Across the Stream - September
2004
A Publication of Heart of America Fly
Fishers
HOAFF September Meeting
Monday, September 20, 2004 - 7pm
Annual Picnic - Shawnee Mission Park Shelter #5
President's Message
Charitable
Organization
by
Dave Andrews
I am pleased to inform you
that the IRS has approved our clubs status as a tax-exempt organization. We have also been defined as a public charity under section 509
(a) (2) of the IRC. The effective date of our status is June 9, 2004.
What does this mean? It
means that all of our income, if used as a charitable organization, is exempt
from Federal income tax. Contributions
to the HOAFF are also tax deductible to the donor under section 170 of the
Code. We are also qualified to receive
tax-deductible bequests, devises, transfers or gifts under sections 2055, 2106
or 2522 of the Code.
We must follow certain rules to maintain our status as a public
charity.
If we change our address, purpose, articles,
by-laws or anything that affects our status, we must notify the IRS
We must file an annual Form 990 if requested
by the IRS or if our gross receipts exceed $25,000
Unrelated business income is limited to $1,000
(We have none.)
Our Form 990 and letter of exemption must be
made available for public inspection or to anyone on request
Contributions to the HOAFF are deductible
only to the extent they exceed any value received in return
We must provide donors with written
substantiation for contributions of $250 or more
At the time a donation is received, we must
provide a written disclosure statement to donors who receive goods or services
from us in exchange for contributions in excess of $75. The statement must state the value of the
services provided.
We must not benefit our officers or members as
a result of our charitable fund raising.
If we make grants to individuals other than
tax exempt organizations, we must follow additional IRS rules and reporting
requirements.
These documents will be provided to each officer and director for
distribution as needed. The originals will be delivered to the club Secretary
for storage in our permanent files.
HOAFF Program for the National Fly Fishing Week
August 13 & 14, 2004
by
Hod McIntosh
We really had some problems
publicizing our program and at one point we wondered if our club members might
outnumber the attendees.
The Kansas City Star came
through with two short notices for our event and our efforts contacting
individual scouting units paid off. We had a fine turnout for both days, in
fact the people started showing up well before our posted starting times.
There were a good number of
Scouts interested in working on the elements of the Scout Fly Fishing Merit
Badge and we were indeed fortunate to have had Cliff Cain with us both days and
he was qualified to sign merit badge ticket for those scouts successfully
passing the fly casting, fly tying and know tying requirements.
To all those HOAFF members
who answered the call to help us put on this very successful program, we thank
you for your fine support of this club project.
If you were unable to
participate, you missed a real fun event, the kids and adults were very
interested and eager to learn about our sport of fly fishing and were a joy to
teach.
I would like to extend a
special thanks to several of those club members who made this event a real
success.
First, many thanks to Tom
James who designed our Posters and handbills for our NFFW program as well as a
great Club T-Shirt.
Also thanks to the Weed
Wacking Corp that showed up at the Prairie Center early Thursday morning to
chop the weeds around the pond to give us access to fish.
The Weed Wackers were Tom
James, Fred Clark, Dan Zimmerman and Ray Zook. Also a very special thanks to
those who were in charge of the teaching assignments:
Casing instruction - Tom
James
Fly Tying - Mark
Borserine
Overseeing the Scouts -
Cliff Cain
Lakeside Assistance -
Fred Clark
Tom, Mark, Cliff and Fred
were there both days, from the set-up
each day and through to the end of the days program and the storing of our equipment. Thats dedication!
We also must express our
thanks to the Kansas City Discovery Center of the Missouri Department of
Conservation, the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks and the Federation of
Fly Fishers
Southern
Council for their
contributions which made it possible to put on our National Fly Fishing Week
program.
And special thanks to the
Prairie Center Manager, Alaine Hudlin for clearing the way for us to use this
park for our event.
Again, many thanks to all
who participated in making our event a real success.
