Gear: For the Female Fly Fisher

Hilary's #IFTD coverage of a new fly rod complete with built in bling bling, got us thinking about the pros and cons of marketing gear specifically to women. To that end we started scouring the intertubes for examples. We found the usual pink revolvers, pink fishing vests, pink reels, and even this nifty rotary fly box complete with built in hatch calendar.

No word yet as to.....scratch that, whatever joke we make here will only serve to get us in trouble with the Editorial Trophy Wife. Feel free to make up for our fear prudence in the comments.

Industry News: Far Bank Hires Hard Goods Planner

Far Bank Enterprises, Inc. Welcomes Ryan Cade as Hard Goods Planner

Far Bank Enterprises adds to its team to expand expertise in hard goods categories.

04.14.2010 – (Bainbridge Island, WA) – Fly-fishing industry leader, Far Bank Enterprises, is pleased to announce the addition of Ryan Cade as the new Hard Goods Planner. Bringing years of prior product planning experience, Ryan will be working with Sage, Redington and RIO to further develop the planning process and help attain marketing goals.

“The addition of Ryan to our team will bring a new focus to product planning and marketing and will help us expand our expertise to all hard goods categories,” says David Visnack, Director of Marketing & Merchandising. “Ryan brings valuable experience to the Far Bank team, and his skill set will allow us to take our established and successful categories to the next level.”

Patagonia launches Fly Fishing E-Catalog

Our friends over at Patagonia sent us this release, which since they are our friends, we decided to publish in it's entirety. In the interest of full disclosure, these guys have bought us an adult beverage or two in the past. Notwithstanding their plying us with alcohol, an e-catalog that won't end up filling up our landfills remains pretty darn cool.

PATAGONIA FISH LAUNCHES PAPERLESS E-CATALOG e-Catalog Saves Almost 200 Trees and Eliminates Almost 8,300 Pounds of Solid Waste

www.patagonia.com/fishcatalog

VENTURA, Calif. (March 29, 2010) — Patagonia, the fishing and outdoor apparel manufacturer, launches its first-ever Fish e-Catalog – an online, interactive, 52-page flipbook. With a feel that’s more “magazine” than “catalog,” readers will be able to watch embedded videos, read unique Ambassador commentary, click on technical product information and provides avenues to purchase. The catalog will be distributed via e-mail and social media channels including Facebook, Twitter, blogs and certified Fish dealer websites. The user-controlled e-Catalog replaces the company’s traditional paper-based catalog this Spring, as it is easier to find and is a small step toward permanently eliminating a paper catalog for Patagonia’s Fishing line.

“We’re a catalog company at our core, so a non-traditional e-Catalog is a huge move for us – but a step in the right direction environmentally,” notes Casey Sheahan, Patagonia’s angling CEO. “This is a greener way to be in the catalog business. Our hope is that anglers are psyched to get product information this way so moving forward we can try to avoid sending catalogs to individual mailboxes.”

By eliminating the paper catalog, Patagonia saves about 74,826 gallons of wastewater, 8,279 pounds of solid waste, 176 trees and almost 16,300 pounds of Co2. The company hopes that anglers will take note and embrace the new e-Catalog model, "The success of this experiment depends largely on the fishing community's response. If they like it and it goes viral then the next one will be bigger, better, and even more interactive."

“The fishing market is the right place to launch an e-Catalog. Anglers are online, engaged, and we’re hoping they will help us get the word out on their own Facebook and Twitter pages,” continues Sheahan. “Anglers have turned to the internet to review water conditions, hatches, plan trips, research product news, blog, and more, making them the perfect customer for an online, interactive e-Catalog that feels more like a magazine or multi-media site.”

Readers will also enjoy new features such as “product system recommendations,” where one can learn about which products best suit different types of fishing and environs. Some examples include wet wading for backcountry trout, dry wading for backcountry trout and classic steelhead/salmon fishing. With the new e-catalog, Patagonia now has the luxury of providing its fans and customers more in-depth and individualized product recommendations. Patagonia encourages all bloggers, journalists, websites and anglers to post the e-Catalog link on their pages to get the word out.

