Why Speakers?

Devin Smith,  Director of Restoration shares about the current restoration programs on the Barnaby Reach

Do you want to understand and help save wild fish habitat? Join the club meeting on June 23, 2022 to hear Devon Smith tell about the programs of restoring the Barnaby Slew as part of the Skagit River project. The Barnaby Reach Feasibility Study was funded through SRFB in 2009. The purpose of the feasibility study was to evaluate habitat conditions throughout the Barnaby Reach including the Barnaby complex and identify restoration actions that could improve habitat. This study had several objectives: 

Evaluate the impact developments in the reach have on flow, fish use, and habitat conditions both currently .

 over time.

Develop and evaluate restoration options for the reach that could improve habitat conditions, restore natural processes, and reduce maintenance costs.

 Identify hydraulic and geomorphic changes to the river and floodplain that may occur in the Barnaby Reach as a result of restoration actions.

Select and develop conceptual designs for preferred restoration actions.

The Skagit River System Cooperative (SRSC) provides natural resource management services for the Sauk-Suiattle Indian Tribe and the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community. On behalf of these two sovereign nations, SRSC works to actively improve fisheries management within their usual and accustomed fishing areas. These areas include the Skagit and Samish River basins, and were ceded to the United States through treaties signed in 1855. Fisheries management carried out by SRSC includes harvest and hatchery management, research, environmental review, habitat restoration, and a range of other activities.

Gary Lewis, an outdoor writer and hunting and fishing show host, speaker and photographer, who makes his home in Central Oregon. Throughout the year, he can be found hunting and fishing around the world and across the American West. Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, he has been walking forest trails and running rivers for as long as he can remember. He is a past President of the Northwest Outdoor Writers Association (NOWA). Lewis is a columnist for The Bend Bulletin and a contributing editor for Successful Hunter magazine. He is a humor columnist for Bear Hunting magazine and a regular outdoor writer for many other magazines. 

Lewis is the author of many hunting and fishing books—Hunting Oregon, John Nosler – Going Ballistic, Deer Hunting Tactics for Today's Big Game Hunter, and Freshwater Fishing Oregon & Washington. Lewis contributed to Fishing Central Oregon and Beyond and co-authored Black Bear Hunting with Lee Van Tassell. In 2008, Lewis's The Complete Guide to Hunting and Trout Fishing in the Pacific Northwest was published. Frank Amato Publications published the Oregon Lake Maps and Fishing Guide. 

Heather Hodson, asks, "Do you want to know how to read the water to catch more fish?"

 She is a guide, fly fishing instructor, critical care nurse and other interest as you can see in the write up below. This is a presentation not to miss as fish seem to know where to hide.   Heather Hodson works hard to play even harder.  If she’s not saving lives as a Critical Care RN, you’ll find her traveling the country in search of new water to fish, hosting outings for women throughout the west, and teaching fly fishing classes. Heather founded United Women on the Fly in hopes of building a community, sharing knowledge and giving back to various fishing and conservation groups.  Heather currently holds the position of Western US Women’s/Diversity Ambassador for Trout Unlimited. She’s also no stranger to being behind the camera.  Heather started taking photos as a rodeo photographer with her 35mm.  With over some 100 days on the water this year, it’s always a tossup between catching fish or being creative behind the camera. Her passion for conservation, getting women involved in fly fishing, and enthusiasm to think outside the box is infectious. “There’s nothing better than capturing the expression of someone who just caught their first fish on the fly, learned something new or living the life they love.” 

Scott Willison is the owner of the Confluence Fly Shop. He’s been fly fishing for over 30 years throughout his home state of Washington, and has also fished in the Bahamas, France, Colorado, Montana, Wyoming, Oregon, Wisconsin, British Columbia, Costa Rica and Mexico. Scott has an English Writing and Teaching degree from WWU, has taught in public schools and worked as an educator for the Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association. Scott also guided fly fishing on area rivers and beaches prior to his days in the shop. He serves as a Native Fish Society River Steward for the NF Stilliguamish River and is an active member of the Fourth Corner Fly Club. Sometimes he has a beard, sometimes he doesn’t.

