Category: Announcements

Hello Everyone,

May is now upon us and with that comes the promise of longer days, warmer weather, and warming water temps, and that ever increasing fish activity we’ve all been longing for. Hope you’re making every attempt to get out there and enjoy some time on the water.

Just a quick recap of a few items should you have missed them, or were unable to attend. March 31st we closed out our 3RFF Tuesday Night Fly Tying events for the season. We had very good attendance again this year, tied up some great fly patterns, enjoyed some good food and drink together, and had some great fellowship and camaraderie. Thank You so much to all who attended throughout the tying season and supported this great annual club event. We will start up again this coming October at the Coyote Creek Bar and Grill.

We also wrapped up our annual club auction at the March membership meeting. We had great attendance and participation this year. Everyone had an enjoyable evening, got some great buys, and we sold nearly every single item we had at auction. A generous amount of funds were raised for the clubs coffers to support all of our club functions and events throughout the year. Thank You for your participation and for your ongoing support of your club.

April kicked off our 3RFF Casting Clinics in conjunction with the Eckhart Public Library at Rieke Park in Auburn, IN. Brent Walchuk is our lead casting instructor for these popular events. April 6th saw a chill to the air and gail force winds, which probably kept the first evenings attendance down to 4 or 5 hardy souls. But they showed up anyway. A break in the weather and more ideal conditions for the second session on April 10th, saw 15 people in attendance for what Brent reports as a great evening of casting instruction and a lot of fun and enthusiasm by all who participated. The next casting clinic will be held on Monday May 11th at Rieke Park, 1800 Indiana Avenue, Auburn, IN from 4:30 to 6:00 pm. The clinics are held at the pavilion located next to the baseball diamond facility. Again, these clinics are open to the public and to our club membership. Members please take advantage of these opportunities. Thanks again Brent, and to the Eckhart Public Library for hosting these great events. You can find more information about these clinics by visiting the Eckhart Public Library website.

The April membership meeting saw 28 members gather to enjoy our annual and popular Members Favorite Flies event. We had an enjoyable, educational and fun evening of interactive fly tying with our member presenters. Everyone had a good time socializing after the event with great fellowship and questions and answers from our tyers. Thanks to all who attended, enjoyed the evening and supported your club event. I would like to say Thank You to Johnnie Hanger, Brad Sherrick, Wils Mittica and Dave Conroy for stepping up and sharing and tying some of their favorite fly patterns to make this a successful evening. Thanks guys. April also saw us close out another awesome year of support to the Tie-A-Thon program. Thank You So Much to all those who tied flies in support of this wonderful national program. And Thanks Again to Don Privett for stepping up to be our club liaison and coordinating all the logistics for our club. Great job everyone!  

(1): May will see our Board of Directors meeting take place this coming Thursday May 7th at 7:00 pm at the Classic Cafe Event Center located on Hillegas Road in Ft. Wayne, IN. This meeting was moved to Thursday, from the original Wednesday scheduled time, to allow for maximum board participation to oversee club matters. (2): Saturday May 16th we will have a group travel to Middlebury, IN to attend the fund raiser dinner to support the Reel Recovery Indiana, Mens Cancer Fly Fishing Retreat, hosted by the Little Elkhart Chapter of Trout Unlimited – LECTU. Three Rivers Fly Fishers is sponsoring a table at this event, which helps introduce men facing the challenges of all types of cancer to the healing powers of fly fishing and time on the water. What a wonderful cause. (3): We will have our General Membership meeting on Wednesday May 20th at 7:00 pm, doors open at 6:30 pm, at the Classic Cafe Event Center on Hillegas Road in Ft. Wayne, IN. This is our annual Mini Club Auction/Flea Market, where you can bring items you have to sell, or buy and trade, and you keep the money. This is also our annual outdoor club Casting Clinic event, where you can come and receive personal instruction or just enjoy hanging out and casting with others. There’s been known to have a little friendly casting competition in the past as well. So be sure to bring your rod. Bring your fly tying vises and tie up some flies if you’d like and share your patterns and talk shop with others if you will. We gather both inside and out, as the weather is “usually” pretty nice, and this is also our annual “get out of the house and break the cabin fever” meeting, where we just hang out and enjoy a great evening of storytelling, fellowship, camaraderie, fun and relaxation before the summer kicks off and we’re all out doing other things. So come on out and enjoy an evening together and support your club.

