The Oregon Fly Fisher
Winter 2008 web edition
The newsletter of the Oregon Council of the Federation of Fly Fishers
Come Join the Fun at the 20th Annual Fly Tyers and Fly Fishing Expo
By Mary Ann Dozer, Jim Fisher, and Dwight Klemin
When: March 7& 8, 2008
Where: Linn County Expo Center, Albany, OR
The Expo committee announces the schedule of classes and events being offered at NW Tyer and Fly Fishing Expo 2008. Building on last year success of “Educational Extravagance”, we are expanding our educational class offering with the addition of the Santiam Building. The Expo now has 7 dedicated classrooms, a Destination Theatre, Youth Program area, 72 tying positions, vendor booths, 2 practice casting ponds, and a fly-casting tournament sponsored by Brain O’Keefe.
Many classes from last year are being offered again and new classes have been developed to help you in your fly-fishing and tying. The web site has the full description for each class and information about the fly-casting tournament.
The future of fly-fishing of tomorrow starts with our youth today. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) is partnering with the FFF to target youth education. This year’s dedicated youth area is a great step towards building a solid partnership and future for fly-fishing. ODFW Anger Education Program is extensive and with the addition of Oregon’s FFF Fly-fishing component, youth education will play a major role in Expo 2008.
Again this year, Expo 2008 showcases 72 tying stations. Award winning tyers, celebrity tyers and local talented tyers all contribute to make this year’s event a great place to be on March 7th and 8th. It is a time to sit across from great tyers, talk and soak in tons of knowledge. Make plans now to attend and register early so you won’t be left in the cold.
Visit our site at: www.nwflytyerexpo.com to learn more about the Expo and to sign up for classes.
Thanksgiving time: status Report
170 different tyers have registered to be here. (We expect 200 will be registered by end of December. There are several new faces this year, which is exciting.)
Live auction items are already being gathered:
Wasatch tools – has donated a 32 wood inlayed tying tool set in a hand carved box – we have issue 1 of 4.
Four fishing trips have been donated and have promises of more.
Four art pieces – one is from Dave Allred (sculptor), Dave has donated some great art pieces for the National Conclave in 1980’s because of health had to stop. He is now back and catch up with Sherry Steele and I in Redding. CA at the Northern California show and wanted to come to the Northwest Fly Tyer and Fly Fishing Expo and is donating a magnificent piece.
John Shewey’s spey plate is in progress-the pattern Miss Jackson.
The Salmon Fly Saturday Group for Rich Youngers shop is doing another classic salmon fly plate.
The Expo Committee and Keith Burkhart are putting together a Poster plate with the help of some invited tiers who tied at the first NW Fly Tyers expo 20 year ago.
As you can see with all the classes and a casting tournament this is adding up to be a exciting show – Hope everyone can be present.
Jim Fisher - Chair
2008 Meeting Dates
January 13th
April 13th
July 13th
October 12th
Meeting to be held at Red Lion Inn on Coburg in Eugene
Newsletter publication dates
January 10
April 10
July 10
October 10
Please submit any articles to flyfishingphil@yahoo.com no later than 45 days prior to publication date for review.
Presidents Message
Tilda Runner, Pres. ORCFFF
“A volunteer
is someone who serves in a community or for the benefit of natural environment
primarily because they choose to do so. (definition from Wikipedia.org)
We are volunteers. Our clubs and the FFF are organizations made up of volunteers. We volunteer for the benefit of the natural environment through our conservation projects. We volunteer for service in a community through our education projects.
I am impressed with all of the work that you do. There’s a Kokanee Karnival in Bend. There are salmon carcasses being tossed into countless rivers and streams throughout Oregon. School kids are learning how to tie flies around the state. Sea-run cutthroats are protected from from over-harvest on the coast. Women with breast cancer, men with cancer and veterans are taught a new lifelong skills. Barriers to fish passage have been removed from streams in Southern Oregon. All of these things have occurred because of volunteers.
