October Meeting
Jeff Reardon, Fish Tales and New Waters

When: Tuesday, October 12^th 6:00pm to 9:00pm

Where: Crickets Restaurant, Freeport, Maine

If you're like me, you've got a bunch of questions as to what's really going on with Atlantic Salmon in Maine. Wouldn't you love to hear from an informed source about TU's suit against the Federal Government to get the species listed as endangered? Our guest speaker at the October Meeting gives us all that opportunity. Jeff Reardon, President of the Maine Council of Trout Unlimited will be in to give us an up-to-date look at the issues, and TU's efforts to protect this noble fish in Maine waters. What's more, there'll be the usual truth bending banter of fishes caught and released or lost and some talk about one of Maine's premier Landlocked Salmon rivers, the Roach.

Come and join us! Bring some friends. We gather at 6:00 PM for some friendly chatter, order from the board (4 nice selections!) at 6:30 or so, and enjoy fish tales, facts, friends and food until 9:00 PM or so. As always, the PUBLIC IS WELCOME.

Where Are You? How Do We Reach You?

Our first mailing of the new season brought home a fact that every mailing list manager knows - PEOPLE MOVE! They change addresses, and in this day of electronic wizardry, e-mail addresses and phone numbers.

The MMBTU Directors and Newsletter Team are committed to getting you the news you want, but we need to know how to find you. If you've been missing something in your life (MMBTU's monthly newsletter - Tight Lines), or if you want to make sure you don't miss it, let us know how to reach you. Drop me a line, or an e-mail, with an up-date of your contact information to:

A Day or Two With Dave

For many years I have read and seen works by Dave Whitlock. I'm sure many of you have done the same. Some of you may have even had the opportunity to attend some of his workshops and, or, the L.L. Bean Fly Fishing Schools that he ran for many years. I am not sure if anyone can be exposed to fly-fishing and not have used one of the numerous flies or fly-fishing tools he has developed. His knowledge and mastery of fly-fishing and fly tying techniques is certainly in the top 1% in the world. Dave's artwork and illustrations permeate his books and are prized by wildlife art collectors. What many people probably don't know is that this man is a wonderful person and true gentleman, as well as a great sportsman.

SI had heard rumors of these qualities through Tom Jewett who had the opportunity to spend a couple of days with Dave on the White River, in Arkansas. Tom had such a great experience with Dave, in Arkansas, that he wanted to bring him back to Maine and fish with him on some of Dave's favorite waters. (As it happens Dave spent several summers teaching fly-fishing in the Grand Lake Stream area of Maine.)

When Tom approached me with this idea, and the idea of working it out so we could offer "A Day With Dave" at our annual Banquet, I couldn't resist. So, after a few phone calls and letters to workout the details, Tom had it all set up. As you can certainly surmise, Tom and I were also the high bidders at the auction.

We had several months to prepare and, on the day we left for Grand Lake Stream, we were still trying to decide what to bring. The trip up to Canal Site Camps on GLS was quite a drive, but due to the many tales told and relived, the time passed quickly. We pulled up to our cabin and, as Tom turned the car off, a man, with snowy white hair and wide smile and who seemed to be in the midst of shaving, stepped onto the porch of the adjacent cabin. His smile grew larger as he recognized Tom and he offered a comfortable hello. We made our way out of the car and onto the lawn for more "formal" introductions.

Over the next few days we laughed, jibed and told lies about each other, as any good sportsman is expected to do. We fished and got excited whenever anyone hooked up. We tied flies over a beer or two. We cooked and cleaned. We shared tackle and techniques, but most of all we were three guys enjoying a very special place. Sure, I learned what I went there to learn about technique (and more), and I believe Tom did as well. But it was not Tom and me being instructed by Dave Whitlock, it WAS three guys on a fishing trip, sharing ideas and enjoyment of the sport.

Dave has an encyclopedic knowledge of insects, habitat and fish species, rods, reels, lines and, of course, flies and fly tying techniques. He also applies this knowledge to his own fishing (as I witnessed several perfect casts into a 10-15 mph wind into a snag filled river.) Each fish he catches is respected and learned from, be it bass, pickerel, trout or salmon. For me, the most pleasant discovery was that he also respects and enjoys people. It doesn't matter if you are on the stream or at the kitchen table, he treats you like an old friend. You might wonder if this was artificial, but after four 10+ hour days in hot weather and marginal fishing conditions, I believe we got the real thing.

A day or two after I had returned home I received a personal hand-written letter from Dave thanking ME for an enjoyable trip to Maine. If you ever come by my place please ask me to see this letter. I will show it to you, not because of what it says (through I feel good about that too), but because Dave drew a beautiful colored illustration on both the letter and the envelope. This is not because I am special; it is because Dave Whitlock is!

So my recommendation is, if you ever get the opportunity to do A Day (or two) With Dave, grab it ! And savor every moment.

