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ContentsVolume 4Issue 1: Winter 2017
A Note From the PresidentWinter Time Trout FishingBoard of Directors ElectionSpeaker Resource LibraryIFFF EventsA “Good” CastDr. James A Henshall Warm Water Fisheries AwardSan Marcos Project UpdateBass on the Fly TournamentHow to Organize Your Fly BoxWomen’s Only Kayak Bass TournamentConditions and PracticeRed River Rendezvous 2017Update from LMFR FoundationTexas Conservation ProjectsOrvis Plano-Bass on the FlyTexas Fly Fishing & Brew FestivalTRWD FlyfestFly Fish Texas 2017Reel RecoveryIFFF Board of Directors UpdateCraft Fur BaitfishLaguna Madre Fly Fishers EventsThe Woven Polish NymphThank You!Who Makes Up the Texas Council?
Membership Application
Is 2016 already gone? This year went so fast!! Hope all of you had a great Holiday!! What a year we had. Two new charter clubs. Abilene and a very successful club in Lubbock. Great job David Crawford and club. Our best expo to date in Grapevine. Fly Fish Texas and Fly Fest on the same day, reaching out to close to 2000 fly fishers. Increased partnership with TPWD, adding lease access sites for us the fly fishing angler. Membership continues to grow, leading the IFFF in Council membership. Texas Council well represented at IFFF Awards ceremony, with many receiving awards. So many other activities across the state, supporting our mission, literally happening almost every weekend!! A very successful year.
2017 will also be a successful year for us as a council. We have a new leadership team in place, and new strategies to roll out. Exciting times ahead. Events are already planned with the highlights being the BIG weekend in March, another expo most likely in a different format, and more Clubs doing more and more with our calendars filling up quickly. Clubs are doing more activities together, and more clubs are being discussed as possible new clubs. Plans are also being made with TPWD, as we take the lease access program to another level. Conservation and education will continue to be the focus, as we align ourselves with the National strategy. More importantly, we will focus on getting more members out there fly fishing. 101’s are happening more often as we work to get new members out there fishing. All I can say about this upcoming year is to pay attention to communications sent out, and go get out there. Get involved and you will enjoy the benefits of all of the activities going on.
Our council is now entering into it’s 5th year!! Can u believe that? Many said it should not have happened. That it would not work. That we would not find enough leaders to keep it going. Well, here we are and look at where we are at. Cannot thank all of the supporters enough. From the Board of Directors, to the Club Presidents, to the founders of the Council, and who helped us start. To you the members who joined us for the ride. As for me, I have enjoyed this ride beyond belief. I have met so many wonderful people, been involved with the best of the best, and been all over the state seeing what our amazing clubs are up to. With that being said, I will be assuming a new role in 2017. As founder and first President, we have aligned ourselves perfectly to have a change at the top. Jim Gray will be our new President in 2017, and I cannot think of a better way and time to have a change at the top. I am not going away, just moving into a new role as Past President, and you will still see me active in many ways. It will be tough for me to walk away, as this has been a big part of what I do. So what’s next for me? Let me say this. I’ll be fishing more.
Thank you all for supporting the IFFF and the Texas Council.
Russell HustedPresident, Texas Council
For some of you, winter means packing up the fishing gear, and doing something else. For the rest of us, it means some of the best fishing of the year!! Yes it is trout time in Texas!! The most popular location is the Guadalupe River near Satler, but there are many, many more options available. Texas Parks and Wildlife is the major player in the state, but there are again many other options available. From rivers, and lakes all over the state, trout can be caught. Might also try the Freshwater Fisheries Center in Athens, and take a tour as well. The complete listing of Texas trout stockings can be found here. One can also contact the fly shops in the state, for stocking information, or to hire one of the talented guides that can put you on the fish.http://tpwd.texas.gov/fishboat/fish/management/stocking/trout_stocking.phtml Satler is located in the Hill Country and close to New Braunfels. https://www.google.com/maps/place/Sattler,+Canyon+Lake,+TX+78133/@29.8479969,-98.1843207,15z/
Board of Directors ElectionThe Texas Council held it’s annual election of board members for the 2017 year. Excited to announce we have a full slate of officers for the upcoming year. We first want to Thank the board members that will not be returning with us for the 2017 year. Two of these board members are from the original group that helped start the council four years ago. Jack Janco held a couple positions during his four year service, being the Secretary, and then the Development Chairman. Jack was also very active in the expo committee, and was a vital part of our team. Thanks so much Jack!!!! Chris Johnson was also part of the original team, and served as the Central Texas Director, keeping up with the Hill Country clubs. Gordon Stehr, and David Reichert also are rolling off of the board. As mentioned, we have a full slate of officers for the 2017 year. I first want to announce that we will have a new President to run the operations of the Council. As founder and President for our first four years, I will be assuming a new role as Past President, and will focus on the expo, and an exciting new role as we begin a new program to help club’s with speakers, and presentations. More news to come on that. Our new President will be Jim Gray, who is the Past President of the Austin Fly Fishers. Jim has also been a BIG part of our last two expo’s and will be a great addition to our Council. Joining Jim as Vice President will be Matt Bennett. Matt is the current President of the Austin Fly Fishers and a winner of the IFFF’s Charlie Brooks Memorial Award. Other new board members will be Andy Payne, Mike Aldridge, Michael Brown, and Rob Watson. Again, we are so blessed to have another strong group of volunteers to lead us into the future.
BOD’s for 2017 President Jim GrayVice President Matt BennettPast President Russell HustedDevelopment Chmn Andy PayneSecretary Joe EstesTreasurer Brian BowersEducation Mike AldridgeConservation Jere AndersonWomen’s Director Kimberly PenickYouth Director Nic BracknellTPWD Keira QuamWebmaster Michael BrownSocial Media Robert WatsonCasting Director OpenTying Director Rick HanessNorth Director Dutch BaughmanSouth Director Rey RamirezCentral Director John MadduxEast Director Don Puckett Please welcome the BOD’s for 2017. You will continue to see great things come from this group. More volunteers are needed across the state, to help the expo and clubs here in Texas. Please get involved and help make your club great. If you would like to volunteer for the expo, or your local club, contact us at [email protected]
Speaker Resource LibraryTexas Council Members. Exciting news for 2017!!! To help clubs with getting speakers for the monthly meetings, we are adding a new feature for clubs to access. The vision is to start recording club’s presentation’s and acquire presentations from notable speakers to place in a library, that will be available for any club to use. This will really benefit smaller clubs, new clubs, or clubs that have a cancellation or trouble getting a presentation for a meeting. We will be posting up an example soon on the website for all to see. We ask that you help us by providing material, for this new vision. If you have something we could use, please let us know.
Here is the link that will be used for this purpose:http://texascouncilifff.com/speakers/
We are also looking into a “LIVE” application, where clubs and individuals can see presentation’s, tying sessions, and even casting exercises LIVE from the Texas Council website.
Stay tuned for more!!!!
