| The Prez Sez | About Long Casts | Conserving Texas Seagrass | Attention: Club Presidents & Officers | Conclave 2000 Countdown | From the Editor... | Conclave Schedule | Southern Council Scholarship | Club Presidents: | FFF International Awards | Dining at Conclave | Fly Fish 2001 - Plans Take Shape | The Fly Corner | Southern Council FFF Proxy | Women's Outreach | 2000 Conclave Changes | Conservation Around the Council | FFF Membership Application |

In John Gierach’s classic work, “A View From Rat Lake”, he concludes the book with a chapter titled, “Enough Fish.” In a nutshell, it’s a description of a spot he fished where he caught so many fish, and big ones at that, on the first day that when he returned the next morning, he never even bothered to string up his rod. He’d caught enough to satisfy whatever urge drives him to fish. Have you ever experienced this rare phenomena?

I was on the Texas coast last week, Rockport to be exact. I was there with seven other guys for our annual three day assault on anything that swims in salt water. It was a typical trip away from home waters and familiar fishing styles where it takes a little time to get adjusted to the new surroundings. So, as expected, the first daywas pretty much a bust. I recall one tiny redfish being landed from the marshes along with a handful of croakers and. tiny Jacks we pulled from an abnormally angry surf. The next day we split up into two groups of four and, upon the advice of a total stranger we’d met earlier in the morning, my group decided to make a run and fish an area we’d never tried before. Now normally you don’t take muchstock in advice from a stranger, especially one that’s a local, because more often than not he’d just as soon you didn’t catch fish so you’ll never return to bother “his” fish again. However, in this case, he seemed genuinely friendly. Plus, we had an aerial photo of the spot he showed us and it did look pretty darned good. His comment about, ”. ..tails everywhere...” was a pretty good lure too. The onlydismaying note was the stranger‘s comments about it, “...being abit of a hike in.”

Now anyone that’s been on a Texas-coast trip with me knows that there will be a little boat riding, a lot of walking (i.e. Death March) through miles of mud and hip deep grass concluding with hours upon end of slowly wading (trodding?) in search of fish once you’ve reached the marsh, lagoon or lake you want to fish. If you think I’m exaggerating here, ask Steve Jensen about his experiences with me in Peanut Butter Flat some time. So when a local tells me it’s a “bit” of a hike, I prepared for the worst.’

We Parked the boat where instructed and after an unexpectedlybrief one hour Death March, we reached the lake. I guess I should say two out of four of us reached the lake, anyway. We left two of our buddies when they fell behind after stepping into a mud hole that instantly sucked them in over their waists. For some reason I didn’t notice that they never made it to the lake until it was time to leave and I have to admit that I was relieved to see them waiting in the boat upon our return. I hate looking for guys after dark. It’s especially difficult if only half or less of them is sticking up out of the marsh .

Even through sweat drenched, stinging eyes, the lake lookedbeautiful.  Clear knee-deep water, firm bottom and plenty of grass but not so much as to constantly be fouling up the fly. Perfect. We started wading along the shoreline, one in close, the other forty feet out, searching for redfish. And they were there too. Not tailing, mind you, but cruising at just the right speed to present a fly. After each fish landed we’d swap positions so we had equal turns at the more numerous bank cruisers. After a couple of hours of this we made our way across the lake where we were greeted by several tails waving in the bright Texas sun. Turned out the tails belonged toBlack Drum, but hey, a fish is a fish and the 14” - 20” Blackswere a blast. Just about the time we thought we should head in,my partner Tony hung a great redfish. He was only about thirty feet from me and as I was watching him fight the big red, another big one swam right in front of me: How long do you have to cast to catch a big redfish you ask ? In this case, nine feet of leader and one foot of flyline. The winds had been light all day so I was using a six weight and the fight with the big guy was wonderful. Tony landed his, a magnificent 29” red, on his eight weight in yeoman’s fashion but my fish was wearing out the skinny trout rod. After several deep trips into the backing I finally brought mine in. It was 32”, fat,broad-shouldered and had several evenly spaced spots runningfrom its tail to its dorsal. How many pounds? I don’t know but it was somewhere between a lot and a bunch. It wasn’t just thebiggest red I’d ever landed but also the prettiest.

