50,000 Plus Expected at 2012 Fly Fishing Shows
OutdoorHub 09.11.11
All things fly-fishing – from tackle manufacturers to retail dealers to authors, artists and everything that makes the game what it is – are gearing up for the 20th Annual Fly Fishing Show, from the Rocky Mountains to Atlantic states and back. 2012 shows begin Jan. 6 in Denver, Colo., and conclude March 4 in Pasadena, Calif.
More than 50,000 fly-fishing enthusiasts are expected to visit the seven venues of the Fly Fishing Show, estimated Chuck Furimsky, producer of America’s largest trans-continental sporting event.
Shows will feature the latest developments in flyrods, reels, tying materials, tools, fly boxes, clothes, footwear, nets and accessories
Dates and locations are Jan. 6-8, Denver, Denver Merchandise Mart; Jan. 20-22, Marlborough, Mass., Royal Plaza; Jan. 27-29, Somerset, NJ, Garden State Convention Center; Feb. 11-12, Raleigh, North Carolina State Fairgrounds; Feb. 18-19, Lancaster, Pa., Lancaster County Convention Center; Feb. 24-26, Pleasanton, Calif., Alameda County Fairgrounds; and March 3-4, Pasadena, Calif., Pasadena Convention Center.
The inaugural Fly Fishing Show was produced in Somerset in 1992. “It seemed like a good idea and turned out to be a great one for both the fly-fishing industry and enthusiasts,” Furimsky said. “I fondly recall when Leon Chandler, an icon in our sport who attended hundreds of shows representing Cortland, told me he never ran out of brochures in 42 years of doing shows, but was out mid-day at our first Somerset show.”
Today, the Somerset Show is still the largest with more than 200 exhibitors and 10,000 visitors, followed closely by Pleasanton and Denver. It will be the 12th consecutive year kicking off the season in fly-fishing-crazy Denver. 2012 marks the first show in Lancaster, not far from the population mass of Greater Philadelphia and close to Pennsylvania’s historic trout waters around State College. In Raleigh, the state’s college and university population joins with retirees and a traditional outdoor sports-minded audience for the event.
The Pleasanton Show attracts visitors from throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and as far as Reno; while the Pasadena showcase is near the geographic center of Southern California’s massive population hub of Los Angeles, San Diego, Riverside, Ventura, Santa Barbara, Riverside, San Bernardino counties and the San Joaquin Valley agricultural communities.
About 100 major fly-fishing personalities, the names of the game – not all at each location – will demonstrate every aspect of the game from fly tying, to fly casting to where-to-go and how-to-get there. Fly-fishing personalities scheduled to appear include –
Lefty Kreh, Barry and Cathy Beck, Gary Borger, Bob Clouser, Dave Whitlock, Ed Engle, Michael Mauri, Jeff Currier, Ed “Fishy” Fullum, A. K. Best, Jim “Coz” Cosolnick, George Daniel, Henry Cowen, Dave Klausmeyer, Jake Jordan, Bob Jacklin, Bob Popovics and Enrico Puglisi.
Others include Sarah Gardner, Brian Horsley, Ben Furimsky, Ozzie Ozefovich, Ben Turpin, Joe Humphreys, Charlie Meck, Eric Stroup, Dan Blanton, Nick Curcione, Jay Murakoshi, Conway Bowman, Maggie Merriman and Al Quattrocci.
Expanding and continuing in 2012 is a successful Fly Fishing Show teaching partnership with the Federation of Fly Fishers. Their volunteer staff will again teach casting, fly tying, and fly-fishing techniques, free. The success of this special show area has brought numerous beginners to the sport and energized those who have been moderate fly-fishers.
For all show information, exhibitor applications and contracts, seminar titles, celebrity speakers and tiers at each location, see their website at www.flyfishingshow.com or call 814-443-3638.
