Kelly Creek Flycasters

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE    

Saker Medevarapu - Kelly Creek Flycasters President

Greetings Club Members!

October has been a great month for me!  I always enjoy the Fall season as it is my favorite season of the year!  I have been having a lot of fun fishing the Clearwater River.  Granted despite some close to 200,000 steelhead over the dam, my catching has not been as productive as I would have expected!  However, the glorious lack of pressure both from the fly-fisherman and the jet boaters have been a welcome reprieve this fall.  I have not experienced such un-crowded conditions on the Clearwater in quite a few years!  Even a certain red and silver sled has been rarely seen on the Clearwater!  I have heard a lot of talk in the past and much more this season on how the steelhead run has been becoming progressively “domesticated” and as a result fewer and fewer hatchery steelhead are willing to take a fly or a plug.  Further Zach tells me that this year he has caught more and bigger wild fish this year than in seasons past, and others in general are counting their wild to hatchery ratios to see if this bears out too.  Whatever the reason may be, all I know is that it’s pretty hard to hook a fish if you are not on the water!

Elections have also come and gone.  I hear that Obama signs and the New York Times Wednesday paper are going for as much as $100 on E-bay, as mementos of the election of the first minority elected to the Oval Office.  Whether you voted for him or not, you have to admit that he has a certain proficiency for speaking in public…

Our Fly Fishing Expo is also coming up around the corner.  The official date is Feb 21 so mark it on your calendars.  As you may have heard Dave Whitlock is going to be our keynote speaker this year (we have to decide yet on his feature topic) but he will also have at least one show and maybe two during the days’ events.  The committee is also considering having a special “Friday Nite with Dave” for KCF members ONLY; we have yet to decide on the forum be it fly tying or a program so stay posted and mark Feb 20^th on your calendars too!

Hope you all are having a great October.  See you at the meeting!

Saker

Kelly Creek Flycasters NOVEMBER Program

Thursday, November 13^th at 7:00PM

China Inn, Lewiston ID

Program:  Fishing the Elk River in BC  by Jeff Mironuck

The Elk River originates from the melting ice off of the glaciers in Elk Lakes Provincial Park. As it makes its way down the mountains it flows into the Elk Lakes and down the Elk Valley, where it is joined by many tributaries that produce some amazing trout of their own.  With over 90 miles of fishable water the Elk River is quite possibly the best dry fly fishing river in North America. Largely undiscovered and still only a three hour drive from Calgary and a two hour drive from Kalispell, the Elk River flows through one of the most picturesque valleys in British Columbia.

Whether you are a novice or expert, a trip to Fernie is something you'll never forget. Almost within walking distance is the Wigwam River.  The Wigwam River has the largest run of bull trout in the west with thousands migrating upstream to spawn in the fall. As these monsters spend the summer months in the river they are often caught on streamers and even dry flies at times. Every year several of our clients hook bull trout over 10 pounds on the dry fly.

Jeff Mironuck spent a lot of his youth as a young kid fishing on a creek in Montana for brook trout.  It has been Jeff's dream to make a living guiding anglers. It has been almost an obsession and fly fishing is a part of Jeff's daily life. He guides about 150 days per year in B.C. on the Elk River, and other waters and he will be our guide on these two rivers at our next club meeting.

Make sure you are there!

How you can deal with Fly Fishing maladies

As the weather gets cooler, more of us are staying inside to tie next year’s flies, build rods or to just nurse sore and aching body parts.  I personally beat myself up pretty good when I was starting spey fishing.  Sore fingers, tennis elbow, shoulder pain, and my back would all bother me after a full day of fishing in the early season.  I have compiled a short list of the most commonly talked about fly fishing maladies with some strategies for coping.

The most common problems the fly fisher encounters are symptoms of the arm.  The shoulder is prone to repetitive motion injuries, such as produced from casting a fly rod.  Although a pinched rotator cuff muscle can cause shoulder pain, there are other structures in the shoulder joint that can cause pain such as a swollen bursa, weak muscles, or a pre-existing condition.

