Activities willinclude casting and flytying instruction, withthe goals of promotingfly fishing and therecruitment of potential members.

If you are interested in teaching cast-ing or fly tying, please call or e-mail me.

•Joe Meyer is still accepting flies for

the club's two fly plates, which will beauctioned off at the spring banquet inApril. For a general club member, tie onefly, and include your name, along withthe name of your fly. McTavish membersare to include two flies. Get your flies toJoe as soon as possible.

•A few words about Daren Bulow's

wonderful contribution to the Backcast,his "Streamside Chef" column.

I laughed out loud at his Januaryrecipe for "Golden Trout Fish Tacos." Weare fortunate to have Bulow write suchcreative recipes for our newsletter.

Even the most stoic catch andrelease anglers can admire the creativitythat goes into his recipes. After readingBulow's golden trout taco recipe, I'm notsure if I'm supposed to wince or salivate.

But full disclosure: In the past, Ithoroughly enjoyed eating golden troutin the high country. However, this was inCalifornia, so that's OK.

I only have one negative thing to sayabout Bulow's golden trout recipe:Chipotle sauce mixed with sweet andsour sounds absolutely disgusting.

•I'm going to close with my own

favorite trout recipe I call, "MexicanTrout." This is a simple but deliciousrecipe, best cooked by a campfire, near apicturesque backcountry stream or lake.

Take a large, freshly killed andcleaned trout, and impale on a stick.Roast over a fire until the meat becomesmostly firm. Remove the skin, pluck themeat off the bones, and place the tendermorsels on the bottom of a pan.

Place slices of pepper jack cheeseover trout morsels and set pan over a bedof glowing coals. Bake the fish until thecheese melts down into the trout.

Enjoy!

"Fishing is not an escape from life, butoften a deeper immersion into it..."

-- Harry Middleton

'll miss you," I said to my lovelywife, three days before a recentover night, out-of-town fishing

trip."No you're not," Erin said. "You're

not going to miss me one bit. I know howyou are. When you have fish on thebrain, you don't think of anything else.You can put that in your fly fishingnewsletter, I don't care."

I sat in silence. "See?" my all-knowing wife said.

"You aren't saying anything, so it's true.Otherwise, you would have some wittyretort. But you don't. See? You know, it'sso true."

Yes, she was right.Two days before the trip, in an effort

to spend quality time with Erin, I tookher out on the town for a date. Shelooked absolutely stunning, with her fit-ted sweater, and her jeans tucked neatlyinside her tall riding boots. When wereturned home, I held her close, and letmy hands slide gently down to the curveof her hips. I told her she was beautiful.

"Well," she said, while breaking freefrom my clutches. "You just think aboutthat while you are out fishing."

•The Wyoming Fly Casters is now

fully supporting the Conservation Fund,the BLM, and Wyoming Game and Fishin an effort to protect habitat and expandfishing opportunities on the North Platte.

This project would allow over onemile of public, walk-in river access down-stream from Government Bridge.

The WFC is in the early stages ofsupporting this significant conservationand access project. Look for more infor-mation and updates in the near future.

This is an outstanding conservationproject for our club.

•The club's former annual "Cabin

Fever Clinic" will occur on Mar. 6. Thefly fishing clinic will be held at theCasper Recreation Center between 1:00and 4:00 p.m.

Page 2 Wyoming Fly Casters Monthly Newsletter

The Backcast is the monthlynewsletter of the Wyoming Fly Casters,an affiliate club of the WyomingCouncil of Trout Unlimited, theNature Conservancy and theFederation of Fly Fishers. Editorial con-tent does not necessarily reflect theviews of the officers, board or membersof the Wyoming Fly Casters.

Annual dues are $20 for an indi-vidual, $30 for a family, or $250 for alifetime individual membership or$450 for a lifetime family membership.

Visit the club website atwww.wyflycasters.org.

The deadline for submission ofinformation for each issue is the nextto last day of the month. Make contri-butions to the next issue by e-mailingmaterial to the Backcast editor atChevPU57@aol.com, or call (307)436-8774.

