Happy New Year, fly tossers

ats off to the Christmas ban-quet committee for doing afabulous job of coordinating

this year's annual Christmas banquet atthe Isaak Walton Clubhouse. From thefeedback I've been given it was aresounding success.

Thank you, Greg Groves, for organ-izing the event and for making sure therewere enough tables and chairs to accom-modate the almost 90 people in atten-dance.

Thanks also to Bob Fischer andMatt Stanton for assisting with checkingin our members and guests and to WillWaterbury and Wanda Peters for coordi-nating an informative display onFlycasters and for their help with thedecor. Thanks to Smokey Weinhandl forhis creativity in designing the tickets andposters that were displayed around townand for his assistance in decorating thebanquetroom. Thanks also to Alex Roseand Jaime Gibson for organizing the raf-fles and draws.

For those who were unable toattend, it was an evening of awards, rem-ininscing about the year in fishing andmore than a few tales of the one that gotaway. Special music was provided byCody and his sister Sheryl Redding whoperformed songs for the season during thedelicious meal which was catered by TheHerbadashery. The BBQ beef, smokedchicken and fixings were outstandingand if anyone left hungry it was certainlynot because there wasn't enough food.

It was a time of tearful gift giving asJoe Meyer was gifted a Winston fly rodfrom his friends in WFC. This custom builtrod was beautifully designed and personal-ized with Joe's name. Joe selflessly volun-teers his time to the organization throughevents like Expo, giving casting instruc-tions at public events featuring WFC, andproviding fly tying instruction. His out-ings, Fishing with Joe, have become leg-endary in the community and have beenwonderful opportunities for new membersto learn where some of the best places tofish in the area are and if necessary Joe alsoprovides the casting skills that it takes to

successfully fish thoseareas.

Spencer Amendcoordinated the con-struction of the rod andhe also handled thisportion of the presentation. The opportu-nity to contribute to Joe's gift was given tothe membership as discreetly as possible sothat it was truly a surprise. Enough moneywas raised that Joe was also awarded a reelto compliment his custom rod.Congratulations on a gift well earned, Joe.

A special thanks was also extendedto Randy Stalker for what has becomethe highlight of the evening . . .the annu-al parade of pictures from 2010's fishingexpeditions. This slideshow, completewith music, was entertaining and inform-ative and mabye even a little thoughtprovoking. After all, "who would yourather fish with?" Randy was pleased topresent a few options.

In honor of Randy's years of dedi-cated service to WFC and for volunteer-ing his time and talent as editor of ourmonthly newsletter, the Backcast, he waspresented with a gift certificate toSportsman's Warehouse to show ourappreciation. David Sweet, chairman ofthe Wyoming Council of TroutUnlimited, told me that our clubnewsletter is one of the most professionalthat he's ever seen and that it representsour organization exceptionally well. Iconcur. Thank you, Randy, for the skillsyou have shared with us so that otherscan enjoy all that the Flycasters does inpictures, articles, recipes, and informa-tion of upcoming events.

As we embark on a new year, Iwould encourage you to get to knowsome of the fine members listed aboveand take the opportunity to get evenmore involved if time allows. It has beena privilege to spend time with these finerepresentatives of WFC as well as themany that were not a part of this com-mittee this year.

Isn't it amazing that some of thebest of the best of what Wyoming has tooffer just happen to be members of theWyoming Flycasters?

Stay warm and happy angling (ifyou dare . . . brrrrr), Melody

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 lastweek of the month. Make contribu-tions to the next issue by e-mailingmaterial to the Backcast editor atChevPU57@aol.com, or call (307)436-8774.

