Fishing Show Cardio

Grand Rapids Fishing Show weekend, people, and I was absolutely jacked to go see all the new shiny necessities. Yes, necessities. I have this ongoing life lesson conversation with my daughters where I ask, “Is that a luxury item…or a necessity?” Let me be crystal clear for anyone who doesn’t fish. Fishing gear is a necessity. Full stop, educational content right there.

This was my third year hitting this show. It always feels weird timing wise because normally I would be walleye fishing this weekend. Two years ago that wasn’t an option. Same deal last year. This year I totally could have gone. But there was important pre-fishing work to handle in Ludington. Real adult responsibilities like replacing the dead charger in the Tiara and rewarding the new charger with four brand new AGM batteries. That is called leadership.

Surgeon Jenn, for the record, is now adding “elite boat electrician” to her resume. She was whipping around 250 pound batteries like they were pillows. We did have a small moment of confusion. I assumed one battery per engine and the other two tied together as a house bank. What we actually discovered was two tied together for house and two tied together for start. That made zero sense to me. I am still thinking about it. I will research. Or ask someone smarter.

Next up was a very important business meeting at El Rancho with THE Logan. In case you have been living under a shell, he has launched a very souper cool new website (https://bigkingbonanza.com/). Food was excellent. Service was on point. Conversation was peak fishing nerd. I handed Logan a sample of the new size 1 Trokar hooks I ordered. They are the only hook I trust for bass fishing and now they make salmon size trebles. This could become a wildly expensive upgrade. Which again would fall under necessity. Jenn secured some of the legendary toothpicks. Mission accomplished.

Then came the Ludington 5K. People might get tired of hearing about this but I still hate running. This was my sixth official 5K ever and all of them have happened in the last fifteen months. My goals is always the same: don’t die…break thirty minutes. I did not break thirty minutes. Again. But I will admit the finish line high keeps dragging me back into this terrible hobby. Did I just call it a hobby?

Best two moments of the race:

• Jenn’s uncles, Tim & Al, surprised her – been planning the surprise for 6 weeks – It worked!

• I was pacing a chick running with her dog. I was way behind until the dog had to stop and poop. I passed them. Felt amazing. Then she passed me again. Long story short, the dog stopped three times and still beat me. I prefer to focus on the positive. At least I did not have to stop three times myself!

Alright, enough cardio trauma. Let’s get to the show. Sunday was the move this year. I was fully prepared for the elbow to elbow chaos I experienced the last two years on Saturdays. Instead…there was space. Actual walking room. I am guessing half the crowd was still recovering from green beer celebrations the night before. Whatever the reason, I loved it.

Show highlights were strong:

• I am working on locking down Harman’s Farms as an official Soup Club hot sauce sponsor. Great product and the owner is a doctor, which feels very on brand for this circus.

• We also executed a tactical sprint to the back corner of Frank’s booth and secured the last free sucker bucket for Logan. This is what peak 5K conditioning is for.

• My buddy Mark showed elite discipline and only bought a vest. Proud of you, man.

• I admitted out loud that I like Ryan’s ITO Flies again and grabbed some new stuff to test. It has been a while. Time to rebuild the relationship.

• Then came the Yeck moment. Ged had custom painted Becholds, also known as Hoochie Mamas. Absolute works of art. I am now humbly suggesting a Fireball and Chubster themed version. Ged also officially committed to fishing his brown trout tournament in Ludington on April 25th. You heard it here first. It is now legally binding blog law.

• The biggest buzz at the show was Scott bringing the Captain Chuck’s II crew down to Grand Rapids. They set up right in the middle and basically owned the place. Adam, George, Chase, Randy. All familiar faces with a rock solid reputation. It almost felt weird buying from them since I can basically shop there anytime, but of course I still did.

• I also doubled down on Whitewater gear after loving the sweatshirt I bought in Novi. Grabbed two more pieces because apparently I need sweatshirts like I need a twelfth pair of Costas.

• Battery booth guys helped me finally talk through the Tiara wiring mystery, which lowered my stress level by at least ten percent.

My haul was respectable. Mostly photos and a few key items. Jenn absolutely scored the last AFTCO women’s coat at Frank’s. Bibs are now considered a critical mission.

Only real fishing report of the weekend came while I was planning what “necessities” to buy and received some texts…Logan and his buddy went four for seven on brown trout back in Ludington. Which raises a very important question. What happened to the sucker program, dude!

Ludington is going to get a short break anyway. I have some walleye business to handle the next few weeks. The Tiara splashes April fifteenth. After that, the real fun begins.