Board Members

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 ATLANTA, GA

From NOLA Newbie to Fly Fishing Guru

Debra may have grown up in the Big Easy, but it wasn't until a serendipitous fly fishing class with the Georgia Women Fly Fishers (GWFF) that she truly tasted the sweet nectar of the sport. Now, Debra's not just a dedicated member of GWFF (treasurer, no less!), but she also boasts past membership chair status with the Atlanta Fly Fishing Club (AFFC) and even served as treasurer for the Southeastern Council.

But don't let all those titles fool you, Debra considers herself the "luckiest bad fly fisherperson on the planet." And her luck has certainly taken her on some amazing fishing adventures.

As Debra so eloquently puts it, "fish don't live in ugly places," which is why she enjoys traveling to add new species to her list (and maybe snag a few bragging rights along the way).

But beyond the catch, Debra believes in the power of regional organizations like the Southeastern Council. Her hope is to help develop diverse opportunities for anglers in both big cities and small towns across the Southeast, ensuring that everyone gets a chance to experience the joy and beauty of fly fishing.

So, whether you're a seasoned pro or just dipping your toes in the water, keep an eye out for Debra. You might just learn a thing or two from this "enlightened" fly fisher with a heart as big as the oceans she's fished.

 LEXINGTON, NC

From President to Pro Tier: Anthony Hipps' Fly-Fishing Journey

Anthony Hipps is more than just a fly fisherman; he's a fly-fishing legend. His dedication to the sport has taken him from president of the FFI-Southeastern Council to professional speaker, tier, and instructor. He's even shared his expertise with the world on the Outdoor Life Network and in Bob Clouser's book, "Fly Fishing for Smallmouth in Rivers and Streams."

But don't be fooled by his impressive resume. Anthony is down-to-earth and always happy to share his love of fly fishing with others. He's taught countless seminars and demonstrations across the US and Canada, and he's always eager to chat about his favorite flies, which include his famous spun deer-hair bass flies, Hellcraw nymphs, and unique soft-bodied foam poppers.

So next time you see Anthony on the water, be sure to say hi. He's always up for a good fish story and maybe even a few tying tips. And who knows, you might just learn the secret to catching the big one!

CUMMING, GA

 I started fly fishing at age 12 and began tying by repairing flies and popping bugs at age 14. There was very little information available growing up in North Carolina. My first “Kit” was a Hank Roberts Fly Tying Kit with every color feather one could imagine except for those you needed. The vise was a stamped metal affair with a butterfly nut to secure the hook.

I'm a Life Member of FFI, current member of the FFI-FTG and on the Board of Governors for the FTG.  Past president of the Atlanta Fly Fishing Club and past president of the Southeastern Council Federation of Fly Fishers.  Past member Board of Directors for Southeastern Council FFI, past Vice Chair Board of Governors for the FFI FTG, and on the Board of Directors for Project Healing Waters – Atlanta.  I recently retired as the project lead for Fly Tying to our wounded vets and have worked on improving, modifying and adding tools to the Evergreen Hand for use by combat wounded vets. I am a current Georgia representative on the Board of Directors for the Fly Fishing Museum of the Southern Appalachians in Bryson City, North Carolina.

I have been a Demonstration Tyer at regional, national FFI and other events. I teach fly tying on a regular basis.

 ROME, GA 

Cathy Valancius is a fly angler living in Rome, Georgia.  At the beginning of the Covid pandemic, like many, she bought a fly rod and started teaching herself to fish.  Over the past few years she has found a genuine passion for fly fishing, fly tying and stream conservation. She embraces the "All Fish, All Waters" motto of FFi, as you will often find her on some trickle of water pulling out native Georgia bass, sunfish, or brookies with dry flies.

Currently, she is treasurer of  the Georgia Council of Trout Unlimited, treasurer of the Coosa Valley Chapter of TU and a citizen scientist for Science on the Fly.  

