2020 Top Attractions

Teaching Fishing

Teaching Fishing


"Teaching Fishing" is what this show was built around and what makes it unique from other events of this kind. The show facility - the Conference and Event Center Niagara Falls - provides a unique blend of being able to offer a spacious Exhibitor Event Center, as well as a multitude of seminar rooms all utilizing "State of the Art" technology. The show utilizes these rooms plus the Hawg Trough to deliver up to 18 classes run concurrently, each targeting different topics/levels of expertise. The classes are taught by local and regional experts very knowledgeable in fishing our WNY waterways. Each class is developed for a specific level of expertise including:
1. Beginner / Casual Level - The angler who is just starting out or who has limited knowledge on the topic. Attending these classes will dramatically shorten the learning curve and provide the opportunity for attendees to save some "Tackle $$" by purchasing what is needed to get started.
2. Experienced Level - The angler with some experience on the topic who is looking to pick up additional knowledge from more experienced anglers that will enable them to make tweaks to their program to increase their success.
3. Expert / Tournament Angler - The "diehard" angler who is looking to increase their knowledge and skills on the topic by taking "advanced" classes taught by some of the best of the best anglers on the water.

The 2019 show offered attendees the opportunity to attend over 200 free classes over the 3 days of the show with the average attendee taking advantage of the opportunity to increase their fishing knowledge by attending over 5 classes during the duration of the Expo. The core belief of the show is that it is making a difference toward the effort to grow the sport of fishing by providing a vast amount of fishing education to our attendees. By providing this education, this show will recruit new anglers, including the next generation, to the sport as well as providing existing anglers the fishing knowledge to increase their enjoyment of the time they spend on the water by being more successful. The education also allows anglers to diversify to include other species and tactics if they so desire.
The 2020 curriculum of all free classes is guaranteed to improve your skills. The curriculum includes classes on the following:
1. Lake Ontario Trout & Salmon
2. Lake Erie & Inland Lake Walleye
3. Lake Erie, Ontario & Inland Lakes Bass
4. Lake Ontario & Erie Tributary Trout
5. Lake Erie & Inland Lakes Perch
6. Marine Electronics & Boat Rigging
7. Kayak Fishing
8. Fly Fishing
9. Casting Techniques
10. Ice Fishing
11. Youth Fishing
12. Fisheries Management / General Fishing

DEC Open House

DEC Open House and Presentations Will Inform Public on Fisheries Programs, Issues

DEC Open House and Presentations Will Inform Public on Fisheries Programs, Issues

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.

2020 Walleye School

2020 Walleye School

2020 Walleye School

One of the most popular features of the Greater Niagara Fishing and Outdoor Expo is the "Walleye School". With the population of Walleye in Lake Erie estimated at 45 million resulting in the outstanding Walleye fishing the past few years on the Eastern end of Lake Erie, and the forecast for it even to get better for the foreseeable future based upon the number of Walleyes in the system, the demand for Walleye Education is at an all-time high. Walleye are by far the most popular fish to target in Western New York and this "School" was created to help meet the needs of the Walleye angling community.

The "School" will offer Three Days of Intense Walleye Information consisting of over 50 Free Class offerings for Walleye Anglers who fish Eastern Lake Erie, Chautauqua Lake, Niagara River and other NYS waters, with separate classes specifically targeted for the Beginner / Casual Angler, the Experienced Angler and the Expert/Tournament Angler. To view the full lineup of classes, select the "2020 Education" from the main menu and then select "Walleye Series".

Well known national Walleye Educators Mark Romanack, Jake Romanack and Lance Valentine headline a very experienced group of instructors with a wide range of expertise in different Walleye fishing techniques along with Boat Rigging and Marine Electronics.
All classes are free, no registration required, seats available on a first come first serve basis.

2020 Walleye School

Watch Eastern Lake Erie Walleye Video

2020 Bass Education

2020 Bass Education

Expo Ramps Up Bass Speakers with Manson, Smith.
The Greater Niagara Fishing and Outdoor Expo has secured two more big name bass speakers to the long list of featured speakers for this year's show.

