Showing posts with label Atlanta. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Atlanta. Show all posts

Thursday, February 02, 2023

The Fly Fishing Show Atlanta 2023


Tomorrow morning kicks off the first 3-day long The Fly Fishing Show in Atlanta! I'll be doing my typical show-floor coverage, so follow along, drop comments and ask questions (and, like the pictures, it really does help). I'll do my best to respond and find the answers. And, if you're at the show, stop me and say hello, it'd be great to meet you!

Sunday, March 17, 2019

The Fly Fishing Show -- Atlanta 2019

Evenin' Folks,
   Last month I hitched up the Pup and drove back up to North Georgia to attend The Fly Fishing Show Atlanta. I left St. Augustine after work on Wednesday night and boondocked at the Cracker Barrel in Perry, GA.  After enjoying Mama's Pancake Breakfast in front of the fire the next morning, I continued on to Don Carter State Park in Gainesville.
  Don Carter is the newest park in the Georgia State Parks system, but it's been open for several years now. All of the RV sites are paved, and pretty level, with electric and water hookups and a gray water dump. I made my reservation pretty early on, so I was able to get a prime site on a point stretching into Lake Lanier.  Since the leaves weren't out on the trees  yet, there was an almost unobstructed 270° view of the lake!
  After setting up the camper at the campsite, I drove up to Blairsville to visit family. I took the long way up through Helen just to enjoy the scenery. Since I was so close to the Upper Hooch and the Chattahoochee National Forest I stopped to make a couple casts in one of my old favorite spots. I didn't catch anything, but then, I really didn't expect to with high water, saltwater gear and only 5 minutes of trying!!
  The Atlanta Fly Fishing Show actually takes place in Duluth at the Infinite Energy Center and is a two-day engagement over Friday and Saturday. In between, on Friday evening, the International Fly Fishing Film Festival is held at a nearby hotel.  The IF4, as usual, had a cash bar in the lobby and, this year, they handed out fresh bags of popcorn to enjoy during the films. We were also treated to some fine pickin' from a local bluegrass ensemble while waiting for the movies to start!  I always enjoy attending the film festivals, but I can't help but thinking that a lot of the films are starting to look the same.  I hate to complain because I do enjoy them, but I'm ready for something really different.  Is the world ready for a bluegill fishing film?  Maybe something with music that doesn't make my ears ring would be nice, too.  But that's just me, I still encourage everyone to attend, especially if you can take a guest that hasn't made their mind up yet about flyfishing.  These short movies will definitely help get them hooked!!
  If you ever have the opportunity to attend one of The Flyfishing Shows near you, I highly recommend that you do. These shows are always made up of all the local shops making great deals, manufacturers demonstrating new products, clubs and organizations signing up new members, lodges and guides showcasing their services, casting ponds to try before you buy and casting demonstrations, author booths, tying demo's and full, multi-hall lecture schedules. You'd be hard pressed to see and do everything in the two days of the show!
  The Atlanta Flyfishing Show is always a blast and absolutely worth the trip! I'm already looking forward to the 2020 show and I will plan to attend. I hope you can make it! Make sure you stop me and say hi if you see me!  Please enjoy the photos, make sure you follow @TheSuburbanAngler on Instagram and Facebook to see live coverage of all the shows I attend.  And, as always, if you have any questions, comments or suggestions, please get in touch!!
  I hope you're all doing well!
    Happy Fishing!
        Nick

A good night's rest followed by a hearty breakfast in front of the fire! On the road again!!


The sunrise view from the Wolf Pup's window when I was camping at Don Carter State Park for the Atlanta Fly Fishing Show. 


All I had with me was saltwater gear, but I couldn't resist making a few casts into the Upper Chattahoochee River above Helen. That water was high, but crystal clear!! It was such a gorgeous day, if I didn't have previous plans, I would've head deeper into the National Forest and checked some of my old favorite spots!



It's showtime!!!


Checking out some cool new products in the Yeti Coolers booth! The waterproof blanket and folding chairs would be perfect for the camper and the tote bag and wheeled cooler look ideal for surf casting sessions!!



Alpharetta Outfitters had some great deals on clothes, gear, guided trips and destinations!


ARC Fishing was here for their first Atlanta The Fly Fishing Show!! Folks were stopping by to get the rundown on their innovations in fly line, leaders and tippets. They had some fantastic show deals going on, too!
 


