Streamside on Line
Volume 7 |
The
Quarterly On Line Newsletter |
Summer |
In this issue:
| In Memoriam Notes from the Tying Bench (Bob Molzahn) Larry Heimes Receives 2000-2001 Rusty Hook Award News Release-Bigh Spring Creek Bottom of the Creel (Chuck Hodgson) Stream Improvement 2001 (Larry Heimes) Hell Bug (Chuck Hodgson) Nature has Options Fly Fishing Tips New Members Fish with Degrees (Will Ploegman) |
Articles, news and fly tying tips are gratefully accepted. Please e-mail them to Chuck Hodgson. Thank you.
| In Memoriam |
| Notes from the Tying Bench (Bob Molzahn) |
Sometimes it just all comes together. That is what happened on the club’s trip with the Long Island Flyrodders to the Ausable River and the Hungry Trout in Wilmington, New York. A dozen of us left bright and early Friday morning to make the seven-hour trek into the Adirondecks. We were treated to beautiful weather, great flow conditions, a good Hendrickson hatch, great meals and lots of big hungry brown trout. This was my eleventh year at the Hungry Trout and it was one of the most memorable for sure.
On Saturday, while most of the group enjoyed a fine day on the Hungry Trout’s Dream Mile, Joe King and I ventured north to a number of brook trout ponds just south of Malone. Led by our guide Jeff, Joe and I hooked over three-dozen large brookies up to 21-inches. Our technique was unusual as we trolled streamers very slowly up and down the ponds while Jeff rowed the canoe. A little twitch here and there...and bam...fish on! It was fun for a change of pace and the fish cooperated. Little did we realize, some of our fellow club members were having one of the best days of fishing they ever had on the Dream Mile. Ray Bednarchik reportedly landed a 28-inch brown on an Ausable Wulff, the largest fish caught by anyone of the trip. Several trout over 20-inches were also caught by other members. From all reports it was as good as the Ausable has to offer. I can’t promise that conditions will be the same but we will be running the trip again next year on the same weekend. Plan to come with us and enjoy good food, good company and great fishing (I hope)!
Switching gears a little, this past year has been a great one for the League. Our membership is now at an all-time high of 132. We have had some excellent speakers including the Beck’s and we are in the best financial shape we have ever been. This spring’s Learn to Fly Fish Course was well attended with 36 students. In fact, we had to turn more than ten people away. Ed Nugent and Shel Toombs did a great job in organizing and running the event and making sure the weather gods smiled upon us for the ninth year. We had great help too, as twenty of our members turned out to assist students with the activities, set-up and tear down. A big thanks to all those who pitched in to make it our most successful course ever.
A lot of our success wouldn’t be possible if we weren’t being helped through the generosity of our sponsors. At our April meeting we recognized one of those sponsors, French Creek Outfitters, for their ongoing support of our club by presenting them with an engraved plaque which now hangs over the fishing counter in their store. Thanks Mike and Jeff for all your efforts.I would also like to thank Chuck Hodgson for taking over the Editorship duties of STREAMSIDE. I am a little overwhelmed with volunteer activities and Chuck’s willingness to assist is much appreciated. I told Chuck that I was sure the talented writers within the club would fill his Email in-box with numerous stories and articles. Please don’t prove me wrong.
Once again, I have about used up my space so I will close and wish all of you a good summer filled with good fishing and good friends. Tight Lines!
| Larry Heimes Receives 2000-2001 Rusty Hook Award |
Larry Heimes, a long-standing member of the League and our Vice-President in charge of habitat improvement projects received the DJL Rusty Hook Award. President Bob Molzahn presented the Award to Larry at our April meeting. This is recognition to Larry for his outstanding contributions to the success of the League and his diligent efforts in planning, coordinating and managing the stream improvement efforts on French Creek. The Award is a display box of a spinner, dun and nymph of an Isonychia mayfly artfully tied and mounted on driftwood by Jeff Nissle, a former President of the League.
