Most tackle shops deal with limited space. They can’t carry everything, so there is actually a “science” to what takes up space, and how much real estate it occupies. It’s usually a basic formula: dollars per square foot, or something similar. If the Helicopter Lure makes $25 per square foot per day, but the Banjo Minnow makes $100, well the Banjo is going to end up with that spot. Obviously, this occurs in any retail environment, but who cares about anything but tackle shops?
That Pacific Coast Sportfishing (PCS) Show was the greatest concentration of cool, relevant and specifically-curated tackle and fishing-adjacent product I have ever seen in a show setting. And when considering a decade or so of shows attended as a consumer, then as an exhibitor, then as a member of the fishing media, well, I’ve seen me some shows.
Zero wasted square footage. Extra impressive considering a bonus hall was added when the show reached capacity (months ago). Even the space between halls is ideally utilized with anything ranging from live music to food options to beer.
There is an energy to the PCS crowd the West Coast sportfishing community needs. On Day 1 of the PCS Show, I grabbed a stack of show programs and passed them out to the 150-or-so-yard line of attendees who on site and ready to file in well before the gates opened. That energy was tangible at that point, and again when I returned to the WON EZ-Up just inside the show’s entrance to dole out more programs, and when I spent time in the WON subscription booth inside, on the seminar stage and ultimately, when I finally got to “walk the show” myself, which is always the best part.
Many people (myself included) said the grand return to Show Season occurred in the wake of the 2020-21 strangeness, but it really wasn’t. It was just the angling community finally getting to go to shows again, period. PCS was at full-steam back then, but I don’t think that crowd was sure what that show was capable of yet. Maybe we still don’t. But each year it really is bigger and better, and it’s exciting to think about what the future of it will bring.
That being said, we do know there will be a San Diego installment of the Show in 2026, just a couple weeks after the Orange County one goes off again. This was announced by the PCS Show brass within hours of the closing bell of the 2025 show at the O.C. Fairgrounds.
Two shows in March (Orange County March 5-8, San Diego March 19-22). An “OG” mothership event in the LA area, followed by a newer installment of the down south in San Diego. This is starting to have a familiar feel to it. And based on four decades of show goin’, I feel very comfortable suggesting that 2026 is going to finally feel like we’ll be getting the Show season we’re looking for.
New unit of measure: Badassery per square foot.
Well done, PCS staff.
