May 2022 and Covid seems to be in our rear-view mirror, we are no longer living under Covid mask mandates, lock downs or distancing. However, Covid is still very real so at this point please utilize whatever virus practices that you are personally comfortable with, masks, distance, sanitizer etc.
Our regular May Meeting will be held at the Ludlow Elks Club, 69 Chapin Street in Ludlow MA
This month we will be meeting in the Pavilion for a cookout and our close of season meeting. We will start serving food at 5 pm. Anyone that would like to help set up the barbecue come to the Pavilion at 4:00pm.
Hope to see all of you at the cookout.
Members and guest listening to our Expo guest speakers Brian Keleher, Connecticut Valley District Fisheries Biologist and Adam Kautza, Coldwater Fisheries Project LeaderBrian Keleher speaking about the trout migration on the Swift river. Bob Jendrasik is in the background.Our demo tiers from right to left Peter Jezouit, Jaxion Flynn, Bob Jendrasik and the Derfield Fly Shop owner.
April 2022 spring is here and we are no longer living under Covid mask mandates. Covid is still very real so at this point please utilize whatever virus practices that you are personally comfortable with, masks, distance, sanitizer etc.
In place of our regular April Meeting, we will be holding our Fly-Fishing Expo. The Expo will be held at the Ludlow Elks Club, 69 Chapin Street in Ludlow MA the same venue as our meetings.
Doors will open at 6:30pm and the show will close at 9:00pm you will find an Expo flyer included with this meeting announcement for additional information about the Expo.
We will be taking membership renewals at the Expo this will be an opportune time to renew in person. I will be attaching the Renew by Mail Form.to this meeting announcement to streamline the renewal process please fill out the form and bring it to the Expo if you plan to renew.
Hope to see all of you at the Expo.
*For those that have volunteered to help at the Expo Manny will be available at the Elks starting at 2:30pm for anyone that would like to come early. All volunteers should be at the Elks no later then 5:30pm.
It is March 2022 and most of the Covid mask mandates have been lifted. Although these mandates have been lifted Covid is still very real so at this point please utilize whatever virus practices that you are personally comfortable with, masks, distance, sanitizer etc. We will be adhering to whatever the current Virus Practices are at the time of the meeting; however, it looks as though there is some light at the end of the Covid tunnel.
We will be conducting our March meeting at 7:00 pm right after the Fly-Tying Demo, at the Ludlow Elks Club, 69 Chapin Street in Ludlow MA.
March is the time to renew your membership. As we all remember due to Covid membership renewals were suspended until March of 2022, however our Expo has been moved to April so we all have an extra month to renew before being taken off the membership list. I will also be attaching the Renew by Mail Form.to this meeting announcement just follow the directions on the form to renew by mail or if you prefer to renew in person at the next meeting or at the April Expo. Please fill out the form and bring it to the next meeting or the Expo to streamline the renewal process.
Hope to see many of you at this coming meeting.
Fly Tying Demo:
Dan will be demonstrating how to tie the following fly’s at our meeting on Monday night before the scheduled meeting. Thanks Dan.
EAGAN’S RED DART Hook – jig hook16-14 Thread -red UNI 8/0 Bead – gold to match hook size TAIL – red hackle Body – peacock herl or UV Dub peacock Rib- 6x mono tippet and sulky pearl / silver thread Collar – brown hackle Head – pink SLF or UV dubbingOLIVE SCUD Thread – olive uni 8/0 Hook – scud size 16-14-12 Body – olive sow/scud dubbing Rib – silver wire x-small Over-body – 2 mm clear scud backCARDINELLE MARIBOU STREAMER Hook – standard streamer hook 8 xl Thread – red or flor. red Body – cerise yarn Under wing – fl. pink fish hair now called synthetic buck tail Wing -cerise marabou Collar – yellow hackle Head – red thread
It is now February 2022 and we are still dealing with Covid and it’s two variants Delta and Omicron. We will still have to adhere to the current Virus Practices. masks, distance, sanitizer etc. or whatever they may be at the time of the meeting or what ever is your comfort level. We will be conducting our February meeting at 7:00 pm right after the Fly-Tying Demo, at the Ludlow Elks Club, 69 Chapin Street in Ludlow MA.
