FFF Bozeman Conclave

[Rocketroy]

Since this long running event is about fly tying {or is it tieing?}........casting,learning,socializing,commu nicating,etc.,with the like minded,here,s my promised report on this second annual conclave in Bozeman, Mt., that I have attended.......last years event being in Livingston,Mt.,both towns being on or very close to the Yellowstone River and the park,by the same name. My plan was to arrive early,fish the Bighorn a day or two,make the conclave,where I was registered for casting tune-up instruction......compete and win the open{amatuer} class accuracy challenge,and hit several local waters,around the seminars,casting prelims.,and lots of Moose Drool Beer,so necessary to staying hydrated in the over 100 degree mid-to-early afternoon temps! Well,after meeting up with Mac Brown{author of "Casting Angles"} on the last air leg into Billings,and after booking a self guided float boat,we were off to the Bighorn water,that Sat.afternoon...........and being trout junkies,HAD to stop off at three mile access,about 4:00 that afternoon,for a little wading,on this world famous tailwater,located on the Crow indian Reservation. Well,it took about three hours of baking sun,under VERY low water conditions,for the three of us,{ Frank Wetherbee of Albany, Ga. was the third junkie} to decide,that higher elevation water was attractive......then wisely deciding to shorten the next morning,s float to be off the water,before noon! The afternoons wading and the morning float,of 3 hrs.produced fish {all rainbows.....one Brown,mostly on soft hackles,hoppers,and scuds/bead head pt .........none of size!} { all were typical 14-16 in. Bighorn wiseguys,many trailing nose jewelry........a testimonial to their past mistakes!} So, after a decent 1/2 days outing,,which produced many takes and approx, 13 landed,we drove the several hundred miles to Bozeman! Moose Drool,casting on the soccer field,check-in registration,and renewing FFF contacts pretty much concluded the second day! The conclave was ably executed on the Bozeman high school campus,offering classrooms,ample well groomed lawns,some needed shade trees,and a soccer field set up with practice and course designations,
including a 90 ft.shallow water casting pool......so necessary for teaching roll casts and other water load moves. I can not over emphasize the generous knowledge,that is graciously shared by the many local and foreign casters,in attendace at this event..........you only have to engage them,blow a few casts,and they are free with their corrective observations! My on personal schedule, involved a 25 minute drive almost each early morning, up into the Gallatin National forest to fish the hiylite canyon and the Hiylite creek.......about the size of Dukes {20-30 ft.},only a steeper gradient,with PLENTY of 8-12 in.eager Rainbows...........I averaged 3-4 fish per hour landed,with many more misses,in the rolling waters! I was even rewarded one morning,with a tentwing caddis hatch,in size 12........perfect fit for a post pattern light bodied stimulator! Did try a BH dropper one day,looking for a larger hook-up,.........result,another 10 in. R/B! Course my sights were on repeating this year,in the accuracy event,on grass,so when the heat kicked in about 11:00 ea. day,I was off to the soccer field,to practice and qualify,for the finals on Sat.@ the conclusion of the Conclave! To shorten up this report a bit, I will end by sharing with you my proudest accomplishment...........Not in the Sat.afternoon finals{ HOT AND WINDY}, and won by me,but in the early morning qualifing rounds,{my best time of day}..........I was able to score within 100 points of two out of three of the top three scoring pros! One being Clay Roberts,of Divide,Co. winner over Steve Rajeff recently,and capable of 115 ft. casts,as well as Jeff Wagner,not only accurate,but throws a 5 wt. over 120 ft.! Both personal friends now,after my participation in several other contests,including last years and this years 41 st. annual FFF conclave For those that believe in casting as a sport,I urge you to enter any contest you hear about and enjoy the growth of your techniques,,,,,,,on the cheap........with folks like Charles Jardine,Paul Arden,Mel Kreiger,Clay Roberts,Steve Rajeff,Bruce Richards,on & on,to point the way! As I am into my 75th year,this sport continues to fascinate and challenge me,on many levels............not he least of which, now is the 100 ft. cast........ my best so far is 96 ft.,with the conclave best being 92 ft. To my embarrassment,I was bested in practice by the womans division winner,@ 97 ft. Course,she is Sandi Roberts,wife of Clay!{coach} Well, folks,thats about it.........wanna hear and see more? I will be folding into the NGTO fall fling contest,some of the rules/target layouts ,that I experienced this conclave! All FREE,AND FUN!............ Ya,ll Come, ya heer! Regards,Rocketroy

[Rocketroy]

OOPS! Forgot the Conclave pay off! A plaque by the Federation of Fly Fishers {FFF} and a 9 ft.4 piece Orvis power matrix mid-flex rod/tube,which will be offered up for auction at this next years Foothills TU "Hoot On The Hooch" annual event! Everybody wins this way! Regards,Rocketroy

[THE EG]

Originally Posted by rocketroy

To shorten up this report a bit, I will end by sharing with you my proudest accomplishment...........Not in the Sat.afternoon finals{ HOT AND WINDY}, and won by me,but in the early morning qualifing rounds,{my best time of day}..........I was able to score within 100 points of two out of three of the top three scoring pros! One being Clay Roberts,of Divide,Co. winner over Steve Rajeff recently,and capable of 115 ft. casts,as well as Jeff Wagner,not only accurate,but throws a 5 wt. over 120 ft.!

Congrats on yet another win, Rocketroy! You're abilities make our whole region look good.

Although I sometimes get the feeling that the folks out west and up north tend to overlook, underestimate and sometimes outright dismiss the southeastern flyfishers, I still think some of the folks in these parts (TN, NC, SC and GA) are some of the very best fly casters (I'm not one of them) in the country simply because of what they have to deal with day in and day out on the southern mountain streams.