OFFICERSAlex Rose, President

Melody Weinhandl, President-electVacant, Vice President

Vacant, SecretaryEd Rate, Treasurer

BOARD OF DIRECTORSTerms expire in 2010

Jamie GibsonJoe Meyer

Brent “Smokey” WeinhandlVacant

Terms expire in 2011Bob Fischer

Scott NovotnyBill Wichers

VacantTerms expire in 2012

Casey LearyNeil Ruebush

Andrew SauterMatt Stanton

The Backcast is available either inelectronic format or through USPSsnail mail. To receive each newsletterthrough a monthly e-mail, you must beable to open .pdf (Adobe Acrobat, asoftware format available free ofcharge) documents. Generally, eachissue is roughly 1 MB in size, some arelarger. Your e-mail provider may havelimits on the size of attachments. Inorder to be added to the e-mail list,send a request to ChevPU57@aol.com.In addition to receiving each issue ofthe newsletter earlier than your hardcopy peers, e-mail subscribers are ableto print each copy in vibrant color --an added plus if the issue is rich incolor photographs. By subscribing elec-tronically, you also save the club rough-ly $17.40 a year in printing and postageexpenses.

Cover shot: Lloyd Ferguson drifts a dry fly down Boxelder Creek on a July afternoon.

Drag-free DrifDrag-free Driftsts

by Alex Rose, President, WFC

alexmrose@hotmail.com

I“

Alex

January program to featurethe Moffitt Angling System

The February general membershipmeeting is to feature Bill Wichersexplaining the Moffitt Angling System.

This patented catch-and-release sys-tem uses hookless flies tied on flexiblesynthetic cores instead of hooks -- quick-ly looped on or off the leader -- with aspecially designed barbless circle hook atthe end. When the angler sets the hook,the flexible fly is pulled out of the fish’smouth and the trailing circle hook isimplanted into its jaw.

Moffitt includes a handy hookrelease tool with its six, twelve and eight-een fly promo kits (ranging from $15 to$40).

Other benefits to the system includethe ability to fish multiple flies of differ-ing patterns simultaneously, each loopedahead of a single circle hook.

Currently, the available Moffittnymph patterns include the gold-ribbedhare’s ear, pheasant tail nymph, Princenymph and bead-head ice caddis. Three

Wyoming Fly Casters Monthly Newsletter Page 3

BBRRAAGG BBOOAARRDDFrom the membership

Tyler Hallock caught these fish out-side Cancun, Mexico during theChristmas holiday. Species includedbarracuda, yellow tail racer and atrigger fish. He caught about 30 fishin about 2 hours in 7 foot seas.

of each are included in the promo kit,along with threaders, a release tool,instructions and ten appropriately sizedcircle hooks.

Due to the trailing circle hook, therehas been some concern that the systemmay violate the anti-snagging laws insome states. States are lining up toapprove the system, however.

A wide selection of dry flies andstreamers are slated or already have beenadded to the Moffitt system.

A question intriguing many fly fish-ers is how the recreational fly-tier canproduce patterns which will utilize thehook-less Moffitt system.

This meeting is set for Feb. 10.•

No outings have yet been scheduledfor the balance of January, or even inFebruary or March. But mark your calen-dars for the annual trek to Ft. Smith inMontana to fish the Bighorn River inearly April.

A few polar bears converged on the Sunset Bar and Grill at noon on Jan. 1 for hot chili,deluxe cheeseburgers and cold beers. And a few actually fished that morning.

Page 4 Wyoming Fly Casters Monthly Newsletter

tion, “You'restranded by a river,lake or on theocean. You'll bestuck for at least amonth. You get to carry one lure andone lure only. We'll pretend that youmanaged to get stranded with a rod andreel to fish said lure.”

Most of the crowd responding indi-cated they would prefer a PantherMartin, a red Daredevil spoon, a Rebelminnow, a bucktail jig for saltwater, asilver Rapala floater, a Castmaster orKrocodile, and, of course, the ubiquitoushook and garden hackle.

But how about the castaway whoonly has a fly rod on a deserted freshwa-ter stream?

Although many would choose awooly bugger, my clear choice would bea size 18 parachute Adams. I havecaught more fish by a considerable mar-gin in this pattern than any other, dry,wet or streamer.

There are candidates for runner-up,however. These include the elk haircaddis, a foam hopper, a size 8 bead-headed halfback, a size 14 Princenymph, a size 24 RS2, a size 12 stimula-tor, a size 20 bead-head flashback pheas-ant tail, a size 16 emergent sparkle pupa,and a size 4 vanilla bugger. My fly boxeshave many other patterns, but these arethe ones I use the most.

Of course, my boxes are arrangedaccording to the water being fished. TheAdams would not be among those pat-terns selected for, say, on a float tripdown the Platte. Especially during win-ter. But I have caught fish, in the fall,on small Adamses on the Glenrockstretch of the river.

When I visit one of my favoritesmall streams, like Boxelder or NorthTongue, I most often fish a double dryfly rig. The trailing fly is almost alwaysthe Adams (unless early in the day, thenit’s the Prince). The point fly might be ahopper, elk hair caddis, or a stimulator.

