The Go Fishing show

For the first time in a number of years on Friday I went to an angling show at the NEC, namely the Go Fishing one.

I did enjoy walking round with a friend, well the first time at least, but after two or three circular tours I became a bit bored and even a quick pint failed to reinject any enthusiasm. The friend, (there were 5 of us but we split up) who happens to be a very keen matchman, suddenly remembered there was something else he desperately needed so off we go again. After four oggles at the Daiwa dolly birds I was a bit worried in case they thought I was a stalker but it did revive my spirits a bit.

We eventually left at 4.30, me with a box of Anchor egg shot, two small tubs of soft hookbaits and a Badger rod rest, oh! and four plastic bags with assorted advertising, total cost ?12. My mates looked as though they'd been Christmas shopping and there were even two rod tubes complete with rods to accompany us home.

Now then, it cost me ?3.50 for a breakfast on the way, I payed the car park fee of ?7, being a pensioner it cost only ?9 (only?) entrance fee, ?5 for two pints and ?3 (what a rip-off) for a cornish pastie, total ?27.50 plus the ?12 I lavished on myself, ?40. Forty Quid!

That might seem like a mere pittance to you big earners out there but its a blooming lot to me. Did I learn anything? Yes, but it had nothing to do with fishing. Would I go again? You're having a laugh.

Went last year with a couple a tickets i won. Me and a mate had a good look around but there wer'nt to many bargins to be had. The company stands could not sell you stuff you had to go to the shops. Might go again next year but definatly not every year.

Could not get in for the talks as the ques were forming well before the talk. Why do they no allow you to book a seat at the talks as they do at conventions.

Some of the big tackle shops show as much gear and cheaper than at the show.

I went to see the Lion King recently. Hotel room ?80, breakfast on top (?13.50 each) taxi to theatre (it was raining) ?11, Seats ?47.50 each, two cokes in the interval ?5. Need I add drink before the show, meal after?

Been to a football match lately? Or a rock concert?

Woodbines used to be twopence, you know...

Car parking at the NEC is the same across the board whichever exhibiton centre you visit.

Had you gone to see the Memorabilia show in the adjacent hall instead of Go fishing the prices wouls have been as follows:

Adult Ticket Sat earlybird entry from 9.00am to 11.00am ?15.00

Adult Ticket Sat standard entry 11.00am onwards ?10.00

Family Weekend Ticket ?40.00

Maybe at the Memorabilia show Woodbines would still have been twopence.

Spent 2 days at an industrial exhibition in Holland quite recently.

Train fare to Manchester: ?35, Return fare to Schipol - ?120, Taxis: ?85, Hotel two nights: ?190, Bus fares: ?8.00
Booze: ?80.00, Entry to exhibition: ?30,00

You don't know you are born.

Mind you this is nowt for those of you who have 6 figure salaries south of the Watford Gap

I only have a meagure high 5 figure salary.

"Been to a football match lately? Or a rock concert?

Woodbines used to be twopence, you know...

Er! No to the first and as for the woodbines well I'm 68 and I can't remember them being that cheap but maybe you're older than me Bob.

I was just making the point that it is a very expensive day out, not to you maybe but it is for a pensioner or anyone with a young family and not earning big wages.

I thought the show was very poor unless you wanted carp or pole fishing things the sea and game sections seemed smaller than last year but there was the maver girls !!!!!

Oh yes them twins!Go fishing show was amazing.

Gutted I couldnt make it for the second year on the trot, gutted, gutted, gutted!!!

Next year maybe?

you shouldn't be looking at things like that at your age tarquin!

I went a couple a years ago, bought a rucksack, which looked well made for ?30, guess what, It fell apart in less than a year.....I wouldn't buy stuff at an NEC show again...

I enjoyed my visit on Saturday (thanks for the ticket FM) I did pick up a couple of low cost bargains but generally I don't think that there are any exceptional bargains at these events.

The car park charge is a rip off and the catering poor but that isn't the Show organisers' fault.

