The Spring Fly Fishing Show 2008 - revisited!
Saturday at the Spring Fly Fishing Show was nothing less than manic! With people often queuing 2 or 3 deep at our first ever Fish & Fly booth, the team of Simon Young, Jeremy Lucas and Allan Sharman were kept extremely busy with only a little respite towards the end of the day. With a prize draw for a Nautilus reel, an important petition to sign against the Pebble Mine in Alaska, great deals on our merchandise such as shirts and fleeces and fly tying demonstrations from Jeremy and Simon, we had plenty of interest and over 100+ new signups. Welcome to all those who joined us and stopped by for a chat!
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| We also had some celebrities such as Mike Harding and Paul Young (pictured here with Fish & Fly Chairman Richard Hewitt) stop by. "Caught anything lately Paul? Well it just so happens....." |
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| We were really pleased that recent prizewinner, Steven Murgatroyd (center), was able to stop by and receive his Greys G-Tec rod at the Greys booth . Click here to read Steven's winning story. |
As far as things to see and do were concerned there was plenty to keep you busy! I yet again failed to visit every exhibitor for the second year running. You'd think two days was long enough but once you get chatting, well you know how it goes! I did manage to stop by one of our newest Trade Partners who were also exhibiting for the first time. The Alternative Tackle Company had a display of their hand-picked products on display which drew a lot of attention.
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| This Burkheimer rod has a lovely action and finish with the cork detail and reel insert. Green River rods were also on display and watch out for a review of their 7' 3 weight rod coming soon which a couple of Fish & Fly team members were seen to be admiring! |
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| One of my favourites was "Skateboard Dave" Eggington, a regular contributor to our www.flyforums.co.uk site who was on hand at the Total Fly Fisher booth showcasing his range of flies specifically tied with coarse fish in mind. Watch out for a brand new article from Dave on this topic coming very soon on Fish & Fly as we are committed to showing that all species of fish are legitimate targets for fly fishers. |
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| Not to be outdone, our very own Simon Young was getting quite an audience as he tied tube flies designed for saltwater and freshwater predators. Simon will be adding more of his unique and innovative patterns to our fly tying section over the coming months so stay tuned. |
Last but not least, what would a Fly Fair be without the casting demonstrations. The crowds lined up along the indoor casting pools were treated to the usual informative, fun and often downright impressive displays by those for whom casting seems almost as much fun as the fishing. The stalwart of any casting demonstration and a guaranteed crowd puller was of course Fish & Fly team member Charles Jardine. Always able to inject some life into his demonstrations, even when he has just stepped off an international flight the day before!
See you at next years show hopefully and at many of the others around the country this year!
To see Steve Thorntons collection of photographs from the show, please go to the Spring Fly Show website.