The FATC had another chance to shine this weekend as three of our members went to Branson for their fly fishing Expo. Terry Seaton, Tim McCoy and I (Kenny Klimes) volunteered to tie flies for the Expo and be part of this second annual event.  Tim tied flies during the morning session (9am – 1pm) and Terry and I tied during the afternoon session (1pm – 5pm).  Tim brought his bride Shelia who helped out during the Friday morning session – thank you Shelia!!  Terry and I went as a couple 😉

There were around 70 fly tiers at the Expo, seminars, casting demos and raffles galore.  The special guest was none other than inventor of the Double Davy knot (which I now use – thank you, Pete), Davy Wotten from Wales.  Davy gave seminars on fishing and was a big hit.  The three of us tied several flies for demos – euro nymphing flies, copper johns, American pheasant tail, Barr’s emerger, and soft hackles. It was fun and we met a lot of great people that were truly interested in our flies and how to tie them.  There were several vendors that we had the pleasure of talking fly fishing with so it was not only a success for the FATC but very enjoyable for us.  We also met up with Jerry Harmon, a FATC member, who moved down to the Branson area a year ago.

In addition, Terry and I fished Lake Taneycomo Saturday morning and evening. The fish there are in great shape and we didn’t catch any under 12 inches.  The generation has been off in the morning and late evening during the past couple of weekends so if you can, get down there and fish!  Terry and I also had a “Hurts Donut” and they were awesome. So now when someone asks me, “hey, have you ever had a Hurts Donut?” I can say , “Yes, in Branson, Missouri”.

I’m sure we will be invited back next year so if you tie flies, don’t hesitate to volunteer – and you might be able to get some awesome fishing in too.