Bayley Lake Project
WDFW has put a hold on volunteer projects due to COVID-19 so we will not be putting down gravel at Amber Lake or fin clipping at the hatchery.
The Bayley Lake spawning channel cleanup is still on for September 26. As usual I am looking for five members with boats and five members who want to get involved with a club project to team up with them.
After the channel cleanup we will fish Bayley. The club buys breakfast at Zips in Chewelah. Not sure what the rules are due to COVID-19 but I think we can figure out a way to get fed breakfast.
Big Horn Show Cancelled
As usual, planning and volunteering was in place and Jim Athearn had the Big Horn
Show program well under control. Unfortunately, the corona virus has caused a cancellation of the show.
We want to thank all those who signed up to tie and a special thanks to Jim for all the
work he put into the coordination of the IEFFC effort.
We are set for next year and fully expect a return of this great show.
Those signed up to tie flies included Jon Bowne, Lee Funkhouser, Jerry McBride,
Bruce Morgan, Dan Lobb, Bob Schmitt, Walt Balek, Stephen Aspinwall, Lowell
Tveit, Bill Papesh, Phil Beck, Bo Brand, Bryan Harman, Skip Cavanaugh, Jake
Nelson, David Lohman and Bob Burton. Included in our contribution to the show,
Leon Buckles was scheduled to do special presentations of “Fly Fishing 101 and Beyond” in daily seminars. Thanks to all of you and hoping you will move your commitment to the 2021 Big Horn Show.
Kid’s Fishing 2020
Mark your Calendars!
Kids fishing 2020 will take place on Saturday May 2nd with the Ronald McDonald house Kids fishing
to take place on Friday the 1st of May.
Floyd will have two sign up sheets (one for each event) on the tables at the March and April meeting.
The volunteers for the Ronald McDonald house kids fishing should show up by no later than 1:30 pm
as the bus will leave for the lake about 2:00 pm. We’ll leave the lake around 5:00 pm. If you’d rather, you can
meet us at the lake.
The volunteers for the kids fishing event on Sat May 2nd should show up between 7 and 7:30 am so Randy can
explain what is to take place for the day. While there, be sure to sign in one the sign in sheet so the DFW can credit your volunteer hours. The sing up sheet will be with the lady that is checking in the kids.
There will be rod building on Wednesday April 8th from 6:00 pm lasting until about 9:00 pm. Rod building is
typically at the Wildlife Council building on N. Market Street.
Whether you sign up or not please pass the sheets around the tables and make sure that I get them back.
We’ll have more details at the meetings and in next month’s Flyleaf, but if you want information quicker contact
Floyd Holmes directly.
Conservation Activity Plan For 2020
Your committee has a busy 2020 planned, and there’s lots of volunteer opportunity, which are also great opportunities to expand your circle of club friends!
In partnership with Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife:
One additional sign at Medical Lake that would include a frame. WDFW Region 1 is in favor of the
project and it needs approval by the Town of Medical Lake. The IEFFC board has to approve this project. If this project goes ahead we will need volunteers to help build the frame for the sign, install the sign in the frame and plant the sign in the ground out at the Medical Lake City Park.
Fin Clipping – Scheduled for September 28 and 29, 2020. We will need seven volunteers each day.
Bayley Lake
Amber Lake boat launch – Spread and compact an additional 12 yards of 5/8” minus crushed rock. Project is favored by WDFW. IEFFC board must approve this project. If this project goes ahead we will need four volunteers to spread and compact the crushed rock. Tentatively scheduled for April 13, 2020.
In partnership with the Little Pend Oreille Wildlife Refuge:
Clean out spawning channel and restore spawning bed gravel at Bayley Lake. Scheduled for September 26, 2020. We need eight volunteers. Usually four members bring their boats and after the work is done we go fishing.
Other
North Idaho Fly Casters may have a project that we could help out on. No details at this point, but most likely we would be asked to help out on a tree planting project.
As usual, other projects may present themselves as the year progresses. Stay tuned or contact Jerry or Jim if you’re interested.
Grande Ronde River Land Purchase
On Tuesday, January 28, the Wild Steelhead Coalition signed the papers to purchase an 8-acre parcel on the lower Grande Ronde River
from Lynn “Radar” Miller, thus paving the way for this land to remain
open to the public forever. Located near several very popular steelhead
fishing spots, public access to the river through this property has been
allowed for many years due to an easement arrangement between Mr.
Miller and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
(WDFW). When Mr. Miller decided to sell his property, the Inland
Empire Fly Fishing Club (IEFFC) and the Wild Steelhead Coalition
(WSC) stepped in and worked out a deal whereby the WSC would purchase the land with charitable donations and then donate it to the
WDFW to manage and operate in perpetuity for public access.
