Angling Trade Magazine December 2010

December2009AnglingTrade.com

InsIDe The VALUe IssUe The Value of Vision / Slump Busting, Part II / Fly Fishing’s Cousin / Retailer Profile / The New Value Paradigm / Virginia Festival

TRADE

the buzz on the flyfishing biz

®

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Departments6 editor’s Column

Let’s See Action. The time for talk is over... as an industry, we need to put creative thoughts to work, now, and take a few risks along the way. By Kirk Deeter

8 Currents

The latest people, product and issues news from the North American fly fishing industry.

34 Recommended Reading

Free, an extraordinary exploration of the new “value” paradigm by Wired editor Chris Anderson, can and should completely overhaul the way you approach marketing; Also, kids reading with Olive the Woolly Bugger.

46 Backcast

Virginia Fly Fishing Festival Draws Folks from Hundreds of Miles... And Value is How.By Charlie Meyers

COnTenTs

editor

Kirk [email protected]

Managing editor

Tim [email protected]

editor-at-Large

Charlie [email protected]

Art Director

Tara [email protected]

Copy editors

Mabon Childs, Sarah Warner

Contributing editors

Tom BieBen RomansAndrew SteketeeGreg Thomas

Contributors

Ben Christensen, Will Rice, David Rose, Steve Schweitzer, Roy Tanami

Photos unless noted by Tim Romano

Angling Trade is published four times a year by Angling Trade, LLC. Author and photographic submissions should be sent electronically to [email protected]. Angling Trade is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts and/or photo submissions. We ask that contributors send formal queries in advance of submissions. For editorial guidelines and calendar, please contact the editor via E-mail.

Printed in the U.S.A.

Advertising Contact: Tim Romano Telephone: 303-495-3967 Fax: 303-495-2454 [email protected]

Mail Address:PO Box 17487Boulder, CO 80308

Street Address:3055 24th StreetBoulder, CO 80304

AnglingTrade.com

Features24 Slump Busting, Part IIThe golden rule of marketing is “know thy customer” (and service, service, service). Here’s part II of a series on the cold hard facts of marketing in tough times, specifically focused on how you can understand your customers better, at little cost to you. By Steve Schweitzer

30 Fly Fishing’s CousinLooking for a new value platform to expand your business? Consider center pin fishing, fly fishing’s cousin endeavor. By David Rose

36 Retailer ProfileFine art, kayaks, and authentic Texas charm are the value ingredients at Haines’ Fly Shop. By Ben Christensen

40 The Value of Vision.Eyewear is one of the most cost-efficient sales platforms for any shop, but understanding performance is the key to tapping that value. Here are four “vision” angles from four key players in the market. By Kirk Deeter and Will Rice

TRADE

the buzz on the flyfishing biz

®

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COnTRIBUTORs

BECAUSE YOU NEVERKNOW WHICHACCESSORIES YOU MAY NEED...Angler’s Accessories proves again and again that high quality fly fishing accessories don’t have to be expensive to be great! Call, fax or email for our full-color 2009 catalog.

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Roy Tanami is a photographer, writer and fishing guide based in Vancouver, BC. He is the author of the book Angling the World from Lyons Press, and his work appears in many commercial and editorial outlets in the fly fishing world. Roy’s a steelhead junkie, but has also cast a line for most other species in the world. Much to his chagrin, he has not yet hooked a permit.

Steve Schweitzer Steve Schweitzer is the former vice president of sales and marketing for Whiting Farms. His written work has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Trout, Fly Fisherman, and over a dozen books on the sport. We asked him to weigh in with part II of his “Competing in a Slow Economy” feature from our June 2009 issue.

Ben Christensen Ben Christensen lives with his family on a cattle ranch on the Gulf coast in South Texas. An avid saltwater angler, Christensen is a former outdoors editor for Freedom newspapers who currently teaches high school English. A former enlisted infantry Marine, he is also a veteran of the conflict in Iraq, where he served from 2004-2005.

Will Rice Will Rice is a freelance writer and angler from Denver, Colorado, and a frequent contributor to Angling Trade. He is a contributing editor for The Drake magazine and his articles have appeared in the Denver Post, Salt Water Fly Fishing, and The Flyfish Journal.

David A. Rose David A. Rose is a writer, author, photographer, and fishing guide who lives in the Traverse City, Michigan, area. He’s now been in the outdoor educating business well over a decade, and become one of the state’s most influential writers and promoters of fishing.

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eDITOR’s COLUMn

Think on that a little… especially as it relates to the fly fishing industry and the sagging state of this market. Finger pointing and complaining will get us nowhere. And goodness knows, a lot of folks have poured countless hours, energy, and money into moving their businesses—and the sport as a whole—forward. Indeed I am seeing great ideas, products, and initiatives coming to the fore in many cases.

But my overall opinion following the lightly attended Fly Fishing Retailer trade show in Denver is that a lot of people are sitting on their butts, hop-ing for something good to happen, but not really taking risks or doing anything substantial, strategic, or intelligent to affect change.

Let me tell you something… nobody is going to win in this business 5 or 10 years down the road unless fly fishing,

whatever) for anyone who wins a B.A.S.S. tour event with fly gear. If you want to know why bass fishing is so big today, look no further than the $1 mil-lion bounty on a world record bass, and the pro tours. You want the crossover market? Money talks. Start talkin’.

2) The “Discover Fly Fishing” program should be AFFTA’s number one prior-ity, above FFR, and the Congressional Casting Call, and everything else. We should give away all the information an angler needs to engage and succeed in this sport, for free, in multiple media formats. All the “gurus,” authors, magazines (especially the magazines wringing their hands over the “print is dead” mindset), websites, manufactur-ers, and others should pony up with some contribution to the content neces-sary to create something viable, without a price tag. Prove your value, and make the sport accessible. Find a major con-sumer media partner, AFFTA, to attach the Discover Fly Fishing program to… and drive it to mutual benefit.

3) Guides must play a critical role in recruiting and developing new anglers, with support from manufacturers. Try this: Any consumer who takes five guided trips in a season is rewarded with a free rod or reel or waders or vest, etc., of his or her choice. Now, admittedly, that’s not really a freebie… think of the flies, tippet, and rods, reels, waders, etc., needed to get through those trips. Add to that the fact that the angler who completes this “course” is versed in understanding of conservation and ethics… instilled by guides who are held accountable and rewarded accordingly. In turn, AFFTA explores means of of-fering business and insurance support to the qualified guide.

Think about it. Agree or disagree, press for action. Act yourselves. Work to-gether. Because I don’t intend to get run over, and I know you don’t either.

Kirk Deeter

at

My favorite quote of all time is from Will Rogers, who said: “even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.”

as a whole, starts winning. If we want to turn things around, all of us—media (myself foremost included), manufac-turers, retailers, the trade organization, and various nonprofits associated with this sport—must do more than change a show venue, wait for a Hollywood film release, grin and nod when Barack Obama goes fly fishing, inspire amateur filmmakers and bloggers to express themselves, and then collectively cross our fingers. We must innovate. Get bold. Invest in the sport (beyond our own brands). Work together. And ul-timately, set some realistic benchmarks, and then hold ourselves accountable.

Now here’s the rub: The Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation (RBFF) and the American Sportfishing Associa-tion (ASA) just announced that despite the crappy economy, tackle and fishing license sales, as a whole, are up 8 per-cent in 2009, the most since the 1970s. In other words, people are fishing. So how do we tap that better?

I don’t know for sure, but I have some hunches. And I’ve never been afraid to wear a bullseye on my chest for the critics to target… so here goes. I think we can do three things, right now, that move fly fishing forward. And all of these things revolve around the simple concept of Value (hence the reason we’ve made Value the theme of this issue of Angling Trade).

1) I tossed this out in the last column (to little response), but I’m dead serious about it. As my day job with Field & Stream has shown me over the years, the pulse of the fishing nation beats among bass anglers. Fine, so you make and sell rods targeted at bass people. Now show them the money. Put a bounty out there ($1 million, $100,000, $50,000,

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offering a wide range of aggressive incentives for retailers and manufacturers to attend the new trade show. The question now is whether AFFTA might even be motivated to support the effort in the interest of maintaining one fly-targeted industry trade show going forward. For details, see utaff.org.

The Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation (RBFF) and the American Sportfishing Association (ASA) announced the publication of a quarterly fishing license sales index to track trends that have an impact on the industry and the entire recreational fishing community, which showed a substantial increase in fishing license sales.

“Not since the 1970s have we seen a single-year increase in fishing license sales like we’ve seen so far in 2009,” said ASA President and CEO Mike Nussman. “Understanding how the needle moves in terms of sportfishing participation is important not just for the sportfishing industry, but for the entire outdoor recreation community. This new license metric will provide everyone with important sales and participation information.”

State fish and wildlife agencies reported a 7.7 percent positive change in the number of licenses sold compared to the same months last year (January - July 2009 vs. January - July 2008).

Product BuzzThe Fly Fishing Retailer trade show is traditionally the stage where numerous new fly fishing products make their debut. While the 2009 FFR was smaller in scope than in years past in terms of exhibitors, attendees, and new product introductions, Angling Trade editors got the sense that what product was introduced seems to reflect less spaghetti thrown against the wall, rather a concentration of some savvy ideas that should safely translate to retail sales. Here are some of the products to watch:

Industry BuzzIndustry Trade Show Taking New Direction

On December 1, the American Fly Fish-ing Trade Association and Nielsen Media Group issued separate press announce-ments that said the organizations had dis-solved their agreement relative to Nielsen producing the Fly Fishing Retailer World Trade Expo with AFFTA’s endorsement. Going forward, Nielsen will include fly fishing as an element at its Outdoor Re-tailer Summer Market event, to be held in Salt Lake City, Utah, in August.

AFFTA will indeed proceed with plans to organize its own trade show, to be held at a location and date to be determined.

“There will be an AFFTA trade show in 2010,” said one AFFTA board member. “The important news now is that we are free of our connection with Nielsen, which allows us to communicate with the industry (on this matter), and to pursue other alternatives.

Angling Trade will post any breaking news on the one, two, or three 2010 trade shows (read on) as soon as it becomes available at anglingtrade.com... along with a comment thread where retailers and manufacturers can chime in on the decisions made.

Dueling trade shows? Or a new partnership in the offing? Chuck Furimsky, director of the Fly Fishing Show consumer events, has created the Flyfishing International Trade Show (F.I.T.S.), and is applying for an IRS non-profit designation that will allow the show to donate profits to conservation organizations.

