Hi gang!

Before I get into the real meat of my column here, I really want to thank all of you who included me in your thoughts and prayers concerning my heart surgery last July. The cards, flowers and gifts were an inspiration through my long convalescence and I'll never forget all of your gracious acts of kindness. Thanks.

I've been through some interesting lifestyle changes over the last few months, as you can imagine, and I'm still not sure how I can survive without real ice cream, chocolate pie and bacon. One of the biggest changes involves my moving to a new place. Like most fly fishers, I've always yearned for some digs on the water and after 50 years or so of being a landlubber, I finally made it to the waters' edge. Not too many trout streams in Fort Worth so I had to settle for a lake. It could be worse though.

One of the best things about living on the lake is being able to walk down to the boat slip whenever I want, hop in the boat and take off, day or night. I've really been getting into the night scene lately.

I've always enjoyed night fishing. Casting a fly in total darkness is something you either really love or totally hate - ...there doesn't seem to be much middle ground here for most folks. I've yet to meet anyone that would say that night fishing was just okay, ...something they might do once in awhile. But for me, there is just something amazingly surreal about a hooking a fish you can't see, your tugging line disappearing into the inky void. The fish seem to be pulling harder in the darkness and every time I hook and land a fish at night I feel like I just pulled off something that wasn't supposed to happen, ... but it did. It's a wonderful, victorious feeling.

One of the best things about night fishing, for me anyway, is the solitude of it all. Gone are the evil packs of jet skiers, power boaters and sailing regattas. Don't get me wrong though, those folks all have their right to the water to but the noise is an unwelcome distraction and the sailboats just make me think I'm about to be attacked by a hoard of giant, mutant mayflies. I know, the mayfly/sailboat analogy has been beaten to death in fly fishing literature but I can't help it. Sailboats really do look like mayflies to me. And who's to say that this column has ever resembled anything close to literature anyway.

Speaking of this column, ..it will be my last as your council president. It's been a blast serving you all for the last few years but it's time to turn over the reigns. Thanks to the incredible dedication and hard work of your council officers, we have accomplished some great things and I know that our stronger than they were before. This is something that I'm very proud of and we couldn't have made these changes and improvements without the help of countless individuals such as you, the average humble Federator reading this newsletter. I hope that you will be as proud as I am in knowing that your dedication and hard work have made this a better place to fish for us all.

In closing, I want to sincerely thank all the council officers, club officers, club members and Federators, both past and present, that have helped us over the years and I have full confidence that the new folks coming in will take up where we left off and go on to greater challenges, making the Southern Council even better.

I wish you all God speed in your new roles and good fly fishing!

Brian Camp

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

In just a couple of weeks, if not less, flyfishers from many states will be heading for the Best Darned Flyfishing Show Period. Preparations are in full swing and the trout are prepared to bite exceptionally well.

Lefty Kreh is looking forward to coming back after many years absence. I am especially looking forward to his open casting demonstration on Saturday afternoon. My family lived in England for a couple of years and I can recall watching Arthur Ogelsby showing off for the crowd on the banks of a large salmon river. His spey casts were quite spectacular to a new fly caster.

Saturday morning, Lefty will be starting off the Youth Conclave with a pep talk about our great sport and helping the kids with their casting- adults need not apply!

Jennifer Olssen will be our speaker for Friday evening and we can look forward to a tour of the Swedish countryside and trout streams. On Saturday morning, the ladies will be able to spend time with her at the Ladies Outreach Luncheon. I'll bet Johnny Chamness will show up to spend some or their money at the auction!

If flytying is your passion, you will have the chance to see many of the Southern Council's most talented people sharing their skills. If you want to learn the art or practice a particular technique, there will be tying coaches available. Many commercial vendors will be there also to sell you that cool new material or special thread.

One of the most best aspects of past Conclaves for me have been the many slide presentations available throughout the day by fellow fishers. You don't have to be famous to share your favorite destinations or techniques with others. These programs have been worth much more than the price of admission and this year's lineup is awesome. We are fortunate to have such a variety of types of fishing that there will no doubt be at least a couple of programs of particular interest.

Finally, it is important to remember that the bottom line of any Conclave is to provide the funds for next year's education and conservation efforts on behalf of our sport. Johnny Chamness will be doing his best to lighten the load in your wallet during Friday and Saturday nights' auctions. It is not healthy to carry too much weight in your hip pocket and we DO take credit cards! Throughout the day there will be chances to win cool prizes in raffles and outbid each other in the silent auctions.

Wow, this year's Conclave is looking even better than I had anticipated ! Don't be one of those people I talk to throughout the year that say, "I need to check out the Conclave someday, I've heard it's really neat." Be one of the people who say, "I'm so glad I came, can't wait until next year!" See you on October 4th and 5th in Mountain Home, let's share a Fish Tale or two.

