Upcoming Events 

 

May 18th - 20th

 

F.F.F. Gulf Coast Expo

 

Featuring Lefty Kreh, Nick Curcionne, and many others.  

Lake Charles Civic Center,

More info at www.gulfcoastfff.org 

 

May 15th

 

C.F.C. Monthly Meeting

 

Room 204 Kirkman Hall

McNeese Campus

Program - Craft Store Fliess

Tying starts at 6pm, meeting at 7.

See Newsletter HERE.

 

February 16th - 18th

 

Little Missouri Fly Fishing Festival. Murfreesbro, Ar.

 

 

February 24th

 

Acadiana Fly Rodders Conclave

8:30am - 3pm 

Grace Presbyterian Church   415 Roselawn Blvd, Lafayette

 

February 27th

 

C.F.C. Monthly Meeting:

Program: Dianne Borden Billiot,

Sabine National Wildlife refuge

See Newsletter Here 

7pm Rm 202 Kirman Hall.

 

March 3rd

 

Red Stick Fly Fishers

Red Stick Day Conclave

9am - 4pm

Waddill Outdoors Center, 

4142 Flannery Rd

Baton Rouge, La

 

  

March

15th - 17th

 

Sowbug Roundup

Celebration of Fly Fishing

Redeemer Lutheran Church Family Life Center

307 W. North St.
Mountain Home, Ar

 

March 17th - 18th

 

Paddlepalooza 4

Bayou Coast Kayak Fishing Club

Leeville Louisiana

March 20th

 

Contraband Fly Casters

Meeting, 

7pm

Rm 202 Kirkman Hall

M.S.U. Campus
Lake Charles

 

  Anglers Update And News of Outdoors 

 

Gulf Coast Expo Around The Corner, May 18th - 20th

The Federation of Fly Fishers Gulf Coast Expo, hosted by the newly formed Gulf Coast Council will be held May 18th - 20th at the Lake Charles Civic Center.  Headliners for the event are Lefty Kreh and Nick Curccione.  There will be workshops, programs, tying demonstrations and more for beginner to expert.  Tackle manufacturers and retailers will be on hand with the latest gear, as well as an assortment of exhibitors.  On Friday the 18th there will be a crawfish boil, and on Saturday the 19th there will be a banquet.  Auctions featuring a great selection of fly tackle, flies, and sporting art will be held as well.  For more information visit www.gulfcoastfff.org .

Next C.F.C. Meeting May 15th

 

The May monthly meeting of the Contraband Fly Casters - Tom Nixon Chapter will be held on Tuesday May 15th in room 204 of Kirkman Hall on the McNeese Campus.  This months meeting will feature a presentation and roundtable "show and tell" on flies tied with craft store materials.  

Here in Southwest Louisiana we are lacking any kind of local fly shop where tying materials can be purchased, but that doesn't mean that industrious fly tiers can't find materials to make effective flies with.  If you have a "craft store fly" pattern that you would like to share, please do so.  Mark Delaney will lead the round table and demonstrate a few of the numerous craft store patterns he has learned or developed over the years.

You can read the May newsletter HERE.

 

April Meeting To Feature Casting Demo and FOOD!

The April meeting of the Contraband Fly Casters Tom Nixon Chapter will be held Tuesday April 17th At Prien Lake Park.  The meeting will start at 6pm, and hour earlier than usual, so that we can take advantage of daylight for a casting demonstration by Jay Clark.  Jay Clark is an F.F.F.  Master Certified Casting Instructor.  There will be rods on hand for use, but naturally it's best to bring what you normally fish with.  Jambalaya will be served.

For more information, see the April Newsletter.

February Meeting To Feature "State Of The Refuge" Address.

The February monthly meeting of Contraband Fly Casters has been pushed back to the 4th Tuesday of the month because Mardi Gras falls on the regular meeting date.  The February 27th meeting will feature a program by Dianne Borden-Billiot, public outreach coordinator for the Southwest Louisiana Refuge Complex, including Sabine, Cameron Prairie, and Lacassine National Wildlife refuge's.  Dianne will update us on the post hurricane clean up efforts, refuge conditions, and opening dates.  The news is expected to be good.  

The formal meeting starts at 7pm, however many members gather at 6pm to tie flies and swap lies before the meeting starts.  See the monthly newsletter Here .

C.F.C. To Elect Officers At Jan. Monthly Meeting.

At the regular monthly meeting of the Contraband Fly Casters-Tom Nixon Chapter to be held on Tuesday January 16th, elections of officers will be held.  All members are encouraged to attend, or risk being elected to office in absentia. View the January Newsletter HERE

 

Anglers Picnic Featuring All Star LineupTo Benefit The "America's Wetlands" Campaign  Slated For Oct. 14th.

Uptown Angler of New Orleans is sponsoring the  "1st Annual Saltwater Fly Fishers Picnic" on October 14th, 2006,  at Woodland Plantation in Myrtle Grove.  The "Fly Fishers Picnic" will feature many nationally recognized experts on various aspects of fly fishing, as well as presentations by anglers with local and regional knowledge.

