Event returns to Venue at Coosa Landing
Story by Paul South
Submitted photos
On the Saturday of the 2023 inaugural Alabama Fishing Show at The Venue at Coosa Landing, Gadsden’s director of economic development, John Moore, decided to check things out.
What he saw was jaw dropping.
“The doors opened at 10. I pulled in about 9:45, and I swear to you, there were at least 400 to 500 people waiting to get in,” Moore says. “The thing stretched out from the Venue, and it just wrapped around in the parking lot.
“I was like, ‘What the heck?’ There’s something here on this. I was just amazed. People starve for stuff like this.”
Indeed, there was. An estimated 7,500 visitors streamed to the event, anglers shopping for everything from handmade rods and tackle to high tech electronic fish finders.
The Alabama Fishing Show returns to The Venue at Coosa Landing, March 8-10. Daily prices are $12 for adults, $8 for kids. Children under 5 get in free. Food and drinks are available for sale. Parking is free.
Hours are 10 a.m. – 7:30 p.m. on Friday; 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. on Sunday.
The Gadsden event was years in the making before its debut. Alabama Fishing Show organizer Shelia Bunch began discussions with the city several years ago about bringing the East Tennessee Fishing Show to Alabama. For Bunch, geography was the draw.
“You guys have some of the greatest lakes down there. You’ve got some of the best pro fishermen from that area. One thing that was missing was a true fishing show,” Bunch says.
A true fishing show is about more than watercraft, she adds. “I’m talking about bringing vendors from all over with products that you can’t even get anywhere else except for this show. You’ve got handmade fishing rods, you’ve got crankbaits. You’ve got jigs that you can’t buy anywhere else but this show. And a lot of these vendors are small business people. Their passion is all about fishing and about catching fish. They work day and night on their products.”
Along with featuring more than 100 vendors casting their wares upon the water to sell, Bunch hopes to reach a new, younger generation of anglers. The 2024 show will host a kids’ fishing tournament at the Venue on March 9.
Introducing kids to fishing is a goal of the show, Bunch, a mother of three, says. “We feel like kids are our future when it comes to fishing. Our goal is to give kids the opportunity to fish and make it a big deal, right there at the show.”
Pro anglers will appear at the show, and seminars are also slated to educate anglers on how to use the equipment and make their fishing experience more enjoyable.
“We try to make it a fisherman’s paradise,” Bunch says. But the show has something to hook the entire family.
“The mothers are really involved in the kids’ fishing tournament,” Bunch says. “We honor the women and give away hats to the wives who put up with the fishermen. The first 200 (women) through the door get a free hat. They really love that.”
She adds, “It’s a great place for families to connect.”
The show will highlight the hottest trends in fishing. Electronics lead the pack.
“Every year, Lowrance or Hummingbird or Power-Pole or any of them, they come out with something new every year,” Bunch says. Those will be on display at the show. A lot of people buy this equipment and don’t know how to use it, so we will have people who come and do seminars to show you how to use your electronics.”
Safety and environmentally friendly equipment are also trending, Bunch says.
“Safety and taking care of your lakes and taking care of your fish is a big thing. That’s why you have catch and release … When you catch fish, you need to save the fish.”
Like Moore, Bunch was “shocked” by the big turnout in the inaugural show, because it was a new event in unfamiliar waters, so to speak. This year, she expects an even bigger turnout.
“We’re wanting about 10,000 this year,” Bunch says. “That’s my goal.”
As an aside, one in six Americans are anglers. And, the sport is growing.
For Bunch, putting on the fishing show are measured in smiles.
“Truthfully, my favorite part is seeing my vendors do well – for them to walk away with smiles on their faces and me knowing that they did well at the show. My second favorite part is seeing the people leave there with smiles on their faces, knowing they got supplies they couldn’t get anywhere else.” Anglers – from offshore to fly fishermen – who attend the fishing show can up their game without breaking the bank, and they share a common mission with vendors.
“The goal is to catch a big fish,” Bunch says.
Moore believes the COVID-19 pandemic that kept folks shuttered for two years played a role in the huge turnout, and something more.
“I think (the pandemic) had something to do with it. Number two is that there’s nothing like it within a 60-mile radius. You have to go to Birmingham to the (Birmingham Jefferson Civic Center) or to Huntsville to Von Braun to see a show of this magnitude with this many vendors.”
And vendors were hooked on Gadsden.
“They signed up that day for (2024),” Moore says.
The show fits with Gadsden’s branding efforts as a tourist destination, Moore says.
“The mayor (Craig Ford) always says that not only do we have a responsibility to our citizens, but we have a responsibility to our merchants, too, bringing stuff like this in here.
“It actually helps grow our economy. Every hotel room in Etowah County is filled. The shops will be filled. It’s perfect. The wife may go and shop downtown, while the husband looks for fishing supplies. There were a lot of buddies going to the show in sort of a guys’ trip.”
At the end of the day, he adds, “what we’re looking for is to be ‘Fun Town’. We’re looking to be that city that people look to spend three, four, five days enjoying the river, the mountains, the downtown area, the shopping,” Moore says. “I think the fishing show plays into that.”
Along with a crowd, Bunch hopes to hook something else – for vendors and attendees alike. “I just want everyone to do well and be happy.”
Clearly an evangelist for fishing, Bunch captures the spirit of the show. “Fishing is a great time for families, and you can’t get those times back.”