Once again the casting games return to the casting ponds of the Southern Council Conclave. As usual, Ozark Fly Fishers of St. Louis, MO will host the accuracy and distance games. There are categories for everyone, men, women, boys and girls. The top contestants in each category will receive a trophy to be presented at the banquet on Saturday evening. Everyone that participates is a winner since all participants will receive a prize. There are no excuses about not having the correct rod because all equipment will be provided. Usually the rod manufacturers at the conclave provide their latest equipment for use in the games. Even if you don't win the contest everyone is a winner because they have an opportunity to practice casting, use equipment they might not otherwise experience and enjoy the luck of the wind. See at the ponds on Friday afternoon.

Have you ever watched someone tie a fly and said to yourself, "I could never do that. I don't have the patience or coordination to do it." Or maybe you thought that fly tying was neat but didn't know how to get started. Well help is on the way. For the third year in a row you will be able to ask and learn about fly tying from a coach. Friday and Saturday there will be fly tying coaches available to show you the various skills that go in to tying a fly. Sit down with us, ask us questions, and try it with a coach to talk you through each step. That is what we are there for; to help you learn how much fun it can be to tie your own flies.

We are also still looking for some more fly tying coaches. If you are willing to donate an hour or two to help someone else learn the joy of tying please contact me at wild_bear_flies@hotmail as son as possible. Don't feel that you have to be an expert. Any skill that you are willing to share with a novice is always appreciated. Come and be a hero to someone for a couple of hours.

What more could a budding fly fisher ask? A morning of training with a expert guide and fly angler; ...an hour with Lefty Kreh, world renown fly casting instructor, to sharpen those fly flinging skills; time on a fly fishing stream, stocked with GIANT TROUT waiting just for them, with a expert guide to tutor them; and a great lunch. What a memorable Day! That is what is in store for the youngsters, age 10 through 15, who sign up for the Youth Conclave on Saturday Oct 5th. If a child under ten is signed up, a parent must accompany the child througout the youth events.

Children are encouraged to bring their own tackle and waders, but, if they do not, rods, reels, and flies will be provided.

Students will meet at 9:00 a.m. for the session with Lefty, they will then proceed to Dry Run Creek where North Arkansas Fly Fishers and others will help them fish. Lunch will be provided at 12 noon and the class will return to the fair grounds around 2:00 p.m. Tackle will be provided for attendees who do not have their own. Each class participant should wear shoes that can get wet, in case it is necessary to wet wade in them. It will be a fun time that each student will remember for a long time!

Are you interested in learning how to tie a fly? Just don't know how to get started? Come join our beginning fly tying class. You will learn how to tie three flies that you will be able to fish later that day on the Norfork or the White. If you can't catch them with one of these flies, you might want to go get the dynamite. You will learn how to tie a sow bug, San Juan worm, and a woolly bugger. All tools and materials will be supplied. The materials are yours to keep. The class is limited to 10 to for more individualized instruction.

I am currently searching for a conclave chair for 2003. If you would be interested in filling that position please contact me about it.

There is a new very short video available that should be in every clubs possession by the time you are reading this. The intent is to get a bigger crowd at conclave, which will in turn help to produce more revenue to have for more help with all the council's projects.

The 2002 conclave will be a great time and will be family oriented. Please plan to attend - You could be on the next video.

Dennis Slane

VP Development

4728 S. Kelly

Springfield, MO 65804

(417) 883-5057

Fax (417) 883-7835

WDSlane@hotmail.com

English Wet Flies

For some time, I wondered why I had not heard anyone talking about or fishing English wet flies. I seems that almost no one offers them for sale any more. I wondered, ...could it be that these flies caught fish for centuries, and now they would not do the trick any more?

For the 2002 "Spring Trout Week," at Bass Pro Shop, Springfield, MO, where I work, I asked Davy Wotton, fly fishing guide, and man of many talents, to come and give some seminars on trout fishing and fly tying. During one of his outstanding tying demonstrations, I asked Davy if he still tied and used wet flies. He said that he most assuredly did and with great success! He quickly tied me a couple to try.

Now that I am retired, I plan on tying up a few to try down on the White. Here is a close sample of the way I remember Davy tying one of the wet flies for me. See you on the stream!

Materials List:

Hook: TMC3769 #14 or 16

Thread: 6/0 Flymaster - Brown

Tail: Hen saddle mottled tan or brown

Body: Davy Wotton's standard SLF beige, or Dave Whitlock's

      Signature Series SLF tan or light brown (hare's mask

      will also work)

Rib: Small copper wire

Collar: Hen saddle - 1-2 turns (mottled brown)

Top Wing: Pheasant hen tail section (use the fine-texture

          sides of the pheasant tail)

1. Tie in mottled hen tail and copper wire (figure 1)

2. Dub body material back toward the eye and wind the copper wire for the rib(be sure to leave enough room for hen hackle collar and top wing)

3. Tie in mottled hen hackle for a collar (only 2 turns) and add the top wing of hen pheasant tail.

Note: Try fishing this pattern with not only a floating line, but also a sinking or sink tip line.

