IMPORTANT: This class will be taught at the Aptos Grange. Masks will be OPTIONAL for this session. NO ZOOM access.
The Dali Lama is our go to fly on the Tsiu for silver salmon. It would work for steelhead or large trout. We will be tying 2 sizes one for salmon and a size 2 fo streamer fishing for trout. The salmon one uses a cut off hook in front with a stinger hook in back.
Contact John Steele to let him know that you will be attending: owlspad@icloud.com
Future tying classes. Dates and subject may change, please go to URL to see the current information.
CDC stands for cul-de-canard which is the butt feather of a duck. It has some interesting properties that will help the fly float without gel floatant. In fact gel floatant actually mashes down the barbs making the fly not float. Instead dress with a dry powdered floatsnt like Frog Fanny. When it becomes waterlogged, squeeze dry on clothing or a chamois. Then brush more Frog Fanny into the fibers. Don’t be concerned with the white fluffy appearance for it doesn’t seem to deter the fish at all.
HOOK: TMC 200 size 24-20. crimp Barb. Note: length of CDC feather will determine size of hook. See shuck below.
THREAD: 8/0 Color to match CDC NOTE: mayflies come in many colors. Some of the more common are gray, olive, tan, brown and cream. Attach thread behind eye. Wrap to above hook point with touching wraps.
SHUCK; CDC feather. Measure length of feather along stem were barbs protrude. Select a feather that is at least as long as the following as in the following chart. Longer is even better.
One and 3/4” for 14 hooks.
One and 1/2” for 16 hooks
One and 1/4” for 18 hooks
One inch for 20 hooks.
Stroke barbs toward tip of feather. Tie in on top of shank, tips hook length beyond thread, with three wraps. Carefully pull feather forward until shuck equals shank length. Lift butt and, wrapped thread to eye.
BODY: continuing with the same feather as above. Spiral wrap feather forward covering shank. Tie off with 2 wraps between barbs.
WING: using same feather as above, hold stem upright, stroke barbs backward. Make a loop with stem that extends to shuck. Tie off securely add eye. Cut excess. NOTE; loop will probably lean. Wrap thread head. Whip finish, cut thread. Do not use head cement or any glue. Stroke barbs backward. Cut them short at end of shuck.
Teams from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) have begun relocating endangered winter-run Chinook salmon to upper Battle Creek and threatened spring-run Chinook salmon to Clear Creek. The last time this relocation took place was 110 years ago. The fish are being moved from the Sacramento River below Shasta and Keswick Dams. The hope is that the colder water in the new environment will support spawning conditions and increased egg survival. The lasting drought, higher water temperatures, thiamine deficiency, predators and other stressors have devastated the Chinook over the last two years in this region. For additional details, go to the website below.
May 04 6:30 PM : Virtual Speaker: Fly fishing for Corbina with Al Q
Al Quattrocchi (aka Al Q) has been a saltwater fly angler, fly tier, and fly fishing advocate for over thirty-five years. He has been an advocate for education and the environment by creating fly fishing events along the West Coast of California with the hope of introducing new anglers to this great passion he has for saltwater flyfishing. His personal mentors include Neal Taylor, Lefty Kreh, Nick Curcione, and Bob Popovics.
Al is a two-time, IGFA world record holder. Both of his saltwater records were accomplished in a single day with a 12-pound tippet record for Calico bass and a twenty-pound tippet record for White Seabass. He was recently awarded the Ross Allen Merigold Complete Angler Award by the historic Pasadena Fly Casting Club. His articles, illustrations, photography, and fly patterns have been published in many prominent fly fishing magazines across the country. Al is a licensed and bonded fly fishing guide that prefers teaching casting and fishing techniques to new anglers around the world.
Al founded the popular One Surf Fly in So Cal which lasted nine seasons and raised thousands of dollars for non-profits, supporting local fly shops up and down the west coast.. Al and Conway Bowman teamed up to host the Carp Throw Down at Lake Henshaw in San Diego. This was the first fly-only, catch-and-release carp event in Southern California that supported many non-profit organizations with their annual raffle. Al and master FFF MCI instructor, Jim Solomon, teach fly casting techniques to many anglers around the world through a program entitled The FlyZone. One of Al’s most famous fly fishing students is Jimmy Kimmel.
