Colorado Bend State Park – March 11th – 14th

White Bass FliesAs March draws near I begin to look forward to White Bass fishing and especially to the David Young Memorial White Bass Outing. It is one of the club’s biggest and best outings of the year. The combination of camaraderie, camping, good food, and fishing is hard to beat, and makes for great memories.

Eight to ten years ago, on some of my earliest trips to Colorado Bend State Park, I remember the group of us being rather small. The David Young and David Wallace families, and just four or five more of us, easily ate together and stayed on as few as three campsites. Our traditional fish fry on Saturday night was attended my no more than eighteen people. (Over the past two years we have had between forty-five and sixty club members and their families and guests attend the fish fry!) And the names were fun too: we had four David’s (three Young’s and one Wallace) and two Bruce’s (one Nelson and one Young) in camp. It could be very confusing.

White BassBut some things have not changed. The camping remains basically primitive. Camp sites come with fire pits, and without showers, telephones or electricity. It is just how camping should be. But for those who have never been to Bend, don’t let this deter you. Gas lamps, Dutch ovens, tent cots and a little effort make for a great time without the conveniences we take for granted in our daily lives. It is hard to imagine, but on the last several outings we actually had too much food for Saturday night’s potluck fish fry, whether we had rain or shine, and while feeding sixty people.

Just remember: if you need it, bring it. There is no camp store, so pack what you need. You can sometimes buy ice and firewood at the Park office, but little else. Our club has some very experienced cooks and campers, and it may be possible to borrow some things, but I wouldn’t count on it. If you expect to need it, you best prepare to pack it in.

Fun for the whole family!The Colorado River level is looking promising this year, with the recent rains and a gradual increase since the start of the year. If the trend continues, the Park should yield plenty of fish this year! Fishing reports have started to show some promise in the surrounding lakes, with the activity typical of the spring run starting. The white bass start to pile up in the lakes before making their gauntlet run into the rivers. With early reports of already excellent fishing, this year should be phenomenal! Scouting trips will begin soon, so make sure you are at our meetings and off Tuesday tying sessions to hear the latest scoop. Remember to keep an eye out for the wild flowers: there is a high correlation between the run and the ground being warm enough to cause the Bluebonnets and Redbud trees to bloom. And with the spring rains we have had, the landscape should be quite a site to see! God willing, and the creeks keeps rising, we’ll have another great time this year.

Tres AmigosPlease join us for the fellowship, food, fun and fishing. The David Young Memorial White Bass Outing will be March 11th-14th at Colorado Bend State Park. Please reserve your spot in a campsite at one of the Tuesday meetings or by contacting Joe Mitchell, this year's Outings Director.

As an encore to the David Young Memorial White Bass Outing, our club will be venturing to Colorado Bend State Park once again for a "weekend after" trip. Camping will be available on the club's group site at $5/person/day.

Please contact Todd Fleming for additional information at (210) 296-9342.

We are fortunate this year to have the Federation of Fly Fishers annual Gulf Coast Council Expo located close to home. On April 9th and 10th, FFF's Gulf Coast Council will be hosting their Expo 2010 at the New Braunfels Civic Center. If you haven't been to one of the previous Expos, this is an event you will definitely not want to miss.

Chico RodriguezAs the largest fly fishing event on the Gulf Coast, the 2010 Expo will feature over 50 programs and educational workshops, 70 demo fly tiers, rod and paddlecraft tryouts, FREE Youth Program, FLY FISHING FILM TOUR, TexMex and Cajun cookouts, Photo Contest, Raffles and auctions featuring one-of-a-kind items, and MUCH MORE!

The FFF Gulf Coast Council is excited to have one of the most recognized names in our sport, Chico Fernandez, as one of the key speakers for our 2010 Expo. If you're not familiar with Chico and his many accomplishments, then please check out his bio on AskAboutFlyFishing.com

To get the full details of the Gulf Coast Expo 2010, please visit the council's web site at www.gulfcoastfff.org.

All 2010 proceeds will be donated to Casting for Recovery

For Complete Details and Applications, please visit www.lydiaannflymasters.com

Tournament Date: July 17, 2010

Location: Crabman Marina (2400 Hwy 361, Aransas Pass)

Venue: Fly Fishing, Photo Catch and Release

Format: Separate Divisions for Boats and Kayaks

The Lydia Ann Fly Masters Tournament was created to:
• Bring skilled fly fishing anglers together from all over the State of Texas
• Have fun, and compete for prizes and awards
• Raise every dollar possible to support Casting for Recovery

Our goal is to create the Premier Fly Fishing, Catch and Release tournament for the Texas Coast. Each year a Charitable Organization will be chosen to receive a check from the entry fees and donations. The tournament format is sure to be fair and a lot of fun for every angler involved.

We hope to see as many anglers there as possible to support Casting for Recovery’s wonderful cause.

Organized by: