Congratulations to Capt. Eric Dumas. In the Outdoors section of today's Baton Rouge Advocate, we learned that Eric's 13.55-pound tripletail taken last September on flyrod, and currently in 1st-place on the Louisiana Outdoor Writers Association state records for that species, has been recognized by LOWA as "Fly Rod Fish of the Year". The fish was caught in the Lake Borgne area, which has become a tripletail magnet over the last few years. It edges out Gray Parker's 11.44-pound fish also taken last September. Prior to then, Pete Cooper, Jr held the record (11.30 lbs) since 1997. All of the state record tripletail - except for one - were caught in August and September (hint, hint).

Tuesday, July 27
Crisis on the Coast - Day 99. Yesterday BP announced that CEO Tony Hayward will be replaced by American Robert Dudley come October 1. Hayward will receive a severence of $1.6 million. We're sure with that amount of money, he can go back to his normal life! Maybe not... rumors are that he will accept a position with TNK-BP, a joint venture with a Russian oil firm. Bob Dudley would represent the company's first non-British CEO, and based on comments from Billy Nungesser, he seems to be more in command than Hayward was. Hopefully this will translate to better things for both BP and the cleanup of the Gulf. Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen said the "static kill" should start August 2. This will pump mud and cement into the top of the well in hopes of permanently sealing it off. A "bottom kill" relief well is also in final stages. Meanwhile, the oil seems to be disappearing. ABC News reported that two weeks ago, skimmers scooted up 25,000 barrels of oily water, then this past Thursday, only 200 barrels. Some believe most of the oil is below the surface, but Ed Overton, Environmental Studies professor at LSU believes that evaporation, heat, microbes, etc. is deteriorating most of the spilt oil.

The Outdoor Retailer Show will be held next week in Salt Lake City. Last year, the Fly Fishing Retailer Show announced a split with the American Fly Tackle Trade Association, and this year, the FFRS is combined with the ORS. Just don't expect to see any fly tackle companies at ORS (I looked over the list of exhibitors). On the other hand, kayak and canoe companies will be there in droves. It'll be interesting to see what new paddlecraft concepts or designs are in store for 2011. The AFTTA event is in early September, and that's where it appears most of the fly activity will be. Last year's show introduced a high number of new products, quite surprising given the economic recession. It turned out to be a good move... many of those new products have enjoyed strong sales in 2010.

Sunday, July 25
What's happening this week. On Monday, the Fin-Addict Fly Fishers hold their monthly meeting at Spahr's Seafood Restaurant at the Ramada Inn in Houma. Meeting time is 6:30pm and guests are welcome. Also on Monday, the Red Stick Fly Fishers hold their "Fourth Monday" tying session at Cabela's in Gonzales, upstair in the Conference Room. Meeting time is 7:00pm. Featured tier this month is Pete Bongiovanni, former longtime New Orleans Fly Fisher and now a resident of Gonzales. Beginners are welcome, materials and tools are provided. Also on Monday, the Ouachita River Fly Fishers hold their monthly meeting at 7:00pm at Judd Moore's home in Monroe. Check their website for contact info. On Thursday, the New Orleans Fly Fishers hold their monthly meeting at the Whitney Bank building, 1441 Metairie Road. Time is 7:00pm. Guests are welcome.

The weatherman was wrong again and this time we're glad he was! Bonnie turned out to be nothing more than a few rain clouds and not even enough to give moisture to the dry areas of southwest Louisiana that could use some rain.

The Little Missouri River Skinny Water Project is completed! It took five long years from conception, but it's here, the anglers are happy and the trout happier. Jeff Guerin has photo-chronicled the changes on his website at www.littlemissouriflyfishing.com or click this link to go to the page directly. For new LFF readers, the Little Mo, and the Mountain Fork, are Ouachita Mountain streams, both 2.5 hours north of Shreveport, with year-round trout fishing in their tailwaters. And a popular destination for our state's trout enthusiasts. The year-round catch-and-release section of the Little Mo was previously a wide, broad flat of very shallow water for 500 yards below the dam. During periods of no-generation, when a minimum flow trickled from the lake into the river, this water moved slowly and warmed up considerably. It's been estimated that this warming effect loses as much as a half-mile of trout-sustainable water (perhaps more!). Now with the help of some boulders, the flat has been transformed. Over several months, I expect full generation and the currents to reshape the CR area even moreso, where it becomes faster and deeper and able to hold more, bigger trout.

The blogs are back! A sure sign that fishing spirits have picked up is increased activity on the blogs and facebook pages of Louisiana flyrodders. There's been some great postings lately, too. Check out Jarid Malone's recent trip to Port Fourchon on his site, Malone Fly Fishing (link on right). Lots of reds and some sheepshead were caught. Jimmy Mayeaux has an interesting new fly for catching bream and rios... check it out on his page Cajun Fly Fisher. If you know a page we don't have listed, please send us a link.

New Lodges at Chicot State Park to open on August 3. Louisiana Office of State Parks is opening two new deluxe lodges at Chicot State Park that will be available for overnight accommodations beginning on Tuesday, August 3. Located on the North Landing of the park, the lodges will sleep up to 14 people for $160 per night from October to March and $180 per night on weekends from April to September. Each lodge includes a full kitchen, living room, dining area and covered porch area. Included in the $450-thousand project is a new pavilion at the north camping loop. The North Landing also features a 400-ft. fishing pier over Chicot Lake, a boat launch and a playground. For more info, or to reserve lodges, cabins or campsites visit www.lastateparks.com or call 1-877-226-7652.

