Journal Archive
Ray Bombac
Saturday, 06 September 2008
Congratulations Tip Spencer for winning our "One Fly" with 25 Bluegill. Runner up is Rich John with 24.
Thank you David Hendee, Omaha World-Herald, for your wonderful coverage of our one fly competition. You handle a kayak well. We truly appreciate your professional work.
Rises, Ripples and Reflections are designed to capture the essence of upcoming, current and past events as they concern our organization. With that said, here is a summary for our newsletter.
We are two months out from our election of new officers for the CFF. Holding and participating in the role of a club officer is very rewarding and fun. This is a part of the formal leadership. Offices are: President, President-elect, Treasurer, Secretary, Past-President, and four members at large. If you are interested, please contact Agnes Adams or myself.
Additionally, for those who do not hold an elected office, there are committees and events that require volunteers who can plan the raffle, produce our newsletter, cook, cut brush, tie flies, teach casting and more. These people represent our informal leadership. Without them, we could not do the fun things that we do. Thank you.
Our "Family Picnic" is scheduled for Wednesday, September 17 at Mahoney State Park rather than at Schramm Park. Guests are welcome. Bring a dish that we can share.
Several of us are going to the EXPO at Ponca State Park, September 20-21. For those not going to Ponca, there will be fly tying at Schramm Park Saturday, September 20.
In the past month, we had representation at "Women in the Outdoors", Donald Klostermeyer's fly tying classes, and at the Nebraska State Fair. Frank Reid put together a challenging "Survival Fly Tying" scenario and program. 40 of our people attended and many of us tied flies. We know that at least two of the flies worked.
For new members signing up now, your $24 dues pay for the rest of this year plus next year. Besides meeting "new friends who will become old friends" in time, you get a box of flies, our monthly newsletter, plus opportunities to participate in our exciting activities. WHAT A DEAL. Tell your friends.
Ray Bombac
Friday, 08 August 2008
Welcome to August. We are more than half way through this fine month of challenging fishing. We will have an opportunity to test skill and luck in the One Fly competition at Walnut Creek later this month.
I take great pleasure in thanking the members who brought watercraft and presented ways to use them at July's meeting. Colleen Whitney did a wonderful job conducting the meeting in my absence. Thanks to all who participated and shared the virtues of their ways to fish.
Our Carp Feast was delightful as 30 of us fished and ate at Two Rivers Park. This year, two fly fishers caught carp and catfish on a fly, with many witnesses to watch and pictures to show. Of course, the food, shelters, and goods that we enjoyed were brought, set up, cooked and cleaned up by volunteer members. Thanks go to Doug King, Agnes Adams, Sandy Cox, Donald Klostermeyer, Rich Keuchel, Neil and Gail Boston plus others for their time and contributions that made this event memorable.
Thanks to Jeff Kurrus, the Cornhusker Fly Fishers were featured in July's issue of NEBRASKAland magazine. Excellent photography and text Jeff. We appreciate your work.
Finally, the Nebraska State Fair, Survival Fly Tying, and the One Fly are the upcoming events for late August. Enjoy, it's all about fun.
Ray Bombac
Friday, 04 July 2008
We are now in the last half of 2008. As the summer months bring on the higher temperatures, the warm water fish [Large Mouth Bass, Crappie and Bluegill included] tend to go into their comfort zone. This is usually deeper water, by a stream that empties into the larger body of water, or near a cooler underwater spring. Catching them requires a change of tactics from the spring spawn. It is a great time to test your new weighted flies and the slow sinking imitations which can produce results. Try several methods when the fishing is slow. Most of all, fish where the fish are.
We had a fine group of 40 people casting at Schramm Park's pond in June. Thanks to several of our experienced fly fishing instructor volunteers, some of our new to fly fishing folks improved their casting techniques. All of us learned something. As with most things, practice makes us better.
Several of us went to the Verdegree Creek outing but not at the same time. I was not able to get there until Saturday afternoon. 4 of our friends who came out Thursday departed Saturday morning but 5 of us spent the rest of the weekend seeking the illusive trout. The bluegill in Grove Lake were cooperative. We found a restaurant [Green Gables] within 4 miles of the camp ground. More to come on this.
The July program promises to be exciting. We will have a variety of watercraft and experienced flyfishers to share their thoughts on how to use them. See you there.
Ray Bombac
Sunday, 08 June 2008
For those of us who missed the annual "one fly" contest last month, the contest was cancelled due to the weather..."stormed out." We have an opportunity to test our skills, flies and luck once again. This event will be rescheduled.
We had the pleasure of getting a peek at the many ways that some of us set up our fly fishing vests, at our last meeting. Wayne Whitney had a full complement of equipment that he shared which would take care of most needs for fly fishing. Colleen Whitney added to Wayne's array of things with what she would bring along. Elmer Meiler's chess pack offers a convenient and easy way of putting everything "up front" for quick access.
Of course one can have more than one vest, a chess pack and any other set up or set ups that works for you. Well done.
Thanks to Jim Hoffman and Mr. Norlander, our club is purchasing a Norvise rotary vise, that we intend to raffle. Tickets will be sold between now and September. We intend to have the drawing at our "Annual Family Picnic." The proceeds will go to Casting for Recovery.
Some of you asked how Lefty Kreh is doing. In our latest communication, Lefty has "been in rehab to strengthen the leg and knee...They say that for nearly 84 that I am doing better than anyone they have treated who is nearly my age-but it is slow." We are pleased with his spirit and wish him a full recovery.
We are asking for fly casting volunteer instructors for the upcoming Women in the Outdoors" event August 8th and 9th at Camp Carol Joy Holling. Please see me or any of the club officers if you would like to help. It is a great way to use your Game and Parks Certification.
This month, our program will be casting on the ponds at Schramm Park. They are located south of the Aquarium. Bring your rods and enjoy. There are several of us who will work with new to fly fishing members to help you to improve your casts.
Finally, remember the 2007 Carpfeast? Thanks to Jeff Kurrus, look for our publication in the next NEBRASKALAND magazine. "This is good."
Ray Bombac
Wednesday, 07 May 2008
"Wow" is the impression left on most of us who attended the Spring Fling on April 19th and witnessed Mark Sedotti cast a 14 3/4 inch fly a distance of 153 1/2 feet, then later cast 133 feet to our target with the same fly. We measured the distances and were impressed. Mark is also a fine tier as he prepared several large flies that were balanced to go the distance. We expect to hear more about Mark in the future as other organizations hear about his capabilities and talent. Great job Mark.
We sold 68 tickets and had upwards from 60 people at our Spring Fling throughout the day. Raffles, auctions, fly tying and casting programs, good company, plus food made it a fun filled day. Many thanks go to the people who put this event together and worked to make it a delightful success. A special thanks goes to Doug King who spearheaded the Spring Fling committee this year. Well-orchestrated Doug.
Our donors include: Angler's Book Supply, Bass Pro Shops, Fish Pond, Fly Rod and Reel, K&K Fly Fishing, Lamaglass, Leland Fly Fishing Outfitters, Murray's Fly Shop, Patagonia, Stack pole Books, Farmers and Merchants National Bank, and Wapsi Fly. Thank you.
For all us who worked behind the scenes, including: Agnes Adams, Dorothy Baumgarten, Gail and Neil Boston, Sandy Cox, Bob Fricke, Don Klostermeyer, Ken Kratky, Lee Koch, Sandy Lyons, Barrie Marchant, Elmer Meiler, Frank Reid, Chuck Reisen, Rick Reisen, Frank and Wilma Veverka, Ken Weisenhunt, Pat Henry, Jim Hoffman, Colleen and Wayne Whitney, Doug King, Mark Sedotti, Ray Bombac and more. Thank you for your contributions and efforts towards making this another memorable event.
Our banner stand is in. We had it at our April meeting and at the Spring Fling. It is beautiful.
Listed in the Tippet are the upcoming events, which include our one fly, scheduled for May.
The best time for catching warm water fish is now through mid July. Be sure to get out to our local water to take advantage of these fun times.
Bring a friend to our meeting. It is an opportunity to learn to cast, tie flies, meet new people, and participate in our fun filled activities.
Ray Bombac
Thursday, 03 April 2008
April is here and several of our local reservoirs have been stocked with trout (cold water fish). The Bass, Bluegill, and Crappie are starting to become more active (warm water fish) as the water warms. Good fly-fishing starts now and gets better in the next few months. How fortunate we are to be Cornhusker fly fishers.
By now, most of you know about the accident that "Lefty" Kreh had while doing a casting demonstration in Tampa. Lefty fell from the platform that he was casting from smashing his kneecap and pulling the tendons from both sides of it. As of the first of April, he said that with therapy twice per week he should be semi mobile by June or July and mostly recovered by early next year, if all goes well.
Mark Sedotti will be our guest presenter at our "Spring Fling" on April 19th. Mark is a well-respected fly casting instructor and writer for several magazines as described in our flyer. He is excited about joining us and has a lot to offer. His extreme casting of 120' and more is something to behold and learn from. We look foreword to having Mark as our guest this month.
Much thanks goes to Larry Wallace for his excellent presentation on "The Art of Dubbing." Some of the secrets that he revealed could help those of us who tie flies tie better. Thanks Larry.
Our "Banner stand" is almost complete. This portable indoor display is representative of our organization and will enhance our image as we teach fly tying and fly-fishing throughout our communities. It will have our Club Logo, the Federation of Fly Fishers logo, and our Corn Fly patch on it.
Pat Connell has offered to establish and maintain a "list server/club directory" for those of us who want to know about fishing trips that are being organized and more. You voluntarily give Pat your e-mail address to get on this list.
On April 20th, the "Exhibitors for Earth Day 2008" will be having their event April 20th, from noon until 4 PM, at Antelope Park, which is just west of Capital Parkway at A Street.
Finally: Get your tickets for our "Spring Fling" and enjoy our year's biggest event. You can get them by calling me at (402) 292-6245 or purchasing them at this Wednesdays meeting.
Ray Bombac
Thursday, 20 March 2008
Impressively building large flies and casting them over 90’ with accuracy are two of the skills of Mark Sedotti.
Mark is a respected fly casting instructor and teacher who has written articles that have been published in the: “American Angler, Fly Tier, Outdoor Life, The Fisherman,” and more featuring trout, pike and other species of fish. As the Casting Columnist for Saltwater Fly Fishing Magazine (1995-2000), Mark is known for his articles on Striped Bass, Bluefish, and False Albacore.
Mark is noted for building castible flies from 4” to over 24” with built in action that trigger strikes. He has been featured at many Fly Fishing events throughout the country to include FFF Conclaves, and many other significant Fly Fishing events as the key presenter. He casts distances with magnum back casts of 120’-140’ and more that he intends to demonstrate at our Spring Fling.
Come join us and meet Mark Sedotti.
Saturday, April 19, 2008, 8AM - 4PM
Spargen Hall, 18th & Furnace, Ashland, Nebraska
All day event featuring: Lecture and slide show, casting, fly tying, raffles, silent auction and more. Lunch is included.
Tickets are $25 for Adults, $5 for ages 15 and under
Available at Backwoods in Omaha and Wolf Tackle in Lincoln
A limited amount of tickets will be available at the door
Ray Bombac
Thursday, 20 March 2008
Earlier this month (March), Lefty Kreh was doing a casting demonstration in Tampa. Unfortunately, he fell from the platform from which he was performing. He crushed his kneecap and tore all of the tendons from both sides of it. He has had an operation on his knee and is chair bound with his cast.
