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                                                                             February 2002

 

          Not a great deal to report on this last bulletin until next year.  We haven’t had enough positive responses from our members to having a guest (possibly Will Wegman or Pete Pokulok) visit us and allow us to pick their brains on a number of fishing topics.  Pete, a fine friend and fishin’ buddy of mine learned many of his initial skills in our club, going on to win medals in tournament casting and catching monster brookies in trips to the Broadback with us.  Pete then became a successful tournament bass fishing pro working that trail as a representative for Shimano for the last eight or ten years after beginning his own retail outdoor store, Barklays, in Oshawa.  We can all learn a lot from Pete Pokulok – even in an hour or so in the gym.

          Wil Wegman is an institution in himself with the Department of Natural Resources, editing the Lake Simcoe bulletin, expert in everything to do with that lake that just happens to be one of the finest all round angling bodies of water in the country.  With dozens of species of fish, including most of our finest game fish, Wil has been the prime mover in maintaining the amazing standards that Lake Simcoe has proven it’s capable of.  Despite his extremely busy work with Natural Resources, Wil is not just an occasional weekend fisherman.  He is a superb all season, all weather angler and has proven those skills many times.

          Hopefully, before we return for the new year, we will get enough commitments from you folks for attendance at one or both of these evenings, but I will not invite these men unless I am assured that they will at least have a decent audience for their trouble and efforts.  Please notify Jim or me as S.A.P.  We’re looking at dates into February (hopefully they will suffice for our guests as well).

          Our year-end Christmas party and casting competition has been agreed by all to be the best ever.  It certainly was the best attended, best fed, great conversation and a lot of fun.  If you missed this one, better mark it on your 2003 calendar as a must for next year.  We have a new novice all round club champion, Jay Hackney........not too shabby for a chap who just joined the club last spring.  Finishing second a couple of strokes behind Jay and just in front of Paul Becker was Scott Owen, who said if he hadn’t had to be hopping around with that huge cast on his severed Achilles tendon would have taken Jay to the cleaners.  Sharon, Sheila, Ray, Mike, Rick and all had a great time as well, even if their scoring was unduly influenced by the great snacks we had on hand.

          Hans Gulde has been in Switzerland, but should be back assisting Leon with the fly tying crew shortly, while Ray, Jay, Paul and others are all putting finishing touches on their bamboo wands.  I just built another cane stick for myself, a powerful, yet light tournament rod for trout fly distance.  I fully expect to set records with this rod in 2003.......if I’m still able to cast at all, that is.  I also have hopes that tentative discussions with Rene Gillibert will bear fruition and he will be able to come up to Toronto for a few days to wet a line with us and assist me with the distance fly games.

I have had a little success with these over the years, but this young Californian man has proven beyond doubt that pound for pound he is the finest practitioner of these games around.  In last year’s National for instance, Rene cast an incredible distance of 190’ in the Anglers Fly Distance event using only a 30’ #10 weight shooting head line in the National tournament in Chicago in 100 degree F. temperatures!

We have two more Tuesday evenings scheduled for the shop and one more session, next Thursday in the gym, then we’re out of action until January and ice fishing season. 

****Flash!  Flash! Bulletin: Just had a phone call from Scott Owen asking me if I wanted to go out for an hour or so to try out the new bamboo distance stick.  It’s colder than H... out there, minus two and windy with snow flurries and neither of us have cast distance since early August, but we were easily able to achieve about 175’ to 180’ consistently.  Scott, using the new rod, cast 20’ further than his previous best as well.

We have at least five fellows in the club who could throw excellent distance in these games and hopefully will work hard enough at it next spring to push me back into my rocking chair where I belong, writing and reminiscing. 

A few of us will be heading up to the trout lakes on New Years Day for a little hard water angling, probably A/B, Limit and Beanpole.  Those wishing to join us should contact either Jim or me as S.A.P.  We will probably be going up most weekends, so pick a date and let us know if you want to try your hand.  It’s cold, but it sure beats watching fishing shows on T.V.  Looking outside the window now while I put a wrap on this Reel Thing, I can see it’s beginning to snow quite heavily, so I think I’ll just grab my pretty wife and spend a half-hour or so in our hot tub while we watch the snow pile up outside the window.

A very early Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, Happy Hanukah and best o’ the season to all our friends.

Bye now,

          Gord

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