I went to the show in Birmingham today to see if they had any good sales. They didn’t, in fact one booth had their prices higher than retail!
BUT! I did get to talk with Kevin Van Dam and got some pictures with him. We talked about his upcoming stuff he is planning. He seemed very eager and happy to begin this journey.
The best part was stopping and talking for a good while with Matt Stefan.This guy is legit, he talks to you like he has known you for years. We went over what he did and didn’t do right on Lay the first two days. I ask him did he fish up river and he said he did.i then ask did he find that magical spot that will have you catching those Coosa Spots all day long. He opened his phone and he showed me all his spots he fished and I looked at him and told him he missed the golden spot….. I just sent him the location of that spot, he wanted it for his next time there.
Roland Martin was there, and about everyone that wasn’t fishing in the knockout round today.
I’m glad I got to get some pictures of me andKevin before he heads out to do his own thing. It’s amazing he took time with everyone in line for his autograph. Never rushed anyone and spent time with them…and me.
Fun day with everything but the sellers, again no deals to be had.

I wonder if the classic has any deals

Always has a ton of deals. I don't think Tulsa will break the attendance record but I do know the Expo will be great. There will be lots of great deals.

I was disappointed in what they were selling. Even the free handouts were very limited to those walking around. I ask one guy who was trying to sell me some gas additives and I ask him do you have a sample bottle, he said yea, but it will cost you $12.
I saw most booths only having items on display that they sell, nothing more than just that, well maybe a pamphlet of their products.
Star right only had a bottle of what will be coming out, you could not even purchase anything, they said their products were not even out yet, just a look see stuff.
Bass Pro shop, had a large display area but they were selling all their stuff even their caps for $6.95 but at BPS you can buy them for $4.95…..
The MLF booth, they did give you a cookie with their emblem on it. Mind you this was an MLF sponsored show too.
I saw nothing new from any of the major manufacturers in the industry there. The just pushed what has already been out for a year or more.
Maybe the BASS classic show will bring us some newer items coming out perhaps at I-Cast?

Oh, I forgot as the wife and I were walking out, we ran into Dakota Ebare, he was putting on his fishing jersey over a t-shirt and going in. We talked for a good bit. I ask him that I was very surprised he left the MLF and went into the BASS Opens to try and make the Elite Series.
He said it was a very hard decision to make but he wants to fish the Classic. We were joking about how he fishies every tournament he can fish in. He said that he would never be the best he could be just fishing one series. Time on the water during tournament is what makes him better. Making the right choices under the stress of competitive tournaments was the only option for him. I laughed and told him, so you and John Cox see a lot of each other. He laughed too and said, yea, we seem to run into each other a lot these days.
He too was a great guy, a friendly guy that loves to talk fishing and seems to enjoy taking in all the experiences of being a touring pro.
All in all I came away with a good feeling from all those anglers that were there. I even talked to Edwin Evers and he was very polite and I had always read where he wasn’t all that friendly. He did not seem at all to be that way to me today.

I know a few from TX that are there now, haven't heard a report back how this Expo is compared to the Bassmaster Classic in Ft. Worth, kinda wonder if some of whats there is going to pack up and show up at Tulsa next week.

Good story.

It seems like a lot of the top pros are getting a dose of humble pie. I get it that a new crop of young guns have risen up and are dominating the sport. What I don't get is why the some of the top anglers in the world can't make top 50. What is up with that?

Which anglers are you talking about?

Never been to an MLF championship but to a few Classics. The Classic they had in Shreveport was probably the most generous of the one's I've been to. I left there with a huge bag of goodies and they had some really good deals on fishing gear at some of the booths.

The main reason I’m not a Pro is because I couldn’t handle working events like this! Shaking hands and taking pics and having strangers talk to me about my career would give me hives. Some of these guys are incredibly gracious with their time and show everyone respect. I wish I was that way.

The next reason I’m not a Pro is because I suck at fishing.

only fishermen would complain that there is not enough free stuff at a expo.

I don’t think it was the lack of free, it was just the assumption they stuff would be at a slight discount

That sounds like the first reason your not a pro

Sorry, I should've said Top 30 for MLF. Look at the names below 30th place.

At the BASS event on Fork it was eye opening how many of the top anglers in the world didn't make Top 50 cut.

I think they aren’t top 50 anymore