The next board meeting will be held Monday, Nov 14 at 7 p.m at Carrows, Seaward and Harbor. Next Meeting on Wed, Oct 19th at 7 pm Senior Center.

Club Picnic, Sept 17th 2011 at Camp Bartlett, 3 pm

The setting was perfect. A rustic site buried in a huge oak grove. All the necessary amenities are available, and it
has the feeling of a campout on a fishing trip. What more would a fly fisherman want?

Bill and Joyce Blackstone volunteer to provide and prepare the tri-tip. He marinates the beef for two days. It can't get any better than that.

Frances Smith will prepare the garlic bread. Your own ice chest with beverages (wine and beer are OK), and
if your last name begins with…
E - O bring dessert for 10 people
P - Z bring appetizer for 10 people
A - D bring salad for 10 people

Chuck (right side) and Marcia Colwell will organize the event. In order to avoid duplication of food dishes, please contact Chuck or Marcia Colwell and let them know what dish you plan to bring.
RSVP to Chuck and Marcia Colwell
805 987-5474
e-mail: crc4411@verizon.net

Gary will be in Baja but expect Bill to share some photos. Fee - $5 per each family if RSVP and fee paid by Sept 1st - $7 per family after Sept 1st.. Please pay by cash or check at the August monthly club meeting, or mail check to Carl Rhoads, Treasurer. Make check payable to Sespe Fly Fishers.

Time to eat!!

Directions to Camp Bartlett:
From Ojai – go east on Ojai Avenue, bear right at Bocacalli’s Restaurant and continue up Dennison grade. When you reach the Summit Restaurant you are 1.8 miles away. Camp Bartlett will be on your left.
From Ventura – take the 126 Fwy to Santa Paula. Take the 10th Street exit towards Ojai. Go north on 10th Street, bear right and continue on Ojai Road. When you get to Steckel Park you are 2.6 miles away. The turn into Camp Bartlett will be on the right side of the road at the end of a curving, concrete railing. There is an arching overhead “Camp Bartlett” sign at the entrance. Cross the bridge; club house will be on your right.

Dwindling Numbers of Sea Bass and Kelp Bass in our Southern California Waters

October 03, 2011 | By Tony Barboza, Los Angeles Times

As reliably as masses of sea bass gather off the Southern California coast each summer, boatloads of anglers arrive to reel them in.

But their bountiful catches are an illusion, scientists say. Sea Bass

The populations of kelp bass and barred sand bass, two of the most popular — and easy to catch — saltwater fishes in Southern California, have plummeted 90% since 1980, according to a study led by a researcher at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego. See Study.

Other SWFFC News

2nd Annual InterClub Fish Tournament

(Bring Your Best 5)
Date: Saturday November 5, 2011
Place: Kern River
Purpose: Fund raiser for SWCFF
Participants: 5 members per club
5 controllers (monitors) per Club
Entry Fee: $125 per club, $25 per member
Time to:
 Test your skills against the other SWCFFF clubs.  Meet members belonging to other clubs.
 Help raise funds for the SWCFFF.
Each club selects their best 5 fly fishers to this event, based upon their own criteria. The tournament format is fashioned after the U.S. fly fishing trials: there will be defined beats, controllers, points and an awards banquet.
Two (morning & afternoon) 2 hour sessions.
Separate beats in the 20 mile section on the upper Kern.
Rules:
1. Barbless flies
2. No split shot (or sinkers)
3. No indicator
4. 18” between flies
5. No tying off the bend of the hook.
6. No beadhead larger than 1/8 oz or 3/8 mm.
7. Flies must be fully dressed
We are requesting each participating Club to bring 5 other members to assist in the Tournament as controllers. Their job will be to verify and record each fish and monitor rules compliance.

Results:

SSFF's Team A won 1st place
Fresno placed 2nd
Golden State placed 3rd
Deep Creek placed 4th
Sierra Pacific Team A placed 5th
Kern River Nymphs-Women's Team for SSFF, placing 6th
SSFF Team B placed 7th
Santa Barbara placed 8th
Sierra Pacific Team B (Women's team) placed 9th

Fishhound Offers Free Registration to FFF Club Members

Fishhound, a where-to-go, what's biting fishing report service, provides real-time fishing reports by a roster of 700+ licensed guides. With reporting on more than 800 waters, the goal is to equip anglers with the decision-making tools necessary to help determine where to go, when to go and what to throw. Equally importantly is their plan to wrap those fishing reports with information designed to educate anglers and promote a lifestyle of stewardship both on and off the water.

Club members may register free at http://www.fishhound.com/registration

Wounded Warriors get-together

Tentatively planned for Saturday, Oct 22, 2011 Diamond Valley Lake Mark your Calendars Friends and Golden State Fly Casters are putting together a fly fishing, conventional fishing boating session smack dab in the middle of striper action at Diamond Valley - we hope to get good participation from private boaters and Wounded Warriors.