For some reason, everyone in our group wanted to fish the new lake the next day. Luckily, on our way out the day before, Tony and I had found a route around the mud holes and tall grass that cut the hike in half. This heightened the group’s moral considerably. The eight of us spread out around the lake and we were pretty much into fish from the get-go and I remember at one point looking up and seeing five out of eight rods with fish on. It was that good. While the six weight was fun, the lack of a fighting butt was taking a toll and my arm was getting pretty sore after a dozen or so more big reds and a couple of dozen Black Drum (yeah, you’re real sorry for me, aren’t you?). It was about here that Geirach’s concept of “enough fish” hit me.

We had only planned to fish the lake until noon and it was well past that. In addition, it was hot, I was out of drinking water and pretty much whipped after three days of being on my feet. Did Imention that my arm was really sore? Anyway, for the first time in over 40 years of angling, the realization that I’d caught enough had really hit me so I walked to the nearest grass bank, laid down and simply enjoyed watching the grace of seven good flyfishers in action. The interesting thing here, and totally unexpected too, was that my new malady was highly contagious. No sooner had I laid down when one of the gang sloshed over to join me. Then another and another and before I knew it, we were all heading for the boat.

Now normally, I finish these stories with an incredibly cleversegway into a FFF membership pitch. But 1 think we’ve done enough of that, for now. Hopefully, you believe in our goal of preserving all fish in all waters and you’ll join or renew. I sincerely hope so because groups like ours will do everything possible to keep those redfish swimming in the Texas marshes and we really do need your help.

But is there a moral to this story? I don’t really know but as I’m getting older and more out of shape I’ve got a sneaking suspicion that I will be reaching the “enough fish” plateau more often and probably earlier in my trips too. So where are you? Are you still energetic enough to fish all day and all night, never discouraged when the fish don’t bite? Or have you reached a point where “just being outside” is all that counts with catching fish being secondary? Chances are, you’re somewhere in between, hoping to catch enough to satisfy the day, just like me.

I’m really looking forward to seeing you all at Conclave anduntil next time...

Good Fly Fishing!Brian Camp

About Long Casts

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Long Casts is published four times per year by the Southern Council of the Federation of Fly Fishers

The President of the Southern Council is Brian Camp, 3 13 Paint Pony Trail N., Ft. Worth, TX 76108

Please send all editorial comment and material to editor Steve Fritz, 2100 S. Grant Ave., Springfield, MO 65807

Changes of address should be mailed to the SouthernCouncil Managing Director, Pat Smith, 2603 Buford Spur Rd., Mountain Home, AR 72653

Advertising inquiries and correspondence should be directed to the Southern Council Treasurer, ShawnTaylor, HC1, Box 1775, Tecumseh, MO 65760

Long Casts is printed and mailed by Ed Reed, Reed Printing and Supply Co., Inc., PO Box 605, 619 S. Brindlee Mtn. Parkway, Arab AL 35016

To view Long Casts on the Internet, go to the SouthernCouncil Web Page, at <www.SouthernCouncilFFF.org> To reach National FFF go to <www.fedflyfishers.org>

Conserving Texas Seagrass

Press Release-- Texas Parks and Wildlife

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Submerged seagrass meadows are a dominant, uniquesubtropical habitat in many Texas bays and estuaries. These highly evolved marine flowering plants play critical roles in the coastal environment, including nursery habitat for estuarine fisheries, as a major source of organic biomass for coastal food webs, effective agents for stabilizing coastal erosion and sedimentation, and major biological agents in nutrient cycling and water quality processes. Recent studies show that seagrasses are sensitive to nutrient enrichment and water quality problems, as well as physical stress from human disturbances. As a result, many Texas scientists,resource managers and environmentally aware citizens haveconcerns about the ecosystem health of these seagrass resources.