Inspired by one of our founding members, Dick Allebach. Larry started coming to meetings when he was knee-high-to-a-toad stool. He developed into a superb fly fisherman and has been active in the club ever since. Larry has fished French, Pickering and Valley Creeks since he was a boy, and given his engineering education, has developed a keen interest in habitat improvement projects that make a difference. Congratulations Larry on a job well done.
| News Release - Big Spring Creek |
"DEP has completed its review of your plan for the Big Spring Hatchery and it shows that your submission is missing key elements, " Steiner said in a letter to PFBC Executive Director Peter A. Colangelo. "As a result, we are requesting that you eliminate the discharge from Big Spring Hatchery as of July 1 until an acceptable plan is submitted and approved."
Steiner said PFBC’s plan failed to address DEP’s fundamental concern – the overall impairment of Big Spring Creek from the hatchery. He said PFBC did not submit an analysis or assessment of the impacts the discharge from the hatchery have on the quality of the stream and aquatic life.
"Until an acceptable plan that includes a complete assessment is developed, DEP cannot allow the hatchery to continue to discharge to the creek," Steiner said.
In February, DEP withdrew PFBC’s draft water discharge permit based upon studies that indicated the discharge from Big Spring Fish Culture Station was significantly degrading Big Spring Creek. At that time, DEP required PFBC to submit a plan to address the restoration of the streambed and evaluate technology that would eliminate the need for a discharge to the creek.
Big Spring Creek was listed as an exceptional value stream in 1992, receiving the highest level of protection from pollution. It now is on the state’s list of impaired streams due to siltation, low dissolved oxygen and excessive nutrients.
For more information on water quality, visit DEP through the PA PowerPort at www.state.pa.us or directly at www.dep.state.pa.us (directLINK "water management")
News Release provided by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of Environmental Protection, Community Relations, 06-13-01
| Bottom of the Creel (Chuck Hodgson) |
Bob has successfully managed to carry a heavy workload in his devotion to the Dame Juliana League as well as his roles on the Conservation and Communication Committees of the FFF Mid-Atlantic Council. He asked, in the last issue of the Streamside Newsletter, for volunteers to relieve him of a number of tasks. One of these tasks was Bob’s duty as the newsletter’s Editor/publisher. This writer volunteered for that position. Hopefully, and with your patience, I can do as well as Bob has done. I also will contribute writings and insert comments. Bob will continue to contribute his "Notes from the Tying Bench."
An "open solicitation memo" was E-mailed to all members who have electronic communication capability. For those of you who did not receive the E-mail, this was an open invitation to all DJL members to provide materials to be considered for the Streamside Newsletter.
Materials are defined as writings or artwork/photos which may be technical, fact or fiction, humorous or serious, poetry, cartoon drawings, personal adventures, observations, fishing trips (good or bad, what worked/what didn’t), quotes, new fly materials, patterns, or products, etc.
Remember, suggestion box ideas and/or constructive criticism are always welcomed. Maybe we could start a "question/answer forum" using our membership as the answer resource. Please let me know what your thoughts are. Thanks.
Chuck Hodgson, Streamside Editor
| Stream Improvement 2001 (Larry Heimes) |
As we enter the summer of 2001 I (Larry) am waiting on the approval of three new permit applications for French Creek. Work this year will be focused primarily on the upper end of the fly stretch and on the slaughterhouse site. Our first project will be to stabilize approximately 100ft of bank and a wash out just below the rock dam above Sheeder Mill Rd. We will be bringing in 8 - 10 tons of stone for this project and renting equipment to move the stone to the work area. From there the stone will be hand placed to fill in eroded sections of bank and provide a stable layer of protection against further erosion.
Following completion of this project we will be installing several stone & log and stone deflectors in the upper end of the stretch, below the wire hole. Stone will be utilized from the stream, due to the inaccessible nature of the area. Brush deflectors will also be installed in the flat stretch above the stone dam, however, this work will be performed early in 2002 following a planned Christmas tree drive in January, details to be worked out later this year.
Dependant on the progress of the above projects we will then move to the slaughterhouse site and stabilize a portion of the bank where frequent foot traffic is causing considerable wear and bank erosion.