Sage Fly Fishing School

Fly fishing gear manufacturer Sage announces that it has partnered with our friend Steve Parrott at The Blue Quill Angler in Evergreen, CO to offer The Sage Fly Fishing School - Rocky Mountain Region. From their press release:

Through multiple class options, Sage hopes to share with the public its passion for fly fishing while helping to increase participation in the sport. This partnership will offer new and seasoned anglers the opportunity to learn from experts.

“We want to share our committed passion for fly fishing with the public and part of that passion includes creating excitement about the sport,” comments Chris Andersen, Sales Manager for Sage. “Offering world class fishing schools is a great way to share our excitement for fly fishing with new and experienced anglers. Sage has selected The Blue Quill Angler as the site of our flagship fly fishing school because of the experience and talent they offer.”

The classes will have something for new and experienced fly anglers alike:

Sage Fly Fishing School courses include:

Fly Fishing 101: Students will spend two weekday evenings in the classroom and one full day on the water. Class size will be limited to six students with one instructor. Classes will be held weekly starting mid-April through September.

Fly Fishing 201: Students will spend one full day in the classroom and one full day on the water. Class size will be limited to eight students with two instructors. Classes begin May 14th and run through September 18th.

Advanced Casting School: Experienced anglers will spend one day with a Federation of Fly Fishers (FFF)-certified fly casting instructor to focus on their technique. This is a full day class with 8 students.

Classes begin April 17th and are held through September 4th.For more information on any of these classes or to schedule a date, call 800-435-5353 or send an email to sageschools@bluequillangler.com You can also visit their website at www.bluequillangler.com

Steve is a fellow North Carolina Expat and an excellent fly fisher so if you find yourself heading to Colorado and need to know what flies are working be sure to stop by The Blue Quill and say hello.

Found in the Urban Wild: Orvis Sighting

Sighted on Google Street View and rumored to be Orvis' PR Guru, James Hathaway unleashing his inner Easy Rider in Manchester VT. Since we are using him for blog post fodder we should probably include a link to the excellent Orvis Fly Fishing Guide Podcast.

Jonny Bones Tackle

We ran into this pirate at The Fly Fishing Show and picked up a sweet deal on some Mustad hooks. Jonny Bone's logo and tag line that reads "Catch it. Kill it. Eat it." caught our eye almost as much as the prices. His website isn't Ecommerce active but you can contact him via email to make a purchase.

Quote of the week: Free as price point

The December 2009 issue of Angling Trade Magazine provides a review of Chris Anderson's book, "Free, the future of a radical price" and how it relates to the fly fishing industry. It gives us our most recent quote of the week:


"Which gets us to fly fishing… where
we’re still hanging no trespassing
signs on rivers and charging rod fees
to fish, then wondering why the sport
doesn’t grow. And we’re still assuming
that people will pay to read how
to tie a blood knot, or fish a streamer.
And the hot free deal in many shops
is getting a “baker’s dozen” 13 flies
for the price of 12. Wow."

To get the context check out the entire review on the Angling Trade Magazine website. The magazine also has an excellent editorial by Kirk Deeter.

Something to smile about?

Chuck Furimsky, owner/operator of The Fly Fishing Show may well have something to smile about. We accosted him in the halls of his Somerset, NJ event and found out a few interesting facts about the fly fishing show scene.

How was attendance this year? According to Mr. Furimsky, Friday set an all time record for the Somerset show (which is his largest event). The packed house we saw on Saturday seemed to further back this up. When asked if he thought the strong attendance was a sign of an impending economic rebound he replied rather that people saw the $15 admission price for the show and over 60 fly fishing programs as a great value (a message that is front and center in this year's marketing material).

What about the whole AFFTA / Nielsen trade show drama this year? Mr. F just shook his head and indicated that he had pitched a Florida show proposal to AFFTA but couldn't get any traction with the AFFTA board (the same folks who had previously decided to go head to head with his consumer show in the Denver market). A big revelation about his proposal for the Florida show would have given free hotel rooms to the dealers. Something we have to think would have made it almost as popular as if they had given free rooms to the media types.

