The BUFFER

The Newsletter of Buckeye United Fly Fishers, Inc., Cincinnati, OH 
Volume 23, Issue 9                 Web site: http://www.buckeyeflyfishers.com                 September 2000

IMPORTANT NOTICE!  B.U.F.F.  Dinner Phone Call-In has been Changed

Please note that the phone number for dinner reservations for the September B.U.F.F meeting has been changed to 831- 4815.

Program: Demonstration of stream monitoring techniques that play a vital part in determining the cleanliness of our streams. Also, the park is right on the river, so plan to do some fishing

Where: Sycamore Park, Batavia, OH

Directions::

Take I-275 to Rt. 32 (Batavia Exit). Follow Rt. 32 east to the 1st Batavia exit. Follow Main St. toward the river. Take a right on Rt 132 (this is the road just before the river - do not go over the bridge). Travel about 1 mile south on Rt 132. The park will be on your left.

 

 

 

President's Corner

 Jim Leblond 

Ladies and gentlemen, you asked for it… And … (drum roll please) You got it! Buckeye United Fly Fishers is proud to present our intermediate fly tying classes! This was truly a group effort. Dave Jones arranged the location, Bob Goldberry drafted the talent, and the infamous Hardee boy's (Bob Ireton, Hank Gilliam, Dave Uckotter, & Joe Guenther) in combination with Jerry Snider have put together one whale of a show! There will be Prince Nymphs, Muddler Minnows, Parachute Adams, Quill Gordons and perhaps even a special guest appearance by the mysterious Madam X. 

Here's what you need to do: 

  1. You need to be somewhat beyond the beginners level of fly tying, because we are going to move at a fast pace - so brush up on your skills and tie a few flies before you come.
  2. You need to have your own equipment and tying supplies for each night. Keep in mind you will need slightly different materials each night. We'll have a list for you before each class. Please call Jim LeBlond at 561-8957 and let us know if you're planning to come to the first session and we will let you know what you need to bring to the first class. Also, please remember to at least pencil the first class on Thursday, October 5th onto your calendar today. (This class will happen before our next Buffer distribution.) Directions can be found on the bottom of this article. 
  3. We need to be excellent guests & students so please play close attention to the instructors and remember to leave the place in as good or better shape than you found it. But don't let this scare you off. If you would like to just come and just watch to learn more about this tremendous aspect of this sport you are more than welcome! If you miss a class, or two, or three… please feel free to come to any of the other classes. 

Everyone has graciously donated their time and effort and we all should show them our support. In return for this we promise a really good time with a room full of friends.

In closing, I would like to thank Joe Guenther for his first class presentation to the people going on this Fall's Salmon trip. He gave us an introduction to the type of equipment, flies and basic techniques we will need to be successful. He had us all salivating at the possibility of tying into one of these miracle fish. I'm sure we will have dreams about 30 pound King Salmon's dancing at the ends of our lines until we get a chance to make this trip a reality at the end of September. 

Directions To The Intermediate Fly Tying Class The fly tying classes to be held at Atonement Lutheran Church in Springdale, Ohio will be on Thursdays (Oct 5-12-19 and Nov 2). The directions to Atonement Lutheran Church are as follows:

A) Take Exit 41 off I-275 for Route 4. 

B) Go south on Rt. 4 ( toward Springdale, Ohio). 

C) At the Northland Blvd. and Rt. 4 intersection, there will be a Shell gas station, Wendy's, Walgreen's and Dunkin' Donuts. 

D) Continue south on Rt. 4, turn right on Cameron Road (about 100 yds.). At this intersection there will be a Grave Yard on your right and Vorhis Funeral Home on the left.

E) Continue on Cameron Rd as it makes a 90 degree left turn. 

F) Entrance to Atonement is on your left about 100 yds from the hard left turn. 

G) The fellowship hall entrance will be marked with a BUFF sign.

If you have any questions, call Dave Jones 825-7174.

 

HELP WANTED!!!!

