Club Meeting Tonight!

Regular meeting at Chico's tonight.  Sounds like some steelhead fly tying and a raffle will be happening.  Hope to see everyone there.

Steelhead Fly Tying Next Meeting

Tying Steelhead flies at the next meeting.  Should be a good steelhead season this year.  More fish over Wells dam already than there were well into the season last year.

WDFW News added to our site

There is a new feature on the right hand side of the club's site that has all WDFW news releases.  Whenever there is a rule change or update, it'll appear instantly on our site.  Any suggestions for more functionality are appreciated.

Time to get some stringers out!

WDFW FISHING RULE CHANGE
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
600 Capitol Way North, Olympia, WA 98501-1091
http://wdfw.wa.gov
August 29, 2008
Rule changes for eastern Washington stream
and lakes scheduled for rehabilitation
Action: Remove daily bag and size limits, gear and motor restrictions, and change season for game fish on lakes and streams scheduled for rehabilitation.
Effective dates: August 29, 2008
Species affected: All game species.
Locations include:
• Ferry County: Ellen Lake
• Grant County: Aztec Lake, Beda Lake, Brookies Lake, Desert Lake, North Desert Lake, Desert Wildlife Area Ponds, Dune Lake, Harris Lake, Lizard Lake, Meadowlark Lake, Sedge Lake, Tern Lake.
• Okanogan County: Big Buck Lake, Starzman Lakes
• Pend Oreille County: Cee Cee Ah Creek, Frater Lake
• Stevens County: Hatch Lake, Little Hatch Lake, Williams Lake
• Cee Cee Ah Creek (Pend Oreille County) upstream from Cee Cee Ah Creek Falls: Effective immediately through September 7, 2008, open to fishing. No daily limit for game fish. No daily size limit for game fish. Closed to fishing September 8, 2008 until further notice.
• Beda Lake and Brookies Lake (Grant County): Effective immediately through September 14, 2008, open to fishing. No daily limit for game fish. No daily size limit for game fish. Statewide gear rules apply. Fishing from a floating device equipped with a motor allowed. Closed to fishing September 15, 2008 until further notice.
• Aztec Lake, Desert Lake, North Desert Lake, Desert Wildlife Area Ponds, Dune Lake, Harris Lake, Lizard Lake, Meadowlark Lake, Sedge Lake, Tern Lake (Grant County): Effective immediately through September 14, 2008, open to fishing. No daily limit for game fish. No daily size limit for game fish. Closed to fishing September 15, 2008 until further notice.
• Ellen Lake (Ferry County), Frater Lake (Pend Oreille County), Hatch Lake, Little Hatch Lake and Williams Lake (Stevens County): Effective immediately through October 5, 2008, open to fishing. No daily limit for game fish. No daily size limit for game fish. Closed to fishing October 6, 2008 until further notice.
• Big Buck (Shaw) Lake and Starzman Lakes (Okanogan County): Effective immediately through October 12, 2008, open to fishing. No daily limit for game fish. No daily size limit for game fish. Closed to fishing October 13, 2008 until further notice.
Reason: These lakes are scheduled for rehabilitation utilizing rotenone.
Information contact: John Whalen, Regional Fish Manager, Spokane (509-892-7861); Chris Donley, Fish & Wildlife Biologist (509-892-1001 ext 307); Jeff Korth, Regional Fish Manager, Ephrata (509-754-4624), Bob Jateff, Fish & Wildlife Biologist (509-997-0316),
Fishers must have a current Washington fishing license, appropriate to the fishery. Check the WDFW "Fishing in Washington" rules pamphlet for details on fishing seasons and regulations. Fishing rules are subject to change. Check the WDFW Fishing hotline for the latest rule information at (360) 902-2500, press 2 for recreational rules. For the Shellfish Rule Change hotline call (360)796-3215 or toll free 1-866-880-5431.

New issue of FFLM out

Hey everyone. We got a new issue of the magazine out (

http://issues.flyfishinglifemag.com/showmag.php?mid=hftsg) I'd love to hear any feedback you have.

Thanks,

Matt

Foam Bugs with Pat's Atomic

Looks like some fly tying fun tomorrow with Pat Devney (sorry if I spelled your name wrong). His hoppers and beetles are sick! Hope to see you all there.

Carp Presentation Tonight

Join us at 6:30 for a presentation on Carp fishing with Darc Knobel. If you have any interest in fishing "Golden Bones" this is the meeting you don't want to miss.

I NEED DEER HAIR

After getting two trout to rise to rattlesnake imitations yesterday, I need a lot of deer hair for the invention I'll be creating tonight at the meeting. If anyone has some light colored deer hair, I'd be happy to purchase it from them. I have some video of some crazy takes on a pattern that was developed by a new friend last week.

