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Backca"Vol. 39 No. 11 The Monthly Newsletter of the Wyoming Fly Casters November 2012

Falling for Fat Browns

November Fly Fish - Montana

Trout Unlimited and Wyoming Fly Casters

Fishing and Fending off Grizzlies

Hello Fly Casters,

And welcome to winter, yet again.  I have found that I tend to catch more fish when it is cold out, but it is always a bit tough to put away the warm weather fishing attire and exchange it for the wool, fleece, and neoprene that makes winter fishing tolerable.  Though I still have not found the magic combination that will keep fingers and toes warm, or at least functionally numb.

Here are a few notes about things coming up this month. 

The program for this month, November 14th, will be on the geology of the North Platte area.  If you have questions about some of the geology of the areas you fish this should be a good time to get them answered.  Feel free to bring a friend along if you would like. Also at the November meeting we will be introducing some information

about the possibility of changing our “Affiliate” status with Trout Unlimited to something more permanent.  This is not a meeting to debate the issue, just one for encouraging folks to start pondering the idea. 

I do encourage members to keep an open mind about this prospect, at least until we have the meeting in January where we will attempt to come to some sort of consensus.

The Saturday after this months general meeting we will be having the first “Lyin’ and Tyin’ ’’ at the Oil and Gas building on King Blvd. 

There should be information about this elsewhere in the newsletter.  Hope to see you there, and bring a friend if you’d like.

Depending on the weather, we might try to go back out to the Alcova section of Hwy. 220 that the club has adopted and see about finishing up the areas we didn’t get completed.  Thanks to John Yost, Kathy Knapp, and Wanda Peters we were able to get the part with the most litter picked up.  A couple of hours by a few folks should be all it takes to call it done.

Next month the General meeting will be the annual Christmas Party, December 12th.  Mark your calendars now.

Stay warm and dry as thou casts thy fly. Here’s to good fishing and ice free guides.

2 November 2012

Will

Will Waterbury, President Lee Tschettert, Vice President

Casey Leary, Secretary Matt Stanton, Treasurer

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Terms expire in 2013: Joe Meyer, Scott Novotny, Alex Rose

Terms expire in 2014: John Dolan, Jim Johnson, Chris McAtee, Spenser Amend

Terms expire in 2015: George Axlund, Brian Bayer, Jesse McGregor

The Backcast is the monthly newsletter of the Wyoming Fly Casters, an affiliate club of the Wyoming Council of Trout Unlimited, the Nature Conservancy and the Federation of Fly Fishers. Editorial content does not necessarily reflect the views of the officers, board or members of the Wyoming Fly Casters.

Annual dues are $20 for an individual, $30 for a family, or $250 for a lifetime individual membership or $450 for a life- time family membership. Visit the club website at www.wyflycasters.org. To pay dues or contact the club, write to P.O. Box 2881, Casper, WY 82602.

The dead l ine fo r submiss ion o f information for each issue is a week before the end of the month. Make contributions to the next issue by e- mailing material to the Backcast editor at marketingmavenaha@ gmail.com or call (708) 997-2071.

The Backcast is available either in electronic format or through USPS snail mail. To receive each newsletter through a monthly e-mail, you must be able to open .pdf (Adobe Acrobat, a software program available free of charge) documents. Usually, each issue is roughly 1 MB in size, some are larger.

Your e-mail provider may have limits on the size of attachments.

In order to be added to the e-mail list, send a request to marketingmavenaha@ gmail.com. In addition to receiving each issue of the newsletter earlier than your hard copy peers, e-mail subscribers are able to print each copy in vibrant color -- an added plus if the issue is rich in color photographs.

By sub- scribing electronically, you also save the club roughly $17.40 a year in printing and postage expenses.

November le$er from %r President

Each leaf that falls to the ground is a gentle reminder that winter is on its way.

It reminds us that we need to take advantage of those nice days that provide a few last fishing trips of the season. But here’s the silver lining on that...

