Across
the Stream - October 2005
A
Publication of Heart of America Fly Fishers
HOAFF October Meeting
Monday, October 17, 2005 - 7pm
Steven Dally
Fly
Fishing in Tasmania
President's Message
by Mark Borserine
Our single largest fund-raising event of the year is right
around the corner. The money from our Auction is the primary way we subsidize
our yearly seminar and give donations to worthy organizations that support
Education, Conservation and Restoration. Come out on Monday night November 21st and be very generous with your
bidding because it goes to a worthy cause!
Dan Zimmerman has some great merchandise lined up. Also, if
you’re like me and you have things that you don’t use anymore or things you
bought and never used, consider donating them to the auction – contact Dan
Zimmerman with your items.
And, very importantly, bring a friend, someone who is not a
member to the Auction. Not only will they get access to some great “stuff” they
may become a member!
Our club is truly a precious thing as came home to me on our
recent Alaska trip (see my article, this newsletter). What could have been a
real disaster due to unexpected water conditions was made downright enjoyable
by the good humor and good attitude of fellow members of this club. Not only do
we learn a lot from being members and participating, we make friendships that
will last for life and get to be around people that are real treasures! When you can turn the kind of fishing
(drudgery) we endured into heartfelt laughter, you’ve had one of the best
experiences life can give!
Make a point to go on club outings, seek out the other
members that are there. Fish and dine with them and you’ll quickly find out
what I’m talking about. Although I can’t be there due to an annual Pheasant
Opener trip to South Dakota with another wonderful group of friends, make a
point to go on the upcoming October 15th outing to Branson and the Taneycomo Tailwater. I do
promise to bring back Pheasant Tails for everyone!
HOAFF
Embroidered Logo Shirts
by Mark Borserine
We agonized over selling fishing shirts embroidered with our
new logo as I’ve seen some other FFF clubs wearing. We decided that attempting to stock enough sizes and variety of
shirts to satisfy our members was not financially feasible.
What we have arranged is to have River City T’s, who made our
hats and T-Shirts embroider our members’ shirts for them.
To embroider the logo is $6.50 per shirt with a $25 minimum;
which means that the order should have four shirts or more. Mark Borserine will accumulate your shirts
until he has four or more and then act as the go-between and get them done for
the members. For an additional $7 per
shirt, you can have your name embroidered over the right (your right) pocket as
I did on my shirt shown in the photograph.
Bring your shirts (non-T) to the meetings in the future and
when I’ve accumulated four or more, I’ll get them done and will have them back
in two weeks or so.
P.S. I’m holding three shirts for a member right now.
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
Jorgensen Bill Lyon
jhjflyfisher@everestkc.net 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 dgrundy@sbcglobal.net
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@sbcglobal.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
Come early to the member meeting to watch the
featured fly tyer, Monet Drake. If you are interested in being a
featured fly tyer, contact Dave Andrews.
HOAFF Apparel now available
Now you can get a T-shirt or a fishing hat with the
new Heart of America Fly Fishers Logo. Hats $15, T-shirts $12
Annual Auction & Raffle
by Dan Zimmerman
The annual HOAFF auction and raffle will take place on
Monday, November 21, 2005 at 7:00 p.m. Items will be available for viewing by
6:00, so come early. It will take place
at our new meeting location at Community of Christ Church, 79th & Mission
Rd, Prairie Village, KS. This location
gives us some great advantages. We had
limited access to our old location, so we had to organize and set up right
before the auction. This caused a lot
of chaos and stress and limited the opportunity of our members to look thing
over before hand. We will now be able
to set up on Sunday afternoon so members can come early on Monday before the
auction.
We’ve already received a number of items. If you like guided flyfishing trips, this is
the years to come to the auction. So
far, we have a guided small mouth trip on the Current River, and trout fishing
trips on the North Fork, the White/Norfork, the Eleven Point, the Current
River, and the Niangua. If you like
something more exotic, we have a guided float trip for two on the Bow in
Canada, and a guided five day trip by horseback into the Teton/Yellowstone
wilderness in Wyoming. We have already
received some great lodging, flyfishing gear and fly tying material. We expect to continue to receive lodging,
trips and gear in the weeks ahead.
