April 15th Chapter Meeting - Kevin Hutchison on Bud Priddy's Book
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.
Bud PriddyKevin has been a great friend of the Alamo Fly Fishers since long before I joined the club. 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 http://www.hillcountryflyfishers.com.
This presentation will cover Kevin’s adventures in the writing of this book, but will likely transform into a tribute to Bud Priddy, with a fun evening full of reflections and humorous stories of the past. With the Bud Priddy Memorial One Fly Contest right around the corner (May 3rd), Kevin’s book and presentation could not be better timed. We look forward to seeing everyone there!