Montgomery County Flyrodders
Newsletter
March 2006
Monthly Meeting Site!
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Our monthly meetings, normally on the 1 Thursday of
each month, are held at the new Gander Mountain
store off I-45 and Cypresswood Drive and Spring Park
Center. The room is larger, comfortable, and has a
complete setup for audio and visual needs. THANKS to
GANDER MOUNTAIN for this facility.
Meeting times are 7 PM till about 8:45 PM. Monthly
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meetings are held on the 1 Thursday of the month
excluding national holidays and special events.
Apr 6 Meeting
Our guest speaker is an offshore Captain who will talk
to us about fly fishing offshore in the Corpus Christi
area.
Events and other matters
Casting Clinic and Fair
Thanks to everyone who helped out at these two events. We had about 15 participants in the casting clinic.
Kirby Lacour Seminar
This Saturday, Apr 8, guide Kirby Lacour will present an all day seminar on fly fishing for redfish in Louisiana at the
Lodge at Gander Mountain. The time is 10:00 till 4:00 PM.
Tim Borski Seminar
Mike Hurst has booked Tim Borski of Florida for a seminar on July 22 at the Gander Mountain Lodge. Mark your
calendar.
Dave Whitlock Seminar
Mark your calendars for Sat. Oct 14. Dave Whitlock will host an all day seminar on various fly fishing subjects.
Fly Tying
Tom Miessler is having beginning fly tying classes at his house on Sat. Apr 22. Call Tom at 281-367-0363 for a
reservation.
Conservation Corner (#47)
Dam removal is moving ahead at a slow pace, with only 17 of 1600 eligible hydroelectric dams
having been breached at present. A recent example is the Portland General Electric hydroelectric dam
system built in 1910 on the Sandy River near Shasta, CA. The site was near Portland, and offered a free
and unlimited source of power. Unable to build a very large structure, the engineers created a network of
dams canals, tunnels and a miles-long flue on stilts. The Bull Run project became financially and
ecologically obsolete, and to their credit, the PGE committed $17 million to remove the Marmot and
Little Sandy dams and Roslyn Lake between 2007 and 2008. They also donated 15,000 acres for fish,
wildlife habitat and public recreation.
Is the bird flu an invasive (H5N1)---Yes I believe it is by some definitions and I believe it is
pandemic. Why bring it up for this column? Well it brings up the problem of concentrations of
organisms. If there were no poultry factory/farms there would be no pandemic. Compressed together the
mutations become more rapid and more viral. The same affect can occur in fish, animals and humans. I
am now in over my head. What can we do about it---give us space and better sanitation. How? AA
Another invasive--the box jellyfish--has four brains, 24 eyes, stingers that can kill humans in one
minute flat and can swim directionally at a speed of more than two knots per hour. The large jellyfish--
Chironex flickeri--is the most toxic organism on the planet (Smithsonion, 6/05). Chironex venom attacks
the heart directly and death is almost immediate. The thumbnail-sized relative irukandji is less
venomous, but nearly transparent. Oh, great, we now have nearly invisible, “brainy” sharp-eyed,
extremely toxic predatores that can capture and kill their prey. Most of the box jellyfish have been found
in tropic waters around Australia, but a 4-year old boy was killed near Galveston in 1990 by
Chyrpsalmus quadrumamus, a relative to the box jellyfish. The TP&W person tells me that no box
jellyfish have been recognized in Texas waters.
I told you,-- a 25.1 # bass was recently caught in California, but it was not entered as a world
record. The fish was foul-hooked, which is acceptable by the International Game Fish Association, but
not by California regulations. Mac Weakley believes that this is the same fish that he caught three years
ago at 21 pounds. George Perry’s 22-4 # bass, caught in 1932, still stands as the world record.
RJS 3/06
Loose Ends
Woodland Residents
If you see someone keeping fish from one of the Park Ponds that is marked “Please Release All Fish”, you can call 936-
273-4990 and menu option 9 to report them. The superintendent on duty will talk to them and if they are caught a second
time they will be fined $250.00. It helps to get license plate numbers when you report them.
Club Loaner Equipment
The club has numerous rods and reels with lines to loan to club members. We also have 8 fly tying vises and various
tools. These are very inexpensive vises but will work for a beginner trying to see if he likes fly tying. Also Bob Sigsby and
Dan Houchin each have a Hobie Cat kick boat that club members can borrow. We also just acquired two new rods to
complete rod selection. Dan has obtained new 7 and 8 weight rods with reels to help when we do fly casting instruction
and to use as loaners.
Web Page
Any member who is interested in getting a photo on our web page can send a hard copy or an electronic version to Dan
Houchin. Anyone who wants an article put in the newsletter can send it to Dan Houchin , dan-
houchin@consolidated.net, in electronic form please.
Casting Instruction
Don’t forget Dan Houchin is a FFF Certified Basic Casting Instructor. Dan will give a one hour private casting lesson to a
club member for a $10.00 donation to the club. If this cost is too high, give him a call and he will work something out.
936-273-3013 or dan-houchin@consolidated.net