Fly Fishers at The Crossing

Fly Fishers at The Crossing Missouri Men's Fly Fishing Fellowship Group. Dedicated to the art of fly fishing and building friendships. The Fly Fishers at The Crossing is a St.

Louis based, Missouri fly fishing community. Located in the West County area. The members of this fellowship are dedicated fly fishers. The "Fly Fishers at The Crossing" fly fish not only in Missouri but throughout the United States. Our members have fished as far away as Alaska, New Zealand, throughout the Rocky Mountain states, and the great rivers of Missouri. Some of our group trips have inclu

ded the San Juan River in New Mexico, Yellowstone, many rivers in Colorado, Montana, Wyoming, the North Fork of the White river in southern Missouri, Lake Taneycomo in Branson, and many nearby trips to Cardiac Hill, Montauk, Meramac Springs, Current River, and Bennett Springs.

FATC/Altar Retreat May 2026“Many go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not the fish they are after.” ...
05/27/2026

FATC/Altar Retreat May 2026

“Many go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not the fish they are after.” Henry David Thoreau.

Our fifth FATC/Altar retreat was completed this May 2026 in the Minnesota Driftless area near Lanesboro, MN. The FATC sent nine members to the retreat as they had the opportunity to stay in a beautiful lodge in Whalan, MN right along the Root River. The FATC members were Larry Mangels, Jim Craig, Ted Madden, Al Blair, Lou Forbringer, Bob Born, Denny Garner, Derrik Kassebaum and Steve Darr. Kenny Klimes and John Muckerman, who were at the Altar retreat a week earlier were guides for Altar along with Mike Toft, Scott Hayes, Steve Ebling and Altar President Eric Camfield. Our chefs were Terry and Mary Rempert.

Let’s talk about the retreat first. First, what is a retreat?

FATC/Altar Retreat May 2026 “Many go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not the fish they are after.” Henry David Thoreau. Our fift

Submitted by Denny GarnerOn Saturday, May 16, 2026, fourteen enthusiastic and brave FATC volunteers—Jim Craig, Mike Bisa...
05/25/2026

Submitted by Denny Garner

On Saturday, May 16, 2026, fourteen enthusiastic and brave FATC volunteers—Jim Craig, Mike Bisaga, Matt McClure, Ken Welter, Harold Bates, Bill Keenum, Stan Patton, Ed Ouimette, Larry Mangels, John Steuteman, Sid Aslin, Al Nakaniski, and Denny Garner—arrived at Maramec Spring Park to support this annual event sponsored by the Missouri Conservation Department and St. James Foundation.

We arrived at approximately 8 am, filled with excitement and eager to support the kids and parents. The FATC volunteers swiftly set up the fly tying and casting stations, while others moved to the fishing area to assist the children as needed.

Despite the cloudy sky and the forecast of possible rain showers and thunderstorms, the park was bustling with approximately 450 kids (15 and under) actively fishing and catching trout. It was a lively scene, with kids and parents lining the banks of the spring-fed water flowing through Maramec Spring Park.

Submitted by Denny Garner On Saturday, May 16, 2026, fourteen enthusiastic and brave FATC volunteers—Jim Craig, Mike Bisaga, Matt McClure, Ken Welter,

What a beautiful day for a graduation trip!Rob Siegel had tried several times to schedule his graduation outing after co...
05/15/2026

What a beautiful day for a graduation trip!

Rob Siegel had tried several times to schedule his graduation outing after completing the FATC fly-fishing class in late 2025. Each attempt was derailed by winter weather forecasts in January and February. To be fair, cold and wind rarely discourage this group, but harsh conditions can make the on-the-water, one-on-one teaching process much more difficult—and who needs that? In the end, the wait was well worth it. We couldn’t have asked for a better day for Rob’s graduation trip.

We had a solid crew along to support Rob on his quest: Mike Bisaga, Bob Born, Bob Palish, Ken Welter, and Matt Murphy, our newest graduate from just last week. As usual, we met at 6:15 a.m. at the Eureka Park and Ride before piling into two cars for the drive to Montauk State Park. By 8:45 a.m., we were gearing up in front of the Naturalist Cabin, already appreciating the beautiful conditions ahead of us.

What a beautiful day for a graduation trip! Rob Siegel had tried several times to schedule his graduation outing after completing the FATC fly-fishing class

I posted this event about a month in advance, not realizing the date fell on May 5th, Cinco de Mayo. Soon afterward, I ...
05/09/2026

I posted this event about a month in advance, not realizing the date fell on May 5th, Cinco de Mayo. Soon afterward, I received a text from Mike Bisaga suggesting that we change the menu to reflect the Mexican holiday. Mike and I considered several recipes and options before deciding on: Mexican meatloaf, seasoned black beans, street corn, and churro bites.

Never heard of Mexican meatloaf? In Spanish, it’s called pastel de carne. It may not be one of the most famous Mexican dishes, but it sure was good. Did you know that Cinco de Mayo is actually celebrated more widely in the United States than in Mexico? Americans are always looking for a reason to celebrate.

The House was at full occupancy, so we planned to serve 40 people that evening. In the end, 15 pounds of ground beef and chorizo were transformed into eight large meatloaves, enough to get the job done.

We had a larger-than-normal volunteer group, and everyone found a way to pitch in.

I posted this event about a month in advance, not realizing the date fell on May 5th, Cinco de Mayo.  Soon afterward, I received a text from Mike Bisa

Matt Murphy became the first graduate of the 2026 FATC Spring fly fishing class. The class ended on April 29th, and Matt...
05/09/2026

Matt Murphy became the first graduate of the 2026 FATC Spring fly fishing class. The class ended on April 29th, and Matt was ready to graduate on May 7th. He was joined for his graduation by several FATC members to include Jim Craig, Dan Staggenborg, Al Blair, Don Varner, Ken Welter, Harold Bates and was instructed by Kenny Klimes. It was a beautiful weather day with mostly sunny skies and no chance of rain.

