Special events this week - 3/31

Saturday is the first-ever New Orleans Fly Fishing Expo at the new Deutsches Haus on 1700 Moss Street (Bayou St. John) in New Orleans. Time is 8:00am to 4:00pm. Admission is free. Sponsored by the New Orleans Fly Fishers Club, the event will feature seminars, casting instruction and demonstrations, fly tying demos by some of the region's top tiers, exhibitors, raffles, gamblers draws. Plus special features like an "Outdoor Writers Roundtable", an Iron Fly Tying competition, and more. Some of the fundraising activities will benefit Casting For Recovery. The Fly Fishers International Gulf Coast Council (FFI-GCC) will also hold a  fundraiser to benefit the new fly fishing club at St. Micheal High School. For complete details of this event, including schedule and list of exhibitors, go to www.neworleansflyfishers.com.  For details on the FFI GCC fundraiser, go to www.gulfcoastcouncilffi.org.

Also on Saturday, the Orvis store in Baton Rouge will host the International Fly Fishing Film Festival at their store on 7601 Bluebonnet in Perkins-Rowe. Doors open at 5:00pm, with refreshments and snacks. Film begins at 6:00pm. Tickets are $15. The IF4 consists of short and feature length films from around the globe, showcasting the passion, lifestyle and culture of fly fishing. For tickets or more info, call the Orvis store at 225-757-7286.

Also on Saturday, it's the 5th annual Lake Athens Fly Fishing Festival at Lake Athens Marina in Athens, Texas. This event features exhibitors, casting and tying demos, and a Big Bass Fly Fishing Contest. Admission is free, entry in the contest is $40 (pre-registration required).  All proceeds will benefit Project Healing Waters - North Texas Patriots Chapter. For more info, go to www.johnnyonthefly.com.

Special events this week - 3/24

Starting Thursday, and continuing thru Saturday, it's the 22nd annual Sowbug Roundup at Baxter County Fairgrounds in Mountain Home, Arkansas. Hours each day are 9am to 4pm. Admission is $5 and covers all 3 days, under 12 is free with parent. Sponsored by the North Arkansas Fly Fishers club, Sowbug features over 100 fly tyers from across North America and even Europe. There's also seminars, casting instructors, vendors, drawings, and auctions. A portion of the revenue goes to the NAFF Scholarship Fund. For more info, go to www.northarkansasflyfishers.org.

On Saturday, it's the Kisatchie Fly Fishers' annual "Fly Fishing 101" workshop at LDWF Booker-Fowler Hatchery in Woodworth. Time is 8:30am to 12:30pm. There is no cost, but pre-registration is required as seats are limited. Hands-on sessions cover the basics of fly fishing and fly casting. For more info, go to www.kisatchiefly.org.

Also on Saturday, it's the 72nd annual New Orleans City Park Big Bass Fishing Rodeo and Fishtival. Registration is 6:00am to 8:30am at the Casino Building (Parkview Cafe). Fishing begins at 6:30am. Weigh-in at 11:00am. Entry fee is $10 adults, $5 kids 12 and under. Categories include Fly Fishing (Bass, Rio).  Also a separate kayak fishing tournament, "Boats on the Bayou" will be held. BOTB is limited to 100 kayaks, pre-registration required. For more info, go to www.neworleanscitypark.com/fishrodeo.html.

Special events this week - 3/17

On Saturday, and continuing Sunday, its the 3rd annual "Texas Fly Fishing & Brew Festival" at the Plano Center in Plano, Texas. Time each day is 9am to 5pm. Tickets are $20 per day, or $35 for the weekend. The festival will feature several nationally-renown speakers and instructors, including Jason Randall, Brian O' Keefe, Ed Jaworoski, Blane Chocklett, and others. There's also fly tying demonstrations plus special tying seminars led by Chocklett Matt Bennett, the "Realistic Master" Fred Hannie, and others. Some workshops are extra cost. There's also an IF4 film festival showing on Saturday evening. But what separates this great show from others is the "brew" part - several of the Lone Star state's best micro-breweries will be on hand for participants to enjoy. For more info, go to www.txflyfishingfestival.org.

Orvis Baton Rouge to host IF4 on April 6th

We reported that the New Orleans Fly Fishing Expo is April 6th. Later that evening, there's another big fly fishing event up the river in Baton Rouge, when Orvis hosts the International Fly Fishing Film Festival (IF4).

