Chicagoland Expo will offer something for all outdoor fans

I know where I’ll be for the next four days. The Chicagoland Fishing, Travel & Outdoor Expo at the Schaumburg Convention Center.

In addition to looking at the latest in tackle, boats, fishing destinations and the like, I love to attend seminars to hear what some of the best fishermen around have to say, and this show’s stage will be full of great speakers every day.

I’m interested in attending the show’s new “Women in Fishing” panel and meet-and-greet, featuring some of the top women in the industry. It will be held on Sunday morning. I always preach that more women need to get involved in this sport, and the stars at this seminar should be inspiring.

Returning to the main stage will be Brandon Palaniuk. He’s a top performer on the Bassmaster Elite circuit. He’s a great human being and has won over $2,000,000 in his short career. He’s an excellent speaker, and I always learn something new when I listen to him.

The angler I most want to see is Kentucky’s Matt Robertson. He is good. I mean really good. I was attending a Bassmaster Classic dinner and saw a guy sporting a long mullet, wearing an animal print faux fur coat and a hat that would’ve been more appropriate on the head of a pimp than a fisherman. “Who the heck is this guy?” I asked people. It was my first exposure to Matt Robertson.

I wrote him off as being just a goofball, but I was wrong. The man can fish. His catchphrase is “On ‘em!” He usually is. He has a knack for finding the big ones and bringing them to his boat. He has traded his pimp hat for a baseball cap with the “On ‘em” logo. A great marketer, Robertson’s hats are selling like hotcakes.

Part of Robertson’s appeal is his ability to relate to the average fisherman. He can talk about shore fishing as easily as other pros can explain how forward facing sonar works, not that he can’t talk about that too.

The most popular fishing rod in the world is Pure Fishing’s Ugly Stik. It retails for $49. Matt Robertson has used Ugly Stiks for years. They sell well but aren’t considered to be of the highest quality. In recent years Ugly Stik came out with an improved version, the Ugly Stik Elite, which is a carbon fiber rod that sells for about $80 with a seven-year warranty. That’s a price that the average weekend fisherman can live with. The Ugly Stik Elite is a darned good rod, and you can’t beat the price. They perform like rods that would normally cost close to $200. Robertson is the only pro fisherman sponsored by Ugly Sik, and his record is proof that they work.

Matt Robertson is worth seeing, I am sure of it. I hope to see him present on stage at least one time this weekend.

The Chicagoland Fishing, Travel & Outdoor Expo is at the Schaumburg Convention Center, located at 1551 N. Thoreau Dr. It’s just east of Meacham and north of the Northwest Tollway. It’s easy to get to and the ample parking is free.

The Chicagoland Fishing, Travel & Outdoor Expo is open Thursday and Friday, from noon to 8 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and on Sunday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission is $13 for adults, ($10 in advance online) and $3 for children ages 6-11. Children 5 and younger get in free. Children 11 and under get in free on Family Day, Sunday. The first 100 children 11 and younger to enter the expo on Family Day will also receive a Daiwa fishing rod/reel combo.

• Daily Herald Outdoors columnist Steve Sarley can be reached at sarfishing@yahoo.com.