Mid February Update

    The Super Bowl is over and so is the Great American Outdoor Show in Harrisburg. Huge show as usual. Plenty to see and do no matter what you’re into outdoor wise. I attended the first Saturday. Greg Smith and I drove out to assist with the Reel Kids casting contest, and booth. There were 225 competitors that day. Another 140 on Super Bowl Sunday. This past weekend it was matched again from the numbers I heard. Lynn Post had approximately 60+ as well at her event Feb 4th. That’s a lot of competitors! We also had two rod/reel combos that we were raffling to generate money for the youth programs. I was able to get a certificate from Zeko Shoes for one free pair of shoes($79.90), for a third raffle. Check these shoes out before you buy any others. Light as feather footwear that keep your feet dry and cool. I don’t know who won what, so maybe someone else can inform us.
I did get some minor info in my department. Don’t look for tournaments during the spawn this year. They’re still working on the details of how they want it to happen. It looks like it’ll be more of next year for the new regulations to take effect. All the agencies seem to be in the dark about any fish kills in PA this year. However they do recognize we do need to work on more stream management and contaminates. I also recognized they have a lot of prepared answers for the area they are addressing at the shows. The representatives only spoke about the Susquehanna and weren’t really versed in any other bodies of water East or West.
It’s been an interesting start of the season for the Pros. A local, Grae Buck of Montgomery County(Harleysville) and former Penn State Bass Team member is debuting on the FLW tour this year. He finished 50th overall out of the 165 field in Alabama. Some may know Jamie Hartman of New York, from BFLs, Costas, and BASS Tourns. Long story short, he held top 10 placement(actually top5) all tournament long during his debut on the Elite series this past weekend. He finished in 2nd, 10oz behind Jacob Wheeler. It was one of the tightest tournaments in history, especially among so many new rookies dominating the top 50 field. With Champlain and 1000 Islands on the schedules both are sure to do well this season.
To finish up, the weekend of  Feb23-26, is the Greater Philadelphia Outdoor Show, at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center, Oaks, PA. Hours are 12-8 Thurs/ Fri,  12-7 12-5 Sat/Sun. Adults $12, (5-11) $3, under 5 free.  Free parking!  Save $2 coupon code: POSTCARD online for Thurs-Fri only; SportShows.com.   Berks Bassmasters will have a booth there(107) and will be conducting a Reel Kids Casting contest Sunday. Bux-Mont Bassmasters will be covering and hosting Saturday. We look forward to seeing many of you there. Susquehanna Fishing Tackle( booth 209) will be in attendance as well as Precision Tackle(booth 201) for all you Flats guys. Zeko Shoes(236) will be there as well. That’s where you will most likely find me if I’m not at the Reel Kids events. Come by and say Hi. This years speakers are Hank Parker, Greg DiPalma, Joe Thomas, Grae Buck, and Mike and George Accord Jr. Just a heads up for those who like the Calvary Baptist Expo each year; that has been canceled as of last years show. Tight lines!