The Hi-Desert Fly Fishers Annual “Spark of Love” Christmas gathering will be held on Tuesday, December 12, 2022, 7:00pm to 9:00pm at the Apple Valley Fire Protection District Station #336. Please see flyer below for address and pertinent information

This will be the last general club membership meeting for the Hi-Desert Fly Fishers in 2023. Bring the family and enjoy the festivities. Let’s make this the best “Spark of Love” toy drive ever!

The Hi-Desert Fly Fishers are headed back to Pyramid Lake in Sutcliffe Neveda, home of the giant Lahontan Cutthroat Trout! This will be a two-day guided trip hosted by Joe Contaldi, Owner/Operator of Pyramid Lake Anglers Guide Service.

www.pyramidlakeanglers.com/

Trip Contacts:

Trip Planner: Jim Ower – [email protected] – Hi-Desert Fly Fishers

Trip Organizer: Rodney Romero – [email protected] – Hi-Desert Fly Fishers

The format will be exactly the same as it was for our last trip. I will be the trip planner and will keep this site updated on a daily basis or as needed to answer any questions you may have regarding lodging, licenses, etc., I will also maintain an email list of participants once fly fishers start signing up and will send emails as needed. I suggest checking the Hi-Desert Fly Fishers website at www.hidesertflyfishers.com. Once you open the website, click on the ‘EVENT‘ tab, and you’ll go directly to the Pyramid Lake – 2024 trip page. As you scroll through the pages, you’ll see any and all updates regarding the trip dated and posted by me. (jwo-11-22-2023)

General Trip Information:

1. Pyramid Lake Anglers Guide Service will be our service provider.
2. This is a two-day guided trip with 8 hours fishing each day.
3. Friday, March 8th & Saturday, March 9th, 2024
4. Each angler has access to a state-of-the-art custom fishing ladder.
5. Each angler has access to (2) 8wt outfits, one for fishing an indicator and 0ne with a fast-sinking line for retrieving.
6. All leaders, tippet and custom flies are included. (or) you can bring your own gear if you like.
7. We will be on the water at 6:00am sharp for 8 hours.
8. Breakfast is included at 8:00am and lunch is included at 11:30am-12:00pm
9. Cold non-alcoholic beverages are also included

Fly Fisher Participation Required:

• We need a minimum of 8 anglers to make the trip and a maximum of 20.

Pyramid Lake Trip Cost:

1. $250.00 per day – per angler + transportation, lodging, etc.
2. The Hi-Desert Fly Fishers is requiring a $250.00 deposit for this outing.

Registration:

If you’re interested in making this trip, please contact Jim Ower or Rodney Romero ASAP. We will start putting the list together effective today, and will post the names as they are received, please note, membership in the Hi-Desert Fly Fishers is NOT a requirement to participate this event. When you submit your name, please include the following information:

1. Full Name
2. cell phone number
3. email address
4. Are you a left (LH) or Right (RH) angler. (jwo-11-22-2024)

HDFF Volunteers Needed to assist in staffing the Hi-Desert Fly Fishers booth at the DAV Chapter 12 facility located at, 2501 Pacific Street, San Bernardino, CA 92404

The event begins at 9:00am and ends at 12:00pm. Volunteers should plan on arriving at 7:00pm to assist with organizing and setting up the booth. If you can volunteer to assist with this event, please contact Jim Ower at 760-780-7216 or email at [email protected] and I will put you on the list. Your assistance would be greatly appreciated if you have the time.

Tuesday, November 14, 2023, 7:00pm-9:00pm

Our guest speaker this month is Ernie Gulley, owner/operator of Ernie Gulley Guide Service. This is one meeting you don’t want to miss. Our meetings are always open to the general public so if you think you might be interested in fly fishing, please feel free to join us on Tuesday evening we would love to meet you. The location is listed on the flyer below and we park on the east side of the fire station next to the Founders Room. Hope to see you there!

The 9th Annual Owens River Clean Up held on Saturday, November 4, 2023, was a huge success. A big thanks to all of the good-hearted volunteers who travel near and far to participate in this event to help clean up Bishops blue-ribbon moving water fishery. The Hi-Desert Fly Fishers was well represented. According to Paul Sinclaire, past HDFF president a good time was had by all. Paul also said they even found the time to get in some fishing after the work was done!

Chris Leonard, organizer and well-known Bishop fly fishing guide anticipates the 10th Annual Owens River Clean Up will take place next year right around the same time frame. Additional details will be sent out via the usual social media channels once a confirmed date is established. Thanks again everyone for a job well done!

