The party will begin with cocktails at 6:30 and dinner will be served at 8:00 P.M. In between, you can check out the raffle and auctioned items. As usual, they will be great.

Time is running out for you late-comers, for we can only accept reservation with your check received by Saturday January 20th. Phone requests will not be honored.

The dinner will offer a choice of a charcoal broiled KC strip steak or a teriyaki chicken breast. The cost is $35 for couples or $20 for singles. Use the form found in the newsletter for your reservations.

Remember, no dinner tickets will be sold at the door. We will not mail your tickets. Pick them up at the door. We can't guarantee you a seat at dinner if your reservation is late (received after January 20th). Should you prefer to come only for the program, members may come at 8:00, have a drink at the bar and still get in on some Super Raffle and the last bids on the Silent Auction, plus enjoy our after dinner speaker. Always a great time, see you there. Max Anderson

Note: Our after dinner speaker will be former Ozark Prez Jack McLaughlin,

There have been some interesting times and each president has some challenges. Not that I had a big part, I was just keeper of the gavel at this time. We had an outdoor meeting at Tilles park when the temperature was over 100°. We moved the meeting site due to construction at the Legion Hall and I heard comments that the Women's League was too fancy for a fishing club. OK, so we had to wipe our feet twice before entering. But you must admit that the padded chairs and real glass glasses and water pitchers were a great touch. We last changed the banquet location as the result of a fire. This year we changed locations because of a flood. Good luck on your watch Brian.

There have been good times at social gatherings, work details and outings. Our participation at Southern Council Conclave has grown significantly. The club has been recognized in the last two years with awards that included: Club of the year, Teacher of year-Jerry Clark, Fly Tier of the year-Joseph Aimonette, and Man of the Year - Dave Barron. More OFF tiers are invited to tie at council conclaves and at national FFF conclave every year. A number of individuals have been certified as casting instructors. High Tech got into more than fishing equipment. Drew retired his typewriter in favor of a keyboard and Brian Ellis got us onto the web.

Participation by club members in local, council and national events has been good. It could be better. It will have to be to be better to meet the challenges of the future. Conservation has provided some interesting times from whirling disease to otters. National attention has been given to dams being removed and catch and release programs spreading. We need to step up our efforts to keep water quality acceptable for the fish and quality of the surroundings acceptable for the fisherman. A rededication to the stream team effort may be in order.

There is a note of sadness as I reflect on the passing of respected club members, some old and some young. All too soon. My mentor was in that list. The man that first put a fly rod in my hand introduced me to a passion for the sport when I was a young boy. He never belonged to a club but like many of you he found time to teach and encourage.

This is not an obituary, it is a celebration, it is a passing of the baton. Brian Flichpaugh has a full slate of active members on his board from which I anticipate mixing some of the old traditions and history with introduction of new agendas, new ideas and new blood in the organization. I challenge each of you to step forward and participate. Don't wait to be asked. Raise your hand and volunteer. I look forward to stepping back in the ranks and working along side each of you at the next work project. I look with equal anticipation to fishing next to you(but not to close) on one of our quality streams.

SUMMARY: Ozark Fly Fishers were surveyed at the annual Bennett Spring "Catch and Release" outing, Saturday, November 11 regarding fishing techniques, lures and flies used and fishing success to establish a database for future reference and analysis. the most successful lures/flies used were the woolly bugger, crackle-back and midge. Crackle-backs and Midges were fished on a 7X tippet (2.5 pound test) slightly below the surface by stripping or dead drifting.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this survey was to establish a database of fishing observations from Ozark Fly Fishers, fishing during the annual "Catch and Release" outing to analyze for future fishing activities.

INTRODUCTION: Fly Anglers frequently ask "what's the best lure or fly; what weight leader; what is the best technique, how many fish did you catch, and how large were the fish you caught." To answer some of these questions and establish an information database, I surveyed 37 Ozark Fly Fishers at our annual outing. The information included lure/fly used; number of trout caught during the day; largest trout; fly presentation and water depth the fly was fished; as well as meteorological information and water conditions. The information gathered was used to establish a baseline database to be added to at future catch and release outings. Analysis of the information will help anglers new to catch and release fishing at Missouris trout parks improve their fishing success.

