Category: Event updates

SAVE THE DATE: Joint BANQUET March 29th 2025 —Spearker BOB CLOUSER!!

2024 Calendar update

January 16 Trash ‘n’ Treasures Meeting 6pm,
January 18 Outing Weedon Island

Weekly in person Fly Tying Classes are back! – Check the newsletter for details.

Saturday January 18th

Weedon Island

The preserve opens at 7 am. Fish anywhere around the park. We will skip the pavilion picnic and instead meet up at noon at Crab Shack at 11400 Gandy Blvd.

The member catching the longest ladyfish will win a $10 gift certificate. 

I always think of Weedon Island Preserve as one of the best fishing locations for fly fishers. You can fish the bay or the backcountry and there are lots of places to wade in and fly fish.  You can launch your “big” boats on Gandy Blvd. Everybody should fish south of Gandy Blvd. and north of Venetian Islands.

Riviera Bay is great place for waders (not mucky) and ladyfish, our $10 gift certificate target, like to roam around Riviera Bay in schools. A couple or three years ago members were catching ladyfish one right after another. And dolphin would rush in and eat the ladyfish as soon as they were released.

Ladyfish aside, this is a good time of the year to catch spotted seatrout and redfish. They’re going to be in areas with grassy/sandy flats and moving water.

If you want to wade fish with others, meet up with Bill AuCoin in the main parking lot at 8 am.

September 13th 2025 The second annual Suncoast Fly Fishers Women’s Tournament.

This is an inshore fishing tournament for women anglers only. There is a maximum of 75 teams for the tournament, 1-2 anglers per team.

After tournament we will have an awards dinner at the Tiki Docks Skyway in St. Petersburg, FL. Live music, food, drinks, and more!

Target Species:

• Snook
• Redfish
• Spotted Seatrout

Tournament Boundaries:

• West Coast of Florida only, from the Southern tip of Sanibel Island to the Southern Edge of the Crystal River Power Plant Main Channel

Scoring:

• 1 point per inch
• Longest length for two fish in the approved categories measured Snook, Speckled Seatrout and Redfish (Combined measured length)
• Calcutta: Largest Ladyfish

Prize Categories:

• Cash prizes for top 3 teams for longest length measured ($1,000, $500, $300)
• Cash prize for team closest to 24 inches ($250)
• Prize for top youth angler (12 and under)
• Prize for smallest trout measured
• 50/50 Calcutta Ladyfish

List of Captains:

Saturday March 29, Hog Roast and Silent Auction

Featured speaker: Fly fishing legendBob Clouser

Carrollwood Rec Center 4pm to 8pm

• This year members of the Tampa Bay Fly Fishing Club will join members of the Suncoast Fly Fishers adding to the product donations and bidding for gear and trips.
• Our speaker is fly fishing legend Bob Clouser.

• This is our premier club event of the year.  It is our principal fundraiser and a must-attend event for every SFF member and guests interested in fly -fishing or a fun night out!
• There is a lot of work to do. Volunteer at the meeting.  Also donate your best flies. Bruce Evensen will be collecting member-tied flies for the Hog Roast.

Saturday November 23rd

Saturday, December 21, Walsingham Park

Chili Extravaganza and Member Tribute to Layne (Smitty) Smith and to Alan Sewell, long and treasured members of the Suncoast Fly Fishers

December 21 Outing. Walsingham Lake in Largo. 12615 on 102^nd Avenue. You can also enter at the North end on Walsingham Road.

• The park opens at 7 am. Fish anywhere inside the big lake or the smaller surrounding lakes.
• This is freshwater, of course. Club gift certificates will be awarded to the member catching the longest bass and the most panfish.
• This is our chili extravaganza picnic. Meet up at Shelter 01 on the Eastern shoreline.  Food will be ready at 11:30 AM. Coffee and donuts will be available starting at 10:00 AM for those of you who arrive earlier.
• The December outing has been our Don Coleman Invitational. Starting this year we’re calling it Suncoast Fly Fishers Member Tribute. 
• For this year’s Suncoast Fly Fishers Member Tribute Outing we are paying tribute to our departed Layne “Smitty” Smith and honoring our current member, Alan Sewell. 
• Even if you do not plan to fish, our SFF board members invite you to please attend this outing where we gather to celebrate our past and current members, share stories with friends and family, and sample great chili and sides.

Saturday November 23rd

We are still fishing! 10/19/24

Due to the very high water on the Hillsborough River, we are changing the location of our October outing to Old Tampa Bay which is Gandy, anywhere south of RT 275 to Snell Isle.  We will meet at the Crab Shack

The very first annual Suncoast Fly Fishers Women’s Tournament. This is an inshore fishing tournament. There is a maximum of 75 teams for the tournament, 1-2 anglers per team.

After tournament we will have an awards dinner at the Tiki Docks Skyway in St. Petersburg, FL. Live music, food, drinks, and more!

Target Species:

• Snook
• Redfish
• Spotted Seatrout

Tournament Boundaries:

• West Coast of Florida only, from the Southern tip of Sanibel Island to the Southern Edge of the Crystal River Power Plant Main Channel

Scoring:

• 1 point per inch
• Longest length for two fish in the approved categories measured (Combined measured length)
• Calcutta: Largest Ladyfish

Prize Categories:

• Cash prizes for top 3 teams for longest length measured ($1,000, $500, $300)
• Cash prize for team closest to 24 inches ($250)
• Prize for top youth angler (12 and under)
• Prize for smallest trout measured
• 50/50 Calcutta Ladyfish

List of Captains: