Winter is the time to learn and dream about fishing.
I am impressed with the show that will be in Kansas City Jan. 14-16. The National Fishing Expo will feature many top professionals from different types of fishing talking about their craft and these seminars are free except for a moderate entrance fee. Numerous booths exhibiting their fishing products will be spread out through the building.
Here are examples of experts speaking on their types of fishing (not all are listed because of space):
• Brent Chapman is a professional tournament bass fisherman based out of Lenexa, Kansas, and fishes at the world’s highest level of bass fishing, including the Bass Pro Tour, Bassmaster Elite Series and Major League Fishing.
Chapman won the 2012 Bassmaster Angler of the Year, which most anglers consider the toughest and most prestigious title that a professional angler can attain. Brent has qualified for 14 Bassmaster Classics and has won four Bassmaster tournaments. He qualified for Major League Fishing Championship and The MLF Bass Pro Tour.
• Dion Hibdon is one of the few anglers who accomplished the incredible task of winning both a Forrest Wood Cup and a Bassmaster Classic. Hibdon, based at the Lake of the Ozarks, began fishing the FLW Tour in 1996 and has fished at every level of competition with FLW.
Fishing is a family affair for the Hibdons as Dion is the son of legendary FLW Tour angler Guido Hibdon of Stover, Mo., who passed away in 2018. Dion’s favorite weapon on the water is a jig, and his only job has been professional fishing.
• Randy Blaukat is a nine-time Forrest Wood Cup Qualifier, and three-time FLW Tour runner up. He is regarded by his peers as one of the top anglers on tour. Blaukat is a 25-year veteran of professional fishing and has amassed more than $1.4 million in career earnings in FLW and B.A.S.S. competition.
• Casey Scanlon, also based at the Lake of the Ozarks, fished two years on the FLW tour, five years on the Bassmaster Elite Series and two years on Major League Fishing He is the 2012 Bass Pro Shops Central Open winner, 2013 Bassmaster Classic qualifier, 2017 Forrest Wood Cup qualifier, three-time BASS Federation State Team member, TBF National Championship qualifier and was voted Best of The Lake Fishing Guide 2018.
• Chris Jones has been fishing for catfish since his youth. He became a professional catfish guide in 2011 on Lake of the Ozarks for Catfish Pursuit Guide Service. He primarily targets trophy class blue catfish with a rod and reel. His personal best blue cat to date is a 93.2-pounder that was released and he is chasing that elusive 100-plus-pounder.
• Tommy Bench is an owner-operator of Gasconade River Guide Service. He was born and raised on the Gasconade River and has guided and specialized in smallmouth bass habits and tendencies since 2007. He, too, found great success in tournament fishing as well as hosting an outdoor radio show and holding the title of “Bump Master” for The National Professional Fishing League.
• Paul Potter is a crappie fishing guide on Grand Lake in Oklahoma and an avid YouTube fisherman. Crappie fishing is a passion as well as an addiction that takes Paul to Grand Lake every week to catch fish. Paul posts many fishing videos, giving tips and explaining techniques that will help you catch more fish.
• David Studebaker is an avid multi-species fisherman. His experience is catfishing in the Midwest. He has operated Catfish Chasers Tournament Series, one of the nation’s most successful competitive fishing series for 18 years. He helped foster several of the nation’s best catfish anglers.
• Chris Zaldain won the 2015 Bassmaster Angler of the Year Championship tournament, finished fourth overall in the 2019 Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings, and placed 16th in the 2020 Bassmaster Classic. His wife Trait Zaldain finished fourth in her first major bass tournament, and quickly moved up to the Bassmaster Central and Eastern Opens. Together these two Yamaha Pros may soon become the first husband and wife team competing as Bassmaster Elite anglers. Her favorite technique is power fishing with smaller finesse lures.
• William “Billy” Smith, owner of Scenic Rivers Guide Service & Tours, is authorized within Ozark National Scenic Riverways to provide interpretive guided boat touring, eco-touring, and fishing trips. Billy Smith has been running these rivers since he was 9 years old.
• J&J Fly Fishing Adventures was founded by two brothers with the intent on catching all species on the fly. Jeremy and Jacob Patterson grew up in Michigan and were fishing the Great Lakes and its tributaries at a young age. Fly fishing has become a passion and obsession the last seven years. They enjoy chasing all species of fish. They have won multiple Master Angler awards from Michigan, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri and Kansas.
• Jack and Holly Linton are well known as “The Green Machine.” They have been fishing crappie tournaments since 2014, traveling to many states and making their imprint on the crappie world. This year the husband-and-wife team were Angler Team of the Year in the Truman Lake Series, fishing against the country’s best. Along with many other top three finishes this year.
The show will open at the KCI Expo Center, 11730 N. Ambassador Drive, Kansas City, MO 64153. Hours are: noon to 7 p.m. Friday; 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday; and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.
Adult admission is $12 and seniors 65 and older and veterans are $10. Tickets can be purchased online to skip the lines or at the gate. Opening day offer is bringing a guest for free with the purchase of an adult ticket. They, too, will allow two children age 17 and younger in for free with each adult ticket purchase.
I’ll see you there!
Kenneth Kieser, a veteran outdoors writer and member of the Waterfowlers Hall of Fame and National Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame, writes a weekly outdoors column for The Examiner. Reach him at kieserkenneth@gmail.com.
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