March/April 2015 Across the Stream1

www.hoaff.org March/April 2015

March/april 2015

It's March and trout and warm water fly fishing is finally upon us. Now if the weather would cooperate since March came in like a lion with snow, rain mixture and cold temperatures we can start enjoying our passion this upcoming season. If you are like me, my fishing fever is sky high and my remedy is going down to Mountain Home, Arkansas for the annual Sow Bug for fly fishing and being one of the featured fly tyers at this event. So March 26th, I'll be getting out of this cabin fever environment in Mission, Kansas. Hope everyone is all and well with you, my fellow members, and welcome the new members who've joined in the last few months! To our new members, you received our new fly box with our logo and along with it a lot of camaraderie. You have met some of our members as well as the officers and directors of HOAFF. Our club will sharpen your knowledge, learn new techniques in fly fishing and improve your fly casting abilities. We have very good fly tyers in our club who can show you the art of fly tying. Recently our club had the privilege of having Rick Hafele for our annual seminar. Rick gave us valuable information in entomology, fly fishing techniques and tying both dry and nymph patterns of which he uses to catch trout. I really enjoyed this seminar as did our members who attended. To both our present and new members don't forget we have a Certified Fly Casting Instructor in Mark Borserine, who has helped me tremendously in correcting my casting faults. And we have Mike George, worlwide and nationally well known fly tyer who also specializes in deer hair flies. Mike has been instrumental in improving my fly tying capabilities and continue to learn from him. These two gentlemen are always very helpful and great guys to share their knowledge and get to know. So in closing, Heart of America Fly Fishers, is the perfect resource and perfect place to meet to enjoy our passion for fly fishing in the upcoming season. Tight lines!

Presidents Message HOAFF MEETINGSMarch 16 – Member Meeting Community of Christ ChurchCameron Cipponeri-- Frying Pan Anglers

April 20 – Member Meeting Community of Christ ChurchBob Mattucks – Missouri Department of Conservation

May 18 – Member Meeting Community of Christ ChurchChris Carpenter – Bamboo Fly Rods

1326 Acacia Club Rd • Hollister, Mo 65672417-334-1005 • 866-362-1928

www.charteredwaters.com

www.AmatoBooks.comSteve Hegstrom

March/April 2015 Across the Stream2

James Edward Ohnemus, 75, of Raymore, Mo., died Jan. 28, 2015,. Ohnemus, was born Jan. 2, 1940, in Melrose, Iowa. A lifelong outdoorsman

who caught the fever to hunt and fish at an early age from his brothers on the farm, Ohnemus had a passion for all number of outdoor pursuits: archery, bicycling, backpacking, canoeing, cross-country skiing, fly fishing and turkey and deer hunting. Ohnemus was an avid member of the Heart of America Fly Fishers club and the Water Garden Society of Greater Kansas City and he did prison ministry.

Jim was at one time our club’s Outings Chair, we will all remember his cookouts! Also, he often presented accounts of his high country fishing trips using Llamas as pack animals. Jim was a true Enthusiast in the most positive sense and we will all miss him!

Crooked Creek CanoesJames C & Becky Walker1002 MC 4006Yellville, AR 72687870-404-6054HCwalkerjr@yahoo.com

Thomas & Thomas413-475-3840info@thomasandthomas.comwww.thomasandthomas.com

President Steve Hegstrom913-677-4806 shegstrom@att.net

Past President Peet Crissey913-706-7299 pcrissey@gmail.com

Secretary Jim Jorgensen913-481-1129 jhjflyfisher@everestkc.net

Treasurer Ron Carruthers816-741-7251 rcarruthers2@kc.rr.com

Newsletter Mark Borserine913-381-0722 majborser@aol.com

Programs John Bell913-484-9762 j.bell@kcc.ks.govCliff Cain913-558-506 cliffcain@hotmail.com

Outings Chris Holman913-244-0610 holmancm@gmail.comPeet Crissey913-706-7299 pcrissey@gmail.com

Membership Ron Carruthers816-741-7251 rcarruthers2@kc.rr.com

Conservation Chair Kevin Carril 913-362-9379 rrac3@sbcglobal.netArkansas- John Bell

Web Master Bill Brant816-941-9691 billandkathy@kc.rr.com

Raffle/Auction Mark Borserine913-381-0722 majborser@aol.com

Spring Programs Dick Martin816-781-9557 rlm@mllfpc.com Don Grundy816-781-9019 dgrundy@sbcglobal.net

Event Coordinator Bill Brant816-941-9691 billandkathy@kc.rr.com

Library Carol Falkner816-453-8946 C.S.Falkner@gmail.com

2015 OFFICERS

The Heart of America Fly Fishers welcomes the following new members for 2015, welcome!

