The May 2025 meeting will be our last meeting before we go on summer break. We had another great year and got through another meeting season and WMFF March Expo.
Our May 19th meeting will start at 5:00 PM and will be held at the Ludlow Elks Club, 69 Chapin Street in Ludlow MA at the Pavilion for our close of the season cookout. The meeting will commence after the cookout outside in the Pavilion area. Anyone wanting to help with the cookout please see Dan Trela at 4:00 PM to assist him with preparations and cooking.
We will be starting back up in September on Monday the 15th. Our regular September Meeting will be held at the Ludlow Elks Club, 69 Chapin Street in Ludlow MA. I will be sending out a September meeting announcement the end of August. Also please check the WMFF’s website (https://wmffclub.org) throughout the summer for news and events, and new fly fishing and tying related information.
See you in September. May you all have an enjoyable and safe summer.
It’s April and we have gotten through another WMFF March Expo. Hopefully the weather will change for the better and those of us that have been hibernating through the winter well get an opportunity to get out and wet a line. I would like to thank everyone that volunteered to assist with the Expo. Thank you. Without your help the Expo could never be a success.
We will conduct our April meeting at 7:00 pm right after the Fly-Tying Demo, at the Ludlow Elks Club, 69 Chapin Street in Ludlow MA.
April’s guest speaker will be:
James Garner
PhD Candidate
UMass Amherst
Environmental Conservation Department (ECO)
James will be speaking on the shortnose sturgeon project that has been in the news recently.
As a Membership Reminder March 2025 was the time to renew your membership for the 2026 season. Please find the mail in renewal form with this meeting announcement. You can fill this form out and mail your renewal directly to me and I will mail your Membership Card to you or you can bring the completed form to the April meeting to renew in person. Alternatively, you can complete the Membership Form on the WMFF website, and bring the payment with you to the next meeting. I would like to thank those of you that have taken the time to renew your membership.
Hope to see many of you at this coming meeting.
– John Lawor
Fly Tying Demo
Dan Trela will be tying one fly called the Empie’s Goldie, but Dan will tie it twice. Dan said “This is a fly you will want in your fly box if you fish a river or pond that was recently stocked. Not every fly shop carries Bill’s bodi braid, it is usually found in saltwater fly shops. I sell the material alone as well as a kit to tie the Goldie.”
Thanks Dan!
Empie’s Goldie Thread: UTC 140 D hot orange Hook: Size 8 or 6 1XL nymph hook Bead: 5/32 gold tungsten bead Tail: Several strands red crystal flash, 2 strands Bill bodi braid pearl, 2 strands Bill’s bodi braid gold Body: Silver mylar tinsel Wing: 4 strands pearl bodi braid and 4 strands gold bodi braid Collar: Hot orange thread
I would like to thank all of you who volunteered to work the WMFF Booth at the Springfield Sportsman Show in West Springfield last month. Your hard work and dedication to the club made our presents at the show a success.
As a Membership Reminder March 2025 is the time to renew your membership for the 2025-2026 season. For those of you that have not renewed please find the mail in renewal form with this meeting announcement. You can fill this form out and mail your renewal directly to me and I will mail your Membership Card to you. Or you can bring the completed form to the March EXPO meeting to renew in person.
Hope to see many of you at the EXPO
Our March 2025 Meeting will be our 2025 WMFF EXPO. For March Expo information please visit the WMFF web site at the WMFF’s website.
As we move into the new year, we have a number of Club events coming up in February and March. We have the Springfield Sportsman’s Show at the Big E in February and we will be in need of volunteers to representative the club, we will also be preparing for the WMFF EXPO and we will also need club member participation and volunteers.
We will conduct our February meeting at 7:00 pm right after the Fly-Tying Demo, at the Ludlow Elks Club, 69 Chapin Street in Ludlow MA.
