fly convention blog
Things at the FFSW office have been pretty crazy as of late. We are feverishly working on the Jan/Feb 2012 issue and it’s looking good! It’s hard to believe that a year has gone by since I took the reins for the magazine. It’s been a ton of fun and I’ve learned a lot along the way. Hopefully all of you have been enjoying the magazine and our web content…otherwise I’m in trouble!
Since coming on board, one of the things that I hoped to bring to the magazine is youth. I’ll tell you, it’s easier said than done but hopefully, my work has attracted at least a few youngsters.
I received a breath of fresh air a couple weeks ago at the Florida Fly-Fishing Expo. Last year, the traffic was pretty slim but when I arrived, it was actually difficult to find a parking space. When I walked in, I saw many familiar faces such as, Flip Pallot, Chico Fernandez, Dave Whitlock, Pat Ford and Jon Cave to name a few. The good news is, I saw plenty of unfamiliar young faces. There were kids as young as 10 years old in the line for the casting pond. I have the utmost respect for the forefathers of fly-fishing in salt waters but I’d be willing to bet that these legends would all agree that the future of the sport is the hands of the next generation. These expos are an excellent way to get kids interested and involved but really the best way is to actually get out on the water and let them have at it. Pardon the cliché, but take a kid fishing!