Though the commercial items are great, everyone really enjoys
the hand crafted flies and equipment contributed by our members. We also will need additional help from our
members for such things as setup, ticket sales, and refreshments. If you can contribute please give me a call
or you can sign up at the October meeting.
Many members have already pledged donations. Let me know if you have something in mind or
just bring the item to the October meeting.
In the weeks ahead we will plan to post auction items on our
website. Be sure to check back for
updates.
The auction is a great opportunity to introduce others to our
great club. Think about bringing a
friend (or more than one).
Call for
Nominations
Each year at the Annual Banquet at Bennett Spring, we award
deserving members with a number of awards. We need your help by nominating
member for the following award categories. If you have nominations, please
contact John Richards or Bill Lindley.
Golden
Strike Indicator Award.
Outstanding
Service Award.
Best
Newsletter Article Award.
Longest
Fishing Trip Award.
Tall-Tale-Teller
Award.
Multi-Fly
Award.
Annual Banquet/Bennett Spring Trip
December 2 - 4, 2005
By John Richards
It’s time to start planning for the Annual Banquet and Winter
Bennett Spring Trip. The Winter Catch and Release season is always a great time
to fish the waters of Bennett Spring and the Annual Banquet is an event not to
be missed.
Reserve a place at Bennett Spring for lunch Saturday and at
the Annual Banquet Saturday night. Sign up at the next member meeting with John
Richards or Jim Jorgensen.
A $15 advance reservation fee is required to hold a spot for
these meals. The $15 will cover your meal cost (excluding drinks) at the
banquet. The club will furnish lunch at the shelter across the river from the
spring at noon on Saturday.
There are some fine places to stay while in the Bennett
Spring region. It’s a good idea to make lodging reservations.
Sand Spring Resort
417-532-5857
Vogels Homestead Resort
417-532-4097
Larry’s
417-532-8678
Andy’s Catch
417-532-0755
Bennett Spring State Park
1-800-334-6946
Alaska
with Friends
By Mark Borserine
The importance of Friends was made evident by our recent trip
to Alaska. On September 25th, nine of us from HOAFF: Pete
Petersen, Larry Allen, David Howard, Jim Ohnemus, Mark Smith, Gordon Church,
Dave Andrews and myself from HOAFF and a friend of mine who joined us from San
Francisco, Mark Allen arrived at Creekside in Ninilchik, Alaska. The owner of the Creekside Inn, Will
Maloney, was our guest speaker back in January and offered a group from the
club a generous end-of-season discount package.
The Alaska experience was made wonderful by the prescence of
these good friends and kindred spirits!
Unfortunately the rivers had “blown out” with high-water and turbid
conditions and the fishing was anything but wonderful. Two of our group went
without and the others were content with one or two for four days of hard
work. Will (Maloney) complemented us by
saying we were the hardest working and most dedicated group he’d had all
season. Other groups when faced with a
slowdown in fishing would go back to the lodge and drink. What Will didn’t know is we didn’t have
anything to drink and were too cheap to acquire any, so we had no choice but to
keep at it! My friends kept their
spirits high without spirits! Good
humor and good companionship made the trip truly enjoyable; and, what can one
say about Alaska except that it is overwhelming – the size and scenery are
incredible!
We tried all the traditional, bright Alaska patterns,
fluorescent eggs, egg-sucking leeches, etc. etc. but the only two flies that
produced were some pink Pistol Pete’s that I’d bought on sale (mostly out of
amusement) and olive Sculpins. The
Pistol Pete’s have little propellers on the front like topwater lures for Bass,
these were tied in Steelhead fashion on appropriate size hooks. Will felt they worked because of the
vibration caused by the props, because their equivalent without propellers
didn’t produce. Will likes these, he’s
seen them produce when nothing else would, but he doesn’t stock them since a
lot of fly fishers (purists) won’t throw them.
