Discussing our club's Logo, Banquet and Graphic Apparel

This month as most Septembers of the past, our monthly meeting was held on the third Wednesday of the month. This is due to the timing conflict with the Pendleton Round-Up always the second Wednesday of September.
Tonight President Tom called our meeting to order at 7:10. There were 15 members and guest in attendance. 

Several members reported on this past Saturday's Kid's Day activities at the Walla Walla Farmers' Market. It was reported there were a good number of kids -young and old- that enjoyed handling a fly rod and casting instructions. Jerry Newell was there to inform the public of our club's participation with the Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing, Inc.™  program at the Walla Walla Veterans Hospital. Jerry also informed us of the upcoming Pacific Northwest 2-Fly Tournament for veterans, in part being sponsored by our Walla² Fly Fishers' Chapter of Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing, Inc.  this weekend on the Yakima River. Jerry, club VP Dave and several vets were registered to attend and fly fish this event. Tight lines and Good fishing guys.
It was said that everyone had a most enjoyable time, and it was fun interacting with the crowd of "kids" attending the Market that day.

Our club logo was discussed. It had been previously shown as an outline of a fish with Walla² Fly Fishers text covering part of that fish image.

Will not be used

Our new club logo

This image was voted on and approved at our August meeting, but was not exactly the trout or steelhead image of the Pacific Northwest that we were wanting to brand the club with. Thereafter our club Secretary Dale, went to work and developed a different logo image using a rainbow trout/steelhead. 

This logo between our August and September club meetings was passed around via email and was voted on and approved by the club membership and officers. This logo will now be use on all club publications, letterhead, and club sanctioned apparel.

Dale brought up the fact that this week and for the next couple of months it is / will be prime steelhead fishing in the Mighty Columbia River tributaries - the Deschutes, John Day, Umatilla, Walla Walla, Snake, Grand Ronde and Imnaha rivers. Steelhead this time of year are HOT and FAT, ready for a fight. Anyone interested in forming a P/U truck - carpooling fishing trip, for fresh steelhead and fly fishers' camaraderie please email: Walla² Fly Fishers and we will work at putting the show on the road.

Our next order of business for the evening was a report of progress to put on our Fly Fishers' Banquet of 18 October with guest speaker - John Shewey, author, editor, fly tyer, Oregon upland game birds hunter, and fly fisher extraordinaire. 

Club Secretary Dale developed an APB-poster for the club and public announcement of this event. This flyer-poster was sent via email to all club members this past week. Tom passed a copy of the poster around the room this evening, for our guest to also have info of this upcoming event.

This poster was delivered via email to all club members this week and will also be distributed around the area to promote our banquet and solicit items for our banquet's Silent Auction. Tickets for our banquet went on sale this evening for all members and guest in attendance. Our banquet price includes:

4:30 chat with John Shewey at the fly tying table
5:00 a NO-Host-Bar available
5:00-6:00 Social Hour
6:00-7:00 Dinner

7:15 Last call for Silent Auction items bidding

“Rambles of a Wandering Western Angler” – John Shewey

 



FLASH! It was discussed,  and approved that the tickets for this banquet would have$ EXTRA $value for a door prize... the WINNER will be  reimbursed $$$$ for the price of their Out-of-State (WA or OR) 2015 Annual Fishing License by Walla² Fly Fishers.

Banquet Tickets
 $35 – Individuals   $60 – Couples /$30 per additional family members
Please US Mail FUNDS before October 8^th 

To:  Dr. Doug Coe
  1341 Lowell Dr.
  Walla Walla, WA 99362

with a return --- self-addressed stamped envelope

Also announced this evening was that we already have three Silent Auction items on the table, even as we speak... -2- $25 coupons for Andy's Market and -2- tickets for the Tri-State Steelheaders' - 2015 Crab Feed. There will be much more to come.
 
Club Treasurer Dr. Doug announced that there was not any other function taking place at the Walla Walla Country Club the evening of 18 October, so we have access to opening the petitions between two banquet rooms, giving us the option of having a very large conference room setting. This would enable us to have seating for over 100 individuals for dinner and John Shewey's presentation.

Before we got into our evening's presentation with Dave Gordon representing Graphic Apparel, it was asked if there was a club history that could be referenced by members and guest. Club Blogger Dale mentioned this blog site, and said it was containing records from our first meeting of 4 March 2009. President Tom then asked Dale if he knew the current count for hits on this club blog site and our Facebook site. 

Total hits on this blog site is currently 22,272. The posting of To Catch BIG fish -- Part II -- A Blue Mountains Fly Hatch Chart has the largest number of individual hits at 3559.