The Oregon Council uses volunteers to do further the causes of the FFF at the state level. These volunteers come from the clubs and non-affiliated FFF members. We are in need of some of your volunteer hours. We have coming up in March the NW Fly Tyer and Fly Fishing Expo. The Expo depends on volunteers to make it run smoothly. This year’s chief volunteer is Jim Fisher, the Expo Chair. We still need volunteers to be tier hosts, education hosts, auction and raffle workers. Some clubs have already stepped up and volunteered: Santiam Fly Fishers are running the silent auction. The Stonefly Maidens and She Who Fly Fishes are at the registration desk. Mid-Willamette Fly Fishers will be teaching new fly tyers agaiin. Linn-Benton Fly Fishers and Central Coast Fly Fishers are helping to set up the facilities before the event. Southern Oregon Fly Fishers are answering all your questions at the FFF booth. Umpqua Valley Fly Fishers are hosting fly tyers. If your club hasn’t been listed, contact me. All clubs who participate get a table where they can show off their club and provide information about membership. The monies raised at the Expo are available to all clubs in the Council to continue the great volunteer work that you do.
There are a couple of other opportunities to volunteer. The Council has been invited to head up the Fly Fishing Interest area at the Oregon Dental Association Conference in Portland at the beginning of April. We will need volunteers to demonstrate fly tying, to answer questions about fly fishing and to teach casting. The other opportunity is at any of the Sportsmen’s Shows this Spring, especially the one in Portland in February. We are especially looking for FFF members who can give information about the FFF and fly fishing.
I appreciate all of the volunteers who make the clubs and the FFF work. I know that you will continue to do the great volunteer work that you are doing. I have just one more thing to ask. Let the Council and the national office know what you are doing. Toot your own horns, you deserve it!
Good Man Gone
Fishing
Many of you knew Al Brunell through Federation of Fly Fishermen events. The day
before Thanksgiving, he crossed the divide to
fish the other side. In truth, many others can claim a stronger bond to Al. I
don't claim him as a best friend or a good fishing buddy or even a close
associate. He wasn't even a member of my home club, Mid Willamette Fly Fishers.
He was just a good man whom I am honored to have known.
Al Brunell was affiliated with a fly fishing club in southern Oregon. He was a
state trooper down around Medford for several
decades before retiring to the Corvallis area. So, it's only natural that his
associations continued with that club.
I met Al in the mid 90's, when I attended my first FFF Fly tying Expo in Eugene. He was a tyer at the show and I subsequently learned that he tied for profit and
had a large clientele who would accept no substitutes. I was instantly
comfortable with Al. He was that kind of fellow. I don't recall what we talked
about at that first meeting. I only know that as I encountered Al at each
subsequent Expo, he seemed like an old friend.
A few years ago, I became aware that some of the folks I fished with were
gathering after work at Al's place to tie flies and discuss flyfishing-related
topics on a weekly basis. I managed to wheedle an invite to join the enterprise
and showed up full of excitement at the next gathering. It was just fly tying--
but in a magical place.
Al was a collector of Fly Fishing Art with sophisticated taste. His entire shop
(a garage, converted into a fly tying chapel) was appointed with stunningly
beautiful works of art. There were so many that more than half were carefully
stacked in corners or set aside waiting to be put on display when space became
available. I think I tied one fly that first visit. I was in awe. And, that awe
never faded in the subsequent years of fly tying sessions.
It is impossible to put into words the experience of tying in Al's shop. The
beauty of the art surrounding us-- the shelves full of totes packed with fly
tying materials; so vast it seemed to rival Bob Borden's warehouse-- the
anecdotes, tips, jokes, and banter-- and, not to be forgotten, the cookies
provided by Al's wife, Letha. These things all roll up into warm memories
relived while hunched over the vise on icy winter nights. Al, you will be
missed by all who knew you. But, you left us richer for the knowing. And for
that, we salute you.
When I think of Al, I remember the beauty with which he surrounded himself. He
was a true connoisseur of art. But more than that, he was a patron of the arts.
Al collected most of his works at the auctions that are ever-present at FFF
events. He supported the FFF. He supported the artists who created the beauty.
And, he supported the Personalities of the Fly Fishing World who tied the
flies, built the rods, and told the stories that were incorporated into the art
he collected. He recognized valuable contributions to our sport and he did his
part to see that they were appreciated and preserved. He set an example for the
rest of us.
Al left a lasting legacy of participation, appreciation, and preservation of
our avocation and the many facets of this sport. He set the path before us. We
would cheapen our experience of the piscatorial pursuit if we didn't follow it.
It would be wonderful if an endowment or even a recognition could be set up in
Al's name to acknowledge those individuals who significantly further the
appreciation of Fly Fishing Art-- either through their contributions of art or
through their advocating for it. How about it, FFF?
-- Charley Renn
W.I.I.F.M.
