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Many of us are looking forward to this Saturday and the first-ever New Orleans Fly Fishing Expo at the new Deutsches Haus on Bayou St. John in New Orleans. Hope you are too!
Hosted by the New Orleans Fly Fishers Club, this event will feature seminars, exhibitors, casting instruction, fly tying demos featuring many of the best tiers from across the region, kayak demos courtesy of Masseys Outfitters, and even some unique activities such as an “Outdoor Writers Roundtable” and a “Iron Fly Tying” competition. For more details, see our previous post or go to www.neworleansflyfishing.com.
Fly Fishers International and the FFI Gulf Coast Council will have a table at the Expo. Joining us will be Tom Logan, Chairman of Fly Fishers International. Tom will also be addressing the Expo that morning. At the booth we’ll be taking questions, and talking about FFI programs. The GCC has some exciting things planned and this will be the first public opportunity to share them.
The Expo will feature a few fundraising activities, some to raise money for charities such as Casting For Recovery. One of those fundraisers is being sponsored by the FFI Gulf Coast Council, to raise money for the St. Micheal Fly Fishing Club. This is a school club at St. Micheal High School in Baton Rouge, one of few school-based fly fishing clubs in the nation. With a membership of over 22 students, it was the subject of a recent article on the Louisiana Sportsman website. Click here to read about the St. Micheal High School club.
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Highlighting the donations in the draw is a framed limited edition print by Fred Hannie. Hannie is a nationally-renown, award-winning realistic tier, artist, instructor and author. His flies have been featured in various publications, such as Fly Tyer magazine. He is also Vice-President of the FFI Gulf Coast Council and it’s Fly Tying Chairman. He is also a member of the FFI Fly Tying Group.
Fred will be donating two framed limited-edition prints to the Expo. One will go into the GCC Fundraiser. They both feature his artwork along with one of his signature flies. One print is that of a speckled trout, the other of a warmouth sunfish. Each is valued at several hundred dollars.
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The draw will also feature a slightly-used TFO Axiom II 9-foot, 8-weight rod donated by Glen ‘Catch’ Cormier. It comes with the TFO case. Used only on two occasions, the rod brand new sells for $349. It’s Temple Fork Outfitter’s premium rod for saltwater and bass, very light in the hand and with zero swing weight.
There may be other items as well. The 1st winner will get to pick from the items on that table. The 2nd winner will get to pick from the remaining items, and so on.
The GCC is also coordinating individual donations to the St. Micheal club. We’re hoping for the club to be a great success and be the model for other such school-based clubs in our Council.
So come to the Expo this Saturday! Have a great time with other members of the fly fishing community on the Gulf Coast. Bring your money, check, credit card, and help some great causes while taking a chance to win some great prizes, including some one-of-a-kind items. And don’t forget to stop by the FFI-GCC booth and say hello!
