www.natgreeneflyfishers.org Email: info@natgreeneflyfishers.org
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www.natgreeneflyfishers.org Email: info@natgreeneflyfishers.org
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Nat Greene Flyfishers April 2006==================================================== NAT GREENE CALENDARMEETINGS & EVENTSTuesday April 11, 2006 - Monthly Meeting. Carl Warmouth from Calloway Gardens will speak about the wonderful fishing opportunities available at this unique resort. All are welcome. Lewis Recreation Center, 7:00 p.m. May 25-29, 2006 - Fun Fishing Trip to the Nantahala River. Lorraine Rothrock, 288-9976 for details. ==================================================== NCBA Youth Outdoor DayNC Bowhunters Association will have a "Youth Outdoor Day" on May 20th at the Reidsville City Lake Park. Would you or someone from Nat Greene FF be interested and available to come set up a flyfishing/casting demo?? If so.. please call me... ==================================================== 2006 NCTU Rivercourse Seeks VolunteersThe 2006 NCTU Rivercourse, cold water conservation and fly-fishing youth camp, is looking for volunteers to assist as ghillies. NCTU Rivercourse 2006 will run from Sunday, June 18th, to Friday, June 23rd at the Lake Logan Center near Canton in western North Carolina. Ghillies will work with campers both on and off the water. The West Fork of the Pigeon River downstream from the northern boundary of the delayed harvest section to Lake Logan is owned by the center. This is over ½ mile of private water that will be stocked by the campers on Sunday afternoon. On the stream, ghillies will act as guides to the campers. This includes working with them on casting, presentation, tactics, techniques, and etiquette. Off the water, ghillies will be responsible for maintaining tackle (repairing leaders, etc.) and working with campers in small groups on assorted fly-fishing related subjects such as knots and casting. Fly tiers are also needed to work as ghillies specifically working with the campers on fly tying (in lieu of being on the stream). The morning session will be split into two groups: one will tie flies while the other group fishes and then they will switch. This will give each group an hour and a half on the stream in the morning. For ghillies having to drive more than an hour and a half one way, there are a limited number overnight lodging slots available. Overnight stays will be a three-day/two-night arrangement. Come join us for an evening session, two sessions the next day, and a morning session the last day. Please make arrangements when you volunteer. Rivercourse will pickup all meals while you are on the premises. Don’t miss this opportunity to be a positive influence on the next generation of river stewards. It is a most rewarding experience. To volunteer as a ghillie, drop me an email at maeda@us.ibm.com or leave me a voice mail at 1-919-254-0805. For more information on NCTU Rivercourse 2006, take a look at the Rivercourse link off the NCTU home page at: www.nctu.org ==================================================== Howdy River Folks, This is the big news we've been waiting for...Today PPL announced $120 million in improvements to its cooling technology at Brunner Island Coal to Steam Generating Facility, as well as $183,000 in penalties to go to Lancaster and York counties for reducing pollution from agriculture. In January, the Lower Susquehanna Riverkeeper, working with PennFuture, Bob Clouser, and the Susquehanna Smallmouth Bass Association, advised PPL and PADEP that they would sue if a pattern of violations was not dealt with. PPL and PADEP came to an agreement that will definitely improve the Susquehanna River and also farms in Lancaster and York counties that contribute pollution to the river and Chesapeake Bay. Below find the press release from PennFuture, as well as links to the PPL and PADEP press releases. Thank you all for your patience when I told you I couldn't talk about it yet. See the press releases below for more info. For Immediate Release Contact: JHeanne K. Clark March 27, 2006 412/258-6683 or 412/736-6092 (cell) Energyflak@aol.com PennFuture Praises DEP-PPL Agreement to Stop Brunner Island Water Pollution; Agreement May Set Precedent Nationwide for Clean Water Harrisburg, PA – Citizens for Pennsylvania's Future (PennFuture), along with Michael R. Helfrich, the Lower Susquehanna Riverkeeper®; Robert J. Clouser, owner of Clouser’s Fly Shop in Royalton, and the Susquehanna Smallmouth Bass Alliance today praised the agreement reached by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and PPL Corporation (PPL) to end violations of the state Clean Streams Law and the federal Clean Water Act at PPL’s Brunner Island steam electricity plant in York County. This agreement comes after PennFuture filed a notice of intent to sue to force cleanup at the plant on behalf of PennFuture’s members, the Lower Susquehanna Riverkeeper®, Clouser and the Smallmouth Alliance. In the agreement, PPL has committed $120 million to construct cooling structures to reduce the temperature of the more than 600 