Streamside on Line

In this issue:

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

DJL KIMBERTON - After our last issue of Streamside was released, we received an email from a Bucks County fisherman, not a member of our club, who berated us on not mentioning that the PA Fish & Boat Commission (PFBC) was reviewing their proposed changes on stocking Class B trout waters, which may reduce or eliminate future stocking as a result of the current pollution problems associated with the PFBC hatchery system.  

Let it be said, that at that time, we, namely Chuck Hodgson and myself, were not aware of this proposal.  A number of Class B waters hold wild trout, but they are stocked by the PFBC to “enhance” the fishery.  

At the time the autumn issue of Streamside was published, we essentially had no information on this proposed change.  We now understand that the change provides for the management and regulation of additional streams (Class B waters) in order to increase the wild trout populations of Pennsylvania.  Once the PFBC accepts and moves forward with this proposal, we believe that they will setup Special Regulation Areas to prevent over harvesting and provide a quality-fishing experience.  It is recommended that all Dame Juliana League members support and promote this wild trout improvement proposal.  

That being said, I will continue to oppose the proposed change by the PFBC to convert Delayed Harvest Fly Fishing Only Areas (DHFFO) to Delayed Harvest Artificial Lures Only Areas (DHALO).  After I wrote to Senator Gerlach and Representative Schroder on this proposed change, they forwarded that letter on to Commissioner Colangelo.  He responded, as expected, with a letter that gave the party line, challenged my assertion that the change was being made in retaliation to fly fishers and affirmed that all comments would be considered.  

THIS IS WHERE YOU, OUR MEMBERS, MUST GET INVOLVED.   If you haven’t already done so, you should forward written comments on this proposal to Peter Colangelo, Executive Director, PA Fish & Boat Commission, P.O. 67000, Harrisburg, PA  17106-7000.  I would suggest that you check their website at www.fish.state.pa.us for the most current information on this proposal.  All comments are DUE BY March 6, 2002.  I have received a number of copies of letters from our members on this proposal and I thank you.  Form letters are not worth the time.  Keep up the good work and WRITE personal letters!!

A few last thoughts on this subject:

 Twenty-six (26) DHFFO areas with 46 miles of stream are nothing compared to the 4600 miles of water the PFBC stocked in 2001.  This small addition to DHALO waters is going to make THOUSANDS of fishermen want to fish more?  Right. . .!!!!  Why change something that works?

Why does the PFBC want to alienate the numerous TU, FFF, independent Fly Fishing Clubs, Sportsmen Clubs and more importantly, the streamside property owners, that have adopted these stream segments and have labored to improve them?  Can the PFBC assure that landowners in DHFFO areas will not post their lands when the change is made? 

MAC NEWS – As most of you know, I have accepted the President’s role for the Mid-Atlantic Council of the Federation of Fly Fishers (MAC).  As a result, I have been bending the arms of fellow League members to help out and take over certain responsibilities in our organization, which I have been doing for the past eight years.  I plan on standing for reelection as the DJL President for another two-year term in January 2002.  I will definitely need help.  

One job that I would like to turn over to someone is the Program Chairman’s job.  We have eight monthly meetings over the course of a season; two of these are fly tying meetings.  This leaves six meetings that speakers need to be scheduled for.  We usually have most of them scheduled by mid to late summer.  Not a daunting task, especially since we get a lot of good ideas from our members.  If anyone is interested, give me a call. 

By the way, MAC is planning for a Three-Day “Fly Fishing Fair” next September 2002, in Shepherdstown, West Virginia.  Lefty Kreh will be there along with numerous other speakers.  This will definitely be a “must go to” event with plenty to do for the entire family at a great “tourist” location.  More to come on this once our plans are finalized. 

It is also not too early to start talking with your friends and relatives about our Tenth Annual Learn To Fly Fish Course we will be holding on April 27, 2002 at the Phoenixville YMCA.  Last year, we had to turn people away because we didn’t have room.  Brochures are now available and registration forms are also downloadable from our website.  Early sign-up is a must.  Also, if you are interested in helping in any way, call Shel Toombs (610-933-5434) or Ed Nugent (610-970-7262). 