    Don Prince

In October, we move our meetings at our new location, Deerfield Park. All feedback about this facility has been positive, both from the membership and the Parks Director. We are excited about the potential this location holds for the club. We intend to continue to build a positive relationship with the Deerfield Township. 

To fully realize the benefits of this facility, we need to establish a tradition of being a valued tenant. A major part of this is the condition in which we leave the facility after each use. It is our responsibility to cleanup our mess and return everything to its original location after each meeting. 

We need volunteers for set-up and take-down at each meeting. This is not a large chore, especially if several members pitch in and help. We will have a sign-up sheet available at the September meeting. Our goal is to have different folks each month to keep the task from becoming a burden to anyone. Also, we expect everyone who sets up a display or uses any park equipment to be responsible for their own takedown.

 

MAD RIVER REPORT FOR AUGUST 2000

    Steve Groome 

Because I didn't get to fish the Mad last month nor did I receive any reports from any fishing buddies about the Mad, I don't know how it fished in August. But I will include a summary of Trout Unlimited's July stream Monitoring report which I think you will find interesting. I will be stalking trout more frequently however on the Mad from September through November (my favorite times) when a lot of anglers put their rods away for the season. 

Below is a summary of Stream Quality Reports from the upper Mad. It is done by counting the number of invertebrates in different riffle sections on the Mad. The numbers as well as the types of macroinvertebrates tell us the "quality" or level of pollution in the river. 

The first assessment was done at St. Rt. 36 bridge just below the dam in Champagne County 3 miles west of Urbana on July 15. The water condition was slightly off color from the prior days rain and up maybe a ˝ inch. Weather was mostly sunny and 81 degrees. The width of this riffle tested was 40 feet, the water depth 13 inches and the water temp. was 65 degrees. The macroinvertertebrate tally was:

Group 1 Types: had 1 to 9 Mayfly Nymphs, (the predominate Mayfly here was Isonychia)
100 or more Caddis fly larvae, 1 to 9 Riffle Beetles, 1 to 9 snails. (I wonder why Caddis nymphs work so well on the Mad!?) 

Group 2 Types:  had  1 to 9 Sow bugs, 

Group 3 Types: had 1 to 9 aquatic worms, 10 to 99 Midge Larvae and 1 to 9 Pouch Snails.

Multiplying the number of "Taxa" in each group times an Index value of 

3 for group 1, 
2 for group 2 
1 for group 3 

The cumulative index value was 17. This rates out as Good (17-22), 

*Excellent is greater than 22, 
*Fair is (11-16) 
*Poor is less than 11. 

The second assessment was done at Pimtown Road about 30 yards upstream from the bridge in Logan County in West Liberty on July 15. The weather was the same and water conditions were "normal". The width of the riffle tested was 15 feet, the water depth 8 inches and the water temp. 65 degrees. The macroinvertebrate tally for:

Group 1 Types: had 10 to 99 Caddis fly larvae, 1 to 9 Riffle Beetles, 10 to 99 snails. 

Group 2 Types: had 1 to 9 crayfish and 10 to 99 clams. 

Group 3 Types: had 10 to 99 Aquatic Worms and 100 or more Midge larvae. 

Using the same group index values and formula as the first assessment resulted in a cumulative index value of 15. Which rated this section as Fair (11-16). No Mayflies here of note. 

The final assessment was done on the major tributary of the Mad, Macochee Creek at the first structure upstream from the corner between the Piatt Castles. This is also in Logan County near West Liberty and was on July 15. Weather was the same as above and the water condition was low with a lot of brownish vegetation growth on the stream bed. The width of the riffle tested was 6 feet, the water depth 8 inches and the water temp. was 48 degrees. The macroinvertebrate tally for:

Group 1 Types:  had1 to 9 Mayfly Nymphs, 1 to 9 Stonefly Nymphs,10 to 99 Caddis fly larvae, 1 to 9 Riffle Beetles, and 1 to 9 Snails. 

Group 2 Types: had1 to 9 Cranefly Nymphs and 1 to 9 Crayfish and 

Group 3 Types: had 1 to 9 Aquatic Worms, 10 to 99 Midge larvae, and 1 to 9 Pouch Snails. 

