2025 Expo

Hello all!

Just a final reminder of our Expo tomorrow, along with a couple important mentions:

Aside from the vendors, rod companies and food in the tents outside, on the second floor you'll find Maine camps, vendors, organizations, authors & artists. Additionally, bamboo, fly and conventional tackle appraisers will be located in a separate room past the stairs on the same floor as the shop.

Please note that the Expo starts at 9 am. Although we normally open at 8 am on Saturdays, the vendors (etc) need time in the morning to set up their tables and wares.

As we mentioned, this is a rain or shine or nasty nor'easter event; we look forward to seeing you all then!

(Original announcement below.)

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We cordially invite you all to our 19th Annual Fly Fishing Expo on Saturday, March 29th, 2025, 9:00 am till 4:00 pm here at Eldredge Bros. Fly Shop. All of us here look forward to seeing you at this festive event, rain or shine. We are really excited at how much the Expo has grown over the years!

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Free Fly Line
With a purchase of over $600.00 during the event you will receive a free fly line of your choice (sale items not included).

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Rifles to Rods
RTR Freshwater program directors Joe Cresta and Greg Fowle will be here representing this veteran’s group that devotes itself to the transition, recovery and wellbeing of veterans. They use fishing as a therapeutic outlet to aid veterans with their transition back into society.

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Test Cast Hundreds of Fly Rods
We'll have a large casting area alongside a huge tent under which will be a diverse display of fly rods manned by reps or pros from Scott, Winston, Echo, and Redington. They will have fly rods set up and ready to compare and test cast at your leisure. We will also have reps here from Hatch, Fishpond, Nautilus, HMH Vises and Regal Vises. Look below for more details on casting your way into a raffle.

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Bamboo Rod Builder
Fred Kretchman of F. D. Kretchman Rod Co. will be here demonstrating some of the intricacies involved in crafting bamboo fly rods. This includes splitting cane, preparing nodes and strips, tapering strips, gluing strips together, straightening sections, and mounting guides and other hardware. He will bring both raw materials and rod sections in various stages of completion as well as some equipment, including the Morgan Hand Mill. In addition to demonstrating the bamboo rod building process he will have completed rods on display and some vintage rods -- some of which will be for sale. We have a cane cabinet in our store which is dedicated to displaying bamboo fly rods built by Fred. At this moment we have several of Fred's exquisitely crafted cane rods in stock.

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Professional Fly Tying Demo
We will have professional fly tyers Scott Biron, Andrew Doherty and Kent Bartley here tying some really fishy flies.

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Cast to Win Prizes From Winston, Scott, Redington and Echo
If you test cast any fly rod, the representative from that rod company will give you a ticket to put in that company's bucket. Soon after the Expo we will be drawing a winner from each company's bucket for the following items:

• Scott: Cast any Scott fly rod to enter a raffle for a Scott Session fly rod of the winner's choice. $695.00 value.
• Redington: Cast any Redington fly rod to enter a raffle to win a Redington EDC “Every Day Carry” fly rod of the winner's choice. $349.99 value.
• Echo: Cast any Echo fly rod to enter a raffle for an Echo Boost fly rod of the winner's choice. $299.00 value.
• Winston: Cast any Winston fly rod to enter a raffle for a Winston Air 2 9' 6-wt fly rod. $1,195 value. 

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Hatch Fly Reels
Crosby Beane from AC Beane Outdoors will be here representing Hatch Reels & Fishpond USA. Visit his table and enter a raffle to win a Hatch 7+ Iconic mid-arbor reel in clear/red. $815.00 value.

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HMH Vises (located upstairs)
Owner of HMH Vises Jon Larrabee, will be here with a display of his vises. Fly tyer Scott Biron will be tying at the HMH table. Visit his table and enter a raffle to win an HMH Deluxe Tool Kit with waxed canvas tool roll. $197.00 value.

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Simms
Simms will be here. Check out their stuff and enter a raffle to win a Pro Wading Staff, Taco Bag, River Kit Tote, and a Tailwind Rod/Reel Vault. $590 value.

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Fishpond
Try on a Fishpond pack and enter a raffle to win a Shadowcast Camo Nomad Yampa hand net, a small Thunderhead Submersible Lumbar Pack, and a Brookie Lightweight Cap. $370 value.
Buy $99 of Fishpond gear and get a free Tacky Fly Box.
Buy $149 of Fishpond gear and and get a free Thunderhead Roll Top Dry Bag.

