Welcome!

Welcome to Suncoast Fly Fishers' Web Site. We invite you to check out our newsletter and Web site to get a feel for our programs, outings, and events. Visit a meeting to let us get to know each other better. Guests are always welcome to our meetings and outings. Please take a moment to give us your feedback about yourself and our club by completing our online survey.

Fishing the Sweet Water

We would like to believe that many who search Fly Fishing in Florida on the web will find their way to this site at some point.  One of our main goals for this site is to provide helpful information for all fly fishers.  Please navigate to the Links page to take advantage of all the latest info such as the Andy Thornal Company and their great interactive map of Central Florida Freshwater Fly Fishing.

November 2011 Casting Clinic

 

 

Annie Hays article in July Newsletter

 

If you are not aware, Annie Hays was selected by the club to attend a week long fly fishing camp for young anglers in the beautiful west.  Due to unexpected rainfall and a large amount of snow melt (not sure what that is!) the rivers were dangerously high and the camp was canceled at the last minute.  Since Annie and her father Mark Hays had already made plans to go and with non-refundable tickets, Montana and Colorado would play host to the father and daughter duo fot the week. Annie has written a wonderful article in July's newsletter about their trip and I rate it 5 thumbs up!

Random Photos

 

 

 

 

 

 

FLORIDA SPORTSMAN TAMPA SHOW SEPT. 24-25.

Stay tuned for more info coming soon

Marine Quest

2011

Our Marine Quest 2011 fly tying was a grand success. Before the end of the day Suncoast Fly Fishers had helped an estimated 25 young people tie their first fly. At any point in time we had three fly club tyers teaching young people how to tie a fly and for most it was their first fly. Grand fun. Huge thanks belong to our fly tyers -- Tom Gadacz, Ken Hofmeister, Tom Jones, Terry Kirkpatrick, Capt. Dan Bumgarner, Jim Day, and Al Pitcher. Capt. Pat Damico also come by with his fly tying equipment to help if necessary but his services weren't necessary; all SFF fly tying stations were occupied. Members Rick Tripolino and Bill AuCoin supplied waters, Diet Cokes, and pats on the back. SFF had one of the more popular exhibits at Marine Quest this year. Marine Quest is a annual Open House organized by the Fish and Wildlife Research Institute in downtown St. Petersburg to show case the good work of their scientists and other researchers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Everglades Trip

April 29th - April 1st

It was a blast, water was low, Bass were hungry and the guys brought what they wanted to eat!

 

 

 

Vision

To be Florida's leading fly-fishing club, helping members have more fun fly-casting, fly-fishing, and fly-tying. We strive to gain new knowledge and/or skill at every meeting and event.

Values

Meeting Member Needs: Suncoast Fly Fishers, Inc. will continuously seek to understand and meet the personal and practical needs of members. A key to attracting and retaining members is to meet or exceed their needs.

Constant Improvement: We believe we can always improve the way we tie, cast, fish, and educate. We are committed to continually improving how we function as we benchmark with other groups. We solicit improvement ideas for our processes, services, and ourselves. We are committed to preserving our waters and marine resources. We keep searching for more productive ways to enjoy our sport.

Friendliness: SFF strives to be a friendly, inclusive, and unpretentious group of fly-fishers who have fun learning and fishing together. New members will find themselves welcomed, respected, invited, and needed.

Monthly outings alternate between salt and fresh water. Monthly programs feature a wide range of topics that help us fish, tie, and cast better. Casting clinics, fly-tying workshops, and rod building classes build member skills. “Booster Shots” for casting and tying are offered from 6:30-7:00 before the meetings.

As a Federation of Fly Fishers charter club, we fish with and learn from other FFF clubs. Education and conservation of marine resources are priorities for us.

Feel free to contact us with your questions, comments, or concerns.

Tom Gadacz

President, Suncoast Fly Fishers

SUNCOAST FLY FISHERS

2010 EDUCATIONAL AND PUBLIC SERVICE ACTIVITIES

 

Meetings and Outings.

The Board of Directors met monthly to review reports from committees (finance, newsletter, outings, programs, membership, casting skills, fly tying skills, Project Healing Waters, raffles, and website), to discuss and act on proposed projects, to plan future programs and outings, and to conduct other business of the Club.

The membership met monthly (except December).  During the hour before the formal meeting, casting instruction and practice took place on the lawn outside (weather permitting), and a designated fly tyer, either a member or a guest, gave a demonstration and instruction on tying. The formal meetings consisted of reports and discussion of upcoming activities followed by a guest speaker. Speakers were professional guides, equipment manufacturers, and a representative of a conservation organization. One meeting was devoted solely to fly tying demonstrations by Club members.  Another meeting featured a fund-raising auction of fishing related and other items donated by members.

Outings were conducted monthly for members and guests. They generally alternated between salt water and fresh water locations in the area. Fishing took place during the morning, and participants met at a designated place at noon for a lunch provided by the Club and for discussion of the morning’s activities. The October outing was held in conjunction with the Tampa Fly Fishing club to honor Carl Hanson, a deceased fly fishing legend in the Tampa Bay area. In December, the outing honored a long-time and highly respected member, Don Coleman.  At that outing, members from three other area clubs (Tampa, Mangrove Coast, and Tarpon Coast) also participated, and a chili lunch prepared by a Club member was provided.

