More public meetings on speckled trout this week

On Wednesday, LDWF will hold another in its series of statewide public meetings on the future of speckled trout management at Calcasieu Parish Extension Office, 7101 Gulf Highway in Lake Charles. Time is 6:00pm. Conservationists are strongly encouraged to attend this meeting and fill out a BLUE card to comment at the end of session and voice support for a 14" minimum size regulation.

On Thursday, LDWF will hold another in its series of statewide public meetings on the future of speckled trout management at Rapides Parish Extension Office, 300 Grady Britt Drive in Alexandria. Time is 6:00pm. Conservationists are strongly encouraged to attend this meeting and fill out a BLUE card to comment at the end of session and voice support for a 14" minimum size regulation.

On Saturday, LDWF will hold the final meeting in its series of statewide public meetings on the future of speckled trout management at Lincoln Parish Library, 910 North Trenton Street in Ruston. Time is 1:00pm (afternoon). Conservationists are strongly encouraged to attend this meeting and fill out a BLUE card to comment at the end of session and voice support for a 14" minimum size regulation.

Special events this week - 2/16

On Wednesday, LDWF will hold another in its series of statewide public meetings on the future of speckled trout management at East Bank Regional Library, 4747 West Napoleon Avenue in Metairie. Time is 6:00pm. Conservationists are strongly encouraged to attend this meeting and fill out a BLUE card to comment at the end of session and voice support for a 14" minimum size regulation.

On Thursday, LDWF will hold another in its series of statewide public meetings on the future of speckled trout management at Slidell Municipal Auditorium, 2056 Second Street in Slidell. Time is 6:00pm. Conservationists are strongly encouraged to attend this meeting and fill out a BLUE card to comment at the end of session and voice support for a 14" minimum size regulation.

Starting Friday and continuing thru Sunday, it's Troutfest 2020 at Lazy L&L Campgrounds in New Braunfels, Texas. Sponsored by Guadalupe River Trout Unlimited is a fly fishing banquet and exposition to raise funding to conserve, protect and restore the cold tailwater fishery below Canyon Dam, the southernmost year-round trout fishery in the USA. Seminars, fly tying demonstrations, casting clinics, Kid Fish Pond, vendors and much more.  For more info, go to www.grtu.org.

Time for fly anglers to fight for conservation!

Tonight kicks off the first of 8 public meetings hosted by Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries on the future of speckled trout management. The meetings are in response to biologists studies that show that seatrout are overfished, and changes are necessary in order to recover the stock.

Some of the responses I've seen on Facebook give new meaning to the word "stupid". Some of the very same folks who said that the Calcasieu limit of 15 was implemented despite the "science", and we should've listened to the biologists, are now saying the science is unreliable, the biologists are not always right and no changes should be made. Honestly folks, you can't make this sh*t up!

Regardless, it points out that there will be resistance to tighter limits. Those of us who support conservation MUST be at these meetings and make our voice heard. I hate to say this, but there are a good number of fly anglers who either don't care about speckled trout, or give conservation lip service. Therefore those of us who DO LOVE to fly fish for specks must carry the burden.

The chart says it all. We need a 20% savings in the spawning potential ratio. This means a 14" minimum size limit with either a 15 or 20 daily limit.

Personally I strongly support 14/15 - 14 inch minimum size and 15 fish daily limit. This will get us back above the conservation target in the least amount of time and keep us safely above that target for the foreseeable future. 

For meeting dates and locations in your area, check out our Calendar page.

Special events this week - 2/9

On Monday, LDWF will begin the first of several public meetings on the future of speckled trout management, with a meeting at the North Branch Library on 4130 West Park Ave in Gray. Time is 6:00pm.

On Wednesday, LDWF will hold a public meeting on the future of speckled trout management at LDWF headquarters on 2000 Quail Drive in Baton Rouge. Time is 6:00pm.

On Thursday, LDWF will hold a public meeting on the future of speckled trout management at the Lafayette City Council Chambers on 705 West University Avenue. Time is 6:00pm.

This Friday is Valentine's Day. Do something special for the one you love and take them fishing!

On Saturday, it's the 15th-ever Little Mo Fly Fishing Festival at the Community Center in Murfreesboro, Arkansas. This popular event celebrates southwest Arkansas' premier year-round trout fishing river and features between a dozen and two dozen fly tiers from across the Ark-La-Tex. There are also programs, vendors and exhibitors. That evening is the annual "Fly Draft".  The event concludes on Sunday with an on-the-river casting clinic. For more info, including list of tiers and programs and schedule, go to www.littlemissouriflyfishing.com.

