Live from the Super 8 in Athens Texas
Thanks to those of you who made it out to the Texas Freshwater Fishery, in Athens, TX, today, and those of you who attended my lecture on carp – I know from as far away as Denton, TX. I know it was a long way to go, and from here it looks like you may have had to battle some weather on the way back home. We’re still waiting for it to arrive here in Athens.
We don’t have that weather here yet, but the threat of weather certainly appeared to make a dent in overall attendance today.
I managed to fly through my presentation on carp (too fast perhaps), and get to two other topics that were burning a hole in my mind; new ways of photographing your fish, and skin protection. I know a little something about both. The photography of fish has certainly taken a visual turn, one that has pretty much been dictated by magazines, and common sense, and the topic of skin is one that has gained interest for me because the warning bells are going off when it comes to malignant melanoma and ways of preventing this growing cancer problem.
The great thing about my presentation was that it dovetailed nicely with Rey Ramirez’s talk (right before mine) on saltwater fishing in the Lower Laguna Madre. It was a fantastic opportunity to spend time with Rey, and spending numerous hours with someone from the Valley makes me long for my real home waters. Besides that, I was able to compare his red fishing to the carp fishing I do, and point out to listeners how similar they are and what a great tuneup carp are for redfish.
These topics will have reams, wait we don’t use reams anymore … megs written about them in coming weeks and months.
The other event that has been woven into the hourly fabric of this weekend is the ongoing meetings here in Athens – of the newly formed Texas Council of Federation of Fly Fishers. I am learning a lot about how clubs work, how they see clubs, and essentially a new (re)organization in its infancy. I am pleased to say that such a young and inexperienced (club / organization) member such as myself, is being listened to when it comes to attracting youth to fly fishing and the role of digital resources in getting information out to members and potential members. Much of the information that makes an organization like the IFFF a valuable resource for bringing in new, young fly fishers into the sport was surprising to me, and mostly because the national website does a pretty good job of hiding it on their site. Ouch.
HEAD EAST
The more I am in this part of Texas, the more I know I have to come back OFTEN, and fish it. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: There’s water everywhere out here. And it doesn’t hurt that Athens and Tyler are still on this side of the Pine Curtain. All this talk is a precursor to a more pronounced and public emphasis on fishing eastern waters – why, where and how. So get ready for that!
MORE TO COME – I will run some photographs from today’s events Sunday or Monday, so stay tuned, and get ready because with these last storms coming through now, I want to officially say – SPRING HAS SPRUNG.
Category: Events, Industry, Life Observed, TECHNICAL, Technique, Texas Fly Fishing Club
