September 20 - Ready or not here it comes! 4" of September snow!

 

A gathering of fly fishers

This evening after dinner our meeting was called to "order" at 7:00 by the evening's emcee - Dave.

During dinner, most of the discussions were of summer fishing outings and catching. So after dinner the order of business was rather short.

It was announce and discussed that our Treasurer Harold, had recently undergone surgery and was expected to have a rather lengthy recover period. 

Harold had previously given his Notice of Resignation as Treasurer, but would stay on until a good club's money / bookkeeper would fill his shoes. Now is the time for One Good individual to come forward to handle our club's treasury, as Harold is giving up that responsibility.
Harold, Thank You for the years of service that you have given our club.
Get well soon, our thoughts and prayers are for your speedy recovery.

This evening we had 10 members in attendance. Without a Treasurer being present we did not have our usually transactions with fly donations - door prize, or fly box raffle.

With some members -other obligations- it was discussed and decided that next month OCTOBER that we would again hold our monthly meeting on the THIRD Wednesday of the month -- the 18th. Please mark your calendars accordingly.

Also discussed what a meeting theme - program for November 15th. Currently thoughts are to have a SWAP Meeting. A meeting to buy-sale-trade those Fly Fishing goods that you haven't used in awhile. NO JUNK PLEASE, just used and unsed goodies that you no longer have use for. What to you think?

With the low turnout tonight, we were thinking that many of you have made a last-ditch-effort to make an end of Summer fishing trip and gotten snowbound. It was announce that yesterday there was a FRESH 4" snowfall that covered the Elk Horn Mtns. - Anthony Lake, and favorite fishing hole and summer cooling spot for many of us.      

with snowfall September 21 8:11 am

 

Mid-summer catching holes on Anthony Lake

With the onset of Autumn -shorter, cooler days- catching can be good here.

a typical October catch of FIVE (5) 16" to 20" triploid rainbows

Now to discuss the urgent business at hand... Will YOU step forward and share your time an effort as a Club Officer?
The job might consume 3 maybe 4 of your waking and meeting hours per month; with summer fishing time OFF.

Please mark your calendars for our next meeting - October 18th.
Dinner orders taking placed at 5:45 pm with business meeting / program to follow at 7:00.

Respectfully submitted,

Dale McKain

Club Secretary  

Tight lines and good fishing

- Contact Us -
<wallawalla.flyfishing@gmail.com>

February 2023 Meeting -and- in Search for Club Officers

This evening our regularly scheduled meetings was held at our new meeting location - Chiquillas Mexican House at 428 Ash St, Walla Walla, WA. Dave and Dale have established that we would like to have their meeting room / facilities the second Wednesday of each month September through May, not December.

Again this month we conducted our meeting without any club officers leading the evening, but ex-President Dave Stemmer did step-up as Master of Ceremony to conduct the “management” of the meeting and introduced our guest speaker Chris Peery.

 Our members and guest begin filtering into the Chiquillas banquet room around 5:45, as chips and salsa was being served. It was 7:03 before the first meals began to come to the tables. We have since spoken to Chiquillas that we would like to have the dinners coming to the table much sooner, so that we can conduct our business meeting without a dinner presentation taking place at the same time. They agreed. As always, the Chiquillas’ meals were delicious. 

This evening we had 21 members and guest in attendance. 

We did pass out Door Prize Raffle tickets for a fly box, but due to the very late start with everything of the evening we did not get around to selling any Raffle Tickets for the other fly box we made up for the evening, so this will be an added feature to our March 8th meeting. We are going to have some lucky ~ happy fishers to start their 2023 fishing season with a nice assortment of flies. Again we ask that you consider bring TWO (2) flies to the meeting to donate to the fly boxes – club business funds.  

As mentioned… the Walla² Fly Fishers are currently conducting business without a full staff of club officers. Will YOU consider stepping forward and accepting a position of club leadership? If so, please reply to our Email address...

        Walla² Fly Fishers <wallawalla.flyfishing@gmail.com>

  

to place your name in nomination. Historically club officers has given us two (2) years of service. We are currently without a club President, Co-President / Vice President. Hanging on for the time being are the club’s Secretary and club’s Treasurer with pending resignation for the Treasurer. Our most current past officers have filled their office positions for 4-years due to the pandemic gap in the club’s non-activity. NOW is the time for some good club members to come to the aid of our club. 