We are rapidly approaching the time to renew our individual membership.
As we all know due to Covid membership renewals were suspended until March of 2022. Please note if you would like to renew your membership by mail or would like to join the club you can email me at wmffclub@Gmail.com and I will email you back the form. If you prefer to renew in person fill out the form and bring to the next meeting.
It was also decided to monitor COVID activity to possibly postpone to a later date or to cancel.
Currently we do not have guest speaker for this meeting. In lieu of a guest speaker we will be presenting the documentary “Trout Grass”. This is the story of Bamboo and its journey from China and the process of turning it into a fly rod.
Hope to see many of you at this coming meeting.
Fly Tying Demo:
Dan will be demonstrating how to tie the following fly’s at our meeting on Monday night before the scheduled meeting.
(6:30) Thanks Dan.
PERDIGON NYMPH Hook – Jig hook any size Bead – black size to match hook size Thread- Black uni 6/0 Tail- Cock de leon fibers Body – black thread Rib – sulky silver thread Hot spot – Fl. pink threadBLACK STIMULATOR Hook – TMC 200 or Daichi 1270 york bend 3 XL Thread – black 6/0 uni Tail – deer or elk body hair dyed black Body – black dubbing Rib – black hackle ribbed with silver wire Wing – deer or elk body dyed black Thorax – black dubbing Hackle – grizzlyHook- Curved shank grub hook. 1X heavy Body – Nat. beaver Wing – 3-4 natural CDC feathers
We will conduct our January meeting at 7:00 pm right after the Fly-Tying Demo, at the Ludlow Elks Club, 69 Chapin Street in Ludlow MA. We will adhere to current Virus Practices. Masks, distance, sanitizer etc.
January’s guest speaker will be Don Stewart from WMFF and TU. His presentation will be on his fly-fishing experiences fishing Alaska. Please join me in welcoming and thanking Don for taking the time to share his experiences.
We are rapidly approaching the time to renew our individual membership. As we all know due to Covid membership renewals were suspended until March of 2022. For those of you who wish to renew early your new expiration date will be March 2023.
Dan will be demonstrating how to tie the following fly’s at our meeting on Monday night before the scheduled meeting.
(6:30) Thanks Dan.
ZUG BUG Thread -6/0 uni black Hook- Nymph 2 xl 10-12-14 Tail – peacock sword Body- peacock herl Rib – oval silver tinsel small Wing – mallard breast feather Legs- brown hackle PUFF DADDY Thread – yellow – Uni, 8/0 Danville or UTC Hook – 16 – 18 Dry Fly Body – built up with yellow thread Wing: – white CDC feather tied like a soft hackle CLOUSER MINNOW Thread – heavy white or chartreuse thread 3/0 uni, UTC or Danville Hook – standard saltwater size 2 Eyes – small lead dumbbell eyes Body/Tail- white buck tail Wing – chartreuse buck tail
We will conduct our December meeting at 7:00 pm right after the Fly-Tying Demo, at the Ludlow Elks Club, 69 Chapin Street in Ludlow MA. We will adhere to current Virus Practices. Masks, distance, sanitizer etc.December’s guest speaker will be Tom Panaccione
Tom will be sharing an eclectic mix of fly-fishing stories and personal experiences from his trips to some great fly-fishing destination’s such as Argentina, Montana and Belize. The presentation will include trip info, fishing techniques and the flies used. Questions during the presentation will be welcome. Please join me in welcoming and thanking Tom for taking the time to share his experiences.
Hope to see many of you at this coming meeting.
Fly Tying Demo:
Dan will be demonstrating how to tie the following fly’s at our meeting on Monday night before the scheduled meeting. (6:30) Thanks Dan.
