Orvis finds Podcast Success

This week an article on the Times Argus Newspaper's website gives insight in to success that Orvis has found through their Fly Fishing Guide Podcast hosted by Tom Rosenbauer. The podcast continues to grow in popularity and bring them more customers and even though Orvis products are rarely ever mentioned in it.

"It's really good customer interaction. Business-wise, I feel like I have such a great handle on what our customers are looking for and what they're thinking about," Rosenbauer said. However, Rosenbauer said the podcasts feature very little marketing. He rarely mentions Orvis products and keeps the shows educational rather than promotional.

The article also has a quote from Rosenbauer which does a good job of summing up fly fishers in general:

"When you get into fly-fishing, you get to be a real sicko and you want it all the time. You want to think about it, talk about it, look around at Web sites when your boss isn't looking so they really love a little dose of fly-fishing when they're on their commute, when they're on the train in the morning or driving to their jobs,"

The podcasts can be found on the Internet at www.orvis.com/podcast or at the iTunes Web site at itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/orvis-fly-fishing-guide-podcast/id278930814.

Pebble Mine Developers Fined for Improper Water Use

The developers behind the Pebble Mine Project in Alaska, will be paying a $45,000 fine for improper use of water at their drilling sites. Permits have been suspended. However, it probably won't last very long. The Anchorage Daily News reports:

The settlement followed a state-led investigation that began after the Pebble Partnership last fall reported using water from unauthorized locations. The settlement required the companies to pay $1,000 for each of 45 violations over the past three years.

The Department of Natural Resources wrote to the mining companies on Jan. 14 that the violations were "at a minimum, a trespass against the state's property and resource interests." While the violations didn't appear to cause environmental damage, the partnership breached state rules and its land-use permit.

Patagonia's World Trout Initiative Grants

WORLD TROUT ISSUES FINAL GRANTS FOR 2009

Eight Global Grassroots Groups Receive $75,000 for Fish and Habitat Enhancement

Ventura, CA (January 12, 2010) Patagonia, Inc, the outdoor gear and technical apparel company announced today their World Trout initiative has issued eight grants totaling $75,000 to global grassroots groups whose diverse efforts to protect and enhance fish and their habitat around the world exemplify the philosophy of World Trout.

Grant recipients include the Wild Salmon Center at $10,00 for their Koppi River Salmon Diversity project; Pacific Rivers Council at $8,000 for their Umpqua River Legacy Program; Truckee River Watershed Council, who’s efforts on Lahontan Cutthroat Trout Restoration received $15,000; Takshanuk Watershed council was allocated $10,000 for completion of their water rights reservations initiatives; Bahamian-based Friends of the Environment was the recipient of $8,000 for their sustainable crawfish campaign, Henry’s Fork Foundation’s film, Watershed, which is about impressive hands-on projects completed over the past 25 years, was allotted $3,000 to help distribute this informative film to anglers and other grassroots groups in the hopes these efforts can be replicated; Bonefish and Tarpon Trust’s research on critical tarpon habitat received $15,000 and Italian group Societa Valsesiana Pescatori Sportivi was sent $8,000 for enhancement of their threatened grayling habitat.

World Trout was founded by Patagonia owner Yvon Chouinard and author/artist James Prosek, who believed that immediate, hands-on action through local grassroots groups can begin to address multiple threats facing our fish and their habitat. Educating the public about these groups’ efforts and raising money to support their vitally important activities was the goal. As a result, original artwork by such renowned artists as James Prosek, Tim Borski and Alan James Robinson, has been used to create unique t-shirts, with $5 from the sales of each shirt set aside to fund these groups. Since 2005, World Trout has successfully generated over $400,000 that has been allocated to 30 local grassroots groups.

Because of increasing requests for support and the significant amount of dollars that have been raised, Patagonia has made the World Trout Grant application process easier. Go to www.patagonia.com/worldtrout and the grant guidelines in the lower left corner will walk you through the process. "This grant process allows us to receive applications from groups worldwide, allowing us to react more rapidly to fund those working tirelessly to protect and enhance fish and habitat," noted Bill Klyn, Patagonia’s international fishing development manager.