Al is currently the west coast regional editor of Tail Magazine. Tail is a bi-monthy publication and the premiere saltwater flyfishing magazine in the country. Al just became the west coast ambassador to the American Fly Fishing Museum located in Manchester Vermont. Although Al has fished in many places around the globe, his passion is still sight-fishing his local Southern California beaches in search of the elusive, corbina. He has recently self-published his first fly fishing book entitled, The Corbina Diaries which is published by Love2FlyFish Media.
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.
The days are getting lighter longer – my favorite time of the year, when you think you overslept because it’s light out, but realize its only 6:30. At least on the weekends.
Last month I mentioned pilgrimages. That trip to the Rogue with Mike Diciano (Rich had to cancel last minute unfortunately) and with Humble Heron Fly Fishing – James and Kait Sampsel, was as it should have been, with the only exception being a selfish desire to get a trophy shot with a big steelhead. While we had several hookups over the 3 days, and Mike did land a nice size fish, you saw on the club page, the trip was epic. I’d say one of the nicest parts was being completely disconnected from all news, cell, internet, even newspaper – for almost 4 full days.
Boy if you didn’t have a chance to hear Gordon Tharrett’s presentation on the Green River, you’ve got to explore that. No wonder we’ve had a fish-out there for the last 30+ years. And the fishing (catching) is still as good as it ever has been. Thank God for some watershed stewardship especially around healthy fish population and fly-fishing. Stay tuned for some follow up information on fly-fishing the Green River – where to stay, costs, …
At this writing I come off of celebrating 60 years on this planet. When I first joined the club in the fall of ’91, most of the Board called me “kid”. I’m glad some still do. 30 years goes by fast doesn’t it! And to make things interesting, it was 40 years ago I moved myself from my home in East Cleveland (Wickliffe) to the Santa Cruz area, all in the pursuit of a crazy horse sport called Vaulting. We just had a bunch of those friends at the house and I’m glad so many of us are still close after 40 years.
I suppose if I never kept track of years in numbers, I’m grateful there are times I still feel like I’m 12, 25, 35, or 42. Particularly physically and mentally. It’s really just a number, isn’t it? While I’ve had a couple of ball joints that need replacement, the regular maintenance, fuel in the tank, and keeping things in order – for the most part, has provided that sort of outlook on life. My most favorite way to wade is just as I did when I was a kid – shorts and sandals – in the summer of course. And I don’t mind the cold, the rain, or slogging for more than a couple miles to cover some good water and the environment that water flows through. I can still cast like I did when I was 30, maybe even a little better, and I’ve learned spey casting techniques, which while super fun with a big two-handed rod, are also very good to use at times when fishing with a single-hand rod. You might wonder why “42”, well, that’s when I think I was mentally and physically at my highest fitness. I could still run like a gazelle, and I was riding my bike like a crazy person, racing and just getting out for long fast rides with a bunch of people. 12? Its how I feel most when I retire at night, reading before I go to sleep, remembering when I was just that age, thanking God for my family, my friends, what I had and what I wanted to have in the future. Not so much, material things, but health, safety, and well being for me, my friends and family. So I still feel that same way. 25 and 35 were just good years. I was still made of rubber at 25, and 35 was just sort of normal – I could build stuff all day long – which I did, when Mona and I bought our place in Ben Lomond, and were in the midst of figuring out how to be parents. Yes, there were times later when fly fishing took a back seat to all those responsibilities raising a family, building a home, making the most of my work, but it was always still there. It still is and likely will always be. There will always be that calling for the great outdoors, the solace fly-fishing, those beautiful trips we take with those we love and friends we’ve met along the way. Those trips where we explore new places on this planet we’ve never been to before, and the people we meet along the way. The gear and the flies we get to use, get to save up for, and which become a part of the memories in our lives.
And so it goes. It’s not about the numbers that add up, but the experiences, memories, family, friends we keep adding to this thing called life. I’m grateful to be where I am now, with all of you, my fam, friends and what is yet to come.
These next few months are going to be fun. I hope you will join us, both at the Aptos Grange, and on Zoom. Yep, we’re still going to have our speakers on Zoom, for those of you who just can’t make it to the Grange – AND, we’re still holding the raffle on-line, so you don’t have to be present to win something awesome for your fly-fishing needs.
May is going to be the legendary Al Quatrocchi. He is going to be showing us what you can do for salt water fly fishing for Corbino, and other species. We’ll be meeting at the Grange, but Al is going to present so everyone even on Zoom will be able to attend.
