General Meeting……………………
Alvin Dedeuax ~ Bass on the Fly
March Raffle
President’s Line……………………
Fly Tying……………………
Popper’s Class
March Fly-tying Get-togethers
Golden Stoneflies
Conservation Concerns……………
CA Chinkook Salmon Facing New Threat
Membership Notes…………………
Club Activities – March
183 Paid Memberships 2023
Fishy Tales……………………
No Tacomas in Argentina
Fishout Schedule…………………
Cartoon…………………………..…
Posted on February 24th, 2023
NEW Meeting Hours: Doors to the Aptos Grange will be open at 6:00 pm and the meeting will start promptly at 6:45 pm. Plenty of time to socialize and buy raffle tickets.
Alvin Dedeaux has been fly fishing for nearly 50 years. For the last quarter-century, he has been considered one of Texas’ premier fly-fishing guides. In the winter and spring months he spends his time chasing largemouth and Guadalupe bass on his home waters of the Colorado River. In the summer and fall he can be found chasing redfish in the shallow saltwater flats of the middle Texas coast.
Alvin is a two-time finalist for the Orvis guide of the year and his guide service All Water Guides has been a finalist in the Orvis Outfitter of the year. Alvin is one of the co-founders of the highly successful LoCo Trash Bash, a yearly clean-up on the Lower Colorado River downstream of Austin. To date, the all-volunteer effort has helped remove over 45 tons of trash from the Lower Colorado River.
Posted on February 24th, 2023
March is here, winter is just about over, and it time to get back out on the water. We have some great raffle prizes to help you get back in the swing of things.
Support your club, buy a raffle ticket!
Posted on February 24th, 2023
I am still amped up by the success of our Santa Cruz Fly Fishing’s Annual Fund Raiser on Saturday, February 18th. This is the first fund raiser we have had since Covid shutdown and we wanted to get our members back together. Last winter, the SCFF Board was worried that we were not going to be able to have an event since the rental cost for the church had gone up, all of the expenses for an evening sit down meal had gone up, and we didn’t have the donated wild salmon that is traditionally served. Instead of giving up, we decided to try something different: daytime event, catered lunch, utilize the Aptos Grange and give it a go. Blessed with the first sunny, warm Saturday in 2023 everyone had a great time.
We sold 105 admission / meal tickets and club members as well as guests enjoyed the meal both indoors and outside.
Annual awards were presented to club members who have volunteered their time to help the club and fellow members. Our most significant annual award has been renamed, the “John and Pat Steele Award” to recognize Pat’s decades of contribution to the club for the producing the club newsletter 30 years and hosting the Board of Directors meeting at their home.
The winner of the 2022 John Steele award was Mike White for leading the Pyramid Lake fishout and helping new members learn how to catch these great cutthroats. Mike was awarded a $400 gift certificate to The Fly Shop in Redding, CA.
Tom Hogye received a 13′ Beulah Spey rod and Echo reel as a thank you for his unprecedented 5 years as club president. And three long time club members, Kathy Powers, Barry Burt, and Tom Hogye were granted lifetime membership for their years of contribution to the club.
And finally to cap off the day, we had the annual raffle. A rapid fire reading of ticket numbers as winners went to the stage to select their prizes. Prizes this year included a FishCat 4 float tube, 10+ rods, 10+ reels, lots of tying material, apparel, accessories and on and on.
Fellowship is my focus for the club and the annual fund raiser happening during my first month as president was absolutely perfect. The entire Board of Directors volunteered, however I want to highlight those directly responsible for its success: David South (fund raiser lead), Elaine Cook (facility planning and volunteer coordinator), Emily Marriott (catering coordinator / swag seller), Kevin Murdock (raffle and silent auction coordinator), Bob Peterson (ticket sales), Kathy Powers (Program MC), and Jeff Goyert (Pyramid Kit Raffle).
Hope to see you at our next general meeting on March 1st with speaker Alvin Dedeaux! – Scott Kitayama, President SCFF
Posted on February 24th, 2023
Mar 11 10:00 AM @ Elaine’s House
March’s fly tying class is going to be a two day event on March 13 and 14th from noon until 3 pm each day at Elaine’s house. If you wish to attend, please sign up no later than March 4th. Call Elaine at 831-688-1561 or 831-234-6515. Allow 4-5 hours each day. You beginners to fly tying should feel comfortable doing this class. As always, the class is free and materials provided. Very strong thread, any color, such as flat waxed nylon or monocord will be needed. If you need thread, or tools and vise if you are a beginner, the club can loan them to you.
Posted on February 24th, 2023
Date: March 8th.(Wed.) AND March 11-12 (Sat. And Sun.)
Place: Aptos Grange Hall – – Elaine Cook's home.
Posted onThe club has 2 fly tying opportunities coming up in March. Both events are free as always. The first will be social tying drop-in at the Grange Hall Mar. 8th at 6:15 PM, for club members to tie anything they wish. No instruction but lots of great socializing, the opportunity to share fly patterns with one another, and of course to start filling your fly box for
the upcoming months. Bring your own tools, vices, light and materials. And a mask of course to be safe.
