Archive

01/06/08

Membership Committee Report

The membership committee is happy to report that new member applications are once again being processed in accordance with the guide lines set forth in the club's bylaws. This will insure fairness and an equal opportunity to all club members wishing to sponsor an applicant. Others changes have been made that will greatly improve the communications between the committee, sponsors and applicants. Recent changes made by the club's board with regards to the membership renewal process should improve the ability to more accurately predict membership availability.

For many years the responsibility for processing new member applications was overseen solely by founding member Nat Burgwyn. At the time at which he was no longer able perform those duties, and for a number of years that followed, club membership remained at or near the 150 member limit. During this time of minimal membership availability and limited application processing membership responsibilities frequently changed and became the duty of a number of different people. This resulted in a break down in communications between sponsors, applicants and many clubs members with regards to the amount of membership space available. As a result many applications were received during this time making it necessary to establish a waiting list from which membership vacancies were later filled. The processing of this list took a far greater amount of time than we had expected. The membership committee would like to extend an apology to new members and their sponsors for the unusually long period of time taken processing their membership applications. We thank you for your patience and understanding during this time. At this time we are pleased to inform you that there is no waiting list and that applications are being processed as received.

` Club members wishing to sponsor an applicant may request an application form from any member of the membership committee. Members will receive important information with the application form in regards to the proper completion and returning of applications. In accordance with club bylaws only properly completed applications can be considered for approval. Members will be kept informed as to the status of the applications they have sponsored.

Fly Fishers of Virginia was established as a limited membership by invitation only club and as such has enjoyed great success over the past 25 years as a result of the strong and active participation of its membership. Through our members continued affords to invite and sponsor new applicants with the desire to actively practice the art of fly fishing and a willingness to support the club's goals, objectives and the many other activities we will continue to enjoy many more successful years.

Membership committee welcomes all request for new member applications. We will be happy to answer all questions with regards to the application process and provide any assistance need to insure that all application forms are completed properly.

The current members of the committee are as follows:

Steve Lewis Vice-President of Membership

Larry Cortright Club President

Dan Genest Past President

Dale Huggins Vice-President of Special Events and Education

Older Newsletter articles and reminders:

1/26/06

2006 FFV Annual Banquet

Two new awards were presented at the 2006 Annual Banquet. The first was the 'Nat Burgwyn Lifetime Achievement' award. This was presented to Bob Gooch, the 'dean of Virginia outdoor writers'.

The second award, the 'Kenny Grandstaff Continuing Service Award' went to long-time FFV member and ex-officio, Bill Pearsall.

12/30/05

Trout Unlimited Conservation and Fishing School Scholarship

Fly Fishers of Virginia has established the George Crosby Youth Scholarship to encourage young people to take up fly fishing and to learn about the importance conservation plays in protecting our fisheries resources.

The club will pay $375 for the winner of the scholarship to attend Trout Unlimited week-long Conservation and Fishing School this summer at Graves Mountain Lodge. The School is open to only 20 high school students. They will spend most of six days outdoors experiencing mountain streams and their environments to leam about responsible fishing, conservation, stream life and restoration, wildlife, outdoor skills, team challenges, leadership, and lots more, all while having fun.

The contest is only open to high-school aged FFV youth members and the sons, daughters, grandchildren or relatives of club members.

The scholarship is named in honor of George Crosby, one of the FFV's founding members. Throughout his 27 years as a leader for FFV, George has always stressed the importance in introducing youth to fly-fishing.

To be eligible for the George Crosby Scholarship, teens must complete an application for the TU Conservation and Fishing School. More information about the camp and the application can be found online at www.tucamp.org. The application requires candidates to write an essay, which will be use to determine the winner of the scholarship.

Once the application is complete and the essay is written, it must be submitted to Steve Lewis, vice president special events and education. Trout Unlimited officials will select the winner. Contact Steve Lewis with questions or for more information.

Applications must be received by March 31, 2006.

09/09/05

FFV Trout Fishing School

Virginia is blessed with some very fine trout waters, but many fly fishers shy away from trout
fishing because of the false impression that it is too complicated and difficult to master.
Matching-the-hatch, mending, dead-drift fishing, high sticking, reach casts and pile casts and
reading the water can all sound a little intimidating to the novice.
FFV's first trout fishing school is designed to demystify trout fishing and give you the skills to
catch browns, brooks and rainbows on any waters.

NOTE: The dates for the Trout Fishing School have changed. They are now March 25 and April 2, 2006.

On March 25, we will meet and go over trout tackle, knots and flies.

April 2: We will hold a casting class at Byrd Park.In addition, to working on the basic cast, we
will also discuss the roll cast and mending lines.

April 29 and 30 are the days of the fishing school. The school will be held at Escatawba Farms
on Dunlap Creek. The game plan is to arrive at Escatawba about 3 p.m. We will go over every-
body's gear to make sure they have what they need, get in some casting practice and have a
cookout with adult beverages.

On Sunday, April 30, we will wake early and start putting some of the things we have learned
into practice. The game plan is to pair each two club members with a guide. The guide will
work all day with the students to continue their education on the water. So far, I have commit-
ments from five excellent trout fishing instructors. If there are other club members with experi-
ence in guiding and teaching fly fishing who would like to volunteer to help with the class,
please contact Dan Genest.