Excerpts from Lines and Leaders - September, 1999

TU Celebrates Rangely Lakes, Maine Hydro Settlement

On July 29, TU joined several conservation groups, state and federal agencies, Maine Governor Angus King, and others to celebrate a settlement governing the operation of dams on the Rapid and Androscoggin Rivers in Maine's Rangeley Lakes region.

For the first time, federal licenses for the dams, which are owned and operated by Florida Power and Light, are being considered, and TU and other environmental and recreation groups have applied pressure to improve river conditions for the area's fish and wildlife.

"The improved flows and river corridor protections in this agreement improve the outlook for the Rapid River's brook trout substantially," said Jeff Reardon, Chairman of TU's Maine Council. "The Rapid's minimum flow is nearly doubled, and we look forward to working to protect and improve access to spawning habitat for these world-class fish."

The agreement celebrated on July 29 was signed this past January. It stipulates that both shores of the Rapid will be protected from nearly all future development. In addition to the substantially increased minimum flows, substantial funding has been committed for fisheries habitat restoration in the upper Androscoggin watershed.

"Another important element of the agreement is that its flow improvements have already been implemented by Florida Power and Light, so fish in the watershed are already receiving benefits from it," said Mona Janopaul, TU's lead attorney in the settlement negotiations. "In our experience, it is rare, yet very beneficial, for a dam owner to implement settlement agreement provisions prior to receiving its operating license from the federal government," said Janopaul.

The Rangeley Lakes area, and the river reaches that connect it to the upper Androscoggin River watershed, have been popular angling destinations since the mid-19th century. The Lakes and the Rapid and Androscoggin rivers once yielded brook trout in excess of 10 pounds, but fluctuating water levels imposed by the hydroelectric dams, along with ecological changes following the introduction of landlocked salmon, have limited the fishery's health. The Rapid River still produces large, native brook trout.

Excerpts from Lines and Leaders - September, 1999

Trout With Headphones?
Understanding the TU Logo

By Pete Rafle, Director of Communications & New Media, Trout Unlimited

For as long as I've been a member, Trout Unlimited's logo has been a source of some confusion and plenty of discussion. Unfortunately, its origins are all but lost in the mists of time.

Shortly after TU's founding in 1959, TU adopted a round logo with a leaping trout, surrounded by the words "Trout, Unlimited" (the comma was dropped sometime after 1960). The logo's dominant color was red, and the trout, a somewhat cartoonish fellow, leapt to the left. That logo prevailed with only minor refinements (the trout got a little more sharply drawn, for example) until 1968, when the current logo was introduced.

There is little to indicate that any fanfare or controversy surrounded the new logo. Nor is there any clue in any TU publication as to who designed it, or how its configuration was arrived at. Here's what we do know: The TU logo has confounded all but a few perceptive viewers. Perhaps the most common question I've heard regards the white spaces to either side of the trout (which now leaps to the right). "What's with the kidneys?," folks ask (the two shapes do resemble a diagram of the human excretory system). Another variation likens them to ovaries. Then there's my personal favorite: "Why is the trout wearing headphones?"

A student of optical illusions and human visual perception could have a field day with this one. The answer, of course, is that all these viewers have missed the point. The "kidneys" are simply the "negative space" between the upper and lower halves of the logo (blue and green in the color version). Look again: The lower, green shape? It's a "U." And the upper part? Right! A stylized "T"!

Despite the widespread misinterpretation of its graphical elements, the logo has served TU well for more than three decades. You see it on car bumpers at virtually every trout-stream parking lot, on the backs of countless fishing vests, in the windows of fly shops around the world. The green and blue logo is instantly recognizable at 100 paces.

What are your thoughts on the logo? As TU enters the 21st century, is it time to re-tool it for the new millennium? Or should we stick with a logo that's familiar, if not universally understood?

President's Notes

Oh yes, I like it! New faces, lots of ideas for the coming meeting season and a great kick off meeting. Eighteen of us traded stories of summer trips, and listened to hints about how approach three of Maine's premier fall rivers - the East outlet of the Kennebec, the Crooked and Grand Lake Stream. Now let's see, how can I take vacation from September 15th to October 15th ?

Welcome to our new members. I met Nancy Conary , Vic DiSilvestro and Jim ? - didn't I tell you, I can't remember names? It was great to see you at the meeting. Keep on comin' now, ya heah? We tell even bigger lies in December than we do in September!

For our October meeting we're going to try to clear a little smoke away from a very emotional subject - Endangered Species Listing for the Atlantic Salmon. Have you wondered what's going on - why has TU filed suit against the Federal Government to list the Atlantic Salmon as endangered? What will the impact be on rivers where there are a few salmon and a lot of other fish? Will you be able to fish in you favorite spot? And what's the point? Will salmon ever recover? And what's this stuff about "joining" with Defenders of Wildlife?

