American Angler's Club
Millennium Trip
May 26th through June 1st 2000
Let the American Anglers Club welcome you to the New Millennium or The New Dark Age (depending on who you believe). Everyone has different visions on what will transpire on January 1st. We have placed our money and faith on the New Millennium. We have invested heavily in technology stocks, however, we have noticed a real opportunity in the lead futures (pencil grade) and pulp futures (paper grade). So to hedge our bet we have purchased large blocks of each of these with an eye on the Styline eraser corporation's recent expansion plans and production line improvements in Milwaukee. The future is now, whatever it might be.
As you read this midwinter newsletter, you will be well on the way to the American Angler's Club Great Get Away of the Millenium. Not only is the trip less than 5 months away, (146 days from Jan 1st for you count downers) the days are now getting longer again. Yes five months does seem like a long time but with all the pre-trip activities and preparations this short bit of time will pass quickly.
You may have noticed a new link on our private page for the American Angler's Club. This page will offer information that might be of interest to you as Stillwater fly fishermen. Tactics and fly suggestions will be the primary focus of this page. Take some time and read some or all of the articles and you will become an expert on fishing B.C. lakes or any other lake for that matter. If you have found any information on the web that would be of interest to the members we can easily add it to our resource page.
We learned last year that if you don't bring it with you in working order, you may have to do without. It would be possible to have repair parts dropped off but a two-day turnaround could be too long to wait. Our fishing tackle and motors have to be in top shape. A breakdown because of an oversight could mean needless frustration and lots of lost fishing time. I'm sure we would be able to handle any sort of repair with the talented members of the club, but why? Take some time during a miserable winter day to be sure you equipment is in top shape. Clean and check your Rods, clean and lube your fly reels, run you lines through a rag or sponge with line dressing, leader supplies and tippet inventories should be checked and refilled and foul weather gear inspection are just a few of the chores to tend to. Oh and don't forget your winter boots! Waterproof them. A little time and attention now may save a "surprise" on your Great Get Away.
With all the rain we have been experiencing its hard not to feel a little bit of cabin fever. What you need is a pre-trip break from your normal routine. May we suggest a trip to the 2000 Sportsman's Show in Puyallup (Jan 26th-30) or the Outdoor Exposition in Seattle (February 9th-13th). This would be a great way to spend a rainy Saturday or two and check out some new fishing stuff too. This first "event" of the American Anglers Club is always greeted with great anticipation. The day always turns out to be a big hit and gets your blood pumping for our upcoming trip. We will set up some times when the events get closer.
There are some interesting articles to read on fishing for Kamloops trout in Stillwater on the web. You might care to read them before you go to the shows and use the information as a guide for some of your selections to purchase.
During the next few months we will remind our members of the fly patterns that have worked and that have been recommended to us for our trip to Hi-Hium Lake in 99. In reviewing our notes from last year's trip here are some of the flies that proved successful for our group. Gil's Monster, Black Wolley Buggars, Black Leech, Damselfly Nymph, A Green Chironomid #12, The Carey Fly, Doc Spratley. Some flies that also should get mention for future trips are the Irrestible, the Stimulator, Bead head droppers, Six Pac and Griffith's Nat. Keep in mind that these are not the only flies that will catch fish in Hi-Hium but it is a good base assortment for you fly box. There are many other patterns out there. One that has been suggested to me is a Gold Bodied Muddler Minow to add to my box. This fly is trolled behind a full sink line and targets some of the bigger Kamloops trout according to my source. For the spoon lover, try a small, black, Dick Night with glitter. We'll just call this Duane's secret weapon.
Safety is an issue that we here at the American Anglers club wish to address this year in reaction to last year's terrible accident at Hi-Hiume lake. Last year about two weeks after our departure a father and his adult son both drown in the chilly waters of Hi-Hiume lake. Both experienced anglers and sportsmen but neither wearing a P.F.D. This accident may have been prevented with a little thought towards safety and a Personal Floatation Device. We are not talking a Coast Guard approved boat cushion now either. We feel that a fitted fishing type floatation vest should be standard attire for a day on the water. As I understand the event the father fell into the lake with winter weight clothing, and most likely started sinking immediately. The son either jumped in the lake to try to retrieve his sinking father or fell into the lake trying to pull him back into the boat. No matter what, both of these men might still be alive if they were wearing a P.F.D. I have two P.F.D. that were given to me by my father. Neither fit me comfortably or correctly. New designs and technology have made many improvements in these vests. I plan on purchasing a vest that will fit over my winter clothes and not restrict my movement. The right fit makes all the difference in the world. I strongly encourage each and every member to spend whatever it takes to have a P.F.D. for our Millenium Great Get Away this year.
In looking back at the planned activities last year (or lack of them) all of the members liked the style and rhythm of our trip. This will continue in our Millenium trip. We will still award a pin for the largest fish of the week but that is all that we will recognize officially. Now that we are not purchasing prizes and multiple hat pins what we will do is award a hand painted trout pin for the largest fish of the week. These are very nice looking and a nice addition to your hat or shirt collar. We will reissue a hand painted pin to Al for his largest fish of the week in 1999. Yes we are too good to him!
We received our Christmas card and letter from Ron and Missey at Hi-Hium resort. It sounds as if we might have been one of the lucky guests in the weather department. I planned on posting the letter on the web for all to read but since all of the members in attendance got their own cards it wasn't necessary.
I hope you are finding the new method of publishing our newsletter easy to use and find. It has saved the staff a great amount of time and trouble. If anyone would like to contribute to the content or web page let me know and I'll get it up on the web for you. As always you can send e-mail to the A.A.C. at Flyman219@aol.com.
Until next time, take care and keep dreaming of your Great-Get-Away. It gets closer every day.
The American Angler's Club
