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2026 Festival Schedule of Events Thursday, January 8
8:30AM-4:30PM Rosenbauer/Chard Masters Class Meadow Hall Mansion [FEE]
9AM-4:30PM Campbell/Newman Guiding those with Disabilities Fairfield Inn [FEE]
6PM -8PM Women, Wine & Fly Tying Meet & Greet Meadow Hall Mansion [FEE]
2026 Festival Schedule of Events Friday, January 9
8AM-4PM BTC Women’s Fly-Fishing Symposium Meadow Hall Mansion [FEE]
8-8:10 Registration
8:10-8:20 Welcome Beasley/Taylor
8:30-9:20 Tom Rosenbauer What to Do When Nothing Is Going On
9:30-10:20 Christa Clasgens All About Steelhead
10:30-11:20 Wanda Taylor What Is Saltwater Fly Fishing
11:30-12:50 Working Lunch Multiple Speakers
1-1:50 Nevel/ Braziel How to Interact with Wildlife Correctly
2-2:50 Mike Tayloe Duct Tape & Whiskey: First-Aid Kits in the Wild
3-3:50 Charity Rutter Mountain Trout Tactics
Main Festival Grounds
Rapidan River Lecture Area
10-10:50 Ian Rutter Wild Trout Paradise: Fly Fishing Great Smoky Mountains
11-11:50 Jess Michie Fly Fishing Made Simple
12-12:50 Mike Tayloe Duct Tape & Whiskey: First-Aid Kits in the Wild
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 Wes Hodges Virginia: The New West for Fly Fishing
4-4:50 Luong Tam From Zero to Hero with Tenkara
Specialty Instruction Lecture Area
9:50-11:50 Captain Bruce Chard Insider’s Guide to Fishing for Bonefish [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 What Is an Underhatch and How Do You Fish It?
James River Lecture Area
10:30-11:50 Tom Rosenbauer Hatch Strategies: More Than Just Choosing a Fly [FEE]
12-1:20 Ian Rutter The Guide’s Playbook: Proven Tactics from Decades of Guiding [FEE]
1:30-2:50 Holt/Horton Wine & Wooly Buggers [FEE]
3-3:50 Cory Cuje Understanding Euro Casting
4-4:50 Bonnie Braziel How to Interact with Wildlife Correctly
Shenandoah River Lecture Area
10-10:50 Braden Miller Virginia Musky: Techniques & Tactics
11-11:50 Mike Heck Spring Creeks: Tips & Tricks from a Pro
12-12:50 Mike Smith Fishing the Upper New River for Walleye & Bass
1-1:50 Tim Urtiaga Landing Pike on the Fly
2-2:50 Captain Gary Dubiel Fishing North Carolina’s Neuse River
3-3:50 Chris Thompson Fishing for Albies off the North Carolina Coast
4-4:50 Mike Tayloe Duct Tape & Whiskey: First-Aid Kits in the Wild
New River Lecture Area
10-10:50 Josh Miller Insider’s Guide to Euro Nymphing
11-11:50 Beau Beasley Who Owns the River: Understanding Public Access
12-12:50 Colby Trow Fly Fishing the Shenandoah Valley
1-1:50 Wayne McGee Discovering Alaska’s Fabled Alagnak River
2-2:50 Captain Bruce Chard Fly Fishing the World
3-3:50 Cory Cuje Euro Nymphing: Go from Good to Great
4-4:50 Braden Miller Virginia Musky: Techniques & Tactics
Author’s Booth
11-11:50 Josh Miller
12-12:50 Mike Heck
1-1:50 Beau Beasley
2-2:50 Ian & Charity Rutter
3-3:50 TBA
5-5:50 Tom Rosenbauer
Paid Casting Classes [FEE; Casting Area B]
10:30-12 Mark Signorino Beginner Casting Instruction
1-2:30 Cory Cuje Mastering the Euro Cast
3-4:30 Wanda Taylor Intermediate-to-Advanced Casting Instruction
Free Casting Classes [Casting 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 FFI Instructors Casting Skill Development
--meets at FFI-Chesapeake Council booth before moving to Casting Area A
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 Mike McFarland Enjoy the Cast
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 Mike McFarland Casting Demo
4-4:30 Mike Heck Casting Demo
Featured Fly Tyers