Rizzolo Fly Tying Fest this Saturday

On Saturday, it's the 28th annual Dr. Ed Rizzolo Fly Tying Festival in Houston.  Location is Bethany Christian Church Community Center at 3223 Westheimer.  Time is 8:30am to 3:30pm. Admission is charged.  Hosted by the Texas Fly Fishers, this event features the largest group of fly tiers of any event on the Gulf Coast, with over 60 tiers. This year's special guest is Gunnar Brammer. For more details, see our January 28th post, or go to www.texasflyfishers.org.  

Gunnar Brammer headliner at Feb. 8th tying festival

Hosted by the Texas Fly Fishers of Houston, the Dr. Ed Rizzolo Fly Tying Festival features the largest group of fly tiers of any event on the Gulf Coast, with over 70 tiers from several states. 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, and demo casting. A barbecue lunch is available for a nominal cost.

Each year, TFF brings in a prominent name in fly tying as their headliner. This year's special guest is Gunnar  Brammer  of  Duluth,  Minnesota, one  of  fly  tying’s  most  amazing  young  tyers. Gunnar specializes in designing  and  tying  predator  flies  for  all  big game  species,  with bait fish patterns ranging from 3-inch bass patterns all the way to 14-inch beast-styled musky patterns, to offshore flies.  If  you  would  like  to  learn  more about Gunnar along with his patterns and impressive style of tying, visit his website at www.streamersbygunnar.com

Special events this week - 1/26

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, Pack & Paddle in Lafayette will host the 2020 Fly Fishing Film Tour - in conjunction with one of their "Fly Fishing Hangouts" - at their store on 601 E. Pinhook in Lafayette. The Hangout kicks off at 3:00pm with complimentary snacks, brews, and soft drinks. There's casting games at 3:00pm, and an Iron Fly Tying competition at 4:00pm. At 5:00pm, the film festival kicks off. A limited number of tickets are still available. For more info, read our writeup of January 21st, or go to www.packpaddle.com.

LDWF announces public meetings on speckled trout management

* Please note updated times and locations *

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) has announced dates for public meetings to be held on spotted seatrout (speckled trout) management. The most recent stock assessment indicated spotted seatrout are overfished and undergoing overfishing and changes are necessary in order to recover the stock.

The slide to the left was part of the presentation given by LDWF biologists at the January meeting of the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission. It shows that speckled trout spawning stocks have been on the decline since 2010, and below both the conservation target (yellow line) of 14 percent since 2012, and the recruitment threshold (magenta line) of 10.2 percent since 2013.  It also shows what various savings in the spawning biomass or potential ratio (both had similiar graphs) would result in.


No action is being taken at this time.  The Commission indicated it would like to hear public input before considering management changes.  LDWF’s biological opinion is that a 20% reduction in harvest is needed in order to recover the stock by 2025 or sooner, but there are a range of options that can achieve that goal.  From the standpoint of Fly Fishers International Gulf Coast Council (FFI-GCC),  the best management goal is one that takes us above the conservation target in the least amount of time.

Management change options recently presented to the LWFC in early January 2020 included:
- creel limit only changes
- minimum size limit changes only
- combined creel and minimum size limit changes
- slot limit only changes
- combined slot limit and creel changes.

Below is a list of meeting dates and locations.  All meetings will begin at 6:00 p.m., except the meeting in Ruston, which will begin at 1:00 p.m.

- Monday, February 10 – North Branch Library, 4130 West Park Ave, Gray
- Wednesday, February 12 – LDWF HQ, Herring Room, 2000 Quail Drive, Baton Rouge
- Thursday, February 13 – Lafayette Council Chambers, 705 West University Avenue,  Lafayette
- Wednesday, February 19 – East Bank Regional Library, 4747 West Napoleon Avenue, Metairie
- Thursday, February 20 – Slidell Municipal Auditorium, 2056 Second Street, Slidell
- Wednesday, February 26 – Calcasieu Parish Extension Office, 7101 Gulf Highway, Lake Charles
- Thursday, February 27 – Rapides Parish Extension Office, 300 Grady Britt Drive, Alexandria
- Saturday, February 29 – Lincoln Parish Library, 910 North Trenton Street, Ruston

LDWF is partnering with Louisiana Sea Grant to use interactive voting technology at these public hearings in response to a survey that will be given at the meetings.  LDWF will also be sending out an email survey identical to the survey that will be administered at public meetings.

