LIVE REPORT – IFTD 2011 New Orleans Louisiana

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Thanks for riding along to the IFTD AFFTA Trade Show in New Orleans, Louisiana this year. This is a show for retailers to make purchases for their stores, and I have seen many familiar faces from Texas fly fishing retailers, including Greg Welander from Sportsman’s Finest in Austin, and Stephen Woodcock from Fort Worth’s Backwoods location. The show this year has, apparently, taken on a more salty flavor due to the move from the usual Denver, Colorado location, to southern digs here in New Orleans. The change in venue apparently has had little effect on the international turnout though. I’ve heard many languages and accents today, including French, Chinese, and the Brits and Aussies are here in numbers as well.

While the classic powerhouse vendors take up the lion’s share of floor space, there is plenty of room for the little guys taking their shot at selling products as unique as software for guide services, and a new company that promises to revolutionize the magnifying glasses industry with their new product. There’s edgy clothing, and you can still mix it with the classics if you’re a buyer.

Good fortunes came my way last night as well. I met media magnate Zach Matthews of Itinerant Angler fame, and Cameron Mortenson of The Fiberglass Manifesto. These are two of the many good people I have met in the last twenty-four hours, and we still have two more days of this to go!

If you are interested in any of the new products here, like the entire line of Sage ONE rods, feel free to comment, call or text me with something you would like to see.