We have Casting classes at Jade Street park the last Saturday of every month – 1:30 p.m. now. With an opportunity to grab a beverage and something to eat after over at Carpo’s and Beer Thirty. Come join us. Stosh and company do a great job of providing you with everything you need to hone your casting.
July we don’t typically have a club meeting because it’s around the 4th of July – and that will be the same this year.
August – mark your calendars – we’ll be having a fun outdoor club barbeque, raffle and swap meet at the Sherriff’s Posse Hall again, which should be an awesome time to be together.
Thanks for all you do for the club, and if you’re inclined, the Board could use your help. We currently have openings for Secretary, Web Master, Facilities and more. Don’t be shy – we’d love to have your help.
IMPORTANT: This class will be taught at the Aptos Grange. Masks will be REQUIRED for this session. NO ZOOM access.
Terrestrials become available to trout beginning in the spring and on into the fall. Trout tend to gobbled them up. This is a good pattern to imitate them. We will be using 6/0 black thread. The club has tools, vices and thread to borrow if you need them. There is no charge for the class and materials are all provided.
You must call Elaine Cook at (831)688-1561 to reserve your spot and ensure that she has the materials for the class.
Future tying classes. Dates and subject may change, please go to URL to see the current information.
The Quigley represents an merging mayfly that is stressed in an unusual manner to make the rear of the fly hang down in the water and the thorax and wing out of the water. Apply saliva to the body tail, then floatant to the wing and hackle. During a hatch fish tend to be more eager to take an emerger than a dun because they are not ready to fly off.
HOOK: TMC 100, sizes 14 16 18.
THREAD: Gray 8/0 or 12/0(preferred).
TAIL and BODY: Gray marabou (fluffy)
THORAX: Dark Olive Debbie.
WING: Deer hair with narrow fibers
HACKLE: Grizzly
Crimp Barb.
Attached thread behind eye wrap to rear of shank in touching wraps.
Select 3 to 5 barbs of marabou, cut from stem, tie in with tips extending hook shank length to rear. Make two thread wraps forward, then fold marabou backward and make two thread wraps.
Make thread loop. Hold loop and stem and of marabou together, then wrap thread 2/3 forward on shank. If marabou is longer than shank length, pinch off tips, don’t cut.
Twist loop and marabou into rope, then wrap up to hanging thread using touching wraps. Tie off, cut access.
Dub a round thorax that covers shank from 1/4 to 1/2 back on shank from eye.
Select small bundle of deer hair. Clean out under fur, stack tips. Lay on top of shank, tips out over eye so that they measure a shank length from thorax.
Tie in by making first wrap around only hair fibers and the second wrap around both fibers and hook shank. Make several snug wraps on top of one another.
Make one wrap around base of wing to bundle it, then one more wrap around shank. Cut butt and so that they just cover thorax.
Reposition hook with eye tipped upward.
Select hackle, barbs one and a half hook gap. Cut off fuzzy and. Cut 5 to 6 barb short along base of stem forming a “crew cut”. Holding feather tip to rear, dark shiny side toward you, tie and crew cut behind wing and cut deer hair butts and 2 in front of deer hair bundle. Position thread between wing and cut butts. Make 3 to 5 hackle wraps in the same place and around deer hair and shank. Tie off, cut excess.
On April 11th, the Bureau of Reclamation announced plans for the Klamath Project water allocation for 2022.
https://www.klamathfallsnews.org/news/reclamation-opens-klamath-project-irrigation-season-with-limited-water-allocation
The Klamath Tribes and Klamath Water Users have both responded. As you might expect, both groups are extremely disappointed with the BOR announcement. Being that SCFF is focused on fish and environmental conditions that support them, we look for ways to support conservation causes. However, issues that involve water have many stakeholders. When I came across the Klamath Tribes response, I saw a link to the Klamath Water Users press release. So I decided to include both.
Here is the Klamath Tribes Response:
https://www.klamathfallsnews.org/news/klamath-tribes-respond-to-bor-water-allocations
Bureau of Reclamation 2022 Operation Plan hastens extinction of endangered C’waam and Koptu
CHILOQUIN, Ore. – Yesterday’s announcement by the Bureau of Reclamation of its 2022 Operations Plan is perhaps the saddest chapter yet in a long history of treaty violations visited upon us by the United States.
