Our Eighth Annual Fly Fishing Fair

Heading for Waterbrook Winery this AM

  Today's forecast reads
AM rain

Low 50°   ~   High 72°
Wind Gust  @  >25 mph
Talking about, and with the practice of fly fishing,
this should make for a good day.

The past seven years we have beat the odds, of cool, damp mornings in SE Washington for our Fly Fishing Fairs. Today the odds caught up with us, but it did not dampen our spirits. As everyone that picks up a fly rod knows, some the best days fishing are the ones that are overcast, and even better are the ones with a little rain on the river / stream surface to start or finish a day's outing. 

... tis not all of fishing to fish.
- Izaak Walton

Waterbrook Winery entrance - wet

From the get go this morning, we had rainfall, but it began to slack off rather quickly once we began our day's activities.

Waterbrook fishing pond - rainy

Soon the Walla² Fly Fishers began to arrive with fly fishing and fly tying gear in hand ready for the day.

Grant Richie and sons from Minam, OR set up a shelter for our casting instructor to work out of. Grant and family operate the raft and fishing guide services at www.minamraftrentals

Jim Gallagher from Ellensburg, WA brought his fly tying gear to join us at the tyers' table. Jim operates his business out of Troutwater Outfitters and Fly Shop at troutwaterfly.com/

President Dave sit up a presentation table for our club sponsored Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing, Inc.

Our casting instructor this year was Grant. With our morning weather conditions, the participants this year were few.

At the tyers' table there was Jim, Herb and Dale. Jim was tying his specialty flies for fishing the Yakima River, Herb was tying some of his favorite bass flies, and Dale was tying stillwater and steelhead flies.

Between the morning rains and the afternoon wind, some found a chance to wet a fly on the Waterbrook Winery ponds.

It wasn't too late in the morning that the rains ceased and the changing weather winds began to blow. 

Disregarding the weather, people kept coming out to see us today.

With the wind and a bit of chill that went with it, at noon time many of our guest found that it was lunch time, and came in from the weather to grab a bite to eat.

By mid-afternoon the clouds began to part, the sun was shining bright, and Our Eighth Annual Fly Fishing Fair was drawing to a close.
As the day came to an end, we were out from under the rainfall, the winds had subsided, the Walla Walla Valley vineyards were growing greener, and our Blue Mountain foothills make a beautiful place to think about going fly fishing for: trout, steelhead, salmon, bass, crappie, blue gills, perch, carp, Northern Pike Minnows, etc.

For the folks that joined us today at Waterbrook Winery, we hope you enjoyed your visit. We hope you learned a little about fly fishing and fly tying, and you will join us at our next club meeting in mid-September.

Waterbrook Winery, Thank You again for allowing us to have use of your lawn, pond, banquet room for our day's activities.

We wish to Thank ALL the participants which helped with our program today, and we hope to see everyone back to share their fish tales with us again next year.

Tight lines and good fishing.

Respectfully submitted,
Dale McKain
Club Secretary

Contact Us

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

YOU are cordially invite to...

