Excitement is building and spring is just around the corner. Warm weather has some of us itching to get our lines wet and try out the new flies that we have spent the winter creating. Pray for rain as we are getting nearer to our annual White Bass outing at Colorado State Bend Park in March. Details will be covered at the February meeting.

Cast iron and Dutch oven cookers prepare. It won't be long and the Colorado Bend Saturday night fish fry will have the first annual cast iron dessert cook-off. Sources tell me the competition once again will be hot and tasty. I am sure we will all look forward to judging the results. Volunteers who will teach casting and fly-fishing in general are needed for that day. Please contact our outings director to Walter Ross to help out with this event.

We hope to provide impromptu outings very soon which will be announced by e-mail and happen as fishing hot-spots are identified, or private access is authorized locally. These will be unscheduled and short notices for those who may not be busy. Often these fishing trips are planned at the weekly fly tying. Even if you don't want to tie a fly, stop by and see what everyone is up to.

We extend a warm welcome to all the new members who joined recently. Some expressed a desire to understand the mysteries of fly-fishing, and others are new arrivals in town. We hope to help your addiction with the life-long love of fly fishing. I encourage you to contact any club officer with any special needs or requests on a topic. Wel- come aboard and come join us soon, as you will never meet a stranger. Whether you are searching for fishing, boating, or other skills there we’ve got someone who can help you.

As we enter this New Year, let us all join in a partnership to promote our sport in a spirit of good will and sportsmanship to the public. We will all gain from the experience. Ex- tend the outdoors to those not yet so fortunate. Our number one rule is to have fun!

My thanks to everyone behind the scenes who works so hard to make this organization enjoyable and productive. The dues, raffles, and fundraisers help very much. Countless hours are donated by your officers to produce the newsletter, scheduling, presentations, education, accounting and all the events we enjoy throughout the year. I am proud to be part of this fine group of dedicated and hard working individuals who make it look easy and my job much easier.

Thanks, and tight lines to you all!

Joe Mitchell
President

by Joe Mitchell

Greetings from your new president, I am looking forward to a year of exciting outings and programs for our club. We have several new officers which should provide some new ideas for outings and ideas for the club.

The annual fish dinner is on a Wednesday this year, instead of Tuesday, so mark your calendars for the 18th of January and come join us for the annual fish dinner. Some of our members have been fishing hard to provide the fish, please make sure you join us for this annual event.

During the first meeting of the year our new outings director Walter Ross, will be passing out a survey to better determine the types of outings and places you would enjoy fishing. So please put on your thinking caps for ideas. We would like to get more of our club involved in the outings. I am also thinking about starting a day trip on the weekends to a nearby fishing location. I am interested to find out how many would participate in this.

I hope everyone had a great New Year and good luck keeping all of your resolutions. Again I look forward the coming year.

by David McWilliams

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I certainly did. Our normal tradition is to head to North Texas to my folks place. But this has been a year of change for my family. We added a new member with the birth of my son, and we lost a few who have gone on to fish better waters in God’s company. Partly to the avoid the melancholy of empty seats at the dinner table, and partly to enjoy the excitement of something new we opted for a trip to Rockport over Thanksgiving week.

My Dad, who started my semi-healthy addiction to fishing, had never caught a redfish. It’s a long way to the coast from North Texas. I was determined over the course of the trip to get him hooked up, and it took us until the 2nd day but we made it happen.

A while back at an Alamo Fly Fishers raffle I won a guided trip with Billy Trimble. We were fortunate that Billy was available while we were in Rockport and utilized the raffled trip. Captain Trimble was the guest speaker at the first monthly Alamo Fly Fisher Meeting that I attended several years ago. A recent saltwater convert, I joined AFF with intentions of meeting other saltwater fly fisherman and learning as much as I could. Seeing Trimble’s presentation that day definitely accelerated my learning curve.

Speaking of raffles, I hope you have made your reservations for the upcoming Christmas Party on December 11th at 6 o'clock. If not, you still have time. Email david.mcwilliams at hotmail.com to reserve your seat at Alamo Cafe on 281. Cost is $25 per person. You could win a trip with any number of guides, or a new rod, or a new reel -- there are many exciting auction items this year.

On a closing note I want to say that it has been an exciting year for me as President. I hope that I have done justice to the position and added value to this great club. Please come do your part to support Alamo Fly Fish- ers and continue the tradition at the Christmas Party.

