39Tth NORTH TOLEDO BEND RENDEZVOUS (NOV 2-4, 2018)

NORTH TOLEDO BEND RENDEZVOUS 2018 (NOV 2-4, 2018) https://www.facebook.com/events/3166...2560289829613/


IN OCTOBER 1989, 33 MEMBERS OF THE PINEYWOODS FLY FISHERS, ACADIANA FLY RODDERS, AND NORTH LOUISIANA FLY FISHERS MET AT NORTH TOLEDO BEND STATE PARK TO CAMP AND FISH. THE SECOND CAMPOUT WAS OCT 28, 1990 WHEN IT WAS AGREED TO RENT THE GROUP FACILITY IN THE FUTURE.&NB
NOTICE: Our fee schedule is $55 for the weekend or $30 for a one day visit or stay (family or individual). This applies to EVERYONE who enters our dining hall, these fees will be collected, registration/sign-in is required, whether staying in a park cabin, camp area or just visiting for the day.
Read park rules below in green concerning pets, firearms, drugs and alcohol.
Welcome to our North Toledo Bend Rendezvous Friday afternoon, November 2nd thru Sunday morning, November 4th, 2018. A capacity of 150 people in 5 heated log bunkhouses (30 beds each), a heated central shower and restroom building with nice night lighting on all the sidewalks and a large main log building with A/C, a commercial kitchen, dining hall, fireplace, a long front porch, picnic table and a large barbeque trailer.
NTBSP Park Rules:
Pets - Pets are not permitted within buildings or other enclosed structures on site. Only seeing-eye dogs are permitted in overnight facilities. Pet owners are responsible for any injury or damage caused by their pets. Dogs and other pets are not allowed to run freely on park property. Any pet brought in to a State Park must be on a leash (not to exceed 6 feet in length), or caged or crated.
Alcohol - The display or overuse of alcohol in a public use area which creates a disturbance is prohibited within a state park. The use of alcoholic beverages by a minor is illegal.
Drugs - The possession, display and use of dangerous drugs or a controlled substance is illegal and prohibited within a state park.
Firearms - Not allowed
No pre-reservations are necessary, we begin gathering at 3 PM on Friday when the park staff unlocks the facility. Families and individuals check in at the main office, do not pay but ask for their FREE Parking pass for the "Fly Fishing Group". Once at the group facility, the first order of business is finding the necessary bunks in one of our 5 bunkhouses. Segmented and marked: #1 for families, #2, 3, &4 for male singles and #5 for "Non-Snorers Only". The bedroom in each bunkhouse is designated for a dressing room "not sleeping" so that you can have some privacy when needed. This room might also be used by a mother with a new baby or someone requiring oxygen. NOTICE: The park entry gate is closed and locked at 10pm so be prepared for that and have someone in our group to call should you arrive after 10pm. You will need the lock combination which is not issued until we gather.
What to bring: Bedding (either lightweight sleeping bag or sheets and blanket, pillow), towels, wash cloths, items for showers, etc. I will bring or designate all the eating utensils, plates, bowls, cups, coffee, tea, cream, so you do not need to worry about that. Bring drinks for yourself and your family and any special foods for your diet and mark them with your name so we and others will not bother them in the refrigerators. Please tell your children not to bother other people's drinks. If you do not plan to cook, tell Linda or Walter what you have brought to cook or share so we can do that for you. Be aware that we will raid the refrigerators for items like eggs, bacon, sausage, etc. for breakfast each morning. You will see a crew of cooks trying to get breakfast ready so feel free to join them. Also please volunteer to wash pots & pans during cooking or clean up the kitchen after each meal so that Linda does not do it all by herself. We love a clean kitchen. We are not allowed to mop any floors due to past floor damage. If you are late for breakfast, do not expect to find any food left.
First to the main dining room/kitchen where you meet fellow fly fishers, sign the register and pay for the weekend. The family & individual fee is $55 for the weekend or $30 for a day or night. If you visit for the day, this will cover your food costs when you eat with us. For those who do not stay in the bunkhouses, we still require these fees even if you have an RV or stay in a park cabin.
Next 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 meal. This gives you a chance to show off your favorite dish or creation! You can imagine out of 60 to 65 people, the feasts we have! Meals are a real treat! No restaurant could provide better food! Please park your vehicle in our designated parking lot and not on the grass. Park patrols checks for this.
To pass the day, the fly tyers set up their vises in the dining hall on the 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 spectators sit, watch and ask questions. This is a significant event because some of the top fly tyers in the nation attend Rendezvous every year! This is your one chance to spend as much time as you like sitting with an outstanding tyer and learn their best skills!
Breakfast begins fairly early with the early risers! It just so happens that one East Texan prepares mouth watering pancakes for everyone until the chow line dies out. Eggs of all sorts start while some fantastic breakfast dishes pop out of the oven and disappear fast. This is not for the faint of heart, as they say. If you snooze you lose! Late risers will have to fend for themselves or find the crumbs!
Cooking for lunch begins right after breakfast and kitchen cleanup. It is a real treat to see a clean kitchen evolve over and over! All the busy hands make these tasks a joy - not a task. Around noon time, the aroma from the kitchen forces mouths to water and lines to form.
Then comes dinner! In the past we have had some delightful surprises with fresh Alaskan silver and red salmon cooked in several ways, barbeque chickens and sausages from the outdoor pit, Cajun dishes of all sorts, 96 quart coolers of fresh steamed crabs on ice ready for cracking and even Dutch oven cooking. Some usual treats are spaghetti and meat balls that are out of this world, chili, sandwiches, special salads and too many other items to detail here. Just let it be said that if you have taste buds, you will be totally satisfied! We always have too much food at each meal so please plan to cook less, we do not need several main dishes but more salads and side dishes to go with our main meat dishes. You do not need to cook for 65 people, that is why we have so much.
Some of the strange slang and accents you will hear during your weekend come from the fact that clubs gather from all over! Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi and we have had them from Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Florida.
Children have a safe place to play because the cove of the lake is at least a hundred yards down hill from the bunkhouses. That means fishing! Pier fishing, wading, float tubes, kayaks and canoes are the order of the day. No Louisiana license is required for Texans having a Texas license.
If you have any questions, please contact Walter McLendon 936-634-3290 or email wem@post.com