Friday, July 23
Tropical Storm Bonnie headed our way! The center of Bonnie is currently over Miami, but this storm is moving so fast that by tomorrow night (10pm) it could make landfall at the mouth of the Mississippi River. All of the models project it to hit in a narrow stretch between Biloxi and Morgan City. It will ruin many expected plans... SELA coastal fishing was speck-tacular last weekend, and this weekend figured to be better because of good tides. And then there's the possibility of oil getting pushed into the marshes with a tidal surge. The good news, if any, is that this storm is moving so fast it won't have time to develop much strength, and is expected to hit as either a tropical storm or minimum cat 1 hurricane. And a silver lining... Alex removed enough energy from very warm Gulf waters that a followup depression along the same path couldn't develop into a named storm. If Bonnie does likewise, it would buy a couple weeks for BP to finish the relief well.

CCA STAR releases more tagged reds into areas previously closed to fishing. According to STAR director Sam Barbera, the first STAR entrant catching a 2010 tagged red wins a four door Chevy pickup. Already one 2010 tagged red has been caught, but the angler wasn't registered for the tournament. A live tagged red can be spotted in Cabela's in Gonzales in the fish tank (his name is Randy). Randy the Red also had something to say: "Blug blug-blug blug blug blug", which translates in English to "Remember, the 2010 STAR runs through October 3rd. To sign up, visit CCASTAR.com or call 877-422-2782.".

The STAR Fly Fishing Division remains empty although several flyrodders caught eligible trout last weekend (minimum to enter is 14 inches). I suspect there's a mindset that it'll take 3-pounds or more to finish on the board. No reason not to get it started though, even with a 2-pounder (and a few that size were caught on flies). It could also be that these anglers weren't registered in STAR.

On the Kayak Division, the West region has made all the noise... in fact, the sizes that are on that board even has some boat folks astounded. The other divisions remain empty with the exception of one 3+ pounder in the Southeast region. My guess is that with lower estuaries open to fishing, kayakers will now have access to bigger trout and we'll see the boards fill up shortly. Keep an eye on Vermillion Bay. When the Atchafalaya River gets low enough, bigger trout move close to the Cypremont Point and Burns Point areas where yakkers have a real shot at multi-pound fish. On a related note... LFF member Brendan "Choupique" Bayard is now giving the Kayak Fishing Report on "Outdoors with Don Dubuc" every Saturday morning. The show runs from 5:00am to 7:00am, with Brendan's report at 6:10am. It's broadcast live on WWL 870-AM and ESPN 1350-AM(New Orleans), Eagle 98.1-FM (Baton Rouge), KPEL 105.1-FM (Lafayette), and Talk 540-AM (Monroe).

Hardy and Greys will sponsor the US Youth Fly Fishing Team as they compete in the 9th annual Youth World Fly Fishing Championship August 3 thru 10 in Slovakia. Greys provided each member of the team with a rod and reel of their choice, including rods that were developed for competitive use. According to Jim Murphy, President of Hardy North America, " Each of these anglers has achieved significant success to qualify for the US Youth Team. Howard Croston, our lead designer, has designed this tackle for the conditions these anglers will meet in Slovakia." The Greys brand is one of the top-selling brands in Europe, and is owned by Hardy-Greys of Alnwick, England.

Thursday, July 22
All eyes on the tropics. Investigation 97 is a tropical disturbance with winds of 35 mph in the northern Caribbean, that is projected by four of five models to move into the Gulf between Cuba and the Keys, and eventually make landfall on the Louisiana / Texas coast sometime early next week. Although conditions are favorable for development into a hurricane, the models I've seen show it as a Category 1 storm on landfall. But things can change. Even as a minimal tropical storm, I97 could wreak havoc on oil spill cleanup operations. So as of this morning, preparations were being made to shut down parts of the relief well and cleanup efforts as a precaution.

Go now or go later? If a hurricane does come to our coast, the question is: go fishing now before the storm, or wait until after? Most old-timers will tell you the fishing after a storm can be awesome. But it comes at the risk of being able to access your fishing areas due to road closures, building damages, waterway debris, etc.. This year, there's the added concern that oil will sweep into the marsh, and large sections will again be closed to fishing. Given the good tide range for this weekend, and slack tide the next, maybe it's best to chose the former.

The Florida Council of the FFF has announced the seminar schedule for their annual "Florida Fly Fishing Expo", a.k.a. conclave, to be held at the Ramada Inn in Orlando on Friday and Saturday, October 22 and 23, 2010. The major emphasis of the Florida-FFF show is casting. Speaking of which, there will be examinations for both Basic CCI and Master CCI (Certified Casting Instructor). More details are available at www.fff-florida.org.

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries has announced the 26th anniversary of Louisiana National Hunting and Fishing Day on Saturday, September 25, 2010. Festivities will be held at several locations across Louisiana, including Baton Rouge, Minden, Woodsworth, and Monroe. This non-commercial event attracts hundreds to thousands at each venue, mostly families, giving young people a chance to learn everything about the great outdoors. Incidently, Louisiana is one of the few states to do hold this type of event, which makes me very proud! LDWF is seeking clubs to help demonstrate fly fishing and fly tying at each of these venues. The Red Stick Fly Fishers, a longtime exhibitor, has again committed to the Waddill event for this year. If your club is interested, contact Adam Einck at 225-765-2465 or aeinck@wlf.la.gov.

The latest issue of Kayak Fishing Magazine has a review of the Delta Kayaks Catfish 12.5 catamaran sit-on-top. This lightweight thermoformed boat is geared towards stability and standup fishing. At a narrow 28 inches wide, it's somewhat fast also. But as Cormier's 1st Law of Puddling dictates, there's always a compromise. In this case it's maneverability. My own experience paddling catamaran or pontoon hull kayaks is that they're a bit difficult to turn, especially near top speed. We think the Catfish, the Freedom Hawk, the Hobie Big Game and the Diablo SupYak demonstrate a trend towards stand-up fishing and away from speed boats (Tarpon, Prowler 13).