This section rated out with a cumulative index value of 22 or Good (17-22) Very close to an Excellent rating! The predominate Mayfly nymph here was Stenonema Vicarium. 

Speaking of Macochee Creek, Mad Men Chapter of TU has plans to do major Habitat Improvement in this area in the future. A beautiful little section if you like to fish small streams. BTW, if you fish Macochee and run into any Salvelinus Fontinalis, let me know. I heard through the grapevine they have been showing up lately. How and why is a mystery or a miracle! 

Tight Lines till next month! 

Conservation Raffle Still Available

Mike Bryant

The Conservation Raffle is still being offered. We have a great prize to offer - a Lamiglass graphite fly rod and Ross fly reel outfit. The Lamiglass fly rod is a 9 ft., 4 wt., 4 piece (Copper River Series) that is advertised to be 15% lighter than comparable rods. It has a limited lifetime warranty and comes with a Condova rod case. The catalogue classifies the rod action as fast, but I found it gave a very light and delicate presentation. A perfect rod for casting dry flies and small nymphs.

The Ross fly reel is a #2 Cimarron. A handsome reel with a black, high gloss finish and a very smooth disk drag. In addition, the B.U.F.F. logo has been laser engraved on the backside making this reel a unique collectors item. This is the perfect outfit for on-the-go trout fishing. We guarantee that you'll look good fishing with it as well, the envy of all other Buffer's!!

Retail value for both the rod and reel is over $450!! But it can be yours only if you win the Conservation Raffle, and the only way to win is if you purchase a Conservation Raffle ticket. Tickets are only $5.00 each. The more tickets you purchase the better your odds. And remember, all the proceeds are used as donations in B.U.F.F.'s ongoing Conservation Program.

Raffle tickets can be purchased at the B.U.F.F. dinner meeting, or call Mike Bryant (793-6189) for more details.

Fall 2000 Trout Trip

    Bob Ireton, Coordinator

The Fall trout trip is just around the corner. I will pass out the trip packets to the participants at the September BUFF meeting. If you are not able to attend this meeting, I will be glad to mail your packet to you. Just send me $2 to cover postage, etc. 

The packet will contain information such as travel information, lodging, restaurants, shops to buy fly fishing equipment, a list of participants so you can ride and room together if desired, a hatch chart and list of suggested flies so you can purchase or tie flies for the trip, and other interesting and useful stuff. Also, a nice laminated trip ID badge for a souvenir of the trip, and to help us learn each others name.

Included is a trip waiver form that must be completed and signed, and in my possession before the trip starts. I prefer that you do this and return it to me at the meeting. Otherwise, mail it to me ASAP.
Looking forward to another great trip!

2001 FISHING TRIPS PLANNING REQUEST

    Joe Guenther, Trip Director 

I am starting to work on the 2001 Trip Calendar, and would like to get member input on new places and old favorites. On top of your destination ideas, we will also need coordinators that are willing to volunteer their time and planning to make these upcoming trips a truly great fly fishing experience. I

 would like to get as much input as possible from members to make a well rounded trip calendar. You can see me before or after the September meeting, or call me at 724-6343. So put on your thinking caps and pitch in an idea.

 

REQUEST FOR OLD B.U.F.F. PHOTO'S

    Mike Bryant

In future issues of The Buffer, I would like to occasionally include photos from past B.U.F.F. events. If you have photos that you think would of interest to old and new B.U.F.F. members, please let me know (see me at the monthly meetings or call me at 793-6189). I'll make sure you get your photos back.

 

TIPS & TECHNIQUES

Stay Dry:

Ever have trouble cutting latex sheets straight? 

Have a tip or technique you would like to share with fellow B.U.F.F. members? Pass it on to Mike Bryant at the dinner meetings or call at 793-6189.

