Winter 2016 - Fly fishing, Fly tying, and other things of great importance

Vice President Tom called our meeting to order at 7:10 pm. 
He announced that this week President Dave was on a mission to attend a national conference in Florida, with Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing, Inc.(PHW). Dave has taking the commanding role in our club’s affiliation with PHW, after we lost Jerry Newell – RIP, on February 1.

There were 13 club members and guest in attendance.

We started the evening discussing fishing trips that have been taken during the past month.  Diane had just returned from a most exotic fishing trip which was a cruise to Chile, and while there one excursion off ship was an upriver 5-hour fishing trip searching for brown trout. She found them.

Diane's Chilean brownie

Tom reported that he, Steve Roy and Grant Richie has spent March 9^th fishing the Wallowa River, mostly 5-miles upriver from Minam Junction. He reported that the weather that day was off-and-on between winter and spring. He reported that the water level was good, the water clarity was a good steelhead green, and he tagged the only hook-up of the day. 

One that didn't get away from Tom

He said that Grant had done a wonderful job of guiding this trip, and he could not believe the amount of time that Grant spent walking their boat, so that he and Roy had added opportunity to “work” the river.

Tom also told us that he had made a trip up to the Tucannon River lakes. Said fishing was very slow but he spotted some large rainbows in Big Four Lake. He reported that with late winter water flow crossing the Tucannon River was a tough chore.

Tom also mentioned that this year Curl Lake would be opening 1 month later that all the other Tucannon River Lakes.

Dr. Mike, Robert and Dale had spent three days in late February fishing the Imnaha River. 

Dr. Mike's very cozy hideout for winter steelhead fishing

Their first day on the river was cool, with over cast skies, water flow a bit swift. The second day was spend fishing at Cow Camp, water and weather conditions were improving. There they saw a bait and bobber fisher from Enterprise heading for his truck with two steelies in hand – one very dark, the other quite bright.  The third day of their outing was one that every steelheader wishes for; good clear water conditions, bright skies, mild air temperature, and many cast being made with anticipation of a swirling hookup and powerful jerk in return. They did experience some great fishing, just no catching for their three days spent in the middle of nowhere - NE Oregon. Each day they checked with the creel-checker at the end of the paved road, and all three days the creel count from fishing down river was zero. 

Diane mentioned that she had contacted the USACE about the filling and fishing of Bennington Lake at Walla Walla, this spring. 

She was told that it would be filled at the end of the spring flood risk season. She said that she would keep us posted on the lake filling and trout stocking, with hope that the club could make a few floating outings to work on our stocked lake creel limits.

It was mentioned that in reading the 2016 Oregon Fishing Regulations manual, most of Oregon’s lakes are now open for fly fishing year round. Streams and river are open May 22 – Oct 31.

Oregon's e-Regulations connection

 After these fishing reports, Tom announced that the date was now set for our 2016 -  8^th Annual Fly Fishing Fair (FFF) to be held at Waterbrook Winery. This year our FFF will be held on Saturday, June 18. This event is FREE to the interested fly fishing public, that wish to learn more about the art, science and act of fly fishing.

Tom said this year the publicity for this FFF would be ready for distribution around May 1. He also announce that Grant Richie of Minam Raft Rentals and Jim Gallagher from Troutwater Guide Service would be attending to aid us in the development of our event.

This evening Tom brought a number of his Fish Alaska Magazines to the meeting to share with anyone that would be interested in taking one or more home for their reading enjoyment.

It was also discussed that the Tri-Cities, WA fly fishing club –Columbia Basin Fly Casters– had been in contact with our club, asking if we would be interested in developing a conservation project with them. With very little details of what they have in mind, this matter will be looked at again later, when more detail are presented to us.

Last Saturday the local 4-H Group had their Super Saturday Event. Tom and Diane attended to aid interest kids in fly fishing and fly tying.  Diane reported that the novice fly tyers were turning out 3 flies per 1¼ hour. 

Tonight is was agreed that we would hold the fly boxes we usually  raffle; to be loaded with the flies tied this evening, and offer them for our next month’s meeting prizes.

This evening we did not have a guest speaker, but we did have our two most top-notch fly tyers demonstrating their talents at their tying vices. Tonight Diane and Herb set up a table together with vises and light and turned out some of their favorite flies, while the rest of our evening's group observed, discussed and noted the handy work from these tyers' fingertips.

Heidi inspects Diane's tyes of the evening

We get a closer look at Diane's flies

One of Herb's tyes of the evening

A time for Q&A's

A look at some of Herb's working fly collections.

Thank you Diane and Herb, for your time, show and tell this evening. Thank you for the flies to enhance the fly boxes raffles for next month.

This evening our meeting was adjourned at 8:20.

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Our next monthly meeting will be held Wednesday. 20 April.
Our regularly scheduled meetings are held on the third Wednesday of the month September - May at:
Smith's Family Restaurant

1425 Pine Street

Walla Walla

Dinner and social at 6:00 pm with meeting following at 7:00

Come one, come all, come as you are. Our meetings are open to the interested fly fishing public.

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Respectfully submitted,
Dale McKain
Club Secretary

Tight lines and Good Fishing

Contact Us

Dave Stemmer – President
Tom Craig – Vice President
Doug Coe – Treasurer
Dale McKain – Secretary - Blogmaster
Dave Stemmer – PROJECT HEALING WATERS Coordinator

 

 Past Presidents
Tom Craig
Tyson Kopfer
Bob Long
Scott Peters