OFFICERSMelody Weinhandl, President

Vacant, President-electAndrew Sauter, Vice President

Casey Leary, SecretaryMatt Stanton, Treasurer

BOARD OF DIRECTORSTerms expire in 2011

Bob FischerScott NovotnyAlex RoseBill Wichers

Terms expire in 2012Spencer AmendNeil Ruebush

Brent “Smokey” Weinhandl, DDSVacant

Terms expire in 2013Greg GrovesJoe Meyer

Will WaterburyHerb Waterman

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 program available free ofcharge) documents. Usually, each issueis roughly 1 MB in size, some are larger.Your e-mail provider may have limitson the size of attachments. In order tobe added to the e-mail list, send arequest to ChevPU57@aol.com. Inaddition to receiving each issue of thenewsletter earlier than your hard copypeers, e-mail subscribers are able toprint each copy in vibrant color -- anadded plus if the issue is rich in colorphotographs. By subscribing electron-ically, you also save the club roughly$17.40 a year in printing and postagecosts.

Cover shot: Joe Meyer with the first fish caught on the new fly rod he was given.

Drag-free DriftsDrag-free Drifts

by Melody Weinhandl, President, WFC

brooktrout6671@gmail.com

H

Wyoming Fly Casters Monthly Newsletter Page 3

Brag Board

Page 4 Wyoming Fly Casters Monthly Newsletter

productively fly fish fortrout on the North PlatteRiver.

After five months,Alex accepted an inter-preter position with theBureau of LandManagement’s NationalHistoric TrailsInterpretive Center. Hisjob is to get people excit-ed about the historicalsignificance of westwardexpansion. Alex said,“History is often boringbut it’s my job to makehistory fun and provoca-tive.” At 7:00 a.m. on theday of our chat, Alex hadalready completed anearly morning interviewwith a local television sta-

tion to promote the Holiday on theHomestead event at the Trails Center.The corporate journalism skills Alexacquired in college are going to gooduse in Wyoming.

Alex is a practical person whenit comes to fly fishing gear. Hisfavorite fly rod is a nine foot fiveweight Temple Fork Outfitters(TFO). According to Alex, it’s thebest rod for the money and the war-ranty is great.

When asked to name someexceptional fishermen, he mentionedRuss Newton who he described as a,“great young local fisherman whofishes well over 100 days a year”.Alex told a story about Russ comingto his home for dinner and hebrought an ornamental plant for Erinand for Alex he brought live aquaticinsects in a jar of water. After dinner,Alex and Russ tied flies while closelyexamining the bugs in a jar. The nextday, Russ returned to the NorthPlatte where he released the captiveinsects.

Alex recalls joining the WFC fortwo reasons. First, after moving toCasper he discovered it was going totake a while to learn how to fish the

WFC MeMber ProFile

by Greg B. Groveslegatcn@gmail.com

he morning after the WFCChristmas banquet, I spent anhour with Alex Rose.

Alex’s Scotch-Irish roots springfrom middle Tennessee where hisgreat-times-six-grandfather (six gen-erations ago) was awarded a landgrant as payment for his service to thenation during the Revolutionary War.His family never drifted too far fromthe land and their desire to be self suf-ficient. Alex admires his 92-year oldgrandfather who plowed behind muleswhile growing his own livestock, grainand tobacco during the GreatDepression. While he was growing up,Alex’s father, a truck driver forWalmart, took the time to introducehim to the outdoors where they oftenhiked, camped and fished togetherwith bait.

Alex earned a degree with a dou-ble major in public relations and psy-chology from Western KentuckyUniversity. Even though his studiesprepared him for journalism work ina corporate environment, he let littleget between him and the outdoors.He once quit a job to spend five anda half months hiking the entireAppalachian Trail. During the jour-ney from Georgia to Maine, the free-dom he experienced was “awesome.”For him, waking up each morning inyet another beautiful place was a lifechanging experience. While on thetrail he fished every stream he couldfind, and since he needed the calo-ries, everything he caught, hecooked.

