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New toys are great, and there will be plenty of them at the 35th
annual Fishing Show, set for March 3-7 at the George R. Brown
Convention Center
in Houston. Light continues to brighten down
the economic tunnel, and fishermen look enthusiastically forward to
this annual harbinger of spring.
Even through the worst of
times, as any true fan of the sport will say, fishermen fish. And
some of us held off on replacing tackle or boats, or
even line
and hooks, but they fished. Our timing was excellent.
This
year's Fishing Show delivers a broad selection of innovations and,
across or down every aisle, the comfort of the sport's most familiar
names and products.
As has been custom throughout this
show's history, tackle manufacturers consider it a proving ground.
If something new is accepted and embraced
by southeast Texas'
skilled and experienced anglers, it likely will play well in any
other venue.
Worth noting also is that most booths in this
show are occupied by factory staff and technicians, the men and
women who actually help
design and build and test the products
they display. Even the toughest questions usually are answered
immediately and comprehensively, rather
than with a scratch on
the head and a promise to send the name of the right person to ask.
Shimano hopes for (and likely will get) grand reviews on its
"rookies" on the 2010 roster, not the least impressive of which is
its pint-sized
but power-packed CORE 50MG7 baitcaster, which
features the company's smallest-ever profile. The CORE 50 is
ultralight at just 5.5 ounces but
can carry an ample length of
braid to turn most anything that swims in a Texas bay. Retail price
hovers around $370; think of it as an investment
in fewer lost
fish.
For folks who enjoy the simplicity of a spinning reel
but don't want to sacrifice quality, Shimano's Stradic C14 - named
best new freshwater
reel at ICAST this year - offer premium
features and bundle them in a nearly indestructible body. Ideal for
finesse fishing and priced at
$200, Stradic will grace the decks
of bass boats around the entire state.
Shimano also brings
back its free reel-maintenance area, where factory personnel offer
hands-on help making old reels turn smoothly again. Note
that
because response to this offer has been overwhelming in the past,
show visitors will be limited to two reels per person.
Quantum hopes to make an impression in this market with its new
Catalyst PTs series, available in a respectable 6.3:1 or
screaming-fast 7:1
retrieve ratio. The new PTs features Quantum's
exclusive SaltGuard anti-corrosion finish and sells for less than
$170. Definitely worth a
look for fishermen who like to cover
water and want a reel that lets them get a bait or lure back to hand
pronto.
Fin-Nor brings several outstanding new reels to the
35th Fishing Show, and one of its sleekest is the Marquesa. This
reel is engineered to
perform equally well under a spool filled
monofilament or braid, and it is the ideal size and weight for
light- to medium-duty offshore action.
Marquesa features a
carbon-fiber drag system, lever drag and a no-nonsense 6.1:1
retrieve ratio.
The nation's top rod manufacturers are on
hand to flex their lighter, stronger muscles. Contemporary rods are
increasingly specialized.
Premium rods today weigh only a
fraction of those that were built not many years ago. The new
graphite is tougher, as well. Get the folks from
American
Rodsmiths to demonstrate how much force can be applied to their best
rods without fear of failure.
American Rodsmiths now offers
several hundred different models, each targeted to a specific
application.
Other high-end rod companies, such as Castaway
and All Star, will showcase their generous lines at the show. Take
time to learn from the
makers how and why they make so many
different models.
Standup rods continue to hold favor among
serious offshore fishermen. The leverage they provide makes fast
work of breaking the spirits of
tough, deep-water fish such as
amberjacks, grouper, tuna and oversized red snapper. The same rods
are equally capable of stopping wahoo, dorado
and billfish.
Lure makers are bringing all their new toys to the Fishing Show. The
most talked-about "newcomer" to this year's exhibition actually has
been
around for more than a decade. Paul Brown, creator of the
Corky and its extensive line of successful successors, recently sold
his company to
MirrOlure. After months of careful consultation
and hands-on training of its expert luremakers, Brown himself has
signed off on MirrOlure's new
Paul Brown Original and Fat Boy
suspending soft plugs. They'll be available from Fishing
Tackle Unlimited. Don't expect the supply,
whatever it is, to
keep pace with demand.
