A Conversation with George Poveromo

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By Alan Cooper
February 28, 2014 
 
 
MidlandsBiz:
Tell us a little about yourself
 
George Poveromo:
I have been an editor with Saltwater Magazine since 1983 and I am the founder and host of the seminar series for 27 years.  I have a television series on NBC Sports called George Poveromo’s World of Saltwater Fishing that has been on air for 14 years.
 
MidlandsBiz:
What is the event?
 
George Poveromo:
It’s called the SaltWater Sportsman National Seminar Series. It is the nation’s longest running and most popular educational seminar on saltwater fishing.
 
We visit eight cities annually between January and the second week of March and each year we rotate the cities.  Every third year, we swing into South Carolina, usually in Charleston, but we received so many requests from inland saltwater fisherman that that this year we have decided to bring the event to Columbia.  A couple of years back we hosted the event in Charlotte, another inland city, and it was very popular.  The Greater Columbia area offers us a great opportunity.
 
MidlandsBiz:
When and where is the event?
 
George Poveromo:
We will be in Columbia at the Metropolitan Convention Center on March 1, 2014.   We open the doors to the public at 8:00 am, and the seminar begins at 9:00 am.
 
MidlandsBiz:
Who teaches the seminars?

 

George Poveromo:
We have two faculty teams at each seminar.  First, we have a team of touring national professionals who talk about cutting edge tactics.  Second, we bring in a team of regional or local experts – six of the top saltwater anglers in South Carolina.

The cool part is that we use four faculty members on stage for each seminar, so you don’t hear just one person’s opinion about how to catch a particular fish.  It is an informative exchange and the audience always walks away with a ton of information, the shortcuts about the how-to’s and the where-to’s of catching fish in their area.

The important thing for anglers to know is that the seminar in Columbia is 100% geared towards all aspects of South Carolina saltwater fishing. We do NOT bring a canned presentation to each area of the country. We cover in shore fishing (sea trout, redfish, flounder, etc.); near shore (Spanish mackerel, king mackerel, etc.); and the offshore waters (tuna, mahi, wahoo, etc).

Jeffrey Liederman will be in Columbia.  He is from Miami and is a noted offshore expert in fishing swordfish, mahi, and wahoo.  We have Captain Rob Ferris who is based out of Charlotte.  He is an in shore redfish tournament pro who also has a lot of experience fishing the South Carolina coast.  We have Captain Paul Godbout who is an experienced bottom fishing pro, and Captain Tucker Blythe who works the coastal waters for redfish and flounder.  Those are just a few of the faculty members who will be at the seminar.

Each seminar is a major production. Every session that we do is backed with some pretty spectacular visuals – underwater footage, action shots, and techniques. 

MidlandsBiz:
How much does it cost?

George Poveromo:
It costs $55 for the day.  Every attendee receives the full seminar from 9-4.  They also receive a course textbook that includes the tactics and techniques discussed up on stage that day, a one-year subscription to Saltwater Sportsman magazine, and a ton of giveaways in their goodie bag. 

We average 500 people per seminar.  It’s geared towards the fisherman who wants to learn more about the sport.  As I said, we have been doing this for 27 years.  That is our testimony. There is no way that we survive for this long unless we delivered a top notch program.