Cane Country Fly Casters

February meeting change, future meetings

2012-02-12T13:04:00.000-08:00

Our February meeting will be Monday 13th instead of Tuesday (Valentine Day conflict). Location has also changed for this month, we will be at Westside Baptist Church, Family Life Center. Time 6:30pm. WSBC has been kind enough to let us use the gym for casting so bring your rods. Steve Lee will demonstrate and instruct
the double haul cast We will meet at Westside Baptist Church, located on the Natchitoches By-Pass next to NSU Complex.

Our March meeting will be on Tuesday 13th at our usual location, NSU Middle School Lab. Bill Huegel will be our guest speaker, his program is "Fish Senses, what they see, taste, smell, hear and feel". It will be a great program. Bill has given this presentation to many clubs and conclaves.

Our April meeting will be April 10th. It'll be a cookout at Cliff Conine's, 1150 Miller Farm Rd, Natchitoches. Time is 6:30pm. More details to come.

Cane Country Fly Fest II is coming!

2012-02-12T12:56:00.000-08:00

Mark your calendars for May 5th. CCFF2 will be downtown Natchitoches on Cane River all day Saturday, May 5, 2012. We will have casting demonstrations, speakers, tiers, door prizes and vendors. More information will follow as we continue to plan for this event.

2012 Dues Reminder

2012-02-12T12:52:00.000-08:00

2012 Dues are due! Annual membership in Cane Country Fly Casters is $25 Family, $20 Individual. Make check payable to CCFC and mail it to 915 3rd Street, Natchitoches, LA 71457 (please disregard this reminder if you have already paid).

Fly Festival Season Is Here

2012-01-31T07:59:00.000-08:00

There are many events taking place within 6 hours of Natchitoches that members may be interested in. These events feature programs, fly tying, casting, and much more to enhance and improve our skills as fly anglers. They include:

Dr. Ed Rizzolo Fly Tying Fest - Sat, February 4 - Houston, TX
Little Mo Fly Fest - Sat, February 17-19 - Murfreesboro, AR
Acadiana Conclave - Sat, February 25 - Lafayette, LA
Red Stick Fly Fest - Sat, March 3 - Baton Rouge, LA
Fly Fish Texas - Sat, March 10 - Athens, TX

Our own "conclave" is in the planning stages for sometime in May. Stay tuned.

November meeting at Natchitoches Fish Hatchery

2011-11-04T06:49:00.000-07:00

Cane Country Fly Casters next meeting
November 8, 2011 - 6:30pm
Location: Natchitoches Fish Hatchery
Special Program: Please note this month our meeting will be held at the Natchitoches Fish Hatchery instead of NSU Middle Lab School. Tony Brady, Propogation Biologist for the US Fish and Wildlife Services will be our guest speaker. Tony specializes in pearl mussels and will give an informative and interesting program about the importance of the pearl mussel in fresh water food chain.
Seating is limited, so please RSVP!

21st annual Toledo Bend Rendezvous - Nov. 4-6

2011-10-14T07:08:00.000-07:00

This year's 21st gathering of fly tyers known as The North Toledo Bend Rendezvous will be held November 5-7 at the Group Lodge of North Toledo Bend State Park, near Zwolle, LA. CCFC members and other flyrodders are welcome to attend. Situated on the shores of Toledo Bend Lake, this facility has a lodge with a large stone fireplace on one end and a full commercial kitchen and serving facilities on the other, 5 sleeping dormitories, and a centrally located (clean) bath house with hot showers! Unlike an FFF or club conclave, where you sit and watch tyers demonstrate their skills and abilities, this event was designed for tyers to “tie with” their friends and to share tying techniques with others of all skill levels, from beginner to expert. Many of the regulars are FFF conclave tiers, and come from five or more states. You can come alone, or bring the family. There's tying, casting, cooking, fishing, sightseeing, and much more. The family fee is $40 for the weekend or $20 for one day or night. Singles fee is $30 for the weekend, $15 for the day or night. That covers all meals, desserts, coffee, ice, and lodging for Friday thru departure on Sunday. You don't even have to pay the park fee or to launch a boat! But be sure to bring your own bedding, towels, drinks and at least one pot-luck type entree. For more details, contact Walter & Linda McLendon, 936-875-3726. Also check out Walter's Rendezvous article and map at the Piney Woods Fly Fishers website.

