The FFF Florida conclave held at Celebration should be considered a success. I had a very good time talking to vendors, old friends and trying out different products. I am sure that there are a few more FFF casting instructors who passed the exam. The only problem was that Saturday’s weather was so nice that we should have all been out fishing.
I cast Sage’s new Xi3 fly rod. It is a fast action saltwater rod that is an improved version of the Xi2. It casts great, it looks great and the lighter weight of the rod is impressive. I also cast the Sage TCX. WOW! It is very light and very fast. I cast it along with the Xi3 and last years “fast” TCR. The TCX in my opinion wins hands down. The rod has the power to cast well over 100 feet of line and also cast 40 and 50 feet with little effort at all. Buying a TCX will cause you to retire all of your other rods.
I was also shown a 2010 model Tibor matte finished reel that is made exclusively for “The Backcountry Fly Shop” of Vero Beach Florida. Captain Eric Davis displayed the Gulfstream model matte Tibor. The reels will be limited to 100 each of the models Everglades, Riptide and Gulfstream. They have a red handle and can have different fish engraved on each model. Perfection can only be changed slightly.
I also visited with Captain Scott Hamilton of Stuart and Russ Hampton as they created amazing salt water flies. According to Scott, “91 species have been fooled” by the creation I watched him tie. It was a synthetic version of the “Deceiver pattern.” Russ was tying more flies for his next offshore trip to Mexico. He is truly an expert in rigging and tying flies planned to catch Sailfish. They are so good that his outings are called “Catching Trips.”
The highlight of the day was a “Tarpon Symposium” with Tarpon experts Bill Bishop, David Olson, Mark Hatter, Captains Pete Greenan, Leo Henriques and Frank Catino. The room was packed and all of our Tarpon catching questions were answered. The opportunity to listen was as they say “priceless.”
Overall the day was very enjoyable. The event was well planned and anyone who attended should have had a great time. Thanks to all the vendors for being there.
