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 Troutline Graphic by Gary Visgaitis |
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Holy
Mackerel, the Bay is a Thriving Fishery Holy
Mackerel, the Bay is a Thriving Fishery Capt. Brady Bounds of Lexington Park, MD, says flyfishing the Chesapeake Bay didn't really exist as a guiding business until about 10-12 years ago. "There might have been a charter captain or two that would take you out, but no one hung out a shingle as a Bay flyfishing guide," said Bounds, who began guiding flyrodders in 1989. "Now there's probably about 25 or 30 part-timers on the Bay." Bounds, the featured speaker at the Sept. 5 chapter meeting, says there are about 14 species to pursue in the Bay, including sea trout, stripers, and bluefish, weakfish and the fish Bounds may talk most about - spanish mackerel. "They're the speedsters of the Bay," says Bounds. "They're like bluefish on steroids." Bounds (301-862-3166) will talk about the different flies and techniques that a flyrodder needs to possess to chase the Spanish mackerel on the Bay.
Chapters
to Celebrate Anniversary of Joint Conewago Venture Twenty years ago, Conewago Creek near Gettysburg, PA, was a degrading meadow stream with a variety of problems for supporting trout. The some visionaries from the NVATU and Adams County (PA) chapters banded together to transform Conewago into the excellent delayed-harvest fishery it has become today. Planning for a 20th anniversary celebration to commemorate the chapters' project and progress continues. This event, which promises to be one of the true highlights of the area's social season, will take place at the stream beginning at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, September 21, 2002, on the landowner's farm. Work continues on compiling the guest list which should include: special friends, landowners, donors of materials and services, charter members and past presidents of both chapters, National TU and other conservation officials, county commissioners and other political representatives. The celebration will receive broad coverage by the media. Members of both chapters are invited to attend, and may bring one guest. A lunch adjacent to the creek is planned. The guest speaker will be Ed Koch, one of the Mid-Atlantic's true fly-fishing icons and a celebrated author. Those who have fished Conewago Creek or participated in work days on the stream over the years will certainly want to be in attendance. For more information, please contact Burt Weisman or Suzanne Malone.
Rose
River FWAM Trip and September Fly of the Month What:
Rose River, VA The first trip will be to the Rose River on September 14. It is a bit difficult to predict how the fishing will be as these words are written in mid-August. Everything depends on water level, and to a lesser extent, water temperatures. Normally this would be the time of the year with the lowest water. One little old hurricane could change that dramatically. Absent some heavy rain between now and your trip, it is likely that the water will be low. It is pretty low right now. Fortunately, the Rose has a little more water than most of our mountain streams to start with. In general, during times of low water, you want to fish a little lower on the mountain, where the streams have picked up a little more water. Low water means spooky fish. Your lightest rod will contribute to the delicate presentations necessary to catch fish. The lighter the rod the better. Hip boots will suffice, but consider the pleasures of wading wet. Most folks recommend short rods for fishing in the woods. I wouldn't worry too much about the length of a rod. If your lightest rod is a long one, use it. Low water concentrates the fish in the deeper pools with one exception. If the weather is and has been hot, be alert for any flow or even a small seep of cooler water entering the stream. Cooler water can hold larger amounts of dissolved oxygen. You might be surprised at some of the places trout can hide to remain in isolated little bits of water that suits them. Take all the unnecessary junk out of your vest or just leave the vest home. All you need is your mountain fly box (which contains a limited number of patterns) and some tippet (take some of the real light stuff, start with 5X, but be prepared to go to 6X or even 7X). Camera, lunch, a cooling libation, etc. can ride in a small pack. All you really need in the fly box is a few terrestrial patterns. Keep them on the small side. A few hoppers or crickets (crickets are usually preferred for fishing in the woods) should be along in about a size 16 or 14. You'll want some ants for sure. I'd start with a black #18 on top. Some smaller ones would be in the box. You'll want a few wet ants too. In the old days, when my dry ants were constructed of dubbed fur, a little split shot would convert the fly to a wet fly quite nicely. If the fur ant was well soaked, you didn't even need the split shot. Now that my dry ants are tied with foam, they are commendably unsinkable, except, of course, for those occasions when I would like to sink them. My wet ants tend toward the larger sizes, even when the trout seem partial to dry ants in the smaller sizes. I am not quite ready to explain this phenomenon, but it appears to work for me. A few beetles round out the selection. Refer to your printed newsletter, available to members only, for detailed fly recommendations and how to fish them. Don't worry about the normal aquatic bugs. The main one around will be a large caddis, Pycnopsyche guttifer. It is active mostly at night, and I've never seen huge numbers of them. Don't even worry about the usual green caddis larva and the stonefly nymphs that I always recommend for Shenandoah Park streams. If you fail to entice a trout to the surface, just make sure you can fish a few of your terrestrial patterns under the surface.