Unlike the Fly Fishing Film Tour (F3T) - which has made several past showings in Louisiana - the IF4 is a stranger to these parts.  Like the F3T, the IF4 is a series of short films celebrating the sport of fly fishing, by chronicling epic trips, sharing the kinship of anglers and friends, and taking us to places we could only dream of.   If there's a difference between IF4 and F3T, it's that IF4 is more, well, international.

Orvis has exclusive rights to the IF4 in Louisiana, so this showing is it. There will be food and beverages at the event, much like there has been when Orvis hosted the F3T in the past.  All proceeds from this event will go to the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana.

Doors open at 5:00pm and the showing starts at 6:00pm. Tickets are $15 and seating is limited. To reserve tickets, drop in at their store on 7601 Bluebonnet Blvd or call 225-757-7286.

Jon Cave to headline 1st-ever New Orleans Fly Fishing Expo

New Orleans Fly Fishing Expo
Saturday, April 6, 2019
8:00am to 4:00pm
Deutsches Haus
1700 Moss Street, New Orleans, LA

In just four weeks, the New Orleans Fly Fishers Club will host their inaugural expo on the banks of historic Bayou St. John. The event will feature seminars, casting instruction, fly tying demonstrations, raffles, and much more.

Headlining the event will be Jon Cave of Oviedo, Florida. Jon is a nationally-renown author, photographer, lecturer and a USCG licensed guide. He's been a professional fly casting and fly tying instructor for over 25 years and runs the longest established fly fishing school in the South. He's a member of several advisory staffs, including Sage, Rio, Tibor, and Umpqua.

The NOFF club has released a tentative schedule of activities for this event. The Expo will begin with welcoming remarks from Expo Chairman A.J. Rosenbohm, Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser and Fly Fishers International Chairman Tom Logan before kicking off the fun stuff.

Masseys Outfitters will also be on hand doing free kayak demos from 9:00am to 12 noon. There is also an "Iron Fly Tyer" competition - which is always fun for both tiers and spectators - with renown tiers Fred Hannie, Ted Cabali, and Joe Bandera as judges.

Two unique presentations are also on the agenda. One is an "Outdoor Writers Roundtable" featuring some of Louisiana top outdoor writers - C.T. Williams, J.P. Morel, Peter Scafaru, Chris Holmes, Eric Muhoberac, and Catch Cormier.  The other is a talk by Jon Cave on his famous Wobbler, the fly that kicked off the spoon fly revolution!

A complete schedule is available in PDF format by clicking here.

BSA announces "Fishing For Scouts" updates

The Southern Region, Area 1 Boy Scouts Council has announced that their upcoming kayak fishing tournament has received a significant sponsorship, and cash prizes will now be awarded.  However, the tournament organizers are still looking for more kayak anglers (up to 75 allowed) to sign up.  These lakes are not public and for that reason, there are some VERY big bass, crappie and bluegill waiting to be caught!

Fishing for Scouts Kayak Fishing Invitational
Saturday, March 23, 2019
Avondale Scout Reservation
14434 LA Hwy 10, Clinton, LA

A fundraiser to benefit the Avondale Boy Scouts Camp. Kayak fishing will be on all 3 lakes, no bank fishing allowed. Catch and Release. Target species: bass, crappie, bluegill. Total of 75 kayaks accepted, with a maximum of 25 per lake. Sponsorship is per person fishing.

Schedule:
5:00am breakfast
5:30am lake drawings
6:30am fishing commences
12:00pm lunch
3:00pm fishing concludes
4:30pm awards and dinner

Each sponsorship includes:
- Friday overnight camping (bring your own gear)
- Saturday breakfast, lunch and dinner
- beverages, snacks, prizes
- entry into tournament

Sponsorship levels:
- Bullfrog $75, 1 fishing spot in the event
- Bobber $100, 1 fishing spot + company logo on one lake
- Camp $500, helps sponsor a scouts experience for next summer, special banner will display Camp Sponsors individuals or companies
- Bluegil $1,200 - 1 fishing spot, special recognition as lunch sponsor, company logo on one lake
- Crappie $2,000 - 2 fishing spots, name/logo on 3 lakes, special recognition
- Bass $5,000 - 3 fishing spots, name on all printed materials, signs, and banner. Website recognition, other recognitions.

For more complete information, including rules and contact info, CLICK on this link.