Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

Here's wishing everyone a merry and most blessed Christmas.  Hope Santa brings that one fishing gift you really need... a new fly rod, a new fly line, or perhaps a ruler to measure those 24-inch speckled trout you claim to catch!

While Christmas is a season of festivity, let's not forget the reason for the season: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us….” John 1:14. Please be giving to those in need, and pray for those who are less fortunate, for those in suffering, and for those away from their families this season.

We also wish everyone a prosperous and healthy New Year.  With the new year we hope to see a continuance of excellent marsh fishing as we've had the past couple  of months, and the restart of great freshwater fishing, beginning with crappie and chain pickerel.

Final days of Orvis Baton Rouge

Back in October, Orvis announced it was closing 36 retail locations across the country as part of a strategic shift to focus more on fly fishing and wingshooting. Among the reasons given by Orvis President Simon Perkins were "a need to focus on core products" and a difficult, "unprecented tariff landscape".

Before I get to that last statement, let's talk about the one concern on everyone's minds: the announcement that the Orvis store in Baton Rouge was on the hit list. It's set to permanently close on December 24th.  If you get a chance, go by the store and thank Matt and John for all they've done for the local flyfishing community.

To say many of us are disappointed would be the understatement of the new millennium. The store opened in November, 2008, to much fanfare. It's been the hub of fly fishing activity in south-central Louisiana ever since. Orvis-BR has held numerous special events, from film festivals to guest speakers to "Conservation Days" and much more. Their Fly Fishing 101 and Fly Tying 101 classes have introduced a few hundred anglers to the sport and the art of tying. 

There's a personal connection as well. My older son, Kevin, was one of the store's first fishing managers. During his short stint (8 months), he taught a couple dozen folks how to fly cast. Since him, the list of Managers and Fishing Managers includes a renown group of fly anglers, from Capt. Bailey Short to Ian Huang to Alex Beane and others. 

It's going to be a tough loss for sure. While Bass Pro and Cabelas will still sell some fly fishing gear and fly tying material, there's no comparison when it comes to knowledge, customer service and quality of product.

Now to get to the other part of this post: the aftermath. As you might expect, social media blew up when the announcement was made. And as always, the Facebook fact checkers were missing in action.

First, Orvis cutting back stores is not "another sign" that fly fishing is on the decline. In fact, since 2010, fly fishing participation has grown on average of 2% per year. We now have the most fly anglers in America since surveys began in the 1970s. If the industry is in decline, it's not surprising. As I've said a hundred times - and I'll say a hundred times more: most of the folks running fly fishing companies - and individuals in the industry - aren't qualified to run a lemonade stand!

Second, many folks are buying into this nonsense that tariffs are the culprit for Orvis discontinuing most of their clothing line.  Unless the clothes are made in China, tariffs haven't been that high - they certainly haven't devastated the rest of the apparel industry. Besides, margins in apparel are so high in most cases that the impact is minor.  Perhaps the reason is that the 1950s called Orvis and wanted their clothing back. Really. When was the last time you walked into an Orvis store and said, "Wow, that looks so fashionable - and so affordable!". 

Anywho, Kevin says Orvis is making a huge mistake getting out of the clothing line instead of renovating and expanding the line. "Clothes have a life cycle... fly rods with lifetime warranties don't.".  We shall see.  

In the meantime, No Wake Outfitters in Metairie and Pack & Paddle in Lafayette will remain the alternatives for fly anglers eager for a customer-focused experience.  

2026 Calendar reminder

It's that time of the year again.  Christmas, Hanukkah - and our annual request for calendar submissions. We collect submissions for several online calendars, newspapers and even a magazine or two. Deadline is December 21st for some publications, but for this website any time is good. 

If you know of a fly fishing event taking place next year, please check the LAFlyFish.com Calendar page and see if it's posted and the information is correct. If the event is missing, or info is incorrect, please email me at catch@laflyfish.com.

2026 is turning out to be an odd year as several events across the South had to be cancelled or postponed for a variety of reasons. That includes the very popular Atlanta Fly Fishing Show. So the list is small, but not insignificant!

Here are some regional events through July:

Jan. 24 - Cenla Fly Fishing Festival, Kees Park Civic Center, Pineville, LA. Free admission. This biennial event is hosted by the Kisatchie Fly Fishers in even years. Features fly tying, casting instruction, seminars, raffles, and more. www.kisatchiefly.org .

Feb. 6-7 - ALTO Little Mo Home Waters Celebration, Municipal Building, 204 E. Main Street, Murfreesboro, AR. No cost. Hosted by the ArkLaTexOma Fly Tyers, this is a weekend of tying, casting, seminars, vendors, raffles. For details, go to www.arklatexomaflytyers.com .

Mar. 7 - Red Stick Day, 4141 North Flannery, Baton Rouge, LA.  Free admission. The Red Stick Fly Fishers host the longest-running fly fishing event in Louisiana, featuring fly tying, casting, seminars, great food, and on-the-water activities including fishing on premises. www.rsff.org .

Mar. 26-28 - Sowbug Roundup, Mountain Home, AR. Hosted by the North Arkansas Fly Fishers, this is largest fly tying event in the nation, with as many as 140 tiers from across the country and even other countries at one time. There's also free introductory classes, and free beginner fly casting lessons. www.naff.org.

May 1-2 - Gulf Coast Classic, Gulf Shores State Park Learning Campus, AL. Admission $15 per day, discounts for family, some workshops are an extra fee. Hosted by the FFI Gulf Coast Council, this event features some of the nation's top fly tiers and casting and fishing experts, a film festival, a "mixed bag" fishing contest, raffles, and much more. For details, go to www.ffigulfcoastclassic.org.

Also, some clubs will be holding "Fly Fishing 101" for beginners. Again, check the calendar for dates and locations.