March 2026 HFF Meeting

The next meeting of the HFF will be Tuesday March 17th. As usual we will meet at the American Legion Post #18 here in Bloomington, with dinner at 6:00 and the program at 7:00. It is that Indiana spring weather when the pretty yellow flowers come out in 70 degrees and spend the next two days poking their heads through the snow.

The program this month will be a talk by Eric Helton from the Indiana Division of Fish and Wildlife. I am sure it will be most interesting as the Division oversees about every aspect of fishing in Indiana from licensing to habitat enhancement. I am interested in what changes, new species, and new habitat may result from the warming of the climate.

Justin Swafford’s power point for his program on rod building will be available soon. This was a great presentation and it got a lot of things about splining a rod straighten out for me.

March 17th is St. Patricks day. And what would be better than having Mike Donovan tie a Pat’s Rubber Leg fly. I am interested to see how he deals with all those legs…

Annual Auction of Good Stuff
GOOD STUFF

The April meeting will be the annual auction of good fly fishing stuff. The April meeting will be the auction, I wanted to repeat that so you would not forget. This is a great time to get rid of some of the extra cash you may have lying around. It is also a good time to donate fishing/outdoor related items for the auction. I am sure there will be some terrific flies, perhaps a few feathers, some books with pretty pictures and maybe some surprises. This is a chance to pass on some of that stuff you were sure you really needed but didn’t really need. Again, Kernal Kevin’s dulcet voice will encourage you to part with a few bucks and take home treasures. The auction helps fund the annual picnic, club Christmas party, gifts to the Legion folks, occasional conservation projects, Project Healing Waters and Casting for Recovery.

The annual picnic will again be in May. Details on that fun time will follow soon.

On another note, both sad and happy, Kyle Swafford has gotten a new job and will be leaving the area. We are happy for the better job but sad to see him move on. At least come back for the picnic. This means we will need a new Conservation Office for the club. If you are interested please let Kevin know.

Hope to see you all on the 17th. Dinner at 6:00 and the program at 7:00. The program will be Eric Helton from Indiana Fish and Wildlife.

Stay warm or cool or wet or dry or whatever Indiana weather has in store for us,

Tim

February 2026 HFF Meeting

The next meeting of the HFF will be February 17th. We will meet at the American Legion Post #18 on 3rd street here in Bloomington with dinner at 6:00 PM and the program at 7:00 PM.

This is a busy month coming up we have the Cincinnati Fly Show on Sat Feb 8th starting at 9AM and then The Super Bowl on Sunday and if that were not enough, February 14th is Valentine’s Day. Do something nice for someone nice. Then in addition to the HFF meeting on the 17th that will be the Lunar New Year and it is the Year of the Horse.

The HFF meeting this month will feature Justin Swafford. Justin will be giving a program on rod building. This will consist of a presentation of some sort as well as a demonstration on how to wrap guides and trim bands. He will also be bringing tools and components needed to build a rod to give everyone a visual idea of what they will need to get started. I’m sure as usual there will be lots of questions and he will be ready to answer those as well. Filling out the meeting will be the Club raffle which has been having some really nice prizes and flies.

A reminder that The HFF Annual Auction of Good Fishing Stuff will be the April meeting. So gather up some of the extra fishing related stuff you are looking to pass on to some worthy person. Also gather some extra cash to take home some of the fishing related stuff someone else wanted to pass on to a worthy person.

Looking forward to Justin’s rod building program. See you all on the 17th

Stay warm,

Tim

Located in Bloomington, Indiana © 2026