The 2014 Washington Sportsmen’s Show sets up camp Wednesday for a five-day run at the Washington State Fair Events Center in Puyallup. The new feature this year is Cowboy Fast Draw, organized by the Cowboy Fast Draw Association.
Under close supervision, showgoers are invited to step up with a Colt .45-style six-gun, vintage holster and wax bullets (all provided), and take aim at targets in a specially constructed range. The supervisor and coach will be “Quick Cal” Eilrich, the colorful director of the association and 17-time World Fast Draw Champion.
Other headliners for the show include legendary sportfishing industry leader Gary Loomis, introducing his high-performance Edge Fishing Rods; fishing Hall of Famer Buzz Ramsey; flyfishing expert Jim Teeny; local radio and TV host Tom (TJ) Nelson; Hevi-Beads co-founder Loren Dunbar; College Fishing Series veteran and bass expert Nick Barr, and others.
Longtime favorites of showgoers are back, including:
n The Kids’ Free Trout Pond, giving youngsters 12 and under the opportunity to catch, and keep or release, two trout. Gear, bait and take-home bags are provided.
n The Northwest Tour of Big Game Animals, including some of the biggest elk ever harvested in Washington and Oregon.
n The Head and Horns Competition, offering top prizes for the best-scoring heads and horns, or horn/antler sheds brought to the show for measurement. Prizes are awarded for all three methods of harvest: rifle, archery and black powder.
n Wilderness survival and outdoor safety expert Peter Kummerfeldt discusses procuring wild foods, making water safe to drink, wilderness medicine and more.
n The Lowrance Learning Center, where expert Jeff Boyer previews Lowrance’s newest toy — SpotlightScan Sonar. Set for introduction in February, the system delivers a new level of angler-controlled surround-scan views, providing picture-like images of your favorite fishing areas.
n The Camp Cooking Tent is back, along with the Steelhead River, the warm-water demo tank, dozens of free seminars, one-stop shopping for great values in fishing and hunting gear, clothing, camping equipment, sport fishing boats and RV’s, and reps from leading hunting and fishing lodges and resorts.
Show hours are noon to 8 p.m. Wednesday through Friday; 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday; and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $12 for adults; $5 for juniors 6-16, and free for children 5 and under. Two-day passes for $18 also are available. For information on online ticket purchases and discounts, visit www.thesportshows.com.
Parking at the fairgrounds is free.
Following is a selection of seminar subjects, presenters and times:
Fly Fishing Theater
Fly Fishing the Tongass, Mark Hieronymus, 12:30 p.m. Wednesday; 4:30 p.m. Thursday; 6:30 p.m. Friday; 5:30 p.m. Saturday.
The Yakima, a River For All Seasons, Jack Mitchell, 3:30 p.m. Wednesday; 11:30 a.m. Saturday.
Upper Columbia: Big River, Big Trout, Kelly Laatsch, 4:30 p.m. Wednesday; 1:30 p.m. Sunday.
How to Fly Fish for Salmon, Jim Teeny, 6:30 p.m. Wednesday; 12:30 p.m. Friday.
How to Select the Right Fly Line, Jim Teeny, 3:30 p.m. Thursday; 2:30 p.m. Saturday.
The Best of Eastern Washington Steelhead and Trout, Jack Mitchell, 6:30 p.m. Thursday; 3:30 p.m. Friday; 10:30 a.m. Sunday.
Cutthroat Dreams: BC’s Elk, St. Mary and Bull rivers, Kelly Laatsch, 2:30 p.m. Friday.
Blue Theater
Halibut Fishing 2014, Terry Rudnick, 12:30 p.m. Wednesday; 3:30 p.m. Saturday.
Triple Threat Salmon Angling, Tom Nelson, 1:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Kayak Fishing Basics for the Pacific Northwest, Brad Hole/Hobie Cat, 2:30 p.m. Wednesday; 5:30 p.m. Friday, 10:30 a.m. Saturday.
Lake Chelan Kokanee and Lake Trout, Anton Jones, 3:30 p.m. Wednesday; 12:30 p.m. Friday; 11:30 a.m. Sunday.
Selecting Rods, Gary Loomis, 4:30 p.m. Wednesday; 11:30 a.m. Saturday.
Basic Bead Fishing, Loren Dunbar, 5:30 p.m. Wednesday; 6:30 p.m. Saturday, 10:30 a.m. Sunday.
Advanced Float Techniques for Steelhead, Bob Kratzer, 6:30 p.m. Wednesday; 1:30 p.m. Friday.
Columbia River Pikeminnow: Fishing for Dollars, Eric Winther, 12:30 p.m. Thursday; 3:30 p.m. Friday.
Columbia River Springers, Jim Stahl, 1:30 p.m. Thursday; 1:30 p.m. Sunday.
