Backpacker, Pack and Paddle seminars next week

As previously mentioned, Pack and Paddle has greatly expanded their fly fishing selection beyond TFO rods and reels to also include products from Sage, Redington, Rio and a wide variety of fly tying tools and materials. The Lafayette store has also been holding a series of events geared toward fly anglers known as "Fly Fishing Hangouts". The third edition of these will take place next Wednesday, September 20. The "Where To Go Edition" will focus on places to fly fish around the Acadiana area. Keith Richard will cover Henderson, Ron Begnaud on Calcasieu and Cameron Prarie Refuge, and the fourth location will be south of Houma. The event is free, and kicks off at 6:00pm. Refreshments will be served.

The previous evening, Tuesday, September 20, Backpacker of Baton Rouge will also be offering a free seminar at their store on Jefferson Highway. It starts at 6:00pm. Two of Louisiana's top kayak anglers - Eric Fey and Brock Miller - will be discussing fall marsh redfish tactics. Eric is also an accomplished fly angler and fly tier and will also talk about fly fishing for marsh reds. Other topics include: Kayak and gear setup, Sightcasting, Scouting on Google Earth, and more. There's also free beer from Tin Roof Brewing Company. Attendees can register to win a kayak fishing trip for two. Backpacker is also hoping to have the new Hobie Compass in store for this event. 

Complete details on these can be found on our Calendar page.

What's happening this week - 9/10

On Monday, the Red Stick Fly Fishers hold their monthly meeting at the Wildlife and Fisheries building in Baton Rouge. Casting outside beginning at 6:30pm, meeting at 7:00pm.  The meeting is open to the public.

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

On Thursday, the New Orleans Fly Fishers hold the first of their twice-monthly fly tying sessions at St Frances Xavier Hall on 444 Metairie Road. Time is 7:00pm. Bring your tying tools, if none, the club has a few sets for use during the session. Materials are provided. Beginners are welcome.

Also on Thursday, the Ponchartrain Basin Fly Fishers hold their monthly fly tying session at Olde Towne Fly Shop in Slidell. TIme is 6:30pm. Bring your tools, if none, sets are available for use during session. Materials are provided. Beginners are welcome.

Starting Friday, and continuing thru Saturday, it's the 2017 Gulf Coast Fly Fishing Fair at the Civic Center in Ocean Springs, MS.  The event is free and open to the public.  Sponsored by the Gulf Coast Council of Fly Fishers International (FFI), the event will feature dozens of top fly tiers from across the region and beyond.  There are also free casting clinics and workshops.  Also, loads of raffle and auction items that help support GCC Conservation partners including the Gulf Coast Marine Research Lab.  The Friday evening dinner and auction will feature one-of-a-kind items and several guided trips.  For complete details, go to www.gulfcoastfff.org.  Or check out the Events Forum posting.

On Saturday, the Backpacker in Baton Rouge will hold a free Paddle Demo Day at BREC Wampold Park on Stanford near the LSU campus. Time is 10:00am to 2:00pm.  Models include Hobie, Wilderness, Perception, KC Kayak, Mad River, Yolo and others.

Wilsons honored by Fly Fishers International

At the 52nd annual Fly Fishers International (FFI) awards banquet on August 2nd, Terry and Roxanne Wilson of Bolivar, Missouri, were presented with the prestigious Dr. James A. Henshall Award.  This award represents extraordinary achievements in conservation of warm water fisheries.  Previous award winners have included Dave Whitlock, Lefty Kreh, Tom Nixon, Larry Dahlberg, Bob Clouser, Tim Holschlag and others.

The Wilsons have authored several books on warmwater fly fishing, have created several well-known flies, including the "Bass Bully", and have given, and continue to give, presentations across the country on their favorite realm of our sport. But they're not one dimensional - they also happen to be editors of Southern Trout Ozark Edition magazine.

Many Louisiana fly anglers have met Roxanne and Terry as they've presented to several state clubs as well as at a couple of the FFF Gulf Coast Expo events held in Lake Charles.  They've also been fixtures at the annual FFF (FFI) Southern Fly Fishing Fair each October in Mountain Home, Arkansas.