Under the Plan, Reclamation intends to usurp “up to 62,000-acre-feet” of water from the nearly extinct and (Klamath Tribes) treaty-protected C’waam (Lost River sucker) and Koptu (shortnose sucker) at the height of their spawning season. Instead, despite the clear mandate of the Endangered Species Act to prioritize the needs of endangered species, Reclamation intends to send that water to irrigators in violation of Reclamation’s own water allocation formula.
Today, we see in the Klamath Basin the consequences of nearly 120 years of ecosystem degradation at the hands of the settler society. They have drained hundreds of thousands of acres of open water and wetlands, mowed down the largest pine forests in the west, mined the groundwater to the point that wells now go dry where marshes and lakes formerly prevailed, straightened whole river systems and striven to eradicate beavers that once engineered complex waterways, allowed their cattle to destroy riparian zones and defecate in icy cold springs, and dammed the mighty Klamath River five times.
The Klamath Tribes are tired of hearing: “it is another bad water year,” “we are all suffering,” and “come to the table so we can negotiate an end to this conflict.” This disaster is the entirely predictable and inevitable consequence of multi-generational mismanagement and poor judgment.
Neither the Klamath Tribes nor our downriver tribal brothers and sisters made any of the decisions that brought us here. And we have nothing left with which to “compromise.” Global warming is undoubtedly a global problem, but thus far its local consequences appear to be exacerbating existing and systematic inequalities between ourselves and the larger society.
It is time for all involved to realize that this homeland ecosystem we all share and profess to love has limits. This sacred place that has always been the home of the Klamath Tribes is exceedingly complex, evolved over thousands of years, and made from symbiotic life-forms.
The Klamath Tribes remain committed to cooperating with those genuinely interested in restoring the ecological health of our treaty-protected lands. We are equally committed to fighting those who don’t.
Here is the Klamath Water Users response:
https://www.klamathfallsnews.org/news/failed-federal-water-policy-will-shut-down-klamath-basin-food-production-for-second-consecutive-year
KWUA Responds to Reclamation’s water announcement
KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. – The federal government announced today that it will deprive highly fertile farms and ranches in the Klamath Basin of irrigation water necessary to produce food this year. The decision comes at a time of global food security fears, rapidly rising food prices, and concerns that grocery store shelves may become empty this year.
Klamath Water Users Association (KWUA), which represents irrigation water users who produce food based on once-reliable irrigation water supplies from Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon’s largest surface water body, decried today’s announcement.
“We have 170,000 acres that could be irrigated this year and we’re ready to get to work,” said KWUA President Ben DuVal, who farms with his wife and daughters on land served by the Project. “On a single acre, we can produce over 50,000 pounds of potatoes, or six thousand pounds of wheat. This year, most of that land will not produce any food because the government is denying water for irrigation. We’ll just be trying to keep the weeds and dust under control.”
KWUA leaders said that there is adequate water available this year to provide irrigation from Upper Klamath Lake to the Klamath Project, a system of infrastructure that was built to deliver water to a community of family farms straddling the California-Oregon border. The Project provides water to some of the richest soils in the world. But federal regulators intend to deny irrigation water needed to produce food, at a time when the country and world most need it.
Rigid operating guidelines mandated by federal regulatory agencies mean that the Project’s family farms and ranches will have an uncertain amount of water, probably less than 15 percent of what they need, although producers will not finally know how much water they will have until it is far too late to plan their operations.
This federal policy comes on the heels of the federal government’s 2021 approach, when the government afforded zero water through Project facilities for irrigation for the first time in the 118-year history of the Project. The announced 2022 supply is the second-worst ever.
In today’s announcement of a 2022 Klamath Project Operations Plan, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation directed that water that could be used for irrigation or wildlife benefits will instead be used to artificially augment flows 40 miles downstream in the Klamath River, and to maintain specified elevations of water in Upper Klamath Lake.
In each case, the water will be dedicated to fish species based on regulatory commands of the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). NMFS has authority related to coho salmon, considered a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), and USFWS has authority related to Lost River suckers and shortnose suckers, both of which are listed as endangered under the ESA.
The federal agencies’ experiment of increasing water allocation to these ESA-listed species has been tried for 25 years in the Klamath Basin, yet there is no evidence this policy has benefitted the target fish populations.
“If we farmers failed as badly as the federal agency biologists who are controlling water policy, our bankers would have foreclosed on us 20 years ago,” said Mr. DuVal. “The regulators’ performance is unacceptable and should be embarrassing to federal decision-makers.”
