Scarborough Fly & Bait Casting Association
23 Willowhurst Crescent, Scarborough  Ontario M1R 3R7
Phone & Fax - 416/755-5663
E Mail - coachman@pathcom.com
Web Site - www.pathcom.com/~coachman

 

The REEL THING                                                                            December ‘05

Hi Y’all:

          I guess this is the last Reel Thing until next year, so we want to take the opportunity to wish you all a very Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah and a wonderful New Year in 2006. If it is half as good for us in the S.F.&B.C.A. as 2005 has been, then we will all be truly grateful.

          Last night was our wrap-up for the Fall season, as usual featuring our club  ‘Novice’ Casting Championship for the twenty-year old trophy, combined with our annual Christmas party. This was the best-attended event that we have had in quite some time and by all accounts everyone had a wonderful time.

The only problem was that there were so many goodies on the tables, brought to the party by the whole gang, that it was difficult trying to decide which to pile into first then just as you got going on your selection you would be called up from your seat to rack up your score on the fly and plug targets.

        It was expected that there would be a battle between Ray Cockburn and George Monroe for the championship laurels and Ray certainly did his thing on the plug targets with a fine 94, but George with a 88 in plugs to go with a 94 on the fly targets prevailed, as Ray ran into problems with the long rod game. Sheila tied George for second in plugs, also with an 88. There were a number of new members casting ‘competitively for the first time and no one embarrassed themselves with several stating that they are now looking forward to their next competition – the Scarborough Open championships on the first weekend of June, ’06.

Our four ‘A’ Class casters, Jim Lloyd, Jurgen Brech, Paul Kennedy and I went head to head with each other for the ‘A’ laurels and P.K. came out on top with a combined score for the flies and plugs of fifteen demerits. Everybody who cast at least one game had a shot at the draw that was held for a number of fine prizes that featured a half a dozen new Tilley Hats of the winners’ choice. We want to offer our sincere thanks to Alex Tilley and company for their wonderful participation in our Christmas Casting Party and Festivities.

Another highlight of the spirited evening was a special presentation made to George Monroe (to go along with his winning the All-Round trophy) of a custom-made shirt with an I LOVE CANADA and club crest on its front and GEORGE MONROE, HONOURARY CANADIAN on the back. George commutes to our meetings regularly all the way from Rochester New York, a distance of about 140 miles and seldom misses an evening. Obviously his perseverance is paying off for him as in only his second season with the club, he is already winning awards and threw all twelve disciplines in the National at Dundee last summer, placing in the top dozen in several of the games.

He was presented with the special shirt as a thank-you from the club for his dedication and great fun and spirit he adds to all our club activities.

November provided a few terrific fishing trips for some of us up north to do battle with Haliburton’s trout and as usual, the fish would cooperate on one occasion and display lockjaw on others. Perhaps the best catch was taken by Patrick Walsh with four lovely trout pushing three pounds, while a club camping trip to Beanpole provided a lot of fun and a few thrills along the way for Sheila with a tremendous rainbow dancing all over the place.

It ran off over a hundred feet of line at one point then turned tail and sped back towards our boat, but before Sheila could regain line and take up the slack her line wrapped around the tip of the rod. As you all know, she has to reel line in by cranking the entire rod with the reel handle inserted in a brace on her left hand. With the big ‘bow rushing towards her it was impossible to avoid the line’s wrapping around the rod tip and when the big fellow saw the boat he reversed once again and, of course, snapped the line where it was tangled on the rod taking off with her favourite Crocoldile. Boo Hoo!

Meanwhile Jurgen Brech continues to impress one and all with not only his superb fly tying skills, but his remarkable prowess on the stream as well. Jurgen caught as many as thirty ‘bows in a morning’s fishing on the steelhead streams east of Toronto, with fish tipping the scales as much as fifteen pounds and bigger. Remarkably, all are caught on his own fur and feather creations tied in the shop on our Tuesday evening sessions.

The rod building activities slowed somewhat, but Sharon McIntyre finally finished her lovely split-cane spinning rod, using it in the competition in the gym yesterday and Bob Tanaka glued up the butt section of the Broadback fly rod that he has been working on methodically and dilligently since last spring and it turned out beautifully, light as a feather but fast and strong at the same time.

The boats are all put away and the skidoos are being tuned up for the next fishing coming up in a few weeks as the lakes harden up for our ice fishing jaunts. A few of us are hoping to head up north with the skidoos a couple of days after Boxing Day when Sheila and I return from two weeks of much-needed R&R in Panama at Christmas. Then hopefully, shortly thereafter, we’ll also be testing out our new 24’ camping trailer with a few of the guys in the north woods for a couple of overnight ice fishing and camping trips.

Just another reminder, if you have not advised me that you would like your name put on the list for the specially marked, numbered and signed initial 100 printing of my next book, MAGICAL WATERS AND MEMORIES, coming out next March and would like to do so, please get back to me soon. There are still about fifteen or twenty of these collector editions not accounted for.

Again, best of the season to you all,

Sheila and Gord

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