As your President, I take it very seriously in writing this column. It reflects the interactions and meetings I have with the SPFF membership. Sadly, due to the continued Covid pandemic many of these opportunities for sharing and friendship have been lost. Our zoom meetings are certainly the best alternative for now. What a world that we live in now. I am amazed to have lived long enough to experience zoom meetings.
For those members who have taken the time to attend the zoom general meetings we have had some worthwhile programs. Our speakers have shared their knowledge and love for fly fishing. I especially enjoyed the enthusiasm of 80 year “young” Leon Buckles and his pals for sharing their unwavering joy for pursing fish with a fly rod. It certainly has given me a goal to be as “young at heart “ as Leon at his current age. Dr. Walt Balek’s sharing his lifelong interest in fishing for warm water species fly fishing was another great program. It has inspired me to want for go after bass and panfish with my fly rod too. He also shared his involvement in the formation of the Spokane Fly Fishers. He is very proud of our club. Thanks
Walt and our other founders for coming up with the idea of our club.
Our next speaker is Chet Allison. He will speak about wade fishing opportunities around Spokane. Chet is very experienced and knowledgeable about fishing in the Spokane area. He has lived in Spokane his whole life. He is also a very experienced fly tyer. He ties flies at the International Federation of Fly Fishers regional shows. That tells me he is a very good tyer. Chet was also one of the founders of your club. He is one the most generous people in the club with sharing his considerable fishing knowledge. Zoom in to see Chet share how to make us all better anglers in our own back yard. You will not be disappointed if you log into our next general meeting on November 11 Wednesday at 7pm. The meeting will go live around 6:30 so you can visit with your friends before the meeting starts.
I want to ask you to please pay your dues SFF dues if you have not paid them. The club still has many on going expenses even though we not operating in a normal manner. The board decided to keep the club’s meeting location available for our club. Since no one knows when the virus vaccine will be widely available, we felt the need reserve our meeting space at St. Francis. So, we paid an annual rent to St. Francis. Our current rent is very reasonable compared to other meeting room options in Spokane. We also have liability insurance premiums to pay and the monthly rent for our club storage space. We are doing our best to manage our club’s resources prudently in these uncertain times.
My hope is that science has our world on a path to having a vaccine that will allow us to safely meet in person again. Friendships that have been over the years are the heart of our club, and until we can meet in person at St. Francis. Our club is planning to have a zoom holiday party to give people a chance to have some fellowship. Look for announcements in future Barbless issues. Be safe and healthy.