Pineywoods Fly Fishers
Founded
1988
Chapter of the Southern Council of the
Federation of Fly Fishers
Web Site http://home.sprynet.com/~waltermc
President:
Jimmy Lee Secretary/Treasurer: Ken Baker
September 2004
From
the President
The October meeting will be Tuesday October 5, 2004 in the Lufkin Mall meeting room.
We are beginning the sportsman’s time of the year, several hunting seasons have opened and more will open with in the next month and the fishing will improve as the weather cools. On our area lakes and streams the fish will be moving into shallow water to feed and prepare for the lower temperatures that will arrive in about 8 weeks. All along the Texas coast, October and November are known as good months to catch Reds and Specks.
Along with the improved fishing, several annual events will
be taking place. As you read this, several PWFF members will be leaving to fish
their way to conclave. This is a fun way to attend conclave, camping out and
fishing some of the best trout streams in Oklahoma and Arkansas. I have made
this “fishing” journey in the past and each trip has been fun and exciting
and we always found a way to add something a little different each year.
I will miss the excitement of this year’s trip because of time
constants. I will be attending conclave just in a different format. Good luck to
Bill, Walter and Don as they fish their way to Mountain Home. If you can’t
attend the conclave then mark your calendar for November 6 & 7 for the
annual Fall Rendezvous at North Toledo State Park. You can eat and tie or learn
to tie flies at this event. The
fishing is not bad depending on the weather. October Feast will be on the 16th
of the month, this used to be called our annual breakfast, but we felt a name
change better reflects the food and/or the amount of food at this event. Keep these events in mind and fish every chance you get.
Visit http://home.sprynet.com/~waltermc/Rendez/indexR.html
for Rendezvous details. Jimmy
From
the Editor
Texas Parks & Wildlife Commissioner John Parker spoke
before 21 of our members and friends at our last meeting. Mr. Parker passed
around his father’s bamboo fly rod, a fly reel and flies and talked about TPWD
and several other situations. We enjoyed his presentation and hope to have more
interaction with him in the future. He was homebuilder for years and an avid
quail hunter and trained bird dogs with Randy McBride.
Welcome
New Members
Pam Lee, Jimmy’s better half, has paid her own dues and
joined the club on her own. I imagine this means that Jimmy had better shape up.
Pam has been a great part of our club all along. She teaches fly fishing at Fly
Fish Texas and takes part in other events with us. She and Jimmy are attending
Conclave together for her first time even though she only gets a few days off
from work. Pam has needed an outlet for fun for some time now, so give her a
great welcome and ask her to help you in whatever task you have been assigned in
the coming year.
Jeff Southern and son Jake, both joined at our last
meeting. Jeff wrote: I have 2 children, Jessica 6,
Jake 13 and my wife Joey. We are member of Calvary Baptist Church and active in
the community. Jake is in the 8th grade and a member of the Junior
Honor Society. He has been Fly Fishing since he was about 4 and is a very
skilled fisherman. He is also an avid hunter. He was able to harvest a deer this
past year that put him in the Texas Big Game awards book. If he had his choice
he would rather be standing waist deep in a cool clear stream in the mountains
with a big brown on the line. Jessica has been Fly Fishing for about 2 years
now. She has caught several fish in some really tough fishing spots around the
country. She really enjoys the outdoors as well. I have been fly fishing for
about 20 years and the majority of our fly-fishing has been for trout from
Oklahoma to Montana. My family and I love the mountains. The 4 of us are members
of the Lower Mountain Fork River Assoc. This is the Fly club in Broken Bow. We
have been fairly active in this club for sometime now and have contributed
several hours to the restoration and habitat in the river. We make on the
average 6 trips a year to Beavers Bend, some of the best fishing anywhere. I
hate to release that info because it has really gotten crowded there in the past
few years. Jake and I have a few Fly tying skills but it has become apparent to
us that there is a lot of tying knowledge in this club and it is freely shared.