Newsletter changes
At the October ORCFFF Board meeting, it was decided that the monies spent on the newsletter could be better used elsewhere like education and conservation. With that discussion the decision was made to reduce the number of copies mailed out to just the Oregon FFF members with 10 copies to each of the member clubs. This will have a definite savings on newsletter expenses and leave more money available for use elsewhere.
With that reduction in printing, the newsletter will be posted on the website, with a little luck, before the hard copy hits the mailboxes. Since that is part of the Board plan, it was decided that we offer the option of receiving a newsletter notification via email. If you would rather receive the email version, and reduce the use of paper and cost even further, just send an email to flyfishingphil@yahoo.com and he’ll put you on the email list. (Available to anyone on the ORCFFF member club lists.)
Another option is to join the FFF and receive both the National and the Oregon Council newsletters. To join online go to: http://www.fedflyfishers.org/Default.aspx?tabid=4498 , or let our membership VP, Mary Ann Dozer, know you want the forms. (NOTE: $15 membership, with affiliate clubs, special continues until April 15th. $10 for 100% membership clubs until June 30th.)
What am I worth?
In the President’s message, there are some good points about what volunteers accomplish, but what is your time worth? I did some checking around and here is something for you to think about when considering doing a job as a volunteer.
I found out that your time does have a value on it regarding what it would cost to have the same work done by a paid employee. The website, http://www.independentsector.org lists the “value” of volunteers, primarily for charitable organizations, both by “national average” and state-by-state. The “value”, in Oregon, is $16.14/hour for 2006.
.
With that in mind I ask that each club send me a report on the number of hours put in by club members on conservation projects for 2007. It would be nice to see what the value of all of the time spent is worth to Oregon. I’ll post the report in the newsletter when I have it figured out.
If you are interested in fishing or hunting, want to help improve either, or wondering how you can help out, contact your local ODFW office and talk to one of the fish or wildlife biologists. Let them know you are interested in helping out and see what you can do.
Your time is valuable, both to you and to the agency that you assist.
Phil Hager, Editor
Hooked on Fishing for Kids
By Mary Ann Dozer
Dwight demonstrates the roll cast. The kids get a chance to learn the clinch knot with Dwight and Lou.
Mike observes as the girls go wild tying wooly buggers.
It seems in Oregon you’re never too young or too old to pick up a fishing rod and head out to the nearest lake, river or stream. With the help of numerous volunteers, a grant from the Oregon Council of the Federation of Fly Fishers, and educational material from the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife, the kids at the Boys & Girls Club of Corvallis had a chance to learn how to fish and go fishing!
Hooked on Fishing is a new program at the Boys & Girls Club of Corvallis that enables young people to learn all aspects of fishing. Classes were held in August and October. Topics covered included learning abut where fish live, what they eat, and how to tie knots. The kids had an opportunity to learn how to cast and tie flies to prepare them for the culminating fly fishing field trip. Over 30 kids and 10 parents joined in for a day of fishing at Leaburg Lake and Walter Wirth Lake.
It was a joy watching the faces light up, young and old, with every new skill learned. The volunteers got a chance to share their passion with the kids. And most importantly the kids had the opportunity to enjoy nature and the relaxation of outdoor pursuits.
The long term vision at the Boys & Girls Club of Corvallis is to offer a variety of outdoor programs for school age youth across Corvallis. Providing a variety of outdoor activities such as fishing creates an opportunity to get kids participating in a life long hobby that they will share with their families.
If you would like to conduct a similar event at your local Boys & Girls Club, or volunteer at the Boys & Girls Club of Corvallis please contact Mary Ann Dozer at mdozer@bgcccorvallis.org.
Thank you to the Oregon Council of the Federation of Fly Fishers for the Grant. Special thanks to Chris Willard & Darlene Sprecher of ODFW and Dwight Klemin VP Education Oregon FFF for their leadership in making the program a success.
Most importantly thank you to the volunteers: Mike Crickmer, Dave Dozer, Marilyn Girdler, Karen Hans, Roger Koeinging, Ryon McHuron, Charlie Renn, Richard Thomas, and Lou Verdugo. Without your time and passion this program would not have been possible.
Special Alert
I recently received notice that Eurasian Milfoil has been identified in East Lake, Central Oregon.
If you are fishing East Lake make sure that all plant debris is removed from any flotation before leaving the lake area so it is not transported to other waters.
For more information you can go to:
www.ecy.wa.gov/PROGRAMS/WQ/plants/weeds/milfoil.html
At the bottom of the info page you can click on a choice for more technical info.