Using Poppers on the surface for bass is a kick and a half, but sometimes they won’t come up and you half to go down and dirty. Here is a great way to get their attention. This fly will automatically turn upside down when fishing, which is what the picture on the right demonstrates. Directions are for an orange fly. Other color options: white, purple, black, crawfish, green.
Hook: TFS 5444 or AREX TP650, size 2
Thread: white flat waxed nylon or Danvile 140 denier
Eyes: orange, Hairline, double purple lead eyes, size med.
Tail: black/orange over tan, tiger barred rabbit strip,
Body: orange Estas chenille, size med.
Legs: orange and black Crazy Legs, or similar
Glue: Zap-A-Gap, Super Glue, or similar
Sharpie Permanent Marker (optional) , orange
1. Crimp barb.
2. Attach thread slightly down nose. Touching wraps to 1/4 in. back on shank.
3. Attach eyes on top of shank just behind bend of nose. Use figure 8 wraps, then circular wraps pulled snugly. Repeat several times. Wrap thread to above barb. Apply glue to eye thread wraps.
4. Cut rabbit strip 1 and 1/4 inch long. Note: devide hair fibers before cutting. With nap of hairs to rear and hide upward, attach about 1/4 inch to top of shank.
5. Tie in chenille at rear of shank. Wrap forward with touching wraps while stroking fibers back with each wrap. Last wrap snugly up against rear of eyes. Tie off, but don’t cut. Make one half hitch. Turn hook upside down.
6. Using one 6 inch strand of rubber legs, cut in half. Stack. Tie in center of both with 2 wraps. Fold forward legs to rear. Snugly tie in place so that 2 legs extend outward on each side.
7. Advance thread to infront of eyes. Wrap chenille once over legs, then between eyes. Tie off, cut excess. Trim whiskers, then tie stubs down to hide. Whip finish. Cut thread. (Optional) using Sharpie, color thread to match body. Apply glue.
From Rich Hughett: All, I’m moving and have a Fish Cat 4 float tube. $75 firm.
Also furniture to sell (cheap!) A five piece bedroom set, two piece sectional couch, oak dining room table, a round office table with two chairs, two bookshelves and a tv/audio bookcase. Interested? Call Rich at 831-595-0288 for details.
Our February Wednesday 3rd Speaker will be Joe Contaldi, who guides on Lake Pyramid until May 1st. Then moves to Mammoth Lakes. His presentation will include the techniques and methods for successfully fishing at Pyramid. Corporate and Angling Club outings as well as current fishing success. Of interest for SCFF might be a Club Outing for 10 Anglers or more, Fly fishing for giant Cutthroat. Bring your group together and enjoy a day(s) on the lake. Contaldi can arrange customized trips for everyone, regardless of angling experience. From lessons, to classes, to half, full, and multiple day we can help make your group outing enjoyable, safe, and memorable. As you will see in his presentation, he offers Ladder Chairs for each Fisherman for comfort and to allow more fishing time. These are customized trips and we tailor each trip to your liking. *Rods, reels, lines, leaders, and custom tied flies are provided cold water and non-alcoholic beverages are provided *Catered lunches are provided on applicable trips *Outings are for up to 16 people – if your party has more than 16, please contact to discuss
In our upcoming Zoom meeting, Joe Contaldi will discuss different techniques and methods for catching Cutthroat Trout, including proper equipment, fly selection and the use of his Ladder Chair to provide some relief from the cold water and maximize your fishing time.
Additionally, he will provide a current fishing report.
Say what? How many of us have a Fish Whistle? How many of us even know what a Fish Whistle is? Well, I gotta say Simms makes a great one! (Go ahead, Google it).
This kit has a nice descreat little pipe with screen, a Bic Sparky, and an eighth ounce waterproof stash cup. Note: organic green vegetable cuttings not included. It is perfect when things get slow; just take a break and whistle up some fish. It may not bring on a hatch but you probably won’t care.
Consult local regulations concerning “whistling”.
PYRAMID LAKE FLY BOX
I am neatly at a loss for words when I look at this box of Pyramid lake flies. There is a total of 36 beauties, tied by Gary Turri and donated by Matt Maulin, half are buggers and beetles along with half nymphs and midges. Whether you’re a milti-season veteran or first time greenie to the land of the Giants, this box of flies does it all. Don’t miss out on this collection, this box belongs in your vest.
5 WEIGHT ADAMSBUILT ROD/REEL PACKAGE
New to the sport and need an all around “go to” rod and reel or need a backup spare to keep in the truck for emergencies? This Adamsbuilt, out of Fallon Nv, package is perfect for you. It is a 9 ft 4 section 5 wt rod with a MMH reel pre-loaded with backing, a floating line, and leader. This is all contained in a hard rod and reel tube case. This package is ready to fish.
