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All,
Last September the Federation of Fly Fishers
(FFF) sponsored a fund-raising event called the Northwest Casting
Exposition, held at Trophy Lake, Port Orchard. It was a fun event,
and apparently was successful to the extent the FFF is again sponsoring it,
scheduled for September 21, 2002, to be held again in Port Orchard.
A person didn't have to compete to enjoy the
benefits of attending the Expo. I believe it was a $75 fee to compete
(which included lunch and dinner; for dinner we had all-you-could BBG chicken,
ribs, corn, blah blah), but it was like $5 for general admittance.
I'm not sure what the rates this year. There were casting games, casting
workshops put on by FFF certified instructors, vendor(Loomis, Orvis, etc.)
booths, and what have you for both those who competed as well as the general
admittance folks.
If a person wanted to compete, to establish a
little parity, there were two categories; one called Professional (guides, shop
owners, certified instructors, etc.), and then Skilled (everyone else).
A person could compete individually, or could put
together a team of 4 individuals to compete at a team level. If a person
competed in a team, their results applied towards their individual score, as
well as the team aggregate score. There was distance casting competition
and an accuracy competition, divided again into the Professional and Skilled
groups . Also, there was a catch-and-release competition (the
competitors had 25 minutes to catch what they could out of a specificied Trophy
Lake pond - there are some hog rainbows in there!), in which the Professional
and Skilled folks were all lumped..
Steve Rajeff put on a couple of demonstrations (I
can't remember how many world fly casting championships he holds something
like 83; just kidding, I exaggerate a little, but I do believe it's 19?),
which were much more comprehensive and in-depth than what he normaly does at
outdoor shows. I have found him a little distant at the outdoor shows
(after doing a gazillion of those shows, and answering the billion and
one knucklehead questions, like I ask, I could understand
why!), but he was jocular and very helpful and approachable at this
event.
The funds raised went to the Washinton State FFF,
and was applied towards conservation and education programs. Good
stuff!
If any of you have any interest in picking up some
casting tips, and/or just rubbing shoulders with fly fishers who have similar
interests, I highly recommend it. I believe there are limited spots to
compete, so you need to jump on it!
More information can be found at www.washingtoncouncilff.org
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Federation of Fly Fishers, Washington State Council.url
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