The Mid West Fly Fishing Expo

Just returned from the MW FF Expo. WOW!!
Fly tying by Lefty Kreh, Joe Humpherys, Bob Clouser, Jerry Regan, Chris Helm and John McLain.
Casting demo's by Lefty Kreh, Bob Clouser and Joe Humpherys.
Book Signings by Dirk Fischbach,Bob Clouser and Ted Fauceglia.
Had lunch with ohiotuber, kaboom1, bdsavage and wife Jene, fatbill, Jim Flamming and 2 good friends from Evart.
We all welcomed our (may I say our?) newest sponsor "Stone River Outfiters" and received a nice hat too boot! Great bunch of guy's. Great products! Very, very busy all day! [url=http://www.StoneRiverOutfiters.com:b1623]www.StoneRiverOutfiters.com[/url:b1623] Get a catalog!
I touched many, many Bamboo rods but found that firmly imbeded eye teeth in my lip quelled the urge to slap down the plastic.
Chatted with Rusty Gates who thinks he still has 2 rooms left for the Fish-In. Warned the guy's from "Spikes Keg-O-Nails about the week of Aug 14th.
Met Bruce W Richards from SA who knew of me because of the Eagle Village Fish-In and will be getting some of the new Re-connectors to try.
Lots of vendor's and outfitters but very few tiers. Lots of great deals on supply's and equipment!!
Ohiotuber and I were the roving ambassador's for FOAL! I hope we did JC & LF proud!
Most of you don't know yet what it's like to attend an event like this and see/meet some of the terrific people from this site.
Of course ohiotuber walked up behind me and made a remark about the "Old People Here"!! And there was Kaboom1 with fatbill!! bdsavage had a big FAOL tent on a table in the food service area and it drew us in like fly's!! My 2 friend's were very impressed by the comaradie and shared many, many lie's....er...story's over lunch!
This was only my second Fly Fishing Expo and I was again overwhelmed, so please forgive the wandering/fragmented report.
I want you all to know you were there with us!!

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Don't forget the Michigan Fish-In August 14th to the 20th. The Holy Water's of the Au Sable await you!!

Cactus

[This message has been edited by Jack Hise (edited 18 March 2006).]

[This message has been edited by Jack Hise (edited 19 March 2006).]

Dang Jack you had to rub it in didn't you? I got stuck with working today. Glad you guys had a good time. maybe next year.

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all leaders tangle; mine are just better at it than most. Jim

Jim;
You were the missing person today!! You'd have had a great time. We're planing a Cabela's trip for April so maybe you can join in too!!

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Don't forget the Michigan Fish-In August 14th to the 20th. The Holy Water's of the Au Sable await you!!

Cactus

Jack,
Excellent report, you're absoblty right aboutthe "EXPO" if it weren't 150 miles away
(and I hadn't just added up the damage to the "pocketbook") I'd head back today.
I also want to say a BIG THANK YOU to "Stone River Outfitters" they had a great selection and very friendly group of guys and that is one Great cap they gave to FAOL members, and not 1 of the cheap ones either. We (Jean & I) had a great time, she is going to get involved with "Realing & Healing in the Midwest". It was great seeing everyone and getting a chance to meet some new people and Re-new old Friendships, See Ya'll at the next "Cabelas" Fish-In planning meeting.
Bill

Jack,

Thanks for the after-action report. Like Jim, I was stuck at work. Boy will I be glad to see April 17th! (15th is a Saturday this year, so tax returns are due on Monday the 17th).

Mike

Great report Jack!
We did have a great time, & somehow, I was able to keep all those others in line...btw, it's Jim FLAMMING, Jack!...he has YET to make a "flaming" post. See, if it wasn't for me riding herd over these guys, who knows what would happen (fortunately, I know engineers can't spell!)
Seems like every time I head north, I meet more great FAOLers...AND others! Jack's buddy Bob & I had a good time teasing each other.
We'll keep all posted on the next Fish-In meeting, which may be at Cabelas, or it MAY be at ol' Kaboom's (Brad's') cottage over around Port Clinton. Tentatively later in April.
Mike

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This site's about sharing!

'tuber;
I have corrected my fox paw!! (engineer'e can't spell!).

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Don't forget the Michigan Fish-In August 14th to the 20th. The Holy Water's of the Au Sable await you!!

Cactus

Jack,

Glad you (and many others, it seems!) made it to the show. I just had to add my editorial as I don't know how many people realize that this show is put on with 100% volunteer help and the profits from the show are plowed back into the resource each year. As the show information sheet that you got at the entrance indicates, the Michigan Fly Fishing Club has been able to put more than $400K back into the resource since the show started.

And it's all because of attendees like you all and the volunteers from the Club that spend so much time putting this thing together.

Thanks to all!

Joe

Jack Hise - Please let me know when the Cabela's Fish-in meeting will be. I'll try and make it. Monroe is closer than Warren for me. Thanks, Jonezee

Hey Everyone,

Yes, I did make it home alive from the show. Sorry for not posting earlier, but this is the first chance I have had to get to the keyboard.

I really like that show. My highlights, in order:
1) Meeting the FAOL gang. Everyone is great to talk with. As if I wasn't geared up already for the fish-in! It is gonna be a blast!
2) Listening to Lefty Kreh and Joe Humphreys talk. Good grief! Those guys are amazing! I gotta get my hands on some of Humphreys nymphing stuff. Anyone have any recommendations? Will need to do some net surfing.
3) Casting Mike McFarland's line of rods. Leo just built a rod with one of his fiberglass blanks and they are just as beautiful as the pictures he posted. Nice to cast also. But I was ABSOLUTELY FLOORED by his graphite Vintage series line! UNBELIEVEABLE!!! From the very first cast I was just amazed. Slow, smooth as silk, delicate. I couldn't put the thing down! And you could not find a nicer guy. I know what is on my wish list. One of his 8'9" 3wts!
4) Meeting some of the great FAOL sponsors. Kudos to Stone River as the others have said. As nice a group of people as you will ever meet.
5) A friend of mine that I go to church with shared a booth with Ron Barch and Alder Creek Publishing. His name is Mike Miling and he is a part-time artist who does some incredible paintings. When I stopped in at the end of Saturday, he was really happy. Sold one painting to another vendor before the show even started (beautiful one of a litte brookie) and got commissioned to do another painting for another fella! I was real happy for him. If anyone is interested in some gorgeous fishing and wildlife prints, be sure to let me know, and I will get you his contact info.

My only knock on this years show is that every other year I have attended there is usually someone who comes and just steals the show, someone who is just given some whale of a good specials on stuff. So good you have to push your way through the crowds to get a piece of the action. Last year it was our friends at Elkhorn who were all but giving away travel rod combos. Their booth was a beehive! The weird thing was they were not back this year. Not sure why, they must have made a profit with all the action they were getting. The year before that a group of guys were selling tubs of discounted/discontinued equipment. One bucket would empty and they would haul out another. It was great. Had to beat people out of your way with a club to get at the deals. But this year, their really wasn't anyone like that.

That is about it for this years show. Thanks again to everyone who got together for lunch. It was great to put faces with names.

Jim

Hi,

I'd like to second the praise for Mike Miling. I met him through Ron Barch in the early stages of my first book, and he was such a dear to be willing to switch from white tailed deer to moose (Moose in the Water - grin), and illustrate the manuscript. The drawing of the stripping guide, the rods, the fish and net... all amazing work.

Glad to hear of him doing well at the Expo.

Kat