The new Loomis NRX rods will be available in mid-August at a limited number of dealers, according to a press release yesterday. These rods represent a breakthrough in graphite construction. At the recent ICAST show, they won "Best New Freshwater Rod" and overall "Best of Show" awards. Chief rod designer Steve Rajeff and his team have created a rod that is 15 percent lighter than equivalent GLX rods, yet 20 percent stronger. The secret to NRX rods is stiffer, lighter and higher density carbon combined with Nano Silica resin systems. Of interest to flyrodders, the NRX series will include freshwater 9-foot rods in 3, 4, 5 and 6 weights, and for salt use, 9-foot rods in 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 weights. There are also 10-foot models for steelhead, and two-handed spey rods.

Wednesday, July 21
Crisis on the Coast - Day 92. For now, the well appears to be contained. Alarms were raised early this week from seepage around the well, but engineers consider it inconsequential at this time. George Norry on the late night talk show "Coast to Coast" raised the possibility of a "Methane Tsunami" that could result from a huge deposit of the gas should the seafloor rupture. The 100-foot wave would wipe out most low-lying areas of the Gulf Coast. Most scientists believe such a doomsday scenario isn't possible, but caution that a major catastrophic marine kill could result from any large methane release. At the bimonthly CCA Luncheon Series in Baton Rouge yesterday, CCA President David Cresson discussed details for three coastal fish hatcheries currently being proposed to BP. The hatcheries would produce reds, specks, and other species, as well as fresh and saltwater ponds for kids fishing, educational centers, and meeting facilities. At the luncheon, Plaquemines Parish President Billy Nungesser reiterated his concern that the battle against the oil will continue for months and possibly years after the well is shut down. Plaquemines Parish has several coastal restoration projects ready to go, and being proposed to BP.

More great weekend reports came from yesterday's CCA Luncheon. Speckled trout were busting crazy around Leeville, Port Sulphur, Grand Isle and Chauvin, with many limits caught on commie tackle. However... when it came to reds the flyrodders proved equal, if not superior! Several members of the Red Stick Fly Fishers limited out on reds Saturday. And a few again on Sunday. THE fly was the spoon fly, in all it's variations (Kirks, Coma, Moppert, Ayo, Waldner, Dupre) followed closely by the black LaFleur's Charlie. Chartreuse clousers and even black/chartreuse clousers, fished under a VOSI, caught most of their specks. And some large (12") sand trout. Bigger specks were had on lead-eye Seaducers (1/50 ounce) and fished on intermediate line in the bigger lakes (Catfish, Little, Jesse, Raccourci). It was a bit windy for topwater action, but early Friday after thunderstorms laid down, Pete's Perch Float Popper and Crease Flies did some damage! Not to be left out, even freshwater reports were good: Henderson, Magazille, Cane River, Caney, Toledo Bend, D'Arbonne all reported good catches of bream. The live oxbows (old rivers) picked up with the falling rivers.

"The River Why" won Best Narrative Feature at the Alaska International Film Festival held this past week, according to a report today on MidCurrent.com. Zach Gilford ("Friday Night Lights") plays the leading role. He won the Festival's award for Best Actor. The question we've been asking is, "Why with such lousy films this summer, is a terrific film - a great fly fishing film - still not picked up by a major distribution company?". Some may answer "it's about money" given that action movies do much better than sleeper films. Well, guess what? 2010 is turning out to be the worst income-producing movie summer (as well as worst average critical review summer) in many years. How bad is it? "The Last Airbender", one of the top grossing movies of the summer, has average reviews on MetaCritic.com competing for worst of all time along with "It's Pat", "Strange Brew" and "Plan B from Outer Space". If I don't see "The River Why" soon in theatres, I'm going to call up Hollywood and go Mel Gibson on their butts!

Monday, July 19
What's happening this week. On Tuesday at 11:30, CCA Louisiana will hold their bimonthly Luncheon Series at Druscilla Place in Baton Rouge. Guest speaker will be Billy Nungesser, Plaquemines Parish President, and a frequent guest on national radio and television during the oil spill crisis. Cost is $20 and includes meal. Also on the agenda are a STAR report, and fishing reports from Paradise Louisiana hosts Joe Macaluso and Gary Rispone. On Tuesday evening, the North Louisiana Fly Fishers will hold their monthly meeting at Vince's Southport Restaurant in Shreveport. Time is 7:00pm. For July, longtime NLFF member and conclave fly tier, Don Lawler, will demonstrate a few of his realistic patterns for fresh and salt. Also Tuesday evening, the Contraband Fly Casters hold their montly meeting at St Paul Lutheran Church Community Center in Lake Charles. Fly tying starts at 6:00pm, with the general meeting at 7:00pm. Also on Tuesday evening, the Lafayette Kayak Fishing Club will hold their monthly meeting at Pack and Paddle in Lafayette. Time is 6:00pm. For July, the meeting will include a $5 club dinner to raise funds for a club tournament scale. All these club meetings mentioned are open to the public; do check them out! On Saturday, the Orvis Company store in Baton Rouge will another FREE "Fly Fishing 101" workshop. Time is 10:00am to 1:00pm. All ages and skill levels are welcome. Topics include: equipment, fly casting, rigging, leaders, knots, and choosing the right flies for fresh and salt. Please RSVP to Jarid Malone, Fishing Manager at 225-757-7286, as class size is limited! Also on Saturday, Bass Pro Shops in Denham Springs will hold their free "Fourth Saturday" monthly fly tying clinic. Time is 9:30am to 12 noon. Instructor for July will be Darryl Crawford. No reservation necessary. Also on Saturday, LDWF will hold a Safe Boating Course at the Franklin Parish Agricultural Extension Office in Winnsboro. Time is 9:00am to 4:00pm. All persons born after January 1, 1988, must complete a boating education course and carry proof of completion to operate a motorboat in excess of 10 horsepower.

