Whats New With The SFFF

Introductions

Hello club members and newcomers. My name is Levi Kalinsky and as of spring 2023 I am the President of the SFFF (Saskatchewan Fly Fishing Federation). The former President Paul Oltsher is still a member of the SFFF but has stepped into a mentorship role. His help and knowledge is very much appreciated. I want to thank Paul and all of the former and current members for their dedication and the work they put into keeping the SFFF running. To see a list of our current members navigate to the 'About Us' section of our new website.

https://www.saskatchewanflyfishingfederation.ca/about-us

About Us

The Saskatchewan Fly Fishing Federation was established in February of 2011 and our mission is to provide a unified voice for Saskatchewan Fly Fishers promoting the development, enhancement, conservation and preservation of sport fisheries in Saskatchewan. Building a community by promoting the sport of Fly Fishing through social media, events, education and citizen science.

Club Trips

Casting Lessons

Our Members & Clubs

Our three member clubs are the Kilpatrick Flyfishers based in Saskatoon, the Northern Waters Flyfishers in Prince Albert and Flatland Fly Fishers in Regina. This spring and summer the SFFF has created a new website and elected several new members. The expertise and knowledge of our former members is not lost and the new members are relying on their experience and knowledge. The new members are focusing on increasing our online presence in an effort to better communicate our history and initiatives to our members and the public.

Our Initiatives

One initiative we are currently focused on is promoting the Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment's Survey 123 Saskatchewan Stocked Waters App. The app serves to provide valuable information on the utilization and health of stocked trout waters. The Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment Fisheries Unit can then make evaluations and stocking changes based off of user feedback. With reduced budgets our fisheries unit rarely has the resources to do assessments on our stocked trout waters. The app as well as the SFFF's journals serve as some of the only hard data that fisheries gets regarding the health of our stocked trout fisheries. More information on the Survey 123 Saskatchewan Stocked Waters App including the survey webpage or user guide can be found on the Saskatchewan government's Fisheries Management webpage. Sask Fisheries Management Webpage Hyperlink

Other initiatives our members have taken on include trail clearing and maintenance to make creeks or lakes accessible for stocking. One project members of the KFF completed in 2019 and 2020 was clearing of the blow down and alder growth on the trail into Lost Echo Creek in Narrow Hills Provincial Park which allowed for the restocking of the creek in 2020. Lost Echo Creek is a beautiful, clear, rocky and remote creek that is only accessible via canoe or by hiking the 2.7 km trail in.

Lost Echo Creek

Whether its competing in the International Fly Fishing Championship like Rick Goett, or creating the original SFFF website like Sheila Engele, the work and activities our current and former members have taken on are an important part of our history. I look forward to building on the work done and seeing what we can accomplish in the future. Using social media and our new website we are aim to share fly fishing stories, fly fishing techniques, and our activities with our members and the public. Keep an eye out for upcoming blogs.

The Fly Fishing community may not be very large in Saskatchewan but we have a long history of volunteering. If you are interested in volunteering or have an idea for a potential project or activity that our organization would be well suited for, please reach out to me through our SFFF email. saskflyfishfederation@gmail.com

Sincerely,

Levi Kalinsky, - SFFF President,

Levi Kalinsky - Fall Laker on a Tinsel Streamer