Melinda C. Burns Secretary/Webmaster 1-951-415-9920 secretary@southwestcouncilfff.org http://www.southwestcouncilfff.org

April Outing at Tejon Ranch

Photos courtesy of James Forte

Trout in the Classroom

Chairman: Kent Huston

We had another successful year with the Trout in the Classroom program. There were eight teachers involved and all enjoy the curriculum and the positive experience it has on the students. Only a couple made the trip to a L.A. release site, however, D. Maxwell of the F.&G. is still working on a closer place, and hopefully Casitas will open back up. We are still looking for an inexpensive fix for our broken chillers. If anyone finds themselves on the Madison River this summer you can call 682-4790 and stop by for a cold beer and fish stories....

Outing to Belize Photos

"Ventura River Restoration- one tree at a time "

From Left to Right: Paul Wilson, Theresa Bulla, Dennis Harper, Bob Smith, Earl Arnold, Chris May, Gary Bulla.

On February 14, 2009, seven members of the Sespe Fly Fishers in Ventura California met on the banks of the Ventura River just below the confluence of San Antonio Creek near Ojai , California . The objective was to plant 47 trees on the riverbank and adjacent area. The area is a restoration project named the Confluence Preserve under the management of the Ojai Valley Nature Conservancy. This portion of the Preserve is a conservation easement on a private ranch. The flood of 2005 washed several acres of the ranch downstream. The Conservancy received grant funding to stabilize, restore, and protect the stream bank and remaining ranchland.

Some estimates indicate that prior to modern mans intervention and diversion of the natural water flow, the Ventura River watershed could have supported over 20,000 spawning steelhead. In more modern times, prior to ground water pumping and the installation of the Matilija and Casitas dams, the river had been home to an annual run of approximately 2,500 to 5,000 steelhead. Recent returns of the endangered Southern Steelhead are down to about 10 fish per year. The Ventura River is a targeted stream for steelhead recovery. Preserving and restoring the riparian zone of the river is vital to the steelhead recovery effort.

The Conservancy prepared the site by placing rock groins in the flat streambed overflow area, installed an irrigation system and mulched the site for weed control. What they needed were trees and planting labor.

. Chouinard Presentation: Names left to right Dennis Harper, Club Conservation Chairman: Yvon Chouinard,:Paul Wilson, Club President: Gary Bulla, Club Programs Chairman

The Sespe Fly Fisher's project had been in the planning stage for over a year. The club was looking for a meaningful way to express recognition of the commitment Yvon Chouinard, owner of Patagonia , has made to the club and the environment. Yvon's efforts have a world-wide impact. Dennis Harper, the club's Conservation Chairman along with Gary Bulla, the club's Program Chairman researched the options for recognition of Yvon. A local area conservation project was ideal. They investigated several sites for a tree planting project. The club members provided the funds which had been donated for conservation efforts. Fifteen Sycamores, 15 Cottonwoods and 5 Coastal Live Oaks were purchased for the project. OVLC Program Manager Derek Poultney and Stevie Adams, the Ventura River Confluence Project Manager, provided guidance and coordination leading to a perfect wedding of the club's desire and the Conservancy's needs

Another Tree Planting along the Ventura River..... one year later!!

tree planting

Tree Planting Feb. 13, 2010. Left to right- Dennis Harper, Ojai Valley Land Conservancy-Rick Bisaccia, Burnie Grange, Jeff Hereford, Carl Rhoads, Chris May, Alan Monteath, Maria Mondragon, Mike Ogden, California Conservation Corps Chris Lima , David Boyden, Theresa Bulla, Gary Bulla. Photo by Earl Arnold. 12 people from the club, 63 trees.

The Sespe Fly Fishing Club planted 63 native trees at the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy (OVLC) Rice Creek restoration site on Saturday, Feb 13, 2010. A total of 14 club members turned out on a beautiful sunny morning. We planted 25 black cottonwoods, 25 sycamores, 3 black walnuts and 10 blue elderberries.
This is a continuation of the Sespe Club‟s recognition of Yvon Chouinard‟s commitment to preservation of the environment and support for local conservation efforts.
The Federation of Fly Fishers included an article on last year‟s planting day in "The Flyfisher"‟ magazine winter edition.

Tree Planting for 2011

The 2011 Sespe Club tree planting was on Saturday, Feb 19. We met at 9:00 am at 370 Baldwin Road, Ojai CA at the entrance gate to the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy (OVLC). There is a large parking area inside the entrance. We parked there and formed a carpool to drive into the project.. We planted trees furnished by the OVLC at the confluence area of Rice Creek and the Ventura River in an area that had been cleared of arrundo. This year the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy (OVLC) donated the trees and we furnished the tools and volunteers. The project was coordinated with Rick Bisaccia of OVLC who provided direction on proper planting procedures.
This is an activity that has had good support and has been a very worthwhile endeavor for our club. The tree planting is dedicated to Yvon Chouinard in recognition of his tremendous support of the environment, our community and our club.The Sespe Fly Fishers also received a small grant from the SWCFFF for supporting this conservation effort.

Fly Tying - Resumes in September

We take a break during the Summer months but fly tying resumes in September.
Remember, we meet on the 4th Thursday of the month at 7:00 PM, and we are meeting at the Ventura Avenue Adult Center, 550 N. Ventura Avenue (corner of Ventura Avenue and Center Street). Enter from the parking lot on Center street, and bring a few bucks to help pay for the room.