June 2015 | VOLUME 6, ISSUE 1 | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | #fishingischeaperthantherapy

Spokane Falls Trout Unlimited & Spokane Women on the Fly Team Up

UPCOMING SPOKANE WOMEN ON THE FLY EVENTS

June –

Tuesday 6/2 6pm Spokane Falls TU NOLI Happy Hour

Saturday 6/13 Summer Suds & Cast Off Bowl & Pitcher

Sunday 6/14 10am-2pm – Women’s Fly Fishing 101 Class

July -

Thursday & Friday 7/9-7/10 Priest Lake Kayak and Fish

Sunday 7/12 10am-2pm Women’s Fly Fishing 101 Class

Friday-Sunday 7/17-7/19 St Joe River Camping/Fishing

August –

Friday-Sunday 8/14-8/16 Women’s Guided Musky Trip

By Heather Hodson

Heather’s Monthly Tip… Size is the first choice when selecting a dry fly to

fish. Bigger is not always better. Next is the

shape of the fly and last is color.

Spokane Women on the Fly (SWOTF) is excited to

announce the joining with our local Spokane Falls

Trout Unlimited (SFTU) Chapter.

What is Trout Unlimited (TU)? It’s an American non-

profit organization dedicated to the conservation of

freshwater streams, rivers and associated upland

habitats for trout, salmon, other aquatic species and

people. TU is an organization with more than

150,000 members divided into about 400 chapters

from Maine to Montana to Alaska.

The SFTU Chapter is our local chapter with an

emphasis in conserving the Spokane River and all of

its tributaries. Some of the many activities SFTU

participates in are Willow Tree Planting, Hazel Creek

wet-land cleanup, “Willow Warriors” as well as river

clean-ups and other events with the Spokane

Riverkeeper.

The joining of the two organizations was a no

brainer. SWOTF can help bring some enthusiasm and

new ideas to the SFTU. Families are welcomed and

encouraged. SWOTF will be the Women’s Initiative

Committee of SFTU. Nothing changes with who we

are and what we do. We will still run the same way.

This benefits us in many ways. Donations for SWOTF

will now be a tax write-off. We will be a part of a very

well respected organization and a portion of the

membership dues are kept within the local chapter.

Membership with Trout Unlimited is not required but

encouraged. SFTU has graciously agreed to pay for

any women’s membership this year and SWOTF will

get $15 every year for each woman who renews their

membership.

Benefits of Joining Trout Unlimited

You will receive a free membership for 2015

courtesy of the Spokane Falls Trout

Unlimited Chapter

All donations to SWOTF

will now be a write-off

Monthly Subscription to

TROUT Magazine

Conserving the land and

rivers we all utilize and

want be able to use the rest of our lives.

Page 2

Monthly Mend

SWOTF Volunteers at the Women Warrior and Cowgirl Retreat

Mary Kovatch, Jen Barcklay and I were invited to go to the

Women Warrior and Cowgirl Retreat on May 15th and

introduce 7 ladies to the art of casting a fly line. We

taught two sessions, each lasting a little over an hour.

Mary ran the show and Jen and I supplied assistance,

where needed. Mary used the analogy that casting a line

is as simple as answering your phone and placing back

down on the table.

Jill Smith, the event organizer and the owner of the

ranch, stated that this event is the largest in the nation.

Other than fly line

casting, there were

sessions like planter box

building, gardening,

horseback riding and

metal working. Lunch

was catered in and we were invited to eat with them.

Mary came back with a huge burrito the she invited Jen

and me to share it with her. The 3 of us split the thing

and there was still some left over.

Jen brought her Cowgirl Flies, which she designed and

created. They were very cleverly made out of her Army

fatigue pants, blue jeans, and leather gloves. Jen’s

mother made the little hats and Jen stayed up until 1 am,

the night before, making the flies. Each Woman Warrior

got one fly, as a memento of the class. The casting

classes were well received and all the women said they

had a great time. We are sure we created a few more

“Women on the Fly. Jill told us the Cowgirl Flies were a

huge hit, as well as the casting classes. She thanked us

and I am sure we will be invited back in the future.

By Jodi Fitts

Catch and Release: Preserving the Sport of Fishing

Years ago I caught a beautiful rainbow trout, 20 inches,

all by myself. Alone. After the adrenaline wore off, a

new stint of it set in when I realized I couldn’t figure out

how to get the hook out because the beautiful fish had

swallowed my fly in a hunger stricken gulp. My moment

turned lonely and sad when minutes later I returned the

fish to the river and it didn’t swim away. I cried.

