Sports shows offer the latest the market has to offer

One of the fishing resort booths at the Kansas City Sportshow had Ray Pfieffer, of Cedar Point Resort in Ontario, Canada telling about the good fishing for walleye, northern pike, crappie, smallmouth bass and muskie. (Photo by Ken White/Special to the Daily Mail)

It's that time of the year when the outdoors moves indoors as Boat, RV and Sportshows get going bringing in thousands of anglers, hunters, vacationers, boaters and campers that are looking for products that help them enjoy their sport.

Many outdoor adventures begin at these shows and with the holidays behind, now is the time to look forward to spring and summer outdoor activities that outdoor people enjoy most.

These shows that are spread all across the state offer a great way to shop for the latest the market has to offer in marine, RVs, hunting, boating, fishing or vacation spots at their best prices.

The trout pond was a big attraction at the Kansas City Sportshow. The pond was stocked with rainbow trout while duck decoys floated above them. (Photo by Ken White/Daily Mail)

At the recent Kansas City Sportshow, the lineup included seminars on topics from cat fishing trips to fishing in Canada for lake trout. A 5,000 gallon aquarium stocked with a variety of native fish had visitors watching as demonstrations were given on how fish react and strike at different types of lures and fishing techniques.

Along with all the travel and produce booths, the show had hundreds of boats and campers that attracted those interested to see the latest line of equipment. The latest annual show also continued to feature the trout tank where kids of all ages experienced the thrill of catching a fish.

The big selection of boats and ATVs gave visitors an opportunity to compare brands and models side-by-side.

One feature of the show was the Dock Dogs pool where spectators were gathered to cheer on the canine athletes as they race across a 40-foot dock and jump into a pool of water to compete in high jumps, long jumps and fastest dog to the end of the pool competitions. Dock Dogs is one of the fastest growing sports on four legs.

While visiting the KC Show last weekend, I ran into an angler I hadn't seen in years. Bob Robinson, who now lives in Topeka used to fish some of the same tournaments together.

He is always looking for the newest and best places to fish and said hat last year he booked a fishing trip to Canada while at the Sportshow and it turned out to be one of the best fishing adventures in his 60-plus years of fishing. He said, "I love to be out on a lake without a lot of other fishermen all around, so along with two friends we flew to a remote lake from Kenora that isn't fished by more than a few dozen anglers a season."

Just after the trio of Missouri anglers arrived, Robinson dug out a rod and reel, made a cast from the shore. On that first cast he caught a 25-inch walleye on a Roadrunner lure and knew this was the place he hoped it would be.

Before the plane came back to pick up the anglers three days later, they had caught more than 40 walleye along with countless northern pike. They had three days of great fishing and are planning on going back this summer.

While at the show I visited with Ray Pfieffer who has Cedar Point Resort at Cedar Lake, Perrault Falls, Ontario, Canada. He said, "We have lots of anglers from Missouri come up to fish. We have nine cabins and the lake is 6,700 acres that contain walleye, northerns, smallmouth bass, jumbo perch, crappie and muskies. You can drive up to our resort from Missouri. We are open from May 21 to Oct. 1 this year." When asked when is the best time to come up to fish, his reply was, "The best time is the week you choose to come up."

Tom Harrison, Warrensburg, summed up the show by saying, "I found more here than I really wanted to see. It was all about local Missouri lakes as well as other states and Canada. It was a good place for anyone planning on fishing trips or any kind of new boat under one roof.

"Spring and summer will be here before you know it and shows like this help bring the good fishing closer."