Fishing for Survival

Total hits on our club's Walla² Fly Fishers Facebook page is currently 2622; with this photo Fishing for Survival getting the largest number of hits/likes at 278.

This evening Dave Gordon representative from Graphic Apparel  College Place, WA visited our meeting to discuss outdoor apparel with our club's sanction LOGO embroidered on each piece.
Dave brought with him a number of outerwear garments:

• Vest 
• Hoodies
• Logo Caps at the price of $12 to $15 depending on the style in lots of 24 count
• Sweaters
• Jackets 
• Shirts 
• Club Logo Patches at $2.50 ea. with an order of 50 count
• etc.

 Most of the apparel he showed us was of the Port Authority brand coming out of Seattle. You can follow this link to the SanMar Apparel website catalog and chose the garments that can be ordered by Graphic Apparel, embroidered with our club logo, for yourself.
He told us there would be a one time set-up fee to have our club logo digitized for the embroidery machinery of $40.00. It was voted on and approved to have Dave go ahead and make the set-up necessary to put our club logo into production. 
Dave also told us that he would then make the first club order of whatever to come to us with no -machinery set up charge- for all the items we would have embroidered. In order to have new club logo apparel available to wear at our 18 October banquet, the items wanted must be ordered no later than Friday 4 October.
If you are interested in getting in on this first order deal; chose the item you desire from the SanMar Apparel website catalog (with a lot of stuff to chose from) and notify Dave or Lynette at:
Graphic Apparel

860 NE Rose St

College Place, Washington

(509) 525-7630

Email: <art@graphicapparel.biz> or <lynette@graphicapparel.biz>

After this presentation President Tom announced our next meeting will be Wednesday, 8 October, and then called our meeting adjourned at 8:04 pm.

PS. We are currently in the middle of the annual October Caddis -Dicosmoecus gilvipes- hatch.

To use a #6 or #8 Orange Stimulator during afternoon trout fishing could fill your creel, very quickly.

Respectfully submitted,

Dale McKain

Club Secretary

Tight lines and Good Fishing

Walla² Fly Fishers

Contact Us

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


Past Presidents
Tyson Kopfer
Bob Long
Scott Peters 

2014 Fly Fishing Banquet Preparation and Other Things

 

This evening President Tom Craig called our meeting to order at 7:10 p.m.
There were 11 members in attendance.
Club Treasurer Doug Coe reported that the club has over $1700 in the bank.

The main topic of business this evening was to tie loose end preparations for our 2014 Fly Fishing Banquet with author, editor, fly tyer, fly fisher - John Shewey.

Established to-date we have:

Date: Saturday 18 October

Time: 4:00 pm until 9:00 pm

Location: Walla Walla Country Club - banquet room seating capacity will be 75-80 persons (Country Club dress code is casual collared shirt – no jeans, no T-shirts).

Cost per person: $35  - includes meet the author/ book signing, fly tying session – dinner – and our after dinner program presented by John - “Rambles of a Wandering Western Angler”

(we will offer a $5 discount -per ticket- for multiple ticket purchases to seat your family members and/or fly fishing friends)

John with a friendly steelhead

Members' volunteer Banquet prep responsibilities are:

Doug – coordinate banquet facilities with Walla Walla Country Club
Dale – develop a display poster for store counter / window display
Tom – work with the Walla Walla Union-Bulletin to develop newspaper advertising
Jerry & Tom – work on a form letter for soliciting items for raffle / silent auction - Banquet tickets
Robin, Dave, Diane, Jerry, Tom – soliciting items for raffle / silent auction
Harold, Barbara, Dick, Heidi, Dale – distribute Banquet announcement flyers 

Also discussed this evening was…

Our club’s Project Healing Waters fly tying session will resume Thursday 8/14 at the Walla Walla VA Hospital – 5:00 pm.

 If you would like to participate in any of these weekly fly tying – fly fishing activities please contact Jerry Newell by email.
Treasurer Doug announce that he mailed $203 raised at our Fly Fishing Fair to/for Project Healing Waters - National.

Our club’s Project Healing Waters veterans group is making plans to participate in the Northwest’s 2-Fly Tournament fishing weekend of 19-20 September.

