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FFF
BFFA is an active Member Club
of the Federation of Fly Fishers

Become a Member of the FFF
Only $35.00 Membership fees 1 year
senior (65+) - US - $25.00
Join the Federation of Fly Fishers

The Federation of Fly Fishers International Fly Fishing Fair
will be held at the Red Lion Inn in Spokane, Washington,
on July 10th - 14th. Details are on line at: http://fedflyfishers.org/FlyFishingFair.aspx

Dues are now due
Each year our club's dues are due from:
September through November.
Student $10, Individual $20, Family $30
Please bring a check to the next meeting, or mail it to:
BFFA of Brevard
PO Box 524, Melbourne, FL 32902
Please include: your snail mail address, email addresses and phone number(s)

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BFFA is a proud supporter
Casting for Recovery is a national 501(c)(3)
non-profit organization, supports breast cancer survivors
through a program that combines fly-fishing, counseling,
and medical information to build a focus on wellness instead of illness.
Please help support this program.
(*mark your check for Florida Chapter)
http://www.castingforrecovery.org


Take action today to make sure that no billfish will end up on grocery store shelves or on restaurant menus again.
Click here to do your part to Take Marlin off the Menu!

Limit your kill, don’t kill your limit !
Please practice Catch and Release.

Thank you to Pat Ford for the presentation of his spectacular photos at our April meeting.

Welcome to our new members: view more
James Goslee of Melbourne
Chairman of the Board Don Davis
President  Frank Catino
Vice President Mike Badarack
Secretary/Treasurer  Ron Winn
Conservation Directot Ronda Gunn
Education Director Dominick Agostini 
Outings Directors Mike Reynolds/Brant Davenport 
Auction/Membership  Doug Lorimer
Newsletter Editor  Frank Perkins
Webmaster  M.E. DePalma

Next  Meeting
Dinner Meeting - Thursday, May 3rd, 6:30 PM
Memaw’s Bar B-Q - 600 East Eau Gallie Boulevard
Indian Harbor Beach, Florida 32937

Fly Tying - Monday, May 21st , 6:15 PM
Melbourne Public Library - Fee Ave - Melbourne

 

PHOTO BY PAT FORD

Our May program will be presented by Mark Castlow.

On, in and around water sums up a great big chunk of Mark's life. He's a Florida native whose inherent affinity for the blue was only intensified by where he grew up...Miami and the Keys.

As a teen, Mark learned how to "ride" the water and became so enamored of surfing that he started his own surf shop and line of surfboards (Atlantis).

He has been co-owner of Maverick, Hewes and Pathfinder boats.
His latest venture is a line of paddleboards, including some specifically tailored to fly fishing, shown at www.dragonflypaddleboards.com.

The Saltwater Fly Fishing History Project

Skip Mackey and M.E. DePalma spent a day at the IGFA participating in the filming of The Saltwater Fly Fishing History Project. The project, researched by Jerry Gibbs and produced and directed by Jeffrey Pill, is sponsored by the American Museum of Fly Fishing.

The film will feature Individual interviews and a panel discussion with some of the sport's true legends: Chico Fernandez, Flip Pallot, Lefty Kreh, Bill Curtis, Stu Apte, Nat Ragland, Joan Wulff, and Nick Curcione, and is moderated by Mark Sosin . They relished hearing stories from the pioneering days of saltwater fly fishing, and soaking up the great history of the sport.

Yoshi Akiyama, Deputy Director of the museum, said that once the film is completed, it will appear in the museum which is located in Manchester, Vermont. The schedule is to have part of the display ready by 2013, the full installation in 2014 and a traveling exhibit ready by 2015. At that time, The Florida Council of FFF is hoping to get it for their annual EXPO.

M.E, who is also the webmaster for the Florida Council, took photos for their Facebook page. For those of you who are not on Facebook here is a link that will take you there without having to register so you can view the photos.Florida Council's Facebook Album



The annual BFFA trout fishing trip to Pennsylvania is June 3 to 10.

For several years, Bill Gunn has led a trout fishing trip to Pennsylvania.
He writes: "I'm often asked why I choose Pennsylvania instead of Georgia, the Carolinas or Montana for by trout fishing fix. My answer is this. In my experience, Pennsylvania ranks at the top of the list for quality of fishing, hatches, and outdoors experience. According to the Trout Unlimited Guide to America's Top 100 Trout Streams, four are within two hours of camp including Slate Run, Cedar Run, Fishing Creek and Penn's Creek. And, it's so affordable compared to the alternatives. I think it's well worth the trip."

