For those not in the know, casting may very well seem the soul of fly fishing. Rhythmic and mesmerizing with a sense of art yet purpose, it draws us like trout to fly.
But because there seemingly is an art – a symmetry – to it, there can be a sense of anxiety and intimidation for fly-fishing wannabes.
A rite of spring in area fly-fishing circles is trying to remedy that – to educate those not in the know, while also providing value to fly anglers of all skill levels.
And to give something back.
The Duranglers fly-fishing shop on Main Avenue in Durango will host the annual Duranglers Fly Fishing Festival this weekend. It kicks off with a social and presentation Friday at the DoubleTree Hotel in Durango, followed by a full day of activities Saturday.
Most of the action is at Duranglers on Saturday morning. But casting demos over three hours at Santa Rita Park on the Animas River on the south edge of town promise to be the biggest draw.
There, veteran fly fishermen and industry reps Erik Johnson and Frank Smethurst will provide casting tips and demos of a wide variety of single- and two-handed rods.
“It’s a locals event. People come from the surrounding communities, but they’re mostly local. It’s locals appreciation,” said Tom Knopick, who has owned and operated Duranglers with John Flick since 1983. “And it provides valuable education. Hopefully our customers will feel they got something of value. It’s a great opportunity to get to know us, to learn a lot and get hands-on experience and meet fly-fishing experts. There will be people who show up and maybe have never fly-fished before and those who have. There will be value for everyone.
“A lot of fly-fishing shops do a spring event,” added Knopick, who said this is the fifth annual festival. “Spring is when people are itching to get outdoors – spring fever. We have year-round fishing here, but spring is when they get the itch. It’s a nice time to have an event.”
Following a social from 6:30-7 p.m. Friday, former Durangoan Jamie Allen will kick off the festival with a presentation – “Transitioning from freshwater to saltwater” – from 7-8:30 p.m. at the DoubleTree’s Animas Room. Allen moved from Durango to Florida to realize his dream of becoming a saltwater fly-fishing guide.
Saturday morning at Duranglers, Scott Harkins, a sales rep for Simms fly fishing gear and apparel, will present “Dress for success: Layer for all seasons” from 8:30-9:15, followed by Patagonia rep Dave Allen’s “Patagonia packs, bags and wading boots” from 9:30-10:15 a.m.
Then it’s on to Santa Rita Park, with Johnson’s “Advanced casting for saltwater and big game species” from 11 a.m. to noon, “Lunch on Duranglers” – catered lunch and conversation with Allen – at noon and “Casting with Erik and Frank” from noon to 2 p.m.
“The first few programs will be in the shop, then we like to have outdoors stuff – at Santa Rita Park: How to get more out of the rod, casting, tricks (Johnson) will talk about,” Knopick said. “And he’ll have all the rods available to cast. Probably 40 to 50 of them. And with Frank (Smethurst), rods will be available for anyone to cast and he’ll be there to give casting instruction. Two hours to play around.”
The festival then heads back to Duranglers, with Smethurst leading “Precision rigging for Southwest Colorado” from 2:30-3:30 p.m., and the grand-prize drawing at 4 p.m. – for a free guided float trip with Duranglers on the Rio Grande.
A number of door prizes, giveaways and store specials also are in the mix, and the first 30 people at Duranglers on Saturday morning each get a “free bag of swag.” Doors open at 8 a.m.
A popular conclusion to the festival has been the Fly Fishing Film Tour, which has been held in conjunction with the festival the last four years or so, Knopick said, and features short fly-fishing films. Showings are at 4 and 8 p.m. Saturday at the Durango Arts Center, Knopick said, and tickets are $13 and may be purchased at Duranglers.