It’s ShowTime

The steam was rising from the coffee in my Yeti tumbler sitting in the cup holder next to me. The sky was just showing signs of daylight while I pulled out of the driveway. I had a five hour trip ahead of me but the cause was well worth it. By 9am I-90 West was full of cars racing to get to their destinations. A sense of excitement and anxiety crawled all over my body as questions ran through my mind. What will I say? Will I spread the right message? Will people appreciate what I have to say? Those were just a few of the questions that lingered in my mind. Before I knew it I was pulling off of Highway 190 and the Welcome to Niagara Falls sign was sitting right in front of me. I found my hotel and checked in. I sent a quick message to my crew that was already there and headed to the convention center. I walked around the street corner and took a deep breath as I read the sign, Niagara Falls Convention Center. I was about to enter the Greater Niagara Fishing & Outdoor Expo as a representative of the Native Fish Coalition. Ready or not, here I come.

I walked up to the ticket window and told them who I was. I half expected them to look at me and say they had no idea what I was talking about but the delightful employees handed me my exhibitor pass and I walked inside. Step one done, I’m in, I thought to myself. The next step was to finally introduce myself to the other chapter members that I had only met via Zoom so far. I found our table and right away I was met with big hand shakes and nice to meet you in person from the guys that were there. We made small talk and laughed because we were all kind of nervous about the same thing. Our table looked great and we were ready to introduce the New York Chapter of the Native Fish Coalition to the world.

Being a Thursday the crowd was a little slow, which wasn't a bad thing. It gave us a chance to feel out our talking points and get into the rhythm of conversation with the attendees. By the end of the evening the guys and I were talking and joking like we had been friends for 10 years. I was feeling much more confident about my personal perception of belonging there. At the end of night one we all headed in our separate ways. Back in my hotel room I ran the afternoon's conversations with the public though my head trying to think of better ways to present myself and our mission. I’ve never had an issue with public speaking or conversing with strangers but most of the time these days I’m asked to talk about my job and my community and this was a little different. I was talking about a passion I have but not a lot of experience with. Friday morning I was up early and instead of feeling nervous I was excited. When I got to the front of the convention center there was already a line of people down the sidewalk waiting to get in. I worked my way through the crowd of people and back to our table. When the doors finally opened to the public right away there were hundreds of people wandering around looking at all the exhibits and displays.

Every fishing item you could think of was there. Rods, reels, tackle, lures, flies, boats, electronics, the items went on and on.

The first gentleman I spoke to had heard of the Native Fish Coalition(NFC) but didn’t realize we had a NY chapter. We talked about the NFC and the great things the organization is doing. He was thrilled to see an organization that wasn’t about a specific species of fish but all native fish. He then proceeded to tell me how he had just returned from a fishing trip to Cuba. He showed me pictures and told me stories of the great time he had. I had to admit I was just as excited to hear about the bone fish, tarpon, and permit that he had caught in detail. After he left the table with our information I felt myself glowing a little bit. I was feeling confident and ready to talk about fishing and native fish with anyone that wanted to talk. And you know what? They kept coming. Person after person came and talked with us. I heard stories of fishing from California to Maine. We sold stickers, hats, books, and coffee mugs with our NFC logo on them. I know that the donations are very important to our organization and are needed to help us work on our mission and I was proud to sell them. But I was most excited to be surrounded by people that shared the same passion I do for fish and fishing. We talked about brook trout, walleye, muskie, northern pike, salmon, and all the other native species that inhabited our local waters. Each one of us at the table occasionally took a break to stretch our legs and check out what the show had to offer. I was amazed by all the vendors and individuals that were there. I got to talk to professional fly tiers, charter boat captains, authors, photographers, guides, and many other industry professionals.

From the new guys to the salty old dogs, everyone was willing to chat and share stories. I was having a blast. By the time 9pm rolled around and the show was closing up for the night I had talked to well over 100 people myself. Our booth had been very well attended by people that loved to talk native fish. Once we closed up shop we as a group decided to grab a late dinner. We decided to go to a small bar and grill. We had a couple of beers and talked about the successful day we had had. We were thrilled. Saturday was my third and final day at the show and yet again I was blown away with the support we had received. We had one gentleman from the day before come back to tell us he joined the NFC the evening before and needed to get a hat. I decided to take a break midmorning and strolled down to one of the lecture rooms. Inside there were representatives from almost every DEC region in the state. I found the tables that represented regions 5 and 6, the two regions I cover with this blog and had fabulous conversations about the two regions and the stories that I have written.