Treasurer Harold did report that the club currently has $1,195.79 in our checking account, with no activities taking place at this meeting.

After dinner this month we welcomed Chris Peery – Senior Fisheries Biologist with the Army Corp of Engineers – Walla Walla, to give us a presentation of the History and current wellbeing on the Pacific Northwest steelhead and salmon populations. 

 Chris mentioned that prior to the first salmon cannery going into operation on the Columbia River in 1866 there may have been salmon runs that one could have crossed the river on their backs. He mentioned that in 1938 the Bonneville Dam was constructed and that created an impediment to the salmon runs, and in 1962 the Ice Harbor dam was constructed on the Snake River, which also caused a loss of cold water habitat affecting the fish runs. Chris reported that of the most current years, it appears that global warming of the Pacific Ocean waters is having the greatest impact on the salmon and steelhead populations and their inland runs to ancient spawning waters. Chris also explained that these anadromous fish runs are cyclical, with good years and poor years of species return runs. Sad to say, Chris told us that in the past couple of years that the Alaska and British Columbia salmon runs (where dams do not impact) were very poor, and it is thought that this is due to warming ocean water conditions impacting the fish populations. It may be that due to constantly changing water environmental conditions, we may have seen the best of the good ole days of salmon and steelhead fishing in our local waters. Current projected returns for salmon this year is 8-16 million running the Columbia River, and 1-2 million continuing on up the Snake River. Thank you Chris for your report, presentation to the club this evening. 

After Chris’ presentation this evening the meeting began to breakup without any further announcements or a fly box raffle or door prize giveaway taking place. These boxes will be a real prize at our March meeting. 

It was announced that at our next meeting on March 8th

we will have Grant and Lottie Richie giving us an updated presentation of their operations of fishing guide services they conduct on the Grande Ronde, Minam, and Wallowa Rivers. 

Some of Grant's fish for catching

Meeting was adjourned at 8:39 pm.

Respectfully submitted,

Dale McKain

Club Secretary

Tight lines and Good Fishing

Contact Us

https://wallawallaflyfishers.blogspot.com/

This evening The Walla² Fly Fishers came together for our second Meet and Greet gathering in over two years (the last being April 27th) to break bread, exchange fishing stories among ole members and new guest. With the COVID-19 virus still circulating in our area, again the club rented the outdoor picnic pavilion at the Fort Walla Walla Museum Park, and set the tables for everyone to partake in another club’s treat dinner of sandwiches and soft drink beverages. The weather this evening for dinner was most pleasant, sunny and mild temperatures.

Attendance at this evening meeting was 20 fly fishers - club members and guests that have interest in reviving our club’s activities, following so many of our area’s pandemic shutdowns. After dinner was served, and all were fed that Co-President Judy made an evening greeting and called our meeting to order. It was during this time, that an evening breeze began to blow. Shortly thereafter the clouds on the western horizon began to thunder and lightning.

Treasurer Harold then gave his report, reporting that prior to this evening’s meal cost ($140) the club’s checking account had a balance of $1139. He said the current bank account report – should now show that we currently have close to One Thousand ($1000) on account with some club dues (cash) payments in hand. Harold pointed out that $1000 sound like a nice sum to have on hand, but once the club begins to have regular monthly meeting we can go through these fund rather fast with the expense of bringing in guest speakers and having club functions. During Harold’s report the wind began to blow a bit harder. After Harold’s report, President Judy asked Dale to give a Secretary’s Report. Dale made a brief recap of our last month’s meeting which was more of a Meet and Greet gathering than business, and he addressed the club’s assets (floatation craft – pontoon boat and float tubes) that were being kept at his house. He announced that these items were readily available to any and all paying club members and to notify him via email if you wished to check them out for use.

Dale also mentioned that the club had a fly fishing library (books and videos) available to all club members. By this time the wind was beginning to blow a bit harder and the thunder and lightning was getting closer to the park. Dale was asked to speak a bit louder, and so closed his report.

In the past at each meeting we have held meeting raffles and door prizes, usually these have been fly boxes (with flies), and other items of interest. This evening we gave door prizes of a fly box and two club logo caps.

