Friday, February 17, 2023

Red Stick Day coming up March 4th

28th annual Red Stick Day fly fishing festival
Saturday, March 4, 2023

8:30am to 3:00pm
LDWF Waddill Outdoor Education Center
4141 North Flannery Rd, Baton Rouge, LA

Hosted by our friends to the east, the Red Stick Fly Fishers, Red Stick Day is one of the longest-running fly fishing festivals in the South. There's seminars, fly tying demonstrations, casting instruction, food, loads of raffle items, and more.  And best of all, admission is free!

The event will again be held at the LDWF Waddill Outdoors Education Center off North Flannery Road.  The ponds on the premises are full of big bass and bluegill.  In addition, Masseys Outfitters will be on hand with a variety of kayaks from Hobie, Native and other brands for folks to test paddle/pedal.

This year, thanks to the FFI Gulf Coast Council, the headliners will include three of the nation's top casting instructors: Dave Barron of Wisconsin, Jeff Ferguson from Lafayette, and Jonathon Walter of Colorado. All three are also members of the FFI Casting Board of Governors.  If you've ever wanted to learn more about any type of casting, or improve your casting skills, this is a grand opportunity to learn from the best!  Also on the agenda are programs by Brian Roberts and Dave Barron.

Over a dozen of the region's top fly tiers will also be on hand to demonstrate their various flies, along with their favorite legacy patterns. There's also a giant raffle and silent auction featuring one-of-a-kind items, all to benefit the club's educational projects.

Details about the event, including speaker and tier bios, schedule of activities, and more can be found by going to www.rsff.org and clicking on "Red Stick Day" in the menu.

Tuesday, February 14, 2023

Feb. 16th meeting - Shooting Heads

AFR monthly meeting
Thursday, February 16, 2023

6:00pm meeting
Pack & Paddle Outpost, 601 E. Pinhook, Lafayette

This month, our guest speaker will be Jay Smith, one of our casting pros. He will discuss “Shooting Heads”.  Shooting heads are a style of line that aren’t commonly used on the Gulf Coast. We’ll discuss these unique fly lines, how they can be used, as well as techniques for how to handle and cast them easier.

Our club founder Dennis Vidrine once held a casting demonstration many years back, where using a shooting head, was able to make extremely long, accurate casts. Shooting heads give anglers that extra distance that might occasionally be needed for when redfish are just out of range, or in the surf when schools of trout are holding to the second sandbar.

Since no fly casting yet (until Daylight Savings), please come early and get in a little retail therapy in Pack and Paddle.