Spring Rendezvous will be held in the group facility on April 11 through 13 at Lake D'Arbonne State Park near Monroe, LA. This is a great location for April, but we are not on the water.
Spring Rendezvous is mostly a fly tying event but some people fly fish anyway. Our group facility sleeps 52 people in 2 air conditioned wings attached to the commercial kitchen and dining room. We divide up so one wing is for females and the other for males. Each has it own first class bathroom with plenty of showers and toilets.
We begin gathering before 3 PM on Friday when the park staff unlocks the facility. Families and individuals check in at the main office and ask for their FREE pass for the "Fly Fishing Group". Once at the group facility, the first order of business is finding the your bunks and unloading your gear. In the dining hall please sign the register and pay for the weekend. The family fee is $40 for the weekend or $20 for a day or night. Single's fee is $30 for the weekend or $15 for the day or night. What a bargain!!
Then to unloading food to the kitchen. Everyone is asked to bring their necessary foods for the weekend. Most people bring to share, so all you need to provide is a nice sized dish for each feast or meal. This gives you a chance to show off your favorite dish or creation! You can imagine out of 52 people, the feasts we have! Eating is a real treat! No restaurant could provide better food!
To pass the day, all the fly tyers set up their vises in the dining hall on the dining tables. We always manage to have plenty of room for eating when the time comes. All day and into the late evening, tyers do their thing while friends and spectators sit, watch and ask questions.
Breakfast begins fairly early with the early risers! Eggs of all sorts start while some fantastic breakfast dishes pop out of the over and disappear fast. Late risers will have to fend for themselves!
Cooking for lunch begins right after breakfast and kitchen cleanup. We keep a clean kitchen by all pitching in! All the busy hands make these tasks a joy - not a task. Around noontime, the aroma from the kitchen forces mouths to water and lines to form. We have great evening meals too.
Children have a safe place to play in the yard but we still need to watch out for the little ones. Remember that Louisiana fishing license is required for Texans since we are no longer on adjoining Texas waters like at North Toledo Bend. There is plenty of room for our casting practices and showing off our new rods and reels.
Now to planning! Bring bed sheets or a sleeping bag, pillows and blankets if you need it. The beds are quite comfortable and the facility is very clean. Bring your bath items with your toothbrush. Don't worry about bringing eating necessities, we now provide paper plates, bowls, cups, plastic ware, napkins and all the kitchen cleaning items. No need for any cooking items unless you need something special like a blender, crock pot or food processor. Everything a commercial kitchen can have is provided by the park service.
In the kitchen, you will have a personal area for boxes of food stuff. This facility is designed for 52 people not the 150 we usually provide for. Refrigerators, a freezer, a large Vulcan stove with griddle, a deep fryer, coffee maker and stainless washing sinks and a stainless preparation table in the middle of the kitchen.
Remember that RV's are not allowed in the Group Facility and you will be forced to relocate by park officials if you attempt to park here. RV sites are close by in the park. The main gates are closed and locked at 10 PM each night requiring a lock combination number for access. Since we have no telephone in the Group Facility there is no way to know when people arrive late to open the gate for them. This means if you arrive after 10 PM you had better made provisions before hand with someone with a cell phone.
For more information contact:
Walter & Linda McLendon 936-875-3726 Pineywoods Fly Fishers waltermc@sprynet.com
Our annual Rendezvous is held at North Toledo Bend State Park the first weekend of November.
