More Kayak Demo Days coming!

A few folks who missed all the free kayak demo days held around the state the first weekend of this month have expressed concern. "Will there be more?". The answer is... YES!  In fact, the season was just getting started!

I don't see any listed for the remainder of this month, but a bunch lined up for April and May.  Jot these days and locations down for the one most convenient to you. On April 7, Masseys Outfitters of Baton Rouge will hold one at BREC Wampold Park. Time is 11:00am to 3:00pm. On April 14, Masseys of New Orleans will hold a KDD on Bayou St John near Cabrini Bridge from 10:00am to 2:00pm. On April 21, Ship and Shore will hold one at Prien Lake Park in Lake Charles. Time is 10:00am to 2:00pm. The Backpacker in Baton Rouge and in Lafayette will have demo days during April as well, dates haven't been confirmed yet. But check their Facebook page or call 800-414-4685.

Echo introduces Bad Ass Glass Quickshot

When it comes to affordable innovation, Echo has been an industry leader. The Vancouver, Washington based company was founded and is co-owned by casting guru Tim Rajeff, who personally runs every aspect of the business including new product design. The result has been outstanding products that are often rated highly in various "shootouts". In our own hands-on testing, the Echo Ion XL, Echo Base, and other models have been rated a "best buy".

When Echo came out with their Bad Ass Glass fiberglass saltwater rods last year, it put an exclamation point on the fiberglass revival. A 12-weight glass rod? Sure, many of the pioneers of saltwater fly fishing used fiberglass rods to tackle tarpon. But only because graphite wasn't available (or proven). Graphite has been superior, but no longer. The new S-glass (and beyond) rival the power of graphite but with greater "fun factor". The BAG rods have been a huge success for Echo.

With that success, Echo has added a new series of 8-foot models called "Bad Ass Glass Quickshot". Frequent Louisiana Fly Fishing readers know I'm a strong advocate for 8-foot rods, especially for making accurate casts in tight cover to bass. But the Quickshot rods are more than just a shorter rod. They're faster, lighter and more powerful than previous glass offerings. Models range from 6-weight to 10-weight, and are fast action. Price is $279 which is very good for new glass! 

Contraband Fly Casters have a new website

The Lake Charles-based club has a long and storied history, especially when it comes to fly tying. In fact, it's full name is "Contraband Fly Casters, Tom Nixon Chapter" in honor of one of it's most beloved members and a legend in warmwater fly tying. Other renown tiers past and present include realistic tyer Fred Hannie and the late Mark Delaney. The club also has several tiers who are regularly featured at conclaves (fly fishing festivals).

Speaking of conclaves, Contraband has hosted some of the best ever held in Louisiana, featuring legends such as Lefty Kreh, Dave Whitlock and Stu Apte. This July, the club continues that legacy with tier extraordinaire Pat Cohen as headliner for their annual Contraband Fly Fishing Expo. The 2-day event will also feature testing for the FFI Casting Certification program. With the Expo getting loads of attention on Facebook, it's only appropriate that CFC upgrade their website to better market the club and the Expo.  The new URL is www.contrabandflycastersinc.net. Go to their site and bookmark it. And bookmark your calendar for the Contraband Expo on Friday-Saturday, July 13-14. 

Mid-week tidbits 3/7

Later this month is the 71st annual New Orleans City Park Fishtival and Big Bass Rodeo, the oldest freshwater tournament in the country.  Divisions include Conventional, Fly, Rio and more.  There's even a kayak tournament on adjacent Bayou St. John (Boats On The Bayou) for both salt and fresh species. It may be a diversified contest, but there's no question that Ol' Bucketmouth is what draws a huge crowd.  And why Monday's catch by Broc Corcoran is all over social media. The 29 year old New Orleans angler caught a 9.3 pound bass in one of the NOCP lagoons using a soft plastic minnow (casting gear).  After he got it weighed and witnessed, he then released it back safely.  Not only is the fish a new NOCP record, but Fishtival participants have a chance to recatch the monster bass.  And to recatch the 8.3 pounder that Broc caught three weeks earlier!  Note to fly anglers: it's not uncommon for the park's big bass to hit flies.  Check out the complete story by Pat Bonin on www.louisianasportsman.com.

