2020 Top Attractions

---

In an effort to expand the Fishing Show's "Top Attractions," the state's Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) will be increasing their participation in the 2020 Greater Niagara Fishing and Outdoor Expo - a request that has been passed along from attendees to show organizers.

Anglers who fish in New York's Great Lakes and inland waters would like to have more interaction with the decision-makers and the biologists who manage these waterways. The same could be said for those same decision-makers and biologists. They would like to have more interaction with the stakeholders and users of the resources to help the public understand those management practices. They would also like to receive more input from the anglers themselves to help with their management decisions going forward.

Each winter and spring, DEC conducts State of the Lake meetings to initiate public outreach and give updates on what's happening with a particular body of water - Lake Ontario, Lake Erie, Salmon River, Finger Lakes. They are often at a time when many anglers cannot attend. This will be a perfect opportunity for anglers to see what's happening with the bodies of water you fish and ask questions to better understand the dynamics for a particular lake, river or inland stream.

Abbreviated versions (one hour) of the State of the Lake meetings for Erie and Ontario will be available on opening night (Friday). If you participate in the popular LOTSA Salmon School, many of the top fisheries decision-makers will be on hand to mingle with Salmon School attendees on Friday night for a special "Meet and Greet." It's a great way to get up close and personal with the likes of Steve Hurst, DEC's Chief of the Bureau of Fisheries, Steve LaPan, DEC's Great Lakes Section Head, Chris Legard, the Lake Ontario Unit Leader and Jason Robinson, the Lake Erie Unit Leader.

Some of these same individuals will also be included with some of the top seminar speakers. Last year, Hurst became part of a seminar with Capt. Bob Songin and they complemented each other very well over the course of the presentation. They plan to expand those efforts.

The most exciting aspect of this DEC awareness expansion is a unique "Open House" that will place at least 7 different aspects of the Bureau of Fisheries into one room for three hours on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Included in this will be stations focusing on Lake Ontario Open Lake and Lake Ontario Tributaries; Lake Erie (with Lake Erie Unit Leader Dr. Jason Robinson and Sr. Aquatic Biologist James Markham) Open Lake and Tributaries; Niagara River; Great Lakes Fish Production and Stocking; Finger Lakes; Inland Streams; DEC Law Enforcement; and Angling Opportunities for Women.

In addition, DEC will continue to operate its popular booth in the main exhibit hall throughout the duration of the Expo. We are proud to be partnering with DEC in this "first of its kind" event, something that could be a model for them with other shows in the future. Be sure to take advantage of this innovative educational opportunity.

The founder of Walleye 101 and the Fishing Education Center, Lance Valentine has turned a life-long passion for fishing and teaching into one of the foremost fishing education programs in the country. Started in 1998, Walleye 101 combines Lance's years of experience fishing national tournaments (PWT, RCL) and thousands of hours of guiding into seminars and DVDs covering all aspects of walleye fishing and marine electronics. Recognized as an expert in marine electronics, Valentine's Sonar and GPS seminars and training DVDs are considered "must sees" by both beginner and professional anglers. Entering his second decade as a full time walleye guide and seminar speaker, Lance's friendly demeanor and high energy speaking style have made him a favorite of show goers throughout the Midwest.

FREE UPDATES ON HDS LOWRANCE UNITS

Lowrance Electronics Pro-Staffer Lance Valentine will be giving some expert instruction on the use of marine electronics. And if you actually own a HDS Lowrance Unit, bring it to the show and receive a free update from Valentine at his booth. You are guaranteed to learn something new when you listen to Valentine on using this important fishing tool.

Born and raised in Western New York along the Niagara Escarpment, Joe Fonzi has spent most of his life in the outdoors: fishing, hunting, and trapping. Joe began his outdoor adventures as soon as he was old enough to keep up with his dad and grandfathers, who did it all from fly fishing to trapping. He still owes much of his success to the lessons and ethics that were set forth by these early mentors.