November 14, 2023 – 7:00-9:00pm – Founders Room – APVD Fire Station #336

The Hi-Desert Fly Fishers will be hosting its November meeting on Tuesday night, November 14, 2023. Our guest speaker will be Ernie Gulley, owner/operator of ‘ERNIE GULLEY, Guide Service”. Please see flyer below. You won’t want to miss this meeting for sure!

November is also the kickoff month for the annual “Spark of Love” Christmas toy drive for children. It’s not too soon be thinking about donating a new, unwrapped toy for a boy or girl. The toy drive will be discussed further at the November meeting.

See you all at the meeting.

On September 10th through September 14 members of the H-Desert Fly Fishers4Vets and members of the DAV Chapter 12 gathered together at the Convict Lake Resort for a week of fishing adventures and nightly dinners served family style where we sat around the table and shared each other’s conversation and camaraderie as we discussed each day’s activities. Listed below are some of the adventures the group participated in during our trip.

1. Big Pine California “Glacier Lodge” fly casting class and on the water fly fishing instruction provided by guides Richard and Tom, from Sierra Bright Dot Guide Service. Thank you, Fred Rowe, Tom and Richard, for an amazing fly-fishing experience.
2. The group had the opportunity to participate in “Tuesday Fly Fishing Talk” with Fred Rowe and members of his staff and the local community. This a well-publicized event Fred Rowe conducts each Tuesday at the Mahogany Meats & Deli in Bishop, CA. Great food and up to date fly fishing information and conversation.
3. A trip to Mono counties “Hot Creek” our own John Aydelotte.
4. Fun casual fishing trips around Convict Lake both on the shore and from a pontoon boat.
5. The group even got in a couple of nice hikes to the earthquake fault at Devils Post Pile and around thew Convict Lake Loop.
6. The trip was extremely education as classes were conducted each day and evening to include knot tying, entomology and most importantly the importance of conservation and the need to care for and preserve our environment and local fisheries across America.
7. Educational trip to Laws Museum, Bishop California.

These trips would not be possible without the sponsorship of Convict Lake Resort who provides the amazing 34-person cabin and a pontoon boat for the week for our veterans. In itself this is a donation valued at thirteen thousand dollars. We can’t forget about our other sponsors and donors, Bryan Balarski, Allen Seymour and Rocky Pacini. On behalf of all of us here at the Hi-Desert Fly Fishers, Apple Valley, CA and DAV Chapter-12, San Bernardino, we thank you all for making these trips possible for our veterans.

Tuesday – October 10, 2023 – 7pm-9pm

Our next general HDFF club membership meeting will be held on Tuesday, October 10, 2023, beginning at 7:00pm. Our guest speaker this month will be Jacob Gorman, Fly Fishing Manage, Orvis Fly Fishing, 345 South Lake Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91101. http://www.orvis.com/pasadena.

Jacob has been a guest speaker at our meetings for several years and has always provided a wealth of information regarding Orvis fly fishing products, educational programs currently being provide at the Orvis Pasadena retail store, and he’s always been known to share the latest and greatest information regarding our favorite fly-fishing locations.

The Hi-Desert Fly Fishers meetings are open to the general public and were always looking for new members. If you think you might be interested in joining our club or just want to see what fly fishing is about, please mark your calendar and join us on Tuesday evening, October 10, 2023. We meet at the Apple Valley District Fire Station #336, 19235 Yucca Loma Road, Apple Valley, CA. (Founders Room)

September 10, 21 & October 7th.

Good morning Hi-Desert Fly Fishers,

I hope everyone has been enjoying the summer break and most importantly, you have had the time to get some fishing in. I want to apologize for the lack of communication since we went on summer break. My wife is currently undergoing chemotherapy and things have been pretty hectic around the house these past few months. I’m in a better position now to get back to club business. Thank you all for your patience.

Annual Convict Lake HDFF/Veterans Fly Fishing Trip – September 10th-15th 2023:

Our annual Convict Lake trip is just around the corner. Rocky and John have scheduled a mandatory group meeting of all HDFF club members and Veterans who plan on attending this year. I apologize for the short notice. The meeting will take place at our normal meeting location in the Founders Room. The meeting will start promptly at 6:00pm and should be a relatively short meeting.

Space is limited so we need to determine the head count of those who are planning to make the trip to Convict Lake. John has additional information and will discuss all the pertinent details at the meeting on Tuesday evening.

Once again I apologize for the short notice regarding this very important meeting!

Thank you,

Jim Ower
Secretary, Hi-Desert Fly Fishers
(760) 780-7216
[email protected]