Lots to drool over in the Stealth Craft Boats booth! 


I really like the look and feel of these Towee Boats skiffs!! And, there's really no better endorsement for a product than to get to speak with the owner/designer at these shows!



The Angling Bookstore is now on Instagram!! Give them a follow for one of the best selections of fly fishing publications going!! 



Author Steve Hudson having fun talking north Georgia fly fishing and signing his books! 



Got to hang out a bit and catch up with Mark in the Original Ty-Rite booth!! This is one of those awesome little products that you don't think you need until you use one! It's the cure for small flies and cold fingers!!  Mark also had products from other small companies on display, like Brook Fishing Equipment, Ascent Fly Fishing and Fly Trap Holder.



Talked a little shop with Mark Keller, celebrity fly tyer and creator of the Eflyz. There's still a couple slots open on the Eflyz species board that I think I'm going to try to fill in this year!! Check out these amazing hardbody flies for yourself!!



I was a little late, but thoroughly enjoyed Steve Hudson's presentation on fishing for brook trout! Look for his new book on the subject scheduled to be released this spring!!



Enjoying some mountain music while we wait for the IF4 to begin!!



Morning of Day 2 at the Atlanta Fly Fishing Show! The Fly Fishers International booth is already buzzing with new tyers learning the fly tying basics! 



The Sisters On The Fly are showing one of their incredible, vintage travel trailers!



Legend Dave Whitlock demonstrating the tying techniques that go into his Vortex Divers.



Made a stop at the Mauser Fly Fishing booth to check out the new Arete line of trout rods! Their first rod line, The Waterman, was an incredible casting rod, so I have no doubt the Arete will be equally adept!! The guys at Mauser have some great plans for the near future, so it's definitely a brand to watch!!
 



The Unicoi Outfitters booth is always very popular!! They even had a raffle for a Nacoochee Bend self-guided trip!! Have you seen the fish from Nacoochee bend?!?!?



Catching James mid-donut and David tying up some bugs in the River Through Atlanta booth! These guys are the pros for fishing the Chattahoochee River and all of North Georgia!



Checking out the Santee Boats booth. Great looking skiffs with some awesome option packages and rigged to order! The full led light package is a great touch!



Bob Clouser demonstrating casting techniques on the casting pond!




Tyer's Row is always hotbed of activity!! 



The Seigler Reels booth has stayed very busy throughout the show. Have you seen their award winning line of big game fly reels?



The folks that protect this amazing urban fishery were hard at it signing up new members! 



Author Jim Mize read an excerpt from his book, A Creek Trickles Through It, after giving pro tips on making your catch seem larger in stories and photos! I may have to test a few of his techniques... I'm sure a lot of folks on Instagram already have!! 



Enjoyed a fascinating presentation on bonefishing the Bahamas with Oliver White. Go ahead and add this trip to the bucket list! 



My buddy Todd Arnold ( @615groundpounder ) spent the weekend on Tyer's Row tying up some mean looking Game Changers!

Friday, January 04, 2019

Denver Fly Fishing Show

With all these awesome picture coming in from the Denver Fly Fishing Show we're getting really excited for the Atlanta show at the end of this month!!

Thursday, February 01, 2018

The Atlanta Fly Fishing Show

Made it to Georgia, camp is all set up, I've already made a new friend and the Atlanta Fly Fishing Show starts tomorrow morning!! See you there!

Saturday, March 18, 2017

The Fly Fishing Show Atlanta 2017

flyfishingshow.comEvenin' Folks!  New for 2017, the folks at The Fly Fishing Shows made a venue change.  This year, for the first time, they moved the show from it's Winston-Salem, North Carolina location to Atlanta, Georgia.  More specifically, the Infinite Energy Center in Duluth, which is located about 10 minutes from the former The Suburban Angler world headquarters in Suwanee.  I say former because, as you know if you follow our social media pages, The Suburban Angler moved to Florida last fall!!!  Right before they announced that The Fly Fishing Show would be held in our backyard!!  I really hated to miss the show, I attended the last three years at the Winston-Salem venue, but we just weren't able to make the trip back up to Atlanta.  Luckily, a fly fishing buddy of mine very graciously offered to take a few photos of the show and even do a couple of live videos on Instagram from the show floor.  The videos, unfortunately, are gone forever, as is the nature of Instagram's live video feature, but here are a few of the photos he took for me.  Enjoy them, and hopefully I'll make it to Atlanta for the show in 2018!!
David Testerman from River Through Atlanta demonstrating some fly tying.
The venerable Lefty Kreh doing what he does at home on the casting pond.
Rob "The Mustache" Smith working The Fish Hawk (Atlanta, GA) booth.
The guys from Unicoi Outfitters (Helen, GA) are always glad to advise!
Cohutta Fishing Co. (Cartersville, GA) was well represented at this year's show.
One of my favorite bluegill paintings!
The art of Dave Whitlock is just incredible!
My buddy David (that provided the photos) was nice enough to get Dave to inscribe and sign the card for me!
Here's David, after a busy weekend taking photos for The Suburban Angler at his first The Fly Fishing Show!  Thanks again buddy!!