The second will be our annual popper class. The flies are designed for largemouth bass and bluegill fishing. Sign ups are required due to limited space at Elaine‘s home. This not a difficult class and beginners should feel comfortable to participate. 2 days are required due to the drying of epoxy and paints. And a one hour class on how to fish with for bass will be included. The class will be held on Saturday, March 11 and Sun. March 12. Each starting at 10 AM and running about five hours each. If you are interested and can commit to attending, it’s best to sign up early for the class often fills up ahead of time. Thread and materials will be provided as well as vice and tools for beginners. If you wish to attend, please sign up no later than March 4th. Call Elaine at 831-688-1561 or 831-234-6515
Posted on February 22nd, 2023
Stoneflies emerge from rivers or streams by crawling across the bottom and out onto structure. Then break out of their nymphal shuck into an adult and fly around to find a mate. They usually emerge at lower elevations first starting in late June or early July, then at higher elevations slightly later. They are awkward flyers and often end up in the water providing a large amount of protein for trout.
1. HOOK: TMC 200R , yellow floss
Crimp barb.
Attach floss behind eye, touching wraps to rear of shank, then forward to near hook eye, tie off behind eye. Apply small amount glue to tie off.
2. BODY: yellow 8/0 thread, 2 mm thick yellow foam, hat pin
Cut foam strip 1/4 inch wide. Round end.
Place hat pin in vise point forward.
Attach thread in center of hat pin.
Place foam on top with rounded end 1/8 inch beyond hanging thread.
While squeezing foam around hat pin make several snug thread wraps. Lift foam, make one thread wrap forward 1/8 inch, squeeze foam down again around hat pin and repeat process forward until there are 7 segments. Whip finish around foam and hook.Cut thread. Pull foam off hat pin. Form rounded head with remaining foam( see diagram ).
Attached thread to rear of shank.
Put foam body on top of shank with three sections extending to the rear and cut edges on top. Tie in place. Lift body. Advance. Lift body. Advance thread forward to next segment, tie in place. Then repeat process up to head.
Tie off under head.
Cut thread.
3. THREAD: Brown 8/0.
Attached behind head.
4. FLASH: yellow Krystal Flash
Using one strand, cut in half, tie center on top of body with 2 wraps.
Fold to rear, tie down back to center of last segment. Cut 1/4 inch beyond body.
5. WING: olive/brown, cream, clear, or yellow Thin Skin.
Advanced thread to just behind head.
Cut strip 1/4” wide and 2 inches long. Round one end.
Place on top of body rounded and 1/8 inch beyond rear body.
Tie in place back to middle of segment. Cut excess. Tie down stub.
6. OVER WING: Elk hairs from abdomen which have fine shafts
Clean out under hair stack tips.
Position on top of body, tips extending to end of crystal flesh.
Tie in place, first wrap of thread around only hair,then around both hair and body. Several wraps backward to center of segment.
Cut but ends short. Return bed thread to behind head.
7. LEGS: Crazy Legs- Golden brown,clear, or cream, with speckles or not
Using one strand, cut in half, then in half again.
Tie center of two segments on far side, then two segments on your side.
Tie off under head. Cut thread.
8. FINISHING TOUCHES:
Using brown Sharpie marking pen color head.
Apply glue to neck area top and bottom.
Posted on February 24th, 2023
In my January conservation article, I wrote about spawning Chinook being transported above Shasta Dam to the colder McCloud River. The main reason for doing this was to see if the health and survival of the fish would increase. The fish grew faster in this habitat and survival rates increased. This article discusses another challenge the Chinook faces. In addition to the well established threats to the survival of Chinook salmon, including dams, drought, extreme summer heat and wildfires, their primary food source is now found to be accelerating their decline. The abundance of anchovies in our ocean waters appears to be the favored forage fish of Chinook. Unfortunately, anchovies carry an enzyme—thiaminase— which causes a thiamine (vitamin B1) deficiency in the fish. Researchers are correlating the B1 deficiency with lower survival rates and numbers of salmon returning to their spawning water. 2022 was the worst winter run spawn on record. Scientists are trying to understand why there is such an abundance of anchovies and why Chinook are so heavily favoring them over other food sources that have historically been part of their diet. One interesting method is to analyze fish lenses to identify how and why the food source has changed over time. Meanwhile, egg bearing females are being injected with thiamin. The vitamin is also added to the water in the tanks where the fry are reared. Egg production is also being increased at the Feather River Fish Hatchery in Oroville. Let’s hope these and other efforts will improve the Chinook population throughout our state and beyond.
