Chapter Meeting - July 20: Kevin Hutchison

by David McWilliams, AFF Vice President

Kevin Hutchison will be joining Alamo Fly Fishers as the guest speaker for the meeting to be held Tuesday July 20th (7 p.m. Alamo Heights Presbyterian Church, 6201 Broadway). Kevin is owner of Hill Country Fly Fishers, an Austin based guide service. As a F.F.F. Certified Casting Instructor Kevin not only guides throughout the Hill Country but he has taught fly casting and fly tying across the United States, Singapore and the Bahamas.

Kevin is a renowned tier, and his theory of fly tying is simple, “don’t take longer to tie a fly than it takes to loose it”. Along with ease and speed of tying Kevin places durability high on the list of attributes that each of his flies must possess.

Last year, Kevin shared his insight with AFF gained through his project rewriting and updating the infamous “Bud Priddy Book” on fly fishing the Texas Hill Country. Kevin’s past presentations to the club have been fantastic and the streak is sure to continue.

In case you didn’t know, beyond being a must-have guide to fishing water in the Hill Country, Kevin’s updated version of the book serves as a tribute and memoir to a great friend and well respected past 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 for the first time in 1994.

Kevin has been a great friend of the Alamo Fly Fishers. He is well deserving of the honor to revise Dr. Priddy’s book, with a tremendous amount of his own knowledge to share about the Hill Country Rivers. Kevin has had a very diverse background in both the fly fishing and fly tying arenas. He has spent over 20 years as a full time fishing guide, with much of his time spent close to home in the Hill Country. He is a FFF Certified Casting Instructor, has been awarded the Federation of Fly Fishers “Teacher of the Year” award and has been an active member and past president of the Austin Fly Fishers. Kevin founded and currently operates his own commercial fly tying business with a wonderful selection of flies well tailored to our local waters. His flies are available locally at Sportsman’s Finest in Austin, where Kevin is currently working. You can find more information and examples of Kevin’s flies at www.hillcountryflyfishers.com.