For more information, please contact Jason Adriance at 504-284-2032 or jadriance@wlf.la.gov.

Fly Fishing Film Tour coming to Lafayette February 1st

The 14th annual Fly Fishing Film Tour (F3T) is coming to Louisiana twice this year, with the first stop being at Pack & Paddle in Lafayette on Saturday, February 1st. P&P will also hold one of their now-famous "Fly Fishing Hangouts" that afternoon prior to the showing.

F3T is a collection of independent short films highlighting the adventure and conservation aspects of our sport. Shot across the US, Canada and around the world, these films celebrate fly fishing in all it's splendor.  F3T is shown at select venues across the country.

The tour is more than just great fishing adventures, epic takes and spectacular scenery. For example, three of this year's many films focus on conservation and community:
- “Common Tread”, a story where fly fishing is the glue that holds several generations of a Texas family together through the loss of a beloved family member.
- "Project Rainbow", the story of how a dedicated group of anglers and researchers worked to save the Gunnison River from whirling disease.
- "Time", profiles Lefty Kreh and Flip Pallot, who both taught and inspired thousands of anglers.

In addition to the film showing, Pack & Paddle will host their Fly Fishing Hangout starting at 3:00pm with complimentary snacks, beer, and soft drinks. There's a "MarshMan Sharpshooter Casting Competition" at 3:00pm, and an "Iron Fly Tying Competition" at 4:00pm. At 5:00pm, the film festival kicks off.

Tickets are $15. Tickets are available at Pack & Paddle or can be purchased online at their website at www.packpaddle.com. Advance purchase is strongly encouraged as the event is limited to 60 tickets and has sold out the last two years. 

More Rainbeaux Trout coming tomorrow

Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries will be stocking seven ponds around the state with 2,300 pounds of rainbow trout on Tuesday, January 21st. The effort is part of the department's "Get Out and Fish!" community fishing program. The program is designed to provide good bank fishing for all ages.

The ponds to receive trout are: Oil and Gas Park (Jennings), Southside Regional Park (Youngsville), Girard Park (Lafayette), Burbank Pond (Baton Rouge), Sid Hutchison Park (Walker), Zemurray Park (Hammond), and Joe W. Brown Park (New Orleans).

A week ago, LDWF stocked 2,100 pounds in several other ponds involved in their GOAF program. Back in December, Baton Rouge Recreation (BREC) Department stocked five parish ponds with rainbow trout, and Ascension Parish stocked Lamar-Dixon in Gonzales with trout.

The trout are a coldwater species and rarely survive past March. However by then almost all of them have been caught and taken out. The daily limit is four (4) fish per person. Anglers 16 and older must have a Louisiana license when fishing any public waters.

Special events this week - 1/12

A big week ahead!  Starting with the College Football National Championship Monday night. Our LSU Tigers take on defending champions Clemson in the Superdome. Obviously, all meetings for Monday night have been cancelled or moved back one week. This weekend also marks the kickoff of the "Events Season" with events in Pineville, Baton Rouge and Lake Charles over the next several weeks.

On Saturday, it's the 3rd-ever Cenla Fly Fishing & Light Tackle Festival at Kees Park in Pineville. More on that later.

Also on Saturday, Orvis of Baton Rouge will hold their annual  "Travel Day" at their store on 7601 Bluebonnet in Perkins-Rowe. Time is 10:30am to 2:00pm. Admission is free. Meet and speak with representatives of Orvis-endorsed lodges and fly fishing guides from across North America and the Caribbean. For more info, click here.

Make plans for Cenla Festival this Saturday!

Cenla Fly Fishing & Light Tackle Festival
Saturday, January 18, 2020
8:30am to 3:30pm
Kees Park, 2450 Highway 28 East, Pineville, LA
FREE admission!

In even-numbered years, the Kisatchie Fly Fishers hold their biennial Festival, a celebration of the light tackle lifestyle. While the majority of the event is fly fishing, there's also some elements of light tackle spinning and casting for bass, crappie, redfish and speckled trout.

On tap are seminars on bass fishing Toledo Bend, fly fishing the Little Missouri River (Arkansas), and fishing from kayaks for freshwater and marsh. Over 20 fly tiers and jig makers from Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas, Alabama and Mississippi will be demonstrating their craft.