Casey Smith

Casey Smith

Casey Smith of Macedon, NY was born and raised in the Finger Lakes area and has been fishing for bass and in fishing bass tournaments around the state for over 25 years. His father fished bass tournaments locally in the late 80's and 90's and he would fish with him during practice and at youth tournaments. They had a cottage on Cayuga Lake and he would spend his summer break from school there every year, fishing every day. During high school and college he fished local team tournaments around the Rochester and Finger Lakes area. After he graduated college he began fishing more tournaments with local clubs and the NY BASS Nation. During his 3 years fishing the NY BASS Nation, he was able to win 2 events, set the record for highest single day weight (24.79 pounds), qualify for the State Team twice, and qualify for the 2015 BASS Nation Championship. In 2016 he began fishing the FLW Series and won the first event he fished on the Potomac River. Since 2016 he has won over $93,000 in the FLW Series, had 6 top ten finishes, and qualified for the FLW Tour 2 times. He has been featured in articles on BassFan.com, Wired2Fish.com, FLW Magazine, FLWFishing.com, outdoorlife.com, and Fishlines Magazine. Current sponsors include: Ranger Boats, Evinrude, Thayer's Marine, and Humminbird.

50th Anniversary Bassmasters Classic Drawing

As an added incentive to attend this year's Greater Niagara Fishing and Outdoor Expo Jan. 17-19, 2020 at the Conference and Event Center, there will a very unique opportunity - a chance to win a trip for 2 to attend this year's 50th Anniversary 2020 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk March 6-8 at Lake Guntersville in Alabama. The Greater Niagara Fishing Expo collaborated with the Greater Gadsden area of northeast Alabama and BassFan.com to make this happen. All you have to do to qualify for an entry is to attend one of the many bass fishing seminars or sessions at the Hawg Trough and fill out a survey form. Attend more than 1 session and receive an entry for each educational class.

Fish Neely Henry Lake

Travis Manson

Travis Manson

Travis Manson

Travis Manson was born and raised in Wisconsin and now lives in Pennsylvania. He started fishing from the bank at a young age and spent most of his childhood with a rod in his hand. Travis is primarily a self-taught angler that is always learning and experiencing this amazing sport of fishing. He started out fishing for walleyes in local walleye tournaments, but then in his mid-20's, he caught the bass bug and has been hooked ever since. He competed at the highest level in bass fishing on the Bassmaster Elite Series for a number of years and continues to fish national and regional events. He is a fishing guide offering trips on the Chesapeake Bay for largemouth bass and trophy smallmouth bass guided trips in Upstate New York. His Youtube Channel "Smallmouth Crush" is named after his passion for smallmouth bass and is used as a platform for "how-to" videos, on the water instruction, crazy on and off the water topics and the day in the life of a fishing addict! Check out www.travismanson.com for more info. Welcome to the Expo team!

Hawg Trough

The Hawg Trough Returns

The Hawg Trough Returns

The Hawg Trough made it's debut at the Show in 2019 and based upon the many positive comments from our attendees will be back on the main floor in 2020. The Hawg Trough is a mobile 5,000-gallon fish tank loaded with Bass and equipped with a speaker platform.

The saying "A picture is worth 1000 words" is really true when it comes to the Hawg Trough. Being able to do seminars on it to show how different baits are worked in the water and how fish react to the different presentations will enhance the learning experience. The seminars are delivered by experts in these techniques or with the particular baits. Seminars are not just limited to Bass but cover other areas (Walleye, Float Fishing, etc.) where "seeing it" is an effective learning technique. This setting also allows the attendees to interact throughout with the seminar presenter to maximize the learning for each attendee making this an excellent alternative to the traditional education in the classroom.

New for 2020 will be the running of Kids classes at the Hawg Trough. We feel that this will be more effective for kids and their parents to learn how to fish than sitting in a classroom and furthers our show goal of introducing future generations of anglers to the sport of fishing,
To see the full list of Hawg Trough sessions planned select the "Education" tab on the main menu.

Casting Area

Casting Area

The Casting area will return in 2020 based upon the positive feedback we received on it from the 2019 show. This dedicated "Casting" area where attendees could see and actually cast at the show greatly improved the improved the learning process. It will be used to facilitate the learning process for Fly, Center Pin, Spinning and Bait Casting delivered by experts at the show. We also anticipate that some Manufacturers will use it to show off their latest offerings and have potential customers "try it out" to help them make their purchase decision. The full list of these offerings are can be found under our "Education" tab on the web site. The "Casting" area will be in Room #4.