The two day 2002 Conclave will feature at least seventy-five fly tyers, each an artist. Tyers will craft all manner of flies, from minute trout flie to huge flies for large salt water fish. Listed below are the names of the seventy-five tyers currently scheduled to tie at this years event, as well as where each tyer is from:

Joseph Aimonette, Florissant, MO; Norie Allen, Bella Vista, AR;. Bill Baumgardner, Long Beach, MS; Ward Bean, Council Bluffs, IA; Tom Berry, Bay St. Louis, MS; Joe Butler, Carthage, MO; Mike Butler, Jefferson City, MO; Larry Carli, Edwardsville, IL; Doug Christian, Florrisant, MO; Mike Clark, Harrison, AR; Bob Clemensen, Dunwoody, GA; Ken Cole, Dallas,, TX; Earl Cox, Bull Shoals., AR; Royce Dam, Wauwatosa, WI; Donald Dunn, N. Little Rock,, AR; Chuck Easterling, Jonesboro, AR; Doug Farthing, Camdenton, MO; Steven Flanagan, Schertz, TX; Diane Fozdar, Dallas, TX; Steve Fritz, Springfield, MO;

Mike George, Olathe, KS; Jeff Guerin, Murfreesboro, AR; David Halblom, Des Moines, IA; Doug Hansler, Batesville, AR; George Harmeling, Memphis, TN; Jim Hatfield, Shongaloo, LA; John Henry, Humansville, MO; Bill Heckel, Franklin Park, IL; Bill Heugel, Hemphill, TX; Luther Huff, Mountain Home, AR; Jerry Jarosik, St. Louis, MO; Steve Jensen, Battlefield, MO Ron Knight, Arlington, TX; T. L. Lauerman, Mountain Home, AR; Judy Lehmberg, Dayton, TX; Verne Lehmberg, Dayton, TX; John Lincoln, S Euclid, OH; Grace Liu, Dallas, TX; Tom Logan, Tallahassee,, Fl; Walter McLendon, Lufkin, TX; Elmer Meiler, Lincoln, NE; Slim Mitchell, McKinney, TX; Kyle Moppert, Baton Rouge, LA; Leah Morris, Russellville, AR; Billy Munn, Bridgeport, TX; Tom Nixon, Lake Charles, LA; Larry Notley, Dallas, TX; Bill Oxley, San Marcos, TX; Clarence Peaslee, Raytown, MO; John Peterie, Plano, TX; Marc Pinsel, Hammond, LA; Harvey Ragsdale, Springfield, MO; Dennis Reed, Jonesboro, AR; Ed Rizzolo, Pearland, TX; Becky Rogers, Cotter, AR; Tom Rogers, Cotter, AR; Cecil Ray Scantlin, Holts Summit, MO; Eric Schmuecker, Mountain Home, AR; Joe Schmuecker, Mountain Home, AR; Karl Schmuecker, Mountain Home, AR; Tom Schmuecker, Mountain Home, AR; Skip Shorb, Ozark, AR; Jim Simpson, Waxahachie, TX; Tony Spezio, Flippin, AR; Earl A. Stanek, Cotter, AR; Sherry Steele, Byhalia,, MS;

Albert Taylor, Mountain Home, AR;. Richard Thomas, Morgan, TX; Ray Tompkins, Plain Dealing, LA; Michael Verduin, Lewisville, TX; Johnny Walker, Ft. Worth,, TX; Bruce Whittle, Trenton, MO; Dale Wilkinson, Plano, TX; Tom Wood, Benton, AR; Tom Ziegler, St. Louis, MO

There will be a general Business Meeting of the Southern Council of the Federation of Fly Fishers, Sunday, October 6th, at 8:00 AM, in the Convention Center of the Ramada Inn, in Mountain Home, AR.

Immediately following the general meeting, there will be a Board of Directors meeting of the SC FFF.  Officers and Club Presidents Must aaend this meeting, or send a proxy. Proxy forms appear elsewhere in this newsletter.

SOUTHERN COUNCIL FEDERATION OF FLY FISHERS PROXY

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 2002 Annual Directors Meeting, Southern Council, Federation of Fly Fishers, 6 October 2002, 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 2002 Annual Directors Meeting, Southern Council, Federation of Fly Fishers, 6 October 2002, 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.

This proxy must be recieved no later than 30 September 2002.

During my years in this organization I have heard the membership say that the club should be more involved with conservation, with various local programs, with children and teenagers. That the club should have more classes, more organized group activities, more fishing trips, etc., etc. I heartily agree. But, these things won't happen without volunteers from with in our ranks.

