Fred Hall Show 2013

[alantani]

Fred Hall Show 2013

It's a sure sign of spring.  it's almost as certain as having that groundhog, punxsutawney phil, NOT seeing his shadow and getting an early spring.  Roger drove again.  i think we burned a whopping 10 gallons of gas in his wife's prius on the way down.  it's a great car to sleep in.  we left late in the morning and arrive on thursday at 4pm.  our first stop was western outdoor news to renew our subscriptions.



the crowds on the weekdays are nowhere near as bad as the weekends.





when you walk in, the first things you see are the boats.  roger wanted to bring home a bass boat, but the prius wouldn't have gotten the boat over the grapevine.  and then there are boats and kayaks in the back.



















then we ran the gauntlet of booths with all kinds of things to sell..... 







.... and all kinds of trips to take.

























the san diego long range fleet is always my biggest interest. 













this place is a tackle junkies paradise. 





































lots of tackle and other miscellaneous booths as well. 

















































and then there is blood decks!!!!!!





here are some of the bigger vendors that i always come down to see.  first is frank murata and daiwa.







johnson hicks is a northern california operation.  these are the guys that installed all the electronics in boat.  i am halfway considering an upgrade.  i am currently running all furuno and i'm looking at a garmin system right now.  i am also looking at upgrading my flir to the newer unit. 







gary and ben at accurate fishing!









finnor/zebco. 



the master, cal sheets!



segaur!



izor.  heartbroken though.  i missed seeing wendy!







ken's custom reels, oceanside.  great place. 







qualia.



ok, all you old reel junkies, here you go.  Randy Pauly of Vintage Offshore Tackle in San Luis Obispo, CA.











met the guy at canyon. 



mr. dennis braid!!!!  and woody!









okuma!  lots of new stuff for this year. 





calstar!



seeker!   i'm going to have to pick up a couple of these seeker 2x4's!







penn didn't have a booth this year, they had a stage. 





steve carson gave me a reel to work on!



ahh, phenix.  i have a full set of these rods and they're incredible!



shimano!







avet!




and finally, charkbait!  with mark and gary sato!











thursday night we headed out to this neon sushi bar called the octopus with roger, ben and jill.  the music is loud but the kids like it, the fish is fresh enough, the beer is cold, the sake is hot and the prices are pretty moderate.  i had a huge headache the next morning.....











if you've never been, add this show to your bucket list.  it is well worth the time to see.  hope you enjoyed your tour.  alan

[Norcal Pescador]

Nice report! Was Roger able to fit all the brochures and goodies you guys bought in the Prius? Especially those Yo-zuri bulk spools - what a deal!!
Looks like you had fun.

[Dominick]

Alan:  Thanks for the report.  I was going to go down for the show but I laid down on the couch until the feeling past.    Dominick

[Jim]

Great to meet Alan in person, just ran across him Friday and recognized his face from last years's photos.
Flew down, wayyy better than driving, plus just one small carry-on meant I couldn't spend a pile of money.
Met many old friends and some folks I knew from boards but had never met. Worked a looong day in the Allcoast booth.
Everyone says you have to go once. Yep, they're right.

[wallacewt]

thanks alan
worst things about them shows is when
you get back home all your rods and reels
dont seem good enough.
ahhh the pain!

[Irish Jigger]

Great report Alan,thank's for sharing,we never have anything like that over here. Maybe just as well

[ossipeter]

Hi Alan,
thanks for sharing. To look at all the photos is like Christmas and eastern together.

[CapeFish]

Thanks a lot Alan, really nice report, incredible what a tackle market the US has.

[johndtuttle]

Thanks a lot Alan, really nice report, incredible what a tackle market the US has.

The crazy thing is that shows are going on all over the USA right now at this time of year. I think FHS is one of the biggest (biggest on west coast for sure) but I would think one of the East Coast shows going on right now is even bigger by far!

Thanks for the post Alan!

best

[Alto Mare]

Very nice Alan, thanks for the pictures.
I noticed  the price tag on that 16/0's, looks like I'll be able to retire soon after all.
I also noticed that you or Roger are not carrying any bags, you must be getting a special  delivery 
Sal

[alantani]

yeah, sal, i saw that reel and thought of you.   

[broadway]

   Thanks for the tour, Alan.  To me the Fred Hall Show is the equivalent of heaven... I'm just not ready for it
Glad I didn't go cause I would've sold the Prius, bought a bunch of gear, and hitch hiked home.  In all seriousness it looks like a blast, and Sal if you have half the stuff I think you have you could've retired long ago
Thanks
Dom

[john2244]

Hello Alan,

Thanks for the Fred Hall photo tour.  I missed the show this year for the first time in 8 years.  It was great to see 3 of my fishing buddies in your photos.

Thanks,

John

[Dominick]

Alan:  Thanks for the report.  I was going to go down for the show but I laid down on the couch until the feeling past.    Dominick

I reread this post.  I did not like the way it sounded.  I did not mean that going to the show was a bad thing but that I remember all the excitement in anticipation of going to these shows.  Then when I actually go there it is like overload there is so much stuff and it is so long and tiresome and I never get to read all the stuff in the brochures I collect.  Also I can't afford all the stuff I want.      Dominick

[Bucktail]

Great pics.  Looks like a fun time. 

I'm going to the Somerset Saltwater Show here in New Jersey tomorrow.  I plan on taking a lot of pics as well for our site, NJSaltwaterFisherman.com.  I'll be sure to post some up here as well.