Fly casting. Saturday morning, FFI Master Certified instructor Jeff Ferguson will lead a casting presentation followed by coaching. That afternoon, Jeff, Roger Breedlove and Chris Perkins will lead a "Casting Skills Challenge" open to all attendees. If you're an FFI member, it's a chance to earn your casting accomplishment pin.

There's also several exhibitors and a huge raffle and Gamblers Draw. The event is a fundraiser for The Food Bank of Central Louisiana, and the KFF club's conservation initiatives.

A pastalaya lunch will be served along with choice of tea, lemonade or bottled water for just $5. 

For complete details, including schedule and list of tiers, go to www.kisatchiefly.org.

Welcome to 2020

2020 - Cajun Year of the Gator

First off, wishing all our LFF Community and their loved ones the best wishes for a safe, healthy, and prosperous year ahead. 

For my fellow fly flingers - may your loops be tight and your flies get victimized often! For my fellow kayak anglers - may the waters be calm and your butts stay dry! 

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.  Hope to see some of you at one or more of these events... or on the water!

Top 5 Louisiana fly fishing stories of 2019

For Louisiana fly fishing interests, 2019 was another notable year.  Some good, some bad.  Here's our picks for the top stories, in ascending order.

5. New Orleans, Alexandria clubs have exceptional year

It was another successful year for all of Louisiana's fly fishing clubs.  Moreso for the New Orleans Fly Fishers and the Kisatchie Fly Fishers (Alexandria).  Both received club awards from the Fly Fishers International Gulf Coast Council for their contributions in 2018 and the early part of 2019.   

In April, the NOFF club held their first-ever New Orleans Fly Fishing Expo at Deutsches Haus on Bayou St. John in New Orleans. With Jon Cave as headliner, and a few special activities such as kayak demos, "Iron Fly Competition" and "Outdoors Writers Roundtable", this was a fun and memorable event.  It also raised funds for Casting For Recovery.  NOFF later went on to have several club outings and another successful "Rio Grande Fly Fishing Rodeo" in October.

The KFF club once again held their "Fly Fishing 101" clinic, their Summer Workshop, and their "Mixed Bag Contest" CPR tournament.  As well as participated in local events such as Cenla National Hunting and Fishing Day.  But it was the "Casting Skills Challenge" - a Fly Fishers International program initiated on the club level by Roger Breedlove and Chris Perkins that led to a significant number of their members greatly improving their casting through the program. 

4. Newbie wins Fly Fishin For The Mission

At any fishing tournament, it's difficult for novice anglers to beat out experienced ones.  Even moreso with fly tournaments, where proficient casting - often acquired with time and practice - is the key to success. But at this past year's "Fly Fishin For the Mission" saltwater fly fishing tournament, it was a rank newbie who outshined a bevy of veteran fly anglers.

Jessie Hamilton was one of several veterans who showed up a day early to take free fly fishing lessons from Donald Dehm of Floating Feathers Fly Fishing School. By the end of the day, Dehm had Hamilton – a first-time flycaster - not only casting effectively but prepped for fighting his first red.

On tournament day, Hamilton teamed with Capt. Ty Hibbs and caught his first redfish ever on fly rod. Then he preceeded to catch four more!  Hamilton and Hibbs won the Overall Division in the tournament, finishing ahead of 23 other teams.

Hamilton thanked Dehm for the lessons, and Hibbs for spending the extra day to scout and guide him. He called the experience a "lasting memory". Part of his prize package was a fly fishing outfit, so expect Hamilton to hone his new addiction and be back in 2020 to defend his title!

3. Another bad weather year

Living in Louisiana, we could probably claim inclement weather as the norm not the exception. But this year we had a few very notable negatives.

In the first half of the year, the southeast area of the state had to deal with record river flooding. The Bonnet Carre Spillway had to be opened twice and for record duration. Nutrients in the river were responsible for detrimental algae blooms across Lake Pontchartrain and along the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Fishing in the lake remained subpar the rest of the year.

Meanwhile, western parishes had 140% of normal precipitation. This resulted in poor freshwater fishing and a very late trout run on Calcasieu and Sabine.  It was hoped cooler weather would bring in the trout to Calcasieu.  But "global warming" raised it's ugly head... our first cool front didn't arrive until October, giving us the warmest September on record.

