Upcoming Fishing Outings

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Quail Hollow Ranch Public Education Day
Fishmaster Tom Hogye 336-1148

Place: Quail Hollow Ranch (see below for directions)
Date: Sunday, May 16th, 2004
Time: 9:30 AM - 4:00 PM

Over the past few years, this event has blossomed into a complete forum on just about every aspect of fly fishing. Quail Hollow Ranch is a 300-acre preserve in Santa Cruz County that was once a summer home of the Lane family, owners of Sunset Magazine. This ranch is rich with history; California Ranch Style living we know today was started here. There is a stunning bass pond on the property that was once the watering hole for cattle that grazed on the land. Much of the Ranch house has been restored to its original condition and is a treat to see. Many photos dating way back, adorn the living area speaking a thousand words.
The day is geared toward introducing people who think they might be interested in fly fishing to our sport. Tom begins the event with his talk on "Fly Fishing 101." From then on there will be continuous demonstrations and instruction in casting and fly tying. Tom needs many volunteers to help with fly tying, casting and over all fly fishing questions. This is a great time to introduce our favorite pastime on to some newcomers within our county who will be coming to learn just what it is we are all about. We have at least a dozen new members from these events in the past who are today very active in the club. Don't miss this opportunity; members who have participated in the past have thoroughly enjoyed the day. It's your chance to pass along what you have learned. Please volunteer to help out.
Snacks and drinks will be provided, but bring a sack lunch. Bring your tying gear, and the rods you want to practice with. We will have plenty of room to throw a few hundred feet of line. If we are lucky, we can throw a few hookless flies in the pond just to tease some of the biggest bass and bluegill in the county.
Directions: take Graham Hill Road to East Zayante Road and travel just about a mile until you reach Quail Hollow Road. About 1/2 a mile up you will ranch entrance on the right. Can't miss it. For more information about this event, give Tom Hogye a call at 336-1148, or drop him an email at tomh@uniteddatatech.com. See you there.

This fishout is a great way to celebrate the trout season opener on April 24th and 25th.
These are the essentials:
1) Float tube or lightweight pontoon.
2) A means of transporting the above to the reservoir; either carry straps for the float tube or a wheeled cart of some type to haul in the pontoon. It's a good 1/2 to 3/4 mile hike from the parking lot to the reservoir with a couple of hills in between to test your fitness.
3) A way to safely lock up your cart at the launch site (I had mine "borrowed" last year and luckily left back in the parking lot). I will go into more detail if you call me.
6) A 5-weight rod is plenty. Both floating and sink tip line. I bring along 2-3 different lengths of lead core to search various depths.
8) Flies - both dry and wet: 14-18 size elk hair caddis; same for gnats and mosquito patterns; beadhead wooly buggers in olive or black same sizes as above. I am also going to play around with Betty Rentz's Lowberg and Hornberg patterns. Just bring any flies that you usually use on a still water fishery!
9) Wear a coastguard approved floatation device.
10) Wear a hat, polarized sunglasses and lots of sunscreen/lip balm.
11) And don't forget the following: drinking water; lunch; two-way radio if you have one.

I will gladly arrange for a meeting place the morning of the trip. The drive from Santa Cruz to the Reservoir takes about 1 1/2 hours. Oh, and one other thing...take it from me and crimp your hooks. The fish and game warden while friendly, has a job to do.
Recently, I was able to locate a combination RV Park and Campground right on Carmel Valley Road, about 15-20 minutes below Los Padres Reservoir. The name of the place is Saddle Mountain RV Park and Campground (831-624-1617) website is: www.saddlemountaincamping.com. Rates for tent sites are $30 per night, double occupancy, each additional camper is $5. RV rates are $45.00 per night, double occupancy - that includes full hook-up. Pets on leashes are ok but a call to the campgrounds concerning pets would be useful. You can be there for the entire weekend or just Sat. or Sun.
www.saddlemountaincamping.comThere is a fly shop on the way: Central Coast Fly Fishing, 7172 Carmel Valley Road, (831-626-6586) I already have about 6 members for this trip. I can accomodate 4 more people. Please call/email me if you are interested. Tim Loomis (831-426-4683) surfcoop@sbcglobal.net.

There are no more spaces available at the Trout Creek Flies Lodge, but if you decide you want to take a chance on getting reservations at another location near the river, you can call Flaming Gorge Lodge, at (435) 889-3773, or try Red Canyon Lodge, at (435) 889-3759. You might get lucky, but call as soon as you can, as accommodations in the area book quite awhile ahead of time, and are usually full this time of year.

The damsel fishout for June 25th-28th is slated as a fishing event for women only. In order to plan the lodging, I need to ask those female club members who are interested in attending this trip to please contact me. At best, I think the cost will be about $30 per person. The cost will be the same for those persons who come up for 1 night or for 3. The Arnold area offers float tubing at Lake Alpine, Spicer Reservoir and Kinney Lake (if open) and stream fishing on the Stanislaus R. Please contact me soon if you think you can attend this fishing trip. Thanks!

Two weeks this year: September 18 - 25; and September 25 - October 2.
Location: Mammoth Lakes is on the eastern side of the Sierras, about a 6 - 7 hour drive from Santa Cruz. There are many places to do stream or lake fishing in this area. We will be staying at the Fireside Condominiums in the town of Mammoth Lakes. There will be two units for each of the two weeks. Each unit will accommodate 8-9 people. The complex has a Jacuzzi and an indoor heated pool.
Cost: $200 per person. This covers seven nights of lodging at the condos, and three meals a day. You can sign up for either week at $200, or both weeks at $400 per person.
Duties: Each person will be in a group that will be assigned a "Kitchen Day."
Sign-ups: John Cook will take calls at 688-1561 starting at 7 PM on May 12th, and not before. Please leave your name, phone number, and which week you would like to reserve, or if you wish to reserve both weeks. Note: you may call in for yourself and one other person.
There are only 16 spots available each week, and they will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. To hold your spot, we must receive your $200 or $400 check before the June 3rd club meeting. Mail your check, made out to John Cook, to same at 215 Treasure Island Avenue, Aptos, CA 95003. The money is non-refundable.
We will maintain a waiting list for both weeks, and if by the June 3rd club meeting there are still spots available, we will notify you at the meeting, or by phone. The $200 or $400 cost will then have to be paid on or before July 1st, the final close off date.

Note: Any remaining funds left over from the fishout will be applied to the club's annual dinner income.

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