From our own point of view, the show felt successful. The dealers we spoke to seemed happy with the attendance, booths were packed, Lefty Kreh was in the house, and the cash registers appeared to be ringing sales. We even saw a few freshly purchased fly rods leaving the building. Lots of folks were giving show discounts and one rod company even offered our pal Pete a code to use if he wanted to purchase online later. Laissez les bon temps rouler? Maybe.

Thanks to Mr. Furimski for taking time to answer our questions. Just in case you ever thought being a fly fishing show mogul was easy, when we met up with Mr. F he was on his way to repair a wireless microphone and wondering why the local Goose Patrol hadn't gotten rid of the geese.

Vintage Shakespeare Stock Certificate

Suitable for framing and hanging in any angler's fishing room, $295 gets you this 100 share stock certificate in the Shakespeare Fishing Tackle Company. (editor's note: You won't actually own the shares as this is a "specimen" certificate kept on file by printers and such. ) The seller, Scripophily.com also has an excellent write up about the history of the company:

Although William Shakespeare, Jr., had some training in mechanics and craftsmanship, he spent his days peddling patent medicines in and around Kalamazoo. When not hawking elixirs, Shakespeare often grabbed his fishing rod and reel and bait-casted on the banks of the Kalamazoo River or at one of his home state's myriad lakes. Like his angler friends, Shakespeare was frustrated by the inherent inadequacy of multiplier reels, and in 1895 he fell back on his mechanical background and attempted to come up with a solution. Using a small jeweler's lathe, Shakespeare carved precise, curving grooves along the lengths of two round brass rods and created a device that wound back fishing line evenly on the reel spool. He named it the "level-wind," and took his creation on his next fishing trip. The level-wind worked well, drawing the line in evenly without the aid of a thumb. Those fishing alongside Shakespeare gawked at his homespun reel and asked to use it. Shakespeare made several more level-winds and handed them out. The level-winds were an immediate hit, and that was all the market testing Shakespeare needed. He filed for a patent and quickly prepared himself for his new entrepreneurial career.

They say it's your birthday....

Happy Birthday to ya! R.L. Winston Turns 80 this month. We present the only video we could find on the subject via Youtube

Media: Is it just me...

Photo: Cody Simms Photo Stream via Flickr
...or is something being missed here?

An excerpt from the most recent Copy of Angling Trade Magazine reporting survey results that should be of interest to fly shop owners.

FACT #4:Fly shops and word of mouth
are the most popular methods consumers hear of new products
How Do Consumers Hear About FlyFishing Products?
1.Fly Shops
2.Word of mouth
3.Magazines (reviews,article mentions)
4.Catalogs
5.(tie)Fly/Outdoor Shows, magazine ads
6.Internet chat rooms
7.Company websites
8.Press releases

Another excerpt from the same publication

Consumer flyfishing media has done a lot to bring new
anglers to the dance and keep them there. Now,the
knee-jerk reaction for many companies is to cut costs by
cutting ads. No ads, no pages in magazines. No web-sites
either,other than amateur ones.No pro media,no
pro information.No pro information,no anglers.It ’s a
lose-lose cycle.

We love traditional media. Many of our friends and fishing buddies work in it. We subscribe to fly fishing magazines. We know that they add value to the industry. We agree that the fly shop is and should always be the cornerstone of the industry when it comes to new product and fly fishing education. We also believe that to ignore websites such as Midcurrent, Trout Underground, and Moldy Chum, as valid sources of information for gear and fly fishing education who also add value, might be ever so slightly naive.

People: Sci Angler's Bruce Richards Retires

Coming to you from a secret bunker somewhere East of the Walt Whitman Bridge (we are big fans of his sampler), we bring news of the retirement of Scientific Angler's Bruce Richards. From the article at OurMidland.com:

Richards, who retired last week after 33 years with Midland-based Scientific Anglers/3M, oversaw development and production of the fly lines that helped create the image and the boom in fly fishing that followed it.