Hurricane Irma smashing south Florida

As of this writing, the eye of Irma - the 2nd major hurricane in a month to hit the Gulf Coast - is making landfall in Deer Key and approaching Marcos Island on it's path up the west coast of Florida.  Our prayers and wishes go to the those affected by this storm.  As the red lines on the image on left show, hurricane force and gale force winds will extend across all of Florida as it moves north, then northwest towards east Tennessee before changing to a northeasterly course.  While Irma won't bring nearly as much rainfall to the Southeast as Harvey brought to Texas, the tidal surge will do much more damage. Those who have frequently fished the southwest coast of Florida (as we have) know that most of the communities in Marcos, Naples, Fort Myers Beach, Charlotte, Venice, and Sarasota are built on canals just a few feet above sea level.  It's almost a given there'll be major saltwater flooding in these areas.  One of my guides in the area joked, "There's going to be a lot of good snook holding structure" after the storm.  I think that positive is going to be outweighed by a LOT of negatives!  As for effects on the Louisiana and Mississippi coasts... it doesn't appear there'll be any if projections hold true.  We're not out of hurricane season yet!

Next weekend is the Gulf Coast Fly Fishing Fair

The 4th annual Gulf Coast Fly Fishing Fair will be held Friday and Saturday, September 15-16, at the Ocean Springs Civic Center in Ocean Springs, Mississippi.  Sponsored by the Gulf Coast Council - Fly Fishers International (FFI), it features free presentations, casting lessons, beginner classes, tying demonstrations, auctions and raffles, and more. It's open to the public.  And best of all, it's FREE!

The GCC consists of FFI clubs and members in Louisiana, Mississippi, south Alabama, and the Florida Panhandle.  While the majority of attendees are FFI members or members of FFI clubs, this family-friendly event is open to the public.  Beginners and youth are enouraged to attend.

For those looking to improve their fly casting skills, the GCC Fair offers the largest contingent of FFI Certified and Master Certified instructors of any event on the Gulf Coast.  Also, Boy and Girl Scouts have the opportunity to work on their Fly Fishing Merit Badge.

The Friday night casual buffet and Awards Dinner will be held also at the OSCC. It will feature an auction rich with prizes including art, fly tackle, guided trips, award winning fly plates, and much more. Along with the day raffles, proceeds will benefit the Gulf Coast Marine Research Lab, and conservation projects within the council boundaries of Louisiana, Mississippi, south Alabama and Florida panhandle.

This will be fourth GCC event named as the "Gulf Coast Fly Fishing Fair".  Prior to  Texas separating from the Council, the GCC held five events named as the "FFF Gulf Coast Expo".  It also should be noted that earlier this year, the Federation of Fly Fishers (FFF) changed their name to Fly Fishers International (FFI).


Complete details - including a schedule of events and programs - can be found on the GCC website at www.gulfcoastfff.org. 

Whats happening this week 9/3

On Tuesday, the Acadiana Fly Rodders will hold their monthly meeting at Grace Presbyterian Hall on 415 Roselawn in Lafayette. Time is 6:30pm.  Guests are welcome.

On Wednesday, the Pontchartrain Basin Fly Fishers will hold their monthly meeting at Abita Brew and Pub in Abita Springs. Conversation and dinner ordering (optional) at 6:00pm, meeting at 6:30pm.  Guests are welcome.

On Friday, Pack and Paddle will hold another of their "Fly Fishing Hangout". More on that later.

On Saturday, the Backpacker of Lafayette will hold a Paddle Demo Day at Sugar Mill Pond in Youngsville. Time is 10:00am to 2:00pm.  No cost.  Models include Hobie, Perception, Wilderness, KC Kayak, Yolo and more. Subject to weather, check their Facebook page or call 337-406-8754 to confirm.

Fly Fishing Hangout this Friday

This Friday, September 8th, Pack and Paddle will hold another of their "Fly Fishing Hangout" at their store on 601 East Pinhook in Lafayette. Time is 5:00pm to 8:00pm. The event is free. According to owner John Williams, this event will be part of the "Sage, Redington, and Rio Factory Tour".  The three companies are part of Far Bank Enterprises.  PnP recently expanded their fly fishing offerings to include all three product lines - plus fly tying materials.  Reps from the three companies will be on hand with rods loaded up for testing. There will also be fly tying, grilled hot dogs, and beer. As well as discounts and door prizes. The event is free.  For more info, go to www.packpaddle.com.

Weather news

This has been a very active tropical season.  Our continued prayers and wishes for our friends in southeast Texas in the aftermath of Harvey, but keep in mind that many folks in southwest Louisiana were also adversely affected by extremely heavy rainfall.  And now it appears that Hurricane Irma is headed for Florida and possibly may skirt into the western Gulf Coast.  It's been a hot and wet summer, but relief is on the way.  A cool front will move across the state tomorrow and bring more Fall like temperatures and humidity.  But even without the front, radiative cooling has begun - water temps are already down to the upper 70s.   This means more active feeding by bass (on schools of shad), crappie, and one of our favorites, redear (aka, chinquapin).  On the coast, this cooler water will accelerate the inshore migration of speckled trout and bring big reds back into the ponds.  Fall prime time is almost here!