In January, 1999 Texas Parks and Wildlife (TPW), Texas General Land Office and the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Cornmission published The Seagrass Conservation Plan for Texas. An outgrowth of the “Symposium on Texas Seagrasses” which took place in November 1996 in Corpus Christi, Texas the Plan identified several man-induced threats to Texas’ seagrasses: “Anthropogenic disturbances include a variety of activities that impact seagrass habitats. The frequency of all anthropogenic activities increases with increasing human populations and use of the ecosystem. The activities are a direct result of marine transportation, commercial fishing, recreational boating, and agricultural practices (p 34-35).”

Seagrass Task ForceIn July, 1999 TPW assembled a citizen’s advisory group to help staff begin the process of developing a management strategy for seagrass conservation. The members were carefully selected to represent the broad diversity of social, recreational and economic interests in this area. Members of the Task Force considered two areas for initial management initiatives; Red-fish Bay (in Aransas Bay) and the Nine-mile Hole. The Task Force in its entirety and three subcommittees (Redfish Bay Subcommittee, Education Subcommittee, and Nine-Mile Hole Subcommittee) met throughout the period of July 1999-February 2000.

FindingsThe Seagrass Conservation Task Force made the followingfindings:

1. Focal seagrass meadow fragmentation in Redfish Bay hasoccurred and continues to occur in several areas of Estes Flats. Seagrass damage in Estes Flats tends to be concentrated in and adjacent to high boat traffic areas, often associated with popular angling areas.

2. Much of the seagrass damage is the result of boating activitiescarried on by boaters unfamiliar with the nuances of navigatingthis bay system. However, seagrass damage is also resulting from high traffic in areas used as “shortcuts” between major travel arteries.

3. Increasing boat traffic and angling activities in Redfish Bayare resulting in substantial user conflicts, largely as a result ofdensity of angling activities north of the SH 361 causeway.

4. Education of boaters is the single most likely action to resultin decreases in seagrass fragmentation.

5. Research into causes of seagrass meadow fragmentation andspecies changes should continue.

6. Fragmented seagrass beds in Redfish Bay should be protectedfrom further destruction by routing of boat traffic around theseareas.

7. Access should be improved in Brown and Root Flat and NorthHarbor Island.

Management Strategies

In fulfilling its charge under the Seagrass Conservation Plan, TPW staff and constituents identified the first coastal areas that will require active boater education, seagrass restoration and protection. Redfish Bay (located in Aransas, San Patricio and Nueces Counties) is a true jewel of the Texas Coast. However, the excellent fishing, ease of access and attendant increases in boat traffic characteristic of this area has led to a significant fragmentation of seagrass resources and threatens the ecological integrity of this system, Further, user-conflicts between traditional and recently evolved fishing strategies have begun to rapidly escalate.

A second site, located south of Baffin Bay in an area called the “Nine-mile Hole,” was selected as a pilot site to determine the effects of boat traffic on fishing experience. Although seagrass fragmentation and loss are not significant in this expansive, shallow, off-channel depression the “Hole” provides an opportunity for assessing strategies for reducing user-conflicts and providing quality fishing experiences.

The Parks and Wildlife Commission will consider implementation of these management strategies for Redfish Bay and the Nine -mile Hole at the June 1, 2000 public hearing, which will begin at 9:00 AM, in the Commission Hearing Room, TPWD Headquarters,4200 Smith School Road, Austin, TX 78744.

Specific information concerning proposed managementstrategies for Redfish Bay and Nine-mile Hole can be obtained from theTPWwebsite: http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/admin/about_us/financial_rpts/pdf_ docs/combinedplanscientificarea.pdf.

The FFF Southern Council will be sponsoring a series of special seminars designed to help FFF Clubs become stronger and more efficient, There will be no cost for the seminars for clubs that are FFF Charter Clubs, 100% Clubs and Affiliate Clubs in good standing. The Southern Council will provide rooms and all meals for three members from each club and all you will be responsible for is transportation.

