Fred Hall gouge
 

Man do you think that the beer prices at $7.00 is fooking a rip off.
The show was ok. Every year they seem to have less on good deals.
Maybe the price for the booths are like the beer, you think.

I absolutely agree. Very few deals this year. Last year I bought a ton of stuff, this year only a few items....and no $7 beer!

I wasn't all that impressed, but it was fun being the first one I had been to...I'm always out of town during the shows usually. A few OK deals here and there, it was good to meet a few people and put faces to names. I went on Wed. so it was pretty cool with less crowd. The beer at Del Mar anything is a rip off for the most part.

there are more producers and less tackle shop owners...

when's hook1 gonna get a booth at those shows? :)

Fo Ho
 

Mark,
After last year I said "That's it!" Up until a few years ago the average guy could spend most of the day there and walk out with some swinging deals
on all kinds of tackle and have a good time. It doesn't seem like that any more to me. By the time they get you for parking and the admission you are already $20 in the hole. That is if you are going by yourself. Then there is all the fancy boats, RV'S, and trucks that the average guy could never afford. After that is all the resorts and outfitters. I guess if you were planning a vacation that might be useful. Although you could probably get the same information on their websites and save a lot of hassle. As for the deals on tackle... I can't comment on this year, because I didn't go. Last year there were very few deals. Most of the tackle for sale that I saw was a bunch of junk that the tackle dealers were trying to get rid of. The prices weren't anything to write home about either. I picked up a couple of lures that I probably could have got online for close to the same price. The food and drinks were a total ripoff. It seems to be geared more toward people with lots of $$$$$$$$ vs the average working guy with a family. In my opinion if I had to gouge the working people $7 for a beer just so I could make a little money, I wouldn't do it. That's why I don't go there anymore. Just my .02

Robert

Just so that there is no confusion on who gets the money. The Parking and the concessions for these events goes to the location not to the show promotors. The pricing on said items is totally out of their control.
Though I did little shopping at the show there were some deals to be had most notably on the Daiwa reels the 20-40 HV sealines were $69, that is about half of normal retail. I would like to see more tackle shops represented at these shows though. The end of the aisle that we were on looked more like a swap meet than a tackle show. You could get anything from hand lotion to a massage (no happy ending). The price of the boothes is not cheap so I can see what keeps many shops away.
I still enjoy being at the shows every year, just so I see a bunch of old friends and talk with a bunch of people that are interested in the sport.

I got a new Seeker Blank for $35

and I got 3 free beers for buying a Chuck Byron Calico painting.

Hook 1 has a regular day job and can't afford to take the time off.
Maybe if I quit giving to all the tourneys and raise the prices on our gear I could take the time off :shock: ....Fat Chance.
Karen and I like cruising, looking, and talking with all the people. I just like to do it with a beer that doesn't cost more than a Ironman #5. The show is slowly changing and not in the right direction. Just my .02

Mark is serious....as he came back with a beer for he and Karen, first thing he said to her was, "Do not spill a drop - these things cost me $14."
:lol: :lol: :lol: :shock: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Dinero
 

A few years ago I went to the Long Beach show and there was some great deals, but it was really hard to navigate the place that they have it.
Del Mar seems to be turning into what the name says SHOW not sale! I agree with Jim it's fun to see some faces that you only see once a year at the show. The worst part of a 7 dollar beer is that it's a bud :oops: ! I'd pay 7 bucks for a Ballast Point Yt Ale :D .... Cris

Got the Fish n' Dive up to 40 mph in the snow up here in Julian last week!!!!

It was Coor's. I went ahead and paid the extra .50 and got Heine. I could only wish for Bud.
What kind of wax did you use on the FnD?

I enjoy looking at all the booths, seeing new things and finding deals...
Its all good!
As far as cerveza goes HOLY CHIT :shock:
Knowing what I know now I will bring in my own in a back pack.
Not that I'm cheap but $7+ for a barley pop is nucking futs. I didnt even get a courtesy reach around :shock:

Mark, You have to smuggle the beer in in your kids diaper bag or your backpack. They never check. I got a few small deals on some tackle and a cheap visor. I got to check out some new gear like that new daiwa reel with the twitching bar. Nice reel if your totally into bass fishing.
Steamroll who gave you free beers for buying a Chuck Byron painting??? :shock: That amazes me considering alcoholism had a big role in his decision to take his life via shotgun in front of his kids. :(

Picked up a Sealine X50SHV for $69.99, a fun show, but wasn't gonna mortgage the house for a brew! :P

Just googled Chuck, pretty sweet stuff, too bad about his ending.

Check it out.

http://www.chuckbyron.com/gallery/

Chris

Brett,
Some guy was hanging around the booth with Lori and he had a cooler of beers. I was trying to decide between a Calico and WSB painting and he was trying to bribe me with beer. It worked.

What happened a few years ago was sad.