Ron McAlpin - Fly Fishing for White Bass

Ron McAlpin Our March meeting will host a long time friend of many of our club members, Ron McAlpin from right here in the San Antonio area. Just in time for the annual spring run of White Bass in Texas rivers and the Alamo Fly Fishers annual David Young Memorial White Bass outing, Ron McAlpin will present an informative program on tips and tactics for successfully catching this exciting species. This is a meeting you will not want to miss. White Bass action can be fast and furious if you now where and how to fish for this abundant and aggressive fish. What better way to enhance your success than insight from a long time pro! For those who have been many times, this is a great way to take your “game” to the next level and catch even more white bass!

Ron could be considered an expert in many types of Texas fly fishing and white bass fishing is no exception. He has fly fished the creeks, rivers and lakes of the Hill Country for the last 35 years. His first fly rod was even purchased to target white bass! In fact, Ron still prefers to fish with some of his early gear (some 30 years old!). His passion for vintage fishing gear seems to stem from its functionality and his ability to feel more subtle strikes on the older rods. Currently living in Boerne, just outside of San Antonio, he continues to fish these pristine rivers as often as he can. Some of you may know Ron from his dedication to GRTU and his current service as a board member. Ron is extremely passionate about fly fishing, which I am certain you will see through his presentation.

Ron will present an all inclusive slideshow on fishing for white bass. He plans to cover the species in detail, including what and how they eat, spawning cycles and life cycles. He will provide great insight on what makes white bass run and the characteristics of the run. Once we understand the underlying fish and their patterns, Ron will give suggestions on what type of gear you will need and what flies you should throw to be most successful. Most importantly, he will provide some insight on where to fish and how to determine the best times to fish to ensure better success. Using his suggestions can help us to plan ahead to make sure we are able to be on the water just in time for the prime run of the season! After fishing for this species for several decades, Ron prides himself with being able to catch large numbers of white bass even after most of the anglers claim that the run has ended. In fact, his best season to date logged 170 fish in 15 hours of fishing!

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

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.

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.

by Rob Burlingame, AFF Vice President

Our February meeting will host Tosh Brown, acclaimed author and photographer from right here in South Texas. Tosh will be presenting a slide show full of beautiful fishing photos from South Texas to exotic places around the world. Tosh will be hosting a book signing in conjunction with the meeting and will be featuring his new book “Grazing Across Texas”. He will be bringing copies of his books to the meeting for sale as well, for those who have not had the opportunity to get their hands on one yet.

Tosh has been in the sporting industry for quite some time, having a previous 10 year career working for a sporting travel outfitter and as a hunting lodge owner. His pristine skills in photography were developed through years of trial and error, searching for that perfect shot to grace his own advertising materials. With his photography skills sharpened, Tosh decided to pursue full rime photography in 1999. Less than 10 years later, Tosh’s work has adorned the pages of over 50 outdoor magazines, including Fly Fish America, Field & Stream, Fly Tyer, Outdoor Life, Salt Water Sportsman and Salt Water Fly Fishing. His photos can also be found on a number of other publications used for professional advertising by many recognizable national companies. You may have also seen some of his work in Texas Parks and Wildlife Publications. Tosh’s work ranges among fishing, hunting and other nature subjects across the globe.
Tosh graduated from the University of Texas in 1986 and currently lives in Austin with his wife and two children. When he is not working magic with his camera, Tosh is found spending time with his family and in the outdoors.

You can view Tosh’s web site at http://www.toshbrown.com to see an example of his beautiful photography and his success.

Join the Alamo Fly Fishers for their annual Christmas Party on December 9, 2007. The party will be held at the Alamo Cafe on Highway 281, just north of Bitters Road. Cost will be $15 per person and will include a wonderful dinner, raffle and silent auction. Join us for great company, excellent prizes and a celebration of the year's fishing successes.

(Carmine’s Restaurant – Phil Sprio Chef/Owner)

PLEASE NOTE!!! The January meeting will NOT be at our regular location! It will be at Carmine's Restaurant.

As has been a tradition with the Alamo Fly Fishers, our January meeting will be a fabulous cooking demonstration for our members to learn yet another tasty way to prepare our latest catch. After a fun filled and excellent presentation from last year's meeting, we will once again be entertained and enlightened by owner and chef Phil Sprio at Carmine's restaurant in Schertz. This is always a popular meeting and a great "couples" event, filled with comraderie and conversation. This January's meeting will be held at Carmine’s on Tuesday January 15th starting at 7:00pm."

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!

Two of our members will give a fun filled and informative recap of their successful fly fishing trip in the Alaskan wilderness. Todd Fleming and Joe Filer will share their experiences, photos and quite possibly a temporary cure for a fishing addiction. Be ready for a great presentation and pictures of beautiful countrysides and huge fish. The guides that accompanied Todd and Joe through their exciting venture will also be on hand to provide insight, answer questions and provide you with details of how to set up your own exciting fishing adventure.

Banning CollinsBanning Collins of Class V will present an informative presentation on fishing the beautiful rivers in the Texas Hill Country. Join us to learn where and how to fish these rivers for bass, perch and all of the other exciting action these Hill Country gems have to offer. If you are new to the sport, need a refresher or are just looking for some new tips to try in your favorite spots, this is a must see presentation.

Banning Collins started fly fishing the Hill Country almost 15 years ago, and started his professional career at the Austin Angler. He is now sponsored by a variety of companies, a few of them being: Winston Rod Co., Hatch Reels, and Teeny Fly Lines. For the past seven years he has guided and taught fly fishing professionally in Colorado, Montana, and Texas. The Hill Country is now home where he guides fishers chasing the wide variety of species the area waters offer including; bass, carp, gar, and trout. Banning will be speaking about access, techniques, and tactics for Central Texas. Banning is an approachable person, and will also have time for questions after the presentation. You can find out more at http://www.ClassV.net or by calling him direct at (512) 663-1053.