While we avoided a major hurricane this year, storm season started very early and ended very late. Hurricane Barry in July brought over 8 feet of flood tide across southeast coastal parishes. It forced cancellation of the annual "Leeville Fly Fishing Weekend" as well as the Lafayette Kayak Fishing Club's annual "LA1 Slamboree". It also wiped out PAC Kayak Rentals in Pointe-aux-Chenes, a very popular launch spot for fly anglers and kayak anglers.  Eddie and Lisa Mullen's business has since been rebuilt thanks to donations from kayak and fly anglers.  In October, tropical storm Olga brought 3 to 4 feet of flood tide across southeast marshes - on the same weekend as the Kisatchie Fly Fishers and Red Stick Fly Fishers annual fall marsh trips.

2. Kirk Dietrich publishes his first book - and nails it!

A native of Chalmette and lifelong resident of southeast Louisiana, Kirk is a is a nationally-renown fly tier recognized for his many innovative warmwater and saltwater patterns. His Kirks Spoon and Kirks Rattle Rouser have been perenial favorites for Orvis customers for two decades. He's also written numerous articles for magazines and websites, and has been awarded the Fly Fishers International Gulf Coast Council Fly Tier Distinction Award.

Kirks is also considered one of the best anywhere when it comes to balsa and other hard-body flies. For this reason, there was epic excitement when his first book came out this summer. "Tying Bugs: The Complete Book of Poppers, Sliders, and Divers For Fresh and Salt Water" has 224 pages with 917 photos and over 400 detailed step-by-step instructions, along with numerous historical anecdotes. The book sells for $31.95 and has received rave reviews. One of the reviewers on Amazon - some dude named Pat Cohen - states, "This book is a wealth of knowledge for anyone looking to get into topwater flies...if you thought crafting flies from balsa or cork was out of your reach, this is the book for you". We concur!

1. Speckled trout in trouble, and "changes must be made"

LDWF marine biologists dropped a bombshell at the September meeting of the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission. While there had been plenty of anecdotal evidence from anglers that speckled trout fishing was well below normal, the presentation revealed that the problem is real, has been for some time, and is getting worse.

According to biologists, our seatrout spawning potential recruitment (SPR) is the lowest of any Gulf state, having fallen below the target of 14% since 2012, and currently at 8 percent. The problem is happening across all estuaries. In addition to overfishing, there's been a steady increase in winter kills of trout. The latter is most likely due to coastal erosion and loss of deepwater havens during hard freezes.

Early in 2020, LDWF will advance several management options to the Commission. They include any combination of creel limit reductions, increase in minimum size limits, slot limits, closed areas, and possibly even closed seasons. It should be pointed out that other Gulf states have much more restrictive seatrout regulations - including new ones implemented this past year in Florida, Alabama, and Texas.

Film festivals coming to Louisiana in 2020

The 14th annual Fly Fishing Film Tour (F3T) features short films from across the nation and globe, fresh and salt, with anglers young and old, experiencing the passion of our favorite sport.

The 10th annual International Fly Fishing Film Festival (IF4) consists of short films produced by professional filmmakers from across the globe, showcasing the passion, lifestyle and culture of fly fishing.

The F3T and IF4 film tours will make three (3) stops in Louisiana this Spring.
- Pack & Paddle in Lafayette will host the F3T on Saturday, February 1st. 
- Orvis in Baton Rouge will host the IF4 on Friday evening, March 6th.  
- Orvis will also host the F3T on Saturday, May 16th. 
Tickets for all these events are limited, and in recent years, have sold out in advance.

Pack and Paddle will hold the F3T in conjunction with one of their "Fly Fishing Hangouts".  Starting at 3:00pm, there will be fly tying, casting games and an "Iron Fly Competition" for ticket holders. Also, snacks, beer and soft drinks are complimentary. Film starts between 5:00pm and 5:30pm. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased at their store on 601 East Pinhook, or online through their website.  For complete details, go to www.packpaddle.com.

Orvis will host the IF4 at their store on 7501 Bluebonnet Blvd in Baton Rouge at 6:00pm. Prior to the film, there will be complimentary snacks, beer  and soft drinks. Exhibitors and demonstration fly tying as well. Drawings for prizes during the film as well. Tickets are $15. Proceeds will go to benefit the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana. For more details, or tickets, call the store at 225-757-7286.

More details on the Orvis hosting of the F3T in May will be made available at a later date.

Merry Christmas!

This marks the last of activities until 2020. So starting now, we'll be on break. If something important does comes up, it'll be posted on our Facebook page.

