July 15th Chapter Meeting - Saltwater Showcase and Swap Meet

By Rob Burlingame, AFF Vice President

With summer well upon us and saltwater fishing action in full swing, we have decided to try something a little new and different for this month’s chapter meeting. We will be hosting a “Saltwater Smorgasbord” in conjunction with a club swap meet. At this month’s meeting, we will set up a table or two in our usual meeting room for those who are interested to showcase your items to sell. Aside from the sale table, the rest of the room will feature a few information tables covering a range of topics and possibly a movie section to preview some exciting fly fishing footage.

It is time to dust off some of the equipment in our closet that has long since been replaced and pass it on to fellow members at the sale table we will have set up. For those who have been wondering how you can accumulate so much fly fishing gear, this is a great opportunity to make space in your closet for some new additions. For those new to the game, this is a great venue to upgrade some of your tackle or try out some new tackle at discounted prices. Be sure to bring some goodies along with you to sell at the meeting.

The goal of our information tables is to provide one-on-one guidance on a variety of saltwater adventures. Todd Fleming will be hosting a table dedicated to sight casting the flats and kayak fishing. Bill Slough will be discussing night time adventures at the jetties and the surf. I will be covering tide charts and fishing maps. We are still working on a couple of other mystery tables that could be added to the list as we draw closer to the meeting. This will be an evening to come prepared with your questions on nearly anything related to fly fishing the salt. Do you need help selecting the best rod/reel set up? How about the best way to rig your tippets, leaders and flies. How can you bring all that you need without bringing everything you have? Where are the best places to fish? How can I make sense of a tide chart and how can they help me? Where can I find fish during the late shift? What is the best way to maintain, repair and store my gear? Our host of volunteers will be ready to discuss nearly anything else you can throw at them. This is a great place to find personalized advice and answers to the questions we have all asked at some stage of our learning.

If you need a break from meandering around the room, we will have a projector and DVD player set up to show some exciting fly fishing footage. If you have any videos you want to bring and share, this is a great way to do it!
Come join us July 15th for an informal yet informative club meeting. This should be a great way to gain new knowledge or build on what you already know.

As a reminder, 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 everyone there!