If you'd like to join us this year, please contact Bill Gunn at WTGunnJr@aol.com as soon as possible.

Details of this trip and many tips on flies can be found in a 19 page pdf he prepared: http://bffabrevard.org/pdf/Potter-Country-2012.pdf

Bill Gunn will tie some trout patterns in preparation for his annual expedition to Pennsylvania. See our meetings page for more information on the flys

The Board of Directors has recognized Heather Hartz of the Sabal Elementary School and awarded her $100 for her outstanding project in the 2012 South Brevard Elementary School Science Fair . Her project was entitled, " Algae Crisis in the Indian River Lagoon". View her certificate.


Did You Know?

Frank Perkins recently read the book “River of Lakes, A Journey on Florida's St Johns River” by Bill Belleville, which turned up the following interesting items:

1. There are (or used to be) Sting Rays in Lake Washington. (Mike Horne remembers encountering them.)

2. In 1955 and 1978, the only wooden totem poles found east of the Mississippi River were dredged from the river bottom near Hontoon Island State Park. A replica is displayed at the Park. 


3. The Fort Gates car ferry at Fruitland, between Lake George and Palatka apparently still operates.

 




 

Per your requests, Jeannine Apte has shared her famous Coconut Shrimp recipe with us.
Download and ENJOY! (PDF).

     Board of Directors Meeting
Date:  Wednesday, May 9th, 6:30 PM
(Meet at 5:00 PM for dinner)
Ron Winn’s office
2103 Grant Place

 To clarify the schedule, the Board meeting is always
held on the Wednesday following the dinner meeting
which now occurs on the first Thursday of the month.
All members are invited to attend.
We have been operating as a club for 23 years. One of our founding fathers Ron, Winn wrote the history of the club. To view it visit our About Us Page


None this month.
Please see See our  Outings  page for information on the Pennsylvania trip in June.


Trout fishing has been good, particularly in the northern
section of the county. The clear water makes spotting them relatively easy. The loss of sea grass from last year's algae bloom is a long term concern.

Freshwater fishing in the St Johns River has been quite good this spring, but the cold snap as this is written may slow the bream and bass.

See reports and photos from on our Gallery page.
Don't forget to send us your catches!



Richard Goode reports from the Outdoor Shop that the Cortland PE+ CRYSTAL fly line is very popular. This line is formulated with a proprietary blend of polyethylene and special co-polymers. Built on a nylon monofilament core, the PE+ Crystal’s patent-pending crystal-clear jacket is naturally lighter than water, eliminating the need for micro-balloons or other agents to make it float. The hard, ultra-smooth PE+ line jacket finish has a lower coefficient of friction than any production floating line ever built, so it shoots silently through the guides and casts faster and farther than equivalent PVC-coated floating lines.

 The GoPro video camera has also been selling well.



Capt. Jose Wejebe, 54, of Summerland Key, died early Friday evening, April 6th, after his single-engine plane which he was piloting crashed shortly after takeoff in Everglades City, Fla. Weather is believed to have been a factor. He was the respected host of the long-running Spanish Fly fishing show which began in 1995 on ESPN and later on the Outdoor Channel.

Wejebe was also a valued member of the Hell’s Bay Boatworks’ world class pro team, a unique blend of flats captains, authors, producers, TV hosts and leading fly and light tackle fishing educators all who shared Jose’s love for fishing and the environment. Most were together with Jose for the last time just weeks ago meeting with anglers at the Hell’s Bay exhibit in the Miami Boat Show. They had the following comments on Jose:

* Chico Fernandez, author, fly expert and frequent TV guest:

“Jose was a fine guitarist, a top fishing guide and a great angler on all facets of the sport. Yet he was humble about his accomplishments. His gentle ways will be missed by so many of us.”

* Andy Mill, Olympian, TV host, tarpon fishing champion, author:

"Words can't describe the enormity of the fishing world’s loss with the passing of Jose. He impacted anyone who admired adventure, laughter and love. He lived large, and brought us all along for the ride, like Peter Pan."

*Flip Pallot – fly expert, host and producer of the Walker’s Cay Chronicles:

"The unspeakable tragedy of Jose's death has left a great hole in the hearts of family, friends and fans alike. The adventures he has left us on film will forever define him in our combined memory. So long ‘Grasshopper.’"

Download a previous issue of our Newsletter: "The Backcast" in PDF format


 

Site donated & maintained by: DePalma Enterprises Updated 4/26/2012
Copyright © 2006-2012 Backcountry Fly Fishing Association. All rights reserved.

 

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