A Message from Your President
Heath Tiefenauer
Hello Fly Fishers International,
Welcome to the December edition of Streamline. We hope you had a happy Thanksgiving, with plenty of time for friends and family.
As the year comes to a close, I’m thankful for the support of our organization, and the opportunity to serve another year. I’m especially thankful for the support of the other volunteer leaders in our group. We really are fortunate to have such a great group of people supporting our group, it’s mission and our activities. Kelly Brown, Phil Curtis, Scott Hood, John Sellars, Ed Wampler, Maurice Wilkins, Pat Daly, and Frank Kohn have all been instrumental in helping to bring all the great meetings, events and activities to our organization. Jim Mathewson is a worthy of special recognition for his service as our group’s Secretary these past few years. I very much appreciate all Jim has done to keep our group organized and on track. From meeting minutes and board minutes to advice on bylaws and reminders about newsletter deadlines and so much more, Jim excelled in this role. He has also contributed much outside the official duties of the Secretary position and I’m thankful we’ll continue to have his support on the board. I’m thankful also for three most recently elected members of the board. Welcome John Page as Secretary and new board members Russell Vaughn and Jake Miller. We’re grateful you volunteered.
Our group wouldn’t be what it is without the volunteer leaders, but it wouldn’t be at all without the support of the members. This past year has been a great year for many of our programs and we owe it all to the material, physical and financial support of each and every one of you. Thank you. Thank you for helping us fill the general meeting space, for buying raffle tickets, coming out to clean up events, funding our group thru tournaments, film events and fundraising events. Thank you for supporting Trout in the Classroom and our Conservation and Veterans’ programs. We look forward to bringing you many more of these events. Thank you especially to our Trout Unlimited registered members and FFI members, new and old. If you aren’t a member of TU or FFI, please consider joining today.
With the hectic nature of the season, time always seems to run in short supply during December. We will not have a general meeting this month, but we hope you’ll take time to join us for the annual Holiday Party, held again this year at McNellie’s downtown location on Dec. 12th. Tickets available only at the TU420.com store. More details are available at the website and in this newsletter.
I hope this Holiday season brings you and your family and friends many opportunities to share time and make memories. Have a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and a happy New Year!
Details of all our activities are available on our web site www.tu420.com.
Tight Lines,
Heath Tiefenauer
President of Oklahoma Trout Unlimited & Tulsa Fly Fishers
TIC Update
Trout In the Classroom 2019-20 is off to a great start. At this writing all tanks have reported that sac-fry have gone past the swim-up stage and are eating. Some tanks reported zero mortality … all viable eggs hatched.
Now the tests begin. Once the alevin begin to eat they also begin to waste in their water. That’s when things start getting exciting and near daily water testing for nitrites and ammonia must be taken. If either of these readings spike to unhealthy levels actions must be taken to lower those numbers or trout will start to die. The desire is for the water filter systems to host bacteria at high enough levels that the bacteria will thrive on the nitrites and reduce them to harmless levels of nitrates. It’s a balancing act that also occurs in nature and a learning science lesson for the children.
If you care to follow along with daily and weekly posts as the year progresses please join the closed Facebook group: TIC. For more information on TIC in general, click on the following link … WWW.TROUTINTHECLASSROOM.ORG.
If you’d like to contribute financially to this program please send your check to:
Oklahoma Chapter of Trout Unlimited
P.O. Box 54108 Tulsa, OK 74155.
(Each tank costs @ $1,200 and annual upkeep around $250 each.)
Scott Hood
Youth Education Coordinator for OKTU420
Election Results
During the November 14th TU420/TFF General Meeting, the following members were nominated by the Board of Directors and elected by the membership:
President: Heath Tiefenauer
Vice President: Kelly Brown
Secretary: John Page
Treasurer: Phil Curtis
Board Members: Frank Kohn, Russell Vaughn, Jake Miller
John Sellars, Scott Hood, Ed Wampler, Maurice Wilkins and Jim Mathewson will continue to serve the remainder of their 2 year terms.
The Board of Directors
2020 Conservation Issues
Conservation Is Our Passion
Together, we make fishing better.
Our Conservation Approach
We work to protect important habitat, improve degraded waterways and to restore and improve warm and cold water fish populations. The best conservation work comes from true partnerships between landowners, industry, agencies, non-profits, municipalities and other stakeholders.
