Raise your hand if you like photos of your fish, either to share with friends or to provide your own fond memories. Raise your hand if you are hesitant to use your cell phone for such photo out of fear of damaging or losing said cell phone. My hand is raised on both counts along with just replacing my third cell phone due to loss or water damage. Believe me when I say that a root canal is almost (note “almost”) preferred to replacing a cell phone.
How about a really nice waterproof digital camera from FujiFilm?I Perfect for the float tube, Pyramid Lake ladder, or just stuck away in a pocket in your vest. This XP140 is shockproof, dust proof, and waterproof to 82 feet. Attach it to a float, no worries. It features Bluetooth/WiFi to transfer both videos and stills without the need for cables.
There is an old adage that states “the best camera is the one you have in your hand” , this camera will be that one.
I designed this fly for chasing after saltwater varieties in Hawaii, namely: bonefish, trevally , and barracuda. This fly also does well in Bahamas, Belize, and Christmas Island. It’s derived from the famous “Bunny Gotcha” and almost resembles a shrimp.
Upon recommendation from my friend Robert Eberle, I’ve discovered that this pattern also works well for surf perch on local beaches.
Please call to sign up, and let me know if you need thread (flat waxed nylon-white) and/or vise and tools. This fly will be a little more challenging for beginners but never let that stop you from learning tying techniques. Your material and directions will be at my door after you sign up. Larry Yien – (831)325-4589
The Zoom link for the fly tying class is on the menu of the website, just below the link for the general meeting.
At this writing, I’m pretty happy cause I hooked a steelhead with the Spey Rod and a red/black woolly bugger in the San Lorenzo under the train trestles today.
Considering I’m still learning how to control line on this big stick, I was totally stoked. Third cast this morning. Course I didn’t land it and it was likely a young first year fish cause it was not more than fourteen inches (and I’m being as realistic as I can be) but bright and silvery. It was what we’d call an LDR – long distance release! Considering my casting, I was quite happy about it. My hands were frozen. It said 28 degrees in Ben Lomond when I left, for the river.
For the next three hours I continued, by myself. Seriously strange if you know the history of the San Lorenzo River. If the tide was high in the Estuary, and it was a fishable day, before Christmas, you’d see at least 10 people fishing. Over the years, three or four. But yesterday and today? One. Me. It was awesome, practicing my casting with no concern about some other angler laughing his arse off watching me pummel the water learning. And it was beautiful. Oh – I had an audience alright. Donned in my Santa hat to keep my ears and cranium warm. It is the “season” after all. They knew very little about how good I was, but I was, the Fly Fisherman. While I paid no attention, focusing on my casting, pretending I didn’t hear their marvelous accolades, praises and adorations, it was nice to be raising awareness that yes, there are fish in this river.
It was not likely I was going to catch another fish, as my casting was not near enough as good as it was yesterday. I called it, ‘beating the water to death for the next three hours’. I suppose I was suffering from YouTube Spey Casting overload. Too much information. I was likely trying too hard, mixing up my Perry Poke with the Snap-T, or is it Iced-T? When that wasn’t working and the breeze was blowing counter to my downstream shoulder, I must’ve needed to change to my Double Spey. Yeah – that was it! Nope. Maybe I was casting with the wrong hand – switched hands. That didn’t do it either. Oh no, please don’t tell me it’s the Snake Roll. No way I got that one yet. Was clearly my overhand pushing and not my underhand. Arrggg.
Back to basics – roll cast, watch my D-Loop, keep it up,…, Single Spey. Ahhhhhh. You know you have it right when all the line runs out, tugs on your reel and you realize it’s pretty far away all nice and straight and you hardly heard anything hit the water. Try to remember how you did that and do it again, and again, and again? More practice.
When I learned to cast the single hand rod, I would practice for hours and hours. It’s a little harder to do with a Spey Rod. Taking a 13’6” 8 weight to the park is a good bit different than a 9’ 5 weight. So I like these days when I am okay with casting away in the estuary when the tide is up. I’m not worried about hindering a larger fish that might be moving up to spawn, when the flows are again, tragically low.
One good year does not a Steelhead river make. The San Lorenzo is suffering again with little less than 22% of “average” rainfall again. The flows for the last several years, but one, have been 50-60% of the 82 year average flows.
If you fish the river, be careful. Make sure you are single-barbless, no-bait, no scents, and are careful where you walk.
