Saint Joseph River Valley Fly Fishers Club

Flash Fishing: Location & Time TBD
2020-07-30 16:00 - 20:00 UTC
We have tentatively scheduled a Flash Fishing event. Be on the look out for further updates

SJRVFF Smallmouth Float Trip Cancelled
2020-07-25
The outing scheduled for the 25th has been cancelled. There will be no smallmouth outing on the 25th.

Flash Fishing: Location & Time TBD
2020-07-13 16:00 - 20:00
SJRVFF is looking at hosting a Flash Fishing Event on Monday July 13th. Scheduling likely to change, so keep on the look out for updates.

Flash Fishing: July 1st @ Bobbi Labar's Farm
2020-07-01 18:00 - 20:00
For those in the area, there will be a flash fishing event on July 1st at Bobbi Labar’s Farm beginning at around pm, See you there!
Directions
July 1st – Flash Fishing at Bobbi Labar’s farm – 6PM EDT – To get to the Labar farm, take either M-60 or M-62 to Cassopolis, MI. Then take Okeefe Rd north out of town to Engle St. (approx. 3.5 miles). Turn left on Engle St. Labar’s farm is about 1/2 mile west of Okeefe Rd. The address is 23683 Engle St. Cassopolis, MI.

Flash Fishing: Dowagiac Creek (Dick Hull's)
2020-06-17 18:00 - 20:00
There will be a Flash Fishing Event on Wednesday June 17th. The event will be held on the Dowagiac Creek in front of Dick Hull’s place on Griffis Rd at 6PM.
Directions: From Cassopolis MI. take Okeefe Rd north to Kelsey Lake St. then west to Griffis Rd then north to where it crosses over the Dowagiac Creek.
Fish On!

Flash Fishing: Canceled Due to High Water
2020-06-02 16:00 - 20:00
The flash fishing event scheduled for Tuesday, June 2nd has been canceled. The board made the decision based off of concerns of high water levels. We hope to get on the water soon. Be on the look out for future outings.

February General Meeting: John Gouker
2020-02-19 18:30 - 20:30 | Juday Creek Golf Course, 14770 Lindy Drive, Granger, 46530, United States
John Gouker will be February’s guess speaker. The title of his presentation is “Our Rivers, Our Fish”.

January General Meeting: John Ray
2020-01-15 18:30 - 20:30 | Juday Creek Golf Course, 14770 Lindy Drive, Granger, 46530, United States
This month we have John Ray as our guess speaker. John will be giving a presentation on Big Fish strategies.
Captain Jon Ray has been fly-fishing since the age of 15 and has guided fly
anglers in Michigan and Colorado for the last two decades. Jon’s first love is
chasing large resident trout with streamers & dry flies. The Upper & Lower
Manistee , the Betsie and the Pere Marquette are among his favorite rivers.
Jon has fly fished around the world including Argentina, Belize, Alaska, and
New Zealand.
Some of his favorite fishing spots outside of Michigan include:
stripers in Maine, dorado in Argentina, and snook in Florida. He brings all this
experience to your fishing day with an enthusiasm that is contagious. Jon is
totally focused on helping his clients land that trophy chrome steelhead, large
wary brown trout or that elusive muskie of your dreams, while also improving
their fishing skill level. Jon Ray truly loves to teach the art of angling.
Jon Ray is on the Scott Rods Pro Staff and Scientific Anglers Advisor
Staff and he is continually pushing the state-of-the-art in fly fishing with new
techniques, tactics, and strategies to enhance the fishing experience.
Jon’s presentation will be on Predator Fishing: Dorado, Muskie, with
Applications to Brown Trout.

