FFI Gulf Coast Council

Earlier this week, President Trump, the White House Coronavirus Task Force, along with Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards, Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves, Alabama Governor Kay Ivey, and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, and corresponding state and local agencies issued strict guidelines to help protect Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic. The result was closure of numerous facilities to public use, and strong advisement against social gatherings of more than 10 people.

The result has been cancellation or postponement of numerous fly fishing activities within the Gulf Coast Council, and elsewhere across the nation.  As of now, nearly all clubs in the GCC have suspended meetings until May. Several have indicated that they will re-evaluate sometime in late April as to what status going forward into May.

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Our first-ever Gulf Coast Sweetwater Classic fly fishing tournament and festival went on as planned this past weekend. It should be noted this event took place prior to COVID-19 social distancing regulations imposed on Monday. Even so, concerns about the virus had a negative impact on attendance, as about a dozen folks cancelled out just prior to the event.

Even so, we had 44 attendees from Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. Several folks tied flies during the event. We also had an exhibit from Casting For Recovery (thanks Diane & Susan), who on Saturday gave a presentation to the group about their program. Larry Offner sold some popper bodies from his old fly shop. We also on display the Crescent LiteTackle kayak which we are continuing to rafflee through April.

GCC Assistant Education Director Roger Breedlove conducted a Casting Skills Challenge for participants. This FFI program has been extremely popular nationwide, and was so at the Classic. We’ll post a report later from Roger on results from the event.

We also had two fly tying contests. GCC Fly Tying Director conducted a “One Feather Challenge” on Friday evening, and an “Iron Fly Tying Contest” on Saturday. A.J. Rosenbohm won the One Feather, while Mike Carlin was winner of the Iron Fly.

We also held a silent auction and a Gamblers Draw on Saturday to raise money to help pay for the event (attendance was free). It was a huge success. Not only did we pay all expenses, but we were able to add a few hundred dollars for our conservation and education initiatives. This in addition to the money raised from the tournament.

Speaking of tournament, the fishing was the main event at the Classic. While the bream run mostly small on Lake Tangipahoa, the bass get big! The slot limit requires all anglers to release bass between 15-22 inches. Four participants caught bass between 16 and 18 inches on Saturday, and a couple other big fish were lost. Albert Wood hung one on his Coyote Fly he claims was close to 10 pounds! A few of us saw bass in the 5+ pound range but they wouldn’t eat.

Onto the tournament results…

Friday afternoon we held a Big Bream Contest with 14 participants. It was a $5 cash entry, winner take all event. LOTS of small bream 5 and 6 inches were caught, but a few folks managed to find a big redear or bluegill to get to the top of the board. Popping bugs and spider patterns caught a lot, while microjigs, fluff butts, and woolybuggers caught fewer but bigger ones.

Big Bream Contest
1st – Gene Dufrene – 8.63
2nd – Rex White – 8.25
3rd – Glen Cormier – 8.00
4th – Fred Hannie – 7.75
5th – Larry Strohm – 7.00

Saturday was the Classic tournament.  This was a CPR (catch-photo-release) event using the technology of the internet, with an app designed for smartphones and smart cameras known as  iAngler Tournament app.

We had a glitch with the app tournament day, but Micheal Christopher of iAngler was proactive! He called me just before the tournament started at 7:00am and told me about the problem. With Mike’s help, we were able to resolve all problems – except one. Eventually I was able to resolve that issue after the tournament was over. But it did delay reporting the results and awarding of the prizes by one hour.

Still, I can’t begin to thank Mike enough for his assistance in setting up the tournament – and great customer service! I highly recommend the iAngler Tournament app to anyone considering a CPR event.

We had 6 participants in the BANK Division which was a slam contest. That is, cumulative inches of longest bass + longest crappie + longest bream. While no crappie were caught, there were two very nice bass taken. Bream were nearly absent after being quite active the afternoon before. First place was awarded a cash prize, while 2nd and 3rd places were awarded with Signature Series polarized fishing sunglasses.

Bank Division (3 species slam):
1st – Barry Mason – 23.00
2nd – Jimmy Hyatt – 17.00
3rd – Fred Hannie – 7.75

Notable catches – Barry Mason with a 17.5 inch bass, Jimmy Hyatt with a 17.0 inch bass.

We had 13 participants in the BOAT Divisions (Bass, Crappie). Longest bass and longest crappie were awarded cash prizes, while 2nd and 3rd places in each division were awarded with Signature Series polarized fishing sunglasses.

