This was the first year that Elevate Fly Fishing had a booth at the Western Idaho Fly Fishing expo. I gave two casting presentations about bamboo rods and an educational presentation about the history of cane rods and how they are made.  There was a lot of positive feedback from people at the show, vendors, and even a few rodmakers. I’d like to thank everyone that stopped by. My booth was conveniently located next to the Northwest School of Fly Fishing, Idaho Backcountry Hunters and Anglers (who I am a corporate sponsor for), and the Eco Lounge fly shop where they sell some of my fly rods. 

The expo wasn’t as busy as it has been in past years but there was still a strong turnout. The casting presentations were a new thing for me and they were well received. I demonstrated how bamboo rods can improve your short game by casting just the leader without any fly line. I also demonstrated how effortless they are to cast once you settle into the action of the rod and stop trying to push them. In my opinion this is one of the best things about casting a cane rod. The slower line speed makes you adjust your timing, but it takes very little effort when a cast is properly timed. I was demonstrating with a 6’8” 3 weight and throwing 50 feet without a haul and very little effort. I had the opportunity to cast side-by-side with some glass rods and could see the difference in how much force you need to apply. A lot of people casted my rods and I think everyone found a taper that they liked. I had 8 demo rods on display for people to cast and look at. 

The seminar I led was about the origins of cane rods and how they are made today. It was fun to walk people through the process, some of whom had already been looking into making a bamboo rod. I was able to answer some technical questions for them and recommend a couple resources. The audience had a lot of great questions, such as how to find the spine of a bamboo blank, how long to wait between coats of varnish, and how long to let it cure before fishing with it. At some point I may consider teaching a hands on rod making class.