High Country Fly Fishers would like to reel in a large attendance at the Wasatch Fly Tying & Fly Fishing Expo that is scheduled for Friday and Saturday, March 15 and 16, at the Mountain America Expo Center, 9575 S. State Street, in Sandy. 

The Park City chapter of the nonprofit environmental organization Trout Unlimited, which helps to protect cold-water fisheries, is one of the main sponsors of the event, said Director Bill Quapp.

“The expo is a gathering of fly fishers, fly tyers, fishing guides and other fly fishing enthusiasts,” he said. “It also includes destination outfitters and fly fishing equipment vendors.”

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Other sponsors include Utah Chapters of Trout Unlimited, Fly Fishers International and the Great Western Fly Fishing Club, Quapp said.

I like tying flies because I like the artistic aspect of it, and it’s super cool when you catch a fish with a fly you have made.” Zealand Bouwhuis, Wasatch High School junior

“Stonefly Society, one of the Trout Unlimited chapters, puts up the cash to reserve the venue,” he said. “The expo provides a place for fly tyers and fly fishers to give demonstrations and facilitate workshops and discuss other environmental issues.”

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The participating fly tyers are highly skilled in their craft, Quapp said.

“They all do demonstrations on a wide-range of flies, and people can watch them tie different patterns,” he said. 

One of the fly tyers is Zealand Bouwhuis, a junior at Wasatch High School in Midway.

“Zealand is a great fly tyer,” Quapp said.

Bouwhuis’ passion for fly tying started with his interest in fishing.

“I’ve always been interested in fishing, even though my family didn’t fish, and I think I was 8 when I asked for a fishing rod for Christmas,” he said. “And I got this Walmart fishing rod.”

The fly fishing bug bit Bouwhuis during a trip to Island Park, Idaho.

“We hadn’t caught anything all day, but the people who were fly fishing next to us caught a fish on every cast,” he said. “So the next Chrismtas I asked for a fly rod.”

After catching a few fish with the fly rod, Bouwhuis started tying his own flies.

“I made them out of the stuff I had around the house, and then I got a fly-tying kit,” he said. “I tied flies until all of the stuff in the kit was gone and then started buying my own fly-tying materials from there.”

Bouwhuis enjoys tying streamers, particularly articulated streamers that mimic baitfish and leeches.

“I don’t know if I have a specific favorite fly to use because that changes with whatever works the best,” he said. “I like tying flies because I like the artistic aspect of it, and it’s super cool when you catch a fish with a fly you have made.”

In addition to fly tying, Bouwhuis creates postcards from his drawings inspired by fly fishing.

“I’ve always liked drawing, and I’ve started to incorporate my hobbies into what I draw,” he said. 

Bouwhuis cites Rick Takahashi, fly fisher, fly tyer, author and artist, for helping him get involved with the expo last year.

“Rick has been a really big mentor of mine for years, and he’s the one who encouraged me to sign up for the expo,” Bouwhuis said. “And it’s a really good thing I did.”

In addition to the fly-tying demonstrations, the expo will feature workshops, including stillwater fly fishing, small-stream tactics and all levels of fly casting, according to Quapp.

“We will also have workshops that are just for women,” he said. “Women are becoming more and more involved in fly fishing over the years, and that’s great to see.” 

A portion of the funds raised at the expo support conservation and education activities of the participating chapters, according to Quapp.

Some of the activities facilitated by High Country Fly Fishers in the Wasatch Back include willow planting with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources around Strawberry Reservoir to help secure river banks and restore a delta on Provo River and Trout in the Classroom.

For Trout in the Classroom, High Country Fly Fishers deliver trout eggs to local schools in January, and they are put in aquariums until they hatch in May.

Students take care of the eggs and learn about the life cycles of fish and the importance of clean water, Quapp said.

The eggs hatch in about one to two weeks. Then, the hatched fish go through additional life cycles over the next three months before they are released in May, according to Quapp.  

An opening night banquet scheduled for 6 p.m. on Thursday, March 14, at the Hilton Garden Inn, 277 West Sego Lily Drive. Sandy, will kickstart the fundraising, Quapp said.

Tickets are available at wasatchexpo.com/banquet, and the night will feature a silent and live auction, he said.

“We also have an online auction now open that ends on March 16,” he said. To register for the online auction, visit wasatchexpo.com/auctions.