Looking forward to 2014

Wishing everyone a safe and prosperous New Year. May 2014 bring many great new fishing memories.

For KFF, meetings will remain the 4th Monday of each month with two exceptions:
- May, the library is closed on Memorial Day. We will meet the next evening (Tuesday, May 27)
- July, we will meet on the 4th Tuesday.
As always, we do not meet in December due to the holidays.

Our January meeting will feature Jeff Guerin, fly fishing guide on the Little Missouri River.

Our February meeting will feature John Williams, owner of Pack and Paddle in Lafayette, who will talk about kayak fishing, selection and rigging.

On April 5th, we will host a "Fly Fishing 101" seminar at LDWF Woodworth Education Center. This is free and open to the public.  More details to be posted soon.

There's lots of events happening again in 2014, for which Kisatchie members are invited to attend. All have been posted on our CALENDAR. Click on the Calendar entry for details. Here's a few coming up this Spring.

- Dr. Ed Rizzolo Fly Tying Fest (Houston TX, Feb 1)
- Little Mo Fly Fishing Fest (Murfreesboro AR, Feb 14-16)
- Pack and Paddle Spring Demo (Mar 1)
- Red Stick Day (Mar 8)
- Acadiana Conclave (Lafayette, Mar 15)
- KFF "Fly Fishing 101"  (Apr 5)
- Caddo Conclave (Karnack TX, Apr 11-12)
- Natchitoches Fishing Expo (May 3)
- Grand Isle Weekend (June 27-29)

Our club is also considering one or two "Backcast" events.  Backcast is not officially a tournament. Let's just call it a friendly get-together with the flavor of a tournament. We meet somewhere to fish, catch-photo-release or keep a few if you wish, meet at the designated spot, swap stories, show the photos off, and enjoy a few burgers.  Again, more details to come.

November program recap

Despite freezing rain and a winter storm warning for areas just north of town, ten of us braved the conditions and met for what was an interesting session.

The program itself was a quick overview of fly tying basics: the tools, some sample materials, and the demonstration of a simple but very effective fly that works great for panfish (the fluff butt). A fluff butt is basically a woolybugger tied with a beadhead or a micro-jig hook and without a hackle feather.

Here are some tips for beginners...

KFF next meeting Monday, November 25

The next meeting of the Kisatchie Fly Fishers will be on Monday, November 25.  Location is the Rapides Westside Library on 5416 Province Place in Alexandria, in the north meeting room.  Time is 6:30pm.  This meeting is open to the public, and all are invited.

Our previously scheduled program on kayak fishing has been moved to February.  It'll be an exciting program so stay tuned. 

As this is our last meeting of the year - no meeting in December due to holidays - we will talk about a great alternative to spending those cold winter days in front of the television (besides hunting, of course).  That's TYING FLIES!   We'll have an overview of tools needed, a few materials to get started, and even demo a simple pattern guaranteed to catch fish especially in the winter months.

In the spirit of the season, we'll have snacks and beverages.  See you there!

October program recap

At our October meeting, Glen 'Catch' Cormier gave a presentation on "Fly Tackle for Saltwater and Bass". He pointed out the next 5 months is the best time to catch large speckled trout and bass on the fly rod, and because of clear water in winter, the best sightcasting opportunity for redfish.

What does it take to get started, and what flies should you have?  Here are several notes from that presentation, including some tips on leaders and knots.

KFF next meeting Monday, October 28

The next meeting of the Kisatchie Fly Fishers will be on Monday, October 28, 2013.  This meeting is open to the public, and all are invited.

Location: Rapides Westside Regional Library, 5416 Provine Place, Alexandria
Time: 6:30pm.

On the agenda: club business, general discussion, fishing reports, featured program, attendance drawing

Catch Cormier will give a presentation on "Fly Tackle for Saltwater and Bass".  With peak fall fishing for reds and specks almost here, and bass feeding to build winter reserves, there's never a better time than now to catch these species (and others) on fly rod.  Catch will discuss tackle, flies, techniques, and even a few prime fall spots for using the long rod.

Make plans for Toledo Bend Rendezvous Nov 1-3

What is Rendezvous?  Twenty-five years ago, a group of fly fishermen from Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, and elsewhere decided to get together for a weekend to fish and tie flies.  They found the facilities at North Toledo Bend State Park to be ideal.  Since then, the tradition has continued and grown.  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.

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.  It remains one of the top tying events in the country, with many of the attendees featured at regional and national expos.

For complete details, go to the Toledo Bend Rendezvous home page

Cenla National Hunting and Fishing Day Festival - Sat., Sept. 28

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) will renew it's celebration of National Hunting and Fishing Day on Saturday, September 28, 2013.

NHFD is a national event on the fourth Saturday in September.  It was created in 1972 when Congress passed two bills establishing a specific day to celebrate the conservation contributions of our nation’s hunters and anglers. LDWF introduced its first NHFD event in 1982 at the Monroe district office.  In the following years, three more locations were added in Baton Rouge, Minden and Woodworth.  Today, more than 10,000 people statewide attend the celebrations.

This free event offers activities for the entire family such as archery, fishing, fly casting, fly tying, shooting, canoeing, biking and much more. Visitors can learn about coastal restoration, bird watching, turkey hunting, game tagging, and much more from various organizations, agencies, and sponsors. 

The Cenla NHFD Outdoors Festival held at the LDWF Woodworth Education Center is the largest in the state with about 2,000 attendees.  This event begins with fishing at 7:00am, opening ceremonies at 9:15am, and continues on until 2:00pm. There are dozens of activities and demonstrations throughout the day. There's even free food and refreshments as well, courtesy of Burger King, Sayes Office Supply and Alexandria Optimist Club.  New this year is the inaugural Woodmen of the World Team Barbecue Cookoff Contest. 

For 2013, the Woodworth event will feature fly fishing courtesy of the Cane Country Fly Casters and Kisatchie Fly Fishers.  There will be casting, fly tying, knot tying.  Kids and adults will get the opportunity to hands-on lesson in casting, tying, or knots. If you are interested in anything related to fly fishing, or even the sport of kayak fishing, be sure to look for our booth at the Woodworth NHFD Festival.

Click this link for the Cenla NHF Day poster in legal format  (pdf, 512kb)

Click this link for a Schedule of Activities  (pdf, 51kb)

NWTF hosting Women in the Outdoors Sept 13-15

Do you know a lady ages 14 and up who needs a weekend getaway in the outdoors? Or would love to be part of the outdoors life? Well here's the event for her - the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) will hold one of their Women in the Outdoors events on Friday-Sunday, September 13-15, 2013 at the Cecil J. Picard Center in Bunkie.  Hosted by the Louisiana State Bossy Hens, this event allows each participant to choose five sessions from a wide variety of classes.  The classes include such activities as fishing techniques,   shotgun, archery, dutch oven cooking, survival first aid, birdwatching, winemaking, skinning alligator, wood carving and much more.  There's even a duck hunting class for those ladies looking to start their own Duck Dynasty.  The registration fee of $140 includes the following:

• Choice of 5 expertly instructed classes
• Two nights lodging and meals
• Use of equipment and materials for use during classes
• 1 year membership to Women in the Outdoors
• 1 year subscription to Turkey Call Magazine

The event is limited to 168 participants.  The cancellation deadline is this Friday, August 30th.  Sorry, we didn't get this info until this past weekend... so please make sure if you sign up, you plan to attend. Attached is the registration form and list of classes and contact info.