Special events this week - 4/28

On Saturday, it's the 7th annual Cedar Lake Fly Fishing Tournament hosted by the Mississippi Coast Fly Fishers. Location is Camp Contributions Road in Biloxi. Time is 6:00am to 12:00pm. The tournament is open to all anglers. Entry fee is $30 and includes lunch from Your Mamaz House. Registration deadline is this Friday. Sign in morning of tournament at Camp Contributions. For more info, including tournament rules, go to this link.  

There's never a loser at Paddlepalooza!

This Friday evening and Saturday it's Paddlepalooza XVI, the longest-running kayak fishing tournament in the country, and one of the three largest. It'll again 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 also available.

Fishing is confined to the Highway 1 corridor from Galliano to Grand Isle. The Cajun Slam category (heaviest combination of 1 slot red, 1 speck, and 1 flounder) offers the top prizes. There's also individual species categories, Youth Division, Ladies Division, the Leopard Red and Trash Bash Divisions. The latter two offer the chance for any skill level to win. The Leopard Red is a slot red (18" to 27") with the most spots. In the Trash Bash Division, bags will be handed out to willing participants to collect trash in the marsh. Bring back a bag of trash and be eligible to win.

Regardless of who gets prizes, there's never a loser at Paddlepalooza! That's because this event offers great comradery and great food - Friday night pastalaya and Saturday night fish fry - as well as nearly $10,000 in raffle prizes. There's kayak demos and plenty of information sharing on yaks and fishing techniques. What's more, the revenues from the tournament go to charity. 

For a complete list of rules, or to register, go to www.bckfc.org.

Happy Easter!

What a wonderful Easter day! Hope you and yours are enjoying the great weather this weekend, after all the unsettled weather we've been through here in Louisiana the past month.

The ground has dried up enough for the kids to enjoy an Easter egg hunt without hip boots. Us adults are busy in the kitchen and outside on the grill. A true Cajun feast awaits at the Cormier homestead!

With all the fun, the reason for this day is not lost. We recognize the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, who was sent to redeem the world.

We wish everyone a great day. And a reminder that, with many schools having Spring break this week, to take a young person fishing!

Fly Fishin the Mission this weekend

This Saturday is the 3rd annual "Fly Fishin for the Mission" tournament  out of PAC Kayak Rentals in Pointe-aux-Chenes southeast of Houma. Friday is "Vets Fishing Day" along with fly tying, casting clinics, kayak demos, and more. Saturday is tournament day with Captains meeting at 5:30am, followed by shotgun launch. Weigh-in is 2:00pm to 3:00pm.  Format is two (2) heaviest redfish per team. Divisions include Boat, Kayak and Overall. Team format, entry fee is $100 per team with all donations going to the Mission Six charity, which aids veterans and other uniformed heros. 

For more details, or to register, go to www.mission6.org.

Registration open for Fly Fishin' for the Mission

Fly Fishin' for the Mission
Saturday, April 27
PAC Kayak Rentals
Pointe-aux-Chenes, LA
Saltwater fly fishing tournament
Two-person teams
Categories: Boat, Kayak, Overall
Stringer of 2 heaviest redfish
Sheepshead side pot

Now entering it's 3rd year, the Fly Fishin' for the Mission saltwater tournament has emerged as one of the most popular and fun fly fishing events in Louisiana! And it's for a great cause: to benefit the Mission Six nonprofit that is dedicated to help alleviating the effects of PTSD by providing benevolent support to our veterans and service men and women.

Things kick off Friday, April 26, with Donald Dehm and other members of the Floating Feathers Kayak Fly Fishing School providing free fly tying and casting instruction to veterans.

On Saturday, it's the tournament. After check-in of teams, an inspection of the kayaks and boats, there's the shotgun start and the fun begins! Part of what makes this a great tournament is the team factor. For kayakers, it means having to work different angles to insure you help your partner.

The list of sponsors keeps growing every year. Eddie and Lisa Mullen of PAC Kayak Rentals roll out the red carpet for this event. There's  exhibitors, food and kayak demos.

For the competitors, it's all good. While there are separate categories for Boat and Kayak, there's also an Overall where both groups compete against each other. Last year, boat anglers Shane Coleman and Mark Carline took 1st place Overall; the first year kayak team Kevin Andry and Catch Cormier took first. The awards are setup so that each team can only take one place. Last year, roughly one quarter of the teams were awarded.

For complete rules and to register, go to the Fly Fishin for the Mission webpage at mission6.org.

