AFFC President's Message

May I extend a personal welcome to you from both myself and all the current members of the Atlanta Fly Fishing Club, an affiliate of the national organization ... Federation of Fly Fishers.

The Federation of Fly Fishers is dedicated to: Conserving, Restoring, and Educating... through Fly Fishing. For over 35 years FFF has worked to preserve and enhance the sport of fly fishing for all fish species in warmwater, saltwater and coldwater fisheries.

The Atlanta Fly Fishing Club was organized in 1990 by a small group of fly fisherman with people like you in mind. Its goals continue to focus on promoting the sport of fly fishing through educational and other awareness programs in this region. And, to actively pursue more on-water fly fishing opportunities as well as individual skills building -- either as a group or individually... something that was missing in other local fishing-related organizations. Today, that heritage continues stronger than ever with an increasing number of club participants each year who proudly proclaim their membership in AFFC.

Both new and experienced flyfishers are welcome to join our organization but please leave your egos at home so that we can all have some fun!

AFFC promotes catch and release, stream stewardship, enhancing fly fishing skills, and introduces the novice and skilled fly tyer alike to a variety of fly tying techniques and patterns. The Atlanta Fly Fishing Club fishes both regionally and throughout the world. Members arrange local group trips along the Chattahoochee River (that runs from Buford Dam directly through Atlanta) for Brown and Rainbow Trout as well as fishing other coldwater streams in the mountains of North Georgia, North Carolina, Kentucky and Tennessee.

Warm water species such as Redeye and Smallmouth Bass are also pursued in ponds, lakes and rivers throughout the state. Saltwater fly fishing is the focus of a large number of our members as they pursue Bonefish, Permit, Redfish, Tarpon and other saltwater species in Florida, Georgia, North & South Carolina, and the Caribbean.

Many of us have fished locations further away from our hometown club location in Atlanta. These have included fly fishing famous freshwater fisheries like the White River in Arkansas; the Green River in Utah; the legendary waters of Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming including Yellowstone National Park; the Frying Pan in Colorado; the San Juan River in New Mexico; the Bow River in Calgary, Canada, plus, waters in Michigan; New York; New Zealand; Great Britain; France; Patagonia & other areas of South America; British Columbia and Alaska.

We're pleased that you have taken the time to visit our club's web site. We hope that you'll bookmark it as a valuable future reference. Thank you for your on-line interest, and participation, in the Atlanta Fly Fishing Club as a current, or future, member.

Please join us at our monthly club meetings to hear interesting speakers, meet other members, learn from our member's latest fishing reports, or how to tie that new fly pattern that "insures your success" while enjoying the wonderful sport of fly fishing whether it be in cold, warm or saltwater.

Best wishes for great fly fishing throughout the year.

Tight loops!

Bob Prator

A Little History... The Federation of Fly Fishers

Philip Greenlee, FFF President 

Originally conceived in 1964 as the Federation of Fly Fishermen, the organization arose from the needs of regionally based clubs and individuals wanting to build strength and unity for fly fishing across the country. The original plan was to protect our native fisheries. From the very beginning the emphasis was on conservation. At the Federation's official launch in June of 1965, the meeting included a program about resource conservation with speakers from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and state officials.

In its first year, the Federation grew to 29 member clubs and 1,200 individual members, a testament to the need for such an organization. The Federation adopted a policy promoting conservation efforts at the local club and regional council levels to handle specific issues. In 1968, the club launched The Flyfisher Magazine and in 1970 established a nationwide audiovisual library as a resource for clubs. 1970 also saw the inclusion of the Forest Products Industry on an FFF conclave program, enabling a dialog including all sides of a touchy conservation topic.

The Federation has continued to be a powerful force with specific emphasis on volunteer action at the local club and regional council levels. From hands-on regional projects, such as insect studies on the Upper Sacramento River to national legal efforts on wild rivers legislation, the FFF has worked across the nation and the world to preserve fisheries habitat and promote fly fishing. The Federation's headquarters and museum in Livingston, Mont., curates a collection of fly-fishing artifacts, photographs, books and documents, an invaluable resource for research and exhibitions, like the one at Turtle Bay Exploration Park in Redding, California.

Today, the FFF has a membership of 240 clubs, 15 councils and 10,769 individuals all over the world. The FFF is in 37 foreign countries and has become the voice of fly fishing all over the world. Because of our worldwide presence, we have renamed the annual meeting and event as the International Fly Fishing Fair.

Our conservation and promotional efforts embrace a wide range of projects - not only those related specifically to resource conservation. They are spearheading a movement called "No Child Left Inside", an effort to encourage young people to get outside, be active, experience the world, and learn about the environment through fly-fishing and conservation.