Crisis on the Coast - Day 83. For now, the latest containment cap continues to plug up the oil. However there is concern about seepage in the wellbore, especially with the intense pressure being bottled up. BP continues to monitor carefully. Plaquemines Parish President Billy Nungesser says there's a renewed intensity on the cleanup effort, noting that "we're no longer fighting a losing battle" with the spill capped. This weekend shrimp was impossible to get in popular SELA fishing areas like Leeville, Fourchon, or Port Sulphur - even frozen shrimp - for anglers to use as bait or for anyone looking to cook some up. For many commercial fishermen, seafood isn't just something to make their living on, many of their meals are provided this way. As a result of closures, in addition to compensation to pay bills, commercials are getting help from a host of food bank charities.

This past weekend was the first that was open to sportfishing in most waters in southeast and south-central Louisiana since the LDWF Commission ruling last Thursday. The Highway 1 corridor looked like a paddlecraft convention - the Bayou Coast Kayak Fishing Club and Red Stick Fly Fishers had events in Leeville and Golden Meadow, respectively. There was also the most boats I've seen there this year. Although some commie tackle folks were frustrated by no bait shrimp available, fishing was fantastic for many on both lures and flies. Golden Meadow was better for reds, Leeville for specks. Little Lake and Raccourci produced nice specks under diving birds. Grand Isle was open, but not the beach area. Plenty specks and reds were under the GI pier lights at night, although the north fishing pier is temporarily closed from dusk to dawn. Clousers and the "Bridgeside Shrimp" worked much better than lures. Most important... all the folks down there were very glad to see the anglers back in big numbers - and spending money!

Wednesday, July 14
This afternoon at 4:00pm the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission will hold a special meeting at the LDWF building in Baton Rouge to reconsider opening up inshore areas, currently closed to all fishing, to recreational fishing of some nature. It could be "catch and release" or "catch and keep". Last Thursday, the Commission rescinded a day-old catch-and-release order issued by LDWF Secretary Robert Barham, after entertaining a proposal from a group calling for all inshore waters open to "normal" sportfishing. I believe what will come out of today's meeting is a directive opening up most, but not all, inshore waters. There will be considerable pressure by those doing cleanup work to limit the number of boats in certain areas.

Registration for the Southern Conclave is now open. Hosted by the Southern Council of the Federation of Fly Fishers, this is one of the largest non-commercial fly events in the country each year, with attendance typically over 700. Held the first weekend in October in Mountain Home, Arkansas, the timing coincides with the start of peak fishing for brown trout in the White, Norfork and Spring Rivers. There's also world-class warmwater fishing in the numerous area lakes and streams. This year's event has a number of workshops on Thursday, and also during the "show" days on Friday and Saturday. Mark Sedotti and Dave Whitlock are among the guest speakers. Mark was featured at the Gulf Coast Conclave two years ago in Lake Charles, and made a considerable impression with his trick casting and his tying of "enormous" flies. He'll be doing likewise in Mt. Home. I got to host Mark during that event, and he is one of more interesting people in a sport where "characters" abound!

Speaking of fly fishing personalities... I read today where Ed Koch passed away earlier this week. He was 78. No, not the former mayor of New York, but the gentleman who wrote the landmark book, "Fishing the Midge", as well as other titles on fly tying and fishing small patterns. Koch was considered one of the "old guard" of mid-Atlantic flyfishers, such as Lefty, Vince Marinaro, George Harvey, Ed Shenk, Charles Meck, to name a few. He was a fixture at several of the shows I attended up in the area during the 90s. The one consolation to the passing of someone who gave so much to our sport is that they passed it on to so many.

Monday, July 12
What's happening this week. Tonight the Red Stick Fly Fishers hold their monthly general meeting at the Wildlife and Fisheries building in Baton Rouge. Meeting time is 7:00pm with casting at 6:30pm. Guest speaker will be Tony Berrigan with the CCA Louisiana Cooperative Marine Sport Fish Tagging Program. On Thursday, Orvis in Baton Rouge will hold their twice-monthly fly tying session. Time is 5:30pm to 7:00pm at their store in Perkins-Rowe. This is intermediate level tying, however beginners are welcome. Bring your own vise and tools. Materials provided. For more details, contact Orvis BR Fishing Manager Jarid Malone at 225)757-7286. Also on Thursday, the Westside Chapter of CCA will hold their annual banquet at the Community Center in Addis. Time is 5:30pm to 10:00pm. Tickets are $60 (spouse $30, youth $25) and include dinner, CCA membership, open bar, raffles, auction. For tickets, call Rickey Breaux (225) 413-3103 or Jesse Thompson (225) 776-3831. This weekend the Red Stick Fly Fishers will hold their first-ever "Summer Catch-and-Eat" marsh fishing trip, similiar to their Spring and Fall C&E trips. It's their hope that this will also be the last time for this event, as mid-summer is traditionally "Grand Isle Weekend". We all hope we can fish the surf again in 2011.

Mark your calendars for Saturday, August 21. Mike Hawkins of the North Louisiana Fly Fishers, and the organizing force behind the Caddo Conclave, is at it again with another planned event to be held at the Gregg County Historical Museum in downtown Longview, Texas. The tentatively titled, "Ark-La-Tex Tie-In", will benefit Project Healing Waters. Once again, the NLFF club will be working cooperatively with the East Texas Fly Fishers and Lone Star Fly Fishers to help sponsor the event. More details will follow, but you can be sure that it will be worth the ride.

Friday, July 9
Crisis on the Coast - Day 80 Good news: one of two relief wells being drilled is expected to intercept the Deepwater Horizon well pipe 18,000 feet below sealevel within the next 10 days, about 3 weeks ahead of schedule. More good news: atmospheric conditions in the Gulf and Caribbean are forecast to be unfavorable for new tropical development over the next week. Calmer seas should prevail, allowing boats to skim oil again. The giant A-Whale skimming vessel hasn't proven to be as effective against light crude slicks as it is for heavy oil, and is being given another test. The Kevin Costner centrifuge boats have proven to be effective and will be on the water sometime today. The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals voted yesterday to uphold the ban on the Obama Administration moratorium on deepwater drilling. The Wildlife and Fisheries Commission voted yesterday to rescind catch-and-release sportfishing in waters previously closed to all fishing.

