Back when most fly fishers had never heard of nymphs, or Mr. Skues, before WWII, a forward-looking Orvis catalog listed what was described as “All Purpose Nymphs” in three basic colors and a variety of sizes. They were all based on the profile we now associate with a Gold Ribbed Hare’s Ear.
The sizes ranged from #10 to #16. They were tied with the same materials. But the way those materials worked in the water was very different. The larger flies moved a bit in the currents, simulating life. The smaller ones were much stiffer, and therefore more resistant to being animated by water. The “floppier” flies caught more fish. Our fly tying materials vary a great deal in softness. We pick Marabou for its ability to wave around and give the impression of a leech. We use Grouse and Hen neck feathers for soft hackles. We try to find the stiffest, most web-free hackles for dry flies, and the softest deer or elk hair for Caddis imitations. We often forget that our beautifully tied flies are meant to appear alive, in and on the water.
I remember a young, talented fly tier who delighted in exacting imitations of insects that had bent legs, gossamer wings, properly uplifting tails, and even the correct number of abdominal segments. At the fly shop, we’d “ooh” and “aah.” As impressive as those flies were, they were designed for human wonderment, not the hungry eyes of trout. So what is a “Floppy Fly?” An insect imitation that appears alive when set in motion by river currents. This means that as the size of an imitation decreases, the mobility and softness of the materials used increases.
Some years ago, I was tested by a dual-hatch situation that occured on the Lamar River in Yellowstone Park. It was October, and the first snowflakes of the year fell gently on my nose and on the water. When the sun shone, tiny Baetis, #20, suddenly covered the riffle and trout fed avidly. When the sun was obscured by clouds, the small insects ceased hatching, and I was treated to large Gray Drakes, Siphlonurus in size #8. In addition to having to modify my leader and tippet to fish the two different hatches, the day was alternating between clouds and sun about every twenty minutes. But the selective fish fed only on the predominant insect, ignoring the other species that had been hatching only minutes before. My solution in both cases was a soft hackle in the right colors, fished in the film to those rising Cutthroats. Both were dark gray. Both were tied on dry fly hooks, and had a collar of soft hackle from a Sage Grouse — I used two large hackles on the bigger fly. The smaller fly was dubbed with wispy Muskrat underfur; the larger one, #10 had much stiffer dark Hare’s Ear. And the fish ate them both.
When we tie streamers and bucktails, it is important to use feathers in smaller sizes, and hair in larger ones, because the feathers are floppier, and work in the water to imitate a living minnow. When you tie underwater flies, the “floppy quotient” of your materials should increase as the size of the fly decreases.
Hook: 2x long fine wire dry fly hook, #16-18 for local waters, #12-14 Western waters Thread: Olive Body: Mixture of Antron and natural fibers in grey, tan, or olive. Chopped caribou added for #12-14 Wing: Canadian goose feather treated with Flexament on both sides Hackle: Dun colored saddle hackle Optional: White or orange color calf-tail post for added visibility
This is the most prominant fly in my arsenal. I only fish dry fliesand on occassion may fish a streamer. In the absence of any hatch activity, this is my go-to fly.
I prefer to fish this fly up-stream and will cast to rises if they occur; otherwise I go prospecting and try to entice a hungry trout into taking what they think is a tasty morsel.
After hooking multiple fish, the tent shape wing becomes battered and frayed, making the fly ride even lower in the water and thus giving it the added bonus of appearing as an emerging caddis with no decline in the fly’s effectiveness.
Happy Spring. As Bob Dylan once wrote in one of his songs, “The Times They Are A Changin.” And so is RIPRAP. The Kiap-TU-Wish board has decided to change the way in which RIPRAP is presented and it will move to a format that will allow for a more web-based publication of news and stories. The plan is to keep a steady stream of information flowing to our website in order to bring more traffic to the site and ultimately give the chapter more exposure to our local and regional fly-fishing communities.
Some of you may not know that the first publication of RIPRAP occurred in 1987. From then on, RIPRAP has grown to its current state and to date has had 11 editors. I am honored to be a part of this group and would like to thank all former editors for their hard work and dedication to RIPRAP and the chapter. I encourage all of you to go to our website and take a trip down memory lane by searching through the RIPRAP archive. It is full of great articles and information. I’m sure you’ll say to yourself, “oh yeah, I remember that.”
~ Ed
The May issue of Rip Rap, our chapter newsletter, is available here.
RipRap has undergone a lot of changes in the recent past. After we lost our free printing and with the rising cost of postage, we decided to end the paper copy and email it to all members. The work of editing and layout is a laborious process, so we moved to publishing bimonthly. With the longer lead times, RipRap could no longer be easily used to update members on chapter events. RipRap will now enter a new phase. It will consist of brief emailed updates of chapter events, reports, and stories, with links to the full-length offerings on our web page. I’m a bit sad to see the old RipRap go, but excited for this new format that will allow us to be unshackled from page restraints, allowing for more words, photos, and now videos!