Doug Thomas, born in Hillsboro, Oregon, graduated from WSU and worked at Allstate Insurance Company corporate management from 1987-1992 and eventually returned to Washington state and joined Bellingham Cold Storage as Special Projects Manager with multiple promotions that followed, eventually being recognized in 2016 as Business Person of the Year for Whatcom County by Business Pulse Magazine.

He is a respected member of numerous community-based organizations and is the current President of San Juan AREA Sea Life, supporter of the Boys and Girls Club. Doug is on the corporate board of directors for Cascade Natural Gas, a director on the board of the National Fisheries Institute, served the Global Cold Chain Alliance as chairman of the World Food Logistics Organization, and served as chairman of the International Association of Refrigerated Warehouses. Doug was very active serving for over 15 years on the Washington State University Board of Trustees, athletic advisory board and was elected in 2010 to serve on the WSU Board of Governors from which he retired from in September of 2017. Doug and his wife Sandy enjoy boating in the San Juan’s, Cougar athletics, spending time at their vacation home in Scottsdale AZ and visiting their daughter Lauren whenever possible ,occurrence and foraging success. 

A Conservation Committee Pick 

Douglas Thomas, a second generation executive, CEO, and part owner of Bellingham Cold Storage, the largest portside, full-service public refrigerated warehousing company on the West Coast, will present the proposed development of a salmon hatchery pilot project at a site on Bellingham Bay near the mouth of Whatcom Creek. 

The model for this proposal is the Douglas Island Pink & Chum’s (DIPAC) Macaulay Salmon hatchery in Juneau, Alaska. DIPAC started operations in 1976 and today is one of the most successful salmon hatchery programs in the world. The Macaulay facility releases well over 138 million juvenile chum, chinook and Coho salmon, and rainbow trout each year for commercial, sport and subsistence uses. Annual returns range between 2.5-5 million harvestable adult salmon with an estimate value of $6-20 million. For more about the Macaulay facility: Macaulay Hatchery in Alaska. 

His presentation will include aspects of the Alaska hatchery that have made the model so successful, why Whatcom Creek was chosen as the site for the hatchery project, how it relates to fisheries co-management between WDFW and the Puget Sound Treaty Tribes, the impact on native stocks, how it will help the southern resident Killer Whales, the stakeholders, the cost, and what the current proposed legislation (Salmon Repopulation Act, Senate Bill 6509 and House Bill 274 includes.

As a club our mission and purpose is working to protect wild fish and the habitat which sustains them and working  for the betterment and preservation of angling and surrounding lands. It is in our best interest to gain knowledge and information to better understand the issues, form educated opinions and work towards our common goals. Learn more about this proposed bill and hatchery project.

• Bellingham Cold Storage Project Overview of the hatchery plans (White Paper)
• San Juan AREA Sea Life 
• Tri-City Herald article, ‘Orcas don’t have that much time.’ Hatchery bill could save them | Editorial. February 2020
• King5 News January 2020
• SB 6509 An act relating to increasing the abundance of salmonids in Washington waters.
• HB 2741 Increasing the abundance of salmonids in Washington water

Imagine that you had three-four weeks to find fishing holes in northern Idaho and you ask yourself where might you go, well Heather Hudson has a great fishing plan based on her knowledge and experience flies fishing there.