Lance Valentine

Lance Valentine

Lance Valentine

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.

Mark Romanack: Fishing 411

Mark Romanack: Fishing 411

Mark Romanack: Fishing 411

Mark Romanack, "the Outdoors Guy" is a lifelong outdoorsman and one of the nation's most active members of the outdoor media. A graduate of Northern Michigan University with a B.S. Degree in Conservation, Romanack has spent his entire career working to help others better understand and appreciate the outdoors. Romanack's outdoor career started in 1981 as an Environmental Educator. While working as a naturalist, he began to write outdoor articles for hunting and fishing magazines to supplement his income. His first article was published by Michigan Out of Doors Magazine (the nation's largest independent conservation organization). This part time hobby quickly grew into a full-fledged career with to date more than 3,000 writing credits in over 60 different local, regional and national magazines. Currently Romanack writes frequently for host of magazines and also produces a weekly outdoor blog on Facebook and the https://www.fishing411.net/ site.

Romanack made the move to outdoor writing full time in 1986. Since that time, he has published 13 different printed books on fishing, including the widely popular Precision Trolling Troller's Bible series of depth guides. Romanack has also released a growing number of Kindle e-books including Spinner Fishing Secrets, Walleye Jigging Tactics and Walleye Crankbait Trolling Strategies. In addition to writing and photography, Romanack has become a sought-after public speaker on a variety of freshwater fishing topics. Considered one of the nation's leading authorities on walleye fishing and all things trolling, Romanack conducts more than 40 multimedia seminars annually on a variety of fishing topics. In 2007 Romanack plunged into the television world by hosting and field producing a new TV series called Fishing 411 broadcast nationwide on World Fishing Network. Currently filming season 10, Fishing 411 has grown rapidly both in distribution and popularity reaching millions of homes on Dish Network and a host of cable TV providers. The Romanack family is also very active on the popular social networking venues. In addition to maintaining two Facebook accounts with over 20,000 followers, the Fishing 411 team provides social networking content in the form of video, photography and written communications for all of their sponsors.

Fishing Trip Drawing: Fishing 411

Want to fish with Mark and Jake Romanack of Fishing 411 fame for a day on Lake Ontario? You will have that opportunity thanks to a special drawing that will be taking place during the Greater Niagara Fishing and Outdoor Expo Jan. 17-19, 2020. Not only will you spend some quality time on the water fishing, you will be able to learn from two of the best!

The Fishing 411 co-hosts have been bringing their film crew to Lake Ontario and the Niagara Bar for several years now and they try to make it a regular stop each spring, one of the premier spring salmon fisheries on the Great Lakes. They have also been one of the features of the Expo through seminars and an impressive booth display. If you would like to be considered for the trip, simply sign up at the Fishing 411 Booth # 64. You could even be on one of the Fishing 411 TV shows!

Jake Romanack: Fishing 411

Jake Romanack: Fishing 411

Jake Romanack: Fishing 411

Captain Jake Romanack is both one of the youngest and most experienced charter captains on the Great Lakes.

The son of outdoor writer and TV host Mark Romanack, Jake has been fishing since he was old enough to hold up a trolling combo. "Jake grew up on the Great Lakes mastering both the fundamentals and the finer points of trout and salmon trolling," says Mark Romanack. Jake spent three years acting as a first mate on a dozen different charter boats before he stepped up and got his own captains license.

These days Captain Jake specializes in educational charters, seminars, YouTube videos and co-hosting TV productions as part of the family business Fishing 411 Productions."

Captain Jake Romanack lives in Northern Michigan, but travels frequently to target trout, salmon, walleye and other species around the Great Lakes region.

