GRAND RAPIDS – When Michigan’s oldest and largest outdoor sport show comes to town, spring is never far behind. From March 15 to 18, show fever becomes spring fever for thousands of outdoor enthusiasts at DeVos Place, 303 Monroe St. NW in downtown Grand Rapids, during the 67th running of the Ultimate Sport Show.
First held in 1946, this year’s might be of the best ever for new outdoor gear, features, seminar leaders, fishing boats and specialty vendors, including many major company exhibits, says the show promoters.
"This is one of the nation’s premiere outdoor shows,” says Adam Starr, event manager for ShowSpan, Inc., which produces the show. "Besides West Michigan, show patrons come from throughout the state as well as Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Ontario."
With so many events on the outdoor show circuit, what is it about the Ultimate Sport Show that makes attendees anxious for winter to end?
"Stuff" of the Show: The 200,000 square-foot DeVos place will be loaded with more than 100 booths of fishing tackle, including one-of-a-kind vendors whose baits and lures are seen only once each year. Leading manufacturers have reserved space for their new products. Many will have company experts on hand to explain features and answer questions with no pressure to buy.
The show has a reputation for educating the public as well as being a veritable supermarket of product choice and value for the show season's best buys.
A dozen fishing boat dealers are bringing bass boats, walleye boats, pontoons, offshore trolling packages, river steelheading boats, canoes and kayaks.
More than 100 outfitters, lodges, fishing and hunting guides, and family vacation destinations are in the show, along with many other exhibitors.
Seminars: More than 100 free hunting and fishing seminars will be held on four stages, including Lake Ultimate, the 110,000-gallon indoor lake with fully rigged boats where fishing experts deliver real-time seminars. Headlining popular fee-based weekend Super Clinics are Mark Romanack and Johnny Candle for walleye, Dave Engel and Bill Bale for trout/salmon, and Don Watts for bass, which is new this year. Mark Martin, Dave Mull and Lance Valentine are among many Michigan speakers with national reputations.
Deer-hunting expert Fred Abbas and Doc Morrow, food-plot specialist, will be on hand to impart their specialized knowledge, along with Ohio native Joe Thomas whose hunting and fishing seminars are a major draw.
Stage Show Features: Between seminars, Lake Ultimate becomes a stage show. Former Detroit Tigers pitcher Milt Wilcox will host Ultimate Air Dogs, the Big Air show of leaping canines. The public is invited to register their dogs at www.ultimateairdogs.net.
Big Buck Night West: Jimmy Gretzinger and Jenny Olson will host “Big Buck Night West” on Thursday at 7 p.m. Special guest Tony Gates of WLAV-FM will be on hand, too. The cameras will be taping for future Michigan Out-of-Doors TV programs.
Special Features: Hundreds of professional mounts of birds, fish and game by members of the Michigan Taxidermist Association, which holds its annual convention during the show, will be on display at no charge for ticket-holders.
The Woodland Woodcarvers return by popular demand. Grand River Fly Tyers, fish cleaning demonstrations by the Grand Rapids Steelheaders, and free fly casting instruction by Glen Blackwood of the Great Lakes Flyfishing Company are other popular features to return.
Terry McBurney’s huge displays of antique and classic fishing tackle and sporting collectibles and collectible outboard motors and boats from Dick Van Raalte are part of the show. Patrons are encouraged to bring their own artifacts for free appraisal by the experts.
Special Promotions: Bring a sack of non-perishable food items (4 pounds or 6 boxes/cans for the Tony Gates/MSAH Food Drive on Thursday, March 18 and get in free, that night only.
Be among the first 500 attendees on Thursday and Friday and receive a $6.95 commemorative Dardevle fishing spoon from Eppinger Mfg. Co. in Dearborn. On Saturday and Sunday, the first 250 patrons will receive a free tackle pack from K & E Products in Hastings.
Show hours are Thursday, from 3:00 to 9:30; Friday, from 11:00 to 9:30; Saturday from 10:00 to 9:00; and Sunday from 10:00 to 5:00. Admission is $10 for adults and $4 for children 6 to 14. Kids 5 and under get in free.
Discount coupons are available at downtown merchants, the Grand Rapids Press, Wendy’s restaurants and on-line at www.GRFish.com.
You can also follow late-breaking news and developments at www.facebook.com/GRFish and at www.twitter.com/GRFish.
PHOTO: Featured speakers sharing their expertise on Great Lakes fishing at Grand Rapids include Dave Mull, editor of Great Lakes Angler Magazine.
