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Cultivating the art of fly fishing through a spirit of fellowship and resource enhancement” washingtoncountyflyfishers.com

Issue 216 June 2019

Meeting Location

Westbrook Club House

14255 SW 6th

Street (one block east of SW Murray) Beaverton, OR 97005

Next Meeting Date and Time: Wednesday, June 5, 2019, 7:00 PM

Agenda 7:00-7:15 Welcome and Club business 7:15-8:30 Guest Speaker: Greg McMillian, Deschutes River Alliance 8:30 Raffle

June Meeting Special Speaker

Our speaker for the June meeting is Greg McMillan, founder and Board President of the Deschutes River Alliance. The Deschutes River Alliance is a science-based

advocacy organization seeking solutions to basin-wide threats to the health of the Deschutes River and its tributaries. The Alliance advocates for water quality, a healthy ecosystem, and for the establishment and protection of robust populations of resident and anadromous fish throughout the river’s

entire watershed. We are excited to have Greg update us on the condition of the Deschutes, the actions being undertaken by the DRA to protect Deschutes fisheries, and what we as an organization and as individuals can do to help.

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No meeting in July

Annual Pot Luck BBQ August 7

A Night at the Auction Our annual auction was a rousing success. The event was well attended, and bidders got some

great deals. We raised over $3500 for our scholarship fund. Thanks to everyone who worked so

hard to make the event a success.

Club Outings

We are canceling the John Day outing. The river is way too high and muddy. No Bass trip this year. If the river comes into shape we may try to put together another Bass trip to the John Day later this summer.

We will have a June outing. The plan now is to fish Laurance Lake. The club has not been to Laurance in two years. This will be a day trip, June 8. Show up early because sometimes the wind will blow in the afternoon. There is a parking fee at the lake, and the lake is four mile south of Parkdale in the Hood River Valley. Look for the signup sheet at the June 5 club meeting. We will need a head count to plan for food for the event. I have seen Callibaetis on the lake so don’t forget to bring some Callibaetis flies as well as your favorite Damsel Fly.

Our auctioneers hard at work

Ron Ems was the high bidder on this St. Croix custom 4-piece, 9’, 5 wt. fly rod. Congratulations Ron!

Ed Sanders (left) was the high bidder on for the Justensen Ranch Fishing Trip. He’s got a happy friend there who is going with him. Way to go Ed!

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June 2019 President’s Report I want to thank all the members and sponsors that participated in the Auction last month. I am happy to report that we were able to raise $3785.17 this year for WCFF. Most of this money will be used for your OSU Grant/Scholarship program. Fly Fishers Art and Conservation Society will also be sending WCFF their part of the money raised from the 2018 Rendezvous. Our portion this year will be $800. There have been a number of book sales as well. The Club is on track with your entire goals for 2019. Now let’s talk about fishing. The Deschutes River trip went just like we thought it would. The wind blew hard on Friday and the rain got us wet on Saturday evening. The fish were looking up and we were able to use big stoneflies and catch a few Redsides. The big bugs were not flying back to the water as we were hoping for, but we made the best of the weather and fishing. Each year we play this game on when we should be on the river to fish and each year it will change in some way. I will recheck my Crystal ball in April next year.

Chuck

Cooney WCFF

President

Washington County Flyfishers

President Chuck Cooney 503-642-2186

Vice President George Wilson 503-524-3781

Secretary Galen Flinn

503-702-9603

Treasurer John Gillingham

503-646-2492

Newsletter Editor

Bob Pryor 503-941-5306

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Paul Keefner, Outings Chair 503-828-8400

OR Council IFFF Representative

Chuck Cooney 503-642-2186

Hal Gordon, Equipment Manager

503-642-1135

Jim Sandberg, Membership Chair

503-690-8865

Ron Reinebach, Raffle Chair 503-477-6266

Jim Sandberg, Entertainment Chair

503-690-8865 jim.sandberg@comcast.net

Galen Flinn, Website Manager

503-702-9603

David Wesley, Conservation/Education Chair

971-226-8211

Laurance Lake

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Fly of the Month: TB Midge By Ralph Brooks Background

As most of us know, midges provide a substantial portion of the diet of most trout, including large trout. There are hundreds, probably thousands, of patterns ‘out there’ but the TB Midge (TB for turkey biot) is one of my favorites that I have used all over the western U.S. It is a quick and simple tie if you are into small flies. While there are a surprising number of fly fishers that have an aversion so small flies, my experience is that small flies catch big fish! How to Tie 1) Cover the hook shank from front to back with

an even thread base to the bend of the hook. 2) Remove a single, long, thin biot from the

turkey feather. Cut off and discard about 1/4 inch of the tip. Take the shortened biot and tie its tip on to the fly at the bend of the hook and then wrap the thread to the front of the hook. Using a hackle plier, grasp the base of the biot, wrap it forward to just behind the hook eye, and secure. The wraps should not overlap but merely snug up against each other.

3) The wing is tied in immediately behind the hook eye. Use a single and entire CDC puff. Pinch/compress the puff and tie the puff in by its base but slightly above its tiny shaft. Trim the excess CDC base and make a few extra wraps of thread to form a small head.

4) Trim the length of the CDC wing. Trim it at about the middle of the shank. Variations

This fly can be tied on a variety of hook styles, e.g., curved nymph, scud, emerger or standard dry. Color possibilities are endless but olive and gray are perhaps the most common variants. How to Fish

Methods for fishing the TB Midge are many. In calm water the norm is a floating line and long leader where the fly is allowed to sit quietly on the surface or slowly retrieved. The same setup works well on moving water. Cast across the water, and allow the fly to swing down river. At the end of the swing let the fly hang and then retrieve using slow, very short strips. This is a great tactic when tiny mayflies coming off the water and the fish are rising. The TB Midge can also be used as a dropper to a heavier nymph under an indicator or swung tight-line. It can be especially effective when drifted near the river bottom in the dead of winter when the water is cold. It can be a perfect mid-winter fly for the Deschutes River.

Category Trout

Hook Nymph, 1X long, 1X strong or similar, 16-22

Thread Olive, 8/0

Body Single turkey biot, olive

Wing CDC puff, olive

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“The Friendly Place for Fly Fishermen to Meet”

The finest in fly fishing equipment at fair

prices

Fly tying classes

Large selection of fly tying materials and

supplies

Fly casting lessons

Huge assortment of flies Personalized service

Guide services

11429 SW Scholls Ferry Road, Beaverton, OR 97008. Phone (503) 579-5176. Fax (503) 579-4935. Hours: 10 AM – 6 PM Tuesday through Saturday; 10 AM – 5 PM

Sunday. Monday: “Gone Fishing”

Think Globally, Act Locally

This is an iron fish constructed by the people of Tillamook and then filled with plastic bags gathered from the beaches and rivers around Tillamook in a single day. Photo taken May 2019.