Meeting on Tuesday

Just reminding everyone that there's a regular club meeting at Chico's this Tuesday at 6PM. Hope to see you all there.

I Need Help!

Just in case any of you know someone who wants to earn some money. I need a new Nanny for my son. Our old Nanny is moving to Hawaii and I'm not sure who else to ask. So, this would be a 4 day a week job with 5 hour days (hours are flexible). Please have anyone you know call Matt or Natalie at 509-855-4906.

Fly Tying Meeting Tomorrow

Hope to see you all there. Cool fishing stories will be told!

Great day of fishing

If you like fast action on bluegill and bass this is the place for you. I caught fish until my arm was tired of casting. If you would like more info your welcome to call me 760 0128.

Club Meeting Tomorrow - Fishing beforehand anyone?

Just reminding everyone that there's a club meeting tomorrow (Tuesday) at 6. I had an interesting experience on the lower ford today, anyone want to fish with me tomorrow morning?

Matt

FFF Conclave in Ellensburg this Saturday

Just reminding everyone about the conclave this saturday. I'm planning on being there for the whole event. Let me know if you'd like to carpool. Casting competition anyone?

Matt

Beda Lake

You may want to give this lake a try, apparently the game department has finally planted it with Rainbows and Tiger trout. Fly of choice, Chironomids.

New issue of Fly Fishing Life Out

Just in case some of you haven't signed up for the mag, here's a link to our latest issue. I hope you like it!

http://issues.flyfishinglifemag.com/showmag.php?mid=dfrdr

If you'd like to subscribe, it's free and the form is at: http://www.flyfishinglifemag.com

Yakima River One Fly Contest

Forgot to mention at the last meeting that I am planning on entering the Yakima River One Fly Competition. This will be held on Saturday April 12th. Cost to enter is $100 for a team of 3 and the money goes to the Yakima River Tributary Projects. Winning boat gets a cash prize and there is a bbq after the competition. I need to know if anyone is interested in this asap, I think I'm already late getting the registration back to the organizers of the event.

Matt

Cleanup Highlights

Thanks to all for helping with the cleanup. I had a great time, and we did something good. Here's video and photos of the day.

Weird Day Fishing

After pounding away at the computer trying to get an overdue issue of my magazine out, I had to get out of the house. A fresh blanket of snow about 2 inces deep greeted me this morning, good for my son to build a snowman before it melted. One quick stop at our new flyshop to get some flies and I was on my way to a local lake.This lake is a little bit of a hike to get to, and I figured I'd probably be alone.

Fresh car tracks in the snow dampered my hopes a little, but when I got to the end of the road there was nobody parked there. Off I go hiking to the lake. Upon arrival, I was again disappointed. This time by the water clarity. Seems the lake was turning over.

This is when a strange turn of events starts.At the first place I stop, on a rock ledge above the lake, I notice some movement on the ground. I couldn't believe my eyes... A Canadian Bunny Leech! I had heard of such a find, but never expected to see one at --------d Lake!

This fly was in pristine condition as you can see from the picture, and being that the lake was a pea soup color I thought my olive bugger would not stand out enough. So I am ashamed to admit that I tied on the monstrosity of a leech to see what would happen.

I walked the rock ledges of the shoreline keeping an eye out for cruising fish. Yeah right. The visibility was a little better than a foot. So I fished and walked and took pictures of a flower and headed back towards the trail to go home. On my last cast in the lake, a mink came out and gave me a dirty look as it swam by. He must have figured that I was one of the Canadians that had been there before.

Another small lake borders the trail out. I've only seen carp in this lake, and being that I still wanted to catch a fish (carp or not), I looked for signs of movement in the water. Sure enough I spot a carp and toss the Canadian Leech at it. This carp was smart, he swam up and looked at the fly, but didn't eat. I moved a little ways down the lake and blind cast to the other shore. Fish On! It fealt heavy, but didn't fight that well. When it got closer, I was stunned to see a sizeable Largemouth Bass. This was odd.The water Temperature was 42 degrees. A little cold for bass to be aggressive, but being that bass are from the south, this bass must have seen the Canadian Leech and took it upon himself to rid his lake of the filth. What a good fish. I took some pictures and sent him on his way.

The day ended up being quite an experience, even though the trout didn't cooperate.

Spawning Lahontans at Lake Lenore

Here are some pics and a video I got at Lenore on Tuesday when WDFW was spawning the Lahontans. Notice the two albinos mixed in with the others... pretty neat.




Now for the pics. The injection the trout are getting is an anesthetic to keep them calm. They revive after their eggs are harvested and swim back out to the lake.

Rocky Ford Cleanup

The cleanup will happen April 5th starting at 9am. Please spread the word to get a big turnout. We'll be in the middle parking lot and work our way up and down the creek.