Brown trouts are big fans of the fall season. So be sure and read Mark Smith’s article on page 4. He defines the ‘short days of November’ as some of the best fishing days for Browns. Yahoo!

Also highlighting some of those great November fishing days is an article excerpted from a Montana fly fishing blog page 7. There are some great tips in this article, be sure and check it out.

When was the last time your fishing partner was a bear? Another featured story in this month’s newsletter, is an expose from comedian Liz Winstead -The Wall Street Journal September 28, 2012 - on celebrating her 50th birthday in Alaska page 12.

Liz also has some really good fishing tips like: inflatable raft paddles make wonderful weapons in fending off grizzlies ...

So there you go, plenty of good advice for fishing those last days in November. Enjoy!

CO

NTEN

TS

Peg

TABLE OF November

2012

Fish for Fat Browns

6

8

9

10

4-5

2

WFC Original

Fly Fishing Montana

Joe’s Fishing Tip& Recipe Box

Will’s Letter

Minutes of Last Meeting

7

Member Notes & Classifieds

14 WFC Calendar

11 Trouts Unlimited & WFC

Wyoming Fly Casters 3

Learning to fly fish ... Grizzlies12-13

Fall Fly Fish for Fat Browns!The scoop on nasty, aggressive spawners

4 November 2012

By Mark Smith

November means more to me than turkey and football. This is the month to break out the streamer fly patterns and go after big brown trout. Occasionally I catch a big brown through the spring and summer, but it's not until the cool, short days of November that the real monsters become available in numbers. There is one simple explanation for November being so hot. It's because browns are fall spawners and by November they are in a downright nasty mood. Fish that are close to or have just finished spawning are very aggressive and territorial. I've seen fall browns caught on flies and lures nearly six inches in length. These fish will often pursue and attack most anything that comes near their faces.

This time of year the big browns move from the deep, brush-laden holes of summer and congregate in areas close to good spawning gravel, often around slow riffles or the shallow tails of pools. I've found that a lot of browns also spawn in side channels and tributary mouths. After you

know where to look, finding aggressive fish is a cinch. Find a good spawning area and then look for adjacent holes or holding water where fish may be hiding. This is where you want to focus your time. Leave the spawners alone and go after the opportunistic feeders nearby. We don't want to jeopardize spawning, since it is the future of the resource.

My most memorable Novembers have come on the Provo River. One great day occurred last year, when I took a midweek trip to the river below Deer Creek. Weekday trips are usually best because you have a little more elbow room. This day was even better, as an early winter storm developed and snow started to really come down.

My experience suggests that fall fishing is better up near the dam, so we drove to the closest access point. The river below Deer Creek has large annual fluctuations, and the stretch below the dam was one long run. For me

Wyoming Fly Casters 5

it's a difficult stretch to fish during most of the year, when nymphing is the standard technique. But during November nymphs are not my choice.

Instead I tie up some big streamers, muddler minnows, bucktails and, of course, woolly buggers.

There were no visible fish on this particular day, so I began casting my streamer up and across the channel, allowing the fly to sink on a dead drift and then retrieving in short, six-inch strips. The snow continued to fall and soon the only noise audible was the smooth flow of water at my feet. Fishing my way downstream was frustrating. I didn't see or feel anything, and the snow was beginning to make my fingers icy cold.

As I approached a sharp bend I noticed a large patch of clean gravel along the opposite bank. Clean gravel this time of year means that fish have been digging redds (nests) in the area, and I immediately went into stalking mode. I loped through the brush to attain a better position from which to cast without spooking any fish close to the redd. It was hard to see in the snow, but I could just make out three large dark bodies on top of the cleaned area.

Below them I saw a pool that I knew would hold more big fish. I quartered a cast upstream in front of the spawning trio and let my fly drift as it sank toward the bottom. The spawning fish ignored the streamer as it bounced along the gravel. I started giving small twitches as the fly left the cleaned gravel and disappeared into the pool. I saw the flash of a large fish in the pool and immediately set the hook into what I can only guess was a submerged log. Rather than risk spooking the pool I snapped off the fly and retied, cursing the snow and the log simultaneously.

