Well, I don't know how you judge how a show is. Maybe they do it by the numbers at the gate and the ticket sales to get into the show and for The Fly Fishing Film Tour (which was held at the Sheraton up the street?). Or maybe its by the feedback and revenue generated by sales made by the vendors and fly tyers and possibly trips booked by the lodges and outfitters. For me, it was an excellent show, and I tell you why. It hadn't been in recent years so it was a litle refreshing.
Now, it was no Somerset. Oh, Somerset. How good were those days. Tight aisles, carpet! on the floor, tons of everything, a hotel with a restaurant and bar that adjoined, and attended by ALL of the who's who in the industry. No, those days are over. There will be no storms or Covid to blame on this show this year. Let me preface, I don't like the Edison venue, and it has nothing to do that I worked there when it was a Covid hospital in 2019, it's just isn't the right venue for this show.
Here's my first bitch. Yesterday I went online to get a pre-ticket for the show. Now since you're making the show's job easier maybe it would at least be the same price or a buck or two cheaper? Nope. If you get your ticket online it's $22.27, nearly 25% higher. No thanks, here's my cash.
I was at the gate at 830 with a 9 o'clock start. I was the first one to the Keogh booth and the first one with their hands in the bins. I needed saddles, different colors than I have, so it came down to 3/$80 or 5/$125, I went cheap and picked and picked for three, I think I picked some winners.
And then it was off to see Brad and get an early shot at his tails, which are known nationally and internationally, just listen to some of the best tyers who use bucktail, they all pimp him up. The problem is, and I am talking the entire show, including Joe Calaccvechia, no one is dying black bucktails. If you order it online you get 2-3" bucktail, not much you can do with that. And, not like I had anything good, but my dogs taste for black bucktail has recently set me back.
There were vices everywhere. Renzetti and Nor-Vise had nice booths. Dealers had Peak, Dyna King, and others for sale just about everywhere you turned. I checked out Regal's Revolution, and I must say that is a nice vice. I currently tie on a Regal, and have for years, but that may change soon. Regal usually has booth at this show, with Steve Silverio tying, somethings up with that?
Bitch number two. Put down the dam carpets. There was something about the carpets that was just warm and fuzzy. In Edison you feel like you're in someone's garage. I know that comes down to the bottom line. When I had a booth there it was extra $ for a carpet in your booth, their tables, their chairs, their electric, all handled by union workers, which Theresa's son is a member of and set this show up. I wish something could be done about the venue. I have been to Greenburg's Train Show there and it has a much better vibe, I'm not sure why, maybe the size of it? I just miss Somerset.
The vendors there have great stuff. Joe Cordiero of Flatwing fame had premium saddles (above) for the taking. I'm not there just yet, but they are gorgeous and if you tie true flatwing stytle they won't disappoint and will catch fish. That style is surely a less is more approach when tying. Across from him was Joe Calcevechia from Saltwater Custom Flies, another solid source for bucktails, just no black ones, and flies, which are guide proven here in New Jersey. That guy always has a smile on his face and is such a nice guy and gentleman. Sorry, no pic this year Joe.
And you know where I spent a lot of my day, yep, the Squimpish booth. Shout out to Stephanie, the other Neslon half, who runs that business from start to finish. Davids just a guy who works there. I saw a lot, I learned a lot, and bought a lot. My first stop through was watching David Nelson blending brushes. I'm not a brush guy, until today. It wasn't until he explained it to me and tied up a fly that I saw the additional reason why I love and you should, if you choose, to tie with Squimpish, in whole or in part. More later.
I then had my first pass complete. I had Keogh, Buzzi and Squimpish picked through and got what I wanted. I saw the Simms booth and their three pairs of waders. I had to explain about my G3's and sending them back and....the kid was real nice but he didn't care, and he shouldn't have. There were a ton of Simms waders for sale at the show, at least 10,000 pairs between TCO, Precision, and Tightlines. Kinda made me scratch my head, and all were 25-30% off. Mmmm.
And speaking of TCO, and other vendors, I have never seen so many jackets for sale? Is it blow- out of last years models for new inventory? Once you got through the clothing they didn't have much else for sale, oh yeah, waders, and vices, and some rods and reels. For the tyers, you really didn't
have many choices to got to. Precision, not sure where they are from, had a decent pick of materials and hooks and the like, along with waders, more waders, and jackets, and some rods and reels.
I remember working the show with The Fly Hatch. The amount of work of basically moving a store from Red Bank to Somerset was overwhelming. After Choinard moved to Florida, Tightlines used to pick up that slack. They had tons of space and stuff with lookouts and registers, it was busy, but it was a go-to place. I am not picking on the Moy's in any way. I am sure it's a business decision, but it was markedly absent. I went there looking for the faux jungle cock eyes I got there last year.
The show had a lot, a lot, of artisans who brought out cool stuff in every medium. I ran into Mike from Skelfish Metals who had Scott Stryker at his booth (doing what I don't know). But this guys stuff is sweet. I stood there for a while talking with Scott when something caught my eye. It was hanging in the back underneath a shelf. I fell in love with it. What would Theresa say? Especially since I went hard at the three booths I hit before I saw Skel. It's metal, duh, but it hangs on a sheet
of black metal magnetically. Oh, what would Theresa say? "Mike, I'll be back". I continued my way along the wall, chewed down a nasty $8 burger, remembering when you could take a break and walk through the walkway to the adjoining hotel and have a real bite and a beer? Bitch #3. While I chewed and nearly gagged I stood and watched the water flow down the Gutter Guard guy's booth.