Such a system works for me, so whychange?

It’s a lot like asking Republican orDemocrat, Ford or Chevy, Sage orWinston, .270 or .30-06 ...

What are your favorites?

Scoop

ark your calendars. On Wed.,Feb. 24 at 7:00 p.m., the artfilm, “Voices of the Platte,” is

to be shown at the Nicolaysen ArtMuseum.

The 20 minute video, shot in highdefinition, chronicles fly fishing in cen-tral Wyoming and features many promi-nent members of the Wyoming FlyCasters in interviews, background narra-tives and fishing stories. Those includedin the film are Jim Dean, HerbWaterman, Kathy Knapp, Bill Mixer,Fred Eiserman and Jim Sparks.

The film is the product of GregOmelchuck of Austin, TX, who shotsome 40 hours of video, which he editedand condensed into 20 minutes ofscreen time. Omelchuck is a computeranimator who works professionally inproducing television commercials.

There is a good chance the WFCmay be provided with a copy of the film,and be available for showing perhaps ata regular club meeting for those unableto make the premier showing in lateFebruary.

The film is to be entered in conteststhis year.

•Here are a few updates to public

access opportunities along the NorthPlatte:

The south bank of Outhouse Hole,formerly available to fly tossers wadingacross the river, was closed to the publicon Jan. 1. Signs have been postedreflecting the no trespassing order, asthe landowner declined to review thewalk-in area.

And the island complex at Lusby isthe subject of on-going legal review todetermine the public’s right of accessthrough the delineation of boundaries.The same individuals are involved inthis issue as the Lusby boat ramp accesslawsuit a year ago.

•A recent thread on a Field and

Stream bulletin board posed the ques-

TTailing Loopsailing Loops

M

by Randy Stalker,Backcast editor

chevPU57@aol.com

Forgive me my nonsense, as I also for-give the nonsense of those that think theytalk sense.

-- Robert Frost

FLFLYYof the month

SKINNY NELSONHook: TMC 3761 #16-20Bead: (Optional) black tungsten,sized to hookThread: Black 70 denierTail: Ringneck pheasant tail fibersRib: Small gold wireAbdomen: Black 70 tying threadWingcase: Pearl FlashabouThorax: Peacock herl

This simple fly works so wellbecause it can cross over from abaetis nymph to a midge pattern inthe blink of an eye!

Place the bead on the hook.Start the tying thread behind the beadand wrap a smooth thread base backto the bend. Select three or fourpheasant tail fibers and even theirtips. Measure the tips against theshank so they are about 2/3 of ashank long. Tie the pheasant fibers inat the bend of the hook. Tie in alength of small gold wire right behindthe bead. Wrap back over the wirewith the thread to the bend of thehook, then return the thread to theback of the bead forming a smooth,slightly tapered abdomen as you go.

Spiral wrap the wire forward fromthe bend and tie it off at the bead. Tiein two strands of Flashabou at thecenter of their length.

Pull the long front ends of theflashback over the abdomen and tiethem in place with a couple turns ofthread. Tie several small peacockherls in by their tips just behind thebead and wrap to the back edge ofthe bead. Clip the excess peacock.Pull all four strands of flash over thetop of the peacock herl thorax and tiethem off at the immediate back edgeof the bead. Fold the long ends of theflash back once again and trap themunder a few firm wraps of thread.Whip finish.

Wyoming Fly Casters Monthly Newsletter Page 5

Alex Rose landed this large rainbow trout, caught and released from an undisclosedWyoming river.

Cardwell acquisitionchronology

by Herb Waterman1961: Fremont Canyon Power Plant

completed and operational (48MW).Stream below Pathfinder dries up.

Late ‘60s and early ‘70s: NormWeiss, a physical professor at CasperCollege, lobbied to return flow in thechannel below Pathfinder Dam.

Early ‘80s: Low head generator rec-ommended. This would allow some waterto be returned to the old channel. BuRecanalyzed the proposal and deemed itunfeasible.

Early ‘90s: A bridge was built overthe channel below Pathfinder Dam. Thiswas necessary if flow were ever to bereestablished in the old river channel. Italso gave access to the east side ofPathfinder Reservoir. The Platte RiverBoat Club was instrumental in advocat-ing for the bridge.

1995: At a TU meeting in the firstpart of the year, John Lawson (BuRec)proposed a private group approach theCardwell family about an easement onthe private land straddling the old chan-nel. Lawson would not release any waterunless a public access could be provided.