million gallons of cooling water it discharges each day into the Susquehanna River, which is expected to alleviate the violations of the law cited by PennFuture. The violations had caused several large fish kills and impairment of fish habitat. At the request of PennFuture and its clients, PPL will not only make the large investments to stop the problem, but will pay the fines assessed by DEP directly to the Lancaster and York County Conservation Districts for measures to protect streams in the lower Susquehanna watershed. “This historic agreement is a national model for stopping thermal water pollution from older power plants. Other power generators and regulators should follow the lead of PPL and DEP to clean up the U.S. fleet of aging power plants,” said Kurt J. Weist, senior attorney for PennFuture. “We are proud that we were able to help move this precedent-setting agreement to fruition.” Michael Helfrich, the Lower Susquehanna Riverkeeper®, agreed, “It’s wonderful to see PPL reducing its impacts on the Susquehanna. The proposed cooling technology at Brunner Island and the proposed improvements at its Holtwood hydropower plant really show that PPL is responding to both the environmental and energy needs of their neighbors. I hope other facilities that harm the river -- such as waste water treatment plants and manufacturers that release wastes into the river-- will follow PPL's example. "And it is wonderful that DEP has agreed to have the civil penalty of more than $183,000 go directly into the counties to be used on other big problems we have on the Lower Susquehanna River,” continued Helfrich. “Projects such as fencing the cows out of streams directly improve the water quality of our streams, the Susquehanna and the Chesapeake Bay. This will help Pennsylvania meet the pollution reductions required to be met to improve the Bay by 2010.” Robert Clouser added, “The Susquehanna smallmouth bass fishery is an important part of the economy and the way of life in Southcentral Pennsylvania, and it is critical to preserve this wonderful resource. PPL is showing once again that what’s good for the environment is also good for the economy -- these huge investments will also generate hundreds of jobs, enhance our sports tourism industry and help make the Susquehanna River basin an even more attractive place to live, work and play.” PennFuture is a statewide public interest membership organization that works to protect and advance Pennsylvania’s environment and economy. This link to view the PPL news release: This link to view the PADEP news release : ==================================================== FFF Competition – Calling All Member TyersThe Federation of Fly Fishers is proud to announce its 1st Annual FFF International Fly Tyers Competition In Support of Conservation and Education, beginning February 1, 2006, and ending at midnight, April 30, 2006. The purpose of this event is to raise awareness of the FFF by joining the talented tyers from around the world in this global showcase. The event will feature the talents of new and old members and will help fund the vital FFF conservation and education programs underway throughout the world. Judges in this International Competition will include such notable fly tyers as Gary Grant (Chairman of the Board of Directors of the FFF), Stu Apte, the salt water fly fishing legend, Judy Lehmberg, Bob Jacklin, Jeff “Bear” Andrews, Bob Clouser, Al & Gretchen Beatty, Ron Alcott of salmon fly fame, Bill Blackstone, Chris Helm, Dave Whitlock, Bob Schreiner and Roxanne & Terry Wilson. The RulesThe headings "Realistic", "Salmon", "Trout", "Steelhead", etc., represent the major "Groups" of fly patterns. The items listed below the Group heading are the individual "Categories", each representing a specific pattern to be tied. There are a total of 39 categories. Any member of the FFF is eligible and encouraged to enter his or her flies in this worldwide competition. If you are not yet a member of the FFF, but wish to enter the competition, simply join the FFF on the FFF website or call 406-222-9369. A special discounted "Virtual" membership costing only $10 is being offered for the duration of the Fly Tying Competition. For each fly entered into the competition, a donation of $5 will be required. Each member can enter one fly per category in as many categories as he or she chooses. The FFF International Fly Tyers Competition has been structured into 2 parts. First, there will be a competition between tyers within a given FFF Council and between tyers within a given Country. 