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.