Brag. Barter. Buy.

I read an article recently in The Drake about the 7 types of people you meet in fish camp (or was it the fly shop… either way, it was a good article). One of those personas, “The Gear Queer”, would love this months meeting…

On Tuesday August the 17th Alamo Fly Fishers will hold its 2nd Annual Swap Meet. It’s kind of like Show & Tell. But at this Show & Tell there are no teachers, you can lie about what you did or didn’t do with the item you are showing - without reprimand – and afterwards you can trade your item for somebody else’s item or for cold hard cash.

Last years event was quite a success. If I remember correctly, there were 4 tables with flies alone; that doesn’t count the other tables with rods, reel, maps, etc. And, although unplanned, the set up generated a significant amount of commerce. A multitude of people were buying and selling flies, and a few rods traded hands.

Flies & Fly Boxes
There are several AFF Members with significant tying talent. Others, like me, are less than gifted, but give it our best every Tuesday night. Either way, AFF members could probably fill a storage unit with fly boxes. So bring what you have – the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Rods & Reels
I need a 12 weight. And a 3 weight. Don’t have those? Well then bring that spare 5 weight reel you never use, because it’s sure to catch someone else’s eye. Or maybe you have a fetish for bamboo? Glass? I know others who do, too, and I bet they bring theirs.

Miscellaneous
I’m also in the market for a technical poling skiff. Maybe somebody else is looking for a kayak. And who amongst us hasn’t fallen
for a marketing gimmick and bought the shiniest new gadget on the market? Books, maps, paintings, you get the picture.

Tying Tables
While all of the bragging & bartering is going on, we will also have a table set up for some of our better tiers to show us what they can do. There seems to be a lot of new members interested in tying, and this is a great opportunity to watch and learn.

We look forward to seeing you Tuesday August the 17th at the Alamo Heights Presbyterian Church. Bring your gear. Bring your flies. And maybe a little cash, too.

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.

by David McWilliams, AFF Vice President

The speaker for the month of June is Chris Johnson, a fly shop owner and guide here in central Texas. I first met Chris this past spring at a Project Healing Waters fishing outing. Chris and a few other guides volunteered their services that day to take several recovering soldiers on a float down the Guadalupe, and I was there to take pictures of the event. Chris’s drift boat was the biggest and driest of the boats and he was kind enough to let me and my camera ride with him.

Within eyeshot of our launching point Chris anchored up and began to articulate to his client the techniques for the day. On his very first drift – intended to be a demonstration only – Chris hooked up with a very nice rainbow, handed the rod to our soldier, and let the life changing event take its course. That would be the first of many fish that day, and it left no doubt in my mind with regards to Chris’s abilities.

Chris was introduced to fly fishing at a young age via an old video with Lefty, Chico, and the Wulffs who, as he says, “made fly fishing look ridiculously easy.” It was at that point that he set out in teaching himself the tools of the trade.

Chris’s fly shop and guide service is Living Waters Fly Fishing in Round Rock, Texas. There are plenty of species and fisheries in the region, from bass and sun perch on the Llano & Brushy Creek to trout on the Guadalupe, just to name a few.

Aside from the local attractions, when he can get away from the shop Chris enjoys targeting cutthroat in the Rockies for his freshwater fix and bonefish & permit in the Caribbean when the saltwater bug calls. In fact, his most memorable moment occurred on one such trip to the Caribbean while chasing bones in shallow water. All of a sudden permit showed up on the flat, and although he was under armed in terms of equipment, he somehow managed to make the cast, hook up, and end with a catch, release, and happy ending.

From a charitable perspective Chris’s most noteworthy involvement is with Project Healing Waters. Beyond that, his guide service, and his shop he still finds time to act as the Austin area rep for Guadalupe Trout Unlimited and as the Vice President of the San Gabriel Fly Fishers.

by David McWilliams, AFF Vice President

AFF’s guest speaker for Tuesday May 18, 2010 is Captain Tom Horbey. As always, the meeting will begin at 7 p.m. at the Alamo Heights Presbyterian Church located at 6201 Broadway. Bring some cash because we will be raffling a guided trip with one of the most distinct names in fly fishing on the middle coast - $20 could put you on the fish of a lifetime!

