OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE POTOMAC VALLEY FLY FISHERS
Streamlines
Volume 12, No. 11-12November-December 2003
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UPCOMING EVENTS:
November 1Annual Meeting, American Legion Hall, Thurmont, MD
6 p.m.
November 11PVFF Travelogue Meeting,
Maryland School for Deaf, Frederick, MD 7 p.m.
November 18Fly Tyer’s Roundtable, Hobbytown, Frederick, MD
7 p.m.
November 25Board of Directors, Mt. Airy Library, Mt. Airy, MD 7p.m.
December 30Board of Directors, Mt. Airy Library, Mt. Airy, MD 7p.m.
January 10-11The Fly Fishing Show, Reckord Armory, College Park, MD
Jan. 30 – Feb. 1Old Virginia Fly Fishing Show, Chantilly, VA
The President’s Line by Ron Graunke
Lame duck! No this is not a recipe for a wounded dinner but rather a term for that time between the old and new president. The recipe is as follows. Add a dozen fly fishing fellows on a nice fall Saturday, mix lightly with rods, reels and add about three to four hundred scouts frothing at the bit to learn… there you have it, an appetizer. Take 5-6 people put them at the back of a hobby store tying flies and there you have it -ambience. Mix a pile of hard working flyfishing fanatics. Blend with a touch of planning and prizes. Stir in fun. Add some prizes, a few drinks and wa-lah, a banquet for every one. What’s lame about this recipe? Nothing. It’s a hard act to follow. But wait, we have another course! Dessert! November travelogue, by whomever shows up complete with slides and photos. And a whole year ahead with fishing, fly tying, programs, youth programs, flyfishing camp, rod building, stream stocking, more roundtables, conservation projects places to see and places to fish, new knot s, new faces, new fish. Wow, I can't wait... What ‘s on the plate for dinner Chuck?
HAPPY HOLIDAYS by Ron Graunke
Our November 11 meeting will be the last meeting this year. So we have doubled up on the fly tying this month to get you started on your winter fly tying. Our FLY OF THE MONTH features two flies that can be used in your cold weather fishing plus a bonus from Chuck Dinkel on his sculpin pattern he used in Utah.
Also, we have our Fly Tyer’s Roundtable on Nov. 18 at Hobbytown with Terry Alexander demonstrating dry fly tying materials and techniques. So our holiday season may be upon us but we also have an active month. Our next meeting at the School for the Deaf after November 11 will be in January. Stay tuned for program announcements in the January Streamlines. Happy Holidays, Ron
November Program by Ted Bruszewski
It is that time again, the time for
you to brag about the MONSTER trout,
bass, rockfish, or bluegill you caught
this year. On the other hand you could
cry about the fish of a lifetime that
got away. Whatever experiences you had
this past year, bring your pictures,
slides and share your story with us.
See you there.
October Program by Ted Bruszewski
“Utah – Fly Fishing’s Sleeping Giant” was the title of Chuck Dinkel’s presentation. Chuck shared and relived with club members the trip he and Brad Homman took to Utah earlier in the year. Chuck’s initial reservations about a Utah fishing trip were dispelled within his first 15 minutes fishing the Green River. That drift boat trip yielded over forty, 14-20 inch brown and rainbow trout.
Every river, lake and stream fished offered new challenges and surprises. Fortunately most offered up a good share of trout as well. Chuck traced the course of his and Brad’s trip from the northeast corner of the state down south to the area of Zion National Park. Highlights of the trip included two days of outstanding wet and dry fly fishing on Panguitch Creek and hiking in Zion. The scenery throughout the state was spectacular.
Chuck spoke about a fly pattern that became his “go to” streamer fly on the trip. It was a sculpin pattern that was demonstrated to the club by Tom Brtalik at a program he presented last year. The pattern and directions for tying the fly are included in the newsletter.
Thank you to Banquet Committee and Helpers by Chuck Dinkel
Thanks to all of you for a job well done! We ran over on time but that’s correctable. I received good comments about the food. I felt our bucket raffle and auction items were super, and I want to really compliment Don Fine for a wonderful slide show and presentation. Take the day off and do check out the ‘bows in Beaver Creek or Morgan Run. Regarding the latter I can attest to the fact that the late season fish they stocked are big.
