Sunday, January 28, 2018

What's happening this week - 1/28

Not much happening. Perhaps it's the "Super Blue Moon" the week before the Super Bowl. Regardless, there are no club meetings this week.

Friday and Saturday it's the Atlanta Fly Fishing Show at the Infinite Energy Center in Duluth, Georgia. This is the largest fly fishing show in the South, and will feature over 200 presentations by some of the biggest names in the sport and regional experts. Along with numerous vendors and fly tiers. For more info, go to www.flyfishingshow.com.

On Saturday, the Orvis store in Baton Rouge will hold another "Fly Tying 101". Time is 1:00pm to 3:00pm. FT101 is a one-day, 2-hour free hands-on clinic on the basics of fly tying. Materials and tools are provided, but bring your own tools if you have them. No cost, but pre-registration is required as class size is limited. For details, call 225-757-7286.

Saturday, January 27, 2018

The Magnificient Seven for 2018

We're just a few weeks away from the start of "kayak demo days", those free events hosted by dealers where folks can test paddle various boats, including popular fishing models. Each Spring, we see a lot of new boats that were revealed at ICAST or Outdoor Retailer and just making it off the production line. For 2018, it seems that manufacturers have recognized the need for lighter boats that offer more a bit more speed.  And we're also thrilled that nearly all these new boats have more open cockpit area. It this the demise of those damn "rod pods" and long center hatches?  We can only hope!

Among the 2018 crop, we picked 7 kayaks that we think will be winners.  All offer a good combination of light weight, speed, tracking, stability and at a price point that's easy on the pocket.

Bonafide SS127. Length 12'7", width 33.5", weight 75 lbs, MSRP $1599. It's been many years since one kayak got so much publicity prior to it's release. But Bonafide is a new company started by YakAngler founder Luther Cifers, and like everything Mr. Kayak does, it went through extensive design and testing. The SS127 has great stability without much of a sacrifice to speed or tracking. The HiRise seat system adjusts to high or low. It also has a great layout that allows for easy access to storage while leaving an open standing area.


Hobie Compass. Length 12'0", width 34", weight 68 lbs, MSRP $1949. The Compass is the new entry-level yak to their Mirage Series. It's lighter than most pedal boats and a lot more affordable. It's both fast and manuverable. To cut costs, it comes with the older Mirage drive (no reverse), and there's limited fittings. But it does have a flat deck for standing. This yak has been out since November and it's already selling great.

Jackson Cruise FD. Length 12'3", width 31.5", weight 68 lbs, MSRP $2399.  Jackson's new Flex Drive pedal power has been added to the popular Cruise series. The Cruise FD shares the open cockpit and slightly narrower profile of it's sibling. For anglers whose priority is speed and open water tracking, but with just enough stability to occasionally stand and cast (in calm water), then this boat fills the niche at a good price point for a pedal drive.

Jackson Liska. Length 12'1", width 34", weight 84 lbs, MSRP $1349. The  Liska is an updated version of Jackson's Cuda series. It's a bit wider and more stable, with more angler features. But most noticeable is the replacement of the long center tray with a shorter center hatch that allows a more spacious and open "standing area".  More evidence that those once-popular "rod pods" were the nuisance many of us said they were.

NuCanoe Flint. Length 11'3", width 33", weight 67 lbs, MSRP $999. The Flint got lots of attention at ICAST last July and for good reason. It shares the clean deck and stability of the larger Frontier and Pursuit, but in a lightweight, more nimble package. I was pleasantly surprised how quickly it accelerated, even if top-end speed was only the same as the Pursuit. It's being marketed as a boat for small lakes, backwaters and rivers, but it'll do just great in the marsh.

Kaku Wahoo 105. Length 10'5", width 33", weight 66 lbs, MSRP $899. Another short, lightweight boat with standup stability. Kaku owner and founder Kevin Hawkins has had great success with his Wahoo 125, especially among fly anglers. The clean deck and tri-hull design are copied in the 105, giving it good tracking, speed and stability for a short boat. As we say, there's always a trade-off (laws of physics) and in this case, it's that the tri-hull can create hull slap. Whether it spooks redfish has been debated a thousand times. But there's no debating that multitudes of reds have been caught from tri-hull yaks.

