October 18th Meeting
Lake Erie Tribs Update
Springville Dam Update
The October 18th meeting of the Canandaigua Lake Chapter of Trout Unlimited will welcome DEC Region 9 expert Jim Markham at the Canandaigua VA Medical Center, Building 5 Auditorium, 400 Fort Hill Avenue, Canandaigua. The meeting will begin at 730pm and is open to the public without charge. Expect to get great information on the stocking programs to Lake Erie and its tributaries, specific information on fishing Cattaraugus Creek, and the current status to remove the Springville Dam. Jim is a great presenter and will have information about joining the steelhead reporting program.
Please feel free to bring a friend (always welcome).
We will have our usual raffle.
So . . . Remember to bring dollars or flies!
Need directions the to VA Medical Center? Click directions
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Remember ...
It is time to renew your NYS Fishing License.
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Prez sez . .
Thanks to Brian Pitre for handling the September meeting. And thank you all for the great support as I understand that the turnout was greater than 40!
How do you like our new location? Easy parking and all the space we need in the Auditorium make our meetings easy. And we have plenty of room to grow (more).
This month we will elect three members to the Board to serve for a three year period. Please contact me if you have an interest in a Board position. Currently, Mike Linse, Max Hillring and Gerry Luzum terms are expiring. Please contact me as soon as possible if you would like to be on the ballot. Call me at 585.360.1812, or send an e-mail.
Welcome a new advertiser to our Newsletter, The Fly Shack. You can contact them online. There flies are good, I have used them many times. Give them a try and be sure to tell them you are from the Canandaigua Lake TU Chapter and you saw their ad in our Newsletter.
I'm goin' fishin'.
~~ C
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Attitudes About Air Safety Must Change
The rash of fatal aircraft accidents in Alaska this summer should have everyone in aviation concerned. There has been bad weather much of the summer, and most of the accidents have occurred in poor visibility conditions. But is it the weather causing the accidents? I don't think so. Weather has rarely flown into an aircraft; rather it is the other way around. The aircraft flies into bad weather.
Fishing and hunting lodges, Part 135 charter operators and guides are often under a great deal of pressure to get their guests, passengers or sportspersons out to fishing or hunting locations and then back to the comfort of warm and dry surroundings. People who spend thousands of dollars for their outdoors experience don't wish to wait around, and the owners of these businesses want to get them out to fish and hunt. However it is the pilot who ultimately makes the decision if weather is good enough to fly or to go "take a look."
Sometimes, in order to not take another trip, planes get overloaded. Pilots in Alaska are required to carry emergency equipment when flying in remote areas. Many years ago, Alaskan pilots were permitted to fly slightly overweight to accommodate this requirement. Not so anymore. An overloaded aircraft can become unstable and in some cases when grossly overloaded simply cannot fly out of ground affect. This occurred with a Cessna 206 that attempted a takeoff from Merrill Field earlier this summer. 206's are wonderful load haulers, but this one was simply so heavy it could not climb and crashed, killing one person.
Pilots are sometimes under subtle but serious pressure to fly in bad weather and to load up the aircraft to avoid a second flight. If a pilot balks too many times, there will always be another who is willing to chance it. And, because they make it most of the time, there is more and more tendency to give it a try. Flight in uncontrolled airspace generally cannot occur unless there is a minimum of one mile visibility and the aircraft can be flown clear of the clouds. In areas near airports or well traveled air routes, the requirements increase to three miles and a 1,000-foot ceiling. A mile visibility is not much when flying in mountainous of unfamiliar terrain. A pilot can get distracted or disoriented quickly and bad things can happen in a hurry. Trouble is, most passengers are unaware of the risks or sometimes too timid to inquire about them.
A few things could be done to help.
First pilots could simply take a stand and refuse to fly overweight or in bad weather. Their employers could adopt a strict no-go policy and put no pressure, however subtle, on pilots. Thankfully, a majority of lodges and operators do not pressure their pilots to fly. But some do. They should stop.
Passengers have a responsibility also, no matter what their flying experience. If the weather looks bad or it seems an aircraft is being heavily loaded, a passenger should ask the pilot or the operator about those concerns. Ask how much weight can the plane legally carry. Or ask just what is the lowest legal visibility for flying.
My wife and I have refused to fly as passengers when we felt the conditions involved too much of a risk. And we never regretted our decision even when it caused delay or additional expense. Inquiries of this nature will get someone's attention, you can be sure.
If these concerns cause a canceled flight, there will be inconvenience and perhaps
some accompanying cost. However, wise airmen often say "it is much better to be down here
wishing you were up there than to be up there wishing you were down here." If voluntary
restraint by those who make these important decisions does not occur, then we should not
be surprised if the Federal Aviation Administration takes regulatory action to restrict
flights and makes it more difficult for all of us in general aviation.
~~ Karl Johnstone
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Tips for Taking Pictures of Your Catch
Alright here is the first blog on how to snap your own photos of fish. I know I am not the best photographer, but I'll give you some advice that works for me.