Sincerely,
David McWilliams

By David McWilliams

In my humble opinion if you live in Texas there is no better month than November. It is a great month with plenty of opportunities. Fishing can be fantastic. Just a week ago the club took an outing to Fence Lake in Rockport, Texas. This is a trip where everyone loads their kayak onto the skimmer boat to be ferried across Aransas Bay to San Jose Island and its notorious back lakes. Although only a few club members could attend those who did were greeted by calm winds, good water levels, and lots of redfish with their tails and backs out of the water.

While I have your attention I’d like to jump ahead briefly and mention the Annual Christmas Party in December. I’ve attended every year that I have been an AFF member and have never gone home disappointed. This year’s party will be on Sunday December 11 at Alamo Café on highway 281. Sign up is required. If you plan to attend please email david.mcwilliams at hotmail.com to reserve your spot.

Now back to November. We have a great speaker this month. See the article in this newsletter to learn more about Chris Johnson. I’ve spent some time in Chris’s boat and the boy can fish. He’s very knowledgeable and entertaining, too. Chris has done a lot for the club in the two short years we’ve known him so I encourage you to attend our November 15th meeting to hear him speak.

One last thing about November: November 4th is my son’s birthday and I’d be remiss not to mention that! I know this is supposed to be a fishing newsletter but hey, being President has to come with some sort of privileges, right?

As always, come visit us on a Tuesday evening to tie some flies, tell some lies, and on the 3rd Tuesday of each month hear a speaker.

By David McWilliams

The dog days of summer are almost over. On the first of this month dove season will open in parts of South Texas and fall is just around the corner. While I love summer I am ready for the change. The record high temperatures and record low rain fall has made for tough fishing. Water is scarce in our rivers, lakes, and the Edwards Aquifer. The exceptionally hot days and lack of rain has the ground hotter and drier than normal. This in turn has created convection, sucking the air out of the Gulf and making for a windy summer along the coast.

But we’ve been fishing none the less. In my August article I mentioned that my friend and long distance club member Kench Connally was in the Florida Everglades chasing tarpon. At that point he had jumped several but not leadered a fish. That changed on his last day when he boated a 40 pound, 50 pound, and 80 pound tarpon. Quite a trip.

While on the subject of tarpon, just last week Kench and I were back in Port O’connor. After countless trips of searching with no success wegot in the middle of a fairly large school of rolling tarpon. We didn’t boat any fish but called the day a success none the less. According to the experts (like club member Bill Slough) September will continue to be a good month to chase the megalops.

As we near the end of the month it is possible the redfish will begin to slowly adopt their fall pattern. Normally the water temperatures are still too high to target trout in the Guadalupe, but I know the changing season has many of our members salivating at the thought of nymphing for rainbows in the winter to come.

There are plenty of opportunities this month to get out. And if we can get some rain there will be even more opportunities. If you’re looking to find a trip or fishing partner I recommend attending one of our “off” Tuesday night meetings (i.e. not the 3rd Tuesday of the month). Attendance is usually smaller on these nights, but many a trip has originated around the tying table.

By David McWilliams

Three letter word. Starts with H. It is often used to describe spicy foods, or as slang for an attractive individual. In South Texas, it is also the most commonly used adjective for the month of August. I don’t even need to say it here. We know what it is, how it feels... but what does it mean?August 2011 Jack Crevalle

In terms of fly fishing it means lower water, lighter winds, and calmer seas (at least theoretically). It means the Tarpon and the Jack Crevalle are easier to find but the redfish are few and far between. It means the bream and bass will be stacked in the deeper pools, and the trout hidden in the deep dark channels of the Guadalupe.

On a recent trip to the coast I experienced these conditions. We’d hit several spots already and there wasn’t a redfish to be found. At about midday while running across the bay to another area, still searching for redfish, we found several schools of Jacks busting bait on the surface. The wind had completely laid by that point – yes it does happen this time of year – and the school was easy to see. After several attempts we finally set up on the right drift and intercepted the feeding frenzy. Thirty minutes later we had a Jack in the boat. While they are increasing in popularity, these fish are an underappreciated species in my opinion. No, they are not good table fair, but they readily eat a fly and put up a heck of a strong fight.

And as I type this, my fishing partner from that day is in Florida chasing tarpon for the first time. He jumped 3 fish on his first day and 1 on his second. He has one more day to fish and based on the numbers they are seeing has a good chance of sealing the deal.

August 2011 Fish OnAugust can be great fishing, you just have to be patient and adjust your approach. For a grant chance to catch this species, as well as tarpon, big redfish, Spanish mackerel and more you should sign up for this month’s outing to the north jetty at Port Aransas on August 13th. It’s an overnight trip, so preparation is critical. If I don’t see you there, I hope to see you at our next club meeting!

