FFI Gulf Coast Council

At their August meeting, the FFI Gulf Coast Council board of directors unanimously approved the appointment of George Norton to the board. George fills the seat vacated by Jeff Deuschle. George will also serve as Secretary on the GCC Board.

George lives in Pensacola, Florida, with his wife Janie. He’s an active member of the Fly Fishers of Northwest Florida, serving on their board as Secretary. Previously, George and his family lived in Baton Rouge and Little Rock, where he was a member of the Red Stick Fly Fishers and Arkansas Fly Fishers, respectively. As a member of RSFF, George served on their board as Warmwater Chair and originated and organized the club’s annual outings to Lake Concordia.

George is a well-traveled fly angler, having fished across North America from Alaska to Argentina. His current passion is fishing the emerald waters of the northwest Florida coast for a wide variety of species, from bonita to bull reds.

We are very excited to have someone of George’s experience. He will be a strong voice of representation for the eastern sector of our council. Please welcome George to the GCC board!

As is the case each July, the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation has released it’s Special Report on Fishing. The 2019 Report will be part of the “State of the Industry” presentation at this week’s ICAST in Orlando, Florida. It contains results from a comprehensive survey which targets angler participation in the previous year (i.e., the 2019 report covers 2018 participation) in the United States.

RBFF works with the Outdoor Foundation and a variety of market research and consulting firms in compiling the survey. The survey contains detailed information and trends on fishing participation by gender, age, ethnicity, geographic region and more.

The report also breaks down the participation by types of fishing, including fly fishing. And here, there’s good news! Continuing a trend that began in 2010, fly fishing remains on the rise in America.

“Fly fishing has the fewest participants, but the number and percentage of participants has been increasing the most. Since 2016, the participation rate has increased by an average of 3.7 percent, and the number of fly fishing participants has jumped by an average of 4.5 percent.”

“Also encouraging for fly fishing, the category had the highest rate of first-time participants. In 2018, 17.4 percent of participants were new to the category. In 2018, the number of fly fishing participants increased to 6.9 million participants, which was an all-time high for the activity.”

By region, the highest number of fly anglers was in the South Atlantic (Maryland to Florida). Roughly 18.5 percent were from this region. Other top regions were Pacific (WA, OR, CA – 18.2 percent), Middle Atlantic (PA, NY, NJ – 15.2 percent), East North Central (WI, MI, IL, IN, OH – 12.5 percent) and West South Central (TX, LA, OK, AR – 11.4 percent).

Other continuing trends of fly fishing participation of the last decade continued in 2018. Greater female participation, growing Hispanic participation, and a growing youth movement. In fact, the age group 25-34 now accounts for 19.1 percent of fly anglers in the U.S., with age group 35-44 second with 15.7 percent.

More evidence that fly fishing is strong among younger anglers – less than 25 percent of current fly fishers are 55 years or older. This is the lowest percentage of senior fly anglers in a decade.

Another interesting statistic from the survey was the level of participation among fly anglers. Over 98 percent identified themselves as either “avid anglers” or “would like to fish more”. This indicates that the interest among participants is very strong and not likely to lose interest in the foreseeable future.

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries reminds all sportsmen that all 2017-2018 recreational fishing licenses will expire on June 30, 2019. Licenses for the 2019-2020 seasons are now available for purchase and are valid from the date of purchase until June 30, 2020.

Licenses can be purchased in several ways: (1) online at https://la-web.s3licensing.com, (2) at local license vendors, and (3) at LDWF offices in Baton Rouge, Opelousas, Lake Charles, Pineville and Monroe. Acceptable methods of payment made online are Visa, Mastercard, and Discover.

A new system implemented in 2018 allows license holders to reprint copies of their license during the year at no charge, create login information, and eventually an option to auto-renew online.

The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources is reminding Alabama and non-resident anglers that recreational licenses expire August 31st. Licenses for the 2019-2020 season will be available starting on August 1st.

There are three methods of purchase: (1) online sales system, (2) license agent, and (3) ADCNR local offices. You must show proof of residency to qualify for resident annual licenses. Your social security number is also required (Federal law).

Like with Louisiana, Alabama license holders can reprint their current valid license as a PDF file.

For more info, go to www.outdooralabama.com.

Yesterday, Fly Fishers International (FFI) announced that Patrick H. Berry has been named as the organization’s new President and Chief Executive Officer. The announcement ended a months-long effort to select an individual that can bring world-class leadership and organizational experience to FFI.

Berry brings over 27 years of experience in the environmental conservation field, having come to FFI from the Vermont Community Foundation where he served as Vice President of Philantrophy. Berry also is a former Commissioner of the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department, and is recognized for his efforts to increase department revenue through private contributions, capital appropriations, and other venues. Previously, he served as Developmental Chair for Vermont Law School, where he successfully implemented a $15 million capital campaign.

An avid angler and hunter, Berry began his career as a fly fishing guide. He also tied flies commercially.

For more details about our new CEO, including comments by Mr. Berry and FFI Chairman Tom Logan, go to the FFI News Page.