Rendezvous – a fly tying tradition continues!

Posted on September 12, 2025 by Catch Cormier

North Toledo Bend Rendezvous
Friday-Sunday, Oct. 31 – Nov. 2, 2025
North Toledo Bend State Park, Zwolle, LA

Fall is finally here and that means it’s time for Rendezvous! This annual event is a casual gathering with no organized activities. Everyone is welcomed to come fish, tie flies, watch some of the region’s tying fly tiers, or do some casting on the lawn in front of the meeting hall. The overnight accomodations are CHEAP and there’s always lots of food!

For those unfamiliar with this event, it began 36 years ago when members of the Pineywoods Fly Fishers and North Louisiana Fly Fishers met at the state park to camp and fish. The following year, the clubs decided to rent the group facility. Since then, fly tiers and other fly fishing enthusiasts from across several states – along with their families – have gathered for a weekend of fly tying and fishing with only a minimal fee to cover lodging and meals. Some are members of clubs, some are not. Rendezvous is open to all!

The excellent facilities at North Toledo Bend State Park are ideal for a Fall weekend fly tying retreat. Activities take place at the park’s group facility, which features a commercial kitchen and dining hall, and lodging available for up to 150 people in 5 heated log bunkhouses (30 beds each). There’s also a heated central shower and restroom building with nice night lighting on all the sidewalks.

There are no organized activities. Everyone is welcome to come fish, tie flies, watch some of the region’s top fly tiers, or just partake the great scenery. You can come for the day or the entire weekend. If you come as a family, the rate for the entire weekend for the whole family or individual is just $40 which includes lodging. For one night lodging, the fee is $20 and for day only the fee is $10.

For complete details, go to the Toledo Bend Rendezvous website at flycasting.bravesites.com

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Enter to win a dream trip – and help a great cause!

Posted on September 8, 2025 by Catch Cormier

Exciting news!  At their recent meeting, the GCC Board of Directors voted unanimously to become a benefactor for Casting for Recovery – Southeast Regional Chapter.  This means providing whatever assistance we can for this great organization that helps support women who are battling, or survivors of, breast cancer. 

Casting for Recovery is holding a “Dream Adventure Sweepstakes” – an all-inclusive trip for 2 to Alaska’s Anvik River Lodge. The trip includes a five-nights, complete with private charter flights, guided fishing, lodge accommodations, gourmet meals, and more!

* When purchasing tickets, enter the code “SOUTH” for 20 percent more entries. The code also helps our supporting chapter in their efforts. *

Best of all, your donations help to make an impact on the lives of women who have breast cancer, or have survived breast cancer, by bringing them together in oncology-informed retreats held on the water. Through fly fishing, shared experiences, and nature, CfR provides healing that medicine along can’t offer.

To learn more about CfR, and the CfR Sweepstakes, go to www.castingforrecovery.org.

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Fall 2025 Gulf Streamer now online

Posted on September 1, 2025 by Catch Cormier

The Fall 2025 edition of The Gulf Streamer, the newsletter of the Gulf Coast Council of Fly Fishers International, is now available to the public online.

CLICK HERE to download (2.8mb, PDF format).

This issue was initially sent out to all GCC members via email on August 20th. If you are an FFI member in good standing and did not receive that email, please check with the FFI Office to insure your email address is correct.

In this issue:

  • Why tough fishing calls for confidence flies
  • How to tie the Mickey Finn Deceiver
  • Meet our new Women Connect director
  • Reasons why fly fishing is a great retirement option
  • We spotlight an amazing member of the GCC
  • It’s always Sunfishy in Philadelphia, MS
  • Recipients of the 2025 GCC Achievement Awards
  • Casting enthusiast? Go for the Gold, Silver, or Bronze
  • Two versions of an amazing fish story

and more!

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Put your saltwater tying skills to the test!

Posted on August 28, 2025 by Catch Cormier

David Buckner, GCC Fly Tying Director, wishes to remind all our members that the new Saltwater Fly Tying Skills Award (SWFTS) program not only offers tiers a chance to test their expertise, but also take advantage of some excellent benefits.