Our Eighth Annual Fly Fishing Fair

Saturday 18 June 2016 -11:00 am 

at Waterbrook Winery
~~~~~~~~~~~~

10518 W. Highway 12  Walla Walla, WA

“I fish because I love to. Because I love the environs where trout are found, which are invariably beautiful... Because in the woods I can find solitude without loneliness. ... And finally, not because I regard fishing as being so terribly important, but because I suspect that so many of the other concerns of men are equally unimportant and not nearly so much fun.”
― Robert Traver

There is an art and science to throwing a nearly weightless hook - with fur and feather attached - 30', 60', 90' to a rising fish. Almost anyone can do it - just come out and try it.
Group and individual fly casting instructions are offered - FREE.

OH for the joy... of a nice fly presentation, and then the fishy hook-up that follows.

Demonstrating the art and science of fly tying --
where the smallest of flies, is sometimes what it takes to a catch large fish.
We do offer individual fly tying instructions - FREE 

Yes, we do stand around discussing fishing and other important matters in life

There are fish to be caught on the fly at our Fly Fishing Fairs at Waterbrook Winery

Walla² Fly Fishers - invite area fly fishing guide services to join us to share in the day and the opportunity to fly fishing our Pacific Northwest waters successfully

Walla² Fly Fishers' special community project is sponsoring our local Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing, Inc.
The annual Fly Fishing Fairs gives the general public and the area fly fishing community the opportunity to join in our efforts to contribute to the cause with silent auction tables, holding some nice items.

At Waterbrook Winery there is pop, lunch, and wines served to refresh the day, Please join us.

We offer individual fly casting instructions - FREE

 

Visit our previous SEVEN Fly Fishing Fairs links to get a taste of our venue, and the Waterbrook Winery.
June 18th once again we will be fly fishing / fly tying / talking about the art and science of the sport. Will you join us?
FREE - hands on programs of fly casting, fly tying, fly fishing to the interested PUBLIC - we have the fly fishing gear you will need, or bring your own.

Click on this link and follow the label - Fly Fishing Fair - to view past Walla² Fly Fishers' Fly Fishing Fairs and other club activities.

Tight lines and good fishing

Direction and map to Waterbrook Winery

https://goo.gl/maps/N2JBWFCvnPE2

We hope you will join us here on June 18th.

2015 - Our Seventh Annual Fly Fishing Fair

Greeting guest at the Waterbrook Winery entrance - are 35 pound Chinooks searching for fly fishers
"Elwha Tears" by Al Adams

June 6th this year we conducted our Seventh Annual Fly Fishing Fair (FFF), again at Waterbrook Winery located on Hwy 12 just east of Walla Walla. This year the weather was warm and beautiful for the event.

The purpose for this annual event is to interest people in the sport of fly fishing, in an open public forum, and for FREE.

Club President Tom, felt that we had about 75 interested fly fishing participants joining our FFF this year. 

The past two years our club has been involved with a Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing, Inc. program. "Healing Those Who Serve" the veterans from Walla Walla and the surrounding area that need a break from war's reality and it's memories. Proceeds of today FFF will go to that cause.

Gerald Berton Newell, 75
May 4, 1940 —  Feb. 1, 2016
Rest in Peace dear friend

Therefore we do have available a silent auction table of fly fishing goodies to help in the raising of funds for this local program.

Fly boxes have up to 70 flies in them - a $100+ value in each. Flashlight and table lamp to help fund the cause.

This year we raised over $250 for our Project Healing Waters program, and wish to thank everyone that participated/ donated to this cause.

Project Healing Waters-Fly Fishing - Coordinator Jerry is loaded and ready for their next group fly fishing trip

This year we conducted our FFF a bit differently, in demonstrating and instructing fly casting and fly tying. In years past most of our presentation has been a group activity / demo. This year we catered more to the individual, to show a little of the art and science of fly fishing.

Again, since "a picture is worth a thousand words" this blog posting will share this day's event -indoors and outdoors- via pictures.

Our presentations were scheduled to start at 11:00 am, the time the winery opens. As some of the club members were coming earlier, we found some folks ready to get started and wanted to see what they could do with a fly rod, so the day started with a smile, warm sunshine, and fly rods in hand.

Today we did have folks of all ages to join us to get the feel of a fly rod's action in hand, and test the waters of the Waterbrook Winery ponds. Here for Catch & Release these pond hold... frogs, trout, carp/coy, and bass. As seen in the photo above, the salmon are kept inside the winery.

Found a trout in camo

Found a frog watching a pointless fly overhead

Found a trout on the fly

Our lead casting instructor today was Robert, with help from Jim and Grant. These instructor gave their time for one-on-one instruction to all those that wanted to get the feel of fly rod casting. No hooks with points are used for our FFF demos.

Robert talking and instruction details of timing and line~fly delivery

See it is...

as easy as - 1

2

3 - fly on the water, waiting for the bite

Even though fly line casting may look a bit tricky, once an individual learns the rhythm of the casting swing, the rod and the weight of the fly line does all the "work" making casting of a weightless fly very easy. All the caster has to do is just aim and shoot... the fly line.

You see, it is...

as easy as - 1

2

3

then it is practice, practice, practice on grass or water in learning to put your fly in the fish's lip.
"All in a day's work and play."

Along with the art of casting a weightless fly to the lips of fish, there is also the art of tying flies to help create the circle and joy of fly fishing. Today we had club members Herb and Steve giving fly tying demonstrations and answering questions of how to whip thread, fur, feather, and synthetics onto a hook to catch a fish.

some #26 flies are small and catch big fish

some flies are large to catch steelhead,
salmon and the like

some flies are to "match the hatch"
and catch rising fish

Particularly fishing for trout there is an art and science in fly tying - called "matching the hatch", when sometimes it is almost necessary to catch the rising trout. From time to time the Walla² Fly Fishers also offer fly tying round tables for novice to advanced fly tyers. Stay in touch with our blog postings and facebook page to learn more, about times and place.
Don't be distressed, if you don't have the time to tye your own flies there are plenty of online warehouses selling flies to make your next fly fishing trip a success. 
There is a great deal of satisfaction in catching your next fish on a fly that you tyed.



So again we feel that we had a most successful day at this Walla² Fly Fishers Seventh Annual Fly Fishing Fair.

Waterbrook Winery - tasting room and patio

We wish to say Thank You once again the Waterbrook Winery and their staff for sharing their grounds, and stocked fish ponds for this event. We wish to thank the two professional fly fishing guides -Jim and Grant- for again joining us to aid in putting today's program together.

Grant Richie

                          Jim Gallagher

The life cycle of the Pacific salmonids

And we wish to thank everyone and our club members for joining us to again make this annual event a fun success.

Until next year... Tight lines and Good fishing.

PS. Our next scheduled monthly meeting will be held Wednesday, September 23 at Smith's Family Restaurant 1425 Pine Street in Walla Walla. Dinner and social hour at 6:00 pm with meeting to follow at 7:00

Tight lines and Good Fishing

Contact Us

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