Reflections on the life of Tony Spezio

Posted on August 15, 2020 by Catch Cormier

We were saddened today to learn that Anthony “Tony” Spezio, one of the most celebrated fly tiers in the country, and a good friend to many tiers in the Gulf Coast Council, has passed away after a prolonged illness.  He was 86.

Born and raised in New Jersey, Tony bought his first bamboo fly rod in 1944 and taught himself to rewrap rods. In 1945, he started tying flies. After school, he entered the Air Force and began a lifelong love of piloting and even building small airplances. With that and other life circumstances, fly fishing came to a halt until the late 1950s. At which time, he began teaching tying classes at a department store in New Jersey.  In 1990, Tony attended a rod makers gathering in Pennsylvania and soon began making bamboo rods instead of just rewrapping them.

Chili Pepper fly

After moving to the White River in Arkansas, his passion for fly tying took to a new level.  As a tier, Tony created such patterns as the Spezio Frog, Chili Pepper, Knit Piken Mayfly and many others. He served on the pro staff of Dyna King, Gudebrod, Conrach and more. Several books and magazine articles have been published containing his flies. In 2007, he was honored as “Fly Tyer of the Year” by the FFI Southern Council. Then in 2011, he was awarded the Buz Buszek Memorial Award by Fly Fishers International, the highest distinction in all of fly tying. It recognizes significant contributions to the art of fly tying, though skills, innovation, teaching, and publication.

As a rodmaker, he continued to excel. He became very active in the Southern Rodmakers Gathering annual event in Mountain Home, Arkansas. He was also known as an innovator – his drain tube design and mortising setup became very popular. Occasionally at one of the FFI Southern Council Expo events, he’d pull me over to show me his latest bamboo creation and some of the steps he did to make this rod better than his last one. Much like his tying, Tony was all about the small details when it came to making rods.

As talented as he was, Tony was also very generous. Each year, he would donate several items to the FFI Southern Council Expo event raffle and auction, as well as flies to the Expo Youth fishing event.

Tony was very active on the internet and various tying and rod building forums. Many of his posts are still available to us, and can serve as a source for insight. He will be greatly missed.

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The rodeos will go on!

Posted on August 9, 2020 by Catch Cormier

While the Covid-19 pandemic put a grinding halt to all indoor gatherings, it has affected outdoor events – such as fishing tournaments – to a lesser degree. That’s because outdoor spaces are well suited to increased social distance. Tournaments can also minimize the time that anglers come in contact with others. In addition, fishing itself has proven to be a calming influence in a time of high anxiety.

While there has been a significant increase in the last couple months of people infected with the Coronavirus, scientists who study pandemic statistical models tell us that we may be weeks away from a strong decline in the number of new cases. If this holds true, the timing couldn’t be better.

Two of the oldest and most popular fly fishing tournaments within the Gulf Coast Council are scheduled for early Fall – the Cedar Lake Bluegill Tournament and the Rio Grande Rodeo.

8th Cedar Lake Bluegill Fly Fishing Tournament
Saturday, September 19, 2020
6:00am to 12 noon
Road 536, House #5132, Biloxi, MS
hosted by Mississippi Coast Fly Fishers
$25 entry fee, includes lunch

This event was postponed from its usual time in May. But September can still be a good time for catching bluegills. Please note: this is “bluegill only” tournament. Other sunfish are not eligible. In addition, the fish must be weighed in alive. (Note kayakers: a small ice chest with a battery-powered aerator works nicely!)

The legal waters for this tournament are from Popp’s Ferry Road westerly to include Big Lake and adjacent connected bayous and waterways, Biloxi River in its entirety, and The Tchoutacabouffa River in its entirety.

The host, “Camp Contributions” has stepped up to the plate and offered this facility to hold the tournament. This tournament is non-profit and was set out to be so by the originators. The mission? Have a good time and keep things as simple as possible. Winners will receive a nice wall hanging plaque, fond memories, and of course, bragging rights!

Here are a few particulars:
– entry fee due prior to tournament
– participants must sign in that morning
– all fishing must be from boat, kayak, canoe, float tube
– awards for six heaviest bluegill (1st, 2nd, 3rd)
– heaviest bluegill overall (1st only)
– only live fish to be weighed

For complete tournament rules, location, registration forms and other details, click on this link.