New Members for 2015

Paul BowmanJohn DoughertyJeffery GoodPat SavianoPaul TaylorJim Gribble

John HudsonJim MitchellJack NiermannWard SvarvariRobbie SmallJeff Lee

3March/April 2015

Gaston’s WhiteRiver Resort1777 River RoadLakeview, AR 72642870-431-5202

www.gastons.com

“...it’s simply the best there is.”

Keith Gann Classic Bamboo Flyrods Custom Sheaths

Bamboo Display Rods and ReelsHandcrafted Knives Custom Fly Tying Tools

Bamboo Rods Restored and Repaired Vintage American Shotguns Cleaned

and RefurbishedOutdoor Books and Collectibles

kmgann@swbell.net 913-299-960 www.moosecreekrodsandknives.com

MooseCreek Rods And KnivesComing to our March 16th Meeting is Cameron Cipponeri, guide for Frying Pan Anglers

Annual Blue River RescueSaturday, March 28th – 8:00AM

Club Outing at Roaring River State Park

Hi! My name is Cameron. I’m a fly fishing guide at Frying Pan Anglers in Basalt, CO. I want to share my passion for fly fishing and guiding in the Roaring Fork Vally. There are over 100 miles of great water for Trout Fishing. Whether you like to float or wade fish, we have both! You can be at 3 world famous rivers all in one day. The dry fly fishing is said to be best in the world on the Frying Pan River.

April 24-26, members will again have the opportunity to gather at Roaring River State Park for some great fishing. Lodging will be available at Roaring River Resort, with two large cabins reserved for the first eight to contact Chris Holman or Peet Crissey, after that you’ll need to make your own reservations at Roaring River Resort: 417-847-3235 http://www.roaringriverresort.com/roomRates.html

There will be a cookout on Saturday evening for everyone. We always have a great time at this outing so plan to come!

This year’s event, sponsored by the Lakeside Nature Center, marks its 25th year! If you have participated in this before, you know it is a fun time. If you have never helped out at the Rescue, please consider giving it a try this year. It would be wonderful if our club had good participation as this event reaches this significant milestone. Last year we enjoyed good weather and we have ordered good weather for this year.

As we did last year, we will be both picking up trash and cutting honeysuckle along a part of the Blue River that our club has adopted as part of the Missouri Stream Team. We will be working on the bank not in the water. The plan is to meet at

By: Kevin Carril

Alex George Lake parking lot on the Blue River Road and then proceed to the clean-up site. To reach Alex George Lake, take I-435 to Holmes, go south on Holmes 1 mile, turn left (east) on Red Bridge Road and go 1 mile, turn left (north) on Blue River Road and Alex George will be on the West side of the road.

Wear your work clothes, good shoes and bring some work gloves. We will provide the rest. Please help me with planning for tools by signing up at the March meeting or by contacting me at 913-544-4686 or rrac3@sbcglobal.net.

March/April 2015 Across the Stream4

Bennett Spring State ParkConcession Shop

Jim RogersSchool of Fly Fishing

26248 Hwy 64A · Lebanon, MO 65536417-532-4307 · 1-800-334-6946

Fly Rods · ReelsNets · Waders

Tying Materials

11937 Hwy 64Lebanon, MO 65536

417-588-4334

Visit us for all your fishing needs

Wishes & Fishes Fly Shop627 Central Blvd PO Box 751 MailingBull Shoals, Ar 72619-0751Shop # 870-445-3848Cell # 870-404-8906 Fishing

http://theflyfishing-store.comhttp://flyfisharkansas.com

Spring Seminar February 21, 2015

Rick Hafele from Portland Oregon, a nationally known aquatic biologist and authority on nymphs as well as author of several books and DVDs was our presenter for our Spring Seminar. Rick took us through the life cycles of major stream insect species with a lot of useful advice on patterns, tactics and techniques. He was very generous in answering questions, autographing books and spending however much time our members wanted with him. I can confidently say we all learned a lot of information that we can “take away” from this presentation!

