Inside The Fly Fishing Show: Gear, Lessons, and the First Hint of Spring

Winter drags on, but The Fly Fishing Show offers gear testing, casting lessons, and a hands-on reminder that fly-fishing season is close.

Fishpond welcomed anglers to a converted trailer full of new gear. You could come and hang out, talk with the reps, and go hands-on with gear you might want. | Photo by Ken Baldwin

So far this winter, I’ve re-read three John Gierach books, spent way too much time surfing YouTube for fishing videos, taught myself to tie the Tommy Lynch Drunk and Disorderly streamer, and reorganized my flies by type, size, color, and whether they’re for freshwater or salt.

When I can, I practice my casting—sometimes to get better, sometimes just for the feel of the line moving through the air.

This is all to cope with a long winter, and not fishing since fall.

I can't wait to get back to this. | Photo by Chase McCoy

Signs of Spring and Fishing

By February, I start looking for signs of spring. Nothing big—sometimes it’s just the wind having a different feel to it, or a bird I haven’t heard all winter. And when it happens, I can feel fishing right around the corner.

A custom, hand-built drift boat at The Fly Fishing Show. | Photo by Ken Baldwin

There’s one other marker I use that tells me the season is almost here.

The Fly Fishing Show

The Fly Fishing Show is a public convention with trade-show elements—gear, trips, fly tying, casting instruction, and conversations with people who live and breathe fly fishing. It runs for three days in a big space filled with just about everything from the fly-fishing world. You can talk with anglers and industry folks, check out new gear, test fly rods from top U.S. makers, work on your casting, watch professional fly tiers, or take classes and attend seminars. It’s all there.

Bill Betts (in the hat), Owner/Partner of the Iliamna River Lodge, answered questions and shared stories about fishing and outdoor life in Alaska. | Photo by Ken Baldwin

Tour Stops

The Show takes place in several locations across the U.S. from January through March. Stops on the tour include Marlborough, MA; Edison, NJ; Denver, CO; Bellevue, WA; Pleasanton, CA; and Lancaster, PA.

What I Saw at the Denver Show

I went to the Denver show last weekend as a warm-up to my season. I walked in with a list of things I wanted to do and see, and the goal of coming out a better fly caster and tier. After two days of walking the aisles, here’s what stood out.

Mac Brown teaches several fly-casting classes during the three-day event. From beginner to advanced level of study. | Photo by Ken Baldwin

A Better Mousetrap - The Orange Ball

Fishtechy is a device about the size of a ping-pong ball, and it's orange. You place it next to a fish, take a photo with the FishTech app on your phone, and the app displays the fish's length, circumference, weight, and species. There’s no need to handle the fish, stretch it against a tape, or hang it from a hook. If the fish is in the net, just drop the ball in, take the photo, and get the information. This is brilliant.

The little orange ball and the Fishtechy app make measuring fish simple while being easier on the fish. | Photo Provided by Fishtechy

Grundéns Rock Armor Wading Boot

Grundéns offered an early look at a new pair of wading boots before their official release. I'm a fan of Grundéns gear, and if you just go by looks, these boots are pretty badass. I tried them on and found them to be comfortable, sturdy, and noticeably light. If their performance matches the looks, Grundéns has a winner.

The Rock Armor Wading Boot by Grundéns hasn’t been released yet, but the company brought it to the show to give anglers a first look. It's an impressive boot. | Photo by Ken Baldwin

Sage Power R8 Fly Rod and a Casting Lesson

Brian O’Keefe is fly fishing. That’s the simplest way to describe him. His résumé is long, but a few things stand out: published photography, video work on both sides of the camera, and exceptional casting ability. He’s won multiple fly-casting competitions and is a Master Certified Fly Casting Instructor through the Fly Fishing Federation.

Brian O'keefe in an exciting video about fly fishing New Zealand

Yellow Dog Flyfishing

Brian is a Pro Staff Team member for Yellow Dog Flyfishing and was at their booth for the show. We got to talking, and I mentioned that my cast holds together to about 80 feet, starts to tail at 90, and falls apart beyond that. Brian suggested we step outside to an open parking lot for an informal lesson—that was all I needed to hear. A Sage rep a few booths down lent me a rod, and I met Brian outside.

Why I Come to the Show

In just a few minutes, Brian fixed a small hitch in my backcast that was carrying through to my forward cast. I also learned that I really liked the feel of the Sage Power R8 fly rod—one I need to look into further. What happened in those thirty minutes is why I come to this show.

The best fly rod makers in the world have rods set up and available for you to cast and ask questions about. | Photo by Ken Baldwin

The Best Fly Tiers

If fly tying is your thing, this event gives you a chance to stand within arm’s length of some of the best tiers in the country and talk shop while they work.

The Big Stuff

I’m partial to deer hair bass bugs and streamers, so I spent time watching Jeff Rowley turn spun deer hair into art and picked up one of his Diver Bass Bugs for my fly-fishing cave. You would be hard-pressed to find more beautiful ties than Jeff's.

A Fancy Diver Deer Hair Bass Bug. Stunning work by Jeff Rowley | Photo by Ken Baldwin

Fish Hunters

Then I stopped by Marcus Bevier’s table to study his streamer patterns—especially his Drunk & Disorderlys and Unholy Divers. He’s an exceptional tier and was generous with his knowledge.

An Andreas Andersson Unholy Diver skillfully tied by Marcus Bevier. | Photo by Ken Baldwin

A Successful Weekend

The Fly Fishing Show is a great way to shake off winter and get into a fly-fishing mindset. It's not like walking into a fly shop. At the show, there's no pressure to buy gear; it's more about learning and testing, asking questions, and getting dialed in, so when it is time to buy, you will be an informed buyer.

Add to that all the other offerings that are related to our sport, and it's three days of total submersion into the fly fishing industry ~ Ken Baldwin - Follow me on my Instagram account

"Slow down...listen to the hoppers...be patient with yer wife...eat sardines with hot sauce... catch “Gagger” trout!!!" – Flip Pallot.

---