Craig Dennison will tell us all of the ins and outs of fishing the Delaware River system.  Craig fishes mostly on the West Branch of the Delaware and often with great success.  He truly loves this area that is within easy reach of upstate New York.  Monday, he will share many secrets and offer advise for those that want more information on this fishery.  He has even set up two trips to the West Branch, one in late May and the other in early June.  Don't miss this one!

Please feel free to bring a friend (always welcome).  50-50 raffle with new prizes.

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Cohocton River Stocking
(from Al Kraus)
It is that time of year again - the first float stocking sessions for the Cohocton River in 2008 will be March 26^th (Wednesday) and March 27^th (Thursday).   We will have three, two day float stocking sessions during the Spring of 2008.

On Wednesday (March 26^th) we will begin at the 2nd Route 371 bridge above the Village of Cohocton.   We will meet at 11:00 AM. 

On Thursday (March 27^th) we will begin at Wentworth Road just off of Route 371, south of the Village of Cohocton.  We will meet at 9:30 AM.

We stock the Cohocton by sending three rafts down the river with a barrel of trout behind them and distributing the trout as the rafts move down the river.  This way the trout are distributed throughout the river versus just at the bridges where the "Hatchery Truck Followers" can just haul them back out again.  Also, the trout have a better chance of surviving because they are not all competing for the same food within a small area and the fishing is better throughout the river.
 
There are two main groups involved in this process.  Group A:  Folks who shuttle the trout from the Hatchery Tucks to the barrels tied on behind the rafts, and help to put the rafts in and out of the water.  Group B:  The three folks per raft who take the rafts down the river and distribute the trout.  Both of these jobs are very important and I would like to get at least six volunteers from the Canandaigua Lake Chapter of Trout Unlimited on both the 26^th and 27^th.

Just a reminder, when you come to help please bring chest waders if you have them (some jobs do not require them), a life preserver if you have one (if not we will have one you can use if needed for the job you are doing), something to eat and drink, a change of cloths in case you get wet, and outer wear suitable for the changing weather conditions we often get in March.  I also recommend work gloves, a long sleeve shirt or jacket, and a hat for those folks who want to go in a raft.

This is a great opportunity to help to stock one of our excellent local trout streams (don't be one of those folks that expects to catch, but is not prepared to help distribute).  Please let me know as soon as possible if you want to participate.  When you respond let me know if you want to help on the 26^th, 27^th, or both days.  

If you want further information or want to sign up to help, please contact Al Kraus at krausengr@earthlink.net .

The stocking dates mentioned above may change if water levels and/or weather conditions are not suitable, if they do change, those folks who have signed up to help will be notified.   Thank you for your support!   ~~ Al Kraus

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For Sale:  ??? 
Email jpc@travela.com with the details and we will list your item(s) for sale. 
How else can we say it?
It's a free Want Ad.

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Notes From February 2008 Meeting
Jean Chaintreuil brought the meeting to order and welcomed everyone.

Dave Morrow reported that the Chapter is sponsoring 2 persons to the Youth Camp.  The Camp is conducted over a two day period in the summer.  Chapter members should contact Dave if they have candidates in the 12 to 14 year old age group.

Jerry Luzum reported that the Fly Tying School is going well, but needs help for the March 5th class to be held at Wood library at 7 PM.  Anyone interested in helping the students tie the Rusty Spinner should contact Jerry.  Al Kraus will be the featured tyer who doesn't use a bobbin.

Steve Coleman discussed the results of the Fly Fishing School Survey.  The decision has been made to hold the school this year on April 26th.  Steve asked members to help recruit students so that we have a good class size.  He also asked for volunteers to help with the class either as a instructor or support staff.  The survey didn't indicate a strong sense that the content of the Class should be changed.

Dick Steinheider provided details on the Advanced Fly Tying Class to be held on March 1st at Wegmans.  The featured tyer is Craig Dennison, who will be demonstrating 5 saltwater flies.  Registration fee of $30 covers the cost of materials, breakfast and the half day session.  A check, made out to Canandaigua Lake Chapter of Trout Unlimited, for the registration fee should be forwarded to Dick.  The class size is limited to 12.

