The BC Outdoors Show was an amazing experience thanks to Mike and the great crew who helped this event be a success. Next year will be even better.
I am truly grateful and humbled to be able to have been a part of this show. Speaking about kokanee fishing and sharing the experiences my family and I have had were a lot of fun. Meeting existing members at the show in person and talking with people at our booth was inspiring and I thank you for coming. The support of everyone who came to the show and those who were interested in learning have me thinking of new ways I can help others learn.
When I was first asked to talk at the show, I did not fully comprehend the magnitude of this opportunity. While the last couple of months leading up to the show were stressful at times, I can now say that it was all worth the effort. I wanted the kokanee talk to be informative, but relatable to what I have learned over time. I still have a lot to learn, but believe I was able to help a few people learn about kokanee fishing and that makes me happy. The smiles, stories and conversations we had talking with group members and the public before and after the kokanee talks was incredible.
Over the next couple weeks I will be watching my lilac bushes and be ready to go kokanee fishing when they bloom. Until then stay tuned to my YouTube channel for kokanee videos coming soon, like this one.
Our weekend started with some anxiety and last minute rehearsals to make sure my presentation was sound. After a final practice run in front of family members and one last adjustment in the hotel room, I was excited to be able to share what I have learned and experienced over time with everyone at the show (although 45 minutes was just enough time to scratch the surface). I think it would be cool to have a few anglers gather on stage during the next show and share their experiences and knowledge with everyone through a question and answer period as well as a pre-planned agenda (maybe a few different stage times). There was so much to talk about and not enough time.
In our group, Kokanee Fishing BC, we normally do not do giveaways. We would like to thank Gibbs Delta Tackle, Luhr Jensen Canada, GRAMS TACKLE BOX, and Black Pine Creative who donated some great tackle for us to give away to those who were excited to talk fishing with us this past weekend.
While we talked about kokanee fishing a lot this weekend, it was also fun to talk about salmon, trout, lake trout and burbot fishing. We learned a lot from talking with so many great people.
Our yellow Kokanee Fishing BC hoodies and t-shirts were fun to wear this weekend. We even got a hoody and t-shirt for Grandma. We were extremely happy with our Banners and table runners too. All these items would not have be made possible if it was not for the help of some great people at Duolynx Design & Print.
I wish I took more pictures this weekend. If anyone has some pictures worth sharing of the weekend, please share them here or send me a private message. This was a weekend I will not forget anytime soon. Meeting and talking with people in person from Facebook and YouTube was amazing. This event has opened the door and allowed us to meet some great people that I can now put a real face to a name that I see online. I am inspired to bring back our group get togethers in the near future. We used to schedule events in our group in the past and we have met some great people this way from the group. Stay tuned for our group get together events. If you wish to hold one in your area, please schedule one and post your experience and pictures from the get together in our group. Let’s help others learn together and meet some great people along the way.
I hope this weekend was as much fun for everyone involved as it was for my family and I. While planning this event might have been stressful, I hope all those involved know how much your efforts are appreciated. Thank you to all the planners, exhibitors, speakers, group members and the public for making this BC Outdoors Show an amazing experience. Thank you to all my lower mainland family who came to the show to watch me speak for the first time (and hopefully not the last).
My experience of this past weekend would not be complete without sharing a few other “first time” places and products we found. When we visit our family in Vancouver we normally drive down from Quesnel without stopping. Over the last twenty years I have driven by two places that my family and I will be stopping at more regularly (when time permits). On the drive home today we stopped at Fat Jacks just north of Boston Bar. The food was amazing. We had a bacon cheeseburger, a clubhouse and salt and pepper wings. We will be going back there one day. Then, we stopped at the Sugar Shack in 70 Mile House to buy some maple syrup, to try their infamous poutine and we also had coffee and tea with maple syrup in it. Everything was amazing. These two places will be added to our rest stop list for the future.
I was excited to find some Delta Tackle Guide Series oil based scents at Cabela’s in Abbotsford. Their kokanee gear selection was also amazing. I have seen and heard about these scents coming on the market this winter and I was excited when I found them. While the price of these compared to the Pro-Cure Bait Scents that I normally use seemed high, I am excited to see if the scents I bought are worth the extra dough. Either way, I love trying new products and I look forward to sharing my experience with these and other products as the 2022 open water kokanee season gets underway here in the Cariboo.