This Saturday is the Bayou Coast Kayak Fishing Club's annual Paddlepalooza, but it's also the first day of their members-only CPR contest sponsored by Masseys Outfitters. The "Masseys Fish Pics" tournament runs through next February, a departure from years past when the event ran from January thru November. Masseys really puts up some great prizes for this event. For example, Tyler Drude won this past year's Fly Division (highest total points for longest red, speck and bass) and received a Jackson Mayfly kayak. I finished 3rd and got a Wilderness Systems waterproof crate. It's so nice I'm worried about getting it wet, LOL. Seriously, this tournament is FREE to all BCKFC members. Check out the tournament details at www.bckfc.org and if you own a kayak, consider joining this great club.

Here's yet another tournament some readers might be interested in - if you love crappie fishing. The 5th annual Crappiefest takes place on March 31st out of Lake Fork. Hosted by the Crappie Anglers of Texas, it's become the largest "Big Crappie" tournament in the country with over 325 participants last year. Why so popular? For starters, it's an individual tournament. Second, there's no restrictions on watercraft. While the vast majority of crappie tournaments forbid the use of paddlecraft, Crappiefest allows you to use kayak, canoe, rubber raft, float tube, whatever! You can even wade or bank fish. Most crappie tournaments also forbid the use of fly tackle. Again, Crappiefest allows any "rod and reel combo". And don't count on veteran anglers to take home most of the winnings. With this event, all you need to win or place is just one (1) big fish.  For more info, go to www.crappiefest.com.

On April 7th, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries will celebrate the newest addition to their "Get Out and Fish!" community fishing program with a fishing competition. The pond at Southside Regional Park in Youngsville (also known as Fabacher Field) will allow residents of the Lafayette metro area a chance at quality bank fishing. And this winter, a chance for rainbow trout fishing!  Prior to the contest, the pond will be stocked with adult-sized channel catfish. The contest will begin with registration at 6:30am and end at 10:00am. The first 100 kids to register will receive a free goodie bag. There will be fishing activities, demonstrations, and raffles. Also the Kiwanis Club will offer lunch.  For more info, go to www.wlf.louisiana.gov.

Fishing remains a bit sluggish in north and central Louisiana despite a few nice catches last weekend of big bass and crappie. We're still recovering from 5 to 9 inches of rain a couple weeks back with waters either muddy or a bit milky.  Just yesterday, Cane River opened back up and that will get my attention soon enough. These cool fronts and high pressure have put the fish down a bit, and we still haven't seen the redears bedding up (they usually do this month).  I'm confident if we can avoid the heavy rain the action on bass, crappie and redears will be back to normal within a week or two.
 

Special events this week 3/4

Friday evening and Saturday it's the 15th annual Paddlepalooza, the longest-running kayak fishing tournament in the country. It'll be held out of Bridgeside Marina on Grand Isle. Hosted by the Bayou Coast Kayak Fishing Club, it kicks off with the Captains Dinner on Friday evening. Saturday is tournament fishing day. After the weigh-in, there's fish fry, awards, and a huge raffle. Entry fee is $60. Onsite registration is available. For entry forms, rules and details, go to www.bckfc.org.

Starting Saturday and continuing Sunday, it's the 2nd annual Texas Fly Fishing and Brew Festival at the Plano Center in Plano, TX. Activities include seminars, casting clinics, fly tying, and more. Unique to this event is the series of local microbrewery tasting tickets for each paid admission ages 21 and older. There are also classes and seminars on brewing. Headliners include Jason Randall, Ed Jaworoski, Wanda Taylor, Dave Whitlock, Pat Dorsey, and more. For more info, go to www.txflyfishingfestival.org.

Sunday is the start of Daylight Savings Time. Remember to "spring forward" your clock one hour. 

Season of fly fishing contests

Today is the first day for the New Orleans Fly Fishers "Big Year" contest, the Kisatchie Fly Fishers "Mixed Bag" contest, and the Lafayette Kayak Fishing Club's CPR Challenge.  All three are months-long, members-only, CPRE (catch-photo-release encouraged). 