Our guest speaker at our February meeting will be Reece McDowell. Reece runs the graphite department at T&T Fly Rods in Greenfield, MA. He also works at the Deerfield fly shop part time and has been fly fishing for close to a decade. Reece’s passion is fly fishing for Carp and his presentation will be Carp 101. He will be going over gear, habits, habitat, flies and everything to get started fly fishing for Carp.
Once again, we have been invited back to the Springfield Sportsman’s Show at the Big E, February 21, 22, and 23. We are in need of volunteers to man the booth at this event. You can tie fly’s or just be there to talk about fly fishing, fly-tying and the WMFF club. We want to have coverage all three days so please sign up to help. A sign- up sheet will be available at our meeting. Here is a link to this event http://www.osegsportsmens.com
As a reminder we are rapidly approaching the time to renew our individual 2026 membership. Renewals are due by the end of March 2025. Please note that attached to this meeting announcement you will find a Renew by Mail Form. Please follow the directions on the form to renew by mail or if you prefer to renew in person fill out the form and bring it to the next meeting. Dues are still $20.00. I will be available to renew your membership during the meeting.
If you have not filled out the club questioner yet, please do. The club is sending out this questionnaire to all members so we can get your input and ideas for making the club better, to find out from the membership what they think will enhance the club, what we are currently doing and what other programs you as members would like to see put into place. I will also be attaching a copy of the questionnaire to this announcement.
We will also be discussing preparation and planning for the 2025 WMFF March EXPO.
Thank you. – John D Lawor, Secretary WMFF
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
Little Black Stone Fly Dry
Hook – Standard dry size 16, 14
Thread – Black uni 8/0
Body – Black superfine dubbing
Wing – mallard primary slip sprayed with clear lacquer
Happy New and welcome to 2025. I expect that everyone is well and has had an enjoyable Holiday. WMFF is ready to start the 2025 season. We have some great things coming up in 2025. The 2025 WMFF Fly-tying classes starting on January 9th. 7:00pm to 9:00pm continuing for eight weeks ending on February 27, we have been asked back once again to represent the club, fly fishing and fly-tying at the Springfield Sportsman Show at the Big E in West Springfield. February 21-23, we will also be holding our March Expo, along with having some great guest speakers in 2025. We will be looking forward to another successful year
We will conduct our January meeting at the Ludlow Elks Club, 69 Chapin Street in Ludlow MA on Monday the 20th. at 7:00 pm right after the Fly-Tying Demo.
January Guest speaker TBA
Fly Tying Demo:
Dan Trela will be demonstrating how to tie the following flies at our meeting on Monday night. Thank you Dan.
MARLA BLAIR’S JAILBIRD
Hook – standard curved scud hook 14-16-18
Thread – 8/0 uni olive
Rib – Red wire
Body – Blue wing olive synthetic dubbing
Wing case – 2 mm white foam
BRONZE BACK PHEASANT TAIL
Hook – standard nymph 10-16
Thread – black uni 8/0
Tail – natural pheasant tail fibers
Body – natural pheasant tail with bronze flashabou
It’s December and Thanksgiving is behind us and Christmas is only weeks away. It is time to rejoice and to enjoy the company of family and friends.
Our 2025 office’s elections were successfully held at our November meeting. The current club officers were voted in for another term and will be resuming their duties in 2025. We would also like to welcome Codi Ackley who was voted into the open Board of Directors spot vacated by Manny DeSilva.
The December meeting will be held at 7:00 pm right after the Fly-tying Demo, at the Ludlow Elks Club, 69 Chapin Street in Ludlow MA.
Fly Tying Demo:
Dan Trela will be demonstrating how to tie the following fly’s at our meeting on Monday night before the scheduled meeting.
