Registration for Rio Rodeo now up

13th Annual Rio Grande Fly Fishing Rodeo
Saturday, October 1st, 2022
7:00am – on-site registration
7:30am – 12:30pm – fishing time
Event site: No Wake Outfitters
1926 Airline Drive, Metairie, LA
$15 entry fee includes lunch and refreshments

Hosted by the New Orleans Fly Fishers Club, a charter club in the GCC, the Rio Rodeo is the longest running freshwater fly fishing tournament on the Gulf Coast.   Target species is the wary Rio Grande Cichlid. All entry fish must be caught on flies and fly tackle. Categories are “Longest Rio” and “Most Rios”. Net proceeds from the tournament go to Casting For Recovery.

The rodeo is open to all fly anglers.  Advanced registration must be received by mail by September 24th. Onsite registration is from 7:00am to 7:30am day of the tournament. Both onsite registration and weigh-in will be at No Wake Outfitters in Metairie. For complete details, and to download registration form, go to the NOFFC website at www.neworleansflyfishers.com.

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Toledo Bend Rendezvous returns Oct. 28-30

Toledo Bend Rendezvous
Friday-Sunday, October 28-30, 2022
North Toledo Bend State Park, Zwolle, LA

*  The FFI Gulf  Coast and Texas Councils, along with several member clubs, are co-sponsors of this event, and make it possible for attendees to enjoy a low lodging rate at this outstanding facility. *

After cancellation the last two years due to Covid-19, Rendezvous is back.  What  began as a camping and fishing event 33 years ago, soon evolved into its current format. Each Fall, fly tiers and other fly fishing enthusiasts from across several states – along with their families – gather for a weekend of fly tying, fly casting, and fishing. With only a minimal fee to cover lodging and meals. The event is open to everyone!

The excellent facilities at North Toledo Bend State Park are ideal for a Fall weekend fly tying retreat. 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.

Rendezvous continues to be a gathering for some of the top fly tiers in the country, most of whom have been featured at regional and national expos.  There are no organized activities.  Whether you come to tie, or come to watch and learn, or just partake the great scenery, fishing and on-the-water location, you’ll be glad you came!

Fees (family or individual are the same):

  • $40 for weekend, includes lodging
  • $20 one night, includes lodging
  • $10 just for the day

Again, if you come as a family, the rate for the entire weekend for the whole family is just $40!  Be sure to sign in at our registration table in the dining hall.

If you plan to eat with us, please bring food to share.  We do not need several main dishes but more salads and side dishes to go with our main meat dishes. You do not need to cook for 65 people, that is why we usually have so much.

For more info, go to http://flycasting.bravesites.com

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Conservation Alert – Tell them “NO” to HR8167

Congressman Andrew Clyde of Georgia has introduced House Resolution 8167 this session. Omninously entitled “Return our Constituitional Rights Act of 2022”, the bill was intended to eliminate the federal excise tax on firearms. Whether intended or not, it also calls for the elimination or reduction of the same tax on all purchases of fishing-related items.

Why is this so bad? Since 1950, the excise tax has funded the Sport Fish Restoration Program. The inital law, also known as the “Dingell-Johnson Act” and later reauthorized as “Wallop-Breaux” applies a 10-percent manufacturer’s excise tax on fishing rods, lures, electric motors, sonar finders, and many other fishing items. These funds are transferred to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which in turn, distributes them to states for recreational sport fishing projects. Each state receives a proportional share based on the amount of land and water in the state, and the number of paid recreational fishing license holders.

Wallop-Breaux has been praised by nearly every conservation organization in America as one of the most cost-effective laws ever passed. It’s also been very popular with anglers as well. That’s because the funds have to be spent on specific items that benefit all anglers, and the spending must be tracked and reported.

Here are the items allowed for expenditure:

  • Fish hatcheries and fish stocking
  • Artificial reefs
  • Outdoor education programs
  • Fisheries research
  • Boating and bank access
  • Outreach programs (new anglers)

Over $400 million is collected annually via Wallop-Breaux. For most states, this funding is critical to stocking programs and improvement or creation of public access areas and boat launches, with almost all funding for those coming from this source. Without Wallop-Breaux, states would have to double their annual license fees. Conversely, there is no evidence whatsoever that manufacturers would suddenly reduce the MSRP on their products by 10 percent.

While this is only a “resolution” which has no impact of law, the author intends to use the votes in the House and Senate to determine the amount of support he has for a bill likely to be introduced at a later date. That’s why this resolution needs to be defeated now!

HR8167 has a significant number of co-sponsors. From Louisiana, there is Clay Higgins (LA-3), from Mississippi, Rep. Kelly Trent (MS-1), from Alabama, Rep. Barry Moore (AL-2) and Rep. Mo Brooks (AL-5). And from the Florida Panhandle, Rep. Matt Gaetz (FL-1).

The Fly Fishers International Conservation Committee is asking all FFI members to contact their congressmen and women and ask them to oppose HR8167. You can reach your local representative using THIS LINK.

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Welcome to SweatFest 2022!

Welcome to “SweatFest”, the annual festival no likes to celebrate!  It’s 90 degree days, 75 degree nights, and high humidity, punctuated by the occasional tropical storm.  The hot water and plethora of bait makes for tough conditions on the coast. Even moreso for fly anglers.

But there are some exceptions.

One of those is Spanish Mackerel. They’ll be cruising the beaches and passes now through September. Toss a Clouser Minnow or other slim-profile baitfish pattern into a school and strip fast. Hold on for a vicious strike and several leaps!