Oklahoma Conservation Focus:
-Gain minimum water flows in the Lower Illinois River and other streams. We are the only state with no minimum flow requirements; this threatens our streams and fisheries, particularly the LIR.
-Improve water quality using the best science, advanced methods, strict enforcement, legislation and collaboration to reduce all forms of pollution in our already heavily impaired streams. Sixty percent of our streams are rated heavily impaired with no foreseeable resolution.
-Monitor the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality’s request to remove the management of fracking fluids from the EPA to the state of Oklahoma and potentially allow treated fracking fluid to be discharged into surface waters. The DEQ defines surface waters as our rivers, lakes and streams. The majority of our surface waters does not meet some federal or state guidelines. The state currently does not have sufficient taxes, staffing or testing laboratories to improve existing water quality and sewage discharge monitoring according to their statement. Disposing of excess fracking fluid into our stream would add to this burden, even if treated in some manner. We encourage recycling, reuse and the application of advanced technology by industry.
-Oppose legislation to transfer fishing and hunting license fees from the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation to an unspecified state general fund; a move which would also cost the ODWC to loose over $24 million of the Oklahoma share of federal excise taxes on sporting goods. The ODWC is a highly successful model entirely self-funded by our license fees.
-Monitor legislation for: high volume river water withdrawal and sale, bills blocking purchase or lease of outdoor recreation lands, introduction of a “European” model where citizens have no public outdoor recreation land and must pay large membership fees to fish, hunt and recreate or bills to sell off our public recreation land. We also oppose attempts for increased control of the highly successful Department of Wildlife Conservation for political gain vs. it’s outdoor recreation and conservation charter.
-Add meaningful representation for fishing and all outdoor recreation at the state capitol, including the Oklahoma Water Resources Board and Corporate Commission.
View the Trout Unlimited national conservation page here https://www.tu.org/conservation/
Did you know fishing is one of the top businesses in Oklahoma? Oklahoma has 1,377,763 anglers with $1,778,533,721 of annual retail purchases affecting 15,432 jobs, and generates $148,216,301 in Federal tax revenues and $99,623,056 in State and local tax revenue. It deserves a seat at the table on all key committees and decision making boards at the state capitol.
Pat Daly
Conservation Chair
Trout Pond for Tulsa
The Winter 2019-2020 Trout Pond
The Newsletter editor would like to extend his sincere apology to NatureWorks for neglecting to credit them as a major contributor to supporting the Trout Pond. They have been instrumental in making this event happen for the last several years. Thank you, NatureWorks! Also supporting this program are the Tulsa County Parks Department, The Tulsa World, and the Oklahoma Trout Unlimited Chapter #420.
The first of 3 trout stockings will occur just before Christmas and the pond will be posted NO FISHING while the fish acclimate to the water. Late on Christmas Eve those signs will come down and the pond will be open for Kids Only from Christmas Day until New Year's Day when it will be open to all. It should be noted that adults CAN fish with their children as long as the children are also fishing. When and if the kids should lose interest in fishing, it's time to pack up and go home or out for a cup of hot cocoa.
Schedule and Rules
Kids Only - Christmas Day until the morning of January 1st when ALL can fish. .
Other Kids Only Days – MLK day, January 20th, 2020 and President’s Day February 17th, 2020. Adults may fish with children on Kids Only Days however the children must also be fishing.
POSTED RULES AND REGULATIONS for the
TULSA TROUT POND
1. All anglers over 16 must have a valid Oklahoma Fishing License.
2. One rod and one reel per angler.
3. Cast nets or dip nets to catch trout are strictly prohibited.
4. Four trout limit per angler, per day. No culling.
5. Stringers and or baskets must be labeled with the individual angler’s name and license number.
6. Violators of these regulations will be ticketed and prosecuted.
If you see a violation, please contact the Tulsa County Sheriff’s office at 918-596-5601 or contact the Tulsa area Game Warden at 918-857-5557.
Scott Hood Adult and Youth Ed Coordinator for
OKTU420
Volunteers Still Wanted
Get Involved In TU420/FFI
TU420 continues to have several volunteer positions that they would like your support in filling. These positions are currently occupied by temporary volunteers who are willing to provide mentoring during a transition period. Volunteers would need to be an active member of Trout Unlimited and Fly Fishers International.
Social Media Chair/Newsletter Editor: Edits and publishes monthly newsletter and administers Instagram, forum and facebook activity.
Membership Chair: Maintains membership statistics and promotes membership in both TU and FFI.
Outings Chair: Creates and organizes monthly outing events.
