California Confluences: Bill O’Kelly and the SWC-FFI

In popular media, fly fishing has long been depicted as a solitary sport, a common image being a lone angler, no one else visible, fishing a river in what is often a wilderness setting. And in fact, this is what many of us seek when we go fishing, the opportunity to leave, if only for a short while, the workaday world and immerse ourselves in the challenges and beauty we find when pursuing fish.

But fly fishing also has a history of gregariousness, of anglers gathering together in clubs to talk fishing, tie flies, hear presentations, organize trips, improve their skills, and, really, just hang out with others of similar inclinations. California has nearly 60 fly-fishing clubs, and across the United States are several hundred more.

In the early 1960s, clubs in California, Washington, and Oregon, plus the Theodore Gordon Flyfishers in New York City, began exploring the possibility of forming a national fly-fishing organization. By 1965, the Federation of Fly Fishers was a reality, with its general mission to “ensure the legacy of fly fishing for all fish in all waters continues by focusing on conservation, education and a sense of community.” Clubs in the Federation were grouped regionally into councils, two of which are in California: the Southwest Council (SWC), which has Bill O’Kelly as its president and who is interviewed here, and the Northern California Council, whose president was interviewed in our previous issue.

Richard: Although this interview is focusing on the Southwest Council of Fly Fishers International (formerly the Federation of Fly Fishers), let’s begin by getting a sense of the person who’s talking and why. How did you get involved in fly fishing, and what led to your involvement in the SWC-FFI?

Bill: I grew up in Oregon, playing baseball, tennis, and golf in the rain. I was always interested in fishing, but my dad, who was my baseball coach, didn’t fish, so my few times fishing when I was young were with friends.

My dad worked at the Bureau of Land Management, and he retired in 1988. His brother retired in 1989. My uncle loved to fish, and he and my cousins would take an annual fishing trip from their home in Sacramento. After they both retired, my uncle got my dad involved in fishing, and they invited me on the annual trip in about 1991. Because it was halfway between where my uncle and my cousin Dan lived, the trips were at Crane Prairie Reservoir in central Oregon. On my first trip, I woke up one morning to the sound of my cousin sweeping snow off my little tent, which had almost collapsed on me. Later that day, my teeth were chattering.

I was out on the lake with my cousin Dan in his boat when this massive storm came up. If you’ve ever fished there, you know there are a lot of “stick-ups,” dead trees. We tied off on one, because there were three of us in a little aluminum boat, and we didn’t think we could beat the storm to shore. Even though my cousin and his buddy knew enough to be a little worried, I thought this was one of the coolest experiences I’d ever had. I had only one of the big Crane Prairie rainbows on the line for about twenty seconds that trip, but I got to see him jump, and I was hooked.

Over the years, my cousins migrated from conventional-tackle fishing to fly fishing. In 1996, I took Neal Taylor’s fly-fishing class through UCLA extension and absolutely loved it. I went on one of his trips to the Mammoth area, and one of his helpers, Norm Willis, guided me to my first fish on a fly rod on Rock Creek. I knew I had found the obsession of a lifetime. About a decade later, in a cool bit of kismet, Norm ended up joining my home club, the Sierra Pacific Fly Fishers, so I’m very pleased that I get to see him from time to time after losing contact with him for several years, and each time, I remember that day on Rock Creek and smile.

Richard: What is the SWC-FFI, and what is its mission? Has this mission been evolving over the years?

Bill: The SWC-FFI is the umbrella organization encompassing the 23 fly-fishing clubs in Southern California and Southern Nevada that are member clubs of Fly Fishers International. The FFI is headquartered in Livingston, Montana, and it consists of councils throughout the United States and internationally. For those who don’t know, it is the organization that certifies casting instructors, so if you take a casting lesson with an FFI-certified casting instructor, you can be sure he or she has gone through a rigorous training and testing process, and you are guaranteed to have a very high minimum level of competence from your instructor. The official mission is: “The Southwest Council of Fly Fishers International represents all of Southern California and Southern Nevada. Fly Fishers International is a 43 year old international non-profit organization dedicated to the betterment of the sport of fly fishing through Conservation, Restoration and Education. Fly Fishers International and its Councils are the only organized advocate for fly fishers on a national and regional level.”