The annual Everglades outing took place April 30-May 2. Hotel and restaurant arrangements were made by a Club member, and approximately 40 members and guests gathered for fishing for fresh water species, including some exotics, in the Everglades canals.

Casting Clinics.

 

Two casting clinics, open to all FFF members without charge, were held in March and November at a local park which has access to Tampa Bay. They were organized and conducted by a member who is a certified master fly casting instructor and who was assisted by 5 to 7 Club members who are recognized as expert casters. Approximately 40 persons attended the March clinic, and the November clinic was broken into two sessions—morning for intermediate to advanced casters and afternoon for beginners and novice level. In total, approximately 25 persons attended the November clinic. The Club provided coffee and donuts before the morning session and lunch before the afternoon session. Twenty  Club members volunteered  190  hours to this educational project.

Social and Fundraising Activity.

The Club’s annual pig roast, its major fundraising activity, was held in March. A Club member, assisted by several other members, cooked the pig at his house, where members and guests gathered in the afternoon and early evening for food, musical entertainment, a silent auction of fishing-related items  donated by  members and others, and a raffle of a kayak purchased by the Club. Trophies were awarded

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to winners of the year-long fishing competition among Club members, and awards were given to some members in recognition of their contributions to the Club. In addition to members and their guests, the Club invited speakers during the past year, and a total of approximately 100 people attended.

Newsletter.

 

“On the Fly,” the Club’s newsletter is distributed each month electronically (and by mail to those without internet access) to members, other Clubs, and other interested persons. It provides information about the Club, past events (including photos), and future meetings, outings, and events in which the Club is participating. Each issue contains detailed instructions with photos for tying a specific fly and educational articles on fly casting, fly fishing and fishing locations. Past issues of the newsletter are archived on the Club’s website. A copy of the December 2010 issue is attached to this report.

 

Website.

The Club maintains a website at http://www.suncoastflyfishers.com .  It contains information about the Club, its mission and goals, officers and directors, membership, and contact points. There are links to other organizations, fly fishing guides, and other information of interest to fly fishers. It archives past issues of the newsletter and fly tying instructions. The Club has received through the website a significant number of requests from throughout the country for information about fly fishing in the Tampa Bay area.

Fishing Shows and Expositions.

The Club participated in the following events in 2010:

Tampa Bay Boat Show, March 12-14, at Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, FL.  This event attracts primarily boaters and spin and bait fishers. The Club used it as an opportunity to promote fly fishing. It manned a booth at which members demonstrated fly tying . One of our members gave a presentation on the main stage about fly fishing. A number of contacts were made with potential fly fishers and members. Approximately 8 members were present for 3 days and contributed approximately 96 hours.

Marine Quest, sponsored by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, April 17. This event is aimed at young people. Club members gave casting instructions, demonstrated fly tying, and discussed fly fishing with a number of youngsters. Ten Club members donated 40 hours of time to this project.

Fly Tying Workshops were held on four days in July. They were organized by Club members and held in a conference room provided by one of our members. They covered all aspects of fly tying, from the equipment needed, through beginning steps, to more advanced techniques.  Six students attended, and 1 member donated 14  hours.

Kasting with Kids, at Walter Fuller Recreational Center, St. Petersburg, FL.  Two members spent a total of 2 hours introducing 25 kids, ages 11 to 13, to fly casting.

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During  August and September,  individual members were advised by the Newsletter to contact appropriate governmental representatives and agencies regarding the response to potential damage to Florida waters  by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

Florida Fly Fishers Expo, sponsored by the Florida Council of FFF, in Celebration, FL, October 22-23. Club members donated auction items, including a bamboo rod. Two of our members were co-chairs of the Auction/Raffle Committee, and other members assisted with raffles and auction. Another member helped man the Project Healing Waters exhibit.  A total of 12 members contributed approximately30 hours.

Tampa Bay Watch Coastal Cleanup, sponsored by a local conservation organization,  October 16. Members provided power boats on which 6 members  covered an assigned area of Tampa Bay and picked up trash, discarded fishing line, etc., donating 18 hours.

Project Healing Waters.

 

 The Club has participated since 2008 in this nationwide project in which fly fishing is used as therapy  for veterans in VA Hospitals. Our activities take place at the Bay Pines VA Hospital in St. Petersburg, FL, and consist of four major interactions with groups of veterans each week, in which we teach conservation, fly tying, casting, and safety, and give hands-on instruction while actually fly fishing various ponds on the hospital grounds.

 During the year, approximately 13 Club members donated approximately 1,036 hours of their time to help approximately 521 veterans. One of our members was awarded a plaque by the veterans in recognition of his efforts and leadership in this project.

 

Summary of Volunteer Hours.

 

Casting clinics -                                                                                    20  volunteers,    190 hours

Tampa Bay Boat Show -                                                                       8  volunteers,       96 hours

Marine Quest -                                                                                     10 volunteers,       40 hours

Fly Tying Workshops -                                                                           1 volunteer,         14 hours

Florida Fly Fishing Expo -                                                                    12 volunteers,        30 hours

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Tampa Bay Coastal Cleanup –                                                              6 volunteers¸       18 hours

Project Healing Waters                                                                        13 volunteers, 1,036 hours              

Totals                                                       70                       1,424