Edison Fly Fishing Show Jan. 23-25

[Rusty Spinner]

Stop by and visit me at the Native Fish Coalition booth if you go to the show. Over the decades, I have both worked it and attended it, and it is always great to see old friends. Hope to see some of you there.

[Twism86]

Going to try and make it this year again for the first time in a while!

[Rusty Spinner]

Going to try and make it this year again for the first time in a while!

Will be good to see you. We are usually back near the beer truck, so I know that greatly increases my odds of seeing you!

[Drossi]

Stop by and visit me at the Native Fish Coalition booth if you go to the show. Over the decades, I have both worked it and attended it, and it is always great to see old friends. Hope to see some of you there.

Will you be preaching the gospel of fallfish over wild brown trout?

[Rusty Spinner]

Stop by and visit me at the Native Fish Coalition booth if you go to the show. Over the decades, I have both worked it and attended it, and it is always great to see old friends. Hope to see some of you there.

Will you be preaching the gospel of fallfish over wild brown trout?

Always! Unless I'm in Europe in which case that flip flops.

[Rusty Spinner]

Make sure to wait for Sunday so those of us working the Show aren't staring at each other that day!

[Rusty Spinner]

Well, that was an interesting Show. Friday had a very strong turnout all day. Vendors were talking among themselves starting Thursday evening when we were all setting up about what to do with the snowstorm headed our way. By Saturday morning, a few booths crashed their stuff and left. There was a decent turnout Saturday, but not the amount we saw on Friday. However, by 4 pm the place was a ghost town, and about a third of the vendors began to take down their booths. The show organizers kept telling vendors over the PA that the "Show is on for Sunday and we expect you to be here" which was met both times with raucous laughter from the floor. I waited until 5:30 to take down the NFC booth and by then, another 1/3 of all booths decided to crash theirs down. I got word yesterday that exactly 13 people showed up in the blizzard to find a mostly empty venue. Those that stayed were mostly stuck here with cancelled flights until Tuesday. I've always felt the Edison Show should only be 2 days instead of 3.

[cappy]

I agree, two days for the expo is plenty. I've skipped it the past two years, too many outfitters, big name manufacturers not attending, and no deals everyone wants top dollar and charge tax even if out of state and paying cash. I can do better ordering online.

[Rusty Spinner]

I agree, two days for the expo is plenty. I've skipped it the past two years, too many outfitters, big name manufacturers not attending, and no deals everyone wants top dollar and charge tax even if out of state and paying cash. I can do better ordering online.

So, wouldn't you know that this year all the rod makers were in attendance and there were many new lodges and many of the regulars did not show. So that was a pleasant surprise. I never buy anything, so I can't say if there were good deals to be made or not. But my buddy Aaron Jasper was making deals on some items although he is a well known fly angler and tyer.

[cappy]

Good to hear "all" the big rod manufacturers attended, wasn't the case the last couple of times I attended. So how did the new T&T Contact III look and feel, if you took a look at it, assuming they had samples to see and cast?

[Rusty Spinner]

Good to hear "all" the big rod manufacturers attended, wasn't the case the last couple of times I attended. So how did the new T&T Contact III look and feel, if you took a look at it, assuming they had samples to see and cast?

I saw T&T, but didn't go into any of the rod booths. I have all the fly rods I could ever need in 15 lifetimes. I only own one T&T and find it a very "harsh" casting rod. Its their 9' four piece 5 weight "No Sanctuary" rod. Casts a ton, but feels like a telephone pole. Give me a Winston any day and I'll be a happy guy.

[Drossi]

Nice to see the way overpriced beef jerky booth was still there. Along with umpteenth outfitters for exotic places I'll never travel. The seminars were even a bit meh on Saturday, the 2 I really wanted to see about wet fly fishing conflicted with one another and were the 1st ones scheduled, I got caught up leaving home and missed them. I did manage to replenish my GRHE and leadwing coachman wets as well as my bugger collection so I left happy.

[Rusty Spinner]

Nice to see the way overpriced beef jerky booth was still there. Along with umpteenth outfitters for exotic places I'll never travel. The seminars were even a bit meh on Saturday, the 2 I really wanted to see about wet fly fishing conflicted with one another and were the 1st ones scheduled, I got caught up leaving home and missed them. I did manage to replenish my GRHE and leadwing coachman wets as well as my bugger collection so I left happy.

Because I am always working a booth, I never get to see the seminars myself. At least not in many years. I know we had people stop by that had wanted to see Bob Mallard talk about Maine char, but he got sick at the Marlboro show and couldn't make it. I like some of the lodges/outfitters myself, but that may have to do more with the fact that I can once again afford to go to them now and then.

