On my way down to Branson, Missouri, last week, I stopped at a place to have breakfast in Clinton, Missouri. As I was walking in, I saw a sign that showed a guy holding a fly rod and a brown trout. Sights like this ALWAYS catch my attention so I stopped to look over the advertisement a little closer. I chuckled when I realized that the ad was for The Tri-Lakes Fly Fishing Expo. The reason for the laughter was three fold. One, I have attended this event as a vendor for the last 3 years. Second, I will be attending this event again this year as a vendor. Finally, I was shocked to realized that I hadn't posted about this event yet. I guess it almost slipped through the cracks...but not all the way.
If you have never been to the Tri-Lakes Fly Fishing Expo, let me give you a brief rundown in list form.
- First of all, it's free!
- There are fly tyers that are demonstrating their skills and answering questions.
- There are vendors selling flies, fly tying materials, guided trips, and a bunch of other stuff.
- There is awesome, home cooked food for purchase.
- Everyone there loves fly fishing and great to talk to. I mean it. I have yet to meet one grouchy person or one person that wasn't fun to talk to.
- There is a live auction as well as a silent auction to raise money for the Tri-Lake Fly Fishing Club.
- There are seminars put on by experts and it is nearly impossible to not learn SOMETHING!
- You just might run into someone that you know and you will definitely have a chance to meet new folks to learn from.
I'm sure that I am forgetting a few things because this show is so much darn fun and I look forward to it every year. This year (and for the first time) the show will extend over two days. However, if you're wanting to see me (or avoid me), I will only be there on Saturday. I wish I could take off Friday, April 11, but I have too much going on. I will definitely be there on Saturday, April 12 and it would be a pleasure to see you and chat about fly fishing. I will have books, buttons, flies, and other things to sell there but it's a low pressure sell. I enjoy just talking to others and hearing others' stories as much as I like moving merchandise. So if you go to the show, please introduce yourself as it is always nice to meet folks that share a passion for fly fishing!