Top 10 Louisiana fly fishing and kayak fishing stories of 2018

For Louisiana fly fishing and kayak fishing interests, 2018 was another notable year.  Some good, some bad.  Here's our picks for the top stories, in ascending order.

10. A good year for fly fishing events.

The calendar was once again filled with events. Some were "conclaves" - those 1 or 2 day festivals put on by clubs that feature programs, fly tying demos, casting instruction, exhibitors, raffles, and more.  The Red Stick Fly Fishers' "Red Stick Day", the Kisatchie Fly Fishers "Cenla Fly Fishing Festival" and the Contraband Fly Casters "Contraband Fly Fishing Expo" all had good attendance and some great programs.

Then there were those popular film festivals and "hangouts". The hangouts  are informal gatherings featuring adhoc tying, casting, conversation - and beer.

Also growing in popularity are fly fishing tournaments.  The 2nd annual "Fly Fishin For The Mission" and "Rio Grande Rodeo" had strong turnouts, with out-of-state folks boosting the attendance.  CCA STAR, Bayou Coast KFC, and Lafayette KFC all continued their passive tournaments with Fly Divisions. A few tournaments in Texas had good turnout from Bayou State anglers.

For 2019, the number of in-state fly tournaments will double. The Kisatchie club won't have a festival (they only do even years), but the New Orleans club is hosting their inaugural "New Orleans Fly Fishing Expo" on April 6th.

9. State record white bass caught.

In the final days of 2018, avid flyfisher Charles Miller made a couple of trips to the Pearl River and hit the jackpot on white bass and hybrid stripers. Two of those of fish were entered into the LOWA Fly Rod Division Top 10 listing - one white bass, the other hybrid. The white bass weighed at a whopping 3.98 pounds. If approved, it will take first place in that species listing.

Charles is an active member of the New Orleans Fly Fishers club and in 2017, was recognized by Louisiana Sportsman as the "Fly Angler of the Year".  He took his fish using a white/chartreuse clouser which he tied himself.

8. Rios added to state record list.

In November it was announced by Lyle Johnson that the Rio Grande Perch would be added to the qualifying species for the state's records list. Johnson is Records Committee Chairman for the Louisiana Outdoor Writers Association (LOWA) which maintains the listing of top 10 fish of each species.

Rios are native to south Texas and Mexico, but are considered invasive in Louisiana. They were established in the numerous canals of Orleans and Jefferson parishes as the result of aquarium releases. The flood waters of  Katrina and Rita dispersed them to all waters in those parishes. The dire predictions that they would run displace native panfish populations failed to materialize.

Rios have become a widely popular fly target. When hooked, the big ones fight like a wet cat. By default, any fish added to the Rod & Reel Division is automatically added to the Fly Division. Expect to see quite a few entries pop up in 2019, but not until it gets warm.

7. New books features Louisiana tiers.

In February, Steven Schweitzer's new book, "Designing Poppers, Sliders, and Divers" was released to great anticipation. At the Atlanta Fly Fishing Show, two dozen of the books were sold in the first two hours!  The book is the most comprehensive ever for the topwater lure maker. It includes over 800 photographs, and many dozens of methods, procedures, and tips.

Two of the top popper designers in the country are from Louisiana - Kirk Dietrich and Ron Braud. Both were featured in the book.

Tony Lolli's new book, "The Art of the Fishing Fly", featured the realistic flies of Fred Hannie of Lake Charles. Like Designing Poppers, this book features great photography of flies that focus on the evolution of the art of tying. The forward was written by former President Jimmy Carter.

6. Bull reds run wild at Grand Isle.

Ride The Bull XI lived up to it's reputation as the world's largest kayak fishing tournament, with over 700 participants. Just as noteworthy was the number of bull reds caught - 99 - second highest in tournament history. But that was just the beginning of a great bull run.

During an IFA Kayak Fishing Tournament in October at Grand Isle, over 300 bulls were caught by the 38 anglers participating. Even more impressive is that all were caught on artificial lures!  Since IFA Kayak events are CPR, bull reds are eligible as all are photographed and released.