The Saltwater Award Program is similar to the “traditional” fly tying skills awards (Bronze, Silver, Gold) managed by the Fly Tying Group (FTG) of Fly Fishers International in that it provides FFI members the opportunity to develop or reinforce their fly tying skills and test their progress against a consistent standard. The Saltwater Award Program supplements the FFI Fly Tying Skills Award Program by focusing specifically on saltwater flies.

At the initiation of the program earlier this summer, J. Stockard was announced as the official partner for the FFI Skills Award Program. Here’s what is being offered:

  • The first ten tiers to successfully complete the new Saltwater Award will each receive a $100 J. Stockard gift card.
  • For anyone starting the Skills Award program – a 20% discount on tying materials. If you are tying flies to submit for a Bronze, Silver, Gold, or Saltwater Skills Award, you are eligible for the 20% discount.

J. Stockard has even made it easy for those pursuing the SWFTS award. They’ve created a streamlined page so you can find exactly what you need. Many thanks to J. Stockard for supporting the legacy of fly tying.

Upon successful completion of the program, tyers will receive an FFI Saltwater Fly Tying Skills Award Certificate, a FFI Saltwater Fly Tying Skills Award Pin, and the accomplishment will be recognized in the Whip Finish Journal and on the FFI website.

Program Requirements

Click image to enlarge

Participants must be an FFI member and an FTG member. You can join FFI and FTG at the time you pay for the Award application. To receive the Award and recognition, it is necessary to follow the instructions outlined in “Instructions to the Saltwater Award Participant” found on the Skills Award webpage (link below).

Participants are required to present THREE examples of each fly pattern for EIGHT out of the TEN patterns listed that you may choose from. Prior to this, you must contact a Saltwater Award Evaluator (“Evaluator”) to confirm their availability to evaluate your flies. Get the mailing address of the Evaluator. All approved Evaluators are listed on the website.

Throughout the process of the Saltwater Award Program, the Evaluator is your contact person if there are questions or items of concern to the tyer. Tyers are encouraged to communicate with the Evaluator at any time. It is also suggested that tyers look at the Saltwater Fly Tying Award Program Evaluation Form found on the website and become aware of what the Evaluators will be evaluating and fully understand the evaluation and scoring process.

Summary

The goal of the Saltwater Award Program is to encourage FFI members to develop and improve their fly tying skills at their own pace through a structured learning plan. It’s meant to be informative, enjoyable, and encourage camaraderie and cooperation amongst those taking part.

For complete details of the program, CLICK HERE.

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Mark your calendar for these Fall events

Posted on August 18, 2025 by Catch Cormier

We often think of late Winter and Spring as prime time for fly fishing events. But here in the South, Fall can be just as active. Here are some activities taking place in the next three months of interest to GCC members.

Sept. 20 – Flies & Pies Fly Tying Event, Natchitoches. Casual fly tying event hosted by the ArkLaTexOma Fly Tiers. It’s the same weekend as the world famous Meat Pie Festival so there’ll be plenty of activities for non-fishing person in your life (if they come along). For more info, go to www.arklatexomaflytyers.com.

Sept. 25 – 27 – FFI FlyFest, Grand Rapids MI. Fly Fishers International will hold their first in-person event since 2019, featuring seminars, workshops, vendors and exhibitors, and some of the top fly fishing experts and tiers from across the country. Advanced registration is strongly encouraged. For more info, go to  www.flyfishersinternational.org/FlyFest.

Sept. 27 – National Hunting and Fishing Day. NHFD is recognized by Congress as the last Saturday in September each year. Several states hold festivities, including Louisiana. LDWF holds celebrations at four venues statewide. Admission is free. There are hands-on activities for all ages, plus exhibits, food, and more. The Woodworth and Baton Rouge venues have fly fishing and fly tying supported by local clubs. For details, go to www.wlf.louisiana.gov.

