Well here we go. My 'The Fly Fishing Show' recap is something I look forward to every January. While it's only the view through my eyes I have been going to the show for thirty-plus years and have been around it long enough to be able to report the good, the bad, and the ugly.
A good show, to me, means that you got what you wanted from it. For the ones that are new to the sport it can be a place to buy some gear, watch some casting or fly tying demos, find a guide, or plan a trip.
That can also include getting some new ink, buying 30 flies for $20, or even getting some gutter guards for your house. I don't know if the gutter people will be back next year as every time I passed the booth it was either unattended or didn't have many people showing interest.
I had my bestie with me this weekend and somehow we survived the weekend without coming home with $3,000 worth of new pots from the "nice guy" at the Cutco booth. Theresa was there for a lot of time and every time I went to look for her she was camped out there, which had me nervous.
For the veterans of the show it's always a place to come and catch up with familiar faces and connect with new ones. During my time cruising the show or sitting to tie up some flies there was a resounding introduction that I heard over and over again, "I follow you on the (Insta) Gram and it's nice to finally meet you". Social media has done wonders for shortening the curve of introductions, but I don't know how far it has gone to increase the true friendships that last and extend out beyond a shared hobby. Several of the vendors and fly tyers stated to me, "Enough with the "Friends" I need somebody to buy something".
And for those two groups I think the show was good. Again just my take on it all. But I wonder how it was for that middle group if you will. Not a beginner to the game, and not in any established circle, but kind of floating between the two. There were some heavy hitters amongst the crowd but if you weren't in the know they could just pass you by in the aisles or even picking through the bins at one of the shops or vendors that came to display their wares.
Last year I broke down the number of booths by what they brought to the show. Visually we sometimes judge the show by it's size and what is cramped into it's four walls. Several vehicles and small water crafts add to the landscape of "stuff" you can see, but in the end how much of any given show is relatable and satiates the needs of the attendee.
Without numbers and ratios I can't report of exactly how much of any shareholder was represented at the show. But in my opinion this show was destination and guide and charter heavy. It's a good marketing opportunity for them. It gives the operation and the potential client a chance to meet and greet and ask questions and maybe even plop down a deposit.
Each year I pass the Angling Ireland booth but this year I stopped and asked questions as Theresa and I are taking the girls over in August. I might see if a half-day of fishing may be in my cards. I did snoop around at some of the trips offered and price tags of $5 -10,000 seemed to be an average cost. That's bucket list dollars for me, and I am sure for a lot of the people picking through bins looking for cheap materials or discounted clothing.
As usual there were plenty of seminars and demonstrations that came included with the admission fee. Weather it was a casting demonstration by Orvis' Peter Kutzer or Andy Mill,
or a talk or a fly tying demo in one of the rooms, it takes some research and planning to make sure you don't miss out on what is relevant to you and what you came for.
The vendors that I talked two after the first two days did well, some very well. There was a big early push on Friday afternoon that fizzled out by around 230, and then a strong crowd for Saturday. I didn't see a lot of big ticket items being carted out, but everyone seemed to have a
bag or two under their arms. I am sure in some of those bags were vices, reels, lines, and some of the pricier saddles, capes, and jungle cock that touching-before-you-buy is a reason why some attend the show.
Brad at BUZFLY always brings the goods and with each pass past his booth the bins of bucktails got fewer and fewer. I don't know how his one man show keeps the fly tying world in
bucktails, but he does. Squimpish Flies had a strong showing extending their offerings from materials to now cannabis with the launch of their Fish Whistle Trading Post collaboration with Ben and Cindy Rinker coming soon to East Front Street in Hancock, New York.
I was invited to sit and tie at their booth on Saturday morning. It was nice to share the space with other team Squimpish members. I know there are tyers who are all in with bucktail but the synthetics today, like Squimpish, offer a great alternative, or can used to supplement natural materials. I chose to stick tying with David Nelsons 'Big-Fly Brushes', which to me,
allows tiers looking to create bigger and longer flies with minimal time and effort. And why they work for me is because I go through a lot of flies each year, either beat up, lost in the trees or in the underwater mine fields, or to fish too big to land.
Seeing Rich Murphy back after a year off made me happy. The guy is a genius and you know how I feel about him and his book, Fly Fishing For Striped Bass. If you have that I would also recommend John's Field's 2024 book, Fly Fishing For Trophy Striped Bass.
These books aren't just how and where books, these guys are, very respectfully, nutty professors in their own right, and take the reader between the basics through very advanced science about everything to know about that species and how and where to find them.
As usual the tyers lined the perimeter of the show floor up against the windows that separated the 25 degree outside temperature with the more comfortable environment on the inside. Best of (New to the) Show for me this year would go out to Brendan Gomez of 'Rhody On the Fly'. He just does a nice, and consistent, job of tying up larger flies which has become the staple for many tiers out there. The boundaries of fly pricing these days is not what we used to see back in the day. Would you ever dream that a fly could cost, 50, 75, or $100 a piece? Well these creations take time, have a steady overhead in hook, materials, and dressing (like jungle cock), in addition to demand and collectability.
