FLYFISHING NEWS & EVENTS

Rob Woodruff's - Weekly Fly Fishing LMF Report

January 19 - February 26: Flyfishing Classes

February 10-19: Guided Trip - Amazon Peacock Bass

February 11:» Fly Fish the Southwest Day at Orvis Dallas

February 25: LMFRF One Fly Contest - Broken Bow, OK

March 3:» Bass Lab at Orvis Dallas

March 19 Meeting: Friends of Norfolk Hatchery by Leon Alexander

Trout Stocking Schedule

• Dec. 11, 2011: Tyler State Park, Tyler - 4,000 Trout
• Dec. 11, 2011: Woldert Park Pond, Tyler - 1,030 Trout
• Dec. 13, 2011: Elder Lake, Kilgore - 3,500 Trout
• Jan. 12, 2012: Tyler State Park, Tyler - 4,000 Trout
• Jan. 17, 2012: Woldert Park Pond, Tyler - 1,030 Trout
• Jan. 17, 2012: Faulkner Park Lake, Tyler - 1,700 Trout
• Jan. 19, 2012: Lower Overton, Overton - 1,400 Trout
• Feb. 13, 2012: Teague Park, Longview - 2,500 Trout

BOOK & DVD REVIEWS

My Life Was This Big

Book by Lefty Kreh - $24.95

“A wonderful account of the man’s life in the sport, from fishing with Fidel Castro and Ernest Hemingway, his friendship with Ted Williams and his knowledge of catching fish, to his four principles of fly casting.” —Ken Moran, New York Post

Skagitmaster

DVD by Ed Ward - $39.95

Ed Ward has many nicknames: Zen Master, Laser Jedi Knight, Obi Wan, the Skagit Guru—to all he humbly replies, “Hey, I’m just a guy who likes to fish.” Yeah, right. From the remote steelhead rivers of Kamchatka to Alaska to his home waters of the Pacific Northwest, Ed simply goes fishing and draws an entourage in the process. His reputation as an innovative salmon and steelhead angler and fly designer is global. He advises rod and line manufacturers in the development of products to complement Skagit casting and make casting with a two-handed rod an efficient, effective and pleasurable experience.

Filmed widely on the Sauk, Skagit, Grand Ronde and Kanektok rivers, included are: easy-to-follow demonstrations by of various Skagit poke, Skagit double and C-Spey casts; Ed tying his famous Intruder fly; Skagit casting with switch rods for trout and other species, line-splicing techniques, and more.

Trout Fishing and Winter is Not a Bad Combination at All

By Ted Patlen – taken from the Connecticut Fly Fisherman’s Assoc newsletter

Medium to stiff wind, air temperatures in the upper 30's, bright midday sunshine, and clear running 39 degree stream water; beautiful conditions for a few hours of mid winter trout fishing. When the bug hits you, the "I just got to get out and fish even though I'll freeze my buns off" bug, take the plunge and hit the river. All you really need to remember is that it is not summer and the fishing will be different but the nature of the sport is the same.

Grammar school science taught us about metabolism and how it affects animals. Trout are cold blooded animals so their metabolic rate slows down towards both ends of their natural temperature range. They do not need to feed as much because they are not as active. They become extremely efficient about food intake and expending energy. This physical/physiological slow down prompts them to find a softer, quieter environment. They still need food, oxygen and shelter, just as they do during the other months of the year and will position themselves in such places where there is easy access to all three. During the summer trout will station themselves at various locations that have all three of these essentials.

Fast flowing riffles, and boulder strewn pocket water are just two of the many places that the summer fish feel comfortable in but during the winter these spots are normally void of fish simply because they cause trout to expend too much energy to hold in these lies. Slower pools and lazy runs just down stream from the aforementioned spots are prime locations to find winter trout. The deeper pools give them their likely shelter while they are just a tilt of a fin away from the food chain. How much do they eat during the winter, and when does this major feeding period occur? How long does it last? The need for nourishment diminishes with their metabolism, but they still need to eat. There are a few factors that affect the feeding habits of winter trout, but the most important concerns water temperature.

Fluctuating temperatures caused by passing fronts will cause the fish to vary their feeding patterns, so look for consistent weather patterns. After one to three days of consistent weather you can expect a better than average feeding period. The durations of this feeding time differ from, and these times are approximate, one hour to four hours, and I have already found feeding fish, during a February thaw, which lasted almost six hours. I have also seen the feeding stop abruptly when cloud cover rolls in.

The river that you select is also an important factor. Pick a stream that harbors a good number of wild trout or holdover fish. You do want to catch a fish or two so a healthy river gives you a much better chance. How do you fish the river? Remember that this is not fast paced fishing. Because the trout are lethargic a more persistent approach proves to be more efficient. A basic rule of thumb is to fish slowly and methodically. I don't care what fly you choose, any of the standard patterns will suffice, but it is necessary to put the fly in front of the trout at the speed that they're expecting their food to be moving at. Your chances of hooking fish will improve significantly. Fish the fly how you feel. If it's cold and the water is off color slow down the pace of the fly. Trout are inherently lazy creatures to begin with and will not expend unnecessary energy, especially so during their inactive times. If conditions are better and insect activity occurs, and this is not an uncommon affair, then you can change your approach slightly. There are too many variables to contend with and to list them all would be foolish, but to reiterate, the closer you get the fly to the fish and it is presented at the appropriate speed, the better your chance to catch a winter trout.

All fish adapt to their environment, which also includes the hordes of fishermen. I've seen trout feeding, then swim out of the way of a passing fisherman only to return with-in minutes to it's original position and continue to feed. My point, these so called "educated" trout have adjusted to many of the conventional wisdoms that we throw their way. So the inquisitive fisherman, the person who is not afraid to experiment can (and will) have much success over this/her traditionalist counterparts. Use completely irrational flies, fish extremely slow, keep the fly in the water, resist the urge to cast repeatedly, approach a popular "hole" from the harder, more difficult side of the river, reach under over hanging branches with the tip of the rod; challenge yourself. These tidbits of wisdom have been around for a very long time. Ray Bergman said it 50 years ago, and I'm sure that he just passed along what he heard.

Dressing for winter fishing is simple; dress warm and wear layers of wool or polar fleece. Fingerless gloves are useful (extra pairs are a godsend too). One very important thing, do not dress tightly. Clothing that is too restrictive inhibits circulation thus you get colder. That goes threefold for your feet. A thin pair of polyester, nylon type dress socks under a pair of 80 to 100% wool socks is all I use. I've fished for up to four hours, in an ice filled, freezing stream, during February with this clothing arrangement before I needed to move around. Air pockets between the looser layers of fabric will greatly assist you in keeping warm. Now, let's see...sleep late, fish slowly, dress warm, catch fish, then go home early and eat dinner. Is this fishing or what!

IF

If you love clear coldwater streams;

If you get a thrill over your encounter with nature when you outwit a trout at the game he knows best,

If you want to leave a healthy environment for your children and grandchildren, and that same thrill of encountering nature,

If you think fly fishing is a sport worthy of sharing,

Then consider joining the ETFF. Numbers create pooled funds that can be a powerful force to preserve our fishing holes.

Contact David Grimes - ETFF Membership Director
H 903-759-2486, e-Mail

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