Winter Time Trout Fishing
The Texas Fly Fishers will be hosting the 25th annual Dr. Ed Rizzolo Fly Tying Festival, featuring David Nelson, fly designer of http://squimpishflies.com/. It is well worth the drive to Houston for this one day event. Many of us from DFW will be attending, and some will be tying as well. Put this one on the calendar.
Dear Fellow Fly Tyer,
Well, it’s that time of year again and, I’m proud to announce that on Saturday, February 11th, 2017, the Texas FlyFishers will celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the Annual Dr. Ed Rizzolo Fly Tying Festival and I would like to extend you an invitation to be part of this great event. The Festival will take place in the auditorium at the Bethany Christian Church, 3223 Westheimer Road in Houston, Texas, from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm, with lunch and refreshments provided for the tyers.
Joining us at this year’s Festival will be David Nelson of White Plains, NY. If you’re not familiar with David’s flies, the best way I can describe them is flatwing flies, with a flair. David’s patterns and tying style have also been featured in David Klausmeyer’s book Striper Bass Flies, Patterns of the Pros and Bob Popovic’s latest publication Fleye Design: Techniques, Insights, Patterns. You can also find out more about David’s style of tying and his patterns on his website www.squimpishflies.com .
From its humble beginnings in 1993, the Festival has grown into one of the areas premier events, consistently attracting the top fly tiers from all over the country. This event could not be the success it is without the participation of tyers like you. With your support, it is our hope that the Fly Tying Festival will continue to grow in size and reputation. Please make plans on being of this great event.
Chris Sumers, Event Chairman
Also on the calendar:2/6 Landon Mayer at Dallas Fly Fishers meeting2/17 TroutFest at Satler, Texas3/11 Fly Fish Texas3/11 FlyFest3/11-12 Texas Fly Fishing & Brew Festival. 3/23-25 SowBug in Mountain Home, AK4/4-5 Lake Athens Fly Fishing Extravaganza5/6 Bass on the Fly in Lake Fork, Texas5/12 Smallmouth Rendezvous also on the 13th8/1-5 IFFF National Fair in Livingstone, Montana10/6-7 SOC Conclave
IFFF Events
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A “Good” CastSometimes casters worry about their casts and I’m often asked what is a good cast and my answer is always, “Well, it depends”. The response is usually “depends on what”! It depends on does your cast, go where you want it to go. If it does then it is a good cast. A good cast is one that puts the fly where you want it to go, in that current seam, in front of a boulder or 70’ out at 11:00 o’clock to a bone fish.
That, being said, there may be a more efficient way to make that “good” cast. For example, if you are making a short cast of say, 15 to 30 feet and your rod tip is moving in a wide arc, your loop will probably be wide and inefficient. It got your fly to where you wanted it to go but it could have been accomplished with less effort. Keep in mind that a wide loop is not as aerodynamic, will not go as far and takes more effort than a narrow loop. Although there are times when a wide loop is needed such as when casting a heavy fly, sinking line or multiple fly rigs but for now lets talk about narrow loops. If you are going for distance, accuracy or casting into the wind, a fast narrow loop is essential to achieving your goal.
A narrow loop is one in which the distance between the fly and rod leg of the fly line are no more than three feet apart. An efficient narrow loop is the result of a straight-line path of the rod tip. One requirement for a straight-line path of the rod tip is a result of matching rod or casting arc to rod loading or bend.
In our short cast above, a narrow, efficient loop could be achieved by narrowing the rod or casting arc, (the angle between the beginning and ending position of the rod in a cast), to match the rod bend. The casting arc can be narrowed by not, bending the wrist excessively (a beginner’s fault) or pivoting the cast around the elbow like a windshield wiper. In a short cast the rod does not bend as much because there is not much line or weight out of the rod tip and not much force is needed to make the cast. Conversely if you are making a long cast with a lot of line out of the rod tip, the rod will bend more due to the increased weight of the line and force required for the cast. Therefore in order to maintain a straight-line path of the rod tip a wider casting arc is required. A good tip is that for a short line use a short casting stroke, for a long line use a long casting stroke. Generally speaking for most casters adjusting the casting stroke will also adjust the casting arc accordingly.
A straight-line rod tip path is only one of several essentials or principles that are part of making a good cast. These other essentials can be the topics for future issues.
Always remember that the fly line only does what the rod tip tells it to do, the rod tip only does what the hand tells it to do and the hand only does what you tell it to do.
As always if anyone has questions concerning the newsletter articles, casting, equipment or anything fly-fishing related that comes to mind feel free to contact me. My email is [email protected] and cell is 817-863-8190.
Bob Garber
Dr. James A Henshall Warm Water Fisheries AwardAll, this past Thursday I presented the Dr. James A Henshall Warm Water Fisheries Award to Texas Parks and Wildlife at their annual Commissioners meeting. In front of close to 200 attendees, mostly TPWD employees, Game Wardens, and Leaders. I presented the award, and then let Keira Quam and Tim Birdsong, thank the IFFF and Texas Council, which was recorded, and is now being shared with you all. Great moment in Texas, and really highlights the relationship we have with TPWD. River access was a big topic, and selling point. Dr. James A Henshall Award Presentation
San Marcos River ProjectJim Gray and the Texas Council have been participating in the San Marcos River Project. Led by Texas Parks and Wildlife, this task force has been working diligently to solve some of the issues we are seeing on the San Marcos River. The Task Force is looking at all possible solutions, which may eventually lead to a precedent, that all can live with. To follow what is transpiring, check out this link and stay tuned. Special Thanks to Jim Gray, the New President of the Texas Council in 2017 for representing the Texas Council so well, and updating us on the progress. San Marcos River Project
Bass on the FlyAll, coming soon. May in fact. Please put on your calendar, and let’s really support this tournament. Will be a lot of fun seeing you all again. Ted Warren is a great host and gives back to our council each year.
LAKE FORK, TEXAS - MAY 6, 2017 - 6:00AM- 2:00PMhttp://www.bassonthefly.org/
How to Organize Your Fly Boxfrom The Catch and The HatchGeneral Tips on Organizing Fly Boxes
From different sizes, to colors, to patterns, to imitations, to types of imitations, to stages and more, there are a lot of ways to best sort your flies. Let’s address a few general tips that will help you find the best way for your flies.
Organize what You Can’t Memorize
If you know your flies names, sizes or weights by memory, then no need to organize a box by that way as simply looking at the fly tells you what you’ve got. You want to focus on creating a structure in your box that allows you to remember with ease what each fly is and does for you on the river. If you can’t remember what each fly imitates, then it’s likely best to organize your boxes based on the type of fly that pattern imitates (pats rubber legs = stonefly, Zebra midge = midge… well that’s an easy one but you get our point)
Birds of a Feather Should Stick Together
Generally speaking if you have 6 parachute adams in gray that are size #20, it’s best to keep them all together. Nothing worse than thinking your out of a fly only to find it stashed under a bunch of big bulky dry flies when you get off the river that day. Keep the flies together that are similar as good rule to live by.