The NOFF and KFF events are different in that, unlike most tournaments, size doesn't matter.  It's about catching the most different species.  Modeled after the birding community's "Big Year" contests, the NOFF Big Year and KFF Mixed Bag have no entry fee.  There's also a prize for one lucky member drawn from all participants who didn't win.  To submit an entry, the photo should be taken "on site" (no driveway pics) and include the fish, the event token, and the fly in the photo.     

The LKFC CPR Challenge has a $10 entry fee for the first time. However, the prizes have been seriously upgraded for 2018.  There are divisions for Conventional and Fly.  Fly entries need to have the kayak, the fish on a measuring board, fly and fly tackle, and token in the photo.  Submissions are made online using the Kayak Fishing Series portal.

Over the next 8 weeks, the following events will have fly fishing contests:  New Orleans City Park Big Bass Rodeo and Fishtival (kayak and fly), Lake Athens Fly Fishing Festival and Big Bass Contest,  Fly Fishin For the Mission tournament (Pointe-aux-Chenes), and Bass On The Fly (Lake Fork).  If you love a little friendly competition, the season is here!   

Little Mo Blues

The monsoonal rains that have inundated north and central Louisiana recently have hit Arkansas even harder.  Little Rock finished February with it's highest monthly total precipitation ever.  That same amount of rain fell within the drainage of the upper Little Missouri River.  As a result, Lake Greeson has gone from 10 feet below normal pool to 13 feet above pool in a couple of weeks.

Not unexpected - comes news that the Corps of Engineers has opened both of the bunger valves on Greeson Dam.  For Louisiana trout anglers who frequent the Little Mo, this is bad news.  The big valves dump a LOT of water into the Little Missouri tailwater, making it unfishable.  While this will help lower the lake, it's a slow process because it's a big lake.  We're looking at maybe 6-8 weeks before the tailwater is fishable again.

Red Stick Day this Saturday

The largest annual fly fishing festival (conclave) in Louisiana takes place this Saturday, March 3rd.  Hosted by Red Stick Fly Fishers, "Red Stick Day" activities include seminars, fly tying demos, casting clinics, vendors, raffles, food and more. Time is 8:30am to 3:30pm. Location is BREC Perkins Community Park in Baton Rouge.

Typically the event is held at the LDWF Waddill Outdoor Education Center, but that facility was damaged by the flood of August, 2016, and repairs remain unfinished. However, like Waddill, Perkins Park has a stocked pond with good fishing. So attendees are encouraged to bring their tackle.

RSD has a history of bringing in some great speakers, and this year is no different.  Bill Laminack is quickly becoming one of the most respected fly tiers and warmwater anglers in the country.  The Panama City resident will be a featured tier and also give a program on bass fishing. Other speakers  include Eddie Mullen of Eddies Kayak Rentals in Pointe-aux-Chenes, Capt. Tristian Daire, saltwater fly fishing guide and owner of Olde Towne Fly Shop in Slidell, and Ben Roussel, Jackson Kayak pro-staffer and "Mountains to Marsh" blogger. RSFF member Roger del Rio, a longtime Fly Fishers International (FFI) Certified Casting Instructor (CCI) will conduct morning and afternoon casting clinics.

Once again, the event will feature top tiers from Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. Proceeds from the raffle will go towards the club's conservation and education initiatives. For more info, go to www.rsff.org and click on "Red Stick Day".

Fishing improving daily

A much colder-than-normal winter has been offset by an unusual warm spell the last two weeks. The result? Plants are blossoming, green is returning to the landscape, and fish are biting! Surface water temperatures in the central parishes has gone from upper 40s to low 60s in just that short time. And while deeper water remains very cold, fish are venturing into shoreline areas where food organisms are active.

The biggest obstacle has been strong winds, and in central and northeast Louisiana over 6 inches of rain the last two weeks. So finding clear water has been key. When clear water is found, crappie are bunching along shoreline structure or grass preparing to spawn. Fluff Butts, Silli Butts, Squirmy Butts, Crappie Candies, Death To Crappie, Coyotes and even weighted Seaducers are the ticket.

On the coast, limits of redfish are the rule rather than exception - when wind allows. But just this last week there were good catches of hefty speckled trout in interior lakes. One area that has been red hot - for reds and bass - has been Delacroix. Puddlers are reporting best results in pockets of cleaner water.    

