- Last Updated: 06 September 2018 06 September 2018
BEGINNERS AND BEYOND
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Ken Bowyer provides one on one stream side fly fishing instruction to PPTU members. Participants must show commitment by having waders or hippers, a rod and reel outfit, and leader. Discussions will include equipment, knots, casting, flies, dry fly and nymphing techniques, entomology, reading water, conservation, etc. at nearby streams. Instruction will be tailored to individual needs. Members who have not made an Annual Supporting Contribution will be asked to contribute $20.
Contact Ken at 301-627-7154 or e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
2017 Mentor Program Report
In 2017, 5 members listed in the table below were tutored at Morgan Run or the Gunpowder. First timers received a copy of the Maryland section of the now defunct Mid Atlantic Fly Fishing Guide and a 4 page summary on entomology. This introductory material provided the newcomer with an idea of what flies to use at any given time and general information on identifying insect types. Knot tying was discussed showing two basic knots; the surgeons knot (and surgeons loop) for tying or connecting tippet to leader and leader to line and the improved clinch knot for tying flies to tippet. Different types of leader (the standard 7.5´ 3x nylon tapered leader as described by Jay Sheppard in A Simple Trout Leader System, the Orvis braided leader, the Furled Leader, and the Airflo PolyLeader) were discussed to show them alternative setups. For those with their leader connected to the fly line with a nail knot or to a nylon butt section with a loop, the Cortland braided loop was shown as an alternative for line to leader loop to loop connections. Tippet size was also briefly discussed using the general rule of hook size divided by 3. Thus, 4x tippet is used with size 12 flies while 6x tippet is used with size 18 flies. A brief time was spent on the stream turning over rocks to show some insect life in its early stages. For those with no casting experience, basic casting techniques were shown. On the stream, casting variations including the sidearm cast and the roll cast were demonstrated to avoid overhanging trees and brush behind you. Basic short line nymphing techniques with a strike indicator and/or dry fly fishing techniques were demonstrated. Line mending was demonstrated to insure drag free fly presentation. A combination rig was also demonstrated and/or discussed using a dry fly such as an elk hair caddis or royal wulff along with a bead head nymph. The bead head nymph is attached as a dropper fly on about an 18" to 24" piece of tippet tied to the bend of the dry fly hook using the improved clinch knot. With this setup, the dry fly acts as a strike indicator to detect when a fish takes the bead head nymph. Two dry flies, two nymphs, and a streamer with a dropper nymph combination were also mentioned along with the advantages and disadvantages of these combination rigs.
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Member
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Dates
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Streams
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Fish Landed
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Fish On
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Insects Observed
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Eric Palmer
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1/25/17
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Gunpowder
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1
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1
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Brown stoneflies
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John Jordon
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2/8/17
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Gunpowder
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Brown stoneflies
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Marci LeFevre
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5/15/17
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Gunpowder
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1
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a few sulphurs
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John Jordon
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6/22/17
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Gunpowder
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Ants
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Mike Degnan
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8/20/17
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Gunpowder
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1
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1
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Ants
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John Jordon
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9/1/17
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Gunpowder
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1
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Ants
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Motti Tadmor
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10/12/17
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Gunpowder
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few bugs
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Motti Tadmor
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10/26/17
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Morgan Run
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7
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7
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few bugs
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Mentor Program Photo Album
The following photos were taken over the past few years during some of the mentoring sessions.
 Mike Degnan's first trout at the Gunpowder |
 Motti Tadmor & Ken Bowyer at the Gunpowder |
 Motti Tadmor at Morgan Run |
 Jill Dorosz at Morgan Run |
 George Opryszko at Morgan Run |
 Shawn Thomas at the Little Patuxent |
 David Bernstein at Morgan Run |
 Josh Loh at Morgan Run |
 Ian Gifford at Big Hunting Creek |
 Len Carey at Morgan Run |
 Walt Daku at Morgan Run |
 Randy Dwyer at Morgan Run |
 Chuq Yang at Morgan Run |
 Dave Simms at Morgan Run |
 Barry Veret at Morgan Run |
 Nicole LeBoeuf at Big Hunting Creek |
 Sonny Bell at Big Hunting Creek |
 Karli Lawrence at Morgan Run |
 Tom Crabill at Morgan Run |
 Adam Rice at Morgan Run |
 Cliff Rice at Morgan Run |
 Large Stonefly at Big Hunting Creek |
 Yellow Stonefly at Big Hunting Creek |
 Lou Reichel at Morgan Run |
 Ron Beloff at Morgan Run |
 Henderickson? at Morgan Run |
 Black Caddis at Morgan Run |
 Rodger Johnson at Morgan Run |
 Desmond Butler at Morgan Run |
 Marshal Cowan at Morgan Run |
 Bernie Werwinski at Morgan Run |
 Wayne van Rooyen at the Gunpowder |
 Angelo Rivera at Big Hunting Creek |
 Barry Hedden at Big Hunting Creek |
 Alan Burrows at Morgan Run |
 Bob Kaiser at the Middle Patuxent |
 Gerald Elgert at Morgan Run |
 Steve Graves at the PhD Pool on the Savage River |
 Steve Fletcher at Big Hunting Creek |
 Steve Shauer at Morgan Run |
 Mike Doyle at Morgan Run |
 Charlie Moseley at Morgan Run |
 Sandy Serafin at Morgan Run |
 Todd Carver at Morgan Run |
 Patrick Masler at the Casselman |
 Jewel Barlow at the Gunpowder |
 Nick Weber at the Gunpowder |
 Jerry Gessner at the Gunpowder |