“This is the first time a fly fishing trade show has been formed to donate 100% of the proceeds for sustaining the resource. Without clean water and fish there would be no fly-fishing industry or trade show,” said Chuck Furimsky. Furimsky added that F.I.T.S. will debut in fall 2010 at Disney, Orlando, Florida, utilizing the Coronado Springs Resort mega conference hotel. F.I.T.S. is

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The Scott S4S saltwater rod series was met with universal admiration on the casting ponds. Featuring a powerful, fast taper, these rods are clearly designed to generate high line speeds and handle challenging flats conditions (they’re guns). Yet, with an MSRP of $725, they also emphasize durability, with high-end titanium Recoil guides, and anodized aluminum reel seats. Rods are available in 8-12 weights in two-pice models, and 6-12 weights in four-piece models; scottflyrod.com.

Sage Manufacturing unveiled its Xi3 Series saltwater fly rods, which were also highly impressive on the casting ponds. The company’s proprietary taper design utilizes SaltH2O Technology, a construction that provides the torque to perform in various situations, and improves torsional resistance to help the rod track straight, with true precision. Available in 6-16 weights, MSRP ranges from $695-$775. Sage also introduced the 99 Series rods, specifically designed

for mending and line control in nymph fishing situations. Available in 4-8 weights, MSRP is $699; sageflyfish.com.

The Orvis Company launched its Hydros rod series. Building on the highly popular, incredibly light “Helios” models, Orvis reduced the pricepoint for Hydros rods by scaling

back on some of the accents and flourishes on Helios (reel seat, guides, etc.), which adds negligible weight to the rods, without sacrificing feel or power. We field tested an 8-weight model on a recent Everglades trip and were duly impressed by its muscle, accuracy and durability. With MSRPs ranging from $495 in trout models, to $695 for saltwater models, Hydros will be a welcome option for budget-conscious anglers who will not compromise on performance; orvis.com.

G.Loomis weighed in with its own new “Czech Nymph” fly rods (the popular - and successful - Czech nymphing technique in Europe is starting to see some interest

in the U.S.), MSRP ranges from $640-$650 on two 10-foot, four-piece models. Loomis also launched “Stinger” fly rods for the Scandinavian style of Spey casting

(MSRP $595-$975).

Ross Reels USA/Ross Worldwide unveiled one of the most impressive arrays of new product for 2010 at FFR, ranging from new reel models to youth outfits, to a Spey rod series. The new Ross offerings include: Evolution LT fly reel series (an updated version of the Evolution series with all metal exterior components); RossTec rod and reel cases (a full series of rod and reel

continued on next page...

• Classic Boxes• Clear Boxes• Compartmented Boxes• Promotional Fly Cubes• Ripple Refills• Boat Patches• Strike Indicators• Streamside Tools• Tarpon Stretchers• Thames Mucilin• Non-Lead Weights• and much more.

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NEED IT YESTERDAY?WE HAVE IT TODAY.YOU CAN HAVE IT TOMORROW!

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reels); and Lifetime warranties on all products, retroactive on all Essence FS and Journey Youth fly rods. These products are now available; for specific MSRP information see rossreels.com.

Simms Fishing Products waded in with its typical array of new products in the wading and clothing realms. We field tested “HardBite” cleats for use on Vibram wading soles, which performed quite capably (MSRP $39.95). The biggest Simms news is the introduction of its “No Fly Zone” fabric insect-repelling sportswear, available in various styles and sizes in 2010; see simmsfishing.com.

You’ll want to check out Cloudveil’s new Snake River waders when they appear in 2010… for now, see the company’s Hellroaring Wading

Pant, which we’ve field tested extensively in 2009, and found to be exceptionally tough and comfortable, like fishing in a pair of jeans. MSRP is $250, see cloudveil.com.

A number of rubber-soled wading boots were unveiled at FFR 2009. Redington’s Eco Grip Rubber Sole Boot landed a 2009 Dealer’s Choice Award, which are selected and voted on exclusively by dealers and retailers attending FFR. Also known as the “Ka-Ching” award, the Dealer’s Choice Awards identify the products most likely to sell well in fly shops in the coming year. Eco Grip Boots borrow from military technology; the Eco Grip features a lugged rubber outsole with razor-siped Tactical Rubber Technology, designed and engineered for the U.S. Navy SEALS for extreme traction

under the slipperiest conditions. In addition to no-slip grip, the no-felt design means no inadvertently moving unwelcomed plants and organisms from one stream to another. Other details unique to the Redington Eco Grip boot include high-abrasion TPU uppers for a long,

cases, custom designed and smartly built; Balance adjustable reel arm (a fully adjustable reel arm to accomplish prefect balance between a rod and reel); Reach Spey rods (Spey rods ranging from 6wt. through 9wt., designed by soulful Spey junkies for all types of water); Journey youth fly fishing outfits (complete youth fly fishing outfits with instructional DVD by Tyler Befus); Essence fly fishing outfits (complete fly fishing outfits with instruction DVD); New color options for the CLA and Vexsis reel series; New AGP finish on all pressure cast reel series (incredibly strong and substantially more durable than any finish applied to competitive


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scuff-resistant life; ballistic mesh between the outsole and upper to keep out pebbles and debris; mesh side panels to aid draining; and a DWR finish to mitigate absorption and ensure solid wading.

“As a company, Redington is really proud of our Eco Grip boot,” said Jennifer Gish, Marketing Coordinator at Redington. “For dealers and retailers to select it as ‘Dealer’s Choice’ means a lot to us and validates our dedication to developing cutting edge fly fishing products for anglers around the world.” MSRP is $129.95, see redington.com.

Scientific Anglers launched a number of variations on its line and fly box models, including the first sinking Sharkskin lines (a Saltwater Clear Tip and Tarpon Intermediate). But the real buzz is around the company’s new Mastery Series Streamer Express Long Sinking and Floating lines - designed in conjunction with noted streamer fishing expert Kelly Galloup.

Streamer Express lines are available in 150 to 400 grain weights (for 5 through 12 weight rods). They are smartly engineered to turn over big bugs, and applicable in a huge range of fly fishing environs, trout and otherwise. MSRP is @ $69.95; see scientificanglers.com.


Live Eyewear recently announced an addition to its Cocoons brand of OveRx® sunwear chosen by avid outdoorsmen--a new soft touch slate frame finish in all models. The addition of the slate frame finish is available in all six shapes with

the option of gray, amber, copper or yellow Polaré polarized, scratch resistant lenses. Cocoons have MSRP of $44.95, for more info visit cocoonseyewear.com

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StreamWorks Products Group, Inc. (SPG), announced the release of the StreamWorks Aluminum Pliers with HubLight – the first of its kind in the fishing industry.

“With the new Aluminum Pliers with HubLight, we took the common problem of fishing in low-light conditions and adapted a simple solution that makes fishing easier and more enjoyable,” explained SPG co-

founder and CEO Bill Brauner. “We’re always looking to create ‘Simply Smarter’ products that bring solutions to problems we regularly encounter while on the river or outdoors.”

The Aluminum Pliers with HubLight are rust-proof, feature SPG’s patented Hub-Lightä and are designed to perform in low light and extreme environments. The Hub-Lightä beam rotates with the plier jaws so you never lose the illumination point – a key feature especially for those early dawn and late twilight outings. The Hub-Lightä provides white LED, is completely sealed, and uses easy-to-find hearing aid batteries. MSRP is $129.98 and the product will be available to fishing retailers starting February 1, 2010. www. streamworks.com

Hobie’s commitment to kayaking and fishing is taking on a new dimension with the introduction of its Hobie eVolve electric drive available as an accessory to any Hobie MirageDrive pedal-propelled kayak and Pro Angler fishing

boat. This Hobie-designed system integrates a Torqeedo electric motor with two easy-to-use mounts, one that

slips into Hobie’s MirageDrive pedal well and one that fits onto any Hobie Twist and Stow rudder. The Hobie eVolve rudder-mounted motor can be used by itself or it can be combined with the MirageDrive pedal system for extra propulsion and added range. The result is a quiet, efficient and emissions-free motor to navigate current-ripped bays and coastal tours or for a quick run across the lake to a favorite fishing spot. The Hobie


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eVolve will be available at an MSRP of $1899; see hobiecat.com.

Colorado retailers should take time to check out Fly Fishing Tec (flyfishingtec.com) to see that company’s offering of River Guidebooks, and River Maps for notable Centennial State waterways (the company also covers the Green River and San Juan). Guidebooks included river-specific, full-color, shaded-reliefs USGS and National Geographic topo maps divided into river section, and bound together by carabiner for easy access. They are fully laminated (waterproof), and feature public put-ins, hot fishing spots, recommended flies, etc. for an MSRP of $21.95. River Maps, are just that, also containing pertinent fishing information in waterproof format… hook is, they

can be customized with client photos, and other accents that make them keepsakes, guide trip mementos, and gifts, as well as functional resources.

Most of Colorado’s major trout streams have public access. It’s not always a simple matter to determine what is public, though. To inform anglers of public access, Hidden Lakes Press (hiddenlakespress.com) now publishes digital maps for the Colorado, Blue, Yampa, Rio Grande, Eagle, Gunnison headwaters, Poudre and Laramie rivers. Each river map is viewable in Adobe Reader with 8.5x11 pages, which the user can print in color. The number of maps varies depending on the distance of each river. The Eagle River is covered with four maps, while the Yampa uses 13 pages. Each river also has a page for hatch charts and

another for map symbols and color code for surface ownership. These maps inform anglers, rafters, and kayakers of where they may access the water without trespassing. Unlike other river maps, these maps are easy to replace when a page becomes worn or soiled. Also, these maps show the boundaries and extent of public lands so that the angler knows exactly how much access is available.

The maps are available online at TroutGear.com. To facilitate fast service on map orders, they can be downloaded once an order is received and credit card purchase is approved. The buyer will receive by email a link to download the maps. The order can be delivered in as little as one hour. Cost varies by the number of pages needed for each river and runs from


Higher Profi tsThe most favorable and profi table dealer terms let you earn the highest margins and make the most profi ts.

Exclusive DistributionScott is committed to specialty fl y shops. Our distribution is tightlycontrolled, so you won’t fi nd Scott in the big box and we won’t over-saturate the market.

InnovationNew for 2010 - the S4s high performance saltwater rods – Winner of the Dealer’s Choice Award at Fly Tackle Retailer.

The Scott Custom ShopGiving specialty retailers a truly unique product to sell and theability to differentiate themselves from the crowd.

Just a few of the reasons that Scott is the specialty fl y rod brand for dedicated specialty retailers.

