Thursday, May 15, 2014

Getting ready for our 6th Annual Fly Fishing Fair


This evening President Tom Craig called our meeting to order at 7:05 pm.
We had 11 members and guest in attendance.

Tom started the meeting telling a cute story about a 7 year old that has come to the conclusion that “if God is missing... we’re in Big Trouble”, to say the least.


Glen Mendale with WDFW addressed our group saying that the Spring Chinook were returning to Dayton, WA and also into the lower Grand Ronde River. In Washington the lower 2½ miles of the river will be Catch & Release fishing only. Spring Chinook harvest season will be July (10-15?).

Grant Richie had sent out an email this past week of a river cleanup on the Minam River this weekend, and this was brought up at this meeting. There seemed to be no indication that anyone here had plans to go that way – Oregon fishing season is no yet open.


It was mentioned that the upper reaches of the Yakima River would be opened for Spring Chinook fishing on May 17th.
 
Jerry Newell, Chairperson for our Project Healing Waters working with the Walla Walla VA Hospital Vets brought in some Project
Healing Waters flyers, and announced that we had a standing meeting with interested vets each Thursday at 5:00 pm and the ReHab Building at the hospital.
Jerry also is “manning” the booth for the club and Project Healing Waters at the Farmers’ Market most Saturdays 9:00a-1:00p. This evening Jerry won the fly box door prize.


Our next order of business was discussion of the club’s 5th Annual Fly Fishing Fair at Waterbrook Winery to be held 14 June from 10:00a – 2:00p.

Kristi Bailes – Catering and Merchandise Manger at Waterbrook Winery gave us an overview of how she hoped to show would go this year, with fly tyers, fly line casting, fishing on the Waterbrook ponds and tells us that we can catch and keep the Coy that are in the ponds now. Kristi said that she would take care of publicity for this event and would have flyers available soon for us to pass out around the area in department and sporting goods stores.  

Kristi - Robin - VP Dave

Food will be made available by Waterbrook Winery Catering which will include a number of entrées with beer, wine, non-alcoholic beverages available. We are hoping / planning to also have with us this year fishing guides Grant Richie from the Minam River area and Jim Gallager from the Yakima River area. Dale McKain announced that he had publicized the event via email to the fly fishing clubs in Pendleton and Tri-Cities.


The meeting was adjourned at 8:00 pm.



Respectively submitted,
Dale McKain
Club Secretary

Tight lines and good fishing.


Walla² Fly Fishers





Tom Craig – President
Dave Stemmer – Vice President
Doug Coe – Treasurer
Dale McKain – Secretary
~ Blogmaster
Gerald "Jerry" Newell - PROJECT HEALING WATERS Coordinator

Past Presidents
Tyson Kopfer
Bob Long
Scott Peters