Contraband Fly Fishing Expo Sept 17

2011-09-15T09:26:00.000-07:00

Contraband Fly Casters 2011 Fly Fishing Expo
Saturday, September 17, 2011
9am - 4pm
Moss Bluff United Methodist Church
735 Sam Houston Jones Parkway
Moss Bluff, Louisiana
Fly Tying, Casting Demos, Lure Exhibits, Auctions / Raffles, Food and Refreshments, Equipment Displays and more! Public invited.
FREE ADMISSION!

The Contraband Flycasters Fly Fishing Club of Lake Charles, LA will hold its annual Fly Fishing Expo on Saturday, September 17, 2011, at the Moss Bluff United Methodist Church Community Center located at 735 Sam Houston Jones Parkway, in Moss Bluff. The event will open at 9:00 AM and close at 4:00 PM. Admission is free to the public. Lunch will be offered for a nominal fee. Cold drinks, coffee and snacks will also be available.
Head-lining the event will be Mr. Keith Richard from Breaux Bridge, LA, Master Certified Casting Instructor, and owner/operator of “THE CAMP FLY FISHING SCHOOL” also located in Breaux Bridge. Mr. Richard will be displaying his noted fly-casting techniques beginning at 9:30AM in the Community Center. He will then be available in the afternoon for individual coaching. Arrangements for one-on-one instruction with Mr. Richard can be made upon registration at the Expo Registration Desk on Saturday morning, on a first come, first served basis.

September 13 meeting - The Double Haul Cast

2011-09-12T09:25:00.000-07:00

CCFC September Meeting
September 13, 2011
6:30 pm
NSU Middle Lab
Program: Double Haul by Steve Lee
What to bring: Fast or moderate-fast rod in 5 to 8 weight with a slick, clean line
Hope to see you there...Sunny

See you folks in September!

2011-07-11T22:26:00.000-07:00

Hello Casters,
We will not have our regular meetings for the months of July and August. Many are out for vacations so we decided to take off until September.
I am preparing a news update on our Green Market Event that I will send out soon. I heard it was a great day and we owe many thanks to
club members for their help and especially to Friends of CCFC who helped make our day a success.
Stay cool and have a great summer.
Sunny

Cane Country Fly Fest / Green Market - June 18

2011-06-04T19:32:00.001-07:00

A celebration of fly fishing in conjunction with Green Market! Fly tying, casting, programs, canoe kayak demos and much more. Saturday, June 18 from 8:00am to 12 noon on the riverfront. Click on "Fly Fest" to get the details. Check back often!

June 14 Meeting - Cookout!

2011-06-04T18:25:00.000-07:00

Our June meeting will be a cookout at Burley's home. That's Tuesday, June 14, at 6:30 pm. We need a head count... so please call, text or email Burley 471-5049 or Sunny 471-6204. A brief agenda, fishing reports and the Fest that coming Saturday.

April Meeting - Tuesday 12th

2011-03-30T14:44:00.000-07:00

Mark your calendars for Tuesday, April 12th, 6:30pm. We are meeting on the River Bank downtown Natchitoches. Bring your rods for practice casting and to help each other out with new techniques, share our favorite flies and have some great hot-off-the-grill hotdogs. We may even be able to manage a little chilie to go along with the dogs.

Bring a couple $’s to offset the cost of "dinner". The Casters bank account is a little slim.
Bring a lawn chair!

I will also have extra CCFC caps, $12 each for members.......$18 for non-members. Please RSVP me so we'll have plenty of eats. We look forward to hearing from you……

Sunny. Email me or phone 471-6204 and 238-0010 if you plan to attend.

