Volume #11 April 2014 Issue #2 ...to introduce and educate the sporting public to the sport of fly fishing QUICK LINKS President's Letter DCFF Website Membership Info Upcoming Events Trips Wes Krupiczewicz DCFF Educational Outreach UPCOMING MEETINGS Ever read the club's bylaws? Doesn't say much about fishing. We are organized exclusively for educational and conservation purposes as related to fly fishing. April 16th @ 6:30pm Regular Club Meeting Bass Pro Shops - Clarksville Jerry McDaniel - Cumberland April 19th Floyd's Fork Cleanup Parklands of Floyd's Fork Additional Info April 21st Project Healing Waters VA Hospital - Louisville April 22nd Project Healing Waters Fort Knox, KY By far our biggest outreach related to fly fishing is education. So far this year, our monthly fly tying instruction has attracted an average of 37 participants per month at our Cabela's and Bass Pro sessions. We were able to help 14 boy scouts achieve a fly fishing merit badge through casting and fly tying instruction. Our Otter Creek beginners outing had a combined total of 36 instructors and students. We've also conducted a short "introduction to fly fishing" class at the Parklands. Our monthly meetings are designed to be both educational and entertaining. We're reaching out to our veterans and active military sponsoring a "Healing Waters" group. Even "eat and talk shop" has a educational element with knot tying and leader making in the last couple of months. If you're looking for fly fishing instruction, we're your one stop shop in the Louisville and Southern Indiana area! So where are we going over the balance of the year? Based on our member survey, we plan to offer an intensive "beginner fly tying" course. Details and a syllabus are being developed now and we hope to roll out the program soon. We also hope to offer a rod building class again this year; timing should be this fall. Two more Otter Creek beginners outings at planned for May and then in October. We'll also continue to offer casting instruction at our outdoor meetings starting in May. To keep all theses educational events going, we need volunteers to help. If you've got a good fly pattern or two and would like to share, consider leading a monthly tying meeting (you are reimbursed for your expenses). Come out and help with casting instruction - we can give you some trainer training and you will learn more about casting as you're helping others. Healing Waters can always use some more help! Give me a call or look me up at a meeting and I'll line you up with the right contacts. Regards, April 23rd @ 6:30 Fly Tying - KY Cabela's - Louisville Crappie Candy and Pinkabou April 24th @ 6:30 Fly Tying - IN Bass Pro - Clarksville Crappie Candy and Pinkabou May 5th Project Healing Waters VA Hospital - Louisville WES Parklands Beginners' Class John Froehlich Parklands Beginners' Class May 7th @ 6:30pm Board Meeting Cardinal Cafe May 13th Project Healing Waters Fort Knox, KY May 14th @ 6:30pm Eat and Talk Shop Golden Corral - Clarksville Additional Info May 19th Talk about wet and nasty! The weather could not have been much worse for the Beginners Fly Fishing Class held March 29 at the Parkland of Floyds Fork, but six participants braved the elements to participate. Twelve to 15 had been anticipated but considering the weather, we were pleased with the turnout. With the help of about six other members, Dave Sabol and I covered the basics of equipment, safety, knots, flies and other aspects in a "hands on" approach. This two-hour classroom session was followed by casting demonstration and instruction of about 1 hour in 15 to 20 mph winds and rain! In spite of the weather, most of the participants stayed for the casting. All in all, I believe this is a project well worth repeating considering the Parklands will promote it in their monthly newsletter. Thanks again Bob, Tom, Mike, John H, Wes, Roy, Walt, George and our Parklands contact, Ali Greenwell for their help. Project Healing Waters VA Hospital - Louisville May 21 @ 6:30pm Outdoor Club Meeting Otter Creek May 27th Project Healing Waters Fort Knox, KY May 28th@ 6:30 Fly Tying - KY Cabela's - Louisville Clouser Crayfish & Murray Helgramite May 29th @ 6:30 Fly Tying - IN Bass Pro - Clarksville Clouser Crayfish & Murray Helgramite UPCOMING TRIPS April 10th Waynesville, NC Trip Additional Info May 16th Lake Barkley Bluegill Camping Trip Additional Info May 17th Blue River Outing Additional Info May 24th Otter Creek Beginner Outing Additional Info DCFF BOARD MEMBERS Wes Krupiczewicz President Dave Sabol Vice President George Tipker Treasurer Doug Stull Secretary Larry Drake Conservation Director Dustin Tabert Education Director Scott DeWees Marketing Director Mike Scheid Membership Director Jack Miller Program Director Jack McGuire Raffle Director Vacant Trips Director Kenneth Kloeppel Webmaster Casey Weber Newsletter Director OTHER LINKS KYDFW Stewardship Award George Tipker DCFF Awarded for Volunteerism th On March 6 , 2014, Derby City Fly Fishers (DCFF) was honored and presented with a distinguished Wildlife Steward Award by the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. Fellow club members George Tipker, Jack McGuire and John Froehlich accompanied Charlie Logsdon, KDFWR and Manager of the Otter Creek Recreation Area, to an awards dinner banquet in Frankfurt Kentucky, to accept this award. This recognition and award was received in part, due to the numerous volunteer activities and support that DCFF has provided to the Otter Creek Recreation Area in Brandenburg, Kentucky. Some of those acts include, but are not limited to: numerous volunteer outings introducing the public to the sport of fly fishing; multiple outings introducing and fly fishing with various groups of under-privileged children; similar outings with school groups and boy scout troops; aiding in the