Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Here's wishing a most blessed Christmas for all our members and friends!  Hope everyone finds something under the Christmas tree they can use for their piscatorial pursuits in the coming year.  And let's not forget the reason for the season. Please be giving to those in need, and keep in our prayers those in suffering, distress, and away from their homes and families this holiday season, especially our troops.

With the new year comes two things we all love - good fishing and fun activities.  The club has several great things in store for 2019, including club trips, our 2nd Mixed Bag Contest, Fly Fishing 101, Summer Workshop, and more.

Also, many of our friends are holding events this coming year, including the Little Mo Fly Fishing Fest, the North Louisiana Fly Fishers Masters Series, and the Contraband Fly Fishing Expo. Also, our friends in New Orleans will hold their first-ever New Orleans Fly Fishing Expo on April 6th. There's also a few fly fishing tournaments (they keep growing) as well as the Fly Fishing Film Tour and those popular "hangouts" at Pack & Paddle. For dates and details of all things happening in 2018 - including our meeting and fly tying dates - check out our Calendar page.

KFF Holiday Gathering - Monday, December 10

Join us for our 5th annual Holiday Gathering for an evening of food, fun, and prizes. RSVP required, see below.

Date: Monday, December 10
Location: Tunks Cypress Inn
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!)

Presentation by special guest Larry Offner, "Musings of a Former Fly Shop Owner".  If you've never met Larry, you're in for a treat!

RSVP required... DEADLINE Wednesday, December 7th... email Catch Cormier

November 26 - Dr. Leesia Marshall

KFF monthly general meeting
Monday, November 26, 2018
6:30pm
Rapides Westside Library, 5416 Provine, Alexandria

If you've ever picked up one of those state-based fishing books, eg. "Fly Fishing Utah", then you know that each river has a story. As it flows from a tiny headwater downstream and widens, a series of changes occur. Not just in the river, but in the food webs and aquatic communities.

The scientific framework for describing how these flowing ecosystems change is the River Continuum Concept. This concept is especially important to us flyfishers since, more than any other angler group, we target all realms of the river ecosystem, from headwaters to deltas.

To tell us about the Concept this month is Dr. Leesia Marshall. Leesia is a professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at LSU-Alexandria. She does research in Limnology, Ecology, Ornithology and Animal Communications.

Please join us to hear Leesia talk on this fascinating subject! As always, the public is welcome! Bring a friend!

** This will be our last meeting for 2018 as we break for the holidays. We'll restart our general meetings the 4th Monday in January. **

November 19 fly tying - CANCELLED

We had to cancel the November fly tying session as the Westside Library was unexpectedly closed for remodeling.  We apologize for the late notification and will be working with Westside to get more advanced notifications of closings in the future.

Final weeks of Mixed Bag!

We're into the final weeks of our inaugural "Mixed Bag Contest", the CPR tournament where size doesn't matter, but diversity does. 

While Bill Morrison continues to build his lead, there's good reason for EVERY member to get at least ONE entry in. That's because the Grand Prize drawing will be drawn from all members who enter at least one fish. If you have several entries in, consider adding a few more. We'll be awarding the TOP 5 places, so any member can get still place!

ALSO... no need for a token in your photo as we're using the metadata. So just submit your entry with fish and fly rod (outfit) in pic!

Here are the current standings:

Bill Morrison (20) - black crappie, bluegill, redear, green sunfish, largemouth bass, rainbow trout, longear sunfish, smallmouth bass, brown trout, ladyfish, cutthroat trout, rock bass, redbreast sunfish, channel catfish, spotted bass, pompano, blue runner, speckled trout, gafftop catfish, redfish

Glen Cormier (12) - crappie, redear, bluegill, largemouth bass, yellow bass, warmouth, rainbow trout, smallmouth bass, longear sunfish, brown trout, speckled trout, gafftop catfish

Jim Johnson (11) - bluegill, chain pickerel, spotted bass, longear, rainbow trout, redbreast, largemouth bass, crappie, warmouth, freshwater drum, green sunfish

Carlton Townsend (7) - rainbow trout, largemouth bass, bluegill, longear sunfish, redear, crappie, brown trout

Greg Babin (5) - longear, largemouth bass, bluegill, rainbow trout, smallmouth bass

Phil Havener (5) - green sunfish, longear sunfish, bluegill, largemouth bass, freshwater drum

Rich Hudson (5) - Kentucky bass, bluegill, redeye bream, rainbow trout, longear sunfish

Robert Hughes (5) - bluegill, crappie, brown trout, cutthroat trout, redfish

Others - Tom Zabasky (4), Jim Guillory (4), Stephen Jameson (3), Lindsey Torbett (3), Gene Taylor (3), Spencer Hackney (2), Corinne Cormier (2), Will Cameron (2), Greg Hackney (1), Robert Clark (1), Ronnie Richmond (1), Hunter Lonsberry (1), Barbara Carlin (1)

October 22nd meeting

KFF monthly general meeting
Monday, October 22, 2018
6:30pm
Rapides Westside Library, 5416 Provine, Alexandria

On the agenda: recap of this weekend's marsh fishing trip to Pointe-aux-Chenes, open discussion, fishing reports, upcoming activities including Lake Charles trip next month and Little Missouri trip for rainbow trout.

As always, guests are welcome.

Make plans for Rendezvous first weekend of November

Toledo Bend Rendezvous
November 2-4, 2018
North Toledo Bend State Park, Zwolle, LA

What is Rendezvous?  It's the oldest, pure fly tying event east of the Rockies, currently celebrating its 30th year. Tiers from Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, and elsewhere get together at North Toledo Bend State Park for a weekend to fish and tie flies. 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.

Attendees can come for a weekend (lodging and meals included) or just for the day (Saturday). The event is open to the public.

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

October 15 fly tying - Surface Seducer DB Popper

KFF monthly fly tying session
Monday, September 17, 2018
6:30pm
Rapides Westside Library, 5416 Provine, Alexandria

Gene Taylor will lead us in tying the Surface Seducer Double Barrel Popper.  This fly can be used for bass, redfish, speckled trout and a wide variety of other species.

The Double Barrel by Flymen Fishing Company is an innovative, soft foam popper body that makes it easy to tie both popper and slider flies.  Tie with the cup facing forward to create popper flies. Or tie in reverse to create slider and diver flies.

Beginners and guests are welcome. If you don't have tools, the club has a few sets for use during the session.  Materials will be provided.