The first seminar is scheduled for November 18 - 19 in Junction, Texas. It is being held at the Texas Tech University facility on the South Llano River, a beautiful Texas Hill Country stream that’s just loaded with Guadalupe Bass, the State Fish of Texas. The seminarbegins at 12:00 noon Saturday and will conclude at 12:00 noon Sunday. Rooms are being provided for Friday and Saturday nights so feel free to arrive early, stay late and have a go at the Guadalupe’s,

We are encouraging each club to send their President, their Membership VP and their newsletter editor though the club’s are free to send three members of their choice. During the seminar, we will be breaking up into workgroups to help solve problems common to all clubs. President’s will cover topics such as speakers, conservation projects, education projects and outings. Membership VP’s will discuss how their clubs recruit and retain members, Newsletter editors will be encouraged to bring copies of their club newsletter and discuss content, printing issues, etc. By seeing and learningwhat other clubs do and how they solve various issues, each clubwill leave the seminar with a number of ideas on how they canbetter serve their members. We will also be having a short session Saturday afternoon on the history of the FFF and how being a member of the FFF is beneficial to your club.

Maps and details of the event will be sent to you upon receipt ofyour RSVP and these must be received by September 30 for theTexas Seminar. We don’t need the names of your attendees at that time but we do need to know how many are coming so we can assure that there are adequate rooms for everyone.

There are two more seminars being planned for next year- one inthe South/Central Arkansas area and another in SouthernMissouri - so we can have a seminar within a reasonable distance of all FFF Southern Council clubs. However, there are no restrictions on which seminar you can attend so if you wish to visit the Hill Country of Texas, feel free to sign up. Also, there is no restriction on the number of club members you may bring, However, the Council can only budget enough money for three club members so we must ask that clubs pay $60 for each additional member. Clubs that are not FFF members are welcome but must also pay $60 for each member that wishes to attend. Checks for additional members can be made out to the FFF Southern Council and must be received with the club’s RSVP

Send your RSVP to FFF Southern Council President BrianCamp. Call it in: 817-246-0553 or E-mail: <thugbass@flash.net>. If you have a check for additional members, mail it directly to PatSmith at 2603 Buford Spur, Mountain Home, AR 72653, after calling in your RSVP to Brian.

Council Officers sincerely hope that you’ll take advantage of this unique opportunity as stronger clubs can only result in better fisheries throughout the Council.

To advertise in Long Casts, Contact Southern Council Managing Director, Pat Smith, 2603 Buford Spur Rd., Mountain Home, AR 76253; e-mail <cpsmh@centuryinter.net> 870-425-1755. Ad sizes and rates are available upon request.

As I write this, the Conclave is about a month away. It is hard to believe that so much time has passed, and now all of the planning is over. The programs, . . .well, all I can say is: “we have tried to giveyou a selection that is just to hard to pass up.”

As you know, Chico Fernandez, A.K. Best, Ed Engle, DaveWhitlock and Chuck Scates will be conducting programs and workshops, but in addition, there will be a number of other special programs that are really interesting. For instance if you have an interest in “salt” Cary Marcus will put on a program about redfishing on the Texas Coast, his program along with ChuckScates can really put you “in the know” if you have an interest in exploring those horizons. Trout fishing, especially, in Arkansasand Missouri, will be covered by Chuck Tryon, who knows so much about Missouri trout, Tom Hawthorne, who will put on programs on nymphing and fishing the Little Red, and the BerryBrothers’ who will present their program on “Home Waters”. If warmwater fishing interest you, well, ...how about Bill Gambil’s“Visual Clues in Fishing” and Terry and Roxanne Wilson's new “Warmwater” program.

In addition, we will be trying some “new improvements” this year. For instance, we are going to try an expedited payment plan at the auctions. In the past everyone paid at the very end of the auction, which meant you had to wait until everything was over then get in line, and that could be a long wait. This year we think we have it worked out that you can pay immediately after an item is auctioned.

We hope to see you Oct.6-7,2000 in Mountain Home.

Our council method of mailing the newsletter often leavessomething to be desired. It is not unusual for one newsletter newsletter show up a week or two before recipient to have the another gets his/her newsletter. We are currently reviewing our policy on which class postage we will use for the mailing in the future, Please bear with us, as we search for the best method: one that is both cost effective and timely, and I hope you get this newletter before Conclave 2000.

Speaking of Conclave 2000, this one will be exciting, to say the least. We will have more of everything, including more top name speakers! This will be the best Conclave the Council has put on in many years! Do not miss this one!