But then I saw my man, one of my main men. Rich Murphy. Author of my favorite striped bass book, Fly Fishing for Striped Bass. If you don't have this you're an idiot as I have told you how good this book is. It's a great book about striped bass, with some fly fishing and tying mixed in. I love talking to him, although it's getting harder to hear and understand him, wait, it always was. He told me he does these shows to sell books. The show should make him a Featured Author and stick him in that booth. Every times I passed today it was empty. I bet the Furminsky's get a cut if you sit in that seat. But I talked to him and told him much I have learned from him, I think he blushed as he gave that half a smirk smile I have known from him. One of my fondest memories of Rich was
sitting at the bar, you know, in the restaurant, past the walkway, when the show was in Somerset, and getting totally fucked up. I sat with him for two hours, and I still no know what he said the entire time. So today when he talked he eluded that this may his last show here. That made me sad. He would join a long list of A-listers who used to come for the whole weekend. Popovic's and Dennis, Farrar, Kreh, Clouser, Taylor and others. They were such a draw and always put on a great show. As I spoke with him I relized this would be my last time seeing him. I asked him to pick a fly, of course sell it to me, and sign a card that I could diplay with it. He chose a "Pamet Special", one from his book. It was the best $12 I spent all day. Theresa wouldn't have a problem with that.
And in the "Okay?" department was this lad from Dubarry's from Ireland wearing a fancy pair of boots stranding in a tub of water. Okay. Nice stuff. Someone get that guy a drink. And in the
"haven't seen that" department was the Miss Mayfly booth. A company making waders for women with all the curves and bends that ladies have going on. Cool to see. Cool color too. I saw a bunch Jersey guys that I have come to know through the blog, or guiding, or on the beach. One of them
was Andrew Hamilton of Orvis fame. He's been with Orvis since I have known him, currently the store manager in Philadelphia, or just outisde. It was nice running into all of them. And as I continued I saw Jonny King, another class act and ridiculous tyer. He's one of those overachievers, everything he puts his head to he crushes, his work in law, his jazz piano playing and fly tying. He was at the Bears Den booth talking with David Blinken, whom I've never met, who is a guide on Long Island and abroad. So as we were talking here comes a guy I know, and who knows me. I've
met and talked with him, so times at length, at the Orvis Guide Rendevous, at the Mother Ship in Manchester, back and forth in emails as I contributed to one of his books, and somewhere else Orvisy where I invited him to join me in my driftboat on the Upper Delaware when I was guiding up there. Jonny says, "Tom, you know Colin Archer", answer, "No I don't, nice to meet you". Have you ever felt like that child that's standing there when the adults are talking....that's how I felt. Oh well, get over it. So Tom has been involved in making chocolates and that came up. He reached into his duffle bag and pulled out a sample for Jonny, then David, and then, folded down his chocolate carrier. Maybe he's knows I might be a pre-diabetic? Knows my A1c. Either way, I exited stage left, and got a Reece's from the stand where I got that nasty burger. Now to note, and in my defense, Tom knows and meets 100,000 people a year. But, c'mon man, I like chocolate. All good in the hood.
In my fifth hour, I know, ..... loser. I popped in to Jim Freda's presentation about New Jersey striped bass and fishing the fall blitzes. He started out some questions and answers. First one up, "How do you bleed striped bass?", followed by "How are the bass stocks doing?". He always does a great job when writing and speaking. I have never fished with him but would do a tuna on the fly trip with him or Geno one day. I still had purpose walking around, although you know when you get
that look from people, because there wasn't that many people walking around, from behind the tables saying to themselves, 'That guy again, what a loser". But I circled back to Mike's booth. That bass. Mmmmm. What would Theresa say? I answered for her, "Mike, wrap it up". If want to see some of his work or place an order you can see his website HERE. Stop by his booth if you go.
Then it was back to the Squimpish booth for the 15th time. This time I watched David, actually the two Daves, Nelson and "Uptown Dave" tying up some flies using the Squimpish brushes. "Oh my", as George Takei would say. I learned so much in that hour I can't even tell you. Those boys are great tyers. Again, try this stuff out, and add brushes to your blends and hair order.
And then as it was getting time to go Andrew said to me, "You know Ben Whalley is here right?"
As soon as he said that my mind went to the movie Braveheart, and Mel Gibson riding on that horse in front of his troops. It goes like this,
William Wallace: Sons of Scotland! I am William Wallace.
Young soldier: William Wallace is seven feet tall!
William Wallace: Yes, I've heard. Kills men by the hundreds. And if he were here he'd consume the English with fireballs from his eyes and bolts of lightning from his arse.
Well, I met Ben Whalley. Super nice guy. Regular guy. Not seven feet tall. But is a sick and talented tyer. He made his way down from Maine for the show and was set up in the Costa booth along with
some of his sick flies. I've seen him online and watched his presentations and he's just that good. Beast Fleyes are his jam, but his mackeral and herring flies are fantastic. We talked a little striped bass and striped bass fishing. There was no mention of defeating the English army. My last stop was to square up with Brad, thank God he takes debit cards. I did a little thing in my head like, "Did I cover everything?. "Cover?, you walked the place 30 times". So I was done. As I walked out I
walked past Rich. It was almost quitting time but there he was still at it. I just love that guy. I wished I could have fished with him sometime. If you're at the bar with him this weekend please buy him a drink from me and I'll owe you one. Below is my take away from the show, should keep me busy!