TOM BALTZ para nymph
Hook – standard dry fly size 10 -20
Thread – uni black 8/0
Tail – brown antron or zelon (tri-global fibers)
Body – hare’s mask Wing – yellow calf body hair Hackle – grizzly
TOM BALTZ Iron x caddis
Hook – standard dry fly 12-20
Thread – uni brown 8/0
Tail – brown/olive antron or zelon
Body – hare’s mask
Wing – short & fine deer body hair
Sighter -hot pink antron fibers
Frenchie
Hook – Jig hook 12-18
Bead – slotted gold to match hook size
Thread – 70 D UTC red
Tail – coc de leon fibers or substitute wood duck fibers
November the gateway to winter, the days are getting shorter and the nights are getting colder. The leaves are off the trees and most of us have put away our rods and reels for the season as we move into holiday mode with Thanksgiving right around the corner.
Our November meeting will be held at 7:00 pm right after the Fly-tying Demo, at the Ludlow Elks Club, 69 Chapin Street in Ludlow MA.
November is Club Officers election month. Be prepared to submit your nominees for Club President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer we will be voting for our 2024 officers. We will also be voting on a Board Member position this year.
Tom Ricardi will be our guest speaker for November’s meeting, Presenting Birds of Prey. Local raptor rehabilitator, Tom Ricardi, has been rescuing birds of prey for more than 50 years. He has saved thousands of owls, hawks, falcons, eagles, and many more during the course of those 50 years. MA Birds of Prey Rehab is a non-profit organization and most of its costs are paid for out of Tom’s own pocket. Please bring a friend to this meeting and enjoy Tom’s talk!
Fly Tying Demo:
Dan Trela will be demonstrating how to tie the following fly’s at our meeting on Monday night before the scheduled meeting. Thank you Dan!
Purple Para Ant Hook- standard dry fly 12-14-16 Thread – black Wing- white para post Body – antron purple sparkle dubbing Hackle – Grizzly
Alexandra wet fly Hook – standard wet fly 10-12 Thread- black Tail – red hackle fibers Body – silver tinsel Wing – peacock sword Throat- black hackle
Partridge and peacock
Hook- standard wet fly 12-14-16 Thread – UTC Fl.fire orange Tag – fire orange thread Body – peacock herl Hackle – partridge or speckled hen neck Head – fire orange thread
We will be conducting our October meeting at 7:00 pm right after the Fly-Tying Demo, at the Ludlow Elks Club, 69 Chapin Street in Ludlow MA.
It’s October and fall in New England. There is no better time to be on the water with the summer heat behind us, cooler nights, the colors reflecting off the water and the days warmth still in the air. To be rewarded with an afternoon winged hatch, to cast your fly upon the ripples, the drift, the take, the set the fight, will all soon be memories once the trees are devoid of leaves, there spiny fingers reaching up into the gray sky. Soon cold days and the threat of ice and snow forcing us indoors to pursue other hobbies and the warmth of the fireplace.
Our October guest speaker will be Ryan S. Leclerc of New England Guide Service. His presentation will be Fishing Alaska
A Little about Ryan Leclerc:
Fishing is an obsession, a passion, a love. Fishing is a pillar of my life, not merely a past time. I have trained with some of the most well-known names in the industry like Rodney Flagg & Ora Smith. A differentiator for me when one considers choosing a guide is that I am Licensed and Registered to guide any inland open bodies of water in New England & Alaska.
Fly Tying Demo: Dan Trela will be demonstrating how to tie the following fly’s at our meeting on Monday night before the scheduled meeting.
PHEASANT FLASHBACK TAIL Hook – Standard nymph hook 18-14 Thread- Black 8/0 uni Tail – 3-4 pheasant tail fibers Body – 4 Pheasant tail fibers, Rib fine copper wire Thorax – Peacock herl Covert – Pheasant tail & small pearl mylar Legs – Pheasant tail
RAINBOW WARRIOR Hook Scud hook 16 Bead – Silver Thread – Red uni 8/0 or UTC 70D Tail – Pheasant tail Body Red thread with pearl mylar over Thorax – Rainbow Sow-Scud dubbing Collar- Red thread
THE THUD Hook – 2 xl dry fly size 8-10 Thread – 8/0 black uni Tail – Moose Mane fibers Body – Mahogany brown superfine dubbing Wing – Lt Grey poly yarn
We are back! In fact, our first meeting of the fall season will be on Monday September 16th. I trust everyone had a fantastic summer and enjoyed some great fishing during our break.