Linda Vance discovered fly fishing while doing fish physiology coursework for her Ph.D in Conservation Biology at UC Davis. She is still not quite sure that her colleagues were really "sampling fish populations and health" with fly rods, as they claimed, but she decided not to challenge them, and has kept a fly rod handy ever since. Prior to her retirement in 2022, she led a comprehensive assessment and monitoring group at the University of Montana, evaluating the aquatic integrity of federally-managed streams, rivers, wetlands and uplands across the Western U..S.  If you mention an obscure trout stream in a forsaken corner of northern Nevada or southern Wyoming, she has probably "sampled" it. Since moving to North Carolina in 2020, she has been leaving her water quality meters, IPad and tape measures at home, exploring the waters of the Carolinas, Georgia and Tennessee with great enthusiasm but less scientific rigor.  Being the SEC's Women Connect Liaison allows her to extend her commitment to gender inclusiveness in aquatic science and resource protection by getting women involved with water and fishing. 

It was an issue of Fly Fisherman magazine, back in 1978 that first got Kathleen interested in our noble endeavor. The gorgeous cover shot of an angler standing hip-deep in a stream among colorful autumn leaves pulled her into the publication to find out more. After a few casting and fly tying lessons, she was soon following in the footsteps of that angler, as well as the writers in that issue – Art Flick, Ernie Schwiebert, and John Merwin, among others – pursuing the elusive trout. Her job took her to various parts of the country, and she was able to fish the waters in California, Oregon, Montana, Maine, and Virginia, as well as her native Texas. 

Sadly, Kathleen’s career in transportation drew her to focus more and more time dealing with engineers, and less on communing with fish. Yet, much of that career dealt with conservation-related matters: protecting waterways and natural habitat in highway construction areas, promoting the use of “critter crossings” to allow

wildlife migration to flow over or under highways, the use of alternate transportation fuels, and recycling of motor oil, tires, and batteries. In the mid-1980s, she chaired a newly formed Environment Section of the Public Relations Society of America, the largest professional communication association in the world. 

After retiring from the Federal Highway Administration, Kathleen moved to North Carolina to work on a writing project. Here, Kathleen’s love of flyfishing has come back to life and she found an unanticipated benefit of the move: the Old North State’s many hidden mountain streams and rivers...and the fish that live there. 

Just for fun, Kathleen located and purchased a copy of that now almost fifty-year-old issue of Fly Fisherman magazine. The cover is as beautiful as ever, but inside was an ironic twist: One of the articles outlined an effort to defeat a huge dam project along Maine’s St. John River. Conservationists across the country – doubtless including FFI members -- joined that fight to stop the project and protect the river’s native trout

habitat. Ironic because today, Kathleen finds herself a part of FFI’s Conservation

Committee, the group that frequently joins with other concerned outdoors

organizations to do battle against similar projects in order to protect rivers, lakes

and streams. As they say, what goes around comes around.

An avid fisherman since childhood, Paul began tying flies when he was about 10, but he didn't start fishing with them until many years later.  Today, he ties flies from a size 24 midge pupa for the tailwaters, to a size 2 Alaskabou for Alaskan salmon, and everything in between.  Raised on the traditional patterns espoused by Ray Bergman, though, his passion is for the traditional Catskill dries, classic wets, and the feather wing streamers that graced the fly boxes of fishermen in the 1950's and '60's.  Whatever he happens to be tying, though, Paul will always be happy to digress into his favorite Appalachian or Southern tailwater patterns.

Paul is a lifetime member of FFi, and a member of the FFi Fly Tying Group.  He gives frequent fly tying demonstrations for various local organizations, and is often seen at regional fly fishing shows promoting youth fly tying, and membership in the FFi.

CLEVELAND, TN

 Brian started fishing with his father at fifteen and has been an avid angler ever since. They started the Lee U. Anglers program at Lee University and shortly thereafter earned their CI certifications together.  From there, Brian went on to earn his MCI certification in 2017 after four years of practice and study of all aspects of angling from tying Bimini knots with 30 lb. fluorocarbon to learning the crab stroke in a drift boat. After "earning the patch," Brian became an associate editor for the Loop Journal for FFI and eventually went on to helm the publication as editor-in-chief. During this time, he was also published in American Angler Magazine as well as multiple peer-reviewed journals. 

