Wednesday, February 2, 2011

The Fly Fishing Show

This past Sunday I was able to attend the Fly Fishing Show in Raleigh, North Carolina and I had a really good time. The show was well attended and it wouldn't surprise me at all if the Fly Fishing Show found a permanent home for a weekend each winter in Raleigh.

I spoke with Chuck Furimsky, director and CEO of the Fly Fishing Show, and he was ecstatic with attendance and participation in the programs and seminars offered at the show. All in all it was a good show.


I spent the majority of the day walking up and down the aisles looking for new and interesting things that I could highlight on T.F.M. and luckily uncovered a few things to share on the blog.

This post will be more or less a quick overview of the show and the few things that rose to the top in my mind. Through the week I'll be writing up specific posts with more photos on the things that really impressed me.

J:SONSWEDEN REAL STRIKING FISHING FLIES
I had just become aware of J:sonSweden a couple weeks ago through their Facebook and Twitter pages.  I am really interested in getting some of their tying materials.  Their flies were expertly tied and the wings and body overlays really help create a fly that looks amazingly realistic.  


After I left the show I was kicking myself for not picking up a set of all sizes of materials to tie the scud flies since they certainly make realistic a lot of the Czech style flies. I'll be placing an order soon.

SIMMS FISHING PRODUCTS
One of the only gear companies to be present at the show was Simms Fishing Products and they had the majority of their 2011 line up spread out at a good sized booth area.  Simms rep Captain Dave Chouinard was very knowledgeable about the product line and a pleasure to speak with.


I was most interested in the Dry Creek Day Pack since it's solidly constructed and with a price point at $130 it's not going to break the bank of those wanting a waterproof alternative for their angling and camera gear.

The Dry Creek Day Pack can also be used with either the Dry Creek Chest Pack or Headwaters Chest Pack and each snap to the front of the pack to complete the system.  For someone such as myself who is usually on the water with a DSLR camera this seems like a smart purchase.

FLYMEN FISHING COMPANY
I met Mark Bawden, owner of Flymen Fishing Company, last year at the Fly Fishing Show and have really liked the products that he's developed over the past several years.  Martin, along with other fly tiers, are still finding new and interesting flies to tie with the Fish-Skull and Nymph Head.
 

Martin promised a few new products for 2011 so they are certainly worth following on Facebook and Twitter to keep up with the latest news releases.

NORTH FORK OUTFITTERS
When I was living out west I dreamed of owning a Scadden pontoon. Fast forward a dozen years and I'd still like to own one but not sure it'd get used enough in South Carolina. I bet it would be good on the Saluda River tailrace though.


North Fork Outfitters have a few new models for 2011 and the quality of their boats is tough to match.

CAROLINA FLY
I've been getting to know Thomas Harvey for the last year or so through the Carolina Fly Facebook page so it was great to finally meet him in person and see him tying at the show.   


Thomas had a sharp looking tying area put together and it was neat to see so many of his excellent poppers on display. 

DAVE & EMILY WHITLOCK
I have a really neat post to put together this week with a string of photographs about the Whitlock booth at the show that I can't wait to share.  Dave Whitlock is a class act.  It was thrilling to stand nearby and watch Dave make magic on the paper with his pens and pencils.


Dave's artwork has such a fun feel to it and this bluegill print has sure got me thinking about springtime on the pond.

CLEAR CURE GOO
Sunday was my first experience seeing how flies are tied with Clear Cure Goo and I'm interested now in tying a few of my own using the "Goo".

A great material no doubt.  So great in fact that Clear Cure Goo company owner and "goo guru", Brian Carson, ran out of kits to sell on Sunday. 

It was brisk business for sure at the Clear Cure Goo booth this past weekend and neat to see a one man operation take off.

CORTLAND RETRO FLY REEL
Sadly there weren't any fiberglass fly rods at the show but Madison River Outfitters of Cornelius, North Carolina did have several of the new Cortland Retro fly reels in stock. $130 is a great deal on a well made click and pawl fly reel and this reel purrs.


The dark blue of the anodizing on this rel will look stunning on the soon to be released Diamondback Glass.

CAPTAIN PAUL ROSE
Paul Rose was yet another person that I've followed online through his email newsletters.  Paul guides on trips around Charlotte for carp, into Virginia for trout, and even down on the South Carolina coast to look for redfish.


Later this spring Paul and I are looking to get together to do a day trip looking for tailing carp.  This might be a good primer for the redfish that have given me such a hard time so far.

Though there wasn't a lot of new gear to handle at the show, I did find some interesting fly tying items, met up with some great people, and it was well worth the four hour drive to attend. 

3 comments:

BLUEANGLER said...

Nice! Great to see Nick is the Goo pro-staff! Cool.
We will have the FF tour and mini show here soon in Feb. I am excited to see some big names too!

cofisher said...

Thanks for the summary on the Raleigh show. I was curious about the differences between there and Denver. Looks like it was a good time.

Cameron Mortenson said...

Mark...I am really impressed with CCG. I hope to get some to tie with soon.

Cofisher...thanks. I think the show in Raleigh will be even larger next year.