Our May 4th chapter meeting was at Rush River Brewing and featured our chapter awards. In case you missed our meeting, I want to give you a recap.
Randy Arnold singled out seven work-day volunteers who tallied at least 10 outings; during this past winter, most of those were under adverse conditions — see Randy’s article on page 3. Thanks so much to these seven and all the others who participated in our work days. We heard at the April chapter meeting how much the DNR appreciates your efforts, as does my backcast.
John Kaplan was awarded the Silver Trout award by the chapter. John and I joined the KIAP board at the same time nine years ago. My first memory of John was when we showed up at a stream monitoring workshop given by Kent Johnson. I got to know John as we carpooled to the Trimbelle and back to Glen Park for the training. John really took that training to heart and has been Kent’s right hand man ever since, installing and maintaining loggers, downloading the data, and championing the use of the WiseH2O app that is now being adopted by all of TU. I also got to know John on those cold January mornings when we would leave at 5 am, often in a snow storm, on our “spawning run.” Picking up eggs at the 7 Pines Hatchery in Frederic, delivering them to all the TIC classrooms, and giving a presentation at each one. I couldn’t have done it without my “co-pilot.”
Tom Schnadt was awarded the Gold Trout award. Tom has been a long-time board member and recent past president of KIAP. I got to know Tom as a board member when he was president. Tom gave you the freedom to find your passion in the chapter and then did everything he could to help you nurture that passion. He was so supportive of Trout in the Classroom and later Bugs in the Classroom when we first started up. He has been a huge advocate of youth education, starting up our inclusion in the Pheasants Forever Youth Day and Rocky Branch ECO Day. He seems to be just as involved in the chapter after “retirement” and I am afraid that I lean on him too much. When Covid struck, Tom was instrumental in allowing us to pivot to an on-line auction when we did not have the banquet as an option. He has headed up the 4×100 raffle and been crucial for our presence at the Fly Fishing Expo. He still volunteers for TIC, BIC, ECO Day, Randy’s workdays, and whatever else we come up with. He is great at getting others to volunteer as well. After all, who can say “no” to Tom?
I want to point out, in case you did not see in the latest issue of WI Trout, that our ex-offico president/board member, Scott Wagner, was given the Leadership award by the Wisconsin State Council. This award was well deserved. As I try to fill his big shoes, one could not have a better mentor as president. He is always there for me and willing to pick me up every time I stumble. I couldn’t do this job without him. Thanks, Scott!
Last year, the community of River Falls and supporters of the Kinnickinnic River came together to help the Kinnickinnic River Land Trust acquire a 40 acre parcel connecting City of River Falls park land to the River Falls School Forest. This parcel is now known as the Community Forest and is well-frequented by curious children, dog walkers and anglers alike. This land acquisition also opened up a potential roadway for River Falls students to access the School Forest from highway FF, just south of River Falls. After an uneventful ½ mile walk from highway FF, the easement trail branches off to the Community Forest and the confluence of the Kinni and Rocky Branch to the east, a highland field slated for prairie restoration to the north, and a ravine decent to a lovely bend of the Kinni on the western edge of the property. Currently, a diverse committee of school district staff, community stakeholders and resource professionals are volunteering their time and vision to develop trails, a land management plan, a nature center facility, and curriculum for RFSD teachers to get K-12 students out into the School Forest and down to the Kinni. Development on the property is stewarded through a conservation easement with KRLT. The School Forest will continue to offer public access to hikers and anglers and limited biking routes.
There will be a tour of the School Forest trails on Saturday, May 7th at 10:00 am. Please register at this link if you’re interested: School Forest walking tour
Organizational partnerships
Walk-and-talk participants from left to right: Ben Toppel, Marty Engel, Scot Stewart, Kent Johnson, Greg Olson, Randy Arnold , Judie Babcock Foster, Matt Janquart, Rainbow Barry. Thanks to Julie Smith for taking the photo.Stream bank restoration done in the 1990s provides excellent river access to the public and good habitat for fish.
Recently, a few Kiap-TU-Wish members met with Marty Engel and Julie Smith, land manager and executive director for the Kinnickinnic River Land Trust, as well as Judie Foster Babcock, president of the Kinnickinnic Corridor Collaborative to walk-and-talk along the the river trails connecting the Community Forest to the School Forest. Marty Engel shared his expertise and experience with us as both a land manager and a biologist. After appreciating the stream bank work done below trailhead 12 in the 1990s, we briefly discussed the potential need for river bank restoration below the Powell Falls dam after its removal. Moving downstream, Marty assured us that despite the messy appearance of log jams and high banks below the mouth of the Rocky Branch tributary, recent fish surveys confirm that the large woody debris provided by fallen trees (though we curse it for stealing our flies) provides excellent cover for our beloved trout. Plans are underway to move some trail segments away from the floodplain to avoid trail damage during floods and erosion at the river’s edge. We will also be working toward invasive species control and eventually getting students out to plant long-standing tree species. If you are interested in participating in restoration work parties next fall, contact Kiap board member Rainbow Barry at rainbowabarry@gmail.com.
