Virginia Fly Fishing Festival Breaks Attendance Record

The recently held 15th Annual Virginia Fly Fishing & Wine Festival drew record crowds. “Clearly we are really resonating with the general public, many of whom no little to nothing about fly fishing—and that is great for the industry,” says festival director said Beau Beasley.

Read more in the press release below.

Virginia Fly Fishing Festival Breaks Attendance Record   

Waynesboro, VA: April 11 and 12 marked the 15th Annual Virginia Fly Fishing & Wine Festival (VFFF), which drew nearly 2,000 participants—young and old alike—from across the Mid-Atlantic. Held outside under a series of tents along the banks of the South River, the festival is the only one of its kind in the country. The event, conceived as a way to draw tourists to the area, has grown steadily year after year. Major sponsors for this year’s festival included TFO, Orvis, TU, and the Recreational Boatin & Fishing Foundation.

“We were thrilled with the turnout,” said Beau Beasley, author of Fly Fishing Virginia and the director of the festival. “We’ve seen steady growth each of the past several years, but this year it was over the top. The great weather certainly played a factor, but I think that our unique programs and free hands-on instruction are a draw. Clearly we are really resonating with the general public, many of whom no little to nothing about fly fishing—and that is great for the industry.”

This year’s all-new Family Fly Fishing Classes (3FC), sponsored by the Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation as part of their Take Me Fishing™ campaign, were an enormous expansion for the festival. “The free fly casting and fly tying instructional classes were geared toward young families and children in particular,” said Beasley, “and they were hugely successful.”

Beasley was quick to point to the event’s many sponsors and volunteers as the secret to its resounding and continuing success. “We couldn’t have offered the 3FC classes without the generous support of the Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation, and the commitment of our great volunteer support base, including members of the Trout Unlimited Tri-State Conservation & Fishing Camp, volunteers of the Project Healing Waters programs from Fort Belvoir and Quantico, and folks from the Boy Scouts of America.”

In addition to the brand-new children’s program, Orvis held several of their Fly Fishing 101 classes, and Temple Fork Outfitters offered walk-up casting instruction. Members of Trout Unlimited, the festival’s official Conservation Sponsor, educated attendees on the importance of protecting the region’s coldwater fisheries and on their acclaimed Trout in the Classroom program. The festival’s “Women in Fly Fishing” forum saw nearly 50 attendees on Saturday alone.

Festival sponsor Flymen Fishing Company created a short video about the 15th Annual Virginia Fly Fishing Festival www.vaflyfishingfestival.org; check it out on YouTube.