Some have asked why fish when the river is in peril. To raise awareness. If the fishermen go, who will speak for the Steelhead, Tide water goby, the Stickleback, Lamprey Eel? The San Lorenzo will turn into the LA River – just a water supply for the city and the majority of population who will never know why the Steelhead, Coho (and all the other wildlife), are so important and necessary to thrive.
In the last 50 years, our biodiversity in wildlife which was 65% of the entire plant, is today just 35%. The San Lorenzo, and our adjoining rivers, Scott, Waddell, Pescadero, Soquel, Aptos, Pajaro…, are in peril. They need water. Pretty much it. Water. More than these rivers are being allotted today. And I don’t mean just from a Water Department perspective, but a development, stewardship, awareness, do something about it stance.
Some of the water departments would have you “Conserve” with a belief it’s good for the environment, but the water you are conserving is not going to the fish. It’s going to developers who don’t even live in these watersheds.
Whoa! Where did that come from? Wasn’t I just hooking a young steelhead in the estuary with my Spey Rod? Yeah. Let’s get back to that.
2020 is now behind us – we can look for a lot of new things in 2021. Even when Covid is gone, we’re hopefully realizing that gardens are good, less is better, working from home is doable, and we don’t need to be flying around the country to have fun.
The club will take a lot of what we were forced to do in 2020 and use it to your advantage for 2021 and beyond. You have a great club and it is great because of you. Love your input, even if it’s constructive. Keep it coming. Jump on a committee or a board position- have fun with us.
Covid 19 is making it hard to encourage club members to sponsor much desired fishouts. Outings in the out of doors where people can social distance, such as The O’Neil Forbay and the surf are the safest and have worked well in 2020. Gatherings at campgrounds are a great option, as well as spontaneous, short notice outings that you can announce on our Google Groups email site. Fishouts that involve housing are more challenging. Therefore the Green River and Mammoth fishouts will not happen this year. If you wish to schedule a fishout that involves housing , the vaccine role out , safety mandates , and participant comfort level , will be important considerations. Please let me know if you would like to schedule a fishout. Thanks, John. (831)688-1561
Hatchery Report for the Swanton Road facility: As of 12/18 I just got the letter from Ben Harris as to the status since the fire damaged most of the outdoor tanks and infrastructure. Currently they are working with county OES/environmental health department to arrange clean up of the site under Phase 2 (public option) to save money on labor, public contractors will take care of hauling away the tanks and debris. Two bridges need to be built over the creek and permits needed to be approved still. Work is expected to begin before Jan 1.
Volunteers are always treasured and deeply appreciated and January is a busy month where the Warm Springs facility expect the spawning will be in full swing the second and third week of January. Permits are in place to capture fish at the Felton dam fish trap. They are going to have Gordon explain how the trap works as you work 8 hour shifts during the prime time when fish are moving upstream, day and all night. This is hard work and not for everyone, die hard fishermen usually love this stuff. You will need to sign a waiver and get training and have a fishing license to register.
Fish and Wildlife say they plan to release Chinook salmon smolts again in Santa Cruz and Monterey in 2021-22 releasing 120,000 at each site. Last spring was the first time fish had been dropped off the wharf and bypassing the small craft harbor for the first time. I would try fishing off the wharf for salmon in a couple more years as they return to the source of their entry to the sea. The sea lions will be on the scene but we caught some big salmon mooching off the wharf, sea lions get their share. Ben Harris director says he is asking for more releases but the fires and funding has affected operations at the Mokelumne Hatchery. Low flows and numbers of native fish has greatly reduced production of smolts this year. Fish are released from Fort Baker to other locations south to Monterey. This project has been my passion over 10 years when we received fish at the Harbor launch ramp and tended a sea pen to feed and fatten fish to be released after 5 days in the pen. It was a ton of work assembling and storing the sea pen and now they just drop them 40 feet off the wharf and they do fine. (we hope)
Since our club does not have our own conservation projects it is interesting and fun to help out other local groups like MBSTP or Coastal Watershed Council as a representative of SCFF. The Hatchery staff have asked us for help many times and we always send a few who make the difference in a successful effort like fin clipping parties at the Felton Hatchery to taking water samples at the annual ‘First Flush’ storm sewer analysis where it meets rivers or shoreline.
Contact: www.mbstp.org for information or call or write me.
PS. Thanks to all who attended the casting clinic at Jade St Park in Dec. I think at least 25 came throughout the afternoon, this will happen again in 2021 or when the current stay at home for 100 days is over. I am asking for help in posting conservation articles for 2021, Thanks to Bob Garbarino for his help this month.
