spring fishing show

[trevy727]

i don't want to offend any one but i found the show a big disappointment. i thought there would be better deals on equipment i.e: lures, plastics, reels etc.. than there was. i also expected it to be much larger than it was. for $14.00 admission what do you get? a couple pro speakers and some over priced sausages or pizza? is that it? did i miss something? i don't mean to say that what was there wasn't good, but, i can see all the lodges and camps on the internet, and my local tackle shops have better deals than were offered. the only thing that i enjoyed was talking to James from advanced taxidermy. what a great guy and fantastic artist he is. will definately get some work done by him or his crew in the near future. but i knew about them before i went to the show.

[FISHINGNUT]

I didnt find many deals either but I think for a new angler there were some good deals to be had .I have so much stuff I couldnt really find any thing I really wanted or needed .I really enjoy the seminars so to me its worth the $14.00 just make sure you eat before you go .I only went this year because I am looking for a new boat and it gave me a chance to compare diferent makes to each other without having to drive to 4 different marinas.I have to admit it did seem much smaller than in years past

[Rattletrap2]

I hear you! I didn't bother going this year for those exact reasons. Meeting up with the OFC crowd would have been nice and the seminars are always interesting, but as for looking at new products or equipment, I think these shows fall way short!

 

I will try to make the Sportsmans show in Toronto though because it is a new venue and might be interesting.

 

The very first year of the show at the International Center was great. Every year since has been a disappointment.

 

The Show at BPS is better for me anyways, and is coming in March.

[Garnet]

For me it's always see what all the others tackle stores have. So if I left Bowmanville today and went to Hamilton for fishing world over to Kichener for Natural stop at JB's $14 looks to be dirt cheat to me.

[solopaddler]

The Toronto Sportsmans show when it was in the colliseum was always the highlight of my winter as a child and young adult.

The current crop of shows are a mere shadow in comparison.

Unless I'm either: a.Meeting friends or B. Working a show, there's no way no how would I ever waste my money.

And I've felt that way for a looong time.

[Roy]

I guess we don't all see these shows the same way.

I think we're all pretty well equipped to save a few bucks buying our favourite gear either online or finding a retailer close to home who can give you a deal. Exhibitors/vendors, need to take stock out of inventory, cart it to the venue, pay for the displays, the square footage they're using up and hire help for the show. Cutting their prices is not going to help them much. I don't know where folks get the idea that the shows is where you get good deals. It's never been that way. I can't figure someone paying $14 to get into a show, not to mention gas prices to get there and back to save $10 bucks on plastics....never could figure that out.

I drove down from the other side of Montreal for the one day. I knew there was no money to be saved at all but that wasn't my reason for making it to the show. I was there to meet old friends and see new faces as well. There were some excellent seminars. My sons and one of my grandaughters were there as well. So, I had a really good experience at the show and I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

PLUS, I got to have a really nice chat or two with Joey...and a hug even. That's worth the trip right there!

[solopaddler]

Roy has as point regarding the internet factor.

 

Back in the day you had to go to the show to get the scoop on all the new gear. Now it's just a click away.

 

The other big negative for me now is the lack of outfitters.

 

We'd attend the show in March solely to check out outfitters and book our yearly trip.

(As well as check out the retriever trials and other shows)

There were hundreds that attended the old T.O. show.

These days there's hardly any. Many of the truly good outfitters havn't attended in years because their business is mostly repeat and word of mouth.

By and large it's the guys who're scrambling and hustling for business who attend.

[cram]

Probably should have posted my "fishing show comments" in this thread.

 

I personally liked the show. When i was a kid i used to look forward to the sportsman show. Would come home with a giant bag of brochures and catalogues and would pour over them for hours/days. Especially the lebaron catalogue...it was like a bible for me when i was a kid. We likely all have memories like that....and our parents probably thought similarly of the show as we feel today. A bunch of retailers and outfitters selling their stuff, and us paying to be sold to. Not really a *deal*.

 

But, its a good outing to see some new stuff...and i learned a bunch from some of the people i met there. Definitely worth 3 hrs of my weekend.

[s2k4mee]

I managed to make it today around 4 o clock! I managed to score a fantastic deal on a Shimano Cumara Reaction rod for 199.99 flat from Natural Sports out of Kingston! Regular priced everywhere is about 270. Even at the venue they were 260 from other retailers. Also scored a Sebile magic swimmer for a decent price as well. Can't wait to try these out.

Edited February 16, 2010 by s2k4mee

[Syn]

Just the chance to get out in winter and listen to the fishing pros lecture live and give good tips and answer questions was worth the price of admission $14 (although I did get a free ticket ). Got a few deals on plastics, reels were also with no tax sale. I probably would have purchased one if I didn't already have a reel coming in the mail. It was a nice way to spend a winter day with my nephew. We both had a great time and learned more.

 

 

edit: Only thing that started to bug me was the boating girls.

 

hmmmm pretty girls but this is not the car show? Wonder what they're doing here?

"DO you have your boating license?"