Sweating it out,
David McWilliams
President Alamo Fly Fishers

by Rob Burlingame, AFF President

It is with bittersweet emotions that I sit and write my last article as the club’s president, wrapping up an exciting two years filled with fun, fishing, friends. I do plan to take a little step back after December to catch my breath, but on the example of many past presidents, I plan to jump right back in with helping next year’s leadership. You would think that I would have had ample time to prepare my closing message. Instead, I sit here stung by writer’s block wondering where to go with my message.

First, I want to remind everyone about the Christmas Party and Annual Fundraiser coming up on Tuesday, December 14th at Alamo Café on Highway 281. (Note that we had to move the date to Tuesday, due to unforeseen conflicts.) The party will be from 6-9 PM and is sure to be one of the best yet! Go on our web site for more details (www.alamoflyfishers.org) and make sure you call or send me an e-mail to RSVP, so we can get a good head count prior to the party.

Of course, we can’t mention the Christmas Party without recognizing all of our great sponsors that continue to help out and support our club year after year. Our sponsors are given ad space at the end of our newsletter, so be sure to stop in and thank them all the next time you are in their shop. Our club sends out a great big “Thank You” in advance to all of our club’s supporters, since they are in large part the financial wheels that keep our club running year to year. Keep an eye out in the January newsletter for a full page “Thank you” to publicly recognize each of this year’s sponsors. Make sure you return the favor next time you are in need of fly tying gear, rods, reels, guided trips or anything else they can help you with. Support those that support us!

The easiest direction to go from here is to outline the accomplishments of the past two years. I can take very little credit for these successes, as they were made possible by the silent cast members that work tirelessly in the trenches and shadows of our club every day. If you have seen the small groups on Tying Tuesdays huddled together off to the side for brainstorming and planning sessions, you know what I mean. So, there is much more to address than just the accomplishments of the club. We need to recognize those who are responsible for these accomplishments. There is a bit of a risk in naming names, for fear that I will leave someone out, so please bear with me and forgive me if you are not mentioned. I feel the risk is worth taking to publically thank those who have truly changed our club for the better. So, a very personal thank you to…

- Gabe Avalos for unselfishly representing our club for the third year at the Boy Scout Powderhorn event, patiently teaching a group why we love to tie flies.
- David Beck for all of your help with Trout Days this past year (and for sharing the secret spot)! We have a lot to live up to this year. Thanks also for sharing your knowledge of Alaska.
- Joe Filer for your active role with GRTU and for lending a hand whenever you can. Thanks also for allowing me to serve as your VP and teaching me the ropes.
- Steve Flanagan for your leadership with FFF and in helping to bring the Expo closer to home. You have shared your amazing talents and made many of us better tyers. You have also played a huge part as one of the main tyers with PHW and as a river helper with Casting for Recovery…you have truly taken both programs to heart.
- Todd Fleming for…well, everything. You have served nearly every position in the club, play an active role with FFF and Casting for Recovery and have helped at every opportunity possible. You continue to take new members under your wing. You continue to be a mentor and inspiration for us all. You pour your heart and soul into this club every day!
- Jay Forrest for being the liaison to our bellies and for helping to set up a fabulous restaurant for the last two year’s January dinner meeting. Thank you also for your active support of CFR.
- Clay Gill for just being you. Your love of fly fishing is contagious, your advice is sound and unselfish and you are always there to help, no matter what we need.
- Mike Lee for being my technical sounding board, even when you were half a nation away. You have made our web site the best ever!
- Lloyd Mathews for your exhausting efforts in helping to get the Project Healing Waters [PHW] program up and running at BAMC. Spend a Monday afternoon with the soldiers and you can feel the difference the program makes in their lives.
- David McWilliams for being an awesome Vice President. You made my life easy this year and brought some fun and exciting new speakers to the table. Thanks also for your excellent outing photography!
- Joe Mitchell for the fresh and exciting outings ideas you brought to life this year and for stepping in whenever we needed help. I can’t wait to see the great new ideas you will bring to the club next year!
- Ed Niehaus for your tireless efforts on the conservation front. You have given our club great visibility with the right groups and have worked hard to give back to Mother Nature every chance you can.
- Andy Niland for always stepping in when we need help, especially during our annual donation round up and when we need club advice. You have been an active supporter of CFR. Thank you also for taking our newsletter to the next level…the best ever. You have big shoes to fill for next year!
- Mark Paulson for your generosity and time in supporting the club, especially during the annual donation time.
- Walter Ross for representing our club well at Trout Days and the Houston Fly Tying Festival. Thanks also for sharing your knowledge of Alaska in your presentation.
- Bill Slough for always lending a hand and for being ever willing to share your knowledge of the Silver King!
- Bruce Young for always being there when we need advice in all things fly fishing and for unselfishly giving back to the club and for supporting CFR. You constantly give through your teaching and tying, especially with new members. Oh yeah…and for being the official meeting start whistle!