Our club’s seminar was held at Cabela’s this year, using their conference room at their invitation. Cabela’s did a great job in hosting this event and we want to thank them for their generosity! They’ve invited us back for next year.

At the Officers’ meeting Monday night the 2nd it was recommended and accepted that a committee be formed to look at ways we could improve the Spring Seminar, especially in publicizing it to bring greater attendance; this will be discussed at the upcoming March 16th meeting and if you’re interested, please come forward!

Rick Hafele

Duane Kelly

Rick Hafele

Dick MartinSteve Hegstrom

5March/April 2015

Full line fly fishing shop and expert guide service

2626 State Hwy. 165Branson, MO 65616417.332.04601.877.699.FISH (3474)

www.riverrunoutfitters.com

Rainbow Fly ShopComplete selection of Rods, Reels and Lines

4621 S. Shank Dr.Independence, MO 64055Phone: (816)373-2283

Mill Creek Restoration Elm Spring Branch Project

Caddis & Soft-Hackled Flies

Engineering plans are complete and more than $100,000 has already been committed to a total stream restoration on one of Missouri's finest spring-fed tributaries. This project represents a breakthrough - a Total Ecosystem Restoration in Missouri. For just $30,000 more, we can make the stream meander an additional 2,000 feet. To reach this goal, the Mill Creek Watershed Coalition is committed to raising $15,000 to be matched through partner grants. We can't do it without you.

The Heart of America Fly Fishers will match members’ donations up to $500 toward this worthy conservation project. Announcement will be made and donations taken at the March 16th meeting – cash, credit card and checks will be taken. You can also mail a check to our club treasurer, Ron Carruthers or call him with your credit card information (do not eMail credit card information).

Under appreciated and often ignored. If aquatic insects can get an inferiority complex, surely caddis flies would have that in spades. Books and even poems have been written for centuries about mayflies. And, consider the “exotic” names attached to mayflies – Quill Gordon, Light Cahill, Pale Morning Dun, and on and on. What names do caddis flies get? Sedge, Grannom, and you can’t think of many more. Who eagerly awaits a caddis hatch like the Hendricksons, the Green Drakes or the “Hex”? Okay, maybe you are thinking of the Mother’s Day caddis – an anticipated hatch in places like the Arkansas River near Buena Vista and Salida, Colorado. I knew a fisherman in Upstate NY who was so hooked on the Hendricksons on the Battenkill, he took two days off from work for six weeks every season so he could follow this hatch from the lower stretches in New York clear to the headwaters above Manchester, Vermont. And, he fished the weekends, too. There was a good caddis hatch just following the Hendricksons on the Battenkill, but he and many others couldn’t be bothered.

Yet, if we just pay a little attention, we would see the abundance of caddis. The fish don’t miss them, why do we? There are reportedly many more different caddis flies than either mayflies or stoneflies. They populate all of our streams

and they are available as flying insects almost all year. Now, we must be honest, caddis flies are generally smaller than mayflies or stoneflies – and some can be really tiny.

When the caddis finally emerges, it doesn't sit majestically on the water like a mayfly, as if to say, “I made it, look at me.” When caddis emerge, they beat it fast, off the water, into the air and into the weeds. They don’t hang around beating their chest to become trout food. Caddis spend three stages of their lives in the water – egg, larva, and pupa. Mayflies spend two stages in the water – egg and nymph. Caddis have one adult stage after emerging from the water. Mayflies have two adult stages after emergence – dun and spinner. Mayflies reproduce in the spinner stage and then they drop to the water, dead. Caddis can reproduce over several days, and in some species the female dives under the water to lay eggs on the bottom. So, you need to use different approaches to simulate the stage of life of these two types of insects when you are trying to fool fish.

