PLEASANTON, CA - In what has turned into an annual beginning-of-the-year ritual for Northern California fly-fishers, the Fly Fishing Show kicks off the season at the Alameda County Fairgrounds Feb. 24-26.

Fly-casters, fly-tiers, tackle manufacturers, authors, artists and representatives from angling destinations around the world will converge on the city with a sure cure for mid-winter blues.

The 2012 edition of the Pleasanton Fly Fishing Show will feature a sneak preview of straight-out-of-the-box new products from the worldwide fly-fishing industry. The show will be open 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Fri.; 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Sat.; and 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Sun. The Alameda County Fairgrounds is located at 4501 Pleasanton Ave., Pleasanton.

The Fly Fishing Show features every form of the sport - fresh to saltwater, river to farm pond. Fishing lodges and destination waters range from Labrador to Ascension Bay in Mexico's Yucatan, Argentine Patagonia, Alaska, and Yellowstone National Park to Mexico's Baja Peninsula, with seminars, Destination and Adventure Theater presentations.

Ten Fly Fishing Show vacation/travel door prizes will be awarded; each is for two anglers and includes:
• Chime Lodge, Patagonia, Argentina;
• Cooper's Minipi Lodges, Labrador, Canada;
• Pesca Maya Fishing Lodge, Ascension Bay, Mexico;
• Restigouche River Lodge, New Brunswick, Canada;
• Falcon's Ledge, Utah;
• Swain's Cay Lodge, Andros Island, Bahamas;
• Tuckamore Lodge, New Foundland, Canada;
• Fish Iceland;
• Campeche Fly Fishing, Yucatan, Mexico; and
• Picacho Fishing Lodge, Patagonia, Chile

About 200 commercial exhibitor booths - ranging from rod and reel manufacturers, retail dealers, boots and waders, to clothing to lodges and fly-fishing camps from around the world - will line the Alameda County Fairgrounds' exhibition halls.

Destination Theatre programs begin at 11 a.m. on Fri. and continue virtually non-stop until 3 p.m. Sun. and include, "B.C.'s Best Steelhead Rivers," Ken Morrish; "Winter Dry Fly Fishing," Nate Brumley; "Fishing Montana's Kootenai Country," Dave Blackburn; "Mako Sharks on the Fly," Conway Bowman; "Central Oregon's Finest Fly Fishing," John and Amy Hazel; "Complete Guide to Billfish on the Fly," Jake Jordan; "Fly Fishing the Northern California Surf," Loren Elliot; "Central Valley Shad," Al Smatsky; and "Fly Fishing Freestones in the Shadow of Shasta," Craig Nielsen.

Other Destination Theatre programs are "Roosterfish on the Fly," James Shaughnessy; "Fly Fishing off the Grid," Jim Klug; "Trophy Trout of Nevada," Doug Ouellette; "25 Years on the Alaska Peninsula," Jon Kent; "Fly Fishing the Baja and Beyond," Mike Rieser; "Fall River: California's Big Sky Country," Andrew Harris; "The Henry's Fork and Surrounding Waters," Rich Paini; and "Fly Fishing Pyramid Lake," Rob Anderson.

Seventeen scheduled seminars include "San Luis Stripers on the Fly," Dan Blanton; "Baja Fly Fishing Adventures," Jay Murakoshi; "Success in the Eastern Sierra," Joe Contaldi; "Dynamic Nymphing," George Daniel; "Long Flies," Gary Borger; "Offbeat Tactics that Catch Trout," Ed Engle; and "Ten Habits for Stillwater Success," Philip Rowley.

"Some theater shows and seminars will be repeated, others will be shown only once. Additionally, there will be about 50 tying and casting demonstrations and other fly-fishing shows per day," said Chuck Furimsky, show producer/director. A complete schedule of Destination and Adventure Theatre shows, Film Festival presentations, casting demonstrations, featured fly-tiers and seminars is available at http://www.flyfishingshow.com/

Classes with experts will be held both Sat. and Sun. Pre-registration is required for Fly Casting with Borger, Tying Deer Hair Patterns with Murakoshi, Practical Nymphing with Engle, Bamboo Rod Making with C.T. Robertson and Stillwater Flies with Rowley. A Women Only Class With Daniel will be conducted Sun. afternoon. Registration is $75 per class and may be purchased at the Fly Fishing Show website or 800-481-2393.

Borger - an ordained minister - will conduct a Sun. morning bible study church service at 8 a.m.

There are two casting ponds for demonstrations. Featured fly casters are Jeff Currier, Simon Gawesworth, Nick Curcione, Daniel, Borger and Neilson.

Featured fly tiers include Blanton, Borger, Rowley, Ben Furimsky, Brumley, Rowley and Engle.

John Shaner of Hardy will offer free evaluation, maintenance and a complimentary lube kit to everyone bringing a Hardy reel to the show.

The Federation of Fly Fishers (FFF) will teach fly casting, knot tying and other skills to youngsters.

Admission: Adults $15 for one day, $25 for two-day pass, $35 for three-day pass. Children under 5 free, under 12 $2; Scouts under age 16 in uniform free. Active military with ID are $10.