January 13th meeting - Lyle Johnson of LOWA

Our next general meeting will be on Monday, January 13, at the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries building on Quail Drive in Baton Rouge.  Time is 7:00pm.  Guests are welcome!

For January, our program will feature Mr. Lyle Johnson, who will give a presentation on the Louisiana Fish Records.  Lyle is president of the Louisiana Outdoor Writers Association and curator of the state fish records maintained by the LOWA.  The records include both Rod-and-Reel and Fly Divisions, and a top 10 listing is maintained for each species.

Lyle is also co-host of Ascension Outdoors TV Show, shown weekly on Eatel channel 4 and Cox 113 "The Pelican".  He is a freelance writer and also does a weekly column in the Gonzales Weekly Citizen and online at www.ascensionoutdoors.com.  You can follow him at "Ascension Outdoors" on Facebook.   

Rainbeaux trout have arrived!

Every year around Christmas, BREC does their annual stocking of rainbow trout in select ponds throughout East Baton Rouge Parish.  Last week, the trout arrived!  Stockings took place at Burbank, Perkins, Forest Park and Zachary Community Park.  Also new for this year, Ascension Parish has stocked their pond at Lamar-Dixon.

The best flies have been black or olive woolybuggers in sizes 10 and 12.  But once the trout get acclimated to the natural food items, a wide selection of flies will work, including parachute adams and black gnats.  Already the trout at Perkins Pond seem to be acclimating, as a good number have been caught-and-released on parachute adams sizes 14 and 16, mostly in the afternoon.

Rainbeaux trout are a coldwater species that can't survive our summer heat.  However, they provide terrific action - with lots of leaps - on winter days when native species are dormant.  As always, we recommend releasing these fish for now, and keeping them starting in February.  These trout can survive until late March or early April.  The more fish released now, the longer we can enjoy rainbeaux trout! 

2014 Calendar updated

There's lots of activities happening again in 2014.  We've already set the dates for most of our activities, and updated them on our CALENDAR page.  Also, other clubs and groups have set their dates thru summer, and those dates are also on our Calendar.  Here's a few Red Stickers might be most interested in:

- Dr. Ed Rizzolo Fly Tying Fest (Houston, Feb 1)
- RSFF Fly Fishing 101  (Feb 8)
- Little Mo Fly Fishing Fest (Murfreesboro, Feb 14-16)
- Red Stick Day (Mar 8)
- Acadiana Conclave (Lafayette, Mar 15)
- RSFF March Brown trip (Murfreesboro, Mar 22)
- RSFF Spring Concordia weekend (Apr 11-13)
- Paddlepalooza (Apr 11-12)
- Natchitoches Fishing Expo (May 3)
- RSFF Spring Catch-n-Eat (May 16-17)
- Grand Isle Weekend (June 27-29)

And many others not on this list.  Check the Calendar for updates.

December 16 Fly Tying at Orvis - Alex Beane

For December, the fly tying session is moved up a week to the 3rd Monday (due to the holidays).  The session will take place Monday, December 16, at the Orvis Company Store in Perkins-Rowe in Baton Rouge.  Time is 7:00pm.  The public is invited, and beginner tiers are welcome.  

Our featured tier will be Alex Beane, manager of the Orvis store. Alex started fly fishing at the age of 11 in upstate New York and never looked back. He spent nearly a decade managing a fly shop in Colorado and guiding there, then moved to Baton Rouge and worked for Backpacker.  He's a highly respected fly tier and an avid kayak angler.  We are blessed to have Alex as part of our club, and community!

Monday, December 9 meeting - Christmas banquet, Elections

The next meeting of the Red Stick Fly Fishers will be on Monday, December 9, at the LDWF building on Quail Drive in Baton Rouge. Time is 7:00pm - 9:00pm.

The December meeting is our annual Christmas Banquet and BOD elections for 2014.  In keeping with club tradition, this is a pot luck event - everyone is encouraged to bring a dish or supplement.  You may bring anything you like, but please inform Greg Brignac of your intentions by sending him an email. 
For example, we certainly would welcome two members bringing turkey.  But we would like to avoid having everyone bring meat and no veggies and no desserts.  Please check the Red Stick Fly Fishers FORUM on warmfly.com for a list of committed items.  That should help your decision.

Also, in lieu of real food, snacks and soft drinks will suffice. 

Nominations for 2014 Board of Directors

Members interested in holding one of the 11 positions on the BOD should contact Greg Brignac with your interest.  Positions include: President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, Fly Tying, Education, Events, Warmwater, Coldwater, Saltwater, Membership.