|
History of the International Saltwater Fly Fishing Expo |
 Looking back to 1995 it is hard to imagine a time when fly fishing wasn’t being seen in television shows, fishing magazines and casting being demonstrated at tackle shows on a regular basis. Here we are in 2009 and as the result of the drive and vision of individuals with a passion for their sport many now enjoy this and more, particularly on the Sunshine Coast. Fly fishing clubs, television series, fly fishing dedicated chat rooms and fly-only fishing competitions are enjoyed by many hundreds of anglers every day and it is now almost considered commonplace.
One of the most enduring events to foster fly fishing in saltwater here on the Sunshine Coast was the International Saltwater Flyfishing Expo. It all started because of a meeting with legendary saltwater fly angler Billy Pate during a visit to Cairns with his wife Jodi while they competed in the Black Marlin on Fly tournament. During the usual after fishing drinks, where anglers gather to check out tackle and discuss tactics, a competition of another kind began - dead lifting Besser bricks with fly rods. Not for the faint hearted as anyone who has blown up a rod will agree! So impressed was Pate with the performance of the then Maroochydore manufactured fly rods from McGinn, he immediately ordered two from the McGinn sponsored angler in the competition, Gavin Platz. During the following days of the tournament the two anglers struck up a friendship and the invitation to go fish for giant Tarpon in Florida was extended. After some coaxing and penny counting Gavin was off for a whirl wind trip to the United States and the opportunity of a lifetime.
Not to be compared to their small southern relatives, the Giant Tarpon that patrol the waters of the Florida Keys are in excess of 200lb and are one of the trophy fish for fly anglers. Intense preparation was the key and the learning curve experienced by Gavin in those few weeks would stay with him long after he came back to Australia.
Once again on the Sunshine Coast, Gavin was at a loss as to how to repay the generosity of this new mentor and friend – what do you give the angler that has it all? Of course! You take them fishing! Arrangements were made to have both Billy and Jodi Pate sample our Longtail Tuna fishing during the summer the following year. During one of the planning phone calls, Billy suggested his good friends Jack Samson and Cam Sigler would also probably be interested in fishing DownUnder, so soon they were being counted into the visitor list. A manufacturer of a product that at the time had not been seen here in Australia before, became aware of the plans during a fly tackle show in the USA while talking to the Siglers and he was also added to the list. Next, Kate van Gytenbeek, assistant editor with her father in the USA based magazine “Flyfishing in Saltwaters” was sent to cover this event along with freelance photographer Bryan Petersen. The list was growing rapidly and it was obvious that what began as a simple chance to go fishing would become something much bigger.
 This was made even more evident, when the Pates advised us that they were still under contract with a network crew working with ESPN and 3M and the production team would also be covering the fishing done here by the Pates. Such is their profile in the industry.
To say that events snowballed would be an understatement. Plans were made to really showcase, not just our world class fishery, but our beautiful Sunshine Coast. The final lineup of guests also included Texan large mouth bass fisherman BJ Meyers.
While going fishing was originally the intent, the build up to hosting these visitors got us thinking. Eventually we had developed a theme to promote fly fishing on a number of levels.
The Longtail Tuna Chase tournament that year saw three world records claimed (Sailfish, Mahi Mahi and Longtail Tuna) – with two additional records on Longtail Tuna claimed the day before the competition began! The fishing was great and the next week was fully booked with activities that are still talked about now by those who were there.
A fly tackle display at the Kawana Shopping Centre where distributors set up booths displaying fly rods, reels, clothing, boats, fly tying materials and tying demonstrations, got the entire community exposed! Representatives from local fish stocking associations were able to discuss with the public about the efforts being made to protect fisheries and the Saltwater Flyfishers Sunshine Coast Inc. made their presence felt by talking to passersby, providing tying demonstrations and generally sharing their enthusiasm for the sport.
A Sportsman’s Dinner saw an attendance of over 80 guests listen to stories of fly fishing in other parts of the world. One consistent comment from these overseas visitors was that we sat on a pristine, world class fishery on the Sunshine Coast and we needed to take care of it. Local identities in fishing, TV personalities, City Council members, international visitors, club members and distributors all mixed together in a spectacular evening of dinner and camaraderie.
All this was back in 1998…
We’ve come along way since then.
Nothing of the likes of this program had ever been done in this country before and so it was that the International Saltwater Flyfishing Expo continued to provide fly fishing enthusiasts with new products, fishing opportunities and a chance to foster the passion and nurture the new interest in this wonderful sport. The program stayed essentially the same from year to year - tuna competition, tackle show and dinners. The last three years the addition of casting championships, coordinated fly fishing trips to Weipa and junior development workshops ensued. Lifelong friendships have been formed with fly fishing as the common denominator and so with each year that the Expo was run, more and more opportunities for anglers, old and new alike, to benefit were available.
|
|
|
|
|
Info & Tips