JUNE 

Saturday, June 22^nd – Living Waters’ 11th Year Anniversary Party

It been 11 years y’all!!!  Come join us Saturday, June 22^nd for our 11th Year Anniversary as your local fly shop!  Doors open at 9:00 A.M. with Round Rock Donuts/Coffee!  There will be a special prize drawing at the close of the day as well – details below.  Chris’ dad will have the smoker going and a FREE BBQ lunch will be served at 12:00 P.M. — If you have had Chris’ dad’s BBQ before, you know it will draw a crowd so get here early!

Event Schedule:

9:00 A.M. – Doors Open/Coffee/Round Rock Donuts

12:00 P.M. – BBQ Lunch is Served

6:00 P.M. – Doors Close / Prize Drawing Ends

11th YEAR ANNIVERSARY PRIZE DRAWING
Here’s the prize drawing works: Every customer that walks through our doors gets a free raffle ticket to place in the prize drawing of their choice, and for every $10 that you spend in the shop on June 22^nd, you get an additional ticket to place in the drawing of your choice! We will draw the winning tickets at 6 P.M. after we close.  You DO NOT have to be present to win!  Come see us Saturday, June 22^nd to help us celebrate 11 years as a fly shop, and possibly win big too!  We look forward to seeing you all at the event!  Call the shop at (512) 828-3474 if you have any questions about the event.

Wednesday, June 26^th – Fly Tying @ Living Waters

We have now divided our fly tying night into three distinct skill levels– Beginner, Intermediate, and Roundtable.  We eat dinner at Pok-E-Jo’s BBQ in Round Rock at 6:00 P.M. and then meet back at Living Waters at 7:00 P.M. for fly tying.

Beginners – We supply materials, tools, vises, and instruction for the Fly of the Night.

Intermediate – We provide materials and instruction for the Fly of the Night.  You bring your vise/tools.

Roundtable – You bring your own stuff and tie whatever you wish.

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Beginner Level Fly:  BC Streamer

Intermediate Level Fly:  Smitherman’s Marabou Sculpin

Saturday, June 29^th – Introduction to Fly Fishing

FREE OF CHARGE AND NO REGISTRATION REQUIRED

Event Schedule:

9:00 A.M. — Doors Open/Round Rock Donuts/Coffee

9:30 A.M. — Introduction to Fly Casting
(Traditional and Tenkara)
We’ll be kicking things off with a casting class catered towards beginners. Join us for a clinic on the basic principles of fly casting. Casting traditional and tenkara fly rods will be demonstrated and discussed, with plenty of interactive learning opportunities!

11:00 A.M. — Basic Rigging for the Hill Country
(Traditional and Tenkara)
This presentation will explain the how’s and why’s behind rod, reel, and line selection for fly fishing our local waters. We’ll also discuss the advantages and disadvantages of different fly line tapers, and show you the knots you need to get rigged up and ready to fish!

2:00 P.M. — Local Hot Spots – Llano River, San Gabriel River, Brushy Creek, and more!
We did this presentation back in May, and it was a big hit. Come find out where, how, and when to fish our local fishing hot spots. We will be giving a presentation on multiple hill country rivers and will discuss fishing techniques and flies according to each river. After this presentation you can consider yourself to be armed and dangerous from a local fly fishing standpoint! If you’re new to the area, this is a presentation you won’t want to miss!

6:00 P.M. — Doors Close

July

Wednesday, July 3rd – Fly Tying Night @ Living Waters

We have now divided our fly tying night into three distinct skill levels– Beginner, Intermediate, and Roundtable.  We eat dinner at Pok-E-Jo’s BBQ in Round Rock at 6:00 P.M. and then meet back at Living Waters at 7:00 P.M. for fly tying.

Beginners – We supply materials, tools, vises, and instruction for the Fly of the Night.

Intermediate – We provide materials and instruction for the Fly of the Night.  You bring your vise/tools.

Roundtable – You bring your own stuff and tie whatever you wish.

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Beginner Level Fly:  Elk Hair Caddis

Intermediate Level Fly:  TBD

Thursday, July 4^th – FLY SHOP CLOSED FOR HOLIDAY

Saturday July 6^th – Fly Fishing Southern Colorado

Presenter:  Chris Johnson

From browns to cutthroats, Chris will show you where to go and how to catch them!  Bring your map/atlas and Chris will mark some of his favorite creeks and streams for you to try out.  Trip planning, fly patterns, and a packing list will all be covered.  The pictures in this presentation alone, will make you want to point your fly fishing compass west!  Bring something to take notes with, because names and places will be flying all over the place!

Event Schedule:

9:00 A.M. – Doors Open/Coffee/Round Rock Donuts

10:00 A.M. – Fly Fishing Southern Colorado:  Where, When, and How

6:00 P.M. – Doors Close

Wednesday, July 10^th – Fly Tying Night @ Living Waters

We have now divided our fly tying night into three distinct skill levels– Beginner, Intermediate, and Roundtable.  We eat dinner at Pok-E-Jo’s BBQ in Round Rock at 6:00 P.M. and then meet back at Living Waters at 7:00 P.M. for fly tying.

Beginners – We supply materials, tools, vises, and instruction for the Fly of the Night.

Intermediate – We provide materials and instruction for the Fly of the Night.  You bring your vise/tools.

Roundtable – You bring your own stuff and tie whatever you wish.

