Across
the Stream - April 2005
A
Publication of Heart of America Fly Fishers
HOAFF April Meeting
Monday, April 18, 2005 - 7pm
Paul Sodeman
Kansas Fly Fishing
From Stripers to Golden Bones, Captain Paul Sodeman will guide us
through the many lakes of Kansas prairie.
President's Message
We all live downstream
by
Mark Borserine
I am so proud of the HOAFF to announce that we met
and slightly exceeded our goal of raising $5,000 for the joint venture of The
Nature Conservancy and the Missouri DOC to improve the Niangua Watershed.
$1,500 is from club funds, voted by the Officers & Directors last year,
$1,500 is from a generous matching offer by one of our members and the
remainder is from the pockets of individual members. This proves our
memberships’ generosity and concern for the welfare of our ecosystem. I saw a
poster on the side of a bus yesterday promoting concern about the condition of
our waters; the quote was: “After all, we all live downstream”; how true!
This outpouring of financial generosity and members
giving of themselves as volunteers are clear indications of a new role for the
HOAFF in our community. We are becoming “known” and people are beginning to
approach us to become involved in projects. With our new status as 501©3 the
possibilities for establishing a foundation for education and conservation
become open to us; we, (therefore our projects) can become the beneficiaries of
Charitable Estate Bequests, the first of which we just received in the form of
gifts for our auction by the generosity of the widow (Marianne) of one of our
members who passed away, Bob Groody.
I am a history buff and as I’ve observed before,
there is a historical basis for an acitivist role in the community for our
club. We have clean waters to fish in today, healthy populations of wildlife
and magnificent wilderness areas open to the public (unique in the world)
because of the efforts of outdoorsmen and women beginning just after the turn
of the century.
“Outdoorspersons” includes fishers, hunters, hikers,
bikers, birdwatchers, etc., etc. all of whom have a common love of the places
they find their spiritual solace in! When
asked to vote and pay for conservation, the American public always goes for
conservation!
You should be proud of yourselves and your Club; we
have a lot of momentum! Let’s keep it
up by turning out and volunteering to help at the upcoming National Fly Fishing
Week activities on Saturday(s) the 23rd and 30th of April. Plenty of volunteers are
still needed, call Hod McIntosh (913-722-3684: singingreels@worldnet.att.net
e-mail) and “sign up”.
If you can’t commit yet because of an uncertain
schedule (and don’t we all find ourselves in this situation) but you find
yourself free on those days, come on out and we’ll find something worthwhile
for you to do.
The event is being held at the Prairie Center in
Olathe from 9am to 4:30 pm on the two consecutive Saturdays. If you find
yourself able to come at the last minute, my cell phone is (913) 915-1002,
call, and I’ll give you directions!
Thank you all for all you do. This is your club, you
make it work; and by virtue of your work and generosity you can be proud of
your club!
The
Nature Conservancy: Bennett Spring/Niangua River Project
HOAFF
donates $5000
by Mark Borserine
Last fall the Nature Conservancy asked
our club to help fund a project to begin to preserve the Niangua River
watershed.
In short, the plan is to acquire lands or
conservation easements such that the headwaters of the watershed remain as
undeveloped as possible. The Nature Conservancy asked HOAFF for $5,000.
Myself and other officers looked at the
plan in depth and felt that the project deserved our club’s support. To that
end, the officers voted to fund the project with $1,500 of the club’s available
cash reserves. A generous anonymous donor offered to match up to $1,500 of
other donations. I am proud to announce that not only did we raise $1,500 to
match the generous anonymous matching offer, but we also received the final
$500 to get us to the $5,000 level! The
funds are currently on their way to the Nature Conservancy. By the way, if you
have never explored the Niangua River, plan to do so. It’s the closest (moving)
trout water to Kansas City, below where Bennett Springs chills it up a bit.
There is a very enjoyable (4 or 5 mile)
canoe float that you can do downstream from Bennett Springs to Barclay
Conservation area. There is also some very fun water above Bennett Springs. The
river is considerably smaller above Bennett and is easily waded.
Best time of year to explore the Niangua
is any month other than June, July, and August when it tends to get quite a bit
of canoe traffic.