KWUA Executive Director Paul Simmons said that NMFS’s requirements are egregious and out of balance. “Between now and the end of irrigation season, there will be about 210,000 acre-feet of inflow to Upper Klamath Lake,” he said. “But NMFS is telling Reclamation to release over 400,000 acre-feet of water down the Klamath River.”
To furnish that much water requires artificial supplementation of natural flow by releasing water that was stored behind a dam at the outlet of Upper Klamath Lake during the non-irrigation season.
KWUA leaders insist that NMFS’s regulatory demands are neither fair nor effective.
“It’s the world’s worst-kept secret that NMFS is using Klamath Project water to try to mitigate problems not caused by the Klamath Project,” said Mr. Simmons. “And when that doesn’t work, they just do it again, and then again.”
Although food producers in the Klamath Project are hamstrung, by regulatory demands, they share the concern that Pacific salmon stocks are struggling. “That’s bad for fishing communities and it’s bad for all of us,” said Mr. DuVal. A combination of many factors has affected fish populations, including a history of overfishing, sea lion predation, and ocean conditions. “I understand that it’s hard to regulate ocean conditions,” said Mr. DuVal. “But harming my family and destroying my community doesn’t fix ocean conditions and it doesn’t save fish.”
Project water shortage will also be exacerbated by USFWS’s stringent requirements for Reclamation to withhold water from the Project to maintain specified depths of water in Upper Klamath Lake. There is no evidence that regulation of irrigation supplies has yielded any benefit to sucker populations in Upper Klamath Lake.
Federal water policies’ negative impacts on food production comes at a time of global food security concerns, soaring prices at the grocery store, and fears of empty shelves. Klamath Basin farmers and ranchers are bracing for dust storms and resulting poor air quality and other local environmental impacts that predictably arise when once-reliable surface water supplies are directed elsewhere by federal agencies.
In addition, in 2022, for the first time ever, two federal national wildlife refuges will go dry because water will be redirected to a few ESA-listed species. Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge and Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge both depend on water diverted and delivered by irrigation districts. Those critically important features of the Pacific Flyway for waterfowl are disabled.
“Under the current application of the ESA in the Klamath there are no winners,” former KWUA President Tricia Hill said in testimony before a congressional committee last month. “Only losers. And I cannot convey how heartbreaking it is to watch our basin—from its people to its environment to its wildlife—crumble around me.”
Reclamation also announced today that there will be $20 million available to help mitigate economic damage to farms that do not use irrigation water this year. While KWUA expressed its gratitude to its congressional delegation and the Commissioner of Reclamation for that funding, local irrigators lament that dollars cannot replace the loss of food production, jobs, and community stability directly caused by unbalanced federal water management policies.
Klamath Irrigation District President and KWUA board member Ty Kliewer said that his family and his neighbors cannot live through a repeat of last year. “Government mismanagement is causing this situation, period. Many of my fellow producers liquidated entirely last year, and I don’t know who will make it through this year. If the government doesn’t restore balance to water policy immediately, it will have wiped out this community of food producers, for nothing.”
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:
If you have ever dreamed of big trout in New Zealand or Argentina, stop dreaming and do this trip. The fish are getting bigger each year and there are lots of people who can show you where and how to fish. And the cost? Ha, I was gone for eight days and it cost about $500 for everything.
The Pyramid fishout is really “a loose confederation of trailers” all with different personalities banning together under Santa Cruz Fly Fishing. Mike White and Jim Hall put on a club-wide dinner commemorating long-time club member, Gary Hazelton, which provides a great way for everyone to bond. Otherwise the members mainly sleep, fish, and eat with others in their trailer.
I met a club member, Patrick, who is busy at work, was recently married, and has a new child. Right now a full week fishing is impossible, but Patrick has figured how to miss a few days of work, appease his family and squeeze it into his life. I think he has made a wise life choice.
And the Pyramid trip is not just for guys. Elaine was there from our club, Elizabeth from the Salinas club and this group of women who annoyingly caught all the fish at Windless one day.
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.
Club needs a Monthly Newsletter Editor to replace Scott Kitayama who has volunteered to be Club President. Member should be interested in Club activities and web based communication. Scott will assist in training in the transition and it would be a great opportunity for any new member to be involved in all the club activities. Please contact me , or Scott at scottkitayama@gmail.com…650-279-5871
Membership is up to 180 dues paying members including 20 new members!