What's happening this week - 8/27

Some of these activities may depend on what happens with Hurricane Harvey and whether it's trajectory takes it over Louisiana the early part of the week. Please check the websites listed.

On Monday, the Kisatchie Fly Fishers will hold their monthly meeting at the Rapides Westside Library on 5416 Provine in Alexandria. Time is 6:30pm. Guests are welcome. www.kisatchiefly.org

Also on Monday, the Red Stick Fly Fishers will hold their monthly fly tying session at the Bass Pro Shops in Denham Springs. Time is 7:00pm. Bring your tools, if none, the club has sets for use during the session. Materials are provided. Beginners are welcome. www.rsff.org

On Thursday, the New Orleans Fly Fishers hold their monthly meeting. Time is 7:00pm. Location TBA. Guests are welcome. Check out their Facebook page.

Saturday is the Lafayette Kayak Fishing Club's annual Speck-n-Redfish Cup. It's open to the public. Entry fee is $25. The format is as follows: you can fish anywhere in Louisiana public waters. Bring your fish to Pack and Paddle in Lafayette before 5:00pm Saturday. Food will be served. Heaviest stringer of 4 fish (max 2 slot reds, max 2 specks) wins. www.lafayettekayakfishing.com

Harvey continuing to wreak havoc

We're all tropically depressed for our friends along the Texas coast. Hurricane Harvey came in Friday morning as a Category 4 storm, the first  major hurricane to hit the U.S. mainland since 2008.  While the wind damage was significant, it's the extremely heavy rainfall that has captured the attention of the nation. Over 22 inches of rain has fallen in 3 days in some counties, with as much as 44 inches possible before Harvey moves on. That's more than Victoria gets in an average year!  The photos coming out in the media and on Facebook are awful reminders of previous flood related disasters here in Louisiana. Our experiences with Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and the tropical depression of last August, will likely get repeated with folks from Beaumont to Baffin Bay and further inland. According to all the forecasts, Harvey is unlikely to move much over the next 3-4 days. The latest models seem to be divided - the remnants of Harvey will either move into northeast Texas / northwest Louisiana and into Arkansas, or move due west towards El Paso.

Pack and Paddle expands its fly fishing lines

Pack and Paddle in Lafayette is known for having the largest selection of fishing kayaks in Louisiana. They've also been carrying conventional and fly tackle for several years, although the fly tackle has been limited to TFO rods, reels, lines and locally tied flies.  Back in July, the store added a good selection of fly tying materials with emphasis on warmwater and saltwater patterns. Now, owner John Williams has announced that they'll be carrying Sage, Redington and Rio products. On Friday, September 8th, PnP will hold another of their "Fly Fishing Hangouts". Time is 5:00pm to 8:00pm. They'll have several activities planned, but the main theme will be the "2018 Sage, Redington, Rio Factory Tour". The Sage trailer will be on hand loaded with rods, reels, and lines - including the new Sage HD and Foundation rods - for folks to try out. Reps from all three companies will be on hand to answer questions. Fly tiers will also be on hand to demonstrate their favorite patterns for Louisiana waters.  The event is free. For more info, go to www.packpaddle.com.

The September issue of Louisiana Sportsman is out

LAS magazine is available at sporting good stores and convenience stores across the state and parts of southern Mississippi. This month's issue is highlighted by the new expanded coverage of kayak fishing. Paddles 'N Puddles columnist Chris Holmes states, "In keeping with the growth and interest in the sport, over the next few months Louisiana Sportsman is expanding it's coverage of everything kayak fishing related.". In addition to his monthly feature, Chris will tell readers the best places to go, what activities are happening, product feature highlights, and more. Needless to say, we're all very excited about this! 

Speaking of excitement, my Fly Lines column is the annual tackle review from the IFTD Show in July. Readers tell me this is one of their favorite articles each year. Once again, I list my "Best of the Best" in rods and reels in each price category. Other columns of interest: In "Creature Feature", Jerald Horst asks where all the pompano have gone; Jerald and his wife Glenda spotlight Liana Aspirion and her favorite dishes including a Crawfish Monica and Barbecue Shrimp. Jerald also has a couple of feature articles, one on finding and exploiting trout migration during September, and another on dock shooting for crappie. As always, there's also Solunar Tables, Tide Tables, and regional fishing forecasts.

