Meandering Angler: Fly Fishing Show opens in Alameda

The biggest fly-fishing extravaganza on the West Coast starts today, Friday Feb. 21, at the Alameda County Fair Grounds in Pleasanton. The Fly Fishing Show runs through Sunday and is worth the hour and 15 minute drive from Sonoma.

My favorite thing to do there is walk around the main pavilion and converse with the people representing their fishing lodges. It’s a chance to meet folks from as far away as Chile and Argentina, and Labrador, sometimes even Europe. Some operate lodges so remote, the only way in is by small bush plane.

Most of them will have continuously running videos of their place and the fishing, plus plenty of brochures and other handouts. They will pitch you on giving their lodge a try, and I promise you that you’ll be tempted.

The show offers more than 15 seminars, demonstrations or audio/visual presentations every hour along with wall-to-wall displays of the newest fly rods, reels, lines, boots, waders, clothing, water craft, artwork and flies during the mid-winter run.

More than $50,000 in Fly Fishing Show door prizes are up for grabs, highlighted by an $11,000-value trip to an outer atoll in the Seychelles; an $11,000 trip for two to El Faro Lodge in Cuba; an $8,600 week for two at Blue Horizon Lodge in Belize for bonefish, permit and tarpon; a $6,160 vacation for two at Pesca Maya in Mexico’s Yucatan; a $5,300 Atlantic salmon trip to the Restigouche River Lodge, Canada; a $5,050 trip for two to the Belize River Lodge, Belize; a $4,400 Brazilian Amazon adventure at Vilanova Lodge; and a $3,500 trip to Colombia’s jungle with Ecuador Fly Fishing Tours for peacock bass and payara. Local and regional door prizes will also be awarded.

There is always at least one new gadget that I don’t have already that I’m tempted to buy. And you can try out the latest rods and reels until your arm hurts if you want to.

Show visitors can view continuous fly-tying demonstrations, how-to-do-it seminars and presentations ranging from Mongolia to Cuba, Northern British Columbia to Lees Ferry, Arizona.

Seminars include Fly Fishing for Delta Bass, the Eastern Sierra on the Fly, an Introduction to Saltwater Fly Fishing, Fly Fishing Still Waters and Fly Fishing Western Tailwaters.

Casting demonstrations are scheduled by Gary Borger, Brian O’Keefe, Jeff Currier and Wendy Gunn asmong others. Featured fly tiers include Ed Engle, Dan Blanton, Denny Rickards, Borger, Phil Rowley and Rob Anderson.

The Northern California premiere of the 2020 Fly Fishing Film Festival is Friday at 6:30. Tickets are $10 in advance or $15 at the door.

There are opportunities at the show for Scouts in uniform to earn credits toward a fly-fishing merit badge.

Fly Fishing Show admission is $15 for one day, $25 for two days and $35 for three days. Children under age 5 are free as are Boy and Girl Scouts under 16 in uniform. Children under 12 are $5. Active military with an ID are $10.

For a complete list of fly-fishing films, classes, seminars, door prizes, demonstrations and the Scout merit badge program, visit www.flyfishingshow.com or phone (814) 443-3638.