Alex’s employment historysounds like a succession of dreamjobs where he got paid to lead peopleon hikes, connect people to naturalwonders and get them excited abouthistory. Early in his career, he took aseasonal park ranger job with theNational Park Service in the BlueRidge Parkway near Ashville, NorthCarolina. At the end of the season,he immediately drove to Montana for

a twelve-day fishing trip on the Ruby,Gallatin, East Gallatin, and the Bighornrivers. It was on that trip he fell in lovewith western fly fishing. More impor-tantly, while working the Parkway, hemet another park ranger named Erin.When Erin was transferred to theEastern Sierra area of California, Alexmoved as well and took a job with theEastern Sierra Interpretive Association.The area where Alex and Erin lived andworked was a study in contrasts: deserton one side and giant sequoias on theother. The area also provided ampleopportunities for Alex to catch plenty of16 to18 inch golden trout on a fly.

Eventually Alex and Erin were mar-ried and moved on to work as parkrangers at the Homestead NationalMonument near Lincoln, Nebraska.The monotonous landscape along withthe absence of nearby trout fishing gotto Alex. He was happy when Erin land-ed the education curator position at FortCaspar. Though the move to Casper,Wyoming left Alex without a job forfive months, each morning gave him theoption to either snow ski or fly fish. Itwas during that time, he met Jim Sparks,a former Marine Corps officer, bankerand active guide at the Ugly Bug FlyShop. Jim helped Alex learn how to

T

Alex Rose

(continued on next page)

Wyoming Fly Casters Monthly Newsletter Page 5

$350 Abel.”Certainly everyone

can appreciate the con-fort afforded by thedevelopment of breath-able waterproof fabricsfor waders. Gone are the days of suffer-ing in hot and sweaty chest-high neo-prenes. I love my old Simms waist-highs,but in the winter I loathe them.

Another candidate is fluocarbonleader and tippet material. Monofila-ment is still king for the dry fly fisher(plus, it is a third cheaper), but for thenymph fisher, you can’t beat the nearinvisibility and sinkability of flurocar-bon. Plus, you can get by one or two Xsizes of large tippet with fluocarbon.

These are all marvelous improve-ments.

But Charlie Shedd, a world travel-ing fly fisher, certified FFF fly caster,WFC member and fellow Glenrockian,considers something much smaller towear the crown of innovation. He saysthe introduction of tungsten beads iswhat really set the fishing world on itsear. A tungsten bead, much heavierthan lead or brass, sinks the nymph intothe fishing zone near the bottom muchquicker and efficient. Whoever fisheswith a copper John realizes the contribu-tion of tungsten to the fly tossing world.

But what’s the next development inthe fly fishing world? Let’s leap fowardand make a prediction.

In a few years, you might be seeinga drift boat float down the river, and theguy behind the oars is wearing a brightshirt, decorated with a myriad of fishingcompany logos, just like his brethen inbass tournaments. The boat may lookmore like a NASCAR Chevy than aPlatte River Clackacraft.

Too far fetched? Not really.Did you note the news this week

that Jimmy Johnson, a race car driver,finished runner up behind the Saints’quarterback Drew Brees for “athlete ofthe year” honors?

Gee . . . does that mean in futureyears, Jimmy Houston or Bill Dance,Jack Dennis or Craig Matthews, or evenAlex Rose or Russ Newton may be con-tenders for the athletic crown? Anyonewho has waded waist deep in the Platteknows the developed athleticism associ-

lready, as the year 2011 preparesto open, the major rod and flyfishing manufacturers are

announcing the introduction of newmodels, while long-favorites are beingdiscontinued. Naturally, the latest andbest rods, incorporating new designtechnologies, command ever increasingprices. From the catalogs I am receiving,many companies are pricing themselvesout of the pocketbook range of mostweekend hobbyists -- myself included.

But fly fishing is an art and a sportwhich has a rich tradition. And, as such,several components never change overthe course of time: such as the venerableAdams dry fly, the indispensable hare’sear nymph, and of course, the versatilewooly bugger. I’ll probably keep fishingthe same half dozen patterns for the bal-ance of my fly fishing career, most onmy five weight Sage RPL or cheapChinese-made 7 foot, 4 weight bamboo.

