Streamside on Line

In this issue:

  Articles, news and fly tying tips are gratefully accepted. Please e-mail them to Roy Cubbler. Thank you.

As most members are aware, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission has often been pressured by live bait fishers to eliminate the “elitist” designation of “Fly Fishing Only” from its list of special regulation areas. Fly fishers have always worried that the commission would be swayed to give in to that suggestion. We are most pleased to report that the commission stuck to its guns. They did take action to remove the designation, “Delayed Harvest Fly-Fishing Only” on a state-wide basis, but they took the welcomed steps to ensure that fly fishers would still have designated areas to ply their hobby. The commission created a new designation which not only preserves the fly-fishing only concept, but which increases the possibility that some trout in those areas will “hold over.” The new Special Regs area is known as, “Catch and Release Fly-fishing Only.” PF&B Officer Robert Bonney was kind enough to take the time from his busy schedule to email DJL Prez Bob Molzahn with the very good news that our home stream will fall into that new category starting in 2006. As President Molzahn points out in his current column, “This is a refreshing change,” from what might have been had the commission not stood firm. 

Because of the new designation, a review of the rules as they now pertain to our “home stream” seems timely. The following information is excerpted from the 2006 booklet, 2006 Pennsylvania Fishing Summary. The regulations pertaining to “Catch and Release Fly-Fishing Only,” state, “fishing may be done with artificial flies and streamers constructed of natural or synthetic materials, so long as all flies are constructed in a normal fashion on a single hook with components wound on or about the hook. Fishing must be done with tackle limited to fly rods, fly reels and fly line with a maximum of 18 feet in leader material or monofilament line attached.” In addition, “No trout may be killed or had in possession.” The area is open to fishing year ‘round, and fishing hours begin one hour before sunrise and end one hour after sunset.

This designation will certainly allow for more trout to make it through the summer provided the volume of water and water temperatures cooperate. According to the 2006 regulations booklet, the 0.9 mile section of French Creek, from the dam at Camp Sleepy Hollow downstream to Hollow Road, is the single “Catch and Release Fly-Fishing Only” area in Chester County. No such designated areas exist in Montgomery or Berks Counties. 

We extend our sincere thanks to Officer Bonney for taking the time to provide DJL with timely notification of this welcome change. 

 I was hoping for few more weeks but an early snow, cold weather and windy days sure put a quick damper on the December midge fishing. I drove over the Delaware River this week and the ice flows would have intimidated George Washington. Oh well, next year.

After twelve years on the Board, six years as an Officer and two years as the President of the Federation of Fly Fishers Mid-Atlantic Council, I have finally completed my tour of duty and a new team is now in place. It was a good experience and I met, befriended and worked with a number of really good people and fly fishermen. During this time we established a small-grant program for local conservation projects, developed a curriculum for a Youth Fly Fishing Camp and held five camps, are mid-way through the process of completing a 16-mile restoration project in the upper Antietam Creek Watershed in an effort to repair degraded riparian buffer and restore a wild trout fishery, helped establish with MD DNR and local landowners a Fly Fishing Only Area on Beaver Creek, and set up a program to teach fly tying and fly fishing to wounded Iraq war veterans at Walter Reed hospital. There were many committed and enthusiastic Federation members involved in these efforts, not only to do the actual work but also to raise the money to support them. I am proud to say that the members of the Dame Juliana League contributed significantly in raising funds for the Council’s activities. Thank you all for that support and if you are not a member of FFF, I would encourage you to join. At last count we have about twenty FFF members who are also members of our club. Check out their website, www.fedflyfishers.org for a membership application. 

On a somewhat related subject, Joe King and his wife Regina, Roy Cubbler and his wife Charlotte and my family and I attended the November 5 MAC Banquet and Fund Raising Auction in Hagerstown. Pennsylvania author and master fly fisherman Charlie Meck was in attendance and he and the Cubblers got to know each other during the course of the evening. The Kings were also in fine form as they once again “cleaned up” on bucket raffle prizes. The Cubblers didn’t do so bad either. All in all it was a memorable and enjoyable evening except for one major “event” which is described by Roy elsewhere in this newsletter.

As you may have heard, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission has announced that all Delayed Harvest Fly Fishing Only areas will become Fly Fishing Only No Harvest Areas beginning in 2006. This change will provide for the possibility of more holdover trout during the summer months, especially when the water is cool and high on French Creek. It is a refreshing change from previous proposals where Fly Fishing Only areas would be eliminated. Also, I understand that the Little Juniata River’s Special Regulation Area will become a No-Kill area. I have been fishing this stream for a number of years now and it is a gem just loaded with feisty browns. The new regulation should make it just that much better. I commend the PFBC for implementing these new management strategies.

