UPDATE 14: Sandwich Sportsman’s Club Swap Meet
UPDATE 13: DRiFT’s Fly Fishing Auction
UPDATE 12: Fish-On: Portage’s Fishing and Outdoor Show
UPDATE 11: Add Sandwich Sportsman’s Club Annual Swap Meet
UPDATE 10: Rockford Boat, Vacation & Fishing Show
UPDATE 9: Add Fish Tales & Tackle Sales Outdoor Show/Swap Meet.
UPDATE 8: Dates for the Chicago Travel & Adventure Show are updated
UPDATE 7: Added the Illinois Bass Fishing Coaches Association’s Clinic and all-state awards.
UPDATE 6: Chicagoland Fishing, Travel & Outdoor Expo
UPDATE 5: Add the Northwest Indiana Fishing and Outdoor Expo.
UPDATE 4: Northern Illinois Boat Show
UPDATE 3: The Tinley Park Fishing Show
UPDATE 2: Add Bedford Sales Open House.
UPDATE 1: All-Canada Show
The last outdoors show I attended was March 6, 2020 at the Bassmaster Classic Outdoor Expo in Birmingham, Ala. The last big show locally for me was Feb. 8, 2020 on opening day of the Tinley Park Fishing Show.
I expect to be back at major shows this winter. I felt definite about that until word came of omicron.
There’s one major change. The Chicago Boat Show, the area’s longest running show, postponed again to 2023.
Officially, it is “a result of current needs and economics of the Chicagoland market, including the supply chain disruptions and historically low market-specific boat inventory.” Take that with a grain of salt.
The Muskie Expo Chicago opens the show season Jan. 7-9 at the Kane County Fairgrounds in St. Charles. The show moved there after Pheasant Run closed in 2020. The All-Canada Show also moved there on Jan. 20-23. CANCELED
The big fishing show—the Chicagoland Fishing, Travel & Outdoor Expo—is in its usual slot from Jan. 27-30 at the Schaumburg Convention Center. POSTPONED
The delayed arrival of the Illinois Deer Classic is April 1-3 at Peoria Civic Center.
The Henry Decoy Show, now the longest running show in Illinois with the Boat Show postponed, plans to move to Exposition Gardens in Peoria. That change to a non-school setting will also allow Jason Baldwin to expand the options for what is allowed.
The Tinley Park Fishing Show also grows.
“I have expanded the field house for the 2022 show,” show manager Rich Komar emailed. “We are excited and are looking forward to bringing it back.”
The show is on its usual second weekend of February (Feb. 12-13) at Tinley Park High School.CANCELED
The expansive list of shows, classes and swap meets is posted (and updated as needed) below. If you have additions, subtractions or other changes, please email (BowmanOutside@gmail.com) or contact me on Facebook (Dale Bowman), Twitter (@BowmanOutside) or Instagram (@BowmanOutside).
2022 CHICAGO-AREA OUTDOOR SHOWS
Dec. 3-5: St. Paul Ice Fishing and Winter Sports Show, St. Paul RiverCentre, Minn.
Jan. 7-9: Muskie Expo Chicago, Kane County Fairgrounds, St. Charles
Jan. 7-9: Let’s Go Fishing Show, Gateway Convention Center, Collinsville
Jan. 8: Illinois Bass Fishing Coaches Association’s Clinic and all-state awards: Scheels, Springfield
Jan. 13-16: Northern Illinois Outdoor Sports Show, Lake County Fairgrounds & Event Center, Grayslake
Canceled Jan. 20-23: All-Canada Show, Kane County Fairgrounds, St. Charles
Jan. 21-23: Bedford Sales Open House, Morris
Postponed to 2023 Jan. 27-30: Chicagoland Fishing, Travel & Outdoor Expo, Schaumburg Convention Center
Jan. 29-30: Capt. Dan Keating Schools, Lake Michigan Angler, Winthrop Harbor, Foundations, Salmon 101, Jan. 29, Advanced Tactics & Seasonal Strategies, Jan. 30
Feb. 5: Musky Road Rules, Holiday Inn, Elk Grove Village
Feb. 5-6: Spring Lake Izaak Walton Outdoor Show, 4700 W. 49th Avenue, Hobart, Ind.
Feb. 11-13: Muskie Expo Milwaukee, Washington County Fair Park, West Bend, Wis.
Canceled: Feb. 12-13: Tinley Park Fishing Show, Tinley Park High School.
Feb. 13: Henry Decoy Show, Exposition Gardens, Peoria
Feb. 16-19: NWTF Convention & Sport Show, Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center, Nashville
Postponed Feb. 18-20: Rockford Boat, Vacation & Fishing Show, Indoor Sports Center, Loves Park
Feb. 17-20: Chicago RV & Camping Show, Stephens Convention Center, Rosemont
Feb. 18-20 and 23-27: Indianapolis Boat, Sport and Travel Show, Indiana State Fairgrounds
Updated Dates Feb. 19-20: Chicago Travel & Adventure Show, Stephens Convention Center, Rosemont
Feb. 19: Midwest Musky Club Swap Meet, Village Sportsman’s Club, Alsip, (630) 302-0759 or larry@riotracing.com
Feb. 19: Russell’s Fishing Tech Chicagoland Advanced Salmon and Trout Tactics School and Tackle Show, Wood Dale
Feb. 26: Salmon Unlimited Swap Meet, River Grove Moose Lodge
Feb. 26: Hoosier Coho Club’s Fish Tales & Tackle Sales Outdoor Show/Swap Meet, Orak Shrine. Michigan City, Ind.
Feb. 26-27: Fish-On: Portage’s Fishing and Outdoor Show, Woodland Park, Portage, Ind.
Postponed to 2023 March 3-6: Northern Illinois Boat Show, New Lake County Fairgrounds, Grayslake
March 4-6: Bassmaster Classic Outdoors Expo, Greenville, S.C.
March 4-6: Northwest Indiana Fishing and Outdoor Expo, Lincoln Community Center, Highland, Ind.
March 5: Indoor Fishing Flea Market, Rolling Meadows High School
March 10-13: Journal Sentinel Sports Show, Wisconsin State Fair Park Exposition Center, West Allis, Wis.
March 10-13: Ultimate Sports Show, DeVos Place, Grand Rapids, Mich.
March 11-13: Canoecopia, Alliant Energy Center, Madison, Wis.
March 11-13: National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic, Omaha, Neb.
March 12: Fish & Hook Sports Show, VFW Post 5788, Lockport
March 12: Fox River Valley chapter of Muskies Inc.’s annual banquet, Schaumburg Golf Club
March 13: Quad County Hawg Hunters’ Fishing Flea Market, Plano American Legion, dlandmeier@frontier.com or 815-286-7170
March 19: Walleyes Unlimited swap meet, Fox Lake Legion Hall
April 1-3: Illinois Deer Classic, Peoria Civic Center
April 26-30: North American Vintage Decoy and Sporting Collectibles Show, Westin Chicago Lombard
April 30: Riverside Fishing Club swap meet, LaGrange American Legion
April 30: DRiFT’s Fly Fishing Auction, VFW Post 2801, Villa Park
Canceled May 22: Sandwich Sportsman’s Club Annual Swap Meet