A week later, kayakers flooded the pass and experienced a redfish blitz of unusual severity!  Sadly it came to an end soon after when the first cold front of the season brought very cold weather to the island.

5. Where were the speckled trout?

When it comes to weather, 2018 couldn't have been much worse for anglers in the western parishes. From Lake Charles to Shreveport, we experienced a bitterly cold January, prolonged chilly weather into early April, and throughout the year, excessive rainfall. Some stations saw as much as 140 percent of normal rainfall.

All this bad weather had a great impact on the Calcasieu estuary. Salinities were near zero at Lake Prien for most of the year, and far below normal as far south as Commissary Point. The result was some of the worst speckled trout fishing in many years. During the CCA STAR tournament, some spots on the leaderboard remained empty until July. Things didn't improve much in October and November, prime time months for the estuary.  Thankfully, redfish salvaged a large number of trips.

4. Steve Lessard does it again!

Steve Lessard of Geismar is a kayak fishing legend. He's become what Kevin Van Dam is to bass fishing. Steve is the only two-time World Champion, with numerous tournament victories and multiple "Kayak Angler of the Year" and other awards from IFA and his home club, Bayou Coast Kayak Fishing Club.

In October, Steve added to the accolades with an impressive victory at the BCKFC 2018 Championship. He and other qualifying anglers for the event braved severe weather at Lake Hermitage in search of 2 reds and 2 trout. His total of 14.17 pounds edged out 2nd place Jimmy Baker's 12.03 pounds. Steve's win also earned him enough points to also win "BCKFC Angler of the Year".

3. Sweet goodbye to friends of the fly.

In March, Bernard Victor "Lefty" Kreh passed away at age 92. Lefty was recognized as the greatest fly angler of modern times. Outdoors writer, author, instructor, innovative fly tier, world-traveled angler, humorist and conservationist, Lefty's popularity skyrocketed - along with many other legends such as Stu Apte, Flip Pallot, Joe Brooks and Lee Wulff - thanks to the American Sportsman TV show in the mid-60s. 

As recently as a year before - at age 92 - he was giving seminars and casting clinics to large audiences at The Fly Fishing Show venues. During my lifetime, I'd seen Lefty almost two dozen times and in each case, he spent nearly as much time teaching kids and newcomers as he did conversing with experienced anglers and industry professionals. That might be his greatest legacy.

Although Lefty was a resident of Maryland, he had an impact on many Louisiana anglers who saw him in person. And the many who learned from his books and videos. During his lifetime, he made several appearances here in Louisiana and numerous fishing trips. Nearly everyone who has spent time with Lefty has a story to tell. There was NEVER a dull moment with this great angler!

Closer to home, we lost two great gentlemen of our sport.

Maumus "Timau" Claverie, Jr. was a giant in marine conservation. A distinguished attorney from New Orleans, Timau was an avid fly angler, a board member of the New Orleans Fly Fishers, and former board member of the FFF Gulf Coast Council. For decades he served with the Coastal Conservation Association (CCA) on both state and national level, was a member of the IGFA board of directors, Billfish Foundation, and the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, and much more.

Jim "Tuna" Thompson was a longtime active member of the Baton Rouge-based Red Stick Fly Fishers. A graduate of the Naval Academy, and later a practicing attorney for DEQ, Jim served on the RSFF board for a few years, and was a longtime fixture of the club's "Lunch Bunch". A complete fly angler, he loved fly fishing for bass, specks and reds as much as he did traveling for bonefish or coldwater trout.

2. House Bill 391.

Over the past decade, Louisiana's "Sportsmans Paradise" has slowly become "Posted Paradise" as more coastal landowners have cut off public access to tidal waters. Our state remains the only one of fifty for which tidal waters are not public. This issue has been a major concern for kayak anglers, and in some cases, tournaments have been cancelled or relocated because of lack of public access.