Fly fishing drift boat captains are needed for these two days of fishing. If you would like to volunteer~join the fly fishing outing with area veterans on the Yakima River contact Jerry Newell by email – seedstarint@hotmail.com

Robin asked if club members would volunteer for fly fishing activities and demonstrations for the Walla Walla Farmers’ Market Kid’s Day being held Saturday 13 September from 9:00 am until 1:00 pm. If you can participate with this Kid’s Day celebration, please contact Robin by email – robinsaxby@msn.com 

Club logo – for the purpose of having a Club Letterhead / Logo / Mission Statement Jerry Newell had composed six (6) different logo designs and these were presented to the membership present tonight. The logo that received the most like votes was…

Logo voted most favored - with the fish to be changed to a rainbow trout and centered

It was asked if the fish of this logo could be more like a rainbow trout/steelhead and be centered in the Walla² FLYFISHERS.

Dale reported that he and Robert Sallee had a great afternoon of wet wading the So. Fork of the Walla Walla last week. 

Water flow was great, cool and refreshing, fish were cooperative and jumping on Stimulators and Copper Johns.

Dale brought up the fact that steelhead fishing season will be coming into full swing soon. He asked Diane where she wanted to go fishing to catch her first steelhead – a fish as long as her leg… the lower Deschutes River in late August, and September, the lower John Day River in October and November, the Grande Ronde River in November and thereafter freezing cold? Steelhead fishing trips will be discussed via email and during September's  club meeting.

Due to the Walla Walla Fair, the Pendleton Round Up in early September our next meeting will be held on Wednesday 17^th September at Smith’s Family Restaurant. 

President Tom thanked everyone for attending and their participation with Banquet prep, the meeting was adjourned at 7:50.

Tight lines and Good Fishing

Walla² Fly Fishers

Contact Us

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

Gerald Newell - PROJECT HEALING WATERS Coordinator

Past Presidents

Tyson Kopfer
Bob Long
Scott Peters

To Catch BIG fish -- Part III -- Where to go and when

Fall Chinook - the further from salt they get
the redder, then darker they become.

To Preface this article - The writer has been a licensed fishing guide of ODFW's NE Oregon Fishing Zone, and is most familiar with the waters of that area. This writer is not as familiar with the SE Washington tributaries of the Mighty Columbia River; therefore the fishing experience and tables of this article are based on Oregon fishing experience.
 
As we approach the late August and early September fishing season, our thoughts turn to the BIG fish -steelhead and fall salmon- that migrate up into Columbia River and through the Columbia River Basin tributaries. Being these fish do not stay in one place for very long, always moving towards their spawning waters; it is a good idea to follow the autumn fish migration through the Columbia River dams adult fish counts, if you wish to have a good chance for seasonal catching success.

from The Oregonian on May 07, 2011

 If you are one interested in chasing Pacific Northwest steelhead and salmon, you might want to follow the fish runs through these Columbia/ Snake rivers dams -last 7 days- via the Fish Passage Center.

Bonneville current counts and 10 year average

The Dalles current counts and 10 year average

John Day current counts and 10 year average

Umatilla River Three Mile -CTUIR- current counts and 3 year average

McNary current count and 10 year average

Ice Harbor current counts and 10 year average

Lower Monumental current counts and 10 year average

Some fish will run very quickly to their spawning waters, others don't. Spring Chinook enter the Columbia River in the spring, but do not enter their spawning water until late August and early September.
Fall Chinook enter the Columbia River in mid to late summer and run into their spawning waters in late October and early November.
 

Columbia River Basin tributary steelhead

Steelhead spawning east of the Columbia River Gorge will enter the Columbia River system from the Pacific Ocean in late winter, early spring and "run" to the river of their hatching to spawn the following spring - April, May, June. Many of these steelhead will nose into different tributaries along the way to their spawning water, and can be caught as they are just "hanging" around on their way to spawn. This is where watching the ACE dam counts will provide one with some fun hookups, and in the early - mid spawning run; and provide the angler with some prime table-fare to take home. Some of these fish will spend much of the time in the mainstem of the Columbia River and make a spawning rush "run" upstream into their spawning water in late winter and early spring. Those that survive the spawning run will return to "salt" in June and are very spent/worn/torn fish, not worthy of catching or for table-fare.

Late summer, early autumn fishing is usually in low flow water currents, due to slight/lack of rainfall and irrigation water draws. These conditions maybe ongoing until first frost or until late October and early November rains return to this arid area. Some basin rivers have a flow so slow that it is quite difficult to swing a fly downriver.
The chart below will give you the best fly fishing flows for the various rivers listed. Adjacent rivers will be much the same flow, unless there is a major weather event in one area and not another.

Follow the links below to see if the river flow is sufficient to swing a fly, or if you need a boat to fish the river.

