Indiana Fishing Expo (Danville): Vendors, Seminars & the Rod-Holder Setup Guide

What the Indiana Fishing Expo is

The Indiana Fishing Expo is the Indianapolis-area show that bills itself, in its own words, as "40,000 square feet of fishing bliss … the largest pure fishing show in the Midwest! No filler vendors — all fishing, all the time." The 2026 edition marks its 26th year. It runs a Saturday–Sunday in late January / early February (January 31 – February 1) at the Hendricks County 4-H Fairgrounds & Conference Complex, 1900 E. Main St., Danville, IN 46122, 9 AM–6 PM Saturday and 9 AM–4 PM Sunday. Admission is $6 for adults, free for kids 12 and under.

"No filler vendors — all fishing" is exactly the kind of floor where an angler comes to upgrade real gear, not browse — the crowd that goes home and rebuilds a rig the right way.

Why it matters for how you rig

Danville sits in the Midwest crappie-catfish-walleye-bass crossroads, and every one of those techniques lives or dies on rod control — which is the whole reason Monster Rod Holders are Made in the USA from heavy-gauge stock: a holder has to lock the rod butt, hold its angle under sustained load, and shrug off spray, mud, and a hard strike.

If a vendor table or a hallway conversation gets you rethinking your setup, the building blocks are:

Holders from the rod-holder lineup — matched to how you fish (spider-rig fan, trolling spread, bank spike, boat rail).
Bases from the bases category — the part that makes the setup no-flex and repeatable across the boat.
Anchors for holding a current seam or a structure edge where fish stage.
A HydroWeb landing net for getting a slab crappie, channel cat, or walleye boatside and handled clean.

(Confirm exact product names/links with Ron — see the TODO list in the frontmatter.)

Crappie, catfish, walleye — who the show suits

A pure, multi-species fishing show is a fit for more of MRH's audience than a single-technique event:

Crappie spider-riggers — a clean front-deck spread of holders is the difference between a tangle and a pattern. See the crappie rod-holder setup guide.
Catfish anglers — bank or boat, the holder has to survive a big-cat run; see the catfish boat-setup guide.
Walleye trollers — the same multi-rod board-and-holder discipline is worth dialing in; see the walleye rod-holder setup guide.

Follow the events you spot at the show on the Tournament Calendars hub.

Plan your trip

Where: Hendricks County 4-H Fairgrounds & Conference Complex, 1900 E. Main St., Danville, IN 46122.
When: late January / early February (January 31 – February 1) — re-check the official State of Indiana listing (events.in.gov) for the current year's dates before you go (the show is annual).
Hours / admission: 9 AM–6 PM Sat, 9 AM–4 PM Sun; $6 adults, kids 12 and under free (re-verify at publish time).
Who it's for: Midwest anglers who want a pure fishing floor — all vendors, all fishing.

Built heavy, Made in the USA, and built for the crappie-catfish-walleye water this show serves — that's the rod-holder setup to walk the floor thinking about.