This past legislative session, Representative Kevin Pearson of Slidell introduced a bill that would've allowed public access - with some concessions to duck hunters and other private concerns. HB391 surprised many observers by passing House Committee. It even appeared to have enough votes on the House floor. That's when large out-of-state oil companies took action, bringing in over 50 lobbyists to work against HB391. When the full house voted, the bill was defeated 59 to 37.

While every coastal angler agreed that HB391 had an uphill battle to become law, it didn't help when CCA - which had claimed neutrality on the issue - got involved and took a stance against the bill. It's not clear how many memberships CCA lost because of this, but based on Facebook comments, they have a lot of fence to mend.

1. HB687 fails.

While many anglers were focused on House Bill 391, HB687 was every bit as important. It would've restructured basic hunting and fishing licenses, reducing the number from 117 to 30 licenses. It would've also raised fees on basic fishing licenses by 42 percent. While most would consider that increase a bit high, consider that we'd not had a basic fee increase in 20 years.

Of greater importance, the increased fees were necessary for matching federal funds. LDWF receives no money from general funds, so all monies are from direct revenues plus money distributed by the Interior Department through Dingell-Johnson and other federal excise taxes. For every dollar the state generates directly, roughly four times that amount is recieved from the distribution.

HB687 was necessary for LDWF to fulfill many funding needs, including completion of repairs on the Booker-Fowler hatchery, to combat giant salvania and other aquatic weeds, and to continue outdoors education programs.

The bill passed committee with flying colors, but was defeated on the House floor. Sadly, most legislators saw the fee increase much like a tax increase. LDWF failed to make the point that, under new federal guidelines, the state did not have as many qualifying dollars to match with. They also failed to emphasize that if Louisiana loses these dollars, then more of the matching pool goes to states like New York and California. No word on whether an attempt in the 2019 session is in the works.

More rainbeaux trout on the way!

The Get Out and Fish! community fishing program partners LDWF with parks and neighborhood ponds throughout the state to provide a quality fishing experience for all ages. Each of the 12 community fishing sites is managed by inland biologists and stocked with channel catfish at intervals during the year, and with rainbow trout in winter.

Yesterday LDWF announced that rainbow trout will be coming to the ponds in mid-January. Stocking information will be provided via their Facebook page. The ponds include: Girard Park (Lafayette), Zemurray Park (Hammond), Torres Park (Chalmette), Burbank Park (Baton Rouge), Kiroli Park (West Monroe), Turners Pond (Minden), Polk City Park Pond (Vidalia), Purple Heart Memorial Park (Ragley), Grambling City Park Pond (Grambling), Fabacher Pond (Youngsville), Mayfield Park (Ruston), and Hutchinson Park (Walker).

LDWF stocked over 8 million fish in 2018

Speaking of stockings, the LDWF Inland Fisheries Hatchery - in cooperation with the Natchitoches National Fish Hatchery, Shreveport's Cross Lake Fish Hatchery, and LDWF's Rockefeller Refuge - stocked over 8 million fish into 59 waterbodies across the state this past year.

Gamefish species included: over 7 million Florida-strain largemouth bass, 412,000 bluegill, 117,000 redear, 58,000 northern-strain largemouth, 42,000 striped bass, 27,000 channel catfish, and 15,000 black crappie. Other species stocked included triploid grass carp, threadfin shad, and golden shiner.

Most of the stockings take place in spring and fall, when fingerlings are large enough to be handled and water temperatures are conducive to growth and survival.

While our native northern-strain largemouth are capable of reproducing adequately, biologists stock with large numbers of Florida-strain in hopes there will be sufficient cross-breeding. These hybrid offspring grow much faster and larger than either Floridas or Northerns, and make up almost all of the 10+ pound bass caught in Toledo Bend, Caney Lake and other state waters each year.

One more fish stocking story: False River

Last week, over 4,800 black crappie and 4,600 bluegill were stocked into False River near New Roads. The average size of the crappie was 5 inches, while the average size of the bluegill was 4 inches. The fish were reared at Booker Fowler Hatchery near Forest Hill. Additional stockings will continue on periodic basis. Other species stocked in recent months include largemouth bass and redears.