Green New Deal: Harbor Freight edition

Global warming continues to be a hot topic, pardon the pun. Alexandria Occasio-Cortez, freshman congresswoman from New York, has offered a "Green New Deal" to address climate change. Sadly, it calls for the elimination of cows - an animal very close to my heart and to my apetite. Apparently farting cows are a major cause of greenhouse gases. Considering that 60 million bison roamed America in the 17th century, it must've been hellaciously hot back then!

I do believe we need to be good stewards of Mother Earth. So I'm offering my own "Green New Deal". It starts with a practical solution for keeping our environment clean. As a traveling fly tier, I've been using battery-powered lights for some time. But even batteries in high-lumen LED lights quickly dissipate - the average use time is about 3 to 5 hours. Then they get thrown in the trash, and on to the landfill where they leach their chemicals into the groundwater.

At the Little Mo Fly Fishing Fest, we ran into our old friend, David Chin. The former Monroe resident is a master at all things fly fishing, from tying impeccable flies to building gorgeous bamboo rods to catching fish. David was using a rechargeable Braun worklight to light up his tying area. The magnetic base of the light was held up by one of those magnetic pans used to hold screws, bolts, nuts, etc..  Both of those items came from Harbor Freight, he said.

So I went to my nearby Harbor Freight, and using a 20-percent off coupon, got that same light for just $32. It has two intensities, 390 lumen and 180 lumen. The 180 lumen is more than satisfactory for me and lasts a whopping 8 hours before needing recharge using a USB connection. But if you do need that extra boost in light, the high setting more than does the job! Best of all, using LED bulbs means it stays cool (us "old timers" who tied with incandescent lights appreciate this).

There were two problems. One is that the worklight doesn't fold down.  An inconvenience, as it would be nice to fold down to protect the light, as well as reduce the storage. So what I do is put it in a ziplock bag, and store it an angle in my box. Not ideal, but it works.

The other problem was more significant.

The light base plus magnetic tray pan is about 6 inches, high enough for some table vises. But if you use a pedestal base, that's too short. While I was at HF, I noticed these round magnets with a hole in the middle. I went back to the store, bought one of those. I then took one of my (too many) sealed drink cups, turned it over and drilled a hole in the middle of the bottom. Aligned the magnet hole over the cup hole and connected them with a screw. Now I have more than enough clearance, even for my Regal with a long base (it was originally a table vise).

This has worked out especially well. I took a tying bag and the accessory box (light apparatus included) with me on a recent weekend trip and the battery lasted the entire time. After getting home, put it on a charger and it's ready to go again.

No disposed batteries. A recycled drink cup that was destined for the trash. I might've even saved a cow or two.

Special events this week - 3/31

Saturday is the first-ever New Orleans Fly Fishing Expo at the new Deutsches Haus on 1700 Moss Street (Bayou St. John) in New Orleans. Time is 8:00am to 4:00pm. Admission is free. Sponsored by the New Orleans Fly Fishers Club, the event will feature seminars, casting instruction and demonstrations, fly tying demos by some of the region's top tiers, exhibitors, raffles, gamblers draws. Plus special features like an "Outdoor Writers Roundtable", an Iron Fly Tying competition, and more. Some of the fundraising activities will benefit Casting For Recovery. The Fly Fishers International Gulf Coast Council (FFI-GCC) will also hold a  fundraiser to benefit the new fly fishing club at St. Micheal High School. For complete details of this event, including schedule and list of exhibitors, go to www.neworleansflyfishers.com.  For details on the FFI GCC fundraiser, go to www.gulfcoastcouncilffi.org.

Also on Saturday, the Orvis store in Baton Rouge will host the International Fly Fishing Film Festival at their store on 7601 Bluebonnet in Perkins-Rowe. Doors open at 5:00pm, with refreshments and snacks. Film begins at 6:00pm. Tickets are $15. The IF4 consists of short and feature length films from around the globe, showcasting the passion, lifestyle and culture of fly fishing. For tickets or more info, call the Orvis store at 225-757-7286.

Also on Saturday, it's the 5th annual Lake Athens Fly Fishing Festival at Lake Athens Marina in Athens, Texas. This event features exhibitors, casting and tying demos, and a Big Bass Fly Fishing Contest. Admission is free, entry in the contest is $40 (pre-registration required).  All proceeds will benefit Project Healing Waters - North Texas Patriots Chapter. For more info, go to www.johnnyonthefly.com.

