Fly Swap #2 for 2018!!!

We will be hosting another club fly swap. The theme for the 2nd fly swap of 2018 will be Dry Flies! Get in on the fun, and choose your favorite Dry Fly pattern to tie!  Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced fly tyers are all welcome to participate. The deadline to sign-up will be at the at the  fly tying meeting on Thursday, April 12th. The swap will take place on Thursday, May 10th.  Please let A.J. Rosenbohm, Joe Bandera or Sean Gilthorpe know if you want to participate and what fly you will tie, and you will be added to the list of participants. We will limit the swap to twelve participants.  

City Park Big Bass Rodeo Results

These are the results of the City Park Big Bass Rodeo.  This comes from the City Park Big Bass Rodeo and Fishtival Facebook page.

THE "OFFISHAL" RESULTS ARE IN. Congrats to all our 2018 rodeo winners!

Boats on the Bayou

Trashbash
1st Place - Jackson Lavarine wt. - 0.19
2nd Place - Ryan Schellhaas  wt. - 0.18
3rd Place - Ryan Schellhaas wt. - 0.15

Trout
1st Place - Jon Carter - wt.1.68

Bass
1st Place - Kaye Florane Award - Jon Carter - wt. 3.89
2nd Place - Frank Roth - wt. 1.75
3rd Place - Kevin Metz - wt. 1.66

Battle for the Bass
1st Place - Team Cabrini Caster - Cabrini High School - New Orleans, LA - wt. 3.58
2nd Place - Team Brother Martin #1 - Brother Martin High School - New Orleans, LA  - wt. 3.39
3rd Place Team Reel Men - Fontainebleau Jr. High School - Mandeville, LA - wt. 3.21

Big Bass Rodeo
Cichlid & Bream Trim - Team Event
1st Place - Team Camo - wt. 5.87
2nd Place - Team Cichlids Rule Everything Around Me - wt. 4.17
3rd Place - Team Stop, Drop & Reel - wt. 2.52

Fly Fishing- Bass
1st Place - Jody Coyne - wt. 0.71
2nd Place - Charles Roccaforte - wt. 0.52
3rd Place - Carter Sanchez - wt. 0.47

Champions Challenge
1st Place - Damien Frey - wt. 3.15

Junior Anglers
1st Place - Michael Joseph - wt. 0.38
2nd Place - David Haydel - wt. 0.32
3rd Place - Caleb O'Neal - wt. 0.31

Junior Angler - Bass
1st Place - Paul Kalman Award - Nicholas Foley - wt. 2.86
2nd Place - Brook Ritter - wt. 2.45
3rd Place - Layla Milloit - wt. 2.00

Bass - Adult
1st Place - Joe Courcelle Award - James Leman - wt. 5.46
2nd Place - Justin Landry - wt. 5.16
3rd Place - Douglas Blanda - wt. 4.17

The Big Year Leaderboard Update - 3/25/18

David Karcher's Rio Grande Cichlid entry

Another week has come and gone in the month of March.  Although this week was relatively slow with regards to new entries, I believe this is due to the City Park Big Bass Rodeo and Fishtival, which many members attend and fish.  With that said, there were some noteworthy entries this week.  David Karcher solidifies his 2nd place position with his Rio Grande Cichlid.  Urbain Breaud gets on the board with both Largemouth and Spotted Bass entries.  Jimmie Hyatt entered a Largemouth Bass.

Urbain Bread's Largemouth Bass entry

Here are the current standings, with the list of species caught, and the date and time of the respective angler's 1st entry, which serves as the tie breaker for purposes of this tournament:

1. Chuck Miller (Largemouth Bass, Bluegill, Redfish, Speckled Trout) 3/1/18 @ 6:09pm
2. David Karcher (Largemouth Bass, Bluegill, Spotted Bass, Rio Grande Cichlid) 3/2/18 @ 7:19pm
3. Jimmie Hyatt (Largemouth Bass, Bluegill) 3/1/18 @ 9:28am
4. Sean Gilthorpe (Largemouth Bass, Bluegill) 3/1/18 @ 5:05pm
5. Brian Karcher (Largemouth Bass, Bluegill) 3/2/18 @ 7:21pm
6. Joe Bandera (Largemouth Bass, Bluegill) 3/8/18 @ 7:11pm
7. Grady Jackson (Largemouth Bass, Bluegill) 3/17/18 @ 8:17pm
8. Urbain Breaud (Largemouth Bass, Spotted Bass) 3/23/18 @ 7:56am
9. Ray Baltz (Bluegill) 3/17/18 @ 8:31am

Jimmie Hyatt's Largemouth Bass entry

Also, just as a reminder:
Please be sure to submit all CPR entries to nolaffc@gmail.com so we can track them more accurately.
Remember, it isn't the size of the fish that's important, it's the diversity of fish species that will determine the winner.
The time of 1st entry will be the tie-breaker (in the event it is needed).
Most importantly, have fun!

