General Meeting……………………
Striper Fishing on the Lower Sac with Hogan Brown
June Raffle Prizes
President’s Line…………………….
Fly Tying……………………
Dali Lama
CDC One Feather Fly Cripple
Conservation Concerns……………
Endangered California Salmon Returned To Safer Waters After More Than A Century
Membership Notes…………………
UFO Meetup – Jade Park
Fishout Schedule…………………
Cartoon…………………………..…
Posted on May 24th, 2022
Date: June 25, 2022
Time: 1:30 PM
Place: Jade Park, Capitola
Posted on
Where: Jade Park, Capitola
When: June 25th, 1:30 – 3:00 pm (beer thirty afterward?)
Bring your lawn chair, and fly rod to practice casting with other SCFF club members. Casual atmosphere with plenty of room for social distancing!
If you have any questions, please contact Tom Hogye. thomashogye@yahoo.com
Posted on April 22nd, 2022
General Meeting……………………
Fly fishing for Corbina with Al Quadrattro
May Raffle Prizes
President’s Line…………………….
Fly Tying……………………
Cricket
BWO Quigley Cripple
Conservation Concerns……………
Klamath Tribes and Klamath Water Users Respond to BOR Water Allocations
Membership Notes…………………
UFO Meetup – Jade Park
Volunteer needed for Newsletter Editor
Notes from Pyramid
Reel News …………………………
NCFFI Newsletter – May 2022
Fishout Schedule…………………
Marketplace…………………
Cartoon…………………………..…
Posted on April 16th, 2022
May is here which means that trout season is in high gear and that it’s time to head for the hills. The weather gods have smiled upon us with a bit April airborne moisture, conditions are great for chasing some trout.
Posted on April 26th, 2022
Date: May 28, 2022
Time: 1:30 PM
Place: Jade Park, Capitola
Posted on
Where: Jade Park, Capitola
When: May 29th by, 2:00 – 3:30 pm (beer thirty afterward?)
Bring your lawn chair, and fly rod to practice casting with other SCFF club members. Casual atmosphere with plenty of room for social distancing!
Posted on April 22nd, 2022
Note from Stosh:
The lake was stingy with rewarding us after many hours on a ladder or chair or other this last week. Diligence and more time with the fly in the water always pays off with at least one fish a day instead of ‘skunkdom’. The fish you could see follow the fly and turn away, maybe flipping its tail at it or the fly hooking a side fin happened a lot (and counted as a fish landed) ?
A guide told me that they did not stock the lake the 2 years of C-19 and next year should be a lot better so there is always hope for the future fishing there. I caught all but one fish on a black midge with a white bead which was partially worn away and brassy and still catching fish, they only took the balanced leech on the lower hook one time. (more than fifteen).
Thanks to all who attended and let’s make it happen again next year. I only landed one fish stripping beetles and leeches. They call it ‘midging’ now.
Note from Scott:
This was my first time on the Pyramid trip and have a few thoughts to share for those who haven’t gone:
My suggestion is to get out of your comfort zone and throw yourself into the experience: Get up at 4:00 am and fish until 6:30 pm, Get on that ladder and howl back at the wind, Have a drink or five with your fellow club members. I think it is a wise life choice.
Posted on April 21st, 2022
We have been working to bring added value to all of our clubs and members with a focus on fly fishing education, events in the months ahead, as well as continuing to support all of you in 2022. We are developing an easy to use and conduct Fly Fishing 101 program, developed by Clay Hash of Fly Fishing Traditions. Clay is on our Board and a dedicated fly fisher, with a focus on educating people about fly fishing and how it is done. Clay has developed a series of teaching modules that we are preparing to make available to all of our member clubs. We hope to have it completed soon. Watch for it in May or June.
In addition to this program on fly fishing, Clay is also working on another easy to use program for clubs on teaching fly casting. It, too, will be easy to use and present. We hope to have it available in the summer.
The beauty of both the Fly Fishing 101 and Fly Casting programs is that they don’t take an expert to present. They will provide a complete process clubs can use to educate members & take to your community. We realize that most clubs offer similar programs, but the beauty of this program is it is complete and easy to deliver. It’s not necessary for a club teacher to be an expert. They will come in a format that can be carried forward year after year, can be tweaked and adjusted to meet club needs, and organized in an easy-to-understand sequence.