Alec Griffin, Manager of Uptown Angler, describes this event as a celebration of the sport of saltwater fly fishing. There will be programs, fly tying demonstrations, and casting sessions. Included on the panel for presentations are Flip Pallot,  Tim Borski, Chico Fernandez, Enrico Pugilsi, and Conway Bowman as well as anglers with local expertise from around the region.. There will also be an auction featuring many great items.

The anglers picnic will feature an authentic south Louisiana atmosphere, with authentic Cajun cooking and live music. Lunch and dinner will be served, along with refreshments, and there will be a cash bar available as well. 

Griffin encourages everyone to come out and share stories, bring a boat, hire a guide, or just come to hang out. The waters in the area are stuffed with reds, specks, and other hard-fighting marsh species this time of year.

Registration is $50, and that includes all activities, lunch, dinner, soft drinks, everything except alcoholic beverages.   The Saltwater Fly Fishers Picnic will benefit the America's Wetlands Campaign, which is working to help restore Louisiana's much troubled coastline.

Accommodations will be available at the Riverside Motel at Belle Chasse. Griffin also noted that the committee is working to get discount rooms in downtown New Orleans.

For more information, contact Alec at Uptown Angler at (504) 529-3597.

 

News from August 2006 Contraband Fly Casters Meeting

At the August meeting of the Contraband Fly Casters, Tom Nixon Chapter, questions were addressed in regard to what impact C.F.C.'s new affiliation with the Federation of Fly Fishers, and Gulf Coast Council will mean to the club, and individual members.  Those members who have been involved with the newly formed council explained that our membership means that we will have a voice in the direction the F.F.F. takes, including the types of programs and educational materials offered with regard to fisheries that anglers in our region enjoy, and also an increased opportunity to address conservation issues relevant to our members and club. In addition, our club will now have access to the Federation's speakers bureau, discounted insurance programs and will have a formal and established tie to other clubs in our region and across the nation.

C.F.C.'s affiliation with the Federation DOES NOT mean that club members have to belong to the Federation, and will not effect our club dues.  

The first Gulf Coast Council Conclave is scheduled for May 18,19 & 20, 2007 at the Civic Center in Lake Charles. Featured speakers  are Lefty Kreh and Nick Curcione. Ron Begnaud is the Conclave Chair working under the VPs of events for the Gulf Coast Council, Buzzy Burns and Sydney Smith. Ron Thomas has agreed to be the Youth Program Chair for the event; Mark Delaney has agreed to be the Newsletter chair for the event; and Ron Foreman has agreed to be the Onsite Facilities Chair to deal with problems (power availability, room conformations and the like) the actual days of the event. there is still a lot of work to do, but it is an exciting time.

The next meeting of the Gulf Coast Council Board will be at the North Toledo Bend Rendezvous, November 3-5, 2006. Details of the event were passed out at the meeting. Details are also available online at http://home.sprynet.com/~waltermc/Rendez/indexR.html.

Other business at the meeting included planning to offer assistance to Boy Scout wanting to earn the fly fishing merit badge with courses on casting and general fly fishing.  Ron Thomas will be contacting the area Boy Scout Council to pursue this.

Danny Williams will explore options for dates and lodging locations for a Fall club trip to the Little Red River near Heber Springs Arkansas, as well as the possibility of a club trip to Georgia.

Gulf Coast Council of the FFF Established

The August 5th organizational meeting in Lake Charles resulted in the definite formation of the council. The initial President of the Council will be Glen (Catch) Cormier of Baton Rouge, the Treasurer will be Danny Williams of Lake Charles, the Secretary will be Larry Offner of Baton Rouge. There has been a lot of business and discussion via e-mail this week. It looks like the first Gulf Coast council conclave will take place next May in Lake Charles. For a more complete report on the August 5th organizational meeting, please see the August newsletter

Gulf Coast Council of FFF Website

The Gulf Coast Council of the FFF now has a website at http://www.gulfcoastfff.org/. The Gulf Coast Council is at the moment a sub-council. there isn't a whole lot on the website as of yet. the most active portion seems to be the Bulletin Board. Expect a lot more after the August 5th organizational meeting in Lake Charles, LA.

Contraband Fly Casters Vote to become FFF Affiliated Club

At the Tuesday, July 18, 2006 meeting the members present voted unanimously to become a club affiliated with the Federation of Fly fishers (FFF). This is slightly different than a charter club where every member has to be an FFF member. An affiliate club pays yearly dues of $100 per year plus $2 for every non-FFF member. At the moment that total cost would be approximately $180-$190, less than eight membership renewals for the Contraband Fly Casters. If you are Contraband Fly Casters member and a member of the FFF, please drop a quick e-mail to contrabandflycasters@yahoo.com to tell us so. This will help us in calculating the correct amount of dues to pay. This affiliation with the FFF will let us become an actie part of the Gulf Coast Council of the FFF which is having its organizational meeting in Lake Charles, LA on August 5, 2006.

 

  Who We Are 

Contraband Fly Casers, Tom Nixon Chapter is a non profit organization, dedicated to promoting fly fishing, providing education to those interested in fly fishing, and promoting and engaging in conservation works.

Contraband Fly Casters, Tom Nixon Chapter is a Federation of Fly Fishers affiliate club, and is member of the Founders Club of the Gulf Coast Council of the Federation of Fly Fishers.