RESULTS: Analysis of the first year of information shows that trout caught ranged from 2 to 50 trout per angler and on average was 14 (Table 1). Trout size ranged from 10 inches to larger than 18 inches with the average size of the largest trout caught 14.7 inches. Tippet strength ranged from 2 to 6 pound test and 30% of the anglers used fluorocarbon tippet. Length of tippet and weight of line were not surveyed.

The most successful anglers used woolly buggers, (average catch 30.3 trout per angler); cracklebacks (average catch 13.6 trout per angler); and midge imitations (average catch 12.5 trout per angler). Other lures include rooster tail spinner, dry flies, (Adams, PMD, Renegade, Caddis) glow balls and jigs.

Most anglers fished from the opening bell at 8:00 A.M. until closing of the fishery at 4:00 P.M.with only short breaks for lunch. The most productive time was mid morning (9:00-10:00) and mid afternoon (2:00-3:00).

The best fishing location at Bennett Spring during this baseline survey appears to be Zone 2. For those unfamiliar with Bennett Spring Trout Park, Zone 1 extends from the spring downstream to the dam. Zone 2 from the dam downstream to the Whistle Bridge, Zone 3 from the Whistle Bridge downstream to Niangua River.

In addition to the angling survey, the stomachs of 5 trout were pumped to determine what they were eating. The pumping revealed that only a few small 1-2 mm (1/8 inch) black midges suggesting the success anglers had using cracklebacks and midges may be largely a function of fly size (#18-#22)

During the 2000 outing, water was clear with normal flow of water from the spring. Water temperature was 58 degrees which was consistent with all spring flows in Missouri. Meteorological conditions measured during the day show that humidity was 79%; air temperature ranged from 31 to 43 degrees; the sky was overcast with a 1000 foot ceiling until 3:00 P.M. when the sun broke through the overcast; the barometer was 30.31 inches and falling; upper winds easterly 5 mph. however surface winds because of the configuration of the valley and surrounding hills were from the south. In the evening the moon was full.

DISCUSSION: My survey is a start to what I hope will be a comprehensive data base of fishing information for Ozark Fly Fishers visiting Bennett Spring Trout Park during the catch and release season and should serve equally for those anglers visiting Missouri's other trout parks during the winter season. As I discovered, during this first year, the best flies were, first the woolly bugger, followed closely by the crackleback and midge imitations. The woolly buggers were large (#8 ) and dark. The midge imitations and crackleback flies small (#18 -#22) in a variety of patterns and colors. The crackle-backs were dark yellow or olive with a peacock shell-back and soft brown hen hackle. This fly can be used both as a dry and wet fly. Anglers stripped the crackle-backs just below the surface and fished the midges on light tippets on the surface, in the film and deeper in the water column. The word angler in middle English means "to use bait and wily means."

In his novel A River Runs Through It, Maclean answers a question from his brother about what the trout were feed on "'They are feeding on drowned yellow stone flies.' I asked him 'How did you think that out?.... 'All there is to thinking,' he said, 'is seeing something noticeable which makes you see something you weren't noticing which makes you see something that isn't even visible.' I said to my brother, 'Give me a cigarette and say what you mean.'"

In other words, by observing what is going on around you during a fishing trip, you can better understand what trout are keying on in the stream or physical conditions which affect trout behavior you can become a better angler. Why do fish bite? What causes them to feed or not to feed? Can we develop a mathematical formula such as E=mc² to explain our fishing success. Will this take away the mystery and fun of fishing or make it more challenging?

We seem to look for aids to help predict our fishing success or lack of success. The Old Farmer's Almanac predicted the best fishing days of the cycle fell on October 27 through November 11; Sports Afield in the November fishing calendar predicted good fishing November 11. Do we fish by these obscure signs, printed in a magazine published in New York or do we base our predictions on the fishing skills of our members and the information gathered during actual fishing trips to Bennett Springs and winter catch and release fishery?

A common perception held by club members is that smaller flies, #16 or smaller work best at Bennett Spring. This initial survey bolsters this perception, although the few anglers using woolly buggers caught more trout on average than did those using small midges or cracklebacks.

Walton in his book The Compleat Angler written in the 1500s suggests the same. "And note that usually the smallest flies are the best; and note also, the light fly does usually make most sport in a dark day and the darkest and least fly in a bright or clear day."