Special events this week - 3/24

Starting Thursday, and continuing thru Saturday, it's the 22nd annual Sowbug Roundup at Baxter County Fairgrounds in Mountain Home, Arkansas. Hours each day are 9am to 4pm. Admission is $5 and covers all 3 days, under 12 is free with parent. Sponsored by the North Arkansas Fly Fishers club, Sowbug features over 100 fly tyers from across North America and even Europe. There's also seminars, casting instructors, vendors, drawings, and auctions. A portion of the revenue goes to the NAFF Scholarship Fund. For more info, go to www.northarkansasflyfishers.org.

On Saturday, it's the Kisatchie Fly Fishers' annual "Fly Fishing 101" workshop at LDWF Booker-Fowler Hatchery in Woodworth. Time is 8:30am to 12:30pm. There is no cost, but pre-registration is required as seats are limited. Hands-on sessions cover the basics of fly fishing and fly casting. For more info, go to www.kisatchiefly.org.

Also on Saturday, it's the 72nd annual New Orleans City Park Big Bass Fishing Rodeo and Fishtival. Registration is 6:00am to 8:30am at the Casino Building (Parkview Cafe). Fishing begins at 6:30am. Weigh-in at 11:00am. Entry fee is $10 adults, $5 kids 12 and under. Categories include Fly Fishing (Bass, Rio).  Also a separate kayak fishing tournament, "Boats on the Bayou" will be held. BOTB is limited to 100 kayaks, pre-registration required. For more info, go to www.neworleanscitypark.com/fishrodeo.html.

Special events this week - 3/17

On Saturday, and continuing Sunday, its the 3rd annual "Texas Fly Fishing & Brew Festival" at the Plano Center in Plano, Texas. Time each day is 9am to 5pm. Tickets are $20 per day, or $35 for the weekend. The festival will feature several nationally-renown speakers and instructors, including Jason Randall, Brian O' Keefe, Ed Jaworoski, Blane Chocklett, and others. There's also fly tying demonstrations plus special tying seminars led by Chocklett Matt Bennett, the "Realistic Master" Fred Hannie, and others. Some workshops are extra cost. There's also an IF4 film festival showing on Saturday evening. But what separates this great show from others is the "brew" part - several of the Lone Star state's best micro-breweries will be on hand for participants to enjoy. For more info, go to www.txflyfishingfestival.org.

Orvis Baton Rouge to host IF4 on April 6th

We reported that the New Orleans Fly Fishing Expo is April 6th. Later that evening, there's another big fly fishing event up the river in Baton Rouge, when Orvis hosts the International Fly Fishing Film Festival (IF4).

Unlike the Fly Fishing Film Tour (F3T) - which has made several past showings in Louisiana - the IF4 is a stranger to these parts.  Like the F3T, the IF4 is a series of short films celebrating the sport of fly fishing, by chronicling epic trips, sharing the kinship of anglers and friends, and taking us to places we could only dream of.   If there's a difference between IF4 and F3T, it's that IF4 is more, well, international.

Orvis has exclusive rights to the IF4 in Louisiana, so this showing is it. There will be food and beverages at the event, much like there has been when Orvis hosted the F3T in the past.  All proceeds from this event will go to the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana.

Doors open at 5:00pm and the showing starts at 6:00pm. Tickets are $15 and seating is limited. To reserve tickets, drop in at their store on 7601 Bluebonnet Blvd or call 225-757-7286.

Jon Cave to headline 1st-ever New Orleans Fly Fishing Expo

New Orleans Fly Fishing Expo
Saturday, April 6, 2019
8:00am to 4:00pm
Deutsches Haus
1700 Moss Street, New Orleans, LA

In just four weeks, the New Orleans Fly Fishers Club will host their inaugural expo on the banks of historic Bayou St. John. The event will feature seminars, casting instruction, fly tying demonstrations, raffles, and much more.

Headlining the event will be Jon Cave of Oviedo, Florida. Jon is a nationally-renown author, photographer, lecturer and a USCG licensed guide. He's been a professional fly casting and fly tying instructor for over 25 years and runs the longest established fly fishing school in the South. He's a member of several advisory staffs, including Sage, Rio, Tibor, and Umpqua.

The NOFF club has released a tentative schedule of activities for this event. The Expo will begin with welcoming remarks from Expo Chairman A.J. Rosenbohm, Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser and Fly Fishers International Chairman Tom Logan before kicking off the fun stuff.

Masseys Outfitters will also be on hand doing free kayak demos from 9:00am to 12 noon. There is also an "Iron Fly Tyer" competition - which is always fun for both tiers and spectators - with renown tiers Fred Hannie, Ted Cabali, and Joe Bandera as judges.