Dirty Downrigger Tricks, Tom Nelson, 2:30 p.m. Thursday; 1:30 p.m. Saturday.
Kayak Fishing 101 and Winter Steelhead, Issac Mille/Kayak Academy, 3:30 p.m. Thursday.
Northwest Walleye Secrets, Ed Iman, 4:30 p.m. Thursday.
Vertical Jigging for Saltwater Salmon, Terry Rudnick, 5:30 p.m. Thursday.
Catch More Fish: New CCA Developments, Gary Loomis, 6:30 p.m. Thursday.
Fishing the San Juan Islands, Tom Nelson, 2:30 p.m. Friday.
Catching Spring Chinook, Buzz Ramsey, 4:30 p.m. Friday, 12:30 p.m. Saturday.
Albacore Tuna: Working the Iron, Del Stephens, 6:30 p.m. Friday; 5:30 p.m. Saturday; 12:30 p.m. Sunday.
Trout Fishing for Kids, Ed Iman, 2:30 p.m. Saturday.
Kayak Fishing Puget Sound and Beyond, Todd Switzer/Kayak Academy, 4:30 p.m. Saturday; 2:30 p.m. Sunday.
Green Theater
Public Land: Elk Calling and Hunting the West, Glen Berry, 1 p.m. Wednesday; 2 p.m. Thursday; 6 p.m. Friday; noon Saturday; 1:30 p.m. Sunday.
Field Dressing and Skinning Big Game, Scott Haugen, 2 p.m. Wednesday; 6 p.m. Thursday; 1 p.m. Friday; 1 p.m. Saturday; 12:30 p.m. Sunday.
Your Dog’s First Hunting Season: Do’s and Don’ts, RJ Marquart, 4 p.m. Wednesday; 7 p.m. Friday; 5 p.m. Saturday.
Baiting Blacktail, Ed Shelby, 5 p.m. Wednesday; 4 p.m. Friday; 2 p.m. Saturday.
Getting Started in Cowboy Fast Draw, Cal Eilrich, 6 p.m. Wednesday; 7 p.m. Thursday; 3 p.m. Friday; 3 p.m. Saturday.
Calling Elk for Archery and Rifle Seasons, Dan Kloer, 7 p.m. Wednesday; 11 a.m. Saturday.
Extreme Weather Wall Tenting, John Aldrich, 1 p.m. Thursday; 5 p.m. Friday.
Calling Black Bears, Dan Kloer, 4 p.m. Thursday; 10:30 a.m. Sunday.
Steelhead River
Fly Fishing Steelhead Swing and Nymph Tactics, Jack Mitchell, 1 p.m. Wednesday; 5 p.m. Friday; 5 p.m. Saturday; 1 p.m. Sunday.
Plugging Techniques for Salmon &Steelhead, Bob Kratzer, 2 p.m. Wednesday; 6 p.m. Thursday; 6 p.m. Friday; 1 p.m. Saturday; noon Sunday.
Advanced Bobber Fishing for Winter Steelhead, Jack Glass, 3 p.m. Wednesday; 4 p.m. Thursday; 2 p.m. Saturday.
Jig Fishing for Steelhead, Doug Saint-Denis, 4 p.m. Wednesday; 3 p.m. Friday; 3 p.m. Sunday.
Three Ways to Fish a Steelhead Hole, Scott Haugen/Mike Perusse, 5 p.m. Wednesday; 2 p.m. Thursday; 4 p.m. Friday; 6 p.m. Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday.
Reading Water, Tom Nelson, 6 p.m. Wednesday; 5 p.m. Thursday; 1 p.m. Friday; 11 a.m. Saturday; 11 a.m. Sunday.
Fly Fishing Presentations, Jim Teeny, 1 p.m. Thursday; noon Saturday.
Drift Fishing Artificial Eggs for Steelhead, Doug Saint-Denis, 3 p.m. Thursday; 3 p.m. Saturday.
Proven Methods for Steelhead, Buzz Ramsey, 2 p.m. Friday; 4 p.m. Saturday.
Other venues
At the Warm Water Demo Tank: Smallmouth tactics; artificial lures for walleye; five ways to use a Senko lure; jerkbaits for bass; understanding dropshotting, swimming jigs for bass, and more.
Fly Casting Pond: basics; improving your distance; advanced.
Fly Tying Booth: tube flies; Yakima Skwala; adding living characteristics; variations of the Teeny Nymph; improved stillwater patterns; bass and panfish flies; fly tying with foam.
At the Lowrance Learning Center: finding fish with today’s new features.
At the Camp Cooking Theater: camp pizza; Dutch oven basics; wild game cooking tips; Dutch oven main dishes and others.
At the Horse and Mule Packing Theater: Aaron Burkhart.
For a complete listing of free seminars, go to www.thesportshows.com.
For more outdoors news, read Wayne Kruse’s blog at www.heraldnet.com/huntingandfishing.
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