The next cast went long and I tied into the willow six feet up on the opposite bank. My hands were quite cold and I really didn't want to break off and retie again, so I went through the ridiculous routine of pulling and twisting from every imaginable angle.

In the process of pulling and twisting, I noticed one of the fish on the redd had begun kicking up gravel with its tail. I then noticed that every time the fish kicked up a scoop of gravel a big head emerged from the darkness of the pool below. It looked as if the spawning fish was kicking up eggs that had been previously deposited, and the big fish below were gobbling them up. I gave a sharp pull on my rod and parted with the streamer. I didn't need it anymore. Instead I tied on a peach egg fly and a strike indicator. Again I cast upstream and let the egg drift down

past the redd. As soon as the fly passed the third visible fish the big head

emerged out of the pool and inhaled the egg.

I can't recall setting the hook, but I must have, because the next thing I remember was stumbling over boulders as I went downstream through the snow in pursuit of an extremely strong fish. The fish tore downstream until it hit a very large deep pool; then it sank to the bottom and wouldn't budge. Several times I thought the fish was hung up, but then it would scoot around the pool letting me know it wasn't. Finally, the big brown tried an upstream run, but it didn't make it far. Its energy was gone and I backed it up into the shallows.

The snow and wind picked up after I released the fish, but my hands remained warm the rest of the day. It is amazing what the adrenaline from chasing a big brown can do for you.

November hot spots: A great thing about hunting brown trout in Utah is that you don't have to go far. Some of my favorites this year include:

Beaver RiverThis stream is relatively large by southern Utah standards and has great access. The stream flows from the Tushar Mountains right through the town of Beaver. Browns are plentiful here, as are rainbows in the canyon. Drifting an egg pattern is very effective for the rainbows as well as the browns.

Provo RiverThe lower and middle sections of the Provo are, in my mind, the best places in Utah to consistently catch browns in the 18-inch range. The biggest drawback to fishing here is that you have to be willing to share the water with other anglers.

Weber RiverThe Provo may hold more fish, but if you are looking for a trophy-sized browns, the Weber is the place to be. From Rockport to Riverdale, the Weber holds brown trout that grow fat feeding on the extremely abundant insects and bait fish found in this river. In general, you will see a lot fewer browns than on the Provo, but if you put in your time fish over 20 inches are not uncommon.

Ogden RiverThis river gets my top rating for action. The number of browns in the river below Pineview continued on pg. 7

A WFC Original

November fly fishing in MontanaExcerpted from Montana Fly Fishing Blog

Montana fishing trips during November can be a bit of a wild card.  November is a transition time and both the weather and water conditions are changing rapidly.  By the end of November trout will be in their winter time lies.  Early in the month anglers may still find very good dry fly fishing during the baetis hatch on a cloudy day.  Large browns are still moving in the rivers and many of them will spawn in the late fall.  Water temperatures are dropping fast and most trout have moved out of swift riffles.  Expect to find trout in slower runs with deliberate currents.

Early in the month is still a great time to target large pre-spawn browns.  Working streamer patterns threw deep runs with a slow retrieve can produce some of the largest trout of the year.  This technique does not always produce large numbers of trout, but the quality of the fish cannot be ignored.  Deep nymphing is also productive.  We like to fish a large sculpin or zonker as the top fly to help entice those large browns.  A small baetis nymph or egg pattern is a good choice for the point fly.  On cloudy days, watch for the baetis hatch and expect some good dry fly fishing in the afternoon hours.  Water temperatures are chilly in the morning so there is no need to get on the water before 11am.

By the end of November, most of the browns have spawned and winter has usually arrived with full force.  Trout have moved into their winter time lies and will be heavily concentrated in a handful of deep runs.  Avoid working a lot of different water and focus instead on 2 or 3 good deep runs in an afternoon of wade fishing.  Float fishing productivity drops off because most of the time you are floating in barren water.  Nymph fishing is usually the name of the game by the end of November.  Some wintertime runs hold hundreds of trout and can produce fish after fish for several hours when water temperatures peak in the afternoon.