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The Scott Difference

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$7.95 to $10.95. Anglers can review the rivers covered at TroutGear.com. Also available is a CD, ‘Colorado River Maps’ which contains all of the eight rivers that are sold separately as downloadable products. Retail price is $47.90. Hidden Lakes Press also publishes angling guide “E-books” on CD for rivers in Colorado, including ‘Fifty Colorado Tailwaters’, ‘Trout on Colorado State Lands’, and ‘Fly Fishing the Flat Tops’. Retailers receive a 40% to 50% discount depending on number of products ordered.

Fly Rod & Reel recently launched a new book imprint (Fly Rod & Reel Books, flyrodreel.com) with two inaugural titles, Freshwater Game Fish of North America by Peter Thompson and In Hemingway’s Meadow: Award-Winning Fly-Fishing Stories. Freshwater Game Fish of North America captures the natural history of species as varied as bowfin

to bass to dozens of types of trout. In Hemingway’s Meadow is the first-ever collection of stories from the Robert Traver Fly-Fishing Writing Award, which Fly Rod & Reel has co-sponsored for 15 years with the John D. Voelker Foundation. “Unusual diversity and consistently engaging stories—these are the hallmarks of this marvelous new collection,” says Nick Lyons. “A great book for everyone who loves fine writing about fly fishing.”

Contact Linda Callahan at 1-800-766-1670 ext 415 or e-mail [email protected] to order

these books. Dealer terms are 47 percent off cover price, returnable. Also look for reviews of these titles in future issues of Angling Trade.

ServicesThe Scott Fly Rod Company announced an online resource designed to let consumers design and order a fly rod that’s different, unique, and personal, one built just to their exact specifications. Called the Scott Custom Shop (scottcustomshop.com). Customers can choose from the latest in high tech corrosion free components, and blanks. Best of all, from a retailer’s perspective, Scott pays dealer margins (without requiring front-end financial investment) when customers checkout from the site and select their referring shop.

LodgeRunner is a web-based reservation management system for fishing lodges and outfitters that allows a shop or lodge staff to quickly and accurately enter bookings, assign guides and lodge rooms, and correspond with clients via E-mail. Guides can log into the system to update availability and

check schedules. LodgeRunner can also be used to display availability of guides and lodge rooms on business websites, take online bookings, and accept credit card payments. All information is safe and secure, and can be accessed from any

Internet browser anywhere in the world. For more information contact Andrew Harris at 530-632-3465, or see LodgeRunner.com.

Buckville Publications LLC... Says it’s easy to find a qualified contractor

who will slap some solar electric panels on your roof in the city, and hook you up to the utility grid. But in the most remote corners of the world, all bets are

off—especially if you have a business to run that depends on electricity. If your only reliable power source is a gasoline generator, the costs of

bringing in fuel by small boat, float plane or helicopter pile up fast. And if something goes wrong, spare parts and backup systems may be weeks away, with very high costs to bring them in.

“The worst part is that when power systems are not specially designed for remote areas and extreme conditions they fail, provide inadequate energy, or both. Then people get the idea that renewable energy doesn’t work, after investing lots of money in it,” explained Dan Fink, renewable energy author. “Renewable energy does work,” Fink said. “You just have to get it right from the very beginning.”

Fink and business partner Dan Bartmann are now offering renewable energy system design, troubleshooting and consulting services for extremely difficult locations.

“An easy-to-live-with renewable energy system for Nicaragua’s Caribbean coast is a completely different animal than one to meet the same electricity needs in northern British Columbia,” Fink said. “The salty air of coastal Nicaragua can disable your solar panels and wind turbine from corrosion during a single rainy season, while in BC the grizzly bears may actively try to reduce the


MercuryCSCRIO090002RIo Brand AdTrim Size: 8.375”x10.875”Color: 4cType: MagazinePub: Angling TradeDecember 09

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OBSESSED WITH YOUR NEXT CAST. RIOPRODUCTS.COM

Sales and production are often at odds around here. Production says that time on the water benefits the product—which benefits you, the customer. But when orders are running high, that’s just more time in the factory, right? Not exactly. Because this dispute is likely to get settled at the one place everyone can agree on: the river.

OUR PRODUCTION TEAM IS BUMMED.

OUR SALES FORECASTCALLS FOR A 5% INCREASECALLS FOR A 5% INCREASE.


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power system at your fishing lodge to shreds when nobody’s home during the winter.”

Fink concluded, “The systems we worked on for these wildly different locations were surprisingly similar. They had to be bomb-proof with redundant backup power, and be designed and sized exactly right for the local energy resources, transportation options, energy use and budget.”

Both Dan and business partner Dan have lived miles off the grid for two decades, and generate all electricity at their households with solar and wind. They are co-authors of the book “Homebrew Wind Power.” Bartmann is a specialist in wind energy, including designing wind turbines that can be locally manufactured in remote areas by local residents. Fink previously spent 10 years in the field designing and installing off-grid power systems. Contact: buckville.com. [email protected]

People NewsIn an earlier life Christine Johnson attended private schools, hosted trendy parties, muscled through a high-pressure corporate gig, and did time in the Junior League. But life took an abrupt and curious turn. Freshly divorced in 2005, Christine quit her job, walked away from the social scene and bought a drift boat. Since then she’s fished and rowed across most of Montana and started a wildly popular blog called FlyFishChick.com. While some might consider that a dream escape, Christine still had an itch that she couldn’t scratch… Next June (staring at age 40) Christine and her paddling partner, Banning Collins, will

paddle quite a distance for charity... 262 miles, to be exact. It’s called The Texas Water Safari, and it’s appropriately billed as The World’s Toughest Canoe race. To learn more about The Texas Water Safari and their fundraising efforts, please visit www.TeamPaddlefish.com. Stay tuned to departurepublishing.com for info on a future book release. Good luck Christine!

Pale Morning Media LLC, a public relations and creative communications agency specializing in the outdoor world, opened an expansion office in Portland, Maine. Known as Pale Morning Media-EAST, the new office will be overseen by Michael Collin, a veteran of outdoor industry marketing. Most recently, Collin worked as U.S. brand manager for KJUS Skiwear.

“I have a huge place in my heart for Portland, both personally and professionally,” said Drew Simmons, Pale Morning Media president. “There’s a healthy, wild spirit in Maine – from the spectacular coast to the amazingly pristine interior – and I’m thrilled to have an excuse to spend more time there.”

PR pro Sue Melus announced the launch of Melus Outdoors, LLC, a public relations and new media communications company which specializes in the hunting, fishing, shooting sports and natural resource

conservation industries. Melus Outdoors supports companies with its broad

list of media and industry contacts, strategic product placement, traditional and social media releases,

trade show assistance and electronic press kits. Additionally, it will launch and maintain an effective online presence for businesses with the latest new media tools such as video content, blogs, Twitter, Facebook, pitchengine and Fast Pitch! network. See melusoutdoors.com for more information.

Hardy and Greys announced that Andy Mill, arguably the most successful tarpon tournament angler in the world, is joining its North American organization. Andy will be taking the lead role in the development of the Company’s

saltwater range of rods and reels and will be working closely with Howard Croston, head of fly fishing product development.

Said Mill: “It’s an honor and a privilege to be working with Hardy which I’ve always considered to be the ‘Rolex’ of fresh water fishing products. It’s my personal goal to help bring this same image to saltwater fishing.”

Simms announced the hiring of Tobin Teichgraeber as the company’s new Global Director of Product Development. With more than 17 years of development experience, Teichgraeber comes to Simms with

an extensive background in the outdoor industry, including three years at Merrell, where he served as global creative director of apparel and accessories.


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He also worked at Helly Hansen (vice president of global products & marketing) and in the snowboarding arm of Adidas-Salomon.

“Tobin’s skill set and management style are exactly what we were looking for in this role,” said K.C. Walsh, president of Simms. “His experience in similar roles at larger outdoor companies will be a fantastic asset for us.”

At Simms, Teichgraeber will be responsible for overseeing all product development and merchandising initiatives, including managing a product development plan to ensure new products and product updates are delivered to market on a timely basis. He’ll serve as critical member of the Simms team charged with setting the strategic direction of the company. Tobin is a graduate of Columbia University.

MediaPirates of the Flats to debut on ESPN2… Officials from Orion Multimedia, America’s largest producer of outdoor adventure programming, have announced that the much anticipated “Pirates of the Flats” series will debut Sunday December

27 on ESPN2. The series is presented in partnership with the Bonefish & Tarpon Trust and ESPN Outdoors and features a collection of luminary anglers including Tom Brokaw, Michael Keaton, Patagonia founder

Yvon Chouinard, saltwater angling pioneer Lefty Kreh, and acclaimed photographer R. Valentine Atkinson.

The series will be narrated by Brokaw and will explore the wonders of flats fishing through the eyes of this all-star cast who have each devoted a significant part of their lives to conservation causes. The series also will reveal some of the latest research funded by BTT and other organizations - information that will both help anglers catch more fish and better save the fragile coastal habitats. Along the way, viewers will be prompted to do their part to preserve these species so that future generations can experience all that these great game fish have to offer.

Editor’s Note: This is not only worth checking out, it’s worth tuning your friends and customers into as well. Why? Because it brings much-needed, high-profile focus to fly fishing… this is a major consumer platform that could yield positive for this industry, and we should leverage that to maximum effect.

The wild Teton River canyon is one of Idaho’s most unique natural wonders—and also one of its most threatened. A new film just released by Trout Unlimited explores the rugged beauty of the canyon—a fly fishing paradise and one of the last remaining strongholds for Yellowstone cutthroat trout—as well as the threat to the canyon posed by a proposal to rebuild Teton Dam, which failed disastrously in 1976, killing 11 and causing more than $1 billion in damage. In 2009, the state of Idaho announced plans to study rebuilding the controversial dam. The primary rationale offered for Teton Dam is the need for supplemental water for irrigation. But as TU’s film makes clear, there are better alternatives for water storage for eastern Idaho, such as

aquifer recharge and conservation. Moreover, the dam’s economic and ecological costs would be enormous, leading many to ask: Is this another disaster in the making? Most people, including most Idahoans, have never visited the canyon and know little about its natural resources and ecological importance. The BLM is studying the Teton River through the canyon as a candidate for Wild and Scenic River status.

“We made this film to show Idahoans and all Americans why this wild canyon is deserving of protection,”


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said Kim Trotter, director of TU’s Idaho Water Project. “Idaho inundated this canyon once—let’s not make the same mistake again.” See tu.org/tetoncanyon for more details.