Several companies also will tempt
offshore fishermen with a variety of new jigs, all of which are
carefully balanced to achieve maximum
fish-catching action at
extreme depth. Ask which sizes and colors are best for where
and when you fish. The men who make these jigs also fish
them
regularly.
The Fishing Show has marine electronics, too,
including all the latest in full color and 3-D fish finders and GPS
navigation. Top companies,
such as Lowrance, Garmin and Magellan,
have personnel on hand who can show you how to get the most from
these highly advanced machines.
If you can send an e-mail,
you can install and use a software program called The Fisherman's
Analyst to keep track of past trips and lead you
to where they're
biting in the future. TFA has been on the market only a couple of
years and already is catching the attention of top fishermen
along the coast. It provides, tide, moon, sunrise/sunset and other
information for most any spot on the coast looking forward for
several
centuries. Coupled with the data you provide on specific
trip conditions and catches each time you fish, it identifies when
and where those same
conditions will present themselves next.
There are plenty of boats at the Fishing Show, as well. For
sportsmen who haven't yet pulled the trigger on a new fishing
machine, this is the
last chance to take advantage of dealers
before winters turns to spring and the "boating bug" wipes out
potential discounts. According to Dave
Holder, producer of the
Fishing Show, this year's lineup features a strong showing from the
shallow- and shallower-water manufacturers but
also will offer
nearshore and even a few offshore craft.
Tops-N-Towers and
Millenium Marine return with their sleek selections of aluminum
work. Both shops are capable of turning simple tubing into
custom fishing accessories, such as leaning posts, rocket launchers
or whatever a fisherman can imagine.
Guides and outfitters
occupy their usual spaces to tempt and tantalize with fishing trips
as near as Lake Conroe and as far as Alaska or
Central America.
For anglers willing to set a date and leave a deposit, many guides
offer show-related incentives.
In addition to putting a few
fillets on the table, guided fishing trips make excellent family
vacations. After a short ride to the water, a
hired pro lets you
enjoy the more exciting side of fishing and avoid the drudgery of
washing and stowing the boat afterward.
Lure and tackle
collector Leonard Tucker will be at the show to offer free
appraisals on whatever can be pilfered from a grandfather's tackle
box. Tucker is one of the South's most respected collectors and will
provide a fair and honest estimate of value on whatever is
presented.
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department will be
on hand to help visitors understand statewide fishing regulations
and promote its angler
education and boater education programs.
Be sure to ask game wardens about special youth activities and the
state's nationally acclaimed
restocking and hatchery programs.
This year's seminar schedule brings to the podium some of the
most experienced presenters ever. Details are available daily at the
door. Be
sure to check as you go in, or go to the show Web site
(houstonfishingshow.com) to plan your visit around a favorite
guide's or
outfitter's seminar.
At 2 p.m. on Saturday and
Sunday, the Two of Us bass club hosts kids fishing clinics in the
rear of the center. Each child who participates
gets a free
tackle box filled with goodies, and instructors "guarantee" they can
teach any youngster to cast. Even if you don't have children,
stop by that area and express some appreciation for the job that
Lindy Ellison and club volunteers do there.
Back as always
are a brace of casting tanks, one for levelwinds and spinning reels,
the other a 100-foot long puddle reserved strictly for
fly
fishermen.
Show hours are noon to 9 p.m. Wednesday
through Friday; 10a to 7 p.m.
Saturday; and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Sunday. Admission is $8 adults, $2
children 6-12. For more
information, call 281-350-2741 or go to
houstonfishingshow.com.
QUICK FACTS
What: 35th annual Houston Fishing Show
Where:
George R. Brown Convention Center, Houston
When: March 3-7
Hours: Noon to 9 p.m. Wednesday through Friday; 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.
Admission: $8 adults, $2
children 6-12
Contact: houstonfishingshow.com.
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