Heather Hodson, Founder of United Women on the Fly, is an expert at making anglers (especially women) feel comfortable and becoming a part of the fly fishing community.  Sometimes referred to as the “Middle Woman,”  Heather volunteers her energy and time to connect and mentor women to become more confident on the water. Heather has dedicated her time to educate and inspire others. She is currently studying for her Casting Instructor Certification with Fly Fishers International in a study group with club members Frank Koterba and Marion Hiller, and has been teaching Fly Fishing since 2014.  She’s also no stranger to being behind the camera.  Heather started taking photos as a rodeo photographer with her 35mm.  With over some 100 days on the water this year, it’s always a tossup between catching fish or being creative behind the camera. Her passion for conservation, getting anyone involved in fly fishing and enthusiasm to think outside the box is infectious. Imagine that you had three-four weeks to find fishing holes in northern Idaho and you ask yourself where might you go, well Heather Hudson has a great fishing plan based on her knowledge and experience flies fishing there.Heather Hodson @northwestflygril

Founder of United Women on the Fly:

https://uwotf.com

April Volkey Podcast: Anchored Ep. 193: Interviews Heather Hodson Founder Of 

United Women On The Fly:

https://anchoredoutdoors.com/anchored-ep-193-heather-hodson-of-united-women-on-the-fly/

Jonathan Walter: “Successfully Cast Every Fly in Your Box: Suggestions for leader configuration, cast selection and casting technique.” 

As a Fly Fishers International Master Certified Casting Instructor and owner of Clear Creek Fly Casting provides instruction and evaluation in all levels of fly casting and fly fishing, at events, seminars, shows, and using Video Casting Analysis. He posts a quarterly newsletter on his website http://www.clearcreekflycasting.com/index.html that highlights wisdom and answers questions often asked.

Jonathan has lived in Colorado since 1988 and started fly fishing in 1989. 

Before becoming a casting instructor, he received a B.A. in Biology, General, and M.D. Doctor of Medicine, Internal Medicine from the University of Cincinnati College. Then in 2004, he became a Fly Fishers International Certified Casting Instructor, in 2013 a Master Certified Casting Instructor, and in 2016 a Fly Fishers International Instructor Examiner Faculty. Currently his is mentoring future Fly Fishers International certified instructors. Jonathan's instructional approach is based on understanding the learner's goals, assessing what is needed to achieve them, and breaking down the required skills into manageable steps as mastery of the fundamentals is critical to success at all levels. He currently lives in Wheat Ridge, Colorado.

Emerging insects provide some of the most exciting and productive fly-fishing opportunities.  But you have to have the right fly and present it the right way. This program explains the in’s and out’s of choosing the right fly for the right emerger and how to fish them. 

Rick Hefele has been fly fishing for over 50 years for trout in streams and lakes throughout the west which actually extended to Bellingham to attend college at WWU. After completing a degree he got a job i Oregon as an aquatic biologist focusing on water quality issues with a private consulting firm and later for Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. For over 40 years he has watched and studied fish and the insects they eat, both professionally and with a fly rod in hand, throughout Oregon and many other states and provinces.

He has authored multiple books: The Complete Book of Western Hatches, Western Mayfly Hatches, An Angler’s Guide to Aquatic Insects and Their Imitations, Nymph Fishing Rivers and Streams. He asl; sop has completed instructional video, Anatomy of a Trout Stream, produced by Scientific Anglers.  This has been followed more recently by six other instructional DVDs: Fly Fishing Large Western Rivers (a four volume set), Nymph Fishing Basics, Advanced Nymph Fishing, Advanced Tactics for Emergers & Dries.   He has recently written an children's book: My Life as a a Myfly and a card game Mayfly "Hatch Matcher".

He is sought after presenter at club meetings, workshops across the continent, and other fly fishing gatherings. He currently lives in Wilsonville, OR.

Visit his website at https://www.rickhafele.com

August has traditionally been a club picnic. But due to Covid restriction and board approval, we will have two events.