We are excited to work with others and increase our Tying skill. We are glad to
be part of a local club that is so active.
Memorials
Walter
McLendon
I am in the process of collecting memorial biographies for
our most recent losses of fly fishermen in our council to display at our
Membership Booth at Conclave. I received an email about Doug Christian, Fly Tyer
of the Year in both 1993 and 2001. Doug stated of his Turkey Tail Emerger “This
is a style of midge soft hackle that has been my most effective trout fly over
the last 10 years”. His club
members said “You can take that to the bank”. Visit http://www.ozarkflyfishers.org/pages/flies/flies_page1/turkey_tail_emerger.html
to get the pattern to tie, it is very simple.
I have started a 2005 Club Calendar; here is what I have so far:
Mar 5 Fly Fish Texas – Athens, TX Mar 11-12 Spring Rendezvous – Lake Bistineau State Park, LA Mar 12-13 Shallow Water Expo – Austin, TX Mar 17-19 Sowbug Roundup – Mt Home, AR Apr 9 PWFF Workshop – Kurth Lake Staff House May 16 Smallmouth Rendezvous – Tahlequah, OK Jun 2-4 SE Conclave – Calloway Gardens, GA Jul 15-17 Saltwater Outing - Grand Isle, LA Aug 8-13 National Conclave – Livingston, MT
(Please send me any dates of events that you know of)
Freshwater
Report
Jeff
Southern
I was on Lake Livingston Saturday the 18th. We
were fishing a bass tournament from 6am to 3pm.The fishing was great. The fish
have started moving back into some shallow areas chasing shad and other
baitfish. The shad are in great numbers on the lake. Water was still very warm
at the surface. The average temp was 89 degrees. The north end of the lake was
still fairly murky, while the south end was extremely clear for Livingston. The
south end produced several 20+ pound stringers. I caught fish from 6am until 9am
in 1’ to 3’ of water on anything that resembled a shad. As it warmed up the
fish went a little deeper and were looking for cover. The rest of the day was
spent in 5’ to 6’ of water fishing boathouses and producing fish in the 4-6
pound range. The bite seemed to last all day Creating an enjoyable fishing trip
even though an extremely hot one for my partner and my self. I would like to
think with the past few cool nights this would have really triggered the fish
into filling up on shad getting ready for the cold months ahead. I would
recommend the mouths of any creek you can spend time on. Good fishing.
Fishing
Report
Royce
Feaster
My son, Scott and I
went fishing last week at Lake Nacogdoches. We went to try the new frog,
plus other flies that Bill has introduced to the club. We were fishing in
about 8" to 12" of water between the moss and the bank. Scott
caught a small bass on the East side of the lake. We moved to the north
side of Yellow Bank creek. We got to watch the bass inspect the frog
several times. Scott caught another bass slightly bigger than the first. The
bass inspected the frog a couple of times before taking it. Then I saw a
bass that would go about 2 pounds. I got it to looking at my frog, but not
taking. On the third pick up, I managed to wrap my tippet around my rod
tip, so I told Scott to cast in and get that fish. Scott put his frog
within about 12" of the fish. As it started toward the frog, a bream
hit at the legs and that was all it took to get the bass mad. The fish hit
it and came up out of the water. Scott hooked it and slid it about half way
across the moss before it dove into the moss then it broke off. The frog
should be great for the spring fishing season. We also caught several
bream. Nothing big, but a few of them were a good size for the summer.
Events
Ken Baker
We have just completed two very enjoyable events. First was a fly tying get together at Don McMurray's home. About 14 of us met and had great hamburgers and trimmings and then spent about two hours just tying whatever each person wanted to tie. Most of the flies tied were donated to the collection we are sending to the conclave. All present said it was one of the most enjoyable times we have had. Thanks Don.
The other event was a deer hair tying class taught by Bill Heugel. It was a great class. Bill did a great job as usual. I for one will never be a great deer hair tier, but I enjoyed myself and did learn something. I have even tied three flies since the class. My main obstacle is using the razor blade to shape the fly. Maybe I will get the hang of it. As I fish for bream almost always, I don't need many bass flies but it is fun sometimes to tie them. At any rate I look forward to the next class.