With the presence of the outdoor elements bearing down on us, President Judy asked if there was anyone that would like to take charge of trying to secure a regular indoor meeting location for our next planned meeting to take place in September. Judy made the point that traditionally our club meetings have always been held from September through May, with a summer break for “not-so-organized” club fishing parties being planned and taking place June – August. There was a short discussion concerning this matter of a future meeting location and our Ex-President Dave stood up to the occasion and said that he would work on securing an indoor / restaurant location for our September meeting needs. In the past we have held regular meeting at the China Buffet on Plaza Way, at Smith’s Family Restaurant off of Hwy 12, and at El Sombrero on Second Avenue. Towards the end of this discussion, Dave was also asked to speak a bit louder and the storm was drawing near. If you have a suggestion for a public meeting location please contact President Judy, or Dave, or Dale with your ideas at - WallaWalla.Flyfishing@gmail.com Thank you. Before we could proceed any further with our meeting, it began to rain, the wind blowing harder was blowing rain into the shelter, so EVERYONE gather up our meeting and meal layouts and ran for their vehicles. Meeting adjourned. Please stay tuned to Walla² Fly Fishers follow up emails of / for further summer group activities and announcement of our next meeting which should be around the third week of September. Tight lines and good summer fishing. Respectfully submitted, Dale McKain Club Secretary

We have returned.

The Walla² Fly Fishers came together for our first Meet and Greet gathering in over two years (the last being February 19, 2020) to break bread, exchange fishing stories among ole members and new guest. Present this evening were 6 club members and 7 guests that have interest in reviving our club. The past several months the club officers have been in touch via Email communications, and one small group meeting to discuss the parameters to reactivate the Walla² Fly Fishers as we have watched the decline in numbers of public illness due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With hopes that spring weather would cooperate with us, we chose this Wednesday evening, to make a reservation with Walla Walla Parks and Recreation to have our meeting at the Fort Walla Walla Park. After the usual morning rains, we had a most pleasant afternoon sun break with mild temperature for our 5:30 gathering. Club Secretary Dale made arrangements to provide from Safeway a delicious croissant sandwich tray complimented with bowls of melons, strawberries and soft drinks with funds of the club’s treasury. Co-President Judy brought plates, napkins and tableware. Putting all of this together, we had a most pleasant outdoor “picnic” meeting – under shelter covered with sunshine. After everyone had more than enough to eat - sandwiches and fruit, Co-President Diane called the meeting to order. This was a most informal meeting whereby everyone introduced themselves and gave a brief synopsis of themselves and their past two years of fishing experiences. Treasurer Harold, reported that prior to this evening’s meal cost ($80) the club’s checking account had a balance of $1239. Also this evening a number of ole and new members paid their annual dues of $15 per individual and/or $20 per family. Harold did point out that even though $1200 looked like a health checkbook balance, in 2019 before the pandemic the club had paid out $1000 for the cost of having guest speakers to address our group. As the meeting closed, Co-President Diane brought out a large big of fly boxes that Grant Richie of the Minam Store Raft Rentals and Guide Service had given our club and gave a fly box to everyone present. Thank you Grant. It is with regret, that after 4-years of their service to the club; Secretary Dale makes this announcement that effective after the May 2022 meeting, Co-Presidents Diane and Judy, VP Tyson, Treasurer Harold will be resigning from their elected club offices. Secretary Dale will remain in his position. In closing this meeting, it was discussed that we will attempt to have another meeting in May – the date to be announced, most likely we will attempt to setup the May meeting like this one and maybe at this same location. Please watch your Emails for this further development. Your RSVP will be requested for attendance. Diane Briggs – Co-President Judy McDole – Co-President Tyson Kopfer – Vice President Harold Saxby – Treasurer Dale McKain – Secretary - Blogmaster
Respectfully submitted, Dale McKain Club Secretary

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A club officers' meeting - when shall we meet again

 Greetings Fellow Fly Fishers,

It has been a very long time since our club went dormant, from the pandemic shutdown of 2020.
This has been a sad scenario, but to stay Safe from the global COVID pandemic the club's officers have felt it best to freeze the club in place since our last meeting of February 19, 2020.

A few weeks ago as it looked like "our world" might be getting some relief from the July SURGE of COVID-19, the club officers made contact with each other to discuss the situation and look at a club meeting scenario. Some options were discussed by emails. Last evening -August 11- the club officers held a face-to-face meeting at President Diane's house to discuss in more detail.

It was nice coming together again with fellow club members, and sharing our most recent fishing outings. 

