New Chapter Web Site

Visit the chapter's newly revised Web site, now online at www.midmotu.org.   Send your comments and suggestions to Jim Washabaugh.

Thanks Jim!

September Chapter Business

• Dr. Bob Sites, MU Department of Entomology, met with the TU Board at the September meeting to explore a possible collaborative project involving sampling insects on a Missouri trout stream.  Mike Kruse and Bill Lamberson were appointed to follow-up with Dr. Sites.

• “Kids Trout Outing” at Bethel Park has been scheduled for Sunday, November 6^th, the first Sunday after the fall trout stocking.

• Board elections are just around the corner.  Recommendations in October for a vote in November.  Please volunteer or send your nominations to Jon Deal, Mike Kruse or Bill Lamberson.

• John Wenzlick and Curt Morgret attended the Trout Unlimited Annual Meeting in Denver, Colorado, September 7^th -11^th.  They will report at the October chapter meeting.

- Bryan Chilcutt - Secretary

MEETING News

September 6:  Mayfly Life History, Ely Kosnicki, MU Department of Entomology, gave a presentation on the life history of Mayflies.  See the related article below.

October 4:  What’s New for 2006, Jon Deal will report on new equipment for fly fishers from his visit to the Denver Fly Fishing Show.

Ely Kosnicki describes the life cycle of a mayfly

at the September MMTU meeting

Mayfly Life History

Ely Kosnicki, a graduate student in entomology in the MU Division of Plant Sciences, presented a program on the life history of mayflies, the favorite insect of most fly fishers.  He described types of mayflies, partitioned mostly by the type of habitat preferred by the nymphs.  He provided an overview of the life cycle: nymph, emergence to the sub imago (the adult dun of importance to fly fishers), molting of the sub imago to the sexually mature imago (the spinner), followed by mating flights and egg laying.  Ely related the stages of the insects to the types of flies used to imitate them.  He noted the short life span of the adults and described the absence or vestigial mouthparts of the adults resulting in their inability to feed, but also noted that fossilized specimens of large adult mayflies had been found that were thought to be carnivorous based on their morphology.  Ely then went into greater depth describing the life history of the mayfly Siphlonurus typicus. This species inhabits temporary ponds.  It may be surprising to many of us that mayflies survive as an egg in an environment that dries up over the summer.

As part of his MS thesis research at the University of Connecticut he sampled Siphlonurus typicus nymphs from two temporary ponds located near the campus.  Ely described the relationships between nymph size and maturity.  He noted that larger adults emerged earlier in the year and the larger adults had greater fecundity.  He observed that these insects rested high in trees between emergence and mating flights.  The sites of ovipositing were directly on the ponds, as well as on pond inlets and outlets.  Dehydration tolerance of this species is remarkable.  Ely observed nymphs in the field survive up to one week without standing water, and in a laboratory experiment almost half the specimens survived for a whole day without standing water or sufficient cover.

Mating Mayflies

photograph by Ely Kosnicki

Trout Fishing Literature – Recommended by Bob Worley

I like fly fishing books.  I miss visiting with Bob Worley about them in the basement of Puckett’s.  He was a tremendous resource; not only was he knowledgeable of the books, but Bob also seemed to be able to accurately evaluate a customers interest and steer him/her to the right resources.  About five years ago Bob gave a presentation on fly fishing literature at a TU meeting and provided a list of recommended books.  I’ve been working through the list, collecting and reading.  All are good, some are real treasures.  In these days of ABE.com, most of these books can be easily located; it almost takes the fun out of the search.  Even so, sometimes I find a bargain, like the Derrydale edition of a Howard Walden title with the pages uncut. 

Bob’s list of authors for reading enjoyment:

Roderick Haig Brown (Seasons of the Angler is excellent)

Robert Traver

Ernest Schweibert

Dana Lamb (most flyfishing titles are hard to find)

Arnold Gingrich

Nick Lyons

Howard Walden

Norman MacLean

John McDonald

I would add Tom McGuane.  I’m not a big fan of McGuane’s novels, but his essays are my favorites.  I have probably read and reread his essay Sons more than any other piece of literature.  It is by itself in a slim little volume, and also included in the collection, Live Water, as well as in the anthology, Distant Waters.

When reading Harry Middleton’s The Earth is Enough, I am always reminded of my Dad and growing up on the farm in Nebraska.  Harry’s later books are increasingly dark.  If any of you have a copy of The Starlight Creek Angling Society, I could fix you up with a new bamboo rod in trade.

I have also really enjoyed Bob’s recommendations on trout fishing theory:

Vince Marinaro – A Modern Dry Fly Code

Datus Proper – What the Trout Said

John Atherton – The Fly and the Fish

Eugene Connett – My Friend the Trout

Gary LaFontaine – Caddisflies

Charles Fox – Rising Trout

         - This Wonderful World of Trout

Swisher and Richards – Selective Trout

Art Lee – Fishing Dry Flies on Rivers and Streams

Maybe I’ll leave you here with a little blank space and go do some reading.  We’ll finish the list another day.

- Bill Lamberson