The fly-tying competition was held at the 2026 Iowa State Fair.  This competition has been developed and sponsored by the Hawkeye Fly Fishing Association (HFFA) with support of the Department of Natural Resources (DNR).  There were 16 entrants with 52 flies entered into the competition from across the state.  There were 3 entrants in the […]

Cub Scouts from Pack 24 of Riverdale Heights Elementary School, learned to tie flies, shared fishing pictures, and took home both newly-tied and member-gifted flies, while attending a meeting of the Quad City Fly Fishers (QCFF) on Thursday, January 15th, in Riverdale, IA. After teaching one of the scouts to tie flies, club member Dick

Iowa’s 12th annual Casting for Recovery retreat was held over a long weekend, culminating on Sunday, October 5th. Participants spent most of their time with volunteers at Ewalu Stone Retreat Center, Strawberry Point, Iowa, learning such things as tying knots, fly casting skills, and about the trout’s diet in the stream environment. On Sunday, each

  The Dubuque Fly Fishers (DFF) put together a basics of fly tying session at their meeting on Monday, October 13, at the Swiss Valley Nature Center. Lead by professional fly tyer, and DFF member, C.J. Klenske, five students of all ages learned basic techniques as, step by step, they tied a Wooly Worm and

Fellow HFFA Members & Guests, The 50th annual HFFA show dates are Friday February 27, Saturday February 28, and Sunday March 1st, 2026. The show will be held at the Hilton Garden Inn Cedar Rapids. Hotel address is 4640 North River Blvd NE, Cedar Rapids, IA. 52411. Hotel phone number is 319-206-9167.  Our featured speakers

On Saturday, August 16th, Hawkeye Fly Fishers and Trout Unlimited partnered to assemble 18 bank hides that will be used on trout stream restoration projects in 2025 and 2026. A total of 17 volunteers participated in the event at the Iowa DNR Manchester Fish Hatchery. This group consisted of HFFA and TU members, as well

The photo shows Kirk Rosenow, Ronda Long, Ron Dunek and Mike Schrader answering questions at the end of the HFFA’s “Learn About Fly Fishing” at the 2025 Iowa State Fair on Thursday August 14th. Kirk led off the presentation with an introduction and then a discussion of warm water fly fishing opportunities.  Ronda described cold

  The Iowa State Fair Fly Tying Competition was held at the 2025 Iowa State Fair. This competition has been developed and sponsored by the Hawkeye Fly Fishing Association (HFFA) with support of the Department of Natural Resources (DNR).  There are 3 divisions: junior, adult, and expert.  There are four categories: dry flies, wet/nymph flies,

The Fly Tying & Fly Casting Event sponsored by Johnston Public Library, North Bear Trout Unlimited, & Central Iowa Fly Fishers was held on June 7, 2025.  There was a very good turnout of 18 participants and about 8 instructors.  The session started with the librarian welcoming all to the library and wishing them good