Pleasanton Fly Fishing Show – Fly Fishing Extravaganza

21^st to 23^rd February will be an extravaganza for anglers when there will be a cornucopia of more than 100 booths of vendors of latest fly fishing tackle, clothing and accessories from Alaska to Argentina at the annual Pleasanton Fly Fishing Show at the Alameda County, Fairgrounds, at 4501 Pleasanton Ave. Parking is available at the nearby public lot for the premier California-wide show.

Timings

Friday 10 am to 5.30 pm

Saturday 9 am to 5.30 pm

Sunday 9 am to 4.30 pm

21^st February will also be the day of debut of the 2014 International Fly Fishing Film Festival.

Admission Fees

Admission fee for one day is $15, $25 for two days and $35 for three days. Fee for the Film Festival is $15, with $10 in advance or with paid admission to the show. Admission to children of 5 and under and scouts of 16 and under is free. Fee for military with ID is $10.

Programs

Casting demos and instructions are scheduled on the occasion by Hal Janssen, Wendy Gunn, Prescott Smith, Simon Gawesworth and Craig Neilson, while featured fly tiers are Janssen, Borger, Ed Engle, Nate Brumley, Ben Furimsky and Dan Blanton.

Destinations Theater presentations include Christmas Island Adventures, Stillwater Presentations, Fishing Utah, Fishing Lee’s Ferry, Extreme Tarpon an a Fly, Spey Casting Techniques for Single Handed Rods, Flyfishing North Carolina’s Cape Lookout, Fly Fishing the Best of the Caribbean, Fly Fishing Patagonia and Washington Steelhead.

Others are Fly Fishing Pyramid Lake, Fly Fishing for Peacock Bass, Montana Fly Fishing Tour, The Legendary Bighorn River, Wingless Wet Flies in a Modern Context, Fly Fishing Bahamas, Winter Dry Fly Fishing and Fly Fishing Northwest Colorado.

Visitors will be feasted with about 50 theater presentations, demos and talks every day.

Seminars are apparently non-stop and include Baja on the Fly, Oregon’s Deschutes and John Day River Steelhead, Fly Fishing Success in the Eastern Sierra, California Delta on the Fly, Catching Difficult Trout and many more.

Besides this, John Shaner from Hardy will clean and grease any Hardy Reel, tell a history of the reel and provide a free bottle of lubricant to each visitor.

What’s more, the International Federation of Fly Fishers (IFFF) will offer free non-stop introductory fly casting instructions, knot-tying instructions and a chance to tie a first fly for anybody of age from 8 to 80.

Prizes

Show door prize trips are for two anglers and include a three-day trip of Atlantic salmon fishing at the Restigouche River Lodge, New Brunswick, Canada, valued $5,000, a 3-day trip of dorado fishing at Pira Lodge, Corrientes Province, Argentina, valued $3,500, 3-night trip to East End Lodge, Grand Bahamas, valued $2,930, a gift certificate by Stafford Creek Lodge, Andros Bahamas in addition to four original Crazy Charlie flies tied by Charlie Smith, valued $1,600, and a 3-night and 2-day guided fishing trip with Davidson River Outfitters, Brevard, North Carolina, valued $1,500.

International Fly Fishing Film Festival

The Film Festival will debut 7 feature films and short films which include “Mending the Line”, a re-visit to the World War II beaches of Normandy 70 years after the D-Day invasion by the 91-year old Frank Moore, owner of the Steamboat Inn on River North Umpqua of Oregon.

Other films include Swing North, Landed, Destination Spain, Stream Fishing Addiction, Unbroken and Chasing Waters: In the Rings.

So, head towards Pleasanton this weekend and enjoy learning or strengthening fly fishing skills.