The American Casting Association National Championships will be held August 2-7 in Lexington, Kentucky. For those competing, registration ends next Thursday, July 15. Some just opt to attend and observe some truly awesome flycasting. In 2009, the overall winner was Steve Rajeff, who dominated both spincasting and flycasting events. He also set a world record in the 1-Hand Fly Distance with a cast of 243 feet! That was 40 feet further than Henry Mittel, who finished 2nd, and 93 feet more than 8th place. Rajeff also scored 99 points (out of 100) in all of the three fly accuracy contests.

Wednesday, July 7
Jimmy Buffett and Friends this Sunday with a live performance from Gulf Shores, Alabama, at 6:00pm on the CMT Network in a benefit concert to raise money and awareness for the Gulf oil spill. Must see TV for all Parrotheads... and everyone else with an interest in what's happening to our way of life. In a related development, Lt. Governor Scott Angelle has provided CCA Louisiana with 25 concert tickets to help them raise money for fisheries recovery work. Each ticket includes bus transportation to and from Gulf Shores during which food and drinks will be provided. During the show, Cabana seating with air conditioning, living-room style furniture, balcony overviewing the stage, etc, etc.. CCA-L is auctioning these tickets off, and right now the current bid stands at $1000 per ticket for all 25 tickets! The bid increment is $250, so if you want to bid, it'll cost you $1250 per ticket. I expect that bid to go shortly... trust me, there are some serious Parrotheads out there! To enter a bid email david@ccalouisiana.com or call David at (225)588-4823 with the following info: (1) number of tickets you would like to bid on, (2) the per ticket bid you wish to submit, and (3) your contact information. Deadline is Thursday at 5:00pm sharp.

Tomorrow's Wildlife and Fisheries Commission meeting promises to be most interesting. There's a movement afoot to flood the meeting room with frustrated anglers, marina operators, bait shop owners, etc. in an effort to protest the sport fishing closures currently in effect. Many anglers are pointing to Alabama, which has continued to allow inshore fishing, but only on a catch-and-release basis. I know there are some idiots out there who will complain, "I'm not making a trip just to turn fish loose". But trust me, there are MANY who would make such a trip. And right now, MANY is better than NONE for all the businesses under threat of closure or bankruptcy. If you're interested in your voice being heard, go to the LDWF website and send an email to Secretary Barham and the commission members expressing your view. The meeting time is 9:30am, location is the LDWF building on Quail Drive in Baton Rouge (where the Red Stick club meets).

Tuesday, July 6
Crisis on the Coast - Day 77. According to callers into WWL radio this morning, tar balls have been spotted in Lake Pontchartrain. Yesterday afternoon all of Lake Borgne and most of the Rigolets was closed to recreational and commercial fishing. Strong east and southeast winds associated with a tropical depression off the coast continue to keep skimmers in port. Test of the supersized Taiwanese skimmer, the A-Whale, is still on hold. Another casualty of the oil spill: shipwrecks. Within 20 miles of the well are a signficant number of shipwrecks, which ironically, were discovered by BP's underwater robots while scanning for drilling sites. Oil mixed with dispersant is beginning to settle on top of these.

The Camp Fly Fishing School website has been updated to include casting tips and strategies, fly fishing definitions, upcoming events, video and more. Check it out at www.thecampflyfishingschool.com. Keith Richard, owner and lead instructor for the state's premier fly fishing school (located near historic Breaux Bridge) offers both private lessons and three annual workshops that feature, IMO, some of the top instructors in the country! The Camp is currently taking reservations for their next workshop on September 11, "Advanced/Instructor's Prep". Cost for this 1-day class is $135 and includes instruction, handouts, lunch and refreshments, and more. Time is 8:00am to 5:00pm. This is always a popular session, and seating is limited, so I advise to book early.

Monday, July 5
What's happening this week. On Tuesday night, the Acadiana Fly Rodders hold their monthly meeting at Grace Presbyterian Church Hall in Lafayette. Meeting time is 6:30pm with casting practice starting at 6:00pm. Guests are welcome. On Wednesday night, the Ponchartrain Basin Fly Fishers hold their monthly meeting at Friends' Coastal Restaurant on the river in Madisonville. Time is 6:30pm. The food and conversation are great, so if you live on the Northshore, do check it out! On Saturday, the Orvis store in Baton Rouge will hold a FREE "Fly Fishing 101" clinic from 10:00am to 1:00pm noon. Topics include: equipment and rigging, leaders, knots, fly selection, and basic fly casting lessons. Jarid Malone, Fly Fishing Manager, and an FFF-Certified Casting Instructor, will lead. The class size is very limited, so pre-registration is required. Check the forum for more details and contact info. Also on Saturday, the North Louisiana Fly Fishers will hold a fly tying demo at Bass Pro Shop in Bossier City. Time is 10:00am until sometime in the afternoon. Beginners are welcome.

Another disturbance to watch for. No sooner had Alex gone, then a tropical wave formed just off our coast. This wave has produced heavy storms, and 20-25 knot winds offshore, further hampering the oil spill cleanup efforts. Now, yet another disturbance is entering the scene. An area of low pressure in the northwest Caribbean has good potential to become a named storm by mid-week after it enters the Gulf (water temperatures in the Gulf are above-normal for this time of year). Computer models as of 11am today are predicting this storm to hit somewhere in Texas or western Louisiana by Thursday as either a strong tropical storm or category 1 hurricane. If so, not only would the containment cease - spewing the full 80,000 barrels of oil per day to the surface, but the easterly / southeasterly winds and storm tides could pull oily water into the western part of the state. Which has so far been spared from effects of the spill. I hope the weathermen's consistence in being wrong continues to remain so!

