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Denver Fly Fishing Show 2019

January 6, 20198 CommentsEventsBy Jason Klass

Jason Klass, Graham Moran, and Dennis Vander Houwen

As I do every year, I attended the Denver Fly Fishing Show today and as it is every year, the best part about it wasn’t the gear–it was the people. I go to reconnect with fellow fly fishers I haven’t seen in a while, to trade lies, and exchange ideas. And so, here is my annual recap of the show–with a tenkara slant of course!

This year, I went with my friend Dennis Vander Houwen. If you’ve read TenkaraTalk for any length of time, you’ll recognize the name as I mention him frequently. He’s my tenkara partner-in-crime and touring the show without him would be like a movie with Abbot and no Costello (though I’m not sure who would be which). He’s a consummate tenkara angler, philosopher, Renaissance man, and magician (no, really!). If you haven’t read his blog Tenkara Path, you’re missing out on some of the most insightful writing on tenkara, simplicity, and mindfulness in modern life.
Jason Klass and Dennis Vander Houwen

Tenkara USA

My first stop was at the Tenkara USA booth. Every year, their crew grows and it was great to see the familiar faces of Daniel, John, and TJ again, plus some new faces. Here are some general impressions founder Daniel Galhardo had on this year’s show …

I also got to meet two new members of the Tenkara USA team: Faith and Jeremy. Jeremy is TUSA’s graphic designer and is responsible for all of the elegant art you see–everything from trade show booths to packaging to T-shirts. I got a chance to visit with him for a moment and tap into the mind behind Tenkara USA’s unique and avant-garde branding …

Jeremy was kind enough to gift me a gorgeous autographed print which will soon adorn a wall next to my fly tying desk.
Jeremy Shellhorn Tenkara Art
Dennis also snagged a few of Jeremy’s prints …
Dennis Vander Houwen
If you’re interested in Jeremy’s art, check out his website here.
Here’s the 2019 Tenkara USA team. Faith, Daniel, TJ, and Jeremy. John was out to lunch …
Tenkara USA at the Denver Fly Fishing Show
… but I caught up with him later …
Jason Klass and John Geer
It was great to catch up a little with my old friend Daniel. Ironically, we used to see each other more when he lived in California than we do now that he lives here in Colorado, but we’re planning on hitting the stream soon.
Jason Klass and Daniel GalhardoThere was a running joke that the light above the picture of Daniel on the TUSA booth made it look like there was a halo over his head. So, of course, I couldn’t resist ..

Is Daniel really “from heaven”? We may never know.

As usual, they had gear for sale and a raffle for a free rod.
Tenkara USA at the Denver Fly Fishing Show

Karin Miller from Zen Tenkara even swung by the TUSA booth to say hi. I love it when competitors in the tenkara industry see themselves as comrades rather than rivals. It sure didn’t used to be that way.
Karin Miller at the Tenkara USA Booth

Zen Tenkara

Speaking of Karin, I also got to spend some at her booth and get some video of her explaining a little-known innovation she’s making with her rods: interchangeable tips …

She also gave a great presentation on fishing for big game with a fixed-line rod, explaining tackle, flies, and demonstrating landing techniques for salmon and saltwater species.
Karin Miller at the Fly Fishing ShowWith all the “me too” copycat tenkara companies out there, I admire companies like Zen Tenkara that are exploring new avenues for what can be done with a fixed-line rod and shattering boundaries. She also sold a ton of gear at the booth including her entire rod lineup, flies, chest packs, wooden line spools and more …
Zen Tenkara at the Fly Fishing Show

Zen Tenkara at the Fly Fishing Show

Zen Tenkara at the Fly Fishing Show

https://jeremyshellhorn.com/Design

John Gierach

Outside the main entrance to the show and just to the right of the door, there’s a little wall that’s just the right height for sitting on to rest your trade-show-weary feet and, more importantly, an ashtray. And every year, I slip outside for a cigarette only to find none other than John Gierach sitting there–in my spot–almost as if he’s waiting for me. I’m at the age now where I can engage with him on a curmudgeon level and we had a deep discussion about the lack of innovation in the fly fishing industry. I wish I had pulled out my camera sooner, but here is just a little taste of what we groaned about. My favorite moment is at 01:52 …

Most of my copies of John’s books are on my iPad, but I did have one hard copy of “Sex, Death, and Fly Fishing” that I brought with me to get signed …
Autographed John Gierach BookI literally talk to John once a year for about 15 minutes, but those few moments are special to me and the day when I slip out to my smoking spot to see that he isn’t there will be a sad day indeed.

Dave Burchett & Colorado’s Finest Fly Tying Benches

Probably one of the booths I look forward to most every year is Finest Fly Tying Benches of Colorado. They make some of the most unique wooden fly boxes and tying benches I’ve ever seen and I love to fondle the fine craftwork of his one-of-a-king masterpieces. The owner, Dave Burchett and I go back a long, long way. He used to make tenkara-specific fly boxes for me years ago when I had my own online tenkara shop. And since then, he’s kept the momentum going with ever-more intricate fly box and tenkara rod case designs. Here are just a few …

And if that didn’t make you drool, here is some more porn …
Wooden Tenkara Boxes at the Fly Fishing Show