A team of university, state and federal researchers from Washington and California together with Canadian scientists have identified a compound that is formed when a component in tires reacts with ozone is washed into creeks and streams during storm runoffs. They concluded that the toxic compound is deadly to the endangered Coho. The research was conducted in streams in the Puget Sound vicinity.
The culprit turned out to be related to a chemical called 6PPD, which is essentially a preservative to keep car tires from breaking down too quickly in the presence of ozone. When 6PPD hits the road and reacts with ozone gas, the chemical transforms into multiple new chemicals, including a compound known as 6PPD-quinone.
Hopefully the outcome of this research will result in changes in the chemistry of tire design that will eliminate this Coho killer. Undoubtedly, this could be a long uphill battle against the tire industry. My thanks goes out to those committed to science and conservation of our wildlife!
This is your last chance to nominate your candidate for our annual John Steele award.
You can submit your nomination by texting your V/P (Kevin Murdock) at
(831) 238-3037 or emailing to troutdock89@gmail.com
John has forever been a mainstay of our club, offering whatever help was needed to whoever needed it for the last 30 years. In that spirit, this award is presented to whoever has aided you on your fly fishing journey. You can vote as often as you need, to capture the spirit of your fishing gurus.Call or text me and let me know how they’ve helped you. You can nominate a member for each individual kind act.
Thanks
As of the week before Christmas, we have 135 memberships, including 21 new members for 2021..We are hopeful to have 15 more renewals by the end of the year…Majority of the renewals have been online and 90% of new members were online….To date we have received over $2,500 for conservation and scholarships and a thank you to those members for their thoughtful donations.
This pattern was orininated by Jeff Henkemyer and simulates the emerging stage of a midge. Midges are a very important food source for trout in the winter. They are imparative to have in your fly box when fishing tailwaters and spring creeks throughout the year. Apply floatent and use a floating line with 4x, 5x or 6x tippet, depending on size of fish? If unable to see when fishing, trail a foot or 18 inches behind a fly more visible. A simple fly to tie, with few materials. Magnification for this very small fly is most important to get the details of the fly accurate. With small flies, every wrap of thread counts. Don’t bulk up the fly.
Hook: TMC 2487 Sizes 18-22
Thread: black 8/0
Tail (shuck): grizzly hen hackle tip
Body: black thread
Hackle: grizzly
1. Crimp barb.
2. Attach thread 1/3 back on hook shank. Touching wraps to beyond barb, then touching wraps to above barb.
3. Select a very small hen neck feather. Position on top of shank so it extends hook length to rear. With touching wraps forward, tie in up to hook point. Cut excess.
4. Moisten fibers at end of Zelon, pull to straighten a little. Make cut straight across. Pinch fibers, then tie to top of shank with touching wraps to one eye length behind eye. Cut excess. Tie down butt ends. Cut off any stray fibers. Tilt hook back in vise a little.
5. Select hackle with barbs 1 and 1/2 hook gap. At butt end, cut about 4 barbs short on each side of the stem “crew cut”. With dull side facing you, tie in “crew cut”with touching wraps back to wing. Using touching hackle turns forward, forcing thread forward with each turn, end up one eye length behind eye. Tie off cut excess.
6. While holding hackle back out of the way, wrap small thread head. Whip finish, cut thread. Cut off any whiskers.
I’m frequently asked how to tie various knots. I demonstrate when I can. Covid has precluded that. Certain knots that I infrequently tie require some refreshing for me as well. I’ve had an invaluable book for years that I highly recommend if you can find it. I think it’s out of print. Practical Fishing Knots II by Mark Sosin and Lefty Kreg. There’s a new book out that looks good. Guide To Fly Fishing Knots by Larry Notley. It’s small and inexpensive.
Something new this month, we are doing a bucket raffle. No, we are not raffling off buckets, rather you put your tickets towards the prize you want to win. Here is how it works. We have three great prizes :
PYRAMID LAKE BIG BOY LANDING NET
ECHO 5 WT ROD/REEL
VICE/TOOL TYING KIt
Select the number of tickets you want per prize. A 20% discount will be applied if you have purchased 25 or more tickets. (i.e. 25 tickets for $20) You do not need to attend the Zoom meeting to win.
Check out the new Web Store page on the link below where all the raffle tickets will now be sold. Pick your prize and buy exclusive raffle tickets for that prize.
