Late last week, we learned of the passing of former Gulf Coast Council board member Brooks Bouldin. Brooks was a legend in Texas fly fishing circles. A former real estate developer, he started the Anglers Edge fly shop in Houston. In 1976 co-founded the Texas Fly Fishers club of Houston and later the San Gabriel Fly Fishers. For nearly five decades, Brooks taught thousands the art of fly fishing, from casting to tying flies. He was also instrumental in getting several Texas guides their start. Brooks was also very active in Reel Recovery, the program which helps men with, or recovering from, cancer to learn fly fishing as a therapeutic leisure activity.
As a tier, he created several patterns, including his marketed line of poppers known as BetterBugs. His best known flies are the Brooks Shrimp, the Carabou Slider, the Brooks Crappie Fly and the Brooks Redfish Popper, which is featured in Chico Fernandez’s book, “Fly Fishing for Redfish”.
At one point, Brooks was co-owner with John Hannah of the E.F. Payne Rod Company. He was featured in numerous magazine articles and several books, including “Fly Fishing the Texas Coast”.
From it’s formation in 2006 to November of 2016, south Texas was part of the Gulf Coast Council. In the beginning, Brooks was instrumental in getting Texas clubs to sign up with the GCC, assuring the 10 club minimum needed for council status. Later he joined our board, and helped in organizing two of our club expos, a.k.a. “conclaves”, in New Braunfels (our most successful and well attended event to this date) and the following year, in San Antonio. Brooks also organized a months-long raffle for the GCC, with a week for two at the High Lonesome Ranch in northwest Colorado. The raffle generated several thousand dollars for the council.
Glen ‘Catch’ Cormier, co-founder and first president of the GCC described Brooks as “one of the most likeable and most professional persons I’ve dealt with in any organizational capacity”.
Brooks is preceded in passing by his wife, Judy, and survived by his sons, Brian and Brad, their wives, and five grandchildren. He will be deeply missed by all who knew him.
