December 28, 2025
THE PIKES PEAK FLYFISHERS
http://www.pikespeakflyfishers.com
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President's Hatch
A New Year, A Fresh Cast
January
brings a sense of renewal, both on the water and in our lives. As we
enter the New Year, it's a meaningful time to reflect on past
experiences, look forward to new adventures, and deepen the connections
and shared passion that make the Pikes Peak Fly Fishing Club such a
valued community. Whether your aim for 2026 is to discover new waters,
improve your casting technique, or simply spend more time in nature,
this year offers a fresh beginning and boundless possibilities.
2026 Membership Dues Now Due
A
gentle reminder: 2026 membership dues are now due. Renewing promptly
allows you to continue participating in club programs, events, trips,
and the warm camaraderie that defines PPF. Thank you for your ongoing
support, it truly keeps our community strong. If you are 65 years old
and been a member for 10 years or more you are exempt from paying dues.
EVERYONE IS REQUIRED TO SIGN THE WAIVER FORM EACH YEAR FOR LEGAL
REASONS, EVEN IF YOU ARE EXEMPT FROM PAYING DUES. The waiver forms will
be available at the meetings or can be printed from the website.
2025 Annual Banquet – Rescheduled
The
2025 Annual Banquet has been rescheduled to February 12 , 2026 at 5:00
PM at Biaggi's Restaurant. This cherished event remains a highlight of
the year, featuring excellent food, engaging conversation, and the
sharing of memorable fly-fishing stories. Additional details will follow
as the date approaches. If have any questions or changes to your
reservation please contact Lou Lathon (loulathon@comcast.net)
January Monthly Luncheon Reminder
Please
mark your calendar for our January Monthly Luncheon on January 14 at
Mollica's on Garden of the Gods. These gatherings provide a wonderful
opportunity to stay connected with fellow members, receive club updates,
and enjoy companionship during the quieter winter season.
2026 Annual Auction – Planning Underway
Planning
is well underway for the 2026 Annual Auction, set for April 11. We are
currently gathering donations and trip offers, and member contributions
are essential to the event's success. If you have items to donate or
ideas to share, your participation is sincerely appreciated.
2026 Officer Elections
At our January 5th meeting we will be voting on our 2026 club officers.
Currently our nominations are below
- President: Kevin Thomason
- Vice President: Dave Hoover
- Treasurer: Dennis Erenberger
- Secretary: Ed Buck
If
you would like to be part of the board as an officer or an at large
member and help with special projects, auction and other club events
please contact me, Kevin Thomason. We are always looking for new board
members to be the future of our club. We do have openings for a
Membership director that would be responsible for helping is track and
grow our membership.
The Peak Fly Shop
Open
Fly-Tying nights at the PEAK. If you want to learn new techniques,
share techniques and have some fun, make sure to add to your schedule
Wednesday, January 14th and Wednesday January 28 for the Open fly-tying nights. All levels of experience can participate.
Brad and Sherry at the Peak Fly Shop have some amazing seminars
scheduled for January and February. Check in with them on the details
and make sure to stop by on the Saturday dates for the seminars.
Closing Thoughts & A Challenge for the Year Ahead
As we move forward into the year, consider this reflection:
"Fly fishing is not an escape from life, but often a deeper immersion into it."
Our challenge for 2026 is straightforward yet profound: fish with
intention. Seek out new waters, experiment with different patterns,
share your knowledge generously with others, and take time to fully
appreciate each moment on the stream.
May the months ahead bring tight lines, smooth casts, and meaningful time spent outdoors. Tight lines.
Kevin Thomason
President
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January Luncheon Schedule
During
the winter months of January thru March, we want to make sure we
continue to get together and discuss our plans for 2026. Planned fishing
trips, success stories from 2025, the upcoming fly-fishing show in
February, gear upgrades and repairs, and many more fly-fishing topics
will be the agenda. Since meeting on a river can be sketchy, we are
continuing to have our luncheons at Mollica's on Garden of the Gods, the
2nd Wednesday of each month at 11:00 AM. The schedule will be
Wednesday, January 14th at 11:00 AM
Wednesday, February 11th at 11:00 AM
Wednesday, March 11th at 11:00 AM
Please add these dates to your schedules and look forward to seeing
everyone there. We will keep a close watch on the weather during the
winter months and if there is a few days of warmer weather or the
fishing reports show the fish are active we will try and schedule a trip
to Pueblo, Canon City or even the South Platte if conditions are good.
Keep an eye on your emails for the possible impromptu trip.
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Programs
January
5, 2026: Our own Justin, creator of the most realistic Crayfish fly
anywhere, will demonstrate this tie and talk about some of his fishing
adventures with it.
February 2, 2026: Ed LeViness, Ed's Fly Shop, Montrose, Colorado will present fly fishing on the western slope waters.
February
12, 2026: Brad and Sherry Tomlinson of The Peak Fly Shop will present
on fly fishing in Patagonia. This will show us some truly spectacular
country, water, and trout.
