Sportsmens Show

[Guest lundboy]

Deals? I have been visiting the S-Show off and on from the mid 80s, and as most people have said there hasn't been many deals. I can always remember paying pretty well market price for tackle, rods & reels etc.

 

The big difference was selection! You could go and see the latest products right at the vendor's booth, the stuff you would read about all winter in BassMaster and InFisherman or Outdoor Canada, the vendors would then tell you who was selling what you were looking for at the show.

 

There were massive booths for all the major fishing boat manufacturers, and local dealers as well. Hey I even bought a bass fishing book by Bob Izumi, went over to the Ranger Dealer that I was going to buy my boat from, and had B.I. Sign my book. The dealer even made Izumi promise to take me out in my Ranger 323 when I picked it up! (Unfortunately I never bought the bought the boat, and never went out with B.I.).

 

Yes things have changed, and it is a lot smaller. There is more of a focus now on selling you some junk, and less focus on the selection and entertainment value.

 

And as far as the "Hick" comment... I can understand what the meaning was behind it. I have worked in retail for a few stints in my life and the term he is probably referring to is "Tire Kickers" people that look, prod, ask a lot of questions, and generally may not have any intention of making a purchase today. It refers to the time when people would kick the tires of new or used cars in a car lot to see how "sturdy" they were, (but again... generally may not have any intention of making a purchase today)

 

"Tire Kickers" is one of those terms that have become obsolete, and seems to have been replaced by "Hick" by the younger sales force. I know the ones I have mentored have used the word "Hick" but have quickly switched to "Tire Kicker" once they had the term in their vocabulary.

 

(I think I just took UrbanAngler's foot out of his mouth)

[kennyman]

1st off Kenny, I'm no "man mountain", and if you ever call me sir, I'll ignore you

 

The 7000's are easy to cast, they just take some practice.

 

The Abu C-3 is a decent reel and will probably work well for you. It's a good caster and also has a clicker and can be used for trolling. The C-4 is basically the same, but is geared faster, which is OK for burning smaller baits, but with the higher gear ratio, it makes it more difficcult to crank in larger baits.

 

The different colors on the reels aren't for decoration, they identify the different models.

 

I can't comment on those 2 particular Shimano reels as I've never used either model, but I'm sure someone else will know something about them. If your interested in Shimano, I'd hightly recommend going up to the Calcutta. It's a whole world ahead of the Abu's, but is going to cost you alot more $$$$ but would certainly be in your best interest. Their an incredible reel and well worth the money.

 

Musky fishing is very expensive, so just buy a bit at a time, as you can afford it, and build your collection slowly. Alot of folks start out wrong and buy up a bunch of baits before they find out what works in the areas their fishing. Ask questions of the folks that fish there, and find out the best baits for those particular waters. Nothing worse than having $500 worth of lures that are no good.

 

Take your time and enjoy the experience !!

I am trying to take my time and enjoy the experience Lew. As far as the baits go, I got a deal on a bunch here from Mitch (vanillagorilla) who apparently was a guide on the Ottawa. Saw lots of pics of him holding some big toothy critters. He helped me pic out some of the baits that he thought I should use (obviously from the ones he had for sale). More natural colours for the Kawarthas and a couple of orange/black, orange/yellow gliders for the Ottawa. I'll probably try them all anyway. I didn't get a trolling lure (drifter/believer) off him because I plan on mostly casting, but maybe I should have anyway. Here's another pic of the baits I got from him (for a great deal). He also gave me a new 13" Grandma (perch pattern) that's not in the pic.

[lew]

You've got some good lookin baits there Kenny and they should work well for you.

 

On the other hand, I don't think that 13" Grandma will ever catch a musky, so if you want to ship it to me, I know of a place where I can dispose of it for you

[kennyman]

Well, Lew I'm hoping with those baits and a 1/2oz buzzbait and a musky doule buzz (both white) I'll have some of the tools to catch a few decent musky this year. I'm sure I'll buy a few more baits as well,but the next thing is a reel. What line is your "go to" line Lew??? I Know it's 80lb.. Is it Power pro? Thanks again for the interest and great replies Lew. P.S. just remembered I have some other big bucktails as well ........... plus I'll keep collecting (it's fun anyway ). ALSO, as you suggested, I tried to grab a "Muskie Magnet" at JB's at the Spring Fishing Show". I asked and there were three guys there that had never even heard of them.I did find them online though. Maybe later I'll grab one. I just wanted you to know I was listening.Your advice definetely carries some weight bud, Thanks. Just curious. Here's a question for you. If your out in the Kawartha's early in the morning,water is flat,what is the first bait you throw? Buzzbait? What about if there's a little wind and chop?

Edited March 21, 2007 by kennyman

[daisy_girl58]

HICK from the midwest definition:

 

Guys who act dumb, but have more money than Fort Knox, usually laughs at city folks...And loves the song "Country Boy can survive" Aren't to pleasant to look at, but always has cash on them....And guess what everything they own is paid for!

So which do you want to be? City Slicker or Hick/redneck country boy?

 

Lorissa

[Big Cliff]

I'm not to sure where I fit into the mix but I'm just happy being me. Wouldn't hurt my feelings a bit to be called a hick (or just about anything else for that matter)!

[cisco]

Lotsa folks in more urban areas have highspeed internet and computers compared to rural folks. The urbanites can keep up with new stuff and prices way easier than a person with no or poor internet. I knew guys from Bancroft that would make a holiday family trip out of going to the show. They bought lotsa stuff too.

 

So in my view there's lotsa folks from rural areas that go to the show for the above reasons. Maybe they outnumber the folks from urban highspeed access areas. I dunno.

 

I find that one of my favorite expressions applies equally to both rural and urban dwellers......

 

 

 

 

"If you're gonna be dumb ya gotta be tough." LOL!