Annual fly fishing expo returns to Idaho Falls next weekend

IDAHO FALLS — The 29th Annual East Idaho Fly Tying Expo will return to Idaho Falls’ Mountain America Center this month, once again looking to raise money for conservation efforts.

The event, organized and hosted by the Snake River Cutthroats — the local chapter of the nonprofit organization Trout Unlimited — will offer various activities, attractions and workshops.

“This is our annual fundraiser,” said spokesman Dave Pace. “This is where we make our money … and all the money we make on this show, we use to fund our conservation projects and our education projects throughout the year.”

This year’s two-day expo will run Friday and Saturday, Feb. 14 and 15, and is admission-free.

As with years past, there will be vendors, workshops, classes, and youth activities. This year, though, there will be even more than ever, according to Pace.

With some 20 new vendors — 64 altogether — the expo will span nearly the entire Mountain America Center arena, concourse and Blue Cross Conference Center.

“We started out just using the arena area, then last year we added a couple vendors out on the concourse,” Pace said. “This year, we’re taking up about two-thirds of the concourse with vendors.”

The event, Pace said, is perfect for anyone who has never tried fly fishing before — with beginner workshops, including those for women-only and youth-teaching-youth — or the experienced fly fishers searching for new gear. And with a casting pond inside the arena, shoppers will be able to try out the new rod before they make a purchase.

Because the event is a fundraiser, some attractions will require a fee. The workshops, which offer lessons in small groups — usually 10 students per instructor — are among them.

But one event Pace is very excited about is the International Fly Fishing Film Festival, which will include a number of short films on fly fishing. The film festival will be held Friday beginning at 7 p.m. inside the Blue Cross Conference Center (which is inside the Mountain America Center). Admission to the film festival is $15.

There will also be raffles and a live auction. But donations to the Snake River Cutthroats’ conversation work can also be made on the organization’s website — here.

Members of multiple organizations, including the Snake River Cutthroats, stand on a newly constructed bridge. | Facebook

For more than 30 years, the Snake River Cutthroats have been involved in the care and maintenance of fisheries across eastern Idaho. Last year, money raised at the Fly Tying Expo went, among other projects, the construction of four ATV bridges at Rainey Creek, an area the organization has been working on for quite some time, Pace said.

“More recently, we’re working closer to home,” he said. “Rainey Creek has been a project of ours for close to 15 to 20 years. … Even though it’s the biggest tributary (to the South Fork), it’s the least-used. So it’s a big potential there that we’ve been trying to get opened back up. It’s been a hassle, but we’re still working on it.”

With around 60 members from multiple organizations, they built the bridges to eliminate the use of stream-crossings, which contributed to damage and sediment brought to the area.

The organization is also involved in yearly stream, river and roadside cleanings, all of which are funded through money made at the expo.

For more information about the Snake River Cutthroats, including how you can donate your time, visit their website or Facebook page here.

For further information about the expo, visit its website or Facebook page.