Fishing Report - Cane River and Black Lake

2011-03-22T12:22:00.000-07:00

Saturday, March 19, in the morning went to the lower end of Cane River Lake. The boat launch by the dam was closed, but was okay for kayaking. The water here was very clear, you could see several feet down. The bass - and some big ones, too - were swimming around the grass and near the docks. Bream everywhere were busting craneflies on the surface. A size 10 blue dun Stippled Popper landed a bunch, most too small to keep. But I did notice the bigger ones were sitting underneath, letting the small ones get to the bug. So I decided to switch to a bigger popper, BoogleBug size 8. That landed a few nice keepers.

The bream action then just stopped, so I picked up a 2nd fly rod loaded with a black Borger Down and Dirty Crab / Crawfish. In a span of four casts, two big goggle-eyes ate it. Then several minutes later, a small bass. Then a few minutes later, BASS-ZILLA hit the BDDC and an epic battle ensued. Couldn't keep the fish out the grass, tho. I finally pulled up about 10 pounds of grass, but with no bass inside!

That was the last bass I would catch for awhile. The pressure hit the 30.30 mark and the fish got lockjaw. Since it was a chamber of commerce type day, I took some time to do some photos of the river area. At each spot, I could see bass working the shorelines. I made it up to the mid-lake launch, and even there, with 60 boats having come, gone, and in/out, there were bass swimming around the launch area. Yet, nobody was catching. That told me it was time for lunch!

In the afternoon, I headed to Black Lake for bream. The landings were packed to the hilt with boat trailers as it was a full moon and the big sow bass were on the beds (that was the 'word'). Launched at Chandlers Landing, which is more kayak-friendly. I started with a jitterbee under a small strike indicator, but the bream came up and hit the indicator, so I switched to a size 10 black/chartreuse Wildcat. That's what I ended the day with. Caught about 3 dozen bream, some real nice, including a couple more goggle-eyes. Also 3 bass, two small ones, and one about 2 1/4 pounds. The lake water is very clear, and the grass is already up to the surface in many places.

Catch

March meeting Tuesday 15th

2011-03-11T07:52:00.000-08:00

6:30 PM NSU Middle Lab
Bring your latest fish stories, flys and vises.
I hear that Burley has a hot new fly that the bass are eating up and he's going to tie some for us. James and Steve are going somewhere this weekend....hope to have great stories from them. Some of the Casters are making plans to go to the Sowbug Festival.
Hope to see you all Tuesday night.
Sunny

March meeting moved to the 15th

2011-03-01T09:47:00.000-08:00

This month's meeting has been moved back a week to Tuesday March 15th due to Mardi Gras. Details on the meeting to come.

CCFC Monthly Meeting - February 8, 2011

2011-02-07T08:24:00.000-08:00

A reminder that the next monthly meeting of the Cane Country Fly Casters is Tuesday February 8th at 6:30pm at the NSU Middle Lab. For this meeting, Vic, Clyde, and Howard are bringing their vises and gear to tie their favorite flys...... Also, bring your gear, photos and stories of you latest fishing trips. Have the photos on CD or thumbdrive. Sunny will have a laptop available for your pics.

Also, we welcome aboard new member Howard Malpass. Howard is owner of Gray Wolf Fly Shop in Shreveport.

September 14 meeting: Fall Marsh Fishing

2010-09-01T12:05:00.000-07:00

Our next meeting will be at the NSU Middle Lab School at 6:00pm. Sandwiches and refreshments will be served. For September, our special guest speaker will be Glen 'Catch' Cormier, who will talk about Fall Marsh Fishing. Catch is webmaster for Laflyfish.com, writes the Fly Lines column for Louisiana Sportsman magazine, does the kayak fishing report for Outdoors with Don Dubuc, and has long been active in the Red Stick Fly Fishers, Federation of Fly Fishers, Coastal Conservation Association (CCA), and other organizations. He has created many flies and innovated several flyfishing techniques. He will share his "Cormier's Laws of Fly Fishing" and how they apply to fall marsh fishing. Plus show us lots of photos and even a few videos to get us excited about fishing this fall!