Fortunately, although in great pain, Lefty was not hurt any worse than what he described. Although he will not be able to attend our spring fling this year, Lefty did offer some names of presenters who he thought would do a fine show.
While we regret that Lefty was injured in his accident and that he will not be with us this year, we from the Cornhusker Fly Fishers wish him a speedy recovery and thank Lefty for his contributions to the world of fly-fishing.
Ray Bombac
Thursday, 28 February 2008
The Spring Fling is being held Saturday, April 19, 2008, at Spargen Hall, 1842 Furnas, in Ashland, Nebraska. Ashland is located between Lincoln and Omaha, Nebraska. The cost of this all day event is $25 for adults and $5 for children ages 15 and under. Spring Fling hours are between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.; with registration starting at 7:30 a.m.
Proceeds from the event are used to fund club activities, including fly-fishing education and conservation projects. For more information contact Agnes Adams at (402) 483-1716. Or registration fees may be mailed to: Spring Fling '08, Cornhusker Fly Fishers Club, P.O. Box 57185, Lincoln, NE, 68510. Last minute tickets may be purchased at the door the day of the event.
An active outdoor writer for more than 45 years, Lefty has written for almost every major outdoor magazine in the country, and many abroad. He is the retired outdoor editor of the The Baltimore Sunpapers and holds a staff position on several outdoor magazines.
He has been given the prestigious "Lifetime Achievement Award" by the American Sportfishing Association, has been honored with the "Lifetime Contribution Award" by the North American Fly Tackle Trade Association and is also in the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame. In 1997 he was named "Angler of the Year" by Fly Rod and Reel Magazine. Lefty has served a number of years as Senior Advisor to Trout Unlimited, the Federation of Fly Fishers and in addition to serving on many other conservation boards has received a number of honorary awards from such organizations Lefty has fished in all 50 of the United States, in every province of Canada, over much of South America, the South Pacific, Europe, Iceland, and many other countries.
He is a consultant to Temple Fork Outfitters, Scientific Angler, World Wide Sportsman. and endorses Hobie Sunglasses, which he has used for more than a decade. He is the author of a number of books on fly fishing and photography, and has taught fly casting and fly fishing techniques since the early 50s. For ten years he taught advanced nature photography and fly casting for the National Wildlife Federation at the Outdoor Summit Conferences around the country.
Lefty is proud of the fact that he has been married for more than 50 years to his best friend, Evelyn, whom he says has made it possible for him to pursue his career in fishing.
Ray Bombac
Monday, 14 January 2008
Once again, I am honored to serve as president for our organization. Much thanks goes to the board members, the core volunteers and team members who have worked smartly to provide exciting programs for us to enjoy. A lot of preparation and thought has gone into making each monthly meeting an event to look forward to. Thank you.
Think 2008. Think fly tying. Think "Spring Fling". Think of what a great time it is to be a Cornhusker Fly Fisher. We have a fresh new year to be with old friends, meet new friends and share our fly tying/fly fishing experiences.
Although the weather is cold and the ponds are iced over, we have the opportunity to prepare our favorite flies and experiment with new ones as we anticipate the spring thaw. Some members have taken to ice fishing, a great way to try out new ultra light jig patterns that should work well on the end of a fly line tippet.
I am delighted to inform you that Colleen Whitney is chairing our Program committee for 2008. For years, she has been a contributing member providing new ideas and actions that we benefit from.
Doug King, twice past president, will spearhead our "Spring Fling" committee as we prepare for Lefty Kreh's visit in April. Doug also chairs our environmental committee.
Tying a Corn Fly on a hook. Pat Henry tied some at the State Fair in late August of 2007. It was popular with many of the young visitors. I have tied some and seen some fine examples that some of our members have tied. Our next goal is to catch a fish with a Corn Fly.
Finally, we welcome our new members who have joined recently. There are many monthly events for you to look forward to. Our "Spring Fling" is the biggest event of the year. We are privileged to have Lefty Kreh as our keynote presenter. Get your tickets now.
Dues are due. Get a "Corn Fly" patch along with your 2008 dues for $25.
Ray Bombac
Tuesday, 11 December 2007
The holiday season is finally upon us. The warm water fish have gone deep as they prepare for the coming cold. Cold-water species can still be caught for the fly fisher who does not mind a little wind and bundles up. However, like the fish we pursue, there are less active fly fishers and less cooperating fish this cold time of the year.
This has been another wonderful year for our organization. Thanks to many of our talented fly tiers, casters, rod builders, cooks, program organizers, volunteers, and more, we have had great times. I am constantly impressed with the talent, in many areas of expertise that we have within our membership. There are more than 1000 years of fly fishing experience available for those who are new to it. Our people are willing to share information and work with new and old members.
Our membership now stands at 121. Ken Whisenhunt reported that he has passed out 40 boxes of flies to new members this year. We welcome all of you.
Some of the many things that we built upon this year include, a stronger website, CFF corn fly patches and a new banner stand.
There is plenty of credit to go around. It would be difficult to mention all the names of those who have done so much, and credit has been given in other newsletters. However, of special note, Elmer Meiler has been editing and publishing the tippet, at a considerable cost savings for us, since the fall of 2004. Thanks Elmer.
Dues are due. For $25, now through January, get next year's dues and a corn fly patch.
Finally, Lefty Kreh will be our "Spring Fling" keynote speaker. Get your tickets now for this memorable upcoming event.
Hope to see all of you at our "Family Holiday Party" December 19th at Schramm Park's Aksarben Aquarium.
Pat Connell
Tuesday, 11 December 2007
On the Friday after Thanksgiving Dan Daly and I left Omaha for Cotter, Arkansas and the White river. We left at 5 a.m. in the morning to make sure that we had a little time on the water before dark. We drove straight through only to stop for gas and heed the call of nature and made it to Cotter in 8 hours. We stayed at Cabin 9 at His Place resort. That is important for two reasons. One, it is on the white river and there good fishing right there. Second, cabin number 9 is a modern clean roomy two bedroom cabin that both genders would enjoy. There other cabins are small, rustic, and old. (In the future I will probably stay at the Brass Door Motel at 621 E Main St. Gassville, AR. It is more modern, spacious and cost substantially less.)
On entering the White river in our waders, the outside temperature was in the lower 40’s. A lot of fishermen have put their waders and rods away for the season and we saw about 10% of the river traffic compared to our trips last year in April and October. I am always surprised to find the water warmer than the air and how I actually feel warmer in the water than on the shore. The fishing was slow and it really was because both Dan and I are a little stubborn and were not following the advice of the staff at the Mountain River Fly Shop who suggested that we use some very tiny and forgotten name nymphs or the goofy looking Y2K fly. We both went are own way and hooked and landed a few trout.
On Saturday, We met up with Scott Branyan of Ozark Fly Flinger. We had fished with him last spring and had a fantastic day of fishing. He is a large man with a gentle voice and is great teacher and really knows how to read the White River. The drift boat he uses he built out of wood and it is truly functional and a work of art at the same time. Fishing with Scott is like getting fly casting, history, and biology lessons all in one package. We got his name from one of the Cornhusker Flyfisher members.
We put in at Rim Shoals, a little ways south of Cotter and went downstream. The morning was cold and temperature in the lower to mid 30’s. We caught a few fish to about midmorning when we were all getting cold. Scott put in at a small island and gave us both a successful lesson on how to nymph in fast flowing shallow water. We each caught about a half dozen trout between 8 to 15 inches and then motored up river to fish some more and had lunch. After lunch, the temperature had climbed into the forties, with no wind, and there must have been no generators on at Bull Shoals Dam for the water was running flat and crystal clear. As we motored up river we saw hundreds of fish with some very large rainbows and brown trout between 5 and 8 pounds. We experimented with a variety of flies for a while and then hit on a winning pattern. That being a size 18 pheasant tail nymph below a small indicator.
For next two plus hours we drifted back down stream and it seemed that there was very little time than that we did not have a fish on-line. There were a lots of strikes that we missed from watching each other catch fish, telling stories, and the ongoing ribbing of each others technique. Scott during the whole time was calmly coaching and our nymphing technique continued to get better. We had to finally quit because it was dark. Of the many guides that I have fished spent times fishing - I rank Scott as one of my top 2 guides.
On Sunday morning, we awoke to cold, cloudy, and drizzly conditions. Scott and the guys at the Mountain fly shops recommended that if we had only a couple of hours to try the shoals above the Cotter Access and Boat Ramp Area. By the time we got there, it was raining hard. I learned a lesson that day. That is that it is a lot easier to get gear on and equipment ready in a warm dry cabin. I will not forget that lesson soon. We both put on the same small pheasant tail nymphs and slip and slide down the muddy bank to the river shoreline. Dan got out first and so I walked up river a short distance. The rain was steady and cold and I decided to ditch the gloves as I was having troubles casting. On my first three casts, I had a trout come up and tried to inhale my indicator. I remember the guys at Mountain River Fly Shop saying that the Y2K had been productive. I waded back to shore and got under a tree for some relief from the rain. My hands were cold and therefore it took about twenty minutes in the rain to replace the nymph with the Y2K fly. I then proceed back to same spot and on my first cast hooked and landed a 12 inch plus rainbow. After releasing the fish, I casted perpendicular to the river and let it down river with an upstream mend. After a few more casts, I caught my second trout as my line swung and straighten out down river. I yelled out Dan to change to that goofy looking Y2K fly and he too started catching fish.
For the next two hours the rain was relentless, I know it was cold because ice was forming on my rod guides. I lost track but I believe I hooked twenty fish and managed to land between 6 to 8 fish. The interesting thing was there was no pattern to when and where they would strike. Sometimes it was within 1-3 seconds of landing on the water, sometimes on the swing, and other times when I was just goofing off. I believe that a Y2K fly without weight might have been more productive, but I will have to test out that hypothesis on the next trip. After two plus hours of non-stop fishing in the rain, I had a large fish take off with my fly across the river stripping out my fly line and putting me into my backing for the first time on this trip. I knew it was large because it was making a wake in the shallow water. I did not land this fish as it ran my leader over a rock and you know the end to this story.
We got out off the river around 11 a.m. with me having little feelings in my hands. Dan had caught a number of fish and we both were please with the morning. On our way out of town we stopped at the Mountain River Fly shop to thank them for their advice and to strip out of waders. Two hours later the feeling came back into my fingers.
On the way back to Omaha the holiday traffic was flying and we made it to Omaha in about seven and a half hours. Below is the contact information for Scott and the Mountain River Fly shop.
Who is up for a mid February or early March Trip? Let the club know through the contact page.
See you on the river!!
Ray Bombac
Friday, 16 November 2007
November is finally here and the holidays are coming. With that said, this year has been another fun filled time for our members. To keep things in perspective, our organization is an all volunteer, not for profit, group that comes together with a common interest in fly fishing. We have a talented membership with hundreds of years experience in our craft. Formal and informal leadership lead by our people helps to ensure that we have programs that you like.
I want to thank those club members who helped make October a memorable month.
First thanks is for Dr. Bill Schlichtemeier, for his wonderful presentation on "Fly Fishing Alaska." For the 50 of us who got to share his insight, there was something for everybody. The feedback, both verbal and in e-mail, ranged from "informative to Awesome." Thank you for putting together that delightful talk.
The next thanks are for those who came out to Mahoney State Park to teach fly casting during the "Boy Scout Jamboree" thank you to: Rich Kauchel, Baz Lazure, Ken Kratky, Frank Hoag and Bill Seibert. With the six of us, we were able to teach fly casting to many boys, girls, plus some moms and dads.