1. A zoom presentation regarding the proposed salmon hatchery on Whatcom Creek-a Conservation Committee Find

2. A Casting SKILLS Challenge Event-

The Fly Casting Skills Challenge Program is designed for the experienced beginner caster, as well as intermediate and advanced fly fishers. It is meant to be a fun, voluntary way to study, practice and challenge oneself in a progressive fashion at one’s own pace. It allows participants to measure progress with an option of receiving documentation and recognition for doing so. Each casting challenge at the Bronze, Silver, and Gold game levels is directly applicable to increasingly difficult fishing scenarios and includes these general areas:

• Pick-up and Lay-down cast
• False casting
• Roll casting
• Reach mends, slack line, and curve casts
• Accuracy, from Dominant and Non-Dominant shoulders
• Distance and shooting line
• Hauling
• Casting while seated or kneeling
• Presenting the backcast

WATCH FOR AN EVENTBRITE SIGNUP IN YOUR EMAIL

When most anglers think GT fishing they typically envision Christmas Island or maybe the Seychelles and yet, nestled along the Red Sea exists another phenomenal location, the Nubian Flats off the coast of Sudan.  Accessible only by live aboard boat, this destination is untouched by the angling community and you feel it everyday out on the water as fishing brings you that much closer surreal moments between you, water and the natural world! Explore an incredibly remote, unique, and lesser-known flats fishery, wade fish beautiful flats and sight-fish to a variety of exotic species including triggerfish and giant trevally, enjoy staying on a comfortable live-aboard ship anchored in the Red Sea, andExperience true adventure travel through third-world Sudan, Red Sea
Dave McCoy was introduced to fishing by his father, and together experienced and enjoyed life in the outdoors.  He quickly discovered the thrill of having a fish on, and was always in awe of those surroundings.  Growing up in the Eugene, Oregon area, his stomping grounds were and remain legendary namesakes; Crane Prairie Reservoir and Hosmer Lakes, the Deschutes River, McKenzie and Umpqua Rivers, just to name a few.  He has been in the fly fishing industry in one form or another for over 21 years, and is now professionally and relentlessly striving to surpass expectations everywhere, using his expertise  and energy among various organizations:  Patagonia, Thomas and Thomas, Nautilus, Costa and AMFF Ambassador, Rajeff Sports Pro Staff Member, Keepemwet Fishing Ambassador and Swiftwater Rescue Technician. In addition he possesses an eye as a Photographer. He posts  his work on Instagram and Facebook. Dave is also a writer. You can visit Emerald Water website and read the blog he authors about his fishing adventures. Here he highlights of a trip to the Nubian Flats in Sudan and Oman. Dave is also a FFI Certified Casting Instructor. He claims he is nothing in his pursuits without his wife Natalie and daughter Nessa who constantly remind him why he is so inspired, without saying a word.  

