Story from Texas Fly Fishing & Brew Festival
Plano will host the Third Annual Texas Fly Fishing & Brew Festival on March 23-24 at the Plano Event Center. The festival has something for anglers and other outdoor sports fans, conservationists, and microbrew enthusiasts, all in one family-friendly venue.
“Last year we saw our attendance increase by 26 percent over our first year–and I believe we’ll easily see that number jump again this year,” says festival director Beau Beasley. “Fly fishing is a blast, but many folks are just too intimidated to give it a try. When they find out they can try fly fishing at their own speed at our festival–and take in Texas microbrewed beer at the same time–well, it’s a pretty easy sell.”
Industry powerhouses like TFO, Hardy, Orvis, Snowbee, Umpqua Feather Merchants, Hatch Reels, Flymen Fishing Company, Dagon Apparel and Riversmith will be in Plano, as will lodges from as far away as Montana, Alaska, Canada, Patagonia, Belize, and Ecuador. Participating breweries this year include Four Corners, Tupps, Real Ale, Oak Highlands and Sweetwater Brewery.
Those in the market for a kayak won’t want to miss the festival, either: kayak dealer Mariner-Sails has teamed up with NuCanoe, Hobie, Bonafide, and Old Town to provide festival attendees the option of taking a new kayak home with them. “The key to fishing success is actually reaching the fish,” says Mariner-Sails owner Aris Tsamis. “I routinely have fly anglers in my store looking for kayaks. They require little to no maintenance, and–unlike boats–make little to no noise. And kayaks have the advantage of running on Gatorade and candy bars.”
New to this year’s Texas Fly & Brew is a series of expert-taught specialty classes, including “Introduction to Wilderness First Aid,” “Fly Casting for Instructors,” “Trout Hunting 101,” and beginner and advanced fly casting classes. Aquatic biologist Peter Stitcher will lead a class on “Mayflies & Microbrews,” in which students learn to identify common river insects and the fly patterns that match them. Students 21 and over can enjoy a handcrafted microbrew during the two-hour course. Limited seats are available.
The Texas Fly & Brew kicks off on Friday with a “Bass Bugs & Brews” movie night at Tupps Brewery in McKinney. The evening will include a special tribute to Lefty Kreh; a portion of the proceeds from the movie will go to Project Healing Waters Programs in North Texas. To top it all off, festival attendees can enter to win five days of fishing in Iceland with all gear, lodging, and meals provided.
Major festival sponsors include Dallas-based TFO and Tailwaters, and Iceland-based Fish Partner. Other sponsors include TakeMeFishing.org, Houston-based Gordy & Sons, and Virginia-based Reilly Rod Crafters. The Texas Council of Fly Fishers International is also a sponsor this year, and will provide both fly casting and fly tying instructors for the event.
To watch a video about the festival click here. For tickets or to learn more, visit www.txflyfishingfestival.org.
