Date: April 19th , 2008 | Time: 11 AM to 12 PM
Store: TCO Fly Shop Bryn Mawr, PA
Fee: Free

My father used to take me flounder fishing in the bay behind Avalon, NJ, starting when I was seven. By ten years old I was exploring Mill Creek with a net and fishing rod. My first fly fishing experience was at a pond near Cherry Lane, with my grandfather’s fly rod and flies I purchased from Mr. Eyeler’s shop in Ardmore.

Now, my appetite for adventure takes me north to Alaska and south to Chile. For the last seven years I have been helping selected fishing lodges market to east coast fly fishermen. One of my passions is steelhead and I have developed my own trip using a sixty foot vessel for accessibility and convenience in Southeast Alaska. Big fish that jump excite me. Helping others catch fish brings me as much satisfaction as catching them myself.

Bill fish on a fly rod sounds like a mismatch, but it can be a tremendous amount of fun. Patience and finesse are the ingredients to successfully hooking, fighting and releasing sailfish on a fly. In my presentation I will discuss every aspect from equipment to strategy when pursuing bill fish with fly tackle. We will simulate a step by step scenario of how a new student will cast, set the hook and successfully fight a sailfish. You will examine my TFO heavy duty blue water fly rod with an Abel Super 13 large arbor fly reel. IFGA rules require a maximum twenty pound tippet, and I will show you the knots. You will examine a sailfish fly while I show you some impressive photography of sailfish taking the fly up close. Please join me for a lively discussion of fly fishing on the edge! - Austin Hepburn