And more recently, Duncan in his book The River Why explains why anglers like numbers, "Like gamblers, baseball fans and television networks, fishermen are enamored of statistics. Statistics are a tool upon which anglers rely so heavily that a fish story lacking in numbers is just that: a Fish Story. A fish without exact weight and length is a nonentity, whereas the sixteen incher or the twelve pounder leaps out of the imagination, splashing the brain with cold spray. The strange implication is numbers are more tangible than flesh; fish without vital statistics are fish without being."

Maybe as this data base grows in the years to come we can put some bones on the cold hard memories has of days fished at Bennett Spring or any of Missouri Trout Parks.

CONCLUSION: The survey will provide the beginnings of a database of fishing information gleaned from our members fishing the winter "Catch and Release" fishery at Bennett Spring. Initially the survey suggests fishing success was quite variable. The best flies are woolly buggers or small dark colored midges or cracklebacks, fished using fine tippets, either slightly under the surface or dead drifted near the bottom. On the average, anglers caught 14 trout per day, with the average size of the largest trout being 15 inches. This survey is a beginning. Further surveys and analysis of the information will be needed to determine which factors are important to fishing success. To quote Walton again: "Oh the gallant fishers life! It is the best of any; 'Tis full of pleasure, void of strife and 'tis beloved by many."

I want to thank Spence Turner for his help in preparing this article.

George M. Bohigian, M. D.
bohigiag@medicine.wustl.edu

See Table 1

ed note: Next month we will have a grading system George has worked out for trout fishing productivity.

FOR SALE Ultimate Rod Makers Desk. I bought this desk to work on rods due to it's unusual length, 56 inches. It is 24 inches deep and the work surface is a comfortable 30" from the floor. With six drawers, four cubby holes, and full length (56") shelf, this desk is ideal for the rod maker who is serious about his hobby. While not in the fine furniture class, this is perfect for a den or family room. Includes full length Plexiglas protective cover. $125 Drew 314-432-8911

I found out about this program on the Internet. My friend Gary and another friend, John told me of the Internet site. I might have found it on my own, but I'm thankful they told me about it.

Gary and I didn't know each other very long, yet I feel a strong bond to him. I met him in an unusual way. He had just had surgery for GI Stromal cancer and I was asked to make a call on him since I was trained United Ostomy Association visitor and I had the same rare form of cancer as he had.

I met Gary and his wife at the hospital and later at their home. They attended one of our UOA meetings and Gary and I would talk occasionally on the telephone. It seemed I knew him for decades. We talked frankly about our disease and what we knew to help each other cope with our uncertainties.

My cancer metastasized to my liver and surgery corrected that for a while. Gary's came back in its original area and was a major risk. Gary was meticulous in checking out his options and telling me all he found out, since I shared the same type of rare cancer. I was impressed with his vigorous pursuit of all possibilities. What a strong will to succeed!

After much consultation with Doctors and checking the Internet, Gary elected to have his major surgery. He came through the surgery and after a couple of weeks in intensive care developed an infection and died from that complication.

What a loss! I don't know if I was hit so hard by it because it reminded me of my mortality with my GI Stromal cancer or because I just knew he would win because of his determination. I felt a huge blow.

My cancer came back a second time to my liver and I had another surgery last summer. This summer it came back to my liver for the third time and only a year after my last surgery. With all the negative news, I have an exciting chance for a reversal of my cancer through modern medicine and my friend Gary. I thought I was giving to Gary when I made those visits and now after his death he is still giving to me.

At Gary's wake the reverend that did the eulogy, said Gary told him before he went into his last surgery that if he made it through this he would use clear wood in his woodworking hobby and he would go fly-fishing more.

Well I can't help Gary with his woodworking, but I can take him with me fly-fishing. We have been going a lot since his wake. I decided since I love fly-fishing, what am I waiting for? Every time I get into my canoe and shove off into the current I say, "this is for you Gary", and he still gives to me. There are always three of us in the boat, my fishing partner, me and my friend Gary.

Dean Rapp and Jim Arl have recently made donations of packaged yarn and 3 more books respectively might add that Jim has made numerous donations this year. Whitey Morrison once again gave a beautiful "Golden Stone" domed fly display. One just went for $70 at the Southern Conclave and more than that at the International. Thank you all so much!