I look forward to another successful summer. And thanks in advance to everyone that has already informed me of their intent to help out. Tentative work days are scheduled for 6/30, 7/28, 8/25 & 9/22/01 pending permit approvals, please watch your mail for postcards with the actual workdays and meeting locations.
Larry Heimes, DJL Vice President
Editor’s comment – "To successfully accomplish the stream improvements that Larry has planned this summer requires the support of our Dame Juliana League members. Please help out by signing up. Contact Larry at 215-513-7299 or you may send him an Email at lheimes@matheson-trigas.com.. Signing-up with Larry will ensure that you know the correct times, place and dates. A brief description of each day’s plans and tools required can be found in the Dame Juliana WebPages. Lunch and drinks will be provided for all workdays. Remember that everything Larry’s Teams are doing will improve your fly fishing future on French Creek. Please help, thank you."
| Hell Bug (Chuck Hodgson) |
Hellgrammites live in clean flowing water with a rocky bed. Environmentalists can accurately gauge a stream’s health by its residents and finding hellgrammites is a good indication that the water’s chemistry is fairly good. Hellgrammites spend up to three years in their water environment capturing and devouring other aquatic insects. Their appetites and fishing success may also include an occasional small fish. Once a maturing hellgrammite leaves the water, they change into a large, short-lived, winged adult only intent upon mating.
Once you are familiar with the hellgrammite, you will probably agree that they are appropriately named as "the-bug-from-hell". However, Smallmouth Bass love these ferocious appearing bugs and their translation for the name hellgrammite may well mean "one-hell-of-a-meal." In fact, fisheries studies have found that Smallmouth Bass, which have never seen a hellgrammite in their home water, will, without hesitation, aggressively attack them as a food source. Fly fishers should keep this in mind when refreshing their warmwater fly boxes.
Smallmouth Bass are spectacular when they rise and smash surface floating spun hair bass flies, but their prime-feeding zone is deeper down in the rocks. These rocks hide and protect their favorite foods, such as, the crayfish, the scruplin, and the hellgrammite. The Delaware, Susquehanna, and Brandywine Rivers provide good natural habitants for hellgrammites. Fly fishers have designed numerous hellgrammite fly patterns for these specific waters. The patterns or recipes recognize that there are different size and color variations between the hellgrammites living in these waters. Most fly fishers will easily recognize that the majority of these fly patterns appear to serve more than one interest, as they appear to be large Stonefly nymphs, Wooly Buggers/Worms and/or Leeches.
The following hellgrammite recipe combines some of the features of these patterns and my perceived vision of a "Hell-bug" fly. This is a weighed nymph pattern and it has produced in all of the aforementioned rivers even though its size and its abdomen coloration is what I have found to be typical in the lower Brandywine River, downstream of the Smith Bridge road in Delaware. The Hell-bug nymph has also been successful in a number of smaller creeks or streams, which are tributaries of the Delaware and Susquehanna Rivers. The "Hell-bug’s" material list follows:Hook TMC 200BR; Sizes 2 to 8
Weight Lead or Lead-free wire or strips
Thread Brown or Black 6/0
Tail Brown or Black Goose Biots
Shellback Gray, Black or Brown Swiss Straw
Rib Fine/bright Copper Wire
Abdomen Mixed Antron or SLF Dubbing, Gills picked out on the sides after winding ribbing. Dubbing mixture may include Black, Olive, and Brown with small amounts of Orange and/or Pink
Legs Speckled Hen Saddle, pulled over the Thorax, segmented by rib wire. Optional – Short Knotted Peasant Saddle legs
Antennae Brown or Black Goose Biots, short, one pair
Color Pens Waterproof Pens - Brown, Rust and Black for mottled touch up on Shellback and Wingcase
Want to learn more about fly fishing for Smallmouth Bass? The following books describe the Smallmouth’s life style along with how to fly fish for
them and our Mid-Atlantic waters are mentioned:"Smallmouth Strategies on a Fly", By Will Ryan, Illustrated by Chris Armstrong, The Lyons Press, May 1996, ICBN: 1558213430
"Fly Fishing for Smallmouth Bass", By Harry Murray, The Lyons Press, August 1996, ICBN: 1558215344
| Nature has Options |
"Naw!" the old man hollered back, "They ain’t been around for years."
