March

Saturday, March 31^st – INTRODUCTION TO FLY FISHING 

FREE OF CHARGE AND NO REGISTRATION REQUIRED – Bring a notebook/pen!

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 geared 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!
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

April 

Wednesday, April 4^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.

——————————–

Beginner Level Fly:  Brushy Creek Streamer

Intermediate Level Fly:  TBD

Wednesday, April 11^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.

——————————–

Beginner Level Fly:  Wooly Bugger

Intermediate Level Fly:  TBD

Thursday, April 12^th – Chris @ Fredericksburg Fly Fishers

Chris will be giving a presentation for the club’s monthly meeting.  More information about the Fredericksburg Fly Fishers club meetings and location can be found at www.fredericksburgflyfishers.com

Saturday, April 14^th – BRUSHY CREEK CLEAN UP / CRAWFISH BOIL

Every spring, we show some love to our home water!  Come join us as we do our part to keep Brushy Creek clean before our annual crawfish boil at the shop, immediately following the clean-up!  Maurice Larimore will be cooking up the mudbugs, so they are going to be fantastic as usual!  There is no charge to join us for the boil, if you helped with the clean-up, but donations are appreciated.

**If you plan on attending, please wear long pants and bring work gloves for the clean-up**

Event Schedule

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

9:15 A.M. – Clean Up Briefing/Equipment Distribution/Carpool

9:30 A.M. – Clean Up Begins

1:00 P.M. – Crawfish Boil

3:00 P.M. – Eat More Crawfish

6:00 P.M. – Doors Close

Wednesday, April 18^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.

——————————–

Beginner Level Fly: Elk Hair Caddis

Intermediate Level Fly:  TBD

Saturday, April 21^st – DESTINATION: ALASKA

Guest Presenter: Rus Schwausch of EPIC Angling and Adventure

Guest Presenter Rus Schwausch (pronounced “ss-wow-sh”) of EPIC Angling & Adventure will present on two fishing destinations-of-a-lifetime located on the Alaska Peninsula – Alaska Wilderness SAFARI and Alaska Wilderness OUTPOST.  Living Waters hosted a trip to OUTPOST in 2016 and is returning to OUTPOST this year! You can find out more about Rus and Epic at www.epicaaa.com – we can’t recommend him highly enough!

Event Schedule:

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

10:00 A.M. – Fly Fishing Alaska with Epic Angling and Adventure

Alaska Wilderness SAFARI, the more “sophisticated” operation, is written up in the book Fifty Places to Fly Fish Before You Die as “arguably the most isolated coastal fishing camp in Alaska and one of the best places in the world to pursue chrome-bright, ocean-fresh salmon.” But if you want, there’s a lot more to do than just fish. This eco-diverse destination also offers daily wildlife viewing, waterfall hikes, tide pools and beach combing, plus helicopter fly-out fishing during their “late” season when the silver salmon are running.

His second operation is Alaska Wilderness OUTPOST. It’s a rustic, early-season camp offering excellent small stream fishing for rainbow trout, grayling, king salmon and more. Short on frills, this program is for the die-hard fisherman focused on quality fishing rather than amenities. We fished here in 2016 and had a fabulous time! You can find out more about his operations at www.epicaaa.com.

2:00 P.M. – DIY Alaska:  How to fly fishing Alaska without breaking the bank

If you are flying to or from a lodge in AK, you will most likely stop through Anchorage at some point.  While 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.  In the event you go on an Alaskan cruise, or just have a couple of days to spend after a guided trip, this presentation will show you many places near Anchorage that make it easy to fly fish Alaska on your own!  The presentation is story rich and picture heavy, with plenty of time for Q&A.  Bring a notepad and pen!

6:00 P.M. – Doors Close

Wednesday, April 25^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., 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: Foam Beetle

Intermediate Level Fly:  TBD

Saturday, April 28^th –TEXAS SNAKE & AQUATIC INSECT IDENTIFICATION 

Presenters:  Tim Cole and Dakus Geeslin

Event Schedule:

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

10:00 A.M. – Texas Snake Identification / Tim Cole of Austin Reptile Service

Austin Reptile Service offers several types of programs in the greater Austin area, which center around education on Texas native reptiles. Tim Cole maintains a sizable collection of indigenous reptiles, including lizards, harmless snakes, as well as venomous species.  Many of the animals are used to express the ecological importance of reptiles, and how they benefit humans. Tim will also show commonly confused species side-by-side, including harmless water snakes next to cottonmouths, Mexican milk snakes next to coral snakes and Texas rat snakes next to western diamondback rattlesnakes.

2:00 P.M. – Texas Stream Entomology / Presenter:  Dakus Geeslin – TPWD Aquatic Scientist

Presenter Dakus Geeslin is an Aquatic Scientist for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department in the Water Resources Branch.  He will be giving a presentation on local aquatic insect species and how to identify them. Live specimens will be in the shop so you can see firsthand how to properly match our Hill Country hatch!

6:00 P.M. – Doors Close

May

Wednesday, May 2nd– Fly Tying Night at 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., 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: Brushy Creek Streamer

Intermediate Level Fly:  TBD

Saturday, May 5^th – Brushy Creek One Fly Tournament

NO ENTRY FEE – Just show up for the briefing at 8:15 A.M.