1st, 2nd and 3rd place will be awarded in each category, for each Council and each Country. Click here to see the awards and prizes. Second, the 1st place winners in the various categories for each Council and for each Country will automatically be entered at no further cost into the FFF International Championship Competition finals. Once again, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place will be awarded. At the Council/Country and International Championship levels of competition, each category of flies will be viewed and judged by FFF members, many of which are winners of the prestigious FFF Buszek Award for fly tying. The International Championship winning flies will be mounted and placed in the Federation of Fly Fishers Museum as part of a permanent display. For those who do not wish to entry the International Championship finals wherein your fly is judged by an FFF judge, there is an International Peoples' Choice Competition available for entry. The Categories within which to enter your fly remain the same as those used for the World Championship. The difference is, of course, you get to pick the pattern, appropriate to that Category, that you wish to tie. This unique tournament would once again be open only to members of the FFF. There would once again be a donation of $5 per fly entered. Members would not have to enter a fly into the Council/Country level to be eligible to enter a fly into the International Peoples Choice Competition. Each of these flies would be posted on the FFF Fly Tying Peoples Choice Competition web page, and FFF members at large could then vote online for their favorite patterns. Winners would be announced on the FFF web site. They would receive an International Peoples Choice Award, and the same public recognition offered to the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners of the International Championship Competition. Also, to encourage multiple entries in both competitions, individuals submitting 5-6 entries, 7-8 entries, 9-10 entries, and 11 or more entries will each be placed into one of four drawings referred to as Level I, Level II, Level III and Level IV. Major prizes such as float trips, fly rods, fly reels and fly-tying tables will be in those drawings. These drawings will be made at the end of the International Championship Competition when the category winners are announced on the FFF website. You do NOT have to be a winner of a Category for your name to be placed into one of the four drawings. Your name being entered into a drawing depends only on the number of categories that you have entered, as indicated above. The above competitions run from February 1, 2006 to midnight April 30, 2006. Winners will be announced June 1, 2006. Each of the 1st place flies for each Council and each Country in each Category will be displayed on this Competition website. The 1st, 2nd and 3rd place flies at the World Championship level will also be displayed. All flies entered will become the property of the FFF and will be used in the future by the FFF at Federation Conclaves and other FFF events to help raise funding for the many fly fishing conservation and education projects of the FFF. Contacts for Any Questions You May Have Go to the FFF Forum webpage to post any question you may have and it will be answered quickly. In the event that you need to speak with someone, you can contact Ben Cochran at 276-632-8780. Ben resides in Virginia, so he is on east coast time. ==================================================== A Day to RememberAs we were launching the boat, Dick Feulner was having second thoughts. He remembered arriving at Weldon last year in a 45 degree downpour in search of stripers. He also recalled two uncomfortable hours of no results: no strikes, no fish, total error. But he didn’t voice his fears this trip and we headed out. The Wildlife Commission’s website has indicated for weeks the hickories have ascended the Roanoke River near Weldon but the cooler than average temperatures have shut down the bite. If only we could be there when the cold snap broke. The long range forecasts for the area said the weekend of March 25th looked promising. So decked out in multiple layers of clothing, we put the boat in the water on Sunday the 26th. Things didn’t look so good at the outset. Sunday afternoon was rather blustery with temperatures still in the low 50’s. One of our prime spots across from the boat ramp had at least three boats working it over so we had to opt for plan B. That was to check out the deep run along the bank downstream of the ramp. Nothing showed on the fish finder so we anchored in an eddy behind a large rock in mid-river but found few fish and an encroaching canoe. We took the hint and headed downstream in search of uncrowded water and set the anchor in the first bend in the river. A few fish came to the reliable brightly colored Clouser minnows but we had higher expectations. The water was only five feet deep and the fish seemed to be coming up to strike the fly so I practiced some heresy and tied on an unweighted fly. The pattern was an old time trout fly, a Mickey Finn bucktail consisting of yellow and red wing over a silver body. At least the shad should be able to see it. The darn thing worked. Dick soon asked for one and we had fairly consistent action for several hours. Despite casting across stream and letting the fly swing around on a controlled drift, most strikes came when the fly was being retrieved from directly downstream of the boat. The takes were not gentle. I know the books say shad are not feeding on a spawning run but these guys wanted to kill the fly. By day’s end, Dick and I had taken 30 to 40 fish. Our spot offered a terrific view of nature at