On a more mundane subject, we are still looking for a Refreshments Coordinator for our Monthly meetings. The job involves the purchase, storage and transportation of liquid refreshments and bagged snacks to our meeting each month. All expenses are reimbursed through the Club’s treasurer. Look at it this way, if you take on the job your spouse HAS TO let you out of the house to attend our eight meetings each year. Please contact me if you are interested. I sure could use the help.

Lastly, I have a feeling that cabin fever is going to hit all of us pretty hard this season so don’t forget to attend the Fly Fishing Show in Somerset, New Jersey the last weekend in January (27-29). It is an excellent show and a great stress reliever for those mid-winter “can’t get on-stream” blues. If you need a ride let me know. More information can be found on their website at www.flyfishingshow.com. 

Have good winter and I hope to see you at our January meeting.

The kickoff meeting of DJL featured Mr. Joe Armstrong, a well-known local fisher, and a member of the Valley Forge Chapter of Trout Unlimited. Armstrong presented an interesting look at fly fishing the Adirondacks. The photos, as explained by Armstrong, lent credence to his contention that fishing pressure in the vast Adirondacks is not nearly as heavy as it is in Chester County, Pennsylvania. The streams and lakes of this interesting New York land mass contain a complete range of game fish, but Armstrong stressed the special joy of catching both brook and lake trout. Joe has spent considerable time exploring and fishing in the Adirondacks area. One of the rewards of his fishing prowess comes when a day’s catch is served up at the table. Joe found that one of the brookies he netted would have established a new record for the Empire State had he submitted it. It was a tad late to do so, however, since he and his family had already enjoyed a tasty meal of fresh trout. 

Joe also introduced those in attendance to a fish called a “splake” by those who frequent the Adirondacks. The splake is actually a cross between a brook trout and a lake trout. 

This was an impressive multi-media presentation. Armstrong brought, not only his knowledge of the Adirondacks area, but his extensive experience in fishing in the streams found there. His enthusiasm for his topic is obvious. Thanks for a job well done, Joe Armstrong.

I REALLY wanted to attend the FFFMAC banquet and fund raiser in Hagerstown, MD in November. I knew Bob and his family would be in attendance, and I had heard that Joe King and Regina would be there. I asked my wife Charlotte if she would be interested in going along with me, and she said, “Yes.” Now, I should tell you that Charlotte loves saltwater fishing. She catches flounder when other fishers have given up and headed in for a snooze. She has never done much fresh water fishing, so I was quite surprised and pleased when she agreed to go to Hagerstown. We arrived early enough to make the rounds at the fly tying exhibits, and we attended a very informative talk by Charlie Meck. Later, before the banquet she and I got to spend some quality time with Mr. Meck in the lounge. He is a very interesting fellow.

The banquet was outstanding. Our table of DJL members shelled out a pretty significant amount of cash to get involved in the auctions, drawings, and games, and I am pleased to say that we all left the affair with a pretty significant amount of goodies from the bucket raffles. After the repast, the Kings and the Molzahns repaired to their hotel rooms for the night. Charlotte and I had made arrangements to spend the night at our son’s and daughter in law’s home in Mechanicsburg. We wanted to spend a few hours with them and our grandson during the next day. We waved goodbye and headed to our car. The last words I heard from the Kings and the Molzahns were, “Drive carefully.” We drove from Hagerstown to Carlisle, PA on route 81. At Carlisle, we got on the Pennsylvania Turnpike and headed east for the last few miles of our trip. It was 12:30 a.m. I was moving along at a nice rate of speed when suddenly I was looking smack into the eyes of a large deer. There was no time to react, and the impact was bone jarring. The seatbelts held, the airbags deployed, the windshield shattered, the dashboard crumbled, and the hood went over the roof. Our angel spoke in the form of the OnStar operator. She was magnificent. Her calming yet authoritative voice asked about injuries (none), advised us on safety considerations (get out of the car and stand off the roadway), told us our exact location, called the police and a tow truck (both arrived in fewer than 10 minutes), and made sure we were in good hands before she signed off. We called my son (ten minutes away) who came to pick up his shaken parents. The next day we were a bit sore, still somewhat shocked, but feeling very lucky to be alive. According to the police officer, the deer was a big, ten point buck. 

Our insurance company determined that our car was totaled, so we have since gotten a new one, making sure that it featured OnStar. Once we finally got home, my wife opined that she thought it very unusual went to a fishing expo and returned having bagged a deer. 

The Dame Juliana League of Fly Fishers notes with sadness the passing of long time member Ben Johnson. Ben was an avid fisher and developed a very effective fly known as the Daysaver. He will be fondly remembered by all who knew him. We extend our deepest sympathy to his family.

The League has received letters of appreciation from Valley Forge Chapter of Trout Unlimited (for our contribution), from Margaret Van Gilder (for our support of the Chester County Conserva-tion Camp), and from Brien Mann and Kiera McNicholas thanking our club for sponsoring their attendance at the conservation camp in June 2005.