Chris Johnson, left, and Aaron Reed, right, fly fish in Brushy Creek in early March 2020. Pam LeBlanc photo


A few months ago, I spent a few hours casting in Brushy Creek with local fly fisherman (and tugboat driver) Aaron Reed, and Chris Johnson, owner of Living Waters Fly Fishing in Round Rock.
We waded through knee deep water, hiked alongside a gorgeous grayish-white escarpment, and prowled after fish we could see lurking in the shadows. They caught a bunch; I got a few nibbles.
As we fished, we talked about Reed’s new book, “Fly Fishing Austin & Central Texas” (Imbrifex, $24.95), which includes tips about the best places and techniques for fishing right here at home.
The book arrived from the printer just as the coronavirus pandemic hit, and the book signing Reed had scheduled for May got postponed. This Saturday, he’d do a virtual launch of the guidebook with Davin Topel (Real Spirits Distilling) and Dustin Scott (Heart Wood Trade). The event starts at 5:30 p.m. on Scott’s site, https://heartwoodtrade.com/live/.

Aaron Reed will host a visual launch of his new fly fishing guide on Saturday. Pam LeBlanc photo


The show will celebrate the entire central Texas Fly Fishing community and will include giveaways, prizes and music. Special guests will include Alana Louise Lyons, Edgar Diaz, Josh Crumpton, Jeff Troutman, David Fason, Chris Johnson, Matt Bennett, Chris Barclay and others. The event is free and open to the public, and should last about 90 minutes.
And in case you needed a reminder, fly fishing is one of those activities that makes sense right now. You can do it away from crowds, in a safe, socially distant way. Plus, some quiet time in nature always soothes frayed nerves.

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