The stockings represent part of the efforts to restore this once-great fishing lake, at one time ranked one of the five best freshwater lakes in America. In the late 90s, the lake began a rapid decline, blamed in large part on agricultural drainage into the lake, resulting in a buildup of sediments over the large shell beds that served as spawning beds.

Another part of the restoration will revive the "flats" that were covered with sediment. Beginning in mid-January, an estimated 95,000 cubic yards of sediment will be dredged from the lake bottom on the North Flats using geotubes that filter out the sediment and transport it to an area adjacent to the lake. The dredging operation is expected to last about 7 months.

Funding for the dredging project was secured by legislation sponsored by state representative Major Thibaut in cooperation with the False River Watershed Council. A watershed management plan, revised this past year, will draw from the expertise of many parish, state and federal agencies to insure the longterm vitality of False River. 

Rainbeaux trout are here!

Each winter, over a dozen ponds across Louisiana are stocked with rainbow trout. Some of the stockings are by local agencies. For example, ponds in East Baton Rouge Parish are stocked by Baton Rouge Recreation (BREC). Most ponds are stocked by Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries under their "Get Out and Fish" community fishing program.

Yesterday, BREC kicked off rainbeaux trout season with stockings at three ponds: Palomino Park, Zachary Community Park, and Howell Community Park.  While the stockings usually bring euphoria among fly anglers, there was some disappointment.  For one, none of the ponds in south Baton Rouge were stocked - first time ever!  Second, the number of ponds stocked continues to decline, from five in 2010 to three this year. 

Still, we expect fly anglers to take advantage of what's available.  A few things to keep in mind. Even though trout are not regulated by LDWF, you do need to have a Louisiana fishing license.  All fish must be caught on legal recreational tackle (rod and reel, fly tackle or cane pole).

Most of the stocked fish are between 8 and 12 inches, but each pond will have several up to 16-18 inches to give anglers the opportunity for a bigger fish.

For fly anglers, it's an opportunity to enjoy good fishing at a time when native species like bass and bream are sluggish. All that is needed is a 5-weight outfit. However, for those with an ultralight outfit (3-weight or lower), the fun factor is amplified!

Regarding flies. The first couple of weeks the fish are opportunistic. An olive or black woolybugger will work best, along with a few nymphs such as Prince Nymph, Copper Johns, Hares Ears, and San Juan Worms. Once the trout have acclimated to their environment, dry flies work very well late in the day.  

IFTD Sells Out in Record Time

The week of October 16-18, 2019, the American Fly Fishing Trade Association (AFFTA) will host the International Fly Tackle Dealer Show (IFTD) at the Denver Convention Center in Colorado. For the first time in 10 years, the show will not be co-joined with ICAST, the world's largest fishing trade show.

When the decision was made to separate, it was met with some concern about exhibitor interest. Well that concern is no longer. Earlier this week, AFFTA announced that all of the exhibitor booths for the show have been sold, and that a waiting list is already in progress.  It marks the earliest that IFTD booths - separate or with ICAST - have been completely booked.

Acccording to AFFTA President Ben Bulis, the decision to move the show to Denver was to make it more geographically convenient for retailers. ICAST will continue to be held in Orlando for the foreseeable future. While IFTD gives retailers and media a look at all product lines, it's also the event at which new products are introduced and showcased. 

Special events this week - 12/2

On Saturday, Fishing Tackle Unlimited in Houston, at their Katy Freeway store, will host their 12th annual Inshore Fly and Light Tackle Expo. Time is 10:00am to 4:00pm. Special guest will be Enrico Puglisi. The Expo will also feature several prominent fishing guides, and fly tiers from south Texas. Also, fly casting clinics and demos. For more info, go to www.fishingtackleunlimited.com.

Also on Saturday, it's the 2nd annual "Select A Fly Challenge" fly fishing tournament at the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center in Athens, Texas. Time is 7:30am to 3:30pm. Entry fee is $40 donation, which allows selection of one fly. Extra mulligan fly is $20. Target species is rainbow trout. All proceeds go to benefit Friends of the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center. For more info, go to the TPWD SAFC 2018 web page. 