March 2, 2026: Some winners of auction trips in the 2025 auction will present and talk about their experiences.
Saturday, April 11, 2026: Auction
June 6, 2026: Picnic
July 6, 2026: Open
August 3, 2026: Erin Hale, Cord 3 Outfitters - Wyoming and Idaho
October 5, 2026: Open
November 5, 2026: Banquet
December 7, 2026: Open
Charlie Huff
Program Director
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Rod Building
Pikes
Peak Flyfishers will again have a rodbuilding class starting in January
(date TBA). The class will cover all aspects of building your very own
custom rod, and will run from 8-10 weeks depending mostly on weather.
The class will be limited to 6 people.
Registration
fee for the course will be $20.00, to help with the cost of
club-supplied tools and consumable items. The cost of building your rod
will be determined by the grade of components that you select. We will
send out more information to any members who express interest.
If you are interested, please contact Dave Hoover, trouthunterdave@gmail.com or Charlie Huff, chuff59@earthlink.net at the January meeting.
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Fly Tying
The
Saturday after Thanksgiving, I went to the Arkansas River while in
Salida visiting my father-in-law to fish my favorite stretch. My rod had
on two dry flies, which I figured would not entice many strikes, and in
fact attracted none. I next tied on a Gasolina perdigon with a Cat Toy
Caddis Larva (aka, green cheese burger) below and still could not get a
look. I then replaced the Caddis larva with a Lightspeed Leech and I
finally got a strike on the Gasolina and landed a small brown, but that
was the only one.
After moving to another run and again not having any luck, I remembered a
presentation I saw by Ken Iwamasa where he talked about the research he
did on baetis flies in the Arkansas River. So, I tied on two fly
patterns I had recently tied: Poison Tung and WD-40. I finally started
catching browns in the range of 12 to 16 inches on both flies (Poison
Tung on top and WD-40 as a dropper fly)! I even had a few bigger fish
on, but they were long-distanced released :)
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The
Poison Tung is a really simple fly to tie and is meant to imitate an
emerging midge, but as I found, works well as a baetis. I've tied them
on 18 to 24 size hooks, even though Charlie Craven recommends size
16-20. Here is the recipe:
- Hook: TMC 2487 or 2488 #16-20
- Bead: 2mm Silver Tungsten Bead
- Thread: Uni-thread, Gray
- Rib: Blue Lagartun or UTC Wire, Fine/SM
- Body: Uni-thread, Gray
- Head: Ice Dub, Uv Gray Or Lavender
I substituted Gun Metal Blue wire, small, and pearl UV Ice Dub for mine (these were the wire and Ice Dub I had).
- Start with adding the bead to the hook and then placing it into the vise.
- Secure the thread behind the bead and snip off the tag.
- Tie
in the wire; I usually slide the wire into the bead, making sure it
does not extend past the front of the bead. Wrap back to halfway down
the bend of the hook and back to the bead, keeping the body slim by
spinning the bobbin counterclockwise.
- Palmer wrap the wire forward, creating even segments, and secure behind the bead. Helicopter or cut the excess wire.
- Add a few strands of the Ice Dub to your thread and wrap behind the bead, ensuring you keep the head small.
- Whip finish.
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WD-40
The
WD-40 was created by Mark Engler (Duranglers guide) as an emerger
baetis. The WD-40 is also a fairly easy fly to tie if you remember one
thing: don't crowd the hook eye! Here is the recipe:
• Hook: TMC 2488 {#16}
• Wingcase: Same as Tail
• Abdomen: Tying Thread
• Tying Thread: Semperfli Nano Silk 12/0 {Grey}
• Thorax: Fine dry fly dubbing or rabbit {Greyish}
• Tail: Wood Duck or Mallard Flank dyed {Wood Duck}
I used mallard flank, UNI 8/0 thread in gray, brown, and olive, and
natural dubbing. I also have tied this down to a size 22 hook.
• Start the thread about a hook eye's length behind the hook eye and wrap back to about halfway down the bend of the hook.
• Tie in a bunch of the feathers (about 1/4 inch off the quill), keeping the tips even and about half a hook shank in length.
• Wrap forward over the butt ends to about the halfway point.
• Add a rather large dub ball in front of the feathers, again making sure you do not crowd the eye.
• Pull the butt ends over the top of the dub ball to create a wing
case and secure it in front of the dubbing. Snip the ends and make a few
wraps to cover the ends (do not crowd the hook eye).
• Build a small thread head just behind the hook eye and whip finish.
Here is Mark Engler demonstrating how to tie the WD-40: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1vBpv45qks
Fun Fact
The
name WD-40 for the brand of lubricant comes from Water Displacement,
40th formula. It was created in the 1950s. The WD in the WD-40 fly
stands for Wood Duck (no idea what the 40 means).
Happy tying!
Greg Walters
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Support our Sponsers!!
Special Shout Out to our most excellent sponsor
The Peak Fly Shop
5632 Academy Blvd Colorado Springs, CO 80918
(719) 260-1415
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