Conclave Schedule

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Southern Council Scholarship

By Chuck EasterlingVP-Education

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The Southern Council annually awards a scholarship of $1,000 to a deserving student who is in his or her second or later year of college study. The recipient of this scholarship is announced, each year, at the Southern Council Conclave. The application deadline is each August 31st., for that year’s Conclave.

The requirements for the scholarship are: The applicant must reside within the geographical boundaries of the Southern Council; be in his or her second or later year of college study; be pursuing a degree in a field consistent with the goals of the Federation of FlyFishers; and either be a member or be sponsored by a member of the Federation.

If you know of a potential applicant, please contact me at the address below, for an application.

Charles R. EasterlingVP-Education, SCFFFP.O. Box 1502Jonesboro,AR 72403870-932-4355 or 870-578-5334

Club Presidents:

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Please attend the Sunday Board of Directors Meeting. It is at this meeting, following the 8am Members’ General BusinessMeeting, that the process of planning next year’s budget is begun. This 8:30am meeting is important and all Club Presidents shouldattend. Presidents are reminded that each must be amember, in good standing, of the FFF, to vote in this meeting.

FFF International Awards

By Lauren Bagley, FFF Managing Director

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At its 35th Annual International Show, held in Livingston, . Montana, in August, the Federation of Fly Fishers recognized individuals and clubs throughout the US who have made remarkable contributions to the art and sport of fly fishing, and to the conservation of all fish in all waters, Nominations come from some of the most respected members of the flyfishing community, and literally, from all over the world.

Flint Hills Fly Fishing Club, of St. George, Kansas and the NorthIdaho Fly Casters, of Coeur D’Alene, Idaho tied for the prestigious McKenzie Cup Award. Both clubs have demonstrated a high degree of commitment to the guiding principles of the national FFF-- conservation, education and restoration. Their members have spent countless hours passing on to others their love of fly fishing, concern for fishery resources and belief in the ethics of catch and release.

The Mid-South Fly Fishers of Memphis, Tennessee won the coveted Stanley Lloyd Conservation Award for their epic conservation efforts, particularly with the WET (water education team) Program. They have been working in conjunction with Shelby Farms to establish a fly fishing only, catch and release area, as well as restoring the flow between two spring fed lakes, and improving the wildlife habitat. Additionally, they provided funds to purchase aquarium equipment for the Shelby Farms Interpretive Center.

Tracie Maler of Cordova, Tennessee was named Woman of theYear for being a tireless worker for the FFF on many levels. Currently the National Vice President of Fundraising, Maler has also held many offices and directors positions locally and regionally.

Phil Shook of Houston, Texas received the Silver King Award, which honors excellence in angling writing, Specializing in saltwater fly fishing, Shook’s writing and photography experience spans 25 years, and includes work on four daily newspapers. His articles have appeared in more than 25 outdoor, travel and business publications, including most national fly fishing magazines such as Fly Rod &Reel, Fly Fishing in Saltwaters, American Angler, and Flyfishing. He is co-author of “Fly Fishing the Texas Coast:Backcountry Flats to Bluewater".

Dining at Conclave

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This year, food service at the Conclave, during the day, will beprovided by the Knights of Columbus. They will serve breakfastand lunch at reasonable prices. Their food is excellent and issure to beat a fast food hamburger. Give ‘em a try!

Fly Fish 2001Plans take Shape

By Walter McLendonPineywoods Fly Fishers

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After this year’s successful Fly Fish 2000 show held back in February in Athens, Texas, we are well into planning Fly Fish 2001, to be held March 3, 2001 at the beautiful Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center in Athens, Texas. Visit our website in progress, <http://freepages.arts.rootsweb.com/~wem1/index.html> , to get a glimpse of what is in store. This show is like no other because Texas Parks and Wildlife has invited Texas fly fishing clubs to plan and coordinate each show under the supervision of Jinger Knight of the Athens Center. This is a pure fly fishing outreach show in that we are given the entire Center to gather clubs to present programs to teach the general public about fly fishing. We are given the freedom to cover any subjects we feel best fits our talents and experience. Weexpect many more visitors than the estimated 1,000 wepreviously had in this single day show.

