# Cincinnati Travel Sports and Boat Show



## bassnick513 (Jun 23, 2008)

On Thursday January 22 at 7:00 PM, I will be giving a seminar down at the boat show. My last seminar at Bass Pro Shops had 11 people. Lets have some more people show up to this one please.


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## boonecreek (Dec 28, 2006)

any body know f smaktackle is going to be there, and what kind of seminar are u giving?


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## bassnick513 (Jun 23, 2008)

Smack Tackle will not be there. However if you show up I will be able to sell you some Smack! I will be giving my seminar on Shallow Water fishing. Mainly flippin' and pitchin' but will switch over to shallow crankin'.


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## boonecreek (Dec 28, 2006)

looking forward to the show. never did i have confondence on my crank bait presentaction.


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## bassnick513 (Jun 23, 2008)

Well hopefully I will be able to provide you with some tips to give you confidence.


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## iam20fan (Jan 15, 2006)

last year was my 1st year of going to this show and i am going again in 2009. plus my brother lives 2 blocks from the convention center at race and 7th streets so i can park at his house for free.


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## chadwimc (Jun 27, 2007)

Last year's show was a big disappointment for me. Not much going on. Not as many vendors. I complained to the management who explained scheduling conflicts, competing shows, etc. He asked to keep an eye on this year's schedule before deciding not to attend. If there is no improvement over last year, I won't waste my time or dollars...


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## imalt (Apr 17, 2008)

are there many deals there on tackle. i have never been there.


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## sheetsabud (Jan 14, 2008)

I've attended that show for probably the last ten years or more. Everyyear that show gets weaker and weaker. I don't care if your a pleasure boater or fisherman. For a major metropolitan area sitting on and major body of water this show should be a hell of alot better than it is. The number fishing equipment vendors last year was a joke. I will no longer waste my time and money going to this poor excuse for an outdoor show.


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## Coonhound (May 12, 2008)

There is NEVER any deals on tackle. The days of the 'worm bar' are long gone. 

I'm not sure why that is, though. The last few years the only people there with tackle has been Plapps. And well...Who knows if they'll be there this year.

I won't waste money going down there again, unless i'm in the market for a new boat.

Or some Sham-Wows!


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## ohiou_98 (Mar 19, 2007)

which is better, cincinnati or columbus?


Nick, you sure its at 7 on the 22nd?

Here's a schedule of the serminars and feature:
http://www.hartproductions.com/img/seminars-cin-sports-09.pdf


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## bassnick513 (Jun 23, 2008)

Yes I am positive of the seminar. I was a late book. Plapp's will not be there as for they have went out of business. The best show around here, is Indianapolis. I worked the tackle trailer last year for Plapp's and we provided some good deals. This year if you stop by the Buckeye Baits setup, I will be able to hook everyone up with some good deals on baits.


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## fishdealer04 (Aug 27, 2006)

I have been to the show a few times and its pretty much been a big waste of time and money. No good deals on tackle, very little fishing stuff actually. 90% of the show is all outfitters trying to advertise their business/service.


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## napsax (Feb 15, 2008)

Fishdealer04 hit it on the head, I don't get much "fishing" related benefits out of the Boat show anymore either.


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## Stauff (Mar 7, 2005)

The Indianapolis Boat, Sports & Travel Show is put on by Renfro Productions and although regulars state that it's not like it use to be, Tackle Town at this show is well worth going to. This show is at the Indiana State fairgrounds and is February 20 through March 1. Much nicer boat display as well.

An alternate is the Indiana Fishing Expo held at the Johnson County Fairgrounds in Indiana on January 31 & February 1. www.indianafishingexpo.com
No ginzu knives or Sham Wows at this show. 100% FISHING related products, vendors, and seminars.

I haven't gone to the Cincinnati show since Swallen's and Van Luenens went out of business. Both of those vendors made the show worth going to if you were into fishing. Since their departure, that's a void that has not been filled, as the expense of having a booth at this show is prohibitive.


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## fished-out (Dec 20, 2005)

Can't speak to Columbus or Indiana, but the Cincy show is a joke. I finally stopped going last year. I still check out the booths online--if and when I see the fishing related vendors increase, I might return.