Also, be sure to check out the freshly launched GoFISHn website (gofishn.com), which takes social media and plants a strong fishing focus therein. Billed as a place “where anglers connect,” GoFISHn allows users to share stories and information. It also allows small businesses to discover new customers and keep in

touch with existing ones. The site is distinctive in that it is easy to navigate and use, and content is continually updated. From status alerts, to photo galleries, to custom maps, users are invited to create and update their submissions regularly. The site also features user-focused gear reviews and Q&A forums, each of which are integrated in “feeds” to members who participate. Also, the site will be linked to social sites like Facebook and Twitter. Contact the site to find out how you can participate.

The 2010 edition of the Fly Fishing Show is scheduled for six major national hub cities. Locations and dates are: Denver, Colorado January 8, 9 and 10, Denver Merchandise Mart; Marlborough, Massachusetts.,

January 15, 16 and 17, Royal Plaza; Somerset, New Jersey, January 22, 23 and 24, Garden State Convention Center; Charlotte, North Carolina, January 29 and 30, Charlotte Merchandise Mart; Pleasanton, California, February 26, 27 and 28, Alameda County Fairgrounds; and Pasadena, California, March 13 and 14, Pasadena Convention Center. See flyfishingshow.com for details.

The International Sportsmen’s Expositions are also scheduled for Denver, Colorado, January 7-10; San Mateo, California, January 14-17; Sacramento, California, January 21-24; Phoenix, Arizona, February 26-28, and Salt Lake City, Utah, March 18-21. Please see sportsexpos.com for more details. at

Hey. You steppedin something.

The Eco GripTM Rubber Sole BootCHANCES ARE, if you fish, you fish more than one river. And when you wear a

felt-bottomed boot or wader, there’s also a chance that you’re transporting tiny plants and microorganisms that can wreak havoc on ecosystems in other streams and rivers.

That’s why we invented the Eco Grip™ Rubber Sole Boot. Its lugged and siped sole was created for U.S. Navy SEALS, and it gives you good footing without taking any microscopic “hitchhikers” with you when you leave. So no matter which river or

stream you’ve put your foot in, everything stays where it belongs.

C

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Travel

If life and fly fishing were fair, every fly angler’s first shot at an Atlantic Salmon would come on the banks of a remote, pristine, northern river, filled with mammoth, trophy, sea-bright fish - full of fight and festooned with sea lice. The Yokanga, on Russia’s Kola Peninsula, is just such a river. And, as fate would have it, my first shot at this so-called “King of Sport Fish” came on its banks this past July.

Of all the storied Atlantic salmon rivers on the Kola, the biggest fish come home to the Yokanga. Indeed, salmon exceeding twenty, thirty and even forty pounds are caught here each year as a matter of course. These are fish which exceed all superlatives. The fish of a lifetime. Fish of legend. Fish that can honestly spool you, undo your knots, break your rods, and strip you of any form of lucidity or angling arrogance that you might have brought to the river with you. These

are fish that can truly make you, or break you. When a fellow angler at the lodge learned that I was indeed an Atlantic salmon virgin, he quipped: “Well, you certainly believe in starting at the top, don’t you?”

Flyfish Yokanga (Flyfishyokanga.com), based in the UK, is run by two Atlantic salmon veterans, Peter Rippen and Roddy Hall. Long-time guides with years of international experience, Peter was formerly Operations Manager for Shakelton International, and Roddy managed the main Ryabaga Camp on the Ponoi for several years before coming to Yokanga. In addition, under the banner of the Fly Fisher Group, Peter, Roddy and their colleagues represent some of the finest salmon water in Iceland, as well as other premier fly fishing and sporting properties the world over. These boys know salmon fishing, and how to run a tight operation.

Written by Roy Tanami

And, over my week at Yokanga, it also became fairly apparent why they choose to be on this river.

Yokanga is a big, brawling Arctic river. Wading can be a challenge as the rocks are big, irregularly shaped, and they move. In some places, you can step off one and be in past your waders barely a spey rod’s length from shore. The water is clear, but tea-stained, and on dark days, it can appear to be almost black. Double-handed rods are the weapons of choice, and for those uninitiated to using them or fishing really big water, the Yokanga experience can even be, well, somewhat daunting.

That said, the Yokanga is easily one of the most completely engaging rivers I’ve ever fished. From big, fast, streamy rapids dotted with fish-holding pocket water to long, greasy, boulder-garden runs, glassy tailouts and everything in between,

Fishing Russia’s Trophy Salmon River


Until recently, these “Signature Destinations” have been representedexclusively by The Fly Shop™ and our very small network of anglingtravel agencies and a few fine fly shops worldwide. It’s an approach we’vefound successful, but one that we’re about to change.

We here at The Fly Shop™ feel there’s been a lot of fly industry lipservice about “specialty products for specialty shops” and a definite anddisconcerting shift in the distribution of fly fishing rods, reels, lines andthe rest of what has made independent fly shops successful. Add to thatthe on-line discounting trend, manufacturer direct purchasing, a world-wide web “free for all” for fly fishing goods, travel, and service.Then couple all that with the current economic crisis and it’s obvious

we have to change our tactics if fly shops want to do more than survive.

We’re not looking for representation of our “Signature Destinations”in every shop in America and we don’t want to further homogenize the look of anindustry whose stores are already becoming much too similar.Our goal is to find an even greater collective strength by working together with aselect number of geographically distinct shops interested in promoting what we’vealready proven is an honor roll of great international fishing spots.

Our “Signature Destinations” from Dave Egdorf ’s rustic troutcamp in Alaska to the luxurious lodges of Estancia Maria Behety in Tierra del Fuegoare time-tested locations that have earned the stamp of approval from thousandsof anglers and have met the highest performance standards in the fly fishingindustry. They didn’t get blind endorsements from us purchased with a checkbook.From our remote Kamchatka bush camps to our luxuriousTierra del Fuego sea troutlodges these are among the most famous fly fishing experiences on the planet.

We’ll work with you to customize an approach for your shop to effectivelyand profitably promote these top-of-the-line destinations that your customers havebeen reading about in magazine articles and our catalogs for decades.

We’ll tailor a commission and referral structure for your shop thatwill reward you for your performance while guaranteeing that the relationship withthe clients you send to our “Signature Destinations” will be respected and honoredindefinitely. We won’t “poach” your travellers, and if we’re needed to help answertheir tackle questions, they’ll be referred back to you for the sale.

If your interested, give our travel department a call or e-mail us andwe’ll respond promptly with a full explanation of our Signature Fly Shop concept.

are a cross section of the world’s finest fly fishing lodges, camps andoutfitters. They represent more than 30 years of field exploration,experience and hands-on involvement by our travel team.

Let us help put that experience to work in your fly shop!

D e s t i n a t i o n sSignatureOur

Tierra del FuegoOur “Signature Lodges” are

acknowledged as the finest

and most popular in the

“Land of the Giants”!

Chilean PatagoniaLodges are popping up every-

where in Chile, yet our

four “Signature Lodges” are

renowned as the standard of

comparison in Patagonia.

AlaskaKamchatkaBelizeNew ZealandMexican Yucatan

(800) 669-3474 [email protected] Redding California


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at

every bend in the river reveals a new adventure – and not just because each cast here holds the genuine promise of a trophy-sized salmon. Each day, anglers and their highly experienced Russian guides are flown to and from their beats on a Russian Mi-8 helicopter, except for the beats closest to the lodge, which can be reached by foot. In fact, the home pool, and the famous “Lylioc Pool” both just minutes walk from the lodge, are two of the most interesting and productive pieces of water on the entire river.

As a North American steelhead junkie, I’d always wondered about the mystique of Atlantic salmon, and just how they stacked up against steelhead. After all, the two species are similar in lifestyle and most of our steelheading techniques and approaches are indeed new world offshoots of long-standing Atlantic salmon fishing lore originally developed in the UK. So for me, while the fishing method was instantly familiar, we generally fished faster water, presented the fly much faster, and worked the fly far more actively than I am accustomed to in steelheading. So, what about the fish you might ask?

As a general comment, and with my limited salmon experience, I’m afraid I have to plant myself firmly on the fence. I can’t bring myself to say they were better than steelhead, but they were easily every bit as good. I can say however, that the hottest Yokanga fish I caught was a beautiful, chrome bright, 15 pound torpedo that took backing as fast as a bonefish, and more of it than any steelhead or seatrout I’ve ever hooked of a similar size. In fact, when it finally came to hand, I was surprised and almost relieved that it wasn’t twice the size. Indeed, the one factor in the

salmon vs. steelhead debate, which does fall indisputably in favor of salmon, is that they grow larger than steelhead – much larger. And, this one factor is also a large part of the mystique and draw of the Yokanga.

Everything about the Yokanga experience is of an epic scale. The landscape is huge, wild, open rugged tundra, bathed in the sometimes harsh, clear 24 hour daylight above the Arctic Circle. The river is big, powerful and challenging. The fish are Atlantic Salmon – arguably the original, classic, glamour fly fishing species ever, and the ones in Yokanga are the largest genetic strain of salmon found on the Kola. The spectacular log lodge is also second to none on the entire peninsula. In fact, just the story of how this massive log building from my home province of British Columbia even got out there to the middle of nowhere on the Russian tundra is an epic tale in itself.

As for me, no, I didn’t get that elusive thirty pound plus Yokanga trophy. But perhaps more to the point, while on the Yokanga, I genuinely expected to, on virtually every cast I made. Such is the quality of the water you fish and of the runs of fish in it. And, quite frankly, from a steelhead/salmon mindset, it doesn’t get much better than that. In terms of actual numbers, in my first week of salmon fishing ever, I did manage to hook several fish, including one pushing twenty pounds, and the largest fish caught that week was a spectacular, silver bright 28 pounder landed by Richard Furbank.

Swinging flies for big, sea-run salmonids can be a fickle pursuit, so to the truly devoted, this game, by its nature is more about quality of opportunity than actual body count. In fact, if you just want to catch a lot of fish, and you don’t care about their size, or draw distinctions amongst kelt, grilse, ice-fish or fresh, sea bright-fish, there may be other salmon rivers in the world more suited to your temperament. And, while you may not have too many hardcore salmon addicts amongst your clientele of traveling anglers, if you have hardcore steelheaders in your customer base, I guarantee that a week on the Yokanga would fit quite well into their version of heaven, and instantly convey them to such.

For North Americans, reaching the Kola Peninsula is generally achieved via commercial flight to Stockholm, Sweden, a charter flight to Murmansk, Russia, and a breathtaking heli ride over the Russian Arctic in a Mi-8. It’s a bit of a hump, to be sure, but a small price to pay to reach some of the finest salmon fishing rivers left on earth. And, while there are better known rivers on the Kola than Yokanga, in my view, if you’re going to make the trip anyway, you might as well start at the top and swing your flies where the really big ones live. And if you get to spend a week on Yokanga, you might be amazed at just how fair life, and salmon fishing can sometimes appear to be.