Use a Fly Box That Fits Your Flies
There are tiny midge boxes and large streamer boxes and everything in between. Make sure you have purchased boxes that fit the flies you own. I use standard boxes with slit foam that seems to fit most patterns 10-22 just fine. Then I have a box thats good for smaller than 22’s and a box thats good for streamers and bigger insects like hopper patterns and the like.
Whatever you fish, make sure you have a box that fits the flies.
I had a customer ask me the other day how I best organize my fly boxes. The more I thought about it, the more difficult it is since there are many ways to organize it. We decided to write a helpful mini-course on how to best organize your fly box.
We’ll provide some general tips before offering up all the ways we can think of to sort your fly box. After that, we’ll share the way we organize our boxes.
Ways to Organize Your Fly Box
Now let’s outline the ways you can organize your box and show the reasons why you may want to consider this option:
FLIES BY IMITATIONThis means organizing flies by the names, types of insects they imitate and stages they imitate. For example if you have:
• 4 #12 Parachute Adams, 4 #16 Parachute Adams, and 4 #20 Parachute Adams• 4 #12 Tan Hares Ears, 8 #16 Black Hares Ears• 12 #20 Red Top Secret Midges
With this selection you could add the Parachute Adams on a row cause they imitate a variety of mayflies and are the same color. You could group them by size too for convenience. Then the hares ears on a row and the top secret midges on a row. This is a simple way to organize them because you are able to see the patterns by size, color and pattern easily in a row. If you don’t have 12 or so of that kind, you can just use half a row.
BY PATTERN TYPEIf you’re a guy that carries 100’s of different patterns, you can also organize them by 3 categories based on the pattern category. This works well for guys who only have 1-2 of each fly but 100’s of different patterns.
Imitative Patterns: flies that look a lot like a given insectAttractor Patterns: flies that are flashy and meant to attract fishSearch Patterns: flies that look like several insects and are meant to search out the trout
ORGANIZE BY PROFILE AND WEIGHTForget what the pattern is, the trout doesn’t know them, if you organize by similar profiles you’ll get a variety to choose from based on conditions to imitate whatever is on the water. For nymphs, organizing by weight helps you get your flies to the right depth easily. Understanding weight is a key to good nymphing techniques after all.
ORGANIZE BY SEASONS & WATER TYPEThis one is great cause you can add a variety of flies to each box so you have spring flies for spring time, tailwater flies for when you fish to picky trout who want small flies.
Keep in mind that spring time and fall are very often the same flies for the most part with a few additions/removals so grouping
How to Organize Your Fly Box- Contd.the spring/fall box is a great idea. In addition, I find combining the tailwater box with the winter box works well since fish seem to prefer smaller flies in the winter and on tailwaters year round. In addition a spring creek box is good cause the insect life and patterns needed are geographically unique to spring creeks, i.e. the abundance of scuds/sowbugs and other freshwater crustaceans.
FLIES BY WATER TYPEFreestones | Tailwaters | Spring Creeks | Stillwater FLIES BY SEASONSpring | Summer | Fall | Winter
ORGANIZE BY FLY TYPEDry Flies | Nymphs | Streamers | Emergers | Wet Flies
If you live by the dry fly or die, or a dynamic nymph fisherman or a stream junkie, then having a box with nothing but those flies is a great way to go as well. This lets you decide before you get on the water what technique you should focus on. Fly fishing is a passion of restraint after all and limiting yourself to less opportunity is in the very fabric of fly fishing. This is a simple and effective way to stay focused on a single technique each time you’re on the water.
ORGANIZE BY FISH TARGETTrout | Bass & Panfish | Carp | Bonefish | Tarpon | and More
If you’re lucky enough to be able to fish saltwater, freshwater, warmwater and more on a consistent basis, you may be a good candidate for this option. Different species call for different sets of flies so organizing them based on what you’re going after gives you the ability to bring the right flies and know which box to choose. I personally bring a carp box with me when I fish low elevation streams or warmwater lakes knowing the chance of carp are worth bringing my carp box along.
ORGANIZE BY CONFIDENCEWe all have our confidence flies that work well. Stocking your box with those in an organized fashion is a very simple and effective way to fish. People who believe that presentation is all that matters and fly selection is just for fun often have only 10-20 patterns in their box and this option is great for those guys.
Allen Gardnerthecatchandthehatch.com
Anytime we get a chance to fly fish it’s a good day. We can’t control the weather. But we can be prepared. At first glance you might think these two aren’t related. But follow along and you may change your mind.
Conditions are something we all consider when going fishing. Whether it’s weather or something else beyond our control, all we can do is make the best of it. But we can spend a little time preparing ourselves and our equipment. A little casting practice will go a long way to helping reach success.
A recent trip to Louisiana made this crystal clear to me. As with every trip we make to the salt, carefully watching the weather conditions and tides is a normal habit. But this time I hadn’t overhead cast in almost a year. This trip wasn’t that different from the past. Except my personal life has gotten busier as we approach the Holidays. So I hastily packed my rods and gear and headed for the airport. My son Kyle joined me in NOLA. We then spent two days on the bow of my dear friend Captain Ben Pashal’s flats skiff. Casting at giant bull reds.
Ben is an exceptional guide and wonderful person. He continually put us on fish. But with no practice, my casting suffered. Thus my chances at some of these incredible fish was greatly diminished. Not to mention the fact that your guide works incredibly hard to give you chances for success.
At one point the action was total chaos. We had a double almost a triple as the third fish simply didn’t eat. It was incredible!
We still had an epic couple of days in the LA marsh. Friday saw us boat five fish over twenty pounds. Additionally Kyle boated an legit 30lb 43” “marsh donkey.”
I believe our success was due to Captain Ben’s skill as much or more than our ability to deliver the fly. So please, next time you go out to fish, spend a little time practicing your casting along with checking the conditions. I promise it’ll make a huge difference in your success. Even if it’s just a boost of confidence.
Tight Lines
Mike Aldridge
Conditions and Practice
Red River Rendezvous 2017 A Fly Tying Extravaganza
January 27-28, 2017
Bonham State Park, Bonham TX
Details The cost for this year’s event is $5 per person for the weekend. We will not have use of the cabins at Bonham State Park, so attendees will need to plan to stay either as campers in the park, in a motel in Bonham, or make plans to com-mute.
The Red River Fly Fishers is providing dinner Friday evening for all participants. We ask that you pre-register if possible to help with the head count. Meals on Saturday will be pot luck style.
Campsites, and RV sites are available throughout the park for rental. The park does charge an entry fee for anyone entering the park.
The Rendezvous will run from 12:00 Noon on Friday January 29 till 8:00 PM on Saturday January 28.
Come out and enjoy some great fellowship, fly tying, fishing, casting, and relaxa-tion.
Everyone is Welcome!
For more information go to: http://rrff.org
To pre-register email us at: [email protected]
Come on up and tie one on!!
