MONTHLY MEETINGS: 700-900pm (social hr from 6-7), Last Tues of the month. St. Thomas Presbyterian Church; CONTACT US via email: texasflyfishers@gmail.com WHY JOIN: Dedicated to the promotion of fly fishing education, conservation, and outdoors ethics. Detailed benefits below.
Our normal club meeting is being pushed out one week to Tuesday November 4, 2025 @ 7 pm and will be Zoom only.
Our speaker this month is Chris Leeman of Blue Bonefish Lodge in Belize.
Chris Leeman has been the owner / operator of Blue Bonefish Lodge since 2019. He has been fly fishing for 22 years and guided 16 years in Alaska (Rainbow River Lodge), 9 years in Florida (Big Pine Key), and 3 years in Louisiana (Hopedale). His favorite species to target on the fly are Permit and Steelhead. To date he has caught 68 permit on the fly.
Chris will share details of fishing and staying at the Blue Bonefish lodge in Belize. The prime species that will target in this area are Bonefish, Tarpon, and Permit.
Our Tuesday September 30 monthly meeting will be from 6-9 pm the Pit Room BBQ located at 10301-A Katy Fwy, Houston 77024 beside Fishing Tackle Unlimited. 6-7 pm social hour with meeting from 7-9 pm.
Our speakers will be Danny Martinez and Derek York both of Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.
Danny is a Fish and Wildlife Technician with the Galveston Bay Management team. He is also a graduate student working on his master’s degree in marine biology at Texas A&M Galveston. His master’s thesis project is evaluating red drum feeing habits in the Galveston Bay system.
Derek York is Lead Fish and Wildlife Technician at Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Spot Stalker Guide Service Host, Impact Outdoors Podcast Founder and Director, Hunt Fish Podcast Summit. Derek will give a general overview of the Galveston Bay system redfish, speckled trout, and flounder as well as a short rundown on shark sampling conducted in the gulf along the upper coast. He can also discuss the Coastal Brigade youth program that TFF has helped with in the past
Thank you to all that attended our meeting Tuesday night with KC Williams at the Pit Room. We had ~40 people attend to enjoy some good BBQ, fellowship, and hear about fishing Padre Island National Seashore.
Note: There were a few challenges that we are working to address before our next meeting at the Pit Room. Audio Visual (know what we need to do now), noise (there was a boys baseball team in the room with us which is highly unusual), and seeing if we can get a microphone so can hear the speaker.
A few notes from KC’s presentation
Driving the beach: When driving on the beach need to read the sand – hard pack and soft sand (soft sand like sugar cookies). Keep momentum when in soft sand. Good to have a shovel, tire plug kit, and tire inflator in case stuck or a flat. If do have a flat find some driftwood to put jack on so doesn’t sink in sand. Beware of debris on beach that can cause flats.
Read the water. Look for calm water between the beach and the first sandbar. This indicates deeper water where bait and predator fish can be. See picture – does not require wading out to sand bars – can stand on dry beach or minimal amount in water.
Other: Cell phone reception is poor on the beach, but can get better reception on the top of the dunes. Surfline is a good app to find beach conditions – look for short waves with time between swells (8 seconds swell time helps to keep cleaner water and better to fish vs. 5 seconds which can be rougher).
Gear: 6 wt can be fun for smaller fish – heavier for larger fish. Floating line will be impacted more by the waves – may want a sinking tip to get flies deeper. Steel leader if get into toothy fish. Maintain your reels – rinse with clean water each day.
Some of favorite flies. Top water – Sipper Fly, Gurgler (besides normal colors purple and tan can be good), poppers. Subsurface – Clousers (with weight – baitfish colors and don’t forget all white), Kreelex (gold and silver – think spoons), baitfish flies like redfish crack, shrimp patterns, etc. Ladyfish tend to be higher in the water, so let fly sink to get to more desired fish. Tip: Tubes that M&M minis come in make great fly box to carry in pockets (and they don’t crush longer flies). Pictures of some of KC’s favorite flies below.
Gently used, a few (repaired leaks Aquasealed, small tear (1″) SIMMS patched). With wading Belt and alternate suspenders, waterproof inside pocket and carry bag.
Our July 29, 2025 monthly meeting will be from 6-9 pm the Pit Room BBQ located at 10301-A Katy Fwy, Houston 77024 beside Fishing Tackle Unlimited. 6-7 pm social hour with meeting from 7-9 pm.
Our speaker will be KC a professional fly fishing guide with Living Waters Fly Fishing in Central Texas. KC specializes in both wading and raft trips on the Llano and other river. With over 30 years of experience fishing the Texas coast and inland rivers, KC brings a unique blend of hands-on expertise, conservation insight, and storytelling to his presentations. His presentation is designed to demystify fishing the beach.
He holds a background in marine biology, having worked as a research assistant at Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi’s Marine Biology Institute. His fieldwork included oyster restoration with the Sink Your Shucks and Living Shoreline project. While KC left the research institute years ago he is still involved in tagging fish for ongoing research studies for species such as snook, trout, and redfish.
KC’s presentations combine science, humor, and practical advice—whether he’s covering DIY strategies for fly fishing Padre Island National Seashore or sharing stories from years of fieldwork and guiding. He’s passionate about making fisheries conservation approachable and giving anglers tools to be better stewards of the waters they love.
Chris is the owner and founder of Living Waters Fly Fishing, a fly shop and guide service based out of Round Rock, Texas. He has guided the Texas Hill Country for nearly two decades, and has fly fished the heart of the Lone Star State for over 25 years. In addition to guiding his home state, Chris has been a licensed fly fishing guide in Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado, and Alaska. Chris is a FFI Certified Casting Instructor, Umpqua Signature Fly Designer, Tenkara USA Guide, and TPWD Angler Educator Area Chief. He is also a pro team member for Whiting Farms, Scott Fly Rods, Dyna-King Vises, and Scientific Anglers.
David Dow will also discuss Sunfish Spectacular event May 10.
Meeting location: Trini Mendenhall Community Center (1414 Wirt Road Houston, Tx.)
Time: 6:00 – 8:00 pm Ron Ridgeway Bio
Since picking up a fly rod, at the age of seventeen, fly fishing and casting has become a part of who I am. I casted poorly for years, no mentors, no YouTube and no instructional DVDs. When I began to attend fly fishing shows and get- togethers, in the eighties, things began to develop in a positive direction. You just don’t know what you don’t know…