To allay any fears that there might have been any purists in
our group, after I caught the first salmon on one, my supply disappeared in
short order! If you’re going to Alaska
you are well-advised to take some of these large Pistol Pete’s and large,
dark-colored sculpin patterns in addition to the traditional bright, flashy
flies as insurance against unexpected conditions.
Carp on a Fly
By Cliff Cain
I must admit that when John Bell and I bought a day of
fishing for “Kansas Golden Bones” at the HOAFF auction, I didn’t know what to
expect. I had heard that Carp could be had on a fly, but had never really
considered trying it myself.
At the end of a June week of nearly continuous foul weather
and torrential rain, we ventured to the Manhattan area to meet Captain Paul
Sodamann for our introduction to fly fishing for Carp. The day began cloudy and
windy, both of which were bad for the type of fishing we were to do. The clouds
burned off early, which helped in our ability to spot fish, but the wind would
be with us in a big way all day, and the water was more murky than usual from
all the runoff of the previous week. We started on Milford reservoir with
Captain Sodamann poling along the edges of rocky points and sheltered coves
sight fishing streamers to cruising fish. As John and I learned, this is very
technical fishing. After the fish is spotted the fly must be placed in the its
path and allowed to sink to their cruising depth. The fish may be spooked by
lining, or splashing the fly down nearby. If everything goes as planned, tiny
slow strips may entice the Carp to bite and the fun can begin. As a bonus you
can get shots at cruising Gar and the occasional Buffalo. Both John and I were
successful in getting a fly in front of a few fish, but were unable to resist
the urge to strip faster when the fish started to follow. These fish will not
work for food. Because the Carp won’t
chase a fly, I found this fishing to be more technical than fishing Mangroves
for Snook in Florida.
We finished off the morning on Milford without a caught Carp
to show for our efforts. After lunch at Willey’s Bar and Grill, a local haunt
of the Flat Landers Fly Fishers, we headed for the Tuttle Puddle to try a
different Approach. The Tuttle Puddle is a small body of water formed by the
outflow from Tuttle Dam. The wind was howling making conditions particularly
difficult for our guide. We cruised to the most sheltered part of the lake and
attempted to sight fish to rising Carp feeding on Cottonwood seeds.
There were feeding Carp and we cast to them. This is much
like casting dry flies to rising trout. Presentation, and accuracy are critical
and the fly must be placed in the feeding lane of the fish. The wind made
casting accurately difficult and it was impossible for Captain Sodamann to hold
the boat with the push pole. As we ripped through an area with several active
fish John got his first experience hooking a Carp. It didn’t last long. The
fish threw the fly and was gone. Captain Sodamann emphasized how poor
conditions were and moved us to the third type of Carp fishing we were to do.
He motored the boat to the first of two fish feeders we would
fish that evening. A container of fish pellets is carried in the boat and used
to “chum” the carp to the surface so a fly can be presented. That is not to say
one fishes a fly that looks like a fish pellet, although, that is sometimes
done. We fished dry flies made of feathers in white and orange and black that
looked nothing like a feed pellet. The anglers were beyond ready to catch a
fish at this point and our guide was more determined yet. The wind continued to
plague us as we tried to make accurate casts while the boat shifted position at
anchor. Fish were up and feeding and both John and I were able to get fish to
eat our fly. John got connected to a nice fish and after a few minutes struggle
and some tense moments netted a nice specimen for his fist Carp on a Fly. As
John started to tail the fish from the net, the fish flipped and slipped from
his grasp. Tragedy was averted when the fish hesitated on the gunwale of the
boat just long enough for us to grab it. A couple of quick pictures and the
fish was headed back to the feeder with a story to tell his pals.