Fishing report - DEC reports that there are still a number of fish in Oak Orchard.

At the conclusion of the buy, sell or trade session, Norm Brust and Brian Pitre gave an excellent presentation on Trip Planning.  Norm covered check lists on what needs to be done at various time periods before and after the trip.  Brian's portion of the presentation focused on the "Remembering" part of the trip through the creation of a photo album.  He demonstrated this using the software program Shutter Fly.
                                                                                                 ~~ Jerry Luzum

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So, You Want To Tie Rotary
Let’s start with some definitions. What is “rotary tying” and how can it help me tie better, faster, and more consistently? A valid question, with a very simple answer, really. A rotary vise, also called In-Line Rotary, True Rotary, and Full Rotary, is simply a vise that allows you to hold a hook while keeping the shank in a straight line parallel to the rotational axis of the vice jaws. That means that whenever you need to apply a piece of material to the hook by wrapping it around the hook shank, you can rotate the hook instead of moving the material around it. This includes chenille, floss, dubbing loops, dubbing brushes, quill bodies, peacock herl, ribbing material, palmered hackle, collar hackle, soft hackle…and a myriad of other materials. No longer will you lose your grip on that piece of chenille mid-wrap only to have the whole body of your wooly bugger unravel, forcing you to start over. It also means that you have a full 360* view of your fly available without moving your vise or removing the hook from the jaws. Imagine…you can now view the top, bottom and both sides of that intricate full-dress salmon fly to make sure your married wings are even and your expensive Jungle Cock eyes are symmetrical.

So, how does rotary tying work? Again…a valid question with a simple answer. Let’s think about tying a wooly bugger. After you have the tail, ribbing material, chenille, and hackle tied in, you start to wrap your chenille body forward using the standard “over-grab-under-grab” method. This is a time-consuming process, which can be maddeningly frustrating if you lose your grip on that chenille mid-wrap, and the whole body unravels. There is an easier way. On a rotary vise, once you have your materials tied in, bring your thread back to the front of the fly behind the hook eye, tie a half hitch, and drape your thread over the bobbin rest. The bobbin rest is that funny-looking piece of wire that sticks out in front of the vise. It holds your thread under tension and out of the way. Now, grab your chenille, hold it about 90* off to the side or above (or even below, if you wish) the hook, and rotate your vise while guiding the chenille forward. See how easy that is? Since your hand holding the chenille never moves, you don’t risk losing your grip and having to start over.

Now, tie off and clip the excess chenille, tie another half hitch, grab your hackle and in the same manner, guide the hackle back towards the hook bend to form your palmer. When you reach the hook bend, wrap you ribbing material once around the hackle to hold it in place, and then use the rotation of the vise to guide your rib back towards the front. Tie off and clip the excess rib, build a beautiful head, and finish the fly. The whole process took about half the time and you never once lost your grip on any materials. Look at the fly, too. Have you ever tied such an even and consistent body, rib, and hackle on a wooly bugger this quickly and with as little frustration? I didn’t think so. Now imagine how easy it is to tie Copper Johns, floss body wet flies, Zebra Midges, Red Quills, tinsel-bodied streamers, or any fly with a rib, dubbing loop body, or collar hackle.

All of these materials can be applied using the same rotary techniques in half the time of traditional techniques, and with ¼ the frustration. Your floss bodies will be flat and even, your palmered hackled will be symmetrical all the way through the length of the body, your ribbing will be perfect…every time.

Now that you understand what rotary tying is and how it works, the next question is how to get started. Well, there is no doubt that rotary vises are more expensive than your standard Thompson Model-A. They should be. They are machined pieces of working mechanics considering all the ball bearings and sleeves-matched-to-shafts and what not. But don’t fret. You don’t need to invest a small fortune to drastically improve your tying and get started with the rotary style. There are many vises available in a myriad of price ranges with different features and functions, and I will provide you with a “short list” of my favorites.