For more information on fishing the Yokanga, contact Peter Rippen of Flyfish Yokanga ([email protected])

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In my last article, we learned that the flyshop is still the “king” of fly fishers’ information needs, and we learned five key competencies you should have as a fly fishing retailer:

1. Know who your customer is (age, demographics, spending habits, etc).

2. Know your customer’s needs and why they buy from you.

3. Be a seller where your customer wants to buy (internet, mail order, retail space).

4. Be a partner in their buying decisions, not just a credit card swiper.

5. Be the source of information they trust.

Most importantly, the key trait that is foundation for the competencies above is service, service and more customer service. This should not be new to anyone as it is the most written about sales tactic no matter what the industry, and has been since written word has been archived. But what is often missing from those “Johnny-do-customer-service-right” articles is timely what & how to do it right information. Simply, sales generation tactics that worked five years ago aren’t as effective today. This article explores some new and some updated tactics to help you energize your sales and bottom line.

So, since the last article the economy has pensively slithered into a glint of promising hope despite promises of “economic stimulus” benefits that will most likely never see the public let alone the fly fishing industry. It also didn’t hurt that the summer season’s timely arrival brought (hopefully) increased shop sales and guided trips have bolstered an otherwise underwhelming fly fishing season.

Despite the economy being gauntly or gainly depending on your POV, here are some simple

tactical strategies you can do right now to look at opportunities from the inside-out.

1. Conduct a survey. Some fly shops I have talked to over the years know the answers to the questions below, but most don’t. If you don’t know the answers, go find out. How do you find out? Conduct a survey…you have no excuses! They’re cheap and easy to do, especially with internet-based tools like surveymonkey.com, esurveypro.com and zoomerang.com. What does this solve for you? Simple; it gives you the insight to the five key competencies. If you stumble on any one of the five, start here; develop a survey, don’t guess at the answers! (Underlying message: even if you think you are on top of the key competencies, conduct a survey anyhow…I bet you’ll find at least a handful of facts that will surprise you.)

Your survey should answer these questions:

• WHO buys what you sell? Know your demographics.

• WHAT do they want? What bugs them? Be able to separate true demand trends from needy customer wants.

• WHY do they buy it? Impulse buys? Replacement product? Expendables? Why do they buy from your competitors?

• WHEN do they want to buy it? Seasonality? store hours? Only when there are sales/deals?

• WHERE do they buy it? Online? In a store?

• HOW do they want to buy?

Now of course, designing a survey is a science unto itself, but is doesn’t have to be daunting. And, you don’t have to collect all your data needs all at once. Consider breaking up your survey into bite-sized chunks. Ask about shopping preferences one month, product preferences another, competitive preferences

Written by Steve Schweitzer

Things You Can Do To Compete In A Challenging Economy

Slump Busting


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Things You Can Do To Compete In A Challenging Economy

• Will the slowing economy influence FF spending?

Experience Level Assessment

• How long have you been fly fishing?

• How many FF trips have you taken outside of your country?

• What do you fish for?

• What fly rod action do you prefer?

• What is the most you have paid for a fly rod?

• What is the average amount you paid for all your fly rods?

• Do you build your own fly rods or have interest in doing so?

Product Ownership & Competition Perception Evaluation

• What rods (mfgrs), weights and quantities do you own? (broken out over two questions)

• What reels (mfgrs), weights and quantities do you own? (broken out over two questions)

• What is better?: higher rod cost w/warranty vs lower rod cost w/nominal repair fees

• Are higher priced rods better than lower priced rods?

• Who makes the best fly rods? (mfgrs)

• Who makes the best fly reels? (mfgrs)

Elkhorn Product & Perception Analysis

• Have you ever cast an Elkhorn fly rod?

• If you have never tried Elkhorn products, would you consider in the future?

• How do you hear about new fly fishing products?

• Rank what’s most important to you: quality, price, selection, warranty, product innovation, etc

• When thinking of Elkhorn, what comes to mind about quality?

• When thinking of Elkhorn, what comes to mind about price?

• What is your opinion of Elkhorn reels?

• Would you be willing to rent an Elkhorn outfit before buying?

• How long do you think Elkhorn has been in business?

• Open form comment

SURVEY SCOPE

The survey was sent to existing customer lists and emails collected from the “contact us” link on elkhornflyrod.com. Realizing this population would skew results of many of the questions towards favor of Elkhorn, the survey was sent to several chat rooms, chat boards, clubs, websites and the like. It is estimated the reach to be several thousand at a minimum. Special care was taken to reach a representative portion of women and children fly fishers as well.

SURVEY RESPONSES

The survey far exceeded the response expectation (targeted 250 responses) with over 1,300 responses. Random draw prizes such as rods, reels and clothing were offered to 14 winners as a way to incent participation. After culling incomplete responses, a random 1,000 responses were selected for further analysis using Minitab statistical analysis software and Microsoft Excel. (Minitab is not required as all necessary analysis can be done using the ubiquitous Microsoft Excel.)

another and open-forum feedback another. Keep the surveys to 5-7 questions taking no more than a few minutes to complete. Offer freebies as a way to incent participation and remember to always ask the same basic demographic data in ALL surveys so analysis against age, income level, etc., is consistent over time.

MINI-CASE STUDY: HOW ELKHORN FLY ROD & REEL DESIGNED THEIR SURVEY

When Elkhorn Fly Rod & Reel set out to understand its competition, market potential and customer needs, the most efficient way was to initiate an internet-based survey using esurveypro.com.

How did Elkhorn set up its survey? After an initial assessment of the needs for a revised business plan, a survey was created comprising 4 categories, 33 questions and 1 free-form comment fill-in. (I’ve included results to some of the questions below, just for fun).

Basic Demographic information

• Email address (for random draw award notification)

• Willing to receive periodic emails from Elkhorn?

• Age

• Gender

• Annual household income

• Annual spend on fly rods, reels & accessories

• Annual spend on flies & tying materials

• Do you own Elkhorn products now?

• How much is spent on fly fishing via the internet?

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2. Develop programs that place you in FRONT of the customer. Don’t wait for customers to come to you. Cultivate many sales channels at once. The customer with money evolves faster than you realize; spending money where you thought he never would. Get in front of the customer and anticipate their next move. We talked about the power of the internet as a sales channel in the last article. Our research suggests at least 50% of all fly fishing purchases are done via the internet.

• IDEA #1: Set up shop on the internet, or if you already have an internet sales channel, ensure it doesn’t create a barrier to browse and buy. This may seem like a no-brainer to mention, but it’s worth repeating many

need: convenience. Bundling creates demand and speaks to the consumer’s insatiable desire to have more “stuff ” and the feeling of getting a bargain at the same time.

• IDEA #4: Join the “Green” scene. It’s the latest marketing craze. Create a program that addresses ecology and be public about it. It’s not enough that manufacturers are turning to green manufacturing practices, it is now critical the retailer show the same initiative as well. The retailer is the critical link between the consumer and the manufacturer. Make being ecology-focused a core value of your enterprise. Customers appreciate this and will increasingly come to expect this in the near-term. Support local stream habitat restoration or promote companies whose products consider green or sustainable manufacturing processes, and make it a part of your sales pitch. Teach your customers how they can be green too (read this article for some quick ideas: http://globalflyfisher.com/fishbetter/10waysgreen/). While this initiative itself may not directly generate more sales, it will most certainly generate a feeling of self-worth to yourself and you will be doing the sport of fly fishing a big service for generations to come.

• IDEA #5: Build social networking into your plan of reach. Facebook, Twitter and old-timer MySpace are all examples of social networks that have reach far beyond anyone’s expectations. Who would have thought 10 years ago that an internet facility that’s based upon the basic human need to talk would have such power today? Social networks are nothing new, however the tools to create social networks are. “Out” are the days of writing letters and flyers, “in” is the instant tweets and blog sites. Remember from the

times over. If you aren’t utilizing the internet as a sales channel, you are missing out. There’s plenty on the internet on how to start an internet sales channel, just Google it.

• IDEA #2: Become a talent-powered organization, not a product-powered organization. Talent will sell product, product doesn’t sell itself. Constantly train your guide and store staff to be customer-centric and the consummate sales people…and reward them for their successful performance. This can be a competitive advantage. To deliver exceptional customer experience, retailers will need to build and hone their talent pool. Don’t be fooled, your talent pool can be just as fickle as your customers. I know of many fly shops who conduct spring weekend guide-training days in preparation for the upcoming busy season. That is all well and good, but what about a mid-season tune-up or an end-of-season re-cap? The more you give to your staff, the more they will give to you.

• IDEA #3: Implement Mass Customization in your shop. Shoppers continue to gravitate towards individual focus, interaction, customization and cradle-to grave offerings. Dell is the king of mass customization, having all the parts at hand and building computers over night as orders are received. You can do the same, but it takes a keen awareness of what your consumers buy and why (see #3 below). How can you be like Dell? Build bundles of products commonly purchased together, offering a commensurate discount for purchasing the bundle. If many of your customers come in buying leaders and flies at the same time, build a bundle that includes a leader and 6 flies of their choice for $X dollars – that’s mass customization. Not only will you move more product, you’ll also be servicing a critical

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Organization How Twitter is Being Used

Laughing Grizzly Fly ShopLongmont, Coloradohttp://laughinggrizzlyflyshop.com/Twitter: laughinggrizzly

“Until recently we had no idea what Twitter was. A shop employee suggested we use Twitter to communicate in short bursts to our followers. It’s pretty awesome. We tell people what river information we have published on our Fish Log online, which draws traffic to our website.”

What We Expect From Twitter: “At first I really didn’t care for it, but it is proving to be pretty exciting as we see new followers join each day. We recently ran a promotion for 10% off coupon for the next 10 followers that join us. It took all of 5 minutes to wrap that up.”

How Twitter Has Helped Us: “I can’t prove that it has provided incremental business, but I do see increased store traffic that has read our stream report tweets and has come in with our tweet coupons.”

Cutthroat AnglersSilverthorne, COhttp://www.fishcolorado.comTwitter: cuttanglers

How We Use Twitter: “We send out hot topics like hatches and late-breaking weather events that might impact fishing. We really try to get stuff out in real-time.”

What We Expect From Twitter: “We want to provide good information and if there’s a new avenue to do that, we want to be part of that. It took all of five minutes to set up.”

