General Meetings

General Meeting Schedule

All meetings are held at the Lakeside Pavilion - 2565 California Park Dr. Chico, CA 95928 at 6:30pm on the second Wednesday of each month October through May. The other months are for fishing! The first hour is fly tying with the guest speaker at 7:30pm.

Wednesday, October 11, 2023 We are very fortunate to have Hogan Brown as our speaker. Growing up on the Lower Yuba River as an only child who had a bug collection and really liked catching fish with imitations of those bugs didn’t make Hogan the coolest kid growing up. Good thing he got over it and persevered. Deciding to start rowing a drift boat and guiding the lower Yuba instead of living in the woods bitter and resentful. Living in Chico, CA now Hogan guides for anything that swims, from trout to striped bass and carp to steelhead, he is at home in a drift boat or poling a mud flat for carp. Guiding the Lower Yuba River, Feather River, and Lower Sacramento River for stripers, trout, steelhead, shad, carp, and bass has made him one of the most versatile and experienced guides in Northern California. His trout, bass, carp, and striper flies have become staples in his home state of Northern California and throughout the West. Hogan is a Scott Fly Rods, Lamson - Waterworks Reels, Stealth Craft Boats, Air Flo Fly Lines, and Echo Rods Pro along with being a Simms and , Costa Del Mar Sunglasses Ambassador. Hogan is also co-founder of the California Bass Union dedicated to Developing, Sharing, and Growing Fly Fishing for bass in his home state of California. Hogan is also a connoisseur of fine ales and fermented grains, a home gardener, die-hard San Francisco Giants baseball and Notre Dame Football fan, along with being a husband and father to two young boys. Check out Hogan's website: Hogan Brown Fly Fishing.

Wednesday, November 8, 2023: PJ Bock, of Fish First! here in Chico will address the club on Euro nymphing technique. PJ will precede his presentation with a fly tying demonstration. PJ grew up in a rural Northern California Town in Scott Valley with a love for the outdoors. This gave him the opportunity to hike to and fish countless high mountain lakes and streams. PJ would spend huge parts of the summer backpacking, camping and fishing. Living in northern California has afforded the opportunity to fish some beautiful waters like both the upper and lower stretch of the Sacramento River, Hat Creek, The McCloud River, The Yuba River and More. Not only does he have a love of Fishing but he has a Knowledge of Plant and Wildlife. After spending most of his life fishing and teaching friends and family to fish, he decided to quit his day job and become a full time “Trout Bum”. PJ spent the 2022 Season Guiding at the GoodNews River Lodge in Alaska where he spent the summer Chasing King and Silver Salmon.
PJ is first aid and CPR certified as well as bonded, and licensed to guide in the state of California. Look up more about PJ at Bock Fly Fishing.

Wednesday, December 13, 2023: Our annual Round Table Pizza and Anchovy Feed!! Starting at 5:30pm join us for an informal gathering at Round Table Pizza at 2201 Pillsbury Road (Almond Orchard Plaza) in Chico for all the pizza you can eat, on us! Get to know some of your fellow members, plan some trips, and definitely hear some stories that seem to be a bit out of the realm of reality! Honestly, anchovies aren't involved...

Wednesday, January 10, 2024: Ryan Williams of North Valley Fly Fishing is our guest this date. This is a special treat!! Born and raised in Vacaville CA, Ryan obtained a high level of fly fishing experience at a young age on Putah Creek. Ryan began fly fishing and tying in 2003 and guiding in 2006. Also having worked retail in 2 fly shops. After fishing nearly every fly destination and every freshwater species Northern California has to offer, Ryan has since been able to narrow down his favorite options, settling down in the center of it all, next to Lake Oroville. Most of his guiding consists on Lake Oroville & the Feather River, however you can also find him guiding on Clear Lake and Thermalito Afterbay. When the guide season slows down during winter & dog days of summer, Ryan does a little guiding, a little personal fishing, but is heavy on the fly tying. This is when the "fly shop" here is in full swing. This equates to a busy life year round. He's still got time to chat however, give Ryan a ring! Ryan: (707) 365-9891. Some side notes: Ryan was the winner of Wild West Bass Trail: Shasta Team Tournament (Jan 2021) 178 boats. He was the first person in United States to win a major conventional bass tournament using a fly rod. WWBT Lake Shasta Team Tournament: Jan 2, 2021. Ryan is the creator of the "Williams Wakasagi" float & fly, the original float n fly made for the fly rod.

