2014 Midwest Fly Fishing Expo

This great show is coming soon! I went to this show last year and they do a fantastic job of making this one of the best shows in the Midwest. Check out their website for more details and see the guest fly tyers list below.

Alan “Al” Ritt grew up here in Michigan where his passion for fishing was born. In the early 80’s while living in Northern California, just after he started tying flies, he started fly fishing. In 1989 he moved to Northern Front Range of Colorado (Longmont) where he and his wife Diana reside. He is currently on the Pro-staff of Whiting Farms, PEAK Fishing, Flymen Fishing Company, Performance Flies, Tubeology, Diiachi Hooks, and a fly designer for Montana Fly Company. Al is also a guide on Colorado and Sylvan Dale Ranch just outside of Loveland. Alan’s web site is: www.alrittflies.com Alan will be demonstrating various Western Trout Flies.

Jerry Regan; a 3^rd generation fly tyer; is one of the true keepers of Michigan’s Fly Fishing History; along with being one of the best commercial fly tiers in the business. Just like Trout Unlimited, Jerry was born along the fabled Trout Waters of the Au Sable River near Grayling. As a kid he learned fly tying and fishing from Michigan’s Genuine Legends like Earl Madsen and Ernie Borcher. One thing unique for the patterns Jerry ties, he has never went with synthetics that have flooded the market place, but have stuck with the original materials that were used.Jerry will be demonstrating the flies of the Classic Au Sable fly patterns.

Jason Haddix, Originally from Illinois, but now residing in the small Colorado town of Wellington; Jason came to Colorado as a teenager with his family and soon took up fly fishing, as well as tying. Jason is an experienced and veteran guide who enjoys taking clients into Colorado’s Front Range and the beautiful, productive waters of southern Wyoming. When he’s not guiding, he spends as much personal time on the water as possible and then it’s back to the vise designing and developing new flies as well as making modifications to old ones. Jason owns and operates his own tying business, Waters Edge Fly Tying Company. Not only are Jason’s flies extremely productive, but because of the processes he uses, they are also very durable. He tends to spend most of his free time chasing fish that are considered off the beaten path by most in the fly fishing world; fish such as carp, sunfish, tiger muskie, bass and pike to name a few. Jason’s Affiliations and Pro-Staff status with companies like Rite Bobbins, Peak Vises, Enrico Puglisi Products, Daiichi hooks, Rip Lips Fishing, Flymen Fishing Products and Rivers Wild. His website link is: www.watersedgeflyco.com. Jason will be demonstrating his famed Warm water flies plus others.

Mike Schmidt is owner & Fly Tyer for Angler’s Choice Flies, based out of Dublin, Ohio for more than a decade now; which started out from encouragement and influence from his dad. His fly tying consists of Winged Wet, Warmwater, Coldwater, and Saltwater patterns. Some of the accomplishment’s of Mike, would consist of Orvis Fly Designer, Contract and Fly Tying Instructor for Mad River Outfitters, Signature Tyer for JagFly Company/Steelhead Alley, and has articles published in Hatches on line magazine. Mike’s web site is: www.anglerschoiceflies.com. Mike will be demonstrating abundance of Big Fly Patterns along with his famed Winged Wet Flies.

Todd A.Schotts is a member of the Michigan Fly Fishing Club & has been Fly Tying before he even started fly fishing. He owns and operates Grizzly Flies by Schottsie” that was started more than a 10 years ago. Along with tying the standard fly patterns, he has about 25 + of his own design of flies that have been proven durable and very effective. His passion is being a Bass Bum,( chasing Smallmouth and Largemouth Bass) but he also enjoys chasing Trout, and Steelhead His website is: www.grizzlyfliesbyschottsie.com Todd will be demonstrating tying various Warmwater, Thunder Creek’s & Czech Nymph Patterns.