Lastly, we’re in the development process of re-starting our YubaFest event held for the first time 3 years ago. COVID interrupted the last 2 years. It is designed to be a celebration of the western Sierra watershed rivers, and the Yuba is the Queen of these rivers due to its continuous and controllable cool and consistent flows. Additionally, it is a river many of our members fish nearly year round.
We see this as a Celebration and a party, with learning and education included. It will be a family event with food, music, casting games & instruction, river education and some limited fishing opportunities. We will partner with the South Yuba River Citizens League (SYRCL), a longtime river partner and advocate for the Yuba. We hope to provide those who attend the opportunity to join the SYRCL salmon river tours to lean about the river and where and how salmon spawn. This will be a full day of fun events and activities, so look forward to hearing more from us as this comes together. It will be a Fall event, likely in October.
Posted on April 22nd, 2022
Starting June 22 thru June 29th I will once again be guiding at L. Almanor for the world famous Hexagenia hatch that starts in mid June and goes on into early July. This will be my 21st year fishing the lake. The Hexagenia is one of the largest Mayflies in North America.
California is one of about 6 states that have these Mayflies. Michigan is also famous for the stupendous Hex hatch they have. Often times the department of Public Works in many Michigan towns spend hours cleaning up spent Hex carcasses over 2 feet deep from underneath highway lights. We should be so lucky! However, we do have a pretty significant Hex hatch of our own at L. Almanor. Lake Almanor is located about 35 minutes east of Mt. Lassen along Rte. 36 out of Red Bluff. You can camp at Lake Almanor West in the state campgrounds above Prattville or stay in one of the many motels on the lake or in Chester on Rte. 36. Customers have a good chance of landing giant rainbows and browns (8-12lbs) along w/smallmouth bass up to 22”. The lake also has 1-3 lb. landlocked salmon that are often landed and make excellent dinner fare.
My guiding starts at 3pm w/a short presentation on “How To Fish” for the Hex out of a float tube or pontoon. We cover the gestation period for the Hex nymph and the Hex migration to the surface. I offer 3 styles of fly fishing – nymphing w/an indicator, stripping a nymph/streamer combo and dry fly fishing. We try to get on the water by 5pm and continue until dark around 9:30pm.
My rates are $200.00 for individuals / Lower rate for groups of 3 at $190.00 apiece. Club members get a discount to $175.00 apiece. I supply float tubes and fins, rods/reels, tippet and flies. Customers need to supply their own waders and are encouraged to use their own water craft and fins if they have them. Contact me with questions and dates.
Big Sur Styles Guide Serv.
Tim Loomis
C 831-345-8411
H 831-426-4683
Posted on April 19th, 2022
General Meeting……………………
Green river with Gordon Tharrett
April in-person Raffle Prizes
Donations from Doug Severin’s Estate
President’s Line…………………….
Fly Tying……………………
Green Drake
Callibaetis Dun
Conservation Concerns……………
Plastic in Our Oceans—Revisited
Membership Notes…………………
April Fly Casting Meetup – Jade Park
Need Newsletter Editor and Content Publisher
Reel News …………………………
NCFFI Newsletter – April 2022
Fishout Schedule…………………
Cartoon…………………………..…
Posted on March 25th, 2022
GOOD NEWS: Big club fishout at Pyramid Lake the first week in April. ?
BAD NEWS: There will be no online raffle Prior to the April meeting.?
HOWEVER: There will be a raffle, and door prizes, at the April 6 meeting held at the Aptos Grange starting at 6:30 pm.?
Take a look at these great raffle prizes.
Let’s start with 200 plus pages of beautiful trout artwork by world renounded artist James Prosek. His famous work “Trout of the World” deserves a special spot on any fly fisher’s book shelf.
Next take a look at this custom wood laminated release net. Perfect size for serious trout and Black bass as well as school sized stripers. Low visibility soft vinyl netting is gentle on the catch. Included is a magnetic release and a carbineer clipped tether cord.
