Hooked Live 2014..???

[Eoghan]

Is it on this year..? Want to get a new rod but want to try a few out etc.....its usually in Feb..?

[JimH]

Hooked Live at City West not on this year Eoghan - I believe the swords show is however!

[Eoghan]

Tnks Jim. Will have to be swords so.!

[ste c]

both were s*** anyway waste of time and money with cheap dirt imo

[roryodonnell]

FWIW, I found the Swords show amazing!

[lucky13]

FWIW, I found the Swords show amazing!

im with ya on that one lad.i go every year,always stock up on terminal tackle at a bargain price with the odd rod and reel too...

[Rob Millard]

I enjoy getting to talk to lots of interesting fishy people more than anything. Well worth going IMO.

[Eoghan]

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[Steve]

Care to share Eoghan??!!!

[Eoghan]

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[JimH]

I remember the first show that I decided to put a stand at. It was at Swords during February 2005. The business for me at that stage was still evolving to a large extent but one thing I did know was that I didn't want to be a shopkeeper, but I felt that bass fishing gear was a necessary part of many pieces that would make up the business in its entirety – Guiding – Workshops – Gear – Accommodation.

Swords was something of a test for me at the time and even though my customer base for guiding was largely not within Ireland I felt there was no harm in establishing a footprint and an awareness for a service that was entirely geared towards bass fishing and its associated services. Probably the first of its kind!
I remember distinctly feeling that I was way out on a limb and to be honest felt at times what the hell was I doing. There was a large audience here to demonstrate too and nobody really knew who I was, in fact I was better known in the Nantes spring show of the same year than I was in Dublin.

I was full of enthusiasm about the gear the fishery the stand and the show. I had Lucky Craft, SMITH, Senko and Wave worms, Varivas braids, rods and reels all geared towards the bass trends that I had learned from both Paris and Nantes. It was quality stuff – shirashu minnows, sammys, flash minnows, panish, bonnies, leaders, flies, Rio fly lines, TFO fly rods, braids and bling – not a huge amount mind but good stuff.

I went home after the weekend with practically everything I had brought with me. But it had started….

I think now when I look back it was too early – I remember distinctly the reactions to lure prices of 18.00 euros or more and what the hell had chartreuse senko worms got to do with bass fishing? Some people bought a few things and then came back to me, it was a very very slow start – what I did notice was that people were very interested in the idea of a bass guiding business and how I was trying to make it work.

It seemed hard for people to imagine though…

At the show were stands that contained lots and lot of pure shite. The man who ran the show at the time unfortunately died some time later – his enthusiasm to create a quality Irish fishing show was boundless, he was trying. I never went back to swords.

Then five years later along came hooked – a game angling oriented show that promised quality stands and a venue that was new, this was something I felt I could put a stand in. The business had moved on and developed and people were now very actively engaged in bass fishing.

I also felt very strongly that one of Ireland’s iconic fish needed to be represented in some way amongst the game angling fraternity and as a possible alternative to both salmon and trout. I attended Hooked live three times including last year – I missed a year due to a wedding!

I can honestly say I never made much if any money at these shows, but that wasn't necessarily the objective, a footprint and a presence was, but the shows gave me the opportunity to give something back to many workshop customers, to people who had read articles in Irish Angler about bass fishing and I can tell you this at the end of each day I was often hoarse from talking to so many people who were interested in fishing and in bass fishing –

It was without doubt some of the best experiences of my fishing life meeting all those people. It helped me in ways beyond what making a commercial success of it ever could.

Hooked isn't on this year – Swords is – so if you want to meet and chat, to genuine Irish angling people like Glenda Powell, Peter O Reilly, and Jim Clohessy then why not go and meet them and make them hoarse, hear them talk!

Support of these people, Irish angling and the angling environment is very important at this time

[sparkey+1]

Well said Jim u have developed a good business for yourself. I enjoyed the show last year and found Henry gilby very interesting with his talk on lure fishing. Looking forward to d show in sword.

[yappo]

Her's the link for anyone interested.

http://maramedia.ie/public-exhibitions/ ... ling-expo1


Yappo