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8th Annual Texas Fishing & Outdoors Show, Mesquite, Texas
January 14th thru the 16th found my son and I at the 8th Annual Texas Fishing & Outdoors Show in Mesquite Texas and even though it was cold and windy we did receive a warm welcome from all the people we interviewed. This is the second weekend of shows for me and I’ve begin to realize some profound truths. One, there are a lot of fisher-people in this state we live in and most of them are very warm and friendly. Two, publishing this paper is going to be fun and we are going to meet many new people and we hope to make lots of new friends. Third, we began to realize this is going to take a lot of work...but it’s what we want to do and we are looking forward to the challenge.
We met up with the originator of the “Secrets of the Bays” videos at the front door of the convention center and got our passes and followed him to his booth. (If you fish saltwater, these videos are a must have item.)
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| Secrets of the Bays | My son at the computer |
Once we stepped inside I just had to start looking at all the “goodies”. If you are a person that likes to fish, you can’t help but have a good time at these shows. The first thing I like to do at a show is just walk around and see all the different kinds of fishing tackle and new products, the different guides and guide services, the seminar schedule, any other booths like a Cajun cooking booth, or the roasted pecans booth, or information about marinas or lodging etc., where the concession stand is and where the restrooms are. When all of this is located and marked then it’s time to get a little work done.
The first day was going to be a short one as we were only there about five hours in the afternoon. My son settled down in the booth and got on the computer and I started looking around for personalities that could help with stories we could use in The Fishnet Daily News.
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One of my first stops was across the isle from Garrett’s booth. There was a small fish tank set up with what looked like a type of gold fish in it and a sign that read Black Salty. Black Salty's are a genetically engineered bait fish, produced by Anderson Farms of Arkansas, that will live approximately 1.5 hours in salt water. They are easily transported in fresh water and then can be used as a saltwater baitfish. They are bred to die after about 1.5 hours so there is no chance of them reproducing in the saltwater bays and having some kind of adverse effect on the estuaries. They are approved by the TP&W under these conditions and they are also a tremendous freshwater bait. |
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The next thing that drew my attention was a ladies voice talking over a microphone and giving fishing advice at a seminar for lady anglers. Bonita Staples, one of the premier women fishing personalities in the United States was giving a seminar on women fishing and what their involvement and participation can be. It was very informative to say the least. Later, Bonita was again giving another seminar on fishing for black bass and later one on fishing for strippers. We believe that Bonita Staples, is ranked as the #2 woman’s professional stripper fisherman in the U.S. Her fishing demonstration and seminar at the trailer tank drew more people than any of the men guides that gave seminars. It just goes to show that women certainly have a place in the sport fishing world and there is plenty of room for to expand their horizons. What a neat and interesting lady. We hope to have her writing some featured articles for our women’s section soon. fishing@ladyangler.com |
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| Bonita Staples - Sponsored by Polar Boats | Look at this crowd ! |
| Speaking of women, I also ran into a
neat group of women that had a booth representing the
Dallas Bass ’N Gals. It is good to see women
participating at these events and showing their interest
in a great outdoor activity. The Dallas Bass ’N Gals is
a WBFA affiliated club and members can be reached at
www.dallasbassngals.com.
Cheryl Bowden Pres. Barbara Arrington VP Norma Ussery Sec. Jan Bruner Treas. Maggie Robledo Bylaws Thanks for the picture girls! |
Dallas Bass ’N Gals |
| Though there were many fine booths and I
think I visited every one of them, I was especially interested in the
Dallas Fly Fishers club. I carve wooden lures out of balsa wood and also
tie flies that I use for redfish down on the coast. Jeff Eggleston & Jim Crump tying flies at their booth. |
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At the left is some examples of premium bass
flies that were tied by Jim Crump. Some people just have a gift. We also
met Sue Spangler and Bill Sargeant at the Dallas Fly Fishers booth and
visited about fly fishing on the coast for trout and redfish. Bill the
offer still stands. The Dallas Fly Fishers can be contacted at www.dallas-flyfishers.org |
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One of my favorite personalities of all time came through and entertained us with some card tricks. If you have lived in the Dallas area, been a Cowboys fan, or watched Dallas football at all, you should recognize this man. He is in a wheelchair and almost eighty years old but he is still very lively and as he told us this day, he still loves his wife. They were about to celebrate their wedding anniversary. |
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Almost anyone would recognize him if he hollered “COWBOYS!” God bless you Crazy Ray and keep you safe and Happy Anniversary. Thanks for the good memories! |
Here are some of the other booths we
visited at the 8th Annual Fishing and Outdoor Show
In Mesquite, Texas
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Bass Club of Fort Worth
We regret that we do not have the time to cover every booth that was represented at the 8th Annual Texas Fishing and Outdoor Show. However, there is always next year and we will be there again and we look forward to seeing all our friends that we have made at the show. May God bless and keep ya’ll safe until then.
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