Published: Feb. 13, 2016
Fly fishing catching on at Muskie Expo
Show runs through Sunday at Fair Park
By NICHOLAS DETTMANN
Daily News
TOWN OF POLK — A new venue meant new opportunities for the
promoters and organizers of the Muskie Expo.
They took advantage of it.
This year, for the first time — as the event celebrated its
25th year, but first at Washington County Fair Park — a fly fishing
presentation was available for anglers.
For more than 30 minutes, Dan Boggs, a certified casting
instructor and fly fishing guide, shared more than 25 years of tips, tricks and
secrets of fly fishing, specifically on muskies, which is considered a growing
area.
It’s what brought Joe Girouard of Rockton, Illinois, to the
show.
“I want to get into it this summer,” he said.
Girouard loves an adrenaline rush. He’s a 911 dispatcher and
a volunteer fireman.
“It’s all about adrenaline and that’s why I muskie fish,” he
said.
Girouard got somewhat of an introduction to fly fishing
muskies last year. He caught the fish on a light-weight spinning reel with a
small bait.
“That was really exciting, because the fight was different,”
he said. “This is taking it 10 steps further.”
This summer, he wants to try it. But first he needs to learn
how to do it. That’s where Boggs fit in.
After his lengthy presentation where more than 20 people
stood and watched at one time, Boggs offered one-on-one opportunities for
curious anglers.
Girouard stepped right up and flung away on the reel,
applying the techniques he had just learned from Boggs.
“I hadn’t touched a fly rod in 30 years,” Girouard said.
“I’m really happy they added it to this year’s show,” he
added. “We’ve been to the show for the last several years and the new venue is
great; love the new venue.”
He also said you couldn’t beat standing next to a pro and
learning the tricks of the trade.
Armed with knowledge, Girouard can’t wait for the ice to
melt.
“It’s a test of your skills,” he said of the appeal of fly
fishing compared to fishing with a mechanical reel — the latter being used by
“gear heads,” as they’re jokingly referred to.
“You’re taking the mechanics out of it,” he added. “It’s
giving you, as a fisherman, the best toe-to-toe fight. It comes down to you.”
According to Boggs, muskie fly fishing has been around for
centuries. But with the advent of mechanical reels, muskie fly fishing lost its
following until recently.
Boggs compared muskie fly fishing to deer hunting. You can
either gun hunt or bow hunt. It’s the same thing with fishing for muskies.
Bow hunting and fly fishing are for people who like to be
hands-on or have a natural rush, he said “It is the most vicious fish we have
in Wisconsin,” Boggs said. “To be able to go toe-to-toe with them, bare hands,
is real cool.
“If it swims, I want to catch it on a fly rod.”
Boggs and the company he is with — Blackwater Fly Fishing —
had been at the Muskie Expo for the last three years. This year was the first
time he had the space to do a demonstration.
In previous shows, muskie fly fishing displays were minimal.
This year, there are vendors from several spots in Wisconsin
and a vendor from Tennessee. It was possible because the event moved to the
county this year.
The event outgrew its former facility — the Wisconsin
Products Pavilion — at Wisconsin State Fair Park in West Allis. The two expo
buildings at Washington County Fair Park are about 52,000 square feet combined.
The facility at State Fair Park was about 30,000 square
feet.
On top of that, growing frustration of traffic and rising
parking fees led to a needed change.
“We added probably another 20 booths and added more seminars
and workshops,” said Doug Reuter, event promoter.
The agreement between the event and the Fair Park is for
three years, but the contract could get extended if both parties are happy.
“Hopefully it works out,” Reuter said, adding he doesn’t
want to move the event often.
The show runs through Sunday.
No comments:
Post a Comment