Matt Straw

Matt Straw

Matt Straw

Field Editor
In-Fisherman Magazine
2019 Freshwater Hall of Fame Inductee
315 Bluff Ave.
Brainerd, MN 56401-2648
Freelance writer, photographer, editor, author
218/828-8136


His friends call him "trout." He's even rumored to have an adipose fin. As a kid and young man Matt Straw spent many a summer day crawling on hands and knees up to trout streams no more than a yard wide, stalking gem-speckled brookies 6- to 10-inches long. In college he spent his free days chasing steelhead in patched-up, leaky waders autumn through spring. He graduated from the University of Michigan on the dean's list with degrees in English and communications, but spent his time between classes in the biology library, learning more about fish. He was a teacher then a city-desk reporter, but spent the last 28 years as an editor for In-Fisherman magazine-a job that sent him after trout, char, salmon and steelhead from Ireland to British Columbia and everywhere between. He has seen and practiced a wide variety of techniques employed for steelhead-then photographed and wrote about those experiences well enough to be admitted to the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame as a Legendary Communicator in 2019. In addition to placing more words in In-Fisherman magazine than any other writer, his articles on steelhead, trout, bass, pike, walleyes and other species have appeared in Field & Stream, Outdoor Canada, Fly Fisherman, Game & Fish, Salmon-Trout Steelheader, Great Lakes Angler, and many other publications. He neither admits nor denies the adipose fin rumor, which is a bit suspicious-but his passion for all things related to trout remains unabated.

Rick Kustich

Rick Kustich

Rick Kustich

Rick Kustich is a fly-fishing author, photographer, and instructor who began fly-fishing over forty years ago on the lakes and streams of upstate New York. Rick's work has appeared in numerous national and regional publications, including Fly Fisherman and American Angler. He is the author of Hunting Musky with a Fly and Advanced Fly Fishing for Great Lakes Steelhead as well as four other fly fishing titles and is featured in the DVDs Tube Flies for Steelhead and Spey Daze. He has also spent time as a guide, fly-shop owner, travel host, and fly-fishing book publisher. He lives in Western New York.

Joe Fonzi

Joe Fonzi

Joe Fonzi

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.

Frank Campbell

Frank Campbell

Frank Campbell

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

Zak Jobes

Zak Jobes

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.

Vince Pierleoni

Vince Pierleoni

Vince Pierleoni

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.

Bob Songin

Bob Songin

Bob Songin

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.

LOTSA 202 Salmon School

LOTSA 2020 Salmon School

LOTSA 2020 Salmon School

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.

Salmon School Details

The School consists of six hours of detailed Salmon catching instruction. The registration price of $85 includes free admission to the Greater Niagara Fishing and Outdoor Expo for all 3 days, your 2020 LOTSA Membership, a hot buffet lunch (or alternative for dietary needs) on Saturday with beverages available throughout the class and a "goodie" bag consisting of the "go to" baits of the instructors. Also included this year is a Friday night "Meet & Greet" with the instructors that includes free drinks and snacks. The class (and Expo) is held at the Conference and Event Center Niagara Falls in a "state of the art" conference room with a large screen, stage, good seating with tables and a good sound system that all make for a comfortable venue throughout the day for everyone attending. Given the quality of what you will be taught, coupled with the lunch, "goodie bag" and free admissions, it is a terrific value and a great way to start your 2020 season. Doors open at 7 a.m. for check in and the class runs from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Additional time will be available at 9am Sunday morning with the instructors for any questions that you have that weren't answered during the class.
The Salmon School is not meant for novices to the Lake Ontario fishery. It is a "hard core" salmon class targeted toward providing the "experienced weekend warrior" with additional insights and details to improve their catch in the limited time they have on the water. As the Great Lakes continue to change and become a much more challenging fishery, knowledge is often the difference between having a couple of bites or having steady bites throughout the day.
This is a custom class built from the input from the attendees on what is most important to them to cover. It is not an "off the shelf" class for the masses. Each attendee will have the opportunity to submit their most important questions/ topics that they want covered in the class. The instructors will then use this input to customize the curriculum to cover these particular areas. This will allow the instructors to limit the questions during the School and make sure that they cover all of the details that they have prepared.
The instructors have a huge amount of on-the-water experience trolling for trout and salmon along with a proven tournament track record of high placement in the most prestigious tournaments over many years. They are a much diversified set of instructors and will provide a class full of insights and details that no one single instructor would be able to provide. They are all skilled communicators and very well known for sharing their fishing knowledge and daily fishing trips with anglers to help them to be more successful fishing the lake. Each brings their own unique set of trolling skills, techniques and knowledge to the class. Given the depth of the knowledge base of these instructors and their proven ability to educate anglers, we expect this school to be another high quality, comprehensive, in-depth, information-packed event that our attendees have come to expect from this annual day-long instruction.
The School sells out every year as many of the attendees come back year after year - which is the ultimate testimony to the value of attending the school. Signups will be available through the LOTSA web site (www.LOTSA1.Org) beginning in September. Early signups are encouraged to give the instructors enough time to build the curriculum for the desired topics