2019 Calendar reminder

Yep, it's that time of year again. Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah - and our Spring Calendar deadlines. If you have, or know of, a fly fishing event or kayak fishing event taking place in 2019, please check the LAFlyFish Calendar and see if it's posted and the date and location are correct. Exact details are not required at this time. If the event is missing, or info is incorrect, please email me at catch(at)laflyfish(dot)com.

If you look at our Calendar page, you'll see most of the annual events have already set dates. Event managers know that early announcement leads to better attendance.  Some dates not yet set include series tournaments for the Bayou Coast and Lafayette kayak fishing clubs, kayak demo days, and a few CCA fishing seminars.  We are told the kayak tournament dates will come in late December.

We accept event submissions at any time for our calendar. However, there are publications of these events done on an annual or monthly basis. The first of these has a deadline of December 1st. So if you wish for your event to get FREE publicity - and it's NOT on our Calendar - you have until that day to send it to us.

Rios now eligible for state record listing

Earlier this month, it was reported by outdoors contributor Joe Macaluso in The Advocate newspaper (Baton Rouge) that the Louisiana Outdoors Writers Assocation (LOWA) has added the Rio Grande Cichlid to the state's freshwater fish records list.

Rios are native to south Texas and northern Mexico. Due to the aquarium trade - and intentional or accidental releases into waterways - they've become established in Orleans and Jefferson parishes, and southern Florida. Incapable of tolerating very cold water, Rios are most active from late Spring thru early Fall, and seemingly disappear in Winter. They've become a favorite of warmwater fly anglers due to their tendency to eat flies, their wary nature and dogged fight when hooked. Their popularity among flyfishers led to the New Orleans Fly Fishers club establishing the annual "Rio Grande Rodeo". The 10th annual rodeo was held in early October.

So far, flyfishers have been elated with the news. According to LOWA Fish Records Chairman Lyle Johnson, the state's only cichlid will now list the top 10 of this species effective immediately. This will apply to both "Rod and Reel" and "Fly Fishing" divisions. Records can be submitted via forms on the laoutdoorwriters.com website.

Pat Cohen to highlight Rizzolo Tying Festival

This February, the Dr. Ed Rizzolo Fly Tying Festival will celebrate it's 27th year as the largest fly tying event on the Gulf Coast.  Hosted by the Houston-based Texas Fly Fishers club, the fest annually features one of the top names in fly tying and/or fly fishing.  It also features nearly a hundred tiers from across Texas, Louisiana and other states.

TFF has announced that Pat Cohen will be their headliner for the 2019 festival.  Cohen is considered one of the world's top deer hair tiers as well as other patterns for bass, trout, pike and other species.  Pat isn't just a tier who ties flies, but an avid angler who does on-the-water testing of patterns to find what works.

Cohen was featured at the Contraband Fly Casters Expo in Lake Charles back in July.  For those who missed this great fly artist, here's another opportunity.  The Rizzolo Fly Tying Festival will be held on Saturday, February 9th at Bethany Christian Church, 3223 Westheimer Road in Houston. The Festival opens at 8:30 am and tying will continue until 4:30 pm.

For more info, click on the image (for larger size) or go to www.texasflyfishers.org.

Special events this week - 11/11

On Sunday, Pack and Paddle will welcome the "Sage, Redington and Rio Factory Tour" in conjunction with their quarterly "Fly Fishing Hangout". Time is 2:00pm to 4:30pm. Location is the PnP store on 601 East Pinhook in Lafayette. Representatives from all three companies will be on hand with rods, reels and lines for attendees to test cast. Also, there'll be fly tying demonstrations and locally-brewed craft beer. In addition there'll be a raffle for a Redington rod, special discounts on Sage, Redington and Rio products, and more. For details, go to www.packpaddle.com. 