"Yes I do thanks"

 

Now repeat that about 7 times every time I walk past them and at their other location.

 

 

2hours later:

"DO you have your boating license?"

"Yes I do!"

"Well what about him"

"What about him?"

"He needs a boating license too"

"He's only eight!"

 

As if I'm going to let an 8 year old drive a boat alone.

Edited February 16, 2010 by Syn

[fishdawg]

what kind of "deals" are you looking for specifically ?

 

i herd one place had spin doctors 3 for $30... thats quite a deal as they usually go for 1316 bucks each at most stores... also herd trolling spoons were 3 for 10, sounds good to me

 

internet sure has changed the shows i think... products can be viewed/reviewed in your living room & many online shops can offer better prices at times.... same with lodges/outfitters... they probably can cut costs from going to the shows when they can probably do better with online advertising?

[solopaddler]

internet sure has changed the shows i think... products can be viewed/reviewed in your living room & many online shops can offer better prices at times.... same with lodges/outfitters... they probably can cut costs from going to the shows when they can probably do better with online advertising?

 

That's right on and exactly what I was alluding to.

 

The only reason to go really is to share a few laughs and knock back a few cold ones.

 

Something you still can't do online.

 

(That is until the day we're all strapped into our virtual reality pods and never leave the house for anything. )

[Bob Devine]

I hear you! I didn't bother going this year for those exact reasons. Meeting up with the OFC crowd would have been nice and the seminars are always interesting, but as for looking at new products or equipment, I think these shows fall way short!

 

I will try to make the Sportsmans show in Toronto though because it is a new venue and might be interesting.

 

The very first year of the show at the International Center was great. Every year since has been a disappointment.

 

The Show at BPS is better for me anyways, and is coming in March.

 

Rattletrap and others this yr the new venue will not be allowing GUNS so you may not see all the exhibitors as you have in the past. I still enjoy shows, it is a chance to meet new people and chat to those I dont regularly get the chance to see.

Next show for me is the Outdoorama in Novi Mi Feb 25-28.

[jediangler]

Last Toronto show I went to was in 2000. It had gone downhill so much compared to previous years that I swore that would be my last. Now I only go to the local Kitchener show and only on the opening Friday when the price is half what they charge for the rest of the weekend. There still aren't any deals to be had but I always have fun telling the guys at the Muskies Canada booth that I like to fish for musky with an ultra-lite rod out of a kayak .

[Stern Rules]

i don't want to offend any one but i found the show a big disappointment. i thought there would be better deals on equipment i.e: lures, plastics, reels etc.. than there was. i also expected it to be much larger than it was. for $14.00 admission what do you get? a couple pro speakers and some over priced sausages or pizza? is that it? did i miss something? i don't mean to say that what was there wasn't good, but, i can see all the lodges and camps on the internet, and my local tackle shops have better deals than were offered. the only thing that i enjoyed was talking to James from advanced taxidermy. what a great guy and fantastic artist he is. will definately get some work done by him or his crew in the near future. but i knew about them before i went to the show.

I thought it was a little disappointing too. Hasn't been the same since they switched. The only reason I go is for the pro seminars but wasn't interested in any this year. I'd rather see Al Lindner and not James. Missed Al last time. He had to catch a flight right after his seminar so that was a huge disappointment. Wanted to see him for years. They did have some deals at the Radioworld booth. The Ice 55's were over a hundred dollars cheaper than Bass Pro. They also had the Garmin map discs on too. Again, cheaper than BP. Other than that, not much in it for me this year.

[Rattletrap2]

Rattletrap and others this yr the new venue will not be allowing GUNS so you may not see all the exhibitors as you have in the past. I still enjoy shows, it is a chance to meet new people and chat to those I dont regularly get the chance to see.

 

Bob, I thought the whole reason for changing venues was because of Millers idiotic stance about no guns in a City of Toronto building? The convention center is not City owned.

[ld17]

I went to the show and enjoyed it very much. A friend and myself are in the market for boats so we had lots of questions to ask, so for that the show was great. We had a great time talking to Andy Pallotta who is the organizer of the show and runs the csfl fishing league. He is a wealth of knowledge on boats. It's not easy running a venue like this, he puts a lot of hard work in to this show and you get a lot for 14 bucks. I didn't look at tackle very much that day so I didn't notice if there was any good deals. But that's not why you go to the show. It's the experience you get. Lots of stuff to do and meet guys that know lots about fishing and are willing to share info. I met one guy just talking and he shared a great hot spot for walleye on the BOQ. Stuff like that and meeting an old high school friend that's into fishing that I haven't seen in like 15yrs and now were going to hook up was great. I think we all need to have a better attitude about things and enjoy more things. Take it easy guys

[solopaddler]

I went to the show and enjoyed it very much. A friend and myself are in the market for boats so we had lots of questions to ask, so for that the show was great. We had a great time talking to Andy Pallotta who is the organizer of the show and runs the csfl fishing league. He is a wealth of knowledge on boats. It's not easy running a venue like this, he puts a lot of hard work in to this show and you get a lot for 14 bucks. I didn't look at tackle very much that day so I didn't notice if there was any good deals. But that's not why you go to the show. It's the experience you get. Lots of stuff to do and meet guys that know lots about fishing and are willing to share info. I met one guy just talking and he shared a great hot spot for walleye on the BOQ. Stuff like that and meeting an old high school friend that's into fishing that I haven't seen in like 15yrs and now were going to hook up was great. I think we all need to have a better attitude about things and enjoy more things. Take it easy guys

 

 

So if one has no use for the show one needs an attitude adjustment?

