The season opens „big time” during the RYBOMANIA Fair in Poznań!

From handicraft shops with small masterpieces, to 1,000-meter stands teeming with life and products - the unique energy of this year's RYBOMANIA filled the two largest MTP halls, pavilions 5 and 6. The exhibition has increased by 8,600 m² since last year, giving a powerful signal to industry: anglers in Poland are eager to learn about new things and meetings. Over 250 exhibitors from 12 countries presented equipment, baits, accessories, fishing and tourist clothing from the best manufacturers, tents, beds, armchairs, boats, pontoons and even campers. They included distributors of the most famous fishing brands in all the most popular methods, including carp fishing, catfish fishing, method feeder and spinning. The number of exhibitors increased by over 20% proves that despite 12 editions, the formula of the RYBOMANIA Fair is still current, necessary and attractive to participants. We are very happy with almost 60 new companies that have joined RYBOMANIA - they are the driving force behind the development of fishing in Poland, and at the same time we appreciate the return of industry leaders to the fair. I think that the RYBOMANIA exhibition this year perfectly met the expectations of visitors, but it also has a lot to offer in the next editions. – says Miłosz Jankowiak, director of the RYBOMANIA project. Participants of this year's edition of the Fair received absolutely everything an angler could need to pursue their passion - products, services, knowledge and meetings.

For laymen and fanatics

...and an "angler" in the meaning of RYBOMANIA is both a hobbyist and a professional, regardless of age. Both a beginner and one from whom fish have few secrets. Fishing with any technique, in any conditions. The fishing community joined in the great number of 31,748 participants who came for these three special days from over 20 countries. – Passion is the highest value of the RYBOMANIA Fair and we deeply believe that every form of its implementation deserves attention. Regardless of the preferred fishing technique, everyone gathered at RYBOMANIA is united by the unique moment of "catching" and the sheer pleasure of being part of this huge community. And that's why we do it - for passion. And passion cannot be expressed in any numbers, but industry and business value comes as its natural continuation. – says Miłosz Jankowiak.

Fishing news and premieres

Each time an important aspect of the Fair are new products and premieres from manufacturers, which this year were exceptionally rich: the latest models of fishing rods and reels, lures, new echo sounders and the Polish premiere of an innovative bait boat are just some of what the exhibitors offered. You could see new models of beds, tents and clothing, as well as new electric and combustion engines.

An absolute innovation also had its first appearance at RYBOMANIA - a boat created by VIKING especially for the needs of people with disabilities. Its prototype was exhibited at the stand in pavilion 6.

Emotions and attractions in a comfortable space

This year's edition of the RYBOMANIA Fair was held in the two largest halls at the MTP Poznań Expo - pavilions no. 5 and 6. Thousands of square meters and wide communication routes provided better conditions for visiting the exhibition than before, and additional catering, relaxation areas and a children's zone allowed gathering strength for the attractions prepared by the organizers and exhibitors.

There was no shortage of these during all three days: on the main stage, stars and fishing experts shared their experiences and knowledge, including: Jakub Vagner, Ross Honey, Kamil Walicki, Radosław Witólski, Robert Adamski, Piotr Boufał, Rafał Mleczak, Tomasz Lewandowski, and Monika and Łukasz Lechowski, the winners of prestigious competitions also met with the audience, including: Stairs2Hell and Polish Carp Masters 2023. Additionally, on the first day there was a conference with the participation of scientists from the University of Warmia and Mazury. An interesting fact was the inauguration of the auction of the jubilee catamaran commissioned by MEUS on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the World Carp Classic competition. The catamaran has the signatures of all competitors, and the amount obtained during the auction will support the activities of the Anglers Without Barriers Foundation.

The Giant Aquarium also came to Poznań again, this time located in pavilion 6. The almost 20,000-liter tank was filled with about 50 specimens of Polish fish: large carp, grass carp, asp, pike and sturgeon, as well as perch, crucian carp, roach and bream. They "tested" the equipment of the best companies and the skills of outstanding anglers in front of spectators. The aquarium came from Portugal for this occasion, and the local breeder constantly took care of the well-being of the presented specimens. For producers, it was an excellent opportunity to present new products for the upcoming season. Three-day shows at the Giant Aquarium were hosted by well-known and popular personalities from the fishing world.

At this year's RYBOMANIA there were also many traditional "fives" with characters known from the Internet. Fishing enthusiasts met, among others, with Łukasz "Lucio" Żółty, Julia Grzyb (Wędkuj z Julia), Rafał "RaFish" Chwedoruk, Dominika 333 Orlik, Łukasz "Tuszol" Tuszyński, Janusz Badełek (Karpiowy Janusz) and many other creators of popular channels on YouTube, Instagram and Facebook.

Catch the fishing bug

This year, the organizers invited younger visitors to participate in the Young Angler Academy - an event addressed to future fishing enthusiasts, which also has educational value in the area of ecology and environmental awareness. On March 2-3, at each of the 8 action partners, Academy participants carried out a task increasing their knowledge about fishing and/or the natural environment. For completing it correctly, they then received stamps, the set of which they could exchange for gifts from sponsors - including some unique surprises! The number of children willing to participate in the Young Angler Academy exceeded the organizers' wildest expectations, which makes us very optimistic about the forecast for the entire industry - passion combined with great awareness, instilled at a young age, will result in excellent skills in the future.

During RYBOMANIA, there were other surprises waiting for the youngest - the premiere of the extremely popular, the only fishing comic book in Poland, fikotyFAMILY, the Education Zone with puzzles, shows and competitions organized by specialists in learning through play: the Center for Ecological Education and Lake Revitalization in Szczecinek, the "Catch&Release" Fishing School ", the Save the Fish Foundation and the fishing family Carp Trip TV. It was an opportunity to gain knowledge and win attractive fishing (and other) prizes.

"Rybomania like in the best years, or even better!"

During the Fair and in the following days after it, the organizers received numerous reports from both exhibitors and visitors, which clearly indicated the return of the RYBOMANIA Fair to the condition and energy known from the most successful editions. The unique atmosphere of this fishing festival still resonates in the film materials, comments and statements of its participants. – Hearing so many satisfied voices and exchanging so many warm handshakes is the best motivation to create an event for the fishing community. The growing number of exhibitors, larger stand area, and the rapidly expanding scope of the event both on a national and international scale, assure us that it is absolutely worth uniting anglers - across divisions, across the borders of regions and countries. – summarizes Miłosz Jankowiak. RYBOMANIA, as the only event in Poland that brings together the industry in such a wide scope, is a platform for fishing enthusiasts regardless of their level of advancement, preferred fishing technique or everyday relationships. – We promised a year ago that the next edition of RYBOMANIA would be even more interesting, fuller and more inspiring, and that's exactly what happened. We already have some ideas for the future to make this event grow from edition to edition, he adds.