In February, we featured Dave and Emily Whitlock and they did a fantastic job of pleasing our Texas Visitors. We already have ChicoFernandez and the Reel Guys scheduled to head our quality list of speakers in the next show. We setup complete casting classes for all levels of fishermen supervised by FFF certified casting instructors under the expert leadership of Al Crise of the Ft. Worth FF. Some classes will be conducted in the 106 acre yard and some in a special 150’ x 300’ casting pond (actually a hatchery pond). Pineywoods FlyFishers will provide and supervise a 300’ x 300’ fishing pond stocked with 5,000 rainbow trout, large brooders and other species of freshwater fish for the public to try their hand at catch and release once they have learned to cast the fly rod

Matt Michels of Jack Sparks Central Texas Fly Rodders, will head the large fly tyers’ roundtable. Tables will be available for kids to learn to tie the wolly bugger. The youth program for casting and tying will be headed by Larry Hysmith, Jere Anderson will headthe Dallas Fly Fisher’s unique Fly Action/Fish Pursuit Exhibit casting actual flies into the 300,000 gallon aquariums with the public watching from the other side of glass walls where they get a very close up view of fish taking the fly.

We hope to get all Texas clubs as well as surrounding state’s clubs involved in club programs presented along the long path the visitors take as they visit all the exhibitors booths and trek out to the fishing pond. We invite any fly fishing educational/conservation programs that the clubs already have the capability to present or can invent for this event.

Most of all we invite all fly fishermen to bring their families andfriends to enjoy a great day with us in Texas!

The Fly Corner

By Terry Tanner, Southwest Missouri Fly Fishers

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The Never Sink Stone

The Never Sink Stone, a good adult stonefly to fish during the salmon fly hatch out west, also imitates a cricket or hopper, and will attract several species of fish in the mid-west, as well. The craft foam in the wing of this fly, really makes it a “never sink fly.”

Materials ListTie the fly in black, brown, or gray. All materials should be colored to match. Use thread similar to Wapsi 140 and Uni-thread #6-8, TMC hook #4-8 (#6 preferred), l/16” kraft sheet foam (closed cell), goose biots, poly dubbing, dark natural turkey wing segment (Lacquered), deer body hair, medium gold wire, and head cement.
 
 
 

Tying Instructions As in figure #l, Attach thread to hook, wrapping foam about 1/4” from hook eye, and wind down to the bend of the shank. Next, cut a strip of kraft foam, about 3/32” wide, and tie out the back of the hook, as shown. then, attach a small ball of dubbing to act as a cushion for the goose biots. Now attach the biots, one on each side, curving inward toward the hook shank, Finally, attach gold wire, as shown, and add the dubbing for the abdomen area.

 

As in Figure #2, wind the dubbing up the shank. Pull the kraft foam up between the biots, to the just behind the eye of the hook, and tie off. Segment-rib the body with gold wire, and tie off. Add turkey underwing, and cut off the 6/0 or 8/0 thread, then add flat waxed nylon or Wapsi #140, for winding the deer hair.

 

As in Figure #3, tie in deer body hair, with the tips of the hair pointing forward, and wind thread up behind the eye of the hook.

 

As in Figure #4, advance the thread back so as to allow space to tie off when forming the head of the fly. Finally, fold the deer hair back, forming the head (bullet style), wind a collar over the new bullet head, whip finish, and add head cement.

SOUTHERN COUNCIL FEDERATION OF FLY FISHERS PROXY

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Please turn proxy in at Board of Directors Meeting

OPTION A

I, the undersigned Club President serving as Director or Council Officer, hereby consign my vote on all matters of business to be conducted during the 2000 Annual Directors Meeting, Southern Council, Federation of Fly Fishers, 8 October 2000, to the Executive Committee of the Southern Council.

