It’s Show Time
It’s Show Time
Breakaway Classic Adventures: It’s Not to Early to Start Planning Your Summer Activities & Adventures
Photo / Indrek Kongats
It’s that time of year to start planning your summer activities and adventures, and what better way than taking in a show or two that promotes the Great Outdoors?! Local shows are numerous, maybe not on the grand scale of national shows like the Fly Fishing Show in Edison, NJ January 24-26, 2025 or the Great American Outdoor Show in Harrisburg, PA February 1-9, 2025; they are nonetheless entertaining and informative with special speakers, numerous retail vendors and interesting exhibits and demonstrations.
The New York Musky Expo to be held February 1-2, 2025 takes place in Celoron, NY on the shores of Chautauqua Lake. The event will be held at the Chautauqua Harbor Hotel from 9:00am-5:00pm on Saturday and 9:00am-2:00pm on Sunday. My own River Dog Fly Shop will be exhibiting at this show and demonstrating the tying of large flies for Musky, Pike and Bass. We will also be booking trips to Georgian Bay, Ontario, Canada in pursuit of these toothy critters. The current Canadian Record Musky of 65 lbs was caught in these very waters by Kenneth O’Brien on October 16, 1988. The Moon River area of Georgian Bay holds two of the top 10 official International Game Fish Association-recognized world record muskies at 65 and 55 pounds! Potential record breakers have been sighted and rumored to exist, just waiting for your lure to pass by!
The latest Musky tackle from manufactures from all over North America will be on display and for sale and even demonstrated in the indoor pool at the show. The special keynote speaker for this year’s show will be Dr. John Farrell, Professor and Director of the Thousand Islands Biological Station. Dr. Farrell will be discussing the “Conservation and Management of Muskellunge on the St. Lawrence River” at 10:30am on Saturday. The 1000 Island region of the St. Lawrence River is no stranger to record breaking muskies and currently holds two top ten world record spots at 52 and 41 pounds, officially recorded by the IGFA.
The Greater Niagara Fishing Expo will be held at the Niagara Falls Convention Center Thursday, February 13th through Sunday, February 16th. Show highlights will include Kayak Fishing, Lotsa Salmon School, Lake Erie Walleye School, Fly Fishing Clinic, Beginner Lake Ontario Salmon Clinic, Beginner Lake Erie Walleye Fishing Clinic, and the fan favorite, the ‘Hawg Trough’… to name a few!
The Enchanted Mountains will be hosting the Sportsman Show Saturday, March 8th and Sunday, March 9th at the Seneca Allegany Events Center in Salamanca, NY. Here you can buy, sell or trade antique firearms, check out fishing and hunting charters and guides, and enjoy educational wildlife exhibits.
Canada’s largest Muskie expo, the Muskie Odyssey hosted by Muskies Canada, will be held Saturday, March 8th at Burlington Convention Center on Burloak Drive, Burlington, Ontario. All proceeds from this show will be donated to Muskie Conservation and Research.
The Canadian favorite mega show, the Fishing, Hunting, Boating Outdoor and Sportsmen’s Show, will be held Thursday, March 13th through Sunday, March 16th at the International Centre on Airport Road, Mississauga, Ontario. Since 1948 this show has been the go-to event for Canadian outdoor enthusiasts!
This show is where I started my career in the world of adventure and where I met many of my lifelong friends. Destination Travel is one of the best features of this show as outfitters and lodges from all around the world exhibit here. There’s no better place to get excited for your next outdoor adventure! Also explore an expansive selection of products and services ranging from fishing and hunting to boating, powersports, and beyond. The Toronto Sportsmen's Show caters to every outdoor passion, ensuring there's something thrilling for everyone! The 2025 show will unveil a new fly fishing and river area to explore local, regional and national trout waters as well as steelhead and salmon fishing rivers from BC to Newfoundland and right up to the Canadian Arctic.
One such trip that I host myself, is to the Leaf River in Nunavik, Quebec on the Ungava Bay for Arctic Char, Atlantic Salmon and giant Brook Trout. Here you’ll witness the world’s largest tidal swing as much as 50 feet, witness native Inuit fishermen and hunters harvest their precious Beluga Whale essential to their subsistent livelihood. One trip to this incredible sub-Arctic region of Canada will hook you for life and that’s what a good adventure is supposed to do!
So, get out this winter and transport yourself to a place that you have only dreamed about or one that has not yet to be imagined until you stumble across a booth down a maze of aisles of exhibits at one of our local Outdoor Shows!
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Indrek Kongats is an artist, traveler, outdoorsman, and business owner residing in Ellicottville. He operates River Dog Art Gallery in Houghton, NY, and his Breakaway Classic Adventures specializes in adventure travel destinations. Learn more about him at breakawayclassicadventures.com.