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cphubert

Fly Tying Symposium NJ

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I was planning to go but the website didn’t list exhibitors….. so that sends the message that there’s not that many.   Not making the trip.     If Anyone going Sat.gave some feedback it would be appreciated

 

 

 

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Honestly...I do not bother anymore...and here is why.

Walk in the door and there is fly shop "A"  selling Whiting necks, Dr. Slick tools, various dubbings, etc. Then you walk to fly shop "B" and you see Whiting necks, Dr. Slick tools, various dubbings, etc. Move on to fly shop "C" and you see Whiting necks...well you get the idea. No bargains to be had either.

While there is a wealth of tyers working they tend to be very repetitive in what you see from booth to booth. 

On top of that I've been fly fishing some 60 years, and tying almost that long...so there isn't much if anything I need or want at this point.

Less than 2 hours from home and it was mostly a social event for me, but the folks I looked forward to seeing no longer attend either.

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One additional comment...The Classic Fly Fisherman of Lansdale, PA has a LARGE selection of quality materials at bargain basement prices. All of it is from estates and that is how he is able to sell at the prices he does. Just the grizzly necks I saw would be worth the trip!!!

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The only Somerset show I ever attended - was in 1988 or thereabouts.. I was a tyer then for Randy Towe's first shop - World Class Outfitters... 

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I made the trip Saturday found some hooks I was looking for and some other bargains from the classic fly fisherman, a new book to read to hold me over a little, a pair of scissors (kopter) a big deal for me as I am left-handed and the inventor from Italy assured me no problems. My social list of friends at the event is dwindling as they pass on or don't do shows anymore not being a social butterfly I did not stay very long, 3 or 4 hours. This may have been my last symposium (according to my wife a have said that before🙄) There were a few vendors with some classic materials if that's what you are looking for. Not as large as pre covid days hope for more in the future did see some younger people in attendance, that is a good thing.

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Sounds like I made the right decision to stay home

i mowed the grass. Hopefully for the last time this year 

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The internet has pretty much ruined these types of gatherings.I get bombarded with emails from online suppliers of nearly everything i have ever bought online.We used to go to all the outdoor shows to see what is new and to be around people with shared interests.Heck we barely have any bait/tackle shops left in the metro area.Maybe 3 fly shops including downtown Chicago Orvis which is described as a clothing store.Online and the big boxes have pretty much ruined the personal experience.Same as it has turned much of main street in our more rural areas into ghost towns.I am lucky as i have 2 bait/tackle shops nearby.Neither of carry fly tying supplies any more and some rods reels and line.1 flyshop in Chicago is geared for high end customers only pretty much.I think there is one in far west burbs that tons of supplies and was owned by Chris Helm at one time.I am kind of a lone wolf as i know only 1 person personally that ties and he is 60 miles away.I met a guy fishing for stocked trout at a local pond.Throwing a jig i mean euro nymph with a bobber i mean indicator.Was super windy and he was having a rough time casting.Said this rig worked well out west which i am sure it did.We were not in a drift boat and had a high bank with brush behind us.I at least hooked a couple 10 inch trout that came off.He was well heeled at least gear wise.Higher end Orvis rod and reel,chest pack etcHe bought his stuff downtown.I bought mine at the flea market.I was throwing nymphs on a 6' browning/silaflex  with an eagle claw hardy clone.I was casting side armed and low ,under the wind.Making good 40-50 foot casts.We did have a good time fishing next to each other.Out of 75 people fishing that day we were the only ones with flyrods .Kind of a lonely sport in my parts.

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There used to be some great Fly Fishing shows in the Chicago land area, but that was many many years ago.  They kept raising the booth price to the vendors, the local union restrictions were overblown, and the hotel rates went astronomical, hence many of the vendors couldn't sell enough product to break even.  It was wonderful when all the major vendors showed up because you could actually put your hands on that new rod, reel, or fly tying vise (how I came to buy my Regal vise 25 years ago)  .  Also it was so nice to actually meet those fellows who gave seminars, whom you had read their published books and articles for so very long, ahhh the good old days, ha.

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I was there all day Saturday.  I packed up tying gear about 3:30. My club, South Jersey Coastal Fly Anglers shared tables with the FFI in the hallway in front of the auditorium. You got to remember this is a Fly Tying Symposium, not a fly fishing show.  So the number of vendors was limited.  That said, I didn't think the show was that crowded compared to some of the pre-Covid symposiums.  Did get a chance to talk with some of the folks who stopped to watch us tie.  One guy had flown in from Memphis and another had come down from Ontario to attend the show.  I did go in to check out the show itself.   I didn't buy a whole lot, just a couple of packs of the Ahrex Swim Bait hooks and picked up the sample pack they were giving out.  I use that hook for a frog pattern and brought the last pack of size 4 that they had.  It was my first venture to a large gathering in the post-Covid world.  I'm curious as to what size crowds they'll have at the Fly Fishing show there in January.

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For years I worked every show in south Florida that would have me (and nearby areas) as a tyer - usually with one of the shops I was filling orders for at the time - but in recent years I've quit it since I'm no longer tying commercially and guiding takes up much of my time.  In the Miami area our big shows have become less and less "user friendly" with little in the way of nearby parking or other amenities.. Having to take a shuttle bus just to get to where the show is - puts me off... 

 

My single most prominent memory of the one Somerset show I attended = all those years ago were the ordinary anglers,  lining up at the front door in the cold dark Jersey winter.. to be able to enter the moment the doors opened.  Much different scene down here... Think that the shows up north are probably a better bet all around.. 

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 I love fly fishing shows and almost never miss the local show in Marlboro MA.  Yes the vendors do carry a lot of the same stuff and you usually won't save money on any of it but I'm not there looking for deals.  I already know I can get a better deal buying on line   What I'm looking for is to see in person whatever items that the few local fly shops in my area don't have hanging on the wall.  As a rule I always prefer to examine products in person before I buy, especially when it comes to things like rods, reels, vises, clothing, gear, feathers and furs.  My wife and daughters tell me they save a lot of money buying stuff online.  That's great but the trade off is they deal with a constant stream returns and arriving items. Who knew that a a "small" from Taiwan isn't the same as a "small" from China which isn't the same as a "small" here in America?  Or that the pink heels shown online are in reality "fuchsia" (whatever that is) and "fuchsia" just won't do.  Anyway all this back and forth doesn't seem to bother them at all- BUT it would drive me nuts.  Give me the instant gratification that comes from seeing, handling, trying on and in general knowing what I just purchased, even if it cost a little more.

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