Jump to content

Just got back from the Sportsmen's Show


Joey

Recommended Posts

Well it was pretty crowded but there was some deals to be had. No taxes an anything. We lucked out with parking. Got there and a police officer said all lots were full and underground and Ontario Place were also full. Then just as I was going to pull away a few cars pulled out of the lot and the parking attendant waved us over and opened a gate. We were front row and didn't even have to pay. Not sure if others had to pay, but since he let us in the back way, no toll booth was there :dunno::thumbsup_anim:

 

First booth we saw as we walked in had Dale McNair and his giant Musky :o:thumbsup_anim: What a great replica.

 

3374237494_3389c49c25_b.jpg

 

You catch a big musky and you're a star :lol: He was posing for pics and signing autographs.

 

3373422915_52cc041ac6_b.jpg

 

He's got lots of sponsors now.

 

3374241954_dd164f137b_b.jpg

 

This guy was cool as a cucumber.

 

3373423861_b63ca6f403_b.jpg

 

Here was a take for the day.

 

3373425145_1148e5d1b7_b.jpg

 

And a couple of cool t-shirts too. I love "The Mountain" t-shirts. Usually I can only find them at the French River Trading Post on the way home from Lakair.

 

3374243210_3be3859f24_b.jpg

 

We were there to look at boats, and there were not many to be seen. Only one we liked was 2008 19 ft Smokercraft, but that was about it.

 

Overall it was a pretty good show. My feet hurt tho ;)

 

Joey

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest gbfisher

I saw ya there.. :) ...but before I could say hello you ran into the washroom by the exit. I guess you saw me first.... :o .. :D

 

Friggin mad house with the amount of people there. Traffic was nuts!! Lucked out with Parking underground. The show keeps getting smaller.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

how much is that curado? 200 or 300 size?

thanks

 

It is 300 size and it was $315 no tax. They called it "musky proof" :)

 

Here it is on the custom made rod Spiel made for Paul for Christmas. I thought it was pretty ironic the reel is the same color as the rod B)

 

 

3374351990_9137483c15_b.jpg

 

3373538011_a41f4aa222_b.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I saw ya there.. :) ...but before I could say hello you ran into the washroom by the exit. I guess you saw me first.... :o .. :D

 

Friggin mad house with the amount of people there. Traffic was nuts!! Lucked out with Parking underground. The show keeps getting smaller.

 

Awwww, you should have yelled out my name. Sorry I missed you :(

 

Joey

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well it was pretty crowded but there was some deals to be had. No taxes an anything.

 

Overall it was a pretty good show. My feet hurt tho ;)

 

 

 

As i was leaving the show, i saw a woman on the cot at the massage area about get her feet rubbed. On my way by, I overheard the female masseuse say "nice shoes" to the client. Was that you?

 

It was just an okay show for me this year. I did notice a few vendors missing from this years lineup. I went there looking for one thing only, a lefty daiwa outta luck baitcaster and only 2 vendors had 3 all together but they were right side. They were priced well, Natural Sports, where you got your rod, had the reel for $20 less. I'm on a mission to balance out the number of left and right reels in my collection so no more righty's for now. I left with six 3" balsa crankbaits...total cost, about $100. ahaha

 

Ardent must be pushing their reels hard this year, they had product everywhere. Their flipping reel is interesting, to say the least. It has no line guide or pawl/wormgear, extremely low line capacity, no drag wheel because it's set up with a full time 50# drag.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I went there looking for one thing only, a lefty daiwa outta luck baitcaster and only 2 vendors had 3 all together but they were right side. They were priced well, Natural Sports, where you got your rod, had the reel for $20 less. I'm on a mission to balance out the number of left and right reels in my collection so no more righty's for now. I left with six 3" balsa crankbaits...total cost, about $100. ahaha

Interesting you should mention lefty baitcasters.

 

Just before show closing time last night, I decided it was time that I learn how to use a baitcast reel. Wandered into the nearest retailer booth, and told the staff I was looking for a decent beginner rig. Not super high end, but a good enough reel that any backlashes would be my fault, not a design defect. Something with a crank on the left, please.

 

Not one but two of the staff from this store proceeded to tell me that cranks on the left hand side of a baitcast reel do not currently exist anywhere on the market. They expected them to become available for the first time in July, but until then, it was crank right or nothing, period. Odd.

 

By the time they quit telling me how lefties don't exist, the show was closing - so we headed off for Bass Pro. Walking up to the reel counter, first thing I see is baitcast reels with their cranks on the left. Yay! 2 very helpful staffers gave me Baitcast Gear 101, and 10 minutes later I was on my way with an $80 starter reel and a $20 throwaway rod. Very happy. Jeff grumbled, though - as usual, the sale items he wanted were out of stock.

 

 

Overall, we did surprisingly little buying at the show yesterday - 6 items, totalling ~$325 before taxes.

 

Jeff finally picked up the super psychic inflatable Mustang PFD he'd been lusting after, saving $50 at LeBaron's booth. It was expensive enough that signing up for their discount card at that point paid for itself, and will save us 10% for the rest of the year...IF we ever get to the store. Their "closed on Sundays" policy makes an awful lot of $$ for Bass Pro.

 

We got $5 worth of Insect Defend Patches at the manufacturer's booth. Hadn't been able to find them at Home Hardwares in our area, but the reps say they'll be in contact with the stores to fix that. Looking forward to avoiding bugs without stinking to high heaven.

 

$10 went to a new product I hadn't heard of before - Booster Tails. Made of microfiber, which should hold onto scent a lot better than feathers or rubber skirting. The scent pen doesn't leak when inverted, and can be refilled with a different scent product. No more globs landing in my hair or on the carpet - very exciting. Can't wait to get out and try them!

 

$20 went for a pair of steel fire starter gizmos. When I asked Jeff later what he planned to do with his new toys, he said "well, for on the boat!" Part of me wants to know where he's going to install a campfire pit on our 16' bowrider. The other part....really, really doesn't! :lol:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just before show closing time last night, I decided it was time that I learn how to use a baitcast reel. Wandered into the nearest retailer booth, and told the staff I was looking for a decent beginner rig. Not super high end, but a good enough reel that any backlashes would be my fault, not a design defect. Something with a crank on the left, please.

 

 

I havn'et tried the insect patches. One thing i wanted to get but forgot about is the super glue stuff being sold along the inside wall.

 

I don't know which fishing booth you went to but left hand baitcasters are available for probably over 1/2 the reels on the market. You can buy left hand conversion kits for some big conventionals which are traditionally right hand only. I was looking for a daiwa (s o l) in lefty but the forum changed it to "outta luck" The best reel deal i saw in there was the TD Zillion, this vendor had a left and a right. Their price beats anything you'll see in any store or online anywhere.

 

Which reel did you end up buying?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Spooled it up this afternoon and hit the back yard with a practice plug. Geez, you guys weren't kidding about the newbie bird's nest thing! :lol:

I too am new to a baitcaster (well I got one last year and didn't use it a whole lot) and all I can say is "MONO" while you learn how to use it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recent Topics

    Popular Topics

    Upcoming Events

    No upcoming events found

×
×
  • Create New...