2005 Officers
PRESIDENT
Mark Borserine
majborser@aol.com
(913) 381-0722
pAST
PRESIDENT/SECRETARY
David Andrews
davidgandrews@kc.rr.com
H (816) 741-8314
tREASURER
Paul Bennetts
pbennetts1@comcast.net
913-338-3837
NEWSLETTER
EDITOR
Tom
James
tom@blackdogsports.com
O (816)
718-0393
PROGRAMS
Cliff Cain John Bell
cliffcain@hotmail.com j.bell@kcc.state.ks.us
H (913) 780-3865 H (785) 843-1782
O (913) 433-5224 O (785) 271-3139
OUTINGS
Jim
Jorgenson Bill Lyon
jjorgens@ci.lenexa.ks.us blyon51@yahoo.com
H (913) 469-1950 (816) 525-1243
O (913) 477-7701
MEMBERSHIP
Cliff Newton Fred Clark
ccnewton@sbcglobal.net fclarks@planetkc.com
H (816) 943-8306 H
(913) 831-0305
O (816) 426 3925 x260
CONSERVATION/BLUE
RIVER PROJECT
Raymond Zook
rzook@kc.rr.com
H (816) 941-2862
LIBRARIAN
Doug McDonald
mcdoug5148@sbcglobal.net
(913) 669-5222
EDUCATION/RECOGNITION
Bill Lindley Jim Mattes
(913) 888-3177 (913) 248-1030
SPRING
PROGRAM COMMITTEE
Dick Martin Don Grundy
rlm@mllfpc.com dlgrundy@msn.com
H (816) 781-9557 H (816)-781-9019
O (816) 221-1430
WEBMASTER
Vicky Newton
svnewton@sbcglobal.net
H (816) 943-8306
AUCTION/RAFFLE
Dan Zimmerman
dzmmrmn@aol.com
(913) 829-4768
HISTORIAN
Bill Brant
billandkathy@kc.rr.com
H (816) 941-9691 O (913) 458-6826
SOUTHERN
COUNCIL LIAISON
Hod McIntosh
singingreels@worldnet.att.net
Home: (913) 722-3684
BANQUET
CHAIR
John Richards
jreyedoc1@aol.com
H (816) 781-0545 O (816) 781-0500
Heart
of America Fly Fishers Meetings
Meetings
are held at 7pm on the 3rd Monday of each month
Community
of Christ Church
79th
& Mission Rd, Prairie Village, KS
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
Cliff Newton will be tying at the April Meeting so come early to
see some new patterns. If you are interested in being a featured fly tyer,
contact Dave Andrews.
Conservation News
AGFC Embraces "Science Based" Trout Management Plan
by John Bell
If you were at the March meeting, you
heard Darrell Bowman talking about Arkansas’ new Trout Management Plan. A major
element of the Plan is a shift away from “political based” trout management to
“science based” trout management. Whether and to what extent this shift will
take place is unknown at this time as the Plan is in its genesis now.
In past periods all Arkansas trout waters
were managed under the same set of regulations. Now, under the Trout Management
Plan each trout fishery will be managed under separate regulations germane to
that fishery alone.
Each year the Commission staff will
analyze one or two fisheries, solicit public input, and then make
recommendations for regulation changes to the Commission. The very first
Arkansas trout fishery to come under the new plan is the Beaver tailwater at
the headwaters of the White River.
On March 1st I attended a AGFC
meeting at the junior college in Rogers, AR. The purpose of the meeting was to
solicit public input as to how the fishery would be managed in the future. AGFC
brought in a special hired consultant to chair the meeting and analyze the
information that would come out of it.
There were about 100 in attendance that
broke up into groups of 5-8 with the task of making a list of things we didn’t
like about the fishery and then a list of desires for the fishery. There was no
political pressure in making up the lists. If someone mentioned something, it
went on the list whether others in the group agreed or not.
After the brainstorming process, each
group had to vote (within itself) to determine the two most important items on
each list. At the conclusion each group announced its top two on each list and
then the lists were posted so all could see what each group had come up with.
Following the meeting the consultant
would analyze the public input and write up a report to the AGFC. On April 11th a follow-up meeting
will be held in Rogers, Arkansas. The purpose of that meeting will be to make
recommendations for regulation changes for the Beaver fishery based upon public
input and analysis from AGFC staff.
I plan on being there and will file a
report when I get back. When will the Bull Shoals and Norfork tailwaters be
involved in this process? A year or two down the road according to Darrell
Bowman. At least by then we’ll know how the process works.
Bennett Spring
Kid's Free Fishing
The Bennett Spring Annual Kid’s Free
Fishing Event is coming up on Saturday, May 14, 2005.
