George Abernathy

Now that October is upon us, some of the best fly fishing for trout commences. Between now and early November, depending when the lakes ice over, we will have plenty of opportunities to land numerous sizable trout. Of course, having opportunities to catch them and actually landing them is two different stories. Our trips this fall will include fishing at Becker Lake, Big Lake and Silver Creek, just to name a few. Our last multiple day trip in November 2015 yielded an abundant amount of trout over 20 inches. We experienced a little snow in the evening but the fishing and comradeship was outstanding.

For those residents that have physical disabilities and still long to fly fish, don’t sell your gear and give up hope. Throughout the Valley of the Sun there are multiple locations where you can fly fish even if you’re using a walker, wheel chair or slightly immobile. Just google https://www.azgfd.com/Fishing/Community/Phoenix. This page within the Arizona Fish and Game site will show you all the fishable waters throughout the valley. Most fly fishing guides will also work with most customers with physical disabilities including Cinda Howard from Fly Fish Arizona and Beyond (http://flyfisharizona.com), whom I highly recommend. If you are a 100 percent disabled veteran and have a desire to learn how to fly fish, you should contact Norm Johnson at 602-361-7656 with Project Healing Waters. They will not only teach you how to fly fish but also provide you all the equipment for free, teach you how to make your own flies and rods and cover your expenses for all fly fishing trips.

Wanted: Fly rods, reels and equipment

The Sun Lakes Fly Fishing Club needs fly fishing equipment, preferably donated so it can be sold to club members. All proceeds will be paid directly to Project Healing Waters Flyfishing which is a non-profit organization dedicated to the physical and emotional rehabilitation of disabled veterans through fly fishing and associated activities including education and outings.

Our club meeting this month is on Tuesday, October 4 at 6:30 p.m. in the main Ballroom at the Oakwood Club House. Our meetings are focused on when and where we are going to be fishing next and where we fished last. The SLFFC has limited structure, no red tape and no politics. If you want to befriend others that enjoy fly fishing, then you should make it a point to attend our meeting or contact me directly for questions.

“The Gods do not deduct from man’s allotted hours the hours spent in fishing.” – Babylonian Proverb

Fish on! Fish on!