The SWC-FFI follows this mission as our guiding principle, but on a day-to-day basis, our mission is to disseminate information council-wide and to provide opportunities for fly fishers within and without the council to be involved in fly-fishing-related activities that we hope will motivate people who aren’t members of a local fly-fishing club to join their lo-

cal club and also to get club members to join Fly Fishers International. We are the umbrella for the local clubs, and we try to provide opportunities that perhaps clubs can’t provide on their own and to help each club network with other clubs in the council. We exist to help the clubs and encourage clubs to contact us anytime they need us.

I’m fortunate that we have a pretty active board of directors who stayed on after I took over from Michael Schweit, who stepped down in July 2017 after eight years of great service as the SWCFFI’s president. This year, for example, our youth chair, Carl Crawford, has partnered with Outward Bound to hold two classes with about twenty teens to introduce them to fly fishing. Our new casting chair, Eric Callow, brought in several certified and master certified casting instructors for an intermediate casting class with fifty participants, and also for a class on becoming a certified casting instructor. Steven Fernandez, who is my favorite wandering fly tyer and the 2012 Buz Buszek Memorial Fly Tying Award recipient, once again helped organize our annual “FlyBuy,” which we hold at the Long Beach Casting Club, with over twenty-five of the best tyers in the council teaching things you can’t see or hear in a YouTube video. This is one of our big fundraisers. (The Buz Buszek award, by the way, is the highest award for fly tying given by the FFI, and the SWC is one of the most awarded councils, with Darwin Atkin, Bill Blackstone, Wayne Luallen, and John Vanderhoof also having received the award.)

The SWC-FFI also helps clubs get Trout in the Classroom programs set up, and we have a very good relationship with the Department of Fish and Wildlife. Chuck Bonham, the DFW director, stopped by the booth we had at the Fred Hall Show to say thanks to our program chair, Rich Bollinger, for all our volunteer hours with Trout in the Classroom. We staff a booth at this show every year to pass out brochures of our member clubs to a crowd composed largely of conventional-tackle anglers, which is the market into which we need to expand. We’d also like to see more merchant participation in this event to attract more people into the sport, both to help support our conservation goals and because it’s tough to find somebody who fly fishes who doesn’t already own at least five fly rods — conventional-tackle anglers are the market of the future.

We partner with both Project Healing Waters and Casting for Recovery. Project Healing Waters chair Carole Katz has established one of the premier projects in the nation that helps veterans use the sport of fly fishing to deal with postwar stress issues. There are several clubs that have their own Project Healing Waters programs, and it is usually the one endeavor in which we never have to struggle for volunteers. One of the vets spoke at my club and stated that his involvement in Project Healing Waters allowed him to have his first nightmare-free week of sleep since Vietnam. How can you hear somebody say something like that and not think the Project Healing Waters volunteers are doing God’s work?

Carole Ontiveros and Theresa Adams co-chair our Casting for Recovery program, recently holding another retreat for 14 women who are dealing with breast cancer — all expenses paid for the participants. I think all of us have been affected by a relative or a friend with cancer. It’s great that our wonderful sport can bring both physical and emotional therapy to people who need it. We’re very grateful that these two programs are affiliated with the SWC and grateful to those generous members of the SWC who help fund their efforts.

This year, we will also be moving our successful Fly Fishing Faire to the Glendale Civic Auditorium on October 20 and 21, 2018. This is the successor to the event we held for six years in Mammoth and Bishop from 2011 to 2016. We took a year off, because the event’s coordinator, Connie Bullock, who is the single most important reason for the success of past Fly Fishing Faires, moved to the East Coast for a year before coming back to Southern California, to our great delight. We have sold out our vendor spots, and we’ll have 30 tying stations, tying and casting classes at the Pasadena Casting Club, and free presentations by vendors and area fishing guides. This is our major yearly event, and we hope it will be well attended by fly fishers who want to have a good time and learn something, because it will be geared for beginners through expert fly fishers.

Richard: Typically, fly-fishing clubs focus on angling for trout, but Southern California offers tremendous opportunities for saltwater fly fishing. Are you seeing interest in this aspect of the sport, and are any of your clubs focusing on it?

Bill: A lot of the clubs have begun to have classes and outings for fly fishing the surf. Many members take long-run offshore fishing trips, and one of our clubs, the Saltwater Fly Rodders, focuses on saltwater fishing, as you may have guessed from the club’s name. Last year, the Golden State Flycasters Club in San Diego had an outing on Mission Bay, inviting all the clubs of the council. It was a blast, and we hope it will be repeated.