June: We will continue our support of the Reel Recovery IN, Men’s Cancer Retreat and fly fishing event with LECTU in Middlebury, IN on June 2nd, 3rd and 4th. July: OPEN, there is NO scheduled event/outing at this time. The Board received NO ideas, suggestions or volunteers to host an event/outing, or any thoughts on what the membership may want to do for July. August: We will be holding our annual 3RFF Membership Club Cookout and Gathering on Saturday August 15th, 2026 from 10;00 am until 4:00 pm at the Southwest Conservation Club on Bluffton Road in Ft. Wayne, (Waynedale) IN. This is always a great outing and good time, and a great way to connect with fellow members. Thank You once again to Kerry Shipman for stepping up and coordinating this event for the club. September: Plans are moving forward and pending for the annual 3RFF White River Outing and gathering slated for September 11th, 12th and 13th at Canoe Country in Daleville, IN. This is one of our most popular events of the year, so mark your calendars to join us for a great weekend. October: Our Annual 3RFF Tuesday Night Fly Tying will resume at Coyote Creek Bar and Grill. Every Tuesday night, October through the end of March 2027. More club news to follow so stay tuned.

Now into the weeds. I left this part of the April Membership Meeting overview until this point in your club’s “Information and Updates” as I feel it is of – “significant importance”. I will not continue to beat a dead horse much longer, other than to say, that we as a Board of Directors, along with the continual posts you have seen on our club’s Facebook Page, to the continual information listed on our 3RFF website, and the continual reminders you have seen in our club newsletter – The Sink Tip Times, that, for the past two years or more, we have continued to attempt to generate interest in ensuring that this wonderful organization is able to move forward. I’ll put it bluntly, the Board of Directors, simply, and absolutely, can not continue to operate as a “skeleton crew”. I am personally confused by the amount of really good support this club puts forth for all of its outings, events, gatherings, meetings and community outreach programs, yet, it’s seemingly total lack of support, lack of interest, or volunteerism to keep the club going or moving it forward into the future. We have a great club, with a great history – 31 years worth, great people and just great stuff going on. I’m not throwing in the towel yet, I want to be hopeful, but it is concerning to believe that the inevitable may, and could happen, and certainly will happen if the members so chose to take that fork in the road. The bottom line is that no 501c3 organization or club, as we are and need to be, can exist without a solid, intact, functioning, and active Board of Directors in place, period. This is what your by-laws dictate, and what protocol has to be met to ensure compliance with such agencies as the IRS and State gaming commissions who oversee organizations such as ours. We just have to have a functioning Board, period! So the bottom line to move forward is this – YOUR club needs YOU. It needs individuals with the willingness to step up, volunteer, be active, be committed, give of their time, and be passionate about taking this great club into the future. That all being said, I will summarize the elections and voting outcome from the last meeting for all of you below. I believe that without significant change in our club structure moving forward, that the inevitable is on the horizon. Hopefully that doesn’t happen. So…as the bartender at your favorite watering hole says at closing time…”this is the last call”. YOUR club’s future is now in YOUR hands! Thank You for your time and consideration in these matters, and thank you for all of your past support of Three Rivers Fly Fishers – 3RFF.  Have a great day and a wonderful week ahead. See you all at the May meeting. Take care.

Summary of the Election and Voting results of the General Membership Meeting held on April 15th, 2026 at 7:00 pm. –

After the meeting was called to order on April 15th, and the Election and Voting  process initiated – There were NO nominations brought forth, for ANY and ALL, Board of Director positions whose terms are now up, or are to expire, or that have been open and vacant for a period of time. This has remained the case for all the months prior to which nominations were officially announced as open. When a second and final request was made to the floor for final nominations, there were again NONE. When a final request was then made to the floor, asking if “anyone” was interested in volunteering for ANY positions within the club, there was seemingly NO interest and NO response to the request given. The official Election and Voting process for 2026 for Three Rivers Fly Fishers was then announced as “officially closed” and the President announced that the club would then move forward with the evening’s formalities and resume the meeting with our Members Favorite Flies club event. This portion of the General Membership meeting was a complete success. Thank You.