For more information and details, go to the following:
https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2023-01-03/a-hunger-for-anchovies-is-killing-off-endangered-salmon
Posted on February 14th, 2023
| Date | Activity Link | Description | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 08 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm | Fly Tying Hang Out in March | Bring your vise, tools, materials and fish stories. Great excuse to get out of the house and do some tying with others. | Aptos Grange |
| Date | Activity Link | Description | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 29 1:30 pm - 3:00 pm | Fly Casting Meetup | Bring your lawn chair, lunch, and fly rod to practice casting with other SCFF club members. | Jade Street Park baseball field |
| Date | Activity Link | Description | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 20 9:00 am - 1:00 pm | Swap Meet at Aptos Grange | Swap meet at the Aptos Grange parking lot. 9am to 1 pm. All things fishing/outdoors! | Aptos Grange |
| Date | Activity Link | Description | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 27 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm | Fly Casting Meetup | Bring your lawn chair, lunch, and fly rod to practice casting with other SCFF club members. | Jade Street Park baseball field |
Posted on February 24th, 2023
2023 membership is @ 183 paid members including 40 new members. In spite of some challenges in last 2 years , members have continues to support the club with over $3,ooo additional donations which continue to support conservation projects and local High School Scholarships. A couple of years ago, donations were less than $500..
We have made considerable improvements in our webpage, newsletter, and online applications. We continue to look for a Webmaster/ newsletter editor to support our website. We are hoping to post the 2023 membership roster on Google Drive for members only to review contact information.
Thank you for a successful membership renewal so far, and we are looking forward to improving our monthly meeting and programs being Scotts goal and priority going into 2023
Posted on February 16th, 2023
In October, 2021, I spent a few days in Mammoth Lakes, on a trout fishing trip. I got there Sunday afternoon. That night and all day Monday it snowed heavily. I was indoors with limited stations on cable TV. On Tuesday afternoon I did a little river fishing. Wednesday, I went to Crowley Lake with my float tube. I just get out onto the lake, and one of my force fins slips off of my foot. Back to town. Due to all this, I caught no trout.
I left Thursday morning to go back on Highway 120. After leaving the west side of Yosemite Park, I spotted an RV on the other side of the road with hazard lights flashing, and a family waving people down. There was a couple and two girls. I went to a turnaround point and came back to see what was wrong. Their rented RV had engine trouble, and there was no cell reception there. They asked if I could let someone know of their plight when I reached a place with a signal, and I assured them that I would.
Before I got a signal on my phone, I saw Yosemite General Store on the left. I stopped in and got the clerk to call a tow truck company. They said that they would need a lot of information from the people and a credit card number before they would dispatch anyone.
I drove back to the RV (about 5 minutes) and let the man know the story. He and his wife were chattering in French. I offered to take him down to the store to arrange a rescue. He got his CruiseAmerica contract and credit card and came with me. On the way, I learned that his name was Juan, his wife was Coco, and they were visiting from Argentina.
At the store, things were going slowly on the phone because he was ESL. I browsed the store, and walked around the parking lot a bit and came back in a couple of times. When I returned the second time he was talking briskly in French. It still took a long time. He said later that they asked him about 100 questions, but in the end, he was successful in getting CruiseAmerica to agree to have a tow truck sent.
He had been examining my Tacoma 4×4, and was looking around the interior. He then said: “So this is a Tacoma?” Yes. He said that they knew of them in Argentina and lots of folks wanted one, but Toyota doesn’t sell them down there. He seemed impressed.
I got him back to his family and he shook my hand and said: “You saved me”. At least they were in an RV so they had food, bathroom, etc.
I must say that after catching no fish and watching Gunsmoke reruns, helping these folks turned out to be the highlight of my trip. Plus, I picked up a cool T-shirt at the store as a souvenir.
Posted on January 23rd, 2023
The newsletter provides brief fishout info. For full detail, go to the website menu and select EVENTS -> Fishout Schedule
| EVENT NAME | EVENT DATE | SPECIES | FISH MASTER |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pyramid Lake Fish-out March 26th – April 1st 2023 – New Info | Mar 26 - Apr 01 | Lahontan Cutthroat Trout | Mike White - (831) 706-5556 |
| BOURDET RANCH ONE DAY FISHOUTS | Apr 15 - Apr 24 | ||
| Del Valle Fishout – CANCELED | Apr 15 - Apr 16 | Stripers, bass, trout | Joshua Wilkens |
| Los Padres Dam / Reservoir Fishout | Apr 29 | ||
| Rio Del Mar State Beach Surf Fishout | May 06 | ||
| Los Banos Creek Reservoir | May 08 - May 10 | ||
| Manresa State Beach Surf Fishout | Jun 03 | ||
| Lake Almanor/Hex Hatch – Jun 25 – Jul 1 2023 – New Info | Jun 24 - Jul 01 | Trout, Bass | Jeff (Yog) Goyert - Fishmaster (831)234-0033 |
| Palm Beach Surf Fishout | Jul 01 | ||
| Loreto Fly Fishing Trip July 2023 | Jul 16 - Jul 20 |
Posted on February 22nd, 2023
When to thank a friend for knocking you to the floor.
Posted on February 24th, 2023