How Twitter Has Helped Us: “While it’s hard to measure the total impact, we have seen additional guide trips booked as a result of our tweets.”

Taylor Creek FlyshopBasalt, COhttp://www.taylorcreek.comTwitter: tcreekflyshop

How We Use Twitter: “The timeliness of information is key. If you aren’t informing your customer, you are doing your shop a disservice.”

What We Expect From Twitter: “We use Twitter as another avenue to communicate to our customers, just like updating our website or sending out email newsletters.”

How Twitter Has Helped Us: “I’m sure it affects sales. We have seen younger fisherman coming in saying they saw our tweets…we just come to expect them in our shop now. To some degree, they are the future of our sport and this is how they want to communicate.”

MidCurrent Flyfishing Mediahttp://www.midcurrent.com/Twitter: mcutchin

How We Use Twitter: “We use Twitter to highlight stories that are important and likely to drive greater interest in our website. We don’t include all stories but those most interesting to the Twitter audience.”

What We Expect From Twitter: “It’s obligatory to use Twitter to reach a certain segment of our readership.”

How Twitter Has Helped Us: “It has really introduced us to new readers that we wouldn’t have reached otherwise. Two other features we like are that it’s searchable by keyword and it’s a referral platform.”

MINI-CASE STUDY: HOW SELECTED COLORADO TWITTERS ARE USING “Tweets”.

last article we saw survey results that showed Word-Of-Mouth and Fly Shops were the top ways folks heard about new products and local fishing water reports. Create a Facebook or MySpace page. Create a blog site; it’s as easy as writing a letter…really.

Start with the simplest & hottest social networking tool today: Twitter (my Twitter name is “fotofisher” and “globalf ”). Based on the cellphone text messaging principle of “say it in 140 characters or less”, Twitter allows users to “tweet”

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about anything they want, any time they want. Followers of your tweets can read about what you are thinking or what’s on sale or even the latest river info. Twitter has unlimited potential for promoting your business. Twitter is unobtrusive, quick to read and user-controlled. And best of all, these social networking tools are free. (Further reading: Twitter is a no-brainer as a promotional tool, read this to see how one company uses Twitter to find customers: http://www.inc.com/news/articles/2009/07/twitter.html)

• IDEA #6: Make a point to greet each and every customer; be loyal to your customers. According to Accenture, a top global consulting firm:

“Many retailers claim to greet every customer, but most don’t deliver on that promise—a significant failing since serviced customers convert much more frequently than unserviced customers. Serviced customers, indeed, have a higher average order size and spend more money. They also spend additional time in the store, giving sales staff the opportunity to boost the breadth of the sale.”

(Source: Accenture Research, “Up Close & Personal - how stores can drive profitable growth by optimizing the customer’s in-store experience.”)

LESSON IN-A-PICTURE: WHAT REALLY BUGS CONSUMERS?

Are you giving your walk-ins the attention they expect?

3. Mine your sales data: There’s a plethora of valuable data in what you do every day, just keep track of it. Example: You think you know what sells best & when? When fly tyers come in and buy materials, what do they most often buy together? When travelers come in and buy expendables, what do they always need? Do you know why? And, do you know why they stop in your shop and not somewhere else? Most flyshops have Point-of-Sale (POS) systems with robust reporting to bridge the gap between ringing up a sales and seeing subtle trends that exist in your shop. Are you using your POS to its maximum potential?

TYING IT ALL TOGETHER

If you can’t tell by now, I am a big fan of exceptional customer service, and for

three good reasons: #1) the customer consistently tells us that’s what they want, #2) it’s easy to do and doesn’t cost a thing, and #3) it’s the only element of the four big retail drivers you can quickly control (price, selection, location, service). I can walk into any flyshop and instantly get a feel for what level of customer service I am to receive…frankly, I am frequently underwhelmed.

Here’s a final hint: Don’t do it all at once, that’s a sure recipe for failure. Choose two or three tactics and make them as successful as you can. Then, when you feel comfortable you are on the right track, layer in another tactic or two. Consider putting in “Stage Gates”, a fancy phrase that says “I won’t continue with the next tactic until I either succeed with the previous tactic or the previous tactic tells us to proceed differently.

One hopes this article and its predecessor have given you some strategic ideas and tactical approaches to help your business ride economic downturns and come out ahead. If you have questions about your specific situation or want more detail about the strategy and tactics presented in this two-article series, please email me at [email protected]. at

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It seems I’m not the only one who’s taken note of the center pin’s spin in fly shops. Take my die-hard fly-fishing guide buddies who are now adding the option of drifting egg flies under 8-gram ‘strike indicators’ through some of Michigan’s best steelhead waters. Over the last few years, new ‘pinning’ equipment and replacement tackle’s been easier than ever for them to find at nearby retailers.

But it’s not just salmon and steel-head anglers who are accepting fly fishing with the pin. Trout anglers from all over the United States are, too. Chances are these days, as you walk mountain streams, there’s a chance you’ll see center pin gear in someone’s hands.

Bygones

There’s no doubting that, in the past, many traditional fly fish-ers phoo-phooed the notion of flinging hook, feather, and fuzz over a ripple on a river on any-thing other than fly line and tippet spooled onto a round reel with a drag. But retailers are realizing the

Written by David A. Rose

Pinning for Profit: The Center Pin Spin on Fly Fishing Sales

Truth be told, I’d have a tough time distinguishing a fly reel from a center pin reel from the opposite side of a river if it weren’t for the rod it was on. Heck, even peer-ing through the glass in a store’s display case, the re-semblance is so uncanny I sometimes have to pick one up and give its spool a whirl to see which is which. And there’s no doubt that, lately, I’m seeing more center pin reels snuggled up to fly reels in fly shop show cases than ever before.

photo by Paul Almanza


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Pinning for Profit: The Center Pin Spin on Fly Fishing Sales

minds of fly anglers aren’t so one-sided anymore.

To say center pining is being appreci-ated by even the most traditional fly anglers is not yet an understatement as the original mind set—that center pinning is the gear of bait anglers—is not easily broken. But a good number of devoted fly anglers are discover-ing pinning rods, reels, and terminal tackle are perfect for drifting, say, nymphs, for weary high-pressured trout. Thus the aforementioned gear, as well newly created flies for the sport are finding their way to the register of retailers in the know.

Leaders of the Pack

Craig Lewis opened Sheffield, Ohio’s, Erie Outfitters in 1999 (erieoutfitters.com, 440-949-8934), and has since become the guru of all things pin fish-ing; his store front and internet busi-ness have also become the go-to for pinning supplies for anglers from all over the United States and Canada.

In the beginning, his building was divided it into two separate rooms – with fly fishing gear and components in one and everything else in the other. Not so today. The store’s all one big room, and it was center pinning melding into the fly fisher’s world that demolished the wall.

Ten years ago, Lewis would never have fathomed that traditional fly anglers would accept the idea of drift-ing wet flies under a stealthy float off the tip of center pin rod. Yet, today fly anglers searching for the perfect center pin rig is becoming an every-day occurrence for him.

“This pinning revolution’s definitely more than just the cult following of Midwestern and Pacific Shore steel-headers. Today, I get orders from all over the country for center pin gear, and a lot of it’s coming from the trout

anglers of both the East and Western mountain states. They’ve discovered that making a perfect drift with a fly under a float with center pin gear’s not only productive, but more fun than ever conceived,” he said.

And rod and reel manufacturers have been taking note of Lewis’ success and observations and are designing smaller versions of the salmonid-fishing size gear.

Take Angler’s International Incorporat-ed’s Raven reel (raventackle.com) for ex-


feature

Their SST-3 center pin reel, for in-stance, is only 4-1/2 inches in diam-eter and 6.5 ounces (compared to the

ample. This Cornwall, Ontario, Canada, company was one of the first to shrink their reels for the small river angler.

steelheader’s choice of Raven’s 5-inch, 10.3-ounce Matrix XL), and because of its ported spool and arbor, it’s claimed to be the lightest float reel on the mar-ket. It was designed to balance well with the shorter pin rods that are becoming more popular.

Another pin producer, John Milner, of Cranbrook, British Columbia, Canada (johnmilnereels.com)—who has been has been in the business since 1965—has been producing 4-inch diameter reels for quite sometime now, and is now prototyping a 3-3/4-incher. “I’m getting requests for these smaller reels on a regular basis,” say Milner. “Yep, there seems to be a new revolution in center pinning taking place.”

And you can see a metamorphic modification by manufacturers from the salmon and steelheader’s long center

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pin rod of 13-plus feet, to sticks much shorter manufactured just for the small river angler.

G. Loomis, for example, was one of the first to shorten their center pin rods. “Our 13-foot 4-inch IMX Float rod 11-foot 3-inch (STFR1601-SK) was the Holy Grail of center pin rods for years,” says Gary Schaefer, product development staff for the Woodland, Washington, company. “But we’re seeing the shift to shorter, lighter rods for trout anglers.” Loomis’ 11-foot 3 inch GLX (STR1352-2 CP GLX) has been one of the more popular rods for trout. And the company’s toying with the idea of shorter rods yet. “We’ll see just how far this goes,” adds Schaefer, who acknowl-edged the center pin spin’s been noticed.

But the calls for shorter pin rods are still coming in, and as of this writing it’s custom rod makers who are com-ing through with the latest creations. “The 10-1/2-foot 5-weight fly blank is, so far, the most common custom center pin rod being wrapped right now,” adds Lewis. Also answering the call for small, River Runs Custom Rods (riverrunsrods.com) has spun up what they call the Matrix Unloaded - a 9-foot 4-piece 4-weight rod with the small stream trout angler in mind.

Condition with Tradition

Convincing every angler who enters your shop that the center pin spin’s all the rage is not going to come easy. But if you talk it up right the sales will be far better than expected.

The center pin reel’s seeped in tradi-tion. “The wood and brass reel Isaac Walton writes of in the mid-1650’s had a drag-less free-spinning spool that rotated on a bushing,” says Lewis. Al-though not called a center pin reel in his writings, this ‘fly reel’ was used to drift flies to trout and salmon in the beats throughout Europe. And it still is.

Perhaps the center pin spin will be your saving grace this coming season. Accept it they have. Buy it they will. at

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RECOMMENDED READING

at

Recommended Reading…

Free By Chris Anderson

I must ad-mit that, as a writer, I was re-luctant to read Wired editor Chris An-derson’s book Free. I thought, “This is just what I want to

hear… the internet is all-powerful… the information age has changed forever… print is dead… and writer-dinosaurs like me will soon be purged from the earth by the vast legions of blog-niks more than eager to give their stuff away to anyone willing to read it.”

