In the News: The Fort Wayne NFLCC Nationals

I have quickly fallen in love with Fort Wayne. It's a lovely town, and the venue for the recent NFLCC Nationals is terrific. I really enjoy not only the Hilton hotel but the friendly staff and the well-run show. There was a lot of good press like the articles here and here and here and here and here.

To be honest, I was a bit reluctant to go this year, as there was so much negativity leading up to the show. However, I can say for the first time in half a decade or more, I actually left the show more hopeful than when I arrived. While I can say that no substantive changes were made to some of the more glaring problems facing the show (it was a ghost town on Friday this year and Saturday was a negative void) there was at least hope that some change would be made for the future.

And besides, those who were around had a very successful show. Everyone I talked to sold a ton of tackle -- one long time member, for example, said he sold more at this show than he had in 20 years. Several others echoed the same sentiments.

Besides, it's always good to catch up with old friends, although I am still reeling from news of the death of Michael Koller. More on that this week … but the launch of Bill Sonnett's new book went well and the casting demonstration was a blast.

I was on the fence about Springfield but have decided to go due to my positive experience at Fort Wayne, and for that, we owe all the credit in the world to the show hosts Dave Saalfrank and Bob King. Great job, guys.

-- Dr. Todd