2004 Officers
PRESIDENT
David Andrews
davidgandrews@kc.rr.com
Home: (816)
741-8314
PAST PRESIDENT
John Richards
jreyedoc1@aol.com
Home: (816)
781-0545
Office: (816)
781-0500
SECRETARY
Mark Borserine
majborser@aol.com
(913) 381-0722
TREASURER
Paul Bennetts
pbennetts1@comcast.net
913-338-3837
NEWSLETTER EDITOR
Tom
James
tom@blackdogsports.com
Office: 816-718-0393
PROGRAMS
Cliff Cain
cliffcain@hotmail.com
Home: (913)
780-3865
Office: (913)
433-5224
John Bell
j.bell@kcc.state.ks.us
Home: (785)
843-1782
Office: (785)
271-3139
OUTINGS
Jim Ohnemus
johnemus@kcp.com
Home: (816)
322-1381
MEMBERSHIP
Cliff Newton
ccnewton@sbcglobal.net
Home: (816) 348
7626
Office: (816)
426 3925 x260
Fred Clark
fclarks@planetkc.com
Home: (913) 831-0305
CONSERVATION
BLUE RIVER
PROJECT
Raymond Zook
rzook@kc.rr.com
Home: (816) 941-2862
LIBRARY
Doug McDonald
mcdoug5148@aol.com
(913) 669-5222
EDUCATION
Dick Martin
rlm@mllfpc.com
Home: (816) 781-9557
Office: (816) 221-1430
Don Grundy
dlgrundy@msn.com
Home 816-781-9019
WEBMASTER
Vicky Newton
svnewton@sbcglobal.net
Home: (816) 348 7626
RAFFLE/AUCTION
Dan
Zimmerman
dzmmrmn@aol.com
(913) 829-4768
HISTORIAN
Bill Brant
flyfish@sky.net
Home: (816) 941-9691
Office: (913) 458-6826
SOUTHERN
COUNCIL LIASON
Hod McIntosh
singingreels@worldnet.att.net
Home: (913) 722-3684
Heart of America Fly Fishers Meetings
Meetings are held at 7pm - 3rd Monday of each month
Johnson County Courthouse Extension, 6000 Lamar, Shawnee Mission,
Kansas-Room C)
Hatch of the Month
Bring a fly or a couple of
flies to add to the Match of the Month collection. During each meeting names
are drawn and the winner receives the collection of flies. This is a great way
to learn new fly patterns and share some of your favorite flies with the rest
of the club. Members can also donate a dollar to enter for the drawing.
Featured Fly Tyer
Annual
Picnic will be the focus of the September meeting so
there will be no feature a fly tyer. Plan to attend the picnic for some
fellowship, food and casting fun.
If you are interested in being a
featured fly tyer, contact John Richards.
A September Day...
by
Steve Jenkins
What a summer 2003. Looking at my
notes, the last fish was caught on 12 June - here it is September. Where did
the summer go?
My fishing drought of over
two months matched our summer weather. It was the driest July on record, and
the rain in August was a joke. The crops and many yards were toast. But, the
big rainstorm over the Labor Day weekend offered promise to the dried-out
fishing haunts in the Ozarks.
The plan was for an
overnight trip, and hit several streams. But, after fixing some rain damage
around the house and with other conflicts, only one day was available. It would
do. Thursday was a blue-bird day - bright blue
sky, no clouds, light breeze and cooler temperatures. Great weather for
everything but fishing. But, it would have to do.
The stream reports showed
high water on both the Big Piney and the Gasconade. There was a report of over
six inches of rain in Springfield. It might be tough to find suitable water.
But, it sounded like Bennett Spring might be okay.
I didnt get a real early
start, but decided to check out the Niangua. Surprisingly, the stream looked a
bit low and just a touch off-color. Suited up and in the water by 10:30 AM, the
initial fly selection was (surprise) the .56%er, in size ten. I started working
it through the first riffle.
Here, the gravel formed a
nice shelf drop-off where the current speed slowed. Running the .56%er through
this cover produced a dandy of a strike on just the third cast. The fish rolled
strong in the current and was on the hook for only a moment. But in that
moment, the large brown trout, probably over 18 inches, electrified my hopes.
(Dont
the biggest ones get away?)
I worked the riffle to the
end and into the big pile of downed trees below. Not another bump. But, with
the big strike at the beginning, I had to run the fly through that water,
again.
This time, there was no
strike from the trout. But, the chubs had become active - the .56%er caught
several, including two over eight inches!
I had been on the stream for just over an hour, and with the beauty of the
day, where were the canoes?
Down-stream to the next
stretch of fast water, the .56%er was eager to do its work. Here, the water
broke around a small island at the top to the fast water. The run was over 200
yards long and normally was a great producer.
Working the fly through the
fast run brought several more chubs and two good strikes (trout?). Hoping a
change might bring action, I tied on a big, ugly black thing, but it didnt fool the fish.
Maybe a soft hackle, and after a change of leader, the two different patterns
tried produced nothing.
By now, it was past noon,
and the chances for fishing success were dropping steadily. By one oclock the action had
stopped altogether. It was time for lunch.
Being fairly close to the
State Park, that idyllic setting beckoned. I took off the fishing suit and
drove the few miles to the park for lunch. Sitting there, in the shade of the
walnut trees, watching a few folks trying to fool the park trout - what better
spot could you pick for lunch? But,
there were few fish being caught in the park while I was there. Several
fishermen were complaining that it was a tough day, and the fish they had
caught were all small. It was pleasant, but I came to fish. Back to the river.