For our Conservation Event at Mahoney's Quest Lake we thank: Doug King (leading our conservation efforts), Agnes Adams, Donald Klostermeyer, Tip Spenser, Matt and Clayton Bremmer, Ron Hanson, Rich John, Bill McCoy, Neil Boston, and Don Humphery. The 12 of us, with chainsaws and other cutting devices, were able to clear away several flat bed trailers full of brush and generally provide a good cleanup to the shoreline around Quest Lake.
From now through January, when you pay your club dues, you can purchase one corn fly patch for $1.
We are starting to get the word out: Lefty Kreh will be our spring fling guest speaker. This legendary gentleman has been an active outdoor writer for more than 50 years, fished almost every state and many parts of the world. More details to come on this.
Ray
Jeff
Wednesday, 10 October 2007
The trout are on the way. Some are here and others will be road tripping shortly. Visit the NGPC web site for more information.
Tight lines and screaming reels (tlsr).
Ray Bombac
Wednesday, 05 September 2007
We had another delightful month for fun activities with our organization. For our August 15th meeting, Neil Boston created a well thought out survival fly tying scenario and Lee Koch brought his old Honda for its final fling. After scavenging material from the car, the tiers created unique flies that have fine possibilities for catching fish. Jeff Kurrus took pictures of the unique creations. Thanks to all, we had fun.
At the Nebraska State fair, Frank Reid, Pat Henry, Ken Wheisenhunt, Sandy Cox, Marilyn Bombac and I had an opportunity to meet hundreds of people who were interested in tying flies and casting a fly rod. We have invited several of them to visit us this fall at one of our meetings and to check out our web site.
Thanks to Brad Siegfreid for his constant upgrades to make it user friendly and Jeff Flom for posting current pictures, we are getting compliments from site visitors who call it "cool", "neat", "nice", and "wow". These men do good work.
Our annual family "pot luck" will be held at Mahoney State Park at the pavilion across the street from Quest Lake. The date is September 19th around 7:00pm. Bring something good to share.
Some of us plan to go to the Ponca Expo September 21st and 22nd. For those who are not going, the Aquarium will be available to tie flies. For more information on the Ponca event, call me or contact Ken Whisenhunt.
Mark your calendar for October 17. We have another treat. Our Doctor Bill Schlichtemeier is going to do a presentation on "Fly Fishing Alaska". He and his wife have made several fly fishing trips there and he is willing to share some of his insight and experiences with us. Yes, you may bring a guest.
Finally, Brad Siegfreid has again demonstrated his talent with a unique design of a 3 inch "corn fly" for our club patch. We hope to have them available for sale in 4-6 weeks.
Brad
Wednesday, 15 August 2007
Jeff and crew have been busy filling the photo gallery and the club has now added over 400 photographs to the web site. Looks like 404 at last count. If you haven't noticed the small "next" link after the Spring Fling 2007 collection please take another look. That should be a bit more noticeable soon.
Keep on posting, there's plenty of room!
Neil Boston and Lee Koch
Tuesday, 07 August 2007
The Scenario
You've spent the week with the Astrological Society of the Great Plains, stargazing from the emptiness of Western Nebraska's Sandhills. The site was chosen precisely for it's remoteness from any artificial night time light which means you are miles from any civilization. It's been a great week; you've seen more in the heavens than you could have possibly anticipated, and you've made a number of new friends. As you finished packing for this trip you looked around the garage, and grabbed a fly rod and reel and threw it in, as a last-minute whim; no flies or vest, but what the heck... You didn't have time or the inclination to fish, but there the rod is, in your trunk as you leave. You're the last one to leave the site. Fortunately the path back to the highway is easy enough to follow and before you know it the paved road that will take you back to civilization looms ahead. Coming up over a rise, you skid to a halt, the car sitting sideways in the road! Two Humvees, and men in fatigues with M-16s are blocking the road! Two National Guardsmen come up to your car; they are polite, but firm: due to an outbreak of Mad Cow Disease in the area all travel is forbidden and you cannot leave the Sandhills until FEMA arrives to decontaminate you and your vehicle. Great! You tend to have a short fuse anyway, and you start to rail about the absurd situation, why can't you just go HOME! and maybe a speck of spit flies out of your mouth as you rant. The Guardsmen suddenly back up and look at each other very nervously - they're thinking: "Does he have Mad Cow? Is he foaming at the mouth? The Guardsmen forcefully tell you to clear the road, and breathe a sign of relief when you pull away. Not knowing what else to do, you head back to the campsite. Maybe you were driving too fast, maybe your frustration with the situation came out in your driving, but whatever, you round a curve too fast, your car shoots off the road, and finds one of the ravines that the Sandhills hide with such ease. Your car bounces and bucks down the incline, but doesn't roll, and eventually creaks to a stop. You're alive, you're OK, but the car isn't going to move again without a tow truck.
You have no food or water and even less confidence that FEMA will show up before you turn to dust. You could walk back up the road, but the Guardsmen were nervous already, and you can see a ranch in the distance. Ranchers in this part of the country are the sort that will give the shirt off their back to someone in need so surely you can find someone who will share a scrap of bread or some beans until FEMA arrives. You take a few items from the car and start the journey on foot. After hours of walking it's obvious that the ranch wasn't as close as you thought, you're lost and you will be in big trouble if you don't find some food and shelter soon. As you scan the horizon you notice a bright reflection coming from a ravine up ahead. When you get to the ravine you discover a couple things. First of all the reflection was caused by the sun bouncing off the side mirror of an old abandoned Honda Accord. Further down the ravine you also spot something that's almost too good to be true. There before you is a beautiful, cool and clear spring running out from a rocky outcrop near some trees. Better yet the spring runs down the ravine and into a lake which must be at least 80 acres in size. A quick reconnoiter reveals this lake is teeming with pike, perch, and some master size largemouth. Taking stock of the situation, the spring and lake will provide water, and the Honda can be used as shelter. You've brought along a fly rod and some fly tying tools but unfortunately all your fly boxes are at home with your kickboat. It should be easy enough to catch some fish if only you had some flies. There is only one thing left to consider; what would a Cornhusker Fly Fisher do in this situation?
You know what to do don't you? Cannibalize the Honda for any fly tying materials you can find, tie some flies and start catching fish!
The Rules:
You may use as many or as few of the materials from the auto to construct your fly. Bring the appropriate tools needed to remove the materials from the auto but please no blow torches or power tools. Also please take only what you need and leave the rest for other tyers. The only other materials you may add in construction of the fly are thread, adhesives, and permanent marking pens. A variety of hooks will be available but you are welcome to bring your own.
Please name your fly.
Be creative
Have a good time.
We will have a show at the end of the evening to display everyone's creations.
Good Luck!
Ray Bombac
Sunday, 05 August 2007
July started hot and got hotter as we advanced through the month. Despite the heat, those of us who came to Walnut Creek on July 18th for our "on the water meeting" had a fine time. Jeff Flom secured the Pavilion and Steve Zeplin was the second one there. Amongst the 27 people who showed, we had kayaks, float tubes, a cool boat, a canoe, and several shore anglers plus Wayne, a visitor from Austin, Texas. We had a fine time and stayed until dark.
On Saturday at our Carpfest, we had the pleasure of watching Jeff Kurrus, NEBRASKAland Magazines Associate Editor, do his work. Thirty of us tried for the wary carp, but there were no carp for Jeff to take pictures of. Thanks to Neil and Gail Boston, Ken Weisenhunt, Sandy Cox, Jeff Flom, Doug King and more for the parts they played in making this event very enjoyable.
This month, we have a treat for you experienced fly tiers and also for those that are new to fly tying. From the mind of Neil Boston with the help of Lee Koch: SURVIVAL FLY TYING. Neil will provide the scenario. Be at our August meeting at Schram Park for this uniquely creative event. Bring your vises, bobbins and some hooks.
On Saturday, the 18th, we plan to fish at Memphis Lake. Several of our members have told about the good fishing there in the fishing reports. Brunch is "Pot Luck" plus some meats that we will provide.
Heads up, we are looking for volunteers to tie at the Nebraska State Fair near the Labor Day weekend. The Ponca State Park Expo event will be coming up on September 22 and 23. More information will be announced, as it becomes available, at our August meeting. Welcome to our new members. We are now 118 members strong.
Ray Bombac
Wednesday, 11 July 2007
Nebraskalands ‘Jeff Kurrus’ plans to join us at our “Carpfest”, Saturday, July 21st, at Two Rivers State Park.
Jeff will be conducting interviews with our people and cover our event for a possible spot in the magazine. Bring your fly rods, your carp catching flies and floatation devices for a good time. Lunch will be carp, purchased at a local restaurant, and prepared by our gourmet cooks.
We plan to meet around 10:00 a.m., just south of the concession store. Turn left after entering the park. You will see a CFF sign. Hope to see you there.
You can find Two Rivers State Recreation Area using Google Maps.
Brad Siegfreid
Wednesday, 11 July 2007
Just reiterating Ray's monthly posting by giving it it's very own headline, the July club meeting will be held at Walnut Creek in Papillion. The first choice to meet is the pavilion/shelter on the west side of the lake. If it's busy, we'll meet in the parking lot of the boat ramp further north on the same road. Watch for the white signs.
You can find Walnut Creek using Google Maps.
Ray Bombac
Wednesday, 11 July 2007
June has been another delightful month full of outdoor activities. Neil Boston displayed the flies that we received from our peers in South Africa. One box was put in our display case at Schramm. Don Klostemeyer tied his micro jig that won the one fly contest in May. Lee Koch set up the Annual Target Competition outside of the Aquarium and rated 10 fine casters as we competed for the privilege of taking the trophy home for a year. After all was done, Jeff Flom won with the highest score. Congratulations Jeff.
More than 16 of our people showed up at Grove Lake/Verdegree. 9 of us camped out and had a great time. Neil and Lee provided guide service, Colleen and Wayne Whitney brought Saturday’s lunch, and Jeff Flom and Ken Weisenhunt took pictures. Rich Keuchel, Sandy Lyons and more joined us for lunch. Several of us fished the lake on Saturday. Frank Reid used his kick boat and took a 3 pound bass amongst the other fish caught. John Hoke caught fish from his canoe, Cathy Seybold and Deb Harms fished from Cathy’s boat while my son John and I used our Kayaks. Bryon Melvin, Vern Hansen, and several of us fished the trout streams at different times. For a fun time, mark this on your calendar for next year.
Our July meeting is planed for Walnut Creek in Papillion. Bring your fly rods and floating devices. I intend to bring a couple of extra kayaks for those who would like to try kayaking. We have 112 members in our fine organization; hope to see most of you there.
Our Carp feast will be on Saturday, July 21, at Two Rivers. We plan to meet at the area behind the concession which is just south of the Park entrance. Ken Weisenhunt, Neil Boston, and Johnny Hoke have volunteered to cook our lunch. Bring your fly fishing equipment; we might have a good chance of breaking the old records catching carp on a fly. Bring a friend.
Ray Bombac
Sunday, 03 June 2007
Our May get together by the ponds in Schramm Park was a delight. With the near perfect weather and a lot of daylight, we were able to practice our casting techniques on the water. A few large fish jumped to add to our thrill of anticipation as the yarn used to simulate flies added to each fish's curiosity. Almost 50 of our members and guests had a chance to play. Chuck Reisen even set up an outside raffle.