Lastly, I would like to thank everyone for a great turnout at our meetings this fall.  The club is growing and it is obvious from your response that you like what you are getting.  We sure hope that we can keep it up.  Have a great holiday season and a happy new year!

Tight Lines...

Editor’s Comments – The Dame Juliana League video library contains a number of selections, which include today’s fly fishing “Guru’s”.  Members can check them out, on a first-come first-serve basis, during our regular monthly meetings.  The following review has been provided by Mel Walters and it is an interesting write-up of one of the fly tying videos.

Video - “Saltwater Fly Tying with Lefty Kreh”
Dark Horse Publications, Hellertown, PA
Copyright 1990 (on tape, 1994 on case label)

To start off this review, let me simply say, “WATCH THIS VIDEO!”  Even if you’re not interested in tying flies, “WATCH THIS VIDEO!”  It’s just fun.  If you are interested or already tie, especially the saltwater flies, “WATCH THIS VIDEO!”

Now there’s not a lot of “production values” here and the only flash in this video is “Krystal Flash”.  In fact there is a definite vintage favor to the tape, even though it is copyrighted in 1990.  But there is a lot going for it, Lefty Kreh.  The content of this video mirrors my impression of Lefty – a simple man, straightforward, and full of practical advice.

Lefty doesn’t even mention saltwater flies in the first 15 minutes of the video.  Instead, he covers a lot of fly tying basics, such as hints and tips, tying techniques and materials.  And of course he covers it well.  You’ll see that Lefty never searches for his scissors because they’re already in his hand.  The large eye-loop of one-scissor handle stays on his right-hand ring finger.  The scissors rest in his palm while he does everything.

Other tying tips Lefty shows are breaking-off or “popping” the extra thread or hackle feather.  Yeah, well maybe Lefty does, but me, I’m not so sure.  He also wets groups of hackle feathers to make them easier to handle, such as four feathers curving left and four more curving right to buildup the tail of a Lefty’s Deceiver.  Another basic technique he demonstrates is the whip-finish.  But this is the manual figure-4 whip-finish using your fingers, not a whip finishing tool.  Later he demonstrates the need for the technique by using the manual whip-finish to tie in the tail of his Deceiver, clear back on the hook shank.  No whip-finish tool can do this job.

We finally get to the flies.  Right up front the first two patterns cover probably 60 to 70% of all saltwater flies produced.  These are Lefty’s Deceiver and the Clouser Deep Minnow.  Gee, Lefty’s Deceiver, wonder where that originated?  I don’t know and the narrator doesn’t tell us. 

Even though the video is labeled as “saltwater flies”, remember you don’t have to fish a Clouser Deep Minnow only in saltwater.  Bob Clouser tied the original fly for Susquehanna Smallmouth Bass.  Lefty tells us that the Seducer was once the Homer Rhodes Shrimp Fly used for Largemouth Bass and written about back in the 1880’s and 1890’s.

Just two personal items I should throw in about tying the Clouser Minnow.  Lefty demonstrates use of a red sparkle throat, which simulates the baitfish’s gill opening, in his tie of the Deceiver.  I always add this feature to the Clouser Minnow.  I believe that this benefits any large streamer or baitfish pattern.  The Krystal Flash on the side of the Minnow should always exceed the length of the body, bucktail wing or whatever.  Bob Clouser is very emphatic about this.  The flash not only simulates the baitfish’s lateral line, but I believe the baitfish sort of “fades into invisibility” at the end of its transparent tail fin.  Lefty does demonstrate the correct trimming of the Krystal Flash.  The flash used in most fly patterns should never be “blunt-cut” (all strands being equal).  It enhances the fly’s flash effect when some strands are shorter than others (all strands are stagger cut).