Tom learned to fly cast when he was 9 years old. It wasn’t until a few years later that he began to fly fish seriously at the age of 14.   And as of today, he’s been at it for 44 years.
Starting at such a young age isn’t all that difficult when you grow up on a trout stream. It’s even more advantageous when your dad is known as one of the regulars on the river – the Beaver Kill – and he has been fishing it since the 1940’s.

But when members of Alamo Fly Fishers hear the name Captain Tom Horbey they don’t think about the Beaver Kill, or about trout… not that kind anyway. They think about Port O’Connor, and tarpon, and jacks, and redfish, and speckled trout.

Ask Tom what he loves to target most and he’ll tell you about catching tarpon in the surf and around the jetties.

Ask him what he fishes for most often and you’ll hear stories of back lakes full of pods of tailing redfish.
If you ask him what he’s best at you’ll learn about the tactics he uses to catch trophy speckled trout above the 28 inch mark.

Ask him what he’s known for and he’ll show you a Horbey Spoon Fly.

And his most memorable moment? A 13 pound bonefish on Andros Island caught in 1988.

Capt. Horbey gives back to the sport, too. He’s an active member of CCA and has donated trips to the organization in the past. He has watched as the landscape of fly fishing has changed over the last several decades. When he started seriously saltwater fly fishing in 1978 there was only a tiny group of fly fisherman on the Texas coast. Since that time it has grown to be near common place. And while that’s good for his business, those who’ve fished with Captain Horbey will tell you he is more than the common guide.

by David McWilliams, AFF Vice President

Ron McAlpin will be Alamo Fly Fisher’s guest speaker on February 16th. In preparation for the upcoming white bass outing to Colorado Bend State Park, McAlpin will share his knowledge and experiences with this species. The meeting starts at 7 pm at the Alamo Heights Presbyterian Church, 6201 Broadway.

Ron has been fly fishing since he could drive. In 1974, with cash earned from his first job, he purchased a Shakespeare WonderRod. Although upon purchase it was im¬mediately put to use on the Guadalupe, the rod’s intended target was white bass on Lake LBJ.

And thus began a way of life. Ron frequents the Guadalupe from Sisterdale to the headwaters, but he has especially honed a sense for when to target white bass… and he seems to catch them even when others are having a difficult time.

His choice in tools and materials hasn’t changed either - he prefers to fish venerable glass and vintage bamboo rods with period reels. Ron is an avid (but focused) collector and repairer of vintage fly reels, and takes reels for repair from all over the world.

Ron admits to hanging around Austin Angler a bit in the 80’s, but claims he has always been “the notoriously tough to mentor type.” Regardless of whether he was mentored by individuals or acquired his knowledge via direct inter¬vention of the fish gods, there is much an angler can learn from Ron. His acclaim recently landed him a gig fishing and filming “TU On the Rise” on the Guadalupe with Frank Smethurst and his buddy Jimbo Roberts.

Since that first trip to the Guadalupe with his Shakespeare WonderRod, McAlpin notes that access to Texas Rivers has dwindled while at the same time public use of available access has notably increased. He understands that water will be the most important issue in this and generations to come. As a result he has donated his time generously to the sport of fly fishing. Among other things, he has served as a VP of GRTU (currently a board member), a retreat guide for Casting for Recovery, and a fly-fishing life group leader with Community Bible Church in San Antonio.

By: Rob Burlingame, AFF President

PLEASE NOTE!!! The January meeting will NOT be at our regular location, but will be on our usual meeting night! It will be at Soleil Bistro & Wine Bar on Tuesday, January 19th.

As has been a tradition with the Alamo Fly Fishers for many years, our January meeting will be a fabulous cooking demonstration for our members to learn yet another tasty way to prepare their latest catch. After a fun filled and excellent event last year, we will once again be meeting at Soleil Bistro & Wine Bar at 14415 Blanco Road, hosted by owner Jean-Francois Poujol. Our January meetings are always a popular meeting and a great "couples" event, filled with camaraderie and conversation in a casual dinner setting.