Gunpowder River/Falls FWAM Trip Gunpowder
River, MD The trip on Sept. 28 will be to the Gunpowder River (also known as Gunpowder Falls or Big Gunpowder Falls). Here your waders will come in handy and even with them, you will have to circle around some of the deeper spots. A lot of the bugs this time of year are small so a light rod is in order. There is plenty of room to use a long rod and it may be to your advantage to do so. Your terrestrial box will again be your main source of flies. Refer to your printed newsletter, available to members only, for detailed fly recommendations. Remember that this is a tailwater fishery. Temperatures remain cool and flow rate is not supposed to be below 11.5 cubic feet per second. Brown trout predominate along most of the river and some Rainbows are also around. I have caught a brook trout (a nice one too) here, so I know there are at least a few present. Conewago Creek Anniversary Invitation NVATU chapter members are invited to attend the 20th anniversary celebration of our partnership with the Adams County (PA) chapter in the successful restoration of Conewago Creek, near Gettysburg, PA, at 11:30 a.m. on Sept. 21. The event will be held streamside on the landowner's farm property. Printed invitations with a locator map on the reverse side will be available at the monthly chapter meeting Sept. 5. Each attendee may be accompanied by one guest. Lunch tables will be provided; each attendee should bring a chair. For more information, or directions for those unable to attend the September meeting, please contact Burt Weisman or Suzanne Malone. If
you would like to attend, you can either email,
mail, submit
online, or phone (703-255-2579) in your RSVP to: Burt Weisman,
153 East St. NE, Vienna, VA 22180. Please do so by Sept. 10,
2002: I will / will not be accompanied by one guest. ________________________________
VDGIF
Public Input Meetings A public comment period opened Aug. 22 and will close Oct. 24, 2002. The proposals will be available on the department's Web site, www.dgif.state.va.us, at the department's central and regional offices, published in the Virginia Register of Regulations, and will be available at the public meetings. All meeting times are 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Sept.
4: Chesapeake, Deep Creek Middle School Auditorium, 1955 Deal
Ave. 2002
Embrace-A-Stream Campaign Since its beginning in 1975, more than 400 local TU chapters have conducted 751 EAS projects totalling $2,101,467 in EAS grants. These awards have been matched by more than $4 million in local TU cash and in-kind contributions. More than half of this EAS activity has occurred since the EAS program reorganization in 1993, so the need for funding in recent years has increased dramatically. For 2002, TU has identified some exceptional items to show its appreciation for gifts of $50, $100, $250 or more. The goal is to raise $375,000 and TU hopes that you will help it meet the challenge. To contribute by check, please make checks payable to "Trout Unlimited," making sure to write "Fundraising Code C22A25" on the memo line. Mail checks to: Trout Unlimited; P.O. Box 1335; Merrifield, VA 22116-1335. By phone, call 703-522-0200.
Weekday
Activities If
your schedule permits you to be available on weekdays, please notify Burt
Weisman at 703-255-2579 or d-bweisman@erols.com.
Fee
Policy on Tune-ups and FWAM Trips NVATU
membership
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