Wooden Tenkara Boxes at the Fly Fishing Show

Wooden Tenkara Boxes at the Fly Fishing Show

Wooden Tenkara Boxes at the Fly Fishing Show

Wooden Tenkara Boxes at the Fly Fishing Show

Wooden TenkaraRod Cases at the Fly Fishing Show

Joe Egry

Another staple that I always visit is my friend Joe Egry, predictably seated in his same spot in “Tyer’s Alley”. He’s well-known in the tenkara community for his tenkara flies, but he also offers conventional saltwater flies, nymphs, dries, and custom flies on his site Dragon Fly Fishing.
Tenkara Tying at the Fly Fishing ShowJoe was an early adopter of tenkara and another long-time friend I don’t get to see enough of. If you’re in the right circles, you’ll see him at various fly-tying events around colorado and in the tenkara Facebook groups. Here’s one of his sakasa kebari using a hook he fashioned from his wife’s sewing needle …
Tenkara Fly at the Fly Fishing Show

TenkaraTalk Fans

Now, I know what you’re thinking … “Surely, someone like Jason Klass can’t walk around a show like this without being mobbed by adoring fans begging for autographs and pearls of wisdom from his vast tenkara experience.” And you’d be right if by “mobbed” you meant exactly one fan, and by “begging for pearls of wisdom”, you meant that one person saying, “hey, are you Jason Klass?” I was “recognized” by TenkaraTalk reader Troy Woods and we had an interesting conversation about tenkara gear and techniques. He had just picked up a new Zen Tenkara rod from Karin’s booth after being happy with his Suzume and it was great to see his passion and enthusiasm for tenkara in real life after only knowing him online. Quality over quantity, right?
TenkaraTalk FanI slipped him a few TenkaraTalk stickers and we conspired to hit the water in the near future.

Takeaways from the 2019 Show

For the most part, it was the same as other years. I used to think this was a bad thing, but now, I actually look forward to the predictability. It’s nice to know Joe will always be behind his vice against the back wall. John will always be sitting in my smoking spot looking devilishly pensive. Daniel will always draw a rockstar crowd at the casting pond with his demos.

I gave up on any hope of seeing anything groundbreaking from the exhibitors themselves long ago. There is so little innovation in the fly fishing industry right now that anything that even comes close to innovation is really just gimmick. So I don’t look forward to seeing anything new anymore–in fact, I look forward to seeing the old. The people. And exchanging philosophies, exaggerations, and lies. That’s what anglers are supposed to do, right?

It’s really the people that make this show great. So if you haven’t been to one, I highly recommend you check and see if The Fly Fishing Show comes to a town near you. It’s a great place to meet new people, make soon-to-be old friends, and even pick up a deal or two on some gear. And if you’re in Denver, I’ll see you at next year’s show!

The old tenkara gang re-banded: Jason Klass, Dennis Vander Houwen, Graham Moran, and Karin Miller …
Jason Klass, Dennis Vander Houwen, Graham Moran, and Karin Miller

tenkaratenkara at the fly fishing show
About the author

Jason Klass

Jason is an avid fly angler and backpacker. As a former fly fishing guide originally from Western New York, he moved to Colorado and became an early adopter of tenkara which perfectly suited the small, high altitude streams and lakes there. He has not fished a Western-style fly rod for trout since.

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8 Comments
  1. January 7, 2019 at 12:50 am
    Stephen

    The Denver 2019 Fly Fishing Show looks like it was a lot of fun. As far as I know we dont have anything remotely like it here in Australia. The last fishing show I went to here many decades ago was was Fishing and BIG BOATS!! Almost the opposite of tenkara! I unashamedly drooled when I saw those lovely engraved boxes.
    Thanks for showing the event to those of us that didn’t have the opportunity or good fortune to attend,
    Cheers,
    Steve.

  2. January 7, 2019 at 8:45 am
    Chris Schatte

    Smile every now and then. You always look like your plotting a dastardly deed instead of enjoying life.

  3. January 7, 2019 at 1:00 pm
    Jason Klass

    Just because I don’t always smile in pictures doesn’t mean I’m not enjoying life. I had a blast at the show. And if you watch the videos you’ll see I’m laughing and smiling. Of course, that doesn’t mean I’m not also planning a dastardly deed. ?

  4. January 7, 2019 at 8:29 pm
    Chris Schatte

    Ha! Just had to say that man…
    Have a great day tomorrow!

  5. January 7, 2019 at 9:09 pm
    Troy Woods

    Hi, Jason. It was a pleasure meeting you at the 2019 Denver Fly Fishing show in person. I truly enjoyed our Tenkara conversations. Thank you for including me in your show article on the website. Tenkara Talk is a truly fantastic website in which I have gained a lot of knowledge and insightful information from. Keep up the great work. It was also great speaking with Daniel from Tenkara USA and Karin from Zen Tenkara. Both Tenkara USA and Zen Tenkara have truly amazing products and great service. I look forward meeting you again and hopefully doing some fishing. Thank you. Troy Woods from Aurora, CO.

  6. January 8, 2019 at 9:04 am
    Rob Durham

    Thanks Jason,
    For those of us who can not make it to the show your reporting is great. Next best thing to being there.
    Rob

  7. January 9, 2019 at 5:15 am
    Martin

    Finally was able to open the blog at 0500. Must not be many people on the system this early. Great post! Thanks for sharing. Hope to meet you in July at TUSA.

  8. January 10, 2019 at 12:27 pm
    Charles Phelps

    …Please continue to do whatever you like with your facial muscles.

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About Me

Jason Klass is a former fly fishing guide & casting instructor based in Colorado. He was an early adopter of tenkara in the West and has been fishing the method for a variety of species since 2009. Read more >>

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