About Patagonia
Noted internationally for its commitment to product quality, Patagonia’s Environmental Grants program has contributed over contributed over $35M to grassroots environmental activists since the program began in 1985. Patagonia, with sales last year of $315M, is noted internationally for its commitment to product quality and environmental activism. Its Environmental Grants Program has and its Environmental Internship Program allows employees to work for environmental groups while receiving their full paycheck. Incorporating environmental responsibility in to product development, the company has, since 1996, used only organically-grown cotton in its clothing line, and is noted world-wide for using recycled soda bottles in many of its polyester fleece garments.

www.patagonia.com

About Patagonia
Noted internationally for its commitment to product quality, Patagonia’s Environmental Grants program has contributed over $35M to grassroots environmental programs since it first began back in 1985. Since 1993, Patagonia is noted world-wide for using recycled soda pop bottles in many of its polyester fleece garments. Raising the bar even further, our Common Threads Recycling Program takes back ours and our competitors’ polyester underwear and specific Malden Mills fleece, along with organic cotton t-shirts, to be recycled into new fibers. The company has paved the way for others to get on the garment recycling bandwagon. In addition, Patagonia initiated the Footprint Chronicles, a unique, transparent insight into the impact a product generates from its sourcing of materials until it is delivered to our warehouse. For further information on these programs, visit www.patagonia.com/recycle.

News: Skinny Dipping and Economic Impact

Fred Bonner of Garnernews.net of Garner, NC writes about the perils of popularity for public places:

The Chattooga remained one of our favorite trout streams until that fateful year when Hollywood came to this section of the South. When the movie Deliverance was filmed on the Chattooga, it changed everything.

In addition to a pretty cool skinny dipping story he also brings up some important stats about the impact of recreational angling on the economy:

Resident mountain trout anglers’ total trip expenditures were $83.5 million; nonresident mountain trout anglers’ total trip expenditures were $23.3 million. Resident mountain troutanglers’ total equipment expenditures were $36.9 million.

Does being homeless make me a trout bum?

Skytop Lodge in the Poconos - one of many places we cannot afford to buy in the Northeast

Many of you may already know that the FlyfishMagazine.com world HQ is in the process of moving from North Carolina to the frozen Northlands of Pennsylvania or perhaps New Jersey. Lately in addition to 10 hour days at the office we have been dealing with selling a house in order to become homeless, trying to find a house to buy so as not to be homeless for too long, and all the while finding out from persons in the home inspection field that every little thing that might have been wrong with our house probably is (meaning we may have already been homeless and just didn't realize it) and must be fixed before we can vacate.

Meanwhile our brains remained addled from seeing what had to be no less than 100 homes inside of what amounted to three days of a holiday weekend, all the while coming to a realization that I really don't like spending large sums of money on things other than fishing gear. The exchange rate North of the Mason Dixon line isn't exactly favorable to our confederate money. We did find a cool house with river frontage but I can't help but think that it's on stilts for a reason. The owner's response that you could simply pressure wash the garage out after a flood gave me just almost as much comfort as the fact that he had lived in a FEMA trailer for two years before rebuilding. The I-95 bridge next door was a bonus.

The upside of all this is that our new homeland comes with ready made fishing buddies who are intent on showing a North Carolina boy a few choice spots for getting into some fish in both salt and fresh water (Thanks Jason, Pete, and Steve). It almost makes the thought of leaving sweet tea behind palatable. Southern anglers should not fear as our pals Capt. Gordon Churchill, Jay Moore, and Captain Paul Rose have consented to continue keeping you informed on the status of fly fishing the Carolina's and beyond. In the interim, somebody send me some fish pictures or something....

Here are a couple of fishing headlines from the our new corner of the world:

Thanks to a document from 1686 NY Saltwater anglers don't need a license just yet...
Art Weiler builds bamboo fly rods is a guy we need to get to know in the Poconos
Ice Fishing events that the Trophy Wife won't be letting us attend.