Two unique presentations are also on the agenda. One is an "Outdoor Writers Roundtable" featuring some of Louisiana top outdoor writers - C.T. Williams, J.P. Morel, Peter Scafaru, Chris Holmes, Eric Muhoberac, and Catch Cormier.  The other is a talk by Jon Cave on his famous Wobbler, the fly that kicked off the spoon fly revolution!

A complete schedule is available in PDF format by clicking here.

BSA announces "Fishing For Scouts" updates

The Southern Region, Area 1 Boy Scouts Council has announced that their upcoming kayak fishing tournament has received a significant sponsorship, and cash prizes will now be awarded.  However, the tournament organizers are still looking for more kayak anglers (up to 75 allowed) to sign up.  These lakes are not public and for that reason, there are some VERY big bass, crappie and bluegill waiting to be caught!

Fishing for Scouts Kayak Fishing Invitational
Saturday, March 23, 2019
Avondale Scout Reservation
14434 LA Hwy 10, Clinton, LA

A fundraiser to benefit the Avondale Boy Scouts Camp. Kayak fishing will be on all 3 lakes, no bank fishing allowed. Catch and Release. Target species: bass, crappie, bluegill. Total of 75 kayaks accepted, with a maximum of 25 per lake. Sponsorship is per person fishing.

Schedule:
5:00am breakfast
5:30am lake drawings
6:30am fishing commences
12:00pm lunch
3:00pm fishing concludes
4:30pm awards and dinner

Each sponsorship includes:
- Friday overnight camping (bring your own gear)
- Saturday breakfast, lunch and dinner
- beverages, snacks, prizes
- entry into tournament

Sponsorship levels:
- Bullfrog $75, 1 fishing spot in the event
- Bobber $100, 1 fishing spot + company logo on one lake
- Camp $500, helps sponsor a scouts experience for next summer, special banner will display Camp Sponsors individuals or companies
- Bluegil $1,200 - 1 fishing spot, special recognition as lunch sponsor, company logo on one lake
- Crappie $2,000 - 2 fishing spots, name/logo on 3 lakes, special recognition
- Bass $5,000 - 3 fishing spots, name on all printed materials, signs, and banner. Website recognition, other recognitions.

For more complete information, including rules and contact info, CLICK on this link.

Red Stick Day this Saturday

This Saturday is the 27th annual "Red Stick Day" fly fishing festival, which this year returns to the LDWF Waddill Outdoors Education Center on 4141 North Flannery Road in Baton Rouge. Time is 8:30am to 3:30pm. Admission is free.

Hosted by the Red Stick Fly Fishers of Baton Rouge, Red Stick Day is the largest and longest-running event of its kind in Louisiana.  Originated by the late Lynn Tolleson, a founding member of the club, the event has featured some of the biggest names in fly fishing such as Gary Borger, Jason Borger, Ed Jaworoski, Chrystal Murray, Craig Mathews, Nick Curcione and others. In recent years, it's featured some of the rising stars of our sport, such as Zach Matthews and Ben Roussel.

Red Stick Day also routinely features some of the most renown tiers in the country, several of whom have been featured in books and magazines. Those include Fred Hannie, Kirk Dietrich, Ted Cabali, Ron Braud, Ed Lash, Bob Lemay, Bill Laminack, and others.

The casting sessions have featured headliners as well as Fly Fishers International Masters and Governors level instructors.

This year's lineup of speakers include: trophy speckled trout master Vic Tedesco, Tennessee tailwater trout guide Jim Davis, and Orvis travel expert Ian Huang. Conducting the casting clinic is Jay Clark, an FFI Master Instructor, member of the U.S. Casting Team, and world casting competitor.

While the programs, fly tying demos, and casting sessions appeal to both beginners and experts, many attendees enjoy the great food, comradery, and fishing on premises. There's also one of the largest raffles of any event in the Southeast, which raises money for the club's various educational and conservation projects.

For more info, including a schedule of activities, go to the Red Stick Fly Fishers website at www.rsff.org and click on "Red Stick Day".

Acadiana Fly Rodders news

The Acadiana Fly Rodders held their February meeting this past Thursday at their new meeting location, Pack & Paddle in Lafayette. Keith Richard thanked PnP owners John & Becky Williams for the generous use of their facility. He also thanked Bob Tabbert, Beverly Vidrine and Rick Latiolais for their work in guiding the club the past year.

Newly elected officers for 2019 are Keith Richard (President), Rick Latiolais (Sec. Treasurer), Jay Clark and Flip Siracusa (Program Co-Chairs). Several activities are being planned for the year, as well as topics for meeting programs. The club will also continue their support of Reel Recovery.