Mr. Smith, we enjoy your work. The Sharkskin stuff, not so much but that's just our opinion.

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.

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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.

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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."

******

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.

Video: Copeland On Bones

Boone, North Carolina fly shop owner, Theo Copeland talks about everything from teaching trout anglers to cast for bonefish to being on the cover of what he calls "The Rolling Stone" of fly fishing, Fly Rod and Reel Magazine.

Fly Fishing Naming Rights Deal Inked

February, 5th 2008

For Immediate Release

FlyfishMagazine.com Acquires Naming Rights to Top Water Bass Fly

In what insiders call one of the boldest marketing moves in the fly fishing industry, FlyfishMagazine.com today announced the acquisition of naming rights to a white topwater bass bug tied by talented angler and fly tyer, Josh Almond.

Almond, a college student currently on hiatus from his studies at Western Carolina University, inked the deal at a recent event being held in Charlotte, North Carolina. It was while he was applying the finishing touches to the fly with a marker that he realized that it probably didn't matter to the fish what markings were used to decorate it. As is the custom of college students, this realization led to the creation of flies inscribed with phrases such as "Eat Me" or various letters of the Greek alphabet. "We were goofing off at the fly tying vise after a kegger when the idea just sort of hit me" remarked Almond, "I had no idea it would be this big."

Publisher of FlyfishMagazine.com, Lee Murdock, indicated his excitement at being the owner of the naming rights to the fly. "Bass are very popular fish that are just starting to get attention from fly anglers. The economy is in the tank and Josh is a college student so the timing of this purchase was great for both of us. We see great growth potential for both Josh's flies and our brand"

FlyfishMagazine staffer, Captain Gordon Churchill added, "Josh had a great idea that Lee helped him refine and turn into something that works well for all involved." "Let's face it, a fly with Eat Me written on it is cool but slap a dot com name on the back of that sucker and it becomes sheer genius."

Murdock did not reveal the amount paid for the naming rights but did flatly deny trying to charge Almond for the privilege of using the FlyfishMagazine name. "Josh is an excellent negotiator." "If you don't believe he did well on the deal, just check out the size of that cheeseburger in the picture."

Look for more of Josh Almond's fly tying to appear on the virtual pages FlyfishMagazine.com in the near future.

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....

News: Things Aren't Always What They Seem

Here are a few fishy things we have seen to help insure that you make good choices this Wednesday:

According to WVLT-TV Knoxville, the TWRA is finding problems with fish in the area near the Clinch River fly ash spill. The problems include issues with gills, stomachs, and scales. The news story includes what would probably be our Fly Fishing Quote of the week had we not already selected one: "Many times people don't like to eat something if it doesn't look good."
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Newsprint Aggregator CommercialAppeal.com, is reporting about a hunter who found out the hard way that a seven point buck's antlers aren't just for decorating your fireplace.

"He came straight at me before I knew what was going on," said Curtis, a stay-at-home dad with four children. "I tried to get my rifle up but it was on safety, and I just didn't have time before he was on me." The deer was apparently enticed by the scent Webb was using (Tink's 69 Doe in Rut Buck Lure)"
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Over the past several months Albright Tackle has been running an extended deep discount sale. We even bought one of their reels for our Albright 9 weight. Apparently they are changing their pricing model and clued us in today via a rather strange email:

"Regardless of what you paid for some of our products in the past, we ask you to compare our current prices to anything out there. There's simply nothing remotely close. In fact, after doing an across the board brand analysis, we found that on average we were almost 60% less than our competition."

We took it to say, "Hey dudes, we gave you some super deals but then we looked and found out we were way under market so we have decided to give you some less super deals in the future." We looked and the prices are still really good despite the mixed marketing message.

Shake Up At AEG Media

B2 and Rathbun (the Woodward and Bernstine of the fly fishing industry) over at Moldy Chum got the scoop on a big shake up among the Trout Fish Bums over at AEG Media on the Eve of the Fly Fishing Film Tour. Follow this link for more info.