IDAHO FALLS — For over 30 years, anglers, fly-fishers and those looking to get into fishing will have a chance to learn and shop from regional outfitters.
The East Idaho Fly Tying and Fly Fishing Expo returns to Idaho Falls on Friday and Saturday at the Mountain America Center.
The annual event is free to the public, with doors opening on both days at 9 a.m. Attendees can watch fly-tying demonstrations, learn new fishing techniques, and enjoy a wide range of other activities.
The expo is organized by the Idaho Falls Chapter of the Snake River Cutthroats, which is a part of Trout Unlimited and Fly Fishers International.
Dave Pace, co-chair for the event and senior advisor for the Cutthroats, told EastIdahoNews.com that last year’s expo brought in a total of 4,000 people. This year, he said, over 70 vendors will be there this year for attendees to stock up on fishing gear.
The event is a fundraiser for the Snake River Cutthroats, which uses the profits to support local conservation and education projects in east Idaho. According to the expo’s banquet program, the group has raised over half a million dollars to support these projects.
“All the money stays here and goes back into the rivers and education,” Pace said.
While most of the funds are raised by selling ad or vendor spots, attendees can also participate in raffles and auctions that support these projects. Both days will feature general, women’s and youth raffles, along with silent and live auctions.
The expo hosts a banquet dinner on Friday — for which some seats are still available for purchase — a live auction, and awards. Pace said those interested only in the live auction can arrive at the banquet at 7:30 p.m.
The other main aspect of the expo is the fly-tying demonstrations, with over 100 tiers visiting to showcase and educate avid and new tiers. Workshops on fly tying and other fishing education will be available at the expo for a fee.
This year, the event will feature an iPhone fly-fishing class to help improve people’s photography skills while out on Idaho’s tributaries or lakes. The cost for this class starts at $20.
While it’s expo’s 30th anniversary, Pace said there isn’t anything special planned. He said he’s just glad that the event has been around for so long.
“We’ve been doing it a long time,” Pace said. “It started out small, started out as kind of of as more of a fly tying thing, and now it’s kind of an everything fly-fishing (expo).”
To learn more about the expo, visit srcexpo.org
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