1995: John Traut and HerbWaterman of the WFC visited BobCardwell at his ranch in the PedroMountains. A flow of 75mcf was dis-cussed for the old channel. He was notimmediately receptive because he wasbothered by the potential loss off rev-enues from the power generation. He saidhe would not get on board unless thePathfinder Ranch does. Waterman talkedto Haynie Stevenson, the manager ofPathfinder Ranches, and he approved ofthe idea because his cattle would have anew water source.

Sept. ‘95 to April, ‘97: Janice Brewercalled Waterman, saying the “Cardwellfamily would like to talk.” Ultimately theCardwells accepted a $3000 option fromthe WFC to explore the possibility ofsecuring an easement.

‘98: Easement was finalized. DonPainter, a WFC member and an attorney,put together the legal documentation forthe agreement. John Traut, Andrew

Sauter and Steven Degenfelder negotiat-ed the details. The Cardwells received$70,000, in addition to the optionmoney. It took two years for the WFC toraise the amount.

2000: The WFC presented the ease-ment to the Wyoming Game and FishDepartment.

2001 and beyond: The G&F workedon improving the channel.

2002: An Aug. 3, on the 100thbirthday of the BuRec, the new Cardwellpublic access fishing area was dedicated.

Ron Dutton represented the WFC.Costs associated with the project:

Bridge over the channel, $407,000;shouldered by Natrona County, BLM,and the G&F.

Road: $157,000, BLM.Valves (low flow): $1.88 million,

BuRec.Channel restoration: $200,000,

G&F.Easement acquisition: $73,000,

WFC.Lost power: $100,000.

It's that time again!If you haven't yet renewed your club membership

for 2010, now is the time! Individual membership is$20, and a family membership is $30.

Memberships can be paid at our general meetings.Please see our treasurer, Ed Rate, or mail a check to:Wyoming Fly Casters, P.O. Box 2881, Casper, WY82602.

2010 membership fees due

Page 6 Wyoming Fly Casters Monthly Newsletter

Probably the only thing Iadmire about the French is theirability to make carp, usuallyregarded by us in Wyoming as atrash fish, taste pretty darn good.Here is one of my favorite recipesfor preparing some of the whoppersI catch below the Dave JohnstonPower Plant, in WheatlandReservoir No. 3 or PathfinderReservoir. I must admit that I tossback the large carp, and keep onlythe smaller ones which are moreappropriate as Bulow family dinnerfare. Believe me, this isn’t a joke;carp are pretty good fish when theyare prepared right. And you don’tneed a shingle.

Ingredients1 carp, 4 to 5 pounds, cleaned

and scaled3/4 cup pineapple juice1/2 cup wine vinegar1/2 cup sugar1/2 cup water3 tbsp cornstarch1 tbsp soy sauce1/2 cup each of green onion,

green pepper, and pineapple, cut inthin slivers

PreparationPlace the fish, wrapped in

cheesecloth, on a rack over hotwater so that the fish does nottouch the water. Cover, and steamuntil it is firm -- about 25 minutesor so. Arrange on a serving dish.Cook together the pineapple juice,vinegar, sugar, and water. Thickenwith cornstarch, and season withsoy sauce. Add the slivered greenonion, green pepper, and pineapple,and cook these in the sauce justlong enough for the onions andpepper to turn bright green. Serveover the fish.

Goes great with a white wine.Nutritional info: carbohy-

drates, 16; calories, 62; calcium, 8;sodium, 6; and vitamin A, 50.

Sweet and SourCarp -- really!

SSTTRREEAAMMSSIIDDEE CCHHEEFFby Daren Bulow

The Lyin' and Tyin' clinics will beheld this year at the Wyoming Oil andGas Conservation Commission. Thenext session for this season is Feb. 13.The clinics will be held between 9:00to noon.

The final date for the year is Mar.13.

For new members not familiarwith these clinics, they provide anexcellent opportunity for tiers of allskill levels to socialize while tyingflies.

The sessions are also a great oppor-tunity for beginning fly tiers to learnfrom the experienced tiers, and to getone-on-one tips and instructionregarding the art of tying. New mem-bers or beginning tiers simply show upwith a vice and materials, and the proswill show, step-by-step, how to tie bugs.

Lyin’ and Tyin’clinics return

The next one isFeb. 13 at 9 a.m.

Clarke Turner with a brown trout caught in mid-January at the club hole on the Mile.