The Pretty Girl Sings

 Red Lose 

(Editor's Note: Red has been generous enough to share with us some of his experiences in fishing and life. The following article is an excerpt from his journal covering his life. Other excerpts will be shared in future Buffer issues. Thanks Red! ) 

I grew up in a farming community in North Eastern Indiana. It was flatter than Kansas, hotter than Phoenix, colder than Alaska, and wetter than Seattle. Every spring, the fields were flooded because the ditches, creeks and rivers could not carry the excess water away fast enough. This resulted in a monumental silting of topsoil that muddied the waters making their visibility about two inches at best, ever. I had seen pictures of sparkling clean water and men fishing for trout that could be seen deep in the waters. It became my dream that someday I could experience what those pictures suggested. 

My first try at trout fishing was a small stream small enough to step over called Bloody Run in northern Indiana. One day I drove there but I found it to have more rattle snakes than trout and never wet a line. Next I tried Cedar Creek near Ft. Wayne where the state had started an experimental planting of trout. Visibility here was about a foot. I caught no trout but I did take home several Smallmouth bass. Next I tried the Pigeon River, a creek that drained several of the North Indiana inland lakes. It was clearer but again I managed only smallmouth. 

The following year the State planted trout in it and I returned on opening day only to find it so crowded that one couldn't get to the water or find a place to park. So I went back two weeks later. The crowds had left and the water was running milky. I was fishing under a bridge and all I could hear was some slightly riffling water nearby. All was quiet when I relieved myself of a resonant quantity of stomach gas. From up above I heard a voice saying, " I'd rather hear a good man fart than a pretty girl sing". That's a hard thing to forget. The man told me that there was a hole holding a few trout about a mile downstream but that I'd have to take my chances on being caught for trespassing because it was posted ground. 

I remained where I was and managed a couple smallmouth and the first Northern Pike I had ever landed on a fly rod. He was only about two feet long but if you have never handled a northern on a fly rod you have a thrill coming. It's more of a strain than trying to land a two pound bullfrog that comes out of the water and leaps and jumps down the shore line thru grass and whatever trying to escape. Every bound you think he will break your rod. Trout rods were not built for bullfrog nor Northern Pike.

My next attempt at trouting was during a summer vacation in Michigan when I stopped at Baldwin . A small clear river ran thru the town and early the next morning I went downstream to fish Baldwin Creek. This was almost the kind of water I had been looking for. I took about 15 eight inch brook trout on my brown hen-hackle flies and stuffed them into a fish sack that was fastened to my belt. The sack was made for bass and when I looked at my catch I found that over half of them had escaped because the mesh of the bag was too coarse.

An older gentleman came splashing upstream and we sat on the shore and talked. He had had no luck at all and I gave him a few of the brown hen-hackles that I had been using and returned to the lodge in time for lunch. A couple natives were eating next to me and in our exchanges they told me that all I would catch at this time of year in that Creek would be a few small brookies. That night I packed to move on and spent the balance of the week fishing for larger fish, bass, in waters nearer to Lake Michigan. 

At the next BUFF meeting I was telling Ike Hayes about my disappointing trout trip. Ike advised me to next try the Holy Waters of the Ausable near Grayling Michigan. That's where I went the next summer. It was like walking thru the gates of heaven to find a river so beautiful, so clear, so 'just as I had hoped for'. There was only one lodge on the twenty mile stretch and I was fortunate to manage to get a room for a week there. Accommodations were excellent and the food much better. And I have been returning there a couple times each year for the past twenty years. Once in Spring to fish and once in October to enjoy the beauty of the hardwood tree leaves that line the banks. 

Meantime the club had discovered the Mad River and, because of its proximity, fished that place religiously for several years before managing to get to the Western Rivers. The Western Rivers are fun. You can catch a lot of fish with less effort, so little that sometimes it borders on the monotonous. My biggest objection to the elite streams is that they seem to be getting too expensive for my retirement income.

I was just recalling how many places that trout fishing has taken me. I counted six different states and twenty six different rivers and I am not ready to "hang it up" yet. Of all of these places however I would consider the Mad River to be my favorite stream. That's probably because it's the quickest for me to get to and I know the holes and runs better. I don't always catch fish, but there's so much more to fishing than just fish. ­

One day on the Mad I dropped Dave Herron off at Dallas Bridge to fish downstream to County Line. I went down and parked at County Line and then walked the fields upstream about a mile and got into the water there. I fished downstream to the car and soon saw Dave coming my way. When I got out of the water he told me that he had been having fair luck until the last mile, which seemed to be barren. 

