The days are short, the weather can be rough for fishing, the NFL and hunting seasons are ending. What to do? It’s time to get off the couch, grab your crew and head to an outdoor show. With so many to choose from you can surely fit at least one in your schedule this year. And if you’re looking to sell some of the gear you just never use then you’re in luck, too, with lots of flea markets that want you as a seller. Just remember this; if you don’t go, you don’t know. You don’t know about a new bait your buddy secretly found, a new technique demonstrated on a tank, a new place to fish or a new activity to enjoy with a young person.
First in the line up this season is the Fredericksburg Boat & Watersports Sale event which is held at the Fredericksburg Expo & Conference Center January 9-11. Whether it sails, paddles, skis or boats you will find it all from the area’s best boat dealers all together under one 80,000 sq. ft. roof. Admission is $10 and $9 for seniors, military and first responders. Save time and money by purchasing your tickets online at https://www.fredericksburgexpocenter.com/boat-water-sports-expo.
Also, on the same weekend is the Virginia Fly Fishing & Wine Festival held at the Meadow Event Park in Doswell (state fairgrounds). This unique event welcomes fly anglers and those that would like to learn about fly fishing with an array of talented presenters, guides, lodges and gear retailers, plus plenty of wine tastings from area vintners.
The Richmond Fishing Expo returns January 16-189 to the Meadow Event Park in Doswell and will have the largest display of tackle combined with some of the finest professional talent around offering “a weekend of fishing overload”.
If it’s made to catch fish, you’ll probably find it here including boats, tackle, apparel, accessories and excellent seminars on the Bass Tub .
You can also meet and chat with BASS Masters Elite Series pros Gerald Swindle and Randy Howell. Long time TV fishing personality Joe Thomas also headlines this show.
You’ll love this event not only for the gear and the boats but also for the knowledge you’ll gain by listening to the best of the best in salt and freshwater fishing.
This is a family friendly event with a Kid’s Trout Pond and Kid’s Casting Contest. Show hours are Friday 9am-7pm, Saturday 9am-6pm and Sunday 10am-5pm. Admission is $10 for adults, $8 for senior & military, $5 for kids ages 6-12 and kids five and under are free. Admission is good for all three days as long as you pick up a return pass. www.RichmondFishingExpo.com
The 32nd annual Monaghan Fishing Show will be held January 24-25 at the Monaghan Twp. Volunteer Fire Department in Dillsburg, Pennsylvania. This is a huge flea market type of event with free appraisals on old fishing tackle, seminar speakers and more. Hours are 8am to 4pm Saturday and 9am to 2pm Sunday. Admission is $4 with all proceeds benefitting the Monaghan Fire Dept. Visit www.monaghanfishingshow.com for more information.
January 24 AND 25 are the dates for a local favorite, the Fredericksburg Fishing Flea Market now held at the Fredericksburg Fairgrounds from 8am-1pm. Here you’ll find tackle dealers, guide services and tables full of gear and lures that need to find a new home. Admission is just $3 and kids under 12 are free with a portion of the proceeds benefiting local charities.
The region’s largest and most diverse outdoor show is the nine-day “Harrisburg Show”. Officially called the Great American Outdoor Show and hosted by the National Rifle Association this event runs February 7-15.
The nine-day Great American Outdoor Show is the largest sports and outdoor show in the country, celebrating the hunting, fishing, and outdoor traditions treasured by millions of Americans and their families.
The 650,000 square foot Pennsylvania Farm Complex Show will feature nine halls of nearly 1,100 exhibitors including 400 outfitters, shooting manufacturers, outfitters, boats, RVs, hunting and fishing retailers and much more. Music, over 200 seminars, archery competitions, demonstrations, raffles and prizes make it fun for the entire family.
Tickets to the show are available at the door, but you can skip the ticket lines by purchasing them online. Adult admission is $15, $13 for seniors, kids ages 6-12 are $9, a group pass (10 or more) is $13/ticket and a two day pass is $26.
www.GreatAmericanOutdoorShow.org
January 31 from 8am to 1pm is the date and time for the annual Bass Fishing Flea Market now called the Dale City Bass Tackle Show and run by Horizon Bass Anglers Club at the Hillendale Fire Dept. in Dale City, Virginia. Rent a table for just $35 or come and see what’s available for just $5 admission (kids 12 & under are free). Visit www.NHBAYouthFoundation.weebly.com.
The annual Augusta County Fishing Expo will be held February 7-8 at the Augusta Expoland in Fishersville, Virginia. MLF pro angler Martin Villa will be on hand to talk fishing with atten dees.
You’ll find a large collection of both new and used fishing tackle dealers and various regional anglers offering insight into fishing techniques and fishing destinations with presentations. Show hours are 9-5 both days. If you’d like to be an exhibitor contact Doug Fitzgerald at acbassjons@yahoo.com.
Also on February 7-8 is a new event from Showmasters dubbed the Every Man Expo. You’ll find everything from golf to boating, bullets to bourbon, hiking to hunting and more at the Virginia Beach Convention Center.
February 14 from 9a to 3p is also the 36th annual Rapidan Trout Unlimited Fishing Show held in Warrenton, Virginia at the Highland School. Inside you’ll find everything fly fishing from vendors, seminars, fly tying to casting demonstrations. Admission is just $5. www.rapidantu.org