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## bassnick513 (Jun 23, 2008)

I know there was a nice boat display last year. Smack Tackle will be at the show! Along with Buckeye Baits. I will be working the Buckeye Baits booth. Just come on down for the seminar I will be giving. It is perfect for what we face here in Ohio.


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## Troy Dave (Jan 26, 2007)

I haven't been to the Cincinnati show in years. I usually go to Columbus, I take my father in law who is wheel chair bound out for the day and Columbus is easier to get to in my opnion. Lots of boats, outfitters and lodges but very little in the way of tackle or baits. The last really good show I went to was in NYC when I lived in New Jersey several years ago. It actually had Reps. from all the major tackle and bait manufactures there with deals. A very dangerious show to attend. Don't know why the Cinn. show has gone down, I remember back in the late 60's-early 70's it was pretty good. But that also was when most shows were combined hunting, fishing and camping. I don't think todays specalized shows draw as big a crowd.


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## Ajax (May 16, 2008)

I'll just have to come down now that Smack Tackle is there. It would be really cool if the folks behind AC Shiner were there too. They make crankbaits out of Okeana, OH. Note to self: bring some cash.


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## Yates (Dec 24, 2007)

fished-out; do you recall when the vendors took there worm-bars-- lures and sat up all there tackle in the basement, and everyone had to go 3 or 4 time so not to miss a deal. it would be nice if they opened the basement


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## fished-out (Dec 20, 2005)

Yeah, I do. I also used to go all the way to Cleveland--best show in the midwest in its heyday. They put it in an old army tank production plant that was absolutely huge and filled with local tackle guys--everything from the bigger stores to the guys making worms in their basements. But the last 10 years or so, it's declined to the point that there's now a huge section devoted to kitchen knife demonstrations, rug shampooers, and general crap. I swear, if you could just get 50-100 of the local guys who make jigs, plastics, spoons, and similar stuff together, along with a couple of the big guys (bass pro comes to mind) to offer rods, reels and more general equipment in an early spring special prior to the one they run every year, you'd probably get half the fishermen in the state to attend.


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## lurer (Oct 25, 2006)

Well Plapp's is out of business, so they(plapps) will not have tackle this year. The show has gone down hill the past 3-4 years.


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## fishdealer04 (Aug 27, 2006)

lurer said:


> Well Plapp's is out of business, so they(plapps) will not have tackle this year. The show has gone down hill the past 3-4 years.


Yeah and they had the biggest tackle selection last year...


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## FSHNERIE (Mar 5, 2005)

I'm not going..Show pretty much sucks anymore..Besides.....I have the internet.....


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## bassnick513 (Jun 23, 2008)

With Plapp's being out of business that is going to hurt me. I had a deal with Plapp's last year and got over $800 worth of tackle.


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## Yates (Dec 24, 2007)

bassnick513 said:


> With Plapp's being out of business that is going to hurt me. I had a deal with Plapp's last year and got over $800 worth of tackle.


boy that tough bassnick you hate to see any place go out. there a lot of guys out of work with hungry kids. I know some of the guys from Plapp's ,good guys bad time of the year to be out of work


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## bassnick513 (Jun 23, 2008)

Sure is. Man they were all good guys down there too. I thought they had a lot of stuff going good for em, opened my eyes real quick.


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## Tredder (Nov 8, 2004)

Wow, that's the first I heard about Plapps. They were really big on supporting tourneys and other community works. They had an awesome tackle selection too. Are they completely done or just temporarily closed while working through a bankrupcy?


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## bassnick513 (Jun 23, 2008)

I am not sure and I don't want to say stuff that's not true.


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## lurer (Oct 25, 2006)

Done, I think, mostly because of the banks "tightening up on them".


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## riverKing (Jan 26, 2007)

bass pro came in and all the smaller places went out of business and the show went downhill, the show was great before we had a place that was huge and filled with ******** every day. i would venture to guess that plapps would still be here, along with a good handful of other places, if the big shop hadnt moved in.