I got in to Bob Nudd's session on pellets, Steve Ringer on feeder fishing and a session with Matt Hearn and the Korda lads. All three were interesting and I came away with freebies in each case.

Oh, and I also bumped into Bob Roberts and had a brief chat - nice to meet you Bob, thanks for the time.

For what it cost me an enjoyable day and the best comparison when think about relative cost, I think, is with a trip to a football match.

They would have to pay me at least ?3000 just to endure a football match.

First of all I must sgree that parts of the whole NEC setup are a complete and utter rip off ?1.20 for a cardboard cup with tea in it a disgrace, food and drink in general is a rip off. Car park ?7.00. But believe me I represented a company at the show who were charged ?500 yes five hundred pounds for a piece of carpet 5 metres square that is ?20 a square metre for a cheap old bit of carpet which is thrown away at the end of the show. in real value worth about ?50. the cost for the stall holders is Extreme to say the least with some of the big companies paying many thousands of pounds, add to that staff costs and hotel bills and the costs escalate, The main reason why many companies dont show.

This is the fault of the NEC not the organisers, rip off britain rules the waves.

To Say that there was not much to see or do then sorry mate you must have had blinkers on. I was at the show for all 3 days and wish I could have stayed longer.I never even got a chance to go to the outside arena at all. I sat in on 2 most enjoyable talks but wish i could have seen more. what about the Terminater Saturday afternoon in an attempt to break a Carp rod Diawa technicians hung 35Kgs on a carp rod and still could not break it. I understand it took 39 Kgs to break it on sunday

Bob Roberts What a star you are, he had to be dragged of stage after talking for thirty minutes just about Bread as a bait. Brilliant Bob very informative to all matchman or specimen hunter alike.

O and there were plenty of Bargains to be had on goods from all the Major manafacturers, and what about 20% off from one leading Tackle shop from all purchases on thier web site if thats not a bargain then what is.

Excellent show roll on next year rumour is could be early March , big mistake will not miss 3 or 4 days Barbeling for the show however good it is.

Why thank you grasshopper, sorry, Master. Eh, they don't make 'em like David Carradine any more, do they...?

I'm not sure what some anglers want from a show, or, if they can ever be satisfied. The ?10 or whatever it cost to attend is not disimilar to the price of a cinema ticket, or a couple of Carp Worlds, or three packets of hooks, or two and a half bottles of Bud in the hotel bar. Oh, and the obvious one, a single day ticket on some fisheries.

In reality you don't get an awful lot for a tenner these days, do you.

I go along to the show not just to work but to meet people. I take every oportunity I get to socialise and pick up loads of information. After all, where else can you pick the brains of Will Raison, Alan Scotthorne, Bob Nudd, Matt Hayes, Martin Bowler, Tony Miles, Terry Hearn, Danny Fairbrass, John Wilson and Bob James (to name but a few) under one roof.

You can even see some 'stars' making right prats of themselves, you know, dressed like Harry Enfield's 'Kevin' - all combat pants and caps on back to front - or, "Cuumooo-oon!" listen to me 'ouse (or should that be ar$e music). Watch out for that mid-life crisis when it comes guys!

All life is there. Sex, drugs and rock 'n roll!!!

I'd like to give the show organisers some credit for a fantastic effort. If you want cheap kit then go to a car boot sale, or Chatsworth, or the travelling car boot sale angling shows. Or Ebay.

We hear moans on here that Matt Hayes charges ?450 to take folks fishing but at that rate the five minutes he gives you for free at the show pays for your ticket!

It would be nice to get away from the ritual moans about carp parking prices, drinks and food and come up with some constructive criticisms - the volume from some demonstrations drowning out the levels of others for instance.

How can Go Fishing be improved? You know full well that Richard Lee will read your comments on here and that he is one of the movers and shapers of the show. Use the site to tell him what you realistically want to see. This is your best chance to have some input before next years plans are finalised.

Instead of moaning, why not do something positive?