Be an Archer With Your Cast: How Accuracy Catches You More FishBe it trout, redfish, bonefish or carp, improving your casting accuracy will improve your catch rate. Topics include: understanding loop shape, rod tip path, casting arc, and fly line trajectory. Learn how to point your loop to your target for dead on accuracy. Molly will talk live, share video, and answer questions during the program. The more questions, the better! This will be fun, so I hope you will join in.
Why is casting accuracy important you might ask?"A friend, Chad McCormick, once related an anecdote to me that serves as a perfect illustration of this attitude. Chad was fishing the lower Bighorn with fly shop owner George Anderson a few seasons back, and it was Bighorn fishing at its best: little yellow stoneflies were skittering all over the surface, and the fish were keyed into both hatching insects and returning egg layers. With lots of bugs and lots of rising fish, if the angler put the fly on target, the result was a hookup with another 15 to 20 inch fish.At least that’s how it worked for George and Chad. They noticed another angler fishing the riffle just upstream, making cast after cast, changing flies frequently, conspicuous because he wasn’t catching a thing. All the while, he was forced to watch the anglers below him hook and land and release a considerable pile of fish.Finally, after several more fly changes, this fisherman couldn’t stand it any more. “What are you guys catchin’ ’em on?”, he yelled.George’s unexpected (but painfully honest) comeback: “Accuracy.”1
Molly Semenik was born and raised in Michigan. She fondly recalls the day when, at the age of fourteen, her father presented her with his prized Orvis bamboo rod. When Semenik moved to Utah in 1979, she brought the rod along and spent the next several years fly fishing in western fresh water. She eventually ventured into saltwater angling.A career in fly fishing started with her move to Montana in 2000. By the following year, Semenik accomplished three major goals: 1). become a Federation of Fly Fishers certified fly-casting instructor, 2.)  receive her Montana guide license, and 3.) foundTie the Knot Fly Fishing which she did in  2001. Tie the Knot included guided fly fishing on the Yellowstone River and local spring creeks, but now her focus is on  fly casting instruction with single and double handed rods, using Zoom technology and in-person instruction, and fly-fishing destination trips for women. Molly specializes in introducing women to the sport in a fun, professional, and encouraging way; she believes that “when a woman can tie her own knot, she has started down the path of independence.”Not willing to simply rely on her earlier accomplishments, Semenik became a Federation of Fly Fishers master fly-casting instructor in 2006, co-founded the Yellowstone Fly Fishing School with Matt Wilhelm in 2006, and two years later became a certified outfitter in the state of Montana. She was elected to the Casting Board of Governors of the Federation of Fly Fishers in 2010, where she and he colleagues developed a Casting Instructor program. She annually teaches over 400 students throughout the United States through school, shops, clubs, and shows. My husband and I now live in Birch Bay, Washington where I not only fish for trout but have added salmon and steelhead and Dungeness crab to the mix.We are privileged to have Molly as a member of the 4th Corner Fly Fishers.
Read the website at MidCurrent about Accuracy:1Oswald, Brant. "Fly Casting: The Importance of Casting Accuracy." Part 1. MidCurrent, January 22, 2014. https://midcurrent.com/techniques/the-importance-of-casting-accuracy/.Part 1: https://midcurrent.com/techniques/the-importance-of-casting-accuracy/Part 2: Mechanics of Accuracy: https://midcurrent.com/techniques/the-mechanics-of-accurate-casting/

James Garrettson asks, " Have you ever gone fishing and felt you didn't have the  Tough days on the water?" A Guides Approach to the Water is a deep dive into the daily decisions a full time guide makes to insure clients have a great day on the water. Thinking "trout first" and understanding correlations between trout behavior and river conditions are the foundations of a successful day on the water. Many anglers get pigeonholed into thinking "fly first", when they should fish with their mind before tying on the fly or choosing a rig. A Guides Approach to the Water covers trout biology, understanding river conditions and a meat and potatoes approach to insect life. It is not the fly but the understanding of the trout and their environment that makes for successful days on the water. James Garrettson is a full time guide based out of Northern New Mexico. He was quickly consumed by fly fishing after receiving a copy of the Curtis Creek Manifesto at age 10.  At 14 years old, James' passion for fly fishing landed him a job at Orvis Tysons Corner, store #55  (making him the youngest employee in the company). After cutting his teeth on brookies in Shenandoah National Park and striped bass in the Long Island sound, James expanded his boundaries to chase fish around the East Coast, The Pacific NorthWest, Costa Rica, Bosnia, and the Rockies. James currently guides on the San Juan, Chama, and Conejos rivers. James is an Echo Pro Team member and an Ambassador for Fulling Mill.Visit the website at www.abouttrout.com. Check out the video presentations, blogs, and more to find out the wealth of knowledge James has to share. We are in for a treat.