Wyoming Fly Casters Monthly Newsletter Page 7

Daren Bulow with a bevy of babes from the Tourism Saskatchewan booth at theInternational Sportsmen’s Exposition on Jan. 9 in Denver.

by Marty RobinsonI’m looking for someone to put

notices of WFC meetings in the newspa-per. It is simple, especially for someonewho spends time on the computer(which I rarely do). The position consistsof contacting the president-elect, whoarranges programs for our meetings, get-ting the info and emailing it to the paper.I had been doing the job, but am notanymore. It is very simple to do. Pleasecontact me at 235-1730 to find out more.

Rep sought as liaisonto the print media

Patterns needed forframed fly plates

Members are encouraged to sit downat the vice and tie up a pattern to beincluded in the fly plates to be auctionedoff at the April 3 annual fund-raisingbanquet.

MaTavish members need to providetwo patterns.

The flies are needed by the Feb. 10club meeting so Joe Meyer can arrange tohave them placed on the plates by theframer.

Flies could also be dropped off ateither the Ugly Bug or Platte River flyshops.

The spring banquet committee isseeking items to be raffled off at the Aprilbanquet. Examples of items: An antiquebamboo fly rod, fly tying equipment, floattubes, and boxes of flies. If you havesomething of value to donate that wouldmake a nice raffle item and raise moneyfor the club, please contact Joe Meyer,235-1316.

The banquet is slated for April 3.

Banquet committeeseeks raffle items

The annual election for WyomingFly Casters officers and board memberswill occur at the general meeting onWednesday, Mar. 10.

If you are interested in pursuing aboard member or officer position (presi-dent-elect, vice president, treasurer, orsecretary), please contact Alex Rose tohave your name included on the ballot.

Nominations soughtfor officers, board

No zebra or quagga mussels foundin state’s major reservoirs, G&F says

Several of Wyoming's major reservoirs have tested negative for invasive zebra andquagga mussels. These damaging organisms have not been found in Wyoming yet, buthave been found in neighboring states of Colorado and Utah.

In Wyoming, sampling for larval zebra/quagga mussels has taken place in Glendo,Boysen, Buffalo Bill and Keyhole Reservoirs and Bighorn Lake. Sampling by theGame and Fish has not turned up any adult or juvenile mussels. In addition, a studyof the Greater Yellowstone Area by Portland State University students did not findany zebra or quagga mussels in that region.

The Wyoming Game and Fish Department is continuing education efforts tomake boaters and anglers aware of the potential impacts caused by the spread ofAquatic Invasive Species, (AIS), primarily zebra and quagga mussels.

To help combat the introduction of these species into Wyoming, signs will beinstalled on 21 priority waters around the state before the boating season begins thisyear. In addition, an AIS summit is being planned in Cheyenne in February to informaffected users such as power companies, sportsman groups, municipalities and others ofthe AIS issue and potential impacts to the state.

The Travel Recreation and Wildlife Committee of the Wyoming State Legislatureis lending their support and has agreed to sponsor an aquatic invasive species bill and abill to increase the penalties for the illegal stocking of fish. The proposed AIS billwould allow for interdiction authority to establish mandatory inspection stations, theauthority to establish a "user pay" system to help fund the AIS program and an appro-priation of $2.5 million for the 2011-2012 biennium.

The Wyoming Game and Fish Department has organized an AIS committee thathas developed an AIS management plan that was to be presented to the WyomingGame and Fish Commission in January.

Page 8 Wyoming Fly Casters Monthly Newsletter

The following article is anexcerpt from the electronic book,Hunt - Don’t Pray - for Fish,Techniques and Strategies for FlyFishing from a Drift Boat, written byHarley W. Reno, Ph.D., a friend ofthe Wyoming Fly Casters and occa-sional program presentor. The entirecontent is copyrighted by the author,and is used here with his permis-sion. The CD is available for pur-chase through the Federation of FlyFishers, and 80 percent of the $25cost of each CD is being donated bythe author back to the federation forits conservation and educationfunds.

In the coming months, otherchapters of Dr. Reno’s book are tobe featured in the Backcast.

Drift boat fishing 101Chapter 13: Strategies (Part 1)

Boulder or Large RockThe fly fisherman in the front of the

drift boat always has the advantage whenfishing a boulder or large rock. He or sheis the first to encounter the boulder orrock and, if anticipating an opportunityof hooking a good fish, has the bestchance to fish the pocket of quiet waterin front of the obstruction.