This month will feature an emerging aquatic insect for trout. Best used in stillwater with a floating line. Once again, a simple fly to tie, which is working best via Zoom. Great fly for you beginners. We have tools and vise to loan to you. Sign up by calling, and allowing enough time to pick up materials and directions at my door. (831)688-1561.
Beginners need to allow a little more time for a face time session to learn how to use equipment. If you live far away, I can mail you what you need or if you wish to use your own materials, I can email you the directions. Feel free to just tune in to watch , if you wish. Its best to set up and review directions ahead of time. The thread will be olive 8/0.
Always feels weird saying things like ‘Hope you had a nice Thanksgiving.’, when in order to get this in the newsletter, you’re writing the article a couple weeks before! Over the years, I’ve often wondered how do they get Winter catalogs in the mail in August, and they have people modeling new clothing in snow. Never mind.
We have been busy. Covid did not slow us down. The raffle last month was awesome, and we had 38 people on the Zoom meeting with Chris King’s outstanding presentation on Steelhead and big rainbows. Your generous support if our Conservation and Scholarships has been amazing. While we aren’t having our Annual Dinner/Fundraiser in January, we have been managing our expenses, membership, and donations such that we are in vey good shape to weather what Covid might yet throw at us.
Your Board has been very active engaging membership, fishing together, in California mostly, and exploring new ways to continue keeping you fly-fishing.
We are looking forward to something more “back to normal”, but the tools we’ve developed because of Covid, are giving us more tools to use when we do go back to normal. It is likely we will continue with Zoom enhancements at our functions by broadcasting our club meetings over the web, even when we are meeting together.
Our future is secure and we are growing. The youth, as we’ve mentioned before, are the future of our environment, our fisheries and this club. Due to the response in our Scholarship program, and other available youth programs for next year, David South, normally, our Annual dinner Organizer suggested a Youth Programs Chair – which is a terrific idea. If you’re interested in being involved and chairing this committee, please reach out to me/us.
Our Programs Chair, Jim Black, is also looking for someone to shadow him and help take part in bringing on new and exciting speakers. Since they don’t have to travel, these speakers, men and women, can come from virtually anywhere there is a Zoom connection. If interested, we welcome you.
Our Website/Newsletter Chair, Scott Kitayama, has been doing a terrific job with both; as you’ll see in this month’s pub, an expanding selection of SCFF merchandise in collaboration with our Marketing Chair, Michael McGannon. Scott is looking for some assistance, from anyone interested in more internet-based outreach and support with things like Instagram, Tik Tok… If interested in this, please reach out to Scott.
Also, thanks to an idea from Steve Rudzinski, we’ve nominated and approved our first “Meteorologist At Large”, going to our local Santa Cruz surfing, fishing and weather expert, Lee Solomon. Welcome to the Club, Lee! Can’t wait to see you donning waders and a fly-rod for an upcoming weather segment on KSBW!
We are wishing all of you a very happy Holidays. Stay tuned – a lot of fun stuff coming up. Thank you for your incredible support and your own very special enthusiasm. Thank you for coming to the meetings, fly-tying, supporting conservation, the club, scholarships and so much more.
We will continue to grow, and we will always – promote, educate and enjoy, the sport of fly-fishing.
In August we thought it was ‘Smooth Sailing’ for saving Bristol Bay as the Army Corps of Engineers, in all their wisdom, could not permit the plan as stated by Pebble Mine Inc. The Army set the bar so high that the corporation would never be able to show it was safe from future flooding and releasing the toxic chemicals into the watershed. Pebble ‘brushed off’ the Army’s letter promising a response which now the Army is not sharing with the public so there is a mystery as to the details.
Much of the problem is due to the silence coming from both Senators Murkowski and Sullivan who Trout Unlimited
Alaska Fund representatives report have not fully put their support behind saving the fishery once and for all. Both claiming that the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) needs to be using their authority under the Clean Water Act to veto the permits sought by Pebble Mine proponents Northern Dynasty Mining Inc.
TU says to write the Senators now and tell them to say ‘NO to the Pebble Mine’.
Dan Sullivan 202 224 3004 (same address as Murkowski) email: www.sullivan.senate.gov/contact/email
I want to send out a special thanks to our members who joined up with the Salinas Fly Fishers and TU to do a couple days of clean up along the Salinas River where the RR tracks and Hwy 1 cross the estuary and where club members put in small boats and float tubes to fish for Striped Bass. Photos show a huge dumpster on site filled with mattresses, tires, furniture and trash galore. Special thanks to volunteers, Sam Bishop, Jeff Sloboden, Jeff Gose, Scott Kitayama and any others I missed.