Classic is a word that comes to mind when describing this St.Croix “Triumph” rod. It is a 4 weght eight foot medium/fast action 4 piece rod perfect for small stream trout. It is match with a Sougayilang CNC machined aluminum alloy reel for light weight and balance.
Great prizes to win, come to the meeting and buy some tickets; ones dollar each, twenty bucks gets you 25.
Posted on March 25th, 2022
Date: April 30, 2022
Time: 2:00 PM
Place: Jade Park, Capitola
Posted on
Where: Jade Park, Capitola
When: April 30th, 2:00 – 3:30 pm (beer thirty afterward?)
Bring your lawn chair, and fly rod to practice casting with other SCFF club members. Casual atmosphere with plenty of room for social distancing!
Posted on March 25th, 2022
After nearly 5 years of serving as President, Tom Hogye, will be stepping down at the end of 2022. I told the board that I would run for the President position in 2023 if we could find someone(s) to take over the newsletter. Please take a look and see if you or someone you know in the club is willing to help.
The Newsletter Editor is an SCFF Board Position that is responsible for acquiring, editing, and laying out the award-winning Santa Cruz Fly Fishing newsletter. The contents of the newsletter comes from other board members responsible for speakers, fly-tying, conservation, fish-outs, membership, as well as contribution from members at-large. The editing takes about 2-4 hours around around the 3rd weekend of the month. The Editor needs to be proficient with computers, email, and web-based word processors. Experience with WordPress is a plus.
The Online Content Publisher can also be a Board Position working closely with the Newsletter Editor to ensure the timely distribution of the monthly newsletter. The Publisher updates SCFF’s WordPress website to ensure the the monthly newsletter is available online. The publisher will also create and distribute the notification email to the membership with pertinent information such as speaker, raffle prizes and fly tying. Publishing is done around the 4th Wednesday of the month after completion of editing and takes 2-3 hours. The Publisher needs to be proficient as the Admin for WordPress or other website-building systems.
If you have any interest in helping, please contact Scott Kitayama at scottkitayama@gmail.com. BTW/ if you have a child or grandchild who is proficient with technologies, this might be a great activity to add to the resume.
Posted on March 26th, 2022
Attached is April’s NCFFI monthly report with informative addition as it has info on both the latest on the Klamath dam removal process as well as our NCCFFI plans for 2022. https://www.santacruzflyfishing.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/APR2022_NCCFFI.pdf
Posted on March 28th, 2022
Ha ha
Posted on March 25th, 2022
General Meeting……………………
Fisheries of the Central Coast & Iceland with Dagur
March Raffle Prizes
Donations from Doug Severin’s Estate
President’s Line…………………….
Fly Tying……………………
Popper Class
Red & Black larva lace midge
Conservation Concerns……………
Steelhead Spa-What’s That?
Prairie Creek Restoration
Membership Notes…………………
Remembrance: Matt Murphy
Remembrance: Jim Black
Remembrance: Pat Murray
Fishout Schedule…………………
Marketplace…………………
Wanted: Pyramid Ladder
Cartoon…………………………..…
Posted on February 23rd, 2022
Whether you’re throwing midges under an indicator or stripping Beetles along the bottom you will need some serious gear to do battle with the monster trout of Pyramid lake.
 | Either a 9 foot 8 WT Echo ION XL 4 piece rod or a bit heftier 9’8″ 9 WT G.Loomis IM6 2 piece rod. The matching Katuysha 6071-T6 aluminum alloy reel is corrosion resistant and has a large arbor for increased backing capacity and a fast retrieve. |
  | Speaking of Beetles and Midges, take a look at these Pyramid lake beauties. We have a dozen Beetles and 16 midges packaged up in a pocket size Adamsbuilt two sided case. Keep them handy in your shirt pocket to save yourself a trip off the ladder back to your truck when you need to re-rig. Proven Lahontan Cutthroat winners. |
 | A great new book by John Gierach: “Dumb Luck and the Kindness of Strangers”? It is a great collection of short stories, there is even one about Pyramid lake! A book like this is also great for those dark winner nights that are too cold to walk to the bar. |
HOW TO BUY TICKETS
The online ticket sales are available and will close at noon on Wed. March 2nd. Tickets are a dollar each. 20 bucks get you twenty five. Click on this link to purchase tickets:
https://santacruzflyfishing.org/raffle
Posted on February 19th, 2022
Thoughts from Steve Rudzinski (Stosh)
Matt and I met at Pyramid Lake trailer #7 ‘the Animal House’. He shared a room with his good buddy Dougald Scott, (the Snoring chamber) would shake as a wall separating the bathroom was pretty thin. The mornings Matt liked making cheese on toasted bread in the oven, and the coffee pot was set to go off early before first light. Even at that time of day did not distract his natural smile and great humor.