Wednesday, February 14, 2024: Joe Garza of J.A.G. Fly Fishing is our featured presenter. Joseph A. Garza first fell in love with fishing at the young age of four, fishing creeks with his grandparents. Moving to Northern California, just before his teen years, Joe would spend as much time as he could on creeks, rivers, and lakes. He would often ride his bike fifteen miles or more to fish and explore lakes, rivers and creeks. The year 2001 marked his baptism into fly fishing. On a fishing trip with some friends, a fly rod was put in his hand and he hasn't put it down since. In true Joe fashion, he jumped in full tilt and did everything he could to gain as much knowledge as possible about this sport. In 2005, he became youth coordinator for the Chico Area Flyfishers. There he spent five and a half years teaching youth about presentation, casting, fly tying, aquatic entomology, and freshwater ecosystems. In 2011, Joe left the youth program to spend more time with his family. He spent the next 4 years focusing primarily on teaching his children all he could about fly fishing. In 2015, a good friend and fellow guide talked Joe into getting his California Guide License. So, with 43 years of fishing experience, Joe decided to embark on a new adventure of becoming a guide. In 2015, J.A.G. Fly Fishing became a reality. Joe has the uncanny ability to create great lasting memories for this guests. He takes the time necessary to teach proper technique, to ensure customers the best chance for success, during their trip and in the future.

Saturday, March 9, 2024: Our Annual Fundraising Dinner at the Chico Masonic Family Center at 4pm. Live Auction, Silent Auction, and Raffle. Huge success last year. A great way to meet other members, local guides, and get gear and trips at a discount while funding all the important projects that CAF is involved with: Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing; Salmon in the Classroom; Conservation; Preservation; and Restoration, just to name a few...

Wednesday, April 10, 2024: Rob Anderson is back! Rob had to cancel our last booking because of weather conditions. We are privileged to have him back on our speaker rotation. Rob was born and raised in Virginia. He grew up in an environment of hunting and fishing from a very young age. In his early fly-fishing years Rob spent time from the age of 9 chasing Bass and Bluegill in farm ponds throughout the Virginia countryside. When Rob got to high school, Team Sports like golf, Basketball and Baseball became his passion. Relocating to the Tahoe Area as a golf pro, Rob didn't have much time for fishing. In March of 2000 while fishing with a friend on the Yuba River in California, Rob had a freak accident wading and shattered his ankle and left leg. The accident required a long risky surgery and 11 screws and a metal plate were required to keep Rob’s foot intact. After months of Rehab and physical therapy Rob was able to walk again. The accident also cost Rob his job as a golf pro. Rob spent the latter half of the summer learning to walk again and it was not long until the learning part had to be done near some type of water with fish in it. That fall after a month or so hanging out with his new Friend Andy Burk who managed the original Reno Fly Shop, did Rob find an opportunity to go to work in the fly-fishing business. The Reno Fly Shop and Dave Stanley, now Rob’s employer, soon found out what a valuable employee and a pain in the ass they had found. Rob spent the next ten years working and managing the retail operation and growing what would become the area's largest fly-fishing guide service. The biggest key to the development of the guide service came in late 2001 when Rob became the first Non-Tribal fly-fishing guide at now world renown Pyramid Lake. As home to the World’s largest cutthroat trout, Pyramid really only had a local following of fishermen from Nevada and California. The potential here was endless. The guide service and the notoriety of the lake grew through fly fishing shows, fishing reports, weekly newsletters and eventually a new website www.pyramidlakeflyfishing.com, long before social media took over. Now Rob was basically working two jobs, managing the fly shop and guiding Pyramid Lake. In 2002 Rob helped build the shop’s first website which would change his job forever. Rob’s position at the shop had turned into an operations manager and overseeing just about everything. Rob would eventually also become a commercial fly designer for Umpqua Feather Merchants and design the #1 Peacock Bass pattern named the Space Invader. Rob is a regular speaker at many clubs and a featured speaker at the recent Fly Fishing Show in Pleasanton, California.

Wednesday, May 8, 2024: Lance Gray of Lance Gray and Company Fly Fishing is our featured presenter. Being the last guest speaker of our annual speaking cycle, Lance will present on "The Hex Hatch at Lake Almanor". He will have information on all the latest tactics and flies to use. Lance started fly fishing with his father and brother Lincoln at age 7. In his teens, he began tying flies commercially for shops all around Northern California. At 17, he went to work at Powell's Fly Shop in Chico, working in the fly shop and building rods. He guided for Powell’s, conducted fly-tying and fly-fishing schools, and traveled. In 1993, Lance and Kirsten started Saltwater Innovations, a company that manufactured and distributed products for saltwater fly fishing. Lance’s Crystal Popper, Gray’s Billfish Fly, the KO Charlie line and the Raghead Crabs are all Saltwater Innovations products. Kirsten worked behind the scenes, handling the day-to-day operation and running the manufacturing floor of the company. In 2003 they launched Lance Gray & Company, a full-service outfitter offering guided trips, fly-fishing tours, workshops, and a travel agency. Lance conducts presentations at fly clubs and fly-fishing shows. Kirsten and Lance support local groups like Cub Scouts and 4H while volunteering with veterans. He's a signature tier for Aqua Flies, pro staff member for Sage, RIO, Simms, Fishpond, and Umpqua Feather Merchants; and is a featured writer, with articles published in Angling Trade Magazine, California Fly Fisher, Fly Fishermen and American Fly Fishing. Lance is a columnist. His column “The Foraging Angler” is published bi-monthly in the California Fly Fisher Magazine.