Gazing at the new catalogs now hit-ting the mail boxes of fishermen aroundthe country, aside from drooling at theexpanding offerings of gadgetry, makesme wonder: what has made the mostpositive impact on fly fishing in, say, thelast 20 years?

Some might argue that IM6 carbonfiber (thank you, aerospace industry),also called the second generation ofgraphite, was a revolutionary material. Itknocked fiberlass of its rod materialthrone, and it give new sticks the capa-bility of throwing lots of line, quickly,with a short stroke.

Others might point out that largearbor reels enabled the fly fisher to takein large amounts of line with fewercranks and land fish quicker. Of course,new drag systems are also heavily pro-moted, but I feel drag is the most over-rated component of a fly rod. How manyfly fishing videos feature a guy bringingin a fish by pulling in line, not windingthe reel? As Chef Ptomaine points out,“A $25 Medalist holds line as well as a

Tailing LoopsTailing Loops

by Randy Stalker,Backcast editor

chevPU57@aol.com

If people concentrated on the reallyimportant things in life, there’d be a shortageof fishing rods.

(continued on page 7)

Author Greg Groves intends toalternate WFC monthly profilesbetween veteran members and new-comers. -- Ed.

A

(continued from previous page)

Alex Rose profile

North Platte. By joining the cluband networking with successfulfishers, he was able to, “quicklydial in” local fishing techniques.Secondly, he joined the club so hecould learn how to tie flies. Threeyears ago, he began learning thebasics from club members whowere experienced fly tiers, andnow he coordinates the WFC pro-gram for members who want tolearn how to tie their own flies.

During 2009, through March2010, Alex served as president ofthe club. He’s pleased the club sup-ported the Government Bridgepublic access project on the NorthPlatte. Though not final, when it’sdone, the project will provide onemile of walk-in public access to theNorth Platte. He’s also proud to beaffiliated with a club that shunselitism. Alex believes the Englishcreated an elitist reputation that’sbeen difficult for fly fishers to over-come. In response to that, Alexsaid, the WFC is a down to earthclub that welcomes anyone whoenjoys fly fishing, being around flyfishers and promoting reasonableconservation projects. To illustratethe down to earth nature of theclub, Alex asked, “What other flyfishing club would invite a chef topresent his favorite fish recipes dur-ing a monthly meeting?” In fact,though the club promotes catchand release, there is a time and aplace to hook and cook.

Alex’s goals include a fly fish-ing trip to Alaska, and he wants tocatch a large golden trout in eitherthe Wind River Range or theCloud Peak Wilderness. He alsowants to live in a log cabin inSouthern Appalachia where hewill grow organic produce. I pre-dict Alex will meet all his goalsand in addition, he will probablywin next year’s Christmas Fly com-petition.

The first boating season underWyoming's new Aquatic InvasiveSpecies (AIS) legislation was deemeda success based on the numbers ofboats inspected, AIS decal sales andoverall cooperation from boaters.

From May 22, through Sept. 26,Wyoming Game and Fish Departmentpersonnel inspected more than 42,000watercraft at 36 different watersthroughout Wyoming. According toAIS coordinator Beth Bear, the major-ity were standard inspections withvery few high risk inspections ordecontaminations.

"Only 58 of the total inspectionswere considered high risk, with theremainder standard and exit inspec-tions," Bear said. "Of the high riskinspections, there were 23 decontami-nations and none were found to havelive invasive mussels."

Waters where most inspectionswere conducted were: Jackson Lake

(over 7,000), Flaming Gorge (over 5,000),and Glendo Reservoir (more than 4,500).The greatest numbers of inspections wereconducted over the July 4th holiday withmore than 4,000 boats inspected. Of thetotal, roughly 28 percent were conductedon nonresident watercraft representing 46states and Canada. As expected, most ofthe nonresident watercraft were fromneighboring states: Colorado, Utah,Montana and Idaho.