Wyoming Fly Casters 7

Fishing for Fat Browns continued...is crazy, and to top it off the river doesn't see much pressure.

Blacksmith ForkThis stream flows into Cache Valley from the mountains east of Hyrum. Fishing the Blacksmith can be a little frustrating in November. The water is crystal clear and you will see a lot of really nice fish. The problem is they also see you, and they head for the deep before you can maneuver a cast through the trees and brush that line both sides of the river. (Don't waste time on the lower section, because it was dewatered this summer to meet irrigation demands.)

Other good bets include the Green River (of course), Huntington Creek and Currant Creek. The Strawberry River can also be good from the Soldier Creek Dam down to the Pinnacles and in the stretches just above and below Starvation Reservoir.

Member Notes: ClassifiedsLarge selection of framed,

signed and numbered

Vivi Crandall and Terry Redlin prints

(contact me for names/prices)

and

Men’s Chaco Z/1 Sandal. Size 13.

“Matrix color. New in box, $45. OBO

Matt Stanton307-258-9915

All PatagoniaSST jacket XXL $300.00

2011 model NIB; SST jacket women's older style XL

$125.00 NIBSST jacket Small;

older style used $50.00

Scott Novotny307-315-3534

The Patagonia SST Jacket has evolved over the years. New fabrics, pocket designs, zippers, belt loops are all re-designed in the 20011 SST. One thing has stayed constant over the years, the SST Jacket is superbly des igned to dea l wi th harsh conditions and be a functional tool in the arsenal of the fly fishier. The SST stands out in it's design, water proof zippers for hand warmer pockets as well as the main zipper. The back belt loop will allow you to thread your wading belt through the jacket and create a lock down tight seal for those deep wading situations. The SST is simply a great fly fishing jacket.

Coleman Fleetwood Colonial Popup Camper 2005 Like New $5,000http://www.roadslesstraveled.us/Popup.html For more details email Scott Novotny at gscottn@gmail.com

Special thanks to our local retailers, fly shops and lodges. You’re always there when we need you.!

Cliff Outdoorswww.cliffoutdoors.com

North Platte Lodgewww.northplattelodge.com

North Platte Walleye’s Unlimitedwww.npwalleyes.com

Platte River Fly Shop www.wyomingflyfishing.com

Sportsman’s Warehousewww.sportsmanswarehouse.com

Ugly Bug Fly Shops, www.crazyrainbow.net

8 November 2012

Alcova Cleanup Review

It was just like going on a treasure hunt on the high seas!  We never knew what we would find, and the wind was blowing our bags like sails.  

Too few people were on the adventure, (4 including the Prez) so there will be more chances!!!  Stay tuned - Wanda Peters

Lyin’ & Tyin November 17th 9 am - 12 pm WY Oil & Gas Conservation Building, located on 2211 King Blvd.

This is a great opportunity to learn how to tie flies, or how to tie new patterns that work in our backyard! If you’re interested in learning how to tie, but don't have a vice, use one of the club's vices. Ask Joe Meyer for more details. Here are the upcoming dates: November 17, December 15, January 12, February 16, March 16 Save the Date:

WFC Christmas Party! When: December 12, 2012 6 pm Where: Izaak Walton League Clubhouse

6pm, December 12, 2012, Izaak Walton League Clubhouse

Tickets Available: 11/14 general meeting, 11/15-12/5 Ugly Bug

Ticket cost: 1 for $15, 2 for $25

WFC’s Recipe Box

Wyoming Fly Casters 9

Italian Sausage Soup

1 lb Italian sausage ½ teaspoon basil 1 cup chopped onion ½ teaspoon oregano5 cups beef broth ½ cup sliced zucchini (optional)½ cup water 8 oz. tomato sauce½ cup red wine 12 oz. tortellini (uncooked)2 cups (or 16 oz can) chopped tomatoes 3 T chopped fresh parsley (dried)1 cup sliced carrots 1 green pepper, chopped grated parmesan cheese