Any flaws in this video?  A few times Lefty misspeaks, such as saying thread instead of hook shank and it is not corrected.  But you get it from the context.  A few times Lefty’s hands hide his vise and fly, blocking the camera’s view of what is going on.  They don’t back up and re-shoot.  But you always get the idea.

I kept this video out so long last summer, I felt guilty.  Actually the original plastic cassette’s flap door was broken.  I was afraid it would jam in the VCR and I procrastinated about it for a long time.  Finally I returned it back to Bob Molzhan.  Bob cleverly reloaded the tape onto another cassette and it now works fine.  So I checked out the video again.  I’ve had this thing out so long; no one else probably even knows it’s in our library.  I thought I had better write a review of the video in order to justify the time.  But, I still hated to return it to our library. 

To sum up, “WATCH THIS VIDEO!”  But please return it on time, as I may want to check it out again.  

Editor’s Comment – I have watched and listened to Bob Clouser describe how to tie his Deep Minnow a number of times over the past years.  And Mel is right on target with his comments on Bob’s Krystal Flash tying methods for the Deep Minnow.  This fly has turned out to be one of the most productive fly patterns in use today.  I personally have experienced how well it works and the different fish that hit on it has always amazed me.  Lefty Kreh also credits the Clouser Deep Minnow with helping him catch 85 different species, while fly fishing in both fresh and saltwater.         

 FRENCH CREEK - It’s that time again when I thank all of those who came out to provide the physical support for our stream improvement program over the past summer.  I would also like to thank all of those who continue to provide the financial support; such as, raffles, etc. that helps our program.  We are getting to the point now that we have quite a bit of history and several successful projects under our belt.  This makes it much easier to approach the local landowners, which makes my job much easier.   We also have about $2,000.00 in our stream improvement fund for materials and equipment for upcoming projects.  

If you haven’t been out to the upper fly stretch  [of French Creek] lately you’ll find some new things above Sheeder Mill Road. This summer we constructed several brush deflectors above the stone dam, about 20 feet of washed out bank have been stabilized with roughly 18 tons of stone and a new log frame deflector has been installed in run below the upper wire.   I am also excited to report that the structures, which were installed in the previous two years, are working out very well.  The streambed in the project area, about 1000 feet above the upper wire, is developing an improved channel and the brush deflectors have held up extremely well and have trapped a large amount of sand and silt.

 Next year we will continue with these projects and also perform some maintenance on existing structures, I also plan on working with the GVA on constructing two fisherman access areas on the former Slaughterhouse site.  

 Stay tuned for a work weekend or two this winter, tight lines.

It is interesting to note, as the Streamside Editor, the almost complete lack of feedback I have received from our reading membership.  Yes, I have received a few “atta-boys”, but believe me I am not actively seeking  “atta-boys”.  Even though I greatly appreciate them.  What I am really looking for is constructive feedback, which may support, amplify or challenge the content of our newsletter. 

Notice, I said “our” newsletter. This is the Dame Juliana League’s newsletter and it should reflect the expectations of the members.  Please let me know what you think.  When you open up the newsletter what do you want to see regarding its content, its format, its readability, etc?  I would like to hear from you. 

You may contact me either by Email or Phone:
www.chodgson@voicenet.com or 610-359-9854. 

The Autumn Issue did manage to get the attention of one reader.  This reader, a non-member, was concerned that the newsletter paid too much attention to saving an “insignificant” stream (French Creek) from being reclassified from DHFFO to DHALO.  This writer was disturbed regarding the amount of newsletter space devoted to the DHFFO issue instead of supporting a more “significant” project.  The reader’s “significant” project is the proposed plan to add a number of Class B trout waters into the PFBC wild trout management regulations.  As Bob Molzahn mentioned in his “Notes From . . . ” this Class B wild trout proposal does have merit and once you able to learn about it you may want to support the proposal as it may promote the future growth of wild trout waters. 

Reminder, the open comment period regarding the DHFFO proposed change is closing fast.  Please send your letters in by February 2002.  The PFBC may decide to accelerate the DHFFO proposal to be included in their 2002 Spring meeting.