work. A pair of ospreys had adopted the shallow tail of the pool as their grocery larder. We enjoyed seeing them ride the wind and then fold their wings into a crashing dive. They splashed about and usually came up a hickory in their talons. One fish was so large the bird couldn’t get enough lift to fly off and was forced to drop its prey. Up to three ospreys worked the hole at one time. They often flew close to us proudly displaying their catch. Dick thought they were better fishermen than we were. Another critter was memorable for a different reason. I cast across current but the fly did not wash downstream. It felt like I had hung up on sunken timber when the line began to move sullenly upstream. I was using a five weight rod and had no choice but to follow along, applying as much pressure as the tackle could bear. I figured it must be a large catfish as I have caught several little ones before. The fish changed direction and only extreme rod pressure turned it. Then it headed for the anchor rope and passed under the boat. I managed to remain connected by sticking most of the rod under the boat and guiding the line around the propeller. More pressure turned the fish again and it wallowed on the surface. Now I knew I had foul-hooked a large carp under the dorsal fin. Continuous pressure finally drew it close enough that Dick skillfully netted it. The beast was in the boat. This was the grossest, most disgusting thing I have ever caught. By laying my rod against it, I estimated its length at 29½ inches. We guessed its weight at 15 lbs. The fat thing had a bronze-brown back, huge scales and a dirty orange belly. I doubt even a mother carp could love that face. I slid the creature back into the river. My hands shook for minutes afterwards. David Dow, a fellow Nat Greene fly fisher, came along just after I released the carp. As luck would have it, his boat was one of the few in the hole opposite the boat ramp. He and a partner caught about 90 shad in that spot. We adjourned for the day and a warm hotel room. Over dinner Dick predicted that the temperature after breakfast tomorrow would be higher than today’s high of 51. He was right: the car display read 53 as we drove to the boat ramp. We headed for the scene of yesterday’s success and caught perhaps two dozen, also on the Mickey Finn. I finally lost my last one and went back to Clousers, alternating between orange or red over white. For variety’s sake we went upstream for another shot at the honey hole opposite the ramp. Yet again another boat dominated the hole and I didn’t want to crowd it so we lowered the anchor in a small, rocky pocket. Most casts resulted in losing fly and leader and we quickly tired of it. I recognized a relative by marriage, John McCracken, in a nearby boat and told him we were returning to a good hole and he was welcome. A few minutes later he anchored about fifty feet away on the other side of the channel next to the bank. John must be a good omen because as soon as he set anchor, the fish turned on. Seriously, I think the afternoon sun warmed the water enough to make the fish active but whatever the reason until we quit about three hours later it was hard not to get a strike. Just cast, let the fly sink and retrieve it in quick strips. Sometimes the fish hit the fly right away, sometimes they followed it nearly to the boat, but hit it they did. You might see the golden flash in the water as the fish turned for the fly or just feel the jolt. The smaller buck males belied their size and fought as hard as the larger females. Dick landed several of the latter that ran about 2 ½ lbs. Fish after fish, they continued to hit. Dick and I had doubles most of the afternoon. Across the way, John and his partner followed suit. The warm sun made us remove layers of clothing and we basked in the glorious afternoon. It was a day to remember. We fished until after 6:00 leaving just enough light to trailer the boat. We were both so tired we ate burgers at the restaurant instead of the typical on-the-fly style. But it was a good tired. We enjoyed great fishing, estimating we caught 120 – 140 shad, some of which were well over 2 lbs. The weather improved the longer we fished and the ospreys gave us a super sideshow. We couldn’t ask for more. Except, possibly, that enough water will be released to ensure a heavy run of stripers. One guy told me he caught two small stripers around 14 inches but that was the sole report. As the weather warms so will the water and the rockfish will not be far behind. I hope they give me enough time to clean my gear and rest my casting arm. Then the urge to fish will be as strong as ever. Aloha, Weldon, for now. ==================================================== NAT GREENE FLYFISHERS CLUB OFFICERS President Cindy Spicer 855-1325 703-5632 cell 406-6171 Vice-President Cornell Bowden Treasurer Neal Mitchell 643-5001 cell 706-1123 Board of Directors Jack Patterson 674-9700 664-7776 Linke Combs 282-7040 632-7572 Dick Feulner Trip Coordinator Lorraine Rothrock 288-9976 272-3962 cell 707-3761 Banquet Chair Greg Peters 656-7379 632-2366
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