Native Manta Ray XT. Length 12'7", width 33", weight 67 lbs, MSRP $899. This yak has flown completely under the radar since ICAST, but watch out  - it's not only a great beginners yak (check the price point), but also one that experienced freshwater yakkers will appreciate. For it's length, the acceleration, cruising speed and tracking are impressive thanks to it's sharp bow. It also features Native's high/low seating. While it might not be marketed as a standup yak, the MRXT's 33-inch beam and flat standing area mean fly rodders can rise up on calm waters.

Sunday, January 21, 2018

What's happening this week - 1/21

On Monday, the Kisatchie Fly Fishers hold their monthly meeting at the Rapides Westside Library in Alexandria. Time is 6:30pm. Catch Cormier will do a presentation on "Fly Fishing for Crappie". The public is welcome. For more info, go to www.kisatchiefly.org.

Also on Monday, the Red Stick Fly Fishers hold their monthly fly tying session at Cabelas in Gonzales. Time is 7:00pm. The group will be tying a Fool's Gold Redfish Fly. Bring your tying tools, if none, the club has a few sets for use during these sessions. Materials are provided. Beginners are welcome! For more info, go to www.rsff.org.

On Tuesday, the Bass Pro Shops in Denham Springs will hold their monthly "Fourth Tuesday Tying Clinic" in the White River Fly Shop. Time is 6:00pm. Bring your tying tools, if none, they have a few sets for use during these sessions. Materials are provided. Beginners are welcome!

On Thursday, the New Orleans Fly Fishers hold their monthly meeting at Lakeshore Marina and Fuel (across the parking lot from the Blue Crab Restaurant). Time is 7:00pm. Guests are welcome. For more info, go to www.neworleansflyfishers.com.

This weekend, the North Louisiana Fly Fishers will hold their annual "Frozen Chozen" club fishing trip to the Little Missouri River in southwest Arkansas. For more info, go to www.northlaflyfishers.org.

On Saturday, the Orvis store in Baton Rouge will hold their annual "Travel Day" featuring guides and representatives from waters and lodges in British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Colorado, Georgia, Belize and here in Louisiana. Programs and prize drawings on the hour. In addition, there'll be several of the top skiff manufacturers on hand - with their boats - for folks to peruse. Fly tying, door prizes, and more complete the event. For more info, check out the post in our Events forum or go to the Orvis BR Facebook page.

Sunday, January 14, 2018

What's happening this week 1/14

An interesting week. Martin Luther King Holiday on Monday, and two of the biggest in-state events of the Spring this Saturday. Also, keep an eye on the weather... the chance for wintry mix on Tuesday and Thursday across some parts of the state may cancel some activities.

On Tuesday, the Contraband Fly Casters hold their monthly meeting at St. Paul Lutheran Community Center in Lake Charles. Fly tying and discussion at 6:00pm, meeting at 7:00pm. Guests are welcome. For more info, go to www.contrabandflycasters.net.

Also on Tuesday, the Kisatchie Fly Fishers hold their monthly fly tying session. The date is changed from the usual 3rd Monday because of the MLK holiday. Location is the Rapides Westside Library on Provine Place in Alexandria. Time is 6:30pm. Dan Fromme will lead the group in tying the Indicator Fly. Beginners are welcome. For more info, go to www.kisatchiefly.org.

Also on Tuesday, the Lafayette Kayak Fishing Club holds their monthly meeting at Pack and Paddle on 601 East Pinhook in Lafayette. Time is 6:00pm. On the agenda: details on the 2018 CPR Challenge, tackle tips, fishing reports, and kayak launch location.  For more, go to www.lafayettekayakfishing.com.

On Thursday, the New Orleans Fly Fishers holds the second of their twice-monthly fly tying sessions at St. Francis Xavier Church Hall on 444 Metairie Road. Time is 7:00pm. Bring your tools, if none, the club has a few sets for use during this session. Materials are provided, bring $1 to cover cost of materials. For more info, go to www.neworleansflyfishers.com.