So here's wishing a most blessed Christmas for all our friends! Hope everyone finds something under the Christmas tree they can use for their piscatorial pursuits in the coming year.  And let's not forget the reason for the season: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.".

Bring on the rainbeaux trout!

Sydney Dobson took this trout in one of the BREC ponds

Sometime this week, the first stockings of rainbow trout will be made in several small lakes and ponds across Louisiana, either by parish agencies or as part of Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries "Get Out and Fish" community fishing program.

The trout are stocked as put-and-take, with a daily limit of four (4).  In conjunction with the stockings, LDWF holds fishing tournaments at each of their community lakes. A list of GOAF lakes can be found on this webpage: click here.

Louisiana joins over 30 other states that have wintertime stockings of the popular coldwater species in small lakes and ponds where bank anglers have easy access. It provides a very active fishery at a time when warmwater species are fairly dormant. Whatever trout survive harvesting will likely die sometime in late March or early April when the water temperatures get too warm.

Fly anglers across the state, regardless of skill level, can be found at these ponds once the rainbeaux trout arrive. While corn, marshmallows, powerbait and other "commie tackle" might work for the first week, once the trout become acclimated to the food life of the pond, they quickly revert to those bugs. Advantage fly fishers!

Our neighbors over in Texas also have a community fishing program, with trout stockings from early December through February.  This winter, Texas Parks and Wildlife plans to stock 343,000 trout in 158 lakes and ponds. For anyone traveling to the Lone Star state over the holidays, check out this list to see if a local water has rainbows: click here. 

FTU Expo in Houston this Saturday

On Saturday, it's the 13th annual Inshore Fly & Light Tackle Expo at Fishing Tackle Unlimited in Houston. Location is at their store on 10303 Katy Freeway. Time is 10:00am to 4:00pm. It's free and open to the public. Special guest is world champion flycaster and Loomis Rods engineering director Steve Rajeff. The format includes seminars by regional saltwater guides, casting demonstration by Rajeff, and fly tying by regional tiers. Plus factory and boat representatives including TFO, Rio, Sage, Nautilus, Scott, Umpqua, Simms, Ross Reels, Costa Del Mar, and many more. For details, go to www.fishingtackleunlimited.com.  

2020 Calendar reminder

It's that time of year again. Christmas, yeah. Hannukah, yeah. But I'm really talking about our Spring Calendar deadlines.

We post any fly fishing events in Louisiana, and any full-day events outside the state within 7 hours of a population center (eg, Slidell, Lake Charles, Shreveport).  Kayak fishing events in Louisiana only.  If you know of a qualifying event, please check our Calendar page to see if it's listed.  If not, or if the date and location are incorrect, please email me at catch(at)laflyfish(dot)com.

Here are the announced events we're looking most forward to January thru March:

Jan. 18 - Cenla Fly Fishing & Light Tackle Festival, Kees Park, Pineville, LA, www.kisatchiefly.org
Jan. 31-Feb. 1 - Atlanta Fly Fishing Show, Infinite Energy Center, Duluth, GA
Feb. 8 - Dr. Ed Rizzolo Fly Tying Festival, Bethany Church Hall, Houston, TX, www.texasflyfishers.org
Feb. 14-16 - Little Mo Fly Fishing Fest, Murfreesboro, AR, www.littlemissouriflyfishing.com
Feb. 21-23 - Guadalupe River Trout Fest, New Braunfels, TX, www.grtu.org
Mar. 6 - IF4 Film Festival, Orvis Baton Rouge, LA
Mar. 7 - Red Stick Day, Waddill Outdoor Refuge, Baton Rouge, LA, www.rsff.org
Mar. 13-14 - FFI GCC Sweetwater Classic, Percy Quin State Park, McComb, MS, www.gulfcoastcouncilffi.org
Mar. 28 - New Orleans City Park Big Bass Rodeo, New Orleans, LA

There are several other events we expect to be announced late December or early January, mostly kayak fishing tournaments, kayak demo days, and CCA seminars.

We accept event submissions at any time for our calendar. However, event managers know that early announcement leads to better attendance. For this reason, please submit as early as possible.

Special events this week - 12/1

On Thursday, the Orvis store in Baton Rouge will host a VIP event at their store on 7601 Bluebonnet in Perkins-Rowe in Baton Rouge. Time is . Special guest will be nationally-renown fly angler and photographer Brian O'Keefe who will give a presentation on trout fishing. Special in-store discounts, food and refreshents for attendees. RSVP is requested. For more info, call 225-757-7286.