by The Troutist, November 18, 2012

It is not often that after giving a seminar that you feel that you were appreciated and that you made a difference. The Expo at JBLM on Saturday the 10th of November did all of that and much more for everyone of the speakers that participated in this event. This was the first such event held at JBLM and the coordinator Paul Claxton did an excellent job in putting this together. To say that we were treated like royalty is an understatement. The store manager Scott Maynard and the entire staff made us feel welcome and just like part of their family. They did everything in their power to make sure we were taken care of from breakfast, lunch, and beverages. Yes anything we needed they were right there to take care of.

One thing I noticed with the folks that attended these seminars was the courtesy and politeness that was extended to us all. The yes sir’s and no sir’s as they addressed us with their questions and answers. Every time I would thank them for what they do for us there reply was “thank you sir” and then add “thank you for coming here and doing this for us.” The staff was very enthusiastic some of them coming in on their day off to help out. The one comment I kept hearing from them over and over was “we hope you come back next year so we can make this bigger and better.” Now I don’t care who you are, to hear things like that makes you feel great. All the time and effort each one of us put into this event was definitely worth it.

The speakers covered a variety of subjects. I was first on the agenda and covered trolling flies in our Western Washington Lakes, set-ups, equipment, and tactics. Guide and Pro-Staffer Bruce Warren talked on the species of salmon that are available right now such as Coho, Kings, Chum, and the Humpies that will arrive next year. Hover fishing, diver and bait, and plugs were a few of the methods Bruce talked about in great detail. Bruce also threw in angling for Sturgeon which was greatly appreciated by all. Our own Kelly Riordin an avid outdoorsman, hunter, editor, and pro-staffer’s topic was deer hunting. Kelly covered everything from weapons, ammo, species of deer, hunting techniques, and everything else you could possibly imagine on the subject. Mitch Myers another avid outdoorsman and pro-staffer covered sea duck hunting. Anything and everything you wanted to know about this hunt and the different species available was covered in a very detailed and meticulous manner.

Guide and Pro-Staffer Brianna Bruce gave her presentation on Kokanee angling here in Washington. I’ve got to tell you that she covered it all from set-ups, how to locate them, lures and bait, trolling speeds, and the use of down-riggers, not to mention some of her secrets that have helped her to become so successful. Guide and Pro-Staffer Doug Dosch ended the program on angling for Steelhead. Doug left no stone unturned not only in the details of using spoons, spinners, plugs, float fishing with jigs and bait, but all of the little attention to detail things that will increase your success on the water. Now just because their seminars were done didn’t mean they stopped there. I seen each one of these folks giving mini-seminars at their tables for those folks who missed the presentation or were scheduled to go on duty before it was given. You could tell how appreciative these folks were of that extra effort to help them out.

The over-whelming response from the different companies and sponsors in their contributions of products allowed us to give away some fantastic drawing prizes not only for the folks that were present but also a special drawing for those folks that were on duty and could not attend. The smiles that were seen from the winners of these drawings was priceless. A lot of them had a hard time believing that these items were free and it was away for all of us involved from the speakers and sponsors to say thank you for what you do for us.

As our program was winding down we got a special visit and photo opportunity with one of the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals cheerleaders. Talk about putting the ice cream on top of the cake, well let’s just say it put a smile on this grouchy old man’s face. Not only was she an absolute knock-out she was a very nice and pleasant girl and I enjoyed our conversation immensely. So until next time may your next trout be your trophy mount.


Join me on my facebook page Uncle Wes. So until next time may your next trout be your trophy mount. The Troutist-“Uncle Wes” Malmberg.