Fish Lake Manitoba Narrows

Fishing, hunting or gun show happening or coming soon to the area.

Personally, this is one of my favorite times of the year. The reason that I say that is it’s the time of the year for me when I spend quite a bit of time on the road traveling from sport show to sport show all across this great land of ours.

Presenting seminars on outdoors related subjects such as fishing and hunting is something that I have done for many years and really enjoy doing.

Getting to meet old friends that I may have met years ago at a show is really great. Also, I get to spend some time with my other outdoor writer friends who tour the seminar circuit this time of the year themselves. These shows give us a chance to spend some time together swapping stories and adventures that we have experienced the past season. It also gives us a chance to plan our trips together for the upcoming year.

For you sportsmen out there, going to a sport show is a chance to shake off the cobwebs of the long winter season and spend a day engulfed in the latest products that are available for your particular sport. Whatever is may be, fishing, hunting, camping or boating, you can bet that you will find them represented at most sport shows.

What’s nice about attending one of these shows is that you can get a chance to try some of these new products hands-on before you decide to buy them. This is nice because it gives you a chance to get a feeling if you really like it or not. This can really help you make that decision before laying out that cash.

Another great aspect of sports shows is being able to get a chance to search out a good vacation sight for the upcoming season. You will find that many resorts and lodges from all over the United States and Canada will have booths set up at these shows so that you can find out information about what they offer.

I know many anglers that go to Canada fishing during the warm weather months will actually book their vacations at some of these shows. By doing this, they help insure that they will get the dates they want. Also, you can get some great sport show packages that these lodges offer that can save you some extra bucks.

One thing that I want to mention is that when talking to one of these lodge operators, do not be afraid to ask all kinds of questions. Ask about the fishing, the facilities, what’s actually included in the trip package. Also, make it a point to ask about their cancellation policy if something should come up where you could not make the trip.

See what kind of meal plans they offer, if any, and make sure all pricing is inclusive. You don’t want to find out later that there are hidden charges in the trip you never knew about.

If you do decide to book a trip, get everything in writing. If you find that the lodge will not do this for you, move on and find one that will.

Another highlight of spending the day at a sports show is the food that is usually available. At most of your larger shows, you will be able to find everything from homemade moose jerky to Indian smoked fish, all within a just few feet of each other. Don’t be surprised at some of the more exotic foods that you may find there also.

Over the years, at the many sports shows I attend, I have tasted the likes of lion stew and seafoods like broiled escargot, just to mention a few. Be open-minded when you sample these foods. Don’t have a negative attitude until you taste it. You just might find something you really like the taste of. Again, the food samples at these shows are usually quite plentiful so enjoy yourself.

One of my personal favorites of sport show season is the free seminars you can attend. For both fisherman and hunters and boaters, these seminars that are given by professional folks in the know about their particular sport can be very educational as well as enjoyable. You will find that most of your quality sport shows will offer some type of a seminar schedule that usually occurs every day of the show’s run.

Over the many years that I have been doing seminars at shows all across the country and also in Canada, my fondest memories are of all the wonderful people that I have met.

I truly enjoy when I get a chance to speak with someone who attended one of my seminars in past years and they make it a point to stop by and say hello. In fact, at many shows I do I’ll look for faces in the audience that I can recognize from the past. Spotting one, I’ll make a mental note to make time after the show and once again say hello. It’s really neat to talk with these folks year after year and share some memories. Many of those youngsters are now grown young adults. It’s great to see them.

When you head out to one of these sport shows, keep in mind that it is a place where the whole family can have a good time. Whatever the outdoors person in your family enjoys, it’s a good bet they will find it. This is especially true of your bigger sport shows.

So now’s the time my friends to start circling those ads you see in the newspapers and magazines advertising an upcoming sport show. For the next few months or so you can get out and enjoy the time of your life. You’ll also get those juices flowing as we head closer to another spring in the outdoors.

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