Fishing hours are from 6:30 AM to 8:15
PM. There will be educational programs from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM which include
fly tying, fly casting, fish cleaning, basic camping skills, and much more.
Lunch will be provided for the kids from
11:00 AM to 1:00 PM. Door prizes will be given away throughout the day. This
event is free fishing to kids 15 and younger.
If you have questions you can contact
Julie Caffey, Bennett Spring Assistant Hatchery Manager at 417-532-4418.
2005 Hooked on Fly Fishing Program
by Hod McIntosh
We really need the help of as many club members as
possible for next Saturday the 23rd and the following Saturday the 30th.
Invitations have been sent to the Mid-Continent
Council of the Girl Scouts, the Heart of America Council of the Boy Scouts as
well as the area 4H Clubs. Jim Mattes is handling our ad campaign for the
general public encouraging people to came to the Prairie Center to learn about
our sport of fly fishing.
The following club members have stepped forth to
organize and recruit helpers for these events:
Knot tying Cliff Cain 913-558-5069
Bill
Lindley 913-888-3177
Casting Tom James 816-718-0393
Fly Tying Mark Boresine 913-831-0722
Waterside Fred Clark 913-831-0305
Fly Equipment Display Ray Zook 816-941-2862
General Helpers Hod McIntosh 913-722-3684
At this point it looks like we will need about 25
club members each day to handle our fly fishing program. So check your
calendars and give the member listed above a telephone call and sign-up to give
him a hand with this program. Remember you DO NOT HAVE TO BE A PRO to
help the instructors. Last year I believe all the members who helped with the
program really enjoyed their participation. It is fun to be around people
interested in learning about our sport of fly fishing.
Just say YES if you are asked to help out. See
you at the Prairie Center next Saturday.!!
Meeting Protocol
We have experienced a couple of behavior
“incidents” at recent monthly meetings. These incidents are uncharacteristic
for the club, reflect poorly on all of us, and cannot be allowed to continue.
The Board has met with outside professionals and taken appropriate actions with
respect to the parties involved.
Going forward, it is important that our
members understand how club meetings will be run.
• We have a set of by-laws that clearly govern all meetings through
parliamentary procedure, giving authority to the officer presiding over the
meeting. Under parliamentary procedure, only those recognized are allowed to
speak. The presiding officer is allowed to recognize, not recognize, bring
closure if off topic or beyond allotted time, and evict if necessary.
• Outside counsel has indicated it is inadvisable for a 501(c)3
organization to restrict freedom of speech. Opinions of our members should
never be considered the official position of the HOAFF.
• Meetings will be run from a meeting agenda. Anyone wanting time on
the agenda will need to clear it with the club president in advance of the
meeting.
• We will offer a short Member Forum in our agenda at the March, June
and September meetings for other member announcements. We will publish the
months of the Member Forum in the newsletter, so members will know in advance.
The presiding officer will clearly indicate this is a Member Forum, enforce the
rules and state that member opinions are not the opinions of the HOAFF.
• Membership in the HOAFF is a privilege. Members failing to abide by
the Articles and By-laws of the HOAFF or who display abusive behavior toward
other members should expect to have their membership privileges revoked.
If you have any question about meeting
protocol, see an officer an the next member meeting.
White
River Outing
May
13-14-15, 2005
By Jim Jorgensen
One of the favorite destinations of club members is
the White and Norfork Rivers around Mountain Home, Arkansas. If you are new to
the club this would be an excellent opportunity to fish some of the best trout
water within easy driving distance of Kansas City and get to know other club
members better.
I would like for any club members interested in
attending to contact me so I can keep tract of those signing up. Also, any club
members who are interested in attending and would like some assistance in
finding a ride or sharing a room may contact me and I will let you know who
else is in a similar situation. I will also keep others informed of who is
going prior to the event.
We will be staying at the White Sands Motel near
Cotter, Arkansas. See their advertisement in the newsletter for additional
information (Rates/night with tax:
$41.62 single, $50.22 double, and $72.15 for club room that sleeps
four).
The restaurant at White Sands is open and under
separate management. Also available nearby is the Brass Door Motel (see
advertisement the newsletter for information). Everyone is responsible for
making their own reservations and coordinating any outside activities.
The White and Norfork Rivers are both tailwater
fisheries. Since these are both power generation dams water fluctuations need
to be consider. Flow rates for Bull Shoals are available by calling
913/595-6779.
