I like seeing the large companies in place so that I can talk to folks about specifics about their lines... Sage was present... I think Scott was as well. It wasn't a really large selection. I'm pretty clear on the concept that you don't make large sales at a show like that. Smaller stuff and books tend to get picked up readily. I'm not going to buy a rod or a reel unless it is a screamin' good deal. I'd rather buy something like that from the local shop to help them stay in business. Smaller, gadget things that I can't find elsewhere are things that will come home with me. I guess in the days before the internet... that was a lot more likely. Now that is a lot harder to find.
I always like a place where I can find hooks or tying stuff that I have difficulty getting at typical shops. I don't want to see an entire display of something that every shop already has. Knowledge is good to find... the local experts found at destinations are good as well.
The one thing I didn't really like was the fractured nature of the displays... you'd be moving along and then you'd see some "marinade" vendor that got stuck in a slot... it didn't make a lot of sense but know I'm really nit-picking. These are just my opinions of course and they are worth exactly what they cost...
Often wrong, seldom in doubt!
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