February Fly Fishing/Tying Events

James Kinglsey works on a fly pattern at last years Guys, Flies & Pies

Anyone who has at least a small interest in learning anything about fly fishing should be looking for any opportunity to get involved during the winter months. It is a time when most guides, fly tiers, and other professionals in the sport work on other endeavors that do not include stalking fish. Meaning, they spend more of their time doing shows, lectures, fly tying classes and providing their expertise at other venues to try and lure others into our glorious sport of fly fishing. It is the time to gain some knowledge from those who fish their favorite water and have learned a thing or two….or three over the years to make them very successful , and we have quite the line-up coming up in February.

First on the docket is the Fly Fisher’s Workshop on February 8^th at the 12 corners middle school in Brighton, NY. It is an event that Craig Dennison of flyfishingchronicles.com puts on every other year to promote the sport of fly fishing to everyone who wants to learn, and there are plenty of great speakers who can provide knowledge to anyone from novice to expert in their pursuit of fish on the fly. And if that doesn’t get you fired up, then maybe a whole bunch of really amazing door prizes will – Check out the link here!

Even though I will be unable to attend this year, I am honored to be able to donate a piece of my original art work for the raffle to benefit this wonderful event.

Then it’s time to prepare for Guys, Flies & Pies - Rochester’s premier fly tying party at Michael Simmons’ house…uh…I mean at the beach house at 180 Beach Avenue, Rochester, NY on February 22^nd. Come and join us for plenty of pizza, fly tying and lots of fish tales. And with another round of fabulous door prizes, this should be another event that requires your full attention. And again I am honored to be able to donate another piece of art for this event as well.

Painting for GFP

Painting for the Workshop

Both events are extremely well put together and also encourage kids to get involved. So please make sure to save these dates and bring the family.

2013 Guys, Flies & Pies Event!!!!

Michael Simmons conducting a fly tying demo.

If you live anywhere near WNY or within an hour or two, may I suggest an event that you may want need to attend on February 16^th.

It is of course the annual Guys, Flies and Pies event!

I cannot say enough good things about this event. You will have the opportunity to share a table with some fantastic tiers from all over WNY, and beyond. You will also have an opportunity to win prizes donated by some of the best in the industry, and the cherry on the top (at least for me) is the mass consumption of some great pizza! I mean…come on….who really expects to go to an event called guys flies and pies and not take part in eating…right?

Jordan Ross of JP Ross Fly Rods shows of
some of his finely crafted rods at last years event.

Both Michael Simmons and his wife Crystal do an amazing job. Together they work hard to make sure that everyone is taken care of, and in the end, have an opportunity to fellowship with lots of other folks who enjoy the sport of fly fishing. It is what the sport should be about! 

Matt Smythe - AKA the Fishing Poet - takes the
time to show his son how to tie a fly.

And because they have done such a wonderful job over the years, the event has grown to a point in which they have had to find a different venue. This year event will be held from 3-8pm at the Roger Robach Community Center (Bathhouse) at Ontario Beach Park at 180 Beach Avenue, Rochester, NY 14612.

In years past I have gone by myself and with my oldest son. But I think I can say that this year I will try and bring my daughter. She is probably the best tier out of all my kids, and has the patience to learn all kinds of new things and put them into practice. This truly is a family event that you could bring anyone to and feel right at home. And that is why I make sure to mark it on my calendar every year!

Besides….you never know…you might meet your next fishing buddy.

So mark it on your calendar – February 16^th! – Guys, Flies and Pies. Let’s all make this year’s event one to remember, and continue to grow the sport of fly fishing.

I’ll see you there.

The Banner Says It All!!

About a year ago James sent me an e-mail that really caught my eye. It was about a local fly tying party that would be fueled by the consumption of mass quantities of pizza. It sounded great and I let him know that I was ready to go, but that was a year ago, and with family and jobs and everything else that life throws at you, I kind of forgot about it. And I know what your thinking..."How in the world can he forget about a fly tying event?" But I did!

Fast forward to yesterday - I get an E-mail from Mike Simmons from Guys, Flies & Pies with an official invite to this years event. And I must say that it was very nice to hear from him. He had found my blog and made mention of who he was and that we fished many of the same spots. It's nice to connect with local guys who have the same interests, especially when it comes to fly fishing! So I am going to try and go to this year's event and redeem my forgetfulness.

Party starts at 3pm on February 20th(That's a Saturday) ans runs till midnight! Pizza at 6pm and raffles at 8pm.

Hopefully we can all go and meet some new fly fisherman and learn how to tie some new patterns. But most of all....talk "Fish" for a while.

So click here to find out more about his years event!!