Ring of the Rise first quarter of 2023

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

Well after 12 years as the President of our fly family, it’s time to step aside and let the young folks run the show. It’s been a wonderful 12 years and the Board of Director have certainly made my job easier. Everyone has worked very hard for the benefit of our Club throughout the years.

My involvement with the Club started in 2004. Forums were popular at this time and Guy had the Kern River Forum. I had just started fly fishing when I discovered the forum. I quickly become friends with many of the members and the forum had a real fireplace warmth to it. I would jump on the forum to read about everyone’s fly fishing adventures on the mighty Kern River. The odd thing was, we were all friends through the forum, but we never actually met in person. I thought wouldn’t it be cool to hold an event where we could all actual meet. I mentioned the idea to Guy and he suggested holding the event through the fly fishing club. My reply was “What fly fishing club?” We named the event the Rendezvous, meaning a gathering of mountain people, once a year to party. LOL. The 1st “Vous” was interesting. People would introduce themselves by their real name: “Hi, I’m Mike”, but there wasn’t a connection with other people until they said their forum name. Names like ocmike, westlakedave, watching the water, PapaS, etc. The Vous became the Inter-club Tournament, to get more fly fishing clubs involved. Then it became the California Fly Fishing Open to get everyone in California involved. If anyone tells you differently, they are incorrect.

When I initially joined the Club, there were approximately 20 members. The Club has grown to over 250 members and continues to grow. We created the Kids Academy, Poker Night, Carpfest, Celine’s Fly Gals Weekend, Rendezvous > Inter-Club Tourney and California Fly Fishing Open.

I have met so many amazing people through the Club and fly fishing and I have been fortunate to fly fished some truly beautiful places. Fall rainbows in New Hampshire, redfish in the bayous of Louisiana, mako sharks off the coast of San Diego, big beautiful brown trout in Montana, chasing big bonefish on Molokai, etc.

I leave the Club in very good hands. Upon your voting approval at the Lower Kings outing on January 14th, Randy Skidgel will become the President. I had to “bribe” him with a Sage Trout Spey for him to accept running for President. Those of you that truly know Randy, know him. He and I have worked together on Club events for the past 15 years and I’ve always called him the Goodwill Ambassador of the Club. All the other members of the Board are staying on to continue making our Club one of the best in the country. I am very proud to announce Bernard and Rebecca Yin have accepted the positions of co-chairs of Conservation. They make a great addition to the Board. They have performed at many of our California Fly Fishing Open for years and years as part of Par Avion. They deeply care about our environment and will do great work on behalf of the Club.

There are so many people which I need to thank from the bottom of my heart. Everyone that served on the Board of Directors, past and present, volunteering countless hours for the club. All the people that paid membership fees believing in the Club’s mission. Everyone that has donated to our raffles, which helped fund the Club’s activities. You have made the Club what it is today and what it will become in the future.

It was a great pleasure to serve as your Club President for the past 12 years. It is time for some new fresh ideas which will make our fly fishing family even stronger. Please remember to always: take the high road; give before receiving; make sure the Club continues its momentum flow and introduce a friend to fly fishing. Have them join our family and come fish with us.

Chiaki Harami

ssff club conservation report

As 2022 wrapped up, Rebecca and I have been reflecting on our exploits as both anglers and as stewards of the fish and the environment.

I, for one, had a good run of lost fish due to being hasty in transitioning between flies upon spotting larger trout but not better checking my knots and tippets. Rookie error, but, well, it happened. Some recent moments have helped me erase this trauma, and I am gradually getting over it! But tales of woe aside, we had an exciting moment where vigilance and documenting a problem helped move the needle to hopefully saving some fishy lives.

About 3 years ago, we caught wind that a fish ladder was being built to help fish navigate a long-standing concrete barrier on a Sierra stream. We were excited by the prospect of these fish that were stuck too close to a reservoir could, at last, migrate farther. Up until now, this barrier was popular with the garden-hackle crowd, for it was easy to intercept fish that were stuck in the spring (bows) and fall (browns).