Inflammation of the common extensor tendon of the elbow, or Tennis Elbow, can also be quite bothersome.  The outer part of the elbow becomes painful and tender to touch and when this type of injury becomes long term, or chronic, it can be quite difficult to resolve.  Symptoms of this injury can be reproduced with a strong contraction of the muscles that bend the wrist backwards.  I used to have troubles with this at the beginning of every steelhead season until I got my spey-casting technique down.  Avoiding activities that cause symptoms and the use of ice packs are easy methods to manage symptoms.  There are straps (referred to as Cho-Pat straps) that, when placed around the forearm, help to disperse the amount of tension the muscle places on the tendon during the contraction; the result is less pain.  These can be obtained at any pharmacy or local medical supplier.   Another option is to temporarily build up the width of your fly rod handle.  A bigger grip is usually easier to hold and requires less tension to grip.  Hollow cylindrical foam of various diameters can also be ordered from a medical supplier such as Wasem’s Home Medical.  A third option is to learn to cast with the non-dominant arm.  Although this may be challenging, this has the added benefit of allowing your dominant arm to rest, plus becoming a proficient caster with the other arm.  Finally, if you can afford some casting lessons, the efficient use of your rod can greatly reduce the stress on your arm and spare you much discomfort and allow you to fish without getting tired for longer periods.

The fingers can also cause symptoms.  Something as simple as changing your hand position on the rod or taping the offending finger to the adjacent finger can greatly reduce any finger pain.  If numbness in part of the hand or arm is reproduced with your fly-fishing consult a doctor.  This may indicate nerve or vascular involvement.

Back pain can also be a common issue.  Back pain may be multi-factorial in nature but symptoms can be managed as described below.  There are wading belts that are designed to provide external support for weak back muscles.  Simms makes such a belt and Mark at Traditional Sportsman can order it for you.  Physical Therapists tend not to recommend long-term use of these types of supports because if used beyond the acute stages of an injury (1-14 days), they facilitate muscle weakness, which may be also become a source of back pain.  If you have any tingling or burning in your legs after fishing you my benefit from an assessment from you doctor or physical therapist for a more individualized symptom management program.

The most common manner to manage post fishing soreness is with the acronym: R.I.C.E.  This stands for rest (avoid painful activities), ice, elevate, and when possible, compress.  Generally, any injury that is less than seven days old should be iced.  Heat may be used with injuries that are more chronic in nature, but avoid heat if there is much swelling or if the painful area is already warm to the touch.  Although several suggestions have been made to help the fly fisher deal with their symptoms, this still addresses only the symptoms not the true source of pain or dysfunction. The ideal intervention is to consult a physician.  A doctor can give you a better idea of what is causing the symptoms, tell you if ice or heat is better for your specific situation and be able to recommend medication/anti-inflammatories that are more likely to ease your symptoms.  A physician can also determine whether your symptoms can be resolved easily or if a more serious underlying issue is present that may need further intervention.  For example, a rotator cuff tear in the shoulder, or a ruptured disc in the back, may require further intervention.

The physician can also refer the fly-fisher to a physical therapist.  Therapists treat arm, elbow, hand, leg, foot, neck, and back problems to name a few.  A physical therapist can recommend specific exercises, stretches, braces, a pain management regime, and give you a better idea of what is causing the dysfunction so that the individual knows what may make it better and worse!  Their goal would be to help you manage your symptoms after fishing, and to address the source of the symptoms to limit or, hopefully, eliminate any post fishing discomfort.

Saker Medevarapu

Board Member

KELLY CREEK FLYCASTERS TREASURER’S REPORT

Account Balances through October, 2008

Kelly Creek Flycasters Board of Directors

 Kelly Creek Flycasters

2008  EVENT  SCHEDULE

TYING CORNER – Foampy

Article by Bob Bates, FFF Clubwire

Often a high floating fly is needed in heavy water. If you use a great fly like the Humpy, it works just fine until those mean fish shred the deer hair. Also the Humpy is a bit difficult to tie. The Foampy is Ed Morphis’ approach to solving both problems. He showed us how to tie it at the Boise Valley Fly Fishermen Fly Fishing Expo in Boise, Idaho, March, 2008.