The other kind of event taking place right now is the paying of club dues. Several have already paid. If you haven't, please do so at the next meeting or as soon as you can. Dues for the year are $l5.00.
It is not too early
to be planning for the Christmas meeting. Get your gift lined up and plan
to come. The oil filter will be there this year. Have fun at the conclave
guys. A BAD DAY FISHING
STILL BEATS A GOOD DAY WORKING.
Editor’s note: Bream will hit the tiny deer hair flies
just fine so try tying a few for your fly box.
BSA
Camp Urland Winter Camp
Walter McLendon
We have been asked to come teach an adult fly fishing class
(of from 10 to 20) at Camp Urland, just 5 miles south of Woodville off highway
69, on Monday, December 27th from 1pm to 4 pm. Elizabeth Wilson, whom
we taught to tie flies at Camp Pirtle last year, is now director of both Winter
and Summer Camps there. She is also asking us to teach an adult class during the
mornings and the merit badge class during the afternoon next summer. She plans
to have unique activities for the boys and the adults, like black Smithing, hot
air ballooning, kayaking and canoeing. She is open to suggestions from us for
other ideas we might have. Camp Urland has a two-acre lake, with tiny bream and
a swimming pool, where they teach kayaking.
Elizabeth said we could actually teach on any day we choose
or teach everyday if we want during Winter Camp. I told her that we are open to
that and it would depend on how many volunteers I can round up. BSA has made fly
rod kits available to the boys for only $20.00 and she will bring one for us to
see.
I am going to contact our friend Ed Cotton in Huntington to
volunteer his black Smith program to them. Elizabeth told me that she recently
visited a lake where trout were fed Dog Chow, not the ½” cubes but the ¼”
cubes and she knows that cat food contains more ingredients than dog food
because cats can not live on dog food alone.
I would like to begin now to ask for volunteers for this
camp. I still expect to be invited to teach at Camp Pirtle also so we need even
more instructors. I am contacting clubs south of us to assist. We always have
fun at these camps, they feed us well too.
Cap
Spider
Dale
Wilkerson
As most of these things go, I am not sure who tied the
first Cap Spider either. The way I understand it, Michael came up with the
pattern and had great luck fishing it and the next time he fished the Perch Off
in Austin, he was telling the guys that he had come up with the best pattern
yet. He showed them the fly and someone said "that is a Cap Spider"
when asked why it was called that, someone just said wait a while and you will
see. A few minutes later, someone entered the room and had about 200 of them in
his baseball cap.
I noted on the web site of the Pineywoods Club that Jay ties it with chenille
and a hackle wound at the same time as the chenille. I have never tied it that
way, but don't see why it would not work. Michael insisted that the only body
material to use was vernille, which is now just about impossible to find. I do
not know of anyplace it is sold in Texas anymore. I have not developed a
reliable source since Orvis quit selling it several years ago now and I am out
of some of the best colors.
I have always tied the legs in differently than the way Michael tied them in. In
the past couple of years I have discovered that Loon's Hard Head is the best
material to use to paint the heads of the jigs.
I will be tying a new variation of the fly at this year's Conclave that I
developed based on some input from Tom Landry. It is the Redneck Series of Cap
Spiders. My favorite of the bunch is The John Deer Cap Spider, which uses green
vernille for the body and a head painted yellow with lacquer and covered with
clear Loon's Hard Head. Does anyone know where I can find Vernille in a John
Deer color of green? Others in the series are the Caterpillar Cap Spider, which
uses yellow vernille and the head painted with black Loon's Hard Head. The other
in the series is made for my friends in the oil patch and is the Halliburton cap
spider with a gray body and red Loon's Hard Head for the jig head. Each uses
legs colored with the "grizzly' technique that I learned from Eric
Schmucker six or seven years ago. When Tom Landry and I were on the phone
discussing this new series of cap Spiders, I felt Michael was up there somewhere
with that Cheshire cat looking grin on his face like he approved of our new way
of tying his fly. I sure do miss Michael.