Next year I am taking a rucky full of my books to get them signed, doubling the value of my collection. fantastic value for a tenner!!


;O)


Never been able to get to nec yet but I will not knock it for all the points Bob makes are rock solid

I'm sorry I missed this show. When I lived in Leamington I used to shoot through on the train, it was only 15 minutes to the door.

For me it is the people I meet that makes these shows. The last time I was there I bumped into my old friend **** Clegg. We had a good talk about the old days and he tried to sell me a pole.

The rip off in terms of food and beverages at these shows is to be expected. I have spent a great deal of my time on exhibition stands in my life and it's the same all over the world.

The cost of some of these stands can be enormous. The USA company I represent paid ?34,000 for a very small booth in Amsterdam recently for only 4 days.

It was worth it though.

The big advantage of these shows is that there, under one roof are thousands of people all with one basic interest in mind. If it's business you are after you have the chance of meeting lots of prospects in one hit, as well as doing a bit of spying on the competition.

It was my first visit and i thought it was quite good.
I enjoyed the talks by Martin Bowler and Ian Welch, and Bob Roberts gave a good talk on bread (i am one of those who squeeze it on too hard).
Bob was right about it being hard to hear in the theatre, and the only other moan was that Matt Hayes 30 mins was a blatent plug for his gear, plus he sent everybody to his stall.
You can see why he started his own range of gear though, the kids were flocking in to see him, and were around him all the time.

The Master, who said there was nothing to see or do?

If you read properly what I said at the beginning it says "I enjoyed" it, only after continuous circuits did I become bored.

Bob, I know the effort thats put into the show, the evidence is plain to see and being personal friends of some of the guys on the Shimano stand I know how much it costs to exhibit. Furthermore I don't go to buy cheap tackle nor do I buy off boot sales or ebay, I have a tackle dealer for that. I merely point out that it is an expensive day out, maybe not to you but it is for some people, nothing more, nothing less, and, it was my choice to go. Why do you find that so difficult to accept, and feel the need to belittle with caustic comments about woodbines and car boot sales?

I often worry these days about people who are constantly searching for cheap tackle.

Personally, I always think you get what you pay for in fishing tackle. A rod that costs ?150.00 and lasts 10 years is no more expensive than a rod of ?75 that lasts 5 years. And the performance of the more expensive rod together with the fact that it has been made by a top class company will generally win the debate hands down.

Personally, if I was cash strapped, I would prefer to buy good second hand tackle than dirt cheapy stuff with an obscure name.

You can save yourself a fortune and get some top class gear if you look at the second hand market carefully.

Sorry Graham, not having a pop at you in paticular and certainly not trying to belittle you, just standing up for what I believe is a very good show and one that I think represents great value for money in comparison to practically everything else in the modern world.

As ever, I've no time for the "I never go but I think it's crap" club of which you clearly aren't a member. But for those who do go and don't enjoy it I just wonder what they are expecting?

We should give some credit to the guys who do the donkey work to pull the show together (AT journalists in the main) and don't get rich from it.

As for stacking stuff high and selling it cheap traders and the avid customers who can see little beyond a bargain, we all know this has a serious downside for the industry in general.

Widening the subject slightly, let's take the Tacklefest (or whatever the series of nomadic boot sales is called). How would you like to be the owner of, say, the Doncaster Angling Centre when it rolls up 400 yards from his door at the Racecourse? His sales are going to plummet for the next couple of months as his customers flock to snap up the cheap bargains but when it breaks, or is faulty, where do they take it to and ask for help? You know the answer.

Ron, I'm personally very wary of second hand gear unless I know the owner well. You've been robbed, as I have, and our tackle will have been dispersed through the second hand trade - who knows, maybe even through these bargain basement shows.

If FACT want to do something to benefit all anglers they might care to introduce serial numbering for rods, poles, seat boxes and reels which could be logged on a central database. The scum would still buy stolen gear without caring but those who think they are getting a real bargain might show caution at least.