BY BOB SEMERAU
SAN PEDRO —The recent California Angler Show, held at AltaSea Berth 60, San Pedro set a high bar for shows to come.
“We managed to bring in 65-fishing related vendors and over 3,000 guests for our first major show,” explained Steve Heath, owner and operator of Tacklemeet and the new California Angler Show.
The two day event was housed in the AltaSea complex at Berth 60, a space large enough for the crowds to move around freely in the wide aisles, open to the sea air and views of the harbor.
Folks were not there to sight see, however, finding plenty of what they were looking for at the show.
Big names like Pacific Freedom and Moto United displayed the latest in watercraft and several fishing apparel companies like Angler Wear, Big Belly Anglers, Salty Basstards, were making great deals on the latest styles. Owner Verne Sweeney and the lovely Rachel, from Toronado Sportfishing signed up anglers for offshore multi-day fishing aboard the 75-foot sportfisher, berthed at Pierpoint Landing.
Renowned podcaster and fishing expert, Phil Friedman, was there to meet with anglers and talk about all the great Southern California fishing opportunities in this El Nino year.
Displays of specialty products were everywhere. GT Custom Workz specializes in custom rod wrapping and rod building, with each rod tailored to your preferred fishing style, target species, and performance needs. Cristal Marino at West Coast Baits was on hand to talk about softbaits, selling the sought-after Variant Urchin Style bass baits for just ten bucks.
Success for Steve and his wife, Evette, is giving the SoCal angling community the gear and information they need.
“We’re fishermen, and we created TackleMeet a few years back to give everyone a marketplace for buying and selling their gear. Now we’ve stepped up offering a wider range of fishing tackle and experiences,” beamed a very proud Steve Heath.
“We’ll be back at AltaSea on July 24-25th, 2027, bigger and better than ever!” concluded Heath.
