April 11 & 12, 2025

By Jim Craig

Four of your FATC brothers proudly represented our fellowship at the Tri-Lakes Fly Fishing Expo in Clinton, MO, this past weekend. Steve Baker, Stan Patton, Mike Gomez, and Jim Craig departed from Stan’s house on Friday morning.  After a lunch stop at LeMaire’s Cajun Catfish & Seafood House in Sedalia, MO, we arrived at the Benson Convention Center in Clinton, MO, a little after 1 PM.

Let’s take a moment to highlight that lunch stop. Stan recommended we try LeMaire’s for their world-famous catfish. It was lunchtime, and we were on schedule, so we decided to go for it. Each of us opted for some type of fish, and everything was delicious. However, the catfish (and the service) was truly outstanding—coming from someone who doesn’t usually favor catfish, me, that’s high praise! If you’re in the area, don’t miss it.

Moving on, we were not the first to arrive, and the tying tables were assigned on a first-come, first-served basis. Fortunately, the event organizers kindly saved us two large tables, side by side, in the middle of the tying area. However, we spotted two large tables right at the front of the hall, which everyone had to pass on their way in, and they were still available. It was a no-brainer. We settled in at those prime spots and proudly displayed our attractive FATC banner, ensuring that every attendee would walk by us as they entered.

The expo had good attendance that afternoon until it closed at 4 PM. Around 5 PM, the organizers began serving a complimentary fried fish dinner to all exhibitors and tiers. The fish was freshly caught by their club members—crappie, white bass, and some tilapia to round out the offering. It was served shore lunch style with all the fixings and was absolutely wonderful. After a leisurely dinner, we checked into our hotel to rest up for what would be the main day of the event.

I realize I’ve focused a lot on the food, so let’s discuss the event itself. It was well-organized, and the hosting club, Tri-Lakes Fly Fishers, was very welcoming. Our guys tied several of our area’s most successful trout flies. Mike demonstrated the midge pupae and midge parachute flies, Stan demonstrated the P&P and Woolly Bugger, Steve demonstrated the pheasant tail nymph and the peacock and partridge wet fly, and Jim demonstrated the olive perdigon and blowtorch.

We encountered several of our fellowship sponsors, as well as three of the charities we support. There were over 50 fly tiers like us demonstrating their favorite flies, along with about 45 vendors. The event featured seminars, casting instruction, live and silent auctions, raffles, a beginner fly tying table, and a very informative presentation by author, fly fisher, and filmmaker John Van Vliet on fly fishing the Driftless area.

Overall, we were surprised by how few flies we tied over the two days. The reason? We were so busy engaging with people about fly tying and discussing the activities and mission of FATC. It was a great experience. Many attendees were impressed to learn what FATC does beyond just fly fishing. While most clubs and groups often have a narrow focus, you know that FATC embraces a broader mission: “It’s not just about the fly fishing.” We are dedicated to brotherhood, service, and charity, and we engage in activities that develop those attributes in our members. This was surprising and impressive to many, and, of course, we also made sure to mention that we’re quite skilled at fly fishing, too!

We met some wonderful people and had a fantastic time representing FATC. Beginning next year, the club plans to move this event to September. If you are a fly tier, mark your calendar—you won’t want to miss out on this opportunity!