I am excited to say we are receiving a 3-day stay at "The Trout Shop" lodge in Craig, Montana. In conjunction with this, a guided trip with Tim Plaska of "Missouri River Expeditions." This is a hell of a deal folks! The only catch is the winner cannot have stayed at the lodge before! I'm bummin',this already eliminates Mike Webb, a few other Ozark members and myself. Our stay was VERY enjoyable as you read in past newsletters and saw at the last meeting. Availability of rooms/guide will be worked out by the winner. Did you read that? BY THE WINNER! I would like to see top dollar for this and all items! I also have a donation from Sand Springs Resort that still needs attending to also! Last year I had 2 framed trout prints which I personally wanted. This year I have the full set of 4, but each will be a separate bid. This is the last set in St. Louis that I know of. This is a discontinued item! Let the bidding war begin! As always, BOOKS,BOOKS,BOOKS!

Time really has been slim lately, but If I have asked you personally in the past for a donation, expect it again! Items brought banquet night may or may not be used THAT night in the silent auction or raffle! It depends on how spastic/loaded I am that night (That was for Steve Antonics' amusement) and how many items/ room I have. All donations will be noted in a future newsletter and greatly appreciated though! I would like to hand over quite a surplus of items to the next Ways and Means chairperson.

As always, if you don't play, you can't win. I can't wait! I hope "Bills' Base-ment of Bargains" has exactly what YOU want. DONATE!

Part Two.... A few things have happened since part one was written. Our "Tall Tails" tell-all night was snowed out,Garavelli's flood, Frontenac Outfitters closing their doors and I'm still having a hell of a time getting items before banquet night.

Lou and Jackie Dietz called to donate a hand embroidered shirt (by Jackie), size large. Said to have flies over the pockets. Dennis Bequette has a fly fishing tie. Wonderful!

Due to Frontenac's March 1st. closing date, I felt I should try to make some major purchases. The biggest part was getting first crack at the library of great books.(many coffee table size) Good, bad or indifferent, it's a done deal. I really do think you will like the choices.

I have enjoyed serving you for the past 4 years and thank each and everyone for your help. Bill

We in Missouri who fish our home waters know dry fly fishing during dun hatches is limited, so we fish the water with attracter flies. However, there are a few predictable hatches, the White Fly being one that offers good dun fishing and better spinner fishing after dark. *This year may be an exception! The success rate of fooling trout feeding on duns becomes more difficult as they are caught and released. I often hear stories about how easy they are to catch, using a dry woolly to fool them. Then days or weeks later, you hear how selective they have become. Better tied flies maybe the answer, and Syl explains how to tie realistic spinners, and includes recipes for 17 mayfly spinners and their variations, tied with the same basic pattern techniques. Included in this selection is the Hexagenia limbata, a favorite of mine that I fish at the Busch Area on hot summer evenings. Before he describes each recipe for tying his realistic spinners, Syl tells a story about his personal experience as to where he witnessed and how he matches these spinner flies. Here also he credits his friends who have helped him discover the streams where these emergences of mayflies have come off. Syl, and Hazel his wife, would return home with duns in tow, and allow them to final molt in the convenience to his office. Syl, who is a retired professional photographer, took explicit photos of these flies, and along with their realistic imitations, prints them in a sixteen-page full color layout.

Why is spinner fishing a good alternative to dun fishing? The spinners are on the water longer than emerging duns, and you can fish spinners hours later, and even the next day after a good hatch. Recently fishing Trico hatches on the Missouri River below Holter Dam, the duns quite coming off mid-morning, but the spinners could be seen on the water for most of the day, and in lesser numbers until dark. Even after dark Syl said he uses spinner patterns with good results. The large rafts of Tricos free themselves from back eddies, and float to main feeding lanes where trout feed on them without being as selective, protected by darkness.

I called Syl to see if he was going to be at the Missouri Trout Shop and Lodge in Craig the weekend after the FFF National Conclave. He said he fished the Missouri just a few weeks prior to my phone call, and would like to return because the Trico hatches were prolific, however he would not be able to make it. He did offer some suggestions. I also received e-mails from Mike Web who had just returned a day prior to my departure. Mike also gave me good information on what and where to fish.