Then there’s the jack crevalle. These will be busting mullets along beaches and in bays. They love large baitfish patterns. I’ve caught them around Destin off the rock jetties and in Lake Pontchartrain from kayak. Hook one in a kayak and you’d better have your passport ready for Cuba!

For jacks, tackle requirements include a 10-weight rod or higher, a disc drag reel holding at least 200 yards of backing, and either an intermediate or sinking fly line. As with mackerel, a bite tippet of wire is necessary or one chomp and it’s over!

On the lighter side, schools of sand trout are common in July and August. A sandie in the 11 to 14 inch range hits like it’s spotted cousin, and on a 6-weight rod is as much fun as the law allows! A sparsely-dressed, size 2 white Clouser Minnow is the ticket.

Night fishing under dock lights can be very productive in late summer for sand trout, speckled trout, and even redfish. The key is a moving tide, but one that’s not too strong. Fish the edges of the light ring for best results.

If you fish during the day, remember to hydrate often.  And to protect yourself from the sun’s harsh radiation – a leading cause of skin cancer. A sunscreen of UPF 50, brimmed hat, neck gaitor, long-sleeve nylon or polyester shirt and pants will protect and keep you cool enough to enjoy several hours on the water. Since best fishing times are very early and very late, use the midday to rest and tie flies. With jacks, mackerel, trout and other toothy critters, tying replacement flies is a necessary chore.

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GCC announces 2023 Gulf Coast Classic

2023 Gulf Coast Fly Fishing Classic
Friday-Saturday, May 5-6, 2023
Learning Campus, Gulf Shores State Park
Gulf Shores, Alabama
Hosted by the FFI Gulf Coast Council

Next year, the Gulf Coast Council of Fly Fishers International will once again hold a major event the first weekend of May. Unlike our recent Sweetwater Classics – which were mostly tournament events with a splash of casting and fly tying – the Gulf Coast Classic will be more like our “conclaves” of the past. However, we’ll still have a fishing contest as well as the Fly Fishing Film Tour and much more!

Preliminary details have been posted on the “Classic” page. More details will be forthcoming on that page over the next few months.

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Samantha Bergeron named “Biologist of the Year”

Samantha BergeronSamantha Bergeron, southern regional freshwater fisheries biologist with the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks (MDWFP) has been recognized by MDWFP as “2021 Biologist of the Year”.

Sam began working for MDWFP in 2014, and manages several lakes including Tangipahoa (Percy Quin State Park) and Mary Crawford. Both lakes were the target waters for the Gulf Coast Council’s Sweetwater Classic back in March. An avid flyfisher and fly tier, Ms. Bergeron was our featured guest at the Classic. She gave an excellent presentation on fly fishing Percy Quin and Mary Crawford, as well as instruction to other ladies, and even assisted one angler in getting a new fly rod state record certified.

In recognizing her, the press release stated “Samantha goes above and beyond her normal job duties through writing articles for Mississippi Outdoors, collaborating on in-person educational opportunities, judging regional science fairs, and representing MDWFP Fisheries Bureau on various committees and organizations.”

The GCC board and our members wish to congratulate Samantha on this honor!

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Free fishing days start this weekend

This coming weekend kicks off 20th anniversary of National Fishing and Boating Week (June 4th-12th), an annual celebration of the importance of recreational boating and fishing in America. Most states have designated “free fishing days” either the first weekend or second weekend in June.

Free fishing days are a perfect opportunity to try out fishing for the first time. Or, if you’re willing to travel, to partake of fishing in another state without having to purchase a license. Some states may have certain restrictions. For example, you might be able to fish freshwater for free, but still have to buy a saltwater permit or trout permit. So please check before making plans.

Here are the free fishing days within Gulf Coast Council states:
Alabama – June 11
Florida – June 11-12 (freshwater only)
Louisiana – June 11-12
Mississippi – June 4-5, July 4th

For a complete list of free fishing days in all states, go to www.takemefishing.org.

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June is Womens Fly Fishing Month

Women have a long proud history in our sport. From Juliana Berners, an English nun whose treatise in 1496 – considered the earliest known book on fly fishing – has earned her the accolade as “The Mother of Modern Fly Fishing”. To Cornelia “Fly Rod” Crosby, who in 1897 became the first fly fishing guide in Maine and one of earliest fly fishing guides in America. To Joan Salvato Wulff, who in 1951 won the national fly fishing distance title beating an all-male competition, and went on to author numerous books and teach fly casting for four generations.

In the past decade, the percentage of women participating in fly fishing has increased substantially. Womens Fly Fishing Month is not only a celebration of women in our sport, but an outreach to these new additions and to potential new lady fly anglers as well.

Fly Fishers International Women Connect is holding several online and in-person events, both internationally and at the council level. Here are some of the online (Zoom) events sponsored by FFI-WC:

  • June 1, 8:30 PM CT – Online screening of athlete Emily Rodger’s film – “Cadence”, introduced by Emily Rodger.
  • June 14, 7:30 pm CT – “Careers in Fly Fishing” featuring business owners Geri Meyer (Driftless Angler Fly Shop & Guide), Linda Leary (Fishewear), April Archer (SaraBella Fly Rods) and Kim Ranella (Miss Mayfly).
  • June 21. 7:30 PM CT – Kit Mullen, “Fly Fishing & Rowing”.

Links to all these events can be found by going to the FFI website -or- by clicking on our Calendar page and clicking on the “WC” events shown.

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