Update from the Lower Mountain Fork River FoundationThe big news is the excavation and “Evening Hole” repair work has progressed very well, and is producing outstanding results. See the pictures below for examples of the new look for the “Evening Hole”. Also, please go to www.lmfrfoundation.org, where you will see an actual drone video of the entire new “Evening Hole”. The channel from the Bluff Hole downstream was widened and there now is a “shelf ” for use as a path to walk along side the river. Where the big rock pile was, there is now a new channel that goes into the trees and runs parallel to the other channel. Both channels now run the length of the Evening Hole.
Additional construction and improvement is still underway. The reports of Brown trout, and significant bug/hatch activity are true. There is much evidence of anglers who have had success with Brown trout, and Rainbow trout, rising to dry and wet flies. The reworked tail-out from the cypress trees is very good and the new, widened run up the bluff side of the rock pile is excellent with many and different types of trout-holding water. Also, the level walkway up both sides is a great improvement. There is some excellent research being conducted by a young man named Tyler Farling, an Oklahoma State University Graduate Studet. Here is his report from mid November: “We took a long look at some preliminary growth data and found that the juvenile trout we sampled in the Cypress run area were showing a growth rate around 0.93 mm per day. The juveniles we sampled in the tributary were are 0.13 mm per day. We have not done a full analysis on the bug or diet data but preliminary data suggests the diet of the smaller tributary trout is largely made up of terrestrial insects while the main river fish with larger growth are feeding off of isopods, mayflies, and caddisflies (aquatic insects). The growth is on par or slightly higher than the average for the growth in other southern tailwater fisheries such as Lees Ferry in Arizona. They were showing a growth rate of 0.84 mm per day. We will have a better understanding as we collect more data through next year and our sample size increases (hopefully). I know everyone wants to know what that calculates to for a year in inches and its approximately 13” per year. Of course, that implies that growth remains constant throughout the year so these are just assumptions at this point in the process but encouraging nonetheless.”
This means that our wild trout are growing at 1” per month and our wild one-year-olds are 12” (for those that are mathematically
challenged). We never thought that our growth rates were this good. This is excellent news on the state of our river.
Some pictures of the new “Evening Hole”
This is what this area looked like before the recent construction and excavation.
Dutch Baughman
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2016 was a great year for the Texas Council in conservation projects. We also received a lot of recognition for our efforts. Our partnership with the Texas Parks and Wildlife people was very productive. When they were back at the National Angler Educators’ Conference they had this slide in their presentation. It mentions the Dallas Flyfishers
but they very much recognize all of us in the Texas Council. The picture on the slide is our booth at the Texas Expo.
The Texas Land office that is responsible for coastal issues also recognizes the Texas Council and awarded this honor to our Southern Regional Representative and a fellow Angler Education Area Chief Dr. Rey Ramirez, that I have worked with for more than a decade.
We also put Dr. Rey up for the IFFF Nelson Award for teaching fly tying at the IFFF National Convention, which he won…. So the great work of our Coastal region was recognized at the National level.
In our central region, the many years of the Brushy Creek Cleanups, the San Gabriel Fly Fishers with a stream clean program for the San Gabriel River as it runs through the town, and a lot of good projects in the Texas Hill country including the Fredricksburg Fly Fishers one-fly contests and environmental projects are extensive and very important.
The Houston club, in the Eastern Region of the Texas Council, had three events this year that I found noteworthy. Their famous one day Dr. Ed Rizzolo Fly Tying Festival in February is a one day program that our Northern Texas Clubs have supported for years. They also had two coastal cleanup and fly fishing tournaments and outings. These are a great idea and go a long way toward getting us noticed by the general public as a force for good. Plus they are fun. It is important to have fun doing conservation projects.
Also in the Eastern Region, the Pineywoods Club, in the person of Walter McClendon, is almost single handedly holding one of our great traditions together, the North Toledo Bend Rendezvous. This is a three day event full of fly tying and camaraderie of the highest order. More clubs need to come to this one, though since many of us are hunters as well as fly fishers, having it on opening day of gun deer season does limit attendance.
Of the five club Presidents that started the Fly Fish Texas Event in the year 2000 at the Texas Fresh Water Fisheries Center, Walter and I are the only two of the originals left. Walter also keeps this one going for the Texas Council, and that is great.
Swinging around to the North Texas area, two very active East Texas Clubs and the Dallas, Fort Worth and Red River clubs all work together on a long list of activities. One of my favorites is the relatively new North Texas Rendezvous that the Red River Club is leading. I hope that it become a tradition like the Toledo Bend one is. This one was talked about all the way back into the early 1990’s but until the RRFF took this one upon themselves, it never got past the talk stage. Good work guys, it adds to their resume of doing Go Fish and Fly Fish events for the Eisenhower State Park folks.
We also support the Inland Fisheries Angler Access program. When we began to work with Tim Birdsong of TPWD Inland Fisheries, this was largely an effort to get landowners to sign up for providing access points to water that flowed adjacent to their land. Since then it has morphed into a project led by Jessica East and a team of University Students doing Riparian Habitat evaluation and building an impressive comprehensive
Texas Conservation Projects
data base of information. Now it is becoming a two year plan to implement the better of these planned improvements with Texas Council and various other environmentally conscious groups assistance. This is huge and it looks like we really started something. In reality, it was a TPWD program to begin with, but it has a lot of momentum thanks to a lot of folks in the Texas Council.
Tim and I presented this project to the Council of Presidents at the IFFF meeting in Livingston MT. this year, and it was a hit. The IFFF awarded TPWD the Henshall Warm Water Fisheries Award for this and other programs…
These same Texas council award nominations resulted in my award. Since this award cannot be won more than once, it is a bit like a lifetime achievement award. I accept it with humble heart and much gratitude. Winning it once in a lifetime is enough.
So it was a huge year for conservation in the Texas Council leaving us with what to do for an encore?
Well this year is shaping up already to be a barn burner. The month of March begins a series of conservation opportunities that are unprecedented. First the Keep Texas Beautiful Group is working with several national groups to designate and coordinate a large number of activities. None of these are too huge to join.
Between March 1st and May 31st is the Great American Cleanup 2017. Go to the web site and look for a local project that you can help with…. Get you Church group, Scout Troop, Garden Club, and even your Fly Fishing Club involved. Between now and Earth Day 2017, which will be celebrated the weekend of April 21 – 23, find a group with a project that fits you style, and help out. The Texas Council will have a booth at Earth Day in Fair Park. Jere is coordinating it, but you can help.
In this time frame is a whole series of events in North Texas that should be on the Texas Council Calendar. On March 11th, Fly Fish Texas at the Athens Fresh Water Fisheries Center, the Trinity River Water District Flyfest, a very good event with lots to do, and a new one, the Fly Fishing and Brew Festival in the Plano Civic Center all on the same weekend.