Boat- Crappie Division (longest fish):
1st – Glen Davis – 13.25
2nd – Albert Wood – 8.50

Boat – Bass Division (longest fish):
1st – Glen Davis – 17.25
2nd – Hayden Burton – 16.00

Being our first Classic, we saw room for improvement. For example, our banner was missing. Another was lack of a Saturday lunch at the facility. We will be appointing someone next year specifically for arranging that. Also, Mike with iAngler told me later that there’s a practice tournament we can use to test out. This should make things run more smoothly.

We plan to poll the attendees, as well as the fly fishing community in the GCC region, to determine how to make the Sweetwater Classic better. There’s also been requests for a “Saltwater Classic” which we may include as a separate poll.

Our first-ever Gulf Coast Sweetwater Classic fly fishing tournament and festival takes place this Friday and Saturday at Percy Quin State Park just five miles from McComb, Mississippi.

Despite fear of the coronavirus, and cancellations of some major fishing events across the country, the Classic will go on as planned. However, we encourage anyone showing symptoms of illness to avoid attending or even going out in public. We also encourage all participants to take precautions by packing disinfectants and frequently washing hands.

Classic activities include: casting instruction and casting skills challenge, fly tying demos, Big Bream Contest (Friday afternoon) and the Sweetwater Classic Tournament (Saturday morning). The festival is FREE and admission to the park is free for attendees.

The Big Bream Contest entry fee is $5 cash (winner take all), and the Classic Tournament entry fee is $25 (register via iAngler). There’s also a “One Feather Fly Tying Contest” on Friday evening, and an “Iron Fly Tying” contest on Saturday afternoon.  Also, a fundraiser on Saturday with many great and one-of-a-kind items!

Anyone who registers for the tournament before Wednesday 11:59pm via the iAngler links is eligible for a drawing for $100 cash, to be drawn at the weigh-in. Must be present to win!

* NOTE: check our Facebook page for frequent updates this week on the Classic *

For complete details, click on our “Classic” page.

26th annual Red Stick Day
Saturday, March 7, 2020
8:30am – 3:00pm
Waddill Wildlife Refuge
4142 N Flannery Rd, Baton Rouge, LA
FREE admission!

Every first Saturday in March, the Red Stick Fly Fishers of Baton Rouge – an FFI affiliated club – hosts their annual “Red Stick Day” fly fishing festival. Activities include fly tying demonstrations, seminars, casting demonstrations and lessons, fishing on premises, and a large fundraiser that goes to support the club’s education initiatives.

RSFF has a history of having some of the top names in fly fishing. This year’s special guest is Louisiana’s own Kirk Dietrich. Kirk is recognized as one of the top fly tiers in the country, having been featured in numerous books and magazines either as a writer or as a subject. His flies have been sold by Orvis for over two decades. Last year, his first book, “Tying Bugs: The Complete Book of Poppers, Sliders, and Divers” was released to rave reviews. Kirk will tie as well as give a presentation on making bugs. He’ll also have copies of his book for sale and to autograph.

Former world casting competitor Jay Clark, an FFI Master Certified Instructor, will give a presentation on “Improving Casting Skills”.  Other presentations include “Preparation and Strategies for Coldwater Trout” and “Kayak Fishing Strategies”.

Several of the region’s top fly tiers will be on hand demonstrating their creations and specialties. The tiers include Ted Cabali, Marc Pinsel, Mike Jackson, Kyle Moppert, Ron “Stippled Popper” Braud, Kenneth Breaux, Steve Oliver, Ron Foreman, and Ray Boudreaux.

Refreshments are free. A jambalaya lunch cooked by one of the club’s renowned “Bayou Chefs” will be available for a nominal fee.

For complete details, including schedule, go to www.rsff.org and click on “2020 Red Stick Day”.

As a conservation and education partner with Fly Fishers International, The Fly Fishing Show is proud to announce that FFI will have a Learning Center at their Atlanta Show on January 31st-February 1st. The show will be held at the Infinite Energy Center in Duluth, Georgia. Times are Friday from 9:00am to 6:00pm, and Saturday from 9:00am to 5:30pm.

The Fly Fishing Show is the largest fly fishing event in America, held at seven venues during late winter.  The Atlanta venue is the closest to the Gulf Coast Council, just over 5 hours from Meridian, and 5.5 hours from Mobile.

The Atlanta Fly Fishing Show will feature over 100 vendors, some 60 demonstrations, fly-casting and fly-tying seminars, films, tackle and gear, guide services and conservation organizations. Classes and seminars are given hourly both days by flyfishing notables, guides, and other experts.

The FFI Learning Center at the show will offer FREE fly fishing instruction, basic fly casting, fly tying and instruction on knots. These activities will be available to beginners throughout the day Friday and Saturday. In addition, members of the FFI Southeastern Council (and elsewhere) will be on hand to talk about how FFI membership benefits conservation and fly fishing education.

For more info on the show, go to www.flyfishingshow.com.