This year I'll be skipping all the fishing shows.
Can't find a single thing I want to see or a single person worth listening to.
Was hoping Bob Long would be invited to speak at the fly fishing show, but no go.
I think that means that the where, why and how of my fishing has changed enough for me to think that listening to others talk about it no longer matters. At least not at the shows. At the shows I'm waiting for the pitch. What organization they want you to join. What products have to get mentioned to placate a sponsor. What guide/lodge/charter service is sponsoring them.
I like what gets left here and occasionally on some of the other sites. That bumbling wide-eyed exploration of water mixed with irreverent honesty and humor about what is found on and in the waters. Or about yourselves. That no holds barred give and take to get as much out of the experience as possible.
I may have to break down and get out somewhere on an above freezing day. Ice fishing reports just don't cut it. "I sat and stared into a little hole in the ice for 5 hours." I don't think so.
One old spot I go to all the time. One old spot I haven't been to in years. One new spot that looks intriguing. Reports on that got to be better than listening what will be at these shows. At least to me.