Remove sausage from casing. In 5 qt. Dutch oven or (big soup pot) brown sausage. Add onions & garlic and sauté. Add beef froth, wine, water, tomato sauce and seasonings. Bring to boil. “Simmer down now” - Simmer (covered). 30 minutes. Skim fat. Stir in zucchini, tortellini, parsley & green pepper. Simmer (covered) an additional 40 minutes. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese on each serving.

Serve with fresh garlic bread!!!

Fly Fishing TipAs you fish out a cast, constantly watch the fly and line position. As the fish's relationship to the line changes, correct the line by mending it in the appropriate direction.

10 November 2012

October  17,  2012

 

Call  To  Order:  by  Will  Waterbury  at  7:02PM.

Members  Present:  Will  Waterbury,  Lee  Tsche7er,  Ma7  Stanton,  Casey  Leary,  Joe  Meyer,  Spencer  Amend,  Jim  Johnson,  George  Auxland,  Sco7  Novoty,  Chris  McAtee.

Members  Absent:  Alex  Rose  and  Brian  Bayer  excused.  Bob  Fischer,  Jesse  McGregor,  Phillip  Smith  unexcused.

Guest:  Sco7  ChrisHe

Secretary’s  Report:    September  report  not  printed  in  Backcast.

Treasurer’s  Report:  Ma7  Stanton  provided  the  treasurer’s  report,  moHon  to  approved,  carried.

ConservaHon  Report:  Ma7  Stanton  reported  the  Shoshoni  NaHonal  Forest  is  doing  some  planning  and  Ma7  will  gather  more  informaHon.  Al  Condor  menHoned  another  possible  project  as  Spea’s,  no  further  details.  

Old  Business:  Casey  Leary  will  contact  WGFD  regarding  WFC  memorial  post  at  Spea’s.  Joe  Meyer  reported  we  gained  new  members  from  the  Expo.  Will  Waterbury  reported  next  month’s  program  will  be  Kent  Sundall  on  North  Pla7e  River  geology.  December  will  be  the  Christmas  party.    January  1,  2013  will  be  the  annual  polar  bear  ouHng.  Ma7  Stanton  reported  the  Herbadashery  will  offer  the  same  price  as  last  year.  MoHon  by  Sco7  Novotny  that  WFC  charge  $15  for  one  Christmas  party  Hcket  and  2  for  $25,  moHon  carried.

New  Business:  Sco7  ChrisHe  of  Wyoming  Trout  Unlimited  presented  informaHon  to  the  board  on  becoming  a  TU  Chapter  Member.    NaHonal  TU  wants  every  chapter  to  conform  to  TU  By-­‐laws.  He  said  TU  affiliates  no  longer  exist.  Some  requirements  for  WFC  to  become  a  TU  chapter  organizaHon  would  be  to  require  all  WFC  board  members  to  be  TU  members  at  a  cost  of  $35  a  year,  all  chapters  would  keep  their  money  raised  to  be  used  on  local  projects,  WFC  would  be  covered  under  TU  insurance  and  would  not  be  required  to  pay  for  insurance  yearly  as  we  have  tradiHonally  done.  It  was  decided  that  Sco7  ChrisHe  would  present  the  January  2013  program  on  the  benefits  of  becoming  at  TU  chapter.  InformaHon  would  be  printed  in  the  Backcast  on  this  ma7er.  The  Board  will  make  a  decision  on  this  ma7er  January  16,  2013.

Will  Waterbury  will  a7end  the  state  TU  meeHng  in  Cody  on  October  26-­‐28,  2012.  The  WFC  vests  are  ready  to  use  thanks  to  Brian  and  Chris.  

