Club trip to Beavers Bend cancelled

Our club outing to Broken Bow, Oklahoma to fish the Lower Mountain Fork for coldwater trout the middle of this month has been cancelled due to historic flooding around Christmas.  For the second time since April, the gates on the spillway were opened due to extremely high water in the lake.  This time, the flow out of the gates exceeded 28,000 cfs.  Compare this to the normal flow of 150 cfs.  Extensive damage took place to the river, to structures such as bridges.  The fly shop was washed away.

The park has been closed and the word we received was that it could be closed until February.  The Lower Mountain Fork Foundation website is keeping everyone abreast of the latest.  Check out their website.

The Little Missouri River also experienced abnormally high water.  However, our club trip to that water isn't until March. So we feel confident things will be back to normal... or so we hope!

KFF Christmas Gathering - December 14th

In lieu of our December meeting, the club will again gather for an holiday evening of food, fun, and prizes. 

 

Date: Monday, December 14

Location: Tunks Cypress Inn on Kincaid Lake, Highway 28 West near Gardner

Time: 6:30pm

Dutch Treat

For menu selections, go to www.tunkscypressinn.com

 

You can bring a spouse, guest, sibling, etc.

Dress is casual (but no waders!)

RSVP required... DEADLINE Sunday, December 13... email Catch Cormier

Fly tying prodigy

At our November meeting, Catch mentioned having met a young fly tier on his recent trips to Mountain Home, Arkansas (at the IFFF Southern Fly Fishing Fair) and Townsend, Tennessee (at the Fly Tiers Weekend).  His name is Tradd Little.  He's mastered everything from dry flies to deer hair to salmon flies to realistic patterns.  And the most amazing part - Tradd is only 12 years old!

Here's a link to his website - traddsflies.blogspot.com.  It shows all of the flies that Tradd ties, and there's even step-by-step instructions for some of his favorites. 

November 23rd general meeting

Our last general meeting of the year will be on Monday, November 23, at the Rapides Westside Library in Alexandria. Meeting starts at 6:30pm.

For this meeting, we'll have Kenny Robertson as our guest speaker.  Kenny is a wildlife agent for the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.  He's also president of the Cotile Lake Environmental Association (CLEAN) that is working to improve recreational and family activities at the lake.  Kenny will talk about fishing and boating regulations, and safety on the water.  He will also talk about CLEAN and some of the projects and activities they are working on.

Also on the agenda:  fishing reports, upcoming events, nominations for the 2016 board, and details on the December Christmas Party at Tunks. 

As always, the public is welcome.

November 16 fly tying

Our last fly tying session of 2015 will be Monday, November 16, at the Rapides Westside Libary in Alexandria. Time is 6:30pm.

This month's pattern will be the Y2K Bugger.  It's a variation of the Yuk Bugger - half woolybugger, half Yuk Bug.  It's called Y2K because it was created in 1999, and at the time, had to be Y2K compliant and ISO 9000 approved.  Species: it's great for bass, bream, crappie and all species of trout.

As always, beginners are welcome. Bring your tools if you have some, materials will be provided.  The club has a few toolsets for those without tools. 

Toledo Bend Rendezvous this weekend Oct 30 - Nov 1

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 ($40 weekend, $20 day or night).  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

October 26 general meeting

Our next general meeting will be Monday, October 26, at the Rapides Westside Library in Alexandria. Casting practice begins at 5:30pm - weather permitting - with meeting starting at 6:30pm.

For this meeting, our resident Calcasieu guru, Morris Houck, will talk about his favorite spots and strategies for fall fishing the Calcasieu estuary for redfish, speckled trout, flounder and other species.  Both fly fishing and conventional fishing will be discussed, with an emphasis on kayaks.  This world-class saltwater fishery is just two hours from here, and the best time of the year is now thru Christmas.

As always, the public is welcome.

October 20 fly tying

Our next fly tying session will be Tuesday, October 20, at the Rapides Westside Libary in Alexandria. Time is 6:30pm.

Please note that this is a Tuesday, not our usual Monday!

This month's pattern will be the Seaducer.  Catch Cormier featured it in the January, 2015 issue of Louisiana Sportsman magazine.  Seaducers are perhaps the most overlooked fly today. They’ve been around since the late 19th century, and have been used for every predator species from brown trout to tarpon, and even a world record redfish taken by Chico Fernandez.

The Godfather of Fly Fishing, Lefty Kreh, writes in his book, Presenting the Fly, that Seaducers are “one of the best patterns for both large and smallmouth bass that I’ve fished. I never make a trip without some of these in my box.”.  Despite its many accolades, this fly is seldom seen in fly shops. But if you tie flies, good news — they’re easy to tie.

As always, beginners are welcome. Bring your tools if you have some, materials will be provided.  The club has a few toolsets for those without tools.