Oct. 4 – Rio Grande Rumble. Hosted by the New Orleans Fly Fishers, it’s the oldest freshwater fly fishing tournament in the South. The target species is the rio grande perch, the only cichlid native to the United States, but an invasive to Louisiana. Pre-registration is now open, and onsite registration is available. Weigh-in and other activities will be held at No Wake Outfitters in Metairie. For details and to pre-register, visit the NOFFC website at www.neworleansflyfishers.com

Oct. 31 – Nov. 2 – Toledo Bend Rendezvous, North Toledo Bend State Park, Zwolle, LA. A tradition for over three decades, fly tiers and other fly fishing enthusiasts from across several states – along with their families – gather for a casual weekend of fly tying and fishing with only a minimal fee to cover lodging and meals. Some are members of clubs, some are not. Rendezvous is open to all!

There are no organized activities. Everyone is welcome to come fish, tie flies, watch some of the region’s top tiers, or tie themselves. You can come for the day or the entire weekend. If you come as a family, the rate for the entire weekend for the whole family or individual is just $40 which includes lodging. For one night lodging, the fee is $20 and for day only the fee is $10. For details, go to the Toledo Bend Rendezvous website at flycasting.bravesites.com.

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To keep up with all these events, please routinely check our Calendar Page, or follow us on Facebook. If your club has an event open to the public, send us the details and we’ll add to the Calendar and promote here.

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Registration for Rio Rumble now up

Posted on August 6, 2025 by Catch Cormier

16th Annual Rio Grande Rumble
Saturday, October 4th, 2025
Start: 7:00am (first light for pre-registered)
End: 12:30pm (weigh-in)
Event site: No Wake Outfitters
1926 Airline Drive, Metairie, LA
$25 entry fee, includes lunch and refreshments

Hosted by the New Orleans Fly Fishers Club, a charter club in the GCC, the Rio Grande Rumble is the longest running freshwater fly fishing tournament on the Gulf Coast. Target species is the Rio Grande cichlid. This native of south Texas has become widespread in extreme southeast Louisiana and is considered invasive. For fly anglers, it’s an opportunity to put their skills up against a wary species that “fights like a wet cat”.

All entry fish must be caught on flies and fly tackle. Categories are “Longest Rio” and “Most Rios Caught”. Net proceeds from the tournament go to Casting For Recovery.

The rodeo is open to all fly anglers. Registration deadline is 8:00am on October 4th. Both onsite registration and weigh-in will be at No Wake Outfitters in Metairie. There will also be a Zoom seminar on fishing for the Rio Grande Cichlid. Date and time of the online seminar will be announced shortly.

For complete details, including tournament rules, and to register online, go to the NOFFC website at www.neworleansflyfishers.com.

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Presentation of menhaden bycatch study now online

Posted on July 30, 2025 by Catch Cormier

At their July meeting, the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission were presented the results of a comprehensive study on the bycatch of the commercial Menhaden (pogey) fishery.

The study was conducted by LGL Ecological Research Associates, and was directed by the Louisiana Legislature after growing concern that the industry might be signficantly  impacting spawning-size red drum. Only last year, the recreational limit on redfish was modified to reduce the harvest numbers, after a stock assessment showed declines in the spawning biomass.

LGL looked at the three steps of bycatch processing on pogie boats.

  • Rollover – fish that remain in the net and are released over the net, or which are restricted by an excluder device at the front of the pipe hose.
  • Chute – fish that go through the pipe, but are caught by an excluder grate that sends them down a release chute.
  • Retained – fish are not excluded or removed. They get processed along with menhaden.

Much of the presentation dealt with the various measures that LGL took to insure that geospatial, time of year, and other sampling factors were thorough and complied with models. Other measures included placing bycatch from rollover and chute fish into holding tanks to determine their viability and release status. As a testament to LGL’s efforts, all parties – commercial and recreational – agree the study was very well done.

In a nutshell, rollover bycatch had very high survivability, with mortality rates very high for chute bycatch, and obviously, 100 percent for retained bycatch.

The sampling was expanded to the entire number of sets for year 2024 to obtain the total estimated bycatch. Of species to interest of anglers, Rollover bycatch was 26,752 redfish, 18,680 black drum. Chute bycatch for red drum was 17,841 and 6,957 for black drum. Retained bycatch was 8,354 red drum, and to everyone’s surprise, 240,368 spotted seatrout. There were also 80 million croaker and 24 million sand trout retained. As mentioned, any fish retained were processed as product.

