Heartland Fly Fishing Show

Sorry for the late post.  Lately I've been sick, cross-training, and found out I had a stress fracture.  Two weekends ago Charles, his uncle, and I went to the Heartland Fly fishing Show in Lebanon.  This is the first year in a couple we've had a dedicated fly fishing show.  Two years ago we had one at the same time as the boat sport and travel show.  Last year notable speaker Jeff Currier was the only fly fishing speaker there.  Although he is still coming back to the boat sport and travel show, it was nice to have a dedicated fly-fishing show for the weekend.

The show was quickly put together by a local fly shop and some others; however, it was very well done.

Surprisingly, I guess I didn't take any pictures of the show.  My descriptions won't do it justice, and I'm sure I'll forget some details.

We saw an incredible presentation about Patagonia fly fishing in southern Chile and Argentina.  The presentation was given by the local fly shop owner, Chad, who also co-owns two lodges in the region: Cinco Rios and Estancia del Zorro.  The place looks incredible.  It's like Alaska, Kamchatka, and New Zealand rolled into one without any drawbacks.  One particular thing that looks super fun is an ambulance that was converted into an all-terrain vehicle after being bought from the Chilean Government.  It sleeps two anglers and a guide and allows for multi day trips into the middle of nowhere.  I like adventure, and that sounds like a bucket list trip for me!

We were able to cast more than a few rods.  We tested a Scott Radian 9' 5 weight that was easily one of the most comfortable rods I've casted.  The cork grip's swell runs further towards the front of the grip, which for me makes it super easy to cast with a very relaxed grip.  I threw a 5 weight fly line probably 65 feet outside on a blustery January day.

We also got to test the new Helios 3 rods and they live up to the hype.  For sure the best tracking and best feeling rod ever!  I can't even explain how precisely I was able to cast with this rod.  It's so light it feels like an extension of your arm and it flexes just enough to chuck a fly line but it's just fast enough to be a perfect all around rod.  I don't know how they do it.  Until I have a 6-figure salary I'll be using the TFO and Redington rods, but I can't wait to see them improve upon what the've done so far.

We also saw an AMAZING new rod from TFO called the drift.  Essentially, it uses extra rod segments to become one of 5 different rods: 9’ 3 weight, a 10’ 3 weight rod, an 11’ 3" 3 weight, or a 12’ 3" microspey.  The coolest part is that you can add in the extra sections without ever having to re-string the rod.  The guides are made so you can pass a loop through them from the outside, so you never have to take reel up all your line and re-string the new rod.  For trout fishermen who fish a three weight and want to high-stick nymph or swing streamers on varying water sizes or at varying distances, this could be a game changer.

Among other booths, we ran into Frankenfly, Chuck Kraft,  and numerous other tiers, guides, lodges, and companies touting their new products, flies, or just their friendship and expertise.

Overall, this was a great show.  Hope this wasn't a bore to read.  Next year I'll take some pictures. (and hopefully next month for the Boat Sport and Travel Show!)