Club News JANUARY 18th Meeting Share & Learn The theme of this meeting was “Share and Learn.” Tables were arranged around the meeting room with SJCFA members manning them and offering their expertise in various aspects of fly fishing and fly tying. Subjects presented were: fishing knots, changing and cleaning fly lines, creating your own leaders, tube fly tying as well as their fishing and storage techniques, baitfish identification, and the tying and use of gurglers. Instruction in basic fly casting was also offered in a room downstairs. A general meeting was held prior to the membership breaking up to individually take advantage of the medley of fly fishing knowledge and skills being offered. Other Club News The Fly Fishing Show – The Fly Fishing Show is being held this weekend - Jan 26- 28 – at the Garden State Expo Center in Edison NJ. The club will have at the show. We will be promoting the club with tying demonstrations and a raffle. The prizes for the raffle will be 8 and 10 weight rods, reels and cases, which were on display in the meeting room. The retail value of these items is $1,050 dollars. Raffle tickets will sell at $10 each. Five hundred raffle tickets were printed and are currently available for sale. Please visit http://flyfishingshow.com/edison-nj/ for more information on the event. DUES - yes it’s that time of year again. Next month, December, dues notices will be emailed to all members. Please send your payment to the mailbox (see address at the bottom of this page) or bring your dues payment to a meeting. Renewal and Liability release forms will be included. At the minimum on the renewal form enter your name, then any changes in your information. All liability release forms need to be signed. All payments must be in by March 31, 2018. The dues are $60 for the year which includes membership to both the FFI and SJCFA. Ignore any dues notices you receive directly from FFI. Your prompt payment will be appreciated. FFI - SJCFA will sponsor a saltwater outing in the fall for the Eastern Council of the FFI. Details concerning this event have yet to be determined. Conservation - Projects in the works include an Adopt-A-Road project and back-bay cleanup on Absecon Island. Holiday Party Recap - An email survey was sent to members who attended the Holiday Party to ascertain if the venue was appropriate and everyone was satisfied with the arrangements. Please return the survey with your opinions so that plans can be made for this year’s event. Fly Tying Night – We are looking into having a fly tying night at a brew pub. Date and location are currently TBA. South Jersey Coastal Fly Anglers, P.O. Box 1275, Ocean City, NJ 08226 southjerseycoastalflyanglers@gmail.com Page 3 Fly Fishers International The Fall/Winter 2017 issue of Fly Fisher is available on the Fly Fisher International website. Log on, and then go to ‘Resources,’ then ‘Publications,’ then Fly Fisher. The Editor’s Message by David Paul Williams is a good place to start reading to put our conservation efforts in perspective. I recommend reading the articles by Tom Logan, Chairman of the Board, and Len Zickler, President and CEO. Stop at page 16 to read about the Eastern Waters Council - while there take note of the US map showing the councils. Observe that 12 of the 17 councils border on salt water (something we need to work on). John Van Fleet’s article “Simply Salt: How to Choose Your Next Saltwater Fly Line” on page 26 is an excellent background on fly lines in general, and how to choose a saltwater fly line. This is information I could have used years ago when I would buy fly lines based on cost with those on sale, sometimes $10-$15, getting the nod. The digital edition on line makes it easy to take the magazine with you to read on your cell phone. Previous editions are also available. Tom Logan will be at the Edison Fly Fishing show in January. Make it a point to stop by the FFI/EWC booth and introduce yourself. Board Of Directors Meeting Summary The board met for a short meeting to approve the minutes from the last meeting, and the treasurer’s report. The following topics were discussed – Setting up a new email system to distribute the club newsletter, and any other club announcements using a third party system designed for this purpose. This would make communications with club members more efficient and provide increased online security for the club. All board members approved. It was proposed that if a member does not pay his/her dues by the March 15 deadline that the member be dropped from the rolls of the club. If this individual wishes to remain in the club then the $10.00 application fee will be applied. The Board of Directors authorized this additional charge. Volunteers are needed to coordinate fishing trips for SJCFA. Bob Hutchinson will coordinate freshwater trips and Dave Dewees will coordinate saltwater trips. As a recruiting aid for the club, it was recommended that fliers identifying our existence, goals, contact information, and meeting schedule be posted on bulletin boards within the local area. These bulletin boards can be found in libraries, supermarkets, etc. Joe Gerace volunteered to create the flier. The idea of picture IDs was brought forward. No decision was made. South Jersey Coastal Fly Anglers, P.O. Box 1275, Ocean City, NJ 08226 southjerseycoastalflyanglers@gmail.com Page 4 President’s Message “Perception is reality; perhaps not.” As a group, we anglers tend to enhance our exploits at times regarding the numbers of fish caught, the sizes, and one I find very annoying – casting abilities. Monday, Christmas Day actually, I was reading Gink and Gasoline on my IPad, and came across this guy Hank discussing casting. Although this was supposed to be humorous it was not the first time I heard or read the rantings of a “great caster.” Hank was telling his audience he is casting to a fish 75 yards away. Yes, yards. Now when I went to school many years ago, 1 yard equaled 3 feet. That mathematical rule has not changed, at least that I am aware of. The 75 yard cast would be 225 feet. Attainable with a fly rod? If your name is Rajeff or Sedotti this distance is very attainable, but not standing in a flowing body of water as was Hank. Actually, I don’t know anyone that could see a fish 225 feet away unless it jumped out of the water or had a large fin, and then only if the water had a mirror surface. When I joined the club 12 years ago, casting was challenging not only from the technique to be mastered, but also understanding the terminology involved. Then there was the myriad of great fly casters to emulate that added to the confusion. I suspect that our new members, in particular those new to fly fishing, have experienced similar frustration. So I offer this as a counterpoint to Hank and others that like to brag about their ability to cast distances in yards. Most fish are caught at distances less than 50 feet. With fresh water fishing 15-30 feet may be more truthful. Saltwater is a different story where distances of 50-75 feet may be needed. When starting out as a new fly fisher, work with 20-30 feet of line. Once you can handle that, add 5 feet, and practice. Past President Steve Croft once told me his secret. He tries to add 5 feet a year to his distance. Master the amount of line you can cast comfortably before being bullied into thinking you need to be able to cast the entire fly line to be a real fly angler. Lastly, when you view or read about casting distances in yards, put it in perspective, perception is not reality. Casting an entire fly line is something usually done in casting competitions where the entire fly line can be taken off the reel and placed on the ground before making the cast. In March, we will have daylight at 6pm on the club meeting night. If you need help with casting, plan to come early and bring your rod. Joe Gerace President January 26, 27, 28, 2018 event: The Fly Fishing Show, Edison, NJ. New location at the New Jersey Convention and Expo Center. February 15, 2018 meeting: Member panel discussing fresh water fishing – Q&A. Fly tying before meeting at 6pm. February 17, 2018 class: Tying class deer hair flies – Jerry Coviello.   March 3 & 4, 2018 event: The Fly Fishing Show, Lancaster, PA at the Lancaster County Convention Center.   March 15, 2018 meeting: Member panel discussing saltwater fishing – Q&A. Fly tying before meeting at 6pm. April 19, 2018 meeting: Scott Cesari – program TBA April 22, 2018 event: ACUA Earth Day – club booth May 17, 2018 meeting: Women’s Month – programs TBA June 21, 2018 meeting: Bart Lombardo – fly fishing in Central New Jersey. July 19, 2018 meeting: Tim Flagler – fly fishing for weakfish using shrimp as chum. August 16, 2018 meeting: Steve Monahan – what’s new with TFO. September 30, 2018 event: Casting for Recovery Retreat. UPCOMING EVENTS