The "One Fly", a competitive bluegill catching event that gives us a chance to test our skills and luck, was made challenging by the winds that produced whitecaps from time to time. It was held at Burchard Lake. After eating 10 pounds of barbecue that Colleen Whitney, Sandy Cox, and Agnes Adams prepared, we deployed to our chosen places on the lake to catch fish. For two hours, some in float tubes, some on shore, and some wading, each fly fisher presented to Bluegill the special fly that was chosen for this event.
Last year, Baz Lazure caught 109, I caught 94, and Don Klostermeyer caught 84. Many of our people caught more than 50 fish at that momentous event. This year, several of us caught something, but not bluegill. As the count was taken, the total catch for twenty two people was 54 Bluegill. Don Klostermeyer won with 11. Congratulations Don.
The fly boxes from South Africa are in. Neil Boston will show them at our June meeting. Nice flies from our peers across the Atlantic Ocean.
We plan get together on Verdigre creek, Saturday, June 23. The camping area is north of Royal, Nebraska and route 20. (Grove Lake area). This is the hot spot for trout fishing in the eastern third of Nebraska. Some of us will be going out there, the Friday evening before, to camp. For local fun and adventure, it does not get better than this.
Finally, Brad Siegfreid has provided training for some of us to get your fish stories onto our website. Brad has been constantly improving our website since he created it more than three years ago. Thanks Brad.
Raymond F. Bombac
Tuesday, 15 May 2007
The sun was out, the day was comfortably warm and the fly casters were all over the grounds outside of the Aksarben Aquarium. It was a delight to see casters of all skill levels casting with the wind and against the wind at our last meeting. For those not casting, fly tying skills were being demonstrated inside of the building by Chuck Reisen and Jeff flom. There were many who came to cast that could not stay, but 57 of us, later, participated in “Stump the Chumps”.
We had the combined knowledge of nine (9) past presidents to answer questions about fly fishing things. Ken Carlson, Jay Callahan, Jerry Merwald, Elmer Meiler, Agnes Adams, Doug King, Neil Boston, Lee Koch, and Baz Lazure were on stage. To have this much “Fly Fishing Experience” all together was awesome. As questions were asked and answered, we had a consensus of opinion of how to use sinking lines, wading and floating gear, leader lengths, and more. Time ran by quickly into overtime on the clock. We had a good time and got to meet several leaders of the past. We had a great time and learned things.
The “Spring Fling” was a success as C. Boyd Pfeiffer shared his fly tying skills and fishing experiences. A very personable gentleman, Boyd personalized books and had a chance to meet everyone. He enjoyed us as much as we enjoyed having him as our guest. He thanked us for the hospitality and feels that he has 60 new friends, thanks to all of you.
We received many generous donations from merchants and individual donors. These donations are sincerely appreciated. A list of these donors is listed in this Tippet. Thank you.
We could not put together an event like this without the help of our membership teams who did the work of setting up, cooking, getting the sound systems, projectors, tables, hall, setting up the raffle, sold tickets, books, shirts, and more. Special thanks to Lee Koch for chairing this event along with the people that made it happen. Thanks go out to: Agnes Adams, Colleen & Wayne Whitney, Donald Klostermeyer, John Hoke, Sandy Cox, Ken Weisenhunt, Chuck Reisen, Doug King, Tip Spenser, Elmer Meiler, Jeff Flom, Pat Henry and finally Neil and Gail Boston. Thanks to Game & Parks for the use of their tables and equipment.
For the rest of us who helped set up, clean up and other things, thank you.
We now approach the time for our “One Fly.” Agnes explained the rules at our last meeting. We will go over them again before the competition begins. This is another fun filled event where new members can “Discover” the flies and tactics used and find places to fish that long time members “Discovered” when they were new. I encourage all of you to join us. The “Secret” is to “Fish where the Fish are.” This is a low cost adventure that builds higher skill levels.
Finally, our club has a lot of new members this year because a many of us are doing things that are letting people know about us. We are pleased that you are sharing in the pleasures of fly fishing. Tell your friends to come out and visit one of our meetings, we welcome our guests.
Jeff Flom
Monday, 07 May 2007
I got tired last week bothering the fish at Halleck Park in Papillion so I tripped to Memphis, just north of Ashland. It was pretty windy in Omaha but there was some shelter from the campground hill. I had such good luck fishing the first piling by the swing set, I never got to the other side of the lake to test the 'woody' water.
Most were palm sized and were taking a small black bead-eyed wooly bugger. I tried the Grubby Gert from Boyd Pfeiffer's Warmwater Flies and continued to fish. I couldn't see if the gills were bedding but most takes were about 15 feet from shore. I moved onto the piling but the lake side was slower. I tried the Mihulka Spittin' Bug I tied for the vise/lamp that was on the registration table at Spring Fling this year. After a couple of attempts, it dawned on me the gills couldn't get past the double weed guard. I couldn't leave without one last cast using the deer hair beetle I'm found of. I'm not even sure it got wet before I was pulling another gill. There were several 7 inch'ish bass through out the night.
Time to go that night but what a great few hours. The park was pretty quiet on that Tuesday night. Several people driving through, got to wave at the sheriff once, but the few other fisher-people were on the piling by the park entrance. I suppose they didn't hear my "thank you" after each fish. I left all the fish and their cousins for the next person.
Tight lines,
Jeff
Wayne Whitney
Thursday, 03 May 2007
I'm happy to report that my first Nebraska fishing day this year went off as usual. That crisp, new license in my billfold, some flies in my chest pack (some fresh, some a few seasons old) and a 2 weight rod, all holding the hope of my first bluegill from Standing Bear Lake.
April 29, I met Brad Siegfreid for a couple hours of fishing on a lake that looked like a cup of coffee with just the right amount of half and half in it. We eventually ended up fishing the cemetary end of the lake, as it was the most sheltered area. Brad had the joy of catching a couple of good looking Bluegills, I had the joy of getting my casting in better form. A good time catching up on family lives and solving a few of the problems of the world.
One of the problems we continue to ponder is how to make this web site a better place for you to pick up some information on Nebraska fly fishing. We talked about a CFF event calendar, fly recipes, pictures and stories from your adventures. How about links to our area sites and supporters? Share your ideas or wish lists with the CFF Board members and the webmaster. We want your input.
Have a great day on the water,
Wayne Whitney
Neil Boston
Saturday, 03 March 2007
In another first for the club, twelve dozen flies were swapped this winter with The Durban Fly Tyers of South Africa. The theme for the swap was for each tyer to tie a dozen of his or her favorite go-to flys along with a recipe and instructions for how to fish the fly. It is great fun to see what flies our fly fishing brothers in the southern hemisphere are fishing. To view the flies and recipes please visit the Durban Fly Fishers web site and use the Fly Swaps link on the left hand side.
Ray Bombac
Friday, 02 March 2007
C. Boyd Pfeiffer is an award winning author and photographer who has been fishing and tying flies for more than 50 years. He has written over 80 magazine articles, 20 books and has received more than 60 awards for his writing and photography. His books include Tying Warm Water Flies, Fly Fishing Bass Basics, and Bug Making.
The event is April 21, 2007, from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM at Spargen Hall, 18th and Furnas, Ashland, Nebraska.
This is an all day event featuring lecture and slide show, fly tying, raffles, silent auction and more. Lunch is included.
Tickets are $25 for adults, $5 for ages 15 and under. They are available at Backwoods in Omaha and Wolf Tackle in Lincoln. A limited amount of tickets will be available at the door. For more information call 402-292-6245 in Omaha or 402-483-1716 in Lincoln.
You can use Google Maps to get a map to Spargen Hall.
Brad Siegfreid
Friday, 02 March 2007
Our resident illustrator and president, Ray Bombac, has a new illustration in the Gallery. Just click for the full size version:
Brad Siegfreid
Thursday, 22 February 2007
With the two photo galleries in place we already have a lot of photographs that are good and some that shouldn't be out there for the world to see. Please stop by and leave some comments. Provide first names, maybe some good captions and indicate which ones should go away. If we trim down the selection the good ones will be easier for others to find.
I have one more gallery to put up for the 2005 Colorado Backwood's Adventure but it has 189 photographs and needs to be seriously edited before I even attempt to load it. If you have some photographs that you want loaded please let me know, but try and do some editing beforehand!
Brad Siegfreid
Thursday, 22 February 2007
I've updated the site with photo gallery software and I'm in the process of loading the photographs that I have on hand. I'll be looking for bugs and bad behavior over the next few days. For now adding photographs will be limited to the few registered users of the site. We'll look at adding new users a little later. For now you can contact me via the webmaster link at the bottom of every page if you have something you want posted.
While the server is busy importing photographs I've also enabled comments on the photograph detail pages. I'll review comments periodically and try and update the records to include names and other information that you provide.
The server will be retaining full resolution copies of all the images that are uploaded. I'm going to be restricting access to those files to registered users only due to the search engines that scan the site several times a day. If I left access open they'd be using a tremendous amount of bandwidth. If you need a high resolution copy of something just drop us a line.
It looks like I need to rotate a bunch of the images and import them again. My normal image editing software recognizes a flag set by my camera and automatically rotates them for me.
Ray Bombac
Friday, 16 February 2007
Fly fishers belong to a unique group of fish catchers (men and women)
who range in talent from beginners, amateur, advanced amateur, and
professional. New products are introduced to the market frequently
varying from new flies to rods, reels leaders and gadgets that enhance
our pleasure. Investments in gear and places to fish vary from a
beginner's outfit and a visit to the local fishing water through
high-end tools and a trip to an exotic location to fly fish. Costs can
vary to the extreme.
U.S News and World Report, May 5, 2003 page 4 in an article by Paul
Bedard provides a wonderful example of how fly fishing rises above
politics and more. The article titled "Carter Advice the Bushes Like",
states that former President "Carter's (Democrat) advice isn't worth
much in the White House... But, Bushies (Republican) were very interested
with Carter's 'tips on fishing holes near Camp David'... Carter keeps a
backup plan 'if you fail to hook one'. He keeps a list of guides and
flies that work on Rainbow Trout."
The point to this story is that in spite of major differences (even
political), fly fishing brings people together who have the common
interest of hooking the fish.
HINT: You never know whom you will meet on the water. Costs, status,
roles, skills, personality, sex, ability and more become secondary when
we fly fish. Come to our meetings and bring a friend.
Brad Siegfreid
Wednesday, 07 February 2007
I've just finished activating visitor comments for journal entries. To post a comment you need to click on the title of an entry to get to its permanent page. At the moment anybody can post a comment. I'm looking into safeguards to prevent spam from filling up our site like it did before when we had an open forum. If you are interested you can add comments to this journal entry to try things out.
Suggestions are welcome.
Brad Siegfreid
Tuesday, 06 February 2007
The site now has an RSS feed for new journal postings. Check out the syndication info on the left-hand side of the home page.
Brad Siegfreid
Tuesday, 06 February 2007
That crumpled up old 2006 fishing license is now expired. If you don't mind paying by credit card you can go online and buy your new one. Of course, the water is a bit hard for dry flies right now. The address has changed from last year so use this one to update your bookmarks.
Nebraska Fishing License
Brad Siegfreid
Wednesday, 27 December 2006
Some tiers really get into their work. Considering how often the trees eat my flies it's probably OK that my flies look like drowned rats after the first few times they hit the water.
Lee Koch
Monday, 13 November 2006
How To Get Skunked
A recent short trip to Fort Robinson had me thinking a lot about How To Get Skunked. You can guess at the fishing conditions that led to this line of thought. I ended up catching a few tiny fish, but you could still smell skunk up and down the creek, so to speak.
Of course there are lots of ways to get skunked.