"Given the short notice to purchasedecals and get the AIS program imple-mented, boaters were very cooperativewith getting their watercraft inspected,"said Bear. "Overall, things went verysmoothly and even during the busy holi-

Page 6 Wyoming Fly Casters Monthly Newsletter

Aquatic invasive speciesprogram went smoothlywww.wyflycasters.org

www.wyflycasters.org

BE INFORMED

Receive each issue of theBackcast in a timely man-ner, without relying onthe Post Awful to deliverit. Sign up for electronicdelivery! Not only do youreceive each issue near theend of each month, but itwill feature color photo-graphs and graphics. Andyou can save the club pre-cious money and resourcesbecause printing andpostage costs and thechore of stapling, stamp-ing and stickering themonochrome hard copyare eliminated. Just dropthe editor a line, request-ing electronic delivery atchevPU57@aol.com.

www.wyflycasters.org

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day boating weekends, delays were mini-mal. As the boating season progressed,more and more boaters were followingthe Drain, Clean and Dry procedurewhich greatly sped up the inspectionprocess."

In addition to inspections, morethan 40 waters were monitored for larval,juvenile and adult invasive mussels dur-ing 2010. To date, all waters tested havebeen negative with final results on 20 ofthese waters expected later this year.

The program was started last springfollowing a $1.5 million appropriationby the Wyoming Legislature. Followingthe legislative session, the WyomingGame and Fish Commission passed anemergency regulation that enabled theWGFD to take immediate action to dealwith the threat. The WGFD thenimplemented watercraft inspections anddecal sales.

The emergency regulation gave theCommission authority to pass a perma-nent regulation and also provided for anannual AIS decal required of boatersbefore launching in Wyoming. Thedecal is a funding mechanism for theAIS program and took effect May 17.Fees are $10 for motorized watercraftregistered in Wyoming and $30 formotorized watercraft registered in otherstates. The fee for non-motorized resi-dent watercraft is $5 and $15 for non-resident watercraft without motors.Inflatable watercraft 10 feet and less areexempt. To date, more than 35,000decals have been sold, representing 82percent of all watercraft registered inWyoming. The program raised $446,385from decal sales this first year.

Fishing licenses expired on Dec. 31The Wyoming Game and Fish Department would like to remind anglers that all

2010 fishing licenses and conservation stamps expired on Dec. 31. Hunting seasons for some species, including waterfowl, small game, chukar and gray

partridge, continue into the new year, but to participate, 2011 bird and small gamelicenses are required. Waterfowl hunters will note that their Federal Migratory Bird andConservation Stamp (duck stamp) and Harvest Information Program (HIP) permit arevalid until June 30.

Licenses for 2011 are now available at Game and Fish Department offices andlicense agents throughout the state. The 2011 licenses can also be purchased online athttp://gf.state.wy.us.

Wyoming Fly Casters Monthly Newsletter Page 7

The Lyin' and Tyin' clinics willagain be held at the Wyoming Oil andGas Conservation Commission build-ing on Three Crowns golf course.

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 slated

The next one is

Jan. 15 at 9 a.m.

Club surprises, honors a long-time member

By Spencer AmendWe did it! The club kept a secret for

two months! The plot was hatched at theOctober meeting, when I asked membersto help do something for someone whodoes so much for others.

Joe Meyer truly represents what thespirit of WFC is all about! When the callgoes out for working at the EXPO, teach-ing casting to some group or another,teaching fly tying to new members or old,helping Boy Scouts, helping high schoolstudents, helping Game & Fish with aproject, taking new members fishing (andshowing them how to do it, includingsharing his good flies), recruiting newmembers, or many other activities, Joe isalways there.

For those who listen, Joe has freelygiven advice on when, where, and how tofish this great fishery resource that is inour backyard. The request must havestruck a cord with WFC members,because more than 50 contributed tohelp provide Joe with a new fly rod andreel and line.

