Just came from the second annual Fly Fishing and Rod Building Fair this past weekend at Renzetti’s in Titusville, Florida. What a great event! Lily and Andy Renzetti have managed to put together a wonderful little outing for Florida fly fishers, replete with some of the biggest names in the sport. Who was there? Among others, Lefty Kreh, Bob Popovics, Flip Pallot, Bob Clouser, Chico Fernandez, Jay Murakoshi, Ken Hanley and Jon Cave! The boys put on a nice show for one and all, including tying seminars, casting demonstrations, rod-building clinics and book signings. I managed to snap a few shots of the action while milling about. Folks also took tours of Renzetti’s facilities and witnessed how some of the finest vises in the world are built. The informal nature of this event is the real charmer: It allows for a lot of casual chit-chat and camaraderie with the sport’s heroes – how often can you experience that in other professional sports? The best part of the fair, however, is that proceeds benefited a couple very worthy causes: a kid’s fishing clinic to be held in June and Casting for Recovery, a national program supporting breast cancer survivors. It was truly a fun event all around…and for me, it was almost a really great weekend. In between camera clicks, I bumped into a fellow who was selling his 1999 Hell’s Bay Whipray for a brand-new model. It was a real beaut, a classic little skiff, just what I’ve been daydreaming about recently – and the price was right! I could almost taste the salt spray as I ran my hands down its lines! I went to make the guy an offer, but alas, another fellow with a fistful of dollars beat me to the punch!! Darn!! Oh well, you win some, you lose some… Sure was a great weekend, though. It’s always a thrill to be surrounded and immersed in the sport! I look forward to next year’s… Tight loops till then, Mike Mazur FFSW Editor
