Stuart gave you his run down and photos earlier this week, but I wanted to give you another perspective and a few more photos.
As we rode out to Indy on Friday night, in between the bouts of white knuckle driving and trances of concentration, we discussed the next day's events and what we each wanted to do and who we wanted to meet. With Stuart looking to focus on hitting up and meeting most everyone, I decided to play it a little more low key. He had the whole event covered, so I was free to bounce around. A buddy was planning on coming down and wanted to meet up, and as Austin was letting us crash his booth, I figured I'd help out where I could.
All in all, I met some great people from the Midwest and learned a lot about a bunch of different fisheries. It was good to see Tony and Kim Ferrie from Dry Fly Sales and Simms, great to catch up with Paul Transue of Schmidt Outfitters, a pleasure to finally meet Dave Hosler from Pile Cast as well as Mike Schmidt from Angler's Choice Fly, Wendy and Larry from Hayward Fly Fishing Co., Mike Schultz from Schultz Outfitters and his team, Greg Senyo from Steelhead Alley Outfitters, the guys from Stealth Craft, Lee from Clutch Rods, Chris Willen the musky legend, Matt Wagner from Driftless Angler and Ben West, the local artist who happened to be at the show.
Most importantly, I wanted to thank Austin from Grab Your Fly Charters, who allowed us to crash his booth. He introduced me to a lot of great people, and as always, it was great hanging out.
Be sure to visit your local shop or contact one of these awesome guides and outfitters to schedule your day on the water. It's always a treat to get out and learn from some of the best. Even if it's your home water, it seems there's always another tip or trick you can pick up that'll make a world of difference.