Jeff Reardon, President of the Maine Council of Trout Unlimited, is very well qualified to tell us what is really happening AND to answer your questions. Not only will he answer your questions, but he'll listen to your concerns, and carry them back to state council and to TU national. If you have fished for Atlantic Salmon (anywhere) or thought you might like to give it a try if only there were a few more fish, this is a great chance to hear what's happening to this wonderful fish here in Maine.

And after Jeff has done his thing, Brad Swanson is just dying to tell you about the Roach River. In keeping with one of our new meeting ideas, we're going to present a little snapshot of one of our Maine waters at each meeting. I've always wanted to fish the Roach but I never knew quite where to go or when. I'm going to be sitting right next to Brad when he spills the beans.

At our September meeting we talked about a small project which the chapter is considering for the coming year. We'd like to get a dozen kids started fly fishing - maybe work with them for three nights during the late winter and mud season and then for one day on the water, in early May:

Tackle Talk - Setting up the rod and reel, knots, general discussion of flies and water types.
Fly Tying - Everybody gets to make a Wooly Bugger!
Casting - Gotta find a gymnasium or wait 'til the snow melts.
The Real Thing - We'd like to find a pond where the kids could try out their new skills.(Maybe we could even throw a few trout in to liven things up?!) We could do a little catch and release education, if the fishing is good.

The folks at the meeting thought this sounded like a project we could handle and one that could make a positive contribution to the growth of the sport. What do you think? Do you think it's a good idea? Would you be interested in helping a kid get started, on the right foot? We'll be making a final decision at the October Directors' meeting (Crickets, on 10/26). Let us know what you think, or better still, come to the meeting and tell us, in person. Everybody's always welcome at the Directors' meetings.

Now, did I tell you about fishing all night on the Cape Cod Canal, for stripers? Hey - catch me at the next meeting, it was neat; even for an old guy who usually goes to bed at 9 o'clock!

FLY OF THE MONTH

BLUE WINGED OLIVE FLOATING NYMPH

HOOK: Standard dry fly size 18
THREAD: Olive 8/0 unit-thread
TAIL: Blue Dun hackle barbs
BODY: Olive superfine dubbing
DUBBING BALL: (Wing Case) Gray superfine dubbing - balled
HACKLE: Med. Dun Hoffman's, tied parachute style around the dubbing ball

Hint: Fish this fly before the tiny BWO's really get going at Shawmut, in late September and October. Or, tie a No Hackle Dun on the point of 4 feet of 7x fluorocarbon - and tie the floating nymph 18 inches behind the dun, with the fluorocarbon tied to the hook of the dry. This is a deadly combination!

TAIL OF THE POOL

"One could conclude that all attempts at representation are nonsense. Some fishermen do. I have seen them trying to catch good trout during sherry-spinner falls. They get the occasional fish - perhaps one-sixth as many as they could with better flies. Once, Ned Maguire and I saw disgusted fishermen leave the river in the middle of a spectacular rise.

One might equally go to the other extreme and conclude that every detail of the natural fly must be imitated with painstaking care. This would be the safer course, and I would accept it if I thought it were possible. But I think the option is illusory.

In practice, most of us probably wind up on the middle ground, but we may get there unintentionally and in a state of some frustration. We might do better to listen to what the trout say about the different features of the natural. In doing so, it will obviously be helpful if we can get the features in rank order, so that, if necessary, we can omit one or more in favor of those more important.

From talks with trout like those mentioned above, one can suggest four features of artificial flies that seem to be involved in adapting to the trout's point of view. They are:

· Behavior
· Size
· Shape
· Color

The order of these four features can help in making rational decisions based on priorities. For example, if trout are rising for skittering sedges, and if no fly in the box is a really good match, it is better to pick a fly that will move like the natural rather than another that is the right color but which floats low in the surface film. Behavior takes precedence over color, say the trout. The example may be extreme. Never the less, most fishermen picking an imitation look for color, which is easier to discern than behavior.

The rank-order of the features above will be worse than useless, however, if it is read that the lower-priority features are unimportant. On the contrary, all of the four features may matter in difficult conditions, although frequently not otherwise."

Datus Proper, What the Trout Said. Pages 29-30. Lyons and Burford, Publishers, New York, NY.

MMBTU Officers and Directors

Meeting Schedule

Regular meetings are usually on the second Tuesday of the month. We are currently meeting at Crickets Restaurant at 175 Main Street, in Freeport, ME, just south of Bean's corporate offices. Phone #: 865-4005.

The Merrymeeting Bay Chapter of TU is located in south coastal Maine, including Freeport, Bath, Brunswick, Boothbay, the Harpswell Islands, Newcastle, Damariscotta and inland to Lewiston, Readfield and Augusta.