Little Missouri River update

This past Saturday was the 16th-ever Little Mo Fly Fishing Festival in Murfreesboro, Arkansas. Organized by Shreveport resident and Little Missouri River fly fishing guide, Jeff Guerin, it's a celebration of fly fishing with emphasis on the year-round tailwater trout fishery below nearby Greeson Lake.  The event was well attended with many of the "usual suspects" - as Jeff calls them - present. In fact, it seemed the rough weather played less a role in limiting attendance than did the current epidemic of cold and flu.

For Louisiana trout enthusiasts in northern and western parishes, the Little Missouri River is our closest year-round trout water, only 2.5 hours north of Shreveport in the Ouachita Mountains.  For that reason, the highlight of this event for us - and for all who fish the Little Mo - is the annual "State of the River" presentation.  Arkansas Game and Fish Commission biologist Kris Nault shared statistics and catch reports, and pointed out that, because of the flooding of the Spring River hatchery, stocking numbers would be down 25 percent this year. But to compensate, the average size would be slightly up. 

Since last October, the generators on the dam have been under renovation. During this time, there has been no generation. Normally when there is no generation, there is a very small release of water, referred to as leakage amount. However, the Corps has been releasing much more than the leakage amount. This "minimum flow" is about 6-8 inches higher than normal. It has had a profound effect upon the river. Nearly all the shallow rocks are covered, there's flow across the river, the trout are spread out all over, and there's more bugs for this time of year than many of us have ever seen. The trout are strong, and rich in colors.

Work on the turbines will continue until April or May, during which time minimum flow will continue. It has revived the conversation of minimum flow on the tailwater. Even half of what is now being released would be a great improvement over the trickle and would result in an additional mile of trout water during late summer - in addition to the benefits already witnessed in this "trial run". It may take an act of Congress (literally) for it to happen, but given what has happened on the White and Lower Mountain Fork rivers, there is hope.

Timau Claverie remembered

I received some sad news while on my fishing excursion to Arkansas the past week. Last Wednesday, Maumus Claverie Jr, a.k.a, "Timau" Claverie - a giant in marine conservation - passed away at the age of 82. Timau had a distinguished career as an attorney, and equally important, as a tireless conservationist.  For decades he served with the Coastal Conservation Association (CCA), Billfish Foundation, IGFA Board of Directors, New Orleans Big Game Fishing Club, and FFI Gulf Coast Council, to name just a few. He also served on the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, the National Marine Fisheries Service's Advisory Committee for Highly Migratory Species, and on the U.S. Advisory Committee for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas. Recently, Timau was honored with the Billfish Foundation's Rybovich Lifetime Conservation Award.

Timau was also an avid fly fisherman and an active member of the New Orleans Fly Fishers. An excellent fly tier, his obituary stated that he was tying flies the day before his passing.

Timau and I served for many years on the CCA-Louisiana Science Committee, of which he was chairman. I recall the early days of those meetings. Perhaps it was his experience as a lawyer, or his quick wit and sharp mind, but we were all glad he was on our side in the preservation of coastal resources. Whatever argument was thrown our direction, in terms of allowing antiquated fishing practices to continue, he would crush them in a few sentences.

Our prayers and wishes are for him and his family.  He will be sorely missed.

Special events this week 2/18

On Thursday, Pack and Paddle will host a special seminar "Secrets of Successful Kayak Anglers" featuring two-time world champion Steve Lessard and Hobie Angler of the Year Brendan Bayard.  Time is 6:00pm. There is no cost.  For more info, go to www.packpaddle.com.

On Friday, Orvis of Baton Rouge will host the 2018 Fly Fishing Film Tour at their store on 7610 Bluebonnet in Perkins-Rowe. Time is 7:00pm. Tickets are limited, so check with the store prior to the film showing to find out if tickets are still available. Call 225-7286.  For a list of films to be shown, go to www.flyfishingfilmtour.com.

Also on Saturday, it's the annual Fly Fish Texas at the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center in Athens, Texas. Time is 8:30am to 4:00pm.  All Fly Fish Texas activities are free with regular paid admission to the center. For a complete list of activities, go to www.tpwd.state.tx.us and click on the "Fly Fish Texas" link.

Ready for the spawn? Curb your enthusiasm.

Well another blast of cold air has moved across our state. Haven't we had enough of winter already?