Al Quattrocchi ran the One Surf Fly Tournament for at least nine years. This is a one-day surf fly-fishing tournament in which each participant brings a fly, draws a fly out of the bin of all flies submitted, and then is allowed to fish that fly up until he loses it or the tournament ends. When Al’s life commitments precluded him from carrying on, he graciously allowed the SWC to run a tournament with the same format, both to keep the event alive and as a fundraiser for the council. We are very appreciative of this and had our first Riptide Rendezvous in October 2017. It was a lot of fun, and John Loo did a fantastic job organizing it. We will be having our next one in April 2019. A few of the local saltwater guides, including Gary Bulla, Lee Baerman, and Vaughn Podmore, have signed up for booths, and there will be presentations by other saltwater guys such as Al Q , so if you are interested in saltwater fly fishing, come on down, as we’ll have fun stuff for your tastes.

Richard: Your council is one of 17 US councils that make up Fly Fishers International, which is the new name of the Federation of Fly Fishers. What is the role of a council like yours within the FFI?

Bill: I’m pleased that the national organization is working on a new strategic plan. I love the organization, and I’ve gone to its National Fly Fishing Fair for the past 14 years. I have met many wonderful people who have been incredibly giving of their time and knowledge, and if you haven’t ever been to one, I highly recommend it, because it’s just a great time. For a while, though, it seemed as if the FFI was a group of very well-intentioned and generous people, but with somewhat directionless leadership. The new leadership has a focus that was missing in the past and is working with the fly-fishing industry to move forward.

In addition to participating in monthly conference calls and strategic meetings at the national fair, the new leadership is asking more from the councils, other than just obtaining new members. We now have membership, marketing, conservation, and other national and international committees with people from each council providing input on how we can become more relevant to our membership and the fly-fishing community at large, both now and in the future. Locally, we helped encourage a letter-writing campaign that led to a favorable decision by the Metropolitan Water District regarding stream flows on a local trout stream.

Our role encompasses the above as a part of the FFI, but also, in my mind, it is to create value for our member clubs so that when they ask “Why should we be in the FFI?” I can tell them about the efforts of the national organization and our local efforts and events, hoping that will mean as much to them as the fact that by being a member club, they get much cheaper insurance for their club. Those who participate in our activities tend to not ask that question.

Richard: As you noted, both the FFI and the SWC-FFI are organizations of fly-fishing clubs. Historically, fly-fishing clubs were an important way for people to learn how to fly fish and tie flies, and they obviously played a social role, as well, with trips, conclaves, and award banquets. We are now in an era, however, when information and instruction are easily available through the Internet. Given the presence of YouTube and blogs and Facebook, is the role of fly-fishing clubs changing? How does a council like yours retain its relevance?

Bill: I think the traditional functions of clubs are more important than ever, because one thing that is inherent in the new methods of disseminating information is part of the reason why the FFI motto changed from “Conservation, Restoration, and Education” to “Conservation, Education, and Community” in other words, personal interaction. That is how we stay relevant, because an electronic lesson can show you how to do something, but it cannot give you feedback on your skills or answer questions you may have. The SWC has both a Facebook page and an Instagram account, so we do have a presence on social media.

I have seen some really good fly-fishing information on YouTube and social media, but also some not-so-great information. I am a f ly-fishing-show junkie, because I have a very large f ly-fishing book collection, and I have been to probably close to fifty fly-fishing shows nationwide to get signatures from the authors, contributors, and/or fly tyers who have featured flies in the books. Each time I have watched a tyer tie a fly or a casting presentation, I have received little tips that don’t show up in the videos, because the videos are scripted, and so there is no individual interaction between me and the presenter. I also make a personal connection. I can tell stories about being taught casting by Mel Krieger or about having Lefty Kreh swear good-naturedly at me because I had him sign so many books at the 2016 Somerset Fly Fishing Show. I’ve interacted with members of the Northwest Atlantic Salmon Fly Guild, some of the most talented tyers on the planet, who talked to me as if I were an equal. In other words, I have experienced one of the best parts of fly fishing interacting with people who share my passion and add a story to my life.

