LDWF announces public meetings on seatrout management

* Please note updated times and locations *

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) has announced dates for public meetings to be held on spotted seatrout (speckled trout) management. The most recent stock assessment indicated spotted seatrout are overfished and undergoing overfishing and changes are necessary in order to recover the stock.

The slide to the left was part of the presentation given by LDWF biologists at the January meeting of the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission. It shows that speckled trout spawning stocks have been on the decline since 2010, and below both the conservation target (yellow line) of 14 percent since 2012, and the recruitment threshold (magenta line) of 10.2 percent since 2013.  It also shows what various savings in the spawning biomass or potential ratio (both had similiar graphs) would result in.  CLICK on the images to enlarge.

No action is being taken at this time.  The Commission indicated it would like to hear public input before considering management changes.  LDWF’s biological opinion is that a 20% reduction in harvest is needed in order to recover the stock by 2025 or sooner, but there are a range of options that can achieve that goal.  From the standpoint of Fly Fishers International Gulf Coast Council (FFI-GCC),  the best management goal is one that takes us above the conservation target in the least amount of time.

Management change options recently presented to the LWFC in early January 2020 included:
- creel limit only changes
- minimum size limit changes only
- combined creel and minimum size limit changes
- slot limit only changes
- combined slot limit and creel changes.

Below is a list of meeting dates and locations.  All meetings will begin at 6:00 p.m., except the meeting in Ruston, which will begin at 1:00 p.m.

- Monday, February 10 – North Branch Library, 4130 West Park Ave, Gray
- Wednesday, February 12 – LDWF HQ, Herring Room, 2000 Quail Drive, Baton Rouge
- Thursday, February 13 – Lafayette Council Chambers, 705 West University Avenue,  Lafayette
- Wednesday, February 19 – East Bank Regional Library, 4747 West Napoleon Avenue, Metairie
- Thursday, February 20 – Slidell Municipal Auditorium, 2056 Second Street, Slidell
- Wednesday, February 26 – Calcasieu Parish Extension Office, 7101 Gulf Highway, Lake Charles
- Thursday, February 27 – Rapides Parish Extension Office, 300 Grady Britt Drive, Alexandria
- Saturday, February 29 – Lincoln Parish Library, 910 North Trenton Street, Ruston

LDWF is partnering with Louisiana Sea Grant to use interactive voting technology at these public hearings in response to a survey that will be given at the meetings.  LDWF will also be sending out an email survey identical to the survey that will be administered at public meetings.

For more information, please contact Jason Adriance at 504-284-2032 or jadriance@wlf.la.gov.

Fly Fishing Film Tour coming to PnP February 1st

The 14th annual Fly Fishing Film Tour (F3T) is coming to Pack & Paddle here in Lafayette on Saturday, February 1st.

Prior to the showing, PnP will hold one of their "Fly Fishing Hangouts".  Things kick off at 3:00pm with complimentary beer, soft drinks and snacks.  There's a "MarshMan Sharpshooter Casting Competition" starting at 3:00pm, and an "Iron Fly Tying Competition" at 4:00pm. At 5:00pm, the film festival kicks off.

F3T is a collection of independent short films highlighting the adventure and conservation aspects of our sport. Shot across the US, Canada and around the world, these films celebrate fly fishing in all it's splendor.  F3T is shown at select venues across the country, which each  year bringing new adventures, new spectacular scenery, and new fascinating stories.

The films range from fishing adventures, to tales of conservation, stewardship and friendship.  One of the short films that many are looking forward to is "Time", which profiles Lefty Kreh and Flip Pallot, who both taught and inspired thousands of anglers.

Tickets are $15. Tickets are available at Pack & Paddle or can be purchased online at their website at www.packpaddle.com. Advance purchase is strongly encouraged as the event is limited to 60 tickets and has sold out the last two years. 

January 16th monthly meeting

Acadiana Fly Rodders monthly meeting
Thursday, January 16, 2020
6:00pm
Pack & Paddle Outpost, 601 E. Pinhook, Lafayette

Come join us for the first meeting of the new year.  Guests are welcome!  On the agenda:  activities for the coming year, trout coming to Girard and Southside parks, fishing reports, and more.

Make plans for the Cenla Festival on January 18th

Cenla Fly Fishing & Light Tackle Festival
Saturday, January 18, 2020
9:00am to 4:00pm
Kees Park, Pineville, LA
FREE admission!

In just two weeks, our neighboring club to the north - Kisatchie Fly Fishers - will host their biennial Festival. Held in even years, the event features seminars, fly tying demonstrations from two dozen of the region's top tiers, fly casting instruction, a Casting Skills Challenge, exhibitors and more.

There's also a giant raffle to raise funds for The Food Bank of Central Louisiana, as well as the KFF club's conservation efforts.

Complete details can be found on the 2020 Cenla Fest page on the KFF club's website at www.kisatchiefly.org.  It includes schedule of events, list of tiers and their bios, list of speakers, map link to the Festival and much more.