Annual Virginia Fly Fishing and Wine Festival

The Virginia Fly Fishing Festival is the largest event of its kind in the country and attracts fly anglers from across the United States and the Mid-Atlantic in particular. Nowhere else can anglers learn about the quiet sport in such a beginner-friendly environment. Our unique event combines fine wine tasting, microbrewery beer, and everything you ever wanted to know about fly fishing but were afraid to ask.

The mission of the Virginia Fly Fishing and Wine Festival is to introduce as many people to the sport of fly fishing as possible, and to raise the level of awareness to the many pressing conservation issues facing Virginia. We do this believing that people, who are connected to the outdoors in their recreational activities, are more inclined to protect the natural resources they enjoy.

Bring your family, relax, take a casting class, and pick up a new sport that the entire family can enjoy. Several new classes for beginners for both adults and children have been added. We've also added a bourbon tasting class for adults.

The 24th Annual Virginia Fly Fishing and Wine Festival will be held at The Meadow Events Park, just a few miles outside of Richmond, Virginia, on Friday January 10th and Saturday 11th, 2024.

The festival - the largest event of its kind in the country, drawing fly anglers from as far away as New York and Georgia - appeals to anglers of all ages and stages.

Festival attendees listen to lectures from various experts and practice hands-on skills at the two-day, family-friendly event. Several wineries from throughout the Old Dominion provide free wine tastings for those 21 and older.

The festival will be held regardless of the weather. All vendors are under roof and contained within the Farm Bureau Building at Meadow Event Park located approximately 2 miles east of Kings Dominion.

Schedule of Events:

Rapidan River Lecture Area

08:00 am - .8:50 am: Eric CamfieldFestival Chapel Service for Vendors-Instructors
10:00 am - 10:50 am: Julie Mattson Understanding Competitive Fly Fishing
11:00 am - 11:50 am: Beau Beasley Who Owns the River: Determining Public Access
12:00 pm - 12:50 pm: Cilla Johnson All About Fishing from a Kayak
01:00 pm - 01:50 pm: Jamie Aponte Fishing for Peacock Bass
02:00 pm - 02:50 pm: Jen Ripple - How to Become an Independent Angler
03:00 pm - 03:50 pm: Reid Parker - Taking on Bowfin and Snakehead

Specialty Instruction Lecture Area

09:30 am - 10:50 am: Captain Gary Dubiel - Advanced Tactics for Reds and Speckled Trout (FEE)
11:00 am - 12:30 pm: Tom RosenbauerHatch Strategies: More Than Just Choosing a Fly (FEE)
01:00 pm - 02:30 pm: Tom RosenbauerReading the Water (FEE)
02:35 pm - 04:00 pm: Josh Miller - Hopper Dropper Fishing (FEE)

James River Lecture Area

09:30 am - 10:50 am:  Jake VillwockAdvanced Tactics for Smallmouth Bass (FEE)
11:00 am - 12:25 pm: Jackson-Rowley An Insider's Guide to Tying Deer Hair Bass Bugs (FEE)
12:30 pm - 01:55 pm: Holt-Horton - Wine and Wooly Buggers (FEE)
02:00 pm - 03:25 pm: Beasley-Hardy - Badass and Bourbon (FEE)

Shenandoah River Lecture Area

10:00 am - 10:50 am: Josh Miller - Insider's Guide to Euro Nymphing
11:00 am - 11:50 am: Bob Lindquist - Seasons of the Delaware River
12:00 pm - 12:50 pm: Matt Miles - Fly Fishing for Smallies on Virginia's James River
01:00 pm - 01:50 pm: Captain Gary Dubiel - Fishing North Carolina's Neuse River
02:00 pm - 02:50 pm: Colby Trow - Fly Fishing the Shenandoah Valley
03:00 pm - 03:50 pm: Austin Conrad - All About Musky on the Fly

New River Lecture Area

09:30 am - 10:30 am: Tom RosenbauerProspecting for Trout: Fishing When There Is No Hatch
11:00 am - 11:50 am: Callie Freeman  Bugs 101
12:00 pm - 12:50 pm: Shannon Young The History of Fly Fishing in the Great Smoky Mountains
01:00 pm - 01:50 pm: Chris ThompsonFishing for Albies off the North Carolina Coast
02:00 pm - 02:50 pm: Jake VillwockStaying Ahead of Changing Conditions
03:00 pm - 03:50 pm: Tim Urtiaga   Landing Pike on the Fly

Author's Booth

11:00 am - 11:50 am: Josh Miller
12:00 pm - 12:50 pm: Beau Beasley
01:00 pm - 01:50 pm: Mike Heck
02:00 pm - 02:50 pm: Open (Gary)
03:00 pm - 03:50 pm: Jake Villwock

Paid Casting Classes (FEE; Casting Area B)

09:30 am - 11:00 am: Mark Signorino  Beginner Casting Instruction
11:15 am - 12:45 pm: Ashely WilmontBeginner Casting Instruction (Women Only)
01:00 pm - 02:30 pm: Julie Mattson Effective Euro Nymping
03:00 pm - 04:30 pm: Julie Mattson Intermediate-Advanced Casting Instruction

Free Casting Classes Area A

10:00 am - 11:30 am: FFI Instructors-Co-Ed Casting Class-meets at FFI-Chesapeake Council booth before moving to Casting Area A
12:00 pm - 01:30 pm: Casting Area A - FFI Casting Skill Development
03:00 pm - 04:00 pm: FFI Instructors-Co-Ed Casting Class-meets at FFI-Chesapeake Council booth before moving to Casting Area A

Casting Pond 1

9:30 am - 10:15 pm: Mike Heck - Casting Demo
1:15 am - 01:45 pm: Josh Miller - Euro Nymphing
2:30 am - 03:15 pm: Captain Gary Dubiel - Casting Demo

Casting Pond 2

11:30 am - 12:00 pm: Jake VillwockCasting Demo
03:00 pm - 03:30 pm: Luong Tam - Tenkara Casting Demo

Featured Fly Tyers

09:30 am - 10:25 am: Pat LombardoTying Poppers
10:30 am - 11:25 am: Troy Basso - Troy's Dock Light Dancer
11:30 am - 12:25 pm: Steve Maldonado - Jungle Junkie
12:30 pm - 01:25 pm: Allen Rupp - Whitlock's Near Nuff Sculpin
01:30 pm - 02:25 pm: Jeff Rowley - Deer Hair Mouse
02:30 pm - 03:25 pm: Bob Lindquist - Briny Muddler
03:30 pm - 04:25 pm: Joe Jackson - Deer Hair Bass Bugs