I’ve had people come up and tell me that they took up fly fishing and joined a local club because of talking to me at the Fred Hall Show or because I gave them a casting lesson that they enjoyed, despite my limited skills. This is the reward of being involved in the council, because few things in fly fishing make me happier than to play a small role in someone discovering this great sport.

Here’s another example of what involvement opportunities do for the fly fisher. I have watched a lot of good videos on doing the double haul, but it was at this year’s intermediate casting clinic that John Vanderhoof improved my double haul exponentially in a five-minute discussion after watching me cast, and that experience was more helpful than all the videos I’ve watched put together, because there was human interaction and immediate feedback from another human that we don’t get from videos.

The vast majority of people in this sport, and FFI members in particular, are tremendously generous of spirit and willing to help you improve your tying, casting, and fishing skills for nothing more than the personal satisfaction of helping you.

Richard: Advocacy and activism on conservation issues have always gone hand in hand with the promotion of fly fishing in California. The SWC-FFI clearly plays a significant role on this front. What are some of your council’s achievements, and what are its most important initiatives that are now underway?

Bill: Our biggest achievement, which is still ongoing, is our effort to restore Silver Creek in the Walker River drainage to a native Lahontan cutthroat fishery. My club, the Sierra Pacific Fly fishers, donated over $10,000 to the project to eradicate brook trout from the stream so that one day, we can again have a fishery for Lahontan cutts. Fans of brook trout needn’t worry, because there are still many fisheries in the area that will provide opportunities to fish for brookies for generations in more easily accessible waters. The SWC got involved and through our then conservation chair, Debbie Sharpton, and we hired an intern for a couple of years. Debbie facilitated bringing in Trout Unlimited through the Golden State Flycasters, who provided a very generous grant, along with California Trout, who also helped with the project. Gary Applebee of the Deep Creek Fly Fishers did yeoman work coordinating in excess of a thousand hours of volunteer workers to shock the stream to remove the brookies, who were outcompeting the native cutts, but who were also overpopulating the stream, given the limited biomass, resulting in a lot of small brookies and very few cutts.

The work is continuing, because this is a project that may take a decade to complete. Our goal is for your grandchildren’s grandchildren to have the opportunity to fish for this gorgeous trout while still being able to fish for brookies, browns, and rainbows elsewhere in the eastern Sierra. We’re currently proceeding with SWC-raised funds and a grant from the Western Native Trout Initiative to put up interpretive panels to educate the public about Lahontan cutts and the efforts to remove the brookies in this stream.

Richard: What future challenges do you see confronting the SWC-FFI and fly fishers in general? What are the challenges that affect the ability of the SWC-FFI to achieve its mission?

Bill: I think the biggest problem for efforts of the council and fly fishers that I see in an up-close and personal way is our busy society and its impact on volunteer hours. Currently, I have vacancies on my board (vice president, membership, communications, and women’s programs), and we could always use any volunteer who wants to make a difference. (E-mail me at President@swcffi.org if interested.)

I tend to have “religion” when it comes to fly fishing, and I believe that anyone who fly fishes has a responsibility to be a member of the FFI or of conservation organizations such as Trout Unlimited and CalTrout to help preserve the resource. I include making financial contributions to these organizations, so I’m not saying you need to be a card-carrying member, but I sure wouldn’t object if you were. I have always been more of a “checkbook conservationist” myself, though, as opposed to a “bootson-the-ground” conservationist. These latter are the true heroes in my view, because they get the real work done. Unfortunately, I tend to see people who clearly have discretionary funds, given the number of trips they take to out-of-state and out-of-country destinations, but who don’t show any demonstrable support, in time or money, for the organizations doing work from which they benefit. I’m sure that more than a few do make such contributions, but clearly, many do not.

We have a lot of great people involved at the club level, many of whom do double duty on the council. But life intrudes, and we all have commitments. I did not have a master plan to become president when I became involved with the SWC, but I’m here, and I’m having a lot of fun!

With less participation from those in the business of fly fishing marketing the sport and with fewer volunteer hours, where are the new members and future advocates for our sport going to come from for the conservation of both water usage and fishable waters? It’s a tough issue, because I certainly don’t fault those who limit their involvement to just their club, and while I would like more people to help out in the events we hold, I don’t think it’s fair to fault someone who just wanted to join a club so they could fish more. But the truism seems to be that only 10 to 15 percent of a club or the council’s membership do 90 percent of the work. If someone knows the secret to getting better participation, I’m all ears, because without volunteer participation, absent the SWC or the FFI winning a big Powerball jackpot, we can’t be a relevant organization.

