October 2025 activities

AFR monthly meeting
Thursday, October 16
6:00pm
Pack & Paddle (in the shop)
601 E. Pinhook, Lafayette
Open to the public!

This month meeting will cover some club business and preparations for our Fly Fishing 101 on Sat. Oct. 25th. Join us to help educate others and please spread the word that our free Fly Fishing 101 seminar is coming up next month on Saturday October 25th at the Lafayette Parish Eastside Regional Library from 10:00am to 1:00pm.  Pre-registration is required. Please visit our Fly Fishing 101 page for details.

As always the public is welcome.  Come early for some retail therapy at Pack and Paddle.

Acadiana Bugs & Brews
Thursday, October 23
6:00pm
Pack & Paddle (in the shop)
601 E. Pinhook, Lafayette
Open to the public

Acadiana Bugs & Brews is an open community fly tying event. While not affiliated with AFR, several of our members participate and assist beginners.  Bring your favorite beverage, and enjoy a cold one while tying flies and sharing fishing tales.

This month is an Open Tying Month. Come tie on your own, bring what you are tying and let us see it.  We'll also have tools and materials for some simple flies so don't hesitate to join if you are new.  We are happy to assist new tiers anytime.

As always, Acadiana Bugs & Brews is open to the public. We’ll have materials and extra tools for any beginners interested in learning to tie. 

September 2025 activities

AFR monthly meeting
Thursday, September 18
6:00pm
* Pack & Paddle, 601 E. Pinhook, Lafayette
Guests are welcome!

* Please note we are now meeting inside Pack & Paddle store -not- the Outpost in the back. The Outpost is no longer available for any use by anyone. *

As a fly fishing club, we subscribe to the "all fish in all waters" philosophy.  However, being in south Louisiana limits our experiences with coldwater trout - the species most associated with fly fishing - to winter stockings of local ponds. If we wish to enjoy the more typical flowing rivers, then significant travel can be required - but not entirely!

Join us this month as our guest speaker, Carlton Townsend, provides insight on a close-to-home year-round trout river - the Little Missouri in southwest Arkansas. Carlton is Coldwater Chair for the Kisatchie Fly Fishers, and has significant experience fishing the "Little Mo". Just a little more than five hours from Lafayette, this river offers good fishing for beginners and experienced anglers alike, with easy access. So come get some great info on this opportunity from a knowledgeable source!

As always the public is welcome.  Come early for some retail therapy at Pack and Paddle.

Acadiana Bugs & Brews
Thursday, September 25
6:00pm
* Pack & Paddle, 601 E. Pinhook, Lafayette
Open to the public

* Please note AB&B is no longer gathering inside Pack & Paddle Outpost.  We'll now meet inside the store.  *

Acadiana Bugs & Brews is an open community fly tying event. While not affiliated with AFR, several of our members participate and assist beginners.  Bring your favorite beverage, and enjoy a cold one while tying flies and sharing fishing tales.

This month Pat Bienvenu will lead us in tying the Propaganda Bass Fly.  Pat was introduced to this fly thru the Red Stick Fly Fishers, and it's touted as a bass fly that matched the conventional bass fishing Ned Rig.  However, RSFF's Fly Tying Chair David Rogers has also had good success using it for Black Drum. 

As always, AB&B is open to the public. We’ll have materials and extra tools for any beginners interested in learning to tie. So come and tie the featured fly, or just bring whatever you're tying and enjoy some conversation and cold beverages. 

Fly Fishing 101 reminder

AFR will host a FREE introduction to fly fishing clinic on Saturday, October 28th at the Lafayette Parish Eastside Regional Library.  Location is 215 La Neuville Rd in Youngsville. Time is 10:15am to 1:00pm. 

Pre-registration is required. Please visit our Fly Fishing 101 page for details, or to register. 

Make plans now for Flies & Pies!

ALTO Fly Fishing Fair
Saturday, September 20, 2025
8:00 am - 4:00 pm
First Baptist Church of Natchitoches Gym
508 Second St., Natchitoches, LA
FREE admission

Building on the success of last year's inaugural event, the ArkLaTexOma Fly Tiers group (ALTO) is holding their 2nd annual "Flies & Pies" tying event in conjunction with the Natchitoches Meat Pie Festival.  This year, the event will be held in a new location  just a couple blocks from the heart of the Festival - which is an attraction all to itself.

Along with some of the best fly tiers from across the region, the festival will have presentations including: Jerald Lewis on Fly Fishing for Bream, Burley Johnson on Creating Bass Poppers, and Mike Hawkins on Making Furled Leaders.  The new location has an outdoor casting area as well. So if you need a free casting lesson, or tune up, there will be two FFI Certified Casting Instructors on hand.

While this event is FREE to attend, the group will be taking up a Love Offering to present to First Baptist Church for the use of their facilities.