12th annual Rio Grande Rodeo
Saturday, October 3, 2020
8:00am to 12:00pm (weigh-in)
LaFreniere Park, Metairie, LA

Hosted by the New Orleans Fly Fishers
$15 entry fee, includes lunch and refreshments
Mail-in registration deadline – September 21st
Onsite registration deadline – October 3rd, 8:00am

The Rio Grande Perch is native to southern Texas and northern New Mexico, but due to aquarium dumpings has become established in extreme southeast Louisiana. Since rios are more cold-tolerant than other cichlids, most are able to survive the mild winters there.

Rios make excellent fly fishing quarry. While not the greatest of fighters, they can get up to 2 pounds, and when hooked, “fight like a wet cat”. They are also very wary, making presentation and choice of fly critical. Deemed an invasive species by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, at the weigh-in the fish can be “dead or alive”.

Here are a few particulars:
– unpaid registration onsite from 7:00am to 8:00am
– participants can fish anywhere in the area
– awards for biggest and the most rios brought in
– fishing boundaries Orleans, Jefferson, and Plaquemines parishes
– fishing is not allowed on any City Park golf courses

Complete details to be posted soon on the NOFF website at www.neworleansflyfishers.com (click on Rio Rodeo)

In addition, the club will hold a raffle for a TFO fly rod at the rodeo, with tickets priced at $10 for 1 ticket or $20 for 3 tickets. A donation will be made to Casting for Recovery based on the outcome of the Rio Rodeo.

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Clubs still active via virtual meetings

Posted on August 8, 2020 by Catch Cormier

In an effort to slow the spread of Covid-19, government officials back in March placed serious restrictions on public gatherings. Most meeting locations – libraries, church halls,  community centers – were closed or unavailable to groups. For many fly fishing clubs which used these facilities for their monthly activities, it meant going into limbo.

Videotelephony to the rescue! Better known as webconferencing, it’s online video and audio software which runs off a cloud platform. Applications such as Zoom, Webex, Google Meets, Facebook Live and several others allow groups to hold virtual meetings. Attendees can participate thru laptops, tablets, smartphones, or any other device connected to the internet.   Presentations can incorporate slideshows, videos, and shared documents.

For a few clubs in the Gulf Coast Council, this has been a salvation. The Kisatchie Fly Fishers (Alexandria) were one of the first to adopt web meeting technology, opting for the Zoom application. They began having bi-weekly fly tying sessions in March.

KFF Tying Chair Bill Morrison sent members an email with instructional videos for loading the Zoom app on different devices, attending meetings and webinars, and testing their audio/video connections. Later, he created his own, more simplified video on the use of Zoom, with emphasis on use for club meetings.

The Kisatchie club had looked at other applications, but Zoom seemed to have the most features for the best price, as well as great customer support. The KFF board voted to purchase Zoom Pro, which for $149 a year offered unlimited sessions, nearly unlimited time per session, a maximum of 100 attendees, as well as recording of sessions.

In April, Kisatchie extended an offer to neighboring Acadiana Fly Rodders of Lafayette to join in the tying sessions. AFR accepted and the joint sessions have been a positive for members of both clubs to get to know each other.

One of the challenges for a virtual tying session is getting materials to the tiers.  To do this, the upcoming flies are decided weeks in advance.  Materials are then ordered, and received.  Participants for that session must email or fill out an online form stating their wish to receive materials for that fly.  Enough materials for 2-3 flies are then put in plastic snack bags, inside envelopes, and mailed to the tiers on the Thursday before the Tuesday session.  The only hiccup in this process has been inventory stocks of some materials at fly shops.  The ‘Rona created a shortage of certain materials, but that seems to be easing up.