The best way for the fisherman inthe front of the drift boat to fish thepocket in front of a boulder or rock is to

very fisherman dreams ofhooking and landing a trophy-sized fish. Few, unfortunately,have the opportunity to fish

for a trophy, and fewer still hook or everland one. Some fishermen become con-tent with catching smaller fish. That initself is thrilling, especially if the fish arecaught on dry flies with 2-, 3-, and 4-weight tackle. Every strike is exciting.Every fish brought to the net is gratifying.But, why and how is it that a small frac-tion of the fly fishing community alwaysseems to catch trophies, and do so withremarkable regularity and consistency?Do those people use some heretoforeunknown or unpublicized technique?Have they found or invented the perfectfly? Perhaps they fish where no one elsehas ever fished. Maybe those fortunatefew are just lucky, but lucky all the time?That is doubtful. For the most part,answers to those questions are simple andlogical. Luck plays only a small part inthe equation of consistently catching tro-phy-sized fish.

Those fortunate few who consistent-ly catch trophy fishes are like everyoneelse, with two exceptions: they (1) knowwhere big fish live and (2) understandwhy fish grow to trophy sizes. Thatknowledge changes their approach to flyfishing, revolutionizes their strategies,and narrows their focus to fishing onlythose places that harbor trophies. Many

successful trophy fishermen fish onlythose habitats that consistently holdlarge fish, and they are careful not towaste time on less productive habitats.

Here is a general rule about fishingall habitats from a drift boat. Wheneverpossible, the fly fisherman in the frontshould make short casts, fishing a dry orsubsurface fly, and the fly fisherman inthe back of the boat should make longercasts, fishing a big, heavily weighted fly.That courtesy allows each fly fishermanto fish undisturbed water and mollifiesthe notion that the fly fisherman in thefront always has the advantage. Thattechnique of fishing different kinds offlies results in the whole water columnbeing fished from the surface to the bot-tom. However, when one or the otherfisherman finds the right combination offly and technique and starts catchingfish, the other fisherman is encouragedto use the same fly and adopt the sametechnique, all the while keeping in mindthat the fisherman in the front shouldmake short casts and the fisherman inthe rear longer casts. Of course, thealternative to this general rule is dis-cussed in Chapter 3 for experienced andaccomplished casters floating stretchesof streams free of massive logjams, over-hanging trees, and boulder choked rifflesand runs. The following paragraphs out-line strategies for each habitat describedin Chapter 11.

E

Fishing the up- and downstream sides of a large rock or boulder and currentless tongue.

Wyoming Fly Casters Monthly Newsletter Page 9

make a short cast slightly upstream andbeyond the pocket, letting the currentsweep the fly into and through the pock-et. The fly fisherman in the back canmake only a short cast to the near side ofthe rock as the boat floats by. Remember,each fly fisherman has only one cast atthe pocket, because the boat and currentare most often moving too fast to make asecond cast. If, for example, the anxiousfly fisherman in the front of the drift boatmakes a second cast, the fly always landsin the casting territory of the fly fisher-man in the back of the boat-and that is ano, no! Obviously, fly lines are crossed,and the fly of the fisherman in front dragsinstantaneously, pre-empting any oppor-tunity for success by either fly fisherman.If a second cast is made into a pocket byany fly fisherman, the cast should bemade by the fly fisherman in the back ofthe boat only.

Since many fishermen opt for fishingdry flies exclusively, the best dry fly forfishing the pocket in front of a boulder orrock is a big grasshopper. The best subsur-face fly is an unweighted muddler min-now or woolly bugger. I, however, alwaysuse a doctor's remedy or streamlinerbecause, on a sink-tip line, each of thoseflies sinks rapidly and flutters naturally inthe pocket.

Both fly fishermen can fish the pock-et and currentless tongue downstream ofthe obstruction. Unfortunately, fly fisher-men, especially the one in front, inadver-tently concentrate on casting to and fish-ing the quiet water immediately behindthe obstruction, instead of waiting untilthe boat clears the boulder or rock andthe currentless tongue comes into castingrange. Of course, there are fish in thequiet water behind the obstruction, butthey often are small! That is the onlyplace where smaller fish can survive, befreed of competition with larger fish, andstill find food. The larger and largest fish,respectively, are in the currentless tonguefurther downstream.

The fly fisherman in the front mustbe patient, waiting to cast slightly down-stream, across the currentless tongue.Sadly, in my experience, the fisherman infront never waits. Instead, he or shealways opts to cast into the pocket imme-diately downstream of the boulder orrock. That mistake passes the advantageto the fly fisherman in the rear of thedrift boat because he or she is forced towait. That fly fisherman makes thelonger cast downstream and across thecurrentless tongue and has the bestchance of hooking the good fish. But

there is time for only one cast-I repeat,only one cast-downstream and across thecurrentless tongue. On rare occasions,when the currentless tongue is excep-tionally long, both fishermen can makeadditional casts across or into the cur-rentless tongue.