The first picture (Picture 1) in this blog
is from Steve Wohlford who was fishing
out in Montana. Steve did a great job with this picture. He got the rod (a JP Ross!)
and reel in the shot, giving us a scale of the size of the fish, and he also got the
entire fish in the picture - great shot! This is a classic shot. Rod, reel, sometimes
net in there, and the fish. It looks great all of the time and is a great way to remember
your fish. Sometimes the fish flops around and it is nearly impossible to do, but that
stuff just happens!
I fish alone a lot, so when I catch a good fish I always try and get a picture of it.
There are two things you can do with the fish. You can lay it down next to your rod and
reel like Steve did in Picture 1, or you can use that tricky ten second timer! Picture 2
is a shot I used with the ten second timer this winter for Steelhead. With this method,
rocks and sticks are you friends! Find anything level to set the camera up on and make
sure you click the button to take the picture - this starts the countdown. Most cameras
will start to blink for a while, then start to blink faster or beep when it is about 2 or
3 seconds away from actually taking the picture. This is key information! You don't want
to just sit there in your pose for 10 seconds holding a fish out... it might flop out of
your hands and back into the water, leaving you with a shot like Picture 3! I usually
leave the fish in the net/water with my hands already set up to hold a fish and once the
fast blinking starts I hold it up, and let the fish go. MOST of the time the picture
comes out just fine. It takes some playing around with your camera to get used to it
so I suggest practicing!
Hands. You all see it. You all might do it - I see people holding fish up all of the
time for a picture, but you see 80% of hands and 20% of fish - maybe the head? It doesn't
give us a good scale of the fish, and often times you're covering up some great colors of
the fish. Here are some general rules I use. Let’s say that this is for Trout......the hand
the supports the head of the fish is always going to be underneath the body with my 4 fingers,
and thumb behind the fish supporting it. The other hand near the tail is tricky. You can
fully grasp the tail, but again, this covers up the fish, or you can form a C with your
index 
finger and thumb and just let the fish set in the gap you just formed. Backwards C
with your right hand, correct C with your left. You can also grab the top and bottom of
the fish's tail with you index finger and thumb. Most of the time you will need more than
just your index finger, and they will show up in the picture, but that is OK - with this
method you have a SOLID hold on the fish if it tries to get away. Look at Picture 4 for a
good hand placement on a fish.
You can also hold the fish out of the net with one hand, then snap the picture with the
other hand. I use this method a lot, usually after the 10 second timer 
so I get a couple
different angles on the fish. In a picture like this too, remember to keep your hands out
of the way! Picture 5 is an example of this method.
Remember, don't show the belly of the fish when you hold it up for a picture! Show the sides!!
Hope this helps....
~~ Artie Loomis
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SUPPORT OUR ADVERTISERS
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For Sale / Help Wanted --
10 weight outfit: Sage Xi2 9 foot, 10 weight. 4 pieces. Ross BG6 reel with extra spool. Retail is $630 rod, $415 reel, and $195 spool. Call Bob Mulcahy at 585/889-8591. Best offer.
Wanted: Someone who can help re-design the Chapter web pages. Please contact Jean Chaintreuil if interested: 585/360-1812, or by e-mail, jpc@travela.com. Knowledge of CCS very helpful.
Items For Sale: ???
E-mail 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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Fly Fishing Etiquette
I have heard people say that they don't care how other people view them. Well, regardless of this, it is very important that all anglers follow some common courtesy rules so that these resources continue to be available to us.
The following are some basic rules of etiquette while fly fishing:
1. Obey all state and local fishing laws and rules.
2. Always recognize property rights. Always ask permission first. Leave all gates as you found them.
Public waters are disappearing quickly and we must show the utmost respect to the property owners to
show we are gentlemen.
3. Do not litter. If you brought it in, take it out (even leaders). If you change a leader, spool it
up and put it in a vest pocket to be thrown away later. Leave the area cleaner than you found it.
4. Wade only when necessary. The aquatic life is crucial to the trout's survival.
5. Strive to not leave any marks or tracks whenever possible.
6. Do not enter the water anywhere near an angler who is already in the water. A section of water
belongs to the first person fishing it. It is inconsiderate to crowd an angler who was there first.
One of the only times this may be a problem is when fishing a crowded Steelhead run in the Great
Lakes region.
7. A stationary angler has every right to remain where he/she is for as long as they want. If you are
working your way toward them, exit the stream and quietly walk around them.
8. If a nearby angler has a fish on, yield to that person and if necessary, lend a helping hand by
offering to net the fish, etc.
9. Never light a fire.
10. Use common sense.
I believe fly fishing is the most rewarding sport there is to those who truly understand and embrace it.
It can be a time for complete solitude and reflection, a means of stress/tension reduction from the rigors
of the daily grind or a time of fellowship with friends and/or family. I have found it to be one of God's
most awesome blessings.
~~ hooked-on-flies.com
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Volunteers Needed for Healing Waters Project
Please click on the logo below to learn more about the Canandaigua Lake Trout Unlimited and Project Healing Waters partnership. Thanks in advance for your participation and assistance.
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October 18, Chapter Meeting. Fishing Lake Erie; Jim Markam, DEC.
October 25, Healing Waters meeting, 7pm at the VA.
November 15, Chapter Meeting. Dick Steinheider, baby tarpon fishing in Venezuela.
November 22, Healing Waters meeting, 7pm at the VA.
December 22, No Chapter Meeting.