A flurry of snow didn’t stop new and seasoned fly anglers from venturing to the annual Virginia Fly Fishing and Wine Festival at the Meadow Event Park in Doswell, Virginia.
With 19 years of operation under its belt, the festival has grown into “one of the largest fly-fishing events in the country,” drawing thousands of people from the Mid-Atlantic and beyond. Anglers and exhibitors came from near and far – Washington D.C., Virginia, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and other surrounding states. The festival was held January 12-13 of this year.
The Old Dominion State is replete with innumerable trout waters, and our wine selection isn’t too shabby either, often rivaling that of California’s. It makes for the perfect location for a festival centering around fishing and vino.
“We work hard to demystify fly fishing,” said Festival Director Beau Beasley. “Many are simply too intimidated by fly fishing and fly tying to even give them a try. We believe that the quiet sport is for everyone, so we find casting and tying experts who make it simple and fun. Because of our unique approach, our event draws, on average, several times more women than similar sporting events.”
Sponsors for this year’s show included the Recreational Fishing and Boating Foundation, Temple Fork Outfitters, Fish Partner, Green Top, Mid Valley Press, Virginia Sportsman, Reilly Rod Crafters, American Angler, Fly Tyer, Gray’s Sporting Journal, Alaska Magazine, Harman’s Luxury Cabins, Blue Ridge Outdoors, and Steam Bell Beer Works.
Tickets for the show were $20 for admittance that included a novelty bottomless glass to sample some fine Virginia wine.
It’s no surprise to see a vibrant fly angling culture here in Virginia. The most recent 2018 Special Report on Fishing by the Outdoor Foundation and Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation found that the South Atlantic region, including the Commonwealth of Virginia, comprised 19.7% of all total fly fishing participants over the age of six—the largest share of fly anglers found in the nation.
Although fly fishing is the least popular method of fishing, its numbers are growing steadily. That same report also found that there were 6.8 million total fly anglers in 2017, up from 6.5 million in 2016. Moreover, participants in both the 18-29 and 30-44 age demographics made up a combined 44.3% of those who went fly fishing. 31% of those total participants were female.
Emily George, content specialist at the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VDGIF) and freelance outdoor writer, expressed her excitement about attending the annual festival for the first time.
“Even though hunting is a vital part of my lifestyle, I really wanted to learn how to fly fish,” said George. “I’ve been wanting to try to learn how to fly fish for years now and I finally did.”
She recently had her first taste of fly fishing at a ladies-only event held at Escatawba Farms near Lynchburg, VA. It was there she was hooked on the sport.
“I’m 30 minutes from here and it’s really interesting. It’s something new that I really wanted to learn how to do. We have tons of opportunity in Virginia to fly fish for phenomenal trout. Virginia is one of the best destinations to come for trout fishing,” she added.
Prolific outdoor writer and Florida freshwater fishing guide Debbie Hanson, who taught several seminars at the show, enjoyed attending her first Virginia Fly Fishing and Wine Festival. She came with Reilly Rod Crafters, where she has her own Debbie Hanson Signature Series fly rod line.
“One of the things that I have found exceptionally interesting and informative, and incredibly helpful about the festival, is that there have been numerous seminars—both on fly casting and then also pertaining to pursuing specific species,” said Hanson. “No matter what level an angler you are—if you’re into fly fishing, or you’re just getting into fly fishing— this is really the perfect opportunity to come and meet a variety of people that are representing a variety of different aspects pertaining to the sport.”
She also said she enjoyed the innumerable fly casting seminars and sampling Virginia wines. Her seminars taught festivalgoers how to fly fish for peacock bass and other exotic species found in south Florida. Hanson hopes her seminars have enticed Virginians to target these exotics in the upcoming year.
Fly casting extraordinaire, writer, and illustrator Joe Mahler has attended the festival for four years. He teaches an average of 200 fly casting lessons in Southwest Florida each year. His illustrations and articles have been published in outdoor publications like Outdoor Life and Salt Water Sportsman. He enjoys coming north to Virginia for the southern hospitality and its charming residents.
“I would tell you that the people of Virginia are among the best mannered people I’ve met,” said Mahler. “They ask great questions. Just really terrific people. That’s why I keep coming back, and the wine’s not bad either.”
For those who want to learn how to fly fish, Mahler said it’s not elitist as perceived. In fact, he praised the late Bernard “Lefty” Kreh, a native of nearby Maryland, for making the sport more relatable to the common man and woman.
“I would credit Lefty Kreh for sort of bringing it to the common man. He really did put it in the hands of a lot of people who may not otherwise perceived it as something they could do.”
Matt Reilly, a southwest Virginia fly fishing guide and outdoor writer, said he’s grown up with the festival and enjoys returning each year. He specifically guides for smallmouth bass, wild trout, and muskie here in the state.
“This is probably my favorite show of the year,” Reilly said. “Everybody here, I’ve kind of grown up with or gotten to know really well. They’re all Virginia people and it’s my family.”
“First time I came [to the festival] I was a volunteer right after I met Beau [Beasley] at a Virginia Outdoor Writers Association conference,” he added. “It [the festival] helps as a small business owner just because you get to network with people, people who are getting into fly fishing extensively.”
He stressed how beneficial it is to also network with the vendors and meet prospective clients at the show. As a millennial, Reilly hopes to see more of his peers fishing and said it’s not impossible to get them lured into fly fishing since everyone has some targetable species in their backyard. He also recommends fly angling newbies to find a good mentor, or for fellow Virginians to reach out to the VDGIF for advice.
As the Virginia Fly Fishing and Wine Festival continues to grow each year, they anticipate more fly anglers from around the country flocking to Doswell each January. Tight lines and get your wine on!
To plan a future trip to an upcoming Virginia Fly Fishing and Wine Festival, visit www.vaflyfishingfestival.com. You can follow them on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.