We will be conducting our September meeting at 7:00 pm right after the Fly-Tying Demo, at the Ludlow Elks Lodge, 69 Chapin Street in Ludlow MA. The meeting is open to the public.
September’s guest speaker will be Jim Lagacy from MassWildlife Outreach & Education.
It will be great to see everyone again!
Fly Tying Demo: Dan Trela will be demonstrating how to tie the following fly’s at our meeting on Monday night before the scheduled meeting.
RAY CHARLES SCUD
Hook – standard nymph size 14, 16 Bead – 5/64 Fl Fire Orange Thread – light grey uni 8/0 Body – grey ostrich herl Back – pearl mylar tinsel small
ZEBRA MIDGE
Hook – scud hook, size 16 to 26 Thread – Black Bead – 1/16 nickel Rib- silver wire
PAT’S RUBBER LEGS
Hook- 2 xl nymph hook size 8, 10 Thread – 8/0 black uni Bead – 5/32 Black tungsten nickel Tail, feelers, legs – small round black rubber Body – variegated chenille MED Black/Coffee
I hope everyone survived the cold weekend we had at the beginning of the month without any frozen pipes or dead car batteries!
We will conduct our February meeting at 7:00 pm right after the Fly-Tying Demo, at the Ludlow Elks Club, 69 Chapin Street in Ludlow MA.
Guest Speaker
We will not have a guest speaker at our February meeting due to the time required to discuss our March Expo plans and other club activities.
We will have representation at the Springfield Sportsman’s Show at the Big E February 24th – 26th. We are in need of volunteers to man the booth at this event. You can tie fly’s or just be there to talk about the club. We want to have coverage all three days so please sign up to help. A sign- up sheet will be at our next meeting. Here is a link to this event https://www.osegsportsmens.com/index.html
As a reminder we are rapidly approaching the time to renew our individual membership. For individuals that are looking to join the club the membership dues are $20.00 a year. The annual renewal date for the 2022-2023 season is March 31, 2023. I have included a mail in renewal form with this meeting announcement.
Hope to see many of you at this coming meeting.
January Meeting Minutes:
At this time of this publication we do not have the January meeting minutes.
John LaFrancis – Vice President
Fly Tying Demo:
Dan will be demonstrating how to tie the following fly’s at our meeting on Monday night before the meeting.
(7:00) Thanks Dan!
IRIS CADDIS
Hook – standard dry 18-14 Thread – Tan Tail – tan z-Lon or (antron) Body – Lt. hare’s ear Wing – loop of white z-Lon or antron X CADDIS
Hook – standard dry 18-14 Thread – black uni Tail – brown uni 6/0 Tail – brown antron Body – tan superfine dubbing Wing – nat deer hair- short and fine by wapsi ADAMS CRIPPLE
Hook – standard dry 18-10 Thread – black uni 8/0 Tail – brown antron Body – gray superfine dubbing Wing – white EP fibers or any white poly yarn Hackle – brown and grizzly mixed or 1 grizzly hackle, 1/2 of which is colored brown
**ALL MEETINGS ARE CANCELLED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE**
We all realize that 2020 is going down as a sad, crazy, and “hectic” year with some of us loosing family and friends to this crazy virus. Plus, the constantly changing Virus related information, guidance and rules that keep us from living normal lives with freedom of mobility, freedom to gather, Freedom of choice, etc. These restrictions have directly affected our club members and our club organization. Even when we did attempt to legally restart our meetings, the attendance was never over 16 members. Many of us have not seen each other for almost one year! This has created a negative impact in our membership. Currently we have a total of 24 out of the 62 members who are “In Good Standing” (current dues paid, membership card with an expiration date of March 2021).