My earliest trout fishing experiences were in the East, mostly in Upstate New York. While I knew about caddis, I didn’t pay any attention because my mayfly tricks worked just fine. And, besides, fishing dry flies was much more satisfying visually,

By: Steve Jenkins

continued on page 6

Rick Hafele

March/April 2015 Across the Stream6

Jann’s Netcraft3350 Briarfield BlvdMaumee, OH 43537419-868-8288www.jannsnetcraft.com

Jim TeenyPO Box 989Gresham, OR 97030503-667-6602www.jimteeny.com

Everharts Outdoor Store511 E. Hillcrest DriveClinton, MO 64736]660-885-4436

to see the artificial land on the water after a “beautiful” cast, the fish approach and then snatch that fly not realizing it had been faked-out. So, another notch was added to the rod grip, and you saw it all happen. But, in many places, the mayflies just aren’t as abundant -- major tailwaters support a much larger population of caddis flies than mayflies.

When I finally began to pay more attention to caddis, I just translated the mayfly techniques into this realm, but with modest success, to say the least. Of course, I tried dry flies, like an old pattern called “Bivisible”. Next came the deer hair caddis patterns, and they worked better. Then there was the Henryville special, with deer hair. Note, all are dry flies. As mentioned, caddis flies don’t sit on the water inviting trout to dinner. So dries just didn’t seem to be as effective as when mayflies are showing.

Three books helped me break the dry fly habit with caddis flies. First, was The Caddis and the Angler, Solomon & Leiser, 1977, Stackpole Books. This book covers all caddis life stages and has a creel-full of patterns from all over the country. The Caddisfly Handbook, Pobst and Richards, 1998, The Lyons Press, is a very small book that really demystifies the caddis patterns, breaking them down into major categories, colors and habitat. That book confirmed that you don’t need a whole back-pack of caddis patterns. And, then Sylvester Nemes, The Soft Hackle Fly, 1975, Chatham Press. This book provided the subsurface link with a few simple techniques and patterns. Today, I rarely fish a dry fly when caddis are about. A couple of times in the life cycle of the caddis fly soft-hackles are productive -- first, when they emerge. They open the pupae case on the bottom and then swim to the surface. This is an active time for trout and if there is a big hatch, you can spot trout grabbing these emergers through all levels in the water. Splashing on the surface may seem like the take of a mayfly, but likely is the emerging caddis just as it reaches the surface, pursued quickly by an eager fish. Caddis move fast. The second time for the soft-hackle is when the adults return to lay eggs. Many caddis species will fly quickly to the surface and drop their eggs. In the process, they get entangled in the surface tension and become good targets for the trout. Other species will actually dive under the surface for egg laying, so the fish see them on the way down and on the way up. It isn’t uncommon for

the emergence and egg depositing to be going on at the same time. So, don’t try to figure it out, just put on a soft-hackled fly in about the right size and color, cast across stream and let it drift down in the current. If you feel your line get a bit heavy, strike – it likely is a fish. It’s late October and the Rogue River in Michigan is cold, 49 degrees. The brown trout should be tanking up on minnows to prepare for the spawning season, just weeks away. But, streamers weren’t working. In the afternoon, I saw a few tanish caddis around, and a few splashy rises. It’s too cold for good dry fly activity and I thought the bugs would be dormant, given the temperatures. But, off came the streamer and on went a pheasant tail olive soft hackle in size 16. In the next hour, it fooled four successive rainbows, and I missed several others. None of these fish were remarkable – what was remarkable was that they took the fly. And later, two browns were fooled. There weren’t a bunch of flies on the water, but the fish were certainly interested. I suspect this was the egg-laying activity they were keying on. Two days later, similar conditions and similar results. There was no interest in the streamer, but the soft-hackle was “spot-on”. This time, six browns were fooled before the action stopped near sunset. Then, we had some rain and the stream came up about six inches and turned black, but still clear. The Rogue emerges from a swampy area contributing the color to the water. With these conditions, surely the big browns would be looking for meat. No – streamers didn’t work, but the soft-hackle did. This time it was a couple of browns. Four days later, the water had dropped just a mite, but the black color was replaced by the normal brownish. I didn’t even think about streamers and went straight to the soft-hackle. On the third cast, I hooked the fly on a branch across the stream and had to forfeit the fly and a chunk of leader. So, time out for recovery. I had another leader and more flies. The first fish was a male brown over 13 inches which is a mighty nice fish on this stream. More followed, browns and rainbows. There was a good bit of surface activity and as a diversion, I removed the soft-hackled fly and tied on a size 16 Ausable caddis. Wow, a brown and a 12 inch rainbow just had to eat that fly. Yes, I confess, the Ausable caddis is a dry. But, not a bad score for late October with leaves all over the stream and the water at 49 degrees. Thank you Mister caddis and soft-hackled flies.