You can fish in water that contains no fish (it happens!) On ponds, you may be fishing at the wrong depth, either below, or (more likely) above where the fish are hanging out. On streams you can fish the skinny water, looking for rises to your dry, while the fish are taking tiny nymphs 4 feet below the surface, in the holes.
You can fish at the wrong time - of day, or of the year. Fish are more active early in the morning or into the twilight hours. Unfortunately, that's when we humans like to eat breakfast and dinner, or maybe relax with a drink in hand... This October I thought I had a line on some semi-secret ponds outside of Fort Rob, and had visions of trout as long as your leg dancing on the end of my line. Imagine my disappointment when, after hiking a mile, I found that the ponds were completely covered with algae. The water under the floating green mat was cool and clear, and those hoggish fish may well have been there, but you sure couldn't tell. The algae shouldn't be there early in the Spring, and the fishing might be glorious, but I wouldn't know because I was there in October.
You can use the wrong fly. My personal failure in this area is to prefer dry fly fishing. Yes, they probably are taking nymphs, but doggone it, I like catching them on dries. They SHOULD be taking hoppers, why aren't they?! Take that hopper, you stupid fish!
You can fail to experiment. One of the biggest skunk-calls is the habit of continuing to do the same thing. There's an old saying: One definition of insanity is to do something, not get the desired results, then continue to do the same thing again and again. I think at some time we've all gone "temporarily insane" in this way:
-
miss a strike and immediately cast to the same spot 30 more times with no subsequent sign of life (rather than sitting down, resting the pool, considering the best approach, then making one best cast)
-
walk up and down the length of the stream with the same fly tied on ("See, it's my go-to fly...."),
-
cast upstream 300 times instead of turning and swinging a wet fly or woolly bugger downstream...
But for me, the A-Number-One, sure-fire, can't miss, guaranteed way to get skunked is... to believe that you're too good to get skunked. I know that some people believe that confidence is everything, sort of the Dale Carnegie school of fly fishing, but I guess I'm not one of them. Since I believe in the Gods of Perversity, and that they are in fact some of the most powerful personalities in the Pantheon, I believe that when you get too full of yourself, life will step up and eventually put you in your place. For me, it's essential to remember to try to be humble - every fish is a gift from nature, and nature can decide to deny you, via the gods of Perversity, any success, just as it can make things laughably easy for you.
The worst days of fishing I've ever had have come immediately after times when everything went my way. (Same for pheasant-hunting, by the way - one day it's 3 birds, quick snap-shots, right- or left-going-away shots, long second shots, won't matter, it'll all work. Then the next, see twice as many birds, none in the bag, miss the full-frame point-blank shots, the straight-away shots, get out-smarted and watch the birds squirt out the end of a side-ravine you walked past...) Was it because conditions changed? Did I get locked into a previously-successful pattern of casting/fly/location? Doesn't matter; I've been once again put in my place, the Gods are laughing, and maybe next time I'll remember to be flexible in my approach, reasonable in my expectations, and thankful for whatever success that is accorded me.
Brad Siegfreid
Tuesday, 19 September 2006
The site is mostly back to where it was around April of this year, taking a bit longer than I had hoped. The discussions boards are still offline until I find or create a suitable replacement. The for the reason of all of this change is spam, spam and more spam. We had more spam being posted in the boards than real conversations and spammers had gotten through the old site and were sending spam out to the world using our server. I just didn't have the time to babysit the server every day.
That's all cleaned out now and we have totally new software running our site. The software has the added benefit of being much easier to update so we can add new features in our spare time instead of needing to lock ourselves in the server closet until its done.
Now, time to go fish.
Brad Siegfreid
Tuesday, 19 September 2006
The September meeting will be held at 6:30 pm, Wednesday, September 20. It will be a Pot-Luck-Picnic at the Lake View Shelter overlooking US West Lake in Mahoney State Park, about a half mile northwest of the I-80 interchange #426, Nebraska.
You will need a Park Sticker or a one day permit on your vehicle. Bug spray or insect repellent candles are also a good idea. Dinner should start around 6:30 or 7:00. Please bring your own tableware and enough food to share. Some drinks will be available.
The regular club meeting should begin around 7:30 or 8:00.
Lee Koch
Tuesday, 19 September 2006
Why Little Fish Are Important
A while back I wrote about why I now think big fish mean something important.
By that, I didn't and don't mean to give little fish short shrift; in fact, I think they are extremely important. So today they get equal time.
First and foremost, without little fish, there would soon be no big fish. In general, nature seems to plan it so that a larger number of little fish get hatched, so as to grow into a smaller number of big fish. Hopefully, in the medium term at least, some sort of equilibrium gets established where enough babies get born so that a certain percentage can get predated (that's to say, caught, eaten, or otherwise die) and still leave "enough" adults for the species to live in peace in a balanced eco-system. That's the theory anyway. In the short term, everything seems to go on wild swings of plenty and privation. In the long term, of course, mass extinctions do indeed occur and I guess I'm OK with that -- I like being a human fly fishing more than I imagine I'd like being a velociraptor fly fishing, which we could well be if the dinosaurs hadn't gone extinct. I don't think they would have used split bamboo.
Since we only live one lifetime, the short term is more important to us, and we need the yearly cycle to produce enough babies so that there can still be some adults around. That goes for humans and mayflies as well as trout. So, no small fry, no big "hawg" trout, and we all like to catch big fish, so we have an obligation to like the babies too.
Second, fly fishing is not exactly an easy sport to get into. It takes practice, a certain amount of gear, and time on the water, goofing up, learning, observing... When you start out, it is easy not to catch any fish at all. I can attest to that. There is nothing to say that you can even get a cast onto the water the first time, and we almost all start out with a limited assortment of mostly-very-generic (and too large) flies, which the fish snub. We know virtually nothing about how the fish behave, nor about their environment. Get skunked enough times in the early days, and it's easy to put the gear up on e-bay and buy a set of golf clubs. What sometimes makes the difference between growing into a devoted fisherman and devolving into a Sunday golfer is... small fish. The little, inexperienced, stupid fish, the ones that nature intended to get eaten so their luckier or smarter brethren can grow into "pigs", those fish can sometimes be the difference between getting skunked, and having a good day consistently catching small but eager fish. Take a little kid fishing 2 times, once where you are working to catch the biggest fish in the pond, and another time where you are going after 4-inch bluegills under the dock, and see which day is the better one for them. So little fish help new-comers turn into devoted fly fishers. In a sport (and a club) over-represented by males "of a certain age", that's a good thing.
Even today, there are times where you can find a pod of medium and big fish, working some small food near the bottom, and in the same pool will be a group of excited small fish slashing and jumping at dry flies on the surface. You can catch 10 or 20 of those small guys on an easy-to-see size 14 royal wulff in the same amount of time it would take you to figure out that the big guys want the #20 scud with 5 wraps of wire, not 4 or 6, gray tinged with a small bit of orange, and the left legs sticking straight out instead of down in the natural way. Which is more fun? Sometimes, catching an endless string of exuberant small fish is. Maybe not all the time, but sometimes it's great. As I've noted before, a person can be justifiably proud to grow into a fly fisher who can "move on," beyond the eager small fish, to catch big fish from time to time (or more often.) But we have to start somewhere, and little fish are where we often start.
So baby fish pass through the small-fish period on their way to becoming big fish, and they intersect with fly fishing newbies passing through the stage of catching naive little fish on their way to becoming accomplished fly fishers. It's an important moment that keeps us all moving forward. I tilt a glass to small fish!
Lee Koch
Tuesday, 01 August 2006
Survivor: Fly Fish Mountain
(Bring a vise, scissors and a bobbin with thread to the meeting. No feathers/fur/etc. You'll see why.)
You're finally relaxing a little bit. The plane lifted off from San Francisco International Airport an hour ago, the warning lights are off, you have a small drink in hand, and the seat has reclined as far as it will go.
You were out in northern California for a niece's wedding, and it wasn't exactly stress-free. When you arrived, the in-laws were still bickering over the guest list, the caterer had gone bankrupt the week before the event (making off with the deposit) and an uncharacteristic (but accurate) California weather forecast gave a 100% chance of rain for the 3 days surrounding the wedding day. You were there to "help as needed," but things were too disorganized for an outsider to do much more than shake their head in wonder. It being northern California, you had taken a fly rod, but the wedding chaos made sure that your rod stayed in its case, perfectly dry.
The wedding did take place and the couple are now off on their honeymoon, although the things that were said by both families in the last hours before the wedding left you wondering about the longevity of the "blessed union."
Well, all that is behind you, and you're thinking how nice it will be to see your family again. You lean back and close your eyes, drifitng off... Then KAROUM! The plane jolts and slews sideways in a sickening way, and your heart is racing! The pilot comes on, tells everyone to stay calm, they've encountered "a little problem" in the cockpit. You can see smoke out the window, the oxygen masks pop out of the ceiling, and you think "Little problem, right!" Losing altitude, the pilot comes on again, saying that in the middle of the Rockies, there are few airports, and they will have to crash land the plane as best they can. You look around the nearly-empty compartment, and think "Good thing this was a red-eye that no one wanted to be on!"
In no time, the mountains loom large, there is a huge series of screeches and jolts, and then finally, silence. You unbuckle, grab your rod (being a true fly fisher) and clamber to safety. Eventually all the passengers re-assemble and miraculously everyone survived. The pilots inform you that the first explosion took out the radio, and so no one knows where you are. The best he can tell you is "in the Rockies, somewhere between Salt Lake and Denver." In the morning, the group scouts the area, and discovers a nearby cabin, in which you find an old trunk full of odd items left when the cabin's inhabitant gave up subsistence mountain living and moved to New York to become a Wall Street broker.
Polling the survivors, you learn that the majority of passengers are San Franciscans flying to Omaha for a steak-buying weekend excursion; you and a couple others are the only ones with anything like survival skills. You've got one rod, a pocketful of hooks, a spool of thread, and the trunk of materials you found in the cabin. You can see fish in the lake and streams around the crash site. . It's up to you to keep the group fed until rescuers arrive.
Get to work!
We will break into small "survivor groups," create flies based on the "air-crash" materials at hand, and then share them with the other groups at the end of the meeting. Good luck!
Brad Siegfreid
Friday, 21 July 2006
I've made some serious software upgrades to the webserver and I'm starting to bring the old postings from the site to the new version. Stay tuned for new features.
Brad Siegfreid
Monday, 17 July 2006
The owner of the fly box was able to identify it much to the dismay of its current holder and it has been returned.
Jeff
Monday, 10 July 2006
This should be a photo appearing to the side of the text. If it doesn't, it's obvious that Jeff doesn't has a clue. I couldn't find the image syntax that resembled what had previously been done so I'm using the exiting articles as a go by. A go by is a woodworking term for a project in various stages of completion. You carve along to each phase. Often its a completed piece. The good carves can work from snapped pictures, quick drawings, or their mental picture.
Well, I'll now try a second paragraph and see how it displays. I do remember from our class that we can future date a article to have it remain on the front page. Conversely, if I post date this article it should NOT bump anything from the front page. At least that's the plan. I'm going to save it, find a path to a picture and come back and update. Brad, if you're listening, I'm just trying some things out.
OK, that didn't work out so well. The article text shifted mostly o.k. and the title displays, but no picture comes up.
For the next attempt we'll try a photo spread across the column. Nothing ventured nothing gained. This time I'm going to try a different photo from the one fly gallery.
Looks like the same result. I'm getting the same result using Firefox. HELP!!!