Guest Fly Tier: Ed McCoy
2020-01-11 09:00 - 16:00 | Elkhart Conservation Club, 55515 Riviera Drive, Elkhart, IN, 46514
We are excited to announce a fly tying class with Ed McCoy, one of the premier dry fly tying experts in the Midwest.
The class will be held at the Elkhart Conservation Club on Saturday, January 11, 2020, from 9 A.M – 4 P.M.
Captain Ed McCoy grew up in Northern Michigan fly fishing for trout, salmon, and steelhead and graduated from
Michigan State University with degrees in Zoology and Fisheries & Wildlife. While attending MSU he worked on
several research projects studying stream ecology and fish biology in Northern Michigan. Upon graduating from
MSU he then attended the University of Michigan as a post-graduate research assistant. Ed was very fortunate
throughout his college years to be afforded the opportunity to research and fish our most notable trout streams.
As a full time guide with over 17 years of experience, Ed enjoys every aspect of fly fishing and if it has fins he will chase it. He is very passionate about dry fly fishing for trout and has several of his go-to patterns available through the Orvis Company and more recently Montana Fly Company.
This tying class is designed for intermediate to advanced tyers. Cost of the class is $50 which includes coffee/
donuts, lunch, soft drinks, and tying materials. Students need to bring tying tools, vise, threads, deer hair stacker, light, and extension cord.
Class size is limited to 20 students; your reservation will be secured when your check is received. Please mail your checks to Ann Miller, 140 Higman Park Hill, Benton Harbor, MI 49022

December General Meeting: Club Night
2019-12-20 18:30 - 20:30 | Juday Creek Golf Course, 14770 Lindy Drive, Granger, 46530, United States
The December General Membership Meeting is an opportunity for our members to share their fish stories. Speakers TBD.

November General Meeting: Tim Holschlag
2019-11-20 18:30 - 20:30 | Juday Creek Golf Course, 14770 Lindy Drive, Granger, 46530, United States
Please join us for drinks, dinner and a presentation on Smallmouth Bass!
Tim Holschlag Bio
Often called “Mr Smallmouth,” Tim Holschlag has had a lifelong passion for the species. He has fished over 320 different smallmouth rivers across North America and South Africa, more than any other living angler.
And as a long time guide and the author of five books and two videos on the species, he has made his passion his business for 30 years. Pioneering cutting edge concepts and techniques, as well as new destinations for smallmouth.
He is also the 1988 founder of The Smallmouth Alliance conservation group and is committed to the protection of the species and its habitat.
His popular programs to clubs, shops and shows are always informative and entertaining. His newest book, “103 Smallmouth Secrets for Fly Fishers” incorporates his decades long experience into a handy, easy-to-read format.

October General Meeting: Terry & Roxanne Wilson
2019-10-16 18:30 - 20:30 | Juday Creek Golf Course, 14770 Lindy Drive, Granger, 46530, United States
Come join us on Wednesday, October 16th. Terry and Roxanne will be providing a presentation on Bluegills.

SJRVFF Salmon Outing: October 5, 2019
2019-10-05
The 2019 Salmon Outing will be on October 5th. The outing will take place at Thornapple Launch in Newago. Lunch will be provided at noon. Gear up appropriately the Kings are huge this year!

September General Membership Meeting: Featuring Nicole Watson
2019-09-18 18:30 - 20:30 | Juday Creek Golf Course, 14770 Lindy Drive, Granger, 46530, United States
Please join us at Juday Creek Golf Course for our September General Meeting. Our guest speaker for the evening will be Nicole Watson. For more on Nicole, please see below.
Dinner Reservation will be taken by Don Reber: You can reach him at donreber@gmail.com or 574-286-0157

Nicole Watson
Ph.D. Student, Michigan State University, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife
Arctic Grayling have long been a favorite species of mine. I am enthralled by the uniqueness of each fish, their history in North America, and the beauty of their coloration and dorsal fin. My Ph.D. research focuses on young Arctic Grayling, Brook and Brown trout. The overarching goal of my research is to clarify uncertainties to successful Grayling reintroduction to Michigan streams. It is a multifaceted study including the following: predation of Grayling fry by resident, age-1 Brook and Brown trout; competition between age-0 Grayling, Brook, and Brown trout; Grayling imprinting to home waters at early life stages; alarm cues; aspects of physiological development; predator avoidance and predator cue recognition by juvenile Grayling. My research takes me to Alaska each spring to transport Grayling eggs back to my lab at Michigan State University. I spend each summer and fall running trials back in my lab (and finding time to fly fish in Northern Michigan).
I earned my M.S. at Central Michigan University where I focused on the utilization of otolith microchemistry to determine streams of origin of juvenile Steelhead in tributaries of Lake Michigan.
When not at MSU or home downstate, I am typically found at my Northern MI home base, The Hideout. I enjoy fishing for Brook trout in creeks and small rivers in MI. I am passionate about native wild salmonids and have been known to hike mountains seeking them out if needed.
I will discuss my current Grayling research and share some fishing and field experiences.

