Mayfly Outdoors: Dealer Days Spring 2026
Did we just get a glimpse of what a future fly-fishing industry event should look like?
Last week, Angling Trade and Flylab were hosted by Mayfly Outdoors (Ross, Abel, Airflo, Airlite, Dyna-King, Renzetti, Textreme, Just ADD H2O) for a multi-day gathering that brought together 50 select dealers totaling 200+ attendees for the week with media, and a group of thoughtfully chosen non-competing brands including Korkers, Benchmade, Whitewater, Trackfly, onWater, NRS, Coors brewing and others.
What unfolded felt less like a traditional trade event and more like an immersive working session designed to build deeper understanding across the industry.
Attendees participated in hands-on sessions that walked through Mayfly’s full manufacturing process, which was nothing short of impressive–alongside breakout conversations with partner brands, panel discussions covering a wide range of industry topics, product demos, on-water testing, friendly competitions, actual fishing and perhaps most importantly, meaningful time together.
Conservation was also front and center with partners like Trout Unlimited, Bonefish & Tarpon Trust, American Rivers and Terracycle. Josh Crumpton, founder of Spoke Hollow Outfitters and national trustee for Trout Unlimited, summed up the tone of the event well, “The intentionality shown by Jeff Wagner and the Mayfly staff throughout the event made it clear that they prioritize more than just the bottom line. By integrating conservation so effectively, they showed that their definition of care includes the very water security and communities that sustain our industry.”
From a B2B perspective, this type of gathering feels directionally aligned with how future industry events may evolve–smaller, more focused, more experiential and built around real interaction, rather than simply walking aisles or scanning booths.
The obvious question becomes how something like this scales, and how it might become more inclusive over time. Hosting an event of this depth is no small investment, and the fact that Mayfly opened its doors and resources to make it happen is not lost on us.
It’s entirely reasonable that a host company maintains discretion around participation, particularly when competitors are involved. That said, the spirit of collaboration was evident throughout the week, including participation from nearby Scott Fly Rod’s Shawn Combs on a panel discussion, along with our personal factory visit before departing Montrose.
We’ll follow up soon with a deeper dive, including dealer perspectives and additional thoughts on what this could signal for the future of fly-fishing industry gatherings. In the meantime, kudos to Jeff Wagner and the entire Mayfly team for putting together an event that was thoughtful, informative and genuinely enjoyable.
Well played.