Did you miss the GCC Expo?

Uncle Larry tying at the GCC Expo!

If you missed the GCC Expo in Lake Charles, LA this past weekend, you missed a great time! There were dozens of top fly tiers from across the south, terrific vendor displays, presentations, workshops and awesome Cajun food! The event had several silent auctions and a live auction on Saturday night… and did I mention awesome Cajun food?

2008 FFF Gulf Coast Expo, May 16-17 in Lake Charles, LA!

The 2nd annual conclave of the Gulf Coast Council of the Federation of Fly Fishers is coming up soon! If you haven't registered to attend, go to their website at www.gulfcoastfff.org and do so now! You can register online in a minute! Watch dozens of the top fly tiers from across the South, and even the nation. Cast the new rods from the manufacturers on exhibit. Demo paddle kayaks at the beachfront. Fish for reds in Lake Charles (they school at dusk) or anywhere else in the Calcasieu estuary (only minutes to a good fishing spot). Enjoy boiled crawfish on Friday night and Cajun feast on Saturday night. Take a workshop with an expert instructor (fee). Lots of great bargains in the silent auctions and live auction on Saturday night. This isn't just the ONLY fly fishing show in the region, it's one of the best experiences you'll have this year off the water!

Renzetti Proudly Announces Tuffleye Distributorship

Anyone who has ever tied with epoxy knows the apprehension that comes with mixing up a batch you know mostly goes to waste. You often have to mix so much that you tie multiple flies hoping to coat several at once, but inevitably the mix hardens before you can finish. Besides, eventually it yellows and cracks anyway. You either need more hands or a better solution. We can’t help you with more hands, but Renzetti can now offer you a better solution – Tuffleye.

In an effort to continue bringing you the finest in fly tying tools and accessories, Renzetti proudly announces that it will begin distributing Tuffleye – an epoxy alternative created by Wet a Hook Technologies. “I have searched for years to find a material that outperforms epoxy in all facets, but unfortunately, every alternative would be deficient in some critical area,” says well-know tier and epoxy user Bob Popovics. “I have finally found a material I can honestly say surpasses epoxy.”

Tuffleye is a special light-cured acrylic that hardens in less than 20 seconds and ends up harder than epoxy and never yellows. Unlike epoxy, Tuffleye does not require mixing and comes in four consistencies, including gel, liquid, putty and elastic. The best part -- it won’t harden until you apply the proper wavelength of light, and you apply only what you need when you need it. The material can be colored and even weighted and remains totally insoluble in both fresh and saltwater forever.

Pricing for complete kits, including the special light and several tubes of the acrylic, begin at $88.95, but individual syringes of Tuffleye retail between $9.95 for a 10cc Tuffleye Finish to $19.95 for a 30cc syringe of Tuffleye Core. For more information about Tuffleye or to order, simply log on to www.Renzetti.com.

Book Note - Bluegill Fly Fishing & Flies by Terry and Roxanne Wilson

Book description:

Bluegill Fly Fishing & Flies will show you that large bluegill can be as selective as any trout. Their pugnacity is legendary and their yanking, diving, twisting battles make for a tenacious opponent, especially on ultra-light equipment. The Wilsons share: proper equipment; the best flies, including their recipes and techniques for using them; identifying the most productive bluegill waters; bluegill habits and behaviors; effective presentations; and many more tips learned over their combined 75 years of experience fishing for bluegill.

This book is your guide to more and larger bluegills.

6 x 9 inches, 151 pages.

Baton Rouge's Red Stick Fly Fishers Celebrates their 20th Anniversery!

Red Stick Fly Fishers celebrates their 20th Anniversary with their clubs 17th annual Red Stick Day Conclave. Nationally renown authors and fly fishing experts Nick Curcione, Pete Cooper Jr. and Terry and Roxanne Wilson along with over a dozen fly tying and casting experts form across the northern Gulf Coast will be on hand. Additional Details can be found on the Red Stick Fly Fishers website.

Bluegillers! It was love at first site!

Uncle Larry with the new Finesse Series 6’-9”, 4 piece 1 weight fly rod. (Photo by Glen “Catch” Cormier)

I attended the Texas Fly Fishers Fly Tying Festival in Houston, TX this past weekend with friend and fellow fly fisherman Glen “Catch” Cormier. The first thing we saw when we arrived was Rick Pope, President of Temple Fork Outfitters, with an outdoor display of all the TFO fly rods. He showed us his new installment in the Finesse Series (my favorite series) fly rod. It was a 6’-9”, 4 piece 1 weight rod! Holy crap! It’s a bluegill fly fisherman’s dream… and it casts like one too! Catch said if you catch a bluegill with that rod you’ll need a gaff to get him in the boat! Needless to say, one of these guys will be in my rod holder soon!

The Top Ten!

In the February issue of Field & Stream Magazine they named the "Best Fishing Towns in America"! Some of them were actually WARMWATER destinations! I listed the top ten for you. If you want to see the entire list F&S is in the newsstands now. (No Louisiana towns... Huh!)

Greenwood Spring, Colo.

Mountain Home, Ark.

Traverse City, Mich.

Bozeman, Mont.

Minocqua, Wis.

Apalachicola, Fla.

Nantucket, Mass. (warmwater)

Bend, Ore.

Guntersville, Ala. (warmwater)

Morehead City, N.C.