Adjourned:  8:30  pm

Date Vendor/Item

Income

9/30/12 Deposit - Interest $0.38

Total $0.38

Expenses

9/11/12 #4204 Sams Club - BBQ and Expo $166.26

9/11/12 #4205 Safeway - BBQ $15.18

9/13/12 #4206 Sams Club - Expo candy $48.90

9/19/12 #4207 Brian Bayer - Event vests $302.50

Total $532.84

WFC Treasurer’s Report for ending September 30, 2012

WFC Background: Incorporated “Social Club” since 1974 and chartered TU chapter since 1991. We’ve existed as a club with two identities for the last 21 years.

Discussion surrounds modifying existing WFC bylaws to conform to TU national guidelines.

Several of the changes in question have to do with: Required language to meet 501c3 federal requirements; Collection of dues; Officer Term limits; Requirement that officers and board members be current TU members.

The board will be working through this process for the next three months and requests members attend the January meeting. The board looks forward to gathering member input at this meeting so that they may make an informed decision that reflects the majority interest of the membership.

If you have questions that can’t wait until January please call or email Matt Stanton and we will work as quickly as possible to return an answer. Also, look for FAQs in the December and January Backcasts

At November’s general meeting there will be a very brief introduction of the upcoming bylaws discussion. Copies of the recommended TU bylaws as well as WFC current bylaws will be available at November, December and January meetings. A discussion at the January meeting is planned in lieu of a presentation and Scott Christy, TU Wyoming Coordinator, will be present to answer questions.

Trout Unlimited and Wyoming Fly Casters

Wyoming Fly Casters 11

Comedian Liz Winstead on celebrating her 50th birthday in Alaska.

Excerpted from The Wall Street Journal. Sept. 28, 2012

LAST YEAR, I WAS trying to think of something memorable to do for my 50th birthday. My friend Shannyn suggested I celebrate by crossing a big thing off my bucket list: visiting her in Alaska. I have had the other 49 states under my belt for a while, but I had not found the time to get to Alaska—and frankly, after the last election, had sort of lost the desire to go there.

But it seemed fitting to do the 50th on my 50th. Shannyn, a native Alaskan, said she would teach me to fly fish on the Naknek River, one of the most beautiful waterways in North America. It sounded like a perfect trip for a woman who grew up in Minnesota surrounded by lakes and who now loves to fish for walleye while drinking crappy canned beer in a canoe.

Well, a canoe with a motor, so not really a canoe. More of a motorboat. Fishing, I find, is especially great if you don't venture more than 100 yards from the dock at your cabin. A cabin with indoor plumbing. And Wi-Fi.And a fridge fully stocked with crappy canned beer. OK, OK, you got me. What I really love is crappy canned beer. I don't mind doing a bit of fishing while drinking it.

Lizz Winstead is a comedian and the co-creator of "The Daily Show." She also recently journeyed to the wilds of Alaska to fly fish alongside wild bears. Over a cold

Learning to Fly Fish—And Fend Off Grizzliesbeer she shares her experience with WSJ's Wendy Bounds.

I had limited exposure to fly-fishing—"limited" meaning I had seen "A River Runs Through It." But somehow I decided that was all the practical experience I needed for my Alaskan adventure—in an "I think I'll skip the rock-climbing wall at the gym and head straight for Denali" kind of a way. A fly-fishing trip to Alaska sounded like a custom-built vacation for a Minnesota-by-way-of-Brooklyn outdoors-woman like myself!

It took 12 hours of travel, which included two stopovers, to reach Anchorage from New York. Shannyn greeted me with a quick hug, then whisked my Ambien-laden carcass onto a 12-seater commuter jet for an hour-long jaunt to King Salmon, Alaska, a sleepy fishing village where the biggest restaurant in town had a specials board out front that read: "Soup of the Day: Whiskey."

“Our side was armed with inflatable raft paddles and the bears were armed with, well, being bears.”

By the time we checked into our cabin at the lodge, I was incoherent from exhaustion. I dropped onto my bed and stared out at the lake glistening beneath the mountains and fell asleep to the sound of nothing. At 5 a.m., Shannyn woke me up. She was all business.