I am preparing for the Covid Casting Clinic this Wed and meeting our new ‘Weather Guy at large’ Lee Solomon from KSBW newsroom. We will let Lee decide what to call his new position on the board. eg Weatherman at large or Meteorologist at large, however he decides we want to welcome him this week at the clinic and hope he can find a minute to log into our Wed general meeting Dec 2.
On Dec 5th the following Saturday at 2 PM I will have another casting clinic for those who cannot attend the Wednesday mid week events due to working for a living. This will be the last casting event till Spring so please RSVP me if you plan to attend and or bring a guest caster friend or relative.
Happy holidays to everyone, please be healthy wealthy and wise and be kind to everyone. 2021 is going to be more topsy turvy than 2020 is my guess. Let’s all get through this and keep our sanity. Peace, ‘Cal Slim’
The balance of renewals (45) have been mailed out to members to be paid by check or online. To date, over $2,200 has been received for Scholarships/ Conservation. This years renewal response has exceeded expectations and members continue to support our Club in this transitional time.
Abdomen: Australian possum dubbing ( substitution, grey rabbit dubbing )
Legs: same as tail
Thorax: same as abdomen
1. Attach thread 1/3 back on shank.
2. Position wire under shank. Wrap in place to rear of shank. NOTE: wire under shank prevents it from repositioning tail when spiraling it forward.
3. Line up tips of feather out to side of stem. Cut about 8 from stem. Tie to top of shank, tips extending about 2/3’s shank length beyond shank. Cut excess mid shank.
4. Dub a slightly tapered body 2/3’s shank forward.
5. Spiral rib forward in about 5 wraps. Tie off. Twist wire to break. NOTE: wire dulls scissors.
6. Using one feather, line up tips just beyond rear of hook. Fold feather around hook shank. Tie in place with a couple wraps. Check to see if barbs extend backward all the way around shank. Make a couple more thread wraps. Cut excess.
7. Using dubbing loop, wrap a generous fuzzy thorax.
8. Holding fuzz back, wrap a sm. thread head. Tie off. Cut excess.
Have you ever put the dumbbell eyes a bit too close to the eye when tying a Clouser, then found that when you tied it all off, you just couldn’t keep some of the deer hair or synthetics out of the eye? Then when you tried to trim it out you risked damaging your expensive scissors?
Well, for something between $7 and $15 you can buy a thread burner, a device used by those who sew, and solve the problem once and for all. But if you buy one, be sure it has a replaceable battery.
Chris King was introduced to fly fishing at a young age. During his high school years in New Jersey he traveled the eastern seaboard in search of trout with his father. He spent 8 years in Colorado where he turned his passion into a career. From there he made his way West where in 1998 he found a home at The Fly Shop. Chris is currently Master Certified, Two Hand Certified and an emeritus member of the organization’s Casting Board of Governs. Chris resides in Redding with his wife and two children and has been guiding and teaching casting in Northern California for over 20 years.
check this out! The Fly Shop in Redding California, known for decades as the “go-to” shop for their guided fly fishing trips, has donated to our club an all inclusive full day guided trip for TWO! Package includes all gear to include rods, leaders, tippets, and flies along with a hearty streamside lunch.
The lucky winners have their choice of any of the Fly Shop’s destinations to include the Lower Sacramento, the upper Sacramento, the Fall River, the Pit River, Hat Creek, the McCloud River, and Baum Lake. California fly fishing at it’s finest. Excluded are the Trinity and Klamath Rivers. Your guide fr the day will be Russ Kegler, check out hisBio on the The Fly Shop website. www.theflyshop.com
The trip prize is intended to be used during 2021. Only one trip will be awarded. Gratuities not included.
Click on the following link to purchase tickets, one dollar each, 25 for $20.
Here’s a nice fly for small streams and lakes to catch brooks, rainbows and steelhead (smolts and up to half pounders ). The pattern can be varied in several ways. A couple will be featured in the class. This is a simple fly to tie and good for beginners. We thank Tim Loomis for suggesting the fly for a class. He speaks from experience about its definite effectiveness. You will need red 6/0 or 8/0 thread. Let me know if you need to borrow some. For beginners: call well ahead so we can set you up with vise and tools and receive some basic instruction via face time.
Everyone will need to call ahead to allow enough time for materials and directions to be assembled and for you to pick up at my home. ( about 2 days ) (831)688-1561