Much has been made about 25,000 redfish killed by menhaden fishing (chute + retained) over a year. LDWF pointed out that this represents “only” 9.9 percent of the total harvest (recreational + commercial bycatch). For many conservationists, who had to settle for regulations that will require 26 years for spawning numbers to reach the 30 percent conservation standard, “only 9.9 percent” is no relief whatsoever.

The one bit of good news is that, starting for 2025, new excluder devices were used that greatly reduce the number of chute bycatch. And to a lesser extent, moving the harvest a quarter-mile further should see – according to the LGL studies – a slightly lower number of redfish taken in the nets.

Another concern to conservationists is the number of speckled trout that are killed. Of the quarter million trout killed as bycatch, nearly all are spawning-size individuals. Croaker and sand trout – also game species, but less popular – are way too high as well. It may be impossible to exclude these species with current technology.

Then there’s the issue of menhaden itself – “the most important fish in the sea”. Can we continue to harvest such incredible amounts of this food source utilized by so many predator species? We no longer see the “football” reds and specks that were so very common along our beaches in summer and fall. Skinny fish tell the story!

On July 28th, Dr. Scott Raborn and Dr. Lewis Naisbett-Jones of LGL gave an abbreviated presentation on their bycatch study to the Kisatchie Fly Fishers club. As custom, KFF meetings are filmed and available on their YouTube channel. To watch the presentation, go to:

https://youtu.be/bXbFmkdls4I?t=904

Presentation starts at the 15:04 mark.

Posted in Conservation | Comments Off on Presentation of menhaden bycatch study now online

GCC announces 2025 Achievement Awards

Posted on July 22, 2025 by Catch Cormier

Since 2007, the Gulf Coast Council has annually recognized individuals and clubs for their efforts to promote and advance fly fishing, fly tying, conservation and community within the GCC.

Each award recipient will receive a personalized mug with their name and award. The mug features an abstract of a redfish tail. It makes for a great ornament on bookshelves or coffee tables, or for use in enjoying hot beverages.

The list of nominees and their achievements will also be published in the Summer issue of our newsletter, The Gulf Streamer.

Fly Fisher of the Year – Roger Apperley

Awarded to an individual whose dedication to the sport has been exemplary, and whose contributions have benefitted one or more aspects of the fly fishing community.

Roger is a past officer of Mississippi Coast Fly Fishers and current tournament director of Gulf Coast Fly Fishers. Roger and his wife Nina has been highly supportive of fly fishing tournaments, with an eye for conservation. He’s also received the FISHES certification. He has tagged numerous redfish, speckled trout, and tripletail over the past years, with several recaptures. As well an advocate for science-based fisheries. Roger is a strong believer in promoting and sharing fly fishing, assisting new members, and routinely offers neophytes an opportunity to fish with him.

Excellence in Conservation – William Strickland

Recognizes an individual, club or group that has made outstanding contributions to the conservation of our fisheries resources and/or their habitats.

An avid flyfisher, William played football under Nick Saban at Alabama, which prepared him for the tough battles that often come with being an advocate of conservation. As Executive Director of Mobile Baykeeper, this past year he led the fight against a Corps of Engineers project to spill dredge the Mobile Bay ship channel – a project with potential devastating impact to all fisheries and the overall health of the bay. But more than just oppose, Baykeeper proposed an alternative that would use the spoil material to rebuild wetlands lost to storm erosion. Though the war is not yet won, the USACE knows they have a large public outcry to deal with, thanks to his efforts!

Excellence in Education – David Rogers

Honor bestowed upon an individual that has excelled in teaching one or more elements of our sport to others (e.g., fly casting, fly tying, rod building, fly fishing techniques).

David took over the role of Fly Tying Chair for Red Stick Fly Fishers in January 2024, and has greatly revitalized tying interest and attendance. He also took on a leadership role for a monthly independent, casual tying night at a local brewery (Flies & Flights). David is always willing to assist beginners, sharing tips for getting started and tying basics. He also promotes tying on the club’s social media pages.
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