The WMFF club Board of Directors held an emergency meeting to address the current and future mandatory changes of the Massachusetts COVID Virus restrictions on our ability to conduct club meetings and group activities. These restrictions directly affect our ability to conduct meetings, Fly Tying Classes and possibly, the March EXPO. The changes also impact many other organizations like the Ludlow Elks Club where we conduct our activities. The WMFF Board of Directors decided to approve two opportunities for our members.
All members currently in Good Standing during 2020 will be issued new Membership cards upon return of the old card with no new fee for the new cards that will expire in March of 2022.
Granted an extension to all the members who were not able to update their membership in WMFF by the March 2020 renewal deadline, to do so by March 2021 ($20.00). The new expiration date will be March 2022.
November 2020 Meeting Minutes:
*Potential for more COVID changes down the road impacting our meetings such as, sign in log, RSVPs via email or telephone for snail mail users, attendance limits, currently we social distance, wear masks, and sanitize our hands and multi us items.
*Thanks to Dan for demonstrating some nice looking flies.
*Thank you also to Tom Panaccione for an excellent presentation on his African Safari and all the terrific photos
*There were many multiple raffle winners! 14 members, 36 items!!
We miss you, the comradery, and staying connected while sharing the passion of our sport/hobby/craft!
We are looking at the upcoming MARCH EXPO 2021 as our target date to hold the event and as the start date to conduct our meetings. Please consider signing up for club leadership positions. This will promote continuity, growth and variety for our club. If you are interested, please let one of the officers know.
Field Notes To & From Our Local Fly Fishers:
FROSTBITE and Hypothermia alert! Please remember to cover bare skin during these low temperature days. Try to stay dry and stay warm. It doesn’t take long for frostbite or hypothermia to set in!
Here is the 2020 fly tying class. A total of 18 students completed the class. Thanks to all who participated. Seated in the right front is head fly tying instructor Manny DaSilva. A very special thanks for all the members that helped over the 8 weeks of the class. Left to right: Dennis Dube, Harold Norman, Don Vacon, Dan Trela, Al Wilbur, Dan Moraski, Roy Britton, and Tom Panaccione. The club also wants to thank Manny DaSilva seated in front for all his work in teaching the classes and to be recognized for all the time he put in to organize this event! Missing in the picture is Peter Jezouit, Rebecca Piwcio, Bob Regish, Gill DaCosta, George Dunham, Ron Hason, Stewart Johnson, and Susan Paris. Manny DaSilva at the bench
Starting the 2nd Thursday in January (January 9th) at 7:00 PM and continuing for 8 consecutive weeks ending on February 27th. At Elks Lodge 69 Chapin St., Ludlow, MA 01056. We educate adults and children (9 years and older) through our free fly tying classes beginning on the second Thursday in January and continuing for eight consecutive Thursdays.
All classes are directed by Mr. Manny DaSilva as the lead instructor tying the demonstration flys. He is supported by many of the experienced WMFF Club members who assist the students with “hand’s-on” guidance whenever necessary. The classes are open to the general public and those who express an interest in this life long and fascinating hobby. There are NO costs to the students, the only stipulation is that whenever there are youth involved, that they be chaperoned by an adult family member.
UPDATE: If you missed the first couple of class it is not a problem. Feel free to start coming to any of the classes! Students that attend 5 classes will receive a diploma and free membership to the WMFF club!
INFORMATION CALL: Gil DaCosta 413-323-7896
Tie 2 flies each night with expert instructor Manny DaSilva who is assisted by experienced club members for individual instruction.
Demonstration projected on large screen for easy viewing.
**All materials and hardware provided by WMFF**
Open to children 9 years and older when accompanied by an adult.
Stuart Johnson assisting a student at a class. To his left is Hany Aziz. In the background is Bill Donnelly and Tony Silva.Manny at the fly tying class