With the prospect of in-person meetings not returning for several months, other regional clubs have now adopted web conferencing. The Eastern Shore Fly Fishers (Daphne) have gone to Zoom meetings, their latest held on July 16th. The New Orleans Fly Fishers recently purchased Zoom Pro and will begin holding virtual meetings this month.  Fly Fishers of Northwest Florida (Pensacola) are also looking into online meetings.  It should be noted that the Gulf Coast Council Board has also transitioned from phone conference board meetings to Zoom.   And our parent organization, Fly Fishers International, began holding Zoom webinars in June ranging from conservation seminars, tying demonstrations, and casting education.

How have members accepted virtual meetings? It’s been a mixed bag. Prior to the pandemic shutdown, attendance at Kisatchie fly tying sessions was between 24 and 31. Members attendance at the Zoom sessions has ranged from 12 to 15, or about half the in-person meetings.

On the other hand, response to the recorded video clips has been very good. Morrison records the walkthrough portion of the tying session (Zoom feature) and Catch Cormier (webmaster) posts it to their website. The post link is then shared on Facebook. Site statistics show that dozens of folks are clicking on these Facebook links.

Even when things get back to normal, Morrison anticipates the Kisatchie club will still do at least one virtual tying session a month, in addition to an in-person session. The reason is the wide geographic distribution of KFF membership – about a fifth of their 81 member families live 45 minutes or more from their meeting location. These Zoom sessions have been especially popular with these outlying members.

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Dates set for 2nd annual Sweetwater Classic!

Posted on August 7, 2020 by Catch Cormier

Gulf Coast Sweetwater Classic
Friday-Saturday, February 26-27, 2021
Percy Quin State Park, McComb, MS
FREE admission to park & festival
Classic tournament entry fee: $30
Big Bream Contest entry fee: $5

The FFI Gulf Coast Council will host our 2nd annual Sweetwater Classic fly fishing festival and freshwater tournament this Spring on lovely Percy Quin State Park in Mississippi. This event will feature two tournaments, fly tying demonstrations, flycasting instruction, a Casting Skills Challenge, an Iron Fly Tying competition, seminars, a large raffle to benefit the GCC’s education and conservation initiatives, and possibly more!

While the Big Bream Contest will again take place on Lake Tangipahoa inside the state park, the GCC Events Committee is considering extending the boundaries of Saturday’s Classic to include Lake Okhissa, one of the premier bass fisheries in the South.

PQSP has nearly two dozen cabins and several motel rooms available for daily rental, as well as top-notch RV facilities, and tent campsites. PLEASE book ASAP as weekend rental of cabins are very popular in Spring. There are also numerous motels and restaurants in nearby McComb, roughly five miles from the park entrance.

More details will be coming in the weeks ahead on our Classic web page (see top menu). Also, an iAngler registration website will be up this fall.

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LDWF cancels National Hunting and Fishing Day festivities

Posted on August 6, 2020 by Catch Cormier

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) has canceled National Hunting and Fishing Day (NHFD) events which were scheduled for September 26th. Featuring a wide range of hands-on activities and exhibitions, these annual outdoor festivals are held at four venues across the state, with an average total participation of more than 10,000 adults and youth.

Three of these venues feature fly tying demonstrations and hands-on casting instruction, courtesy of local FFI clubs.  These events have also been helpful in clubs adding new members.

In announcing the cancellation, LDWF Secretary Jack Montoucet pointed out that “it was not worth the increased risk to the public’s health to hold the NHFD events during this pandemic.”.

Established by Congress in 1972, National Hunting and Fishing Day is celebrated the 4th Saturday of September. The day recognizes the contributions of America’s hunters, anglers, and other outdoors enthusiasts to our natural resources, with events in 37 states.

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Great American Outdoors Act is now law

Posted on August 5, 2020 by Catch Cormier

Yesterday was an historic day for conservation as President Trump signed into law the Great American Outdoors Act. The law will allocate much-needed funding for national parks, public lands and waters, and recreational projects across the country.

At a time when Congress is deeply divided on almost every issue, the GAOA passed with strong bipartisan support in the House 310-107, and the Senate 72-25, before reaching the president’s desk. Democrat Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Republican Senators Corey Gardner of Colorado and Steve Daines of Montana were key sponsors.

The law guarantees full funding of the Land-Water Conservation Fund in perpetuity. During it’s 50 years, the LWCF – which is funded by offshore drilling royalites – has only received it’s full annual allocation twice, and many years, none at all. Among the projects funded by the LWCF are hiking trails, boat and wading access, and public hunting and fishing areas.

