Social media has been a big part of my fishing career. Not only has it allowed me to share my adventures on a larger platform, it has also enabled me to connect with inspirational anglers and folks in the industry from around the world. By sharing my stories and passion for the sport here on my blog, in videos, and through other social media platforms, it has opened up opportunities to get involved with some fun projects and events over the years. A couple of which being the London Boat, Fishing & Outdoor Show and the Hamilton Boat, Fishing & Outdoor Show. These shows, located in Southern Ontario (Canada), just wrapped up for another year and I wanted to reflect on my experience as the show ambassador at these events.
My Roll as the Show Ambassador
This was my third year as the show ambassador for both the London and Hamilton Boat Shows. It was another fantastic round of shows that took place on back-to-back weekends. In my roll as the show ambassador, I work with the organizers and marketing team to promote the attractions at the shows through social media leading up to each event. During the shows I am the emcee on the seminar stage, and I also host my own fishing seminars. My favourite part of being involved with these shows is meeting new people and chatting with fishing folks I’ve connected with online. I have a huge smile on my face all weekend long!
My Seminars on Trolling for Walleye
For my seminars this year I decided to discuss one of my favourite fishing experiences: Trolling for big water walleye on Lake Ontario and the Bay of Quinte. I talked a little bit about myself and where my passion for walleye began, the equipment and gear I use for this type of fishing, how I set up for a typical day of trolling, making adjustments on the fly, keeping track of on-the-water stats to repeat success, and more. It was a lot of fun and got me even more excited for the open water season! Thank you to everyone that joined me for a seminar at the shows! I especially enjoyed the questions and discussions afterward, and hearing your fishing stories, too!
Special Guests at the Shows
We had a talented line-up of speakers at this year shows, including one very special guest all the way from Louisiana. Troy Landry of the hit TV series, Swamp People, flew in to join us at each show. He attracted a ton of fans, some even traveling from the United States to meet him. I enjoyed his presentations and learning more about his lifestyle, how Swamp People came to be, and hearing some of his wild stories about alligator hunting in the swamps.
Our angling presenters in London included: Matt Sawrie of Torpedo Divers, Ian Jones of Fish LSC Charters, Captain Paul Powis of J&P Fishing Charters, along with a panel of local fishing experts for our Q&A sessions. These speakers did a wonderful job!
In Hamilton we had the following speakers on deck:Â Our stage sponsor, Brent Bochek of Fish NV, Richard Brouwer from Pure Fishing, tournament angler Dave Chong, young angler Averie Rose Bonin, and Shane Thombs of Fintastic Sportfishing. I was especially excited to meet Averie, a young lady who is sharing her passion for fishing through videos and social media, and inspiring more kids to get into fishing along the way. She did a fantastic job with her seminars (as did all the speakers)!
Rainbow Trout Courtesy of Fishing Friendzy
Thankfully I was also able to get in a bit of fishing at the shows! Fishing Friendzy was on hand with their live rainbow trout pond to give kids the opportunity at trying fishing. I think this is a fantastic opportunity, especially in cities where many kids may have never had a chance to try fishing before. There were some nice sized rainbows on hand so I snuck in a bit of fishing time before the doors opened!
Boats, Boats, and More Boats!
I did a few live videos on Facebook throughout the weekend sharing some of the boats on display at the show. We had a wide variety of brands being showcased, including some Alumacraft and Yamaha support from Howell’s Marine and Advanced Marine.
A special thanks goes to Alumacraft, Howell’s Marine and Advanced Marine as with their partnerships, we were able to host a boat giveaway at each show! One lucky winner from each event won an Alumacraft 1436LT Jon Boat!
See You Next Year!
Although I was away from the ice for a couple weekends, I couldn’t have been happier to hang out at the shows and chat fishing! Thank you to everyone that joined us in London and Hamilton! I am looking forward to 2020 already, as the organizers of the these events have added a brand new show in Barrie, Ontario. For more details, visit:Â www.OntarioBoatShows.com
Hope to see you next year, and thanks for stopping by!
Ashley
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Hey Ashley love reading your blog , can you tell me where you got the gloves you are wearing in the BIG walleyed video ? Thanks Tight lines & drags screaming !!
Thank you for reading my blog! The gloves I am wearing in the video are made by Columbia Sportswear.