For more details, go to the ALTO website at www.arklatexomaflytyers.com .  Or check them out on their Facebook page (link)  

Register now for the Rio Rumble

16th annual Rio Grande Rumble
Saturday, October 4th, 2025
Start: 7:00am (first light for pre-registered)
End: 12:30pm (weigh-in)
Event site: No Wake Outfitters
1926 Airline Drive, Metairie, LA
$25 entry fee, includes lunch and refreshments

Hosted by the New Orleans Fly Fishers Club, the Rumble is the longest running freshwater fly fishing tournament on the Gulf Coast. Target species is the Rio Grande cichlid. This native of south Texas has become widespread in extreme southeast Louisiana and is considered invasive. For fly anglers, it’s an opportunity to put their skills up against a wary species that “fights like a wet cat”.

All entry fish must be caught on flies and fly tackle. Categories are “Longest Rio” and “Most Rios Caught”. Net proceeds from the tournament go to Casting For Recovery.

The rodeo is open to all fly anglers. Registration deadline is 8:00am on October 4th. Both onsite registration and weigh-in will be at No Wake Outfitters in Metairie. There will also be a Zoom seminar on fishing for the Rio Grande Cichlid. Date and time of the online seminar will be announced shortly.

For complete details, including tournament rules, and to register online, go to the NOFFC website at www.neworleansflyfishers.com.

August 2025 activities

AFR monthly meeting
Thursday, August 21
6:00pm
Pack & Paddle Outpost (behind P&P)
601 E. Pinhook, Lafayette
Guests are welcome!

Join us this month as we discuss articulated flies. Whether you tie 'em or buy 'em, they have become a popular choice for just about every species.  From small articulated nymphs to hooks full of marabou and deer hair, we'll listen to some of the popular articulated fly designers and discuss the ins and outs of why and how to articulate flies that achieve the action you wants.  

Even if you don't tie flies, we can all hopefully better understand the styles and actions of these popular group of flies and recognize how to use them in fishing situations.  Also, if you have a favorite articulated fly bring it and share it with the group.

As always the public is welcome!  Come early for some retail therapy at Pack and Paddle.

Acadiana Bugs & Brews
Thursday, August 28
6:00pm
Pack & Paddle Outpost, 601 E. Pinhook, Lafayette
Open to the public

Acadiana Bugs & Brews is an open community fly tying event. While not affiliated with AFR, several of our members participate and assist beginners.  Bring your favorite beverage, and enjoy a cold one while tying flies and sharing fishing tales.

In keeping with the theme on articulated flies, the featured pattern this month will be Russ Madden's Circus Peanut.  An early design that is simple to tie but catches fish.  As always, we'll have materials for anyone interested in tying along.

As always, AB&B is open to the public. We’ll have materials and extra tools for any beginners interested in learning to tie. So come and tie the Circus Peanut, or just bring whatever you're tying and enjoy some conversation and cold beverages. 

Fly Fishing 101 announcement

AFR will host a FREE introduction to fly fishing clinic on Saturday, October 28th at the Lafayette Parish Eastside Regional Library.  Location is 215 La Neuville Rd in Youngsville. Time is 10:00am to 1:00pm. 

The workshop will include hands-on instruction on casting and leaders and knots. The session will be led by FFI Certified Instructors,  with emphasis on equipment and accessories needed for fresh and inshore saltwater fishing. Handouts will also be provided.

Details can be found on our "Fly Fishing 101" page.

July 2025 activities

AFR monthly meeting
Thursday, July 17
6:00pm
Pack & Paddle Outpost (behind P&P)
601 E. Pinhook, Lafayette
Guests are welcome!

Often we are asked, "What can you fish for with fly rod here in South Louisiana?". And the answer is just about anything! If you're one of those "all fish, all waters" anglers. then you don’t want to miss this month’s meeting as Ken Holmes of the Red Stick Fly Fishers will join us to talk about Fly Fishing for Gar.  It’s been said he has “devoted an absurd amount of time” pursuing gar and we’re sure he’ll provide plenty of insight and motivation to give any of the 4 species available right here in LA a shot with your fly rod.

Lagniappe: Ken will also show a short video he and some friends have made about their gar tournament called "The Golden Gar'.

As always the public is welcome!  Come early for some retail therapy at Pack and Paddle.

Acadiana Bugs & Brews
Thursday, July 24
6:00pm
Pack & Paddle Outpost, 601 E. Pinhook, Lafayette
Open to the public

Acadiana Bugs & Brews is an open community fly tying event. While not affiliated with AFR, several of our members participate and assist beginners.  Bring your favorite beverage, and enjoy a cold one while tying flies and sharing fishing tales.

This month's featured fly is the Slow Sinking Spider. Created by Stephen Robert of Houma, it's a great fly for those times a slow tantalizing fall is what the fish want, and with a contrasting body and wiggling leg, the fish seems to want it often.  Glen "Catch" Cormier lists it among his 7 must have panfish flies.  Best yet, it's an easy, durable tie. 

As always, AB&B is open to the public. We’ll have materials and extra tools for any beginners interested in learning to tie. So come and tie the SSS, or just bring whatever you're tying and enjoy some conversation and cold beverages.