Kelly Creek Flycasters

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE    

Saker Medevarapu - Kelly Creek Flycasters President

Greetings Folks!

WOW what a great Expo last month!  The turn-out was amazing and the community participation was exciting to see!  Hopefully we will see some expansion in our membership in the club meetings in the months to come.  I was especially delighted to see how pleasant Dave and Emily Whitlock were to work with; very humble and knowledgeable folks!  Even considering how tight the finances at these times our event was a smashing success both in entertainment value as well as a fundraiser!  We sold 171 banquet tickets and brought in more than we ever had at any other prior fundraiser!  This was due all to the planning of your NIFFE committee, the club members getting out and selling tickets, and of course our keynote speakers.  A hearty thank you to all that helped plan and execute!

On a side note the Clearwater Flycasters are having their fundraiser on April 8, 2009 at the Best Western University Inn starting at 5:30.  I believe that purchasing dinner is optional can that you can go to the auction without a banquet ticket.  There will be some really good fly fishing stuff there, and the proceeds will go to support scholarships for conservation research and for conservation projects. 

We also awarded the Kelly Creek Flycasters Fly Fisher of the Year award to Fred Smith at the banquet.  Fred has been an active member of the club and has served on the board for several terms.   Thanks for your commitment to the club Fred and way to go!

As many of you may recall, March has always been the month that we give away the membership incentive.  Traditionally, it was been a $100 gift certificate to the Traditional Sportsman, but this year we will be giving away a 5wt 9’ 4pc Temple Fork Outfitter Professional Series fly rod to one lucky club member.  All you have to do to be eligible, is to have your 2009 club dues paid by, or during, the March club meeting.  You do not need to be present to win the TFO Rod.

Terry and Susie Nab just came back from Chile after fishing for sea run browns, and I believe John Claassen is also returning from an exotic trip!  I myself went on a cruise with my wife and booked a day trip fishing for bonefish in Cozumel.  Let me tell you, you should never go on a saltwater trip unless you are financially prepared to expand your gear collection, because it will not be an “if I like it” proposal, but  “ I have to go again!”  But for those of us stuck close to home trout season is just around the corner, some of us may be fishing already!  In know that there are great opportunities to fish the Eastern WA lakes, a few spring creeks, and the Yakima right now!  I have been trying to find time to tie my spring BWO, midges, and nymphs in between planing some cane, in hopes of making a Bitterroot or Owyhee trip towards the end of March.  I look forward to the fishing reports this month.

I look forward to seeing you all at the March meeting!  Hopefully, we will have some new recruits attending the meeting and it would be nice to have a selection of quality flies for the raffle…

Look forward to seeing you the meeting!

Saker

Kelly Creek Flycasters MARCH Program

Thursday, March 12^th at 7:00 PM

China Inn, Lewiston ID

Program:  New Zealand -It’s all about the experience!  by Terry Nab

New Zealand is one of the world’s great travel destinations.  This sparsely populated South Pacific Island is spectacularly beautiful and has just the right combination of fishing and hospitality to make each trip there a unique and unforgettable experience.  The fly fishing “down under” represents the true essence of the sport – stalking and sight casting to magnificent trophy trout in crystal clear waters.  Complementing the angling is a myriad of other outdoor and cultural activities.  Join me on a tour of the incredible diversity of fishing for trophy trout available on the South Island, beginning near the north end of the island in the Nelson/Murchison area and ending near the south end of the island in the Te Anau area.   We will explore more than 20 different rivers, some accessible by foot, others by helicopter, along the way.  For me, it is a passion – a passion to be outdoors, a passion to pursue the best fishing for trout and salmon in some of the most spectacularly beautiful places on the planet and a passion to share my experiences with others. 

A Fishing Trip To Remember

Thirty years ago, the 1^st of July, we received a phone call from Judy’s sister Jane over in Bozeman, MT.  Jane was all done with college there and needed a ride back to Lewiston.  She said if you could come over to bring a fly rod because the fishing is getting good.  Well, when she said the fishing was good, I knew we had to make the trip.

We packed up and headed up the Clearwater River.  We stopped several places on the way over there.  The Lochsa was a little high, but fishable.  We took several nice cuts around the 138 to 140 mile post.  There were lots of rafters coming down the river.  I think the fishing would be better without the rafters.

We made it to Bozeman and got a Montana license.  The fellow at the sport shop said the Galitan and the Madison were having good reports. 

I went up the Galitan and it was okay, lots of small Rainbow 8”-11”, nothing very large.

The sport shop fellow said the Madison was doing good with the Woolly Bugger.  I headed over there and found some good looking water.  The first fish I hooked was large and heavy and it broke off  about 10 feet in front of me.  I got a look at him, but didn’t know what it was.  I moved down stream and hooked into another fish not quite as big and got it to the net.  I still didn’t know what I had.  It was 14 inches and yellow bellied and had big brown spots on it.  I ended up with 3 of these fish in the cooler & headed back to the sport shop.  The fellow came out, looked at these fish and said they were German Brown Trout.  I laughed and said, “You know I’m 40 years old and this is the first brown trout that I have ever caught”.  Anyway, we had a good fish fry.