JF
Brad Siegfreid
Monday, 10 July 2006
Fly fishing tackle was found on the East side road from the Olive Creek dam. Please send an email using the link at the bottom of this page with a description of the missing gear and we'll hook you up with the finder.
Lee Koch
Saturday, 01 July 2006
Stream Ettiquette
This is a tricky subject where there is not always a right answer, but it has been bugging me for a while now, so I am going to open the proverbial can of worms.
Recently, I was haphazardly "playing guide" on Verdigre creek for one of our members, showing him around, pointing out pools where fish held, and and generally not doing a very good job of getting him into fish. We passed a couple (guy and girlfriend) where the guy was teaching his girlfriend how to fly fish. The facts are that Verdigre is always a tight-quarters stream, where errant casts and sloppy backcasts will leave you spending 20 times more time picking flies out of bushes than out of fishs' mouths. I couldn't imagine teaching a novice to fish there, especially in the summer when the vegetation is high. It seems like such a good way to discourage someone for life.
Anyway, we passed the couple, moving upstream past them a couple hundred feet to point out the next pool where fish tend to hold. I pointed out the pool, and Jeff asked if we were going to fish it. A reasonable question since we generally go fishing to catch some fish, or spend time trying. I glanced in the direction of the couple moving upstream and said I'd prefer to leave the pool to them. Jeff asked what the proper stream ettiquette was in such a situation. I didn't have a great answer, kind of bumbled around, and said I guessed it kind of depends on how bad you need to try to catch a fish just then.
In truth, I had spent maybe 45 minutes on that pool the day before (being a weekday, I was alone on the stream), swapping fly after fly, until my patch was loaded, and never got a fish to take. They were eating something, but it was nothing like what I offered. Obviously. So the next day with Jeff, I suspected that if we jumped in ahead of them, we'd definitely be blocking them for who-knows-how-long, and again, it's public water and public land that everyone has the right to fish, but I knew other pools we could fish, I hoped the guy and his girlfriend could have a good experience there, and besides, it was getting close to lunchtime and I was hearing those burgers sizzling on the charcoal grill of my mind. So we walked away and fixed lunch at the campground.
The time before up on Verdigre, there wasn't a crowd of people (maybe 5 or 6 trucks), but there was a pair from Omaha who landed, suited up, and started fishing the bridge pool and the next pool upstream. The logical places to start. We were there when they arrived at about 10, and around 2, they were still there on those same 2 pools. What they didn't know, but we did since we had walked around for several hours searching for rises, was that for some quirky reason, apprently the only place on that mile-long stretch of stream where fish were taking flies was those 2 pools. Before they arrived, I had fished the upper pool, caught a couple of small fish, put the rest down, and moved on to see what else was happening on the stream. Upstream of the hatchery, 2 more guys had set up lawnchairs and a cooler, with 6 rods with bobbers floating in the underwater weeds, spaced evenly along the 60ft pool.
Finding dead-quiet everywhere else on the stream, I looped back around to the pools a few times in those 4 hours, and each time those 2 guys were there, usually standing in the water changing flies. I don't understand it, but those 2 pools were the only place you could see a fish, let alone see it work for food. Finally, I asked one of those guys if he had caught all the fish out of that pool yet, and he replied that he'd tried everything and caught maybe one. Then he turned back to tie on the next fly.
We left the area, tried a new spot, and it all worked out OK, since that new spot was the source of the one big brown I wrote about last month.
So were those 2 guys wrong to sit on the same 2 pools for 4 hours, when they could see a half-dozen other fishermen milling about? Was I wrong to think that if they hadn't caught more than one fish in a couple of hours, they could pretty reasonably conclude it was time to try somewhere else and give someone else a shot at the pool? Should Jeff and I have fished that pool ahead of the couple? Were the lawn-chair guys wrong to "claim" the pool with 6 rods (Yes, apparently it's illegal.) Everybody has to make his or her own decision on this matter, but I guess I think it's good to try to err on the side of courteousness. Unless of course, you've really got an unusual itch that just has to be scratched. This time. Needless to say, if we all have the itch-that-needs-to-be-scratched all the time, then we'll all end up acting like selfish jerks, and fishing life is going to be hell in an increasingly populated world.
Anyway, it can help your perspective on courtesy to catch a few fish early in the day, and to do that, it can help to be there first. Or a day early, on a weekday. Or during hunting season, when the sportsmen are shooting things (on Verdigre, wear orange during hunting season.) Verdigre creek is a small stream, and it doesn't take many guys sitting on holes to "clog up" the stream. That's why I'd like to see the club try to help NGPC develop more holding habitat on the stream, because there are long stretches of the stream that seem barren of fishing opportunities, at least for fly fishermen. We could change that. In the meantime, a little consideration can go a long way.
Lee Koch
Thursday, 01 June 2006
Why Big Fish Mean Something
We all talk about big fish, the ones we saw but couldn't catch, the ones that got away, and the ones we caught. Freudian psychologists would say that we obsess about big fish because they are metaphors, psychological surrogates, for something about us -- our ego, our super-ego, or our... well, you know what I'm talking about.
Sitting around at the end of the day, in a bar or in front of a fire, talk gets the loudest and most boisterous when talking about the big fish of the day. It's seems it's always "Man, that was a big fish at the head of the bend pool, wasn't it?!" and never "Man, that was a long string of pale 11-inch stockers we took out of the bend pool, wasn't it?"
Starting out fly fishing, and for years afterwards, I never caught big fish, and so I taught myself to ignore the "big fish" talk, and to focus on aspects of the regular-sized fish I caught: pretty rises, pretty colors, the ability to pick the right fly for the right place and time, eventually, a decent cast, maybe even a difficult one that not everyone could do... I took it as a given that fish "got bigger" as the stories went on so I never put much stock in the sizes quoted. And I noted that often enough, the guys boasting about big fish were maybe a little bit braggarts, sometimes trying to out-do each other in their stories. In my mind, talking on and on about big fish became evidence of a mis-placed focus in fly fishing: focus on competition and one-upsmanship, rather than on the experience. Of course, it's pretty easy to come to that conclusion when you can't catch big fish yourself.
Over the course of time, fishing in different waters, and sometimes being able to watch the behavior of fish themselves, I've changed my mind: catching big fish does mean something important (something other than the belief that you have a big you-know-what, I mean.)
More than once now, I've watched a pod of fish react to food: the biggest fish shoulders the smaller guys out of the way, and takes what he wants. I've also become accustomed to the fact that the biggest fish in a pool will often materialize at the very head of a pool, or right in front of that big dead tree hanging in the water, where he has first chance to pluck goodies out of the drift, before the other fish below him get to eat. They aren't dumb, though, those big guys -- they know where the most protected lies that will bring the most and best food are, and they "own" them. They didn't get big by being stupid or gullible. Or timid.
And that's why I've come to the conclusion that big fish mean something important. They can be the hardest ones to catch, requiring the most accurate cast to the head of that pool, the lightest tippet, and the exactly right size and shape fly -- anything less, and they pass on it, allowing the less-experienced fish below to take their shot. And one of the things I've noticed is that they pretty much don't give you a second chance -- one bad cast, and they are down, safely ensconced. They refuse a fly once, because of size, shape or color, and they won't consider it again -- a refusal rise is as good as a rock in the pool, for signaling that they have shut down.
And if you trick one into taking, there's no guarantee you'll net him -- they are strong and they often fight smart, using their habitat and the pressure of the water to get free. I've heard stories of big rainbows in the North Platte running 50 yards of line straight off your reel, then turning 90 degrees and running another 100 yards, so as to put more pressure on your line and tippet. Hook a big fish upstream, and the smart ones will swim past you downstream then turn to face you, so as to use the water against you, and to get better leverage for dislodging that hook. If they can't drag your tippet through weeds and brush, sometimes they will swim down to the bottom and loop it around a rock -- anything to increase resistance so a sudden lunge will snap the connection. In spite of the guiles of big fish, once in a while the fishing gods smile on us, we play the fish well, and bring them to hand.
So in the end, at least occasionally, catching a big fish means more than another dumb-luck chance to lord it over your fishing buddies. It might also mean that you are getting better as a fly fisher, more skilled at analyzing situations, casting into hard places, playing fish smartly... That, I think, is the real meaning of big fish. At least, that's what I'm willing to think, now that every once in a rare while, I'm able to catch one of those big fish.
Lee
(This essay was inspired by an exceptionally large brown trout in an unusual location on Verdigre creek. I hooked him but he beat me in the fight to the net.)
Lee Koch
Monday, 01 May 2006
Duffer's Delight
In May, in England, they call the great Mayfly hatch (actually a version of drakes) the "Duffer's Delight." For those of you not familiar with the term, a "duffer" is an unskilled player, unskillled either by inexperience or incompetence. I've been there, I've "duffed" with the best of them, and I can tell you that it IS a delight to watch big size 8 or 10 mayflies floating downstream like a regatta of Catalina 21's, only to get torpedoed by big German browns. If your imitation is vaguely OK, and your cast less than horrid, one of those "sailboats" will be attached to your tippet, and it will go down in that same spray and flash of color. In July and August, those big browns can be devilishly difficult to catch, earning the Chalk streams a reputation for "technical" fishing and few fish in the net, but in May, during the Duffers Delight, a mediocre fly fisher can sometimes do no wrong. It's as if your feet take you to the right spot, you always select the perfect fly, your rod automatically puts the fly where it must be, you play each fish wisely, and you are one smart son of a gun. Somewhere you picked up 20 points of IQ, lost 15 pounds, and re-grew that long wavy hair the girls liked so much. The lunch-time beer in the pub tastes better than usual, too. That's what the Duffer's Delight will do to you.
Back on more familiar waters, last May I fished Verdigre creek over Memorial Day weekend. The Grove Lake camprounds were packed with RVs, tents, campers, boats, trucks, cars, campfires, and people. To pitch a tent by the time I got there on Saturday, you would have had to bring your own piece of turf to pitch on. But in 2 days of fishing, I saw no one else fishing the creek.
The air was as full of bugs as the campgrounds were of beer cans. I saw tan caddis in a couple of sizes, light-colored midges, slate-dark blue-wing olives, some sort of huge lumbering mayfly (hexagenia?) and a long gangly-legged fly that the British imitate with something called a "spider-legs". Contrary to the "duffer's delight sailboats" of England, I didn't see one adult mayfly floating down the stream. Some caddis were dapping to lay eggs, but all the mayflies were in the air, not on the water.
In the evening, the fish were on emergers of some sort, swirling and slashing near the surface, but not breaking it, except as they porpoised back down or slashed a dorsal fin in the air as they twisted to get whatever they were after. They ignored every classic BWO dun imitation I had, but a green-body, hair-wing peacock-thorax thing I had, floating flush in the film, drew the same swirling strikes. As it got darker, and campers were lighting fires and burning weenies, the fish moved up out of the safe hatchery water, got more aggressive, and went after FOOD.
It's a rare and great thing to be casting a fly to fish who almost don't care about presentation, line-slap, sunlight flashes or long human shadows on the water. It is laughably easy, just as it can be frustratingly impossible other days. The biggest fish I caught was 15 inches measured against my rod, and the smallest was maybe 12. Every fish had great color, and lots of fight. Not one of them was the standard, calibrated, pale, stocker trout, and I was happy to put each of them back where they belong. I stopped at 9:30, when I broke a fly off in a fish and couldn't see to re-tie.