Richard: It’s something of a truism that fisheries are unlikely to be well protected if anglers aren’t fishing them and speaking up about their problems. If fly fishers are interested in exploring Southern California’s angling opportunities, what advice would you give them?

Bill: Being a member of a club will get you a lot of local knowledge, and by networking with other SWC clubs, you can make friends and get more widespread local knowledge. And many clubs have a speaker at their meetings. Most clubs don’t require you to pay to attend if you aren’t a member, so go check those out, too.

Local fly shops are great resources, as well. The staff of most shops have been very generous with sharing information when I’ve gone in, because if they can’t fish, they want to talk about fishing with somebody. I always make a purchase just to show my appreciation, but I’ve never felt that doing so was truly necessary in order for them to give me good advice.

And, cue the commercial: come to the Southwest Council’s 2018 Fly Fishing Faire, October 20 and 21, 2018 in Glendale. See swcffi.org for details.

Richard: You’re surely busy as president of the Southwest Council. Do you ever get to fish? Where, when, and for what?

Bill: While I was president of the Sierra Pacific Fly Fishers for four years, I had kids at home, so I basically fished only a couple of days a year, when I made my annual pilgrimage to the National Fair, because that was my one “Bill only” vacation per year. My son is now in college, and my 15-year-old daughter merely tolerates me, so I’m getting out a bit more this year. I go out with a group of friends each year to fish the surf on New Year’s Eve to get the last bit of use out of my license. I fish the West Fork of the San Gabriel when I get a chance, and I will fish Hot Creek Ranch in August.

I’m complementing these trips with fishing in Northern California and Oregon when I drive to Boise for this year’s FFI National Fair the first week of August. Also, I’ll be fishing with some friends, including my longtime fishing buddy, Dave Pierce, for my first bonefishing trip in December. So this agenda will almost double all the fishing I’ve been able to do in the last few years, but I hope to make this year the rule, and not the exception.

Richard: We have arrived at the Silly Tree Question, and this is going to be a bit odd, because I’m asking it of an organization, rather than a person: If the SWC-FFI were a tree, what kind of tree would it be?

Bill: While I’m president, we will be a Douglas fir, because when I was a kid, my first attachment to any type of tree was to a Christmas tree. My dad, who graduated with a forestry degree from UC Berkeley, would take the family out each holiday season to cut down our own tree in the forest, and he insisted on a Douglas fir, no matter how far we had to walk in the snow to find one, because he thought it was the perfect Christmas tree, and more than 50 years later, I still agree with him.

This is a very fond memory, because my immediate family has since predeceased me, and one of the reasons I love fly fishing so much is because much more than almost all of the fish I’ve caught, it’s the memories of sharing time with family and fishing buddies that remains throughout the years. I may no longer remember the joy of a toy I got at Christmas long ago, but I still remember the sounds, smells, and joy of cutting down each Christmas tree with my parents and brother.

Fly-Fishing Clubs in Southern California and Southern Nevada

Fly-fishing clubs can be found in many areas of Southern California, and, if you’re a resident of the region, there’s a good chance that at least one is situated within a reasonable drive of your home. This list, provided by the Southwest Council of Fly Fishers International, represents all the clubs they know of in their region, which includes Southern Nevada. To learn more about particular clubs, visit their websites.

Southwest Council Fly Fishers International, www.swcffi.org

Aguabonita Flyfishers (Ridgecrest), www.abffclub.org

Carson Fly Fishing Club (Carson City, NV), www.carsonflyfishingclub.com

Conejo Valley Fly Fishers (Thousand Oaks), www.conejovalleyflyfishers.com

Deep Creek Fly Fishers (Riverside), www.deepcreekflyfishers.org

Downey Fly Fishers (Downey), downeyflyfishers@gmail.com

Fly Fishers Club of Orange County (Anaheim), www.ffcoc.org

Golden State Flycasters (San Diego), www. goldenstateflycasters.org

Hi-Desert Fly Fishers (Apple Valley), www.highdesertflyfishers.com

Kaweah Fly Fishers (Visalia), www.kaweahflyfishers.org

Las Vegas Fly Fishing Club (Las Vegas, NV), www. sntrout.com

Long Beach Casting Club (Long Beach), www. longbeachcastingclub.org