Friday, July 2
The July issue of the FFF E-Letter was received yesterday. In addition to info on their upcoming National Fly Fishing Fair (August 24-28 in West Yellowstone), the periodical reminds FFF members across the globe to vote for their 2010-2011 Board of Directors. Simply go to the FFF website (www.fedflyfishers.org) and download the voting form. Fill it out and MAIL it in. Ballots will be accepted no later than August 10, 2010. I recognize most of the names on the ballot... some very fine folk, and plan to vote the full slate. Many of you will recognize some of the names as well... included among the 13 nominees are Howard Malpass of the North Louisiana Fly Fishers (NLFF) club in Shreveport; David Lemke of the Texas Fly Fishers in Houston, a presentor at the Contraband Conclave; and Rick Pope, owner/founder of TFO.

Shallow water pioneers come to the rescue in an article sent to me by Jody Titone (thanks, Jody) from the most recent issue of Garden and Gun magazine (an interesting combination... guess I'm not the only one who shoots varmints that eat my garden). Some names many of you will recognize... Mark Castlow, he of the former Shallow Water Expos and now owner of Dragonfly Boatworks, teamed with colleague (former Gulf Coast Orvis rep / kayak fishing pioneer and Native Watercraft developer) Jimbo Meador, to design a shallow water boat for use in rescuing oiled wildlife. The boats were built with financial help from Jimmy Buffet (if I have to tell you who Buffet is, you don't have a life!). Anywho, the boats are called S.W.A.T. - Shallow Water Attention Terminal. According to the article, these flats boats draft in 8 inches of water have a canopy and misting system to protect workers and wildlife from the heat. They also have a biologists examination table, wi-fi, and video cameras for live classroom broadcasting. The first boat was delivered to the University of Southern Mississippi and another is slated for Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge in Alabama. Castlow and Meador say navigating the government red tape has been very frustrating, but the outpouring of public support has made it worthwhile. For more details on this story, go to www.gardenandgun.com.

Thursday, July 1
Crisis in the Gulf - Day 71. Hurricane Alex suspended most of the cleanup operations. Rough seas and high tides pushed oil into parts of Breton Sound and upper Timbalier Bay. Ironically, though the storm brought strong southeasterly winds, the latest oil spill map shows plumes now reaching as far east as Panama City. With Alex over Mexico, operations can resume. The Whale is on the way! A Taiwanese tanker named the "A Whale" has been retrofitted into the world's largest oil-skimming vessel, capable of sucking up more than 21 million gallons of oily water per day! More good news (maybe). EPA found that their first level testing on dispersants that they are less toxic than oil. None of the chemicals tested had dangerous effects on sealife tested. On the downside... a visit by Vice-President Biden earlier this week has been revealed to be no more than another photo-op by this administration. And despite bad economic news for Obama and Company, Ken Salazar remains hell-bent on a drilling moratorium, despite 50,000 jobs at risk. The Interior Department is expected soon to issue permits for drilling shallow waters, but none for deepwater.

Today your 2009-2010 license is expired. If you haven't yet purchased your 2010-2011 fishing licenses, please do so! You will (1) avoid getting a ticket when fishing, and (2) you will provide funds to support our Wildlife and Fisheries, through both direct funding and matching Wallop-Breaux federal excise revenue. This is important because according to the latest figures, sales of saltwater licenses are almost half of 2009. Unless folks go back to fishing, severe budget cuts to LDWF could be in order.

We've reached the midpoint of 2010 and, by a light-year, the dominant story fishing-wise has been the BP Oil Spill and it's impacts. Folks are very concerned about what this oil spill might do to our sealife, what effects it will have for commercial and recreational fishing. It's just been hard to get the detail level info. Until now... the July issue of Louisiana Sportsman just came out, and I strongly recommend this issue to anyone with questions about how the oil will impact our fisheries. There are several great articles on this subject.

Wednesday, June 30
Just announced: Orvis Fly Fishing 101. Interest in our sport continues to grow in Louisiana. Simply look at the events geared towards education. So far in 2010, we've had four club conclaves (most ever), two "Fly Fishing 101" workshops (one club, one commercial), and a pair of "The Camp" Fly Fishing Schools. This doesn't include the fly fishing programs offered during Becoming An Outdoors Woman or the numerous fly tying clinics sponsored by clubs, Orvis, Bass Pro, Uptown Angler, Ascension Parish Library, etc. The beginner clinics remain in strong demand, the only problem is that nearly all are in the February-May time frame. If you missed out, there's good news: Jarid Malone, Fishing Manager at the Orvis store here in The BR, has confirmed that they'll be offering two free "Fly Fishing 101" clinics this month, as part of a national promotion between Orvis and Trout Unlimited. The dates will be Saturday, July 10 and Saturday, July 24. Times will be 10:00am to 1:00pm. Instruction will include fly casting, equipment, rigging, leaders, knots, and flies to use for fishing fresh and salt. Class size is limited, so pre-registration is required. For more details or to register, contact Jarid at 225-757-7286 between 10am and 6pm. Here's the best part: it's FREE! And each participant will receive a gift coupon to be used that day.

Just announced: July CCA Luncheon Series. This a bi-monthly event sponsored by several Capitol-area chapters of the Louisiana Coastal Conservation Association. Held at Druscilla's Seafood Restaurant in Baton Rouge, it features a lunch buffet, updates from the CCA staff, fishing reports from Paradise Louisiana co-hosts Joe Macaluso, Don Dubuc, and Gary Rispone, and a keynote speaker. Previous speakers have included Garrett Graves and John Folse. The series resumes on Tuesday, July 20, with Plaquemines Parish President Billy Nungesser. For those who don't have cable, or don't watch CNN, Nungesser has been on "Anderson Cooper 360" almost nightly since the oil spill began. In the war against the oil, Nungesser has been a frontline general... a George S. Patton for our coastal wetlands and fisheries. He's had to fight encroaching oil, BP inepitude, and federal red tape, and in his own words, "If this were a war against a human enemy, we'd be occupied territory." I suggest you get your tickets early; this one will be sold out.

