International Fly Tying Symposium

[Heritage-Angler]

Spent the day today at the International Fly Tying Symposium in Somerset NJ.

Hung around all day with Frequent Tyer, and delta_dog. Besides the fine company, it was a day of fun, learning, and seeing lots of old friends. As a special treat, I finally got to meet Charlie Craven in person. I'd spoken to him on the phone, and we were friends from the old VFS forum (Flyfisherman Magazine).

As a public service message, the fashion craze on feathers is over. There was LOTS of nice saddles available at better than ever prices. Time to stock up!

It was a day of multi-tasking for me, as I wanted to get donations for the PAFF Tying Jam raffle in a few weeks, and invite some local tyers to the event. I did better than expected!

The PAFF contingent of tyers did a great job of tying - their tables were pretty busy. For those that have enjoyed Eunan Hendron's intricate classic ties he posts here on PAFF, you may be wondering if he's really that good. BELIEVE IT!!! We just stood and stared in disbelief. Those that attend the tying jam are in for a real treat watching Eunan tie. He does a great job of explaining technique as he goes, and is more than willing to share his knowledge.

Here's some pics from the day...

 

[Lonewolve]

Ed,
I didn't see you there, saw Gaeron though. I was there from 3:00 till 5:00 pm when they closed. Great that they have it at the expo center rather than the hotel..only thing i thought sucked was that they closed down at 5:00 pm on Saturday.

 

[Fishidiot]

Nice report - wish I could have seen this.

 

[delta_dog]

I had a blast yesterday. Hanging out with Ed for the day is always a good time. Met alot of great guys and scored some sweet deals on tying supplies. Watching Gary Borger cast and Eunan Hendron tie were the highlights of my day. Both were simply amazing. I cant wait for the Tying Jam.

 

[Fredrick]

Yea i had a good time it was nice to see some familiar faces and a couple of news ones .

 

[gaeronf]

It was great seeing everyone there! I had a pretty good time. Seemed a little less busy compared to last year, but it was still fun. I had the pleasure to sit by Eunan and see everyone's faces as they saw his flies.

 

[eunanhendron]

sure was a fun time.

Great to finally meet some fellas.

Looking forward to the jam in a couple weeks!

Eunan

 

[FrequentTyer]

The Somerset show is always a highlight in my flyfishing year, and this Saturday was made even better by seeing some friends and meeting some new PAFF folks. There were some very good deals this year and some unusual materials available. I finally got to replenish my supply of urine stained vixen fur!
As others have already mentioned, this show has me really looking forward to the tying jam in December. We already have some top talent exhibiting their skills and there is plenty of room for more tyers and attendees. If you can make this event you should go over to the thread and sign up now. It is going to be a great time.
Mike.

 

[dubthethorax]

Ed, I didnt see you there! I had a good time. Eunan, nice meeting you and your flies are sick!

Fly of the day goes to Gaeron! His flash back caddis pattern was amazing looking. Thanks for taking the time to show it to us.

 

[afishinado]

Thanks for the recap, Ed. Looked like a good time. This was just a warm-up for the BIG event in December.

 

[eunanhendron]

Here's two of the flies i tied at the weekend
MOM Holberton

 

[Heritage-Angler]

Gaeron's caddis pattern was his "Action Caddis". He tied that pattern at last year's tying jam. Sweet tie, for sure.

It's a wonder he didn't get fried to a crisp sitting in that "tanning booth" all weekend! Guess I'll have to pick up an Ott light for my little buddy for Christmas. :lol:

Here's another picture of Eunan tying - it was tough to part the crowd at his table. The picture is a little shaky due to not using a flash, and my hands shaking watching him tie.

 

[DaveKile]

Nice post! Thanks for the recap.

 

[dubthethorax]

I finally got a blog post up about it in case anyone wants to see some more pics.