Double Trico spinners tied on a number 16 hook were also productive, however, according to Mike's experience, I could have used 5x or even 4x tippet. I could have landed more fish! Rainbows, going 15 to 18 inches in length, were slurping Trico spinners in slack waters. They were not all that difficult to fool, but after playing them a few minutes they broke off 6x due to running almost the entire line off the reel causing the line to become tangled in heavy weeds submerged about 1 to 2 feet below the surface. How do you thread 4x through the eyes of small hooks? Mike Web's tip is to cut the tippet at an acute angle making a pointed end.

I intend to return next year, and look forward to fishing spinners on the Missouri River, using heavier tippets.

*Did anybody had any success witnessing the White Fly hatch this year?

There was an article in the St. Louis Post Dispatch on hoarding the other day. It forced me to examine my own situation and mental health in this matter. For one thing, I think my parents were closet hoarders.

My mother hoarded spaghetti and other pasta and canned clams. As a child we never ate linguini con vongole, so this was somewhat baffling to me. But I knew mother felt uncomfortable with less than fifty pounds of dried noodles somewhere in the house. She also had two refrigerators and two freezers full of other edibles and spent a lot of time worrying about freezer burn. I attributed this behavior to her having lived through the depression of the 30's and considered her behavior harmless, if not somewhat quirky. At least it seemed to make her happy.

My father hoarded tools. Mostly hand tools. He didn't use them that often, but hey, it's hard to use three electric sanders and ten crescent wrenches all at once. Soldering iron? No problem. What size? My personal opinion on tools is "never buy anything to work with" and it has served me well. Besides I inherited the sanders, drills, hammers, saws and screwdrivers. My position on tools is simple and firm. You only need two tools to get through life; 1) the telephone, and 2) the yellow pages.

Ah, but I digress. I suppose I have a lot of fishing tackle. I don't know what the criteria for "a lot" are, but I can remember having two rods and reels and thinking "this is all I will ever need". I now know that having two fly rods is like playing a round at St. Andrews with two golf clubs. But I do not consider myself a collector. Collectors are a different breed, I think. They are motivated by things which I have tried to understand and have come up empty. My wife says I'm just in denial about a closet full of rods, but I say "If I use them, it ain't collecting!"

In one of my earlier careers I was an economist, and as such wondered about why people bought things. In my current dalliance, as one who dabbles in antiques, I worry about why people buy things, particularly collectors. With this background, one would think I could come up with some explanation as to what motivates collectors to buy seemingly absurd items for even more absurd sums. But the best I can do is a weak "because it makes them happy", kind of like my mother with a new load of R&F. Such weak analysis is doubtless why I wasn't considered for the Council of Economic Advisers or an appraiser for the Antique Road Show.

OK, so it makes the collector happy. But why? Why, for example, is a 1920's Hardy Perfect reel worth more than a top of the line Ross? Does it work better? No. Is it prettier? No. Do you catch more fish with it? No. So what gives?

Granted, fly fishing is a traditional pastime. So are we simply celebrating the past? And to do so, do we have to acquire forty two reels to do it?

And bamboo rods. Oh God, don't get me started on that. Whoops. Too late. Some of these babies cost thousands. A fishing rod, for Pete's sake. And believe me, you don't stop at one. It takes dozens to get a fix and then you are always tinkering with the mix. Buying, selling, trading, swapping. Admiring, greed, envy, gluttony, avarice. Lust, sloth, covetness, jealousies. It isn't pretty.

And there is nothing worse than your fishin' buddy calling you one evening and drop a bomb. "I picked up a couple of prefire Leonards at a garage sale this morning."

"Oh, really?" you answer, trying to be nonchalant. "What length?" you ask, striving for disinterested. "Oh, eight foot and an eight and a half? Too bad they aren't short ones." you snort. "Hundred bucks each? Too bad they weren't Grangers. Now there is a rod for you."

Closing the conversation, you rush to your liquor cabinet and finish the rest of that Napoleon '97 you had been saving for your daughter's wedding. And Dante didn't even know about bamboo rods.

I'll be the first to admit that there is nothing like a fine cane rod. Or two or three. But thirty? What kind of insanity is this? To think I made fun of my mother. Good thing I use them. Drew