I wish I knew more about others that use this pattern. It works great everywhere
I have tried it. I have tied it for fly swaps and am told it works for all kinds
of fish all over this country as well as others. I have a friend who fishes the
Rapid River in Maine and several years ago his grandson caught a 5.5-pound brook
trout on a black Cap Spider that I gave Dave.
It will be good to see both of you at Conclave.
Regards, Big Dale
Mark
your Calendar.
Bill Heugel
We have decided on the date for our next Workshop
Extravaganza April 9, 2005. We will again be using the Kurth Lake facilities.
That gives us plenty of room, cooking capability and of course we can
also fish a bit. The plan for this year is to have the event centered on our
club members. That means the
tiers and instructors will be from our club.
We plan to have a tying session 4 hours long conducted by 4
different folks. They will be
demonstrating different types of flies. The
advantage of this approach is that you can bring your vise and we will have a
TIE ALONG. Best way to learn new
techniques. We also plan a fly
tying competition where we will provide all participants with the materials and
you tie the fly. The flies will be
judged by a panel of (experts??).
We are planning on a program given by Walter McLendon on
Fly Fishing East Texas. Walter has
given this program to many different clubs and at special events. Of course we
will have the casting instruction and the well planned casting games.
Jay threw us a loop at the last workshop.
Who knows what he may do this year? Walter will also be giving us a Kayak
class. For those of us not too
steady on the water he will test our wills and make sure we learn to do things
properly. Also it will enable
you to have more knowledge when it comes to buying that dude. We have
discussed several possible classes, including dying materials, fly plate
construction, frying fish, a swap meet and Dutch oven cooking.
We will need your input on this.
For those of you interested in getting there early and
hitting the water we will have donuts and coffee. Later in the day we will have burgers for lunch and brisket
for the evening meal. All family members are invited to this event both during
the day and in the evening. Door prizes, silent auctions, live auctions and
raffles will be designed to take your money.
This is our big money maker for the club and we need your support.
Besides it’s a fun day and you can pickup some needed items at a
bargain.
So mark your calendar, April 9, 2005 at Kurth Lake.
Fly
tying
Bill
Heugel
We have had some preliminary thoughts about the fly tying
activities for next year. First we
would like to have more events. We
will select special instructors on for each fly and spend some time introducing
you to that fly, the materials and then the construction. All classes will be hands on.
To make things easier for beginners, the club will loan you some tools so
you can tie at the class and then go home and practice.
The key to developing the skills for fly tying is the
amount of practice you undertake. The
club will provide a sufficient amount of material so you can take it home and
work with it. Next year you may be
teaching, it’s really that easy.
Monthly
club meeting are held in the Lufkin Room, Lufkin Mall at 7 PM, the program for
the first hour and then door prizes and fishing discussions until 9 PM.
Calendar
Oct 1-2 Conclave, Mt. Home, AR Oct 2 TPWD Expo, Austin Oct PWFF meeting, Lufkin Mall Oct 16 OctoberFest - to be announced Nov 2 PWFF meeting, Lufkin Mall (Capt. Sally Moffett from Rockport program) Nov 5-7 Rendezvous, North Toledo Bend State Park Nov 20 Little Missouri River Trout Outing Dec 4 PWFF Christmas Party Dec 27 Teach Merit Badges at Camp Urland, Woodville, TXNewsletter
Send
your articles, photos and other material to mailto:[email protected]
or mail to Walter McLendon 139 Lancewood Circle,
Lufkin, TX 75904. I can scan your photos and return them at the next
meeting. If you know of any future events or activities of interest, please send
them to me. Monthly article deadlines are set on the 25th of the
month so the newsletter can be completed by the Thursday preceding our Tuesday
meeting.