On Saturday, the Kisatchie Fly Fishers hold their biennial "Cenla Fly Fishing and Light Tackle Festival" at Kees Park Civic Center in Pineville. Time is 8:30am to 3:30pm. Admission is free. The event will feature seminars, casting instruction, exhibitors, and nearly two dozen of the region's top fly tiers. Lunch and refreshments will be available on site. The raffle and other fundraising activities will benefit The Food Bank of Central Louisiana, as well as the club's conservation program. Complete details can be found on the KFF website at www.kisatchiefly.org.

Also on Saturday, the Bayou Coast Kayak Fishing Club will hold it's annual "Minimalist Challenge" out of Launch Leeville. The first qualifying event in the club's annual Angler Series is officially sold out - this is their only event where registration is limited. The limit of 125 was reached weeks ago. Fortunately, for those members who didn't register, the Series is setup so missing one or two Series events doesn't hurt qualifying for the Championship in December. It'll be interesting to see the results of Minimalist after this coming week of strong north winds and bitter cold.

New season for Buccaneers & Bones

With the new year comes the return of new seasons of several popular fishing and fly fishing shows on networks like NBC Sports, Outdoor Channel, Sportsmans Channel, Pursuit, and World Fishing Network. One of the most popular fly fishing shows remains Buccaneers and Bones, now entering it's 7th season on Outdoor Channel. New episodes are broadcast on Friday at 10am, Saturday at 3pm, and Sundays at 7am and 5pm. The show runs from January to June.

This season of B&B was filmed at Turneffe Flats in Belize and stars Tom Brokaw, Huey Lewis, Michael Keaton, Yvon Chouinard, Lefty Kreh, Jimmy Kimmel, Thomas McGuane, Jim Belushi, and a collection of the greatest saltwater fly fishermen in the world. The series celebrates the majesty of flats fishing while showcasing the work of Bonefish & Tarpon Trust to conserve and protect bonefish, tarpon, and permit fisheries through sound science.  

Friday, January 12, 2018

LDWF transitioning to new license system

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries is transitioning to a new recreational hunting / fishing license sales system starting the end of this month. On January 30th, all license sales will be down. Then on February 1st, and continuing until April 1st, retail locations will -NOT- be able to sell licenses while new equipment and training is implemented. All sales will have to be done through internet or at LDWF offices in Baton Rouge, Monroe, Opelousas, Lake Charles and Alexandria.

On April 2nd, vendor license sales will resume.

The new system will have numerous advantages. License holders will be able to reprint their licenses online at no cost. Users will be able to create a username and password to get information, including select boater and hunter courses.  Auto-renew options will also be available.

Here comes another arctic blast!

The winter of 2017-2018 is turning out to be true to predictions as one of the coldest in nearly two decades. The only one thrilled about this is Princess Elza from Disney's Frozen. Today's blast of arctic air will give us a repeat of the week after Christmas. Until next Friday, most of Louisiana will have much below normal temps - highs in the 40s and lows in the 20s, with some teens across northern parishes. On Monday - Martin Luther King Holiday - we could warm up a bit. But that day also comes with the threat of wintry mix across north Louisiana.

Here's the good news... looks like we could have mild weather (by recent standards) for the weekend of the 20th. That's important because of two big events that day - the Cenla Fly Fishing and Light Tackle Festival in Pineville and the Minimalist Challenge kayak fishing tournament out of Cocodrie. The Cenla Fest, hosted by the Kisatchie Fly Fishers, kicks off the season's fly fishing activities, while Minimalist , hosted by the Bayou Coast Kayak Fishing Club, kicks off the kayak tournament season. 

Sunday, January 07, 2018

What's happening this week 1/7/2018

On Monday, the Red Stick Fly Fishers hold their monthly meeting at the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries building on Quail Drive in Baton Rouge. Time is 7:00pm. Guests are welcome. For more info, go to www.rsff.org.

Also on Monday, the Cane Country Fly Casters hold their monthly meeting at the Westside Baptist Community Center in Natchitoches. Time is 6:30pm. Guests are welcome!  For more info, go to www.canecountry.blogspot.com.

On Tuesday, the North Louisiana Fly Fishers hold their monthly meeting at the Red River National Wildlife Refuge on Sunflower Road in Bossier City. Time is 7:00pm. Guests are welcome.

