Fred Hall Highlights?

[chris138]

Well the big show is done and dusted! For those of you who either went as visitors or as exhibitors, what was the sickest or coolest thing you saw? What should I not miss when we go to Del Mar later this month?

Also a philosophical question: If a white seabass bite happens during Fred Hall, but there are no Inshore Pros, Commercial Skiffs, or Kayak Guides to document on Instagram, DID IT REALLY HAPPEN?

[jorluivil]

No pics
Didn't happen

[Iceman]

If a white seabass bite happens during Fred Hall, but there are no Inshore Pros, Commercial Skiffs, or Kayak Guides to document on Instagram, DID IT REALLY HAPPEN?

Ha! and .........ouch!

I never get to see much of the show when working it. Only thing I bought were some Hookup Baits that are supposed to be killer, I got some 5 inchers 1.5 oz

https://www.hookupbaits.com/

[goldenglory18]

This is from another thread I posted in after I got home from Wednesdays opening day:

Originally Posted by goldenglory18

Today was my first Fred Hall experience and it lasted about 3 hours total. With good advice, I made a list, stuck to it, and got everything I needed with a little extra.

Daiwa Proetus XH - $152
Daiwa Sweatshirt (deal with the rod. $60 retail tag and made by HUK Fishing!) - Free!
Okuma Komodo (outgoing model) - $128
11 packs of various plastics - $11 (.99 ea)
P-Line Pliers - dont remember. LOL

Highlights:

• OEX booth looked awesome. Great displays and bonus points for the goldfish tank.
• Turners had, from what I could see, the best deals of the day.
• San Diego Tackle Traders has A LOT of gear with them. They were really busy when I walked up but I looked at their display cases and they were loaded. Lots of high end resale gear for what I can only assume as great prices.

Lowpoint:

• Holy crap that was a lot of people. I got there early (maybe the 20th person through the turnstile) and I'm glad I did. I can only imagine how bad its going to be this weekend.
• Lots of unsavory people buying or at least attempting to buy stuff in bulk for resale. I'm glad Turners was limiting people on some of the best deals. Lots of chatter from guys about "not making as much off ebay this year."
• Price of admission, parking, food and drinks are STEEP. I was glad I ate before and went alone.

So, not too bad of damage done. After the $18 entrance fee and $15 parking, I figured I saved about $130 by shopping here today. I can definitely see how it could get pretty expensive if you eat, drink, and have multiple family members come with you, but I'll gladly attend again next year.

Enjoy!

Kudos again to the OEX guys and their booth. I wish I would have spent more time looking at the boat displays but I was getting kinda overwhelmed at that point. So. Many. People.....

[Baja_Traveler]

Originally Posted by Iceman

Ha! and .........ouch!

I never get to see much of the show when working it. Only thing I bought were some Hookup Baits that are supposed to be killer, I got some 5 inchers 1.5 oz

https://www.hookupbaits.com/

And how many Solo Skiffs did you sell? Is the order going out today, or after Del Mar? Inquiring minds want to know...

[chris138]

Originally Posted by goldenglory18

This is from another thread I posted in after I got home from Wednesdays opening day:



Kudos again to the OEX guys and their booth. I wish I would have spent more time looking at the boat displays but I was getting kinda overwhelmed at that point. So. Many. People.....

Dude awesome info thanks!!! I was looking at one of those Proteus rods. Also need to get some bass gear to step up my HOW game!

[makobob]

Originally Posted by Baja_Traveler

And how many Solo Skiffs did you sell? Is the order going out today, or after Del Mar? Inquiring minds want to know...

OEX Mission Bay placed the order this morning, 4-6 were sold and should have delivery date soon. Kai guess we will have to establish TEAM SOLO, and throw Solo trips. FLY FISHERMEN unite. Tight Lines.

[5-20]

I really liked the (ahem) Arima 17' sea angler marked down from 49k to 32k. Seemed like an awful lot of boat for a 17' model with the huge and flared bow. And at 32k it was enough to make me go hmmm.... Not so sure about the performance with the Yammie 4s 90 instead of a 115 tho.

[surfisher]

Those solo skiffs looked so sick. Definitely made me think about one haha

[Sheephead]

if there was a bite, then it happened. If there wasn't. There probably was. If you or I wasn't there, then that sucks for us! 65

[goldenglory18]

Originally Posted by chris138

I was looking at one of those Proteus rods. Also need to get some bass gear to step up my HOW game!

I've had three now in the last two years. MH, H, XH. I finally settled on the 8' MH and 7'6" XH as my jig sticks of choice. H was too hefty in hand and didnt cover the weight class I was looking for (I caught a schoolie sized Bonita on it last year and it barely felt adequate.) I feel the MH and XH cover my needs and leave room for another setup in my limited space allotted.

[chris138]

Originally Posted by jorluivil

No pics
Didn't happen

LOL yup exactly