ATLANTA
FLY FISHING SHOW
WILL
SHOWCASE THE SPORT
SOMERSET,
Penn. – Atlanta is the heart of the south, home of the Braves, the Falcons, the
peach and fly-fishing in the southeast quadrant of the United States … fly-fishing?
In Georgia?
Forget
what you knew – or thought you knew – about Georgia and the sport of
fly-fishing and consider that Atlanta and nearby communities support four
competing major stores: Alpharetta Outfitters, The Fish Hawk, Cohuta Fishing
and Unicoi Outfitters, plus numerous guide services along with the Atlanta Fly
Fishing Club, TU GA and GA Women’s Fly Fishers.
These are in addition to a phalanx of boat dealers, general sporting
goods dealers and outdoors shops.
The area’s
commitment to the long rod is so strong that now the area will host The Fly
Fishing Show, Feb. 3-4 at Infinite Energy Center in suburban
Duluth.
The Atlanta Fly Fishing Show will boast 50,000-square
feet of exhibit space plus additional seminar rooms. There will be more than 150 exhibitor
booths, dozens of fly tiers and seven different presentations each hour
including fly-casting demonstrations, featured fly tiers, Destination Theater
audio/visual presentations, classes with experts and both formal and informal
talks by authors.
The undisputed highlight of the Atlanta Fly Fishing Show
will be the casting demonstrations by Lefty Kreh, the 91-year old icon of the
sport. Kreh received the
prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award by the American Sportfishing Association,
has been honored with the Lifetime Contribution Award by the North American Fly
Tackle Trade Association and is also in the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame. In
1997, he was named Angler of the Year by Fly Rod and Reel Magazine. In 2003,
Kreh was inducted to the
International Game Fish Association
Hall of Fame. Kreh has served a number of years as Senior Advisor to
Trout
Unlimited and the International
Federation of Fly Fishers.
His
namesake fly – the Lefty’s Deceiver – has likely caught more saltwater gamefish
than any other in history.
Other
featured casting and/or fly tying demonstrators include Dave Whitlock, Bob
Clouser (the Clouser Minnow), Dr. Gary Borger, and Henry Cowen.
What many
outside the area don’t realize – or tend to forget – is that the focal point of
area’s fly-fishing is the 430 mile long Chattahoochee River.
Information
on the area notes that “Atlanta is built upon the crest of a large ridge,
rather than in the floodplain of the river. This has contributed the
preservation of much of the natural scenic beauty of the section that runs
through metropolitan Atlanta. North of the metropolis, the
Chattahoochee River
National Recreation Area protects other portions of the riverbanks in a
region that is spread across several disconnected areas.”
The
ninth largest population center in the United States, Atlanta is the only one
with a major tailwater stream running through its downtown and boasts a
self-sustaining wild brown trout population just north of the city.
“We
chose a Friday-Saturday for the Atlanta Show for a number of reasons, but have
the option to expand into Sunday in the future.” said Fly Fishing Show president Ben Furimsky.
Parking
at the Infinite Energy Center is free; and the show hotel, Embassy Suites, will
be newly opened in December. For
reservations call Kana Corporate Office – number 856-297-4748 and request a
reservation for the Fly Fishing Show rate.
Admission to
the Atlanta Fly Fishing Show will be $15 for one day; $25 for both days. Children under age 5 are free, under 12,
$2. Scouts under age 16 in uniform are
free. Active military with ID are
$10. Show hours are 9 a.m.-6 p.m. on
Fri.; 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Sat.
The
International Fly Fishing Film Festival will be presented Fri. at 6:30. Film Festival tickets are $15 at the door or
$10 in advance. Prior to the film the inaugural
Southern Trout “Legends of the Fly” Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be
held.