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.
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
FOR SALE: BRAND NEW (never used) G. Loomis NRX+ 590-4 9 foot 5 weight fly rod, with soft and hard cases. Retail cost: $795.00. Priced at $600.00. Call Rich Hughett @ 831-757-5709
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.
If you enjoyed receiving items from Doug’s estate at the January and March club meetings, you will have the opportunity to do that again at both the April club meeting. His desire was that club members would have the opportunity to receive his fishing belongings . Some will be in raffles but those at the club meeting in April will be free for the taking. Donations will be welcomed if you so choose. The pictures show a lot of the items that will be up for grabs . The doors will open at 6 PM at the Grange and the meeting will start at 6:30. Don’t miss out come early to choose what you would like. The meeting will also be via zoom, so if you wish to come for some donated items and then go home to do a zoom meeting, that will be fine.
April showers bring May flowers. What does May flowers bring? Pilgrims.
We can only hope for April showers, given California is once again entering another few years of low water (drought).
Isn’t pilgrim a funny word? Who came up with that one? We never use that word to define someone entering a country anymore. Sound more diffusing, comforting, than the words immigrant or migrant. Writing this caused me to look up the word. I figured it was just because they were people discovering a new country. Turns out, it is “a person who journeys to a sacred place for religious reasons”. As in the English Puritans fleeing religious persecution on the Mayflower and landed here in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1620.
A person who travels on long journeys – pilgrimage.
I like traveling on long journeys for fly-fishing reasons, which we could all argue are in fact religious. Aren’t they?
Don’t we all meditate, flee reality, think deeply, clear our minds, take deep breaths, sigh a big relief, love friends, love the outdoors, and pray considerably in all manners of the exercise of this sport?
How many times I’ve asked God for just one fish, or for my son, my daughter, my wife, my friend, to catch a fish while we are out. So they know how exciting it really is to cause one of these creatures to take this bundle of fur and feather on a tiny hook, bring it to hand, admire it’s beauty. The enormous power we have over it, but how gently and carefully we act to watch it swim away. That feeling when it has left our hands. A gift it was to us, and a gift we gave back so that it could continue living.
How many times I’ve stopped, looked around, shook my head and sometimes cried because I couldn’t believe how beautiful it is where I am standing, with whom I’m standing, and how fortunate I was to be there. How hard it was to get there and how many times I figured I might not get there. But oh how worth it, it was, and how you couldn’t imagine making another decision, glad you did. If it was easy, everyone would do it, and it just wouldn’t feel the same – would it?
A pilgrimage, perhaps several, is necessary for all of us. Living – I mean really living – requires them. Some of them are small – perhaps a morning, an afternoon, or an evening. Some, you make sacrifices, working hard for several months, several years, perhaps much of your life. You save, plan, organize, and maybe you pray it all works out. You battle, ‘should I go, or should I not go.’ Sometimes over and over again. Sometimes in the middle of the night when work, family, or something else stirs you to thinking you shouldn’t go. You pray it’s the right decision to take the time and go. Some might say it’s just fishing – and aren’t you lucky, or they tell you there are other, more important things you should be doing. But there aren’t. This is it.
You know when you’ve left, when your feet are finally in the water, all of those things you battled before you made the trip, are gone. In a second. They washed away as soon as you stepped in the water. Your first cast makes you take a deep breath, exhale, and you feel an enormous weight lifted; gone. Your focus turns completely to that bundle of fur and feather, ten, thirty, sixty feet away from you, drifting in the column of water. Nothing else comes to mind but that tiny little bundle at the end of that line, in that body of water, on this entire planet. Nothing. You wait, you watch, you listen. You pray.
When I was a kid, my pilgrimages where to my Gram’s Cottage on the weekends, leaving school, my paper-route, and any issues my parents might have, grabbing my Ugly Stick, tackle box and heading for the water. Even those were tough to get to at times. As we “mature”, pilgrimages seem to get larger, a bit more involved, riskier. As they should. But I suppose the more grand the adventure, the more religious, the experience.
I really didn’t mean to write this with pilgrims or pilgrimage in mind. It was the fact it was raining, that we haven’t had any rain, and my hope for April showers, and maybe even some May and June showers, would help us get through another low water year. But I learned a bit more about pilgrims and pilgrimages.
