Greetings Fellow Fly Fishers!
What a year! In 2025, Living Waters funded the first Rio Grande Cichlid (Herichthys cyanoguttatus) genome project and conducted an historic Guadalupe Bass Repatriation on Brushy Creek. It will be hard to top that next year! We also expanded our class topics, heard from new guest speakers, and incorporated more online education.
In 2026, you can expect a mix of familiar favorites as well as plenty of fresh topics and events. As always our in-person shop events will take top priority. We will continue to release new tying tutorials and fly fishing classes on our YouTube channel every month; however the release dates will be less structured than before. If you enjoy our online content make sure you are subscribed to our channel and have notifications enabled for alerts about new video releases! Unless otherwise specified, classes listed are in-person only and do not require registration.
The biggest change to note is that Fly Tying Nights will move back to the old Instructional-only format, with an occasional Roundtable Night if we get a fifth Wednesday in a month.
Wednesday nights are Fly Tying Nights! For Beginner tiers, registration is required. We supply all instruction, materials, and tools free of charge. Over the course of four weeks, you will learn fly patterns that will introduce you to core tying skills that you will build on as you grow in your tying journey. For Intermediate+ tiers, there is no registration required. Materials and instruction are provided free of charge, but please bring your own thread, vise and tools. Each month, the fly patterns you will learn will focus either on a specific material or skill to increase your fly tying mastery. The focus for the month of January will be jigged streamers using squirrel zonkers.
As always, we welcome your feedback on topics and requests for guest speakers. Reply to this email to share your ideas!
For more event details head to our Events & Education page!
Take care and God Bless!
Tight Lines,
Living Waters Fly Fishing
Jan 1 – Fly Shop Closed
Jan 3 – Guadalupe River Tactics with Capt. Cody LaCroix
Capt. Cody LaCroix will kick off our January events by sharing his keys to success on the Guadalupe River. Don’t miss your chance to hear from one of our go-to guides, who has his oars on the pulse of how our local tailwater is fishing this season!
Jan 7 – Fly Tying Night
Jan 10 – Chasing Native Trout with Seth Davis
Artist and Wildlife Biologist, Seth Davis is passionate about pursuing native trout in their native waters. In his class he will define what it means to be a “native” trout, the tools you can use to find them, and how to plan and execute trips to pursue them for yourself!
Jan 14 – Fly Tying Night
Jan 17 – Introduction to Fly Fishing
New to fly fishing? Register for our beginner fly fishing course! During this FREE event day, we’ll take you through the the fundamentals of fly casting, tackle and rigging, as well as access points and fly selection for the Texas Hill Country. All equipment is provided!
Jan 21 – Fly Tying Night
Jan 24 – Favorite Flies for Texas
Mark your calendar for the launch of Chris Johnson’s first book, Favorite Flies for Texas! Chris will share details about the history and design behind some of Texas’ most iconic and productive flies. Purchase your copy of Favorite Flies for Texas at the event to have it personalized by Chris!
Jan 28 – Fly Tying Night
Jan 31 – Water Off a Duck’s Back: A Masterclass in CDC
Cul De Canard (CDC) feathers may very well be one of the most versatile materials in all of fly tying. Many use them for dry flies, but the feather has many uses below the water’s surface as well! From mayflies to mouse patterns, Chris Johnson will show you how to incorporate CDC in your personal tying. Techniques, specialty tools, and feather grading will all be discussed in detail.