In order to make the school work, there needs to be a minimum of eight students with a maxi-
mum of 12 students. If we to not have eight club members signed up by the annual meeting
January 21, enrollment will be opened to guests. If we have not filled at least 8 slots with either
club members or guests by February 15, the class will be cancelled and deposits refunded.
Cost for the school for club members is $160 and due when you sign up. (Based on double oc-
cupancy in guest rooms. If you desire a private room and it is available it will be an additional
$50) Covered in the costs are lodging, stream fees, dinner, lunch and some flies. Guides and
instructors are volunteers and are not being paid for their time. The fee does not include a fresh-
water fishing license, transportation, rods, reels and other gear.

The Cost for guests/non members will be $275. The additional cost for guests will be used to
cover the meals and lodging for guides. Any money left over will be put in the club treasury.
The full cost of the school ($160 for club members, $275 for non-members) must be received
by Feb. 15 and is non-refundable.

If you have any questions or would like to reserve a spot, please contact Dan
Genest or Brittan Quinn, vice president fresh water.

7/30/05

In Memoriam

Kenny Grandstaff

FFV Founding member

1942 -2005

From the July 2005 'Singing Reel'...

Kenny Grandstaff
Fisherman • Hunter • Outdoorsman • Conservationist

Kenny Grandstaff and I wound up fishing side-by-side a few years back on a club trip to the
Rappahannock River for shad.
We got to talking about how we should get together for a trout fishing trip sometime soon. So,
we started trying to find a date we could both make. "What about next weekend?" I asked. "No,
that's turkey season. I will be hunting," Kenny said 'How about the week end after that?"
"I am fishing with, George (club member George Crosby) that weekend."
And so it went until we had run through the next several months. Kenny was already booked for
either a hunting or fishing trip.
"That was Kenny, all right," said George Crosby, who met Kenny in 1982 when they were
working to form the club. "He was an avid outdoorsman. We hit it off real quick and hunted
and fished several times a year for the next 25 years. He was always going somewhere. If you
couldn't go, he would go alone."
Kenny, a founding member of Fly Fishers of Virginia, passed away June 25 after a battle with
cancer. He was 63.
George recalls how difficult it was to get FFV off the ground 23 years ago. "Nat Burgwyn and I
had gotten the ball rolling, but quickly realized there was more work involved than we could
handle. Kenny agreed to pitch in. I don't think we would have ever formed the club without his
hard work."
At Kenny's memorial service, the minister spoke of Kenny's love for the outdoors. Kenny was
a true outdoorsman, he said. But not because he hunted and fished but because of the way he
truly enjoyed all that nature had to offer. "A good outdoorsman needs three things - focus, pa-
tience and a gentle heart. Kenny had all of those," the minister said.
'Life is going to be different without Kenny," George said. "I am going to miss him. Specially
come fall when I go out for that first duck hunt."

In Kenny's honor, the FFV board of directors has created the Kenny Grandstaff Continuing Ser-
vice Award. The award will be presented at the board's direction to an FFV member who has
provided exceptional service to and participation in the Fly Fishers of Virginia.

Dan Genest

01/15/05

Tom Gunter, a VDGIF fisheries biologist was awarded the 2005 Taylor Turner Conservation award at our Annual Banquet. Tom is instrumental in our states effort to revitalize the shad fisheries that had declined to all time lows in past decades, but are now making a strong and welcome recovery.

01/03/05

Fly Fishers of Virginia Officers and Directors for 2005

President - Dan Genest

VP Freshwater - Brittan Quinn

VP Saltwater - Winn Will

VP Conservation - Jay Armstrong

VP Special Events & Education - Steve Lewis

Secretary - Tommy Naumann

Treasurer - JoAnn Lindstrom-Clark

Asst. VP New member Services - Scott Hanback

Asst. VP Secretary - Ken Barnes

Asst. VP at Large - Mike Kelley, Larry Baron

Director's at Large - Robert Thomas, Dave Thomas, Dale Huggins

Webmaster - Doug Walden

03/06/04

NAT BURGWYN RECEIVES LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

With stealth, subterfuge, and a little help from Lefty Kreh, Nat Burgwyn was the recipient of the first ever Nat Burgwyn Lifetime Achievement Award, given at the Annual Banquet in January 2004. A standing ovation from the assembly greeted him as he approached the podium, and the usually talkative Nat was rendered speech-less. His only comment was "It's not in the program!". Testimonials from Lefty and others marked the occasion, and throughout the evening, accolades from friends and well-wishers were delivered with sincerity. The audience also was treated to a screening of "Nat Burgwyn: A Lifetime in Fly Fishing", a DVD from noted producer/director Dan Genest. Lefty and FFV President Richard Roadcap presented Nat with a plaque, emblazoned with the FFV logo on a burgundy background, which read "...for outstanding support and dedication to the sport of fly fishing". Congratulations, Nat, for many jobs well done!

02/24/04

The FFV has designated our 2004 Conservation Contributions. These gifts to the following organizations were made possible by the generous contributions of raffle and silent auction items by our club membership.

	FFF Mid Atlantic Council
	James River Association
	Atlantic Salmon Federation
	American Museum of Fly Fishing
	Wildlife Foundation of Virginia
	Chesapeake Bay Foundation
	Brotherhood of the Jungle Cock
	Coastal Conservation Association
	Virginia Outdoor Writers Association
	Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries

Here is a link to news articles from the last couple of years.