Western Maine Fly Fishing Expo Set for March 23
OutdoorHub 02.20.13
Anglers anxiously awaiting the snow melt, ice out and the opening of fishing season , can learn the latest fishing techniques and visit with guides, sporting camps and a variety of angling exhibitors at the Western Maine Fly Fishing Expo to be held Saturday, March 23 at the Bethel Inn Conference Center in Bethel Maine. The Expo runs from 9:00 am to 4 pm and is sponsored by The Mollyockett Chapter of Trout Unlimited and the Upper Andro Anglers Alliance. Admission is $5 for adults and free for youth 15 and under.
Exhibitors include Maine and New Hampshire outfitters and guide services, sporting camps, wildlife artists and authors, The Maine Dept of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, the University of Maine 4H Camp, Casting for Recovery, Maine Volunteer Lake Monitoring Program, equipment manufacturers and retailers. Attendees can learn the art of fly tying, rod building and wildlife photography. There will be seminars on getting started in fly fishing, and fishing the Rangeley Lakes Region and Labrador. HMH Vises and Maine Fly Fishing are sponsoring a fly tying contest. Sponsors and exhibiting vendors are giving away dozens of door prizes every hour. Proceeds from an auction of items including guided trips, sporting camp vacations and fly fishing gear will go toward fishing habitat restoration projects and river access in the Western Maine region.
The Fly Fishing Film Tour, a nationwide movie tour featuring segments from the best fishing films of the year will cap off the day. The two hour movie will be shown at 7 pm at The Bethel Inn Conference Center. Tickets are $7 when purchased in advance at the Expo or $10 at the door. The film features a segment on the Maine Salmon produced by Carter Davidson of Gray Ghost Productions. Carter is a Bethel native who grew up fishing in the western Maine region and has hand crafted his own wooden drift boat.
Says Scott Stone, President of the Upper Andro Anglers Alliance and TU member, “ We’re really blessed to be able to fish in this area of Western Maine which provides the perfect environment for catching trout. We hope that anglers of all ages and abilities will attend and leave with a greater understanding of the sport and lots of fishing goodies too. And if the groundhog was right and there’s an early spring , the Upper Andro is open to fishing year round. “
Information on the event is available on line at www.westernmaineflyfishingexpo.com or by phoning the Upper Andro Anglers Alliance at 207-824-3694 or email questions to fish@upperandro.com.