Webster defines a volunteer asè."One who enters any service or under takes any task acting by choice"

Why do people volunteer? Maybe something needs to be done and they feel they are the best person for the job. Maybe something needs to be done and no one else is stepping forward. Maybe there is something interesting going on and they want to be involved. Maybe there is something important they want to see happen and they want a part of making it come true. Maybe they know they are a good leaderèor a good follower. Maybe they just like being involved with people who share their interests.

Three wonderful things occur when a people volunteer:

First, things happen. New programs get started, old programs get a new life, children and teenagers are reached out to, trips get organized, fund raisers become huge successes and on and on. Second, people have fun. Being involved in something that interests you is a blast. Third, and most importantly, people grow in themselves. I know I sure did

.

It doesn't take much to be involved. If you can volunteer even a few hours a month you could be a great help. Right now our most pressing need is for officers and directors, since elections are coming up. So, why not let one of the election committee members know that you're ready to give it a go. I would be willing to bet that you have some ideas and talents just waiting to burst forth and help keep the club on the good track that our predecessors have established.

The current Officers of the Southern Council of the federation of Fly Fishers are listed below. Most of them have served two or more years. Some of them are leaving office as this current year's term ends. Please take a moment at the Conclave to thank them, and, if you haven't already done so in the past, consider doing your part by becoming an officer sometime in the future.

The highlight of the 2002 Conclave Outreach activities is the luncheon on Saturday. This year the luncheon is under the direction of the ladies of Fort Worth Fly Fishers and they have some wonderful plans for the event. Don't miss it.

This year the Outreach Committee has brought in Jennifer Olsson. Jennifer, author of Cast Again: Tales of a Fly-Fishing Guide (The Lyons Press, Publishers, 1996), is a former fly casting instructor and licensed Montana and Yellowstone Park fishing guide. Reader's Digest excerpted and published a chapter from Cast Again in the June 2000 issue. Jennifer has also written for a variety of fishing publications including Fly Rod & Reel, Fly Tackle Dealer, The Virtual Fly Shop, Big Sky Journal, Sportfiske, and Fiske F÷r Alla. She has contributed to the anthologies, Uncommon Waters (Seal Press, A Different Angle (Seal Press), and The World's Best Trout Flies (Boxtree Limited). She is featured in Reel Women: The World of Women Who Fish (Lyla Foggia), and Wisdom of the Guides: Rocky Mountain Trout Guides Talk Fly Fishing (Paul Arnold). Jennifer is currently at work on her second book, Postcards from a Swedish Village: A River, A Village, A Fly-Fisher's Life in Sweden. She has held numerous casting clinics and fly fishing seminars throughout the United States and in Scandinavia.

Jennifer, pictured below, has traveled to Canada, Argentina, Mexico, Sweden, Lappland, Norway, Alaska, Belize, and the Florida Keys. She lives in Bozeman, Montana, and Gimdalen, Sweden, with her husband, Lars-ke Olsson, and her son, Peter.

Jennifer was the first woman to be endorsed by the Scott Fly Rod Company, and has been a guest speaker and casting demonstrator at national and international trade shows. She has appeared on CBS This Morning, Fishing the West, ESPN's - On the Fly, and on Swedish National Television. Recently she appeared on ESPN's, FLY FISHING CHALLENGE, as a member of Team Simms. Jennifer has been a guest speaker on several radio programs including National Public Radio's, Talk of the Nation. She appears in Great Rivers of the West, a CD-ROM program by Virtual Adventures. She is also the host and featured talent for the video, Women and Fly Fishing, produced by Miracle Productions. In addition, from over 75,000 volunteers, Jennifer was named the 1990 National Big Sister by Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. For this achievement President George Bush honored her at the White House.

Jennifer will be presenting several programs including the Friday evening one entitled "A River in Northern Sweden to Warm Your Heart." She will share stories and fishing tales from her fly fishing life in Sweden where she lives each summer along the Gim River. You'll follow her on a journey to a village of 100 people in the forest country, and into the currents of a wild grayling and brown trout river saved by restoration efforts and catch-and-release fishing. On Friday at 1:00 PM Jennifer will presented a program entitled "Knots, Leaders and Other Things." In other words, this will help you get set up to take your rod to the stream.

 On both Friday and Saturday, Jenn will be conducting casting clinics for all levels. Don't miss a moment of this outstanding lady's presentations. You will be well rewarded for your time.

Material for the Holiday Issue of Long Casts Must be in the Editor's Hands by November 1st. Submissions of stories, pictures, and artwork are welcome and will be considered for publication. Please direct all advdertising inquiries to SC Managing Director Pat Smith, whose address can be found elsewhere in this newsletter.