Events

by Rob Burlingame

Kevin HutchisonOur April meeting will host a friend of the Alamo Fly Fishers who has taken on a privileged task that is sure to benefit the many fly fishers in and around the Texas Hill Country. Kevin Hutchison will be the host speaker for the evening and will share his experiences and adventures he has encountered through his latest project of rewriting and updating the infamous “Bud Priddy Book” on fly fishing the Texas Hill Country. Kevin has delivered great presentations to the club in the past and this is sure to be an exciting one full of touching and humorous stories.

Many of the club veterans know Bud Priddy’s book well, titled Fly Fishing the Texas Hill Country, and still keep a tattered version of the book on hand as a useful reference tool full of great tips and locations on the many pristine rivers we can access in the Hill Country. More so, the book serves as a tribute and memoir to many of a great friend and well respected member and officer of the Alamo Fly Fishers. The book has been through four versions to my knowledge, starting with a “club copy” compiled in May 1987 and published in full form in 1994 and the latest revision being published in 2000 by W.T. Taylor of Barksdale, TX. The book proved its usefulness through sales of literally thousands of books, probably nearing the 20,000 mark by now. Kevin started compiling his version of the book some time ago from the original manuscripts and should be released very soon. Kevin’s journey in writing this book is sure to be informative and will likely serve not only as a great resource of shared professional knowledge, but also as a tribute to the great sportsman who first wrote the book.

Nueces River - Open “V” Ranch, owned by Sky Lewey

Nueces River SunfishThe Alamo Fly Fishers will be meeting this weekend at the Open V Ranch on the Nueces River for fun times and great fishing. If you have never fished the gin clear waters of the Nueces River, this is a must attend outing. Join other members to learn the techniques for success in catching catfish, guadalupe bass, largemouth and many types of sunfish. The fishing is usually very good and the river is easily wadable.

The ranch is located on the west side of Highway 55, just north of Uvalde. Some of the members will be camping in the pecan bottom of the ranch on Saturday night.

Directions to the ranch are as follows (from Uvalde)
- Take Highway 83 North out of Uvalde
- Take the turn off for Highway 55
- You should see the sign for the ranch on your left hand side approximately 14 miles north of Uvalde
Note: If you pass Chalk Bluff Park, you have gone to far.

When you enter the ranch, you will have to pass through several gates. Please leave the gates as you find them (open or closed) as there is livestock on the ranch.

Cost will be $5 per person (or $10 per car). Camping is available for $2 additional per person.

Hope to see you all there!

Nueces River - Open “V” Ranch, owned by Sky Lewey

Nueces River SunfishThe Alamo Fly Fishers will be meeting this weekend at the Open V Ranch on the Nueces River for fun times and great fishing. If you have never fished the gin clear waters of the Nueces River, this is a must attend outing. Join other members to learn the techniques for success in catching catfish, guadalupe bass, largemouth and many types of sunfish. The fishing is usually very good and the river is easily wadable.

The ranch is located on the west side of Highway 55, just north of Uvalde. Some of the members will be camping in the pecan bottom of the ranch on Saturday night.

Directions to the ranch are as follows (from Uvalde)
- Take Highway 83 North out of Uvalde
- Take the turn off for Highway 55
- You should see the sign for the ranch on your left hand side approximately 14 miles north of Uvalde
Note: If you pass Chalk Bluff Park, you have gone to far.

When you enter the ranch, you will have to pass through several gates. Please leave the gates as you find them (open or closed) as there is livestock on the ranch.

Cost will be $5 per person (or $10 per car). Camping is available for $2 additional per person.

Hope to see you all there!

Transport from Fulton Harbor on the Skimmer

SPACE IS LIMITED, SO PLEASE SIGN UP EARLY!!!

Unloading the SkimmerFor the second year in a row, Alamo Fly Fishers has arranged with Rockport Birding and Kayak Adventures to transport our members with kayaks for a day of fishing to the Fence Lake area on the back side of San Jose Island. Cost for transport is $45 per person. One person will get a free trip - we will draw the name from a hat as we leave in the morning.