Joe is a graduate of both, New York State school of Environmental Science and Forestry (BSF); and SUNY Brockport, where all of his emphasis was placed on environmental studies. His graduate work was in fisheries management with importance placed on freshwater ecosystems; he participated in a 2 year fisheries inventory study of the New York canal system from Lake Erie to the Hudson River. For the past 16 years Joe has held a US Coast Guard license he's used turned his passion for fishing into a successful fishing charter business. Captain Joe, charters fishing trips on lakes Erie and Ontario, spending almost two hundred days a year in his Ranger boat, targeting smallmouth bass, perch, and walleyes.

When Joe isn't guiding, he tries to fit in as many fishing tournaments as possible. With finishes in the top 5 of both the National Bass and Walleye circuits Joe has accomplished something that most anglers don't even attempt. Other tournament accomplishments include: 3 top ten finishes in the FLW and qualifying for the FLW Costa championship both years he completed the circuit. Joe has also had success north of the border with several wins and top 10 finishes in both the Canadian Sport Fishing League (CSFL) and the Renegade Bass Circuits.

Joe holds pro-staff positions with several outdoor equipment companies including Mack's Lures, Warrior Lures, and most notably Ranger Boats (for the past 8 years.) Joe is entering his second year as a Cabela's pro staffer, he often participates in the Cabela's day's events at the Cheektowaga location. Joe also does several seminars each year for local sportsmen's clubs and outdoors shows in both the US and Canada, talking on a wide range of subjects from fishing ethics to tournament-winning strategies.
FREE UPDATES ON HDS LOWRANCE UNITS

Lowrance Electronics Pro-Staffer Lance Valentine will be giving some expert instruction on the use of marine electronics. And if you actually own a HDS Lowrance Unit, bring it to the show and receive a free update from Valentine at his booth. You are guaranteed to learn something new when you listen to Valentine on using this important fishing tool.

Capt. Frank Campbell of Niagara Falls with Niagara Region Charter Service is a full time guide with over .20 years of guiding experience on Lake Erie, Lake Ontario, and the Niagara River. Spending an average of 200 days a year on the water has enabled Capt. Frank to be one of the most knowledgeable skippers in Western New York. He has been featured on numerous television shows including In-Fisherman, Keith Warren Outdoors, O'Neil's Outside, Bob Redfern Outdoors, Mid-West Outdoors, and Angling the Great Lakes along with the CBS Morning Show. He has also been featured in media print for many magazines including In-Fisherman, Outdoor Life, Fishing Facts, Salmon Trout & Steelheader, Great Lakes Angler, New York Outdoor News, Lake Ontario Outdoors, as well as in ESPN Outdoors.com. Campbell also gets involved to give back, serving as the chairman of the Niagara County Fisheries Development Board for over 10 years and also served as chairman of the Board of Directors for Niagara Tourism and Convention Corporation. His seminars are extremely informative, whether you are someone just starting out or a long time veteran on the water.

Zak Jobes is a competitive walleye angler on the National Walleye Tour. He has a passion for chasing giant great lakes walleye and loves sharing his knowledge with fellow anglers. He calls Lake Erie his home water, where he spends much of his time during the open water season. Zak has been fishing since the age of five and fishing competitively the past 10 years. His sponsors include; Warrior Lures, Fishermans Central, Costa, Vics Sports Center, Mercury Marine, Lowrance, Offshore Tackle, and Cisco Fishing Systems.

Capt. Vince Pierleoni, native of Rochester NY. Currently resides in Newfane NY. Has fished since he was 4 years old, has fished Lake Ontario since 1976 and has fished professionally since 1984. Owner/operator of THRILLSEEKER Sportfishing Charters and Owner/Captain of Team THRILLSEEKER tournament team. Currently and since 1999 calls Olcott Harbor home port. Prior to that Oak Orchard was home port.

Capt. Vince Pierleoni/Team THRILLSEEKER has won 14 professional tournaments in both NY and Canada. He has also won 7 Lake Ontario Challenge Cup Championships, the Canadian King of the lake Championship (2016), and the Canadian "Kings Cup" (2016). Capt. Vince Pierleoni and Team THRILLSEEKER hold the record for 1-day catches in 5 fish format events, 6 fish format events, and 12 fish format events.