Owyhee @ Owyhee Dam	Powder River Basin	Grande Ronde @ Troy	Wallowa @ Enterprise	Minam  @ Minam	Umatilla @ Yokum	Umatilla River Basin	JohnDay @ Service Creek	JohnDay  @ McDonald's Ferry	Deschutes @ Moody Rapids
Ideal river flows -in cfs- for fly fishing
Greater than 50 - Less than 350	Greater than 50	Greater than 1000 - Less than 2200	Greater than 150 - Less than 350	Greater than 150 - Less than 500	Greater than 350 - Less than 700	Greater than 400 - Less than 800	Greater than 350 - Less than 800	Greater than 375 - Less than 1000	Greater than 4200 - Less than 5800

To find more Oregon river flows click on these links to

Oregon State University or USGS realtime flows
  FYI --
List of longest streams of Oregon

Washington State does not have a like reference map to point to

Before wetting a fly, always know the current fishing regulations for the waters you are standing in; for anadromous fish the regulations can change very much from year-to-year, and river-to-river.
- Oregon Fishing Regulations
- Washington Fishing Regulations

Successfully fishing for the BIG anadromous fish that "run" the Columbia River and its tributary is a matter of knowing where the fish are. By following the dams adult fish counts you can somewhat pinpoint the migration. Looking at the Columbia Basin in general; most years the run is...

A Mid-Columbia Steelhead

the Deschutes River- sees some steelhead in June and much more in late July, fall Chinook and a lot of steelhead turn into the river in late August through September. Fishing for steelhead can be good through New Years Day.
the John Day River- is a very low flow river until the fall irrigation is turned off, and rains begin to fall in the upper mountain reaches of the river. There is an early steelhead run in late August - early September, but with low flows this "run" is hard to hook into. Late September, October, and early November is prime time for fishing the lower John Day below Clarno.
the Umatilla River- thanks to the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) the Umatilla River is well stocked with anadromous steelhead, spring and fall Chinook. Their splendid fishery program there sometimes shows spring Chinook in March with the fishing season opening on 16 April (most years). There are some steelhead passing through Three Mile Dam in September. More show up in October and in late October and November the lower river up to Yokum, can experience traffic jams of fall Chinook in the prime "run" waters. Steelhead traffic continues to run slowly but steady until February and March, with most of the steelies running through Pendleton as the season closes on 15 April.
the Walla Walla River- at the confluence with the Mighty Columbia River is rather slow/low flow until the rains of late fall. Some steelhead will enter the river in late summer, but stay in the lower reaches - Nine Mile Ranch area. Washington State stock the river with steelhead in the spring, Oregon State does not. The CTUIR stock spring Chinook in the river, but to-date there is no open fishing season for salmon. Generally steelhead fishing in the Walla Walla River is best after the irrigation season and the fall rains begin to fall. With each freshet, fish will move upstream with the best fishing being from late December through the close of season 15 April.
Other rivers in the Upper Columbia River Basin that we fish steelhead.

River	Timing	Flies – size #2 hook	Gen. Location
Clearwater	Sept – Nov	Kaufmann / other's fly patterns	Nez Perce Indian Reservation
Columbia	Oct – Nov	Egg Sucking Leech	Ringold area
Klickatat	Sept - Oct	Kaufmann / other's fly patterns	through The Canyon
Grande Ronde (WA)	Oct – Nov Dec - Jan	Green Butt Skunk, Muddler Minnow, Leeches (in winter)	Boggan’s to Shumaker and Stateline / Big Bend area
Lower Walla Walla ------------ Upper Walla Walla	Sept – Dec ---------- Dec - March	Kaufmann / other's fly patterns – Leeches – egg patterns	below Stateline Rd ---------- above Stateline Rd
Lower Touchet ------------- Upper Touchet	mid-November --------------- Jan - March	Leeches – red and orange egg pattern w/skein – shrimp	Lamar to Lukenbill Rd ------------------- Upstream of Lewis and Clark Park
Grande Ronde (OR)	late Oct – Nov - Jan	Dry flies - Leeches	OR-WA stateline to Troy

This writer would also like to make reference to previous articles posted to this blog as an aid to catch BIG fish: 

~ To Catch BIG fish -- Part 1 -- Gearing up, hooking, chasing and landing big fish
 
 ~ To Catch BIG fish -- Part II -- A Blue Mountains Fly Hatch Chart



UPDATED: by Dale McKain - August 2014

Umatilla River -mid June- springer

Grande Ronde River -late October- steelie

Tight lines and Good Fishing

 Walla² Fly Fishers