Next Monthly Meeting:
Thursday, October 12, 2023 7:00PM
Monthly Program
Small streams…Small fish
Our speaker this month is Chris Kight, a member since 2018, and known to GBF members as club Treasurer who also aggregates all those fishing photos members send him that get shown at club meetings and also on the website.
He fishes a lot, 35-40 times each year, mostly small streams and describes his interest/addiction as follows:
“From the start, my plan was to find and repeatedly fish just a few streams and get to know them really well so that I know what to expect of them seasonally. Of course, the list grew and grew because we have so much great water nearby. Over time, many members have asked for information about my experiences and that formed the genesis for my presentation.
My talk will cover a dozen or so streams and creeks in our zone of the Sierras and their access points. I’ll talk about how I find the areas that are productive and about choosing either Tenkara or 3 wt traditional rod (or both). I’ll also talk about reading trout water and how to improve small water skills. These waters vary from a short stroll to a couple hours of hiking, but most are pretty easy to access.
I have a large file of photos of each area and the fish that were caught there. It’s surprising how many great little streams and creeks are within a 2 hour drive of our clubhouse, how easy it is to access them and various simple styles of fly fishing that are appropriate and successful.
I’ll talk a bit about how I use Dreamflows, an automated program that provides real-time stream data to know when to get on the water each spring. Lastly, I’ll share my most effective Tenkara flies (that I tie) – a couple of which are my inventions.
Join me at the October meeting and I hope, at the very least, to entertain!”
Leader’s Line
Autumn is my favorite fishing season because it represents a transition from summer to winter. Nighttime temperatures drop, the leaves on the trees turn color and days become noticeably shorter. Each of these changes gives us notice that something is happening.
Transitions are important in fishing, too. This is especially true for those of us that enjoy moving waters. The transitions of a stream’s flow are like reading a book. Each one is a chapter that must be studied and then understood. We must analyze what the water is telling us and then decide what actions must be taken to be successful. This is, of course, the whole purpose of fly-fishing.
In previous years our fishing seasons have been hammered by drought and fire. The drought severely restricted stream flows, while forest fires generated unhealthy air to breathe and then gummed-up the rivers with ash.
This year has been the opposite: lots of water and minimal forest fires. The rivers and streams that have been swollen for so long have finally slowed down. All of this means that now is the time to enjoy our natural resources.
Need an idea as to where to fish? Then the answer is to come to a club meeting because this is where members share fish stories and photos. And this month will be doubly productive because the speaker will be discussing local waters that are within a couple hours of the clubhouse.
Hope to see ya on the water.
Kim Lloyd, GBF President
New on the GBF site:
- The new GBF membership management and fishout registration system is now released! Be sure to sign-in under “Member Options” and complete your member profile.
- A list of all GBF past presidents all the way back to 1985 has been added here.
- A list of GBF member achievers for the Fly Fishers International Fly Casting Skills Development Program is now available here.
- Collectors and aficionados of vintage rods and reels will now find contact info for long-time expert Jim Adams of Adams Angling on the GBF Links page under Vintage Fly Gear, Books and More. A good source to check the value of granddads vintage bamboo rod or reel.
- Check out the GBF Photo Gallery here. Send your best photos to Chris Kight.
“In every species of fish I’ve angled for, it is the ones that have got away that thrill me the most, the ones that keep fresh in my memory. So I say it is good to lose fish. If we didn’t, much of the thrill of angling would be gone.”
-Ray Bergman
The September Leader
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