Show Outdoor: By PAT BEAN Standard Examiner staff ARDEN VALLEY Idaho — Mary Jones is an athletic tan blonde who oozes an outdoors aura Steve Jones better known as “Jonesy” is d and story-- teller dark-beard- sharp-witte- ed sun-cnn-kl- Together the husbandwife team is fulfilling a Huckleberry Finn dream of going down the river For the past three white-watrafting seasons they have been struggling to get a company afloat on the South Fork of the Payette River northwest of Boier river-ra- fting se The dream is slowly becoming a reality office Visible evidence includes a shed-lik- e on the river’s bank with an ancient weather-beaten school bus and a well-use- d rattly van for shuttling rafters standing nearby The rafts however are And there is a plentiful supply of life jackets safety helmets and neoprene wet suits to keep one afloat cushion one’s head from rock hazards and ward off hypothermia if one is tossed into a nver that is fed by melting snow “It’s never very warm even in late summer” said Mary as she guided a raft in y down the rapid river that frequently drenched the boat's eight paddlers self-baile- rs mid-Ma- Sunday June 5 1988 The wet suits and the furious paddling during turbulent rapids keep the rafters reasonably comfortable this day except for brief periods such as passing through a windy canyon stretch But no one complains The towering canyon vistas and a couple of bald eagles flying overhead keep one’s mind diverted from personal discomforts Although the river has a brownish runoff tint to it today Mary says later in the year it becomes sparkling clear “It’s a color known as Payette emerald” she adds Of the five outfitters who have Forest Service permits to operate on the South Fork of the Payette the 500 people that the Joneses Cascade Raft Co took down it last year were more than the other four businesses combined said Steve “We usually have the only boats on the y South Fork” he said during the on And indeed the two days during trip the nver no other boaters were seen It has only been the past three years that the middle section of the river has been open to boaters and the Joneses were one of the first to get a permit to operate on iL Permits to raft or kayak it are not needed by the general public but those who attempt it should be warned that it contains numerous technical rapids as well as a fall mid-Ma- Fly fishing is in dire By ED DENTRY Scrpps HoAdfd News Sefvice The first thing to remember is that it is easy The second that it can be the most effective way you ever fished And the third is that fly fishing is by no means the sole p'operty of trout fishermen Fly fishing may be more popular than ever but it is in need of a public relations repair job Too many anglers are missing the fun because they perceive fly casting as too difficult and fly fishing as an elite activity To make matters worse the fly fishing industry has besieged the public with so many casting clinics and seminars books videotapes and celebrity appearances that the sport seems intimidating to some folKS Formal instruction can be very helpful time-savin- self-taug- ht fly-ca- st that comes up without advance warning The Joneses do not recommend the trip for children less than 14 years old The river which starts high in Idaho’s Sawtooth Mountains in thick pine forests winds downward for 70 miles picking up water from side streams It then is joined by the Deadwood River shortly below the tiny town of Lowman (population 40) The South Fork flows into the North Fork of the Payette which flows into the Snake River near the Oregon border Below where the Deadwood joins the South Fork is a steep canyon section where cliff walls tower over a thousand feet above the nver This section with an average drop of 60 feet per mile contains numerous Class III and IV rapids Although rating of rapids is not an exact science and there are variables such as water level and skill of the boaters it is generally agreed that Class I is calm water and Class VI is unnavigable water And the rafters this day all agree the waterfall known simply as Big Falls in this section of nver should be portaged “It’s always portaged” said Mary “Well once rt wasn’t” she tells the rafters “A kayaker who hadn’t been on this stretch before came around the curve and See RAPIDS on 2Q Sfr VV A VV A 40-fo- ot S !W A yaphtc " need of a public relations repair job g and But the truth is that a greater percentage bf fly fishermen than spin fishermen cast correctly and most of them are is easier than Learning how to learning how to nde a bicycle And like bike riding you don’t forget how once you’ve learned But you must first forget almost everything you learned about casting monofilament line uses a heavy line to proThe pel a light lure instead of using a light line to propel a heavy lure The line itself more than the rod does the casting and the fly follows behind it on a leader ou can simulate basic fly casting at home without buying anything but a piece of yarn Tie the yarn (about the same diameter as your little finger and six to eight feet long) to the tip section er Movies Standard-Examine- r of a two-piec- e spinning rod The yarn will have the same aerodynamic properties as a fly line Use a quick snap of the wrist and the rod tip to throw the yarn behind you and slightly higher than horizontal This is called the backcast Stop the rod when it points straight up When the yarn has straightened out behind you apply a quick wrist snap and push the rod forward Don’t bring it down in a wide arc as you might when spin-castin- g The line will roll forward in a loop The tighter that loop the better the cast A wide loop will encounter too much wind resistance causing the “line” to collapse in front of you Casting back and forth without letting the tip of the yam or the fly drop to the target is called “false casting” When you 'ger of your left hand will grip line that can false-cathe yarn back and forth has been stripped from the reel keeping without allowing it to fall behind you or it taut until the forward cast gathers collapse in front you will be well on enough momentum to shoot that slack line forward your way to understanding fly casting Your first step should be to buy a beYou will quickly notice that when the ginner fly fishing outfit from a reputable back cast straightens out behind you the dealer who specializes in fly tackle line will pull the rod bending its tip Learner outfits include rod reel and line backward The rod is now said to be and often are a real bargain Ask the "loaded” It is that loading action that dealer to recommend quality brand will propel the line forward You will get nowhere if you try to names And don’t be afraid to ask him to take you outside for a demonstration power the cast the way you would sling a crankbait with a spinning rod In fact and practice session One major difference between actual you must learn to relax and let the aerocasting and the yam exercise is that you dynamics of the line and the loaded rod will learn to use both hands Hands-o- n do the work With the help of an experienced fly anmeans that in fly just casting experience Both hands cooperate gler or a good book you will soon be If you cast with the right hand the fin- - making short accurate casts st 4 4 |