Looking at 2014 - Let's go fishing

This evening President Tom Craig called our monthly meeting to order at 7:02.
There was 21 club members and guest in attendance.
This evening we had a much smaller, a bit crowded dining room at Smith's Family Restaurant. We should be back in our regular meeting room next month.

Tom first made mention of the club's blog. There had been a remark made that this blogsite did not give enough details of all meetings' discussions. Tom pointed out that this blog was only meant to be a recap of our meetings and the club's activities, and for those that wished to have more details of club happenings, should consider being present at the club activities, as announced by email, this blogsite, our Facebook page, and local newspapers.

This evening's fly box ~ door prize was won by Rick Taylor.

Next order of business; Tom has made arrangements with fellow club member Grant Richie, to have any/all members for Walla² Fly Fishers to visit Minam and go steelhead fishing for a couple of days. The days in the plans are March 4 and 5, 2014. For those that would like to make an overnight trip out of this excursion Grant offered to give a 10% club member's discount for Minam Motel rooms and his guide services on the Wallowa and Minam rivers.
Room rates are: $69 single room -- $79 single room w/kitchen -- $89 for 2 bedroom w/kitchen.
For more details please contact President Tom <tcraig@cbfr.biz>
~or~
Minam Rentals / Motel website @-----> http://www.minamraftrentals.com/

President Tom pointed out that the Washington State Fly Fishing Fair was being held on May 3 & 4, 2014 in Ellensburg.


President Tom also brought to our attention; -Alaska’s Bristol Bay watershed- being home to the largest wild salmon run and trophy rainbow trout population in the world. While living in Alaska, this area was one of his favorite fishing spots, now under consideration to be mined. Pebble Mine is not just a mine. It is to be the world’s largest open pit mine, situated immediately up-gradient of this renowned, salmon fishery that bolsters a $300 million economy on its renewable resource. Pebble Mine is the common name of a mineral exploration project investigating a very large porphyry copper, gold, and molybdenum mineral deposit in the Bristol Bay region of Southwest Alaska, near Lake Iliamna and Lake Clark. Tom ask for club members to consider joining the fight to save this area in AK, for it's natural renewable resources, instead of giving it over to corporate interest. For more details click on this website @---->; http://www.orvis.com/intro.aspx?subject=4571

Tom announced that the local Walla Walla Farmer's Market has invited our Walla² Fly Fishers to join them this 2014 season with a FREE booth location. This subject is open for further discussion, as we approach the Farmers' Market season.

This evening it was also discussed... should the club renew it's affiliation with the Federation of Fly Fishers (FFF)? Some club officers discussed this via email recently, and it was discussed with the Columbia Basin Flycasters at the Tri-Cities Sportsman show. That fly fishing club dropped their FFF affiliation some time ago. Our club officers have concluded that this club will NOT at this time renew affiliation with the FFF. All members that wish to remain members of the FFF, you are encouraged to do so, but it will no longer be a requirement for our club membership to also be a member of the FFF. Vice President Dave will be looking into acquiring liability insurance for our club and it's activities.
It was noted that the Columbia Basin Fly Casters have their monthly meetings the second Tuesday of each month, and any of our membership are invited to share an evening with them. Please see their website @----> http://columbiabasinflycasters.org/

Our next order of business discussed was the option of holding a Fly Fishing Banquet with speaker John Shewey who would be available to be with us on May 3rd.

John Shewey tying flies at the NW Fly Tyers' Expo

It was again brought up that this might be a bit too short of a time-frame to put together an adequate banquet, with all that would need to go into it. It was also pointed out that May 3rd was the Washington State Fly Fishing Fair in Ellensburg, WA ~and~ this was the same weekend for the Walla Walla Wine Spring Release. A very, very busy weekend for Washington fly fishing and wine affairs, not the best time for the Walla² Fly Fishers to add another activity to the mix. We hope to have and find a large enough banquet facility that we can invite the fly fishing clubs in Tri-Cities, Pendleton, and La Grande to join us. Therefore it was discussed that we look at a fall date late September or October, to invite John out to Walla Walla to share an evening of fly fishing. Dale said he would pursue this idea with John and hope to have an available date to discuss a fall banquet by our March meeting.

Final order of business discussed this evening the involvement of our Walla² Fly Fishers with Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing and the Walla Walla VA Hospital. Jerry Newell has been co-coordinating this discussion for several months with the VA.

This has been a club discussion over the past several months and it was agreed tonight that our club would make this commitment to setup a program with the VA hospital and start fly tying and fly fishing classes and fishing trip for those disabled veterans that would like to participate. Vice President Dave signed the paperwork to put this club's action in motion with Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing ---> https://www.projecthealingwaters.org/.
Will you join us in these endeavors?

This evening's fly box ~ raffle was won by Dr. Mike Garton.

Our meeting this evening was adjourned at 8:37 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,
Dale McKain
Secretary

Tight lines and good fishing.

Walla² Fly Fishers

Contact Us

Tom Craig – President
Dave Stemmer – Vice President
Doug Coe – Treasurer
Dale McKain – Secretary

Past Presidents

Tyson Kopfer
Bob Long
Scott Peters