There are many others in the club, both past and present, that have made a difference in our club. Always remember that this club belongs to all of us, and it can be whatever we make it through using our passion and talents to leave things better than we found them. I challenge each of you to use the people listed above as great examples and mentors on how each of us can impact the club in great ways. Find something you love and run with it…you will be amazed at what a difference it can make. I tip my hat to everyone in the club for making the past two years a wonderful experience.

See you on the water!

by Rob Burlingame

Some of the best fishing times in south central Texas have just begun to bloom. Trout season will soon be in full swing on the Guadalupe. Parks & Wildlife have published recent studies that holdover trout numbers are well above where they have been in the past. This season should be spectacular. Redfish and trout numbers have been looking very good at the coast. The redfish are already starting to group up in their fall patterns, looking to fill their bellies for the upcoming winter. The last few weeks have been an interesting weather mix of cooler temperatures, intermittent rain and variable wind speeds. If you timed your trip right, you were rewarded with great fishing. If you missed it by a day or so, you may have been drenched or blown off the water in less than ideal conditions.

My last few fishing trips were prime examples of missing the perfect day by even just a few hours. To add to the adventure, each of these trips was also an attempt to catch a redfish on the new “perfect fit” rod that I had built a couple months back. As many of you know, when you buy or build a new rod, you have to “get the stink off”.

The first three trips out with the new gear turned out to be more frustration than fun. The conditions were not ideal, but every trip we found fish. The problem is, the fish we found were not hungry or cooperative. The first trip we found high, stained water, strong winds, low visibility and skittish fish. After paddling over 10 miles and making more casts than I can count, I walked home empty handed. This trip was especially disheartening, since this was the first trip to the coast in nearly two years that I came home empty handed. Of course, that’s why they call it fishing and not catching. I will make up for it on the next trip.

The second trip was decent timing, but the location choice was flawed. The weather was great, the sun was shining and the wind barely reached above 10 miles per hour either day. The problem we found that trip was locating clear water. Due to the influx of fresh water into the bays we were fishing, the flats had turned from a stained brown to a chalky and opaque white. Fish were nearly invisible under the water and the calm conditions made for a challenging outing. After a good effort on day one, we finally found clear water in another area the second day…but the clouds rolled in rendering us blind to subsurface targets. And then came a drenching rain that ran us off of the water early in the day. Another weekend without success. I was seriously beginning to think that my new gear had been the target of a terrible curse. Racapping the days’ events in my mind on the drive home, I was already forming a strategy for the next trip to ensure that I would not go 0 for three with the new gear.

The third trip was an even worse timing error. The week prior to the adventure was nearly dead calm winds, clear water and hungry fish. I could hardly wait until we left on Friday. Reports were coming in from PINS of great action and easy fishing. About half way down that day, weather reports talked about a low pressure system in the gulf, causing increasing winds and tough conditions. Checking conditions mid way yielded a report of sustained winds at just over 30 miles per hour and gusts of over 40. Surf conditions changed from a 0 to ½ foot seas to 5 to 7 foot seas…not ideal for a run to the jetties lying far south on the beach. We decided to press on, hoping that by some miracle conditions would change. Once on the beach, we could count ten rows of breakers and brown water for a hundred yards. Add to that wind gusts that could almost knock you over. After making it nearly half way down the beach with no change in clarity or wind, we turned back for some shelter and flats fishing sans kayak and without the usual flats gear. Our motto changed to adapt and overcome. As you might have guessed, fishing remained tough and I came home yet again with empty hands and a cursed rod I was tempted to throw out of the truck on the highway. But, I had to give it one more shot.

