LOWER LAGUNA MADRE ANNUAL AWARDS BANQUET AUCTION RAFFLE
AN EVENING WITH LIKE MINDS in the Rio Grande Valley
Last Saturday night, I found my way to Harlingen, for the Annual Awards Banquet for the local fly fishing club's congregation.
MC Captain Mark Machado lead the crowd through annual contest winners, raffles, auctions and door prizes through the evening as we had some fantastic food from Smoke: Texas BBQ & Watering Hole in Harlingen.
Luckily, I found myself at the same table as local legend of Laguna Madre fish art and tarpon fly fishing - Larry Haines. One of my early interviews was of the artist in his framing fly shop that was then located on HWY 100 right before the Causeway. That’s long gone now, but I listened riveted, as Larry recounted the evolution of catching tarpon in the South Padre Island surf over decades. Needless to say, I will be getting back to Larry for a long-form interview about that, his art and heck! whatever he wants to talk about. (NOTE: Larry Haines is one of the artists we will have in Los Pescadores.)
I did have a time slot to talk to the crowd about Los Pescadores Coffee & Outfitters, and our goals for providing a community for fly fishers, and (potentially) with products they - the people there - could suggest we carry. It was an amazing opportunity to actually have a say in what an Outfitter’s fly shop will look like. I managed NOT to leave out the fact we will be a TOP-SHELF coffee house, and a source of original art and clothing available nowhere else on the Lower Laguna Madre.
Afterward, I did notice the younger fly fishers hit the doors pretty fast. A handful of people did come up to me to ask more questions and learn more about our potential new location. Obviously, somehow my speaking was not appealing to the younger fly fishers there, but maybe that will be fuel for the LPCO App I have suggested! Whatever the reason for their departure, I must not have had anything they were interested in hearing that night.
Once I did have the opportunity to talk to a handful gathered afterward, about the brands we already carry, they realized we have accurately tuned in to the unique needs of the Lower Laguna Madre fly fisher, and we are concentrating on destination fly fishers, and not nearly (as much on) departure fly fishers.
We did add another Sage Fly Rod to our quiver of fly fishing lessons rods - purchased from the auction. Fly rod casting lessons are one of the dominoes that will fall once we have our location secured. That first domino - the new location - has yet to fall though. There are so many others in line that it would take a long time to list them! And talking about them does not blow that first domino down.
We did donate several items to the raffle this year, and I was happy to see people wearing our hats as they left the meeting - a true "collectible" to add to their collections!
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Captain Mark Machado is a Tier 2 Guide at Los Pescadores. You can contact us, or reach him at his website www.snookonahook.com for more information.
The Lower Laguna Madre Fly Fishing Association has a website. It is www.lmffaclub.com/
Laguna Madre Fly Fishing Association- Annual Banquet