Raffle tickets are $1 each sold in packets of 5. Spend $20 bucks and get 25 tickets. Please indicate to which prize your tickets should be applied. Ticket sale purchases must be made by noon of the day of the monthly meeting (February 3rd, 2021). NEED NOT BE PRESENT AT THE ZOOM MEETING TO WIN. Click on the following link to purchase tickets.
This fly is a pattern style rather than specific fly pattern. It has a funny name and also funny look, but don’t let that put you off. It was first created in England back in the 80’s and has been so successful that it has been ultimately outlawed there. It allows you to fish near the bottom of a body of water without hanging up on low lying weeds or rocks. This is achieved by using eyes made of foam. This is another great fly for beginners and anyone going to Pyramid Lake. If you need vise, tools or thread let me know when you sign up. The thread this month’s will be white flat waxed nylon. All other materials will be provided. Your packet of materials will be left at my front door after you call. (831)688-1561
Posted on January 22nd, 2021
Date: March 13th (Sat.) AND. March 14th (Sun.)
Time: Noon to 3pm both days
Place: Zoom - To join in, tap Zoom in the bar at the top of the newsletter.
In March we will be making poppers so that we can go for those big mouthed bass. In the past the class has spanned over 2 days and involved lots of paints, epoxies, glues, solutions, along with various other supplies. It is not reasonable to assume that everyone would have everything that would be needed to craft these beauties, and not practical via Zoom. In order to not miss out this year, a simplified method has been devised which will give everyone reasonable and useful poppers. The only thing you will need to complete your popper fly is clear nail polish and Supper Glue or equivalent. If you have 30 min epoxi, a variety of acrylic paints and rubbing alcohol, your finished fly will be more like the ones we usually craft. Some lead time for prepping and putting supplies together will be needed. So please sign up soon but no latter than Mar. 5th. It will still be a 2 day class, but fewer hours than usual. We’ll start at noon. Allow 2-3 hours each day. You beginners to fly tying should feel comfortable doing this class. As always, the class is free and materials provided. Very strong thread, any color, such as flat waxed nylon or monocord will be needed. If you need thread, or tools and vise if you are a beginner, the club can loan them to you. Materials , directions and tips for bass fishing will bagged for you to be picked up at my door. Call me to sign up @ (831)688-1561
Well – winter in the mountains is finally getting here now that it’s February – but glad the rain is coming, even if it means power outages, debris flows… Don’t’ know if that’s better than power outages and fires. But the rain is very much needed.
Hope all of you are getting some time to spend practicing your casting, fly-tying at some of our Zoom based fly-tying classes and it has been really nice to see more and more of you attending the general meetings via Zoom. If any of you are having any trouble using Zoom – please reach out to me or Scott Kitayama. It’s really quite easy to use and we’re having fun. There is a “Zoom” tab on the website where you can join all of the monthly activities – Club Meeting, Fly-Tying Class and the Board Meeting.
If you have never been to Pyramid Lake, but you’ve heard about it from our members for the last 30 years, I can tell you from experience, it is a terrific place to handily land average five-pound Lahanton Cutthroat and Pilot Peak Rainbows. This place has a mystery and beauty all its own and this month, Joe Contaldi is going to tell you all about it. Joe also spends a lot of time guiding Crowley Lake and many other hot streams on the Eastern Side of the Sierra. Don’t miss this one. And Jeff Goyert has been coming up with some GREAT raffle prizes and some nice door prizes. This month is equally as good. with a nod to Pyramid. Check out the website.
While we haven’t had much rain, I’ve been having a great time learning how to cast my Spey rod, down in the estuary by the Boardwalk. I’m finally getting the hang of the Snap-T, Single and Double Spey, Perry Poke, thanks to Rich Rubin’s tutelage, and this weekend started practicing the snake roll. To think I couldn’t tell one from the other six months ago. Really fun learning something new in fly-fishing.
As vaccinations are taking place and we begin to get a handle on the Covid situation in California, we do look forward to getting together at the Grange and other places in 2021, but we just don’t know when that will happen. But we are fishing together minding social distance and other Covid precautions. We are supporting our Conservation goals and the High-School Scholarship goal. The fly-tying classes have been well attended on Zoom, and we’ve had some really nice casting practice sessions at Jade Street park on Saturdays thanks to Steve Rudzinski and the others who help out.
