A superb atmosphere and 50% more visitors than the year before - the move of the Pescare fishing show to Rimini was definitely worth it. I have been to many fly fishing shows in my life, but the one in Rimini was not only by far the best in Italy but was also one of the best shows in Europe I have been to so far. The infrastructure was just excellent and the location could easily be reached be it by train, bus, car or plane. There was a lot of space, everything was very clean and the booths were well prepared. You could see a lot of happy faces among the stand owners, so it was not only a big success for the organizers but also a great show for the participating companies, shops and clubs. Particularly impressive in terms of fly casting demos were the two huge casting pools in the inner courtyard each of them measuring 50 m in length. I have never seen anything that perfect for fly fishing demos and tackle testing. Many visitors used the possibility to test new rods and lines or to get in contact and share some words with the present pros.

It was nice to meet many former students. Some of them have meanwhile become internationally known fly casting instructors themselves and even Casting World Champions. This made me very proud and they were also happy to meet me again. The EFFA stand of my Italian friends was always quite crowded and besides a lot of tackle talk visitors could also watch tying demonstrations by Gigi and Michael. Lots of tiers were present at the show and I was especially happy to see my old friend Hans van Klinken again. We have been meeting as demonstrators at fly fishing shows for almost 30 years. I haven't met Hans for a while as I do not attend fairs that frequently anymore. Unfortunately, the quality of the trade fairs today is no longer what it used to be. Most of them are not worth visiting any more especially in regard to fly fishing. However, the show in Rimini with its fantastic atmosphere and my lovely Italian friends was a particular bright spot among the trade fairs of the last few years. So I will definitely be back!