My wife recently put an aerated goldfish pond in our back yard, larger than the previous one, and I helped dig the hole. In exchange, I got rights to put one trout in it, and I was looking forward to going out every evening and seeing "my" trout swimming around in the back yard. I even thought about casting into the pond. Not that I'd want to continually pester the little guy, but from time to time, you know, just to keep from getting rusty -- maybe break off the bend of a few hooks, just for him... The only condition was that the trout couldn't be so large as to eat the baby goldfish. I figured maybe 5 or 6 inches would be just about right. More than once on Verdigre creek, those little inexperienced native browns were the ONLY fish I could fool with a fly in a long weekend of wading and casting, so once I saw the bugs in the air on this Memorial Day trip, I fgured my prospects for stocking the pond were good.
The May "Duffer's Delight" on Verdigre sent my plans awry, and while I had some of the nicest dry fly fishing I've had on the creek, I didn't get the backyard fishpond stocked. I can honestly say that it was the only fishing trip of my life where every fish I caught was bigger than I wanted.
Brad Siegfreid
Monday, 01 May 2006
As a small token to show that I do occasionally try and get some work done on the site I've started posting the photographs that I have for the club:
In most cases higher resolution photographs are available by request if you need them. Just send me an email along with a copy of the image off the site. 424 photographs posted so far.
Brad Siegfreid
Tuesday, 04 April 2006
We're making some changes to how this site is put together. If
you need to reach the club please use the Webmaster link at the
bottom of the page and we'll get back to you as soon as we can.
We appreciate your patience and will do our best to be fully
back online as soon as possible.
Lee Koch
Saturday, 01 April 2006
Fishing under a high pressure system
Last years Spring Fling speaker, Ed Engle, said two things that have stuck with me, and both recently came back to mind.
The first was an off-hand comment during his presentation where he mentioned that he likes, when possible, to go fishing when a low pressure system has stalled out over the Rockies... the bugs hatch in profusion, stay on the water longer, and the fish gorge on them.
A couple of weeks after that, Neil Boston and I did a Sunday one-day up & back trip to Verdigre creek, under a robin's egg-blue sky, a falling thermometer and a rising barometer. Driving up, I was telling Neil that Ed said he likes to fish under a low-pressure system, and Neil, who has a full schedule and like me has two teen-age daughters, said: "I like to fish when I can get away to do it."
I caught a couple of stockers on the ever-faithful gray scud; Neil got skunked. The fish pouted, hung out in the deepest holes, and dived for cover after one bad cast. We both separately walked hundreds of yards of stream, never seeing a fish except those few that we scared out of hiding as we shuffled upstream. The fish is the slow deep pools would spot our flies drifting towards them and fin left or right, out of the way, making sure that the fly wouldn't accidentally snag them, don't even mention considering eating the fly!
But we lowered the pressure of that high-pressure system, that day, standing around stamping our feet, sipping piping hot tea out of Neil's Kelly Kettle, airing observations and concerns until they evaporated with the kettle's steam.
The second memorable saying from Ed was his answer to my question "What's been the biggest change you've seen in flyfishing in the past 20 years?" His answer: "Guides. Twenty years ago we just "went fishing." Now, nobody has that kind of time. You've got to get a guide and make the most of every minute on the water." And guides are expected to get you into fish, by the way. Some guides stand by your elbow, tie on your fly, tell you where and when to cast, when to strike, how to play the fish, and how to release it. Others point you towards the water, and stand off on the bank smoking and sipping a coke/tea. They seem to cost the same, whichever approach they take (and to expect the same size tip.) One day with a guide will cost you the equivalent of a new Sage, 2 days would get you a new bamboo rod; a guided week at a lodge is worth 1/4 of the average new car...
As I've mention before, learning on your own about a body of water can be a slow, irritating, frustrating thing, but it's worse when you're paying a guide 3 times your hourly wage, and you're still not catching fish. You're either thinking about all the positive things you could have used that money for, or you're getting mad at the guide for not getting you into fish (or both), and the guide is either cursing his luck for having drawn a hapless "sport" or thinking, "Well, there goes the tip!" (Which by the way, constitutes a high percentage of his final take-home cash for the day.) Regardless, it's bad.
And yet, according to Ed, "guiding" has been the biggest change in the last 20 years of fly-fishing.
We work more than 40 hours a week, we drive Lexuses and Suburbans and Landcruisers, take 3-day weekends instead of 2-week vacations, buy top-of-the-line equipment (because if you don't have much time to fish, you want to have the best on your side.) We fly into the mountains instead of drive, because it maximizes the "quality hours" of that 3-day weekend.
And so, no matter what the weather is doing, rising or falling barometer, we go when we can get away. We fish under a high-pressure system.
Here's hoping that this year we all can spend a little more time fishing under a low-pressure system.
Lee
Brad Siegfreid
Monday, 13 March 2006
Spammers have been filling our forum with a variety of nastiness and now they have also gotten around the security measures that were put in place and have starting sending spam out to the world. The Department of Defense caught of bunch of it and reported it to Cox, which provides our connection to the Internet. To keep them from shutting us down I'm closing the forum until a more secure solution has been found.
Lee Koch
Wednesday, 01 March 2006
Where to fish?
One of the great pleasures in fishing over the years is having "home waters." You know, that body of water, still or flowing, that you know very well. You've fished it many times, in many conditions, and arriving beside it has the same happy feeling as visiting a close, long-term friend: you're happy to be there, and you want to see how he's doing.
You know where the fish are (or at least should be), you know how to approach them, and you know what flies tend to work at different times of year. When you take a friend there, you know which pool is the "beginners pool" to start them on, and you will make an informed recommendation on what kind of rig and fly to start with.
Of course, things are different every time you go there, but that's part of the mystique, part of the pleasure of fishing your "home" waters. The fish may or may not be where they are "supposed" to be; the "clockwork" hatch may or may not come off as planned; the bright sun, or high pressure, or whatever, may have put the fish down, or conversely, the cloudy, drizzly, stalled low-pressure front may have encouraged the fish to put on the feed bag.
Whatever the conditions are, you will be comparing them to that existing bank of knowledge inside your head. Each visit allows you to expand that knowledge, adding to and deepening your understanding of that particular little ecosystem.
Of course, there can be a down-side to intimate knowledge of a watershed, particularly if you are the newbie fishing with someone else on his home water. First-and-foremost is the "boring geezer" syndrome: "Back in ought-six, when I started fishing here, the fish were bigger, there were more fish, the water ran clearer, no one else fished here, and even the sun shone brighter!" Another classic is the "You shoulda been here last week" line. You're getting skunked, and your host is telling you how easy the water can be... Yeah, right!
The process of gaining personal knowledge about a particular water can be boring, frustrating, irritating, and... finally, satisfying.
You visit the water for the first time, alone, and there is either a road running along the stream, or a ring road around the lake, and the first question you have is: Where to start? You don't know, so you take a guess, and wade in. No visible activity, so you tie on a favorite fly, and after 15 minutes of casting, nothing. Is it your fly? Tippet too thick? Wrong technique? Wrong place on the lake/stream? Who knows? So you change something and try again. Still no luck? Change something else and continue. Nothing. Are you in the right place? You wade out and move upstream. Or should it be downstream? West end of the lake? Upwind? Downwind? New spot, back in, fruitless casts, change flies, change tippets... Eventually, you get antsy, nothing is working, and you start questioning your knowledge, skills, intuition, guardian angel, the meaning of life... ARE THERE ANY FISH IN THIS #*@&$%! LAKE? Eventually, after several visits, you start to figure out the whats and wheres and hows of the water, and it does get easier. Maybe not "easy", but "easier."
Well, we may not be able to help with long-term feelings of fishing inadequacy, but Game and Parks is at least going to help us by answering the last question: Where are the fish?
Join us this month for the semi-annual NGPC Lake Outlook presentation.
Lee
Lee Koch
Wednesday, 01 February 2006
Why tie pretty flies?
You hear it frequently. It's a story told so often, by so many people, in so many places, that it has to be true (doesn't it?) It's the story about the ratty, chewed-on, bedraggled fly that catches fish like a bandit, putting its beautiful, well-proportioned brethren to shame. Another version is that the beautiful well-tied fly really starts "working" after it has been chewed on and chewed up, until it's nothing but a few tufts of organic detritus, loosely clinging to a hook.
So, it's a fair question: Why tie pretty flies?
Well, for starters, there is another category of stories, having to do with big trout in slow water. They slowly float backwards under a fly, evaluating it before either deciding it's worth a shot, or slowly sinking down to the bottom, there to stay until, you, clumsy tier, give up and go away. They took their time, judged your fly, and found it lacking. This happens more in still water than in streams, but I've seen it on both waters. On the Frying Pan, in hot dry weather, my PMDs turned up noses, but A.K. Best's melon quill PMDs drew the few strikes I got on PMDs. On a cold wintry lake in southern England, Goddard caddis tied by the Keeper were the only flies to draw strikes on the surface -- he knew how to shape the deer hair to match the big lake caddis that occasionally hatched.
When the fish are "on", I think they make quick decisions, aren't too judgmental, and my amateur flies will draw strikes. But when conditions are marginal or worse, the fish are cautious, and that beautiful well-proportioned and properly-colored fly may mean the difference between catching a few and getting skunked. If the only time we fished was when the fish were "on", it'd be easy, wouldn't it? You can make mistakes, present poor flies, and still catch fish like mad. Too bad we can't all adjust our schedules to only fish then. Too bad we don't live on water where we can just walk outside, test conditions, and only give it time when things are good. Too bad we have jobs and families and obligations. But we do, so why not swing the chances in our favor?
Since we devote more of our memory to success than to failure, we remember the fish that took that ratty beat-up fly, and we forget the many trout who rejected our mis-proportioned flies. We also remember most-recent events better than previous ones. The last fish caught weighs more in our memory than does the first fish of the day. The first fish of the day may have struck at a new fly, while the last one may have been shown the chewed-up version. Oh, yeah, as for that chewed-on fly out-fishing the bright shiney fly, well, just how exactly did that ratty fly get chewed-up anyway? By drawing strikes, I think.
Finally, there is something to be said for pursuing beauty for its own sake. Craftsmen and women, whether they work wood, sew fabric, or tie flies, get something out of pursuing perfection. Just the fact of paying attention to what's beautiful and what isn't, makes you a better person. Beauty is pleasing, and ugliness isn't (however we personally define each). Life is short, why not pursue beauty in our craft and have a little more pleasure?
Our February meeting is devoted to fly-tying techniques. And the pursuit of a little more beauty.
Lee
Brad Siegfreid
Sunday, 29 January 2006
On April 22, 2006, prominent author, A.K. Best will be the guest speaker at the Cornhusker Fly Fishers, Inc. annual Spring Fling. The public is invited to attend Mr. Best's presentations on fly-fishing and fly tying demonstrations. During the Spring Fling there will also be raffles, prizes, and lunch will be provided by the Cornhusker Fly Fishers.
The Spring Fling is being held Saturday, April 22, 2006, at Spargen Hall, 1842 Furnas, in Ashland, Nebraska. Ashland is located between Lincoln and Omaha, Nebraska. The cost of this all day event is $25 for adults and $5 for children ages 15 and under. Spring Fling hours are between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.; with registration starting at 7:30 a.m.
Proceeds from the event are used to fund club activities, including fly-fishing education and conservation projects. For more information contact Agnes Adams at (402) 483-1716. Or registration fees may be mailed to: Spring Fling, Cornhusker Fly Fishers Club, P.O. Box 57185, Lincoln, NE, 68510. Last minute tickets may be purchased at the door the day of the event.