Here is what I learned: I now use barbless hooks, but my

hook was in the gullet or gills and what I should have

done was cut it still inside the fish and let the fish go.

Yes, with the fly still in him. Many times it dissolves and

also will work its way out over time. Avoid wiggling the

hook and use a pair of pliers. Keep the fish in the

water. Stress kills and the longer the fish is out of

water, the less the chance of survival. Wet your hands

before picking her up. T his prevents hurting the protective mucous coating that protects the fish from

disease. Grab the fly with pliers and while holding the

fish in the water, twist your wrist and simultaneously

release the fish. Retrieve the fish as quickly as

possible rather than “playing her out” to prevent lactic

acid fatigue that develops from the ‘fight’. Use a wet

towel or something wet and soft on both sides of the

fish to hold her while you get your camera ready.

After your picture, point your fish up stream and

move her back and forth to increase oxygen to her

gills. Note: if you catch a fish 30 feet down or greater

it’s best to keep them. Coming up that fast is almost

always fatal.

Catch and release fishing preserves the sport. When

you take the time to handle a fish properly and

quickly, have your camera and pliers ready, you are

prepared for your photo op, and you release her

unharmed - you are ensuring that others will enjoy

the sport in the future. Happy fishing gals.

By Sara Forsythe

Page 3 Monthly Mend

Gadget Geek By Heather Hodson New to the Monthly Mend, we’ll be reviewing different

items that are used while fly fishing. This month, we’re

comparing three different brands of nippers. Next to

hemostats, nippers are one of the most used tools in fly

fishing. I’ve used all three of these nippers being

reviewed and depending on your pocket book

recommend them all.

Rising Nippers - Standard $6.00, Big Nippa $12.00

www.risingfish.net

The best inexpensive nippers around besides all

products are manufactured, tested, inspected and

sharpened in house at Rising. If your support local

(Utah) and want a less expensive pair of nippers, these

are the ones for you!!

The regular and Big Nippas are offered. I use the “Big

Nippa” for steelheading and absolutely love them! They

cut my heavier Mono with ease.

PRO – Price, Straight Sharp Cutting Blade,

CON – Cannot replace blades, may wear out sooner

Simms Nippers - $29.95

http://www.simmsfishing.com/shop/accessories.html

I have heard mix reviews on these nippers. For the

cost it’s a good option, go through them and make

sure that the blades align before you purchase them.

PRO – Price (less expensive than others), Blades can

be replaced, Non-corrosive parts that slice and stay

sharper longer,

CON – Price, Make sure the blades align before you

purchase them, No Warranty

Abel Nippers Standard $50.00, Fish $100.00

http://www.abelreels.com/store/Abel-Nippers.html

These are the nippers that I use. I absolutely love

these, yes they are expensive but are worth it.

PRO – Cut 7x – 100lb mono and braided line, 2-

Year Limited Warranty, Made in the USA, Saltwater

Resistant, Designs

CON - Cost

How to Choose the Right Tippet…

The fly fishing tippet is the lightweight portion of material that you attach on one end to the end of the leader

and on the other end to the fly. Using the lightest, yet strongest, tippet possible without having the fish notice

it is the key here. This is where you can keep the same leader section attached, but change your tippet size

depending on the nature of the fishing you are doing and the situation at hand.

Two most common types of Tippet Monofilament – Typically used for dry flies. It is less dense so it stays closer to the surface and

doesn’t have a tendency to drown your dry fly. It is also cheaper. The downsides are it

stretches more than fluorocarbon and can also be seen more easily by the fish.

Fluorocarbon – Best tippet material for nymph fishing or wet flies. It sinks fast and is less

visible to trout. It stretches less. The downside is the cost.

When fishing a dry dropper rig – use fluorocarbon for your dropper to allow the fly to sink faster. Remember to

only put floatant on your dry fly.

Page 4

Monthly Mend

In most dry-fly fishing, a “natural” presentation” is a

dead-drift, which means your floating fly is moving at the

same speed and direction as the surface current.

A good dry-fly presentation has three critical elements:

position (of the angler), casting, and then mending and

line control.

Casting Position

o You want to position yourself below and to

the side of the rising fish.

o When you see a fish rise, you should cast

your fly ahead of the trout so that the fly

floats into eating zone.