Friday, October 23, 2015

Orvis Down The Hatch 2015 Event Report

The show poster from the
Chattahoochee River Keepers Instagram feed.
Mornin' Folks,
  Well, it was that time of year again.  Time for Tom Rosenbauer and Pete Kutzer to make the long journey south to Atlanta for the Orvis Down the Hatch Fly Fishing Film Festival.  You may remember from my article last year (which you can read here), that Tom Rosenbauer (Marketing Director for Orvis Rod and Tackle and voice of the Orvis Fly Fishing Guide Podcast) spent some time in the Orvis Atlanta store meeting folks, giving advice and then giving his Small Stream presentation.  This year was done a bit differently in that Tom did a meet and greet in the store, discussing all things fishing with his adoring fans, and he brought along Orvis' casting maestro, Pete Kutzer.  Tom is an incredibly nice guy, he greets everyone in the store with a hearty hand shake and a warm smile that makes you think he's known you for years.  This year was my first time meeting Pete and he gives Tom a run for his money in the warm welcome department.  I didn't stay terribly long with Tom and Pete, I wanted to make sure and give others a chance to meet them.  But we did talk about the small stream, Georgia native Brook Trout that I have come to love, and, of course, bluegill, as always.  Tom and Pete both have an open invitation to fish the north Georgia small streams, cold or warm, with me, anytime!
Me, Tom Rosenbauer and Pete Kutzer at Orvis Atlanta
  We left the Orvis Atlanta store and had to kill a few hours before the show started (which is harder than you might think in Atlanta!).  The Little Girl and I strolled around some of the shops at Atlantic Station and grabbed a pizza for lunch.  This year the Down the Hatch festival was held at a different venue, Center Stage Atlanta, which was right on the other side of I-85 from Atlantic Station, making it, in my opinion, much more convenient and easier to get to than last year's venue.  The theatre room at Center Stage accommodated a much larger crowd than the previous location as well.  
Pete Kutzer, Jason Ulreth and Tom Rosenbauer
Photo borrowed from CenterStage-Atlanta.com
  After a one hour social with beer provided by Sweet Water Brewing and some heavy hors-d'oeuvres we were let into the main theatre to get the show started.  Tom and Pete opened the show with a few words and a quick story then introduced Chattahoochee River Keeper Jason Ulreth to speak about the Chattahoochee River that runs through Atlanta, how lucky we are to have one of a very few trout fisheries that runs through a major metro area and to explain that the proceeds from the show will go to fund two water testing sites on the river for the next year.  
  T-shirts, hats, koozies, and other items were thrown to a waiting crowd just before the lights were dimmed and the films started.  You really owe it to yourself to get to a fly fishing film festival if you ever get the chance.  The cinematography really is incredible.  The films always take place in incredibly beautiful locales, have stunning fish and action and, quite often, have a good bit of comedy that might be a little too insider if you're not a fisherman or, at least, married to one.
  During the shows intermission Tom and Pete called raffle numbers.  There was an impressive list of generous raffle prizes this year: half and full day guided trips for one or two, Costa and Smith Optics sunglasses, water purifiers, coolers, coats and, of course, the one that everybody wanted, the Orvis Helios 2 Sweet Water Brewery 9'-0" 5 weight fly rod, which I should have won, but didn't!  
  Every one was very happy with the evening, and the folks that won the raffles were ecstatic.  Many, many thanks go to the folks at Orvis, Orvis Atlanta, Orvis Alpharetta, Sweet Water Brewery, Center Stage Atlanta and all of the donors and sponsors for another awesome night of beer and fly fishing films.  I hope to see you all there again next year!
  Have a great day, Tight Lines and cold beer!!
     -Nick