On Friday, I got a taste of warmer things to come while fishing a pond in southwest Louisiana. The sacalait were in the shallows setting up for their annual spawning ritual. And taking a black and chartruese Fluff Butt almost every other cast. Later that evening, I saw a post on Facebook - same area, but different pond - where the poster landed a five fish stringer of bass between 2 and 4 pounds.

Some folks got excited reading these reports, thinking "it's time". I hate to be Debbie Downer, but with the exception of small waters in the lower parishes, the answer is "not yet". The water temperature needs to be about 56 degrees to trigger activity and spawning behavior of crappie, and about 60 degrees for bass. Right now, most lakes in the central and northern parishes are well below that. For example, Cotile Lake is 47 degrees. That's 12 degrees colder than last year at this time.  The pond near Jennings from which I made my nice catch of crappie last Friday had a temperature of 56 degrees.

Last year spoiled us. By the first week of February 2017, crappie in  most impoundments had moved into spawning areas. Bass in ponds around Baton Rouge were staging for the spawn. Consider that last January was the warmest on record. Baton Rouge had a mean temperature that month of 59.3 degrees, compared to the normal mean of 51.6 degrees. This January, exactly the opposite. The BR had a mean of 46.3 degrees. That's 13 degrees lower than last year! Again, that's the average for the month, where even a couple degrees is significant.

While bass may be as anxious to spawn as we are for them to spawn, they have more sense than we do. They will wait and for good reason. At 65 degrees, the eggs may take as long as 12 days to hatch. At 70 degrees, that hatching period is only 2-3 days. The longer the hatching period, the more vulnerable the eggs are to predators like bluegill. Bottom line: a successful spawn requires the optimal water temperature.

For fly anglers with a serious case of cabin fever, there is hope. Days are getting longer and nights are getting shorter. Several mild days are in the forecast for this weekend and into next week. Until then, there's always a few more flies that need tying.

2018 Little Mo Fly Fishing Festival this weekend

Starting Friday evening, and Saturday, it's the 13th ever Little Mo Fly Fishing Festival at the Community Center in Murfreesboro, Arkansas. The event celebrates fly fishing with emphasis on the local Little Missouri River and it's famed trout fishery. Friday offers gumbo and tying, while Saturday offers programs, fly tying, exhibitors, casting, and the wildly popular "State of the River" address by AFGC trout biologists.  There's also the "Fly Draft" that evening.  On Sunday, there's the "Can You Take It' casting clinic with emphasis on fishing moving waters.  For details, go to www.littlemissouriflyfishing.com.

Book review - Designing Poppers, Sliders & Divers

Last week, "Designing Poppers" made it's way into a number of bookstores and online retailers such as Amazon. In fact, at the Atlanta Fly Fishing Show I picked up one of the first copies. The folks at Angling Bookstore had just received a shipment before the show, and within the first hour of the first day had sold most of their copies. By 10 o'clock that morning they had none left!

It's seldom that a fly tying book gets so much pre-publication hype, much less become an instant classic once it hits the shelves. But after spending a week going over this new book by Steven Schweitzer, my conclusion is... it lives up to the hype!

The publisher of Designing Poppers says this: (it's) the most comprehensive book ever written for the topwater lure maker. Three-hundred pages are full of methods, procedures, and examples richly illustrated with 800 detailed full color photographs. Over 50 tips & how-tos  and DIY projects are included. Also included are common design elements and step-by-step instructions for 17 of the most effective patterns.

Everything the publisher states is accurate. There are also over a dozen charts comparing different material aspects, including hooks, pen marker types and colors, coating types, Copic color patterns and much more. To my surprise the book also included, at the end of each chapter, a gallery of flies by featured artisans. Two of the featured tiers are Louisiana's own Kirk Dietrich and Ron Braud. Congratulations to both!

Several times I tried testing the book to see if there was some topic or item it could've missed, and so far, it's covered them all. Granted, a few could've had a bit more information or detail. But given the scope of this book, and the enormous amount of subject matter, Schweitzer did an amazing job of gathering information, collecting detailed photographs, and covering so many topics.

The book comes in binder form for easier access to pages at the tying desk. It sells for $44.95. Designing Poppers is worth every penny!   Rating 4.9 out of 5.