We will meet at 5:30 a.m. on Saturday morning, April 26th, at Rockport Birding and Kayak Adventures (www.rockportadventures.com), 216 North Fulton Beach Road. We will load our kayaks and fishing gear aboard their transport boat, the Skimmer, and try to leave by 6:00 a.m. Capt. Tommy Moore will be taking us to the edge of the Fence Lake area on the backside of San Jose Island for a day of fishing and kayaking. This is a premier flats fishing area where tailing redfish are commonly found. But don’t overlook the drop-off along the shoreline, potholes, and passes for Speckled Trout. The Skimmer will return to pick us up later that afternoon, approximately 3:30 p.m. A definite time and location for the return trip will be determined that morning.

We are going to a remote area, and we will be on the water all day. Some things you should consider bringing are:

Hank's First Red at Fence LakeHat with brim
Sunscreen
Polarized sunglasses
Wading boots
Insect repellent
Flashlight or headlamp
Drinking water
Lunch or snacks
Ice
Fishing license with Saltwater stamp
Photo ID
Rain suit
First-aid kit
Compass or GPS unit

Bud Priddy The Alamo Fly Fishers will be hosting the 2008 Bud Priddy Memorial One Fly Contest on Saturday May 3rd from Camp Wood, Texas on the Nueces River.
Entry fee is $20 plus a duplicate of the fly you intend to fish. Registration will be from 7:30am to 8:30am on May 3rd at Lindbergh Park. The entry fee also includes dinner and door prizes. A buffet dinner will be served starting at 6:00pm at the Casa Falcon Restaurant in Camp Wood.
Contest prizes will be awarded in three categories to the lucky fly fisher who catches either the most fish, largest bass, or largest perch. Contest rules require that you use only a single fly, and count only the fish you bring to hand with that fly until you loose it or change to another fly. You may continue fishing after you change your fly, but caught fish will no longer count toward your contest totals. Fishing hours for the contest are between 7:30am and 5:00pm.

For area accommodations, please check out the following motels and campgrounds:
Woodbine Inn (Camp Wood) - (830) 597-2310
Nueces River Motel (Barksdale) - (830) 234-3648
Big Oak River Camp (South of Camp Wood) - (830) 597-5280
Wes Cooksey RV Park (South of Camp Wood) - (830) 597-3223

I hope to see you on the river in Camp Wood!

Todd Fleming
Alamo Fly Fishers - 2008 Outings Director

AFF Map

Monthly meetings are held at 7:00 p.m. on the third Tuesday of each month at Alamo Heights Presbyterian Church, 6201 Broadway.

Informal fly-tying and lying gatherings happen on all other Tuesdays - same time and same place.

Hope to see you there!

Fence Lake Kayak Fishing Trip via Skimmer
Transport from Fulton Harbor

Jon King: State Fly Rod Record 42" Red Fish caught on the Texas Coast.The first group jetty trip of the year is planned for Saturday night June 22nd. As usual, we will take the last Jetty Boat run of the day, leaving Fisherman’s Wharf at 6:00pm, and camp out on the jetty all night. The North Jetty is a remote location, only accessible by boat, but still within view of Port Aransas. Jetties are manmade fish magnets, and you never know what you might catch.

Jon King: State Fly Rod Record 42" Red Fish caught on the Texas Coast.The first group jetty trip of the year is planned for Saturday night June 22nd. As usual, we will take the last Jetty Boat run of the day, leaving Fisherman’s Wharf at 6:00pm, and camp out on the jetty all night. The North Jetty is a remote location, only accessible by boat, but still within view of Port Aransas. Jetties are manmade fish magnets, and you never know what you might catch.

September has become the month to promote and highlight “Women in Fly Fishing”. Men appear to outnumber women in the sport of fly fishing, and in the membership numbers for the Alamo Fly Fishers. It has become obvious to the leadership of this club that we need to do more to attract women to fly fishing. As a rule, women learn quicker than men to be better fly casters, and generally are thought to be better at tying flies. Women who try fly fishing seem to develop better mechanics sooner than men, but for whatever reason they don’t sign up with the same numbers.

Stay tuned for details on our club's annual Christmas Party!