Another piece of the Act directs $9.5 billion to maintenance projects in the national parks and U.S. Forest Service areas.

In signing the bill, the President noted, “Today we are making the most significant investment in our parks since the admininstration of legendary conservationist President Theodore Roosevelt. For 50 years Congress has struggled to fund land and water conservation, leading to a never-ending backlog of maintenance and other critical needs in our parks and public lands.”.

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Raffle winners announced

Posted on August 3, 2020 by Catch Cormier

This Spring, the Gulf Coast Council held a months-long raffle to benefit our education initiatives. It was open to the general public.  The drawing was held at the July 16th GCC  board meeting (online via Zoom).

The grand prize was a Crescent Kayaks LiteTackle 12. Made in the USA, the LiteTackle 12 is one of the hottest fishing kayaks on the market, with a hull design that offers an optimum blend of speed, stability, and excellent tracking. The winner of the kayak was Jacob Cormier of Richmond, Texas.

The runner-up prize was a Lamson Liquid fly reel of the winner’s choice. The Liquid is pressure-cast overseas, then machine finished in the USA. It features the same sealed conical drag system – built in Idaho – that are featured in their premium reels. The winner of the Lamson Liquid was Darrel Olson of Charleston, South Carolina.

We sold just at 200 tickets, mostly online after the Covid-19 pandemic forced cancellation of several events in the region.  We successfully generated more than enough money to cover our education programs through mid-2021.

Again, many thanks to Crescent Kayaks and Lamson for their support of the Gulf Coast Council, and also to Donald Dehm of Floating Feathers Kayak Fly Fishing School for his assistance.

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Rendezvous 2020 cancelled due to Covid-19 concerns

Posted on August 1, 2020 by Catch Cormier

Since 1989, the Toledo Bend Rendezvous – simply known as “Rendezvous” – has been the largest informal gathering of fly tiers, and other fly fishing enthusiasts, in the South. Held annually in early November at North Toledo Bend State Park near Zwolle, Louisiana, this  event attracts folks from Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and elsewhere, for a weekend of fly tying, food, fly casting and fishing. Thanks to the sponsorship of the FFI Gulf Coast Council, the FFI Texas Council, and several member clubs, attendees can enjoy the weekend for a very nominal fee to cover lodging and meals.

But like nearly all events so far in 2020, Rendezvous has fallen victim to the Coronavirus pandemic. A rise in the number of cases has forced organizer Walter McLendon to announce cancellation of this year’s event.

In an email sent out earlier this week, McLendon stated cancellation will ensure that “we do not have any possible problems that could have occured had we waited to see what happens”. He also stated that the group building and bunkhouses at North Toledo Bend State Park will be reserved for next year’s Rendezvous to be held November 5th to 7th, 2021.

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Ferguson appointed to FFI Casting Board of Governors

Posted on July 29, 2020 by Catch Cormier

At their annual board meeting on July 22nd, the Fly Fishers International (FF) Casting Board of Governors (CBOG) named Jeff Ferguson of Lake Charles to a seat on the board for a five-year term.  Jeff is Casting Co-Director for the FFI Gulf Coast Council, a Master Certified Instructor (MCI) and Level-2 Examiner, and a member of the FFI North American Events Committee and the FFI Awards Committee.

Jeff has been a fixture at club events and regional events, either giving presentations, or giving individual instruction, or both. In March, he helped organize the largest casting certification event in U.S. history, where fifteen anglers from across North America tested for the CI badge.  The event received rave reviews for it’s professionalism, as well as the local hospitality.

The CBOG administers the Casting Instructor Certification Program. That includes establishing high and consistent standards, conducting workshops, facilitating exchange of ideas between instructors worldwide, and much more. Some of the most respected names in the world of fly fishing have been members of the CBOG, including Mel Krieger, Gary Borger, Joan Wulff, Steve Rajeff, Al Buhr, Bruce Richards, and Lefty Kreh.

On behalf of everyone in the GCC, we congratulate Jeff on his appointment and wish him the best of luck!

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