Siouxland Flyfishers

I should have made this post a week ago.  Last Saturday I was invited to speak to the Siouxland Fly Fishing Club in Sioux City, Iowa.  Normally, when I have programs and speaking engagements like that, I try to mention it in my blog so folks can attend AND I want folks to support the organizations that have invited me.  So, in this case I owe an apology to the Siouxland Fly Fishing Club because I forgot to mention I was going to be at their meeting last Saturday morning.  Since I forgot, do me a favor, check out their website (click on their banner that follows in my post) .

If you are in northeast Nebraska and interested in fly-fishing, I would highly recommend the Siouxland Fly Fishing Club.  You can check out their schedule of events on their website, plan to attend one and join up.  Yes, they meet in Sioux City, Iowa, but they have many members from the northeast Nebraska area and I know their members fish all over Iowa, South Dakota and of course, Nebraska.

I always encourage anglers to find a local angling organization to join.  That is a fantastic way to learn more about fish and fishing, and in the process you will meet some great people and have an opportunity to get involved in a variety of ways.  Most of the local fishing organizations make a point of teaching others, kids and beginners in particular, and most of them also take an active role in the enhancement and protection of our waters and fish habitats.

Last Saturday I gave the Siouxland Flyfishers an overview of the 2012 Fishing Forecast, http://www.outdoornebraska.ne.gov/fishing/pdfs/FishForecast.pdf .  I told the club members that I answer questions all the time from folks wondering where they can go “fly-fishing”.  When folks ask me that question, what they usually have in mind is where they can go fly-fishing FOR TROUT.  Having a hunch that is what they are thinking, I always tell them that everything that swims can be caught on a fly rod and therefore they can fly-fish wherever they are.  I do not need to tell that to a meeting of fly-anglers, but last Saturday morning I did make a point of talking about the variety of fly-fishing opportunities we have in Nebraska, northern pike, wipers, white bass, largemouth and smallmouth bass, bluegill, muskie, and much, much more.

I also told the club members that if they wanted to fly-fish for trout, Nebraska had a lot of that to offer as well.  In fact, looking through my fishing log from last year, I can tell you that I caught more trout last year than I ever have; rainbows, browns and brooks, and I never left the state!  From Verdigre Creek to the Pine Ridge, through the sandhills and down to Lake Ogallala, I fished a number of different trout waters in the past year and caught trout from them all (and have blogged about it along the way, look back through some old blog posts if you want to see them).

Anyway, I am not going to repeat my whole program here.  Thank you to the Siouxland Fly Fishing Club for having me, sorry I forgot to publicize your meeting ahead of time.