I'm not sure if the Vancouver show is put on by the same folks who
stage the International Sportsman's Exposition in Seattle, February
7-11, at the Stadium Exposition Center.
If it is and if last year's Seattle show was any guide, you can
expect about one third of the show to be devoted each to hunting,
fishing and general outdoors.
Of the fishing exhibitors, half or more were for lodges, guides or
other fee-based fishing destinations. Maybe another 30-40% of fishing
exhibitors were dedicated to bait and gear fishing.
That left at most maybe 5% of the show of specific interest to
flyfishers like me.
Most of the regional and national rod, reel and line manufacturers
(Sage, Loomis, Scott, Redington, Scientific Angler, Rio, etc.) had
booths, as did the larger gear manufacturers (float tubes, pontoon
boats, waders, clothing, etc.) Some sold product at the show, some
didn't. Most of the ones that did seemed to sell it at full retail
price, although a few offered a 10-15% 'show discount'.
Seemed like most of the local Seattle area fly shops (Kaufman's,
Orvis, Creekside, Avid Angler, etc.) also had exhibits. Some were
simply samples of representative products while others seemed to
focus on selling gear and supplies, most of which seemed like
close-out kind of stuff, probably intended to reduce older store
inventory before new stuff for the new fishing season starts arriving.
After six hours spent wandering around getting sore feet and
indigestion from a very expensive hot dog, I ended up with a small
bag with an inch thick stack of brochures, a new Delorme gazeteer,
two back issues of 'Northwest Fly Fishing' and a fleece hood.
I'm kind of half interested in going to the Seattle show again, but
I'm not sure if it's worth $7-8 to get in and another $5-6 to park.
If the Vancouver show is similar, it sure wouldn't be worth a drive
up to Vancouver and back for me, even if the prices were in Canadian
dollars. If it's different, I'd sure love to hear a report.
Kent Lufkin
>this is happening Jan 12,13, & 14 at the pacific coliseum in Vancouver, BC.
>they have a toll free hotline at 877-888-7111 - I've not been to one of
>these, so I don't know if they are worth the trip or not. One big bonus is
>the us dollar is worth about 1.50 in Canadian money (as of last week) &
>products like hardy reels are quite a bit cheaper that way- I also
>understand that Canadians aren't bound by the us manufacturers sugg. retail
>price policies so they can negotiate on us goods if they want to. Maybe we
>could set up a car pool(s) & go up. bill hamilton