Bios

Captain Pete Alex

Captain Pete is a 54 year old salmon and trout fishing addict and reached his 31st year as a licensed charter captain in 2019. Pete has always had a passion for fishing and especially tournament fishing which helps feed his competitive side. He has accumulated fishing experience on Lakes Ontario, Erie, Michigan and Huron.

Captain Pete and his Vision Quest Fishing Teams have won over 20 events on Lake Ontario and Lake Erie and have amassed over 100 Top 10 finishes since 2006. He ended the 2017 and 2018 seasons by winning the 2017 Fall King of The Lake event, then both the FishUSA Overall Championship and the annual Lake Ontario Championship Series back to back. He feels that tournament fishing helps him fish harder and think outside the box.

Pete enjoys doing seminars, educating and helping other anglers improve their fish catching ability. He believes he is a very diverse angler and can consistently catch both salmon and trout species by applying what he has learned over the years.

He regularly fishes Lake Ontario from the end of April to third week of June then returns occasionally to fish throughout the remainder of the season. He really considers himself a part time angler on Lake Ontario because of that and must figure things out each time he returns. He believes that there are reasons some anglers locate and catch fish consistently, while some do not. He hopes he can provide some of that knowledge to you at this year's Salmon School.

Pete represents these companies: FishUSA, Team Dreamweaver, Shark Cannonballs, Silver Horde, Fish Hawk, A-TOM-MIK Trolling Flies, Costa Sunglasses, Big Jon Sports, GAMMA Fishing Line, Pautzke and Atlas Mike's, AFTCO and Shimano.

Captain Andy Bliss

Capt. Andy first fished Lake Ontario in 1987 at the age of 7. He was hooked salmon fishing ever since! Since his early start he was able to work on many charters from Sodus Bay and Oswego learning many different styles and techniques from a variety of Captains. In '99 he started fishing full time aboard Cold Steel out of Oswego with Capt. Tom Burke. Since then they have competed in many tournaments from the East end to the West end of the lake.
With over 20 first place finishes and numerous Top Ten finishes, they know what it takes to be the best! They have won the Lake Ontario Challenge Cup 5 times and they were runner up another 5 times! This experience has taught them how to fish in many different conditions and produce results.
Capt. Andy loves fishing the open waters of Lake Ontario and typically compares it to a chess match. He enjoys teaching the techniques to become successful at catching these special fish to anyone who is willing to learn.
Capt. Andy represents these companies: Michigan Stinger, A-TOM-MIK, Pautzke Bait Co., Atlas Mike's, Pro-Troll, Cannon Downriggers, Humminbird electronics, BayRats Lures, Shark Cannonballs

Captain Matt Yablonsky

Captain Matt has been a charter captain for 12 years and has have been fishing the Niagara Region for 18 years. He has been a full time charter captain for the last 6 years. On average he's on the water 250 days a year. He runs charters on Lake Erie, Lake Ontario and the Lower Niagara River. A lot of people refer to him as "the small boat guy." He has been operating his business out of a 21-foot Lund boat since he started chartering. It has allowed him to operate charters on both lakes and the Niagara River comfortably and safely. On Lake Erie he fishes for smallmouth bass, walleye and perch. On Lake Ontario he trolls for all species of trout and salmon. He also fishes the Lower Niagara River from September through May for trout and salmon.
A few years ago, Matt picked up a second boat to make his Lake Ontario fishing more diverse - a 29-foot Blackfin Combi. He runs this vessel for all lake fishing now.
Captain Matt fishes many tournaments and derbies throughout the year including the Lake Ontario Pro-Am series, LOC Derby, Lower Niagara Sport Fishing Challenge, Niagara Basseye and Reeling for a Cure. In the LOC Derby alone he has 40 top 20 places since 2009, of which 2 are grand prize, 6 are first place and 4 are second place. He was on the winning team for the Niagara Pro-Am in 2006, won the Trophy division of the Niagara Pro-Am in 2012 as a captain, and then won the entire tournament in 2018 in the Pro Division as the tourney returned to its roots. He has had the grand champion team in the Lower Niagara River Sport Fishing Challenge 3 times and grand champion angler 4 times. He has had multiple articles written about his derby wins and techniques of fishing the various bodies of water in the Erie-Niagara region. You can find these articles in the Great Lakes Angler, Lake Ontario Outdoors, The Fisherman magazine, Salmon-Trout-Steelheader magazine and New York Outdoor News.
Captain Matt has provided footage for various television shows. One of the shows was filmed on the Lower Niagara River for Illinois Outdoors. Other television shows were filmed on Lake Ontario for CRCS OUTDOORS. So far he has filmed 6 episodes for CRCS Outdoors.
Matt represents these companies: Yakima Bait Co., A-TOM-MIK Trolling flies Silver Streak spoons, Torpedo, Tuf-Line and Shimano.