“Be careful out there and stay upright.”  

Cape Town sits cradled in a great bowl at the foot of the mountains, the sea hidden from the eye, but not the nose, behind Lion’s Head, where the faithful meet nightly to watch the sun go down into the waters. Or they watch from the great, flat, fynbos-covered top of Table Mountain, across the city. In either case, the watchers are always there, quiet as the last trace of the sun slips below the glassy surface of the ocean. 

There is always a hush at that moment—when the world holds its breath during the goodnight kiss of great Sol and the gentle ocean beneath him.  Cape Town is a city that stops for the setting of the sun.  

Although I spent the better part of the month I stayed in South Africa in Cape Town, I did venture out into other parts of the country, in search of more of what South Africa has to offer. And I was rewarded in abundance, because there is much she has to give. There you will find the best wine, the best food, the best service, the best people, and the best hospitality that you will ever know. You will find mountains and seas and deserts and forests, ostriches and elephants and springbok and dassies and baboons and great cats and birds of every description. You will find beautiful English roses nestled cheek-to-jowl with huge birds-of-paradise, great green lawns and harsh, rocky scrubland. You will see the indigenous tribes of southern Africa imprinted in the faces of the vendors in the markets, and the features of Portugal and India and the West Indies and Holland and Germany and Britain all melded together in the faces of the crowds on the street. You will hear the harmony of many languages all being spoken together, and know the pleasure of a waitress who will speak to you gracefully in any of them.  And deep in the Little Karoo desert, you will find the strangest thing of all.   

We visited the Little Karoo after having passed through 75 kilometers of unpaved mountain road up from Knysna, on the southern coast. The Little Karoo is ostrich country, and there are literally millions of them that live a benign life in that harsh country under a blazing African sun.  They are farmed there much the way we farm cattle here, and they graze as peacefully and contently on the meager brush as our cattle do in the lush meadows of Lancaster County. They are fated to become kebabs or filets or sausages, handbags or boots or upholstery, but give not a thought to their destiny as they live out their peaceful life in the desert. They roam the hills, and watch the occasional car passing on R62 with frank but matter-of-fact curiosity.  

The R62 is the South African equivalent of America’s Rt. 66—it is the road you take when you want to see things. There are vast emptiness of desert and ostriches, but there are other things as well.  We were on just such a stretch of middle-of-nowhere, when we spotted a small-whitewashed building in a patch of remote and forbidding dirt. You could see that there was some red writing on the walls of this building, but it wasn’t until you got much closer that you were able to make out the words in the glare of the late afternoon sun. “Ronnie’s Sex Shop” 

In a spray of gravel that took me by surprise, our driver threw on the brakes.  “This place is famous,” he said. “You must have a look.”  

Being of the gender which is usually the entertainment rather than the entertained in such a spot, I sincerely doubted that I would be fascinated by the advertised purpose of this peculiar little building, and it was with great trepidation and not much comfort that I alighted the car, parked casually but gratefully under a green tarp held up by some ancient posts, the place’s makeshift claim to covered parking.   

While crossing the gravelly stretch that leads to the door of this odd place, I passed the remnants of a small tractor, planted around with some valiantly dying flowers and humble rocks, with a sign leaning against the rear wheel.  

Ronnie is a man of indiscriminate age, with shoulder length gray hair, a grizzle of white whisker, a smattering of amused sun-lines in his face, and eyes that are surely chips of the incredibly blue desert sky. It is the face of a legend, but a legend that finds his fame a bit silly. Ronnie smiles a smile both disreputable and fatally charming, and in his soft South African accent asks, “What’ll it be, children?”  

In that moment, I found myself the victim of fascination bordering on worship.  It was like seeing the face of an angel in the local park, or Elvis at the supermarket picking up a box of Frosted Flakes. I was awestruck. I was astonished. I was half in love.  

He leaned on his elbows across the bar, twinkled his sky-chips at me and said, “I bought this farm here ten years ago with the full intention of doing absolutely nothing absolutely nowhere. And that is precisely what I’m doing.”   