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## fished-out (Dec 20, 2005)

riverKing, you're right; but small guys can also adapt much quicker than the big stores by carrying things they can't or won't. Question is, is there enough of that kind of thing to carry them through the year? For example, I don't buy my jigheads at basspro. I buy them from a small time maker that I met on the net--got 1300 of them last year, many of which are speciality jigs that I can't find at big-box stores. Ever try to find a 1/64 0z jig on a number 6 hook at one of those stores? They're all number 8's. Same is true of certain plastics. Sure Southern Pro and Bass Pro have most of the crappie tube market cornered, but I buy a bunch of specialty stuff from local guys. I was thinking that if a show promoter offered $50 12' tables to these local guys, they might sign up. The boat guys, vacation package guys, and other current folks would still have their space at the higher rates, and shouldn't complain because the tables would help attract a larger crowd.

Probably wouldn't work, but I'd sure like to see it tried.


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## Stauff (Mar 7, 2005)

Ah, but Chip's Cincinnati Outdoor show is not intended to serve the "little guy" jig maker. How many jigheads would you have to sell in order to break even @ $850 for a 10' X 10' booth? That show has never been about the "little guy" lure crafter, and it's never been about the sport of fishing. I doubt that Plapp's even came close to breaking even at that show last year, and there lies one of the problems in trying to compete in business today. You can't sell enough Zebco 33's and bags of Power Bait at that show to even come close to making a profit there. Many have tried, but none have been successful. This is exactly the situation that has allowed the All Fishing show at the Johnson County fairgrounds in Indiana to be successful. Guys that hand craft crank baits and quality rods can afford to get together in a common setting without competing against sunglasses vendors and time-share vacations. Niche filled.


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## fishdealer04 (Aug 27, 2006)

I think that the money is a lot of the problem with that show. If they had cheaper prices for people to get a booth there a lot of the vendors would show up. I buy a lot of stuff from Bass pro, but I also buy a lot of stuff from the small shops to. The quality is usually better from the guys that make it themselves.

I just wish they could figure out a way to make a real nice fishing show here in Cincy.


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## bassnick513 (Jun 23, 2008)

Actually I worked the show last year for Plapp's and I know they broke even on the tackle trailer. They blew everyone away on the sale of boats, they sold a lot of boats and I mean a lot. I forget the number but they averaged like 6 boats a night.


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## Stauff (Mar 7, 2005)

bassnick513 said:


> Actually I worked the show last year for Plapp's and I know they broke even on the tackle trailer. They blew everyone away on the sale of boats, they sold a lot of boats and I mean a lot. I forget the number but they averaged like 6 boats a night.


I'd like to think that Plapp's was fortunate enough to actually make a profit at that show, but then again, I wish they were still in business today. I guess that after figuring in the cost of the show, cost of merchandise, parking, paying their employees, paying taxes, etc., they may not have made it after all. You can sell six boats a day, but if you didn't cover your expenses, it doesn't really matter.


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## fished-out (Dec 20, 2005)

It's not enough for a boat dealer to cover their costs at the show. I've heard that these shows directly or indirectly give them around 60% if their annual revenue, so if they don't sell a ton of boats, they're screwed. Alot of them won't even carry all the models offered by the lines they supposedly carry because of the floor plan interest. Like car dealers, they can also make a ton of money from their repair shops, but when times get tough or gas prices rise, the pleasure boaters limit their boating, don't need service as often, etc. 

Regardless, the idea of cheaper booths for the small time local tackle makers could make alot of sense for ALL the participants. Increased foot traffic means increased sales for all vendors, even the shammy salesmen. There's plenty of room in that convention center--just not enough intelligence in the folks that control the shows to recognize that sometimes lower prices for a few can lead to higher profits for all.


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## Coonhound (May 12, 2008)

lurer said:


> Done, I think, mostly because of the banks "tightening up on them".


I know after it took them 45 days to get us our title the bank was pretty crappy with us. I sure wished they'd go belly up after that whole debacle.

Not to mention the dead batteries that were in my boat when i picked it up.

