You can sense the end of the fising season is nearing as the invitations to various gatherings and events start to arrive. Just this last 7 days has seen a visit to Farlows in Pall Mall, The Tackle & Guns trade show in Warwick and last night the Wild Trout Trust conservation awards at the Savile Club in London. There will be more to come and the BFFI is just around the corner.
The fact is that I think we need these type of social events, even crave them sometimes when we have not been able to get out on the water perhaps ourselves. The chance to catch up with old friends and make new ones, trade fishing stories and tall tales is all part of the fun. It might even be over a beverage or two!
The industry is well served with these types of events but what about the public? Apart from the main fly shows we can see that members of our fly forums arrange their own meet-ups which is great. Actual clubs either seem to thrive or wither away. My local branches of the S&TA in Sussex being a case in point. Split into East and West branches one seems to have found the essential ingredients for success while the other has sadly languished through lack of support.
We all need something to look forward to in the deep dark nights of the winter and Fish&Fly are beginning to investigate the possibility of hosting a fly fishing film evening similar to those held so successfully in the USA in recent years. A chance to meet up with friends, check out the latest gear, talk fishing and watch some great footage of exciting fishing from both home and overseas. Keep watching here and the website for news of this as the plans develop and we hope you'll join us while we all wait for the sun return and warmer days!
Tight lines,
Paul
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