2025 Happy New Year - January 8, 2025

This evening President Dave called our meeting to order at 7:05, after everyone finished a delicious meal at the new Walla Walla Denny's Restaurant. 

This evening we had 25 members and guest in attendance. 

Recent fishing reports were made.
Treasurer Doug reported that the club had $1726 in the bank, and $60 was collected this evening from the raffling of a donated Dennis Dauble book. Doug won the book.

Thank you Dennis

Doug also brought to our attention that current 2025 Club Membership Dues are now due.

- Annual Dues are -
$15 for Individuals
$25 for Family

Dale McKain and Scott Peters having signed the paperwork
to organize the Walla² Fly Fishers as a Charter Club with the
Federation of Fly Fishers - 2009.

With his notice of resignation in November, founder Dale resigns as club secretary in January 2025. At tonight's meeting we took nominations for 2025 club officers with Natalie Druffel being nominated and she accepted, and will be our new club's Secretary.  

The 2025 Election was held with a quorum of club membership present. 
Dave Stemmer - President
Tanner Druffel - Vice President
Natalie Druffel - Secretary
Doug Coe - Treasurer
Thank you, one and all.

After this order of business, Dave introduced our evening's guest speaker - Dennis Dauble.

Dennis is a retired fishery scientist, educator, and outdoor writer who live in Richland, WA.

 

He has published five books about fish and fishing, and regularly writes on a wide range of natural history topics for regional newspapers and magazines.

This evening Dennis's presentation was dealing with the History of fishing in the Pacific Northwest.

Dennis discussed the known history of fishing from the known pre-historic times prior to European exploration of the area, up to and through current times. 
Dennis we Thank You for your time, travel and effort to make this presentation to our New Year meeting.

Our meeting was adjourned at 8:30, and our next meeting will be February 12. Hope to see you then.

Respectfully submitted,

Dale McKain
Club Secretary - Blog-master

https://www.facebook.com/lovePNWsteelheading

Tight lines and good fishing

- Contact Us -

<wallawalla.flyfishing@gmail.com>

November 13 - End of the Year 2024 Meeting

 

This month we ended up with an abbreviated End of the Year meeting. President Dave called the meeting to order with 13 members in attendance. We were scheduled to have Dennis Dauble -PNW fishery expert from Tri-Cities with us this evening, to bring us our meeting's program. Dennis was unable to make the trip this evening and we hope to have him again in January 2025.

During the Holiday Season -Thanksgiving through New Year - we suspend our monthly meetings.

With this brief dinner meeting, President Dave did report that Ex-President Tom and our Treasurer Doug were on a multi-day steelheading trip on the Grand Ronde River. No report of fish caught but that Doug did report that before leaving the club treasury had $1726.57.

We did have our usual fly boxes raffle and door prize and Dennis and Rosemarie Funderburg won both fly boxes.  Congratulations.

Also during this meeting our club Secretary and Founder Dale announced that he would be resigning his position after 15 years of service, as of the first of the year 2025. He said that he will continue to work with the club, attend meeting, but wished to be more of a participant than a director.  

Dale McKain and Scott Peters signing the 
paperwork to establish the club's membership with 
The Federation of Fly Fishers - June 30, 2009

Respectfully submitted,

Dale McKain
Club Secretary - Blog-master

https://www.facebook.com/lovePNWsteelheading

Tight lines and good fishing

- Contact Us -

<wallawalla.flyfishing@gmail.com>

 

May 8 meeting recap and Where to go fishing - 2024

This evening President Dave called our last meeting of Spring 2024 to order at 7:15. We had 10 members and guest in attendance. 

Without a scheduled program for the evening this meeting was rather brief. 
Treasurer Doug is currently out of the country, so Dave informed us that our bank account has $1644 in it.

Dave brought a fly rod (9 ft / 4 piece / 5 weight) - with Orvis reel - and fly line that is currently being raffled by the veteran's group Project Healing Waters. Tickets were sold this evening and if you are interested in a chance to win this fly rod - please contact President Dave  <stemmerdr@hotmail.com>.

We had a round table discussion of the most current fishing experiences by those in attendance...
Tom had been on the Yakima River with the TroutWaters guide service -
Gayle and Diane had spent recent time in Montana on the Big Hole River - playing with Brown trout
Dave and Jerry have had very successful days on the Snake River piercing bass lips. 

Above is a map of the Walla Walla River Basin, which holds many trout fishing opportunities for a day full of ~ or an evening out catching fish.
NOTE: with spring runoff from the Blue Mountains, all these water are cold, and many are running fast until mid-June.
Until that time you might consider a visit to Bennington Lake, a few miles east of Walla Walla - which is reported now being filled and well stocked. 

sunset on Bennington Lake

an early spring creeling from Bennington Lake

There are also the high Blue Mountain lakes that are usually accessible mid-June when the snow-pack melts off the roadways.

Penland Lake near Ukiah, OR

Julibee Lake - Tollgate, Oregon

The road to Jubilee Lake is usually opened by the end of June,
and is rather poorly maintained thereafter.

an early July creeling from Jubliee Lake

Wallowa Lake - Joseph, OR

Deer - Deer - Deer are everywhere

Ron Campbell with his World Record Wallowa Lake Kokanee

A day of Kokanee fishing

https://www.wallowalake.net/

Bull Prairie Reservoir - Spray, Oregon

Harris Park - Milton-Freewater, OR

https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/oregon/harris-park-trail

Walla² Fly Fishers

Rattlesnakes - this writer has encountered more Rattlesnakes on the So Fork of the Walla Walla than any other fishing area of NE Oregon - they will usually let you know that they are laying there. Listen for the tail BUZZZZZZZZZ

Anthony Lake - Elkhorn Mtns, OR 
At 7,100' it is Oregon's highest drive to lake

Gunsight Mountain

Anthony Lake triploid-Rainbows

A delicious stillwater catching fly

Elevation 7,100' ~ Oregon's highest drive to fishing lake
https://www.google.com/search?q=Oregon+Elkhorn+mountain+range&gs_ivs=1

McKay Reservoir - Pendleton
8 miles south of Pendleton, Oregon on U.S. 395 

Crappie, Bass and Trout habitat

8 miles south of Pendleton, Oregon on U.S. 395

Touchet River - Dayton, WA

This evening's raffled fly boxes were won by Duane and Noel.

Now, if you are one that does not wish to explore new Pacific Northwest fishing waters on your own - there are these "local" guide services. 

 ~ https://minamstore.com/

 ~ https://troutwaterflyshop.com/guide-service/

 ~ https://www.granderondeflyfishing.com/

 ~ http://www.josephflyshoppe.com/
 ~ https://www.windingwatersrafting.com/guided-fly-fishing
 ~ http://www.midcolumbiariverguideservice.com/

 ~ https://www.fishingwithladin.com/

With all said and done, this evening's meeting was adjourned at 7:40.

We are now on our Summer Fly Fishing break and will return for our next meeting in September...
watch you Emails for details.

Respectfully submitted,
Dale McKain
Club Secretary - Blog-master

https://www.facebook.com/lovePNWsteelheading

Tight lines and good fishing

- Contact Us -

<wallawalla.flyfishing@gmail.com>