If you are new it will be helpful to fish with other
club members that have been there before to help you find your way around and
select the prime fishing spots based on water flow. For fishing information and
directions see the newsletter articles by John Bell. Another good source for
fly patterns and other stream information is Dale Fulton’s Blue Ribbon Flies www.mtnhome.net/brf/
(see advertisement in the newsletter).
Please call me if you are going, or would like
additional information about the outing - jjorgensen@ci.lenexa.ks.us or
cell phone at 913/481-1129.
Directions
to Mt. Home, AR from Kansas City
by
John Bell
With our upcoming club outing to the
Mt. Home, Arkansas area I thought it would be nice if we shared some directions
regarding the route to take to get there.
• Take US71 South out of Kansas City (approx
20mi) to Harrisonville, Mo.
• Two miles South of Harrisonville, go East
on Missouri 7 (approx 45mi) to Clinton,
Mo.
• At Clinton, go South on Missouri 13 to
Springfield (approx 90mi)
• At Springfield, go East on Interstate 44
(approx 10mi) to US 65
• In Springfield go South on US 65 (approx 10mi)
to US 60
• In Springfield go East on US 60 (approx 40mi)
to Missouri 5 at Mansfield
• At Mansfield take Missouri 5 South to Mt.
Home, Arkansas (approx 80mi)
White
River Journal with Ol'Twofly
by John Bell
In view of our upcoming club outing to
the Arkansas tailwaters in May, I thought I’d share some tidbits of tailwater
wisdom that old twofly has stumbled upon over the years. Keep in mind that there are LOTS of ways to
take trout on the tailwaters and the methods (and flies) that I outline below
are but a few.
Twofly's
Tips for Arkansas Tailwaters
Fly Patterns
One can make the selection of fly patterns as complex
as one desires, but in my opinion you don’t need a lot of different fly
patterns to be successful on the White and Norfork tailwaters. By this I don’t
mean that only a few patterns are successful on the tailwaters, but that if one
wanted to, one could keep the number of required patterns to a minimum and
still achieve success. I outline below four patterns that have proven
themselves on the White and Norfork tailwaters and are used today by many who
fish those waters.
Wolly Buggers
An extremely productive fly is the size 8 or 10 olive
green woolly bugger. This fly is incredibly effective as well as easy to tye
and fish. I highly recommend it for beginning fly fishers on the tailwaters.
Simply cast a straight line directly across the
stream. Let the fly sink for the first quarter of the drift and then retrieve
in short strips for the last quarter of the drift. If you vary the sink rate
and strip lengths, you will usually find a winning combination.
If you are daring, add a second bugger behind the
first by clinch knotting a 12” to 20” inch piece of tippet to the bend of the
hook on the first bugger. I really think the second fly helps to incite the
strike instinct in the fish. Use a nine foot leader tapered to 4x for this
method. You will know when a fish strikes!
Scuds
If I were limited to just one fly on the White or
Norfork tailwaters it would be the scud or sowbug. Color is important. There
are two. I call them a light gray and a medium brown. The gray works best 90%
of the time. However when scuds are molting the brown pattern works better. How
do you know if they’re molting? Turn
over a few rocks to observe the naturals and you’ll see what color phase is
active.
Next time you are in Mountain Home visit a few fly
shops and check out the scuds in the fly bins and you will see what the locals
use.
For a better perspective next time the fishing is
slow, lift a few rocks in the river and check out the naturals. Don’t be
surprised if the naturals you observe appear quite a bit smaller than the most
commonly used scud patterns. They are.
The scud is an incredibly easy fly to tie. Get some
dubbing (all of the Kansas City fly shops know the tailwater colors) and tie
your own.
Initially I tyed sophisticated patterns which
incorporated fancy ribs and backs. Now, I keep my patterns (which work just as
well or better) basic. I simply lash some dubbing to a lightly weighted hook
(size 12-18) and use a widely spaced fine copper wire rib to hold it down.
That’s it. No head. No tail. No back. I don’t even bother to cement the heads! I can’t think of a more effective tailwater
fly that is easier to tie.
Although quite a few of the naturals are smaller than
size 18, that’s as small as I go. I prefer using the larger sizes (12’s and
14’s, rather than 16’s and 18’s) as they are stronger and have better hooking
properties. Water conditions largely determine what size I use.
If we are wading and the water is low and thin, I
will opt for the smaller patters and 6x (or even 7x) tippet. If the water is
high and heavy, I will use the larger patterns and scale back to 5x tippet.