 

If I was in the market for a boat I'd be first in line to buy a ticket for the show, that's just common sense.

 

Ahh..maybe I'm just old and jaded.

[jace]

Bob, I thought the whole reason for changing venues was because of Millers idiotic stance about no guns in a City of Toronto building? The convention center is not City owned.

 

 

Yep. that's the reason it moved out of Direct Energy. The move made no financial sense for the city since it got $750K to host the event plus any other revenues it brought from the food vendors, parking, etc. I'm glad it went closer to town rather than to some remote location on the outskirts like the fishing show.

[Paully]

This was the first year i missed it in the past 10 years probably.. Usually its good for some polarized glasses and spicy venison logs

[Chris]

I don't know where folks get the idea that the shows is where you get good deals. It's never been that way. I can't figure someone paying $14 to get into a show, not to mention gas prices to get there and back to save $10 bucks on plastics....never could figure that out.

 

Hi Roy, there actually was a time when you could get real good deals at the fishing shows. It was also a place where you could purchase products that were not readily available at your local tackle shop. When me and my brother first started going in the mid-eighties, the price of admission was next to nothing. I can remember buying my first Eagle 7200 fish finder for just a bit over half price from Britania Bait and Tackle at the Ottawa show. It seemed back then it was all about the fishing. Then in the late eighties and early nineties there was an explosion of sorts in the sport of fishing and it seemed like it became all about the money. Different non-fishing related vendors started to replace outfitters and tackle shops. Pretzel stands, golfing products, t-shirts, and running shoes are some of the different vendors I have seen at the shows.

 

To me it's not worth the effort, time, gas, admission, etc. to see overpriced fishing tackle, but that's just me. Now if you're buying a boat, like someone said earlier, it's a great place to compare different makes, models of boats as all the vendors are under one roof.

[mbac31]

I had 4 days to roam the halls and check out the prices of everyone. There were some Fantastic deals to be had at every vendor's booth. Shimano Calcutta DC reels for $389. Thats a great deal. There were plenty others that I dont have time to list. This show is still a great show due to the fact that you have all your tackle in one place, you get to compare and shop around with clicking a mouse. You get to meet new people. You get away from the computer an get some excerise. I met some great OFNers as well as others. I especially liked how the Pros such as Dave and JP were talking with everyone. Pete Mania, Jim, etc were all interacting with everyone. Thats what I love to see.

 

I did however really like the amount of Canadian products. Bassmagnet Lures, Rod Glove,Northam Fishing, Off the Dock toons, and countless others. All in all it was a great show from every aspect and cant wait for the next one

[Billy Bob]

I returned Sunday from the Harrisburg, PA show and if you wondering where all the outfitters went, well I would definitely say HARRISBURG PA....this show advertised as the biggest in the Northeast and I would have to agree....only problem it was PACKED SOLID with people....BPS that is 8 miles away from the show provided free shuttles from their store and we had to wait about 45 minutes to just get on a bus and they were the HUGE coach buses you use for traveling. We stayed the night and the next day we spent 3 hours shopping at Cabela's in Hamburg, PA which was about 40 miles away......and the best thing about PA is NO SALES TAX on clothing or footwear and only 6% on fishing gear.

[corvette1]

if your looking for deals go on the internet i go every year to see old friends and meet some new then go to the mandarin buy the way dave mercer, jim lindner, pete mania, paul powis gave away tons of free goodies i would say thats a deal buy the way i bought my corvette off the internet it was a deal

Edited February 16, 2010 by corvette1

[TJQ]

I said this last year... the fishing show is what ya want it to be... there's always gonna be people who don't like it. Ya spend that much on an entry fee to go see movies anymore, and then they charge ya 14 bucks for popcorn. (ill take a 9 dollar beer any day.. over 14 dollar weak coke and greasy popcorn)

 

If your disappointed in the show.. well there's not much anyone can do about that. I go to the show for a whole lot of different reasons and it costs me a whole lot more than the price of admission... ( I do get in free though .. lol ) For me our whole fishing experience is the 1/2 isle at my local CT so to be able to walk around in a venue that large is well worth the $$ for me. Plus, and most importantly, its a chance to have face time with forum members, lodge clients, people that I help, and people that help me through the course of the year .. its like the new years eve of the fishing season to me you may say. I met alot of people that we're at the show, with products and booths only to show support for the industry in general. Its the only all fishing show we have.

 

I guess what I'm saying is it represents different things to different people. It is what it is.