President’s Printed Name: ___________________________

Club (Must be in good standing) ______________________

President’s Signature _______________________________

OPTION B

I, the undersigned Club President or Council Officer, hereby consign my vote on all matters of business to be conducted during the 2000 Annual Directors Meeting, Southern council, Federation of Fly Fishers, 8 October 2000, to (Print

(Name) _________________________________________

Club (Must be in good standing) ______________________

President’s Printed Name: ___________________________

President’s Signature _______________________________ . Club President or individual holding proxy must be a member in good standing of the Federation of Fly Fishers.

Women’s Outreach

By Pat Smith, SC Managing Director

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This year, Women’s Outreach offers diversified courses for all attendees. On Friday morning, we start with a 3 hour seminar byConstance Whiston which is “An Introduction to Fly Fishing.” Here one will learn what you need to know to outfit yourself then go out and catch a fish. This course is geared for the beginner. There is no advanced sign-up necessary; however, if you would like to participate in this course it is best that you bring your own rod. This is followed by Karla Axel who will do a demonstration of “DriedFlower Wreaths.” Karla and her husband grow nearly all of the flowers used in her wreaths and she sells them commercially at Country Reflections Craft Shop.

Friday afternoon there will be a “Trunk Show” by Linda Siefert ofRemember Me Quilt Shop. Linda will show you what’s new and innovative in quilting and the uses of quilts and quilting in home decor and wearing apparel. Linda has been sewing since age 7 and has owned her own shop for about 25 years. This is sure to be a must see program for all ladies and those gentlemen who are interested in their surroundings. At 2:00 PM Amy Galyardt and Becky Rogerswill do a presentation on “Learning to Fish a Trout River: AnInteractive Approach.” In the classroom Amy and Becky will take you to a trout stream and show you where the fish are and how to best approach them. Both Amy and Becky are accomplished fisherwomen and really know their stuff. Also, during the afternoon on Friday, Phyllis Speer with the Arkansas Game and FishCommission will conduct her famous (or infamous) “DutchOven Cooking Class.” This session has proven to be so popular that it is already filled. Just keep it in mind for next year.

On Saturday, Emily Whitlock from the Whitlock Fly FishingSchool, will offer two different seminars for the caster. First in the morning will be a session aimed for the intermediate to advanced caster with the afternoon session aimed more for the advanced caster. You will learn various casts as well as how to correct problems you are currently having with your casts. Emily is also thefeatured speaker at the Women’s Outreach Luncheon. As most of you know, the Outreach Luncheon is the best kept secret of the whole Conclave. It’s open to all and all who come have a great time. See you there.

2000 Conclave Changes

By Dennis Slane, SCVP - Development

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If you have attended our conclave in the past; be prepared forsome nice changes this year!

When you arrive, we will have supervised parking! At the main seminar room, you will find a large screen, where you will be ableto see Chico and others tie without having to peer through acrowd.

Still another big screen video will be setup at the celebrity-tyingbooth. With all the super programs and tyers - What a wonderful opportunity to see the masters.

Please notice the folks behind the video cameras. They will be shooting footage to be used in promotional videos for next year’s Conclave. Remember to smile! :-)

I am looking for someone to chair next years Conclave. I hope that person will step up before this year’s Conclave starts, so they will have an opportunity to follow Chuck and see how things operate. Write, Call, or E-mail me if you are interested in doingthis. See you in Mt. Home.

Dennis Slane - VP - Development 4728 S. Kelly, Springfield, MO 65804, (417) 883-5057 <WDSlane@hotmail.com>

Conservation Around the Council

By Paul SodamannVP-Conservation

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It is always good to hear from clubs throughout the council. Sometimes what I receive is advice as to what I can do with my ideas, however, most of what I receive is informative and printable. A few clubs have responded to the request in the last Long Cast to send in their conservation activities over the past several years. Following is a brief overview of three of these clubs activities which includes educational activities and community service activities. I include educational and community service activities because I believe that conservation includes not just flora and fauna of the aquatic environments we love, it also consist of conservation of our membership and public responsibility.

