for Roaches, a Native American headdress, so some of the items that show up on an internet search will be completed Roaches up to $450. Just keep looking. If you know eBay there is some available there. I found three companies that had porcupine hair by the ounce: Centralia Fur & Hide; Claw, Antler & Hide Company and Moscow Hide and Fur. You might want to go together with a few friends, an ounce of porcupine hair will last a life time or three. There is always road kill. I saw a good looking one the other day as I was driving to a meeting at 70 mph, but I didn’t stop. Leslie offered to share some of her porcupine hair with FFF tiers.

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.