The January meeting will be held at Soleil Bistro & Wine Bar on Tuesday January 19th starting at 7:00pm. The restaurant is located at the corner of Blanco Road & Cadillac Drive, roughly half way between Loop 410 and Loop 1604. We are still working out the final details of the event (i.e. catching the fish!), but expect it to be similar in format to last year. They are putting together a menu suitable to our club for a reasonable cost of about $20 per person. The cost will include a four course meal, with the main entrée served family style featuring several types of fish caught right here in our home waters. There will be a cash bar as well for anyone wanting to sample the wonderful beer and wine selection.

DIRECTIONS: to 14415 Blanco Road

FROM LOOP 410
- Take Blanco Road north from Loop 410
- In about 3.9 miles, the restaurant will be on your left hand side at the intersection of Cadillac Drive

FROM LOOP 1604
- Take Blanco Road north from Loop 410
- In about 2.5 miles, the restaurant will be on your left hand side at the intersection of Cadillac Drive

The phone number for Soleil Bistro & Wine Bar is 210-408-2670.

by Javier Trevino, AFF Vice President

Tim’s reputation as a skiff builder is widely known as his skiffs are easily recognizable on the roads to and from our Texas Coast. His latest design, The STILT is a new concept in poling skiffs. I had the privilege of seeing the STILT prototype which Tim honed after water trials to perfect the ride quality, and performance he envisioned for this new design. I must say, my first view of the prototype, and boat #1 was a sight to behold – if your a skiff fanatic. The excerpt below was taken from the New Water Website:

NewWater Boatworks and its parent company Pro-Line Custom Aluminum and Canvas have been in the business of building the finest marine accessories and custom shallow draft fishing boats since 1983. Known for its introduction of a new generation of shallow water, flats skiffs––the Avocet, Curlew, Ibis, and Stilt––NewWater has a peerless reputation among anglers who specialize in sight casting in the shallowest clearest waters along the Gulf Coast and beyond.

Representing an altogether new concept in poling skiffs, the Stilt is destined to make history for its sleek, artistic design, and its unparalleled performance as a technical poling skiff. See the first photos of this stunningly beautiful skiff, which was unveiled on August 29, 2009, at the NewWater Owners Tournament in Rockport, Texas.

Specifications:
Length–––20 feet, 2 inches
Beam––––61.5 inches
Weight–––490 pounds without motor
Fuel tank––18 gallons

Tims new invention – the Lamivent System – is incorporated into the tunnel area of this sleek skiff and Tim will explain in detail how the Lamivent System works to provide quick planing and increased speed without increasing horsepower. Tim will also explain how he designed, tested, and finalized the design of this beautiful and effective new boat design.

Come see Tim and his new boat at the November meeting November 17, 2009.

by Rob Burlingame, AFF President

The end of the year is already upon us. Traditionally, the Alamo Fly Fishers gather for a Christmas Party to share food and fellowship, and celebrate the events of the past year. We get together to share memories and stories from the year, and prepare for activities of the coming year. It is a time for celebration, and it is a time for planning. The Christmas Party will also mean officer elections, and a change in club leadership that will start in January. We will sell raffle tickets and have some silent auction items for bidding to raise money for next year’s operating budgets. The party is a fun evening, and the whole family is invited. We will be continuing last year's exciting addition of door prizes and possibly a wonderful “grand” door prize! Make sure you are there to see what it is!

This year the AFF Christmas Party will be in the same spot as last year, in a large banquet room at Alamo Cafe Restaurant on Sunday evening December 13th. Alamo Cafe is located at 14250 U.S Highway 281 North. A social gathering for appetizers will begin at 6:00pm, and dinner is planned for 7:00pm. Dinner costs will be $15 per person, and everyone will have their choice of dinner plates from a special select menu. Soft drinks, tea, and coffee are also included. Other adult beverages will be available from the restaurant cash bar. Our party will occupy the combined Travis and Bowie banquet rooms at Alamo Café, and should provide plenty of space for all of the activities. We will have the projector and screen set up to show pictures of events and outings from the year. That should bring back some great memories, and get us thinking about outings for the upcoming year. If you have pictures from this year that you would like to share with us, please e-mail or call me (robburlingame@yahoo.com, cell 210.885.3730) or Todd Fleming (tfleming@bartlett-cocke.com, home 210.479.3062). We will also have some tables set up for raffle prizes and silent auction items. Raffle tickets are $5 per each or five tickets for $20. Dinner and raffle tickets can be purchased at the party. Please join us for an evening of food, fun, and fundraising. If you need a ride to the party, please call me on my cell at 210-885-3730 and I will be glad to coordinate drivers and riders.

