FLY FISHING FAIR NEXT WEEK BY JOHN BERRY

Next week (Friday October 7 and Saturday October 8 from 9:00 AM until 5:00 PM) the Southern Council of the Federation of Fly Fishers will put on its annual Fly Fishing Fair. This is its big show and fund raiser for the year. For those of us who have been around for a while, this show was previously known as Conclave. I still find myself calling it that. This will be the thirty second straight year that I have attended this show. The majority of my attendances were as a fly tyer, program presenter, vendor or all three.

 The big change for this year is the venue. The fly fishing fair which has previously been held at the Baxter County Fair Grounds will now be held at the Vada Sheid Convention Center on the Arkansas State University Mountain Home Campus. This is a big improvement. I have attended several events at the Sheid and consider it to be a first rate facility. There is plenty of space to accommodate the legion of fly tyers, an increased number of vendors and plenty of attendees. There are also some first rate rooms for seminars. This is where my wife, Lori, and I teach our fly fishing class.

This year they are adding a new event, the Fly Fishing Film Tour. This is the first and most prestigious cinema experience designed by and for fly fishers. This marks the tours tenth season in North America and its first visit to Mountain Home. It is an unprecedented opportunity to see some of the best films dedicated to fly fishing in this country and around the world. The tour will be shown on Friday October 7, 2016 at 7:00 PM at the Sheid. There will be a live auction preceding the event at 6:00 PM. There will be typical movie concessions.

 The big draw for me has always been the fly tyers and vendors. As an avid fly tyer myself, I appreciate the artists that we have working with fur and feathers. I have tied at this show for a number of years and I am always amazed with the overall quality of the tyers and their flies. There are several top notch vendors signed up for this year’s fair. Most of the local fly shops will be there namely Wishes and Fishes, Dally’s Ozark Angler, Two Rivers Fly Shop and Blue Ribbon Fly Shop where I work. In addition the Golden Rule Fly Shop will return. I often find things there that I cannot find elsewhere. There is also Temple Fork Outfitters Fly Rods, Fayette Chill, Duane Hada and Berry Brothers Guide Service (my guide company), to name a few.

 Then there are the seminars. You can learn a lot by attending them and there are plenty, to choose from. I will be teaching on selecting and operating White River Jon Boats. Lori will be addressing “Why Do Some Anglers Catch More Fish Than Others”. There are lots of classes on fly tying, how to fish certain streams and how to improve your cast.

 If all of this sounds like something that you would be interested in, join me at the Fly Fishing Fair and let me tie you a fly. Don’t forget to sign up for my fly fishing class at ASU also starting next week.