Then the big one, Earth Day, April 22, but celebrated on 21st – 23rd, in Fair Park for the Dallas Area, and in dozens of venues all over the state. The world Earth Day organizers purport that close to a billion people worldwide in over 170 countries have some kind of celebration going on. If so this has to be the biggest single secular event in the world. Last year 130,000 came to the Earth Day in Dallas and a lot of those stopped at our booth. We had fly tying, and casting with a yarn line practice casting rod going on and scouts, young and old citizens and folks of all descriptions were there. Plus we were in the middle of a lot of big name environments groups and so it was great to talk to them as well. Whatever you do, whether you organize an event, take part in an event or just attend an event, Earth Day needs to be on your calendar of “Don’t Miss This Day” things to do.
We will be looking for you….
Jere Anderson
Texas Conservation Projects- Contd.
On March 11-12, 2017, the 1st Annual Texas Fly Fishing & Brew Festival (TFFF) comes to the Plano Center, a mere 20 miles north of Dallas and easily accessed off Route 75. Speakers include fly fishing icon Lefty Kreh, as well as a host of other national and regional authors and fly fishing personalities. Dallas-based fly rod manufacturer Temple Fork Outfitters (TFO) and the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation (RBFF) are major sponsors of the festival, as is Tailwaters Fly Fishing Co. “The region has been waiting for an event just like this one--for a new approach to fly fishing,” said TFO owner Rick Pope. “I’m tickled pink this event is coming to Texas.”
Enjoy classes on everything from distance casting to fishing in international destinations. Participate in free woman’s beginner casting classes and an “Ask An Outdoor Woman”
panel discussion. Watch reps demonstrate brand-new fly fishing gear for the 2017 season. Ask local fishing guides how to take your angling in and around Texas to the next level. Know a Boy Scout? Bring him with you: the festival features a free Boy Scout Fly Fishing Merit Badge Class.
Unique to the Texas festival is local microbrewery beer. Festival attendees 21 years and older will receive a series of tasting tickets with their paid admission. In addition to beer tasting and fly fishing, attendees will be able to try out kayaks and stand-up paddle boards in the kayak demo pond. Children under 16 are free with a paying adult. A ticketed festival VIP After Party will also take place on the grounds Saturday.
For more information, visit www.txflyfishingfestival.org or call 703-402-8338.
Inaugural Texas Fly Fishing & Brew Festival
March 11-12 - Plano, TXtxflyfishingfestival.org
TRWD FLYFEST
MARCH 11, 2017Calling all flyfishers. Join us for the 2nd annual FlyFest. Located on the banks of the Trinity River, as the TRWD, Fort Worth Fly Fishers, and the Texas Council will again host this event, as we call awareness to the importance of our urban waterways.
Join us as we welcome back Frank Smethurst, and a host of other great speakers, flytiers, casters, and a full slate of activities, including the exciting trout fishing derby that was such a big hit!!! Including vendors, Whole Foods Market, beer, music, and more. Will be a busy weekend, but make plans to attend. http://trwdflyfest.com/
FLY FISH TEXAS 2017It is time for the annual Fly Fish Texas event at the Texas Fresh Waters Fisheries Center located in Athens Texas. March the 11th.
Fly fishing clubs and anglers from across Texas come to TFFC to share fly fishing tips and techniques and teach them to others. Aimed at the novice fly fisher, Fly Fish Texas will teach you how to tie a fly, cast it and catch a fish with it—all in the same day. If you would like to volunteer and participate at this years event, please contact Walter McLendon at [email protected]. So many activities to do while enjoying your time at the Fisheries Center. Trout fishing. Fly Tying. Presentations and demonstrations. For all ages, and especially designed for the youth. Come on out and bring the family, friends, youth group, or just come to make new friends or get re-acquainted with old friends. See you there, https://tpwd.texas.gov/calendar/events/fly-fish-texas-2017
Reel Recovery is a national non-profit organization that conducts free fly-fishing retreats for men recovering from all forms of cancer. Combining expert fly-fishing instruction with directed “courageous conversations”, the organization offers a unique experience for men coping with cancer, a time to share their stories; learn a new skill, form friendships and gain gain renewed hope as they confront the challenges of their recovery. ttheirtrretheirrecovery. recovery. recovery. Retreats are conducted over a two-and-a-half day period at a fly-fishing facility/lodge with onsite or nearby fishing access. All meals, lodging and fly-fishing equipment are provided at no cost to the participants. Retreats are led by professional facilitators and expert fly-fishing instructors. A maximum of 12-14 men are invited to participate, to ensure the quality of the instruction and to create a powerful small-group dynamic.
GOALS
Provide a safe, reflective environment for the participants to discuss their disease and recovery with other men with shared experiences, thereby providing support and information to help them in their recovery.
Provide expert fly-fishing instruction that enables the participants to learn a new skill, form a healing connection with nature, and participate in a sport they can continue throughout their recovery and lifetime.
Provide participants information about cancer-related resources, both in the local community and nationally to facilitate networking and enhanced management of their recovery.
If you would like to be a participant or a volunteer, please contact us.
National: Toll Free 800-699-4490 www.reelrecovery.org [email protected] Texas: 817-894-7832 Mike Emerson [email protected] www.texasreelrecovery.org 2013 RETREATS : Boerne, TX (April 19-21, 2013); Broken Bow, OK (October 13-15, 2013) Glen Rose, TX (October 25-27, 2013)
“This was the best time of my life! It’s by far the best thing out there for men with cancer.” Retreat Participant
“I discovered that while fly-fishing, I was in another place. In this place there was no cancer, no pain and no fear.” Retreat Participant “This retreat was so much more than fishing; this was a life-changing experience.” Retreat Participant “Reel Recovery is a gift. Being here has given me the strength and courage to move forward with my life.” Retreat Participant
During a recent IFFF Board of Directors meeting, the following items were discussed:
As part of the recent adoption of the new IFFF Strategic Plan, the Federation is moving aggressively forward to implement the Plan, with emphasis on several areas:
The effort to re-brand the IFFF, with the assistance of Brickhouse Marketing group is progressing very well. They are engaged in a national survey of IFFF members to better clarify the needs and interests of the members. This will translate into the refined direction of purpose and mission for the IFFF, and possibly a new name. The survey results are very helpful.
At the same time, and in coordination with the Strategic Plan, the IFFF has recently reviewed the submissions to a Request for Proposals (RFP) to select a new publisher for the Fly Fisher Magazine. The selection of a new Fly Fisher Magazine is very significant because it will not only result in an improved publication, but this selection will have a major impact on the IFFF efforts to increase the public exposure of the Federation, directly engage the Federation in the Fly Fishing industry, and align the Federation with prominent service to it’s members. The IFFF has selected the Bird Marketing Group from many submissions to the RFP. Bird Marketing Group publisher, Jennifer Bird, will publish future editions of the Fly Fisher Magazine. Bird Marketing Group is the leading Canadian authority on fly fishing in North America (remember: the IFFF is national in scope). Jennifer oversees all operational aspects of Fly Fusion Magazine as well as Fly Fusion Books. Derek Bird is the founding editor of Fly Fusion Magazine, and still writes the Stream Lines column in each edition. Derek is also co-host of the very popular Fly Fusion television show, seen on the World Fishing Network (WFF), and oversees the selection committee for the International Fly Fishing Film Festival (I4F). Part of the new arrangement with BMG includes many opportunities to promote the IFFF, such as the inclusion of an insert in the 40,000 subscribers to receive Fly Fusion Magazine. BMG also has a major presence in the fly fishing industry with vendors and manufacturers, and we will be promoted/aligned with those vendors and manufacturers. Further, BMG will be producing a film to document the changes taking place in the IFFF. This is an enormous step forward for the IFFF, and the efforts to secure this new direction must be applauded; it is actually happening.