When the fly is cast across the cur-rentless tongue, the fly is swept down-stream, along, over, and sometimesthrough the currentless tongue.Obviously, the fly of choice is the samefly used when fishing the upstream side of

the obstruction moments earlier. There isnot enough time to switch casting sys-tems or change flies when fishing a boul-der or rock. Therefore, the opportunitymust be anticipated and correct equip-ment and fly selected, before encounter-ing the boulder or rock.

A subhabitat of boulders and largerocks is a steep, rocky bank. The currentalong a steep, rocky bank is usually fastand swirling. Each rock is a miniatureenvironmental mirror of a boulder orlarge rock. In some situations, a combina-tion of two or more rocks actually is theenvironmental equivalent of a boulder orlarge rock. Each rock or combination ofrocks has a pocket of quiet water on theupstream and downstream sides. Thesizes of those pockets are large enough tohold a few small fish, one or two middle-sized fish, and occasionally a large fish.However, there are always more rocksand pockets than possibly can be fishedby two fly fisherman. As a result, neitherfly fisherman has an advantage.

The best flies for fishing steep,rocky banks are a parachute grasshopperon the surface, a woolly bugger or superrenegade (in cream and green or fluo-rescent pink and green) just under thesurface, or a heavily weighted stonefly

nymph or streamliner deep in the watercolumn. The technique is simple: splashthe fly in as many pockets as possible,leaving the fly to float, drift, or sink forjust a few moments, inches, or feet.Never take your eyes off the fly. If thereis a fish in the pocket, it takes the flyinstantly! The fly fisherman must beprepared to react as fast as the fish. Thehook must be set instantaneously. Thefast current obviates the possibility ofthe fish closely inspecting, accepting, orrejecting the fly. Incidentally, this isone of the few situations where a sink-ing fly like a super renegade is fishedtotally by sight.

A word of caution. Fishing steep,rocky banks is not for the faint-hearted.Yet, it is the most infectious and excitingfly fishing I know. Things happen soquickly that people with slow reflexessoon feel humiliated and totally defeated.Sharpen your reflexes first! Then, give ita try. Soon you will agree that it is exhil-arating.

Uprooted TreeFishing the upstream side of a root

mass of an uprooted tree is just like fish-ing the upstream side of a boulder orlarge rock. Again, the advantage goes tothe fly fisherman in the front. Thechoice of flies is the same as for bouldersand rocks.

Fishing the downstream side of theroot mass is a little tricky. Limbs in thetop of an uprooted tree make casting anddrifting the fly through the currentlesstongue almost impossible, especiallywhen the drift boat is passing the tree onthe deeper side. Whenever possible, theboat should navigate the shallow or bankside of the tree because the current isslower, and the boat is easier to maneu-ver. Both fly fishermen are affordedopportunities to make several short castsinto spaces between limbs. Remember,fish living in the currentless tongue donot have time to study whether some-thing is edible. Instead, they react instan-taneously to whatever looks edible. If theobject is not edible, the fish expels itspontaneously from the mouth.Fortunately, that spontaneity is slowerthan the reaction time required for askilled fly fisherman to set the hook.

Persuading a big fish to abandonlimbs of an uprooted tree is difficult.The fly fisherman needs a heavy rod;tight drag; strong leader; big, heavilyweighted fly; and plenty of arm strength.Anything else begets only memories ofthe experience.

The best flies forfishing steep, rocky

banks are a parachutegrasshopper on the

surface, a woolly buggeror super renegade justunder the surface, or a

heavily weighted stoneflynymph or streamliner deep

in the water column.

Page 10 Wyoming Fly Casters Monthly Newsletter

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RegularMeeting, 7 p.m.

WFC BoardMeeting, 7 p.m.

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FullMoon

GroundhogDay

Lincoln’s birthday

Valentine’sDay

President’sDay

FEBRUARY

Lyin’ andTyin’ clinic

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Cabin FeverClinic, 1-4 p.m.Casper Rec.

