Event: Rendezvous 2017
When: 3rd November (2017-11-03) through 5th November (2017-11-05)
Where: North Toledo Bend State Park, 2907 N Toledo Park Rd, Zwolle, LA 71486
(318)645-4715
Start: 3:00pm Friday (2017-11-03-1500)
End Time: 11:00am Sunday (2017-11-05-1500)
Trip Leader: “Puck” from the Houston Group, but the real leaders are Walter & Linda McLendon
Phone: (28I)865-thirty two sixteen
e-mail: dcpuckett at geemale dot com
Trip Description: Texas FlyFishers will convoy up that Friday, tie flies, fish, and socialize with the great group of folks that come to this event. Contact “Puck” if you have any questions.
I pulled this straight from Walter and Linda’s website, but their website has pictures: http://pages.suddenlink.net/w/Rendez/indexR.html
Rendezvous is the result of several fly fishermen gathering to fish and tie flies at the state park many years ago. After a couple of years of growing pains they found the park’s group facility. And what a facility indeed! A capacity of 150 people in 5 heated log bunkhouses (30 beds each), a heated central shower and restroom building with nice night lighting on all the sidewalks and a large main log building with A/C, a commercial kitchen, dining hall, fireplace, a long front porch, picnic table and a large barbeque trailer out front.
Park Rules:
Pets – Pets are not permitted within buildings or other enclosed structures on site. Only seeing-eye dogs are permitted in overnight facilities or near swimming areas. Pet owners are responsible for any injury or damage caused by their pets. Dogs and other pets are not allowed to run freely on park property. Any pet brought in to a State Park must be on a leash (not to exceed 6 feet in length), or caged or crated.
Alcohol – The display or overuse of alcohol in a public use area which creates a disturbance is prohibited within a state park. The use of alcoholic beverages by a minor is illegal.
Drugs – The possession, display and use of dangerous drugs or a controlled substance is illegal and prohibited within a state park.
Firearms – Not allowed
No reservations are necessary, we begin gathering before 3 PM on Friday when the park staff unlocks the facility. Families and individuals check in at the main office and ask for their FREE Parking pass for the “Fly Fishing Group”. Once at the facility, the first order of business is finding the necessary bunks in one of our 5 bunkhouses. Segmented and marked for couples, male singles, female singles, families with kids and the last for “Non-Snorers Only”. The bedroom in each bunkhouse is designated for a dressing room “not sleeping” so that you can have some privacy when needed. This room might also be used by a mother with a new baby.
NOTICE: The park entry gate is closed and locked at 10pm so be prepared for that and have someone in our group to call should you arrive after 10pm. You will need the lock combination which is not issued until we gather.
What to bring: Bedding (either lightweight sleeping bag or sheets and blanket, pillow), towels, wash cloths, items for showers, etc. I will bring all the eating utensils, plates, bowls, cups, coffee, tea, cream, so you do not need to worry about that. Bring drinks for yourself and your family and any special foods for your diet and mark them with your name so we and others will not bother them in the refrigerators. Please tell your children not to bother other people’s drinks. If you do not plan to cook, tell Linda or Walter what you have brought to cook or share so we can do that for you. Be aware that we will raid the refrigerators for items like eggs, bacon, sausage, etc. for breakfast each morning. You will see a crew of cooks trying to get breakfast ready so feel free to join them. Also volunteer to clean up the kitchen after each meal so that Linda does not do it all by herself. We love a clean kitchen.
Next to the main dining room/kitchen where you meet fellow fly fishers, sign the register and pay for the weekend. Now that the state park fees have been raised, the family fee is $50 for the weekend or $25 for a day or night. Single’s fee is $40 for the weekend or $20 for the day or night. For those who do not stay in the bunkhouses, please make a donation so we can pay our fees.
Next to unloading food to the kitchen. Everyone is asked to bring their necessary foods for the weekend. Most people bring to share, so all you need to provide is a nice sized dish for each feast or meal. This gives you a chance to show off your favorite dish or creation! You can imagine out of 60 to 65 people, the feast we have! Eating is a real treat! No restaurant could provide better food! Please park your vehicle in our designated parking lot and not on the grass. Park patrols checks for this.
To pass the day, all the fly tyers set up their vises in the dining hall on the tables. We always manage to have plenty of room for eating when the time comes. All day and into the late evening, tyers do their thing while spectators sit, watch and ask questions. This is not an insignificant event because some of the top fly tyers in the nation attend Rendezvous every year! This is your one chance to spend as much time as you like sitting with an outstanding tyer and learn their best skills!
Breakfast begins fairly early with the early risers! It just so happens that one East Texan prepares mouthwatering pancakes for everyone or at least until the chow line dies out. Eggs of all sorts start while some fantastic breakfast dishes pop out of the oven and disappear fast. This is not for the faint of heart, as they say. If you snooze you lose! Late risers will have to fend for themselves or find the crumbs!
Cooking for lunch begins right after breakfast and kitchen cleanup. It is a real treat to see a clean kitchen evolve over and over! All the busy hands make these tasks a joy – not a task. Around noon time, the aroma from the kitchen forces mouths to water and lines to form.
Then comes dinner! In the past we have had some delightful surprises with fresh Alaskan silver and red salmon cooked in several ways, barbequed chickens and sausages from the outdoor pit, Cajun dishes of all sorts, 96 quart coolers of fresh steamed crabs on ice ready for cracking and even Dutch oven cooking. Some usual treats are spaghetti and meat balls that are out of this world, chili, sandwiches, special salads and too many other items to detail here. Just let it be said that if you have taste buds, you will be totally satisfied! We always have too much food at each meal so please plan to cook less, we do not need several main dishes but more salads and side dishes to go with our main meat dishes. You do not need to cook for 65 people, that is why we have so much.
Some of the strange slang and accents you will hear during your weekend come from the fact that clubs gather from all over! Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi and we have had them from Missouri, Oklahoma and Tennessee.
Children have a safe place to play because the cove of the lake is at least a hundred yards downhill from the bunkhouses. That means fishing! Pier fishing, wading, float tubes, kayaks and canoes are the order of the day. No Louisiana license is required for Texans having a license.
If you have any questions, please contact Walter McLendon 93six-63four-329O or email waltermcl(at)suddenlink(dot)net
How to sign up:
- Evite link needs to be set up.
- Sign-up sheet distributed at the monthly meeting
- Or e-mail the trip leader.
How to get waiver forms: Required Waiver of Liability, filled out and signed, along with emergency contact information.
Cost: See above ($50, $40, $25, or $20)
Directions: Map To Rendezvous CLICK HERE
Important items: • Member dues are current! • Waiver of Liability, filled out and signed, along with emergency contact information • Current Texas Fishing License • Wind and/or water proof jacket • Wide brimmed hat AND polarized glasses
Recommended Equipment: Bass and panfish gear. A kayak, or boat, can really expand the area you can fish.
Recommended Flies: This event is actually geared towards tying flies. The opportunity is there to test what is tied.
Recommended guidelines for participants: • Notify the trip leader if you have any potential concerns • If inexperienced, then buddy up. • If you are boating or kayaking, inform the trip leader of your float plan if planning to fish alone or longer then the designated times.
Texas Flyfishers of Houston 