After three years with the Loop, Brian resigned his position to focus full-time on finishing his graduate work at the University of Tennessee. After successfully defending his dissertation in 2023, Brian wanted to get back to serving the organization he loved and joined the FFI SEC Board at the invitation of Debra Pauli. He is passionate about spreading the lore and love of this great pastime to future anglers and conservationists and believes FFI has a central role to play in the future of angling. In terms of fishing preference, Brian is an unapologetic "streamer junkie," and you'll often find him in the back of the boat slamming banks with a sink line. When the streamer bite is clearly not on, he will settle for Carp or Bass on-the-fly. 

ORIENTAL, NC  

Bobby began fishing, in his youth, in eastern Tennessee at his grandmother’s farm pond with his dad. He grew up wading creeks, streams, and river for whatever was available.  Initially he wasn’t interested in fly fishing. Later, he began to appreciate the grace and beauty of the cast and the serene settings of the fishing locations. Today he is a fishing guide that fishes locally in the salt waters around Oriental North Carolina and travels to various locations, both freshwater and salt, wherever his fly rod takes him.

HUNTSVILLE, AL

 Ralph Shuey is a 30+ year member of Fly Fishers International and has been active in both the Southeastern and the Southern Councils and chapters (TVFF & NAFF), Administrator for the Classic Fly Rod Forum, founder of the Bamboo Bash (20+ years), active supporter of Casting for Recovery and Veterans activities.  Ralphs has fifty plus years of international fishing experience in both salt and freshwater fisheries and is a frequent supporter of fly tying events. Ralph has fished all over the world including the US, Europe, Latin America, and the Caribbean. He is a retired Rocket Scientist with experience in multi-million dollar programs, conference organization, international program cooperation, and domestic inter-personal as well as international skills.  Ralph’s  wife is also an experienced fly fisher and contributor to women’s activity in the sport.  As an ordained clergy person she has a deep interest in the spiritual aspects of the craft and its potential for healing.  They both share an enthusiasm for involving the young in this potentially life-long endeavor. 

NORTH GEORGIA

Charlie grew up chasing smallmouth bass with his father and grandfather near Antietam on the Potomac River. A friend introduced him to fly fishing when in his 20’s and even after he accidentally caught his first trout on his back cast, he was a skeptic about this whole fly fishing thing. Then after experiencing a truly profound light cahill hatch one drizzly afternoon on a North Central PA limestone stream he became a convert, not to mention very late for dinner.

Charlie is a US Navy veteran and graduate of Carnegie Mellon University, and in addition to his position on the SECFFI board he is a fishing guide and board member for Veterans Flyfishing, and a volunteer guide for PHWFF. Charlie has been living in North Georgia since 2018 with his very understanding wife, Sandra, who has stayed with him through over 20 relocations. When he is not chasing trout in the southeast, he is with friends and family scattered throughout the Rockies chasing their trout, looking for one more profound hatch, and being late for dinner. Again.

HIGH POINT, NC

From Spinning Reels to Fly Feels: James' Fly Fishing Journey

James spent his childhood zooming around on wheels and casting lines in Florida waters, battling bass, perch, and panfish in inland lakes and chasing sea trout, redfish, and mangrove snapper in Tampa Bay. Spinning and baitcasting were his weapons of choice, until a fateful summer day in 2022 changed everything.

A fly fishing trip with a friend introduced him to the world of graceful casts and delicate presentations, and even though he didn't land a single fish that day, he was hooked. Now, with two young boys by his side, James is all about exploring new waters, mastering new techniques, and tying flies (sometimes with more laughter than success).

Join James and his boys on their fly fishing journey as they stumble, learn, and share their passion with fellow anglers along the way. Be prepared for a few fishy tales, a dose of humor, and a whole lot of love for the sport.