Brad Siegfreid
Sunday, 29 January 2006
On April 22, 2006, prominent author, A.K. Best will be the guest speaker at the Cornhusker Fly Fishers, Inc. annual Spring Fling. The public is invited to attend Mr. Best's presentations on fly-fishing and fly tying demonstrations. During the Spring Fling there will also be raffles, prizes, and lunch will be provided by the Cornhusker Fly Fishers.
The Spring Fling is being held Saturday, April 22, 2006, at Spargen Hall, 1842 Furnas, in Ashland, Nebraska. Ashland is located between Lincoln and Omaha, Nebraska. The cost of this all day event is $25 for adults and $5 for children ages 15 and under. Spring Fling hours are between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.; with registration starting at 7:30 a.m.
Proceeds from the event are used to fund club activities, including fly-fishing education and conservation projects. For more information contact Agnes Adams at (402) 483-1716. Or registration fees may be mailed to: Spring Fling, Cornhusker Fly Fishers Club, P.O. Box 57185, Lincoln, NE, 68510. Last minute tickets may be purchased at the door the day of the event.
Brad Siegfreid
Thursday, 12 January 2006
It's that time of year to grab your new fishing license. If you don't mind paying by credit card you can do it online and print it on out on your way to your favorite fishing hole:
https://greatlodge.com/scripts/ipos/GLNEpermits.cgi
Lee Koch
Sunday, 01 January 2006
Winter is upon us, but we don't have to yield to its icy grasp. We'll think our way through it. Close your eyes, relax, and think warm, tropical thoughts. Feel the sun beat down on your face and shoulders. Wiggle your toes in the white sand. Breathe in and smell the clean salty ocean air. Relaaaax...
OK, now imagine holding a 10-wt flyrod with a SCREAMING reel attached, tethering you to a powerful beast of a fish who has just sucked down your sand-eel imitation, and is going to spend the next 3-and-a-half seconds stripping 200 yards of line and backing off your reel, after which he's going to try to pull the rod out of your hands! Got your blood flowing yet?
Dave Matsumora visited Christmas Island last year, and for our January meeting, he is going to transport us, via photos and stories, to that island wonderland. Don't miss it.
I've never ice fished, and I am pretty sure that one day in the future, ice fishing will be medically categorized as a form of seasonal dementia, treatable with narcotics (or at least beer), and/or intense sunlight therapy, otherwise known as the "snowbird remedy."
I have, however, fished in the snow, and it's not necessarily too bad. With neoprene, gore-tex and fleece, everything but the extremities can stay pretty cozy. Once, driving my '65 Barracuda from California to Lincoln, I went over Medicine Bow Pass in the Snowy Range, on Memorial Day, May 31. The road had been open about a week, and there were still 12-foot banks of snow enclosing the road. Lake Marie, right at the pass, had just iced out on one side -- there was an open patch of water maybe 60 feet across. A person could slog through the snow to the bank, wade into the lake, cast your midge emerger onto the ice, then slowly drag it off the ice into the water, and cruising trout would sip it down. They didn't fight very hard, and bringing them to hand, they were pathetic creatures, with shriveled bellies that made their heads look 3 sizes too big -- concentration camp fish. I quit fishing pretty quickly, for fear of killing these weakened fish. After all, if they made it through that nasty 8-month winter at 11,000 feet, they deserved better than to be killed just as the bug pantry was about to be re-stocked for another season.
There was one other car in the parking lot, a guy from Laramie who strapped on a pair of skis then side-stepped up the slope for 45 minutes, took a breather, and skied down for about 45 seconds, only to turn around and start side-stepping back up to do it again. Later on we met at the cars, and I remarked that it looked like fun, but I wondered if it was worth the effort climbing up that slope -- he smiled and asked me if the lake was cold (it sure was, right through my waders and fleece!) and then asked, was catching a few fish worth it for me? I had to laugh and tell him Yes, it was.
To each of us our own form of personal dementia. Welcome to 2006!
Lee
Neil Boston
Friday, 16 December 2005
Friends,
The end of the year is almost upon us, and I think most indications point to the
fact that it's been a pretty good year for the Cornhusker Fly Fishers. I've
listed a few high points from the last twelve months below:
- The Spring Fling with Ed Engle was a success both financially and in
attendance. We also sold an amazing number of books.
- An article on fly fishing by member Stephen Elliot was published in
Vision magazine.
- We saw an increase of member participation in programs and
activities.
- We gained almost 20 new members!
- We remain financially sound.
- Two separate articles featuring the Cornhusker Fly Fishers were printed
in the Lincoln Journal Star.
- It was a record year for contributions to the Casting for Recovery
project!
- Nine members of the club made a fly fishing trip to the Arkansas River
in Colorado.
- A new record was set at the One Fly Bluegill Contest, and rule changes
for the contest worked out very well.
- We ratified an updated version of the by-laws.
- A new design for club tee shirts was chosen.
- We had lots of fun fishing on Saturday outings.
- Removed a good number of trees and brush around Qwest Lake to open up
access to the water.
- We started printing our own newsletters to hold down costs.
- Introduced fly tying and rod building to many new and established
members.
- A Cornhusker Fly Fishers website was established.
- Taught a number of youth to tie flies and to cast a fly rod on several
occasions.
- We ate lots of carp goodies at Carp Fest.
- We welcomed Andrea Cade as the new Aquatic Education Specialist, and
Tony Korth as Director of the Ak-Sar-Ben Aquarium.
- We also said goodbye to two good friends, Darrell Feit and Clarence
Newton.
Hopefully you've made some new friends and have learned something new about fly
fishing and fly tying, or maybe learned of a new place to go fishing this year.
It was a privilege to serve as president this year, and I feel extremely
fortunate to have had such a wonderful board of directors to work with. The
accomplishments I've listed would not have been possible without their hard
work, dedication and expertise.
No matter what your participation, I thank you for being a member of the
Cornhusker Fly Fishers and look forward to an even better year in 2006.
N. B.
Ephesians 3:16-19
Brad Siegfreid
Friday, 02 December 2005
I apologize for any problems you may have had connecting to the web site today, it was moving into its new home. Instead of sharing a little bit of drive space at an undisclosed location in Virginia, the web site gets to hang out in my home office doing the free range thing with all the bytes that it can eat. I'll be tweaking and prodding it a bit to make sure things are running smoothly. I also need to free the forums from some seriously unwanted hangers-on too. If you've seen some posts from guests that look just a bit odd that's because they are and they'll be gone shortly. Just don't visit their posted web sites unless there aren't any little ones in the room.
We now return you to your previously scheduled web browsing, and thanks for stopping by.
Colleen Whitney
Sunday, 20 November 2005
Some of you may remember the last fly rod I built; an 8 ft. 5 wt. that I fondly
call the salute to Mexico. It was the first rod that I had ever made and in my
eyes it turned out to be a gem. The original kit came with red, green, and gold
thread. I was a little disappointed in the thread colors. These are pretty
boring, I thought to myself as I opened the kit. However, once Lee Koch and
Doug King explained how to apply the wraps to the guides my imagination took
over and I knew I could make a pretty cool looking fly rod. Somewhere, during
the afternoon hours of wrapping I think Lee got a little bored and offered to
help me with my wraps. I had been struggling to put green wraps on the lower end
of my rod and was happy for the assistance. You bet!, I replied. When Lee
asked me what color to use I quickly responded that he should be creative and
use the red and gold. And in the end we came up with a unique rod that had green
wraps on the bottom half and red and gold threads wrapped around every other
guide, all the way to the tip-top. A fun result after many hours of labor.
But what does that have to do with a girly rod?
On November 19th, our fly fishing club had the luxury of hosting its second
annual fly rod building workshop. Earlier in the year, when I heard we were
going to do another workshop I jumped at the chance to build another fly rod.
You see, I had a special rod planned in my mind since the rod building workshop;
the year before. No more dull green wraps for me!
At our club meeting, earlier in the week, I had told Lee that my secret wish was
to make a fly rod with pink and purple wraps - but the kit I bought had come
with some standard issue thread; in the typical colors of brown and green, and
of course the added bonus of gold metallic thread. Lee being ever helpful
offered to bring some purple and pink thread so I could make my one-of-a-kind
rod. I was elated!
Yesterday, was the big day. Lee remembered the now famous pink and purple
thread. I could hardly wait to get my handle and reel seat on the rod and start
putting the wraps on the guides. And once I did - boy was I in rod wrap
heaven. My husband, Wayne, had to remind me to stop wrapping and come eat lunch
with the rest of the group.
Did I mention that once I started with the pink wraps - people who stopped to
see how I was doing started making comments about the bright pink color? I think
I may have scared a few people off when they saw me start in with the purple
thread. (OK Mike, I know you put purple wraps on your rod.) There was also a bit
of teasing. At one point someone made the comment that I was making a girly
rod and no man would ever touch it. So I started calling the rod my girly rod
and decided it needed even more flash. So what's a girl to do? Easy! Just add
some gold thread for tipping around a few of the wraps. Man talk about being
GLAM!
In the end, my newly built rod came out just the way I wanted it. My vision,
while somewhat bright and flashy for others, is just the ticket for me. I can
hardly wait to build a rod next year. This year the girly rod. Next year?
Well, we'll just have to wait and see.
Colleen Whitney
Neil Boston
Thursday, 03 November 2005
With Thanksgiving coming up the week following this month's meeting I would like
to invite everyone to take pause and contemplate things to be thankful for this
year as fly fishers. Each person's list will be unique I'm sure, but we may also
have some items in common.
Things I'm thankful for this season:
- For a terrific meeting place like the Ak-Sar-Ben Aquarium and the great
relationship we have with the folks at Game & Parks.
- For bluegills. No matter how bad the fishing might be I can most always
catch at least a couple gullible bluegills.
- I'm thankful for any opportunity to fish a trout stream.
- For the individuals who taught me to tie flies, especially deer hair
bass bugs.
- For the individuals who taught me to cast a fly. I'm not the best caster
around but I can catch fish on a fly rod and have a good time.
- For those individuals who invited me on fly fishing trips long before I
had a clue about what I was doing.
- I'm thankful to be healthy enough to fish as I like.
- I'm thankful for the car rides I've shared to and from fishing
destinations and events. It's always fun getting to know someone a little
better, to hear some good stories, share a few laughs and learn something new.
- For all the good cooks in the club. I can't wait for tie-ins to start so
I can sample all those tasty stews and chilis and other goodies.
- For fly fishing friendships old and new.
- For moments spent sipping a steaming hot cuppa tea or chilly chardonnay
streamside with good friends.
- I'm thankful for Agnes Adams who (against my better judgment) put my
name on the ballot for member at large a few years ago.
- I'm thankful for the outpouring of support for our Casting For Recovery
project last spring.
- I'm thankful for deep fried carp, carp wraps and carp tacos.
- I'm thankful for everyone who showed up for our meetings even though it
was the hottest, coldest, wettest, or most windy day of the month.
- For all our new members.
- For all the individual efforts that have made this year a success for
the Cornhusker Fly Fishers.
If there are individuals on your list that have helped you along in fly fishing,
please take this opportunity to say thanks. It's a wonderful gift that doesn't
need to wait for Christmas.
See you at the meeting!
N.B.
Brad Siegfreid
Tuesday, 01 November 2005
On November 19, 2005, at Spargen Hall in Ashland, we will conduct the second annual CFF rod-building workshop. The workshop will start at 8:30 AM, and probably go until 4:00 or 5:00 PM. You should purchase your kit and bring it to the workshop. All extra tools necessary to build your rod will be provided by the club. Based on last years experience, you can figure that we will not comp