Do you cast upstream or downstream?

o If and when you are able, fish from

downstream up.

You are behind the trout allowing

less chance of detecting your

approach

The debris that you kick up as you

wade will be carried away from the

fish.

Mending (Line Control) o Drag - An unnatural pulling of a floating

or submerged fly such that it moves at a

different rate than the current.

o Mending your line will decrease the

amount of drag on your fly

o Make the appropriate mends to correct

the drag from multiple fast and slow

currents.

Top Dry Fly Imitation Patterns By Heather Hodson

By Heather Hodson

Dry Fly Presentation

Please see News on page 6

Listed below are a few staples that NEED to be in your fly box. I always have a couple of each size and color in

my fly box at all times. There will come a day when the fish are only feeding on a size #18 Purple Haze and you

only have #16 and #20. For the Caddis and Mayflies I carry size #14 - #20. Stonflies, Grasshoppers and most

Attractor Patterns I carry #8-#12.

Imitation Patterns – Most dry fly patterns will try to imitate the fly based on shape, size, and color. These

flies are usually mayfly, stonefly, and caddis fly patterns.

Elk Hair Caddis

Parachute Adams

Stone Fly

May Fly (PMDs, BWOs, Purple Haze)

Grasshoppers

Ants

Attractor Patterns – Attractor patterns do not necessary try to imitate a specific insect. They are generic

patterns that have similar size, shape, and colors of various insects. Attractor patterns can be very affective.

Stimulator

Royal Wulffs

Chubby Chernobyl

Page 5 Monthly Mend

Pale Morning Dun a small, pale yellow mayfly often referred to by it’s initials the PMD Hatch Season begins as early as June and lasts as late as September

Lifecycle of a PMD – PMDs have 4 stages to their lifecycle; Nymph, Emerger, Dun & Spinner

Presentation – Nymphs and Emergers-Shallow Nymphing -Put a small split shot on the leader about eight

inches above the nymph. Cast downstream and across, allowing the nymph to sink to the bottom, then swing

across in the current. Trout will take the fly as it rises from the bottom during the downstream swing. WHERE:

Riffles, flats, moderate runs (backeddies for Emergers as well). Dun Standard Dry Fly- When imitating this

stage, a drag-free drift is essential. The current will gradually straighten the tippet, but not before the fly floats

naturally over a trout. WHERE: Flats, moderate runs and backeddies. Spinner - You can fish a dry at this time,

there are enough fully-emerged duns on the water to make a Parachute Adams a good choice because the

white calf-tail post makes the fly more visible when the light is low. WHERE: riffles

Match the Hatch

PMD Dun Fly Patterns PMD Dun Fly Patterns

Pheasant Tail Parachute PMD

Hare’s Ear Sparkle Dun

PMD Emerger Fly Patterns PMD Spinner Fly Patterns

Cripple Rusty Spinner

West Fly Fishing - http://www.west-fly-fishing.com/entomology/mayfly/pmd.shtml

What’s Hatching...

Click here to find the closest location to purchase Catch Flies. http://catchflyfish.com/locate/

OUR FLIES JUST TASTE BETTER!

By Megan Ellis

Page 6

Monthly Mend

Where can I fish in June?

June is a good month to go fishing on the rivers and

lakes. With the weather getting warmer means more

hatches of bugs. Silver Bow Fly Shop did a nice piece on

2015 snowpack conditions that gives some good

information about the future look of how our rivers and

lakes. https://www.silverbowflyshop.com/blog/2015-

snowpack-conditions-update-spokane-and-clarkfork/

1. Area Lakes

Amber Lake (Fly Fish Only)

Medical Lake, West Medical

Newman, Liberty, Rock

Fourth of July, Sprague, Davis

2. Black Lake and Wrigley Lake (Colville WA)

2.5 hours North of Spokane

i. Black Lake

1. Rainbow and Tiger Trout

2. Black Leeches, Woolly Buggers

ii. Wrigley Lake

1. Rainbow Trout

2. Nymph, Dragon Fly, Copper-

John

3. North Fork of the CDA River (Kingston ID)

Fish still moving into faster waters and

with more bugs hatching hopefully some

good fishing

Hatches - mayfly, salmon fly, march

browns, green drakes

4. St Joe (Avery Idaho)

Lower river below Avery has been the

most consistent but the mid and upper

are starting to pick up

Hatches - mayfly, salmon fly, march

browns, green drakes

By Sara Cochran

Summer Suds and Cast Off

Our Inaugural Summer Picnic is starting to shape into an exciting and fun event. We understand that coming to a