FTU Inshore Expo to feature Enrico Puglisi

On Saturday, December 8th, Fishing Tackle Unlimited in Houston will host their 11th annual Inshore Expo at their store on 8723 Katy Freeway. Time is 10:00am to 5:00pm. The FTU Expo is a free event dedicated to light tackle and fly fishing interests. In addition to seminars by national and regional anglers and captains, there's also fly tying demos by area tiers, casting demos, and factory representatives.

Each year, the FTU Expo features a renowned name in fly fishing. Past headliners include Enrico Puglisi, Flip Pallot, Steve Rajeff, Andy Mill, Gary Loomis - to name a few. This year's headliner will be Enrico Puglisi. If you missed his appearance at FTU several years ago - or at Uptown Angler in New Orleans a few years back - then this is a great opportunity to see one of the most innovative, entertaining and informative fly tiers alive today.

Other presenters include Laguna Madre guide Ernest Cisneros, Aransas fly fishing guide JT Van Zant, and outdoors artist Chance Yarbrough. For more info, go to www.fishingtackleunlimited.com.

PnP Fly Fishing Hangout November 18th

Fly Fishing Hangout w/ SRR Factory Tour
Sunday, November 18, 2018
2:00pm - 4:30pm
Pack & Paddle, 601 E. Pinhook, Lafayette
FREE event

The good folks at Pack and Paddle will be holding another of their "Fly Fishing Hangouts" next month, this time in conjunction with the Sage, Redington and Rio Factory Tour.  The Sage trailer will be on hand loaded with rods, reels and lines for folks to try out. Company reps will be on hand to talk about every aspect of Sage, Redington and Rio gear.

There will also be other activities including fly tying. The store will have a fly tying den. Folks can also check out the wide variety of fly tying materials and tools that PnP now carries.

Each attendee will have a chance to win a Redington fly rod to be given away at 4:00pm. Also, special discount coupons will be given out on all Sage, Redington and Rio products. For more info, go to www.packpaddle.com.

Midweek tidbits - Lefty Kreh auction and recognition, new LDWF pond

Lefty with Catch Cormier at 2006 Home Waters Expo

This Saturday and Sunday, October 27-28, the remains of the Lefty Kreh estate will be placed on auction online. Hundreds of rods and reels, thousands of flies, assorted gear, fishing art, signed fishing books, and much more from the estate of America's most famed and loved fly fisher who passed away in March at age 93.  Starting bids will range from $20 to around $400, depending on rarity and value. The auction will be conducted by Langs Auctions. Check live.langsauction.com for details.

While on the subject of Lefty Kreh, the Bonefish & Tarpon Trust, in partnership with Trout Unlimited, has established the "Lefty Kreh Memorial Conservation Fund" to honor the legendary angler.  The Fund will provide support to important conservation projects advanced by BTT and TU, including joing projects by the two organizations that advance the fly fishing continuum, from coldwater fisheries to saltwater flats.

Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries has a new addition to their community fishing program, a.k.a. Get Out and Fish! Sidney Hutchinson Park in Walker will be the site of a free youth fishing event on Saturday, November 3 to celebrate the addition. Ages 15 and under are eligible for prizes in two categories - Little Angler (8 and under) and Junior Angler (9-15). In addition, the first 100 youth to register will receive a goody bag and every participant will be entered into a raffle for prizes. Adults who accompany each minor will also be entered into a separate raffle. Catfish will be stocked prior to the tournament.  Like most GOAF ponds, it's likely rainbow trout will be stocked later in December.

Bull reds running wild at Grand Isle

This past Friday and Saturday, the IFA Kayak Tour National Championship was held out of Grand Isle. The objective of this saltwater-based tournament series is to earn highest points based on a daily catch of biggest redfish and biggest speckled trout. Because the format is CPR (catch, photo and release), there is no slot limit restrictions on reds. So bull reds are not only acceptable, they're targeted.

The 38 qualifying competitors had no trouble catching bull reds behing Grand Isle. According to several Facebook posts, HUNDREDS of bull reds were caught by contestants. All on artificial lures (tournament rules). While none were caught on fly rod, prospects for fly anglers should be really good until it gets too cold.