Summary of the post voting status for the Board of Directors of Three Rivers Fly Fishers as of April 15th, 2026 –

Office of President – No nominations, current President’s term has/will expire at a date to be determined, and WILL be vacated at a date to be determined.

Office of Vice President – No nominations, this office has remained open and vacant for more than two years.

Office of Secretary – No nominations, this office has remained open and vacant for approximately two years. 

Office of Treasurer – No nominations, current Treasures term has/will expire at a date to be determined, and WILL be vacated at a date to be determined.

Board of Directors – Member Position(s) – No nominations, there are currently four Board Member positions now seated and active. Two of those Board Member positions, their terms have/will expire at a date to be determined, and then WILL be vacated. A third Board Member position is pending expiration, but is still currently active.

Board of Directors – Member Position(s) – No nominations, this Board Member position has remained open and vacant for approximately four years.

The (current) Officers and Board of Directors will now meet to discuss a course of action(s) and to discuss future direction(s) and possible resolutions on how to move the organization forward. 

In closing, and as always, Get out there! Get involved! Be active! and Enjoy your club! Thanks everyone, Hope to see you on the water!

Most Respectfully and Tight Lines,

Kevin Curtis – President
Three Rivers Fly Fishers – 3RFF
Ft. Wayne, IN

Hello Everyone,

A reminder to all that this coming Wednesday, March 18th, 2026 will once again be our annual Three Rivers Fly Fishers Club Auction. This event will be open to all 3RFF members, their guests and the General Public. So rally up a crowd, bring your check books and cash, be ready to bid on some great items, and have a great evening of fun and fellowship. All auction revenues brought in go toward supporting your club’s various events, outings, guest speakers, educational programs and community outreach programs. All worthy causes, so bid strong and support your club. Thank you in advance for the continued support of your club, we hope to see you all there, and we hope you find some items you just can’t live without. Meeting starts at 7:00 pm, doors open at 6:30 pm. Classic Cafe Event Center on Hillegas Road, in Ft. Wayne, IN.

Our club auction protocol will be a little different this year. As it becomes more difficult to recruit / find auctioneers willing to call our auction, and to recruit runners and volunteers willing to help manage the auction, we will be having an Open Silent Auction format. Some items will have reserve bids, while most will be open bidding. We will have an assortment of good quality items up for bid, and we will be accepting donations for the auction should you choose to support it in this way as well. We only ask, that in keeping with the theme of being a “Fly Fishing” and “Fly Tying” organization, that your donations be as close to fly fishing and fly tying as possible. We would like new, like new, or slightly used items in good condition, that would be of most interest to our fly fishing and fly tying community as a whole. And we Thank You in advance for your generous contributions. Again, this all goes toward supporting your club’s activities.

Here is a taste of just some of the items we will have up for bid.
1 – A combo package to include a new Jim Grant Custom Carbon Fiber Fly Rod, 9 ft., 4 piece, 5/6 wt. plus a carrying case. (Note: Grant Custom Rods has been in business 43 years and offers a lifetime warranty on their rods.) Comes with a Maxxon Outfitters SDX 5/6 wt. fly reel. 2 – A like new Renzetti Tying Vise. 3 – New, Peak Non-Rotary Tying Vise. 4 – Slightly used in very good condition, 9 ft. inflatable pontoon boat with frame and seat, oar set, flippers, pump and included accessories. 5 – New, Custom made Bamboo Fly Rods as follows: 7’4″ – 7 wt. 3 piece with 2 tips.; 6′ 8″ – 3 wt. 2 piece with 2 tips; 7’6″ – 5 wt. 2 piece; 8′ – 5/6 wt. 2 piece; 7’6″ – 5 wt. 2 piece and a 6’6″ – 3 wt. 2 piece. 6 – Flies tied and donated by Davy Watton, Dennis Potter and Chad Robinson, as well as other custom tied flies. Many other fly fishing and fly tying items, memorabilia and accessories. You’ll just have to come on out and see what all is available for you to bid on, and enjoy a festive evening and good times. See you there!