Urbain Breaud's Spotted Bass entry

The Big Year is off to a great start!  I can't wait to see everyone's catches in the upcoming months.  If you haven't had the opportunity to pickup a stamped tournament ID card, please let either myself, A.J. Rosenbohm, or Jimmie Hyatt know so you can participate in The Big Year!  Please take advantage of this tournament, and use it as an opportunity to catch fishes you normally don't pursue within the FFI Gulf Coast Council region.

General Membership Meeting - 3/22/18

The March General Membership Meeting will take place March 22nd @ 7pm in The Crab Trap Room.  Here are a few points of interest.

The main topic of discussion will be the City Park Big Bass Rodeo and Fishtival!  If you haven't participated in the Rodeo before, this is a great opportunity to learn more about the oldest freshwater fishing tournament in the United States!  In addition to this presentation, the New Orleans Fly Fishers will also present a box of flies to the City Park Big Bass Rodeo representative.  These flies will be raffled at the Rodeo.  Click on the link for more information on the City Park Big Bass Rodeo.

Jon Sedlacek will also be joining us.  Mr. Sedlacek will have a variety of flies, mostly trout and saltwater flies, available for purchase. 

We will be starting another fly swap in the near future.  The theme for this fly swap will be Dry Flies!  If you're interested in joining the fly swap, or if you'd like to learn more about fly swaps, please contact either myself, A.J. Rosenbohm, or Joe Bandera.  Participation will be limited to the first 12 members who sign up.  The deadline to join the swap will be the April 12th.  The exchange of flies will take place May 10th.  Fly swaps are a great opportunity for fly tyers of all skill levels to have fun and improve their tying skills.  We encourage all who are interested, beginners and intermediate, to participate.

Also, The 2018 Big Year CPR Tournament is well underway.  We encourage you to share your experiences so far with the tournament!  This a great chance for you to pursue fish you may not have otherwise pursued.  If you haven't received a stamped photo ID card, there will be cards available at the General Meeting.   

Finally, please be sure to either bring $1 or a fly for the end of meeting fly raffle.

The Big Year Leaderboard Update - 3/18/18

Chuck Miller's Speckled Trout Entry

As the 3rd weekend of March passes, so does another weekend of The Big Year.  Again, the weather made for challenging fishing conditions, but there were still some nice fish caught!  While most of the species caught were all freshwater, we did see the first saltwater species entered for The Big Year 2018!  Chuck Miller made his entries for Redfish and Speckled Trout this weekend.  On the freshwater side, there was quite a bit of activity!  Ray Baltz (Bluegill) and Grady Jackson (Largemouth Bass, Bluegill) made their first entries for The Big Year, while David Karcher made his entry for Spotted Bass.

Grady Jackson's Largemouth Bass Entry

Here are the current standings, with the list of species caught, and the date and time of the respective angler's 1st entry, which serves as the tie breaker for purposes of this tournament:

1. Chuck Miller (Largemouth Bass, Bluegill, Redfish, Speckled Trout) 3/1/18 @ 6:09pm
2. David Karcher (Largemouth Bass, Bluegill, Spotted Bass) 3/2/18 @ 7:19pm
3. Sean Gilthorpe (Largemouth Bass, Bluegill) 3/1/18 @ 5:05pm
4. Brian Karcher (Largemouth Bass, Bluegill) 3/2/18 @ 7:21pm
5. Grady Jackson (Largemouth Bass, Bluegill) 3/17/18 @ 8:17pm
6 Jimmie Hyatt (Bluegill) 3/1/18 @ 9:28am
7. Joe Bandera (Largemouth Bass) 3/8/18 @ 7:11pm
8. Ray Baltz (Bluegill) 3/17/18 @ 8:31am

Ray Baltz's Bluegill Entry

Also, just as a reminder:
Please be sure to submit all CPR entries to nolaffc@gmail.com so we can track them more accurately.
Remember, it isn't the size of the fish that's important, it's the diversity of fish species that will determine the winner.
The time of 1st entry will be the tie-breaker (in the event it is needed).
Most importantly, have fun!

Chuck Miller's Redfish Entry

The Big Year is off to a great start!  I can't wait to see everyone's catches in the upcoming months.  If you haven't had the opportunity to pickup a stamped tournament ID card, please let either myself, A.J. Rosenbohm, or Jimmie Hyatt know so you can participate in The Big Year!  Please take advantage of this tournament, and use it as an opportunity to catch fishes you normally don't pursue within the FFI Gulf Coast Council region.