As is often the case this time of year, many of the late spawning bulls will move to the backside of barrier islands and even into the lower marshes.  It's not uncommon to find these redzillas in shallow water areas in places like Hopedale, Port Sulphur, Leeville, Weeks Island, and Lafitte.  Targeting them on fly is not only challenging, but once hooked, a long, epic battle is guaranteed!

Back to the IFA championship... winning his unprecented fourth title was Benton Parrot of Spanish Fort, Alabama who frequently fishes Louisiana waters. Benton's two biggest reds were 43.00 and 41.375 inches, and two trout were 17.00 and 19.00 inches. Other top five finishers were Aaron Clay, Scott Bienvenu, Matthew Vann, and Fil Spencer. Biggest red was Spencer's 44.25 inches - which based on conversion was approximately 35 pounds!

Make plans for Toledo Bend Rendezvous

Toledo Bend Rendezvous
November 2-4, 2018
North Toledo Bend State Park, Zwolle, LA

What is Rendezvous?  It's the oldest, pure fly tying event east of the Rockies, currently celebrating its 30th year. Tiers from Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, and elsewhere get together at North Toledo Bend State Park for a weekend to fish and tie flies. There's no planned activities, but plenty of fly tying, food, fly casting and fishing, with only a minimal fee to cover lodging and meals.

The activities take place at the park's group facility, which features a commercial kitchen and dining hall, and lodging available for up to 150 people in 5 heated log bunkhouses (30 beds each). There's also a heated central shower and restroom building with nice night lighting on all the sidewalks and a large main log building with A/C, picnic tables and a large barbeque trailer.

Attendees can come for a weekend (lodging and meals included) or just for the day (Saturday). The event is open to the public.

Held the first weekend of November each year, the Toledo Bend Rendezvous (aka Southern Fly Fishers Rendezvous) is co-sponsored by the IFFF Texas and Gulf Coast Councils.  For complete details, go to the Toledo Bend Rendezvous home page.

"Fish My City" to feature New Orleans

On October 12th, the Nat Geo WILD channel will premier a new series - featuring professional bass angler and TV personality Mike "Ike" Iaconelli.  "Fish My City With Mike Iaconelli" follows the Ike-man as he travels to some of the world's largest cities in search of urban fishing adventures - as well as partaking in the local history and culture.  The six-part series includes stops at Austin, Miami, New York, Taipei, London, and New Orleans.

The New Orleans episode airs on October 19th.  The Crescent City is always a special place for Iaconelli as he won the Bassmasters Classic here.  He'll be in search of three of the city's most iconic fish species.  According to the press release, Ike will be dealing with challenging weather conditions, unusual happenings in the city's flood control system, and a "fearsome historic predator that can grow to 10 feet long". Wonder what that could be?  We'll guess that among those three species is either rios or redfish or both. 

FISH MY CITY WITH MIKE IACONELLI premieres Friday, October 12, at 10/9c on Nat Geo WILD, and will premiere globally in 140 countries and 38 languages. For more info, visit www.natgeowild.com .

Rio Rodeo enjoys another strong turnout

Yesterday was the 10th annual Rio Grande Fly Fishing Rodeo, hosted by the New Orleans Fly Fishers. According to Sean Gilthorpe, some 40 anglers participated, with some coming from Texas and Mississippi.

This year boundaries were extended to all public waters in Orleans and Jefferson parishes. Since it's creation, the "Longest Rio" category has existed. But for 2018, a new category was added for "Most Rios". Here were the results:

Longest Rio
1st Place - Ricky Bonczek - 9 3/4"
2nd Place - Rob Bergeron - 9 1/2"
3rd Place - Kirk Dietrich - 9 1/8"

Most Rios
Tie - Jace Bamewold (Archbishop Rummel Fishing Club) and David Karcher (member New Orleans Fly Fishers) with 21 each.