On the outside chance that you hook a large fish, the
larger hook is a distinct advantage in the fight. If you look in the river and
check out the naturals you will find that they are quite small on the average.
Most naturals are size 18-22. However, I only use the smaller scuds (16's &
18’s) under the lowest water conditions.
Most of the time I’m using size 12 & 14. You
won’t find a size 12 natural in the river but it still works! Don’t ask me why.
Prince Nymphs
While the Prince Nymph can be equally effective in
smaller sizes (14’s - 18’s, especially when Caddis are hatching) I use them
primarily in sizes 8 - 12. Again if you look in the river you won’t find any
insects that look like a size 8 - 12 Prince Nymph but they still work.
Generally I use them on a multiple fly cast as the upper fly in heavier water
conditions.
As such they are weighted and serve to bring my point
flies (usually scuds) down to the bottom of the river. I believe that the trout
take the Prince for crawdads which abound in the tailwaters. I know they call
me twofly, but I commonly run a Prince for weight and then trail two scuds
behind the Prince.
Strike
Indicators Nymphing
I believe that day in and day out strike indicator
nymphing on the White and Norfork tailwaters is the most productive method for
catching trout on flies.
My basic rig utilizes a 9 foot leader tapered to 5x
or 6x with a single scud (or other fly of your choice) attached. Place a strike
indicator so that it is approximately twice the depth of the water you are
fishing and add weight as needed approximately 12 - 18 inches above the fly.
Under low water wading conditions, stand in ankle
deep water and cast into knee deep water. Upon approaching the river, resist
the temptation to wade through skinny water to get to the deepest run.
Always fish your way through the thin water when
heading for deeper areas. Tailwater trout (if not spooked) will hold in
extremely shallow water. If you are the first to approach the river in the
morning, you can assume that trout will be holding in ankle deep water.
Fish the scud dead drift. Most often I am casting
quartering upstream and letting the fly(s) come back to me. You can also fish
them quartering below you, but you will have to mend your drift to keep it drag
free.
Most of the time strikes will come on the dead drift
and can be subtle in low water. That’s why a strike indicator is important. If
you get strikes when the flies are taut and/or on the swing below you, it might
be an indication that the trout are looking for a moving fly (like a woolly
bugger or caddis emerger) instead of the dead drift of the scuds.
If you are a beginning nymph fisherman and unsure of
your technique on the tailwaters try this method. It’s simple and it works.
I prefer a moveable strike indicator since it is
helpful to be able to change the location of the strike indicator on the leader
as the depth of the water you are fishing changes. The general rule for strike
indicator placement is twice the depth of the water you are fishing.
Add weight to the leader as required by water
conditions. I prefer to distribute weight in a uniform manner above each fly.
When fishing two flies I believe it is unwise to put
all your weight in one spot on the leader (especially between the two flies).
To do so, encourages the “bolo” effect when casting and is likely to result in
tangles unless one uses a very open casting stroke.
Further I believe that placing all weight between two
flies impairs the action of the flies on the drift.
Smaller shot distributed uniformly along the leader
seems to work best for me. I find Dinsmore’s micro shot in sizes No. 6 and No.
8 just right for this type of fishing.
If you’re more adventurous you can try adding another
scud (or other fly) to the rig. To do this simply add another 12 to 18 inches
of 5x or 6x tippet tied through the eye of the first fly. Tie on another scud
and you’re fishing two flies! (Now you
know how I got my moniker).
Slow down you’re casting stroke, cast a wide loop and
you’ll avoid tangles. Remember you’ve got a strike indicator, split shot(s),
and one or more flies attached to the leader.
The multiple fly rig gives you the opportunity to
fish two (or even more!) flies of varying size/color/weight. If the fish have a
preference for a particular size or color you’ll find out more quickly. Hope
these tips are useful to you. Good luck on the tailwaters.
Upcoming Events & Programs
April
18, 2005 Paul Sodeman -
Kansas Fly Fishing
May
14, 2005 Spring Outing -
White River, Mountain Home Ark.
May
16, 2005 Olaf Borge - Silk
Fly Lines
June
18, 2005 One Fly - Location to be announced
September
19, 2005 Club Picnic - Shawnee Mission Park
October
15, 2005 Fall Outing - Branson MO
December
3, 2005 Winter Outing - Bennett Springs MO
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West
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Lilleys'
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