Orvis to Open South Charlotte Location

The Charlotte Business Journal is reporting on plans to open a 7500 square foot Orvis retail store at Phillips Place located in Charlotte North Carolina's exclusive South Park area. According to the article, the fly fishing / furniture / clothing and gift store is slated to be open by Christmas. For more information contact The Orvis Company.

News: Orvis Announces Outfitter of the Year

May 28, 2009 09:28 ET

Orvis Names Two Rivers Emporium of Pinedale, Wyoming as 2008 Orvis Endorsed Outfitter of the Year

MANCHESTER, VT--(Marketwire - May 28, 2009) - At their annual Endorsed Operations Rendezvous in Bozeman, Montana, the Orvis Company announced Two Rivers Emporium of Pinedale, Wyoming as the Orvis Endorsed Outfitter of the Year for 2008. Two Rivers offers float, wade and pack trips into some of the best fly fishing waters in the West, including the legendary Green River.

"A good outfitter needs to provide an outstanding experience on the streams, rivers and lakes they take their clients fishing, but also manage their retail stores in order to provide the best experience and customer service in an industry that has only become more demanding," said Dave Perkins, Vice Chairman of The Orvis Company. "Two Rivers Emporium not only excels in those areas, but pushes to improve the entire industry through their professionalism and on-going development of high education accreditation in the area of hospitality management and an emphasis in fly fishing. They are an inspiration and leader in this industry."

One customer recently said, "The first time I tried fly fishing, I was hopeless and guessed that I'd never get it. With all the help I received from the shop and guides, I learned the basics and now look upon fly fishing as a new and exciting part of my outdoor life."

For twenty years the Orvis Company has been recognizing excellence in fly fishing lodges, fly fishing outfitters, and fly fishing guides through its Endorsed Lodges Outfitters and Guides program. Each endorsed operation has its own character, but all share the same high standards: great service, great fishing and an experienced, professional staff. These standards of excellence are continually reviewed by the Orvis staff and evaluated by visiting guests in post-visit critiques sent directly to The Orvis Company. Orvis endorsed operations cater to ability levels from beginner to expert.

Founded in 1856, and the recognized world leader in fly fishing gear, Orvis operates a chain of retail stores in the U.S. and England, runs a world class fly fishing vacations service, and numerous fly fishing schools around the country. Orvis donates five percent of pre-tax profits each year to conservation efforts. You can read more about Orvis on their website at www.orvis.com.

In addition Orvis also announced the following awards:
Jim Hickey of Bozeman, Montana Named Orvis Endorsed Freshwater Fly Fishing Guide of the Year for 2008

Paul Nelson's Farm of Gettysburg, South Dakota Named as Orvis Endorsed Wingshooting Lodge of the Year

Capt. Steve Horowitz of Miami, Florida Named Orvis Endorsed Saltwater Fly Fishing Guide of the Year for 2008

Fisheads of the San Juan River of Bloomfield, New Mexico Named as Orvis Endorsed Guide Service of the Year

Spotted Bear Ranch of Whitefish, Montana Named Orvis Expedition of the Year

Hubbard's Yellowstone Lodge of Paradise Valley, Montana Named Orvis Endorsed Fly Fishing Lodge of the Year for 2008

Fly Fishing Headline News: Brownline Edition

April 1st, 2009

All the news that's fit to print, brought to you today from the FlyfishMagazine.com Northern base of operations in Cherry Hill, NJ:

An obscure fly fishing industry think tank, today announced the creation of the "IBFFA" or "International Brownline Fly Fishing Association." Among the stated mission of the exclusive and secretive organization is to "maintain an official Brownline Hall of Fame which would be a repository for specie specific records relating to rough fish." In addition to certification of the usual line class records, the IBFFA would also maintain "effluent class requirements" relating to the minimum pollution requirements found in the water wherein record candidate fish was caught.

*******

In a related story, it has been reported that Tom Chandler of the Trout Underground, today filed seeking trademark protection for the following terms:

Greenline Fly Fishing - Fly fishing only those areas with a median family income in excess of $100k per year.

Grayline Fly Fishing - Fly fishing only in areas frequented by tour buses.

Redline Fly Fishing - Fly fishing only in active war zones.

