Events

(Dr. Ken Ford and Tommy Nelms)
By: Todd Fleming
Vice President – Alamo Fly Fishers

I am thrilled to announce our guest speakers for the August meeting of the Alamo Fly Fishers. The “Reel Guys”, Dr. Ken Ford and Mr. Tommy Nelms, from ESPN’s “The Adventures of Hoot & Flakes” have agreed to share their evening with us Tuesday August 15th. The “Reel Guys” are truly real guys who have been fishing together for over fifty years because they have fun doing it. These guys are fishermen who love being outdoors where almost anything can happen, and they have very little control over what actually does happen. That lack of control doesn’t bother them. Instead, they have fun with it. These guys are so entertaining because they are so human. They are more likely to share all the things that went unexpected than to tell about the fish they caught. The unexpected is always more interesting than the routine. Their experiences are very much like those of ours. I guess that’s why we can relate to them so easily. By nature, fishermen have always been good story tellers. I think it is because fishermen are active outdoors, and have many more experiences to share. The “Reel Guys” are very good story tellers, and they happen to have a few real life stories to share. Their fishing shows on ESPN were unscripted, and I suspect their presentation for us will be unscripted as well, but I have no doubt it will be entertaining.

Reel Guys
Tommy Nelms and Dr. Ken Ford both grew up in Houston before heading to the University of Texas in Austin to play basketball, and get an education. They graduated from UT in 1965. Ken went on to Medical School at UT Galveston, and was a Flight Surgeon in the Air Force for two years. He went into private practice as an Orthopedic Surgeon in Houston for 28 years. Tommy remained in Austin to develop a commercial real estate business. Like the rest of us, Tommy Nelms and Ken Ford were regular guys, with regular jobs. They raised families, and were model citizens of the community. Their love of the outdoors, and an annual fishing trip kept them close.

On Saturday Sept 9th, AFF will be teaching Big Brothers/Sisters of the Alamo area fly-casting, fly-tying, and knots at the HE BUTTS Foundation Camp. We still need volunteers who can help teach the "Little" brothers/sisters and their "Bigs" - a captive audience of about 40. With travel time, the will be an all-day event starting at 9:00. We'll meet at the Las Palapas restaurant on the NW side of San Antonio near 1-10 West and Boerne Stage Road and carpool if necessary. If you get a charge out of teaching kids - and a free lunch, free t-shirt, and a chance to fish a beautiful section on the headwaters of the Frio river sounds appealing - please CALL Chris Eldredge at 210-632-7540 for the details, or see him at the AFF fly-tying on Sept 4th.

Saltwater fly fishing this year has been good – maybe even better than in previous years. And now we are approaching my favorite time of the year to go fishing. These next two months have historically been some of the best fishing days of the year. Fishing the saltwater flats is rarely better than right now! It is my favorite time to be searching for tails in clear shallow water. This time of year, the redfish start ganging up in search of food. They hunt in packs, and eat anything that moves. Catching is almost fool proof. Finding fish is easy because they are so active, and catching them becomes childs play. They are eating anything and everything. If it moves they are on it. Color, size, or presentation doesn’t seem to matter. They eat first and ask questions later – maybe.

If you can ignore all the other traditions and distractions of Fall, make a trip back to the salt. You will be rewarded for all of the practice, preparation, research, and studying you have done on previous outings. It is now when “catching” and “fishing” are almost interchangeable. Don’t miss out on the best time of the year to go fly fishing at the coast.

I will be prowling the flats of Lighthouse Lakes, Brown & Root, and South Bay this weekend. I may even do some night fishing in the same area. If you want to join me, we will attack these vicious predators together. For me, this will be a kayak and tentcot weekend. If you’re game, send me an e-mail and your phone number, I’d love to meet you there.

Todd Fleming
Alamo Fly Fishers
tfleming@bartlett-cocke.com

Saltwater fly fishing this year has been good – maybe even better than in previous years. And now we are approaching my favorite time of the year to go fishing. These next two months have historically been some of the best fishing days of the year. Fishing the saltwater flats is rarely better than right now! It is my favorite time to be searching for tails in clear shallow water. This time of year, the redfish start ganging up in search of food. They hunt in packs, and eat anything that moves. Catching is almost fool proof. Finding fish is easy because they are so active, and catching them becomes childs play. They are eating anything and everything. If it moves they are on it. Color, size, or presentation doesn’t seem to matter. They eat first and ask questions later – maybe.

If you can ignore all the other traditions and distractions of Fall, make a trip back to the salt. You will be rewarded for all of the practice, preparation, research, and studying you have done on previous outings. It is now when “catching” and “fishing” are almost interchangeable. Don’t miss out on the best time of the year to go fly fishing at the coast.

I will be prowling the flats of Lighthouse Lakes, Brown & Root, and South Bay this weekend. I may even do some night fishing in the same area. If you want to join me, we will attack these vicious predators together. For me, this will be a kayak and tentcot weekend. If you’re game, send me an e-mail and your phone number, I’d love to meet you there.

Todd Fleming
Alamo Fly Fishers
tfleming@bartlett-cocke.com