Sign Up

So, signup early so that you are guaranteed a seat to avoid being left out in the cold. If you love to fish the Great Lakes for Kings, this is a great way to "Kick Off" your 2020 Season. Where else would you want to be in the Great Lakes on a Saturday in January than learning how to increase your catch from 3 expert Captains, sitting in a comfortable venue talking salmon fishing with a room full of individuals with the same common interest that you have? Tickets are pre-sale only and have sold out every year (early December sellout for the 2019 School).

Win a Lifetime Fishing License

Win a Lifetime Fishing License!

Win a Lifetime Fishing License!

New York State has a long angling heritage when it comes to sportfishing. Its angling resources abound, especially right here in Western New York. In an effort to help pass this outdoor opportunity on to the next generation, the Greater Niagara Fishing and Outdoor Expo will be having a drawing at the end of the show that will give every youngster 16 years of age an younger the chance to win a lifetime fishing license! This only applies to kids who are New York State residents, but the best thing about a lifetime license is that it even applies if the holder moves out of the state later in life. The number of licenses given away will be determined at the end of the show. Simply fill out an entry form when you arrive and then keep your fingers crossed. It will also be a great time to take advantage of youth fishing education abailable throughout the show. Good luck!

*Attendees at the Greater Niagara Fishing and Outdoor Expo will be permitted to submit One Entry Per Day Per Person, into the Drawing Barrel which will be located in the Grand Foyer

Lower Niagara River Fishing Trips

Lower Niagara River Fishing Trips

DURING THE GREATER NIAGARA FISHING AND OUTDOOR EXPO!!!

Get ready for the trip of a lifetime, on the Lower Niagara River, in January 2020!!!
The Greater Niagara Fishing and Outdoor Expo is pleased to announce a unique offering for our show this year, a continuation of an education feature that was started in 2017.

Lower Niagara River Trout fishing trips offered the mornings before, during and after the expo from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. (Jan. 16-20, 2020). Five exciting days to 'scratch your fishing itch' and take your first boat trip in 2020 while attending the Expo!
These trips are being offered at "show special" pricing. It gives you another reason to make the Greater Niagara Fishing & Outdoor Expo the destination to attend in January!

The lower Niagara River offers a world-class winter boat fishery in a 10-plus mile stretch of fish-rich water. It should be on everyone's bucket list. Sign-up is simple as you can sign up as an individual and there is no need to secure two other people in order to book a trip. Cost is $125 per person for the trip and also includes a 3 day free pass to the Expo.

What a unique combination: Listen to some of the Niagara River trout fishing seminars at the Greater Niagara Fishing and Outdoor Expo AND get out there and do it. It's an on-water lesson that can't be beat!

The Ultimate river experience!!!
This year's feature will all be coordinated through Capt. Frank Campbell and Niagara Region Charter Service. He has already secured several charter boats to take people out each morning. You can sign up for a seat at Niagaracharter.com .
Get ready for the trip of a lifetime, on the Lower Niagara River, in January 2020!!!

**Seats are limited and available on a first-come basis. **

Lake Erie Walleye: Cleaning

Lake Erie Walleye: Cleaning & Cooking Your Catch

Lake Erie Walleye: Cleaning & Cooking Your Catch

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.