Share Your Passion! Bring A Friend! 2011 Northwest Fly Tyer and Expo
The 2011 Northwest Fly Tyer and Fly Fishing Expo is set for March 11, and 12 at the Linn County Fairground and Expo Center in Albany, Oregon. The theme for this year’s event is:
“Share your passion, bring a friend!” to encourage new people into the world of fly fishing.
For the past two decades, a vision conceived by the Oregon Federation of Fly Fishers (OFFF) council in the late 80’s, the NW Fly Tyer and Fly Fishing Expo has brought together the entire social network of fly fisherman throughout the Northwest, Northern California and Idaho. The Mission of the OFFF is to improve fly fishing in Oregon by providing information to fly fishers to improve their skills, by preserving and expanding fly fishing opportunities and by improving fish habitats. . This new vision around the total fly fisher has transformed from a single day event for tyers, to a two day event with a full educational curriculum and over 2,000 attendees.
The major charter of the OFFF is education for the total fly angler. In addition to the annual Expo, the OFFF continues its focus on education by connecting with local communities and local fly fishing clubs throughout Oregon. With volunteers from 23 charted and affiliated FFF clubs, OFFF has established connections into fly angling programs with community organizations such as the Boys and Girls club of Corvallis for potential young anglers to become educated about fly fishing, Casting For Recovery has benefitted with volunteers from OFFF helping breast cancer survivors with casting to assist in muscle recovery from mastectomy’s, and Project Healing Waters for our wounded armed services heroes.
The NW Expo has been heralded as the “largest fly tying event west of the Mississippi”, the education class curriculum offering is claimed to be the largest fly fishing education session on the west coast. Class choices include: fly tying techniques, fly casting, and fly fishing techniques. Topics in the past range from saltwater angling to tying Atlantic Salmon flies. Hinged around fly tying as the main venue of the show, over 72 fly tyer stations rotate every three hours allowing attendees to learn and observe fly tying techniques from some of the best fly tyers in the Northwest. All tyers at the show are by invitation only.
Surrounding the tyers are over 50 vendors in booths. These vendors of the fly fishing industry represent most products in fly fishing from fly tying materials to boats. Each vendor features items for sale for every fly angler from beginner to expert. An area of special interest is the Entrepreneur booths were small start up fly fishing oriented companies are able to introduce their innovative new products or businesses.
Once held in at the Lane County Fairgrounds in Eugene, Oregon, the Expo has grown in size and scope. In 2007 the Expo was moved to the Linn County Fairground, Albany, Oregon. With over an acre of floor space, attendees are able to sit down in front of celebrity tiers and gain specific knowledge from direct questioning of the tyers.
In addition to the fly tying venue, casting is a welcomed feature event at the Expo. The Expo features a casting pond on the main floor where certified casters give demonstrations each hour. The 70 foot casting pond is constructed on site by some of the over 150 FFF club volunteers. Spey casters will have an outdoor Spey casting pond to practice and receive instruction. In addition to the casting pond another acre of space indoors features a plastic floor covering for individual and class casting instruction. Another attendee favorite is “The Casting Doctor” where attendees can have a private casting tune up lesson from one of the several certified casters.
The Expo also features hourly raffle where attendees are able to win prizes donated by attending vendors and companies throughout the fly fishing industry.
The Expo finishes with a banquet on Saturday evening with the highlight for the dinner, an oral auction. Auctions of the past have featured guided trips, lodge trips, rods, reels, artwork, sculptures, and just about anything associated to fly fishing.
Attendees are encouraged to buy tickets in advance as the dinner consistently sells out before the Expo has ended. All proceeds are dedicated to education and conservation efforts in Oregon. Learn more about the Expo and sign up for classes or purchase banquet tickets at: www.nwflytyerexpo.com.