And while it was certainly not a need to flee religious persecution, or flee for any reason, I’m not often given an opportunity to take some time and plant my feet in a big river for a few days. So, at this writing, I’m making a bit of a pilgrimage to the Rogue to fish with Kait and James from Humble Heron Fly-Fishing, casting my thirteen six, eight weight spey rod, swinging big flies for steelhead. Grateful for Rich’s invite, even though he cannot make it, which I will miss a lot. But, I certainly cannot wait to get in the truck with Mike, and get my feet in the water, feel everything wash away, take a deep breath, focus on that bundle of fur and feathers and pray for the opportunity to bring a Steelhead to hand, witness a beauty all its own, and know that feeling of letting it slip out of my hands, back to the water it belongs to. Maybe a few times!
Each one of them changes you. Recharges, renews you. Make a pilgrimage or twelve.
Green drakes are a mayfly that hatches out in June and early July in the western United States. We will be tying the adult version. This is a large mayfly and should work well via zoom. And for you who are new to our fly tying classes, all materials except for thread are provided for the class which is free. 6/0 thread will be used in this class. If you need to borrow tools vise and or thread, that can be made available to you. Beginners are always welcome, but need a little instruction ahead of time via FaceTime. Call to sign up and a packet of materials will be put at my front door for you. 831-688-1561
Future tying classes. Dates and subject may change, please go to URL to see the current information.
There are 15 species of callibaetis in the western United States in Canada. They emerge in spring, summer and fall, and are usually larger in the spring and smaller in the fall. Their distinguishing features are two tails, tan under body and modeled wings. They prefer still water but can be found in slow moving water as well. Use a floating line, apply floatant, leave still on water or dead drift. HOOK: TMC 100. Sizes 12-16. Crimp Barb. Crimp Barb. THREAD: Tan 8/0 Apply mid shank. Wrap forward to 1/3 back on shank. Cut thread tag. WING: Hungarian Partridge Using two feathers, pull barbs off base of feather until a narrow fan is formed. Length of fan should equal hook shank length. Attach feather to top of shank tips, forward and stems to rear , at junction of feather and stem. Pull feathers upright and make several wraps in front to hold in place. Tie down 1/8 inch of stems behind wing cut access. Make several thread wraps around base of wing to hold upright. Wrap thread to rear of shank. TAIL: dun microfibetts Make thread ball with 8 to 10 X thread wraps on top of one another. Wrap thread forward 1/3 of shank. Select 6-8 fibers(keep tips lined up). Lay on top of shank, tips extending well to rear. Tie to shank with four touching three thread wraps toward ball. Pull fibetts forward to make tail equal to shank length. Divide fibetts with bodkin. Pull the fibetts on far side away from shank and slightly upward, take one thread wrap toward ball. Grab remaining fibetts, pull them toward you and slightly downward. Take another wrap of thread toward ball. Repeat last two steps a couple more times. Ending at the ball. Cut access. BODY: Tan super fine dubbing Advance thread one wrap. Dub a narrow tapered body up to wing. HACKLE: Grizzly, barbs equal to hook gap Form a crew cut at butt end of feather by cutting 5 to 6 barbs short on each side of stem. Tie crew cut in at base of wing with dark side of feather toward you and tip to rear. THORAX: Tan super find dubbing Dub around base of wing. Taper dubbing forward to one hook eye length behind eye. Spiral hackle forward, two wraps behind wing, to in front of wing. Tie off cut access. Tie thread head. Whip finish, cut thread.
It’s amazing how much plastic is a part of our world. It’s hard to imagine how we could go about our daily lives without the utility and convenience it provides. However, our planet is becoming overwhelmed with plastic—especially in our oceans. Here are some statistics that appeared in a recent article in Fishbio titled “Toxic Soup in the Plastic Age”.
By the year 2050, the amount of plastic in the world’s oceans may outweigh all of the fish combined.
Plastic use will triple in use by 2050
Almost a third of the plastic produced each year is not disposed of, and much of it eventually makes its way to the sea
Plastic is ingested by more than 700 species of marine wildlife including fish, birds, and marine mammals
Once present in the food web, plastic particles can end up in market species such as tuna, and eventually humans
They tiny pieces of plastic that result from degradation can persist for hundreds to thousands of years
Our country disposes of 30 billion plastic bottles a year
This all sounds overwhelming and we are going to drown in our own creation. So, what can we do? Here are ideas from the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
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.
