Our 17th annual AMFF Fly-Fishing Festival will take place on the museum grounds in beautiful Manchester, Vermont, on Saturday, August 9, from 10 am until 4 pm, rain or shine. This is our signature event of the summer, featuring a unique collection of vendors, including painters, appraisers, industry artisans and professionals, and other angling-related nonprofits. Come enjoy fly tying and casting demonstrations, try your hand at casting vintage rods, learn how to tie a fly, and mingle with like-minded people as you share the joy of the great outdoors.
Keep visiting this page for more details!
Schedule of Events
Join us throughout the day for a wide array of activities, including presentations, competitions, and demonstrations. From beginner to seasoned angler, our experts will have something for everyone.
10:30 am: Author Peter Kaminsky reads from his book The Catch of a Lifetime in the Selch-Bakwin Fly Room
11:00 am: Casting competition, first heat
12:00 pm: Saltwater Casting Seminar with AMFF Ambassador Kyle Schaefer
1:00 pm: Meet the Artist: C.D. Clarke
1:00 pm: Casting competition, second heat
1:30 pm: Matt Smythe reads from his new book Letters to Trout Fishing in America at the pond gazebo
2:00 pm: Art Workshop with AMFF Ambassador Rachel Finn inside the museum
2:45 pm: Raffle drawing at admissions tent (entrants do not need to be present to win)
Happening all day:
Tackle appraisals with Bob Selb, Fred Kretchman, and Carmine Lisella
Casting lessons with AMFF Ambassador Kyle Schaefer
Vendors and non-profits
Fly tying demonstrations
Casting the Classics
Local food and beverage trucks
Children’s activities
Explore multiple exhibitions in the museum galleries
Music by Shannon Roy
Free museum admission all day
Festival Vendors
Browse goods from fly fishing vendors, authors, and local Vermont companies or chat with a representative from a nonprofit organization.
- The Antique Angler
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Mark Beck
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Black Bass Antiques
- Callahan and Company Booksellers
- Carlson Rod Company
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Casting for Recovery
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Peter Castagnetti
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C.D. Clarke
- Classic Fly Fisherman
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Costa
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Deli Fresh Design
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Far Hills Fish
- FD Kretchman Rod Company
- Gamekeepers Bookshelf
- Gear Haus Unlimited
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Luther Hall
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HMH Vises
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JH Becker Rodworks
- Jordan-Mills Rod Co.
- Peter Kaminsky, author of The Catch of a Lifetime
- Darrell Lee
- Richard Lodge, author of The Rise of the Neversinker: Fly Tier Rube Cross
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Barry Mayer
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Milo Fish
- Robert Moran
- Native Fish Coalition
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Pentalux Rods
- Project Healing Waters
- Rifles to Rods
- Samantha Aronson Art
- Matt Smythe, author
- Stony Creek Rods
- Stream and Brook Fly Fishing
- Sunny Brook Nets
- Taf Schaefer Designs
- Thomas and Thomas Fly Rods
- John Tompkins
- Trout Unlimited
- VK Steelworks
- VT Fish and Wildlife
- VT Trout Camp & Broadside International
- Steve Woit, author of Fly Fishing Treasures
Fly Tyers
Visit the tyers tent any time during the day to learn from some of the best.
- Kelly Bedford
- Scott Biron
- Greg Brown
- George Butts
- David Flint
- Bill Newcomb
- Paul Sinicki
- Mike Stewart
- Lisa Weiner
List in progress
Featured throughout the day:
10:30 am: Bill Newcomb tying the LaBranche Pink Lady
11:00 am: Paul Sinicki tying an Ornamental Flower
11:30 am: Kelly Bedford (pattern TBA)
12:30 pm: Dave Flint tying the Wood Duck Herrond
1:00 pm: Mike Steward tying English-style soft hackles and spiders
1:30 pm: Greg Brown tying variations of the pheasant tail
2:00 pm: George Butts tying Bucktails for Square Tails
2:30 pm: Lisa Weiner tying the March Brown Flymph
3:00 pm: Scott Biron tying the Nine-Three tandem fly as part of a live streaming event
Casting Competition
Our annual casting competition will have 3 tiers this year – Youth, Open, and, in partnership with the non-profit organization Rifles to Rods, Veterans! Participants can cast at will at any target in any sequence with unlimited false casts. Yarn ‘fly’ must land fully inside target to be awarded points. Participants cannot move the ‘fly’ once it has hit the ground.
There will be two heats this year, one at 11 am, and the other at 1 pm.
Prizes include an Orvis Helios rod, Encounter Outfit (rod, reel, line, and rod case), nets, bags and more. New this year – first and second place also receive AMFF medals!
Raffle
Buy raffle tickets for a chance to win some great prizes (including a beautiful painting by acclaimed artist George Van Hook) and support AMFF (winner need not be present!)
Food Vendors
The good folks at Cut the Pie Pizza Co. will bring their wood-fired pizza to the festival this year.
Smugglers’ Notch Distillery has been making award-winning spirits since its founding in 2006. Sample some of their best bourbons, gins, rum, rye, vodkas, and liqueurs.
Sexy Llama Roasters is once again bringing their mobile espresso bar offerings of single-origin, high quality, ethical caffeinated goodness to the festival
A Ben & Jerry’s cart will bring frozen goodness that’ll satisfy any summer sweet tooth.
The good folks at Mount Holly Beer Co. will make their Fly-Fishing Festival debut, adding their Vermont-brewed single origin lager bier and hazy IPA to our food and beverages offerings.
Makers of barrel-aged gin and whiskey, Stonecutter Spirits will be here with samples of their award-winning creations.
By using only local and organic resources, implementing traditional and natural fermentation techniques, and taking part in the entire process from start (grafting and planting the trees) to finish (drinking the cider), Watson Wheeler Cider aims to deliver a superior and authentic craft cider that reflects the terroir and history of our region in the southern Green Mountains.
Live Music
Shannon Roy will once again bring her unique mix of music to the festival, covering songs and artists ranging from the 60s to present day hits, as well as a few originals for good measure.
Thank You to Our Sponsors
Support from our sponsors has made the Fly-Fishing Festival our most popular event.
Event Sponsors