Basic Fly Tying Class by Don Fine
PVFF will offer a 5-week basic fly tying class beginning in February. The course will cover introductory techniques for tying nymphs; wet and dry flies, streamers, and terrestrial artificial fly patterns.
The course will be offered on Monday evenings starting on February 2, class time will be from 7-9 p.m. at Hobbytown in Frederick, MD. Cost of the course will $30, which includes materials and use of the PVFF fly tying equipment in the event that students do not have their own basic equipment.
Fly Tyer’s Roundtable – Special Fall Edition by Pete Cook and Terry Alexander
There will be two fall special Fly Tyer Roundtables on October 21 and November 18 at Hobbytown in the Frederick Shopping Center. The theme for both Roundtables is Basic Materials and Techniques. In October we reviewed basic materials and techniques for tying nymphs.
In November, Terry Alexander will review basic dry fly materials and techniques. These subjects are being offered as preparation for anyone who would like to improve their skills or for participating in a future fly tying class.
Come prepared with your favorite dubbing material and your choice of hook size not to exceed a #12 for practicing dry fly tying. Again the emphasis is on technique and style of pattern. Contact Terry Alexander at 301-695-6034 to sign up.
We will announce in the January 2004 newsletter the Fly Tyer Roundtable patterns for January – June. Have a happy holiday time and tight lines.
FLY OF THE MONTH
(Photo from Cold Spring Anglers website)
Griffith's Gnat by Pete Cook
The Griffith's Gnat is usually tied on size 16- 26 standard length hooks and is a simple tie. Although the fly is simple to tie that doesn't take away from its effectiveness. George Griffith of Grayling, MI was the originator of the fly. I hope his name is familiar, as he was one of the founding fathers of Trout Unlimited. During a midge hatch a Griffith's Gnat is a great, effective fly to use.
Materials:
Hooks: Mustad 94840, 94838, 94845, Tiemco 100
Thread: Black 6/0 or 8/0
Rib: Fine Gold Wire
Hackle: Grizzly
Body: Peacock Herl, alternately Hare's Ear fur
1. Place your hook into the vise and press the barb down with smooth nose pliers if not using a barbless hook. Wrap on thread base on the hook and tie in the fine gold wire and the Peacock Herl.
2. Depending on the size of the hook, use one or two strands of the Peacock Herl. Wrap the herl and tie off a little behind the hook eye. Save some space, as we also need room to tie in the hackle and whip finish the head when completed.
3. When using one strand of herl I like to wrap the herl up behind the space before the eye, return back to just in front of the tie in spot above the hook point and then finish wrapping the herl to the tie off point a little behind the eye. Next, make three or four wraps of thread back toward the bend of the hook and return to the tie off position. The extra thread reinforces the body from breaks from the fish's teeth.
4. Tie in your grizzly hackle in the space left behind the hook eye and at the tie off point with the shiny side facing forward. Make one complete turn of the hackle behind the eye and palmer 3-5 times to the bend. I prefer a sparser tied fly. With your left hand holding the hackle or hackle pliers, take your right hand and make two wraps of gold wire over the hackle at the bend to catch and hold the hackle. Then spiral the wire up to the tie off point. Wiggle your wire as you are over wrapping the hackle barbules so they do not become trapped under the wire. Snip off the hackle in the rear and tie off the wire and whip finish the head.
5. Variations on this fly: Body material. Instead of using Peacock herl use Hare's ear dubbing to construct the fly and follow the rest of the directions. Hook size: Mustad 94838 is a 1x short hook. In other words, a size 18 hook has the shank length of a size 20 hook but a hook gap for a size 18 giving the angler a slightly larger probably of hooking the fish.