Vernal equinox

MARCH

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DaylightSavingsTimebegins

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Wyoming Fly Casters Monthly Newsletter Page 11

WFC TREASURER'S REPORT PERIOD ENDING 12/31/09INCOMEDate Vendor/Item AmountDec 3 Deposit - Xmas Party - $330.00Dec 9 Deposit dues - 30.00, Xmas Party 180.00 $230.00Dec 17 Deposit - dues $ 70.00Dec 31 Interest earned - Nov 23 thru Dec 31, 2009 $ .51

TOTAL $630.51EXPENSES Dec 3 Reliant Fed Credit Union - Check Purchase $12.50Dec 3 #4000 - Postmaster- Postage Dec Backcast $8.16Dec 4 #4001 - Izaak Walton - Dec. Rent $75.00Dec 9 #4002- Wall Mart - Water/Ice Xmas Party $14.44Dec 10 #4003 Izaak Walton Rent Jul/Aug Ck# 3991

Wells Fargo - never cashed $150.00Dec 15 #4004 Fed Ex Office - Dec Backcast $84.63Dec 17 #4005 Bullwhip Catering - Xmas Party $972.33Dec 31 Reliant Fed Credit Union - Deposit Slips/Dep. Stamp $51.90

TOTAL $1,368.96

WYOMING FLY CASTERS BOARD MEETING MINUTES -- DRAFTJan. 20, 2010

The meeting was called to Order 7:03 PM by Casey Leary.All members were present except president Alex Rose, who wasexcused. Guests present were Richard Soffe, Marty Robinsonand Al Condor. The treasurer’s report was approved by theboard. Ed Rate presented an end-of-year comparison of the pro-posed budget and the actual budget. Ed reported no concerns.Melody presented the 2010 budget for the board and wasapproved, with minor adjustments. The secretary’s report wasapproved by the board. Matt Stanton presented a conservationcommittee report. Matt provided some information regardingthe North Platte River Special Resource Management Area.The Conservation Fund is undertaking a project to protect 380acres along the North Platte River, including over one mile ofriver frontage. This would provide additional recreational accessfor sportsmen downstream of Government Bridge. The boardapproved President Alex Rose writing a letter to theConservation Fund supporting the project for the purchase ofthe land for the eventual transfer to BLM and the WFC wouldbe willing to be a financial contributor. Bob Fischer presented anupdate for the banquet committee. He reported the committeeheld a meeting on Jan. 20, and they are making progress. Hereported the banquet will be held April 3, 2010 at the Ramada.Tickets will be $25 and the choice of entrée will be beef or chick-en. We have a 100 ticket limit. The committee is acceptingdonated merchandise in new or excellent condition to be used atthe banquet. The next meeting will be held Feb. 3, 7 p.m. at theWonder Bar.

Richard Soffe asked the board if the WFC wanted to contin-ue involvement in the Wyoming Game and Fish Expo. Theboard approved continued WFC involvement in the Expo withRichard in charge. The board also approved a $1000 donation tothe Expo. The Expo will be held Sept. 9, 10 (8 a.m. – 4 p.m.) &11 (9 a.m. to 4 p.m.), at the Casper Events Center. The nextExpo meeting will be held Mar. 9 at the Casper Wyoming Game

and Fish Office at 10 a.m.Al Condor of the WGFD presented additional information

to the board regarding the Bolton Creek Project. He reportedthe project is larger than he first heard. The board approved theWFC to provide up to $5000 and 200 hours of labor for theBolton Creek Project and this offer expires 12/2011. Mr. Condorreported he will be looking for volunteers from the club to lookwhere fish spawn at the Cardwell Access.

The board discussed the upcoming Cabin Fever Clinic. Theboard approved to spend up to $200 to get posters to advertisethe Cabin Fever Clinic and WFC banquet. Melody and BrentWeinhandl will discuss the details with President Alex Rose.Bob Fischer provided board members with a list of members whowill be contacted to seek out possible nominations for officersand board members. Board members are expected to report theirresults at the next board meeting. Scott Novotny reported hesent out an e-mail asking for volunteers for positions. ScottNovotny reported some of the challenges he has encounteredregarding the Fly Fishing Movie Tour. He will again look intothe matter further with suggestions such as the KrampertTheater and as well as other theaters as possible venues. Theboard received a letter of resignation from Gene Theriault,effective Jan. 1, 2010. He cited a lack of time to attend boardmeetings. President Rose will send a letter to Gene thankinghim for his services. The board approved Scott Novotny todevelop a Facebook page for WFC. Jamie Gibson reported thelast few Lying N’ Tying sessions have had low attendance. Theboard discussed the matter further and provided suggestions onpossible ways to improve attendance. Ed Rate reported ourinsurance policy expires in March 2010. He commented wepresently have third party coverage and has sent out requests forquotes. He did mention some issues of third party coveragewhich were discussed by the board. The meeting was adjournedat 8:46 p.m.

Wyoming Fly CastersP.O. Box 2881Casper, WY 82602

www.wyflycasters.org

The mission of the Wyoming Fly Casters is to promote and enhance the sport of flyfishing and the conservation of fish and their habitat.