What's happening this week 8/13

On Monday, the Red Stick Fly Fishers hold their monthly meeting at the Wildlife and Fisheries building on Quail Drive in Baton Rouge. Time is 7:00pm. Dirk Burton will give a presentation on fly fishing in the Atchafalaya Basin. Guests are welcome. On Tuesday, the Contraband Fly Casters will hold their monthly meeting at St Paul's Lutheran Center on East Prien Lake Road in Lake Charles. Fly tying and discussion at 6:00pm, meeting at 7:00pm. Among items on the agenda is this Saturday's Contraband Fly Fishing Expo. Guests are welcome. Also on Tuesday, the Lafayette Kayak Fishing Club will hold their monthly meeting at Pack and Paddle on 601 East Pinhook Road. Time is 6:00pm. Guests are welcome! On Thursday, the North Louisiana Fly Fishers hold their monthly workshop at the Bass Pro Shops in Bossier City. Time is 6:00pm. Tom Bullock will be demonstrating a new way to tie an old favorite, the soft-hackled wet fly. Beginners are welcome. Also on Thursday, the New Orleans Fly Fishers will hold the first of their twice-monthly fly tying sessions at St. Francis Xavier Hall on 444 Metairie Road. Time is 7:00pm. Beginners are welcome. Bring your tools, if none, the club has a few sets for use during these sessions. Materials are provided. Also on Thursday, the CCA Sugar Chapter will hold their annual banquet at the Cade Community Center in St. Martinville. Doors open at 5:30pm, dinner 7:00pm, auction 8:00pm. Tickets are $65 per person ($35 spouse, $25 youth) and include dinner, open bar, one-year membership, more. For more info, go to www.ccalouisiana.com.

This Saturday is the 13th Contraband Fly Fishing Expo

Hosted by the Contraband Fly Fishers, Tom Nixon Chapter club of Lake Charles, the event will be held at the VFW Hall Post 7321 on Highway 171 north of Moss Bluff. Time is 8:30am to 4:00pm. Admission is free. Like most conclaves, there's fly tying demonstrations, seminars, casting clinics and demos, silent auction, raffles, exhibits, food and refreshments. This event always features two of the best realistic tiers in Louisiana - Fred Hannie and Lee Robinson. Well worth watching them tie their unique flies. For more on this event, go to www.contrabandflycasters.net.

Fishing during the solar eclipse

On August 21st, all of North America will observe an eclipse of the sun. A large swath of the United States will get to observe a phenomena that only happens a few times a century - a total solar eclipse. That swath will stretch from Charleston, South Carolina to Lincoln Beach, Oregon. Here in Louisiana, we'll be treated to an 80 percent shading of the sun (at max). Don Kirk of Southern Trout magazine is asking anglers who might be fishing during the eclipse to report back what effect it has on trout. Already on Facebook, there are anglers planning to fish reds and speckled trout that day and see what effect it has. Likewise, I'll probably be checking out the effects on bass and crappie during the eclipse. It'll be interesting to see what results are posted from all these varied sources.

Results of the 109th ACA Championships

The 109th American Casting Association Championships were held the last week of July in San Jose, California. The ACA consists of clubs and members throughout North America, and annually holds several casting competitions with categories for spin, fly, and spool. In the 1-Hand Fly Distance, Steve Rajeff once again won the Men's category edging out his longtime rival Henry Mittel, 227 feet to 219 feet. In the Senior Men, Keith Sharp set a new national record with 188 feet. In the 2-Hand Fly Distance, Mittel edged out Rajeff, 283 feet to 272 feet. Donna O'Sullivan won the Womens with 161 feet, while Keith Sharp won the Seniors Division with 204 feet. Perhaps the most presitigous fly category is Anglers Fly Distance. Here in the Men's Division, it was Mittel edging out Keith Pryor 179 feet to 154 feet, with Rajeff in 3rd place with 152 feet.  Youth casting sensation Maxine McCormick won the Intermediate Division with 127 feet. Donna O'Sullivan took Womens with 87 feet, while Elaine Gong took Senior Women with 99 feet. Keith Sharp edged out Ed Tamson in Senior Men, 135 feet to 125 feet. In Dry Fly Accuracy, Steve Rajeff won the Mens with a perfect 100 score, while Mike Miller took Senior Mens with 96, Beth Statt took Womens with 93, and Elaine Gong took Senior Women in a cast-off after tying with Alice Gillibert. Maxine McCormick took Intermediate with a 97 and Micheal Han took Juniors with a 90 score. For complete results, go to www.americancastingassoc.org.