Then, about 2+ years ago, we observed that the ladder had been built. This was exciting except some fish were actually missing the ladder at a bend and finding themselves on dry land. We know this because we would stumble upon fish that were still half alive albeit dehydrated and gasping. As can be expected, the vultures were loving it. We documented this with photos and submitted a report to the DFW.

A year went by, and it appeared to have not been remedied, so we submitted more reports. This year, we dropped by the stream and were pleased to find baffles installed to minimize the loss of fish lives. An inquiry to the DFW indicated that they and the LADWP worked together to construct this simple solution. According to them, our reports added fuel to the fire; we are not necessarily taking all the credit, although on one occasion I did put up a plywood board to serve the same purpose (wink wink).

Here are photos of the before (see the pile of dead fish) . . .

and after . . .

Needless to say, the takeaway is simply - say something! Stay vigilant, communicate! Who knows? You might save a few fish lives!

- Bernard Yin & Rebecca Ramirez

Pyramid Lake

Kesley Gallagher

Imagine fly-fishing in a place so cold that you need to wear two parkas, constantly remove ice from your fly rod’s guides, and stand on a ladder in your waders to prevent hypothermia. Imagine being so grateful someone brought a camp stove to boil water so you can eat hot Ramen noodles for lunch and consider it a gourmet meal.

Imagine being so passionate about fly-fishing a lake full of 20-pound cutthroat trout that you’d spend a week living out of your truck. Just imagine. This kind of insanity is common, widespread, and fully infectious to Pyramid Lake newbies.

The ‘Mid, as it is warmly known, is a legendary lake in western Nevada that historically contained Lahontan cutthroat trout up to 60 pounds. The unfortunate overfishing, and diversion of fresh water from the local rivers, decimated this historical population of giant trout. Legal action by the local Paiute tribe to preserve this lake and restore the fishery created a world-famous cutthroat stronghold known for its enormous fish but harsh conditions.

As any insanely addicted ‘Mid angler knows, the rougher the weather, the better the fishing. Yes, you read that right! A Pyramid Lake angler wants the cold, the howling wind, stormy skies, and sideways blowing snow. It brings in the giant trout to feed on midges, beetles, and anything else that moves in the shallows. Anglers live for the cry of “Bobber DOWN!” and the pull of an enormous trout on their switch rod. A 9-pound trout here is common. A 15-pound trout isn’t out of the question. A 20-plus-pound trout on a midge is the goal. And trust me, it won’t be long before a 30-pound trout is landed.

The tug isn’t the drug—that’s putting it too mildly. The tug, the pull, the steep bend in the rod, and the “bobber down” moment make up the crack ‘Mid anglers seek. This is the reason why an angler will stand on a ladder in the lake at 5 AM in the freezing dark to watch the grey light form in the east whilst staring at a bobber they can barely make out in the gloom. Dawn is the time when monsters roam, when hands are frozen, and expectations are high. Usually, an angler, while trying desperately to defy a sleepless night, realizes in a moment of sheer panic that they are staring at water. “Where is my bobber? Did my bobber go down?” SET THE HOOK! Fortunately, as many times as not, during the pre-dawn hours, the bobber will drop and the fish will hook itself. Pure magic.

So how does one access this legendary place with the promise of giant trout? How do you effectively fish it? Start by joining SSFFC for our annual Pyramid Lake outing and fish with our experienced insomniacs to get exposed to the full ‘Mid infection! The annual gathering of bobber-obsessed anglers on the tufa-strewn beaches will occur from March 20-26 on Pyramid Lake. Most people will stay in Sparks at the local hotels and casinos, others will stay at Pyramid Lake Lodge, but all of us will suffer on ladders while staring at bobbers, waiting for the mystical Giant Lahontan to pull it under!

---- cfgw 2022 ----

One of the hardest aspects in organizing an annual program is attendance. How do you keep people interested; how do you keep it fresh and new; how do you mix it up; how do you keep people helping... As a club we ask ourselves this constantly. This year we didn’t see a lot of the “normal” faces for one reason or another and we weren’t sure how this would affect the program’s tempo.