During the morning, I kept
looking for bug action. There were no caddis, but I did see several large
stoneflies (on a sunny day?) and one, only, large mayfly.
However, there were minnows
everywhere - in the shallows, in the riffles, even in the deeper water. So, out
came a bigger .56%er. Working it faithfully for about 45 minutes yielded
nothing. So, what to use?
I looked through the
inventory and finally picked an olive woolly bugger with a brass bead head.
Woolly buggers have not treated me kindly on the Niangua. Maybe it is the
success of the .56%er. This trip was no different. All the bugger caught was a
chub.
By 5:30, I was beginning to
think about going home - skunked! There
was just nothing happening. The day was just too nice. In the bug world, I
began to notice a few very large - even huge - mayfly spinners. Several were
dancing above the water in the shallows, and occasionally one would fly by with
its huge wings flapping a loud raspy noise.
Downstream, near the end of
the faster water, was that a rise? I
waded down that way and, indeed, there was another splash. This rise was
definitely not a chub!
Okay, another leader
change. Digging through my stuff, I picked out a large Ausable Wulff dry fly,
size 12. It hadnt
been on the water for a dozen casts before it fooled a 13-inch brown. Wow, a
trout! And, there were a few more
rises. The splashes were literally huge throwing water in all directions.
These were not tender rises
from chubs. As the mayflies dipped close to the surface, the trout were coming
clear of the water to take these big bugs.
But, after that one fish, my fly fooled no others. Even in size 12, my
fake seemed tiny next to the size of the spinners. As the few rises were
continuing, a bigger fly was needed.
I generally carry a large
selection of Wulff-type flies. If you looked into the box, in addition to the
Ausable Wulff, I keep the Grey Wulff, Royal Wulff, and a Blonde Wulff with a
white tail. This latter fly is great late in the evening. Most of these flies
are tied on size 12 hooks.
The Ausable Wulff is my go to dry fly for many
situations. Ive
showed it to trout in the Ozarks before, and it works well. But, it has been a
great producer in Michigan, Montana, Colorado, Vermont, Georgia and, at home,
in New York.
In the bottom of the box I
found one tied on a size 10 hook. It had never been on the water. This was an
even over-size fly, but still small beside the spinners then on the water.
I quickly clipped off the
12 and tied on this bigger copy. Wading back to the head of the riffle, casting
across the fast water dropped the fly quietly in the still water behind the
riffle.
The current grabbed the
line and the fly drug immediately. The next cast included more slack, by
stopping the cast high in the air. That maneuver allowed about five feet of
clear drift before drag took over.
Casting into this area for
about ten minutes, there was only one strike, but no hook-up. So, I began to
work downstream, casting up and across beyond the fast water. This technique
drifted the fly over the area where the line had just passed - not the best
technique. I then cast the fly downstream and fed line to control the drift.
With that, a bigger fish took the fly. It was another brown and it rose
perfectly to the approaching fly. I struck and was into the fight. It measured
over 15 inches, a female.
It is easy to jerk the fly
from the trouts
mouth using the downstream approach. It happens often with my soft-hackle
technique - Ive
got a lot to learn about the soft strike.
The next fish got away
because I was too jumpy. So, trying to contain my excitement, I successfully
overcame buck
fever
and landed the next two trout. Then things slowed down.
Although there were still a
few spinners on the water, and I had two more splashy strikes, that was it for
the day. Trout fishing is a sport of surprises. Today, the big surprise was the
success of this dry fly and the lack of success with the streamers.
Four nice browns on dry
flies aint
bad for a beautiful September Day.
Current River
Missouri's World Class River
by Norm and Georgiana, Stream Side Adventures, LLC
Missouris
Current River is one of the best free flowing trout fishing rivers in the
world!
The Missouri Department of Conservation
estimates 15 percent of the trout are in the trophy class. The entire length of
the STM (Special Trout Management) areas are either in public ownership or
under a recreational easement and is managed by the National Park Services.
Nearly 8 miles of prime trout fishing water is fishable year round.
The Current River is extremely
fisherman friendly. Flow
characteristics and substrate combine to make the river perfect for wade
fishing. The river consists of a series
of relatively long pools separated by short runs or riffles.
Even in the deep pools along the bluffs
there is easy wading or passage along the banks. With just a little effort you
can get to great water that doesnt see a lot of
pressure.