SIMPLE GOLDEN STONE Hook – standard nymph 1 or 2 xl size 8 – 10-12 Bead – gold to match hook size Thread- Uni 6/0 brown Tail – amber or yellow turkey biots Wing cover – pheasant tail Body – possum golden stone dubbingHALF PINT Hook- scud hook 16-20 Thread-brown uni 6/0 Body – pheasant tail Rib – copper ultra wire x-small Wing – white antron yarnEZ BODI SAND EEL Hook – standard saltwater size 2 Thread- clear mono (monofil) Tail- white, olive craft fur and pearl krystal flash Body – EZ body small size Olive – sharpie Eyes – flat stick on eyes black / silver Body coating – Exo-Flex or Softex
We will conduct our November meeting at 7:00 pm right after the Fly-Tying Demo, at the Ludlow Elks Club, 69 Chapin Street in Ludlow MA. We will adhere to current Virus Practices. Masks, distance, sanitizer etc. November we will have a presentation on the Big Horn River given by Dan T. Our October meeting was a nice gathering of members and the tie along led by Dan was a pleasant diversion from our regular meeting agenda. We had 21 members and one guest in attendance. Hope to see many of you at this coming meeting.
Meeting Minutes:
There was a quick status of our funds, by Harold and Dan although Don Vacon our Treasurer was not in attendance please see (Don Vacon) for the info available at the November meeting.
The club had it’s annual Club Officer Vote and the Officers and Board of Directors remains the same except for the Secretary position with Gil stepping down after 9 years serving as Secretary. The new Club Secretary voted in is John D. Lawor.
Discussed Business Cards and Card printing however no decision as been made to select a printer.
Discussion on the best ways to advertise the club , the club fly tying classes and the 2021 Fly Fishing Expo.
Fly Tying Demo:
Dan will be demonstrating how to tie the following fly’s at our meeting on Monday night beginning before (6:30) the scheduled meeting. Thanks Dan.
ADAMS PARACHUTE
HOOK- standard dry THREAD- uni grey 8/0 TAIL – brown /grizzly hackle BODY – grey 8/0 uni POST- white antron HACKLE – brown / grizzlyWICKED PISSAH MIDGE EMERGER
HOOK- gamagatshu c12 BM size 30 THREAD – 8/0 black uni Wing – pearl crystal flash Pot – Nat, CDC FOAM WING EMERGER
HOOK – gamagatshu c12 BM size 30 Body – black uni 8/0 Wing – 2 mm white foam
Guest Speaker:
Dan Trela will be talking about his Fly-Fishing Outings out West, FISHING THE BIGHORN RIVER IN FORT SMITH , MONTANA. We are also open to your sharing of a topic or experience! See Harold to set the date
We will conduct our September meeting at 7:00 pm right after the Fly-Tying Demo, at the Ludlow Elks Club, 69 Chapin Street in Ludlow MA. We will adhere to current Virus Practices. Masks, distance, sanitizer etc. It’s been a while since we had our last meeting! (May Cookout) We hope that you are all in good health and trying to live your lives as normal as possible given our extenuating circumstances. One thing that I look forward to is getting back to our meetings and enjoy the interaction, comraderies, and sharing fish stories that we can all relate to.
Meeting Minutes:
Our last meeting was the annual cookout. We all thank Dan Trela and his wife, plus Roy Britton for pulling off a successful event. It was a good time to see all the folks and enjoy the good food and friendships at the event. If you want information on the status of our funds, please see our treasurer (Don Vacon) for the info available at the meeting.
Welcome our newest member, Thomas (Tom) Rzasa who joined our group at the cookout.
Working on getting WMFF Club letterhead if you need some. Can send it by file via email or I will carry some in my bag.
Fly Tying Demo:
Dan will be demonstrating how to tie the following flys at our meeting on Monday night beginning before (6:30) the scheduled meeting. Thanks Dan.