The FATC gang came in from all areas for this trip. Jim and Dan were already in the Montauk earlier as they fished the day before. Al Blair travelled in from Columbia, Missouri and Kenny from Springfield, MO. Matt and the rest of the gang drove in from the Eureka commuter lot. But we all met around 8:30am and ready to fish the day at Montauk State Park.

As during all graduations most of the guys spread out throughout the fly only area and Kenny and Matt went to the “boulder” to practice casting, fishing streamers, swinging flies and dead drifting nymphs.

Matt Murphy became the first graduate of the 2026 FATC Spring fly fishing class. The class ended on April 29th, and Matt was ready to graduate on May 7th. 

On Saturday, May 2, 2026, 14 members of FATC joined many others in the 25th annual Jim Schoemehl Walk/Run in the fight a...
05/05/2026

On Saturday, May 2, 2026, 14 members of FATC joined many others in the 25th annual Jim Schoemehl Walk/Run in the fight against ALS (also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease). That morning, we gathered in support of our friend and fellow member, Dave Komor, who was diagnosed with ALS on February 27, 2025.

While promising breakthroughs in ALS research are on the horizon, the cost of advancing treatments—and providing essential care for those living with the disease—continues to grow. Funds raised from this event support both Dave Komor and Emily Khan (another local ALS patient), as well as the St. Louis regional chapter of the ALS Association.

We completed a 5K (3.2-mile) walk through the beautiful neighborhoods of Webster Groves, with temperatures warming to a comfortable 52 degrees. Afterward, the group met at Billy G’s in Kirkwood to enjoy lunch and spend time together.

It was a wonderful day to come together, support Dave and his family, and be part of an important cause.

On Saturday, May 2, 2026, 14 members of FATC joined many others in the 25th annual Jim Schoemehl Walk/Run in the fight against ALS (also known as Lou Gehrig’s

What do you do when the fishing fever hits you early in the week. I (Larry Mangels) have found that posting a trip on th...
05/02/2026

What do you do when the fishing fever hits you early in the week. I (Larry Mangels) have found that posting a trip on the FATC website will always find a few other people with the fever. I posted the trip on Tuesday morning and by Wednesday I found three other gentlemen (Ken Welter, Al Blair and Jim Craig) were free and ready to fish. Jim, Ken and I met at the Eureka commuter lot April 30, 2026, at 6:15 and all jumped into Jim’s car and hit the road. Al made the trip down to Montauk from his home in Columbia. We all made it to the park around 8:30 and were on the river around 9:00. It was a little cool in the morning but was beautiful in the afternoon.

The park wasn’t as crowded as we thought it would be, which was very nice. I know some people believe that it is a bad omen to catch a fish on the first cast, but luckily that didn’t hold true today! Fish were caught in the morning, but the general consensus was there didn’t seem to be as many fish in the river as normal.

What do you do when the fishing fever hits you early in the week. I (Larry Mangels) have found that posting a trip on the FATC website will always find a few ot

05/02/2026

The 2026 FATC fly fishing class is complete! Now it’s time for the future graduates to get on the river with an instructor and “Graduate” from the class. There were twelve in the class, and I have to say it was a very good class. It’s enjoyable when all the members of the class are engaged. They asked great questions and were always involved in each session.

But now is the time for them to get on the water and practice the skills they learned in the classroom. If you see a graduation trip scheduled on our TeamUp calendar, join us in welcoming the “new guys” to the FATC. Our next FATC class may not be until October or November of 2026. But we have a lot going on from now until that time. Be engaged in your fellowship. The more you are engaged, the more you will get out of this organization. See you on the water, in class or some other FATC event.

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I, Al Harper, and a few friends have been enjoying great fly fishing on warm water lakes in mid to late April. Largemou...
04/29/2026

I, Al Harper, and a few friends have been enjoying great fly fishing on warm water lakes in mid to late April. Largemouth bass and sunfish move into the same shallow aquatic territory this time of year and both species become voracious and territorial as the days warm up.

I, Al Harper, and a few friends have been enjoying great fly fishing on warm water lakes in mid to late April.  Largemouth bass and sunfish move into

I (Ken Welter) posted a trip on Sunday, 4/19, for Wednesday, 4/22. The forecast looked perfect, sunny and mid-70s. By Tu...
04/28/2026

I (Ken Welter) posted a trip on Sunday, 4/19, for Wednesday, 4/22. The forecast looked perfect, sunny and mid-70s. By Tuesday evening, though, I hadn’t gotten any responses, so I reluctantly posted a cancellation.

Not long after, I got a text from Larry Mangel. He’d never seen the original post. So just like that, the trip was back on.

Larry, who lives nearby, picked me up at 6 a.m. Wednesday. We arrived, grabbed our tags, suited up, and hit the water. The morning was a bit cooler than expected, but we were both ready with extra layers.

Right away, we noticed the river was cloudy and murky—possibly from the ongoing construction. At the cut bank near the Blue Hole, they’ve added what looks like limestone rock along the river’s edge and up the steep slope. It’s a pretty drastic change, and honestly, it looks a bit unnatural. I think this may have contributed to the water conditions.

We both got into fish early. Larry had success with a blowtorch, and I was using an egg pattern.

I (Ken Welter) posted a trip on Sunday, 4/19, for Wednesday, 4/22. The forecast looked perfect, sunny and mid-70s. By Tuesday evening, though, I hadn’t gotten

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Eureka, MO
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