Red Stick Day

29th annual Red Stick Day
A celebration of fly fishing

Saturday, March 9, 2024
8:30am - 3:30pm
Waddilll Wildlife Refuge
4142 N Flannery Rd, Baton Rouge

FREE admission!

Red Stick Day is our annual fly fishing festival.   Whether beginner or expert, there's something for everyone!

Activities include:
- Programs
- Fly Tying Demonstrations
- Casting Demonstrations and lessons
- Kayak Demos
- Free refreshments
- Fishing on premises
- Jambalaya lunch available
- Raffles
- Admission is FREE!

GOOGLE MAP LOCATION - CLICK HERE!


Fly tying begins at 8:30am and continues through the day. Some of the region's top fly tiers will be on hand.

There are free refreshments during the day.  A lunch prepared by award-winning Jambalaya cook Ken Holmes will be provided for a nominal cost. Then there's the big raffle and Gamblers Draw for flies, tackle, equipment, and other items that help benefit the club's education and conservation projects.

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Schedule

8:30 am - doors open
9:00 am - Fly Tying & Exhibitors - Main Room
9:00 am - Kayak Demos - East Pond - courtesy of Masseys Outfitters
9:30 am - Fly Casting Basics - West Pond - Roger del Rio
9:30 am - Fly Fishing for Smallmouth - Front Hall - Dave Barron
10:30 am - Casting Coaching - Outdoors
10:45 am - Jambalaya Challenge: Multi-species Fishing - Front Hall - Brian Roberts
12:00 am - Lunch - available on premises *
12:45 pm - Gamblers Draw
1:00 pm - Finer Points of Fly Casting - Front Hall - Jim Lanasa
1:00 pm - Casting Coaching - Outdoors
2:30 pm - Raffle Draw
3:30 pm - Adieu and see ya'll in 2025!
 
* Lunch is $10.  Includes award-winning jambalaya, salad and drink.

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2024 Presenters

Dave Barron
Dave has been teaching casting for 38 years, and guided fly fishing trips in Alaska, Arkansas and now fishes his home waters in the Driftless Region in Wisconsin. Dave became an FFI MCI in 1993 and now serves on the FFI Casting Board of Governors. He is also a mentor for upcoming instructors both virtual and in person. Aside from fly fishing Dave is an avid hunter and dog trainer.  Dave will be presenting on "Fly Fishing for Smallmouth Bass".


Jeff Ferguson
Jeff earned his MCI credential in 2016, and now serves on the FFI Casting Board of Governors.  He grew up fly fishing the Louisiana marshes and cypress-infested lakes of central Louisiana. Later while living on Lake Calcasieu he experienced great marsh fishing for redfish and trophy speckled trout. After two hurricanes he relocated to Lafayette Louisiana. He continues to learn new places to fish and help share his teaching passion..


Roger del Rio
Roger is a founding member of RSFF, and a longtime Fly Fishers International (FFI) Certified Casting Instructor. He's been fly fishing saltwater for nearly 40 years and holds several state fly rod records. Roger will lead a session in basic fly casting.


Brian Roberts
Brian is an excellent fly tier, and well-rounded angler. He enjoys chasing sunfish in local creeks and lakes, redfish in the Louisiana marsh, trout in Colorado, and smallmouth in Arkansas. He chronicles his adventures on www.downsouthflyfishing.com. He'll be presenting on the "Jambalaya Challenge: multi-species opportunities in Louisiana and surrounding states".



Dr. Jim Lanasa
Jim is a founding member of the Red Stick club, one of its earliest casting advocates and instructors. He has many decades of fly fishing, fly tying, and rod building experience. A retired otolaryngologist involved in the most complex of surgical specialties, he's fished from Montana to Alaska to New Zealand and many other destinations, but equally enjoys chasing bream and bass on nearby lakes.  He'll be presenting on "The Finer Points of Fly Casting".

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 2024 Featured Tiers

Kevin Andry - Baton Rouge, LA. Award-winning music director at St. Micheal HS, Kevin also mentors the school fly fishing club. He loves kayak fishing & ties some amazing deer hair bugs. 

Ron Braud - Prairieville, LA.  Nationally-renown for his “Stippled Poppers” – elaborately detailed poppers that fish as great as they look. Ron has been featured in books and magazines, and was recognized with Fly Tying Lifetime Excellence by the FFI Gulf Coast Council. 

Kenneth Breaux - Dequincy, LA.  Past President of the Contraband Fly Casters, he loves fishing for bass, bream and crappie using the proven patterns he ties. 

Dirk Burton - Baton Rouge, LA. A nationally-recognized fly tier, Dirk specializes in woven patterns for panfish. His creations have been featured in various magazines.

Ron Foreman - Lake Charles, LA.  Past president of Contraband Fly Casters, Ron is an annual invited tier to Sowbug Roundup. He enjoys fishing from the Louisiana saltwater marshes to Arkansas Ozark rivers.

Scott Irwin - Bossier City, LA. Past president of North Louisiana Fly Fishers, Scott loves fishing for all species but ties some very effective trout flies.

Mike Jackson - New Orleans, LA. Mike is president of the Gulf Coast Fly Tyers.  He makes some very effective poppers for bass, bream, and saltwater, as well as beautiful Clouser Minnows.

Kyle Moppert -  Baton Rouge, LA. Past president of RSFF and the FFI Gulf Coast Council. He ties a variety of excellent flies, but his best known for his “Rusty Sparrow”.

Marc Pinsel - Hammond, LA.  Creator of the 4M baitfish and a master of wool flies, Marc has tied at shows across the US and Europe and is 2014 recipient of the FFI Charles Brooks award.

Steve Oliver - Shreveport, LA – Winning the 2017 annual Rio Fly Fishing Rodeo reflected his passion for targeting a wide variety of species.  His flies are successful for both bass and panfish.

Flip Siragusa - Lafayette, LA.  Flip is president of the Acadiana Fly Rodders. He ties a wide variety of flies, but his epoxy spoon fly and version of the Triangle Bug are absolute fish killers!


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Casting Instruction

Throughout the day, we’ll have casting instruction on the West Pond. With three FFI Master Certified Casting Instructors and three Basic Certified Instructors on hand, we’ll have some of the best casting instruction for all levels throughout the day.  

In addition, Roger del Rio will give a presentation on "Fly Fishing Basics" and Dr. Jim Lanasa will give a program on the "Finer Points of Fly Casting". 


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Casting Games

RSFF Casting Chair Felipe Martinez will supervise our first-ever  “Fly Casting Games” during the event. Here’s your chance to test your casting skills!  And if you need an area for improvement, there'll be no shortage of FFI Certified Casting Instructors on hand to help!




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Kayak Demos

We're excited to have Massey's Outfitters back with us this year.  The good folks at the Baton Rouge location will be on hand to show off their latest boats and give attendees an opportunity to test paddle these boats.  If you've ever wondered why kayak fishing has exploded over the past 10 years, try it out and you'll see why!



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