Hardy and Greys making buzz. I've been very impressed with how quickly Hardy has reinvented themselves to the point of becoming a major player in the American tackle market. With the acquisition of Greys, they now offer graphite rods from budget to premium, and even cane. Their latest industry buzz came this past week, with two announcements. First, Tom Moran, one of the world's most respected cane builders, has joined the Hardy team. Moran will team up with the company's current bamboo builder, Calum Gladstone, for product development and refinement. If you want to know how big this is, just check out how much Moran's rods sell for... if... IF... you can find one. The second announcement was regarding a new line of rods, to be unveiled in August, based on their SINTRIX™ fortified matrix resin. It supposedly bolsters carbon fibers to withstand a far higher degree of bending and loading than ever before, while reducing overall rod weight. This technology, exclusive to Hardy and Greys, results in rods 60% stronger and up to 30% lighter than conventional graphite rods.

Monday, June 28
What's happening this week. First and foremost, your 2009-2010 annual Louisiana fishing licenses are no longer valid as of July 1. You don't have to wait until then to get your 2010-2011 license; they are available - and valid - as of now! Monday night the Fin-Addict Fly Fishers hold their monthly meeting at Spahr's Seafood Resturant in Houma inside the Ramada Inn at West Tunnel Blvd. Meeting time is 6:30pm. With more openings in the inland waters south of Houma, fishing for reds and specks will be discussed. Also on Monday, the Ouachita River Fly Fishers hold their monthly meeting at Jud Moore's home in Monroe. Check their website for more information. Also on Monday, the Red Stick Fly Fishers will hold their monthly "Fourth Monday" fly tying session. For June, the session will be at Orvis in Perkins Rowe in Baton Rouge. Time is 7:00pm. The public is welcome. Thursday kicks off the first day of the delayed CCA STAR tournament. More on that later. Also on Thursday, Orvis in Baton Rouge will hold their bimonthly "Intermediate Fly Tying" session (1st and 3rd Thursday of each month). Time is 5:30pm to 7:00pm. There is no cost. Bring your own vise and tools, materials are provided. Although it's intermediate level, beginners are welcome. Contact Orvis Fishing Manager Jarid Malone at (225)757-7286. On Saturday, Orvis of Baton Rouge will hold a Beginner Fly Tying Class from 10:00am to 11:30am. There is no fee, but registration is required. Call Jarid Malone at (225)757-7286 to register or for more details. Sunday is Independence Day. Hopefully no aliens will attack. However, the waterways will be busy with the holiday, so be safe.

I'm feeling tropically depressed - already! Over the weekend a tropical depression in the Caribbean strengthened into Tropical Storm Alex, which then moved over the Yucatan peninsula. Earlier models showed the storm possibly crossing the central Gulf and hitting the Florida Panhandle. A worst case scenario, as any winds over 40 mph would shut down the containment of the BP well and result in free-flowing oil for at least a week. Not to mention push oil into inland waters as far east as Pananma City. Latest models show Alex moving into northern Mexico or south Texas. But we'll keep watching just in case.

Thursday kicks off the CCA STAR and now in addition to the Kayak Division, which was established last year, is the first-ever "Fly Fishing Division". Here are the rules of the STAR FFD: "Only one-handed rods and single-action reels designed for fly fishing may be used. Any type of line or backing may be used. The tippet shall be a minimum of 15" long with a maximum breaking strength of 20 lbs. Flies must be of the recognized type; fly rod-sized commercial lures or flies constructed with preformed metal or plastic are not acceptable. No scent, either artificial or natural, is allowed. Eligible fish: speckled trout (over 14"). Prizes: One prize will be awarded per each division. For the fly fishing division, the Louisiana Coast will be separated into two divisional competition areas; the East and West, as defined in the Youth Division." If these rules sound familiar, it's because they were partially derived from IGFA (world) and LOWA (state) guidelines for record fish.

How will the BP Oil Spill affect STAR? That is an interesting question... it would certainly be a disadvantage to anglers on the southeast and eastern coast, where fishing closures could come and go with the winds and tide... and any changes in the containment caps. However, most of the STAR divisions and species are broken up into East and West, with Kayak Division broken more specifically into East, Southeast, Southwest, and West. I think kayak and flyrod entrants will hold to their traditional spots, and hope for the best.

Yet another fly rod company. I read on Dan Blanton's forum that Red Truck Fly Rods are now available. I googled and found one shop that carried them. Never heard of this brand, but there are several new rods I'd never heard of until recently. Some folks think this is a trend, especially with Asian manufacturing offering affordable rods. I certainly have to agree that I've never seen as many rod choices as I have in the last few years. This despite the biggest recession since the Great Depression. It proves that there's a growing interest in flyfishing. But at the same time, folks are not willing to spend - or can't spend - $700 to $1000 to get into the game. The companies that are doing best with this new business paradigm, example TFO, offer beginners a very affordable setup, but also offer the more technically-advanced rods for them to grow into.

Thursday, June 24
LDWF has announced more fishing openings effective June 23, which includes areas east of Bayou Lafourche from Galliano south to Fourchon road, and eastward along Highway 1 to the center of Lake Laurier, then due north. This would include the following popular spots for speckled trout: Clovelly, Bay Rambo, Bay Garcia, Bay Jacques. You must launch within this area to fish this area.

