Prairieschooner,
Trout Unlimited is a marvelous trout conservation organization that I will not disparage, but as you have expressed some dissatisfaction with TU and as you are obviously a fly tyer/fly fisherman with a desire to find a home in an organization oriented to fly fishing and fly tying for more than just trout, I would like to suggest that you check out the International Federation of Fly Fishers.
Over 50 years ago, the Federation was founded with Lee Wulff's idea that, A gamefish is too valuable to catch just once, and the IFFF has become the largest fly fishing education organization in the world, i.e. tying, casting, & fishing skills.
As a Kansas fly tyer and fisherman, when you join the Federation, you will automatically become a member of the Southern Council of the IFFF (SOC). The Southern Council's history, in both their member clubs and yearly Fly Fair in Mountain Home, AR, in both teaching tying and casting, and in inviting many of this country's best tyers to instruct Federators in your area of the country is unsurpassed.
Heck, you will find so many warm water, especially bream fly fishers, who call the Federation home include such tying greats as fellow Kansan and world class, deerhair tyer, Mike George: http://www.themidwest-drift.com/blog...19/mike-george, casting instructors, such as Captain Paul "Sodie" Sodamann: www.flycastingmasters.com/sodie.html, and authors/warm water fly tying/fishing enthusiasts Terry and Roxanne Wilson, who wrote the books on largemouth, smallmouth, crappie and Bluegill fly fishing: http://bigbluegill.com/profile/Terry...ource=activity
Additionally, the Federation is "gear specific", and is the only national or international conservation organization that has a history of fighting for fly fishing, including fly fishing only waters.
Please check out the Federation's website: http://www.fedflyfishers.org/ and https://www.facebook.com/Federation.of.Fly.Fishers/ , the SOC's website: http://www.ifffsoc.org/ and https://www.facebook.com/socflyfishingfair/ , and if you'd look to see what the Federation other Councils are like, then please check out the Gulf Coast Council's (GCC) website and FB page, where we have over 600 photos of GCC Federators and over 60 species of fly caught, primarily warm and saltwater fish the we catch here in the Louisiana, Mississippi, south Alabama and western Florida: http://www.gulfcoastfff.org/
I made the decision to join the Federation in 1984, have attended three-quarters of SOC fly fairs/shows since '84, and have never regretted my affiliation. I hope you and other members of FAOL will take a serious look at joining the International Federation of Fly Fishers.
Sincerely,
Kyle Moppert
President Gulf Coast Council - IFFF
Life Member - IFFF
PS
There are over 230 IFFF clubs, three of which are in Kansas: http://ifffsoc.org/index.php/membership/30-kansas
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