As a members, you are welcome to attend the board meetings simply as a “guest”, or if you have an idea you want to share for the club – we’d be happy to have you and put it on the “agenda”. Board meetings are almost as fun as the club meetings. Try one. We are looking for members to join in some of the board positions too. Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, President – yes, President – and other capacities. Having something to share with the club and participate in the fun and future success is how we all came to be involved. It’s easy, fun and rewarding.
And if you do the whole social media thing, look us up on Facebook. We share a lot of pictures and information about things we’re doing and places we’re going… I also want to let you know if you don’t do Facebook – our new Social Media/Communications Chair, Jerry McKeon, got us moving into that part of the 21st Century with our Instagram account! santacruzflyfishing.
As we add new people onto the Board, some will come off. Pat and John Steele gave me the opportunity to brag about them again after a simple well thought note that said they were retiring from their “at-large” positions on the board.
in 1977 when SCFF was a group of anglers of all types, but mostly fly-angling, a bunch of people got together as a means of promoting the sport and also to support the local fly shops in Santa Cruz – yes there were a few – but most notably, Ernie’s Casting Pond. No cell phones, no internet, but we had mail and we had Pat and John Steele. As some of you know, our monthly newsletter was an Award Winning pub, noted by the Federation of Fly Fishers International. Some of our members, including Pat Steele, put that news letter together, printed it and mailed it to your membership – for 29 years. John – well, he’s made, bought, stored and donated more fly fishing goodies, and beautiful prizes to the club, especially our annual dinner and fundraiser – for the same number of years. And these were just their active years.
John and Pat have been family to me. Even when I disappeared from the club for several years, raising my children, building a house and trying to pay the bills, I was always reminded by Mona to check in on the “fly club” as she always called it. Pat was the best editor a “kid” could ever have, and she has encouraged me more times about more things, not just fly-fishing, than I would ever have expected. John and Pat hosted board meetings at their home, took care of all the raffle prizes for each years fundraiser, and then built a web-site and maintained that after 1996, when the internet literally first came of age.
John and Pat have plans to continue traveling somewhere every single month on fly-fishing adventures, as they were doing before Covid.
I’m running late again in submitting a worthy article this month although what has my interest the last 2 months is this massive iceberg that has broken off Antarctica that is a little over 100 miles long and about 35 miles wide. Large icebergs are named by the US National Ice Center who gave it the identification A-68.
I found it when watching a nightly weather and news program, (Above Ground World News). Mike Morales does a weather report that the networks would never allow, using NASA technology and satellite imagery EOSDIS, RAMMB, Mike was commenting on this iceberg one night and I have been following it since. The iceberg was drifting NE and directly at the S. Georgia and S. Sandwich Islands in the southern ocean about SE from Tierra Del Fuego at the tip of S. America. A-68 was on a collision course with the main island, on the satellite the iceberg was almost exactly the same size as the main island.
Cloud cover hid the activity for days but I took digital photos of the screen and posted on FB for some friends who were interested like me. A-68 got within 35 miles of the land mass and the currents or actions by man turned it south and a 35 mile chunk sheared off in almost a perfectly straight line A-68A was born. The smaller part stayed in the area of the Sandwich Islands while the 70 mile long ‘mother berg’ drifted south and within days, a long narrower part broke free A-68B which is now well over 100 miles north of the S. Georgia/S. Sandwich Islands and heading for warmer water north.
Note the ‘frequency clouds’ north of the Sandwich Islands that may have something to do with the breaking up of this massive berg. I was surprised something like this event was never mentioned in the usual media sources. My thought right away was how many million gallons of fresh water was in this massive chunk of ice melting into the sea.
Wikipedia search ‘Iceberg A-68’ for info on it’s source calving away from the Larsen Ice shelf.
I am happy to announce that we have reached our goal of 150 members for 2021, including 22 new members. Also a first, is 70% of members signed up, or renewed online through the new webpage. In addition we received over $2,500 in member donations for conservation and scholarships. The 2021 roster will be printed in March.
Did you know that Kevin Systrom, founder of Instagram designed his app so that he could share fishing photos with his friends? Of course you didn’t because that’s completely untrue but in fact Instagram is an excellent tool for fly fishers. The club’s website and Facebook Accounts have their place and aren’t going anywhere, but they are not as elegant as Instagram is for those of us who prefer our mobile devices. I like to wake up before my wife and kids and head down to my quiet kitchen. Cup of coffee in one hand, iPhone in the other, I take in some content that’s all mine. Within 5 minutes I’m caught up on the photo rich content of the people I follow. A baseball writer, a few fly-tiers, a comedian and some interesting friends. It’s how I kick start my day with wonderful photos, short videos and inspiration of the things I’m passionate about. In truth, I’m average at best with technology but Instagram solves for that by being incredibly user friendly. It’s fun, it’s fast and it’s easy which has made it incredibly popular with today’s youth. For those of us not so young, we also see the value in it.
