How do you know that the event you held at the Benson Center was a success? Was it because the parking lot was full, and the overflow lot was busy? Or was it because you had to wait in line 10 minutes to get your pulled pork sandwich at the concession stand? Could it have been that the special presentation was nearly standing room only?
It was all of the above on March 11 as the Tri-Lakes Fly Fishers held their annual Fly Fishing Expo at the Benson Center. Was it a success?
“Yes,” said the club’s president Sandy Halteman. “We had at least twice the attendance as last year, and we’ve had vendors say it was a good show for them as well.”
And the word on the floor echoed Halteman’s answer. In the morning hours—the show ran from 9am to 4pm--it was crowded. The 45 fly tyers demonstrating their skills were busy. Many had two or three people watching them tie flies. Vendors were busy as well. While there was a slow period around lunchtime—see remarks above on the line at the concession stand—there still were a lot of people at the show in the afternoon.
“We were packed,” said Nick Halteman. “There were a lot of people here all through the day.”
While the fly tyers kept busy, several booths focused on fishing-related themes. The Fly Fishers International was represented by Patty Lueken, chair of the organization’s Women Programs Board. She traveled from Mountain Home, AR, to talk about FFI’s Women Connect program and the opportunities in fly fishing for women. The group works on education, conservation and, mentorship. It also works to encourage women entrepreneurs and offers women-only destination travel and workshops. An upcoming trip is to Argentina, and there is a week-long class near Mountain Home for women only that focuses on casting and fly tying.
Trout Unlimited was there with information on the group’s activities as was The Mayfly Project, a TLFF-linked club that works with foster youth. The Conservation Federation of Missouri was well represented by Alexander and Keely Scott with their son Calvin.
Vendors’ wares varied from fly-fishing wear for women –Miss Mayfly’s Moxie line--to trips to Alaska for salmon, or Belize for bonefish. There were booths selling fly rods, fly-tying materials, finished flies and poppers used for bass or bluegill.
Hillary Bennett, working at a vendor’s booth, said that the show was a good one. “We had a great show; it was busy.” That seemed to be a common thread from most vendors and exhibitors.
The Missouri Department of Conservation was there with an exhibit with preserved aquatic life and the flies that represent them. They also had a small selection of insects in an aquatic petting zoo where it was possible to see the insects’ forms and colors and watch them move when you prodded them with a pencil.
While most of the tyers demonstrating their skills were from the Tri-Lakes (Truman, Pomme de Terre and Stockton) area, St. Louis was well represented as was Springfield northern Arkansas, Kansas and Oklahoma.
Generally, tyers were demonstrating how to tie trout flies, as well as flies for bass bluegill, crappies, stripers and white bass. Kim Burnett from Olathe was showing visitors how to tie his line of Crappie Stopper jigs, something he sells online along with a number of flies that work for crappies, bluegills and trout.
Another draw was two seminars given by Brian Wise, of Gainesville, MO, who has a YouTube channel, Fly fishing the Ozarks, dedicated to what you would expect. His sessions were filled, and when he wasn’t giving talks, he was talking and tying on the show floor. His entertaining manner made his presentations entertaining as well as very informative.
While attendance was free for visitors and vendors, thanks to support from Hawthorn Bank and Mike Keith Insurance, the Tri-Lakes club holds auctions to help it finance its programs. “Last year, when we moved the Expo from Bolivar, we doubled our proceeds, and this year, we increased by a third more,” said Sandy Halteman.”
“We appreciate the opportunity of bringing our show to Clinton…appreciate the support and enthusiasm we have received from the community and are looking forward to future Expos. We have already reserved the Benson Center for the next three years.”
