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Proposed 2025 Festival Schedule of Events Friday January 10th (check back for final schedule)
Beyond the Cast Women’s Fly Fishing Symposium (Held at the Meadow Pavillion)
7:30-8 Stephanie Vatalaro Sign-In and Welcome
8-8:50 Jen Ripple History of Women in Fly Fishing
9-9:50 Tom Rosenbauer Prospecting for Trout: Fishing When There Is No Hatch
10-10:50 Julie Mattson Rigging: The Ins and Outs
11-11:50 Ashley Wilmot Understand Bags, Packs, and Other Gear
12-12:50 Ripple/Hoffman Industry Leader Panel Discussion and Lunch
1-1:45 Freeman/Mattson Bugs 101/Basic Casting
2-2:45 Freeman/Mattson Bugs 101/Basic Casting
3-3:50 Tyler Wind Wine Tasting 101
Rapidan River Lecture Area
10:30-11:50 Callie Freeman Bugs 101
12-12:50 Jamie Aponte Fishing for Peacock Bass
1-1:50 Scott Allen FFI’s Casting Development Program
2-2:50 Shannon Young The History of Fly Fishing in the Great Smoky Mountains
3-3:50 Jen Ripple How to Become an Independent Angler
4-4:50 Luong Tam From Zero to Hero with Tenkara
Specialty Instruction Lecture Area
10:30-11:50 Jake Villwock Advance Tactics for Smallmouth Bass [FEE]
12-1:20 Captain Gary Dubiel Advanced Tactics for Reds and Speckled Trout [FEE]
1:30-2:55 Josh Miller Fishing Hopper Dropper Rigs Effectively [FEE]
3-4:30 Tom Rosenbauer Reading the Water [FEE]
4:30-5:30 Bob Lindquist Fishing New York’s Delaware River
James River Lecture Area
10:30-11:50 Allen Rupp Advanced Saltwater Fly Tying Techniques [FEE]
12-1:20 Beasley/Hardy Badass & Bourbon [FEE]
1:30-2:50 Jackson/Rowley An Insider’s Guide to Tying Deer Hair Bass Bugs [FEE]
3-4:30 Jim Bensinger Beginner Fly Tying [FEE]
Shenandoah River Lecture Area
10:30-11:50 Tom Rosenbauer Hatch Strategies: More Than Just Choosing a Fly [FEE]
12-12:50 Cory Routh Chasing Golden Dorado
1-1:50 Tom Rosenbauer Prospecting for Trout: Fishing When There Is No Hatch
2-2:50 Captain Gary Dubiel Taking on North Carolina’s Neuse River
3-3:50 Chris Thompson Fishing for Albies off the North Carolina Coast
4-4:50 Tim Urtiaga Landing Pike on the Fly
New River Lecture Area
10-10:50 Josh Miller Insider’s Guide to Euro Nymphing
11-11:50 Colby Trow Fly Fishing the Shenandoah Valley
12-12:50 Mike Heck Learning to Fish Spring Creeks the Easy Way
1-1:50 Wayne McGee Discovering Alaska’s Fabled Alagnak River
2-2:50 Jake Villwock Staying Ahead of Changing Conditions
3-3:50 Cilla Johnson All About Fishing from a Kayak
4-4:50 Austin Conrad All About Musky on the Fly
Author’s Booth
11-11:50 Josh Miller
12-12:50
1-1:50 Beau Beasley
2-2:50 Tom Rosenbauer
3-3:50 Jake Villwock
Paid Casting Classes [Paid Casting Classes Area B]
10:30-12 Mark Signorino Beginner Casting Instruction
11:15-12:45
1-2:30 Julie Mattson Intermediate to Advanced Casting Instruction
4-5:30
Free Casting Classes Area A
10:30-11:30 FFI Instructors Co-Ed Casting Class
--meets at FFI-Chesapeake Council booth before moving to Casting Area A
12-1:30 Open Casting- Fly Casting Skills Development Assessment
3-4 FFI Instructors Co-Ed Casting Class
--meets at FFI-Chesapeake Council booth before moving to Casting Area A
Casting Pond 1
9:30-10 Jake Villwock Casting Demo
1:30-2 Luong Tam Tenkara Demo
3:30-4:15 Mark Signorino Casting Demo
Casting Pond 2