“SantaCruzFlyFishing” now has it’s own Instagram page and I hope you get a chance to visit and follow us. The page is currently in its nymphal stage but I see a lot of potential for it to help the club share our stoke of everything fly fishing with each other and future members alike.
If you have input on this tool, I welcome the feedback! Looking forward to getting to know you all better especially on the water, Jerry McKeon
Thank you for being a volunteer contributor to the award-winning Santa Cruz Fly Fishing Newsletter. Without effort and content from the membership, there would be no newsletter at all. Below is information to make it easy to get your article into the newsletter.
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Again, thank you for making the SCFF newsletter a “must read” every month!
For Sale 1997 Mercury 200 horsepower Two Stroke Outboard motor Long Shaft
$3600 or best offer
Contact: danfirth@comcast.net
Motor is in excellent condition, lightly used (182 hours!) and regularly serviced by an authorized Mercury dealer. I have receipts. No rust or corrosion!
This motor was rebuilt while still under warranty after sucking a plastic bag and then stored for several years. When I bought it the motor had 10 hours on the rebuild. It now has 182 hours. Service has been every 1-2 years at Moore and Sons Mercury Outboard Motor Shop in Santa Cruz.
If you are interested to buy, Moore and Sons can pull the motor from my boat and install on yours. Or, if you are not near Santa Cruz I am willing to drive some distance to have the motor removed from my boat at an outboard motor shop of your choice. Contact me at danfirth@comcast.net for more information. Thanks.
Sale of this motor includes the oil mix tank and associated hoses, steering cables, gauges and top mounted binnacle.
Steve Rawson writes: I have a deposit in on the trip targeting trout to Cooper Landing, Alaska. Leaving September 4 and returning September 21, 2021. It is not going to work out for me this year, so there are a couple of spots to fill.
Trip is a shared trip (rental car, guides, cabin and groceries) with three others. Very economical. I did before and highly recommend.
Hook: TMC 5263 or TMC 200R Sizes 6 (at Pyramid ) -12. Adjust materials for the smaller flies.
Thread: black 6/0
Tail: Black marabou with fluffy tips ( straight tips can be broken off )
Tail Flash: both red and blue Flashabou
Hackle: Black strung hackle, AKA India hen back.
Body: Speckled midnight fire chenille ( black chenille with short projections of both red and blue flash )
1. Crimp barb.
2. Attach thread behind eye. Wrap to above hook barb, then forward to mid shank.
3. Note: moisten marabou for easy handling. Cut moderately large clump from stem. If barbs are not at least 2 shank lengths long, tie in at rear of shank. Lay on top of shank, butt ends 2 eye lengths behind eye. Tie in place to top of entire shank. Advance thread 1/4 inch. Shorten length of tail, by pinching not cutting, to length of hook (some prefer a tail half that length).
4. Holding one strand of both red and blue Flashabou together, moisten for easy handling, cut in half. Tie center of all strands to top of shank with a couple wraps. Holding half on far side of tail and half on near side, tie in place back to rear of shank. Cut to length of tail.
5. Holding tip of hackle, stroke all other barbs against the grain. Tie tip to rear of shank with shiny side facing you. Advance thread to 1-2 eye lengths behind eye.
6. Strip 1/4 ” chenille from center threads. Tie threads to shank. With touching wraps, wrap to rear of shank then forward to tie in. Tie of, cut excess.
7. Spiral (palmar) hackle forward in about 8 wraps, stroking barbs backward with each wrap. Tie off, cut excess.
Sit back relax and enjoy the annual slide show. During the COVID-19 shutdown, fly fishing was one of the best ways to enjoy the outdoors in a safe and social distance way.
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.
Let’s dream about warm Hawaii in chilly January by tying Hula Shrimp flies and drinking Mai Tais. As many of you know, the Mai Tai was created by Victor Bergeron (Trader Vic’s) in Oakland. A decade later, the Royal Hawaiian on Waikiki Beach was the first to serve the drink and it quickly became synonymous with Hawaii instead of Oakland.
The Royal Hawaiian Mai Tai*:
Ingredients
1 ounce dark rum
1 ounce light rum
1 ounce orange curacao
2 ounces orange juice
1/2 ounce lime juice
Dash orgeat
Dash simple syrup (bar syrup)
Preparation
Combine all of the ingredients in the order listed in an old fashioned style glass over shaved ice. Stir with a swizzle stick. Garnish with a slice of pineapple and a cherry.
Note: There are many downsides to virtual fly tying, however staying at home provides a benefit that adult beverages can be consumed during the class.
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.