[Bubba Zinetti]

We went for the first time since covid. If you saw a couple wearing masks on Saturday, that was us. Our impression was it was very lightly attended. We were surprised in fact. Other Saturdays in previous years, it was shoulder to shoulder by 10:30 on Saturday. We got a fantastic deal on some 6 wt rods from Rise. Our old VT2's were ok, but very heavy compared to modern rods. We also saw this https://www.h3opolarized.com/store/c1/F ... ducts.html They make sunglasses with inserts. My wife has a strong prescription and cannot get wrap around sun protection. These guys have a pretty good solution. I am interested if any has any feedback on the company.

Finally with the destinations. and lodges: It is becoming hard to ignore that destination fishing is turning into a rich mans game. We do 2 weeks in Yellowstone, with a nice AirBnB, rental car, eating out most nights, and fishing until we can't cast anymore, for less than half of one week at most of the destination lodges in South America, or Alaska, or where ever. We don't need much more than a clean and quiet room with 2 beds and en suite bathroom. These grand lodges are just over the top. I get the "once in a lifetime" trip, but the cost is prohibitive.

[Rusty Spinner]

We went for the first time since covid. If you saw a couple wearing masks on Saturday, that was us. Our impression was it was very lightly attended. We were surprised in fact. Other Saturdays in previous years, it was shoulder to shoulder by 10:30 on Saturday. We got a fantastic deal on some 6 wt rods from Rise. Our old VT2's were ok, but very heavy compared to modern rods. We also saw this https://www.h3opolarized.com/store/c1/F ... ducts.html They make sunglasses with inserts. My wife has a strong prescription and cannot get wrap around sun protection. These guys have a pretty good solution. I am interested if any has any feedback on the company.

Finally with the destinations. and lodges: It is becoming hard to ignore that destination fishing is turning into a rich mans game. We do 2 weeks in Yellowstone, with a nice AirBnB, rental car, eating out most nights, and fishing until we can't cast anymore, for less than half of one week at most of the destination lodges in South America, or Alaska, or where ever. We don't need much more than a clean and quiet room with 2 beds and en suite bathroom. These grand lodges are just over the top. I get the "once in a lifetime" trip, but the cost is prohibitive.

You certainly weren't alone with wearing masks. I was surprised how many we saw. But then again, the Marlboro show was basically a super spreader event the weekend before and the flu has been tough this year. While there were more people on Friday than Saturday, both days had strong turnouts. Friday was steady all day and Saturday was busy in the morning and early afternoon and tapered off as people wanted to get home before the storm. That said, the Edison building is so much larger and the aisles so much wider than the old Somerset building that it never looks packed. Chuck and his son Ben who run the show have many more booths in Edison than they could fit at Somerset. I understand they only drew 13 paid attendees on Sunday. We pulled out at 6pm on Saturday like half or more of the vendors did.

The H3Polarized booth was next to our booth the last two years. The owner is a really good guy, but I used to use prescription Smith/Action Optics polarized glasses I got directly from Smith. My most recent script now exceeds what Smith or Costa can make, so I purchased a pair of H3Polarized on Friday morning before the show began. Should have them at some point next week. I will let you know my impression as soon as they arrive.

Yes, the lodges are getting expensive, but what isn't? It's going to cost you $7K for a decent week's trip. That sounds like a lot until you compare it to a moose hunt over the same duration for $35K-$50K. But what you do is what most do, get to some destination and rent Airbnb or VRBO and do it yourself. My buddies and I do both, but the expensive, fully outfitted trips are obviously far fewer. I did Alaska this past August, but we never got in to the float part of our trip and are re-booked for '27 (two of us have conflicts this year, so pushed out two years). Most of the funds were reimbursed and we dumped them into a CD for now to grow and cover us in two years. And I'm looking at either Patagonia for trout (wade fishing and more of a DIY trip) for maybe this time next winter or a sight fishing trip for redfish to Texas or other location.

[Bubba Zinetti]

Hey Rusty, thanks for the update. Regarding masks: Over time we are getting far fewer nasty looks from people for wearing them. Which is nice. Regarding the glasses: I think we are going to pull the trigger on the Vapors, she really hates the glare she gets with flat sunglasses, and the glasses cost about the same as she already spends on sunglasses. Finally lodges: Sure, way less than hunting, and sure everything is expensive (except last years model of the Rise 9 ' 6 wt) but I was shocked at the cost of a week lodging and guiding. 2X what it was pre-covid, and sometimes more. Thanks for the reply, I hope all is well with you and yours.