Tie-A-Thon tiers. This is the last general membership meeting that you will be able to turn your flies into Don Privett in person. Thanks in advance to all those who tied for this most worthy cause. Also, for those that may have an interest in attending the TAT Closing Program, the location has been changed from the Elkhart Conservation Club, to the Izaak Walton League facility located at 20400 Darden Road, Southbend, IN. The date is still Saturday, April 11th ,2026. Thanks again to all you TAT tiers, and thanks again Don.

Don’t forget as well, we are in our last few weeks for 3RFF Tuesday Night Fly Tying at Coyote Creek Bar & Grill on Hillegas Rd. in Ft. Wayne, IN. Approximately 5:45 to 8:15 pm. We only have the 17th, 24th, and 31st left. So come on out and join us for a great evening.

Elections, Elections, Elections…We’ve already said it…it’s that time of year again…take it to heart…nominate someone, be nominated, step up, find out where you can fit in or help out…be a part of moving “your” club forward…a part of something good! Thank You.

Until next time, get out there, get involved, be active and enjoy your club. And thank you for your ongoing support of Three Rivers Fly Fishers. Have a great week everyone. Take care.

Most Respectfully and Tight Lines,

Kevin Curtis – President
Three Rivers Fly Fishers – 3RFF
Ft. Wayne, IN

Hello Everyone,

March is upon us, and hopefully it will bring with it respite from the grip of our long winter. If you’re like me, I will welcome at this point, a little more sunshine, a little more warmth, and a chance to cast my fly line on a little more open, think ice free waters.

Just some updates on a few things we have wrapped up, or are wrapping up as we move toward our spring season of events.

First,  we wrapped up our February 3RFF community outreach with the Eckhart Public Library in Auburn, IN. This was a total success for our organization, the library and the community of Auburn and surrounding area. Our own Brent Walchuk was lead tying instructor and coordinator for the six week Fly Tying Workshop hosted by the library. All classe were booked solid this year, with a few individuals on a waiting list. Brent had a few return students from last year, but most were new to the classes and fly tying. Brent reported that everyone was enthusiastic, excited, and very interactive about the program. We will have more information as it develops, but Brent will be coordinating and instructing at our upcoming spring Fly Casting Clinics. This program will also be open to the public and 3RFF members.

Our –  “A Day With Davy Wotton” event is now also behind us, and we had a pretty unique day with Davy. We kicked the day off at 9:00am with the first tying classes diving into tying wet flies, along with interactive instruction and candid conversations with Davy. This was followed by a short break and then the afternoon classes jumped into tying poppers and streamers to finish out the day time events. We all took a dinner break, and then returned for our general membership meeting at 6:00pm. Davy Wotton was then our featured guest speaker for the evening, where he presented a program covering some of the history of fly fishing and fly tying in the U.K. and U.S. as well as fly fishing the Arkansas area, and various trends in fly fishing and the industry both past and present. I would like to thank all of those who participated in tying classes, and all who attended the evening meeting and program to support this all day event and your club.

The annual Tie-a-Thon program will be finishing up before we know it. Please get those flies tied up and ready to turn in. Don Privett has told me the last day he will be accepting flies in person will be at the March general membership meeting on Wednesday the 18th.

Please have your flies ready to turn into Don no later than this date. If you are unable to make the membership meeting the 18th, you may drop your flies off at any of the Tuesday Night Fly Tying events to either Ron Dixon or myself. All flies will be delivered to Tim Scott and company at the annual Tie-a-Thon luncheon to be held in Elkhart, IN on Saturday, April 11th, 2026. Thank You so much, to all those who participated in this worthy cause, and Thanks Again to DonPrivett for being our 3RFF liaison again this year. Great Job!! everyone.