Thanks to Sean Gilthorpe for this report. The 11th annual Rio Rodeo will be scheduled sometime in the next few months.

LSU AgCenter working to make better bass fishing

According to a news release from the LSU AgCenter earlier this week, researchers at the university are working to make a better bass fishing experience for Louisiana anglers. Led by William Kelso, professor of fisheries at the School of Renewable Natural Resources, and Sabrina Taylor, a conservation geneticist in the school, their team is collecting genetic composition of bass samples from across the state.

Since the early 1980s, more than 100 million Florida-strain largemouth bass have been released into state waters. The objective has been to introduce the fast-growth and overall larger size of Florida-strain and hybridize with native Northern-strain largemouth. These hybrid fish produce the real trophies that everyone dreams of catching.

The problem is that Florida bass have not done well in all waters across the state. In fact, some of the most fished waters - such as the Atchafalaya Basin - biologists have found few genetics of the Florida bass despite heavy stockings.

Researchers at LSU - ACSRR are working on a three-year project to determine what type of habitat best suits Florida strain bass. The result will be to effectively target stocking to those specific lakes. Because a lake can either support quality or quantity but seldom both, this would give Louisiana anglers a choice of fishing quality waters (stocked with Floridas) or quantity waters (stocked with Northerns). 

SweatFest 2018... the sweat just keeps on coming!

Readers may be questioning my wisdom. It wouldn't be the first time anybody has done that. But in this case, it's in reference to the weather.

A month ago, I stated that August was the last full month of SweatFest. And that September would bring us our first taste of cooler weather. Well, we're into the second half of the month and we haven't seen a hint of a cool front.

Let me define what I consider a "cool front" in Louisiana. It's based on temperatures in Alexandria (state center). When either (a)  nighttime temps dip to 60 degrees or lower, or (b) when daytime temps dip below 85 degrees AND nighttime dips below 65 degrees.

Looking at the 15-day forecast, we're not due for a cool front until September 30th. In the last decade, the first cool fronts have come on Sept 16 (2008), Sept. 3 (2009), Sept. 27 (2010), Sept. 6 (2011), Sept. 10 (2012), Sept. 22 (2013), Sept. 15 (2014), Sept. 13 (2015), Sept. 27 (2016) and Sept. 7 (2017). So this would be the latest cool front to invade our state in ten years.

Why is a cool front so important to us anglers? Fish activity is triggered by water temperature. Hot water holds less dissolved oxygen (DO). After a long, hot summer, The DO in most water bodies is very low.  Low DO means sluggish fish. Just as important, the stress placed on fish during long periods of low DO results in weight loss.  That's why Spring fish are usually bigger and healthier than late Summer fish.

As we approach the Fall equinox, a phenomenon known as radiative cooling begins. So even on these hot days, lakes are cooling down... but it's very minimal. In fact, the current water temperature here on Cotile Lake is 84 degrees - only 4 degrees less than the last day of August. The combination of hot days and high humidity are insulating the heat escape.

But a "cool front" as I described accelerates the radiative process, driving surface water temperatures into the 70s. Strong north winds associated with these fronts in combination with cool nights bring oxygen levels up. The result is "Fall Vigor". Both fresh and salt species get very active - and remain so usually until late December.

As pointed out, we've had late cool fronts before (September 27).  But we're also having record hot temperatures for the second half of September.  Today's high in Alexandria will be 97 degrees with a heat index of 104.

Before anyone screams out "global warming!", a word of caution. One indication of global warming is the extent of seasonal melt of the Arctic ice cap. The National Snow and Ice Data Center reports that this year's extent was in the "top ten" of meltoff.  But not nearly as bad as 2008, 2012, 2015, and 2016. Four of those years we had cool fronts in the first half of September. So the problem isn't as much global warming as it is a deflection in the jet stream.

There is some good news. The "love bugs" have shown up. The old timers used to tell us that when the bugs show up this time of year, it's two weeks to Fall. Over a lifetime, I've found their prophecy to be mostly correct. Let's hope it is again - people (and fish) are waiting!