installation of a trout stocking tube; stream clean up activities; contributing and aiding in the stocking of trophy sized rainbow trout in Otter Creek; and advertising and bringing public attention to Otter Creek by way of club meetings and outings, including the One Fly For Cancer Fly Fishing Tournament. The award reads: "The Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Resource Commission recognizes Derby City Fly Fishers as a WILDLIFE STEWARD pledged to the mission of responsible stewardship of Kentucky's natural diversity, its fish and wildlife resources and their habitats. We commend you for developing partnerships with people to benefit wildlife, and for using your knowledge and skills to help manage Kentucky's resources to meet the needs and hopes of present and future generations." L to R: Charlie Logsdon, John Froelich, George Tipker, Jack McGuire April Fly Tying Recipes Brian Kaluzny April Fly Tying This month, Brian Kaluzny will be showing participants how to tie the Crappie Candy and the Pinkaboo. Join us at either Cabela's on April 23rd or Bass Pro Shops on April 24th. Both sessions start at 6:30. If you are new to tying, don't be intimidated: there are always helpful tyers who are more than willing to offer their assistance. Crappie Candy Hook: Streamer hook size 8-12 Thread: Fluorescent green 6/0 Tail: White marabou Body: Fluorescent green wool and chartreuse crystal flash Wing: White bucktail Eyes: Silver bead chain Pinkaboo Hook: Jig hook (1/80) Thread: 6/0 with color to match body Tail & Body: Fluorescent Pink Ultra Chenille Standard Size Boy Scout Outing George Tipker st DCFF helps Boy Scout Troop get 1 Merit Badge On the weekend of Saturday, March 15, 2014 a group of dedicated Derby City Fly Fishers introduced and instructed the sport of fly fishing to a group of eager and enthusiastic boy scouts at Otter Creek, Brandenburg, KY. Fellow members, Gerry McDaniel, Roy Been, David Campbell, John Hearin, Mark Vincent and George Tipker conducted an outdoor introduction fly fishing class to Boy Scout Troop 181 from Meade County Kentucky. The weather was gorgeous, the boy scouts and their involved parents were great and it was fun and productive day for all that participated. As a follow up to this initial outing, the boy scouts then asked DCFF if we would be kind enough to introduce fly tying to them as well. So, approximately 2 weeks later on a Tuesday evening, another contingent of Derby City Fly Fishers (Brian Kaluzny, David Campbell, Tom Urekew, Wes Krupiczewicz, Roy Been and George Tipker) traveled to the Brandenburg, KY library and conducted such a class. There were 22 participants (boy scouts and parents) that learned the basics of fly tying and each went home with a general understanding of the "Why's and How's" of Fly Tying along with 2 personally tied flies each. Boy Scout Troop 181 was a pleasure to work with as both the scouts and their parents were attentive, involved, interested, eager and polite, and it made for a very rewarding experience for all of us to be able to help this fine group of young men get their first (of many we hope) merit badges. Bonefish Trip Mike Scheid Bone fishing in Andros, Bahamas If you don't have the right attitude about your first bone fishing trip then John Feinstein's golf book, A Good Walk Spoiled, may come to mind. But, if you remind yourself that you are in a beautiful warm sunny place, doing what you love and not back home in the snow, catching a bone fish on the fly is just a bonus. My friend John and I try to plan a February fishing trip each year and our main criteria is it has to be warm. John and I are fairly new to fly fishing and most of our fishing has been in fresh water. So, when a mutual friend recommended Bone fishing on the fly we knew we would be in for a challenge. Nevertheless, we decided to give it a go and booked a trip with Two Boys Inn on Andros Island in the Bahamas. Two boys is a combination Inn and guide service, nothing too fancy. Frankie Neymour is the lead guide and his wife, Melinda, runs the inn. The accommodations are modest but clean. The outstanding food was home cooked and our meals were shared family style with other anglers staying at the inn (max 10). Andros is the largest of the Bahamian Isles, but it's also very rural and sparsely inhabited. Chances are that if someone goes to Andros, they are going to fish. With Frankie as our guide, we set out after breakfast for our first shot at a bone fish. There are typically 2 anglers to each flats' boat. Your guide drives and then poles from a platform when you arrive at flats. The drive time was about 20 minutes and seas were dead calm. Everything was perfect and Frankie soon sighted our first bone fish. This was the first time that I've actually hunted fish and I quickly realized the benefit of a guide. It takes a while to see what Frankie sees; good polarized glasses are a must. As I soon found out, finding the fish was just part of the task. Putting the fly perfectly in front of the fish's path without spooking, stripping at just the right speed, not lifting your rod tip to set the hook, and keeping your stripped line free of tangles were a few of the ways that I managed to miss fish this first morning. Fortunately, Frankie's patience and calm teaching style prevailed and by the end of the day, we had landed several grey ghosts. The thrill of having a fish rip fly line through your hands and quickly dig into your backing is truly addictive. This type of fishing is different than most of our inland fishing opportunities, but if you are willing to take a graduate level fishing course, fly fishing for bones is sure to be worth the tuition. Click here to see some video highlights of our trip. If you would like more details on this trip feel free to email or call me. 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