Congratulations to the Abilene Fly Fishing Club, who was recognized as one of three new Charter Clubs in the IFFF.
The IFFF Fair will be held in Livingston, Montana, next August 1-5, 2017. A completely new schedule is being developed for the IFFF Fair. Emphasis will be on the coordination of the Board of Directors meeting, the respective Boards of Governors (Tying, Conservation, and Casting) meeting, and General Business Meeting. Also, there is a real intent to enhance the annual membership business meeting by establishing more content regarding the IFFF operation. Under consideration is moving many of the Fair activities to the Livingston Civic Center, adjusting the auction to be an hors d’oeuvre event instead of a formal dinner, and adjusting the Fair festival schedule to be a Friday and Saturday event instead of Thursday through Saturday event. There will still be major emphasis on the workshops, casting, tying, and conservation programs Tuesday through Saturday. The Fly Fishing Academy is being further refined. Now under consideration is the plan to develop the Academy as a formal two-day event during the Fair, with many options for the participants. A complete curriculum is being developed and will be in place for the 2017 Fair.
The details for a new IFFF Fundraising program will be announced shortly. The development of this new fundraising program is in direct alignment with the new mission and purpose for the Federation. This will be a very professional and formal fundraising program. Obviously, this will enable the Federation to develop the resources to implement all the programs and services for members.
The IFFF Fly Fishing Industry Partners program is developing nicely with updated information coming shortly to announce additional vendors and programs. This program will provide a direct service and benefit to members by creating discount retail opportunities with many vendors and manufacturers.
This is a very exciting time for the IFFF. The formal strategic plan and all this discussions regarding improved service to members, and exposure as the leading international fly fishing entity is actually happening. Thanks to the new IFFF leadership, with Tom Logan as Chairman of the Board, and Len Zikler, as President. They have stabilized the organization and are leading it in a new and much needed direction. The Board of Directors is comprised of people who share a genuine passion for Fly Fishing, and the IFFF. The National Office Staff is absolutely phenomenal; although few in number, their work ethic, efficiency and effectiveness are truly making a real difference. Again, this is a very exciting time for the IFFF.
Dutch Baughman
IFFF Board of Directors Update
This is my take on a Craft Fur Baitfish. While I didn’t come up with the original fly, I’ve fished it for quite a while and have tweaked it over the years to my liking. It’s a great mixed-use big baitfish fly for the Lower Colorado or off the jetties on the coast. This is an easy fly to cast and uses a tying method known as hollow tying to get bulk without much weight. Hook: Patridge Attitude Extra 4/0Thread: .006 MonoTail: SF Blend, EP, or other synthetic, and FlashaboutBody: Craft Fur, reverse tiedGill Color: Polar ChenilleEyes: 10MM Mirage EyesAdhesive: Loctite Gel Super Glue and Loon UV Flow
Step 1: Place your hook in the vise and create a jam knot with the thread. Mono is slick so take extra care to ensure it’s secure.
Step 2: Take a hank of SF Blend and secure it in the middle. Reverse the forward clump back over the bend of the hook and secure. Top with half 6-8 strands of Flashabou.
Step 3: Move up the shank slightly. Prepare a clump of Craft Fur and clean out the underfur. Tie it in by the butt section so that it encompasses the entire hook shank with the tips facing towards the eye.
Step 4: Using a hollow tub or straw, push the club of craft fur back towards the bend and tie it down to secure.
Step 5: Move up the hook shank, and repeat this process.
Step 6: Move up and repeat yet again, but this is where you’ll start to add in a top color.
Step 7: Tie in a small section of Polar Flash and wrap 3-4 times. Secure and trim.
Step 8: Move up to the eye of the hook and tie in another two clumps. You will whip finish this as the tie in point, leaving the pieces facing forward.
Step 9: Use a tube or straw to push back the front-facing pieces.
Step 10: Cover the section near the hook eye in a small amount of UV glue, 360 degrees around the shank. “Push” the craft fur towards the eye to create a bump for the head. Cure with a UV Torch.
Step 11: Glue on your eyes. Press and ensure they are secure.
Step 12: Add barring or other accents.
Craft Fur Baitfish by Matt Bennett
2017 EVENTS!Please send all correspondences to [email protected]
For more information, please feel free to contact Mark Machado (956) 266-5866 or Jack Keller (956) 346-1066
First Thursdays on every odd numbered month will be held in Laguna Vista at, 1 Ocelot Trail Road at 6:00 PM!
First Thursdays on every even numbered month will now be held in Harlingen in the Bass Pro Shops Fly
Department, 101 Bass Pro Drive!
Janurary 5th Fly Tying Laguna Vista Larry Haines 6:00pm 1 Ocelot Trail Road at 6:00 PM!
January 14 th Annual Banquet and Awards Saturday evening at 7:00pm at the South Padre Island Brewery $25.00
per couple or $15.00 each….
February 2nd Fly Tying Bass Pro Fly Shop: Tyer Luke Lewis
March 2nd Fly Tying Laguna Vista: Tyer to be announced…
April : One Fly Tournament Details coming…
April 6th Fly Tying Bass Pro Fly Shop: Tyer to be announced…
May 4thth Fly Tying Laguna Vista: Tyer to be announced…
May-June Dates & Details Coming: Spring Fling at Jack and Linn Keller’s (117 Calle Conejo Bayview)
Look for a Fly Fishing & Vacation trip to Belize and a Kayak Fishing Trip
June 1st Fly Tying Bass Pro Fly Shop: Tyer to be announced…
July 6th Fly Tying Laguna Vista: Tyer to be announced…
July/August Social Details coming: Bryan & Michelle Robinson’s (1400 N. Bowie, San Benito) also Red Fish rodeo
August 3rd Fly Tying Bass Pro Fly Shop: Tyer to be announced…
September 7th Fly Tying Laguna Vista: Tyer to be announced…
September 15th & 16th: Magoo Tournament Details coming…
October 5th Fly Tying Bass Pro Fly Shop: Tyer to be announced…
November 2rd: Tyer to be announced…
November: Beach trip to be announced…
December 7th Fly Tying Bass Pro Fly Shop: Tyer to be announced…
December: 3 fish, 2 weekend tournament & Christmas Social (Hosted by Stanley and Leslie Woelfel) Details
coming…
January 2018: Annual Banquet & Awards to be announced…
While I’m not a fan of Fly fishing competitions (except of course the Perchmaster’s Classic), I recognize that fishing competitions, like NASCAR for automobiles, provides a testing ground for new techniques and innovations. And if you’ve been following some of the recent international fly fishing tournaments, you know that a new type of fly fishing, known variously as Czech Nymphing, Polish Nymphing, Spanish Nymphing, French Nymphing, or more in general as European Nymphing, has been winning many of the competitions. The different versions of European Nymphing are very similar to some of the methods we are accustomed to such as short line nymphing or high stick nymphing. They differ from each other in the way they are rigged onto tippets and droppers. In general, the European styles use straight, not tapered, leaders, and the weight is in the flies, not in the leader using split shot.