He flew in the face of all I had been taught, all I had come to believe as real, all that was ingrained in my reason. He opened a place that, by its nature, was dependent on traffic, in a place where there was no traffic, and made a go of it. He lured ingenuous travelers with the unfulfilled promise of lust in the desert, and delivered nothing more than an interesting place to have a beer, and yet disappointed no one. He lives a life that the rest of us could only dream in its perfection, and laughs in the face of the logic-fettered mind that says it can’t be done. And does it all so well that he has been written up in the likes of the New York Times, fodder for the imaginations of the button down types who inhabit Wall Street and dream of going native, but can’t give up the BMW to do it.  I sat there drinking my soda with my heart pounding and feeling like my brains were on fire, thrilled to be witnessing someone who had DONE it—someone who had pulled off the joke.  I felt like I had been invited to have a friendly drink on Mount Olympus.  

And at that moment, Ronnie said, “I like your cap.”  I blinked at him. My cap? My sweat-stained, battered and much beloved green fishing cap?   

“I’ll tell ya what, Love. I’ll let you have one of mine here, for half the normal price, if you trade me yours.”   

“But this is my lucky fishing cap,” I stammered. “ This cap has been everywhere with me. This cap has witnessed almost every fish I’ve ever caught. I LOVE this cap.”  
“ Yup,” he said, grinning and not backing down an inch. 

And suddenly it occurred to me—this is what keeps the blue suits on Wall Street. The importance of THINGS. The need to hold on to THINGS. I was being the most incredible hypocrite in the world, looking into the eyes of a man I idolized for his adventure and his willingness to let life come and go as it pleased, holding onto some THING. And then I thought—how incredibly amazing, how magical it would be, to have my fishing cap stay here, in this place. A part of me in this place. Forever—or at least as close to forever as Ronnie could promise. Which could be tomorrow, or a million years from now.  It’s all the same to him.   

The cap came off my head and was replaced by his, and he gently lifted mine high above the bottles and glasses, and hung it from a nail over the bar.  Ronnie smiled in satisfaction, first at the cap, and then at me in my new one. “That one got ya fish, Love,” he advised, a thumb towards my old cap. “But THAT one,’ gesturing towards my new acquisition, “will get ya picked up.” He grinned. “If you’re interested in catching more than fish, that is.”   

And that is where my fishing cap is right now, living a full and happy life, fossilizing over the bar in a sex shop where there is no sex, in the middle of nowhere, South Africa.  If you happen to go by there, be sure to ask Ronnie to let you see it. He may well let you, if he likes the look of you, and you are willing to take on a bit of the sparkle he has in his eye and take it home with you.   

Because, you see, this cap is not the only thing of his I took away with me.  And my cap is not all I left there.  

NORTH CASCADES, WA. - Sergi and I were fly fishing a small glacier melt stream in the North Cascades of Washington State. We were having little success, but we continually tried fly pattern after fly pattern.  We just couldn’t seem to find the right combination of fly or luck. 

Later that morning we heard people coming down the trail behind us.  The newcomers were two properly attired fly fishers and we all exchanged friendly greetings.  However, it wasn’t long before Sergi and I were engaged in a question and answer session centering on what the hatch was and had we tried this or that fly.  We answered as best we could and also described what we perceived as the hatch in progress.  This conversation rapidly became devoted to the science of aquatic insects.  We both stood there in amazement as we tried to understand what kind of bugs these guys were referring to.  They described each one by its proper Latin scientific name.  This conversation was definitely one-sided, and the newcomers were becoming annoyed with us and probably were thinking that they had just discovered two fly fishers that had fallen off the turnip truck.