Hardy Ultralight duo shines at ICAST/IFTD

Two new products from Hardy for 2018 received rave reviews at ICAST/IFTD. Their new Ultralight fly rod is made from their proprietary Sintrix 440 material. In the hand, their 4-weight was one of the lightest rods I've ever held, rivaling that of the Sage X. On the IFTD Demo Day casting pond, it made for a nice, delicate presentation up close, but surprisingly could boom out to 60 feet without much effort. Initial offerings will be in 2 to 5 weights with lengths from 8'8" to 9'9". MSRP will hover around the $700 mark. A rod that light needs a complimentary reel. The Hardy Ultralite MTX reel got my vote for Best Freshwater Reel in the New Product Showcase. It's stunning beauty aside, this reel uses a carbon fiber and machined aluminum frame to reduce weight, while maintaining a powerful carbon-fiber drag with 340-degree adjustable setting and no start-up inertia. This reel will match great with any of the new lightweight premium trout rods now taking the market. Sizes range from a 3-5 to 7-9 with MSRP from $429 to $499.

The Jackson Cruise FD is coming!

One of the surprises at this year's ICAST was a prototype of the new Jackson Cruise FD kayak.  It's sibling, the Jackson Coosa FD came into the trade show as a "new model" and was featured in the New Product Showcase even though it was unveiled at Outdoor Retailer last year.  The Coosa FD recently arrived at Jackson dealers everywhere and has been a smash at the demo days.  The "FD" stands for "Flex Drive", Jackson's patent-pending system that uses a unique articulating system for both deep and shallow navigation. A daggerboard protects the 3-blade propeller allowing for navigation among stumps and other underwater structures, and even into shallow water. While the propeller system is what makes this boat special, the Coosa FD has retained many of the features of the paddle version.  Likewise, in creating the Cruise FD, Jackson has opted to retain the cleaner layout design that fly anglers and less-hardcore conventional anglers loved so much about the paddle Cruise.  The Cruise FD will not be as long and wide as the Coosa FD, so likely not as stable.  And of course not as featured.  But it will be less expensive - likely $1999 compared to $2999.  That alone will likely make it a big seller.

What's happening this week 8/6

On Tuesday, the North Louisiana Fly Fishers hold their monthly meeting at the Red River National Wildlife Refuge in Bossier City. Time is 7:00pm. Guest speaker will be Jeff Guerin, guide on the Little Missouri River and other Ouachita Mountain streams in southwest Arkansas. Jeff will update the club on the current state of the fishery, plus other news regarding the Little Mo. Guests are welcome! On Thursday, the Pontchartrain Basin Fly Fishers hold their monthly fly tying session at Olde Towne Fly Shop on Pontchartrain Drive in Slidell. Time is 6:30pm. Bring your tools, if none, the club has sets available for use during the session. Materials are provided. Beginners are welcome! On Saturday, the Backpacker store in Lafayette will conduct a "Paddle Demo Day" at Sugar Mill Pond in Youngsville. Time is 10:00am to 2:00pm. Brands include Hobie, Wilderness, Perception, KC Kayak, Yolo and others. Please confirm if weather arises by calling 337-406-8754 or checking the Backpacker Facebook page.

Updates on FFI Council Events

Mid September and early October are the times for a pair of fly fishing expos hosted by regional entities (councils) of Fly Fishers International (formerly Federation of Fly Fishers). The Gulf Coast Council - comprised of FFI clubs and members in Louisiana, Mississippi, south Alabama and northwest Florida - will hold their annual "Gulf Coast Fly Fishing Fair" on Friday and Saturday, September 15 and 16. Location will be the Ocean Springs Civic Center in Ocean Springs, MS. Admission is free, as well as casting lessons and programs. Many of the best fly tiers from across the region and even other parts of the country will be demonstrating their flies. Last week, FFI-GCC released an event poster to clubs and on Facebook (shown in image on left). The full size version can be seen on Facebook. Meanwhile, the Southern Council of FFI announced info on their annual expo - to be held October 6th and 7th at the Vada Sheid Center in Mountain Home, Arkansas. The Southern Council consists of clubs and members across Arkansas, Oklahoma, western Tennessee, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska. Several Louisiana clubs were once part of this council, and a good number of state FFI members continue to attend "Southern Conclave". Unlike the GCC expo, Southern charges a $10 admission and certain workshops require a fee. For this reason, they have advanced registration forms on their website at www.ifffsoc.org. Banquet tickets, raffle tickets and conclave pins can also be purchased in advance.