Capt. Vince Pierleoni is extremely active in fishery issues and serves on the Niagara County fishery advisory board, the Lake Ontario binational committee, and the NYS Lake Ontario panel.

Capt. Bob Songin has been Salmon Fishing the west end of Lake Ontario for over 30 Years as a professional, running a full time service fishing over 120 days a year. He makes his home out of the Orleans County port of Oak Orchard/Point Breeze most of the year but actively fishes the Niagara County port of Wilson to take advantage of the great Spring Salmon fishery it provides during the month of May.
Capt. Bob was the founder of the first net pen program on Lake Ontario, he managed the construction of pens and the activities of the project for 18 years. Coordinating the care, feeding and release of more than 1.6 million Salmon fingerlings and 200K yearling Steelhead form Oak Orchard harbor. This project helped promote the imprinting and survival of the fish stocked at the Oak Orchard site, providing for better fishing for all stake holders. He continues participate in fisheries management activities with the DEC promoting better stocking practices in Lake Ontario.
He has been a regular participant in the Derby's and Tournaments fishing both the North and South shore of western Lake Ontario and has won or cashed numerus times during his tournament career. Including first place finishes in the ESLO, Orleans County Derby's, Niagara Pro/Am and St Catherine's Scotty. With many top 10 finishes in the Orleans Pro/Am, Oak Orchard Open, Niagara Pro/Am, and Scotty King of Kings. Bob has learned to successfully adapt to the changing conations of Lake Ontario over the years becoming proficient in the different techniques available to capture the discerning eyes of many a king salmon. Bob has also been a long standing member of "Team Dreamweaver" and on the pro-staff of "A-Tom-Mik Trolling Flies". He also produces the daily fishing report "At the Oak" when at his home port and "At the Bar" when fishing in Wilson which can be found on his Facebook Page Reel Excitement Charters.

Attention Great Lakes Salmon Fishermen! The Lake Ontario Trout & Salmon Association (LOTSA) is proud to (once again) host its well-known in-depth Salmon School on Saturday, January 18, 2020. This highly acclaimed school, now in its 13th year, has become the premier Salmon School anywhere in the Great Lakes. What started out as a local event 12 years ago now sees many diehard salmon anglers from across the Great Lakes and Canada attending. The School, coupled with all of the trout and salmon exhibitors at the Greater Niagara Fishing and Outdoor Expo (January 17 - 19), makes this a "must attend" three-day winter event for many.

Each year the class is enhanced based upon the input from those that attended attending the previous School. Based upon that input, Pete Alex, Andy Bliss and Matt Yablonsky will return to take the class to the next level. They will do a much deeper dive into the specific tools and techniques they utilize that they didn't have time to cover in their previous school in 2019. The focus will be on the 3 main Lake Ontario Salmon fishing months (May, July and August) and dive into the more technical aspects for each of these months relating to location, the "right" water, deep king tactics, locating and catching offshore Kings and on fishing "meat" among many others. This instruction will include some detailed video footage taken during the 2019 season which should help the learning process. In addition, guest instructors Karl Chmilnitzky, who is a well-known, highly successful, recreational Canadian tournament fisherman will cover north and south shore locations and King catching techniques for the "weekend warriors." Marine Electronics guru, Lance Valentine, will also make a guest appearance focusing on using your Sonar/GPS to put more kings in the boat. For those that attended the school in 2019, consider this the next step. For those desiring a deeper detailed presentation, you will want to be with us in 2020.

With the booming walleye fishing on the Eastern End of Lake Erie, many anglers are looking for the best way to clean, store and eat their walleye catch. There will be demos each day where Walleye Pros will demonstrate the best way to clean walleye using both electric and regular Fillet knives. Each Captain will go through the process of filleting your fish - from how to prepare your catch for the cleaning table to removing bones and skin if you so desire. Sponsors of the session, Fillet Away Fish Mats and Rapala, have great products that every angler who fillets fish will want to see.in action. Both Sponsors will be offering show discounts along with free giveaways of the session attendees. Then the chefs from the Conference and Event Center will show how they cook Walleye and provide the final product (not the walleye just filleted) for a tasty treat to be enjoyed by all in attendance.