After watching the 4^th of July fireworks, we packed Jane in the pickup and headed for Superior so we could go over the divide and head down Black Canyon to Kelly Creek.

Heading down the North Fork drainage, I stopped way up at the head end of the river which was only 3 feet across, and every little pocket of water was packed full of 2” & 3” cutthroat.  It was good to see so many fish coming up for us lucky fishermen.

We took a day up on Kelly Creek and turned back lots of nice cuts.  What a neat stream.  Jane and Judy found a few ripe huckleberries.  When they started down thru the patch, Jane stepped on a hornet nest in the ground and they put her in the creek – the only place she could get rid of them.  We had to leave that area because those hornets stayed cranky.

We went on down to Noe Creek camp and stayed there our last night.  The fishing above and below camp was excellent.  There were lots of nice rainbow and cuts.

We got home, unpacked, set down for a cold one and realized the last 8 days I had fished 5 or 6 beautiful streams.  We don’t know how lucky we are to be so close to such pretty environment.

Fred Smith
Board Member, Kelly Creek Flycasters

Clearwater Fly Casters Auction

When: Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Where: Best Western University Inn

1516 Pullman Rd, Moscow, ID 83843

Schedule:

Wet fly hour starts at 5:30 (optional)

Dinner at 6:30 ($16 per person and optional)

Auction at 7:30 pm

We wish to make a special invitation to all KCFC members for this event.  There will be some really good fly fishing stuff there, and the proceeds will go to support scholarships for conservation research and for conservation projects. 

            Reid Miller

            Clearwater Fly Casters

            Newsletter Editor

KELLY CREEK FLYCASTERS TREASURER’S REPORT

Account Balances through January 2009

Note: Due to extra NIFFE meetings last month, there was no KCF Board meeting held in February.

Kelly Creek Flycasters

2009     EVENT  SCHEDULE

Kelly Creek Flycasters Board of Directors

TYING CORNER – MARCH BROWN EMERGER

Article by Bob Bates, FFF Clubwire

The March Brown is an important spring mayfly.  It is a reasonably sized insect so it is easy to imitate.  Monica Mullen was tying this pattern at the 2008 N.W. Fly Tying & Fly Fishing Expo in Albany, Oregon. Many people I talked to during the Expo raved about the March Browns in their local streams.

The March Brown (genus Rithrogena ) is a clinger mayfly that is found in fast flowing streams.  They are widely distributed through the western U.S. and Canada along the Pacific Coast to British Columbia and inland to the Eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains.  Notable rivers around the western North America include McKenzie and middle fork of the Willamette in coastal Oregon, Yellowstone, Madison, the Henry’s Fork, Rock Creek (Montana) and Crowsnest (Alberta). There are some populations of Rhithrogena elsewhere, but hatches are not reliable.  Oregon seems to have the earliest hatches in late February to March with higher altitude streams in the Rocky Mountains or Canada as late as mid-May.

According to references, in faster streams the nymphs hang on to the bottom while the dun emerges underwater.  Finally, the emerging dun is released from the bottom and floats to the surface.  At the surface the dun’s wings need to dry before it can fly off.  This is a great time for trout as they seem to delight in feeding on drifting emergers.  The angler can take advantage of this and float the fly behind boulders, near eddies, along under banks and log jams.  Use a floating line and a dead drift.
 

Materials & Equipment:

Hook: Dry fly size 8
Thread: Black 6/0
Tail: Antron yarn, tan
Rib: Ultra wire, brassy, red
Body: Peacock herl dyed red
Wing: Deer hair
Thorax: Hairtron, dark brown  

Step 1: Start thread a little more than an eye width behind the eye, and wind back to the bend.

Step 2: Tie on Antron yarn for tail.  Wind thread rearward around the bend so the tail slopes downward a little.  Then wind forward to about two eye widths behind the eye.

Step 3: Tie on the wire rib, and wind thread rearward over it to a little behind the bend.  Bring thread forward to the bend.  Keep the rib on top of the hook.  Leave thread at bend.

Step 4: Tie three peacock herls rearward of the bend, and wind thread over them to a point about 2/3rds shank length in front of the bend.
 

Step 5: Wrap peacock herls forward to the thread, secure and trim excess.
 

Step 6: Counter wrap the rib, secure and trim excess with cheap scissors.  Don’t use the sharp points of your good scissors.  “Counter wrap” means to wrap the wire in a direction opposite to how the herl was wrapped.
 

Step 7: Take a small bunch, a little more than match stick, of deer hair, clean out the under fur and stack it.  Tie the bundle at front of peacock herl with tips pointing backward.  Trim flared hair at the 1/3rd shank length back from the eye.  Wind thread over the butts
 

Step 8: Put dubbing on thread and build up thorax.  Use two layers to get a large enough thorax.  It should be fuzzy to stand out more than the body.

Step 9: Grab deer hair and bring it forward over the dubbing.  Tie it down right behind the eye.  Hold up the deer hair and whip finish between the deer hair and the eye.
 

Closing Comments: If you are near a stream that has March Browns in it be sure to tie a few of Monica’s emergers to be ready for the hatch.  The swift water habitat of a March Brown will make every fish feel like a monster. 

Always release the fish carefully so they can play with your fly another day.

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.