Postings about special events happening at the club.
We had about 50 people come to the event. This is where we were able to pass out most of the Auction items to the winners, able to order food, visit with friends, and hang out for a bit before the year end awards and door prize drawings.
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You’re invited to TFF gathering and social event. We plan to have have a meal together, swap stories and pass out a few door prizes. We also plan to present a couple of awards. This will be a great time to visit and talk about the years 2025 and 2026.
The Pit Room
10301-A Katy Fwy
Houston, TX 77024
1730 to set up
1800-1830 to eat and socialize
1830 – 2000 for meeting.
Please let us know if you can make it. See the registration below. Yes, the registration will be open to “Members Only.” If you are not sure if you are an active member, contact the leadership group.
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The 32nd Annual TFF Dr. Ed Rizzolo Fly Tying Festival (DrERFTF) was held on January 25, 2025. It was a fun filled and informative festival held at Terrace United Methodist Church, 1203 Wirt Road, Houston, Texas 77055. We had over 80 attendees! Some attendees came from Dallas and San Antonio and have been attending this festival for years!
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The TexasFlyFishers have been hard at work putting together the 32nd Dr. Ed Rizzolo Fly Tying Festival. I can’t express my appreciation enough for the teams hard work.
The Dr. Ed Rizzolo Fly Tying Festival attracts tyers of all disciplines from all over Texas and neighboring states. The 2025 Festival is scheduled for Saturday, January 25, 2025 and will be held at Terrace United Methodist Church, 1203 Wirt Road, Houston, Texas 77055. The tying will begin at 8:00 am and will finish at 4:00 pm. There will be no charge for admission and food and drinks will be available also at no charge; although, a small donation for those items would be appreciated.
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Oktober 12th & 13th
Since 2008, the Oktoberfisch Event has drawn top regional fly casting and fly tying instructors, professional guides, and outfitters together in a Oktober-fall week-end learning event that celebrates fly fishing.
Event-goers can attend hands-on must-know lessons for casting, boating, and fly tying. Serious fishermen are sure to pick-up pro-level fly fishing techniques from guides and shop the latest gear displayed by manufacturer reps. Saturday evening is highlighted by fun raffles and auctions for premium gear or guided trips and other goodies.
Follow the Texas Council FFI and Texas Hill Country Fly Fishers & Oktoberfisch for all of the current information.
Save the Date!!
Oktoberfisch 2024 in Kerrville, Texas.
Below is the Casting Workshop and Instruction Schedule for the 2024 Texas Fly Fishers Mini-Expo to be held Saturday, August 24th 2024. There is no charge for attending any of the casting workshops or for individual instruction which may be provided. Details regarding the 2024 Mini Expo can be found in another post regarding this event on this web page. (See: https://texasflyfishers.org/2024/06/05/event-texas-fly-fishers-to-hold-its-15th-annual-summer-mini-expo-saturday-august-24-2024-900-am-430-pm/
Casting Schedule
Instruction and Workshops
(Location- the casting area will be set up outside on the grass)
Casting Area for Children– a small area will be available for children accompanied by a parent or guardian to have some fly casting fun and learn some very basic skills related to fly fishing.
Individual Instruction-Fly Fishers International Certified Casting Instructors will be on hand to provide individual casting instruction to participants. Additionally, Fly Fishers International Master Casting Instructor, Jeff Ferguson will be on hand throughout the day to teach some of the workshops and to provide individual Instruction.
*Note: LOANER RODS WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR PARTICIPANTS TO USE
Casting Workshops
Scheduled workshops will be offered throughout the day and will include the opportunity for participants to make the featured cast(s) with an instructor if desired by the participant. The Workshop Schedule is as follows:
9:00 – Beginning Fly Fishing: Learning the Basic Fly Cast – if you have never cast a fly rod or if you have done a limited amount of fly casting, this class should help you advance your casting skills.
Instructor(s): All Instructors will be available to assist participants for this program.
10:00 – Increasing Distance
Instructor: Fly Fishers International Master Casting Instructor Jeff Ferguson will provide tips and instruction related to a fly angler understanding the mechanics pertaining to increasing the distance of the fly cast along with various skills which may allow a fly angler to increase the distance of the cast under various circumstances.
11:00- The Double Haul
Instructor: Fly Fishers International Certified Casting Instructor Gary Davison will teach the basics of the double haul technique to participants who have no experience or knowledge of the technique and will also provide information which may assist angler/casters who have experience with the technique but would like to refine their use of it.
Noon to 1:00 pm – Lunch Break
1:00 Advanced/ Intermediate Fly Casting
Instructor: Fly Fishers International Master Casting Instructor Jeff Ferguson will discuss and provide instruction regarding the Curve Cast (How to place the fly in front of a fish facing away from an angler and/or how to cast to a fish behind a rock or other obstacle), techniques to use while Casting Big Flies and other skills which may be of assistance to an intermediate or advanced caster.
2:00 Open Casting and Instruction
Instructor(s): All Fly Fishers International Certified Instructors will be available to work with anyone interested in practicing or learning particular casting skills or techniques of the participant’s choosing.
*all casting classes and instruction will be taught and/or lead by Fly Fishers International Certified Casting Instructors
Each Instructor presentation will last approximately 30-45 minutes. Following each instructor presentation, students will be offered an opportunity to practice. Any participant who desires to have an instructor assist with a specific casting is encouraged to approach any of the instructors, who are not directly involved in making a presentation, to work with them on their issue of choice.
All participants are encouraged to bring their own rod with line and leader for the workshops. However, any participant who wishes to participate and does not have their personal rod should not hesitate to request a rod from one of the instructors on hand as the club will have a supply of loaner rods available.
