The Carp Society Winter Show 2011

Report By Ray Best

The annual Carp Society winter bash on Saturday the 26th and Sunday the 27th of November saw large crowds of anglers of all ages visiting the superb Sandown Park venue to experience all the delights that the tackle manufacturers and retailers had to offer. You had all the usual names and brands in attendance, showing off there new wears for 2012 including Mr Fairbrass himself along with the huge KORDA team helping and advising the continues crowds that flocked to their very impressive stand. The HARDY GREYS/CHUB stand was also very busy with Mr consistent himself Ed Betteridge and Lee Collings on hand offering advice and some top quality banter.

A little further down the isle you had the ACE stand with new team members Terry Hearn and Iain Macmillan both entertaining large numbers of anglers. Avid carp were next door, Ian Russell and the rest of the Avid carp team making your visit to the well presented stand both entertaining and informative. At the far end of the main hall you had the very large and impressive Nash Tackle and Bait stand. The Essex based tackle giants took full advantage of the separate smaller hall they booked to put on a very professional display that was backed up with a huge army of Nash consultants, all on hand to offer advice on their comprehensive range of products.

Other displays that were also worth a mention included the very impressive DYMAG stand displaying his very impressive carbon range. Angling International and ROD-BOX were side by side and judging by the steady flow of anglers showing major interest in the two companies, they along with the visiting crowds were very happy with the day’s events. AQUA & TRAKKER Products were busy all day with very big crowds mingling around the product on displays and chatting to their teams of consultants.  Upstairs you had the seminar arena and this was crowded most of the day with a who’s who of anglers feeding the crowds with their unlimited knowledge.

Final Thoughts

I have liked the Carp Society Winter show since my first visit but because of the recession and the lack of spare cash flowing to the retailers hands meant that normally intense market place buzz that you get at these types of angling events was missing. To be totally honest, the atmosphere was a little flat compared to previous years but the show still had more than enough going on to keep the most inquisitive anglers mind stimulated for a few hours. For those fortunate enough to have a few quid to play with there were plenty of bargains on display for you to spend your money on. So all in all it was a good show and after speaking to numerous people on the day the general opinion of the general public and exhibitors alike was that the event was enjoyable, so with that in mind, here’s to next years show!!

For more information on the Carp Society, please click the image below