Diane had been in Montana, Dale had been on Anthony Lake, Harold told us about some of his Montana outings, it was asked if Jubilee Lake was open. Dale made note that he and club member Jerry had fished Anthony Lake (7,100 feet) to Beat-the-Heat on Tuesday, water was quite warm, he caught 1 rainbow. He says that the lake was covered with too many people on all types of floatation devices. So much surface activity, and very warm surface water conditions has put the fish down into the depths of the lake. 

When Diane called the meeting to order, officers present -- President Diane, President Judy, Secretary Dale, Treasurer Harold, Vice President Tyson was absent but had communicated his thoughts via email, which Diane read to open our meeting.

Our thoughts were that maybe we should contact El Sombrero to check on the availability of their patio dining room, which could give us an open air dining-meeting area. We talked about the idea of trying to conduct a ZOOM meeting.
Then we discussed the age of many of our club members. We discussed the current SURGE and rapid spread of the Delta variant of COVID-19 in our immediate area. It was mentioned that we open the club meeting to vaccinated - mask wearing members, but felt that might be discriminatory / preferential to only those who would wish to comply.
This put us between a Rock-and-a-Hard-place, as to what to do for the benefit of all concerned.

We discussed...

In the end, it was decided that we would not try to initiate having club meetings beginning in September.
We do have thoughts of looking again at October... if the current COVID-19 SURGE subsides, and group gatherings appear to be safe again for those who have protected themselves and also CARE for the well being of all others.

Be Safe, good fishing.

Best regards,

Dale
Club Secretary 

http://wallawallaflyfishers.blogspot.com/

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Walla² Fly Fisherwomen were at it again…

Walla² Fly Fisherwomen were at it again…

With beautiful blue sky and "perfect" temperatures to greet us, a small cheery group of women gathered at Tietan Park for our second mini-workshop on fly casting and knots last Saturday, May 4^th.

Club President Diane started by leading the group through basics of putting rod/reel together and stringing up the line.  Hula hoops were placed in the lush lawn to serve as "targets", and as Diane started the demonstrations and students started to cast, the breeze came up, making casting more difficult.  Diane had the students move to the other side of the hula hoops, and casting became much easier, with students enjoying themselves as they learned.

With the smaller class size this time, Diane was able to provide a bit more personalized help to individual students.  After a nice amount of time casting, students were advised to set rods aside for awhile, and move to the picnic table to work on knots.  Diane again provided materials and demonstrations so that each participant had the opportunity to "tie a fly on" a few times, as well as get hands-on experience working with knot-tying tools to practice the knots to add tippet onto leader.  

The temperature remained ideal, and the gentle breezes felt great, plus the breeze provided a bit of "realism" to the knot-tying practice! Diane used that situation to explain why it's often best to tie SOME knots on shore or other protected area! (such as adding tippet to leader!)

After the knot-tying session, the group resumed casting practice.  Diane again provided personalized instruction as students practiced casting.

Smiling faces and cheerful conversations wrapped up the morning's activities.  Heidi provided some resource handouts to those interested, as students chatted and put gear away.   A fine morning indeed!
Our next casting practice will be held at the College Place Lion's Park next Wednesday May 8th.

Tight lines and good fly fishing,

Elk to the left ~ Elk to the right ~ Elk in the road

Last week Prez Dave was discussing with Sec Dale about the possible of making
a fishing trip to Anthony Lake this week. We were ON for Tuesday.
Sec Dale put out a APB to all club members of plans to go fishing Tuesday to Beat the Heat, and asked who wants to join us?
A couple of days later, Dave called back and said his wife reminded him of a previous obligation - can't go fishing.
By this time several members replied with Heidi and Harold saying YEA, "let's go fishing" but maybe not Tuesday. We decided on Thursday, which was to be a few degrees hotter than Tuesday.
A couple of days later, Harold emailed back saying, his wife reminded him of a previous obligation - can't go fishing.

Heidi, and Dale went fishing Thursday.

Leaving Walla Walla at 10:00 am it was getting hot; we made our way through Summerville and on to La Grande to pick up a bite of lunch for Dale and Buddy. The entire NE Oregon area was very smokey again this year, much like last year.

The Elkhorns from Baker Valley

We arrived at the lake at 1:00 and it was beginning to get warm as we put our boats on the water and Buddy went for a short swim. 

Today there was a lot of "traffic" on the lake, and with the oppressive heat wave of the past week, we found that fishing was slow. 

Dale talked with another fisherman on the water, and we were talking about fishing the lake the week before, and he told Dale that 3 weeks ago, after July 4, he was hooking 3x-4x as many fish in the day.