Fort Worth Flyfishers are members of the Texas WatchProgram and have joined in partnership with the Brazos RiverAuthority to monitor water quality along the Brazos River. From Possum Kingdom Dam to Lake Whitney the club monitors four locations. The Southern Council provided some funding to help with this project. The club developed a partnership with the National Forest Service’s National Forest Foundation. Then, with the cooperation of Texas Parks and Wildlife, FWFF provided funds and manpower to construct a. new thirty acre lake (Windmill Lake) at the Lyndon Baines Johnson Grasslands. This lake is dedicated to catch-and-release and fly fishing. FWFF have contributed to the Guadalupe River Legal Defense Fund, a fund which seeks to insure adequate water releases to maintain a viable year-round trout fishery below Canyon Dam. I might add that these water flows will also maintain fresh water flows into the bay which help maintain the quality of saltwater fisheries. In conjunction with the trout stocking program at Possum Kingdom, FWFF performs angler surveys for Texas Parks and Wildlife. FWFF, also provides volunteers to Camp Sanguinity, an activity of Cook Children’sMedical Center in Fort Worth. Seriously ill children at the camp are given instruction in tying flies and fly fishing as a diversion from their battles with disease and injury. The club also provides instruction to youth at a variety of other venues in Texas.

Pineywoods Fly Fishers of Lufkin, Texas are another active Texas group. As members of the Texas Watch Program, they help monitor area lakes and streams. Eight club members were certified as site monitors and two as monitor trainers. One member is currently training to become a quality’ assurance officer for East Texas. As partners with Angelina & Neches River Authority, PWFFsponsors both Hudson ISD and Kennard ISD to monitor water in their locales. PWFF are dedicated to the education of children. During the U.S. Forest Service’s Forest Awareness Week held at Ratcliff Lake, school students were bussed from nearby towns each day to learn about forestry. PWFF set up two areas to demonstrate fly tying and teach fly rod casting to junior high students. This event is repeated in Lufkin where students are bussed to TFS lakes. TexasForest Service and Pineywoods annually conduct a Texas ForestFestival at the County Exposition Center where nearly ten-thousand visitors have the opportunity to experience fly tying and fly casting. Recently, a history of fly fishing and an entomology display have been added to this event.

PWFF conducts an open house each year at the chamber of commerce where they invite a well known guest to tie flies and assist in casting activities. The public is invited and introduced to fly fishing and the club at the same time. Fly Fish 2000, held at Athens, Texas in February was a combined effort of nine Texas clubsincluding Pineywoods. Pineywoods Fly Fishers has done a wonderful job of getting other local clubs involved in conservation projects as well as help new clubs get started.

Flint Hills Fly Fishing Club of Manhattan, Kansas (One of thisyear’s FFF McKenzie Cup winners) a relatively young club in the heart of Kansas, has just started its involvement in conservation issues. Each year FHFFC helps a local Boy Scout Troop clean a small trout stream below Tuttle Creek Dam which is regularly stocked by KDWP. Recently KDWP approached the club and Southern Council for funding and manpower assistance with a stream improvement project at Fancy Creek Park on Tuttle Creek Lake. The project will use FHFFC donated labor and funds to improve fishing access on a small tributary to Fancy Creek. The end result will provide a stream designed for young people to get their first taste of fishing, fly rod or conventional. Education is the strong focus of this Kansas club. The club helps with fly tying materials and rods/reels for beginning fly fishing classes offered as a one hour credit class through Kansas State University. Six sessions are offered annually and each session has full enrollment. To date over 200 student have successfully completed their first experience with fly fishing and fly tying. The Becoming an Outdoor Woman(BOW) and the Women in the Outdoors (WITO) program in t h e state have utilized the club’s many talented members to teach women in these programs the sport of fly fishing. Each year FHFFC sponsors a Fly Fishing Expo held at a local fly shop. This event is free and open to the public as a means of introducing the club to the community and providing education in fly tying and casting to the many people attending. The amazing thing about this club is that it is located in an area which is not considered a fly fishing Mecca and yet the membership has grown from eight just four years ago to over fifty-five all of whom are FFF members.

I could go on and on about all three of these clubs and the wonderful accomplishments of each, however, I think my point is made. The Southern Council boasts some of the best, most active clubs in the country. Clubs consisting of members who do not just hang out together to fly fish, they get involved in their sport, their environment and their community. To all the clubs in theSouthern Council, keep up the great work!

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