Fly Tying - 3/15/18

The next Fly Tying session will be held this Thursday at 7pm, in the St. Francis Xavier Parish Center.  This will not be a class, as we will be tying flies for a box we will be donating to the City Park Big Bass Rodeo.  Flies tied should be patterns that can be used for bass, bream, and cichlids.  If you need any particular fly tying materials for the flies you'll be tying, please be sure to notify Joe Bandera.  Click on the link below to see a map to the Parish Center.

St. Francis Xavier Parish Center

The Big Year Leaderboard Update - 3/11/2018

Sean Gilthorpe's entry for Largemouth Bass.

As the 2nd weekend of March passes, so does another weekend of The Big Year.  Although the weather made the fishing challenging, there were still some fish caught.  Similar to last week, the species caught were all freshwater.  Sean Gilthorpe, Brian Karcher, and Joe Bandera each made their entries for Largemouth Bass, while Chuck Miller made his entry for Bluegill.

Chuck Miller's entry for Bluegill.

Here are the current standings, with the list of species caught, and the date and time of the respective angler's 1st entry, which serves as the tie breaker for purposes of this tournament.  

1. Sean Gilthorpe (Largemouth Bass, Bluegill) 3/1/18 @ 5:05pm

2. Chuck Miller (Largemouth Bass, Bluegill)  3/1/18 @ 6:09 pm
3. David Karcher (Largemouth Bass, Bluegill)  3/2/18 @ 7:19 pm

4. Brian Karcher (Largemouth Bass, Bluegill) 3/2/18 @ 7:21pm

5. Jimmie Hyatt (Bluegill) 3/1/18 @ 9:28 am
6. Joe Bandera (Largemouth Bass) 3/8/18 @ 7:11pm

Brian Karcher's entry for Largemouth Bass.

Also, just as a reminder:
Please be sure to submit all CPR entries to nolaffc@gmail.com so we can track them more accurately.
Remember, it isn't the size of the fish that's important, it's the diversity of fish species that will determine the winner.
The time of 1st entry will be the tie-breaker (in the event it is needed).
Most importantly, have fun!

The Big Year is off to a great start!  I can't wait to see everyone's catches in the upcoming months.  If you haven't had the opportunity to pickup a stamped tournament ID card, please let either myself, A.J. Rosenbohm, or Jimmie Hyatt know so you can participate in The Big Year!  Please take advantage of this tournament, and use it as an opportunity to catch fishes you normally don't pursue within the FFI Gulf Coast Council region.

NOFFC New Club Cards

The updated NOFFC club cards have arrived. The cards include the new FFI logos, as well as the web address for the club's website. Many members carry these cards to give to anyone interested in joining the club, or wanting to get more information about the club.  The New Orleans Fly Fishers Club have experienced great success in the past using these card as a networking and recruiting tool.  Please see A.J. Rosenbohm if you would like some of the new cards to share with others.  

The Big Year - Leaderboard Update!!!

Jimmie Hyatt got things started with the tournament's 1st entry (Bluegill)!!!

Well, the moment we've all been waiting for has arrived!  The Big Year CPR Tournament is upon us!  The official beginning of the tournament was March 1st, and we've seen a fair amount of activity on the 1st weekend of the tournament.  Jimmie Hyatt kicked things off with the 1st entry of the tournament with a Bluegill!

David Karcher's Largemouth Bass entry!  Remember, The Big Year isn't about the size, but the diversity, of species caught!!!

All entries consisted so far have consisted of Largemouth Bass and/or Bluegill, with most fish being caught in City Park.  The weather was beautiful this past weekend, and it looks like it will continue for the upcoming week, as well!  Here are the current standings, with the list of species caught, and the date and time of the respective angler's first entry:

1. Chuck Miller (Largemouth Bass, Bluegill)  3/1/18 @ 6:09 pm
2. David Karcher (Largemouth Bass, Bluegill)  3/2/18 @ 7:19 pm
3. Jimmie Hyatt (Bluegill) 3/1/18 @ 9:28 am
4. Sean Gilthorpe (Bluegill) 3/1/18 @ 5:05  pm
5. Brian Karcher (Bluegill) 3/2/18 @ 7:19 pm

Chuck Miller's 1st entry (Largemouth Bass)!

The Big Year is off to a great start!  I can't wait to see everyone's catches in the upcoming months.  If you haven't had the opportunity to pickup a stamped tournament ID card, please let either myself, A.J. Rosenbohm, or Jimmie Hyatt know so you can participate in The Big Year!  Please take advantage of this tournament, and use it as an opportunity to catch fishes you normally don't pursue within the FFI Gulf Coast Council region.

Brian Karcher's 1st entry (Bluegill)

Just as a reminder:
Please be sure to submit all CPR entries to nolaffc@gmail.com so we can track them more accurately.
Remember, it isn't the size of the fish that's important, it's the diversity of fish species that will determine the winner.
The time of 1st entry will be the tie-breaker (in the event it is needed).
Most importantly, have fun!

Sean Gilthorpe's 1st entry (Bluegill)