The Captain moved us to the second feeder and attempted to
anchor the boat with the wind at our backs. The gale was blowing so hard at
this point that we had to make three passes before the anchor bit and we had a
shot at the feeder. Let the games begin. A huge mass of Carp were swirling
directly under the feeder and were ready to eat. John almost immediately hooked
a fish and a brief fight ensued. John had worked the Carp near the boat and was
attempting to lift it for the net when bang, his 6wt Sage rod snapped just
below the bottom ferrule. Laughing gleefully, John handed the butt of his rod
to the Captain and proceeded to lift and net his second Carp with just the rod
tip. John had just sacrificed his favorite 6wt on what would be his smallest
fish of the day. A bit later, using one of the Captain’s rods, John would spend
fifteen minutes fighting the largest Carp of the trip. It tipped the scales at
11 pounds (see photo on HOAFF.org).
You may have noted that thus far I have only mentioned John’s
fish. That is because my one landed fish of the day was a 4 inch Crappie caught
first thing in the morning. Am I complaining?
Not at all. I enjoyed having brief fights with four nice Carp before
breaking them off. The first two I attribute to an old leader that I should
have changed after the first fish was lost. The other two I attribute to trying
too hard to keep these powerful fish on a short line. There was also the half
hour that I spent watching fish take my fly only to spit it out before I could
get the hook set. I was beginning to question whether I was qualified to be in
the boat. After this had happened about six times, Captain Sodamann suggested I
check my fly. Sure enough, the hook point was broken off. So, the moral of this
story is always use a fresh leader and tippet, and check your fly regularly.
Even though I didn’t get a Carp to the boat, I had a blast trying. Because he
felt conditions were so bad for our day of fishing Captain Sodamann invited
John and I to come back when conditions are more favorable and fish with him
again. A very generous offer from a very generous friend. Both John and I agree
that this is an intriguing new fishing opportunity close to home, and we are
anxious to try it again. If you want to try this exciting big game fishing you
can contact Captain Paul Sodmann via e-mail at sodies@wamego.net
Upcoming Events & Programs
October 17, 2005 Steven Dally - Fly Fishing Tasmania
November 21, 2005 Annual
Raffle & Auction
December 3, 2005 Winter Outing - Bennett Springs MO
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
2626 Hwy
165
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 • sawdustclay@sbcglobal.net
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
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
Bennett
Spring State Park Concession Shop
26248 Hwy
64 A
Lebanon,
MO 65536
417-532-4307
1-800-334-6946
Gaston’s
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
Wilkinson
Outdoor Adventures
Clint
Wilkinson
272
Wild Cat Shoals Road
Gassville,
AR 72635
870-404-2942
CGFlyfish@excite.com
Riley’s Station
Miles
& Michelle Riley
129
CR 640
Buffalo,
AR 72653
whiteriver.net/rileys/
888-533-2151
870-425-4221
Dale
Fulton’s 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
White
Sands Motel & Restaurant
Highway
62B - Next to Cotter's Rainbow Arch Bridge
870-435-2244
whitesands@mtnhome.com
www.whiteriver.net/whitesands
Bass Pro Shops
www.basspro.com
Chapman Creek Fly & Tackle
2701 North Marshall
Chapman, KS 76431
785-922-6630
www.chapmancreek.com
Rim Shoals Lodge & Fly Shop
River Front Lodging
Guided FIshing Trips
Boat/Motor Rental
Full Service Fly Shop
Gary & Paula Flippin
(870) 435-6144
www.rimshoals.com
Legler Knives
www.leglerknives.com
Guide Lines Guide Service
To Schedule a trip on Kansas Lakes:
Call 785-267-0065 or
cell 785-640-5463
www.clydetheguide.com
Anglers
and Achery Outfitters
136B Eden Way
Branson, MO 65616
(417) 335-4655
anglersandarchery.com
Maloney's
Guide Service
Creekside
Inn
Ninilchik,
Alaska
maloneys@cableone.net
Parkview
Lodge
1-888-727-5883
5477
Hwy 165
Branson,
MO
Diane
Cristopher-Fulks
Watercolor
Wildlife
Designs
by Diane
(816)
578-4615
Yagers
Flies
www.yagersflies.com
(866)
359-7467