THE
REEL THING
February 1991
As
this is the first edition of the Reel Thing to be produced since our
Christmas party and Novice Club Tournament our readers might deduce that we
have been in the doldrums, activity-wise.
Not so! It's exactly the
opposite and this is the first opportunity that we've had to put one of our
club letters together in quite a while.
Congratulations,
once again to David and Ela Collins who made it a family runaway with the
competition back in December. Dave
won the over-all title to go with his first place in the dry fly, while Ela
took the Silver in the baitcasting event.
Others who placed well in the standings were Pete Durnford, Fred
Bigioni, Rick Madden, Rod Sills and, of course, Sheila.
This was the best attended, yet, of our club novice tournaments with
16 members giving it their best shot. Great
to see that kind of enthusiasm!
Our
fly tying sessions wrapped up in December with 5 or 6 new afficionados
learning the 'intricacies' of this very practical and pleasant pastime.
We learned that the basic steps in fly tying are really quite simple
and while practicing the routines over a 10 week period, mastered the
construction of the three basic types of Trout flies and nearly a dozen
patterns.
Our
bamboo rod making classes are now well under way with 8 of us hard at work
splitting bamboo and shaping the strips into fly and spinning rods.
For a total cost of less than thirty dollars it is quite likely that
some of the rods that will be produced by our club members will have a
realistically marketable value in excess of a thousand dollars. Mind you though, there will be an average of thirty hours of
work expended and more than a few nasty cuts along the way from the bamboo.
The
fly and bait casting sessions at our new gym are moving right along with
improved performances from everybody. Kim
Potvin's fly casting skills have reached the point where she certainly is
well qualified to display her skills on A/B Lake during our April ice-out
trip. Dave Collins continues to sharpen his rapidly aquired skills
with both the fly and his spinning rods.
Every so often Leon picks up one of the bait casting rigs and shows
everybody that
this
year he will be a force to reckon with in all categories.
North Jory and his young protege, Matt, are also regular attendees
with North proving to anybody who watches (or listens) that he is as sharp
as ever. Jim Lee and Fred
Bigioni continue their fine work with their fly casting skills, while Fred,
keeps his hand in with the bait rods, as well.
Sheila and all the others also continue to hone their skills for the
up-coming casting season, both on the water and on the competitive courses.
We
haven't heard, as of yet, whether we are invited to participate in the
casting events at this year's Sportsmens' Show, but hopefully that
invitation to compete there once again will soon be forthcoming.
We will keep you informed accordingly.
We
already have verbal confirmations from 5 or 6 members who would like to
participate in our ice-out trout fishing trip this spring.
Because of the accomodation and costing arrangements this trip, as in
past years, will be limited to the first 8 members to get their money in. However if we get 4 more paid, then we can take a total of
12. It's either 8 - or - 12,
and it will have to be on a first-come, first-served basis. The cost for this 2 night and two day trip is only $100.00
and that includes accomodations (including the infamous giant hot tub) 2
shore dinners, 2 breakfasts, Saturday night feast and snacks.
Entertainment and guiding services can be arranged separately with
Leon Schwartz!!!
Speaking
of Leon, the club owes him a real show of gratitude for his response to our
request for a T.V. set to be used in conjunction with our cam-corder for
casting instruction and practice. He
was kind enough to donate a perfect little T.V. set to
us for this purpose. Thank you,
once again, Leon!
Apart
from the regular tournament circuit here and in the the States this year,
there are two very large events in the works for this summer.
I can't give you complete details yet, but suffice to say that they
both appear to be reaching fruition in terms of dates, details and so on.
At least one of these events will include fishing for Atlantic Salmon
and the other, God knows what. It
also appears that most of, if not all, of the travelling and accomodation
expenses will be paid by the hosts. If
you are interested in further information and possibly participating, please
get in touch with me personally as soon as possible.
Both of these junkets will be strictly on an invitational basis.
ICE-FISHING
BITS AND PIECES:
Club
members have managed several trips this winter to Haliburton
so
far, but nice catches of Lakers, Rainbows and Specks are reported by John
Alexander, Leon Schwartz, Jim Lee and yours truly, with some of the Speckled
trout in the 20 to 21" range. Rick
Madden and probable new member, Scott Purcell have had good luck on Lake
Simcoe with herring, pickerel, large perch and lakers up to nine pounds.
Paulo continues to nail lovely Brown Trout along the Lake Ontario
shoreline. I know that many
others have also had luck this winter, but shyness, or something, keeps them
from reporting the specifics to us for the Reel Thing.
Come on folks, we all like to know how the other guy is doing!
Give us a call so that we can report on who is doing what - and
where.
The
Scarborough Fly and Bait Casting Association now has the largest enrollment
in its history, but participation in its activities continues to be limited,
it seems to a relatively small number of members.
Let's all see what we can do as individuals to get more people
involved. After all, our
strength as an association lies entirely in your hands - and the more hands
actually taking part in the various club functions - the stronger we become!
If you have any suggestions that you feel would be helpful in
increasing attendance, please let us have them.
This
will be the last call for membership dues.
Most of our members have already submitted their annual $35.00 dues,
but there are still a number of club members who have yet to remit that
small fee. Unfortunately, due to high postage and other costs, this will
be the last REEL THING to go out to members who have not got their dues
looked after by the next mailing.
IMPORTANT;
Once again, those wishing to participate in the spring fishing ice-out trip
must get their deposits in as soon as possible so that we can finalize the
arrangements.
The
next bulletin will include the dates for all the up-coming events and
competitions for 1991.
Our
rod making classes should conclude in about 4 or 5 weeks at which time we
will re-commence fly tying sessions in order to get ready and stocked up for
the opening of Trout season.
Don't
forget to make use of our extensive collection of angling literature in the
club's library. Call me, or
John Alexander, the custodian for books or information.
The last Reel Thing included a complete list of our stock for
reference purposes.
See
you at the gym,
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