This is also a reminder that we are down to the final stretch for our 3RFF Tuesday Night Fly Tying events. We will be tying every Tuesday in March, with the 31st being our last tying night for the 2025 – 2026 season. That gives us five more weeks of fly tying fun, fellowship and camaraderie. Not to mention the great food, drink and service available at the Coyote Creek Bar and Grill. But it will “fly” by quickly, so come on out and join us. This has been another great year of tying and we’ve had great participation once again. Again, you do not have to tie, or be a fly tyer, these evenings are open to members, their guests, non-members and the public at no cost. They are meant to be educational and informative in nature, as well as a place to relax and enjoy some fellowship and storytelling. Did I mention great food and drink also? So, grab your vise and tying materials, or just grab your top hat and coat, and join us at Coyote Creek Bar and Grill every Tuesday night from around 6:00 to 8:00pm or so for some fun and relaxation. You won’t be disappointed. Hope to see you there !!

3RFF Tuesday Night Fly Tying:  March  3rd,  10th,  17th,  24th, and  31st.  Location:  Coyote Creek Bar and Grill, 4935 Hillegas Road, Ft. Wayne, IN.  Time:  Approximately 5:45pm to 8:15pm, give or take a few. This is a laid back, informal, come and go as you please event.

Come on out, join us, tie some flies, just shoot the breeze, relax, and have a “mandatory” good time. See ya’ there. And “THANKS” to everyone who comes out to support your club. Have a great day!

Until next time – 

Most Respectfully and Tight Lines,

Kevin Curtis – President
Three Rivers Fly Fishers – 3RFF
Ft. Wayne, IN  

Hello Everyone,

Just a reminder to everyone that the General Membership meeting for this month will not be on this coming Wednesday evening, February 18th, 2026.

The February monthly General Membership meeting is this coming Saturday evening, February, 21st, 2026 to support our –  “A Day With Davy Wotton” event. Those who are participating in the pre-paid private fly tying classes with Davy Wotton have been notified with their class start times and agendas.

The General Membership meeting will start at 6:00 pm Saturday evening. Doors open at 5:30 pm. Davy Wotton will be our guest speaker for the evening, and will be presenting his program for approximately an hour and a half. This all day event will be held at our usual location, the Classic Cafe Exhibition and Event Center, located on Hillegas Road in Ft. Wayne, IN. This program is open at no cost to all current paid members of Three Rivers Fly Fishers, and is open to the non-member general public for a cost of ten dollars, for a great evening of comradery, fellowship and entertainment by one of the great icons of our fly fishing and fly tying sport, and close friend of the late, great Dave Whitlock, we welcome – Davy Wotton!

To review a complete Bio of Davy Wotton, please see our previously posted information on our website at: 3rff.org  in regards to this event. For a wealth of additional information about Davy, please visit his website at: davywottonflyfishing.com  You can also follow Davy on his Facebook page as well as other social media outlets and various fly fishing blogs.

Please join us Saturday evening for a wonderful time, connecting with one of the all time greats in fly fishing today – Davy Wotton. Don’t miss it! Hope to see all of you there! Thank You, and have a great week.

Most Respectfully and Tight Lines,

Kevin Curtis – President
Three Rivers Fly Fishers – 3RFF
Ft. Wayne, IN

Hello Everyone,

We are excited and pleased to announce a “very special day”. Mark your calendars for –  Saturday, February 21st, 2026. An “ALL DAY” fly fishing / fly tying celebration. A day with DAVY WOTTON !!

– Davy Wotton hooked his first trout in the early 1950’s.

– He has spent a lifetime fly fishing and has fished in more than 40 countries around the world.

– Davy has made his living fly fishing since the early 1960’s, and has spent many years manufacturing and selling fly fishing products, and as a consultant to many of the fly fishing organizations around the world.

– He is a professional fly fishing guide; guiding on both warm and cold water rivers, streams and lakes in the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas where he makes his home; and guides his clients to four different species of trophy trout, smallmouth bass and panfish.

– His home waters include such famous destinations as the White River, the North Fork River (a.k.a. Norfork River) and the Upper North Fork. Also the Buffalo National River, Spring River, Crooked Creek and the Little Red River.

