Richard Formato

Richard Formato is an avid catch-and-release fly-fisherman from Wytheville, Va. When not on the water, he operates a small business there. Formato loves to fly-fish in his native Southwest Virginia because of the great water and wonderful people. He also loves to fish the flats and shallows of the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic whenever work and weather permit. He is on the Department of Conservation and Recreation's board of directors and is a trustee of the Shenandoah National Forest and Skyline Drive.

Recent columns

• What about Bob?
• Notes from the Charlotte Fly Show
• A chance meeting
• A wish for Jack

• Column archive
• Talk fly-fishing

This weekend is the annual Fly-Fishing and Rod Builder Show in Charlotte.

It’s at the Charlotte Convention Center, this Saturday, from 9 to 6, and from 9 to 5 on Sunday.

Why go?

For starters, there will be 24 programs on “how to” and “where to go” fishing

The show will also have an emphasis on rod building, continuous instructional fly-tying with featured tyers, casting demos, and 100 booths of vendors, guides and outfitters.

You will see the breadth and complexion of an industry that you can’t possibly see from a catalogue.

You will also see is how small an industry the fly-fishing business is.

We, as consumers, tend to think all industries are big, run by huge multi nationals, but fly-fishing is still a calling of family businesses, run by people who love the water and what’s in it -- rather than item placement and chain store slotting allowances.

Almost all fly-fishing vendors are American owned and operated. Fly-fishing purveyors have not been able to secure the mass distribution arrangements that drive our factories offshore.

Unlike the cottage industry of fly-fishing, mass marketers of spin-casting equipment have to leverage their prices downward to stay in the good graces of the chain store merchants who buy 100,000 rods on a single purchase order.

To look authentically American, the spin industry has done a masterful job of appealing to the NASCAR crowd with a decal-laden racing look to their ESPN-underwritten bass tournament. In fact, the spin industry is dominated by Chinese manufactures.

What’s weird to me is how one set of consumers will be damned if there is a Toyota in Daytona 500 while listening to the same race on a Yamaha boat, holding a Daiwa rod.

In Charlotte, you will see an industry where I am sure there are a few vendors that would secretly lust to be on Wal-Mart’s shelves, but know they will lose face and prestige by blowing off their local distribution network: the locally owned fly shop.

In Charlotte, you will meet people who know each other, as friends or by reputation.

Two of Virginia’s (and Roanoke’s) best will be featured as tyers. Blane Chockette, and Harry Steeves will be tying their signature flies.

Blane will be tying his gummy flies, which are gaining an international reputation for salt water game fish, and are considered the premier, and most pernicious, fly for bonefish in Los Roques, the archipelago off the coast of Venezuela.

Harry will be tying his famous foam terrestrials, and Harry’s patterns are deadly for trout and bass.

Can’t match the hatch? Try a Steeves orange ant. This weekend, you can see the man who invented them, tying them. That right there is worth a trip.

Both Blane and Harry are true industry stars and embody the best of fly fishing.

The other stars of the show you should you seek out are Captain Brian Horsley and his wife, fellow captain and guide Sarah Gardner. They operate out of the Outer Banks and have international renown.

Brian is crusty, hard-scrabble, direct, and one of the best salt water guides in the United States. He is also a terrific freelance writer and photographer.

If you book with Brian, don’t expect a love fest on the boat. Do expect to see fish, and be the best boat on the water that day. Fishing with either Brain or his wife Sarah, will be one of the best experiences of your life.

Take your calendar, and book them if you can.

Brian and Sarah are hot commodities during LT, and Striper season, but I would suggest getting them off-peak, because if it swims in salt water, these two know how to hook you up.

What I like about these shows are meeting the trip outfitters and getting the first-hand information on lodges. There is absolutely no substitute for meeting the lodge owner, trip outfitter guides.

So take a day and head to Charlotte.

You will see more in a few hours than you would in 1,000 Wal-Marts.

Better yet, you will be supporting some families, and some homegrown fly-fishing heroes from right here in Southwest Virginia.