There are a lot of solid tiers out there and each year the ebb and flow of talent is seen on social media and at the shows. But there are always the consistent top-tier players in the tying game. For me it's Jonny King, Jason Taylor, and David Nelson, who are a must stop and watch.
Tiers come and go but they are the true ambassadors who keep the sport moving mostly by teaching and sharing what they know which were the foundations in the sport established by the legends like Kreh, Clouser, and Popovics.
AHREX continues to be a powerhouse in the hook game of fly tying and fishing. Their recent purchase of Pro Sportfisher will bring new tools to the hands of creators and tyers across the globe. Couple them with Regal Engineering and Keogh and it's no wonder why that section of the show floor is always very popular to learners and buyers alike.
And then there's the coolest and newest thing this year. I was walking by Ken Ekelund who yelled out to me, "Colin have you seen this yet?". That brought me over to listen in to yet another crazy scientist and their creation.
So here we go. The guy develops AI software that, in conjunction with that smaller orange ball you see above hanging from the trout, measures your fishes length, girth, and weight. All you have to do is hold, or lay down your fish, with the orange ball next to it or in your hand, take a picture, and let the AI do the work.
It is that simple, and there's more technology coming out soon. I stood there with Jersey Boy Bob Bott as we watched a video that put the whole thing together for us. Imagine catching a large 20 inch brown trout, or a 40 pound striped bass, and getting an accurate length, girth, and weight with just holding it up or placing it down for 3 seconds. Bob and I were so impressed we
both reached into our pockets and dropped the $35 for the two orange balls to get us rolling. Why two? Maybe if you lose one? He got his from TCO while I chose to support my local Jersey fly shop in Tightlines, who had a really big and busy showing this year. If you want to check it out you can do that at Fishtechy,
HERE.
So just to touch on a few things. I always poked fun at the non-fly fishing vendors, including the pickle people. Well they crushed it this weekend. I was so impressed by their steady crowds
that I purchased a trio of "Shooters", or peppers stuffed with prosciutto and provolone. I had to get the most Italian guy there, Joe Calcevechia, to give them a try and he approved.
We stayed at the Sheraton, which, while convenient, just wasn't and never will be the same. Yes, there's a bar with decent food and drink but the hangs get scattered after the show closes for the day. People going close, or far, or here, and not here. On Friday night I warned Theresa it could be a late night as we headed down to the lobby for a bite and beer. That lasted about an hour and soon
we were under the covers watching Netflix and 'This Is Us' with both of us asleep by 830. Yeah, so much for that hang that I looked forward to. A funny thing is, when you're new, or you're young, you want to be in on that hang at any cost, even positioning yourself for an invite. But as you get old, and the hang becomes work, you just don't care and getting sleep is just as memorable as a bad hang over.
After waking up from a much needed and sound sleep, we, as many of the people who took advantage at the shows discounted rooms, looked to cash in those Breakfast Vouchers we received the night before as we checked in. Pretty simple, Free breakfast. But no. Upon waiting to get seated we were told the vouchers, if you had one, just let you get that $22.51 breakfast for only $20. Wait. What? Yes, the savings was $2.51, plus tax per person. Let's just say there's almost a mutiny in the lobby. So Theresa and I headed to the Skylark Diner on Route 1 for a "real" breakfast that was cheaper than the powered eggs and soggy bacon in the hotel's restaurant.
And if there is one big thing missing at this show is somewhere to sit. If people sit, they stay longer, and inevitably spend more money. Near the cafeteria and beer truck there were seats but they were usually filled and not very inviting. In the past the hotel lobby had comfortable chairs, and the bar, where you could take a break, hold court, and spend some alone time with new or old buds.
The food, well, not all that bad. We had the $13 meatball parm sandwich on Friday and backed it up on Saturday. The credit-only beer wagon annoyed some people who wanted to pay cash and the $9 Yuengling's were two dollars over what they should have been.
At this venue people walk and walk and walk until they can't no more and then they leave. They should create a lounge, or a room, or put comfortable chairs throughout the venue. Or at least spring for those green rugs that once lined the aisles and created a warm, and safe, kidding, space inside of the booths. This feels like a show that is held in someones garage and I swear that 1/4 of fabric helps the feet and knees tolerate the pain of walking on a hard surface for hours on end.
And the final point I'd like to make. Kudos to those fly tying and fishing clubs located on the perimeter and on the inside of the show's floor. From the Atlantic, Coastal, Bayshore, Hudson, and Main Line clubs it's good to see dedicated people coming together to keep this sport moving forward. Add to that Project Healing Waters and Casting for Recovery and the opportunity for those people who could benefit from all the good this sport does must keep the smiles on the faces of the men and women who did the heavy lifting in getting this sport up and going. As Bob Popovics said in November 2023, "Keep the doors open". If the clubs and the shows do stay open then the sport will surely continue to bring us together to enjoy each other, the spectacular places we fish, and to cherish those beautiful fish we do catch, and hopefully release for another day, for another angler to enjoy.