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Beginner Level Fly:  Foam Beetle

Intermediate Level Fly:  TBD

Saturday, July 13^th – Black Bass Diversity in Rivers of the Southern USA: Conservation and Angling Opportunities

Guest Presenter: Tim Birdsong

Rivers of the southern USA are biologically diverse and contain more than 1,800 species of fishes, mussels, and crayfish. More than 500 of those are found nowhere else in the world. Of the 10 species of black basses formally described by fisheries scientists, seven are endemic to the southern USA: Guadalupe Bass, Shoal Bass, Redeye Bass, Florida Bass, Alabama Bass, Choctaw Bass, and Suwannee Bass. Other unique forms of black bass also occur in the region that have yet to be formally described, such as the Ouachita Smallmouth Bass and Neosho Smallmouth Bass (found in streams of eastern Oklahoma) and the Devils River Bass, which is a morphologically unique form of black bass that occurs in tributaries of the Rio Grande in Texas and Mexico. With the exception of Florida Bass, the various described and undescribed forms of black basses native to the southern USA are adapted to live in flowing waters, with habitat requirements similar to those of the official state fish of Texas, Guadalupe Bass. In an effort to focus and coordinate actions to conserve riverine populations of black basses, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and other member organizations of the Southeast Aquatic Resources Partnership (https://southeastaquatics.net/) joined together to form the Native Black Bass Initiative (NBBI). Established in 2010, the NBBI has implemented large-scale stream habitat improvements, conducted surveys and research to fill critical science gaps, and reintroduced native black basses to multiple rivers. Conservation efforts have focused on the Savannah River (SC), Flint River (GA), Chipola River (FL), Llano River (TX), Pedernales River (TX), and Blanco River (TX). This presentation will profile the diversity of black basses found in the southern USA and highlight related stream fishing opportunities. The presentation will also profile contests and challenges developed to promote the diversity of black basses in the region, such as the B.A.S.S. Slam, Georgia Bass Slam, and recent prize promotions on the South Llano River (TX) and San Gabriel River (TX).

Tim Birdsong is a conservation biologist with the Inland Fisheries Division of Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Since 2009, Tim has coordinated efforts to restore Guadalupe Bass throughout its native creeks and rivers of central Texas. In addition to ongoing efforts to preserve intact populations of Guadalupe Bass in Brushy and Gorman creeks and the Pedernales and lower Colorado rivers, Tim and colleagues successfully restored Guadalupe Bass to the South Llano River, Blanco River, and Mission Reach of the San Antonio River. Efforts to restore Guadalupe Bass to the namesake Guadalupe River are ongoing, along with efforts to assess the status of Guadalupe Bass in the San Gabriel River. Future directions include assessing the status of native Guadalupe Bass populations in Cibolo Creek and the upper San Antonio and Medina rivers, and assessing the status of introduced, refuge populations of Guadalupe Bass in the Nueces, Frio, and Sabinal rivers. In recognition of these and other efforts to conserve Texas rivers and native freshwater fishes, Tim and colleagues have received a variety of awards including the 2014 National Fish Habitat Award from the National Fish Habitat Partnership, 2015 Texas Parks and Wildlife Conservation Award, 2016 Dr. James A. Henshall Warmwater Fisheries Award from Fly Fishers International, 2016 Sport Fish Restoration Outstanding Project Award from the American Fisheries Society, and 2019 Outstanding Team Award from Texas Parks and Wildlife. Tim serves on various local, statewide, regional, and national advisory councils and committees, including the National Fish Habitat Science and Data Committee and as chair of the Native Fish Conservation Network. Tim is also past chair of the Southeast Aquatic Resources Partnership and Great Plains Landscape Conservation Cooperative. He has a M.S. in Fisheries and Coastal Sciences from Louisiana State University, a B.S. in Biology from Southeastern Oklahoma State University, and a Certificate in Nonprofit Management from the University of Texas at Austin.

Event Schedule:

9:00 A.M. – Doors Open/Coffee/Round Rock Donuts

10:00 A.M. – Black Bass Diversity in Rivers of the Southern USA: Conservation and Angling Opportunities

6:00 P.M. – Doors Close

Wednesday, July 17^th – Fly Tying Night @ Living Waters

We have now divided our fly tying night into three distinct skill levels– Beginner, Intermediate, and Roundtable.  We eat dinner at Pok-E-Jo’s BBQ in Round Rock at 6:00 P.M. and then meet back at Living Waters at 7:00 P.M. for fly tying.

Beginners – We supply materials, tools, vises, and instruction for the Fly of the Night.

Intermediate – We provide materials and instruction for the Fly of the Night.  You bring your vise/tools.

Roundtable – You bring your own stuff and tie whatever you wish.

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Beginner Level Fly:  Wooly Bugger

Intermediate Level Fly:  TBD

Saturday, July 20^th – DIY Alaska: Fishing Alaska without Breaking the Bank

Presenter:  Chris Johnson

We used to think that Alaska was a 10K bill per person…well, we were wrong!  While going on a guided trip to Alaska has many distinct advantages, we will show you how to fish your way through the Kenai/Anchorage area on a tight budget.  This presentation is story rich and picture heavy, with plenty of time for Q&A.  Bring a notepad and pen!

Event Schedule:

9:00 A.M. – Doors Open/Round Rock Donuts/Coffee

10:00 A.M. – DIY Alaska:  How to fly fishing Alaska without breaking the bank

6:00 P.M. – Doors Close

Wednesday, July 24^th – Fly Tying Night @ Living Waters

We have now divided our fly tying night into three distinct skill levels– Beginner, Intermediate, and Roundtable.  We eat dinner at Pok-E-Jo’s BBQ in Round Rock at 6:00 P.M. and then meet back at Living Waters at 7:00 P.M. for fly tying.

Beginners – We supply materials, tools, vises, and instruction for the Fly of the Night.

Intermediate – We provide materials and instruction for the Fly of the Night.  You bring your vise/tools.

Roundtable – You bring your own stuff and tie whatever you wish.

——————————–

Beginner Level Fly:  BC Streamer

Intermediate Level Fly:  TBD