Battenkill Fly Fishing Festival

Battenkill Fly Fishing Festival
Saturday, May 4, 2024 at 12:00pm
The Arlington Commons
3938 Vermont Rte 7a

Join us for fun, fishing, music, and camaraderie as we celebrate and raise funds to protect and enhance the Battenkill and provide the Arlington area with a hub for wellness, art, and community.

Schedule of Events:

12:00 pm - 5 pm: Food & Beverage - Tent, Arlington Common Campus

Lawson’s Microbrew Tent

Arguably Vermont's finest brewery, Lawson’s, will be the exclusive beer provider for the BFFF3. Come talk to the brewers, sample an array of their award-winning beers, and enjoy an incredible weekend in SW Vermont.

Lunch:  Crooked Barn Charcuterie, LLC, is a chef-inspired charcuterie and sausage production company with one goal - create a wide range of charcuterie items featuring locally and sustainably farmed raw ingredients. No presold tickets.

Non-alcoholic beverages are available for purchase.  

1:00 - 5:00 pm: Fly-Tyer Discovery Center - Fitness Center Studio, Arlington Common
(Festival Wrist Band Required to enter following events)

Hour-long presentations with renowned fly-tyers. The hourly presentations and seminars will be held with projection and audio to follow along.

1:00 pm - 1:45 pm: "The Peculiar Impressionistic Fly Patterns of Illustrator John Atherton" - Performing Arts Center, Arlington Common Campus
Mike Valla - Noted Author & Battenkill Expert

2:00 pm - 2:45 pm: Atlantic Salmon Federation - State of the Wild Atlantic Salmon in North America and Aquaculture Threats - Performing Arts Center, Arlington Common Campus
John Burrows, Vice President, US Operations, Atlantic Salmon Federation

3:00 pm - 3:45 pm: John Shaner, Angling Historian and renowned  Catskill fly-tyer. - Performing Arts Center, Arlington Common Campus

4:00 pm - 4:45 pm: Argentina Presentation, Estancia Caleufu - Performing Arts Center, Arlington Common Campus

A photographic journey to one of the finest fly fishing destinations in Patagonia.
Max Knull and Javier Rivera

4:00 pm - 5:00 pm: Biking Tour of the Battenkill - Meet at the Yellow Barn off 313 West

Gather at the Gardens at Yellow Barn Farm on the north bank of the Battenkill.

Bring your bike for a family-friendly, 12-mile, mostly flat, guided ride along River Road adjacent to the Battenkill. Learn the merits of reaching Battenkill fishing spots on two wheels with someone who knows the river’s access points. See the sights of West Arlington at a casual pace. Experience first-hand why bike tourism featuring Arlington’s gravel roads is growing more popular by the year. Hear about this newly conserved and improved river access before heading out.

5:00 pm: Keith Curley - TU National VP Eastern Conservation - The State of Eastern TU - Performing Arts Center, Arlington Common Campus

5:00 pm - 9:00 pm: Dinner with Hound Dogs - Under the Tent, Arlington Common Campus

A local food truck company will serve dinner with a choice of three entrees.  

Choose from their signature Philly Cheesesteaks, loaded with peppers, onions & garlic. The dinner comes with a choice of French fries or onion rings. $20; Bacon cheeseburger with lettuce & tomato, also comes with a choice of French fries or onion rings $20; or Veggie burger with lettuce & tomato. Choice of French fries or onion rings.$17

There are two seatings: 5:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. Tickets purchased in advance guarantee seating in the dinner tent.

Buy Tickets

7:30 pm - 10 pm: Live Music with Saints and Liars Band - Performing Arts Center, Arlington Common Campus

Saints & Liars is a Vermont-based Americana band who has been blending their own variants of honky tonk, folk, bluegrass, and rock n roll since 2012.

Tickets cost $10 and are not included in the festival's general admission price. Buy Tickets.

Buy Tickets


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