Lured in part by more than $60,000 in door prizes, eastern seaboard anglers have their eyes on the annual Fly Fishing Show™, January 27-29 2017 at the Garden State Exhibit Center. Parking is free. The facility, 50 Atrium Dr., Somerset., will play host to a three day weekend mixed bag of all-things-fly-fishing with hourly seminars, casting demonstrations, fly-tying, destination films, a Women’s Fly Fishing Showcase, and the newest tackle on display in a sold-out exhibition hall.
Fly Fishing Show hours are 9 am-6 pm, Fri.; 8:30 am-6 pm, Sat.; and 9 am-4:30 pm Sun. Admission is $18 for one day, $28 for two days and $38 for three days. Children under age 5 are free as are Scouts under 16 in uniform. Active military with an ID are $10. The 300 exhibitor booths include both foreign and domestic tackle manufacturers, retailers, lodges, resorts, guide services and conservation organizations – many offering sales incentives and “show specials.”
Among the $60,000 in national door prizes are trips to Tsimane Lodge, Bolivia, $7, 600; Pesca Maya, Ascension Bay Quintana Roo, Mex., $5,692; Alaska Peninsula with Epic Angling Adventures, $5,350; Cooper’s Minipi Lodge, Labrador, for large brook trout, $5,295; and salmon fishing at Restigouch River Lodge, New Brunswick, Canada, $5,000. Local and regional door prizes will also be awarded.
Fly casting demonstrations are scheduled by Lefty Kreh, Daniel Galhardo, Cathy Beck, Gary Borger, Bob Clouser, Steve Rajeff, Jeff Currier and Simon Gawesworth. Featured fly tiers include Barry Beck, Philip Rawley, Henry Cowen, Blane Chocklett, Bob Popovics, Ed Engle, Clouser and Borger.
Twenty one classes with fly-tying and casting experts are open for advance registration. Class fees are $85 and include admission to the show for that day. Classes include Fly Casting with Bob Clouser, Advanced Nymph Fishing Techniques with Jason Randall; Trout Hunting 101 with Landon Mayor; Casting with Gary Borger; Women Only Casting with Cathy Beck and Fly Tying with Joe Cordiero.
Others include Advanced Nymphing with George Daniel, Steelhead University with Gary Edwards; European Nymphing 101 with Rowley; The Perfect Cast with Borger; and Practical Nymphing with Ed Engle.
The International Federation of Fly Fishers (IFFF) will host a free learning center with casting, fly-tying, knot tying, rigging and choosing a fly. A special Kids Only casting class will be offered on Fri. and Sat.
The Women’s Fly Fishing Showcase is devoted to women-centered discussions, presentations, learning opportunities and networking. A new stand-alone women’s exhibitor area will feature booths catering to female anglers with tackle, clothing and accessories.
Among the nearly 50 Destination Theater presentations per day are programs on The Madison River, Tips and Tactics for Fishing the Delaware, What’s Happening Now in the Northeast, Wading for Permit, Marlin on a Fly, Fly Fishing Utah, North Carolina Sharks on a Fly, Trophy Atlantic Salmon Fishing, Fly Fishing for Golden Dorado in Argentina, Fly Fishing Belize-North to South, Planning a Fly Fishing Trip to the Caribbean and Fly Fishing Cuba.
Seminars include Year-Round Striped Bass on a Fly, Tactics for Big Trout, Labrador: Landlocked Brook Trout, Streamer Tactics and Tricks, Fly Fishing Montauk’s Fall Blitz, Fly Fishing Eastern Trout Streams, Reading Waters and Salmon River Success. There are 18 60-minute seminars scheduled each day.
The world premier of the 2017 International Fly Fishing Film Festival is scheduled for January 27 at 6:30 pm. Tickets are $10 in advance or $15 at the door. Film Festival presentations include –
Surface, large rainbows in remote British Columbia; Pure New Zealand, stunning South Island trout; The Legend of Neck Beard, Henry’s Fork and the Yellowstone area; Laplanders, Baltic Salmon in Northern Sweden; The Hidden, brown trout amidst Iceland’s volcanic landscape; The Jungle’s Edge, Costa Rica’s first Grand Slam; The Dorado, April Vokey heads into the jungles of Bolivia; and Pescadora, redfish on poppers in a Louisiana marsh.
An Author’s Booth offers the opportunity to have books inscribed and “talk fly-fishing” with the nation’s best anglers. John Shaner in the Hardy booth will clean and lubricate any Hardy reel, give reel owners a complimentary bottle of lubricant and provide a brief history of the manufacture of each reel.
For class registration or a complete list of Destination Theater presentations, seminars, fly tiers and casting demonstrations, visit http://flyfishingshow.com/somerset-nj/; phone +1 (814) 443-3638.
Source: www.thefishingwire.com.