Note: Flies and/or hooks should not be attached to any line/leader but rather a piece of yarn or fiber should be attached to the leader. Should a participant/student not have yarn or fiber for his or her fly line leader these materials will be provided and, if necessary, attached by the instructors. Additionally, all participants are reminded to keep a safe distance away from other casters, wear eye protection, a hat and be mindful of safety throughout all of the provided instruction and workshops.
| POSTPONED! Texas Council Fair goers, With much regret, we are postponing all scheduled activities for this Saturday for the Fair in Waco. Weather for Waco this Saturday is not suitable for an outdoor event, which includes casting, fly fishing tournament, and other events. Safety is of utmost importance, and that covers so much here!! Getting there, setting up, and especially take down, when the threat of severe weather is a possibility. It’s the right decision to make, in our opinion. And we have received concerns from others as well. We will review the possible dates and venues in the am with the Waco Parks and Recreation team. Please cancel any reservations you may have made, before they possibly charge you for that. I hope that each of you will be open to attending a new date, as we have a great event planned for you!! Please also share this news on your social media sites, and club news outlets, so others do not attempt to attend. Sincerely, The Texas Council FFI |
https://texasflyfishers.org/wp-admin/post.php?post=15873&action=edit
The 31st Texas Fly Fishers Dr. Ed Rizzolo Fly Tying Festival was held Saturday, January 27th 2024 and provided a great time for fly tyers from around the State to get together to socialize and tie files. Thanks to all who attended, all who participated and in particular, event chairman, Chris Sumers who put together a day for many to enjoy.
I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. MK
I want to thank all of my friends for their prayers and kind thoughts over the past several weeks.
Due to an emergency at the church, we have had to change the date of Skip’s memorial service to the following day, Thursday, February 1st at 10:30 am.
A memorial mass celebrating the life of Lynn Edward “Skip” Donovan will be held on Wednesday, January 31, 2024 Thursday, February 1st at 10:30 am.at St Anne Catholic Church, 2140 Westheimer Rd, Houston 77098.
Following the memorial, a reception will be held at the home of Steven and Laura Otillar, 8844 Larston St, Houston 77055.
Please feel free to share stories of your most memorable times with Skip.
Mary-Kay Donovan
Lester Lehman
Featured Tyer Lester Lehman is an experienced fly tyer with over 25 years in the fly fishing industry which has included fishing and tying fly patterns for both fresh and salt water destinations, located in Texas, Montana, Florida, the Yucatan in Mexico and the Bahamas.
Photos from the 2023 Festival:
The TexasFlyFishers have been hard at work putting together the 31st Dr. Ed Rizzolo Fly Tying Festival. For 2024, fly designer, tyer and angler Lester Lehman (Les) will be the featured tier.
Les is a long time fly designer, tyer and angler who has fished, guided and taught throughout the United States, Mexico and the Caribbean. He has lived in Mexico three different times, has also lived and worked at South Andros at Bair Bahamas, and has worked at 8 different fly shops in 5 states. Additionally, he has had fly patterns published in books such as: Fly Patterns for the Texas Coast by Greg Berlocher and ‘Bassin’ With a Fly Rod by Jack Ellis.
The Dr. Ed Rizzolo Fly Tying Festival attracts tyers of all disciplines from all over Texas and neighboring states. The 2024 Festival is scheduled for Saturday, January 27, 2024 and will be held at Terrace United Methodist Church, 1203 Wirt Road, Houston, Texas 77055. The tying will begin at 8:00 am and will finish at 4:00 pm. There will be no charge for admission and food and drinks will be available also at no charge; although, a small donation for those items would be appreciated.
Along with the general tying in the main venue, there will be 1 Hour Classroom Tying Sessions lead by Les Lehman and other talented tyers. Additionally, from 10 am to 2 pm, instruction, including the necessary tools and materials, will be available for any youngsters and beginning fly tyers to learn the basics of the great hobby of tying flies. For any leader of youngsters involved in Scouting or other youth activities, this might just be the perfect opportunity to expose them to fly fishing and fly tying. So, there will be many learning opportunities throughout the day; from learning to tie ones first fly, to learning as an observer from the many talented tyers, to attending classroom fly tying instruction from some of the best fly tyers in the country. For any who currently tie flies at any level and just want to connect with others with similar interests, feel free to bring your own tools and materials, have a seat and join in on the fun.
Additionally, during the noon hour, the Annual Iron Fly Competition will be held. For this activity, the club will supply 10 – 12 intrepid tyers with a pack of 12 materials. Once the command is given, the contestants will have a short time to look over the materials, design and then 15 minutes to tie their entry. The kicker, is that there is a “mystery” material included that must be used in the pattern. The entries will be scored on (1) Number of materials used in the entry – 1 point per each materials / 12 points total; (2) Balance and Symmetry of the pattern – 5 points; and (3) Creative use of the materials – 5 points. The 3 top entries will then participate in “Tie Off” for the Championship for which the format, rules and scoring will be the same as the preliminary round. The Champion will receive a trophy and bragging rights for one year. This is a really fun event for everyone present. To see the amazing flies the participating tyers can create with such a vast array of materials is very impressive and entertaining.
Since its beginning in April, 1993, the Dr. Ed Rizzolo Fly Tying Festival, named to honor one of its early founders, Dr. Ed Rizzolo, has grown into one of the area’s premier fly fishing events, consistently attracting the top fly tyers from all over the country. This event could not have reached the level of notoriety it has obtained without the support of the fly tying community and others who are interested in fly fishing. With your continued support, it is the hope of the Texas FlyFishers that the Annual Dr. Ed Rizzolo Fly Tying Festival will continue to grow. The Texas Fly Fishers in Houston, Texas hope you will make plans to be at this great event. We look forward to seeing you there.
Texas Fly Fishers (Houston)