Without another word, they proceeded out into the stream, wading directly in front of us.  One of them started reaching down and turning rocks over or tossing them aside into knee deep water while the other one stood downstream holding a small seine net.  Well this is getting interesting, as Sergi and I are now convinced that these guys probably have scared every cutthroat, white fish and scruplin into at least the next county.  But, wait a minute; maybe we can learn something from these two “bug guys”.  They are poking and picking at the seine net contents and they are deciding on what fly will match up with what they captured.  They are now selecting flies.  They begin to tie them on and we try and catch a glimpse of what the “right fly” looks like.  However, the two are huddled together mumbling something about what maturity stages the local stoneflies were in or did I hear something about a turnip truck?  

We look at each other and silently decide that its time we move downstream.  We had some success in a pool we had tried a few weeks ago so we quietly start moving down the trail in that direction.  We probably had been at our new location for only 40 minutes when once again we could hear them coming down the trail. They stopped across the stream’s pool and asked,  “What flies are you guys using?”  Sergi, much to my surprise responded back, “I’ve been having pretty good luck using a number 20 white fly called a  ‘Stripae Sheetus”.  The taller bug guy asks,  “What, was that again?”  Sergi replies, “You know, a number 20 white Stripae Sheetus.”   Both the tall and short bug guys say, “What was that you said?”

Sergi proceeded to ignore their last question as he made a cast slightly upstream of the pool.  We all noticed that there was something white attached to the end of his leader. 

The two bug guys go into conference while keeping their eyes on Sergi’s line.  I’m also watching as his line drifts through the pool and there it is, he’s got a fish on.  The trout makes a short jump, just enough to get everyone’s attention, before Sergi has him in his landing net.  Now I’m wading over to him, as I want to see this fly or better yet maybe he has another one I can borrow.  The bug guys are beside themselves as they start yelling across the pool wanting to know all about the fly Sergi is using.  Sergi answers by holding up the cutthroat with the white fly streaming from its mouth and replies again, “It is a white Stripae Sheetus tied on a number 20 hook.”  “Oh yeah, right, well we’ve had some luck with those flies also,” One of the bug guys replies as he turns to his buddy who is shrugging his shoulders.

“Okay Sergi, let me see that fly.” I said as I moved beside him following his release of the cutthroat.  “Well, here it is.”  He hands the fly to me and as I am inspecting it my mouth must have fallen open.  “Close your mouth and keep your back to those two guys.”  I replied,  “Okay.  But this is nothing more than a strip of white cloth tied with an overhand knot onto the hook.”  “Yeah, neat eh?  I’ve been hoping the “bug guys” would follow us down here, but catching that trout was an unexpected bonus.”  “Here I also made one for you.  I invented the pattern and made-up its name when I found this old cotton rag in my vest pocket as we were walking to this pool.”  I took the fly, “Thanks.”  I quickly tied on my own white Stripae Sheetus and moved further downstream and starting casting.  We probably ought to start calling the fly the Special Sergi Stripae Sheetus since it had actually caught a fish. 

I could hear the bug guys, “Hey, look!  They’re both using that white fly now.”  That was the last thing we heard from those two, as they didn’t stay around very much longer.  Probably went directly home to look up the materials recipe for the White Stripae Sheetus pattern.  Well, I’d like to be able to say that we caught trout after trout with those “special” flies but we didn’t.  That cutthroat that Sergi caught was obviously only meant to reinforce the moment. 

I’m further convinced that the Great Fisherman upstairs definitely has a sense of humor.

Welcome to our new members:

Mark Birdsall of Phoenixville
Peggy and Paul Bonis of Douglassville
Eric and Brian Chernuta of Phoenixville
Judith Kramer of Boyertown
Bob Powers of West Reading

If can start each day without caffeine or pep pills

If you can be cheerful, ignoring aches and pains

If you can resist complaining and boring people with your troubles 

If you can eat the same food everyday and be grateful for it  

If you can understand when loved ones are too busy to give you time 

If you can overlook when people take things out on you, through no fault of yours, something goes wrong 

If you can face the world without lies and deceit If you can conquer tension without medical help 

If you can relax without liquor and if you can sleep without the aid of drugs 

"Then you are probably the family dog"

Thanks go out to the FFF Club Wire Email News Wire, November 2001 Issue, Author "unknown".