Everyone was so enthusiastic to talk about outdoor recreation all over the state. The passion for the outdoors oozed through the room. Back at our table person after person stopped by to talk. Business cards and informational brochures flew off our table. Towards the end of the day things started to slow down. The kids from the SUNY ESF bass fishing team who had the table next to us decided to have a little casting competition in the aisle.

They placed a roll of tape on the floor and tried to hit it with their lures. We laughed as they poked fun at each other, it was a great ending to the day. As we closed up shop on another day it was time for me to say goodbye to my new friends. It was so nice to finally meet everyone in person and we all discussed what our next adventure together would be. That evening I spent some time in the brisk February air walking around the Niagara Falls state park. The rush of the falls could be felt as the frigid water crashed into the chasm below.

I reflected on my time at the show while the wall of water before me lit up in brilliant reds and whites. I felt a feeling of accomplishment and belonging. All the great people of my organization as well as all the fine folks I met over the last three days really solidified my place in something bigger than just fishing but a family of people who love the great outdoors.

My takeaways: With all the people I met while out of town I learned a few things.

1. Over the last several years diversity in outdoor recreation, especially fishing, has been a big topic in many videos and articles. I can honestly say that the diversity is growing. I met people of all races, colors and genders while I was there.

I had a half hour conversation with a ladies group about fly fishing. A woman and her partner were so excited to share their fishing stories and photos with me. I think one of my favorite moments was watching a 75 year old woman and a much younger woman talk about a common fishing spot they both went to last season. It was great to see the young and the old conversing on a passion they both shared. As women's participation in the sport grows we also see more of them joining conservation groups and advocating for the protections of our fish and the environment. Fishing now has ambassadors like Emily Bastian who is the chair of the National NFC. We are also seeing an increase in female guides, business owners, and industry personalities that help share this wonderful sport. As we see more women enjoying the great outdoors, the more the sport will continue to grow and revitalize.

2. There are many great organizations that I didn’t even know existed out there working on protecting our waters. At the end of the day I believe that humans have the biggest negative impact on our environment. We are also the ones that can take even small steps to help our planet. I suggest you find an organization that fits your views on the environment and make a donation, they can’t do their part without your help.

3. As I spoke to people from all over the state I realized just how few people know what the North Country has to offer. People talked about fishing the Kennebec River in Maine to hiking in the Sierra National Forest in California yet they had never heard of places like Massena or Malone. Most of these folks were right from the Western NY region and were surprised to hear that just 5 hours away we had such amazing fishing and recreational opportunities. I really think we are missing an opportunity to promote our region for what it is, an outdoor recreation destination. These folks aren’t looking for fancy malls and restaurants, no they are looking for campgrounds, hiking, biking, and, of course, fishing opportunities. I had one guide tell me that he would love to come up this way for a vacation with his family. With all the time he spends with clients on the water he doesn’t get much of a chance to do these things with the ones he loves. We need to let the rest of New York State know that the North Country is here for all their outdoor recreational desires.

4. Sometimes being nervous is okay. I have to admit that I felt a bit out of my league going to this show. Everyone I met was just excited to be out and about at a fishing show. They had no idea that this was the first time I’ve ever done anything like this. We get so comfortable in our day to day lives that sometimes it's hard to step out of our comfort zones, get out of it once and a while, it’s well worth it.

In closing:

You will notice that in this blog I do not speak on behalf of the NFC. That is not the intent of this blog. My goal is to share with you my experiences and personal opinions on outdoor recreation and related topics. As a civil servant for 18 years working for the people of my community and politicians I find myself looking at both sides of every opinion, story, and decision that are made. It is my opinion that our native fish species are one of the best indicators of the health of our environment. I believe that habitat loss, habitat damage, and human impacts on our ecosystems has caused the greatest decline to our wild native fish populations.

If you love wild places and our wild native fish I ask that you check out the Native Fish Coalition https://nativefishcoalition.org/. This wonderful organization is working hard to protect, preserve, and restore our native fisheries. If anyone wants to talk to me more about my opinions or their own on these topics I’d love to have a beer with you and chat for a while. I’d also be happy to take you out on a Northern NY Adventure and show you how important our wild places are.

Aaron Hardy

Northern NY Adventures

“Make Life an Adventure”