Scenic 395 - The Official Guide 2023

54 2023 Scenic 395 Fred Hall Shows Fred Hall shows return in 2023! Bart Hall is back! San Diego will kick off SoCal’s show season Feb. 16-19 followed by the Long Beach Fred Hall showMarch 29-April 2 LONG BEACH – It took four years for San Diego and three years for Long Beach to return as venues for the biggest fishing tackle shows in the country. “Southern California will see a return of the Fred Hall shows, to a legacy of the Hall family that has brought huge crowds to celebrate the thrill of the outdoors,” said Bart Hall. “Best of all, my late parents Fred and Lois would be proud that the shows are owned 100 percent by our family and will bear his name just as they have for more than seven decades.” Hall said the road back from covid and a separation of a part- nership that dissolved last year as result of statewide bans on indoor events has been a difficult and humbling experience. In 2020 Long Beach made it’s five-day run with record crowds. The San Diego show at the Del Mar Fairgrounds, slated two weeks later, was cancelled as the state clamped down on large gather- ings. “That’s behind us,” said Hall. “We all suffered, in so many industries. Last week all differences with my former partner in the shows have been resolved, and we retain the name Fred Hall Shows and I own 100 percent of the stock. It has been painful, but it’s now a relief to have this new freedom. We are on track to put on three shows, the Southern California Boat Show (Jan. 19-22) in Pomona, then Del Mar (Feb. 16-19) and then Long Beach (March 29 to April 2) at the Convention Center and Sports Arena.” Huge crowds are a calling card for the Fred Hall Shows, and Hall expects attendance records. “Something important and traditional and part of our lives and business was taken from us,” said Hall. “Other shows at big venues have seen this massive increase. The public has not had a tackle show in Long Beach for three years and four years in Del Mar, so interest will be explo- sive.” The show dates are a switch from past years. Del Mar has traditionally been at the end of March after Long Beach, but Hall said the idea of a Fred Hall San Diego show at the Del Mar Fair- grounds being the first tackle and boat show of the 2023 season in mid-February was too enticing. In the 44-year history of the Del Mar Show only once was it held before Long Beach, and it was the best-ever Del Mar Show. The dates were available and we grabbed them. We are very excited about this show lineup.” “All of our major sponsors like Progressive, Costa, Dodge, Ho- bie, Turner’s Outdoorsman, Accurate, Convict Lake, Mammoth Lakes and many more are back and vendors are calling for con- tracts,” said Hall. “Our team has been working on the shows for months, and it’s time to announce to the public that the Fred Hall Shows are back. I went back to ICAST (the tackle manufacturers national trade show) in Orlando in July to announce our return, and the response to having the shows back was overwhelmingly positive. It’s great news for the outdoor industry as a whole.” It’s been a long time coming. Just ask the vendors who pack into 600,000 square feet at both shows. “It’s great news that Bart is back and owns it all and calls the shots. Nothing gives us better exposure to the fishing market than the Fred Hall Shows,” said Pete Gray, producer and co-host of the top-rated fishing show Let’s Talk Hookup radio show on the Mightier 1090-AM. As for boating sales, Rick Grover of Angler’s Marine in Ana- heim said, “The Hall shows are returning and for anyone in the outdoor world, that’s just fantastic news. It’s the best show there is, by far. If you are looking for qualified buyers and experienced fishermen, there’s nothing better than the Fred Hall shows.” John Urdi of the Mammoth Lakes Visitors Bureau said he found the tourism impact so great he upped the ante in sponsorship several years ago. And he’s all-in again. “The results were so good we became a show sponsor. We’re back, with the Mam- moth Lakes Seminar Stage and the Kids Fish Free Fishing Pond. It a great one-stop shop to increase our visitation in the Sierra.” Jonathan and Jill Roldan of Tailhunter International in La Paz, Baja travel the show circuit in the western states every year to meet, greet and share stories. And book anglers on fishing trips. “I have been promoting and displaying with the Fred Hall Shows over 20 years with our La Paz operation and before that with another operation for 10, “ said Jonathan, “so that’s more than three decades. If you want to see and be seen, then you want to be in that grand showroomfloor exhibiting your product and services. It‘s where the public will find you and you get the most bang for the buck.” Other vendors weighed in on the value of the Fred Hall Shows: “Fred Hall has always been about branding the Costa name in Southern California for us.  It’s the premiere event to get to the consumers. Our glasses are out there and that’s what it’s all about at Costa. —Bill Poupart, Costa. “I have been attending the Fred Hall Shows for 26 years.  I wouldn’t even think of letting a year go by without attending both the Long Beach and Del Mar Shows.  The amount of con- tinuing business these shows generate for us is remarkable.  The Fred Hall Shows make our business prosper and grow.” — John Ireland, owner, Rancho Leonero Resort. “The Fred Hall Shows are where Accurate Reels got their start back in 1990. We have found that they are the best places for us to launch new products and to keep in touch with our custom- ers each year.  For Accurate the Fred Hall Shows are an integral part of our success.” —David and Doug Nilsen, Accurate Fishing Products/ “The Fred Hall Shows have produced great results for us year after year. No other shows compare for value and the sheer volume of --Southern California’s outdoor recreation crowd. We’ve been exhibiting in these shows for 40 years in a row and wouldn’t even think of not being there. Consider Sea WitchMarine a Fred Hall Show fixture.” — John Haddon, Owner, SeaWitchMarine. “We have attended both Fred Hall Shows every year. We sold more trips at the Fred Hall Show in Del Mar than we have ever sold anywhere.  These shows are consistent producers for us. We have a great relationship with the show staff and look forward to next year’s event.” —Duane Lambeth, Alaska’s Dove Island Lodge. Fred Hall Shows are sponsored by Progressive Insurance, Mammoth Lakes, Dodge Ram, Accurate , Daiwa, Jon Pettey Goldsmith, Hotel Rancho Leonero, Okuma, Hobie, Turner’s Out- doorsman, Fisherman’s Landing, 805 FirestoneWalker Brewing Co, andWestern Outdoor News. Details on the shows can be found at HALLSHOWS.com or on the Facebook page, under the name FREDHALL SHOWS. To contact Bart Hall & Associates, call (805) 218-7481 or (805) 218-7482. E mail at barthall1566@icloud.com . THE FRED HALL SHOWS in San Diego at the Del Mar Fairgrounds Feb. 16-19 and Long Beach March 29-April 2 are 600,000 square feet of boats, RV’s, trucks, kayaks, tackle, travel, publications, ac- cessories, seminars, landings, clothing and much more. Of course there’s the Mammoth Lakes Kids Fishing Pond where kids can catch their first trout. Courtesy photo