Seep Lakes Fishing

I hiked in to Quail lake last friday with my float tube for a few hours. Had a good time, the fish are fat, feisty and hungry apparently. It was a pleasant surprise, as I'm not much of a trout fisherman and I never really expect to catch anything when I go, particularly in lakes.

Weather permitting, I'm thinking of either going back there on friday, or maybe checking out some other hike-in lakes in the area that Jeff Korth had briefly mentioned at his presentation last month.

If anybody would like to go along, let me know. I'm always down for some company on the water.

Commission approves state plan to rebuild wild steelhead stocks

OLYMPIA - A new steelhead management plan designed to protect and rebuild wild stocks throughout the state won approval by the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission at a public meeting here March 8.

Drawing on decades of research, the plan developed by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) sets out a variety of new conservation policies to guide fisheries management, hatchery operations and habitat-restoration programs statewide.

Those policies provide a framework for regional management plans that will detail measures needed to protect and restore wild steelhead stocks in specific watersheds around the state. Key provisions of the statewide plan include:

• A clear statement that protection and restoration of wild steelhead stocks is the state's highest priority in all aspects of steelhead management.
• Specific limits on genetic mixing between hatchery steelhead and wild fish in different types of hatchery operations. It also calls for the establishment of in-stream "gene banks" where wild stocks are protected from interaction with hatchery fish.
• A new focus on protecting wild steelhead through habitat-restoration programs and state fish-passage laws.
• A directive that WDFW establish performance goals for each wild steelhead stock and benchmarks for achieving them.

Developed over the past two years with extensive public review, the new steelhead-management plan won unanimous approval from the nine-member commission that sets policy for WDFW.

"This is an important step in a long-term effort to protect and restore wild steelhead stocks in our state," said Jerry Gutzwiler, commission chair. "We still have strong returns of wild steelhead in some areas of the state, but we can't afford to be complacent. We have a responsibility to make sure wild steelhead have a future throughout the state."

As a step toward developing the statewide plan, WDFW conducted a scientific assessment that found more than 90 percent of the wild steelhead runs on the Olympic Peninsula and 60 percent in southwest Washington to be "healthy." But since 1992, steelhead populations returning to the Columbia and Snake rivers - and, as of last year, Puget Sound - have been listed for protection under the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA).

In listing those stocks, NOAA Fisheries cited loss of freshwater habitat from land-development practices as the principle threat to wild steelhead. The new statewide management plan directs WDFW to sharpen its focus on steelhead conservation through habitat-restoration programs and enforcement of state fish-passage laws.

The statewide plan also sets new standards for fisheries management, although many of the strategies it recommends are already in evidence on the fishing grounds. Since the mid-1990s, for example, the selective fishing rules, requiring the release of wild, unmarked steelhead, have played a major role in protecting wild stocks and genetic traits critical to their survival.

For that reason, NOAA Fisheries did not find fisheries to present a significant risk to wild steelhead in last year's ESA listing of Puget Sound stocks.

The statewide plan does, however, establish several new standards for hatchery programs, including specific limits on levels of genetic mixing between hatchery steelhead and wild fish. Meeting those standards may require reducing or altering hatchery production, which could affect the availability of hatchery fish for anglers, said WDFW Director Jeff Koenings.

"The new steelhead plan recognizes the value of state fisheries, but reinforces the idea that conservation of wild stocks has to be our first priority," Koenings said. "That same theme will be reflected in the regional management plans, which will essentially establish steelhead action plans for seven areas of the state."

Those regional plans are scheduled for completion in 2010-2011, Koenings said. As with the statewide plan, the public will have an opportunity to participate in the development of those regional plans.

"We really support all the public comments we received in developing the statewide plan, and encourage public involvement as the focus moves to the regional plans," Koenings said.

Information on the statewide steelhead plan is available on WDFW's website at http://wdfw.wa.gov/fish/steelhead/index.htm

In other action, the commission approved acquisition of two properties in Eastern Washington for wildlife conservation and received staff briefings on several proposed hunting rules. The commission is scheduled to take action on those proposals April 11-12 in Pasco. For more information on future meetings, see the commission's website at http://wdfw.wa.gov/com/comintro.htm

Silver Sided Slabs

Fishing at Rufus Woods last Wednesday was a blast!!! Jim and I fishing with Matt out of his drift boat for some very large and hard hitting fish. Something about fishing out of a drift boat that makes it so enjoyable. It was a fantastic day, thanks again for the trip Matt...Virg

Help posting to our blog

Hey everyone, I'll be available to walk you all through the process of posting to the website during the day and from 7 to 8 pm on weekdays. Just give me a call (509)855-4906 and I'll get you set up.