– Davy runs and instructs at his own internationally acclaimed fly fishing and fly tying schools. Specializing in personalized expert clinics for fly fishing, fly casting and fly tying at all levels, from basic to advanced methods, tactics and theories. 

– He has produced no less than five DVDs on fly fishing and fly tying tactics, techniques and methods, and has appeared on numerous fly fishing TV shows.

– Davy began tying flies commercially in the 1960’s, and many of his fly patterns are commercially produced by the world’s major producers of fishing flies, and can be found in the bins of premium fly shops across North America and beyond. He also ties a signature line of flies not tied commercially and only          available through his website.

– Since the early 1970’s Davy has contributed to, and published over 100 articles and features for both fly fishing magazines and books the world over.

– Davy has his own website, “Davy Wotton Fly Fishing” at www.davywottonflyfishing.com  You can also follow Davy on social media through his Facebook Page, and hear him discuss fly fishing topics on various fly fishing Podcasts.

– Davy Wotton is a World Class Fly Fisherman, a U.S. International Team Coach, American and Europe, and was a close personal friend and constant fly fishing companion of the late Dave Whitlock.

We are grateful to Daniel Boyko, one of our Board of Directors here at Three Rivers Fly Fishers, for helping arrange this all day event and bring Davy Wotton for this exclusive day of fly fishing comradery. Daniel recently spent some time with Davy and was guided to trophy trout on the White River in Arkansas.

Our day with Davy Wotton will include two “private” fly tying classes. Participants will bring their own fly tying vise and fly tying tools. Davy will provide all tying materials and personal tying instruction. These individual tying classes will be limited to 10 (ten) students for each session. These are not beginner classes. Basic to intermediate tying skills and knowledge, at a minimum, and experience are required. Current paid members of Three Rivers Fly Fishers will have first priority seating at these tying events. If class size is not filled by 3RFF members, then the remaining open seats will be made available to the general public. You must Pre-Register and Pre-Pay for these private fly tying sessions with Davy. We will have sign up sheets at the upcoming general membership meetings, and you may sign up as well by contacting one of the club officers listed below. Sign up will start now through January of 2026. 

The morning session will be approximately 3 to 4 hours in length. Class size will be limited to 10 tiers. Cost per person is $50.00. Students will be instructed by, and you will tie along with Davy as you learn to tie some of his signature flies. This session may be of most interest to the Trout fly fisherman.

There will be a one hour lunch break following the morning session. Students will provide for their own lunch. Lunch is not included in the class cost.

The afternoon session will be approximately 3 to 4 hours in length. Class size will be limited to 10 tiers. Cost per person is $50.00. Students will be instructed by, and you will tie along with Davy as you learn to tie some of Dave Whitlock’s personal and signature flies. This session may be of most interest to the Bass fly fisherman. 

There will be a one hour supper break following the afternoon session. Students will provide for their own dinner. Dinner is not included in the class cost.

Following our late afternoon dinner break, Davy Wotton will be our featured guest speaker and will be presenting for the evening session. Subject matter to be determined.  This format will be much like our general membership meeting events where we have a guest speaker present a program. For the evening session – All “current PAID members” of Three Rivers Fly Fishers – 3RFF, may attend the program at “no cost” to the member. This program will also be open to the non-member general public at an admission cost of $10.00 per person for a great evening and fly fishing experience with Davy Wotton. 

For those that want to begin Pre-Registration sign up for the private Davy Wotton fly tying classes, you may contact the following Board members. Daniel Boyko, Ron Dixon or Kevin Curtis. We will have more details, class start times and agendas, etc. for the day, forthcoming and ASAP. This all day fly fishing / fly tying experience with Davy Wotton on Saturday February 21st, 2026 will be held at the Classic Cafe Event Center and Exhibition Hall on Hillegas Road in Ft. Wayne, IN. We hope all of you will be able to take advantage of this very special fly fishing event. Looking forward to seeing you soon. Thank You !

Respectfully and Tightlines,

Kevin Curtis – President
Three Rivers Fly Fishers – 3RFF
Ft. Wayne, IN