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Sebago Chapter of Trout Unlimited (located upstairs)
Visit the Sebago Chapter of TU table and learn about all of the great projects they are involved in.

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Book Signing by Author Leslie Hilyard (located upstairs)
Leslie Hilyard will be here signing his book Herbert L. Welch: Black Ghosts and Art in a Maine Guide's Wilderness. Leslie is also the coauthor with his late father Graydon, of Carrie G. Stevens: Maker of Rangeley Favorite Trout and Salmon Flies. He is a leading scholar of Maine fly fishing and fly tying history. Leslie is also an expert fly tyer, specializing in Welch and Carrie Stevens patterns from the Rangeley Region of Maine.

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Artist Alex Poland / AL Poland Art (located upstairs)
Alex is an exceptionally talented artist. He is also a fly fisherman, a Registered Maine Guide and he owns and rents yurts in a yurt village that he built near Bethel Maine. Stop by Alex’s booth to check out his art and enter a raffle to win one of his Hex paintings. $450.00 value.

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Book Signing by Author John L. Field (located upstairs)
John Field is an FFI Master Casting Instructor and author of three books: Fly-Casting Finesse, ACA’s Beginner’s Guide to Fly Casting and Fly Fishing for Trophy Striped Bass. John’s articles have been published in Fly Fisherman Magazine, Tail Fly Fishing Magazine, Midcurrent, Canadian Sportfishing Magazine and several others. John was a co-producer and cameraman for Larry Dahlberg Productions for Larry’s show Hunt for Big Fish on ESPN. John has served as president of the American Casting Association and president of the New York Chapter of Trout Unlimited.

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Door Prizes
We will draw several names, and each will win one of the following:

• $50.00 gift certificates for Eldredge Bros. Fly Shop.
• All of the flies tied by Kent Bartley during the Expo in an Eldredge Bros. fly box.
• All of the flies tied by Andrew Doherty during the Expo in an Eldredge Bros. fly box.

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Maine Sporting Camps (located upstairs)
Bradford Camps, Libby Camps, and Lakewood Camps offer some of the best fishing opportunities that can be found in Maine. Trout live in beautiful places and that's where these camps are located. Each camp is offering a free raffle for a stay at their beautiful camps:

• Libby Camps: Free lodging for two people for two nights during fishing season, with meals and boat/motor. $1,200.00 value. http://www.libbycamps.com/
• Bradford Camps: A three night, two person trip into their rustic cabin on Reed Pond, including flight in and out from Bradford Camps. BYO food and sleeping bags. $1350 value. http://www.bradfordcamps.com/
• Lakewood Camps: Free Lodging for two anglers for two days/three Nights, with meals. $1,680 value. http://www.lakewoodcamps.com

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Free Antique Tackle Appraisals (located in back room)
Jeff Knapp, Eric Thorenson and Danny Leroux will be the experts on hand appraising old bamboo fly rods, old plugs or just about any old fishing tackle. If you've got an old cane rod or just anything fishing related that's old, bring it by -- you might be sitting on a gold mine, or you may have something with a very interesting history.

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Flies For Kids (FFK) Raffle
We sell raffle tickets for FFK year-round, and the day of our Expo we will have them for sale. The prize is a bunch of Cliff Bugger Beast fly boxes and Eldredge Bros. fly boxes stuffed full of flies tied for many species of fish, donated by generous tyers from all over the USA. The proceeds raised in this raffle go towards purchasing fly tying kits from Wapsi, which will be handed out free to kids who show an interest in learning to tie flies. Tickets are $10.00 per chance and the lucky winner takes all.

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Free Food
Great Bay Trout Unlimited will be the chefs on hand; they will have the grills fired up and be serving free hot dogs, hamburgers, cheeseburgers, veggie burgers, soda, and coffee all day long to anyone with an appetite. There will be free breakfast sandwiches for those who get here early. All food is provided by Eldredge Bros. Fly Shop.

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This is a "RAIN OR SHINE OR SNOW OR HAIL OR WICKED NASTY NOREASTER" event. As we've seen from previous events there is no weather that can stop a hardy New Englander from following their passion and we will not let it stop us from holding this event. Don't forget to bring your foul weather gear so you can still cast rods comfortably if it's sleeting sideways. March 29th, 2025 from 9:00 am till 4:00 pm here at our Fly Shop. The address is below or you can e-mail or call the shop for directions.