Things You Ought To Know – a lot of stuff going on. We need you!!!!
First off, drag isn’t always evil. I have found that a little twitch when the fly is upstream or skitter when the fly floats past you can elicit a strike during upper Kinni stonefly hatches the past couple of weeks. A size #16 caddis seems to do the trick. Proof:
We will present our chapter awards at our May chapter meeting. You can nominate someone in the following categories:
Gold Trout Award Given to chapter member who has served as a Board Member or Chapter Officer. Given in recognition of long-term leadership and service to the chapter.
Silver Trout Award Given to chapter member, non-member, or deserving entity or organization. Given in recognition of making an outstanding contribution to the conservation of coldwater streams and their watersheds.
Certificates of Appreciation May be given to chapter members, non-members, or other organizations of entities. Award is presented for service contributions to chapter sponsored activities that are significant, but do not rise to the level of the Gold Trout Award or Silver Trout Award.
Nominations can be submitted to the Chapter President or a Board Member with a written description of why the nominator believes the nominee is worthy of recognition.
We will have a board member opening after Aprils meeting. We are going to miss John Kaplan! If interested contact Greg Olson at driftless23@gmail.com.
We have plenty of need for volunteers in the near future! We need you! Please help the chapter make these events a success!
Workday this Saturday – March 5th, 7:30 until noon, the worksite is on the Upper Kinni at the DNR parking lot on Hwy 65, between Hwy 65 between Quarry and Liberty Roads. We would appreciate any amount of time you can put in. Contact Randy Arnold at randyca999@gmail.com.
River Falls Earth Fest – Glen Park: Kiap-Tu-Wish will have a booth at the event that takes place on Sunday April 24 from 2:00 – 5:00 P.M. Volunteers are needed to educate at our booth as well as assist at a fly casting station and fly tying demo area. We are also hoping to have a small display of some of the insects found in the Kinni. Volunteers needs are for the following:
-Overall Booth – The usual answering questions about Kiap and helping those sign-up for areas they might be interested in learning more about. -Fly Casting – Help assist people with basic fly casting instruction. -Fly Tier – I’m sure the setup will be simple but if someone with skill was interested in planning on assisting people tie a basic pattern. Contact Greg Olson at driftless23@gmail.com if interested.
Rocky Branch Elementary ECO Week needs volunteers to assist kids with bug capture and ID on the lower Kinni, April 28th to 1:30-3 pm. If you struggle with bug ID, like me, no worries – Dean Hansen will be there! If interested contact Greg Olson at driftless23@gmail.com
Bugs in the Classroom! We need to help Dean Hansen show, handle and identify aquatic insects to grade school kids at the following locations: Monday, May 2nd, Greenwood Elementary (River Falls) 9-10:45 am. Monday May 2nd, Amery Intermediate school 1:15 to 3 pm Tuesday, May 3rd, Rocky Branch Elementary (River Falls) 10:00 am-12:25 pm and then 1:30-3pm If interested contact Greg Olson at drifless23@gmail.com.
RIVER FALLS FLY FISHING CLINIC This year’s Fly-Fishing Clinic, sponsored jointly by Kiap-TU-Wish and River Falls Parks and Recreation, is set for Saturday, June 4th, from 1:00-9:00 in Glen Park. We’ve been conducting this clinic for years and we know that it’s always popular; we expect about twenty students. The clinic will cover casting, knot tying, entomology, fishing strategies and wading safety. The chapter will provide supper during a break at 5:00, and guided fishing in the evening. Our chapter members are invited to join us as instructors, mentors, guides and supper servers. Mark your calendars for June 4 and volunteer by contacting Mike Alwin at mikealwin@gmail.com or Brian Smolinski at brian@lundsflyshop.com. I guarantee you’ll have fun.
TCTU-KIAP Joint Kinni Funraiser – a reminder to check out the website and donate! Let’s make sure to get all of the $15,000 TCTU match. Talking to Duke Welter last night… well you know Duke, he suggested that we give $10 for every outing we have taken on the Kinni. I told Duke, I’m not sure I can take out a second mortgage on the house and sell a car or two. Anyway, you get the picture – we all fish and love the Kinni, lets meet the fundraising goal!
To donate, click here To learn more about this project on the TCTU website, click here.
Upcoming chapter meetings – more on these to come, but the April 6th meeting will be a short business meeting followed by presentations by Kasey and Nate! The May meeting we will present chapter awards at Rush River Brewing!
Whew! Like I said – a lot going on and we need your help to make it a success! I just listed volunteer opportunities that had something for everyone! Have a great weekend and try adding some drag to those stonefly presentations!
