Well, we exhibited in our first NJ Saltwater Expo this past weekend in Edison, NJ … and we already signed up for the 2026 Expo before we even loaded the trailer for our trip home to Connecticut. WHAT A BLITZ! The line of anglers from NJ, PA, NY, CT, and beyond rushed the floor each day when the Expo opened. The crowd filled the inside floors and wrapped outside down the side of the building. Now I know what top plug builders feel like during the first few hours at 1-Day Surf Day shows! It was simply amazing!

Our new 10×20 ZeeBaaS booth minutes before the blitz. The large crowd anxiously waiting can be seen in the background.

Being our first time exhibiting at this event, I heard that Friday was considered to be a slow day. This Friday disproved that theory by far, and Saturday was a pure rush of adrenaline! Ethan and I were the only two attending from our shop, but we had big help and support that day from Lee, Seth, and Joel Wakefield from PA, along with Daniel Del Rosario and Tony Masters from Long Island, and our long-timer Rob Guzman and competitive angler Rob Janczewski from CT, as well as Chris Olesen from NJ and Khoa Nguyen from PA who also joined us while helping Century Rods and running his seminar. There were moments on Saturday when all hands on deck were needed as crowds came to visit with us to see and hold our reels … and to learn what’s up at ZeeBaaS. A sincere thanks to this team of genuine individuals for helping us help our customers!

A busy moment at our booth, with “Crazy” Alberto seen in the background showing some customers “Davy Jones’ Z” from the bottom of Sebastian Inlet, as well as Ethan showing some customers some of the unique features of our reels!

As the anglers stopped by our booth to pick up and feel our ZX-Series Reels, we couldn’t help but notice that they all shared similar expressions when they put their first crank or two while grasping our Comfort-Grip Knob — their eyes either opening wide as they tilted their heads in amazement over the silky feel of our reels, or their jaws dropping as they quickly passed the Z onto their friends so they could share the experience with them. They liked what they heard when we reiterated our commitment to them … our reels are made to last and to be passed down for generations, therefore we will not be like others … we will not release a new version reel to replace our trusted ZX-Series. If we did as others did, it would only discontinue previous models and lead to anglers owning a pile of reels which they can no longer buy replacement parts if they desire. Any upgrades to this reel will work with any reel in the past. Many longtime customers, new customers, and soon-to-be customers appreciate that we are not following the pack that focuses on overseas manufacturing and mass distribution. Instead, we are focused on them, and we do it right here in the USA, by hand, and one reel at a time!

The NEW mini-Z prototype also made an appearance and many had the pleasure to feel it first hand. Signups for the waiting list quickly added up since we are pushing to release it this year, as we are celebrating our 20th anniversary. More to come on this soon, so make sure you come back to see what’s up so you don’t miss out.

As the crowd thinned out and the atmosphere calmed, we were able to spend time with many industry people who mean a lot to us. We were thankful to spend a good amount of time with Shell E Caris on Friday before and after the Surf Day Friday Pro Panel Discussion, as well as “Crazy” Alberto Knie, Bobby Uhrig, and Jimmy Fee throughout the weekend. Alberto even joined us behind our booth for part of the show, educating us and some customers about the incredible design ideas he helped implement into our reels during the development stages. When you stop and listen to well-respected anglers like this group, you leave the day with much more knowledge than you walked in with … knowledge that goes way beyond fishing. The show was a true pleasure, but when Tod Alberto announced the show had ended, many of us sat there as if we didn’t want it to end … we just wanted the conversations to continue in the calm of the expo center.

We were certainly blessed to shake many hands and match faces to the many voices we spoke with over the years during these 3 great days. We are also grateful to all who supported David by entering to win THE DREAM REEL 2.0, or even simply sharing the effort with everyone they possibly can. This weekend proved to us that the fishing community is filled with many anglers who care for others.

C.A.R.E. — Create A Rippling Effect … by helping others.

Ron Poehailos
Owner - ZeeBaaS / 3-TAND Outdoors.

Edison 2025: WHAT A BLITZ!