Wayne Samson has been fly fishing and tying for well over ten years. Originally a warm water fisherman he started by experimenting with bass bugs using deer hair. Soon he met Chris Helm of Toledo, Ohio- considered by most to be perhaps the finest deer hair tier and he quickly developed a friendship that exists today. Wayne’s specialty remains deer hair bugs and hair work in general. However, he ties epoxy flies, saltwater flies, classic Atlantic salmon flies and most all trout flies as well. Wayne enjoys all styles of fishing from warm water saltwater & bass to cold water steelhead and trout. Wayne is 1 part of the duo from Glenn River Fly Co. LTD (which is known for their fly tying kits). Here is the website: www.glennriver.com . Wayne will be demonstrating Saltwater Fly Patterns.

Steve Wascher caught his first Trout at the age of 3 ½, on a DRY FLY!! Steve is a third generation tier from Greenhurst, NY; and received basic instructions and guidance from his father; along with his grandmother in regards to tying. Steve is a well rounded tier, and enjoys all aspects of the art of fly tying; from creating a unique nymph, wet flies for steelhead, or his famed deer hair bugs for those warmwater surprises. Besides tying Steve guides during the summer months for a wide range of warmwater species and he enjoys writing articles as well; which have appeared along with his flies in Hatches Magazine, American Angler, and Mid-Atlantic Fly Fishing Guide. Steve will be tying his famed deer hair bugs and tube flies.Eli Berant grew up and lives in Michigan, so he has been surrounded by big water all his life. After getting his first fly tying kit at the age of 15, fly fishing and fly tying has been a passion of his ever since. Even though he really likes the “traditional” fly fishing experience; he has taken the concepts of the huge saltwater flies and began to apply them to his exploits here back in the big waters in Michigan. If you are interested in “Big Flies” for Lake Trout, Musky, Bass, or whatever will consume them, you can order these flies at Great Lakes Fly (www.greatlakesfly.com).Eli will be tying his monster big flies.

Eli Berant grew up and lives in Michigan, so he has been surrounded by big water all his life. After getting his first fly tying kit at the age of 15, fly fishing and fly tying has been a passion of his ever since. Even though he really likes the “traditional” fly fishing experience; he has taken the concepts of the huge saltwater flies and began to apply them to his exploits here back in the big waters in Michigan. If you are interested in “Big Flies” for Lake Trout, Musky, Bass, or whatever will consume them, you can order these flies at Great Lakes Fly (www.greatlakesfly.com).Eli will be tying his monster big flies.

Eric Austingrew up tying and fishing Catskill dry flies in the Adirondack Mountain region of New York State. Even in his youth Eric loved the old fly fishing books at the library, by the likes of Preston Jennings, Ray Bergman, Al McLane, J.Edson Leonard and George La Branche. Later, this love of history led to his reviving a column on the flyanglersonline.com website called “Just Old Flies”. Each week Eric would tie and photograph a fly and recount the history of it. The Just Old Flies column spurred Eric’s historical flies by American classic tiers and the old masters of the U.K., including salmon flies found in Kelson, Francis Francis, and Pryce Tannatt. Eric has been featured in the series of books published in London, “Fly Tiers of the World”. His Red Quill was recently selected to be on the cover of the re-release of Earnest Schwiebert’s classic “Matching the Hatch”. His influences include the Irish wet flies of Alice Conba, Rene Harrop’s flies for the Henry’s Fork, Carrie Stevens’ streamers, the quill body flies of A.K.Best, and the dry flies of Francis Betters. His website is www.tradtionalflies.com .Eric will be tying Classic Atlantic Salmon and New England Streamer flies.

Dennis Potter started tying over 30 years ago before fishing on the Ausable River in Northern Michigan. After landing the first Trout on his Parachute Hendrickson, his passion and addiction for chasing Trout and Tying Flies took off. In 1987 Dennis and his wife Karen purchased the Riverhouse on the banks of the Holy Waters of the Ausable. He spent 4 seasons at the Gates Ausable Lodge as a Fly Fishing Instructor and he still enjoys teaching fly tying instruction. His fly designs are fished extensively and with great success throughout the U.S. Dennis does have various Fly Tying Videos on the market and he is the owner of Riverhouse Fly Company. You will be able to find him tying at the show, with his well known high resolution video tying Demo show. Dennis’s web site is:www.riverhouseflyco.com . Denniswill be demonstrating various well known Trout Patterns and Fly Tying Techniques.