Brassie by Pete Cook
(Photo from westfly.com and tied by Umpqua Feather Merchants)
In addition to using the Griffith's Gnat (GG) alone for raising trout to midges or micro size insects using a trailer fly like a Brassie enhances the chance of taking trout as well. The GG becomes a strike indicator as well. So when the fly disappears the strike could be on the GG or Brassie. (And if you are real lucky, both) Use a size Brassie smaller than the floating fly. For example, if using a size 18 GG, then use a size 20 Brassie as your trailing fly. In cooler to winter weather as trout respond to hatches, the combination of these two simple and effective flies often saves the day for the angler. You can also fish the Brassie as a nymph alone. The instructions for the Brassie are below.
Materials:
Thread: Black 6/0 or 8/0
Hooks: #14- 24 Mustad 94840, 9671 or Tiemco 100; 200R, caddis shaped Tiemco 2457, 2487,
Body: Size Fine or extra fine copper wire in copper, red, green, and black depending on hook size. The traditional Brassie color is copper.
Thorax: Peacock Herl or black dubbing e.g., rabbit, antron, mole, super fine
1. Place your hook into the vise and press the barb down with smooth nose pliers if not using a barbless hook. Wrap on thread base on the hook. Leave your bobbin about 35-40% of shank length behind the eye of the hook.
2. Take a piece of copper wire and begin tying in where you left your bobbin. Wrap the thread to the point where the barb was smashed and return to the tie in point.
3. Wrap the copper wire on itself up to the tie in/off point and tie it off. Hold the wire up and make 2-3 secure wraps over the top to catch the wire. Snip off the extra wire.
4. Tie in a strand of peacock herl or dub your thread with your favorite black or dark brown dubbing and finish the thorax full and swollen. Tie off and whip finish.
Now you have two simple and effective flies to use during late fall to early spring midge time. Tight lines!
“Fly Fishing in Utah – Take Two” by Chuck Dinkel
Several members asked me for the recipe for the sculpin pattern I referenced during my talk last month. Here are a few tying hints. Tie the tail in first and tie in the pectoral fins before tying the body. I put a small drop of super glue on the threads that are used to attach the fins. I made a wing burner from some scrap sheet aluminum. It doesn’t have to be fancy. The fins are about half the size of a dime. You might want to experiment with different size fins and see what effect this has on the action of the fly. We can share our results in a future issue of the newsletter. Sculpins live on the bottom of the stream and their coloration matches the stream bottom. I tie the fly in several colors including olive and variegated brown and yellow.
Sculpin Pattern
Materials:
Hook: Dai-Riki 060, Mustad 3906B, size 8
Thread- Black 6/0
Eyes - Lead or dumbbell eyes size 5/32
Tail - Brown marabou and black Krystal flash
Body - Variegated medium chenille, black/coffee
Pectoral FinsOlive mallard flank or pheasant flank feather sized using a wing burner
In response to the question concerning the cost of the fishing trip, I checked my log and the cost averaged out to about $100 a day for guides, lodging, food, rental car and other miscellaneous expenses. Airfare was an additional $200. Check the web for discount plane fares and reserve early.
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POTOMAC VALLEY FLY FISHERS
MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION
The purpose of the Potomac Valley Fly Fishers is (1) to promote fly fishing as the most sportsman-like and enjoyable way of fishing, and the most consistent with the preservation and wise use of our resources; (2) to provide advice, suggestions and assistance to club members; (3) to publicize the best practices and techniques of fly fishing, fly tying, fly casting and other related subjects; and (4) to maintain liaison with other organizations of sportsmen and conservationists. Membership Dues: $10.00, Family Dues: $15.00
The undersigned being in agreement with the above purpose does hereby apply for membership in the Potomac Valley Fly Fishers.
Applicant’s Name: ______Date: ______
(Last)(First)(Middle Initial)
Home Address: ______
(Street)(City)(State)(ZIP)
Home phone: ______Business phone: ______
E-mail address: ______
Applicant’s signature: ______
Are you now a member of the Federation of Fly Fishers? Yes______No______
Send membership applications and renewals to: Potomac Valley Fly Fishers
P. O. Box 3001
Frederick, MD 21705
-TEAR OFF AND RETURN-
POTOMAC VALLEY
FLY FISHERS
P. O. BOX 3001
FREDERICK, MD21705
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