The annual Virginia Fly Fishing & Wine Festival will celebrate its 20th anniversary with its Jan. 11-12 event, drawing anglers from throughout Virginia and the Mid-Atlantic, Ohio, Georgia, South Carolina, and even Vermont.
Held at the Meadow Event Park, just 15 miles north of Richmond on the site of the state fairgrounds, the Virginia Fly Fishing & Wine Festival is the first event of its kind in the country to combine fly fishing and wine tasting. Fly fishing manufacturers, lodges, guides, tourism agencies, wineries, and specialty food companies are among the more than 110 vendors who hail from all over the country.
This year’s festival sponsors include the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation, Temple Fork Outfitters, Gangler’s Lodge, Green Top, American Angler, Harman’s North Fork Cottages, Flymen Fish Company and Fly Tyer. New sponsors this year include Norvise and North Carolina-based Terroir Films. We’re also pleased to have Trout Unlimited as our Conservation Sponsor.
The 2020 festival will feature several of the industry’s most prominent anglers and authors. Noted speakers and fly tyers include Blane Chocklett, Tom Rosenbauer, Jessica Callihan, Jason Randall, Ed Jaworowski, Wanda Taylor, Captain Gary Dubiel, Debbie Hansen, Joe Mahler, Mac Brown, Kiki Galvin, Walt Cary, Tim O’Neill, Braden Miller, Peter Stitcher, Matt Reilly, Colby Trow, and many more.
“We eagerly welcome beginners into the sport,” says Festival Director Beau Beasley, “and we offer specialty classes that experienced anglers won’t find anywhere else.” New this year for foodies, he says, “We’re planning a ‘Made in Virginia’ specialty food section. We’re also pleased to have Chef Wade Truong with us doing a Q&A on how to prepare and cook wild game and fish.”
Experienced anglers ready to take their skills to the next level should consider Advanced Fly Casting and Understanding Advanced Techniques with Master Certified Casting Instructor Mac Brown.
Also new this year is a Bourbon and Bass Bugs class with Scotland-trained Lauren Riggleman of Silverback Distillery. Each student will enjoy an education in distilling and then taste five unique bourbons. Students will also hear from Green Top fly shop manage Gabe Beverly on how best to fish five top bass bugs. Students go home with all five patterns to do their own “research” with the bugs.
Attendees might also consider Mayflies & Microbrews with entomologist Peter Stitcher. Students learn about the life cycles of flies, enjoy a local handcrafted brew, and take home a variety of trout flies. This class sold out early last year, so don’t wait to register!
Free classes include Teen Fly Tying and Getting Your Kids into Fly Fishing with Jess Westbrook, founder of The Mayfly Project.
Admission to the festival includes free wine tastings for adults.
Visit www.vaflyfishingfestival.org.
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Chris Graham
