February 27, 2009
In memory of Wort, Lew & Fred
“Indeed, my good scholar, we may say of angling, as Dr. Boteler said of strawberries, ” Doubtless God could have made a better berry, but doubtless God never did “; and so, if I might be judge, God never did make a more calm, quiet, innocent recreation than angling.” (from The Compleat Angler, 1653-1655)
June 16, 2009
Before leaving West, Dave T. and Ray met to discuss on-going club business. Ray spoke with me after the meeting and requested I be the club webmaster. Unfortunately, I have very few html skills. I have however been blogging recently and feel very comfortable using wordpress and this blog as our primary communications device. The main advantadges of blogging over a website are:
For all of these reasons I’d like to start blogging our way towards better and more frequent member communications. Please send me your comments and thoughts on this post.
Best Regards,
LarryQ
June 16, 2009
Sorry for my late posting of this review for our 2009 trip, I have been busy conducting youth programs for Boulder Flycasters and fishing! It was good to see all of you this year and I appreciate the long-term friendships we have developed. I missed Baz and hope he is well. I miss the White and Weiss clans as well and hope they can reconclie themselves to participate in the future.
Shawn & Harley on the Firehole
My good friend Shawn and his grandfather joined me this year and they really enjoyed themselves. It was a bittersweet trip for me as Nathan is in an alcohol & substance abuse facility in Newport Beach CA so he was unable to attend. The Firehole fishing was fantastic and our runs to the Henry’s Fork did not produce many fish but they sure were beautiful float days with magnificent salmon fly hatches.
A fist full of flies
We did not see much of the rest of our group on the river much during the weekend. I think we were zigging when others were zagging. I did get a chance to catch Ron in the act of catching a fish.
I will post more pictures later this week.
June 16, 2009
Three blondes are sitting by the side of a river holding fishing poles with the lines in the water. A Game Warden comes up behind them, taps them on the shoulder and says, “Excuse me, ladies, I’d like to see your fishing licenses.” “We don’t have any.” replied the first blonde. “Well, if your going to fish, you need fishing licenses.” said the Game Warden. “But officer,” replied the second blonde,”we aren’t fishing. All we have are magnets at the end of our lines and we’re collecting debris off the ottom of the river.” The Game Warden lifted up all the lines and, sure enough, there were horseshoe magnets tied on the end of each line. “Well, I know of no law against it,” said the Game Warden, “take all the debris you want.” And with that, the Game Warden left. As soon as the Game Warden was out of sight, the three blondes started laughing hysterically. “What a dumb Fish Cop,” the second blonde said to the other two, “doesn’t he know that there are steelhead in this river?!”
May 1, 2009
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May 1, 2009
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April 1, 2009
April 1, 2009
BOULDER, Colorado. A unique specimen of the previously unknown Spotted Bunnybird (Strix Lepoidae Rogerus) has been positively identified on Middle Boulder Creek, in Boulder County, Colorado. The location of the sighting was in a willow break on the south side of the creek approximately 9.2 miles west of the Boulder city limit. Extreme caution must be exercised to avoid stressing this unique specimen.
Spotted Bunnybird (Strix Lepoidae Rogerus)
In response to the sighting, the Boulder County Parks and Open Space Department in conjunction with the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the Environmental Protection agency has declared all of Middle Boulder Creek a designated wildlife conservation area and no one except licensed and federally-permitted naturalists are allowed into the area. Limited access will be allowed to members of the public by special permit only.
Boulder Flycasters, a Trout Unlimited Chapter, planned on completing in stream restoration and enhancement on a half-mile stretch known as Platt Rogers Park which is between mile markers 31 and 32 along Highway 119 between Boulder and Nederland. “We are assessing the impact of this finding”, stated Larry Quillling the President. “This is still news to me and I am still gathering information from the various parties”, said Quilling as he dashed off to post another entry to the chapter’s Blog. No other chapter representative was available for comment. Rumor has it that they have set up a crisis center at the Boulder Creek Winery in Gunbarrel.
An unidentified spokesperson for Boulder County Open Space mentioned that a special permit for the group may be possible through a long standing exemption for a current director of the Boulder Flycasters, Bob Bush. Archeological evidence uncovered by the University of Colorado several decades ago provides evidence that ancestors of the Bush family were the first Homo Sapiens to have inhabited Boulder Canyon and that the family has legal access rights that predate the legal jurisdiction of any government agency. Attempts to contact Bush have not been successful. It is thought that he may be somewhere on the Western Slope of Colorado, in Montana, or Wyoming.
