Anybody attended/attending? How was it? I haven't gone for a year or two. I always WANT to go, but the last couple of times I went it was pretty disappointing and I was out the $12 entrance fee.
Anything good out there this year? Anybody have any cheap tickets?
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The show has gone downhill in the last few years IMHO.
When Sportsman's and other big retail stores set up shop at the Expo, they had some very good deals going on.
The last few years the show is almost all about guide services.
N ot worth my time any more.
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I haven't been since they first held it in southtown. Don't want to go back either.
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I went yesterday, only one booth that had only fishing tackle. A few t-shir. Booths and most of the booths were for guides or random stuff.
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Yeah, kinda my feelings too. Last time I went was a few years ago, and I didn't see many good deals. I got a great deal on waders many years ago, but I dunno if it's worth it anymore.
About 15 years ago I did win a fly rod out there in the Jr. fly casting competition, so that year is gonna be tough to beat.
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I find I can usually find just as good if not better deals if I look around a bit. I scored a couple of rods at the cabelas in Grand Junction this past month at 1/2 price.
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That is the main reason I go is to check out the different hunting and fishing trips being offered by the various outfitters. The Salt Palace didn't have much a couple weeks ago. I did enjoy looking at the taxidermist mounts, there were some nice mounts in the competition. Wasn't real crowded this afternoon nice when you can look without running into people. It was well worth the 10 bucks I spent to get in.
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I went after work. I think admission is a little much $12 for what they have to offer.
I sat through two fishing workshops that were well done. One about fishing Strawberry for Kokanee. And another about fish for Kokanee in General. They even gave out some Rocky Mountain Tackle gifts. I got a Dodger and some scent that was worth more than the admission price.
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I too the family opening night. I will agree it has gone down hill, but it's a tradition. I remember way back when Doug Miller did a show at the fair grounds. You could actually test drive machine and it was a lot of fun. Not too commercialized like the zoos we see these days. My old man bought our first atvs because of the old show. I will say though, every year for about 4 years l would drool over the Dave Scadden booth, this year the wife gave me the green light to go ahead and I purchased a new Renegade. It was an awesome birthday present to say the least, now I'm ready to test it out. One thing the expo could do is make it more entertaining for kids. The kids section is a joke and I love making memories with my boys, and wish there was more I could do with them there. If the marketers were smart they would take in to account that most people attending have kids and are the future purchasers of everything they are trying to sell.
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If I had known Rocky Mountain Tackle was giving out samples I would have come down myself!
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I have a philosophical problem paying an entrance fee so I can be subjected to people trying to sell me something that I don't know I need or will even buy before I go. $12.00 to essentially window shop? I don't think so. Cabela's/Sportsman's and the internet works just fine for me. I remember when these types of things were free.
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I feel like I paid to walk through a swap meet...
there were a few things that were still attention grabbers.
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I actually went Thursday and Friday. Most of the posts are accurate in saying there really isn't much there to "buy." I agree that when sportsmans had a booth there was definitely some good deals to be had. Now it's mostly guide services and people trying to sell their products. However, if you are looking for a place that you can find some advice on kokanee fishing or mac fishing at the Gorge then spending some time at one of the many seminars offered by Rocky Mountain Tackle or Addictive Fishing (aka Ashley Bonser) is well worth it. Jared ALWAYS gives out handfuls of tackle during his seminars and offers some great advice. You can rub shoulders with the guys in their booth afterward and get additional info if you want.
Also, if you make it down to the show you MUST stop in at the Kokanee Creek booth and talk to Art and his wife. You cannot find a nicer guy who loves to fish as much as most of us do and he has some great new salmon,rainbow,walleye lures this year! And it doesn't hurt to enter his free tackle giveaway drawing either. Mike Schaffer is usually there at the booth too and anyone who knows him can tell you he will gladly share his tips on catching walleye on the local waters (and he is a master at it).
The "kids corner" was what I thought a bit of bust this year. I second the motion on adding more activities for the kids.
The $12 is quite a bit of money for an expo but I supposed times have changed. KSL.com has $7 passes and I think that takes some of the sting out of it. All in all I had a pretty good time and if you are looking for something to kill the afternoon then I would rather spend it at the expo instead of on the couch.
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