The general recommendation is fish it with a floating line and drag free float. To do this in moving water you can cast upstream, across stream with a reach cast, downstream with a wiggle cast (high cast or draw cast also work downstream), or just pile line and leader out there and hope for the best. You can get more precise instructions from a FFF Certified Casting Instructor.

A good floating fly is sometimes needed when there is a gale like wind blowing across a lake. Sometimes I will cast straight downwind and wait for a take. Other times I will cast crosswind and let the line and fly get blown downwind. Normally the fly cannot be seen so just look for a big splash an appropriate distance beyond your line. The fish could be hitting a drowned natural or your fly, so tighten the line just in case.

Ed likes turned up eye hooks because he has a lot of them, and it looks a little like mayfly eyes.

Materials & Equipment:

Hook: Eagle Claw 159, size 10
Thread: Black, 14/0
Tail: Moose mane
Back: Closed cell foam, gray, 2 mm thick, 5/32-inch wide
Body: Uni-Stretch floss, yellow
Wings: Zelon, white
Hackle: Grizzly

Step 1: Start thread on front of hook, wrap back to bend, and then forward to about ¼ shank length back from eye.  Make sure everything is covered. It is important to come back to bend because of the way the foam and moose mane are used. (More later.)

Step 2:  Tie on moose mane wrapping along the shank to where the wing will be. The tail is about 1 and ¼ shank lengths long. Then bring the thread back to the bend.

Step 3: Put on foam and tie it all the way back so it depresses the tail a little. When the foam is pulled forward later the tail will be firm and straight. The front of the foam is a little behind mid-shank. Leave the thread at the front of the foam.

Step 4:  Tie Uni-Stretch at front of foam. Wrap it back to the bend and then forward to tie in point. Make sure everything is covered. Wrap the Uni-Stretch tightly. Pull on it a little bit before you trim so it will snap back leaving no loose ends. Leave thread at front of floss.

Step 5:   Pull foam forward gently so the cells are not collapsed the, and hold it a little toward yourself before tightening thread. Thread torque will bring it to center. Tie it down firmly, and trim excess foam.

Step 6:  Wind thread forward to front of moose mane (about 1/3 shank length back from the eye) where the wing will be tied in. Tie Zelon across hook shank wrapping lightly a couple of times. Figure-eight it tighter a couple of times. Post each wing (wrap up and down each wing a couple of times). Wrap around the wings to stand them up and separate them the right degree. He likes to use Zelon because it doesn’t collapse like other materials do. He has tried things like poly and trilobal fiber, but they don’t work as well.

Step 7: Select a hackle with barbs (fibers) that are about 1-1/2 gap widths long, and tie it on in front of foam. Make sure to leave bare quill above the thread as you tie in hackle. This way when you start wrapping the barbs wont distort as easily.

Step 8: If the barbs distort as you wrap, trim some of the barbs that start against the shank.  Make 4- 6 wraps behind the wings and the 2 to 4 in front.  Tie off hackle securely. Trim tip. Half hitch against the hackle with a half hitch tool. Then you don’t have to use special hackle control tools. 

Step 9: Whip finish a couple of times. With 14/0 thread you can do this and still have a small head. Trim wing at top of hackle.

Closing Comments: Zelon is a little hard to find, but it is available at Blue Ribbon Flies in West Yellowstone, MT. The same thing, but called Z-lon, is available though Orvis and Cabela’s websites. This fly is easier to tie than the traditional deer hair Humpy that I teach in class. The traditional deer hair tie forces the students to think seriously about proportions and being systematic. Perhaps this one should be added to show a pattern that is easier to tie and also catches fish. After all catching fish is the purpose behind these patterns and words. Please carefully release all fish so you can play with them another day.