2009 '1 fly' Bits cont......

After a gourmet, homemade, outdoor buffet style lunch that included smoked pulled pork, venison sausage burgers, chili, etc. with side dishes and all the fixings you can ask for, Jack was preparing the field of play for the casting events. Skeeter and I took over refereeing once Jack figured out the best range for the 1rst round of the accuracy contest.
A target was placed on the grass about 10 yards away from the line of execution. The rules were simple. You get two casts to drop your fly on the target. If you do so then you will advance into the 2nd round. Sounds easy? With a swirling breeze it made it a touch difficult. Fly guys stood around waiting for someone to go first. Jack finally started the event and showed how easy it was to cast and drop his fly on the target. I decided to go second after wetting my woolly bugger in a bottle of water to make it more wind resistant. I complained a little because I was using a fast action Winton rod with weight forward line and commenting how the rod won’t load correctly in the short distance. I had to make some excuse since I missed the target on both casts. It took 4 more contestants to miss before Jokerball101 hit the target. While others tried their luck I noticed Nymphus taking interest in the contest. I told her she can use my 6wt. Winston rod. She picked up the rod and practiced casting in the field. After a few more participants missed the target Nymphus stepped up to the line. She stripped line out of the reel while false casting and with a smooth stroke she plopped the bugger on the target. ‘So much for my excuses’ I thought! She used my own rod and got the bugger on target that I missed! When the first round was over there were only about 7 participants left. After the second round Jokerball101 stood out as the winner of the contest.
The speed casting was up next.
After conferring with Skeeter we got 5 rings situated at a good distance in a semi-circle from the stationary casting point. I called all the contestants together and we snipped off or straightened our fly points. We discussed the rules so everyone knew the procedure and scoring of the event.
The object was to get your fly in as many rings as possible within a time limit of one minute. Your time started when your fly hit the ground on the first cast. If you overshoot the ring you can slide the fly in the ring for the point or a direct cast into the ring awarded you with an extra point. Upon receiving a point for a ring you were now able to advance to the next ring and so forth. After completing all 5 rings if you had time remaining you were able to reverse direction and go back through to score more points until your minutes were up.
Casting was quick but the swirling wind played havoc on the air born fly. Some guys used nymphs while others used egg patterns or woolly buggers. I don’t think there was any advantage to what fly you used. It was simply skill, knowing your distance and accuracy as you let the fly loop forward.
Before it was my turn, Pxatim and Avidangler were tied with second. Jokerball101 was a couple of points ahead leading the pack. Standing up to the line I felt I had something to prove. Writing stories and telling how I accurately cast to specific spots to catch fish put a little pressure on me but my confidence would have to prevail! It was now ‘prove it or lose it!’
I stripped line out of the Orvis mid arbor III reel while false casting the 6wt. Vapor rod. I kept an eye on my bugger as I let it drop to the ground on the first cast. After a couple of misses I slid it into the first ring and now had my distance. It was now time to execute my casts to the next rings with accuracy. I raced my way through the first 5 rings with a few misses but enough time to reverse my steps back through. One cast I dropped my bugger inside a ring for an extra point. When Skeeter called “times up” I had accumulated 11 points, well enough for first place. Whew, I thought ‘I proved my point with wind and all.’
Just after the speed casting event I took out a few of my other rods along with Dano and Jack rods, for others to cast.
A crowd started to congregate at the pavilion and Jack was beginning the awards and prize ceremony. Loomis and fishrmn took first with overall team points. Rexofangli and Anadromous took second with razz and logan-wade coming in third with a handful of stocked brown trout. (Just to set the record straight they said they were not keying on the brownies intentionally) The first three places were scores over 100 points. Loomis and fishrmn received flies and fly boxes for first. Flyfishingdave was first out of the competition, breaking off about 9:02am after hooking up with a fish. Prizes were also given to fisherwomen as well as the junior fishermen in the crowd.