On September 17, 2022, 43 ladies (and 18 instructors) from all over California traveled to Kernville, CA to learn about fly fishing. The morning was unusually dewy, leaving all the tables and chairs left from the wedding the night before soaked. As we walked through, we realized this was a much longer process than we anticipated. As ladies began to arrive, there was still a lot to wipe down. Our brains began to panic thinking we may be perceived as unorganized, but instead everyone began helping, all while introducing themselves to one another.

Participants indulged in pastries and coffee from Big Blue Bear to start their morning. The program kicked off with our mandatory Fly Yoga session lead by Candice Hansen; followed by 45-minute sessions of casting, knots, entomology, fly tying, and toy, tools, and doodads. As the program ran through the different sessions, one thing was for certain, Celine’s spirit was present and alive. The excitement and the hunger for knowledge can be seen throughout the participants interactions. Not only were ladies learning about fly fishing, connections and friendships were being established. The day wrapped up with the favorite: raffles and prizes.

Saturday evening ended with Pint Night at Kern River Brewery Backyard where the attendees were able to mingle and develop more rapport with other attendees and instructors. On Sunday, ladies got their lines wet and hooked into fish (some.. 😉).

2022 marked the sixth successful annual women’s program we have organized. As a club, we received numerous messages on the positive impact the program has for those who may be looking for an outlet or just a friend. Sometimes being on the river doesn’t bring us the big fish we are looking for, but it can bring us the peace and enjoyment we may be searching for. We would like to thank everyone for their monetary donations, raffles and time donated. Through the program, we have been able to continue our dear friend Celine Bayla’s legacy. We hope to continue sharing her spirit and love for fly fishing to many more ladies all while having fun.

Marisol Moreno

My California Obsession

By Kesley Gallagher

Corbina fly-anglers are a different sort. Mostly from Los Angeles, they will drive the empty labyrinth of freeways before dawn to a specific beach, wander in the dark through the sand dodging last’s nights sleeping partygoers, to arrive at a beach at a very low tide, devoid of water and fish. And these fly-anglers will wait for the beloved ‘window’, the window of opportunity, on the rising tide in the low light of dawn. This is the Southern California fly-fishing pilgrimage; the often touted ‘corbina dawn patrol’. Fly-anglers count the days to summer, eagerly awaiting the warm summer mornings. Spying a fish dashing in the swash zone towards the ocean is a thrill to experience.

The California Corbina, a croaker, the ‘ghost of the coast’, come with the incoming tide to forage on sand crabs. Quickly rushing in with a wave, they swim onto the sand to look for their prey, and quickly take the exiting wave back into a trough. As the tide sweeps in, so too do they, ever becoming more active with the deepening water. This is the angler’s window.

And the corbina angler, well, they search for these fish, walking miles of sand, looking intently at the surf, seeking a hint. These anglers are looking for the wakes, tails, and backs of feeding fish—a glimpse of its tail in the surf is sometimes all one needs. And the angler will take her shot, hoping that the fish will see her fly and mistake it for breakfast. Such is the desire of many Southern California fly-anglers who walk the beach with their fly rod looking intently at the surf.

Corbina come into the surf between May and October on beaches from Baja Mexico to Point Conception. They drive anglers to insanity as they are as unpredictable as permit and can be as invisible as bonefish. Yet, in typical California style, they love a crowd and are often found in numbers on a beach rife with tourists, milling around feet of sunbathers who are blithely unaware of their existence. Many an angler has contemplated casting at a tourist’s feet seeking the corbina hiding in the crowd.

As it is said over and over, the tug is the drug and corbina can become an addiction. Once a ‘newbie’ feels the grab, sets the hook, and watches line peel off their reel into the surf, they are hooked for life. A corbina will use its strong surfing skills to fight the inexperienced angler and will test the drag on a light saltwater reel. And if you are lucky and blessed enough to land this ghost, your smile will be as big as your fish, if not as big as the rising sun.