I was pleasantly surprised to see that there was plenty of parking and amazingly, it was free. That was nice not to have to unload 20 bucks right off the bat just to park. Also, the walk was not far from the parking lot to the event and we were not there that early so this was nice. Upon entering the convention center, there was plenty of room leading up to the ticket booths and I purchased my ticket in about 2 minutes from entering.
We walked the short distance to the show from the ticket booths and immediately noticed the size of the show. As we walked through there were plenty of booths with tackle and gear. From initial looks, reasonable prices as well. We made the decision to walk through the show and make notes of the booths we wanted to revisit to buy the stuff we came for.
My friend was in the market for a reel and we stopped by the Anglers Resource Booth and met Casey who was very friendly and knowledgeable about his products. They had a good deal but just did not have the brand my friend was looking for. If you purchased a reel 100 dollars or more, you would get an 80 rod for free. We talked for a while and moved on. We found another retailer The Anglers Outlet from Oak Forest and they had exactly what my friend was looking for. He was comparing the Abu Garcia Revo SX and STX. He ultimately decided on the Revo SX and the price was 25 dollars lower that that of Bass Pro. The guys at the booth were very nice and definitely helped in the decision.
I noticed while I was waiting in line with my friend to purchase his reel the guys from the Cast Crew just down a bit. I went down there to meet some of the guys. I talked a bit with them and they are cool for sure. I wanted to purchase a hat and shirt from them so I could represent this season. I talked with Jaypee and found out we had some of the same acquaintances and a common friend that we both used to fish with who is no longer with us. RIP Tony! We talked for a while and I did get the hat I wanted with the shirt. I also met Travis Crossman from Stankx Baits. I have been buying soft plastics from him for several years now so it was nice to put a face with the name. Ryan and Ray were also cool and we talked a bit about camera equipment and local lakes we have frequented. Great guys and check them out at Cast312.com. Their hats were very good quality as well as was the t-shirt. Was great to meet you guys and hope to see you out on the water this year.
Back to business. I needed some new sunglasses and was looking for Strike King S11's. I could not find them anywhere at the show although I have to believe someone had them there because of the amount of retailers at the show. I did find the guys from Blue Fin Eyewear and liked the glasses they had on display. I tried them on and these were extremely comfortable and looked great. They were on sale for 25 dollars a pair which was very reasonable for this quality of glasses. Since we bought three pair, Steve gave them to us for 20 dollars a pair and they came with a lifetime guarantee. Great price! As we talked they were all the way from Louisiana. Great guys for sure and glad to meet them.
On the way out near the guys at BlueFin Eyewear I noticed Nick from Brookfield Angler. He was working the booth for Quest Watersports and I got a chance to say hi to him. Great guy and he has a great blog. Check him out at Brookfieldangler.com
Overall this show had a lot to offer in a relatively small package. There was a lot of tackle and gear for good show special prices and much better than the Rosemont Show. I highly recommend getting out and checking out this show before it ends tomorrow.
Nice write up. I had planned to go to the show again this year, but a friend suggested we go on a fishing trip....buying fishing gear or fishing...ha I think I made the right choice. Although, seeing a bunch of familiar faces and talking fishing would have been great.
ReplyDeleteThat's the hat I was looking to get. Hopefully, they'll have it up on their website and in stock still.
Casey is a good guy, and very knowledgeable.
Maybe we'll bump into each other one day.
The show was really better than I thought. My only issue was how many people were there and it was a pretty small room. All in all, a great show. I met some of the cast crew guys and will hopefully bump into them on the lakefront this year. I am always looking for somebody to go out with me too, and if your interested, I'll let you know. I am planning to get out from the 33rd and western launch this year and really clocking the Chicago River and the lake front for smallies. You are always welcome on the boat! See ya.
DeleteFirst year I didn't go to Schaumburg show. What keeps me going is not having to work a booth, but the people who go plus the social aspect and that makes it worthwhile. It's also funny to me running into the internet keyboard bullies and AR fan club and seeing how nice they are in person lol. I look forward to seeing this show's expansion as it's being discussed. I refuse to ever go to the Rosemont show again, but seeya next year maybe.
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DeleteYeah this show was really pretty good. If I had one criticism, it was that the aisles were small and it was hard to move in there. Now, I did go on a Saturday at prime time so not gonna bitch too much because there were some good deals to be had. I also like the parking and the venue over all. I along with you, will never go the the Rosemont Show again. I hope the Schaumburg Show continues to expand. Looking forward to next year already.
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