Come enjoy a fun filled day of: Fly Tying, Casting Instruction and Demonstrations, Travel Presentations and Rod Building Exhibitions along with a day which will include drawings for Prizes, at Terrace United Methodist Church, 1203 Wirt Road, Houston, Texas 77055

The Texas Fly Fishers will present its 14th Annual Summer Mini Fly Fishing Exposition, Saturday, August 19, 2023, 8:30 am until 4:30 pm which will include fly fishing related topics of interest to most every fly fisher be they beginner, intermediate or expert!

History of the Annual Summer Mini Expo

Most Texas FlyFisher’s monthly meetings were playing to a full house; every month with the exception August. For some reason, the August meeting was drawing less than half of the audience of the other 10 months. So, in 2009, then Club President David Lemke came up with a plan to pick up the August monthly meeting attendance. David’s idea was, instead of holding a typical meeting with a guest speaker, to hold a mini expo featuring the club membership’s talent at fly tying, rod building, knot tying / leader building, casting and fly fishing destination travel and to do so in an exposition format.

So, the first Texas Fly Fishers Summer Mini Expo was held on August 25th 2009 at the Houston Bayland Community Center, the same venue as the club’s monthly meetings at that time. Inside the Center, club members were set up to demonstrate their prowess at fly tying, rod building, basic knot tying, leader basics and rigging. Other members were on hand to report on their trips to destinations such as the Bighorn River in Montana, the Guadalupe River in the Texas Hill Country, fly fishing for salmon in Alaska and fly fishing along the Texas Gulf Coast. Outside, the Club’s Fly Fly Fishers International Certified Casting Instructors were holding casting demonstrations and clinics. The night went on without a hitch and was closed with a drawing for some great prizes.

After the success of the initial Mini Expo, it was decided to make this an annual event with the only change coming in 2014, when it was decided to move the Summer Mini Expo from the traditional last Tuesday night of the month to the Saturday before and making it a day-long event in hopes of offering a few additional programs and in an effort to attract a few more interested fly fishers. 

Since its inception, the Mini Expo has continued to grow; so, the club is looking for another large turnout at this year’s event. We look forward to seeing you there!

Fly Tying

Inside, there will be non-stop fly tying demonstration and instruction. Learn tips and techniques or, how to tie that special pattern of interest to you from the club’s fly tying members.

Rod Building

Club members who participate in the rod building section of fly fishing will be demonstrating their custom built rods and will be available to discuss rod building techniques. 

In the above regard, at this year’s expo there will be an interactive rod building session and demonstration presented by club member Steve Tomlinson.

Have you ever considered building your own flyrod?  For anyone with basic dexterity and attention to detail, it’s an achievable and satisfying undertaking.  And at its root, it is not complicated.  We’ll show you just why so many anglers have discovered this and are building creations from the simple yet perfectly crafted to ornate rods deserving the tag “museum quality”!

Have you thought about the reasons to do build fly rods?  

There are certainly many, for instance:

•           Cost…   Generally lower than comparable ready made rods

•           Customization of appearance, grip, reel seat, guides, aesthetics, personalization etc.

•           Pride of crafting and using your own creation on the water…coupled with flies you have tied, it’s a great feeling!

In this interactive session, we’ll discuss and demonstrate the following:

• Materials and components sources
• Selecting the proper components for your rod
• Tools & Equipment required
• Finding the Blank “spine”
• Preparing and affixing the reel seat and grip 
• Marking out guide positions
• Preparing the guides: shaping for a professional wrap
• Affixing the guides and basic thread wrapping techniques
• Basic Thread trims
• Description and recommendations for epoxy mixing (Flex Coat), application and curing
• Decals / coating

We’ll also have reference sheets available for those who want to pursue this addictive hobby further! 

Casting

Have ever wanted to learn how to fly cast but, you didn’t know how to go about it? Well, here is your chance. At the Mini Expo, you will have the opportunity to receive personal, individualized casting instruction from Fly Fishers International Certified Casting Instructors. Additionally, casting clinics will be offered on specific casting techniques such as fly fishing in saltwater, casting in the wind and the basic essentials of fly casting. So, come learn the basics or take your skills to the next level! For a complete description of the clinics to be offered and for the event casting schedule, see the detailed post in that regard at: https://texasflyfishers.org/2023/07/12/2023-texas-fly-fishers-mini-expo-august-19th-2023-casting-workshops-and-casting-video-analysis/

All participants are encouraged to bring their own rod with line and leader for the casting clinics; however, the Texas FlyFishers will have a limited supply of rods for anyone who is interested in participating but did not bring a rod. 

So, come on out to the 2023 Texas Fly Fishers Mini-Expo. We hope to see you there!

Coming in 2024

Get ready and start planning for next year!

The Texas FlyFishers is currently making plans for its 31st Annual Dr. Ed Rizzolo Fly Tying Festival to be held in early 2024.  So, start planning now to attend this great event and spend the day watching and participating in a day of tying flies!  Stand by for further details!