In order to fish in the tournament you must attend the pre-tournament briefing held at 8:15 A.M., just before the start of the event.  The rules aren’t too complicated; however, if you have any questions, just call the shop at (512) 828-FISH.  There will be prizes awarded, so fish hard!  We look forward to seeing you here!
EVENT SCHEDULE
8:00 A.M. — Tournament Entrant Check-In @ Living Waters Fly Fishing
8:15 A.M. — Pre-Tournament Briefing (Mandatory for Entrants)
8:30 A.M. — Tournament Begins
11:30 A.M. — Tournament Ends
11:45 A.M. — Photo “Weigh In”
12:15 P.M. — Winners Announced/Prizes Awarded
12:30 P.M. – Fish Off (in the event of a tie)

TOURNAMENT RULES:
1. THERE IS NO ENTRY FEE BUT YOU MUST PRE-REGISTER TO FISH THE TOURNAMENT!
2. You must attend the tournament briefing in order to fish the tournament. — This is essential so that you know boundaries, regulations, and rules.
3. You can fish with only ONE fly during the duration of the tournament.
4. If the single fly is lost and cannot be retrieved, you must leave the water and return to the fly shop for fish species photo review — you may return to the creek to fish after your photo entry if you wish.
5. This will be a multi-species tournament — the winner of the tournament is the individual that catches the most species of fish on a single fly.  Keep this in mind when selecting your fly.
6. A clear Picture (showing markings, profile, etc…) of the fish will be required at the close of the tournament for proof of species. (BRING YOUR OWN DIGITAL CAMERA)
7. Chris Johnson will be judging all fish species caught at the close of the tournament and can be contacted during the tournament hours for ID questions. Photos in most cases will be able to be seen on the camera/phone screen but if necessary we can download the pictures to a computer for viewing. Bring appropriate, related camera cables if in doubt of your camera’s viewing quality.
8. In the event of a 2-way tie, the two top finishers will compete in a tie breaker of epic proportions!
9. All fish must be caught and released within set boundaries. (To be announced at tournament briefing)
10. Abide by property laws — If it says NO TRESPASSING then DON’T TRESPASS!
11.  Tournament Fishing Hours are from 8:30 A.M. – 11:30 A.M.
12.  Photo “Weigh-In” will be held at 11:45 A.M.  For late “weigh in” arrivals, we will deduct a single species from daily catch per every 5 mins late to “weigh in”.
13.  ALL CONTESTANTS MUST HAVE A VALID TEXAS FISHING LICENSE!

Wednesday, May 9^th – Fly Tying Night at 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., 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: Wooly Bugger

Intermediate Level Fly:  TBD

Saturday, May 12^th – Fly Fishing the Brazos River and Guest Fly Tier: Phil Iwane

Event Schedule:

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

10:00 A.M. – Fly Fishing the Brazos River / Presenter: Pat Vanek

Our good friend Pat Vanek of Bosque Valley Fly Fishing, will be joining us for a day devoted to one of the most underrated bass rivers in the state – the Brazos!  Pat has fished the Brazos extensively and now guides local fly anglers to exceptional bass fishing in the greater Waco area.  Pat will walk you through access, fishing tips, and what he offers through his guide service on the Brazos River.

3:30 P.M. – Guest Fly Tier:  Umpqua Signature Tier – Phil Iwane

Phil Iwane is an Umpqua Signature Fly Tier and will be demonstrating step-by-ste, how to tie some of his best known patterns.

From Phil:   “I have tied hundreds of patterns but now have narrowed it down to flies that catch fish.  Umpqua has selected my Iwan-e-Dun extended body mayfly series and I will be showing you how to tie it. I will be also sharing other patterns that I have had great success with.  I am looking forward to sharing my flies with you as well as some tips on how to fish them and my nymphing rig that has worked well for me for many years.”

6:00 P.M. – Doors Close

Wednesday, May 16^th – Fly Tying Night at 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., 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:  Elk Hair Caddis 

Intermediate Level Fly:  TBD

Saturday. May 19^th – Introduction to Fly Fishing

FREE OF CHARGE AND NO REGISTRATION REQUIRED – Bring a notebook/pen!

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 geared 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!
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

Wednesday, May 23^rd – Fly Tying Night at 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: Foam Beetle

Intermediate Level Fly:  TBD

Saturday, May 26^th – Fly Tying Master Class

An event that is a dream come true for Texas fly tiers.  We have an all-star lineup of demo tiers that are some of the finest in the state.  Join us for what is sure to be one of the most informative tying events of the year!  Come watch some of the finest tiers in the state demonstrate how to tie some of their favorite patterns.  Recipe cards will be available for every pattern tied.

Event Schedule:

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

10:00 A.M. – First Tying Session Begins

12:00 P.M. – First Session Ends

2:00 P.M. – Second Tying Session Begins

4:00 P.M. – Second Session Ends

6:00 P.M. – Doors Close

Featured Tiers:

Mike Morphew – FFI Gold Level Fly Tier, Realistic and Old English patterns

Matt Bennett – Owner of Fly Geek Custom Flies, Umpqua Signature Fly Designer

Kevin Hutchison – Owner of Hill Country Fly Fishing, Regional Guide, Custom Fly Tier

John Maddux – Nationally featured tier – ties the finest bass poppers we have ever seen.

Jeff Hoelter – TPWD Angler Educator, Custom fly tier with over 25 years of tying experience.

Fred DuPre – Nationally featured tier, Whiting Farms Pro Team, FFI Gold Level Fly Tier

Josh Smitherman – Custom Fly Tier, Umpqua Signature Fly Designer

Chris Johnson – Umpqua Signature Tier, Whiting Farms Pro Team

Wednesday, May 30^th – Fly Tying Night at 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., 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: Brushy Creek Streamer

Intermediate Level Fly:  TBD