Bush cave drawings (circa. 10,000 BC.) Source: Nonsequitur, July 9, 2008
Paul Prentiss, a good friend of Mr. Bush has also mysteriously disappeared since the Bunnybird was found in Boulder Canyon. Friends describe Prentiss as an accomplished angler and fly tier who will go for anything with a fly rod. Reliable sources have placed someone resembling Prentiss at the Wild Bird Center in Boulder. “He came in with a fishing shirt, ball cap, and a wild look in his eyes”, said Joe Cluck from the Bird Center. “He kept asking for bird seeds, sized 16 – 20. I had no idea what he was talking about. He then asked about the nearest dealer for Purina Bird Chow, grunted, and dashed out to door.”
Our attempts to reach Prentiss have not been successful. “He’s not around much, lately”, said Susan Prentiss, his wife. “The only thing that I have noticed recently is that Paul is suddenly interested in carrots and lettuce with quite a number of different samples on his fly tying bench. I could never get him to eat his vegetables. I am so glad that he has now started to snack on them in his room.”
Highway 119 from Boulder to Nederland has been closed indefinitely except for hydrogen powered vehicles. Hybrid vehicles with Sierra Club stickers are allowed on a space available basis.
March 10, 2009
Boulder Daily Camera ~ Friday, Jan. 9, 2009March 10, 2009
Here is the fly of the month, the Cow-Dung Fly.
The Fly-Fisher’s Entomology
Alfred Ronalds, 1853
Longman, Green and Co. Press
March 10, 2009
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Stewardship Tip – Didymo
Tuesday, March 10th, 2009
Didymosphenia geminata (didymo) is a diatom; a single-celled algae with unique, silica, cell walls. The cells secrete a mucopolysaccharide stalk. When the cell divides, the stalk divides and forms a mass of branching stalks. The nuisance build-up is not the cell itself; it is the massive production of extracellular stalks. The stalks are made primarily of polysaccharides and protein; they are resistant to degradation. Didymo is made up of cells that cannot be seen by the naked eye until large colonies form. It can be easily transported from one waterway to the next in fishing gear. Here are four tips to help prevent the spread of didymo. Report: Learn to identify it. Didymo attaches itself to the streambed by stalks. These stalks form a thick, brown mat that can smother rocks and submerged plants. Established mats form flowing streamers that are tipped in white. Although it appears slimey, the algae actually feels like wet cotton. If you spot a suspected didymo colony, report it to your state conservation commission. The USDA provides additional resources to help you identify didymo. Many infected waterways are posted. After fishing these areas, check, clean, and dry your gear before using it in another waterway. However, if you are fishing in an unposted stream or lake and you suspect that you have been exposed to didymo, take action. Check: Before you leave a river or lake, check your gear, remove any debris, and leave it at the site. If you find any later, treat it with disinfectant and put it in the trash. Clean: There are several disinfectant solutions that will kill didymo. Clean non-absorbent gear by soaking it for at least one minute in a solution of 5% dishwashing detergent or salt. Alternatively, soak your gear for at least one minute in a 2% solution of household bleach. Hot water is effective and can be used in place of a disinfectant. Soak your gear for at least one minute in hot water kept above 140° F. Alternatively, soak gear for 20 minutes in water kept above 113° F. Absorbent gear should be soaked until it is thoroughly saturated. Gear that cannot be soaked should be thoroughly cleaned with a disinfectant solution. Dry: If a cleaning solution is not available, drying will kill didymo. Ensure that your gear is completely dry to the touch, inside and out. After the item is completely dry, wait an additional 48 hours before contact or use in any other waterway. Didymo can survive for months with just the slightest bit of moisture. The Biosecurity New Zealand website provides additional, detailed instructions on how to check, clean, and dry your gear. Why it is important to the fish: Large didymo colonies have been confirmed in numerous states and provinces. The thick mat that it forms can choke the organisms at the lower end of the food chain and can ultimately affect organisms at the higher end. As anglers, we can help to stop the spread of didymo by checking, cleaning, and drying our gear.
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