We're counting down to the start of the Fred Hall Show tomorrow at 2 p.m. and the talk flying through the hall the last couple days as everyone set up ranged from Mike Livingston's big tuna on the Vagabond getting approved for the both the IGFA All-Tackle and 130-pound records, shelf rockfish, the price of beer and booth locations.

The SportfishingReport.com booth number is 712 and that's the place to be tomorrow as we hand out the awards for the top catches of 2010. We'll also give you $5 off any of our shirts and t-shirts if you show us your Fred Hall iPhone app or the SportfishingReport.com iPhone app. The fact is you should be looking at both at the show because the Fred Hall app has all the booth locations and seminar times, while the SFR app keeps an archive of all the show specials posted and you can keep a running tab on the folks out on the water instead of at the show.

It's fun watching a barn of a hall turn into Fred Hall, the Ultimate Outdoor Experience, Show. Not so fun for Mike Lum and Tim Baker, Bart Hall's right hand men, as they deal with the inevitable problems that pop up. Lum is the man who puts the booths and stages where they are. Get on his wrong side and you're in the hallway in the Sports Arena next to the Men's Room and some guy selling chinchilla ranches.

Frank Ursiti of the Ranger 85 happened to be setting up his booth last night when we walked down the aisle with Lum and Baker. Turns out Ursiti almost didn't make it into the sold out show.

"I realized I hadn't called Mike and when I did he said the show was full," said Ursiti. "I've been telling the story of how I got in ever since." From here Lum took over. "Every year I start out in about June and I pencil in the folks who are pretty much regulars every year and if they don't come or if I have to move things around I make the changes as I go along," said Mike. "Well it turns out I never erased Frank's name even when he didn't call, so he's in. But I think he'll call earlier next year."

Getting back to that giant tuna, the mount will be displayed at the Vagabond booth. Ironically, there will be no Lyons & OHaver booth because they had to work overtime to get the mount done and couldn't get ready to go to a show at the same time. A giant photograph of Mike Livingston and the fish will adorn the Saltwater Seminar stage.

One last story -- Ed Zieralski of the San Diego Union Tribune got the scoop on the IGFA's approval of the record because he went down to the taxidermist to do a story on Capt. Mike Lackey picking up the huge mount. It was then that local IGFA rep Mike Farrior gave the Big Z the news.

Rich Holland's Roundup