It was then that I told him that I had taken seven trout all over 14 inches and several 10 inch rainbows from those "barren" waters. That was positively the best day I had ever experienced in all of my trout fishing anywhere. I was so good that it had actually gotten to be a mite monotonous. 

Years ago I stopped taking pictures or measuring the fish that I caught. Once such a permanent record has been established the critter stops growing in The imagination when retelling of the experience. Sure puts the squelch on a man's lies, but ain't that a good part of the sport?

 

CENTENARIAN ROCKFISH

    Vince Cappiello


The following article was excerpted from one I wrote for Life Extension Magazine. I thought BUFF members might be interested in the important role fish are playing in medical research.

What would you say if you were told the fish dinner you just ate came from a fish that was 100 years old? Believe it or not, people are eating rockfish that were born around the turn-of-the-century! And according to John C. Guerin, Centenarian Rockfish Project Director at Oregon State University, there is no difference in taste or texture between centenarian and younger rockfish.

Recent analysis of commercial catches of rockfish showed that 16% were more than 50 years old, and several were at least 100 years old. But these fish are not only long-lived, they don't senesce! Instead, they manifest what is known as negligible senescence (chronological aging without increased mortality). In other words, they continue to grow and reproduce after reaching maturity but show no evidence of senescence. In fact, fecundity (ability to reproduce) increases with increasing age.

How do we know these fish are that old? What mechanism(s) allow them to live so long without senescing? Can humans benefit from such knowledge? These are the questions that Guerin considered as he learned more about these fish. He had always been interested in the problems of aging but was fascinated by the idea of growing older chronologically without senescing. The more he studied the phenomenon of negligible senescence, the more passionate he became because he discovered that little research had been done in this area. Determined to fill this void, he began to assemble a network of scientists who could apply the principles of gerontological (the study of aging) research to these issues.

Rockfish are also known as Pacific Ocean perch and belong to the genus Sebastes which has some 70 species. They are among a few species of vertebrates (animals with backbones) that can have life spans exceeding 100 years. Others include sturgeon which hold the record of 154 years, turtles, whales, and humans. What is interesting about turtles and rockfish is that they do not senesce.

One of the more important aspects of studying longevity in animals is accurate determination of age. To do this, Guerin used a special technique called the "otolith method". It is based on the fact that fish scales and certain bones reveal annual growth rates via growth rings that are laid down in these structures. These rings are analogous to the rings visible in the cross section of a tree trunk, and are counted to determine age.
The technique involves the use of a specific bone taken from the fish's ear. It is removed, processed, and ground thin enough so that the annual growth rings can be seen through a microscope and counted. 

Using this method, Guerin's team determined the age distributions of three separate rockfish collections off the coast of Sitka, Alaska. The oldest specimen in each collection was 109, 107, and 93 years old.
These pioneering researchers are examining a number of questions, including the following:


    1. How is it that rockfish continue to grow after reaching maturity?
    2. Why is their ability to reproduce not affected by old age?
    3. Why don't rockfish get degenerative diseases with old age as do humans?
    4. What are the mechanisms for negligible senescence?

The answers to these questions could lead to health strategies that benefit us all. ­

Nymphing the Net

http://www.seatrout1.freeserve.co.uk/ 

Ever wonder what fishing is like in other countries? Here is a British site. It's interesting that this site recommends "that you find a club with an all day ticket". More and more of America's streams are getting privatized. Someday we may have "to get our ticket" to fish!    contributor Joe Panfalone

http://www.capweb.net 

Itching to write you US Congressman about a passionate issue (the environment, fishing rights, etc.), but didn't know where to send your letter. Try this site - it contains US mail addresses and email addresses of our representatives, information on how your representatives voted on the issues, and much more.  contributor Mike Bryant 

HOME   Back to Archive