“How stupid an idea is this?” That was the question that Jim Hopper asked Steve Douglas on a phone call just a couple months earlier. Hopper is General Manager at Jeff Jones Marine, the physical location of what turned out to be the first time ever Catfish Conference. Steve Douglas is owner of Monster Rod Holders. Known as “The Catfish Dude,” Douglas often shares his catfish knowledge with eager viewers on his You Tube channel.
Douglas responded to Hopper with his own question. “What are you talking about?”
“This catfish community that we have grown to be really fond of.” retorted Hopper.” “What do they do for a trade show? Do they do it once a year, or what?
“They have never done it,” answered Douglas. “Its been talked about but never done.”
With that phone call plans for Catfish Conference 2016 began to take shape. “On that phone call we decided to do it,” revealed Hooper. “I never liked going to boat shows. Most of the boat shows are tailored to the bass fishermen and other species. They always have been and may always be. It seemed like they have something for everyone but the catfishing community. We wanted something different, something that focused on catfishing.”
With the decision to go forward the invitations went out. “The response from vendors was incredible,” continued Hopper. “Names like Suzuki, Yamaha, Sea Ark, B’n’M Poles, Express Boats, Excel Boats, Bottom Dwellers Tackle, and many more. Everyone wanted to be involved.”
That burst of enthusiasm for the gathering brought worries of having enough space. “Running out of space was a big worry,” said Jeff Jones, owner of Jeff Jones Marine. “You know we had people here from 21 states the last count that I had. We have a working facility here and we had to turn it into a venue for vendors to display and visitors to view. We were expecting a big crowd, but you never know what you are going to get.” Continue reading – http://www.examiner.com/article/conservations-at-catfish-conference-2016-jeff-jones-marine?CID=examiner_alerts_article