I’ve always been frustrated using split shot because of the difficulty keeping them on the line, so I decided to try these methods. I still haven’t settled on a single technique or had a great deal of success yet, but the flies are interesting to tie and I can see how it would simplify getting flies down to fish in faster water conditions. Its probably not the best technique to use in the current low-clear water conditions on our local trout streams but hopefully we’ll be getting some rain sometime and the rivers will come up. I’ll be ready to test this style of nymphing more when it does.
Any type of weighted fly will work as your lead fly in a euro-nymphing style, but as a tier, I find the woven ones to be of most interest to me. I’ll add a little more on technique below, but your first or lead fly is usually a little larger and heavier than the others, and provides most of the weight for getting the flies down. There are several types of weaving available to tiers, I have chosen to demonstrate a shuttle weave here. This fly is tied on a size 12 curved caddis pupa hook, but any style of nymph hook would work, from scud hooks to curved stimulator hooks to straight nymph hooks. Part of the difficulty in using a shuttle weave is that the two materials being woven must be kept under some tension at all times until finished, or the weave will twist or unravel. I started doing this by hand, but soon found a set of instructions that say to wind your embroidery floss onto empty thread spools and mount them on tying bobbins. This allows much greater control over the tying materials as well as speeding up the process. However, I found that I couldn’t take very good pictures of the process. As you can see from the pictures, I am using colored wire such as the kinds sold for tying brassies to demonstrate the actual weaving sequence. It would stay in place, and I could easily move the camera into place to take the pictures. A little serendipity here, the fly that was
created using these materials looks pretty interesting and I can’t wait for an opportunity to try it out on fish.
The body material used here is regular embroidery floss. It is available at any craft or sewing store and comes in a huge variety of colors. In general, a darker color is used for the back of the fly and a lighter color for the belly. Match whatever you know to be in the river where you fish. On these larger sized hooks, I am using the four strand floss, however if you wanted to tie smaller flies, you could take the time to separate the strands, or you could use some of the floss material available from fly tying sources that are smaller in diameter. For convenience, I have wrapped the floss onto old tying thread spools.
The different European styles of nymphing are all similar to each other in that they use a single larger, heavier fly to drag down one or two other smaller and possibly lighter flies. They vary in where the heavier fly is tied - top or bottom - and how the other flies are attached. I’m still experimenting here and if you find something that works well for you, please let me know. These styles don’t use long tapered leaders, but usually use straight tippet, usually in the 5X range, between the rod and the fly. Smaller tippet can be used to attach the additional fly(ies). A 3-5 weight rod is used. The fly line doesn’t come into play in the presentation. Usually the rig is flopped up and across the stream, and the rod tip is used to slightly lead the flies as they drift down. At the end of the drift, the rig is again flopped upstream. You can guide the rig through any promising seams or around any fish holding obstructions. An indicator is sometimes used, but not as flotation, only to help judge the depth of your rig. You try to maintain a tight connection to your flies so that you can easily detect any strikes.
As always, if you would like additional assistance with this or any pattern, feel free to join us at the AFF Fly Tying group that meets on Wednesday evenings from 4 to 9 pm at the Dart Bowl (5700 Grover Ave., behind McCallum High School.) The first Wednesday of every month we will concentrate on helping new tiers get started. In January, we will be tying nymphs for the Guadalupe, so bring whatever you have to share. Tying equipment and materials will be available, or bring your own. Please let me know if you are planning to attend so that we can be sure that materials, space and help are available to further your tying ambitions. Also, remember that most of the recent AFF Newsletters are available online at http://austinflyfishers.com/ and include the previous fly tying columns. If there is some fly or technique you would like to see featured in these articles, please let me know. If you would like to submit a guest column, let me know and I will help you work something up.
The Woven Polish Nymph by Jack Lehman
MaterialsHook: Tiemco TMC 2488 Caddis Pupa hook, size 12Bead Head: 1/8 inch gold beadWeight: .015 Lead WireUnderbody: Any 3/0 or 210 denier tying threadRib: Medium Copper UTC Ultra WireBody: Two colors of DMC Embroidery Thread - Black, Olive,Brown for back, Orange, Yellow or Chartreuse for bellyFinish Thread: 6/0 or 8/0 black threadDubbing: Chocolate Hare’s Ear DubbingWire used for photos: Black and Chartreuse UTC Ultra WireMedium
Picture 1: Crimp the hook barb if necessary and place the beadhead onto the hook. Place the hook into the vise. Wrap about 10 wraps of the lead wire around the hook shank and slide it up under the bead. If you
are planning to fish faster deeper waters you may want to use a thicker lead wire. Start your under body thread behind the lead, Build up a tapered dam here to keep the lead from slipping back. On a woven fly, this underbody most doesn’t show so you can use any type or color thread here that you wish.
Picture 2: Cut Tie in the two colors of embroidery floss along the body and to either side of the hook. Put the lighter, belly color toward you and the darker color on the far side. Add the rib wire now if you are planning to use one.
Pictures 3: Use your underbody thread to develop a smooth, tapered body. Try to get this as smooth as possible, because it helps when trying to weave the floss later. Whip finish and remover you underbody thread.
Pictures 4: As discussed above, here I have switched flies to show the one using the wire for the weaving material. If you have a rotary vice, turn the fly upside down. Clamp vises you will need to release the fly
and reinsert it upside down. Turn the vice so that it is facing you, with the lighter color on the right and the darker, back color to your left.
Picture 5: Begin by pulling the light color over the top (bottom) of the hook. Pull the dark over top of the light and down. Try to keep the materials packed back against the
rear of the hook. You will need to make several of these weaving wraps and tighter looks better and lasts longer.
Picture 6: Pull the dark under the fly and to the right.
Picture 7: Pull the light back across the top of the hook.
Picture 8: Pull the dark over the light and then bring it down and under the hook, leaving it at the left side of the fly. You have now completed one weave. Repeat steps 5-8 until you
have covered most of the hook shank, leaving a little room at the front to finish off the fly.
Picture 9: Here I have made several sets of wraps toward the front of the hook. At the end, I have made a single overhand knot with the two materials to hold them in place while I prepare
for the next step. Do not cut off the excess material just yet.
