[Hamish Young]

I plan on being at this years Scottish Game Fair - any one else ???

[Mike Barrio]

Hi Hamish ....... Yes, I hope to go down to the fair this year

Cheers
Mike

[Bob Mitchell]

Have stopped going the last couple of years. My wife and I used to look forward to it but  the fishing used to cover 3 rows and the last time there was less than half a row. More people selling waterproof jackets than anything else.
It seams odd to me that the R.S.P.B. should have a large stall when they seam to be against shooting and have fishing waiting in the wings to go after.
Enjoy your day there.
Bob.

[Allan Liddle]

Planning to be there with FFFT once again 

[Derek Roxborough]

 so where is this one? Derek Roxborough

[Mike Barrio]

There you go Derek ......... http://www.scottishfair.com/

[Derek Roxborough]

another one too far for a day out    Derek Roxborough

[Mike Barrio]

You're going to have to move house Derek 

[Derek Roxborough]

 What? and leave the fishing?  Derek Roxborough

[Hamish Young]

So it's now confirmed I will definitely be at Scone for the full three days.
http://www.scottishfair.com/whats-on/country-pursuits/fishing/
I'll actually be there 'lurking' in support of Orvis who are sponsoring the instructors with a range of gear and I may do some demos for Orvis customers myself.

I may also be found in the vicinity of the Mackenzie DTX stand.
Scott has a stand at Scone for the first time and all the latest Mackenzie rods and lines will be there I recommend popping past and having the craic with Scott and his team  I know I will 

Be grand to meet up with forum members who make it to Scone, if you're heading along do please get in touch 

H

[Eddie Sinclair]

H,

Have fun I would have come along as an Orvis and McKenzie customer but it’s a bit far from Brunei.

Eddie

[Hamish Young]

Next time Eddie 

[Mike Barrio]

I almost forgot about this ..... Who's going this weekend?

[Steven Sinclair]

Negative 

I'm in Brunei and senior is currently in Australia so we're both out this year unfortunately.

Steven.

[Derek Roxborough]

Got a Grand daughter coming,  I see so little of her that it's  a good time,  she's a great lass , more important than a game fair, maybe some time in the future Derek Roxborough

[Hamish Young]

I almost forgot about this ..... Who's going this weekend?

Well I am............. 

[James Laraway]

i would love to go but i seem to be away every weekend at the moment so could really do with putting my feet up at home for a change....

not sure being too tired is a good excuse 

[Rob Brownfield]

Not I.

Only so many casting demonstrations, terrier races and tugs of war can be seen in one lifetime 

[Mike Barrio]

An enjoyable day at the Game Fair yesterday

[Rob Brownfield]

Out of interest, how big was Fisherman's Row this year?

[Hamish Young]

Not huge, but very well attended.

[Hamish Young]

I meant to post a more lengthy 'feedback' on my first visit to Scone for some years - so here it is.

Now as it happened it didn't cost me to gain entry to the event for three days as I attended in a sort of 'local fixer' capacity for Orvis who were supporting the instructors with outfits and thus they provided me with 'staff' tickets - more on the entry costs later.

I will say this now.... I have previously been 'underwhelmed' by the quality of some of the instruction at Scone.
Not so this year.
Although I have no intention of becoming a GAIA instructor their instruction team, marshalled by Brian McGlashan, did a stand out job. Between them the instructors did over three hundred 20 minute sessions with clients at the Scottish Game Fair. In simply brutally hot conditions, they were unquestionably the hardest working volunteers on site; I applaud their magnificent efforts

So the nitty gritty.... was the angling section any good Well, not great.... but better. It wasn't huge and the Fly Fishing & Fly Tying marquee wasn't what I hoped for. Somers were the principal retailers plus the usual bargain basement offerings - more interestingly Scott Mackenzie was there with his team on their own stand and by all accounts they did very well ; which is good for Scott and good for the event.
The Peake brothers were there along with some familiar faces from the River Dee 'collective'.  I saw Mark Bilsby, now with the Atlantic Salmon Trust, but sadly no chance to have a chat with him.
Saw a few forum members and caught up with loads of folk I've not seen for years and years.

I enjoyed the event..... but the angling section needs work yet and I believe Brian McGlashan has the job of bringing it all up to date. 2019 will see some changes to casting competitions which might bring me out of my self-imposed retirement.

So angling.... let's make it a generous 6/10

The rest of the event was bang on, loads of good stands and the craft and food fair section was excellent, a deserved 9/10.

But it's an expensive day (and you can't hope to do the whole event justice in one day) and a very expensive two days. As a punter I would baulk at the cost, but then again it is only one weekend a year.......
Oh and for the £4 car parking charge. Ferk off.

I suppose the key thing is I would pay to go next year. For one day 

H

[Charlie Murray]

I think they're going  overboard with the prices, £20 entrance fee plus £4 to park in a field. when I first started going it was £5 entrance and no parking fee. I went on the sunday it was red hot so I had one glass of lager in a plastic container I think it held just less than a pint £4.50, then I had a pasty £4 who makes up the prices. finally what happened to fishermans row, there used to be tent after tent full of fishing gear,this year I think there was half a dozen at most. also at one time there was a bargain to be had now they wouldn't give a blind hen a worm

[Rob Brownfield]

I think they're going  overboard with the prices, £20 entrance fee plus £4 to park in a field. when I first started going it was £5 entrance and no parking fee. I went on the sunday it was red hot so I had one glass of lager in a plastic container I think it held just less than a pint £4.50, then I had a pasty £4 who makes up the prices. finally what happened to fishermans row, there used to be tent after tent full of fishing gear,this year I think there was half a dozen at most. also at one time there was a bargain to be had now they wouldn't give a blind hen a worm

I think you have pretty much hit the nail on the head.  If you walk down Gunmakers Row you have at least a dozen of the major retailers, then double that in manufacturers. Some of the manufacturers come over from Europe to be there.

We can't even get a manufacturer from Alnwick to have a stall. They used to.

Some of the Carp Shows in England attract over 100 exhibitors and 10,000 visitors and all the main companies are there, and even Daiwa comes down from Scotland..so why cant they drive 2 hours to Perth?

[James Laraway]

I think you have pretty much hit the nail on the head.  If you walk down Gunmakers Row you have at least a dozen of the major retailers, then double that in manufacturers. Some of the manufacturers come over from Europe to be there.

We can't even get a manufacturer from Alnwick to have a stall. They used to.

Some of the Carp Shows in England attract over 100 exhibitors and 10,000 visitors and all the main companies are there, and even Daiwa comes down from Scotland..so why cant they drive 2 hours to Perth?

i think its because its a game fair, rather than a fishing show.

a bit like garden centres are now cafes with a small plant section, game fairs are now food and drink stalls with a few fishing rods thrown in for good measure. Not to mention you cant have enough Dubarry boot stalls for the Sloan Rangers...