Thin Blueline Fly Fishing - Fly Fishing only in high crime areas.

******

Captain Gordon Churchill, still distraught from the elimination of his Duke Blue Devils from this year's NCAA tournament, has announced his efforts to garner favor from newly converted brownline anglers for his beloved Redfish by hereafter referring to them as "Sea Carp."

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Proponents of Alaska's proposed Pebble Mine see good things in store for brownliner's should their open pit gold mine come to fruition. "Anglers should think of the mine and its tailings as the world's largest and newest brownline fishery."

******

Finally, insert your own version of headline here re: Newly formed video production company embraces brownlining, selects "Carp Bums" as name.

FlyfishMagazine: "Non-original Content" Thursday

My week has been filled with meeting rooms, hotel food, presentations, and the occasional open bar. The jist? 2009 is a bust - let's hope for better days in 2010. This whole wanting to be "able to buy groceries thing" along with a pending move North of the Mason Dixon line, has put a kink in my time spent surfing the intertube for stuff to amuse the masses. None-the-less, here are a few items that caught our somewhat red midweek eye:

Headline of the week via the DC Examiner : The Vine Guy: Sunshine in a Cloudy Bay Get it? I've got Sunshine on a cloudy bay, When its cold outside...

After you watch the Pisgah Fly Masters on the Davidson River, you might want to catch the next Fips Mouche style fly fishing competition on Lake Lure (site of the filming of our favorite Jennifer Grey "nobody puts baby in a corner" movie), "The Olympiad Fly-Fishing Masters tournament ". Could this be the start of a Carolina fly fishing tournament trail?

Because of our slackness you didn't learn about this auction of "one of the largest offerings of fly-fishing gear seen in Dunedin for several years" until it was too late. It would have been a bit of a hike anyway, being that it was in New Zealand.

The Bristol,TN Tri-Cities Herald's aptly named "Continuous News Desk" provides a "Long History Of Fly Fishing." It is 504 words.

Finally, Google's News Search reports that there are currently 492 articles with headlines that are variations on the ever popular title, "Hooked on Fishing." Even as we type, journalism schools throughout the civilized world are preparing to withdraw degrees.

Orvis Charlotte Warehouse Sale - March 13th - 15th

The Orvis Warehouse Sale is in Charlotte, NC this weekend at the Metrolina Trade Show Expo. Typically this show is a fly fishing bargain hunter's paradise deals at up to 75% off. The Charlotte sale has an excellent selection of waders, rods, and bin after bin packed with terminal tackle and fly tying material. They also have major quantities of non fishing related outdoorsy type merchandise.

Parking and admission are free. Follow this link for directions. Look for the FlyfishMagazine staff to be on hand and up to our elbows in gear.

Lanka Fishing Flies Ltd

What Sri Lankan company provides 90 percent of the fishing flies sold in the United States? Ever hear of Lanka Fishing Flies Ltd? Perhaps you know them under the brand they export to the United States under, Umpqua. The National Newspaper of Sri Lanka has an interesting profile of the company which also is the sole North American distributor for Tiemco hooks.

“Fly-fishing,” is a popular sport in the United States and we supply 90 per cent of artificial fishing flies to the USA market,” its Managing Director Suresh de Mel told Daily News Business.

Apparently all those flies we leave hanging in the trees make for big business:

De Mel said he has three factories with a workforce of 300 employees and exports more than half a million fishing flies to the USA. Therefore, the company’s annual revenue is US $ one million per year.

Doesn't that work out to $2 a fly wholesale? Hmmmmm....

Everything I know about selling I learned from fly fishing

Mark Stevens of Entrepreneur.com about sales lessons learned from his fly fishing father.

Be yourself. Even if you smell like fish

I couldn't imagine how we could visit the CEO of a company in fishy clothes, but I had no choice but to trust my father. And sure enough, when we arrived at the client, a Patrician organization with early American antiques and grandfather clocks ticking away, I thought for sure the man in charge would be appalled by our attire.

Instead, he wrapped his arms around my dad and hugged him, shook my hand vigorously and invited us into his office as if we were royalty.