"Show me what you brought to fish in," she said.

I opened my duffel bag and pulled out all the clothes I had brought for the week. A polar fleece hoodie I had gotten in a gift bag from some TV show I had appeared on, some jeans, a pair of leggings (for warmth under the jeans), T-shirts, wool socks, um, shorts for some reason, and my favorite cashmere hat-and-scarf combination.

"Put it all on," she said. "I'll supplement the rest."

"How cold is it out on the river?" I asked.

"Who knows? It's why we layer."

I normally fish in a swimsuit and shorts. The only layering I had done while fishing was applying mosquito repellent over my sunscreen. Or tucking my

12 November 2012

mosquito repellent over my sunscreen. Or tucking my crappy beer into a koozie.

I stuffed myself into my yoga pants and jeans and T-shirts and sweaters. Shannyn found a way to zip all of me into a vest and a parka. Then came the waders and the booties and the boots. And finally, the matching hat and scarf.

We had to walk from our tiny cabin to the lodge to meet our two guides, who would take us to the six-seater float plane. At first glance, they were everything you could ever hope for in Alaskan tour guides. She was a lean six-footer, a sun-kissed beauty with long sandy hair, who gave off a charm and confidence reminiscent of Karen Allen in "Raiders of the Lost Ark." Her counterpart was a walking camping trip, covered from neck to toe in carabiners from which bottles and snippers and clippers dangled. The guides both looked like when they were not catching fish in Alaska, they were catching Phish at Coachella.

We packed ourselves into the plane and glided for an hour over a snow-capped canyon before we were dropped off on the banks of the Naknek River.

Banks that, I saw, were lined with grizzlies, who had all come for the same activity we had. It was not just one or two bears, and they weren't just on shore. From my seat, which, as I stared at the bear swarm, I was increasingly hesitant to leave, I counted a dozen trolling the water. They eyeballed each ripple in the river, and then, without warning, violently pounced upon some unwitting sockeye for a morning snack.

It was terrifying. Almost as scary as the predators who troll DSW on a Saturday afternoon.

"Do we have a gun?" I asked.

"Nah, we just shoo them away with our paddles," one guide said. I was starting to feel that I'd been talked into less of a fishing trip, and more of an ill-matched contest against wild bears for food. Our side was armed with inflatable raft paddles. The bears were armed with, well, being bears.

But as the plane skated toward shore, the bears sauntered off like frat boys when the cops arrive to break up the party. They moved to other parts of the river and returned their focus to fishing.

And so did we. I waded waist-high into the river and slowly cast, flipped and released my line as the icy water rushed over me. I watched the line lazily float as I took in my surroundings. Mountains untouched by a human footprint, water they could sell at Tiffany. And bears ruling it all, so confident, so focused on their own feeding ritual that they simply couldn't be bothered by an amateur like myself.

It took me four hours to hook a fish and 40 minutes to reel him in. It was like learning to dance, and then understanding why dancing is so romantic. I felt my hook pull, but I allowed him to take the lead, letting him run as I navigated just the right amount of line to let him swim out and do a solo. I reeled him in a bit and we were partners again. When he felt restless, I gave him line for another one of his moves.

He swam back to me but still put up a fight, so I decided to let him run more. Fly fishing, like dancing, is about patience. Practicing each step until the awkward lurching turns into a flow. I loved Alaska. It taught me that I don't just love beer, I really love to fish.

When I finally netted my partner, a 20-pound rainbow trout, I thanked him for the fun, unhooked him and tossed him back.

I hoped the bears didn't get him. He was my first.

Wyoming Fly Casters 13

Wyoming Fly CastersP.O. Box 2881

Casper, WY 82602

(e Backca" Newsle$erwww.wyflycasters.org

14 November 2012

Kent Sundall on North Platte River geology

Lying & Tyin’ 9am - 12 pm Oil & Gas building

WFC Board Meeting

Veterans Day

Thanksgiving