If walking is not for you than you can
float the entire STM length in just a couple of hours. While that may be the
fastest way to cover the river it is not the best way to fish it. The Current
is primarily a Brown Trout Fishery. Most people float or wade right through the
prime fishing spots passing up more than a few trophies on the way.
The Current River has distinct seasons
.. a late winter and early spring
Caddis season, an early summer light Cahill season and a fall Terrestrial
season.
During the winter season, when night
time temperatures stay in the high 30s or low 40s, the waters will start to warm around
noon. That is the time the size 18
light tan Caddis makes its appearance. For the next two hours the head of the
pools are alive with rising fish. But, it only lasts for an hour or two.
With the Light Cahills in the early
summer it is two hours of great fishing at dusk. During the Terrestrial season
there is great fishing all day long! The days are still long, the temperatures
are cool and crisp, the fall colors are spectacular and the browns are willing.
With some local knowledge, basic fly fishing skills and a little luck, you will
have legal day. Three or more fish over 15 inches is
not out of the ordinary.
September 25th and 26th on the Current
will be days to talk about for a long time.
For more information check out www.streamsideadventures.com.
Fall Outing - Current
River
by
Tom James
Montauk State Park and the Current
River will be the destination for the HOAFF Fall Outing, September 24th through
the 26th.
The club will provide lunch on Saturday
at Noon. We will meet at the picnic area across from the old grist mill.
Cabin and campground lodging is
available inside Montauk State Park. Rooms are reserved quickly and the park
can fill up fast so call the park now to reserve your lodging. Call the
Missouri Campground Reservation System at 1-877-422-6766 or for online reservations
try www.mostateparks.com. Call Montauk State Park lodging at (573) 548-2434.
Reference the HOAFF Outing, September 24-26, 2004.
There
are lodging opportunities outside the park at Reeds Cabins and Marlins Montauk Cabin Rental. For
reservations call (573) 548-2562. Motels are also available at the town of
Licking, on US 63, about 12 miles from the park.
Annual Picnic - Shawnee Mission Park
September 20, 2004
Shawnee Mission Park,
Shelter #5 is the location for the Annual HOAFF Picnic. Take I435 to 87th
Street, West to Renner Road. Go North to 79th Street entrance to the park.
Bring a side dish plates and utincels, drinks, burgers, brats and dogs are provided
by the club, expertly prepared by Chef Ohnemus. Shelter #5 is right on the lake
providing opportunities to practice casting upon the water. We start gathering
at 6pm.
See you there.
Recognition
and Education
by
Dave Andrews
Recognition and Education -
we all need more of each. In our club, we do not have a committee focused on
either of these critical activities. We do have a wonderful team focused on our
annual Spring Seminar, but we do not have anyone focusing on our community
outreach activities.
Today, officers and
directors with other responsibilities chip in to provide recognition to our
members and to coordinate requests for educational programs.
We have outgrown our ad-hoc
approach to both Recognition and Education. This year, we have already managed
seven requests for community education programs. We have taught fly fishing
101, fly tying 101 and fly casting 101 this year.
Each year, our club
conducts an awards banquet in conjunction with our December outing. The FFF
also requests nominations for 24 awards open to people who have made
significant contributions to our sport. Finally, the Southern Council also
requests nominations for club members who have made major contributions to our
council. Usually, we submit very few nominations. Sometimes, we miss nominating
a truly deserving individual. We simply do not have the bandwidth and focus at
the officer level to conduct club business and do justice to those deserving of
recognition.
We can do better.
Approximately 20 of our 110 members participate on committees of the Board.
Those who do, find the experience rewarding and fun. Through our involvement,
we get much greater benefit from the club.
I invite every member to
join a Board committee. We need several people for Recognition and Education.
Others are needed to assist with existing committees.
What would you do? Education
is mostly coordinating the staffing and scheduling of community requests for
fly-fishing programs. Recognition would entail identifying and nominating
candidates for different awards.
If any of this sounds like
it might be fun, let an officer know. We will be recruiting at upcoming
meetings. Who knows, you might make new friends, learn more about fly-fishing,
go on some trips, and have some fun.