Trout season is nearly here and there’s no better way to get started than hearing a local expert tell us about the annual GRTU trout stockings, techniques, flies, gear, river safety, and the other tidbits of information we need to know to have a successful trout fishing season.

Bill Higdon has been guiding on the Guadalupe for 10 years after retiring from Dell Computers. Bill is VP of Fisheries for GRTU and knows the fish and waters better than anyone. For those who do not know, GRTU is the largest chapter in Trout Unlimited in the country. Who knew Central Texas had the largest concentration of trout bums?

Bill is a 58 year old hill country guide who began flyfishing these waters over 16 years ago. Bill offers guided excursions for rainbow and brown trout on the tailwaters of the Guadalupe River, below Canyon Lake dam. Fish can be caught up to 18 inches with a few larger specimens being hooked every once-in-a-while.

Bill’s knowledge of these waters has put him in several magazine articles and TV shows over the years which has helped promote his guide service and increase his reputation as a top notch guide on these waters.

Bill is owner and guide of Inn of the Hills Fishing Excursions. His website is www.inthehillsfishing.com if you would like to book a guided fishing trip with Bill. Bills guide service utilizes the drift boat technique often found in Western fisheries – but is quickly finding favor in our part of the world. His two boats of preference are a Clackacraft Drift Boat and a Aire Fishing Raft. Bill is a licensed guide (# 944) who is responsible and personable.

Please welcome Bill Higdon for a round of Guadalupe River Trout Fishing knowledge which you will not want to miss.

Fish-On!

by Rob Burlingame, AFF President

For the third year, our club has set aside September as the month to promote and honor “Women in Fly Fishing”. As the husband of an avid woman fly fisher and father of two sprouting fly toddlers, this month holds a special place for me. Since becoming involved with the Alamo Fly Fishers (and prior to my wife’s fly fishing addiction!), the sport has seemed on the surface to be dominated by men. Most of the big name fly fishers are men, the TV shows have male hosts and our membership numbers have reflected an overwhelming majority of males for years. On the surface, this looks like a male sport.

But, truth be known, the deeper you dig, the more women anglers you seem to find. And many of them can out fish their male counter parts any day of the week. Yes, my wife can confirm my last statement! There are many great women anglers right here in our back yard. This page is too short to list them all, but I am sure we can all name at least a handful! A visit to one of our casting clinics can teach us all a valuable lesson. Women tend to pick up the mechanics of casting quicker than men. (This may have to do with the “macho effect” that usually kills our golf shots too!) Women seem to be more relaxed and rhythmic when they start learning to cast. This naturally leads to better and smoother casts earlier in their adventure in the sport. That naturally leads to more consistency and more fish!

The only area of fly fishing that women seem to fall behind in (at least with our club) is in the number that fill out an application to join! With the sport being conceived as male dominant, the only reason I can find is perhaps some intimidation to join a club that is deemed a “guy thing”. The primary reason for our September meeting is to invite women anglers into our club and assure them they are an important part of the sport we love and that we would welcome their participation in the group. We all understand that men and women are different, and they have different interests, expectations and methods of satisfaction. Bottom line…The Alamo Fly Fishers would like to attract and develop our club’s programs and outings in a way that incite equal enthusiasm for fly fishing in both men and women.

This month’s program will be an open forum for women to share their thoughts about fly fishing, what it means to them, about exciting programs like CFR or whatever else they would like to share. I also encourage those of you with a female fishing buddy to share what they have taught you about the sport or how they have enhanced your fishing experiences!

Be sure to make it to our meeting this month, Tuesday September 15th from 7-9 PM, to show your support for our women anglers. Everyone is welcome and we encourage anyone to bring a friend or spouse along to a meeting that is sure to be enjoyable!