The show was well attended early and there was a positive buzz in the pavilion. Great vendors, great tiers and exhibitions. A few notable discoveries that I enjoyed as I milled about the event:

Jason and Julie Zicha of Pocatello, Idaho brought their wares to the show to display Jason’s fine work of custom made bamboo and graphite fly rods. The work was exceptional and Jason and Julie were very pleasant to visit with.

Jason Zicha visiting with a show attendee. Below him is a setup to show how he works on a bamboo rod and some of the finished elements of the effort.

I enjoyed the display of finished graphite and bamboo rods, reels and lines. You can find more about Jason’s work at Fall River Fly Rods and at Outdoor Blogger Network. I would also like to point the compassionate way toward a cause Julie is most poignantly involved in Ryan’s Rainbow Connection. As I read it this morning, I was profoundly struck by their loss and the dignity of Julie and Jason Zicha.

Beautifully crafted bamboo rods by Jason Zicha. Forgive my fuzzy picture. The reel seats alone give you and indication of the rod's beauty.

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Then there was the pleasant encounter with the ever humble, humorous Charlie Schillinsky, who was tying a nice little Gorilla Glue Ant (my name). The use of the glue and the simple followup pattern have me excited to try out this technique on ants, beetles and anything that floats for fish.

Here Charlie adds a dab of water to the foil and then a dab of Gorilla Glue to the water. A bodkin stirs the mix and eventually a white paste like substance brews. The bodkin is used to place a dab on the hook to create a abdomen and then a separate thorax is created. The hook is spun slowly to let the glue ball form into a nicely shaped ball. Be careful not to smoosh the balls together or you will be tying a beetle of some sort. Carefully take the hook from the vise and set the hook where it can dry for at least 10+ minutes. A piece of closed cell foam or something similar that keeps the balls high and untouched will help. Don't use a hair dryer to accelerate the drying process. Eventually the little white body parts are hardened and tight to the hook shank. Then they can be colored with a permanent marker. From there the tying process is pretty straight forward for say a tuft of bright yarn for an indicator and a turn or two of hackle in the waist of the ant.
Charlie's Gorilla Glue Ants

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 And, then on the way out the door, a bit too late this year, I noticed John Matthews hand painting a fly pattern onto the quarter panel of a truck. This maybe something I have to explore more next year. I am glad the sun was out for John. He hand paints designs and also has available decals and stencils.

The work of John Matthews as he applies, by hand, a fly pattern

 

John Matthews' Tailgate Pallet of sorts