But there I was in an airport, browsing through Amazon’s Kindle Store on my reader, when I found this title on my “Recommended” list, and, better yet, noticed that it was, well, free.

And so I learned my first tangible lesson—and became a living example—of Anderson’s “free” economics prem-ise. Within hours, this gripping text not only had profoundly changed the way I thought about writing, and business in general, it made clear to me how far behind the fly fishing industry as a whole is, in terms of understanding and leveraging “free” to the effect of mar-keting the sport and growing individual businesses. In fact, I believe that under-standing the new paradigm of “free” marketing is what will ultimately dictate which businesses thrive in this market 10 years down the road, and which ones

will fail. You must read this book to understand how and why.

Of course, the notion of free is as old as marketing itself. And, of course, few things are really, truly free. By one, get one free means buy two units at half price. Give a man a free razor, and you lock in a customer for replacement blades for years. For decades, the Grateful Dead willingly turned a not-so-blind eye on fans recording live performances, knowing that the live shows were their bread and butter. What revenue was “lost” in album sales was blown away by gate revenues paid by tie-dyed armies trooping from stadium to stadium, year after year.

Anderson leads his book with an example of how the British comedy troupe Monty Python reacted to pirated videos surfacing on YouTube by creating its own YouTube chan-nel, and essentially giving video away. Within three months, the other shoe had dropped on this free exercise, and Monty Python’s revenue-pro-ducing video sales on Amazon had grown 23,000 percent.

Apparently, it’s better to be seen than not seen. Example after ex-ample in Anderson’s book proves how taking down traditional price barriers can and will ultimately lead to increased market share, and ulti-mately profit, so long as you under-stand how to leverage the back half of the free equation.

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 assum-ing 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.

I think the secret to pulling this sport out of its market doldrums is articulated in the pages of Free. To the extent manufacturers, retailers, media, and others are willing to read it, understand it, and act on it, they’ll all be better equipped to tap into an economic and social force that is already shaping the new economy.

Recommended Selling…

Olive the Little Woolly Bugger By Kirk Werner

Is there a more noble and worthy endeavor in this world than inspir-ing kids to read, and at the same

time, tuning them into the world of fly fishing? That’s what author Kirk Werner is doing with his catchy series of books for young readers based on his “Olive the Little Woolly Bugger” character. Wonderfully illustrated and smartly written, these three books—Olive the Little Woolly Bugger, Olive and the Big Stream, and Olive Goes for a Wild Ride—offer a keen balance of en-tertainment and educational value. (They were a hit with my nine-year-old son). Given the intense interest in fostering interest in fly fishing among kids, this series is certainly worth in-cluding in a shop’s book section. See bigearthpublishing.com or call 800-258-5830 for more information.

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Written by Ben Christensen

In Port Isabel, a commercial fishing town at the southern tip of Texas, listing shrimp boats line the docks along the town’s south shore. With commercial fishing mostly dead, PI has in the last decade begun to rediscover its recreational angling heritage, where past U.S. Presidents like Harding,

Hoover and FDR once slaughtered (literally) tarpon in the nearby mangrove flats and passes of the Laguna Madre bay system.

At the foot of the Queen Isabella Memorial Causeway linking Port Isabel with South Padre Island, fly fishing retailer Larry Haines has slogged

Retailer Profile: “The Shop” Port Isabel, Texas

Photo: Ben Christensen


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Retailer Profile: “The Shop” Port Isabel, Texas

through these tough times with a single trump card: he brought his talents with him into the retail flyfishing business.

Haines, who once owned a construction company, entered fly fishing retail late into a successful career as a renowned artist. In 1996, he opened the store he cavalierly dubbed “the Shop.” Somewhere in that time between construction and opening the Shop, his artwork became a real source of capital.

Haines has painted covers for Marlin magazine, Florida Sportsman, and several Texas Game & Fish magazines and he has illustrated for Field & Stream, so it’s not like he was a local ten-dollar artist celebrated by the Chamber of Commerce. Haines’ work hangs from South Africa to Spain to England, and a rather large mural

he completed recently graces a high-end restaurant on South Padre Island.

With his hands and face flecked by sunspots dealt by an extensive career spent casting flies in the punishing South Texas sun, Haines continued on next page...

looks in his mid-50s like one of the Founding Fathers, sporting his child-of-the-Sixties shoulder-length gray hair. He attended the University of Houston where he studied art without taking a degree.

“I learned all I wanted to learn and then left,” he says.

When I ask him if he knows of Julian Schnabel, the celebrated New York artist and filmmaker who grew up in nearby Brownsville, Haines smiles with tactful bemusement and says, “Oh yeah, falling plates and all that.” Haines had known Schnabel when the two were in high school, and it’s safe to say Schnabel is as abstract an artist as Haines is realistic.

The falling plates remark references Schnabel’s notorious 1980s “Plates” paintings, which included ceramic plates stuck with paint to a canvas. (Many wondered whether the artist would be sued when some of his plates fell off a work that had been bought by a private collector and broke on the floor.)

Haines’ paintings and prints make up 50 percent of his retail sales, and depict large speckled sea trout chasing baitfish, snook plowing after flies – scenes appreciated by flyfishing enthusiasts who come to the Laguna Madre to cast flies after red drum and snook.

“I portray the way things really are, the way I see them; as close to the natural environment as they can possibly be,” he says.

He talks sparingly, only in direct response to questions, without coming across as aloof or dismissive. It is evident that he files away most of his observations internally rather than uttering them just to hear them said.

The vinyl-lettered sign stuck to the glass door of his Port Isabel, Texas Fly Shop is forthright enough: “If we’re not here we’re out fishing.”

Besides his art, Haines has the things going for his business that are requisite for success: location (a block from the foot of the causeway to South Padre, on the main drag), a symbiotic relationship with local flyfishing guides who exchange clientele with Haines, and word of mouth, if not steady buzz. These are the things that have kept his doors open through the recession and its radical slump in retail sales.

Haines wants to be sure his flyfishing retail business is not represented as easy or even idyllic – “it’s not Shangri-La,” he says – but he does finally acknowledge his fly fishing business was undertaken as a result of his priorities in life: enjoyment, contentment, beauty. He said these priorities were probably inherited from his father R.D., who raised Haines up fishing and hunting from the time the younger Haines could hold a rod

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back of the store, from Tuesday to Saturday, and Molly holds down the fort when Larry takes trips up the beach to cast for tarpon. The way Haines runs the Shop seems to demonstrate the principle of why anyone would want to run a business at all.

“It goes without saying that a business owner has more day-to-day freedom than someone who works nine to five for somebody else,” he says.

With his art and Molly’s framing enterprise comprising half of the Shop’s sales, Haines’ fly fishing inventory like fly-tying material and wading boots make up another 40 percent.

Kayaks account for the remaining 10 percent or so of sales. Haines said kayaks have leveled out in popularity along the coast.

“Kayaks are a very, very up-and-down market, it’s really strange,” Haines says. “We’ll sell out, get

and rifle. While this sort of thing is typical in red-blooded American homes, R.D. learned to prioritize the hard way.

R.D. knew about carving some time out of life to enjoy with a son because he had survived the Bataan Death March and captivity in Imperial Japan. It’s an extreme example, and unusual for a son’s father to have so narrowly survived inhuman brutality on such a scale, and of course, Haines says R.D. didn’t talk about it all that often. But he lived it: there wasn’t a whole lot of frenetic, life-gets-in-the-way nonsense in the Haines family when Larry was growing up.

There is, therefore, that function of that psychology at work deep in Haines’ ethos. The soft-spoken manner in which Haines balances his joy with his business is admirable. He works quietly beside his wife Molly, who runs a framing operation toward the

a new shipment in and they’ll sit here for months and months, and then they’re gone.”

Even though the little roto-molded boats (Haines sells Wilderness Systems sit-on-tops) sell so sporadically, Haines says he thinks their popularity will remain strong because of the extreme difference between boat maintenance and ease of transport.

“I doubt you’re going to see much of a drop in the market, but I think they’ve probably peaked,” he added.

His refrain is that of many business owners, not just fly fishing retailers: “you have to diversify.”

Haines states repeatedly that his Port Isabel fly shop is a destination shop, and he would prefer that his clientele from the large cities not come as well outfitted as they do.

“I could do without those big shops in the big cities like Houston that sell thousand-dollar rods,” Haines says. “Most of my clientele come down from the big cities fully outfitted, and they’ll buy a couple of things, but I’d love to be the guy selling them the thousand-dollar fly rod.”

Instead, Haines is more likely to sell them a painting. One look at them is enough to evoke a good day out on the flats, when that redfish torpedoed a crab-mimicking fly, and so the Laguna Madre scene hangs forever on the wall of the great room of the guy with the thousand-dollar rod he bought at the shop in Houston.

And nothing ever falls off. at

Original Watercolor, “Tails” Larry Haines

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Oakley Sees Fly PotentialValue Platform: Blockbuster sports marketing presence with heavy tech focus wades into fly angling...Written by Will Rice

There is a compelling sales concept called psychographic profiling - this may be a fancy name but in practice it is pretty straight forward. If you, as the seller of a product or service, can find a potential customer who has similar passions, approaches, desires and goals, you will have a much higher chance of connecting with this customer - both emotionally and economically. The concept is brilliant in its simplicity - after all, sales is neither rocket science nor brain surgery.

Oakley has something to sell and they think they have found a like-minded audience within the fly fishing market. But here’s the question… fly fishing… is Oakley for real?

Not only is Oakley serious but they also appear to be targeting fly fishing for the long haul. They’re not dipping a toe into the proverbial casting pool - they have jumped in feet first. Oakley has made significant investments into research and design of proprietary polarization and high definition optics technology - for the sole purpose of seeing fish.

Oakley is hanging its hat on the fact that their combination of infusion molding (bonding polycarbonate at a molecular level vs. glued layers), hydrophobic technology (water, grease and dirt repellant), and impact resistance sets them clearly apart from their competitors. Advanced and superior technology is a cornerstone of the Oakley message.

If you have not noticed, over the past few years Oakley has deployed a fairly methodic strategy to convince fly shops, media outlets, and other industry types that they are very serious about the fly fishing market. Oakley has a story to tell and they are on a mission to tell it. For two years in a row they have showcased

The Value

Vision

Fly fishing retailers are increasingly understanding

the profit potential of integrating polarized

eyewear into their product offerings. After all, seeing

is not only believing, it is the key to effective angling, from the rivers to the flats.

But uderstanding the full range of resources available

is key to tapping this opportunity. As such, we’ve profiled four major players in the polarized market for

your consideration...