We would fish nearby at Blockhouse beach waiting for that plastic ball to go under. Matt landed some fine fish and we all helped net them, I think of that place like the ‘senior citizens hole’. Good banter and when the fishing was hot…well it never got that hot.
Matt brought me eggs from his hens at home and his elk stews and venison dishes in years when the elk eluded him was always our group meal the first night after fishing. Wine and storytelling into the evening was fun and I enjoyed his sharp mind and humor and will miss him this year at the lake. See you on the other side of the veil, – Stosh
Thoughts from Dougald Scott
Our club lost a colorful member and good friend in February. Matt Murphy had been an SCFF member since 2008. He was easily recognized by his massive white mustache and jovial presence. At our annual dinners, he was known for buying massive numbers of raffle tickets with high hopes of a new float tube or fly rod, and then accepting his final winnings of a calendar or hat with good humor.
At Pyramid Lake fishouts, Matt was a fixture in Trailer 7, aka the “Animal House.” Cabin mates always looked forward to his wild-game dinners, especially his elk stew. He thoroughly enjoyed the camaraderie of all of the club members, especially at fishouts.
Matt had many stories to share from his rich life experiences. His early years were spent in Afghanistan, Hawaii, and Samoa. In Afghanistan, he expanded his love for the outdoors and spent most of his time hunting much needed wild game for the family’s table. For many years after high school in Davis, he was a white water guide on numerous rivers throughout the west. Later on he became a master craftsman and contractor building many fine houses.
Matt will be sorely missed, especially at the Pyramid Lake Fishouts.
Posted on February 19th, 2022
Club member Jim Black passed away recently. He was an adventurous fly fisherman, traveling the western US and the world . Jim had a strong affection for the club, assuming the presidency in 2017 due to the incumbent’s illness; however his tenure was short, as he faced his own medical problems. He was able to continue on the board as Programs Chair often coming up with great ideas and funding some himself. Unfortunately his illness interceded one again.
One year, I was meeting Jim, Tom Welle, his son-in-law, and a bunch of Tom’s brothers to fish Henderson Springs, a series of lakes east of Redding. Tom and Jim stopped at The Fly Shop to pick up some flies. Low and behold, Jim realized his rods and gear bag had been left behind.
Forgetting your fly rod; $500.
Remembering your reel and waders were in the bag; $300
Spending your son-in-laws 50th birthday with him and family; priceless.
We’ll miss you Jim.
Posted on February 23rd, 2022
WANTED: Anybody have a tricked-out Pyramid ladder that is in good shape and no longer being used? How about selling it to me so that it can get its feet back in the alkaline lake? Would like to keep the price less than $80. Call/text 650 279 5871 or email: scottkitayama@gmail.com
Posted on February 16th, 2022
Posted on February 19th, 2022
General Meeting……………………
Katie Kobayashi, Local Steelhead
Great choices for the February Raffle
President’s Line…………………….
Fly Tying……………………
Surf Percher
Josh’s Smelt
GLOW BUG
Conservation Concerns……………
SCFF Club Members Volunteer Locally
Membership Notes…………………
176 members for the 2022 Roster
Fly Tying Donation to Club
Fishout Schedule…………………
Reel News…………………
2021 John Steele Award winner
Greatest Show on Earth! Feb 25, 26, 27
National Forest Campground Reservations (simplified)
Riddle Answer…………………………..…
Posted on January 25th, 2022