General Volunteers: From time to time we have a need for volunteers to help with fly tying, knot tying and casting instruction. If you would like to help on those occasions, please let one of the Board members know that you could be available and are willing to participate.
If you are interested in becoming involved and being part of TU and FFI, or know someone who would be interested, please consider volunteering for any of these positions. Currently these are temporary positions until formal elections in November. For more information and details on the positions and responsibilities, please contact one of the Board members.
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December 12th Annual Holiday Party
Book Now!
HAPPY HOLIDAY SEASON
JOIN US AT OUR ANNUAL HAPPY HOLIDAY SEASON PARTY
Be sure and book your dinner reservations for our Trout Unlimited & Tulsa Fly Fishers Annual Holiday Party at McNellie’s downtown. Meet friends, tell stories and learn about new secret fishing spots. We always have a great time at our sell-out gathering of fly fishers.
Full buffet, cash bar and optional $10 gift exchange with free parking. Seating is limited to the first 65 people who sign up so please book now. Reservations will close on December 5 and are online only. Details and booking link are provided below. We look forward to seeing you there so book online now.
Date: December 12, 2019
Location: McNellie's, 409 E 1st Street, free parking
Time: Doors open at 6:30
Tickets: $25.00 per person online only
Online Booking Link: TU420-Holiday.com
Come visit old friends and meet new ones and celebrate the upcoming holidays with TU420/TFF.
Outings
Date: December 14 - Possible LIR event
Event: 'Clean-up and Eat-up"
Loc: LIR Watts WMU
Time: 9:00 to 2:00
We will be cleaning up the banks of the LIR and finishing up the remaining lunch outing supplies. Bring a covered dish or desert. Watch Facebook and Newsletter notice for details. The Event will be dependent on weather and LIR water level.
Date: January 25 - Roaring River Fishing Event
Loc: Roaring River State Park
Time: 8:30 am to 2:00 pm
Info: Bring a covered dish or desert. Joel Kantor will provide his famous brisket for lunch.
Date: Febuary 22, 2020 - Mystery Fly Tourney
Location: Lower Illinois River Watts WMU
Time: 8:30 - noon
Info: Get pumped up for the second annual Mystery Fly Fishing Tournament. Phil Curtis and Kelly Brown are sure to tie up a HOT fly to be used for the contest. Keep your eyes on Streamline and Facebook for more details.
Contact:
Heath Tiefenauer at TU420outings@gmail.com
Youth And Adult Education
Upcoming Classes
Backwoods at The Farm - Fly Tying Lessons
Jenks Community Ed – Fly Fishing Oklahoma
2020 General Meeting Presentation Schedule
Presentations are set for the 2020 season. The following are the dates and subjects. Please provide Pat Daly any recommendations you may have for next year 2020-2021.
December 12. Holiday Party at McNellie’s Downtown. Reserve tickets at TU420-Holiday.com only. Limited to first 65 people.
January 9. Conejos River Anglers – “Fly Fishing New Mexico’s Conejos & Los Pinos Rivers”
February 13. Fly Tying Night
March 12. Davy Wotton - “The Best of Fly Fishing & Tying” and fly tying pre meeting session
April 9. Randy Richter – “Fly Tying for Stripers & How to Catch Oklahoma Stripers on the Fly”
May 14. Scott Hood - “My Time with TU and the LIR”
Local Events
Jim Burroughs’ Presentation
Date: Wednesday, December 11. 2019. 7 pm
Location: Heirloom Rustic Ales, 2113 E. Admiral Blvd., Tulsa
Info: Jim will have a small presentation, but will mostly be available to answer any questions about the Lower Illinois, the Lower Mountain Fork, and all things Oklahoma streams and trout projects. Jim has a BS from OSU in wildlife ecology with a fisheries emphasis and an MS also from OSU in Environmental Science. He was a reservoir biologist working in the eastern half of the state and managing the Lower Illinois River trout fishery for 20 plus years. Today he still manages the trout fishery and has been the statewide streams supervisor for almost 10 years.
Board of Directors Recommend By-laws Changes
The TU/TFF Board is recommending changes to the TU and FFI By-laws. The first of these changes is to the FFI-TFF By-laws which will increase the term for Board Members from one year to two years.
The second change will be to the TU420 By-laws which will decrease the notice period on issues requiring membership vote from 15 days to 10 days to allow for newsletter publication as the source for notification. By-law changes and election nomination notices will remain at 30 days.