Keith also mentioned that his website www.TheCampFlyFishingSchool.com now has over 65 instructional videos reviewing fly fishing and fly casting. It's a free resource to anyone to use.

The Acadiana Fly Rodders meet every third Thursday of the month at Pack & Paddle in Lafayette. Meeting time is 6:00pm.

Special events this week - 2/10

On Saturday, it's the 17th annual Little Mo Fly Fishing Festival at the Municipal Building in Murfreesboro, Arkansas, celebrating southern Arkansas' year-round trout water and fly fishing in general. Cost is $5 per person or $10 per family. Programs, tying demonstrations, exhibits, retailer tables, biologists "State of the River" presentation and more. Saturday evening is the annual "Fly Draft". Sunday morning at 10:30 is the "Can You Taken It" casting clinic on the river. Cost of the casting clinic is $5, registration at the event. For more info, go to www.littlemissouriflyfishing.com.

Saturday is the 7th annual "Sheepy" fly fishing tournament out of Hopedale Marina. Registration deadline has passed.

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. Programs, fly tying demonstrations, casting demonstrations, exhibitors, fishing on premises. 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.

Special events this week - 2/3

On Saturday, it's the 27th 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 anywhere from 70 to 100 tiers. It also features one of the great names in fly tying, and this year's special guest is deer hair specialist Pat Cohen. In addition to tying demos, there are several seminars during the day, as well as casting instruction. For more details, go to www.texasflyfishers.org.

Acadiana Fly Rodders have a new meeting date, location

One of the oldest fly fishing clubs in the state, the Acadiana Fly Rodders of Lafayette have had a steady decline in membership over the past decade.  Hoping to reverse that trend, the club has taken advantage of Pack & Paddle's offer to use their adjacent "Outpost" venue as a new meeting location. In addition, the club has a new meeting date - the 3rd Thursday of each month.

At the recent Fly Fishing Film Tour, AFR president Bob Tabbert thanked John Williams, owner of Pack & Paddle, for his support. The January meeting was held at the new location and date, and according to Bob, had a very good turnout.

Two other clubs currently use PnP as a meeting location: the Lafayette Kayak Fishing Club and the Louisiana Paddle Club.  It also hosts the annual TreesAcadiana meetings.

Kisatchie National Forest waters temporarily open

On Friday, President Trump signed House Joint Resolution 28, which provides short-term fiscal appropriations to fully fund all branches and departments of the government through February 15th. It ended the partial government shutdown that affected several agencies, including the U.S. National Forest Service.

Shortly after the bill was signed, the Kisatchie National Forest offices began re-opening several recreation areas that had been closed. Many of the lakes and ponds in these areas were inaccessible during the shutdown, but will be open now until February 15th - or longer if Congress and the White House come to terms.

Those waters include Valentine Lake, Fullerton Lake, Kisatchie Bayou, Caney Lakes, Corney Bayou, Corney Lake, Stuart Lake, Anderson Pond, Blue Hole, and Twin Lakes. In addition, NFS boat launches and fishing piers at Kincaid Lake are now reopen.

Bank and non-motorized anglers in northwest and west-central Louisiana were delighted at the news. Below average temperatures and much higher than normal rainfall has affected many lakes in these areas,  resulting in muddy to stained water and sluggish fishing. By contrast, most of the KNF waters have fairly decent water.

Special events this week - 1/27

On Friday, Pack & Paddle in Lafayette will host the 2019 Fly Fishing Film Tour at their store on 601 E. Pinhook in Lafayette. Social hour starts at 5:30pm, with films starting at 6:30pm. A limited number of tickets are still available for $15. F3T is an annual event featuring anywhere from 8 to 12 independent films selected from dozens of entries, celebrating the sport of fly fishing adventure worldwide. For more info, go to www.packpaddle.com. 

Fly Fishing Film Tour coming to Louisiana February 1st

What's the most fun you can have and not be fishing?  It's watching the Fly Fishing Film Tour, of course!

The Fly Fishing Film Tour 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, which each  year bringing new adventures, new spectacular scenery, and new fascinating stories.

On Friday, February 1st, the 2019 edition of F3T makes its first, and possible only, showing in Louisiana. Pack and Paddle in Lafayette will host the event at their store on 601 East Pinhook. Doors open at 5:30pm for social with beer and snacks. The films kick off at 6:30pm. Along with the films there will be door prizes.

Tickets are $15 in advance and at the door. Tickets are available at Pack & Paddle or can be purchased online at the F3T website. For more info, go to www.packpaddle.com.