Starting at under $100, there really is only one choice that I am aware of. The Dan-Vise is a delrin composite vise with metal jaws and a cam-operated closing system, C-clamp mount, true-rotary functionality, and honest hook holding strength, all for around $80. While the price may surprise you, don’t let it fool you. This is a solid piece of machinery, backed by outstanding customer service. Many people that tie on a Dan-Vise never see the need to purchase another vise. It does everything a rotary vise should, including holding hooks from size 2 all the way down to 32, and probably even larger, though I’ve never tied larger on one. There are only 2 downfalls to this vise. First, it is only available in a C-clamp configuration, and second, it has a fairly short base-length from the point of the jaws to the rotary chamber, which means things can get a little cramped when tying small flies. There isn’t a whole lot of room in there, but they do make an extension that you can purchase, or, you will eventually get used to it.

Next, there are several companies producing excellent machines for a price ranging from $150-200, and these machines are true works of art. Renzetti, Griffin, and Peak are the three that I have tried, and they are masterful vises. Brilliant beauty, true hook-holding power, great customer service, and years of experience and tradition in vise making. If you want a metal machine of beauty to tie your fish-catching works of art on, but don’t want to spend $200 or more on a vise, these are the choices for you. Each one is an exceptional piece of machinery designed with the comfort and ease of the tier in mind.

On the next level, you have vises that range in price from $200-500 and more, and these beauties are the top of the food chain. Most of the vises in this price range feature stunning beauty with unparalleled metal work and machining, precision ball bearings with smooth, effortless rotational abilities, comfortable and pleasing ergonomic designs for hours of tying enjoyment, your choice of C-clamp or pedestal bases, and a myriad of available features and options such as indexing, which allows you to rotate the vise to a number of lockable positions along the 360* axis. My favorite vise, and the one I tie on, is the Dyna-King Barracuda Jr. It’s is a masterpiece of American Made metal work, and hook-holding monster. There is no hook that this jaw cannot hold…truly. There are many other companies producing fantastic vises in this price range, however, I have not had the pleasure of tying on any of them, and so I cannot make any recommendations. Do your research, tie on a few at the shop before you buy one if you can, and purchase the machine that is right for you.

Now that you have the information you need, it is time to start shopping around. Rotary tying will drastically improve the look of your flies and the ease of your tying, as well as making it faster and less frustrating. Don’t be scared of change. Rotary vises can make your tying so much more pleasurable that you will spend more time at the vise and produce much better looking and higher quality flies. You’ve really nothing to lose, except frustration, hand cramps, and un-even flies.
                                                                                  ~~ Chris Morrison (aka tyflier)

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Prez Sez . . .
Many thanks to Gerry Luzum for his fine efforts with the Fly Tying School.  I assisted with the last class and witnessed some great fly tying as well as many fine compliments to Gerry and the Chapter.  Thanks also to all the guys that helped, either as tiers or as helpers.

Our meeting schedule has changed slightly.  Carl Coleman and Jay Peck have asked to be re-scheduled.  so they will now be at our May meeting.  Actually the timing for fishing local streams, and in the spring, may prove that this date is better.  More current info.  Craig Dennison, who did a fabulous job at the Advanced Fly Tie Class, will tell us all we need to know to fish the Delaware with success on March 17th.  Thanks Craig for moving this up.  And ... the guys that went to Utah last September will have a "show" for the April 21st meeting.  This was really a fun trip and I know that you will enjoy the presentation that Norm Brust and others have put together.  We are planning another trip this fall that you might be interested in.

After considerable deliberation we have decided to cancel the Fly fishing School for 2008.  The next School will be in 2009.  We hope that this bi-annual arrangement will have better (and worthwhile) attendance.

For now ... I'm doing tax returns!
                                                                                                                 ~~ C

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Meetings are held on the third Monday of each month,
and are held at the Wegmans Market Café, Eastern Boulevard,
Canandaigua, beginning at 730pm.

Please mark your calendar now. Meetings are open to the public.
Hope to see you there.