Upcoming Events &
Programs
September 20, 2004 Annual
Picnic - Shawnee Mission Park
September 24 - 26, 2004 Fall
Outing - Montauk State Park
October 1 - 3, 2004 Southern
Council Conclave
October 18, 2004 Joseph R. Tomelleri
November 15, 2004 Annual
Auction & Raffle
December 3 - 5, 2004 Annual
Banquet/Winter Outing
Bennett Spring
Visit our Advertisers:
Black
Dog Sports
www.blackdogsports.com
The
Fishing Hole
Ray & Jonell Fincke
(913) 642-5554
3731 W. 95th Overland Park, KS 66206
Rainbow
Fly Shop
4706-D
Shrank Drive
Independence,
MO 64055
816-373-2283
9-5 Tuesday - Saturday
K&K
Flyfishers
Everything for Todays Flyfisherman
Total Equipment Selection
Great How To Schools
Pro Staff for Your Questions
Fishing Trips: Alaska Canada Montana Bahamas
87th & Grant, Overland Park, KS 66212
www.kkflyfishers.com
913-341-8118
Fishing
River Custom Rods
Bill Kreitz
13715 Nation Rd.
Kearney, MO 64060
E-mail: b.kreitz@att.net
816-628-5071
Cell: 816-392-6720
River
Run Outfitters
212
South Commercial
Branson,
MO 65616
417-332-0460
877-699-3474
(toll free)
www.riverrunoutfitters.com
Branson
Lodge
2456 State Highway 165
Branson, MO 65616
1-800-334-3104
www.bransonlodge.com
Sawdust Clay Art
Handmade wood sculptures of your
favorite fish.
PO
Box 575 Liberty, MO 64068
(816)
792-4603 lylesw@mdc.state.mo.us
Loon
Outdoors
www.loonoutdoors.com
Pomeroy
Auction
James J.P.
Rozine
Auctioneer
Kansas City, Kansas
(913) 334-2153
Blue
Ribbon Flies
West Yellowstone, Montana
www.blueribbonflies.com
Lilleys'
Landing
1-800-LILLEYS
367 River Lane
Branson, MO 65616
www.lilleyslanding.com
Dr.
Slick Co.
www.drslick.com
Weaver's
Tackle Store
www.missouritrout.com/weavers
11388 Highway 64
Lebanon, MO 65536
417-532-4618
Vogels
Homestead Resort
11451 Hwy 64
Lebanon, MO 65536
417-532-4097
Rio
Products
5050
S. Yellowstone Hwy, Idaho Falls, Idaho
83402
USA Tel. 208-524-7760
Fax
208-524-7763
e-mail:
rio@rioproducts.com
website: www.rioproducts.com
Spring
View Fly Shop
Ed & Kay
417-588-2116
11726 Highway 64
Lebanon, MO 65536
Andys
Catch
Phone:
417 - 532-0755
Fax:
417-532-1101
16161
Highway 64
Lebanon,
MO 65536
www.AndysCatch.com
Readings
Fly Shop
11937
Highway 64A
Lebanon,
MO 65536
417-588-4334
Bennett
Spring State Park Concession Shop
26248
Hwy 64 A
Lebanon,
MO 65536
417-532-4307
1-800-334-6946
Gastons
Tackle
Bennett
Springs State Park
11798
Highway 64 - Lot 63
Lebanon, MO 65536
417-532-9449
Sand
Springs Resort
1996
Hwy 64
Lebanon,
MO 65536
417-532-5857
417-588-3110
fax
www.sandspringsresort.com
Larrys
Sporting Goods
25976
State Highway 64A
Lebanon,
MO 65536
877-456-7243 or
417-532-8678
e-mail:
larrys@bennettspring.com
www.bennettspring.com
Wilkinson
Outdoor Adventures
Clint Wilkinson
272 Wild Cat Shoals Road
Gassville, AR 72635
870-404-2942
CGFlyfish@excite.com
Rileys Station
Miles & Michelle Riley
129 CR 640
Buffalo, AR 72653
whiteriver.net/rileys/
888-533-2151
870-425-4221
Dale
Fultons Blue Ribbon Flies
1343 Hwy. 5 South
Mountain Home, Arkansas 72653
(870) 425-0447
Fax (870) 425-6954
http://www.mtnhome.net/fultons/
http://www.mtnhome.net/brf/
E-mail: bluflyar@mtnhome.com
Two
Rivers Fly Shop
13718
Hwy 5 South Norfork, AR 72658
870
499-3060 Fax 870 499-5951
www.tworiversflyshop.com
Wapsi
Ask
for Wapsi at Better Fly Shops Everywhere!
Mountain Home, AR 72653
Brass
Door Motel
Hwy
62W
Gassville, AR 72635
Motel
Phone
(870)
435-2988
Restaurant
Phone
(870)
435-2288
(877)
272-7736
The
Red Fern Restaurant
203
N. College St.
(1/2
Block off Hwy 62B)
Mountain Home, AR
870-508-6693
White
Sands Motel & Restaurant
Highway 62B - Next to Cotter's Rainbow
Arch Bridge
870-435-2244
whitesands@mtnhome.com
www.whiteriver.net/whitesands