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                                                                                  October 2001

Sorry we’re a little slow getting the bulletin out this month, but I picked up a new laptop and it’s taking a little time getting used to it.  I would like to congratulate Sharon McIntyre on the progress she has made in such short order.  Sharon is well on the way to completing a split cane spinning rod while also rapidly learning the intricacies of fly tying.  Last night in the shop, worked on her spinning rod project for an hour or so, then tied a lovely Royal Coachman Streamer fly.  Wouldn’t it be great if more of our folks were as industrious as Sharon who, seems to find time to get out and fish several times a week as well.  I hope that you don’t mind my mentioning it, Sharon, but the amazing thing about this is that you have to fit in your club activities around the many hours you spend looking after your family who have been stricken with a wide variety of illnesses and disabilities.

I finally managed to drag Ashok from his office a couple of times to get out on the water with us to do a little trout fishing.  However, the first trip to Meaford produced nothing for the pan except several baskets of huge meadow mushrooms, some as much as 12” across the caps.  There were enough to share with some of our more ardent club mycologists.  The second trip to A/B also produced a little frustration as the big brookies completely ignored our offerings, preferring to feast on the wiggling larvae of a huge hatch of giant mayflies.  Regardless, we had a great day, both of us sharpened our somewhat rusty fly casting skills and once again hit paydirt in the fungi department with a couple of baskets of delicious honey mushrooms.

A week later Jim and I decided to make the long trek up the bush-road to Beanpole Lake.  Whereas the temperature had been as high as 29 a couple of days earlier, it dipped close to zero with intermittent snow being driven sideways by fierce north winds all day long.  However this time we were rewarded for our sado-masochistic efforts with a superb battling rainbow that engulfed my tiny E.G.B. wabler and another leaping beauty which was ultimately ‘released’ by Jim.  Interestingly, although we were anticipating collecting more of the delightful honey mushrooms, none were to be found, but we did find – and carefully collect – an Amanita Verona mushroom, perhaps the deadliest mushroom on the planet.  The ‘Destroying Angel’ as it is commonly known as, takes many lives around the world every year.  It was carefully bagged and sealed in two plastic bags so that it could be frozen and its features studied by others in the club for their own protection on future fungus forays.

A few of us will be heading up to Southampton to test out mettle on the Saugeen’s mighty salmon and rainbows this weekend, so hopefully we’ll have more fishing news for the next bulletin.  Speaking of which, Sharon has been hauling nice catches of jumbo perch out of Lake Simcoe recently…………..it would be nice if more of our members would provide us with fishing tidbits for the Reel Thing a little more often.  Perhaps some of our American friends who receive this bulletin could also be kind enough to contribute news of their angling exploits for us all to drool over and share in.

We haven’t seen much of Tom Sluce and his son, Richard, lately because of Tom’s new position with Bell Telephone, so it appears that, at least for the moment, Hans Gulde is taking over the Despair Fly manufacturing department in the club.  Hans has mastered the difficult job of tying the necessary knots in the pheasant fronds for this super fly……he says he spent hours studying the illustrations and descriptions for its construction in my new book, Brookies Browns and Bows.  I still have a dozen or so copies left here which I would be happy to send along to anyone who doesn’t have one yet.  Your cheque for $29.95, made out to me and sent to 23 Willowhurst Crescent, Scarborough, M1R 3R7, will suffice as I will pay the postage and any the g.s.t tax.  A special plea here to Leon, Jaygee and anybody else in the club who have yet to join us in the gym this year to work on their casting …………..come on out guys, we all miss you.

 

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