Quote Originally Posted by oldfrat View Post
I stopped attending the Denver one a few years ago. Not because I had lost interest in the sport, but because the show had become very repetitive and a waste of time and money, IMHO. I don't think you can judge interest in the sport by attendance at the shows.

Similarly, posting counts are way down at all of the fly fishing bulletin boards I visit. Maybe that is because the novelty of having this form of interaction has declined.

I have not noticed any decline in the number of fly fishers I encounter on local waters, which may be the best measurement.

Brad
I'm with Brad.... and I met Brad the last time I went to a show (and that was a long time ago!)...

I don't bother going. Not b/c I know everything about fly fishing, but honestly, am I going to learn that much for the effort of driving to Denver (1 hour away), and all the other overhead? I think there is a lot of BS in the flyfishing industry, and I think the marketing tries to feed the idea that it is complicated and full of secrets.... I think the shows are good like that. If you were new to flyfishing, it might be worthwhile.