Skip Morris is among the most prolific fly-fishing and fly-tying authors alive—his name is known to anglers around the world as a noted fly fishing author and speaker. Over the many years that Skip Morris has fished and written about fly fishing he's uncovered many nuggets of information that have helped him and others to catch more fish. Whether it's trout, bass or panfish Skip has something to share that will improve your odds. Listen to this podcast and up your game!Fly Fishing Tips for Trout, Bass and PanfishHe has written twenty-one books on fly fishing and tying, including the established standard beginning fly tier’s volume Fly Tying Made Clear and Simple, and The Art of Tying the Bass Fly, Morris & Chan on Fly Fishing Trout Lakes (with lake-fishing guru Brian Chan), Concise Handbook of Fly Tying, and Fly Fisher’s Guide to Western River Hatches. His videos and DVD’s range from instruction for tying nymphs, to tying bass flies, to tying and fishing flies for sea-run cutthroat trout.Skip has published over 300 articles on fly fishing and tying in magazines from Fly Fisherman to American Angler. For three years he was among the hosts of the “Fly-Fish Television Magazine” show.As a speaker and clinician, Skip is well-known as an entertaining, concise, and knowledgeable presenter, with a sly sense of humor and an easygoing manner that draws in the audience. As our presenter for February, Skip will do a fly tying demonstration for us during his zoom presentation.He lives with his wife, Carol, amid the rivers and lakes and saltwater beaches of Washington State's wild and magnificent Olympic Peninsula.You may have heard him as a presenter at the a recent Lynnwood Fly Fishing Show.Find out more about Skip Morris:http://www.skip-morris-fly-tying.com

 Over the years Gary Bulla has explored unique and pristine fly fishing waters and shares his fishing adventures. These include fly fishing the California surf, kayak fly fishing expeditions to the islands of Southern Baja, mothership trips to Belize for tarpon and bonefish, and guiding anglers with his trained family of captains on the Sea of Cortez in Baja Sur, Mexico.In the last four years he has also hosted trips to Amazonia. His zoom presentation “Angling the Amazon'' will take us through the capital city of Manaus in central Brazil and onto a mother- ship traveling the waters of the largest river system on the planet. He will cover two tributaries of the central Amazon which he visited on separate expeditions, the Rio Negro and the Uyetama Reserve. His first trip was exploratory on an old wooden mothership. Through intense experimentation he and Michael Williams of Nomadic Waters helped train the native guides on fly fishing strategies that led them to become believers in the power of the fly in the jungle waters.Gary will share his discoveries, including a brief geological history of the area, the warmth of the native Amazonians, the stunning biodiversity of the diverse habitats in the jungle’s ecosystems, the rhythm and camaraderie of life on a mothership, and the tackle and techniques for wrestling the dazzling variety of fish in the vast Amazon forest. As you will discover, Brazil should definitely be on every fly fisher’s bucket list. Please join Gary for a colorful trip through a very biodiverse and mysterious part of the world.Gary will share his discoveries with the club, including tackle and techniques for the dazzling variety of fish south of the border. As you will see, Baja should definitely be on every fly fisher’s bucket list. 

Contact Gary about his guided trips to Baja, the Amazon, and beyond at https://garybulla.com

 The term 'fair weather fisherman' exists for a reason.  Few but the hardiest of souls want to venture out when the weather is nasty and the likelihood of getting cold and wet far surpasses the possibility of catching a fish.  For those plagued by cabin fever the need to stay continuously connected to their passion, staying home is not an option and there are numerous fishing opportunities and fishing related activities to get you through the winter doldrums. His program will be in two parts.Scott Willison, 4CFF member and owner of the Confluence Fly Shop will first work you through some of the better local winter fly fishing opportunities from whitefish on the Nooksack River to rainbow trout at Lone Lake and beyond.  Most of the opportunities are fairly close to home at primed for spending a few hours on the water during the warmer part of the day. The second part of the presentation will discuss planning, prepping and organizing during the off season.  Scott's ultimate goal is to be able to grab a bag and go for whatever fishing opportunity rears its head.  He'll walk you through some of his strategies for keeping 35 year's-worth of gear semi-orderly ready to fish as well as how to set yourself up for success throughout the spring, summer and fall seasons.