Many IEFFC members made generous donations, as well as 13 regional clubs and organizations, and many members of the public. There
was wonderful regional support for this project which is so gratifying
since it will now remain available for everyone in the region and beyond to use. Josh Mills, WSC, was instrumental representing WSC throughout the process to insure its success. It would not have happened without him. I can’t thank Mark
Pinch enough for his guidance and hard work with the title company and others to keep us on track through a few real
estate “details” that he worked out for us. Of course, we were extremely lucky that the land owner, Radar Miller, was
more interested in seeing this property remain open to the public than turning the bigger profit he might have gotten if he
sold it to a private entity. 
Hanna Coles – Inaugural IEFFC Legacy Committee Scholarship Recipient
Hannah Coles was awarded the first IEFFC Legacy Committee Scholarship for the 2019-2020 Academic Year. The scholarship will be awarded annually to a worthy EWU student enrolled in the fisheries program. Below we have a response from Hannah.
To IEFFC: I am honored to have received the IEFFC Legacy Scholarship as it
Hannah Coles EWU
has helped pay for tuition
costs such as fees for my biology classes so that I am able to utilize resources for learning and research in my
classes. I was born in Anaconda, MT, moved to Spokane when I was 5-years-old, and have been here ever
since. I will be graduating from Eastern Washington University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology with an emphasis in Fisheries this coming Spring.
I have been working in the Fisheries Research Center at EWU under Dr.
Paul Spruell and Dr. Allan T Scholz. I am the student president of the
eastern Washington sub-unit of the American Fisheries Society WA-BC
Chapter. I am planning on attending graduate school to pursue a Master’s
Degree in Biology either at EWU or WSU. I worked for the Kalispel
Tribe Natural Resources Department this past summer as a Fisheries
Technician II on the removal of Brook Trout in Sullivan Creek in Pend
Oreille County WA. to help the native Westslope Cutthroat Trout populations. I hope to one day work as a bio-statistician, fish biologist, in resource management, or other similar positions in the Pacific NW for a
local tribe or state government. I hope work with others to preserve, conserve, and restore our fish populations so there are stable and thriving
populations for present and future generations to experience the sport of
fishing just as we have.
Boy Scout Merit Badge Class
The IEFFC taught fly tying and the Spokane Fly Fishers (SFF) taught fly casting to 15 scouts at the Scout Store on a recent Saturday. All of the scouts got two hour’s instruction on fly tying and two hours on fly casting.
IEFFC members Jerry Harms, Jerry McBride, Bruce Morgan and Bob Schmitt taught the fly tying course. When the scouts finished they had successfully tied a wet fly (Halloween Wooly Bugger) and a dry fly (Renegade) that met their Fly Fishing Merit Badge requirement.
SFF President Paul Olsen and dual IEFFC/SFF member Jon Bowne taught the fly casting course. All 15 scouts successfully passed the Fly Fishing Merit Badge requirement to cast 30 feet with an overhead cast and a roll cast.
Scout Master Bob Beer asked the scouts if they enjoyed the courses and they gave him a resounding YES!
Fin Clipping – Fall 2019
Again this year the IEFFC joined other groups at the WDFW Spokane fish hatchery to clip adipose fins from fish that will be planted in Lake Spokane. About 56,000 female triploid three to four inch rainbows raised by Trout Lodge Hatchery were processed over two days.
On Monday, September 23 the following IEFFC members clipped fins: John Bennett, John Bowne, Bob Harley, Keith Kuester, Dan Lobb, Bill Papesh, and Jerry McBride.
On Tuesday, September 24 the following IEFFC members clipped fins: Jim Athearn, Guy Gregory, Floyd Holmes, Jake Nelson, Dick Ralston, and John Ralston.
WDFW provided goodies for the morning break and lunch for all participants.
Thank you all that helped out.
Bayley Lake Spawning Channel
On Saturday, September 21 a crew of nine from the IEFFC went up and performed our annual spawning channel cleanup. The purpose of the cleanup is to enable fish from Bayley Lake to spawn during spring runoff and then return to the lake to live another year.
We met at Zips in Chewelah for breakfast and then proceeded to the lake. As he has done for many years Bill Papesh led the way down the channel wielding his trimmer “from hell” mowing down grass, brush and tree limbs that were in his path. The loose material was raked up and deposited out of the channel and then new gravel was put down on the spawning beds. This year we had two young guys on our crew that really gave us old guys a boost. New IEFFC member Reid Ashley brought his friend Sam Edmunster along.
After we got done with the work we went fishing. The lake had a heavy algae bloom so unfortunately the fishing was not very good. But, it was a truly beautiful day, the lunch that Bob Schmitt made for us was very tasty and hopefully we made fishing at Bayley next year a little better.
Back Row L to R: Jerry McBride, John Bennett, Chet Allison, Reid Ashley, Sam Edmunster, Scott Fink and Bob Schmitt
Front Row L to R: Jim Athearn and Bill Papesh