SWOTF event can be intimidating, especially if you are by yourself or have no fly fishing experience. This is why we’re

hosting the first “Summer Suds and Cast Off” picnic. We’re going to give away some unique and funny awards as well

as have a casting completion for distance and accuracy. There will be fly rods set-up for anyone to pick up and

practice. Several companies have donated items for the awards and the winners of the casting completion. SWOTF

will provide sausages and all the fixings. Bring a dish to share and of course your beverage of choice. Yes, “suds”

means beer. This is a family event, don’t forget your Discover Pass.

Hackle and Hops…

May was our last fly tying evening until we start back up in October. For our May night we put all of the tying skills

we learned over the past several months together to tie “Hodson’s Rainbow Bright”. It’s a stimulator dry fly like no

other. The wild green, blue and purple body is a “Cutthroat Crusher”. Please email ideas for flies you’d like to tie this

fall/winter. Email address - spokanewomenonthefly@gmail.com.

Spokane Women on the Fly Press –

May was a great month with the press for SWOTF. We were featured in the Spokesman Review as well as in Spokane’s

Monthly OutThere magazine. We have had several inquiries about the group and we’ll be seeing some new faces at

our monthly outings. If you didn’t get a chance to read the articles, click on the links below.

http://www.outtheremonthly.com/river-people-a-fly-caster-river-surfer-and-whitewater-pioneer/ and

http://www.spokesman.com/outdoors/stories/2015/may/17/woman-on-the-fly/

News

Page 7 Monthly Mend

June – Tuesday 6/2/15 6-8pm – SFTU Happy Hour Social Event NO-LI Brewery Spokane Falls TU is meeting at the No-Li Brewery for Happy Hour and sharing fishing stories.

Saturday 6/13/15 1-4pm – Summer Suds & Cast Off Riverside State Park Bowl & Pitcher Area Inaguaral summer picnic, awards and casting competition. What better way to kick off summer then to have a low-key event at Riverside State Park. Bring your familes and friends, a dish to share and beverage of choice.

Sunday 6/14/15 10am-2pm – Beginner Women’s Fly Fishing Class Silverbow Fly Shop 3rd of five women’s classes offered this year at Silverbow Fly Shop. The class discusses gear, knots, where to fish, what to look for, entamology and we finish the 4hr class with an hour of casting practice. SOLD OUT….

July – Thursday & Friday 7/9 – 7/10/15 Kayak and Fish Priest Lake Idaho We’ll kayak through the Priest Lake Thoroughfare (2.5miles) and explore Upper Priest Lake. We’ll be staying in one of SWOTF’s cabin on the lake.

Sunday 7/12/15 10am-2pm – Beginner Women’s Fly Fishing Class Silverbow Fly Shop 4th of five women’s classes offered this year at Silverbow Fly Shop. The class discusses gear, knots, where to fish, what to look for, entamology and we finish the 4hr class with an hour of casting practice.

Friday-Sunday 7/17 – 7/19/15 St Joe River Camping/Fishing Weekend Bring your family and we’ll spend the weekend camping, fishng and hanging out on the beautiful St. Joe River in Idaho.

August – Friday-Sunday 8/14 – 8/16/15 Women’s Guided Tiger Musky Weekend – Curlew Lake WA We’ll be camping at the Curlew Lake State Park Campground. We have two days of guided fishing for Tiger Musky with “Musky Dave” from Silverbow Fly Shop. We’ll divide the cost between the total number of women attending.

First Fish on the Fly Spokane Women on the Fly is celebrating the Fly Girls and their First Fish on the Fly. This month I had the privilege to

fish and witness both Deanna and Joanne catch their first fish on the fly on the North Fork of the CDA River. Check out

the added page to our website at for photos. http://www.spokanewomenonthefly.com/first-fish-fly/

Upcoming Event Details

Spokane Women on the Fly Brag Page On and Off the Water River Therapy

Jen on the Smith River in MT on a Multi-Day Float

Sara on Colville Lake

Joanne Giving Some Rainbow Love

Jen on Davis Lake

Jamie of SoupleFly Enjoying the Sun on the Joe

Megan’s Biggest 17” Cutthroat Thus Far