Matt

Meeting tonight

Just a reminder that we'll be meeting at Chico's at 6 pm. Topics are donating to the stocking of Chopaka and a Rocky Ford Clean up day. Looking forward to seeing you all there!

Rocky Ford Clean Up Day

Rich was kind enough to get us a dumpster that his company will donate for a clean up on Rocky Ford. We should try to make this happen. I was hoping that we could get a date set at the next meeting so we can advertise this properly and get some community support. Any ideas on how to organize this event are appreciated.

Chopaka Lake Needs Some Bigger Fish

We would like to take a poll on whether or not to donate money for this effort. All members who receive the group email, please reply to this email with a yes or no. Cost to the club would be $150.00.

Most of you know that Chopaka Lake in Okanogan County was rehabilitated last fall. It is slated to be replanted this spring about mid-April with fingerlings, 9 to10”catchables, and a few 14” fish. Bob Jateff, Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife fisheries biologist for Chopaka would like to spice up the fishing with some bigger fish, but he doesn’t have the money in his budget. He would like to plant 1000 1.5 pound fish (diploids) in addition to Washington State hatchery fish. These fish would come from Trout Lodge Hatchery and cost $3500 planted in the lake.

The Washington State Council of the Federation of Fly Fishers (WSCFFF) is putting $500 seed money into the project. If 20 fly fishing clubs each donated $150 we’d have the $3500 needed. A number of clubs have already committed to this project. All money contributed to this project will be spent on fish for Chopaka. The fish purchased will be planted at the direction of Bob Jateff.

Meeting reminder - Wednesday Feb 20th

Just a reminder that the meeting is on Wednesday the 20th of February at 6 PM. We'll have an auction at this meeting that will benefit the club. Please bring an item to donate. Please invite your friends and family, this is THE meeting to attend before the lakes open...

Meeting tonight!

Sounds like we should see some new faces and some that just haven't been around for a while. Should be a fun time no matter what. I'll leave you with a picture of my new friend....

$99 Redington RS3 Spey Rods!

Just got back from Cabela's in Spokane. They have plenty of these spey rods in 7 and 9 weights. Only saw one 8 weight. I can have my parents pick some up if any of you guys would like one. This is actually less money than Cabela's paid for them in the first place... they retail for $350 normally. Just lemme know.

Matt

Are these pictures ethical?

Hey there, Just got blasted a little bit about some pictures I have on my website and would like your opinions on them. The guy thought that having a fish that far out of the water wasn't sending the right conservation message. Then there's the trout on the grill - gasp!

Need help choosing the right picture

Hi Guys,

I'm going to use one of these pictures in an article I'm writing on proper rod care. Please let me know which is your favorite.

Matt

Pictures from Rocky Ford and Rufus Woods

Here are a few pics of Virgil on a trip to the Ford.











I went to Rufus Woods later on... Here's what it looked like after I caught my limit.

Dry Side Newsletter

THE COULEE CONNECTION

Spring is rapidly approaching, just a few weeks until the March 1 opener for most of the Columbia Basin lakes. Lenore should be good considering how last year’s fall season ended.

Fly fishing this time of year for our area is pretty much limited to Rocky Ford, which is a good bet year round. However another opportunity is Rufus Woods, between Grand Coulee and Bridgeport.

Tens of thousands of healthy triploids were either released or escaped from the net pens and have spread throughout the reservoir. These 2-4 lb. fish, with some much larger, are easy to catch on both jigs and flies. Most people I know that have tried them practiced catch & release until they were ready to leave and then keep their limit of 2, great smoked or barbecued. The bait guys were doing great until WDFW agents went undercover, one weekend they issued 116 citations. With bait the regs. require you to keep any fish caught, not practice c&r. Best by boat but also shore fishing and ‘toons, especially around Bridgeport. Check out Rufus on www.washingtonlakes.com

Best kept secret in the Basin is that we do have a fly fishing club in Moses Lake, been active for over 20 years with regular meetings at Chico’s Pizza. Make plans to attend, fly tying, rod building and fly fishing info flows freely. Join us every first and third Tuesday of the month.

Tightlines;

Coulee FlyFisher <*(( ))><

CALENDAR FOR FEBRUARY

Feb. 5^th Regular meeting 6:00PM at Chico’s Pizza in Moses Lake: 530 W Valley Rd, Moses Lake, WA 98837, (509) 765-4589

Feb. 20^th (Wednesday) Jeff Korth Speaking at 6:00PM at Chico’s: 530 W Valley Rd, Moses Lake, WA 98837, (509) 765-4589

The New Dry Side Blog

Here's the new Dry Side Fly Fishing Club Blog. I'm testing this out as an easier way for us all to communicate. Feel Free to post as much as you want and let's give this a go!

Tight Lines,

Matt