I have been very much looking forward to this event, really since the 2023 show ended. The atmosphere, location and people involved gave it a real community feel. The demos and talks were fantastic, the exhibitor’s enthusiasm and passion for the sport really shone through, how lucky we are to be able to hear of their experiences and tap into their knowledge. The fly tiers were also fantastic and some of the patterns and work they were doing was just mind blowing.
The kids casting and fly tying was busy and it was great to see such a flurry of young anglers tying flies and casting at the kids’ zone. We can all agree its these young anglers that are the future of our sport. Gaia done a fantastic job with the kids and it was great to see them enjoying the teaching as much as the kids enjoyed catching the fish. AGAI – Ireland did a superb job tying the flies and I found myself several times watching Trevor and Arthur trying to pick up a few tips and tricks. Extremely gifted people that are an enormous part of getting the kids involved between tying and casting. Unfortunately Anthony wasn’t with me this year, he is in Poland fishing so I am looking forward to joining him next week.
Each morning I took a walk around the lake and just took it all in. The weather came through for us and it was glorious. I am lucky enough to be a part of the Cadence team so tried out some of the rod weights I normally wouldn’t use. It’s always great to see my fellow APGAI-Ireland members and have a talk about all things fishing. Throughout the day it was an absolute hive of activity and the time just seemed to shoot past.
I got to meet and cast with some fantastic people. The Cadence 10ft 5wt seemed to be the people’s choice which is my own favourite narrowly beating the 8ft 6in 3wt.The venue is superb, as well as being great for the kids it’s great for people to try rods and lines out. There is nothing like being able to go to the water before you buy a rod and get to test it with different lines, try some different casts and just see how it feels.
The show is growing year on year. Ned has really driven the show and brought it in a superb direction. Ned has a super strong team to that keep everything calm and balanced. Like the saying goes “all good things must come to an end”. Its always tough to say goodbye to your friends, given the nature of our job we only get to see most of them at the fairs. We do try to stop and talk but end up giving a quick smile and we are gone with a rod or fly-tying materials somewhere. I enjoy every minute of it, meeting new people and passing on some tips that were passed to me by legends of the casting world. I also get to pick up some tips along the way to.
So, until next year at the Spring Angling fair where i have no doubt it will grow and be even more popular. Thank you to everyone who came to see my demo and take the time to stop and say hello. It was great casting with you all and hearing about where you are on your angling journey.
Big thank you to Ned and team for the invite to give a demo, really enjoyed it,
See you all next year