President's Message May 2010 - Small World, Big Opportunity

by Rob Burlingame, AFF President

Spring time is finally starting to wrap up in South Texas and what a year it has already been. We experienced the usual cool temperatures and a decent amount of rain, but this year we got much more. You may have noticed the wildflowers in an abundance and range of hues like I haven’t seen for some time. And the white bass?!? They were as plentiful as the flowers! As the temperature starts to creep up, the white bass run officially shuts down and the wildflowers begin to shrivel away, it signifies another phase in our annual fishing calendars (and one that is near and dear to my heart!). It is officially redfish season and warmwater
season!

That’s right, the time is here when the Hill Country rivers start to come alive with millions of fish and the barren flats start to yield great bounties. In fact, I am writing this in recovery mode after a half day paddle on the coast in search of the elusive bronze back. I was quickly reminded around mid day that this is also the time of year I refer to as the “windy season,” as the gusts reached close to 35 miles per hour. But hey, what better way to practice your casting than to sling a fly rod in what feels like a wind tunnel! To keep the story short, I will sum it up by saying that the redfish have awoken from their slumber and they are after the newly hatched shrimp with a vengeance! It looks like this may be another great year for the coast!

Now, I didn’t write this article to tell you about catching redfish or to explain how windy the coast can be. But, the idea came to me as I started packing for a last minute opportunity to head to the flats. One goal of this trip was to give a new pattern I have tied a test run. Another goal was to try out some different
patterns that were beyond the norm of what I usually throw at the coast. In preparation, I started flipping through one of my favorite fly books, Gregg Berlocher’s Texas Saltwater Classics, and as usual read the names of the people who had submitted each pattern for the book. That is when it hit me. When I purchased the book quite some time ago, there were only one or two names I recognized. This time, I was familiar with most of the names that popped up. In fact, I have now either fished, tied flies or had lengthy conversations with a handful of them! I soon realized that the fly fishing community, like many other groups, really is a small world.

I started asking myself whether or not knowing this was really that important. After some thought, I think it is. Not from a sense of just knowing people, but from the standpoint of each of us growing in the sport of fly fishing. We are all familiar with the diverse skill sets that we have in the club and that most folks are willing to share what they know to help make you a better fisherman, caster or fly tyer. Now imagine the possibilities if your network was expanded into the entire fly fishing community beyond the club? That includes other anglers, guides, fly tyers, fly shops and vendors…the whole gammit. The great part is that everyone I have talked to in the fly fishing network is just as willing to help as your friends in the club. This is important for beginners to the sport all the way up to the experts. There is always a new trick, fly or technique you can learn to take you to the next step. Just think how nice it would be to have a rolodex of people to call for local fishing reports or to help you with a fly fishing dilemma you have. But how do you expand your contact list so that you have access to these folks?

Attending one of the many fly fishing events throughout the year is a start, where many of the big names are mingling around in the same room. Stop by local fly shops when you are in another city. Get to know the owners and get up to the minute fishing reports. How about attending club outings? Some of our annual get togethers bring a much larger group than you might expect. The upcoming Bud Priddy One Fly (on May 15th) is a great example. The Lydia Ann Fly Master’s Tournament is another. There is usually a diverse group of different clubs, vendors and guides represented through the attendees at both these events. You can also join organizations such as FFF, GRTU and CCA to start getting to know folks. And the list just goes on from there. All you really need to do is to get involved.

As you may have guessed, my challenge for all of you this month is to get involved and start expanding your fly fishing network. You don’t have to know everyone in the fly fishing world, but when you start adding just a few new names to your list of “fishing buddies,” you will quickly see how fun it can be and how much you can learn! A good start would be to mark May 15th on your calendar and make sure you come to this year’s Bud Priddy One Fly! I would love to see a room full of people at this year’s tournament mixing and mingling! You never know who you might run in to and what you may gain through a little conversation!

For me, it’s time to break out the vise and tie up a few replacement flies from today’s adventure. I have another full day of fishing tomorrow with a couple of new fishing buddies. See you at the Bud Priddy One Fly! Tight Lines!