Visiting TFFC

Special Events - Fly Fish Texas

Johnny Martinez

Presentation: Bass on Lake Athens
Conservation Center Room B, Noon

Born in Dallas, Johnny Martinez recalls fishing at age 7 with his cousins and Uncle Ansel Martinez. Like many kids, he started with live bait, cane poles and Zebco 202s. As he grew older he learned to target crappie, catfish, and eventually bass. For Johnny, 2009 was a landmark year: he caught his first 10-pound bass and took a class offered by the Dallas Fly Fishers (DFF) at Richmond College. "After a few tries I made a decent cast and heard that sound the line makes as it shoots through the eyelets," he recalls. "That did it for me. I was hooked."

Johnny went on to serve on the DFF board, plan club outings, and help with the education program that introduced him to the sport of fly-fishing. He has fished in several states, in waters ranging from mountain streams to coastal bays. In 2015, he moved his family to Athens, opened his guide service, Johnny on the Fly Sport Fly Fishing, and helped organize the first Lake Athens Fly Fishing Festival. "I have spent hundreds of days learning the topography and patterns of various species and have enjoyed guiding many clients on beautiful Lake Athens," he says. "Oh, and I have caught a few fish also."