Everyone had a great time at the January Hoosier Fly Fishers meeting at Bobby’s Colorado Steak House. The highlight of the evening was the 2nd in a series of Fly Tying Challenges. This one was hosted by Paul Brown. At the last meeting Paul gave a hint about the January Challenge when he said “Go Big or Go Home”. This events challenge was Lefty’s Deceiver to be tied in the appropriate colors for local lakes. Several members participated in the challenge and everyone enjoyed the evening. Prizes were awarded for the most popular fly that would attract fish and for the best looking fly. Steve Bay tied the best fishing fly and Kimberly McCoy tied the best looking fly. All the flies tied at the challenge will be donated or raffled off at some time. Congratulations to the winners and a special thanks to PaulB for hosting and supplying the fly tying packets. Check the gallery below for more tying pictures.
Don’t forget the Fly Fishing Shows coming up, check the HFF calendar for times and places. Some upcoming programs at future HFF Meetings will include, Rex Waters of the IDNR, Fish FLAYING, and of course the Annual HFF Auction of really great stuff hosted by our own Kernal Kevin Montague, which is always a fun time for all. Bring money for this one.
FISH REPORT: Due to the milder temperatures we have been having and all the rain, Lake Monroe is still free of ice and lake levels are 4ft above normal pool. Water temperatures range in the high 30’s to mid 40’s. A few members have been getting out and reports of fish being caught are coming in. Look for spots with warmer temperatures close to structure and down size tackle and flies. Fishing slow and deep seems to be the best approach with weighted flies. If you get a sunny day, don’t be surprised to see fish close to the surface where the warmer water is.
Traditionally Hoosier Fly Fishers take the summer off from Official Meetings. This doesn’t mean we do nothing at all. Most of us are still fishing and tying and some of us still gather at Bobby’s Colorado Steakhouse to compare notes on the summer fishing and discuss what exciting new places we have visited and what flies we have been tying. September 20th will be the last of the unofficial meetings of the summer. We usually show up around 6PM. Unofficial meetings are a good time to meet and visit with local anglers and learn more about the club and the places we fish. The first Official meeting of the HFF will be in October, a good time to join the club. HFF meetings are always open to anyone who has an interest in Fly Fishing or Fly Tying. Check the website calendar for meeting times and dates.
Our club has several talented fly tyers and this summer they have been busy tying up some of their best flies for a fund raiser to support Monroe County Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children. HFF and CASA Board member Larry Barber, a long time supporter of CASA has organized our fly tyers and agreed to supply hand crafted display cases for all the beautiful flies that have been donated. Tyers for the auction are Tim Mather, Paul Brown, and Mike Donovan. Many thanks to Larry for all his efforts in this cause. You can check out the details of the Monroe County CASA Organization and their special event on their website and then be sure to attend the annual CASAblanca evening. Here’s Looking at you kid.
FISH REPORT: Fishing is still slow but the weather is looking up. Hopefully the fish will be looking up too. Most of the creeks are back to normal levels and it’s a good time to hit those while it’s still warm enough to wet wade. Lake Monroe is 3 foot high but dropping fast so wade fishing will be more accessible. As the waters cool off we are hoping for good runs of fall feeding wipers. Fish reports indicate that fish are biting good in the creeks and a few wipers have been caught.