Fishing reports. Just about every water affected by rivers, either directly (ex. Old River Morganza, Deer Park Lake, Yucatan, Bayou Pidgeon, Bear Bayou, Cataouche) or indirectly (Bay Natchez, Lake Verret, Black Bayou, Lake Louis) are fishing great for bream, crappie, google-eye. Fish a beadhead size 8 or 10 fly (jitterbee, tussel bug, cap spider, dark hares ear) under a light tippet 2 to 5 feet depending on location. Also fishing great are the reservoirs like Toledo Bend, Lake D'Arbonne, Caney Lake, Lake Claiborne. Again, fishing is best from sunrise to 10:00am, and a little later for bream and catfish. Catfish on fly rod is real good right now at Lakes St. John, Concordia, and Verret. In fact, Verret may be the best catfish action ever on fly rod right now! Just be careful to get off that water before storms come up. In saltwater, the Lake Catherine and Delacroix areas are great for redfish and some specks. Pointe-aux-Chenes has been good for reds, Dularge is on fire for specks. Cypremont Point action is picking up for specks on the inside; kayakers should try runouts on Shark Island using a chartreuse clouser under a VOSI. The marshes off Lakes Sabine and Calcasieu are full of reds, and there's some speck action in Lake Prien to report. Again, the clouser-under-VOSI will get you quantity, but topwater poppers - including crease flies with a glass rattle embedded - will get you quality specks. Fish those topwaters along Big Lake shorelines very early.

Which Jack Dennis fly shop is this? According to an article in the Jackson Hole News, Jack Dennis, an icon of western trout fishing, has opened a new fly shop in Jackson. The store will offer tackle, guided trips, and a museum devoted to fly fishing history. You may recall that last October, Dennis left the retail business after 23 years due to burnout and conflicts with his business partners (who bought him out). The two stores he left still bear his name. And the new store has his name. This is almost as confusing as Loomis rods, no longer owned by Gary Loomis, who is now with TFO rods; and Redington rods, now owned by Sage (previously Orvis) but started by Dave Redington who now owns South Fork Rods. To paraphrase Eric Cartmann, "You guys figure it out... I'm going home".

Tuesday, June 22
Yesterday was the first day of summer. The days are now getting shorter, and the nights longer. Pretty soon it'll be cool again... we wish! From a climatology perspective, "summer" usually begins around Memorial Day weekend when the period of daily high/low temperatures of 90s/70s begins, and continues until after Labor Day. So we have 10-12 more weeks of high heat and humidity to endure. Expect some relief later this week from this last week's brutal heat (99 degrees and 108 heat index in Alexandria on Sunday!) when an easterly wave passes thru the state. As for fishing... there are waters in our state where the heat doesn't impact the fishing until August. Being above the waterline, however, it impacts us the fisherman. So fish early or fish late.

Kevin Costner had to fight a bureaucratic mess to get his centrifuge devices deployed in the Gulf of Mexico. Devices that vacuum oil and water from spills, and seperate to 99.9 percent purity. But at last, his $25 million investment is at work. According to John Houghtaling, Costner's partner and CEO of Ocean Therapy Solutions, the first three machines are processing 600,000 gallons per day. Later this week, another 27 machines are expected to arrive in Louisiana and go into operation. Tonight, Costner will be a guest on CNN's Larry King Live at 8:00pm (CST).

The International Game Fish Association (IGFA) has announced several submissions for world record consideration. Among those are two potential flyrod records, one for tarpon and one for roosterfish. Thomas Evans Jr. of Grafton, Vermont, guided by Al Dopirak, landed a 194 lb, 8 oz tarpon on 12-lb tippet using a brown toad fly off Pine Island, Florida on May 10. The current IGFA record for 12-lb tippet is 177 lbs, taken in Homosassa, Florida in May, 1994. Lance Peterson of Port Angeles, Washington, landed a 48 lb, 8 oz roosterfish on May 16 while fishing from shore at Cabo del Este, Mexico. The fish hit a Peterson's Mona Lisa Fly tied to 12-lb tippet. The current Men's IGFA 12-lb tippet record is 41 lb 8 oz, taken in Mexico in 1998.

Monday, June 21
What's happening this week. On Tuesday, the Slidell Chapter of CCA will hold a fishing seminar at The Dock restaurant. Time is 6:00pm. The seminar is free for all CCA members and $10 for non members. Guest speakers include Barrett Jones, Capt. Dudley Vandenborre, Capt. Chas Champagne and others. In addition, a new addition to the seminars will include one or more local chefs to show how to prepare fish. Also, Jerald Horst will be on hand with his cook books. Also, please note that the CCA Fly Fishing Seminar originally scheduled for Tuesday has been moved back to July. On Thursday, the New Orleans Fly Fishers will hold their June meeting at the Whitney Bank Building on 1441 Metairie Road. Time is 7:00pm. On the list of topics will be the Rio Fly Fishing Rodeo for this year. Friday kicks off the 60th annual Louisiana Peach Festival in Ruston. This is always a great event, with so many activities for the family. On of those is the Kids Fishing Tournament at Lincoln Parish Park. It happens Friday at 8:00am. Participants must be accompanied by a parent or other adult. For more details, go to www.louisianapeachfestival.org. On Saturday, it's the "Fourth Saturday Tying Clinic" at the Bass Pro Shops in Denham Springs. Time is 9:30am to 12 noon upstairs in the Conservation Room. Instructor will be Mr. Tommy Sharp.

The Office of State Parks has announced an increase in certain fees starting July 1. Admission to state parks and historic sites will go up from $1 to $4 per person. It will remain free for seniors 62 and over, and children 12 and under. Nightly rates on campsites, some cabins (not all), and group lodging will go up roughly 10 percent. Having utilized state parks from Texas to Georgia in the last year, I can say that even with the increases, Louisiana is on par or better than most, and many of the renovated lodging is a great value. In fact, trying to book a cabin or group lodge at some state parks - Toledo Bend for example - has become a months-in-advance requirement.

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