Thanks to the generosity of WFCmembers, we were able to present Joewith a Winston BII-MX rod (custombuilt, one-of-a-kind, assembled at no costby a friend of mine who has met andfished with Joe), a Ross Evolution LTreel, and a matching line. Plus there wasa little left over for accessories. Welldeserved, Joe; thanks for all you do for usand on behalf of WFC!

Editor’s message(continued from page 5)

ated with casting a rod and fighting alarge fish while struggling to maintaintraction on a slippery bottom.

Let’s not complicate our sport. Keepit simple so we can recruit new andyounger members to the recreation offishing -- whether on a fly or spinningrod.

I am reminded of that old cartoonfeaturing a young boy holding a willowstick, topped with a stretch of string andending with a paper clip for a hook. Theboy is dragging a mess of fish bigger thanhe is. His father, outfitted with a vest,two tackle boxes, two baitcasting rods,and burdened by doodads and gadgets, isskunked.

Some days are like that, even for usveteran fly casters. Many a time I havetaken a novice under my wing to showhim the ropes, and often I am out-fishedby him (or her).

•The annual Fly Fishing Show and

Outdoor Sportsmen’s Exposition areslated for Denver on Jan. 7-9. I look for-ward to these two shows more than I doChristmas.

I have been going for the last sevenyears -- weather permitting -- and fourWFC members are planning to attendone of the two shows on Saturday.Which one? Undecided. We’ll have totake a vote. It’s too bad they are on thesame weekend, because both offer thefly fisher the opportunity to take insome seminars, check out new products,and possibly even get their picture takenwith some calendar girls (that’s where Iget some of those incriminating photoswhich grace the Christmas slide show).

Both Casper fly shops are to be rep-resented, so familiar faces will be amongthe throngs.

•Call me a whimp, but I passed on

this year’s polar bear outing (a traditionon New Years Day). It seemed kind ofsilly to drive 80 miles, one way, just tohave a bowl of chili or a burger at theSunset Grill with other WFC members.I chickened out because of the deepsnow and frigid temperatures.

If any brave souls went, I wouldappreciate some photos as proof ofeither bravery or foolishness.

Scoop

Page 8 Wyoming Fly Casters Monthly Newsletter

Our members are very special to us and we want to remem-ber them in times of adversity. If you know of a member ortheir spouse who is ill or is recently deceased, please contactDonna Diesburg at (307) 234-4278 or e-mail her atfaith10@bresnan.net.

JANUARY Club CalendarMONDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY

1

2 3 4 5 86 7

9 10 11 12 1513 14

16 17 18 19 2220 21

23 24 25 26 27 28

Regular

meeting, 7 p.m.

WFC Board

Meeting, 7 p.m.

TUESDAY

29

30

SUNDAY

Deadline for

Backcast info

31

New Year’s Day;

Polar Bear

outing

WFC TREASURER'S REPORT (ending November 30, 2010)Date Vendor/Item AmountIncome11/22/10 Deposit - Dues $170; Christmas party $250; November raffle $21;

($50 held out for raffle change) $441.00Total $441.00

Expenses11/17/10 #4073, Joe Meyer, club tying kit supplies $25.1511/22/10 #4074,IWLA (Nov/Dec rent) $150.0011/30/10 #4075, Staples (file supplies) $26.23

Total $201.38

Lyin’ and

Tyin’, 9 a.m.

I really enjoy my new Winstonflyrod. I would like to thank every-one that helped with its purchase.

I am still available to teachcasting and fly tying. I will also tryto answer your questions aboutwhere to fish.

Call 235-1316 and ask for Joe.

THANKS

9Wyoming Fly Casters Monthly Newsletter Page 9

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Original price $695.Now $375.

Orvis TLS Power Matrix 905-2,brand new, unused withfactory warranty card.Original price $395.

Now $175.Art Van Rensselaer265-9287 or 262-7655

•

Fleece fingerless fishing gloves.Coleman two-burner stove,

like new.Don Jelinek267-7477

Protect our environment

Inspect - Clean - Dry

Take the Clean Angling Pledge

www.cleanangling.org

More Brag Board