On Wednesday, the Bayou Coast Kayak Fishing Club holds their quarterly meeting at Masseys Outfitters Mid-City location on 509 North Carrollton. Social starts at 6:00pm, meeting at 7:00pm. On the agenda: 2017 Fish Pics Awards, updates on 2018 tournaments including Paddlepalooza (March). Guests are welcome! For more info, go to www.bckfc.org.

On Thursday, the New Orleans Fly Fishers holds the first of their twice-monthly fly tying sessions at St. Francis Xavier Church Hall on 444 Metairie Road. Time is 7:00pm. Bring your tools, if none, the club has a few sets for use during this session. Materials are provided, bring $1 to cover cost of materials. For more info, go to www.neworleansflyfishers.com.

Also on Thursday, Olde Towne Fly Shop will hold their monthly tying session at their location on 3675 Pontchartrain Drive. Time is 6:30pm. Bring your tools if you have some, otherwise a few sets for use during the session. Materials are provided. For more info, go to www.oldetowneflyshop.com.

On Saturday, Orvis of Baton Rouge will hold another of their "Fly Tying 101" sessions at their store on Bluebonnet. Time is 1:00pm. FT101 is a free, one-day, 2-hour hands-on clinic on the basics of fly tying. Materials and tools are provided. Class size is limited, so pre-registration is required. Other dates available. For more info, call 225-757-7286.

LDWF Warns of Potential Fish Kills

Last week's arctic blast brought some of the coldest weather since 1989. Back then, several days of continuous sub-freezing temps resulted in widespread kills of redfish and speckled trout. On Friday, Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries addressed concerns of another fish kill.

"Typically water temperatures below 40 degrees for any more than a day begin to cause problems for spotted seatrout, whereas red drum are slightly more tolerant and will begin to experience problems in the mid-30s,” explained LDWF fisheries biologist Jason Adriance. “The rate at which the water cools is also important. If fish have a chance to acclimate and move, the potential for survival is better.”

It's been an abnormally cold season since early December, and that may be the saving grace for specks. Even so, there's been very few trout caught by the handful of anglers who went out the last couple of days. Even though it's believed they're stacked up in holes. On the other hand, redfish catches have been off the charts. Many limits were caught yesterday in just a couple hours.

Tuesday, January 02, 2018

Welcome to 2018

First off, wishing all our LFF Community and their loved ones the best wishes for a safe, healthy, and prosperous year ahead. May your flies get victimized early and often by various piscatorial predators! And may there be many great fishing stories to tell - even if some are borderline truth.

As you can see from the Calendar page, there are many great activities coming up this Spring for those of us who pursue fish on the fly and/or from a paddlecraft.  Orvis of Baton Rouge has kicked off their Saturday educational sessions, which currently are scheduled through the end of February. These include "Fly Fishing 101", "Fly Fishing 201" and "Fly Tying 101". These one-day, 2-hour sessions are free of charge, but pre-registration is required. Dates and times can be found on our Calendar page.

The new year also brings the start of regional events, including the biennial Cenla Fly Fishing & Light Tackle Festival (Jan. 20), the Dr. Ed Rizzolo Fly Tying Festival (Feb. 10), Little Mo Fly Fishing Festival (Feb. 17), Fly Fish Texas (Feb. 24), Red Stick Day (Mar. 3), among others. Then there's the ever-popular Fly Fishing Film Tour at the Orvis store on Friday, February 23rd. This event has sold out the last five years. It's a great time, so be sure to get tickets early!

As for kayak fishing events, the Bayou Coast Kayak Fishing Club's annual kickoff tournament - Minimalist Challenge (Jan. 20) - is already booked up on alloted registrations. Fortunately, their premier event - Paddlepalooza (Mar. 10) - has no such restrictions.  All the dates for BCKFC and Lafayette Kayak Fishing Club tournaments are set.  Other kayak fishing events this Spring include "Boats on the Bayou" (Mar. 24) held in conjunction with the New Orleans City Park Big Bass Rodeo and Fishtival. Also look for numerous kayak demos starting in March, featuring several new boats including the Bonafide models, Hobie Compass, Jackson Cruise FD and Coosa FD.