Now feeling safe, the tourist started swimming leisurely toward the shore. About halfway there he asked the old man, "How’d you get rid of the gators?"
"We didn’t do nothin," the beachcomber replied. "The sharks got ‘em."
Thanks for the humor contribution goes to the FFF Clubwire Email NewsWire)
| Fly Fishing Tips |
| 1. | Lip Balm will work as a fly floatant for dry flies in a pinch. Line dressing will also work. | |
| 2. | If you want your leader to sink, rub some toothpaste on it. A small tube in your vest doesn’t take up much room. To make it float, use line dressing or Lip Balm. | |
| 3. | Fluorocarbon leaders are heavier than mono leaders and they will always sink. Therefore, it’s good to use a full fluorocarbon leader when fishing a sinking fly, but use only a short length of fluorocarbon tippet or else all mono when fishing poppers and dry flies. | |
| 4. | Most insect repellents will dissolve plastics, including fly lines. | |
| 5. | Always carry a safety pin, needle or a bodkin in your fishing stuff. It’s useful for removing paint from hook eyes, tying nail knots, untying wind knots, and for removing a hook embedded in flesh or clothing. Bodkins work best, but safety pins are easier to carry safely. |
Thanks for the Tips contribution goes to the Central Florida Flyrodders of Orlando, FFF Clubwire Email NewsWire.
| New Members |
| Ty and Denise Belknap of
Norristown Mick Ferry of Cochranville Clay Grover of Elverson Bill Kochler of Malvern Byron Nickerson of Glenmoore Grant Palmer of San Francisco, CA Kurt Senn of Chester Springs Jim Vance of Spring City |
| Fish with degrees |
FACT – Fish are cold-blooded creatures whose body temperature is the same as that of the water in which they swim.
FACT – Fish have distinct temperature preferences that differ according to species.
FACT – Fish can detect temperature changes as minute as one-tenth (0.1) degree F.
FACT – Forced to abide temperatures that are too far above or below their optimums, fish become sullen, inactive, and refuse to eat. If the temperature spreads become extreme, they die!
FACTS – Rapid changes in water temperatures, up or down, mean bad fishing. Pressure (barometric) changes have the same effect. When temperatures are stable, fishing falls into predictable patterns.
Find the right water temperature your particular quarry prefers and you will usually find cooperative fish. If you don't, you won’t.
Ideal Temperatures (F) for Some Gamefish:| 78+ Catfish | 68 Perch | 76 White Bass |
| 67 Muskie | 75 Bluegill | 60 Brown Trout |
| 73 Basses | 55 Rainbow Trout | 72 Striped Bass |
| 55 Salmon | 71 Crappie | 55 Cutthroat |
| 70 Northern Pike | 54 Brook Trout |
Editor’s comment – "Since we are now approaching our warmest months, although earlier this year it has been uncommonly cool, quite a few fly fishers redirect their attention from the cold water salmonoids to the warmer water species.
Will Ploegman’s temperature preference listing shows the wide range of temperatures of the most commonly sought after gamefish. This is a good reference starting with the warmest and progressing to the coldest.
However, you can still be successful fishing for trout in a warming stream or creek, but you have to intentionally seek out the cooler waters. These cooler waters may be caused by underwater spring seeps and/or a heavily shaded deep bank undercut. Once located, fish the area very cautiously and quietly. You will find that trout will hold in or be in very close proximity to these cooler waters throughout the warm days of summer and these trout are very nervous. This nervousness is probably the result of the size (living-room) limitations of their cool environment.
Locating these pockets of cool water generally does not require you to continuously be dipping a thermometer in and out of the water. You can locate these areas, as I have quite by accident. You simply start noticing the cooling temperature change through your waders. Good fishing. Be careful out there and stay upright.