September 22nd meeting - Invasives in Louisiana

KFF general meeting
Monday, September 22, 2025

5:30 pm - casting on back lawn
6:30 pm - meeting begins
Rapides Westside Library, 5416 Provine, Alexandria
Also livestreamed on Zoom & YouTube

* For remote members, this meeting will be livestreamed on our ALTERNATE Zoom channel. Please use the link /ID / password sent to your email *

Join us this month as Rob Bourgeois, LDWF’s Aquatic Invasive Species Coordinator, joins us via ZOOM. Rob will present on aquatic invasive species in Louisiana - how they spread, their impact on native fish, and what we as anglers can do to protect our waters. He will also talk about his work on the LA Invasive Carp Management Program.

As always, the public is welcome! Remote members can participate using the Zoom meeting number and password sent by email. All others can watch on the KFF Alternate YouTube Channel - use this link and go to Live videos:  www.youtube.com/@kisatchieflyfishersalt   

Make plans now for Flies & Pies

ALTO Fly Fishing Fair
Saturday, September 20, 2025
8:00 am - 4:00 pm
First Baptist Church of Natchitoches Gym
508 Second St., Natchitoches, LA
FREE admission

Building on the success of last year's inaugural event, the ArkLaTexOma Fly Tiers group (ALTO) is holding their 2nd annual "Flies & Pies" tying event in conjunction with the Natchitoches Meat Pie Festival.  This year, the event will be held in a new location  just a couple blocks from the heart of the Festival - which is an attraction all to itself.

Along with some of the best fly tiers from across the region, the festival will have presentations including: Jerald Lewis on Fly Fishing for Bream, Burley Johnson on Creating Bass Poppers, and Mike Hawkins on Making Furled Leaders.  The new location has an outdoor casting area as well. So if you need a free casting lesson, or tune up, there will be two FFI Certified Casting Instructors on hand.

While this event is FREE to attend, the group will be taking up a Love Offering to present to First Baptist Church for the use of their facilities.

For more details, go to the ALTO website at www.arklatexomaflytyers.com .  Or check them out on their Facebook page (link)  

September 8th fly tying - Neon Icon

KFF monthly fly tying session
Monday, September 8, 2025
5:30 pm - casting practice 
6:30 pm - tying session begins
Rapides Westside Library, 5416 Provine, Alexandria
Also livestreamed on Zoom and YouTube

This month we'll tie the Neon Icon. This is one of the Space Coast Designer flies, and a top producer for the SCF folks for pompano and other surf species. The version we'll tie is adaptable to bass fishing. It should be noted that this fly has had good success on speckled trout in the Electric Chicken color, and on bass in the Tan color.   The heavy eyes get it down, and paired with the craft fur tail, give it great jigging action. It uses a very cool wireless brush for the body that makes is super-quick and easy to tie. The picture is of the pattern in the Pompano colors. 

As always, the session is open to the public. All materials are provided, and we have sets of tools for beginners to use during the session. For beginners, we can also pair you with someone who can help.

Remote members can participate using the Zoom meeting number and password sent by email. The video is also available on our YouTube Channel. Click this link and go to Live videos -
http://bit.ly/3oBk106

* Note: casting practice returns this month prior to the meetings, and continues until Daylight Savings Time ends * 

Register now for the Rio Rumble

16th annual Rio Grande Rumble
Saturday, October 4th, 2025
Start: 7:00am (first light for pre-registered)
End: 12:30pm (weigh-in)
Event site: No Wake Outfitters
1926 Airline Drive, Metairie, LA
$25 entry fee, includes lunch and refreshments

Hosted by the New Orleans Fly Fishers Club, the Rumble is the longest running freshwater fly fishing tournament on the Gulf Coast. Target species is the Rio Grande cichlid. This native of south Texas has become widespread in extreme southeast Louisiana and is considered invasive. For fly anglers, it’s an opportunity to put their skills up against a wary species that “fights like a wet cat”.

All entry fish must be caught on flies and fly tackle. Categories are “Longest Rio” and “Most Rios Caught”. Net proceeds from the tournament go to Casting For Recovery.

The rodeo is open to all fly anglers. Registration deadline is 8:00am on October 4th. Both onsite registration and weigh-in will be at No Wake Outfitters in Metairie. There will also be a Zoom seminar on fishing for the Rio Grande Cichlid. Date and time of the online seminar will be announced shortly.

For complete details, including tournament rules, and to register online, go to the NOFFC website at www.neworleansflyfishers.com.

August 2025 activities

KFF monthly fly tying session
Monday, August 11, 2025
6:30pm
Rapides Westside Library, 5416 Provine, Alexandria
Also livestreamed on Zoom and YouTube
Featured pattern: Tullis Wiggle Bug

This month we'll tie the Tullis Wiggle Bug, created by Larry Tullis. It's basically a woolybugger with a foam back and swim lip.  It's action has been described as "pops, spits water, dives, and moves side-to-side".  We learned of this foam pattern from biologist Darin Lee in his presentation to KFF on creek
fishing. It is one of his favorite patterns and effective on bass in creeks and lakes.