Not to mention that even though i gave them the benifit of the doubt and went back to them to buy a four wheeler, the day i picked the bike up they tried to pawn off a used bike on me.

Nah...i pretty much wished they'd totally shrivel up and die after that little stunt.


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## ROCKS (Apr 5, 2008)

I've been going to this show since 1961(I'm really not that old am I?)and it has steadily gotten worse over the years.It has been a pretty worthless trip for at least 10 years or so.I really don't think that Bass Pro has had much effect on the show's demise,as it was pretty pathetic long before Bass Pro arrived.It is obviously as the name says"Boat & Travel Show"and not a fishing & hunting exposition as it was many years ago.As mentioned in many other posts,don't waste your time...go somewhere else.


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## Fishman (Apr 5, 2004)

Indianapolis has the best one by far for the area in my opinion.... and I've been to just about all of'em.


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## Phil1907 (Apr 1, 2007)

Sorry to hear about Plapp's going under.

If I'm in town, I'll be at your show, bassnick.


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## bassnick513 (Jun 23, 2008)

Sounds good to me. I just want everyone available to come down and enjoy the environment. It sure is a fun family friendly environment with a lot of nice people to talk to.


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## lurer (Oct 25, 2006)

I wish I had boat sales or vacation in mind I might go down there.


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## fishdealer04 (Aug 27, 2006)

Has anyone found out if Smack will be selling their lures cheaper at the show? That is the only reason I would go.


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## jimnrg (Aug 6, 2008)

fishdealer04 said:


> Has anyone found out if Smack will be selling their lures cheaper at the show? That is the only reason I would go.


Seeing as how shipping is free when you order online I think the price is pretty inexpensive for such a quality lure.


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## Streamhawk (Apr 25, 2008)

Plapps got into trouble when they went beyond selling boats, they got into the camper business and when the gas prices went sky high, well nobody buying campers. I was talking to a guy here locally and he said he could not believe how much they carried. High inventory. I am waiting for the liquidation sale that is probaly going to happen since they filed for bankruptcy a couple of weeks ago. The creditors are going to get paid one way or the other.


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## JerryA (Aug 16, 2004)

I used to always go to the show - break up the winter blahs. I bought my boat there 10 years ago. But, things have really changed. It's become almost wholey a peasure boat and travel show. There's very little of interest to the average fisherman/hunter. They used to have a lot of vendors selling interesting things. I'd alway buy a rod or some new baits. But these guys have almost all dropped out. I know a few business owners who used to have booths and they sad it just wasn't worth the time and the cost of a booth. Great place to people watch. As far as friendly, when you figure the cost of a ticket, parking and a couple of 6.50 beers - just not worth it to me anymore - think I'll pass.


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## fishdealer04 (Aug 27, 2006)

jimnrg said:


> Seeing as how shipping is free when you order online I think the price is pretty inexpensive for such a quality lure.


I know, I always buy them from them, just did not know if they would be selling them cheaper at the boat show...but thanks for answering my question.


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## smokeyjoe (Jan 15, 2008)

Last year I bought lots of tackle at the show from the Lake Isabella booth, Rods reels and stuff good deals on lures the had rapalas 3 for $10..

The smack lures I purchased this year broke pretty easy for a $12 lure..I would'nt buy them again at any price..FYI its a Cheap over priced product..get smacked by smack


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## bassnick513 (Jun 23, 2008)

smokeyjoe said:


> Last year I bought lots of tackle at the show from the Lake Isabella booth, Rods reels and stuff good deals on lures the had rapalas 3 for $10..
> 
> The smack lures I purchased this year broke pretty easy for a $12 lure..I would'nt buy them again at any price..FYI its a Cheap over priced product..get smacked by smack


The only way they break is if you slam them on the rocks. That's what you must have done. Just like any crank bait/jerk bait if you beat the hell out of them they will break.


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## fishdealer04 (Aug 27, 2006)

I have not had a single problem with any of my smack lures. The gizz's work great, catch a lot of fish on them and they are pretty durable, but like any lure/rod/etc... they all break or wear out over time and depending on how hard you fish them the faster they wear out or break.


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