The bright colors emanating from fishing’s neon-soaked plastic lures at the K Wigglers booth attract the eye whenever walking near, especially surrounded in stark contrast by the earth and woods colors of all things hunting at the 31st annual Texas Hunters and Sportsman’s Expo at the McAllen Convention Center.
That is, however, how both industries work – the bright colors to lure the fish and the camouflage to hide from the big game.
The event opened Friday with close to 275 booths, from food, apparel and products to opportunities to book big game and fishing trips along with boats, tractors, crafts and all things outdoors. The event continues today from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and concludes Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Larry Higgins of K Wigglers, which first opened its business as Kelly Wigglers nearly 50 years ago in Houston, is one of the most successful lures companies in the world, and has built a strong following and name especially in South Texas. “They’ve made a huge impact in the fishing community,” Higgins said. “They’ve built a strong team, are conservation minded and they know about catching fish – trophy trout, big redfish – and these are the products they use. These are the only products they’ve used for years.”
The fishing industry, as far as the number of anglers taking to any body of water, has skyrocketed since the COVID-19 pandemic as people looked for opportunities to get out of the house – the great outdoors was the perfect answer.
That means the range of angler increased as more beginners found interest, and those who had been fishing for days, months, or years, continued to increase their knowledge and took more opportunities to get on the water.
“We’re good about sharing and explaining how to use the lures, and when to use them in certain situations and applications,” Higgins said. “You can give somebody the best product in the world and if they don’t know how to use it, it’s not doing them a whole lot of good.
“But we’re always trying to tweak our products and don’t want to just be comfortable with the way things are. How can we improve it?”
The scientific journal Plos One reported that the fishing industry has increased from a personal hobby industry to a multibillion-dollar activity. One of the key factors was dramatic changes to personal decisions and behaviors during COVID. Both new and veteran anglers used fishing less as just a hobby and more as a stress reliever from the pandemic. The study also reported that fishing activity/outings increased by 0.2 per angler in the spring of 2020 than in non-pandemic years.
“COVID in one word was insane,” Higgins said. “A lot of people started fishing because they could get on the water. But with skyrocketing sales come things like supply chain issues, and there were challenges but we had no major issues.
“Sometimes it was day to day and the unknown was always there. What everyone had to go through with COVID was horrible but when they found out it was safe to be on a boat or in the water, sales went way up all across the industry and most importantly, people got back to going outdoors.”