Women's Intro to Fly Fishing Class
2019-07-20 | High Dive Park
SJRVFF will be hosting a Women’s Intro to Fly Fishing Class on July 20th. The cost for the class is $25 per person and will hosted at High Dive Park in Elkhart. More information to come!

Club Picnic at ECC
2019-05-15 | Elkhart Conservation Club, 55515 Riviera Drive, Elkhart, IN, 46514
SJRVFF will be hosting a club picnic on May 15th at the Elkhart Conservation Club.

Hoosier Riverwatch Workshop 2019: April 27th and May 4th
2019-05-04 08:30 - 12:30 | St. Pat’s Park, 50651 Laurel Rd., South Bend, IN, United States
Please join us May 4th for the 2019 Hoosier Riverwatch. Please check the link below for more details

HRW flyer 2019

Hoosier Riverwatch Workshop: April 27th and May 4th
2019-04-27 08:30 - 12:30 | St. Pat’s Park, 50651 Laurel Rd., South Bend, IN, United States
Please join us at St. Pat’s Park at the Brown Barn for the 2019 Hoosier Riverwatch. For more information check the link below.
HRW flyer 2019

2019 Opening Day
2019-04-27 | Bobbi Labar Farm

SJRVFF April Meeting: Ray Schmidt
2019-04-17 18:00 - 20:00 | Juday Creek Golf Course, 14770 Lindy Drive, Granger, 46530, United States
Please join us at Juday Creek Golf Course, for this month’s General Membership meeting.
Our guess speaker will be Ray Schmidt, for more information please see the link below.
http://www.doublessoutdoors.com/about.html

Tie-a-Thon at ECC
2019-04-13 | Elkhart Conservation Club, 55515 Riviera Drive, Elkhart, IN, 46514
For more information on the Elkhart Conservation Tie-a-Thon, please see the link below.

https://elkhartconservationclub.org/

SJRVFF September Meeting: Nicole Watson
2019-04-10 18:00 - 20:00 | Juday Creek Golf Course, 14770 Lindy Drive, Granger, 46530, United States

2019 SJRVFF Annual Auction
2019-03-20 18:00 - 20:00
Important notice – mark your calendars!
The board of directors has decided to move the annual club auction to March 20 2019 from the traditional April date.
This our biggest fundraiser of the year and it’s important that we support this event as it helps subsidize the cost of our river restoration projects, fly tying class, charitable giving’s and club outings.
Here’s a list of some of the items that will be available.
Landing net made by Marshall
Custom build 7wt made by Mike Beachy
Brown Trout Carving by world class carver Jim Lothary
G Loomis Fly Rod
Orvis Fly Reel 5-7 wt.
Art Work by David Ruimveld
Guided trip with Jay Anglin
Two half day bass trips with Debbie Hanson in Florida
Guided trip with Amish Trout Outfitters
Guided trip with D Loop Outfitters along with one night deluxe lodging
Guided Trip with Tim Scott
SXXT Show Island Express Guided Trip for 8 Anglers
Loaded Fly Boxes to be Auctioned Off
Handmade Dishcloths and Lap Rope by Janet Squires
Yeti Backpack Cooler
bottles of wine, whiskey and beer
Deck of card raffles
Silent Auction
And much more!!!
Please remember to get any auction items you’d like to donate please contact Terry Wittorp at 269-424-5138 orterryflyfish@aol.com.
All items must be received prior to the auction.
Thank you
Terry

December General Membership Meeting
2018-12-19 18:00 - 20:00 | Juday Creek Golf Course, 14770 Lindy Drive, Granger, 46530, United States
This months meeting will be featuring presentations from our very own membership. Come for the food and drinks and stay for some fish stories!