As always, the session is open to the public. All materials are provided, and we have sets of tools for beginners to use during the session. For beginners, we can also pair you with someone who can help.

Remote members can participate using the Zoom meeting number and password sent by email. The video is also available on our YouTube Channel. Click this link and go to Live videos -
http://bit.ly/3oBk106

August 16th - Summer Workshop

Check the post below for details. 

KFF general meeting
Monday, August 25, 2025
6:30 pm 
Rapides Westside Library, 5416 Provine, Alexandria
Also livestreamed on Zoom and YouTube
Meeting topic: Casting for Recovery

This month we have a very special guest and program. Susan Brooks is Program Manager for Casting for Recovery - Southeast Region. CfR is a national program for women in treatment or recovery from breast cancer. These retreats connect women to each other and to nature using the therapeutic sport of fly fishing, and are offered at no cost to participants. 

Susan will give a presentation on CFR, and the work they are doing across the Southeast. Susan - who lives in Starkville with her family - is herself is a breast cancer survivor who began volunteering with CFR after attending a Southeast Regional fly fishing retreat in 2018. She fell in love with fly tying and turned that passion into a business, Damselflies, where she sells (impressive) hand-tied flies. She is also a published author.

Please join us for this special program!  As always, this meeting is open to the public.  Remote members can participate using the Zoom meeting number and password sent by email.

Deadline for Summer Workshop approaching

KFF Summer Workshop 
Tying the Matt Bennett Originals - with Matt Bennett

Saturday, August 16, 2025
9:30 am to 1:00 pm
135 Riverfront St, Pineville, LA
Cost $40 participant  (limited to 12 tiers)

* If you are a 2025 paid member of KFF and did not receive an email with info on the workshop - and the link for registration - please email catchcoma@gmail.com asap! *

We are excited for the return of a club tradition - our Summer Workshop.  On August 16th, we welcome nationally renown fly tier Matt Bennett.  Matt is a member of the Umpqua Feathers Signature Fly Designer program, and the creator of such patterns as the Lunch Money, Carp-It Bomb, Rio Getter, and Jungle Lunch. Matt travels across the country sharing his patterns, and in 2015, was awarded the prestigious Charles E. Brooks Memorial Award by Fly Fishers International.

The workshop is currently open only to 2025 paid KFF members. Cost is $40 per student, with a maximum of 12 students. If more than 12 register, up to 8 more registrants can still attend and watch only with a reduced cost of $10.  If a tying seat opens up due to cancellation, the next person on the list can take their place and will be responsible for paying the full cost.  After August 11th, if any seats are still available, we'll open up to members of other FFI clubs. 

Materials and instruction will be provided to students. Students should bring their own vise, tools, and thread. Matt will let us know what color and denier thread we'll be using.  Refreshments will be provided.

July 28th meeting - Menhaden bycatch in Louisiana

KFF general meeting
Monday, July 28, 2025

5:30 pm - casting practice
6:30 pm - program
Rapides Westside Library, 5416 Provine, Alexandria
Also livestreamed on Zoom and YouTube

For our July meeting, we welcome Dr. Scott Raborn as our guest speaker.  Scott is Vice-President and Senior Fisheries Biologist with LGL Limited - an employee-owned environmental research and consulting firm. A graduate of Louisiana College (biology), and Mississippi State (Ph.D in Fisheries Science), Scott has been with LGL since 2007, where he has provided biometric support for several high profile fisheries research projects across the country.

LGL was selected by the LA Department of Wildlife and Fisheries to conduct research on the extent of bycatch by the commercial menhaden fleet. At the July meeting of the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission, Scott gave details to the scope of their research and the final results.  Of significance to the recreational community was the mortality rate of mature redfish. Many sports anglers believe that, in order for reduced stocks of redfish to make a rapid recovery, this mortality rate needs to be near zero.

Scott will give a shorter version of his LDWF presentation to the club. There will be plenty of time allotted for questions and answers.

As always, this meeting is open to the public.  Remote members can participate using the Zoom meeting number and password sent by email. 
 

July 14th fly tying - Basic Bass Popper

KFF monthly fly tying session
Monday, July 14, 2025
6:30pm
Rapides Westside Library, 5416 Provine, Alexandria
Also livestreamed on Zoom and YouTube
Featured pattern: Basic Bass Popper

We have tied various poppers in the past, but for our July session, we will use a pre-made soft-head popper body to explore the various elements and options for bass poppers that you can employ in your own flies. We will tie a size #4 that is similar to the picture.

As always, the session is open to the public. All materials are provided, and we have sets of tools for beginners to use during the session. For beginners, we can also pair you with someone who can help.

Remote members can participate using the Zoom meeting number and password sent by email. All others can watch on the KFF YouTube Channel, use this link and go to Live videos -
http://bit.ly/3oBk106