The Fly Show

[johnsquires]

I attended both days. Saw some friends, met with some clients for an upcoming AK trip, picked up some fly tying material, made a couple of contacts that will come in handy, saw a nice presentation on Argentina/Patagonia. I was disappointed that a presentation I wanted to see on AK was scratched.

Great weather, but, from my observations, attendance seemed to be way down. Several vendors that I expected to see were not in attendance.

I'm curious as to your observations. And I wonder if they will continue to come to Pleasanton if attendance continues to drop.

[Troutstalker55B]

Attendance was down for sure, could have been the weather was too nice so folks were out doing their thing. Both booths I worked at had steady traffic, booking trips, and giving what the people wanted; attention and good knowledgeable info. My Lake Davis and Lower Yuba presentations had exceptional turn outs. Thanks to all those that attended my shows, I love to share my passion and knowledge, while paying it forward. Fly anglers crave the whole knowledge thing and the destination theaters feed them with the right stuff. A huge part of Pleasanton.

The coolest thing about the show for many of us in the industry is being able to spend some time chatting with our friends and reps, we are so busy most of the year that the show provides this bonus time. The Cast Hope gathering was the icing on the cake for the weekend, great time! Special Thanks to Hogan and Ryan - Well done!

For those I spoke with over the weekend, please email or call me with any follow up questions you may have on the outings, tours, and Northern Sierra destinations.

-J.

[Dan LeCount]

Yea, weather was too nice! People were probably out doing stuff. The best years for the show have always been when its a little cloudy, drizzly, etc. It was still a decent show, got to see a lot of friends, old and new.

[tcorfey]

I went up on Friday, attendance was about average for a nice weekday. Picked up a new reel, some midges, a spey line, some furled leaders, some other stuff. Attended a couple of talks and gathered some good info. Also met a couple of real nice guys from Mission Peak Fly Anglers club over lunch. Overall a nice experience and much better than going to work.

[Darian]

I went to the show on Friday. Saw all of the booths and spoke to some of the tyers, Jay Murakoshi, Steve Potter (who was finishing up one of his Humming Bird flies - Amazing!!). Was disappointed to that Ken Hanley wasn't there. I didn't notice that there fewer vendors, tho, I don't stop at too many of them anyway. Found a vendor that was selling a bunch of good looking "Buff's" but was unable to locate a one that had a breathing hole in it. Found a gently used Fin-Nor Lite fly reel for 8/9 weights at a more than reasonable price. It's going to be a good Striper/bonefish reel. Attended John Sherman's presentation of fly fishing for Stripers in the Delta. Very informative for me. John's photography is really great. Combine that with the info he passed on and it was a really good seminar.

All in all, it was a good show. Altho I like Pleasanton, the drive down to/from Sacramento is not that enjoyable. On the way down, it was light traffic and the weather was great. However, on the way back, about 3:30pm, The traffic was bumper to bumper on 580. Didn't slack up until after leaving Stockton. Next year I'll probably go on Saturday.

[Bob Loblaw]

I was there Saturday morning. Seemed about average attendance to me and the usual lineup of booths. I did notice that Simms wasn't there this year however.

I didn't make any big purchases but still managed to drop $100. New buff, some flies, couple of furled leaders, forceps, and renewed my Drake subscription. Cha Ching.

I don't know why more stores don't set up space there. California Fly Shop and Fly Fishing Specialties always seem to do great business.

[johnsquires]

Oh, I'm sure the attendance was down. Parking lot had lots of room. You used to have to worm your way down the aisles, wait in line at many of the booths, and that was not the case this time.
No waiting in line for a beer either, although at $11, that may be the reason.

And some of the destination presentations had less than a dozen people in them. I went to a presentation two years ago on Alaska and I was the only one in the audience, which was not very cool.

I will say that everyone I talked to in the booths I visited was great - none of the attitude that I've experienced in the past.

It's strange, I've heard people say in the past the lower-than-expected turnout was due to bad weather, now this year I'm hearing it may be due to good weather.

[Digger]

I stopped in Friday afternoon, mostly to see the Films.
My perspective is that the whole setup is too disconnected.
Buildings being spread apart, is inconvenient
Acoustics for presentations and the non-working video equipment - really poor.
There couldn't be a more basic setup for a Film showing.

