Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center To Host Fly Fish Texas March 4

Media Contact: Barry St. Clair, (903) 670-2222, icle__media__contact">Media Contact: Barry St. Clair, (903) 670-2222, barry.stclair@tpwd.texas.gov

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ATHENS, Texas — Flies will be buzzing around the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center March 4, but no one will be swatting them.

Instead, visitors will be learning about flies, fishing with flies and even collecting bugs to use as models when tying flies. And they will be doing it all under the supervision of expert fly fishers from Texas and beyond.

Fly fishers will converge on Athens for the seventh annual Fly Fish Texas event to share tips and techniques during seminars and hands-on demonstrations. Participants can tie flies, practice casting and fish for bass, sunfish and rainbow trout in TFFC’s ponds and streams.

Seminars will cover fly fishing for redfish, trout, bass and carp; kayak fishing; urban fly fishing and fishing small streams in Texas and Colorado. Demonstrations and classes will teach everything from tying knots to casting using long rods.

Speakers scheduled to appear include Chuck Scates of Rockport, a pioneer in fly fishing the Texas coast; Billy Trimble, a saltwater fly fishing guide from Aransas Pass; Mark Marmon, a member of Texas Fly Fishers in Houston and urban fly fishing guide; Jim Partin, a fly fishing guide in Arkansas and Colorado; Ronnie Ray, founder of Tejas Outfitters, a fly fishing and outdoor adventure service based in Austin; Steve Watson and Jared Satterwhite, members of Pineywoods Fly Fishers in Lufkin and kayaking addicts; Allen Crise, owner of Hawk Ridge Tackle and Flycasting School in Glen Rose; and Steve Hollensed, past president of the Red River Fly Fishers in the Sherman/Denison area.

No prior experience in fly fishing is needed. Beginning and intermediate fly fishing classes will be offered. Students of all ages will learn what makes good fish habitat and collect and identify bugs from TFFC streams and ponds. Then they will learn how to tie flies that mimic those bugs and use them to catch fish using fly fishing gear provided on-site.

Vendors will display and sell the latest fly fishing gear.

Admission to the day-long event is included with regular admission to TFFC: $5.50 for adults, $4.50 for seniors and $3.50 for children ages 4-12. TFFC is open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and is located at 5550 F.M. 2495, three miles east of Athens. Athens is 75 miles southeast of Dallas.

Sponsors and vendors for the event include the Sabine River Authority; Orvis; Dwight Cooley Foods; Post Oak Master Naturalists; Boy Scout Troop 1299; Temple Fork Outfitters; Deborah Wade, Dame Julia Fly Tying; Chris Dukeminier, Mariner Sails; Jim Partin, ArkAnglers; Dave Speer, Trash on the Fly; Banning Collins, Class V Watercraft; and Derrick Stratton, American Fish and Game Club.

For more information and a schedule of events and seminars, visit the Web* or call (903) 670-2222 or (903) 676-2277.

* Correction, Feb. 7, 2006: The original version of this news release included an out-of-date Web address. The correct address is linked below. (Return to corrected item.)

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