The fourth trip was a short half day outing, heading south the day after returning from the windy beach adventure. It was a well planned business trip that structured meetings to allow for some time on the water. The new topic of conversation for the day was the cursed rod that needed to be taught a lesson. As you might guess, the wind on the water that morning was still up, pushing swells in the channel like I had never seen. It was time to press on and find some protected water and hungry fish. After a short paddle, I spotted a small pod of fish, waddling and tailing in shallow water. This was a no brainer…just put the fly in the middle, pause, twitch and hold on. The fly hit its mark and immediately the pod shot in all directions, with my limp line staying in place. Strike one…this day was not looking good. Then the clouds rolled in, making our conditions even worse. I trudged on and found another pair of fish waddling along with their backs out of the water. Another great set up…easy to see and the advantage of predatory competitive nature. The cast was placed well and I finally had a take…only to feel the fly slip effortlessly out of the fish’s mouth. Strike two…frustration was really starting to set in…and it was still early. Grumbling to myself over missed opportunity, I began to wade another shoreline, hoping for some visible sign of fish through the heavy clouds. Finally, there it was. A lone tailer, slowly waddling along the shoreline 30 feet away. If this fish didn’t eat, I seriously considered going back to the yak to change to an “uncursed” rod. The cast was well placed…a small twitch… a swirl…and finally, the line went tight and the fight was on. As if on cue, the clouds drifted away and the wind softened almost simultaneously the nice redfish coming to hand. Even my fishing partner for the day (aka Amateur Fly Guide Extraordinaire) commented on the rapid change in conditions for the better. The pressure was now off, the “stink” was gone and many more reds were landed by midday. I have now made peace with the new rod and look forward to many more exciting days with it on the water.

So what can I learn from these last few trips? Really, it is a combination of everything I have shared from previous articles. From persistence in your fishing to planning ahead, discovering new areas to understanding your conditions. Most importantly, is to never give up and to remain flexible so that you can adapt to changing conditions…overcome and adapt. Pushing through a dry spell or a rough day can make you appreciate the good days even more. Sometimes keeping a variety of flies in your car can save the day when you have to adapt your original plans to suit the conditions. Adaptation on the water is the best way to improve your game. Rather than dreaming up a new challenge for this month, I ask that you review the lessons from earlier articles this year. A little brushing up never hurt and I for one needed it to overcome my last few adventures. Personally, it was a great reminder that there is always something new to learn, especially when we think we almost have it figured out.

See you on the water.

by Rob Burlingame, AFF President

by Rob Burlingame, AFF President

Euphoria is finally over. My six week long adventure, fishing nearly every weekend has finally ended…and reality has taken the place of my constant excitement. It was a great time building lots of memories, but for now, it’s back to work and life as usual…back to day dreaming about the next trip.

Along the lines of next trips, be sure to keep an eye on the web site and listen up during our meetings for the next round of outings our club is hosting or joining up to take part in. Be there on “Tying Tuesdays” to set up impromptu outings. There is a very exciting and first time trip coming the first weekend of October. Redfish Rodeo is just around the bend. Big Shell anyone?!? We are at a time of year where the Hill Country is steady and active, with lots of nice sunfish and bass eagerly awaiting your fly. And this year we have some water! This should continue until things start to cool down a bit. At the coast, we are right on the cusp of a very exciting time. You may have noticed that there have been some “cooler” days (a relative term) mixed in with the three digit scorchers. As the fall starts and 100 degree days subside, the action along the National Seashore and other surf regions will start getting hot. If you have not ventured out when the bait starts to swarm and the surf is on fire, make this your year. Soon, it will be a great time of year to take the kids along too, with the cooler temperatures, amazing sights and constant fishing action. In the flats, you will start to see the redfish herding up during the next month or two and when the conditions are right, you may stumble on herds (my definition of a large pod) of redfish that contain 40 or 50 fish or more. The first time you see it, you may have a hard time letting a cast loose while you stare dumbfounded at the sight of so many tails in one place. Things will change quickly as the year carries on and you watch nature succumb to its Fall patterns. Be ready to go quickly and catch the action when it is at its peak! Can you tell I am getting excited again!

While returning from my whirlwind fishing adventure (or any fishing adventure for that matter), I spent some “windshield time” reflecting on what I learned this past trip. If you have been following my articles this year, you know that there is something to learn from every adventure outdoors.

Sometimes it is discovering a great guide, like my trip with Capt. Tom Horbey. If you haven’t fished with Tom, I would highly recommend you give it a try. And learning to fish new waters. The Port O’Connor area…well, there aren’t any redfish there, you should just stay away. OK, really, there is some great water in and around Port O’Connor with lots of big and hungry fish. If you haven’t been, you need to go explore some new water. Oh, and call me so I can help you explore!