Who's up for some friendly competition?

In last May's Louisiana Sportsman, the Fly Lines column discussed the growing number of competitive fly fishing events. As our sport continues to grow, especially among young anglers, there's been a shift in attitudes about tournaments. The vast majority of these young anglers - like in kayak fishing - readily embrace a contest.

There's several regional tournaments scheduled again this year including the Lower Mountain Fork River Foundations' "Mystery Fly" in February, Lake Athens Festival and Big Bass contest in April, "Fly Fishin For The Mission" saltwater event in April, "Bass On The Fly" at Lake Fork in May, and Rio Rodeo in October.  Also, the CCA summer-long STAR tournament with speckled trout as the target species.

Members of the Bayou Coast Kayak Fishing Club and Lafayette Kayak Fishing Club will again look forward to the clubs' CPR tournaments, which run from March through November.  Both BCKFC and LKFC events have a fly division.  Eligible species are redfish, speckled trout, and bass. The LKFC club will also have a bonus award to one non-winning angler who registers an entry in the Fly Division. Only club members can participate. Entry to the BCKFC CPR is free, while it's $5 for the LKFC CPR.

Now two fly fishing clubs - New Orleans Fly Fishers Club and Kisatchie Fly Fishers - have each introduced a fly fishing contest with emphasis on variety rather than size.  Basically, how many different species can a member catch on fly during the course of a year.  Both are modeled after the popular "Big Year" birdwatching contest.

The New Orleans club "Big Year" contest will run from March 1st and December 1st, with the most number of different species getting top prize. All fish must be caught within the boundaries of the FFI Gulf Coast Council. Members must submit a photo of the fish by email, along with angler name, location, species, and fly name. Each photo must include the fish, the fly, and the contest token. Contest details can be found at www.neworleansflyfishers.com.

The Kisatchie Fly Fishers "Mixed Bag" tournament is also free and open to members only.  KFF members will compete to see how many different species they can catch within the boundaries of the FFI Gulf Coast, Texas and Southern Councils. Unlike the NOFFC contest, members can submit their entries via an online portal.  While prizes will be given to the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place finishers, the biggest prize will be drawn from all members who submitted at least one entry. Contest details will soon be up on their website at www.kisatchiefly.org.

According to KFF Mixed Bag organizers Bill Morrison and Gene Taylor, the purpose of the contest is not just to have fun, but to give members who rarely can attend meetings a chance to be active in the club. Also, to give the club a database by which to show the variety of fish that can be caught on fly, and what flies work for each species.

The FFI Gulf Coast Council has a new website

The Gulf Coast Council of Fly Fishers International (formerly Federation of Fly Fishers) has a new website. In keeping with the name change from FFF to FFI, the GCC has changed their web address from www.gulfcoastfff.org to www.gulfcoastcouncilffi.org. 

The site also has a new look. According to GCC Communications VP, Steve Oliver, the site was changed from a blog-type site to a more information-oriented site. While some tweaking is still going on, it's hoped the new site will be easier to navigate, with more timely information.

Also comes a new email system thru the webhost allowing submissions to the site as well as to GCC board members. This should be implemented in the next 60 days. According to Oliver, the GCC welcomes any suggestions or ideas about the new site.

Dr. Ed Rizzolo Fly Tying Festival this Saturday

Hosted by the Texas Fly Fishers of Houston, this annual event features the largest group of fly tiers of any event on the Gulf Coast, with anywhere from 70 to 100 tiers. Once again, it'll be held at Bethany Christian Church Community Center on 3223 Westheimer. Admission is $10 adults, family $15, students & seniors $8, and children under 12 free. In addition to the tying demos, there are also several seminars during the day, there are also exhibitors, including rod companies and demo casting. A barbecue lunch is available.

Each year, TFF brings in a prominent name in fly tying as their headliner. This year's special guest is Rich Strolis, former Connecticut guide and signature fly designer for Montana Fly Company. Rich is a member of several pro staffs, including Regal, Partridge, Solarez, Puglisi, Hatch, T&T Rods, and Flycraft. His patterns have appeared in numerous magazines and books, including his own publication "Catching Shadows".

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.

Cenla Fly Fishing Festival this weekend

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.