10-10:30 Captain Gary Dubiel Casting Demo
1:15-1:45 Scott Allen Casting Demo
4-4:30 Josh Miller Euro Nymphing Demo
Featured Fly Tyers
10:30-11:25 Allen Rupp Whitlock’s Near Nuff Crayfish
11:30-12:25 Steve Maldonado Jungle Junkie
12:30-1:25 Joe Jackson Deer Hair Bass Bugs
1:30-2:35 Bob Lindquist Briny Muddler
2:30-3:25 Troy Basso Troy’s Dock Light Dancer
3:30-4:25 Gary Dubiel Lil’haden
4:30-5:25 Jake Villwock Freeze Dried Sculpin XL
2025 Festival Schedule of Events Saturday January 11th,
Rapidan River Lecture Area
10-10:50 Julie Mattson Understanding Competitive Fly Fishing
11-11:50 Beau Beasley Who Owns the River: Determining Public Access
12-12:50 Cilla Johnson All About Fishing from a Kayak
1-1:50 Jamie Aponte Fishing for Peacock Bass
2-2:50 Jen Ripple How to Become an Independent Angler
3-3:50 Reid Parker Taking on Bowfin and Snakehead
Specialty Instruction Lecture Area
9:30-10:50 Captain Gary Dubiel Advanced Tactics for Reds and Speckled Trout [FEE]
11-12:30 Tom Rosenbauer Hatch Strategies: More Than Just Choosing a Fly [FEE]
1-2:30 Tom Rosenbauer Reading the Water [FEE]
2:35-4 Josh Miller Hopper Dropper Fishing [FEE]
James River Lecture Area
9:30-10:50 Jake Villwock Advanced Tactics for Smallmouth Bass [FEE]
11-12:25 Jackson/Rowley An Insider’s Guide to Tying Deer Hair Bass Bugs [FEE]
12:30-1:55 Holt/Horton Wine & Wooly Buggers [FEE]
2-3:25 Beasley/Hardy Badass & Bourbon [FEE]
Shenandoah River Lecture Area
10-10:50 Josh Miller Insider’s Guide to Euro Nymphing
11-11:50 Bob Lindquist Seasons of the Delaware River
12-12:50 Austin Conrad All About Musky on the Fly
1-1:50 Captain Gary Dubiel Taking on North Carolina’s Neuse River
2-2:50 Colby Trow Fly Fishing the Shenandoah Valley
3-3:50 Cory Routh Fishing for Golden Dorado
New River Lecture Area
9:30-10:30 Tom Rosenbauer Prospecting for Trout: Fishing When There Is No Hatch
11-11:50 Callie Freeman Bugs 101
12-12:50 Shannon Young The History of Fly Fishing in the Great Smoky Mountains
1-1:50 Chris Thompson Fishing for Albies off the North Carolina Coast
2-2:50 Jake Villwock Staying Ahead of Changing Conditions
3-3:50 Tim Urtiaga Landing Pike on the Fly
Author’s Booth
10-10:30
11-11:50 Josh Miller
12-12:50 Beau Beasley
1-1:50
2-2:50
3-3:50 Jake Villwock
Paid Casting Classes [FEE; Casting Area B]
9:30-11 Mark Signorino Beginner Casting Instruction
11:15-12:45
1-2:30 Julie Mattson Beginner Casting Instruction
3-4:30
Free Casting Classes Area A
10-11:30 FFI Instructors Co-Ed Casting Class
--meets at FFI-Chesapeake Council booth before moving to Casting Area A
12-1:30 Open Casting- Fly Casting Skills Development Assessment
3-4 FFI Instructors Co-Ed Casting Class
--meets at FFI-Chesapeake Council booth before moving to Casting Area A
Casting Pond 1
9:30-10:15 Casting Demo
1:15-1:45 Josh Miller Euro Nymphing
2:30-3:15 Captain Gary Dubiel Casting Demo
Casting Pond 2
11:30-12 Jake Villwock Casting Demo
3-3:30 Luong Tam Tenkara Casting Demo
Featured Fly Tyers
9:30-10:25 Troy Basso Troy’s Dock Light Dancer
10:30-11:25 Bob Lindquist Briny Muddler
11:30-12:25 Steve Maldonado Jungle Junkie
12:30-1:25 Allen Rupp Whitlock’s Near Nuff Sculpin
1:30-2:25 Jeff Rowley Deer Hair Mouse
2:30-3:25 Pat Lombardo Tying Poppers
3:30-4:25 Joe Jackson Deer Hair Bass Bugs