Louisiana wooden boat show coming April 11-13

From humble beginnings, the Bayou Teche Wooden Boat Show enters its fifth year having grown from a 12-boat original event to more than 50 classic wooden vessels in its fourth showing.

Organizers Roger Stouff and Gary Blum say that this year’s show will again be held in cooperation with the Bayou Teche Black Bear Festival April 11-13 in downtown Franklin along the banks of Bayou Teche.

If past shows are any indication, visitors this April will see a unique display of classic craft; historic Thompson, Lyman and Chris-Craft runabouts, Cajun traditional bateaus and skiffs, modern-built cruisers and speedboats, sailboats and much more.

“We have many people locally who, when a participant is showing their boats and mention they use it for fly fishing, are extremely interested in that sport,” Stouff said. “Gary and I are both fly fishermen ourselves, and though it’s a rarely practices method of angling in our area, people ask many questions about how it’s done.”

This year there will be a few added components of the show.

The Southwest Chapter of the Antique & Classic Boat Society will embark on the “Cajun Classique.” It begins in Breaux Bridge, 74 miles up the Teche, on Monday, April 7. The cruise will end at the Bayou Teche Wooden Boat Show when they arrive in Franklin on Friday and spend the weekend with fellow wooden boat enthusiasts.

Larry Offner of Denham Springs will be at this year’s show demonstrating the science and art of fly tying. Offner is the owner of the Green Trout Fly Shop in Baton Rouge, as well as the top web site for warm water fly fishing,
Warmyfly.com. Offner fishes with the fly rod in Louisiana for familiar species such as bass, bluegill, redfish and speckled trout, as well as cold water species like rainbow and brown trout. He’ll be set up within the show grounds tying some of the flies he uses and sells for local fishing.

Also, certified instructor Tom Jindra of Metairie will give a demonstration of fly casting Saturday. Jindra has taught many novice fly anglers the fly casting method and is widely known and respected for his work. Time to be announced.

There will be a demonstration and presentation of various boat building techniques by Keith Felder and Jules Lambert of Keith’s Pirogues of Denham Springs. Felder and Lambert have attended every installment of the Bayou Teche Wooden Boat Show. They are builders of extraordinary traditional Louisiana boats as well as dugouts and more. Presentations will be Saturday, times to be announced.

“To a one, every participant in the BTWBS has been delighted with our show and with Franklin,” Stouff concluded. “They love the setting; they loved Franklin and the people here. As fast as we’ve grown in just five years, Bayou Teche may soon be one of the focal points of classic wooden boats in the southeast.”

For more information, e-mail webmaster@banner-tribune.com. Keep updated at www.techeboatshow.com.