Events

Went to the international Sportsman’s Expo last Friday with my boy Max and had a blast.  There were some great exhibits there this year.  We were able to catch a fish in the fishing pool, watch the dog jumping competition and saw some fly rod casting lessons.

I have put together my list and a review of favorite booths/exhibits:

This was one of my favorite booths and it was for sure the best product name at the show. Fish Pimp is based out of Boise, ID.   They make strike indicators and fly floatant sprays and gels.  I bought some of the indicators to try out.  They look pretty cool so we will see if they do better than the Thingamabobbers.  The guy at the booth after I bought some of the indicators gave me some of the floatant spray for free.  Overall I loved the booth and hope the products are as cool as the company name.

This was a good exhibit not only because they seem to have a great thing going and I have friends that guide for them.  I have never used their services but I have heard many good things about them. Falcon’s Ledge fly fishing lodge and pheasant hunting resort offers you guided Utah fly fishing and pheasant hunting. Truly one of the great wing shooting and fly fishing lodges in the west, Falcon’s Ledge is the perfect location for executive retreats.

I first heard about No Pebble Mine from my friend Kyle Perkins in Colorado.  He has been involved with No Pebble Mine for a few years.  No Pebble Mine’s goal is to safeguard Bristol Bay from large scale mineral development.  I like to do what I can for causes like this.  I know there is probably not much I can do here in Utah but I do believe when we fight for our local water rights and people see that we can do good it bleeds over to others.  I hope the best for the No Pebble Mine cause.

Of course I have ClackaCraft because I love drooling over the awesome boats they bring.  Clacka makes good boats.  I have been in many ClackaCraft drift boats and I love them. For over 30 years, ClackaCraft has been producing drift boats for Professional Fishing Guides and Anglers alike. Engineered to last a lifetime, their fiberglass drift boats are skillfully built by true craftsmen from state of the art materials and ever-evolving technology.

Like I mentioned above I love looking at the drift boats that are always at the shows.  You can’t go wrong with a Hyde drift boat.  Hyde drift boats are engineered to deliver unchallenged Performance. With their efficient parallel chine system, Hyde drift boats differentiate themselves by actually leveraging the current and creating a partnership between you and the water.

I loved the designs that Jeremy Hevens has come up with for his Live Currents T-Shirts.  I really think he has hit the nail on the head when it comes to producing a new style of t-shirt for the angler.  I am kind of tired of all the same old shirts out there.  This was for sure one of my favorite exhibits at the show.

Skookum Products based out of Redmond, OR makes a handful of different types of pontoon boats.  I spent some good time at their exhibit checking out the three person pontoon they had.  I have floated the South Fork of the Snake on a two person pontoon and I really liked it.  The one I was on wasn’t a Skookum but it was very easy to row and easy to fish from.

Klymit is a noble gas technology company based in Ogden, Utah. They produce some awesome outdoor jackets using the noble gases Argon, Krypton, or Xenon for insulation.  The coolest thing about them is the technology they use.  I really do hope some day they will have some type of jacket that would work for fly fishing.  Check them out they have some really cool stuff.

I put FishWest on the list because they had some William Joseph packs for $40.  These packs are selling some places online for $139.  I love the fly shop and they have good deals on their site.  I recommend anyone coming into Utah to fish to hit up the Shop and meet the guys there.