Wbranch on Jan 17, 2014January 17th, 2014, 1:28 pm EST
Hey Spence are you going to drive out for MI??
I used to go all the time when I was working and making all the big bucks. But now that I have less disposable income I'll take the $90 I'd spend on gas, entry, and a meal and throw it against $90 worth of stuff for my Bahamas trip in early April.
Now there is a smaller show offered by the same sponsor as the Somerset show held in Lancaster, PA on March 01 & 02. I think I'll go to that show to get some exercise and look at all the rods and reels that could make me a better fly fisherman.
Oldredbarn on Jan 18, 2014January 18th, 2014, 7:30 am EST
Casey...I'm driving over with a couple car caravan from Michigan. My club, Michigan Fly Fishing Club, puts on a show here in March that we feel is one of the longest running show dedicated to fly fishing only. I'm told that Somerset is about three times bigger than ours...We are heading over there with a shopping list for our raffles. :)
I'll PM you later and maybe we can finally meet.
Spence
"Even when my best efforts fail it's a satisfying challenge, and that, after all, is the essence of fly fishing." -Chauncy Lively
"Envy not the man who lives beside the river, but the man the river flows through." Joseph T Heywood
Wbranch on Jan 18, 2014January 18th, 2014, 7:51 am EST
Hi Spence,
Get smart and check your coat. It doesn't take long for a couple of thousand guys to bring up the temperature of the venue to uncomfortable levels. If you can get there at the opening time of 10:00 you will have the best opportunity to really see all of the rod and reel manufacturers and get to see the entire show well. But the show gets SO crowded by 11:00 it is a frigging nightmare. Remember to have all your buddies bring their cell phones because if you get separated it is very hard to find you buddies again. Normally when you go into the show area the entire left wall (it used to be like this) is set-up for the fly tiers willing to pay a heck of a lot of money to set-up a space about 5' long.
The fly tying area is neat but again if you don't get there early you either need to be very patient to get up to the front to see/talk to the tier or be aggressive and push your way in to get rid of some guys who just don't know when to move on.
It's fun to go if you live close but unless you have a specific need to look at, and cast, a couple of rods and you want to see and feel various reels or talk to an outfitter about a trip, there is nothing there that you can't get on-line in the comfort of your own home.
Oldredbarn on Jan 18, 2014January 18th, 2014, 10:41 am EST
Thanks for the advice Matt...Sounds a bit like our auto show here in Detroit. There are some times there where its wall-to-wall humans and you really can't relax and check everything out like you would like to.
Spence
"Even when my best efforts fail it's a satisfying challenge, and that, after all, is the essence of fly fishing." -Chauncy Lively
"Envy not the man who lives beside the river, but the man the river flows through." Joseph T Heywood
CaseyP on Jan 20, 2014January 20th, 2014, 5:09 pm EST
the "exhibit hall" is at its worst on Sunday. go there Friday. Spend Saturday chasing around the hotel for some of the really good lectures and seminars and so on. get to what you want to see early--they give out a schedule when you buy your ticket; for cash, BTW.
find me over by the casting pool waving rods about on friday.