The top three fish caught were all over 30 inches. Loomis landed the longest just beating out a few of the other contestants. Jack handed Loomis one of his own beautifully restored bamboo rods. Jack explained it was a nymph fishing rod with two tips. Upon receiving the rod Loomis leaned over and said something to Skip. We all stopped clapping to hear what Loomis had to say. He exclaimed he had many rods and with no disrespect for Jack’s time, money and effort of restoring the rod, he would like to give the bamboo to one of the junior fishermen. He took 5 steps and handed the rod to an eight year old that had participated in the ‘1 fly’ event with his dad. The boy’s eyes lit up as his dad tried to hide his expression of tearful surprise under his hat. There seemed to be a moment of awe and surely surprise before everyone started to applaud as the two men shook hands in gratitude and appreciation of the unselfish act.
I personally have never witnessed such sportsmanship or act of kindness among fishermen as I did just then. Loomis had no intensions of keeping the rod for himself and knew, without hesitation, whom he was going to give it to. Loomis wanted to give the rod to a junior who he felt would appreciate and use the rod. He did just that!!
Other prizes were given away to certain members and door prize tickets were pulled and prizes were given to the lucky winners. After that a few of the fishermen took off and finished fishing for steelhead in the rest of the daylight that was available. Others headed home while many of us sat or stood around drinking a few brews and telling fish tales and adventures we’ve had in the past. Some time in the darkness of the evening light I ambled off to the van for a well needed nap.
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I opened the van door to a quiet, uninhabited pavilion. The cloud cover was scarce in the dark evening sky. A few stars twinkled above the tree line that relinquished no sign of the coming weather. Dense smoke rose from inside the ember laden fire ring just beyond the pavilion. I put on my hikers and an insulated shirt, grabbed a Samuel Adams and walked down to Texcobb99 and Dream Catchers camp.
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Walking through the muddy lane I saw an active figure at the picnic table, at Pxatim camp, that was lit up by a lantern. After walking around a truck all the campfire fishermen came into view. Pxatim and Texcobb99 were relaxing in camp chairs. Jokerball101 and rookie sat among them doing more listening than talking. Cooljauman was standing with a beer in his hand keeping his balance well, with dietz31684 standing beside him. Dream Catcher was busy coating walleye fillets on a plate at the picnic table. The fire was blazing with enough room on the side where a grille rack was stationed above hot coals. A frying pan was situated on the rack with heated oil inside. DC laid fillets in the pan and it sizzled in the hot oil. DC offered me some battered walleye fillets still hot on a plate sitting on a camp chair. I couldn’t resist. What a way to end the day eating campfire cooked walleye fillets and drinking a few brews. I later found some tequila in a corked fancy bottle on the picnic table. Being a person who loves to taste test different alcoholic beverages I had to take a sip/gulp. Whatever the brand was, it was the smoothest tasting tequila I ever tested. Later on Pxatim handed me a bottle of home made Italian wine. We talked and laughed among ourselves as time drifted by with the fuzziness of darkness. I don’t quite remember when but Jokerball101 and rookie left saying something about how stuffed they were from eating!
Thrown empty beer cans tinked off others as they fell to the ground, bouncing off crinkled cans already filling the tub. Dietz31684 was the first one to turn in and if I remember right, Texcobb99 was the next to fall victim to the tiredness of the daily events. Dream Catchers’ battery finally failed to keep him awake. He slept in a camp chair motionless in a dismal state still clutching a half empty beer can. The beer can was lifted from his hand and a picture was taken, his hand still clutching an imaginary object.

Some time later the three of us dispersed from the fire light. I stumbled my way through the darkness, to my cabin on wheels. I was to meet flyfishingdave and bug drifter for an early morning rise of steelhead fishing on middle Elk. I think it was about 1:30am when I got to lay my head down.
                                              
                                           ~doubletaper

good stuff DT..good stuff!

haha...great continuation DT!!! Great night!!!