Other lessons for this trip involved gear. One lesson in particular was when the friend I was fishing with on one of the club outings asked if I wanted to try the Sage TCR 6-weight he built as his “go to” redfish rod. It was love at first sight. Even in the coastal breezes, I was able to deliver smooth and long casts any direction I wanted to. This thing was a piece of art and technology wrapped into one. Over the next couple of days, I begged to use that rod under the lights at night, on the boat during the day and any other chance I could get. I had been looking for a good 6-weight rod to use at the coast for quite some time and I had found it! I was determined to go see Dennis Freeman at RodMakers and build myself one as soon as I got home…until he told me they had stopped making them and had replaced them with a new version, the TCX. My heart sank. As luck would have it, Capt. Tom Horbey just happened to have a Sage TCX 7-weight on his boat the day we fished. I was giddy with excitement when I cast it and it felt even better. Same accurate cast, same tight loops, same dominance over the wind, only it had a little smoother and softer feel. I had found the perfect fit!

After some thinking back of all the different rods I have cast, I realized that I had cast the Sage TCR before about 5 or 6 years ago and was not all that impressed with it. I had a hard time getting the rod to do what I wanted it to. Why then do I have a vastly different appreciation for the rod now? Simply put, I have learned to cast better, and to allow the rod to do the work rather than trying to force it to do what I want it to. Sounds a bit like my golf game, though I will admit I haven’t found any Sage golf clubs yet with that sort of result. I guess I will stick to fishing. After making this realization, the light bulb came on. Just like anything else, as you gain more experience, more muscle memory and more time behind the tool, you develop a more consistent and precise motion. For fly fisherman, they call this your casting stroke, and it is different for everyone.

Think back to when you first started fly fishing and maybe went to your first casting clinic, whether a formal one with the club or an impromptu meeting with Bruce behind the Tackle Box. As you first started, he may handed you three different rods to cast and see what you think. You then either made up some excuse about which one you like best, or admitted that you really couldn’t feel much difference between them. To really feel a difference, you would have needed to cast an old fiberglass rod, an early generation graphite rod and a newer technology graphite rod, all with vastly different feels. You simply didn’t have the time behind the wheel to notice the subtle differences. Fast forward after five years of fly fishing regularly and then take the same casting clinic. You would then start to notice even subtle differences between the rods, noticing some feel heavier, some feel softer, some are smoother, etc. Some fit your stroke, some don’t. The general motions we all make are the same but the subtle difference between each of our movements can cause big changes and generate enough demand for manufacturers to build a variety of rod types. Why else would rod companies offer a million and one different types, weights, lengths and actions for their rods?!?

This same theory can be applied to all sorts of gear, whether it be rods, reels, lines, leaders, boots, kayaks, paddles, sunglasses, vests or whatever else we use fly fishing. We will all have different preferences that suit our uniqueness. And this will change with the amount of experience you obtain. Some of us will like certain brands, some will go for feel, some for longevity and warranty and some will go for pricing. On the latter, once you find the perfect piece of gear that suits you perfectly, price is irrelevant (within reason). I will admit, some of the gear we like has a large price tag attached to it. Certain items are worth the extra money with the benefits they offer, some are simply charging for the brand name. In general, the old adage “You get what you pay for” holds true with the better known fly fishing brands. You can pay a lot now for quality gear and be totally satisfied with it or you can pay less several times and hope to be happy with it. Sometimes the former is required, sometimes the latter will suffice. Sometimes the budget overrides all of the above. Ask your fishing buddies and other club patrons what they think about certain gear or if they have tried it. Then, go try it for yourself and see how it fits you personally.

As your monthly challenge, the next time you are fishing with a friend, see if they will swap some of their gear for yours to try out for the afternoon or even a few minutes. Try out their rod and reel. Swap reels and try a different line. Borrow their sunglasses for an hour. Paddle their kayak around for a while. (Just remember to be courteous, some will be open to the impromptu field testing, some may not.) You may be stunned with your new discovery or you may beg for your own gear back. But, you will never know until you try it out. Try to swap with someone who is about equal to you in experience and try to find someone who is above your level. That will often help you improve and will also let you know if you are ready for the next step up in gear.

Once you find the perfect fit, you can visit one of the local fly shops or kayak shops knowing what you want to buy. If you find the perfect rod and want some adventure, go see Dennis and have him walk you through building one. Remember, when you find the perfect fit, the gear you buy will be something you will be extremely happy with and want to keep for a lifetime.

See you on the water!