The Largest 100% Fly Fishing Show on Earth

is next weekend in Somerset, NJ. We will (hopefully) be posting live updates from the show floor, looking for deals on gear, and meeting up with some old and new fly fishing friends. Give us a shout out via the comments if your plans include attending this year's show.

Show Director Chuck Furimsky talks about just how large an event the Somerset, NJ show is:

No other event teaches you more about fly fishing than this three day show. With over 200 talks on anything from fly fishing for carp to landing a sailfish and marlin on a fly, we’ve got the sport covered for you. If you enjoy seeing everything standard or new, and getting some great show deals or needed fly fishing products, you’ve found the place. Hundreds of fly rods and areas to test them out, reels, waders, clothing, fly tying material, and more books and DVDs than you’ll ever see displayed are here for you to try and buy. Lodges and travel companies are exhibiting and represent every dream fly fishing trip in the world. They will also do power point presentation to answer all your questions in our Destination Theater rooms with over 60 talks daily. This is the must attend event of the year for fly fishing. It’s impossible to see it all in one day, even all three.

There can be only one...

Here is how Denver's two dueling consumer fly shows stack up according to a Denver Post Article:

THE FLY FISHING SHOW
Location: Denver Merchandise Mart Pavilion
Show hours: Jan. 4, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Jan. 5, 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m.; Jan. 6, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Cost: $15 adults at the door, $24 two-day, $32 three-day, $2 children younger than 12. Also, Jan. 5 family day, $2 parents and all children younger than 16, $24.
FEATURED ATTRACTIONS
Casting and demonstrations: Gary Borger, Mike Lawson, Dave Whitlock, Joe Humphrey, Charlie Meck, Doug Swisher, Lori Ann Murphy, Rick Hartman, Wendell Ozefovich.
Adventure theater: Jake Jordan, Jack Gartside, Joe Daniel, Matt Supinski, Jim Klug.
Fly-tying theater: Various performers.
Fly-Fishing Team USA: George Daniel, Lance Egan.

vs.

AFFTA FLY FISHING EXPO
Location: Colorado Convention Center
Show hours: Jan. 4, 11 a.m.-7 p.m; Jan. 5, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.; Jan. 6, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Cost: $15 adults at the door, $36 three-day, $5 ages 10-15, children younger than 10 and Boy and Girl Scouts in uniform admitted free.
FEATURED ATTRACTIONS
Casting demonstrations: Bob Jacklin, Bob Clouser, Lefty Kreh, Jerry Siem, Rob Kolanda, Cathy Beck, Landon Mayer, Simon Gawesworth, Riley Cotter, Devin Olsen.
Destination seminars: Bob Rafferty, Kreh, Jacklin, Janice O'Shea, Patricia Edel, Barry Beck, Bob Popovics, Char Bloom, Jacklin, Mayer, John Barr, Ryan Anderson, Eric Anderson.
Destination Colorado seminars: George Schisler, Mayer, John Duncan, Scott Graham, Barry Reynolds, guides of Anglers Covey, Greg Felt, Bill Dvorak, Kirk's Fly Shop, Anthony Naranja, Olsen.
Fly-tying: Clouser, Charlie Craven, Popovics, Brady Hanson, Mark McMillan, Dennis Collier, Greg Garcia, Chris Schranz, Bill Searles, Tony Spano, Dan Ziegman, Nick Jones, Neil Leuhring, Brian Kuchyna, Jack Duerson.
Team USA Fly-fishing: Naranja, Mike Sexton, Pete Erickson, Scott Robertson, Norm Maktima, Josh Stephens, Olsen, Loren Williams, Cotter, Kolanda.

Is this a battle that will carry over to other US cities? It seems doubtful that room exists for two shows catering to the same niche audience in many other US cities. The upside is that with both of the shows being set for the same dates, fly anglers won't have to set through the same slide shows twice.

AFFTA Announces Consumer Fly Fishing Expo

The American Fly Fishing Trade Association issued a press release today announcing the birth of The Fly Fishing Expo. Unlike the AFFTA's Fly Fishing Retailer Show, the Expo will be open to the public and aimed at the fly fishing consumer.

American Fly Fishing Trade Association

The Fly Fishing Expo, a New Era of Consumer Fly Fishing Shows

Denver, Colorado May 31, 2007 The first fly fishing consumer show to be entirely owned by the member companies of The American Fly Fishing Trade Association (AFFTA) will be launched in January 2008. The Fly Fishing Expo will focus on providing a unique fly fishing experience to both seasoned and beginning anglers. The Expo will be held at the beautiful Colorado Convention Center on January 4th-6th. The Expo has already received commitments from many leading fly fishing companies including Cloudveil, Frontiers International Travel, Orvis, REC Components, Rio, Sage, Scott Fly Rods, and St. Croix Rods. Exhibitor invitations and contracts will be received by all prospective exhibitors no later than June 25th.

AFFTA, with unanimous support from its Board of Directors, has made great strides in the planning and delivering of the Expo. The Expo will feature a new breed of exciting and interactive consumer fly fishing activities with areas dedicated to youth angling conservation, casting techniques, and community involvement.

The focus for the events and programs will engage anglers from all along the Front Range and provide unparalleled opportunities to learn from industry leaders, pros and celebrities.

"From the industry's standpoint, The Fly Fishing Expo will be incredibly appealing" said Robert Ramsay, President of AFFTA. "We are uniquely positioned to ensure that the revenue generated from The Fly Fishing Expo will be used to address the critical conservation, consumer development and business needs of association members and our sport. For the first time, the people who make their living producing and selling products and services for fly anglers will be in control of how our sport is presented to the general public".

Website: http://www.affta.com

Charlotte Fly Show 2007

Hmmm. I did drive the truck to the show. It does have a hitch. Now, how can I hide a drift boat from the wife?

Joe Humphreys is a fly fishing legend who is known for both his casting and his ability to catch big fish. I got to sit down with him and listen as he told me about missing what he felt was a world record trout while filming a television show on the Little Red River. Joe also gave us some great tips for both anglers targeting big fish and folks new to the quiet sport. Look for the entire interview as soon as we figure out this pod casting thing.

This is Ian Rutter of R&R Fly Fishing. Ian and his wife, Charity, are guides specializing in fly fishing The Great Smoky Mountains National Park and several of the Tennessee tail water fisheries. They put on their excellent seminar in front of a packed house. More importantly than the fishing tips they gave us was the inside scoop that we got about Ian's good friend and fellow fly fishing blogger, Tom Chandler of the excellent Trout Underground blog. We will keep all of the really juicy tidbits to ourselves, but suffice it to say that according to Ian, Tom has something in common with Joe Humphreys when it comes to missing a big fish last year.

Celebrity Fly tier Dick Talleur was on hand to demonstrate his techniques for the masses.