After walking away dropping $10 - parking; $15 entree; $10 movie- I thought no wonder I don't frequent this event.
(actually living in So Ca, there no longer is a show in Pasadena. Lol.)
The reason I went is that I had friends to visit in Santa Rosa.
I think the whole event needs reorganization and revamping.

[johnsquires]

Very good points, Digger. It would not be difficult to remedy the issues regarding the presentations. I went to a program, started down the path, saw a sign saying the program had been changed to another building - they should have also put on the sign "Bring a canteen because it's a trek to the other building."

And, to me, it is not acceptable to cancel a presentation and not have a backup. Things happen, I know, but you have a lot of practice dealing with "things," so just have a backup. I do presentations for fly clubs, etc. I am amazed at how (I guess justly so) paranoid the program directors for the fly clubs are about you not showing up. I always ask "Do you get many cancellations by presenters?" Apparently they do. I've never cancelled.

[JD]

Let's see, horrible venue (especially for the presentations), fewer and fewer vendors each year, and the same presentations as last three years for the most part. Add in a nice day, and I'm not surprised attendance was down. Who the heck goes to a fly fishing show when they could actually be fly fishing, other than the folks working the show? There was a time when I looked forward to that show, but I'm unlikely to ever attend again, unless I'm really, REALLY, bored that weekend.

[johnsquires]

I met up with some friends at The Fly Show who, like me, have been going for as long as I can remember there being a show. One friend commented that he no longer has high expectations, he just attends for the camaraderie.
I agree with JD, it's going to take some overhauling, some innovation to get me back. There are other shows (in Oregon, for example) I may attend instead.
Too bad because I think things could be turned around with an innovative brought in to look at figures and listen to the complaints of attendees and act accordingly.

[johnsquires]

I'll add another opinion, for what it's worth. Spending the money to have a booth or owning a lodge, even sometimes being a great caster or tyer, doesn't necessarily equate to be a good public speaker. Even a lot of authors have issues with public speaking.

For my real-life-world job, I'm a court reporter. I am constantly amazed when attorneys hire folks to act as expert witnesses who have a heavy accent or can't form a complete sentence, can't articulate their opinions without using technical terms that most jurors cannot understand. They can be the world's foremost expert on something, but if the jurors can't understand or follow them, WTH good is it?

So you have a choice of having a speaker who can actually speak and instead the qualification is you must have spent the money on a booth, whether you have any training or experience in public speaking? Not very smart, in my opinion.

[DeepSea]

I attended the show on Friday. This was my first visit to this show so just some perspectives from a newbie.

I met Norm at Nor-Vise and was thoroughly impressed with Norm and his vise. So much so that I bought one.

I wanted to attend a few seminars but got caught up talking to vendors and drooling over new equipment.

I was finally able to demo a 12 wt rod and that Sage Salt was amazing!

Overall I had a good time but not sure if I would go next year.

For the organizers, please post notices if a presenter has cancelled. I waited for a seminar and no one showed up. I double checked the board and location to make sure I was at the right room.

For vendors and good friends of vendors, if you see someone new that is waiting to get a chance to speak with you about business, it may be a good idea to tell your friends to wait a moment while you helped a new potential client. I understand people want to visit but the idea if this show is also to generate business for all vendors.

I personally saw a guide and his friend talking while a potential client stood there waiting. He eventually gave up and walked away. Funny thing was the guide and his friend were talking about nothing major.

I also walked up to a large booth and both sales guys were just chatting with each other. No one said a word to me or other people wandering over. Maybe their business is so good they don't need more?

Anyhow, people are people and they are free to run their business however they want. It just seems kind of silly to pay all this money to rent a booth, pay travel costs and pay staff to man the booth and turn your nose up at paying customers.

As for Nor-Vise, they were great people to deal with. Norm actually apologized for an interruption and had to cut a buddy off so he could pay attention to me. That's one reason I spent over $500 at his booth.

Btw, Sage and RIO had awesome staff!

[johnsquires]

DeepSea, Norm Norlander is a perfect example of someone who can speak and teach. Be sure and watch the video that comes with the vice and his online videos. I have complimented Norm on the way he speaks - so that you can follow and understand. Ever have someone leave you a voicemail message to return their call and they say their phone number so fast you can't understand it?

I wonder if the folks who put on The Fly Show check out the local forums for feedback - and if they do, whether they care.