Picture 10: Here I am back to the original fly tied with the floss. After adding the overhand knot, start your finish thread just behind the beadhead. Take several wraps over
the weaving materials to bind them in and then cut off any excess floss. If you added a rib, wrap it forward now, bind it in with the finish thread and cut off any excess.
Picture 11: The front of the fly looks a little messy with all those materials tied off, but we will now add some dubbing to cover it. Dub a small thorax with some dark spiky
material. Here I have used hare’s ear dubbing. You may also add a hackle throat now if you wish. Finish the fly with a whip finish right behind the beadhead and remove your extra thread.
The Woven Polish Nymph (Contd.) by Jack Lehman
MAYBE YOU WEREN’T LOOKING IN THE RIGHT SPOT. WE CAN HELP.
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Presidents
I must praise the many, many great volunteers that make up the Texas Council, and the clubs that are across our great state. Especially the club Presidents that never get the praise they deserve. This year, we have many new faces as club Presidents, and we want to personally Thank them for all they do, and will do this and hopefully many years. The last time we checked, the annual pay rate has not changed, none, and yet these men and women continue to work hard to make their respective clubs the best they can be. One might ask, why they do it? That’s a great question. Since I was one, and President of the Council currently, we do it because of the relationships we make, we do it for the love of the sport, we do it to conserve the area we are so passionate about, and we do it because there is the need. So again, Thank You Club Presidents for your commitment and dedication to our communities, our sport, and for our fellow club members. Hat’s off!!! Here is your current list of Presidents for the 2016 Year Ft Worth Rick Haness fortworthflyfishers.org
Dallas Peter Rhea www.dallasflyfishers.org
Red River Joe Parks www.rrff.org
Waco Bob Hanley wacoflyfishingclub.org
Austin Matt Bennett www.austinflyfishers.com
New Braunfels Dan Cone www.newbraunfelsflyfishers.org
San Gabriel Clint Barton www.sgflyfishers.com
San Marcos Maurice Larimore ctff.org
Hill Country John Forister hillcountryflyfishers.com
Fredricksburg Jon Morse www.fredericksburgflyfishers.com
Texas Womens Janet Bacca www.twff.net
Tyler Mike Maris www.lonestarflyfishers.com
Longview Harry Headrick www.easttexasflyfishers.org
Pineywoods Walter Mclendon www.pwff.org
Houston Marcos Enriquez www.texasflyfishers.org
San Antonio David Reichert www.alamoflyfishers.org
Rio Grande Tiers Rey Ramirez www.riograndeflytyers.org
Montgomery Chuck Holmes www.mcfrsite.org
Laguna Madre Mark Machado www.lmflyfishers.com
Lubbock David Crawford Facebook
Abilene Gwen Sitton Facebook
Volunteers
With that being said, we must also say a BIG Thank You to all of the volunteers that make up the Texas Council. These volunteers also do a great job, putting activities together for clubs, focus on conservation across the state, help educate the youth and fly fishers across the state, while also enjoying fly fishing in the many great waters our state has to offer. This is a great group of men and women that are focused in serving Texas in an amazing way. And there is still a need for more men and women to join our efforts. If you are interested in joining our council or any club as a volunteer, please do so. You will enjoy it very much, and make new friends that are committed to making Texas a great place to fly fish. Help us educate and conserve our great waters, and make a difference. To join up as a volunteer, simply contact a club or a Board of Director of the Texas Council. We can be reached at [email protected].
President Jim Gray
Vice President Matt Bennett
Past President Russell Husted
Development Chmn Andy Payne
Secretary Joe Estes
Treasurer Brian Bowers
Education Mike Aldridge
Conservation Jere Anderson
Women’s Director Kimberly Penick
Youth Director Nic Bracknell
TPWD Keira Quam
Webmaster Michael Brown
Social Media Robert Watson
Casting Director Open
Tying Director Rick Haness
North Director Dutch Baughman
South Director Rey Ramirez
Central Director John Maddux
East Director Don Puckett
West Director Eddie Emerson
Thank You!
Who makes up the Texas council? The Texas Council is a member of the International Federation of Fly Fishers. The Texas Council is divided into 5 Regional territories, due to its large area. Logistically, it is difficult to effectively organize an organization that covers so much space. That is why we split the state into 5 regions, to work with the clubs throughout the state. Each region is lead by a Regional Director, who then reports to the Development Chairman, who is Ted Warren. Ted communicates with the Directors, and reports back to the Board of Directors. This system has allowed the Council to work more with the clubs, and bring a sense of unity throughout the state. Currently there are no clubs in West Texas, but we continue to work on developing new clubs to grow the sport. Listed below are the Regions, Directors, and clubs that are currently in the Texas Council. More clubs are planned and we continue to grow!!!
Texas Council Clubs and Region
North Regional Director Dutch Baughman [email protected] River Fly Fishers Sherman http://www.rrff.org/Dallas Fly Fishers Dallas http://www.dallasflyfishers.org/Fort Worth Fly Fishers Fort Worth http://www.fortworthflyfishers.org/Waco Fly Fishers Waco http://wacoflyfishingclub.org/
East Regional Director Don Puckett [email protected] Fly Fishers Houston http://www.texasflyfishers.org/East Texas Fly Fishers Longview http://www.easttexasflyfishers.org/Lonestar Fly Fishers Tyler http://www.lonestarflyfishers.com/Pineywoods Fly Fishers Lufkin http://www.pwff.org/Montgomery County Fly Rodders Spring http://www.mcfrsite.org/
South Regional Director Rey Ramirez [email protected] Fly Fishers San Antonio http://alamoflyfishers.org/Laguna Madre Fly Fishers Corpus Christi http://lagunamadreflyfisherscc.com/Laguna Madre Fly Fishers Brownsville http://www.lagunamadreflyfishers.com/Rio Grande Fly Tiers Corpus Christi http://www.riograndeflytyers.org/
Central Regional Director John Maddux [email protected] Fly Fishers Austin http://austinflyfishers.com/San Gabriel Fly Fishers Georgetown http://sgflyfishers.com/Hill Country Fly Fishers Kerrville http://hcff.org/Texas Womens Fly Fishers Austin http://twff.net/Central Texas Fly Fishers San Marcos http://ctff.org/New Braunfels Fly Fishers New Braunfels www.facebook.com/NewBraunfelsFlyFishers West Director Eddie Emerson [email protected] Fishers Lubbock FacebookAbilene Fly Fishers Abilene Facebook
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Business name (for Retail/Sustaining)__________________________________________
Membership Number _______________________________________________________
Street Address / PO Box ____________________________________________________
City/State/Zip_____________________________________________________________
**Country _______________________________________________________________
Phone (work / home) _______________________________________________________
E-Mail Address ___________________________________________________________
Which IFFF Club Do You Belong To? _________________________________________
Which IFFF Club or IFFF Council would you like to receive credit for any incentive programs
which may be available at the time of your joining? _____________________________________
Credit Card Number____________________________Exp. date________________CID_______
5237 US Highway 89 S # 11 | Livingston, MT 59047 | 406-222-9369 | www.fedflyfishers.org