Larry’s Leech Hook size – 8, 1 xl nymph hook Thread-Black 6/0 uni Tail – Olive caribou Body J Fair’s long shuck olive Crackle-back Hook– standard dry fly 16/18/20 Thread – yellow 8/0 uni Body – Opal tinsel Over-body peacock chenille herl Hackle– bleached grizzly Craven’s Mole fly Hook– curved scud hook 18-20 Body -brown beaver Wing -Nat. dun cdc puff
Guest Speaker: None so far but we are open to your sharing of a topic or experience!
See Harold to set the date.
Field Notes from Our Local Fly Fishers: Be careful when you venture out onto the water. Levels are high with all the rain we’ve been getting
Hope to see you at the Annual Cookout in the Elks Pavilion! The meeting will be held outdoors. Dan Trela will be grilling some mighty fine burgers and hot dogs for us. There will be some deserts, chips and other fix ins for us to enjoy. Our meeting will be held on Monday, May17, 2021 at 7:00 PM, right after the cookout that starts at 5:30 at the Ludlow Elks Club, 69 Chapin Street in Ludlow, we hope you can make it there.
No Fly tying demonstrations will take place because Dan is tied up with other duties.
April Meeting: Minutes:
Our first indoor meeting since the Covid attack! We had 22 members and one guest show up. (guest is now a new member! Thank Harold!)
Dan Trela demonstrated his superb fly-tying abilities on various Caddis flies that are productive on the Swift. The “Wicked Pissa” is really hot on the Swift River!
Our Raffle was a tremendous hit! Many multiple winners of some nice prizes! Wish you had been there to share the winnings! been there…
TREASURERS REPORT: We are holding our own until we renegotiate our hall rental contract this month!
Speaker:
There will be no scheduled speaker for this meeting. If you are interested in giving us a demonstration or short talk at a future meeting, please give Harold Norman a call to schedule your talk. We all appreciate learning more about Fly Fishing and other related interests.
First, we hope that you all survived this immense ordeal in good health and spirit. Many of us are still adjusting to the new environment, whereby we have all gone “viral” with all the changes in our lives. Restrictions have been reduced to allow groups to gather with limits of 40% of the facility’s capacity. Our max club meeting attendance has stayed at 30 members/guests. The Elks Club hall accommodates several hundred people. Therefore, we fall way under the 40% limit. ALL COVID MEASURES ARE STILL IN AFFECT DURING OUR GATHERING! Masks, attendance register, hand sanitizer, and social distancing.
We will conduct our club meeting at 7:00 pm beginning with the Fly-Tying Demo portion of the meeting. Located at the Ludlow Elks Club, 69 Chapin Street in Ludlow MA. We miss gathering as a group of people who love this sport/hobby/passion and love sharing experiences, knowledge’ and support of our fishing environment for all to enjoy. See you at the meeting.
Meeting Minutes:
Our last meeting was during the Fall when we got together in the Pavilion.
Treasurer’s report will be available at the meeting. See Don Vacon.
Fly Tying Demo:
Dan will be demonstrating how to tie the following fly’s at our meeting on Monday night beginning before the scheduled meeting. Thank you, Dan for tying some terrific flies and describing their unique features and “fishability”!
PEACOCK CADDIS Hook -standard dry 12-18 Thread- 6/0 uni black Body Peacock Herl Wing short and fine deer hair or elk. Hackle grizzlyCDC AND DEER HAIR CADDIS Hook – standard dry 12-16 Thread- 6/0 uni black Body – Nat. dun CDC feather Wing – short fine deer hair or elk.CDC CADDIS Hook – standard dry Body – thread your choice. tan, olive, black , grey Wing – Nat. cdv feather
TIPS: When tying the CDC and deer hair caddis on a size 14-16 hook select a CDC feather about 1 1/4 inch long. Tie it in over the hook barb and twist the feather into a rope. Wrap the CDC to form the body at about the 3/4 point wrap the feather as a hackle. Then tie in the deer hair or elk. Short and fine deer hair is distributed by Wapsi and is available at fly shops.
Guest Speaker: None scheduled. If you know of someone, please contact Harold Norman.
Field Notes From Our Local Fly Fishers: Be careful if you venture out on the ice, some spots are not as safe as they look! The Swift is seeing some good activity!