9:30-10:25 Boyd Waters Deer Hair Magic
10:30-11:25 Allen Rupp Whitlock’s Near Nuff Crayfish
11:30-12:25 Steve Maldonado Jungle Junkie
12:30-1:25 Jonathan Kiley East Coast Slammer Shrimp
1:30-2:25 Bob Lindquist Briny Muddler
2:30-3:25 Joe Jackson Deer Hair Bass Bugs
3:30-4:25 Gary Dubiel Lil’haden
4:30-5:25 Jim Bensinger Fiber Flies
Fly Tying Classes: Meet at Instructor’s Booth 10 minutes prior to class
9:30-12:20 Jim Bensinger Beginner Fly Tying [FEE]
12:30-1:50 Allen Rupp Streamers Made Simple [FEE]
2:00-3:30 Steve Maldonado Tying Big Predator Streamers [FEE]
2026 Festival Schedule of Events Saturday January, 10
Rapidan River Lecture Area
8-8:50 Eric Camfield Chapel Service (Vendors, Instructors, Staff, Volunteers)
9-9:50 Cory Cuje Euro Nymphing: Go from Good to Great
10-10:50 Shannon Young The History of Fly Fishing in the Great Smoky Mountains
11-11:50 Beau Beasley Healing Waters: Veterans’ Stories in Their Own Words
12-12:50 Scott Allen FFI’s Casting Development Program
1-1:50 Matt Miles Fly Fishing for Smallies on Virginia’s James River
2-2:50 Ian & Charity Rutter Wild Trout Paradise: Fly Fishing the Great Smoky Mountains
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
9:30-11:30 Captain Bruce Chard Insider’s Guide to Fishing the Saltwater Flats [FEE]
11-12:25 Ian Rutter The Guide’s Playbook: Proven Tactics from Decades of Guiding [FEE]
12:30-1:55 Holt/Horton Wine & Wooly Buggers [FEE]
2-3:25 Beasley/Sherry Bourbon & Bass Bugs [FEE]
3:30-4:30 Wayne McGee Discovering Alaska’s Fabled Alagnak River
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 Jess Michie Fly Fishing Made Simple
1-1:50 Captain Gary Dubiel Fishing North Carolina’s Neuse River
2-2:50 Colby Trow Fly Fishing the Shenandoah Valley
3-3:50 Braden Miller Virginia Musky: Techniques & Tactics
New River Lecture Area
9:30-10:30 Tom Rosenbauer Prospecting for Trout: Fishing When There Is No Hatch
11-11:50 Wes Hodges Virginia: The New West for Fly Fishing
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 Captain Bruce Chard Fly Fishing the World
3-3:50 Tim Urtiaga Landing Pike on the Fly
Author’s Booth
11-11:50 Josh Miller
12-12:50 Beau Beasley
1-1:50 Mike Heck
3-3:50 Ian & Charity Rutter
4-4:50 Tom Rosenbauer
Paid Casting Classes [FEE; Casting Area B]
9:30-11 Mark Signorino Beginner Casting Instruction
11:15-12:45 Wanda Taylor Beginner Casting Instruction (Women Only)
1-2:30 Cory Cuje Mastering the Euro Cast
3-4:30 Wanda Taylor Intermediate-to-Advanced Casting Instruction
Fly Tying Classes: Meet at Instructor’s Booth 10 minutes prior to class
9:30-12:20 Jim Bensinger Beginner Fly Tying [FEE]
12:30-1:50 Joe Jackson Build A Bug Workshop [FEE]
2-3:30 Steve Maldonado Tying Big Predator Streamers [FEE]
Free Casting Classes [Casting 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 FFI Instructors Casting Skill Development
--meets at FFI-Chesapeake Council booth before moving to Casting Area A
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 Mike Heck Casting Demo
1:15-1:45 Mike McFarland Enjoy the Cast
2:30-3:15 Captain Gary Dubiel Casting Demo
Casting Pond 2
12:30-1 Captain Bruce Chard Casting Demo
3-3:30 Luong Tam Tenkara Casting Demo
Featured Fly Tyers
10:30-11:25 Jonathan Kiley East Coast Slammer Shrimp
11:30-12:25 Bart Lombardo Weedless Bog Frog
12:30-1:25 Allen Rupp Whitlock’s Near Nuff Sculpin
1:30-2:25 Jonathan Kiley East Coast Slammer Shrimp
2:30-3:25 Bob Lindquist Briny Muddler
3:30-4:25 Joe Jackson Deer Hair Bass Bugs
