Report on the Great Waters Expo

April 14, 2005

From the GREAT WATERS FLY FISHING EXPO

An estimated 3,000 persons attended the Great Waters Fly Fishing Expo April 1, 2 and 3 at the Sheraton Bloomington Hotel in Minneapolis.

In addition, more than 500 persons new to fly fishing attended formal classes and seminars to learn about the sport and about protecting the streams, lakes and rivers of the Midwest. For both the fly fishing industry and conservation, that's good news.

Newcomers participated in free fly casting lessons, attended beginners seminars, classes for women and Camp Fly Fish for Hundreds of other beginning and intermediate fly anglers attended fly casting and fly tying
demonstrations and more than two dozen fly fishing education classes and travel presentations.

To all those who attended the 2005 Great Waters Expo as exhibitors and to those who helped spread the word, thank you. We greatly appreciate the support of the fly fishing industry and the many volunteers who made this Expo so enjoyable for so many people.

We are already at work planning next year?s event and we?ll keep you informed as we did this year through active communications on our Expo website [url=http://www.greatwaters2005.com:c0f7b]www.greatwaters2005.com[/url:c0f7b] will be your connection until about mid-summer when we crank up [url=http://www.greatwaters2006.com:c0f7b]www.greatwaters2006.com[/url:c0f7b] and through expanded electronic newsletters.

Here's a list of highlights from Great Waters Expo 2005:

HIGHLIGHTS

An unofficial crowd of more than 3,000 attended the Great Waters Fly Fishing Expo to see more than 150 commercial and conservation exhibits.

Sixty invitees (including Department of Natural Resource fishery professionals from Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota, regional and national Trout Unlimited leaders, state farm organizations, prairie and bluff land
restoration groups, land trusts, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Park Service and U.S. Forest Service and the Environmental Protection Agency) attended a day of collaboration and planning Thursday
March 31 to consider the future of Trout Unlimited?s Driftless Area Restoration Effort (TUDARE). On Friday, TU?s Driftless plan was announced at a press briefing and Dave Vetrano of the Wisconsin DNR became the recipient of the Thomas F. Waters Stewardship Award, presented by the Great Waters Expo.

275 Expo-goers received free individual fly casting lessons from Federation of Fly Fishers certified instructors Friday afternoon through Sunday afternoon. Thanks to these volunteer FFF members for their enormous contribution to the fly fishing futures of so many people.

140 persons attended Beginning Fly Fishing classes conducted by Jim Kojis and 3M's Del Kauss (Fly Fishing Made Easy).

More than 80 women attended Women in Fly Fishing classes Saturday and Sunday. Congratulations to instruction leader Annette McLean of the R. L. Winston Fly Rod Co., to Emily Whitlock and Wendy Williamson for their good work and inspiration and to Sue Rousseau and the Fly Fishing Women of Minnesota club for their help and support organizing these successful programs.

31 kids attended (often with their parents) Camp Fly Fish and its four hours of fly fishing and conservation instruction. Thanks to the Minnesota DNR's MinnAqua program and to volunteers from the St. Paul Fly Tiers.

Presentations by Dave Whitlock, Mike Lawson, Tim Holschlag and Kelly Galloup filled classrooms and pleased information-hungry audiences throughout the weekend. Special thanks to regional presenters Ross Mueller,
Wayne Bartz, John Edstrom, Bob Linsenman, Jim Bartlelt, Jason Moeckel, Brad Bohen, Bob White, Ray Larson, John Weinberg, John Breslin, Chris Niskanen, Del Kauss, Dave Blackburn, Eric Uram, Pat Ehlers, Jerry Kustich, Duke Welter and Michael Osterholm.

Crowds again this year hovered over more than 50 fly tiers who tied flies nonstop at Fly Tiers Row. Kudos to all those good tiers and to patient organizer Andy Roth. Special thanks to Dave Kollman, David Lucca and Lyle
Besse who captivated audiences at the Expo?s special Fly Tying Theater.

Fly casting demonstrations by Annette McLean and Tim Rajeff were well attended by both beginners and expert castors alike.

LOOKING AHEAD TO 2006

The 3rd Great Waters Fly Fishing Expo will be March 31 and April 1, 2, 2006,
at the Sheraton Bloomington.

See you there.


Tom Helgeson
Midwest Fly Fishing magazine
and The Great Waters Fly Fishing Expo