Rainbow Trout & Game RanchPO Box 100Rockbridge, MO 65741417-679-3619info@rockbridgemo.comwww.rockbridgemo.com

7March/April 2015

The Krystal Flash Green Rock Worm (Rick Hafele)

Observations on Fly Tying from Micropatterns, Tying and Fishing the Small Fly

By: Steve Hegstrom

By: Darrel Martin

During the seminar, Rick Hafele mentioned Darrel Martin:

Hook: Mustad 3906 or Tiemco 3769, size 10-14

Head: Gold bead, size 1/8

Weight: 12 turns non-lead wire, diameter of hook shank

Thread: Green 6/0 for 10-12 hook, and 8/0 for size 14

Body: 8-10 strands of green Krystal flash twisted together

to form rope.

Thorax: Pine Squirrel spun in a dubbing loop

If you attended HOAFF's February seminar featuring Rick Hafele, he gave us information of one of the caddis larva, which are very abundant during the winter months including March and April up thru June. Some of the most numerous are the net-spinning caddis, the Hydropsychidae (Which is the most common caddisflies in Kansas and Missouri) and the free-living green rock worms, the Rhyacophilidae (Widespread in North America). The Krystal flash green rock worm nymph is tied to specifically match a green rock worm larva, but many species of net-spinng caddis larvae are also bright green. This nymph does a good job of imitating a wide range of available caddis larvae. You can easily change the body color if you find that bright green isn't what you need in the area you plan to fish. Rick stated

Tying is a creative process where even scraps of ideas may have value. T.R. Henn, in Practical Fly-Tying, describes the pleasured pain of tying. “This, then, is the joy of what I have tried to describe: an art not without frustration; easy, but difficult to carry out supremely well (as Clausewitz wrote of war); perpetually filled with excitement and interest, because it remains an art, being only partially a craft, and somewhat remotely a science; touching all sorts of stray activities outside itself: and, above all, forcing the fisherman …. to extend his mental investigations ever further and further, and yet force his physical skills to keep pace with them.” Sometimes I think that tying the micropattern is akin to Zen archery, where hitting the target is irrelevant. The essence is the process. Ligo, ergo sum. “I tie, therefore I am.” And, at other times, I think that tying the small fly is nothing more than wrapping scraps around bent steel. I don’t think I will ever be able to tell the difference.

at the seminar he almost always fishes this pattern with the classic shot and indicator approach. The naturals don't swim and drift with little or no movement close to the stream bed. Thus the shot and indicator method matches this behavior quite well. Rick ties the Krystal Flash Green Rock Worm in sizes 10-12. For the net-spinning caddis Rick ties it in size 14. And 2 points to remember, fish this nymph on the bottom and Rick 's favorite nymph fishing combinations is this nymph with the Krystal Flash BWO Nymph. It is a rather easy fly to tie but took me a while to master it. I'll be giving away 2 of the Krystal Flash Green Rock Worm flies at the next HOAFF meeting during the Hatch of the Month plus 2 of our program.

Heart of America Fly FishersP.O. Box 731Shawnee Mission, KS 66201

March 16 – Member Meeting Community of Christ Church Cameron Cipponeri – Frying Pan Anglers

March 28– Club Outing Blue River Cleanup Alex George Lake

April 20 – Member Meeting Community of Christ Church Bob Mattucks – Missouri Department of Conservation

April 24-26 – Club Outing Roaring River State Park Roaring River Resort, Cassville MO

UPCOMING EVENTS & PROGRAMS