It is also recommended that the Board of Directors membership be increased to a maximum total of 15 from the current 11 member maximum. We would like to encourage any member to consider volunteering for Board membership to help direct TU420 efforts, projects and programs. We will be voting on these changes at the January 9th General Meeting. Feel free to contact any of the Board members or Officers if you have questions.
Kelly's Korner
Trash and Treasure
Trash flies, attractor patterns, junk, bug-ugly flies, even boobies…. patterns that prove a trout will try to eat anything smaller than its head one time or another. How does one explain a nice 16” Brown trout that refused a size 22 tied midge emerger because it is tied with brown thread, not black, and yet still moved half way across a pool to grab what might charitably be called a Cheeto? Don’t laugh, that’s a recent experience for me. The next day the same trout would not budge except to swim out of the way of the Cheeto and everything else I threw at it.
On occasion, I have changed flies and the fish-bite changed as if on a switch. More often, I fumble with knots and dropped boxes in the middle of the river and change my fly, maybe 3 or 4 times before moving on. The thousand flies I carry and all that fly changing must obviously makes me an expert! At least I know a few knots.
Is there any rhyme or reason to why a trout takes a particular fly? Why not just throw them a mop! A mop fly doesn’t look like anything aquatic, more easily handmade than bought, and comes in as many colors as cleaning mitts. I have argued that a Mop looks like a great big piece of protein floating down the river to a hatchery trout. I think there is some good sense to selecting a mop, and at least occasionally the trout agree.
Tying the Mop
One of the best things about a Mop is how easy they are to tie. My favorite way to tie a Mop is with a 60 degree bend hook, tungsten head, superglue, and thread with a suitably contrasting color. Small commercial jig hooks work just as well. It is easy to vary the weight, length of the mop and hook size, but a good place to start would be with a Size 12 jig hook, a 3/16”” brass or tungsten bead, and a mop of 1 – 1.5”. At this size the Mop will sink readily and will resist hookups on the bottom but grab fish just fine.
My version of a mop ties in four easy steps in less than 1 minute. (1) Wrap your thread the length of the hook shank and back to the head, (2) coat the thread with superglue, also filling the gap of the bead,
(3) position mop body on hook shank, “glueing” the yarn all the way around the hook, and
(4) use the thread to create a contrasting color collar and whip finish. You can buy commercially packaged Mop yarn from WASPI for somewhat more natural colors. If you do this, melt the end of the mop with a lighter to prevent the yarn from unraveling. With the commercial yarn, it is easy to make Mop flies 2 or 3 inches long that work well for me at the Roaring River State Park in Missouri.
Pattern or Presentation
Trout are occasionally maddingly selective, especially wild trout well fed in waters with highly abundant insect life. Even our local hatchery trout can get to be selective after they have been in the water a while with abundant food. Most of the time though, trout are aggressive eaters if given a chance. Mop flies excel when fishing for aggressive trout, and the heavy head and polypropylene tail tied on a jig hook provide the success factors.
With Mop flies, and with larger nymphs in general, it is much better when the presentation takes the fly “TO THE BOTTOM”, exactly as if the bug is diving for the rocks to get away. This is reflected in the old fisherman’s saying the difference between a good and a great fisherman is two split shots. Jig flies are particularly good at going to the bottom without hanging, and the semi-buoyant tail also aids in keeping the hook out of trouble.
On a long flat run where the bottom depth does not change much, float a Mop fly beneath an indicator deep enough you can tell the fly is dragging the bottom occasionally. In turbulent water or water with irregular depths, try fishing the mop without an indicator and sufficient slack in the line to get to the bottom. You may have to change your mend with every hole, but generally trout hang onto Mops well enough to detect the bite by watching the fly line.
Best Fishing,
-Kelly
Author Kelly Brown will be documenting his general thoughts on fly fishing in the coming months. If you see him at the next General Meeting, be sure to thank him for putting this project together.
Fly Tying Contest
Six Fly Progressive Fly Tying Contest
The Monthly fly tying contest is taking a break for December. Fill your boxes and I will be back with the new year.
Contact Kelly Brown for details on Facebook, or at kellyfishes@msn.com
-Kelly
Author Kelly Brown will be directing this season’s fly tying contests. Some of your contest fly submittals will be used as fund raising items, raffle items, special contest prizes and other awards for Trout Unlimited and FFI projects like Trout in the Classroom, winter trout stocking of local ponds and youth education programs.
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