Four Companies that offer

retailers profit potential.

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their technology in a 40-foot self-contained motor coach known as the Rolling O Lab at the Fly Fishing Retailer show. It is probably the largest piece of hardware on display at the largest fly fishing show in the world. This is not a coincidence - Oakley’s message: ‘Not all sunglasses are created equal—Oakley is taking science to the streets to show anglers why.’

But the technology angle is only part of the story. Oakley has also invested in one of fly fishing’s own using a professional sponsorship program called Masters of Vision: TV, film, and angling oligarch Frank Smethurst.

“Without the best optics, you can only guess at what’s going in that other world under the water,” says Smethurst in an Oakley testimonial. “But if I can see, that’s one of the most powerful assets I can bring to the table. When you’re fishing, you’re only as good as you are vigilant — and it’s hard to stay in the game without great optics.”

What might be even more compelling are some of the other professionals who join Smethurst as visionaries of sport: Lance Armstrong (cycling), Shaun White (snowboarding), Seth Morrison (Skiing) - not a shabby group of sporting compatriots.

In addition, Oakley held their second annual Media and Shop Fly Fishing trip in March of this year. Location: the shallow and prolific waters of Ascension Bay, Mexico. Those in attendance represented: Fly Rod and Reel, The Drake Magazine, Angling Trade, Fly Fisherman Magazine, and Midcurrent.com, not to mention a handful of prominent fly shops from across the country.

It is clear that Oakley has the money and is willing to make the investment into fly fishing. No doubt about it - they are talking the talk and willing to spend. But can money buy you love in this niche industry of old schoolers, new schoolers, know-it-alls, curmudgeons, and brand bigots?

And why exactly is Oakley so fired up about the fly fishing market?

“Oakley is a brand that is driven by technology and a passion for performance. We have a deep heritage in sport, across a large cross section of channels,” said Tom Faukner, Vice President of U.S. Sales/Optics Division. “We are a company filled with people that have a passion for a variety of sports, the outdoors and the environment. Fly fishermen certainly share all of these attributes in common.”

One aspect of the fly fishing market that is especially appealing to Oakley is the cross over of activities that many anglers share.

“Whether it is mountain biking, snowboarding, climbing, skiing, running, golf, triathlon, surfing….” said Faukner.

“In all of these sports, passion, a love for the outdoors and concern for the environment are common threads. What’s missing is exposure. Many of these people simply have not been exposed to fly fishing. If they were, many of them would be hooked.”

At a time when the daily global economic outlook appears somewhat dismal, this is quite a refreshing view - not only for the fly fishing market, but for the larger sport oriented market as a whole.

Oakley’s goals are fairly simple, yet impressive in scope.

“First, we want to partner with those dealers that appreciate and believe in the quality of our product and what our brand stands for,” said Faukner. “We have no intention of shoving it down their throats or compromising our principles just to get the product placed. Second, but equally important, as zealous as it may sound we think we can help drive a change in the industry. Through our strong ties and loyalty with people from other backgrounds and sports we hope to expose the sport to a much broader market.”

“Lastly, we want to make fly fishing a bit more accessible, fun and inviting to newcomers. Growth of the sport is good, not bad. There are many anglers that fear overcrowding of their local river or access to water - we get that. But, more people in the sport translates to more exposure on the very concerns these anglers have. More exposure leads to greater awareness and ultimately greater resources to fight the very battles they struggle with.”

So are fly shops and anglers buying what Oakley is selling? This might be the most important question of all.

“After seeing the factory and the testing of the lenses, I would have to say I am pretty impressed with their proprietary technology,” said Charlie Craven of Charlie’s Fly Box, located in Arvada Colorado. “‘Polarized is polarized’, or so I thought, but learning how the polarization needs to be lined up with the eyes and so forth made for a much more critical view of my fishing glasses.”

While Oakley has made strides getting this message across to fly shops and other industry insiders, the uptake and digestion of every day anglers appears to be a bit slower.

“It has been a tough road to get people away from the industry “standards” of Smith glasses, to be honest,” continued Craven. “I think Oakley is positioning themselves well long term, but I would like to see more fishing specific advertising in national fishing publications to help grease the wheels. I am very enthusiastic about Oakley myself. The younger guys are pretty easy to win over and they appreciate the technology part of the story.”


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Like every company, Oakley will face uphill battles breaking into a new market.

“Older guys, or even just more “experienced” anglers seem dead set on sticking with what they have always worn,” said Craven when talking about the challenges he sees down the road for Oakley. “It surprises me how locked in folks can be to what they have always had as being the best, even with the facts to prove otherwise.”

What is Oakley’s take on market penetration, brand loyalty and their ability to win over new distributors and angling customers?

“First of all, we are not looking to saturate the fly fishing market,” said Faukner. At the same time, Oakley appears confident in their ability to succeed. And let’s face it, they have quite a track record.

“There simply is not another eyewear brand that is relevant, let alone a leader, across as many sports and channels of distribution as Oakley,” concluded Faukner. “This broad appeal and relevance certainly doesn’t happen overnight and we think it speaks a lot to the strength of our brand, the quality and performance of our product, the loyalty or our consumers and the phenomenal support we get from the great retailers across the country that we are fortunate enough to partner with.”

Does Oakley and the fly fishing community at large share similar attributes, approaches, passions, desires for innovation and goals for the industry? If you peered for this answer through a pair of polarized VR28 Straight Jackets, seeing might just mean believing; see oakley.com.

Smith Optics Sets a StandardValue Platform: Smith understands the fly fishing market… and fly fishers. As such, the company has an esteemed track record of innovating technically advanced angling vision products for years...Written by Kirk Deeter

I remember going to the Fly Fishing Retailer trade show several years ago and being almost blown away by the presence of um-teen polarized glasses companies with booths on the exhibit floor. Now, of course, the show is leaner, and the polarized players are fewer and farther between.

But Smith is still standing (quite literally) in the front of the parade. Others come and go, it seems, but few, if any, companies can boast the consistent long-term attachment to the fly market Smith (and its former flagship angling brand Action Optics) can.

I recently talked with Smith Fishing general manager Peter Crow (himself a die-hard angler) about the company’s affinity with this admittedly niche market… after all, Ketchum, Idaho-based Smith inevitably sees greener monetary pastures in other markets like snow sports and the like. The thing is, said Crow, fly fishing has been—and continues to be—the most challenging proving ground for a technology-driven company that produces polarized optics.

“Polarized optics are more critical to the fly fisherman than in any other sport, bar none,” said Crow. “In (Smith’s) experience, it isn’t so much an issue of frame, style, or fit for the fly fisher, it’s all about lens technology, and how lenses perform on the water. Fly fishermen are often funny types… like the school teacher who spends the summer months picking things apart and testing them. They’re very discerning about products and how they work. Fly fishing is the ultimate proving ground for polarized glasses.”

To that end, Smith has built its high-end performance reputation on the use of glass lenses. Smith introduced the first fishing-specific amber- and copper-tinted glass lenses, and now offers eight different lens tints in its lightweight Techlite glass (including Polarchromic models).

“There are multiple lens materials used for polarized glasses, but Techlite glass is second to none; it has the highest optical clarity, and is the best polarized film carrier,” explained Crow. “Our Techlite has oleophobic and anti-reflective coatings, and we make them reasonably priced.”

Crow points out that Smith’s Techlite lenses must pass the ANSI Z-80.3 standard for impact requiring a dropped steel ball from a height of 50 inches.

“Understanding the fly guy and his want for sharp vision, glass seems to be the best performance alternative,”


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contended Crow. “If you want additional impact protection, Smith also offers a large selection of polarized polycarbonate lenses.”

Smith does indeed offer carbonic polarized lenses, along with a prescription lens program, in order to cover a range of pricepoints and performance variables of interest to anglers. In fact, over the years, Smith’s attention to the retailer—not only innovating products designed to sell, but also working with fly shops to help move and profit off said products—may be the company’s most distinguishing characteristic.

For example, Smith introduced interchangeable lenses with the Action Optics “ Smith Slider” models, 13 years ago, then reinvented the concept two years ago with its “Interlock” series. Understanding that the typical fly angler isn’t going to gravitate to a single 5-weight rod, that thinking transposes to different lenses and frames for different fishing conditions.

“Sixteen years ago, when Smith bought Action Optics and I started with the company, we helped to teach the retailer how to sell glasses,” described Crow. At that time, a 12-piece display was unimaginable. But over time, as retailers became familiar with keystone margins and understood the value of different pricepoints, (selling glasses in shops) grew in importance and value. There were 24-piece, displays, then 36-piece displays, and now many retailers are using 64-piece displays.”

And realizing serious profits by doing so.

For more information on Smith Optics and the various products the company produces specifically for fly fishers, visit smithoptics.com/fishing.

Kaenon Polarized Can Have Any Angler Seeing Clearly AgainValue Platform: Digitally processed free- form polarized lenses offer a uniquely clear and functional prescription alternative...

A personal perspective… I guess I wasn’t surprised that it happened in the first place, but I was shocked how quickly it happened. On a Friday afternoon, I was happily tending to normal business… working at my computer, writing and editing stories, and everything was in clear focus. But on Saturday morning, the breakfast bowl of Cheerios looked like wavy tan lumps of beach sand.

I shrugged it off, and headed to the river to fish. And as I struggled to thread the tippet through the eye of a #14 Copper John (something I could do easier than tying my boots for 20 years or more) my situation became obvious. This wasn’t a case of morning fogginess. My short-range vision had seriously degenerated. From a distance, my visual acuity was razor sharp. I could spot fish in the river and identify birds 50 yards away as well (or better) than ever. But everything from arms-length inward was fuzzy.

Apparently, this happens to the majority of 40-somethings. Still, I was more than frustrated. I was mortified. After all, vision is the sense that arguably matters most to the serious fly fisher, especially the guide. I had often said to friends and guide clients that if I mistakenly left my waders at home in the morning, I’d tough it out and wet-wade for the day, but if I left my polarized glasses at home, I’d go back and get them, then make up for lost time at the end of the day.

While the athlete inevitably loses a step with age (and, I know, the “athlete” analogy falls flat in describing most fly anglers), we don’t typically hang up the cleats (or waders, as it were) and settle into retirement. Heck, by the time you hit 40, you’ve hopefully learned just enough about this sport to be entering your prime.

So I went to the optometrist and got some “readers,” then began a period of on-river awkwardness of switching frames when I had to tie tippets and flies… dropping glasses in the river… forgetting my prescription glasses in the truck (which made matters worse, now that my eyes were dependent on close-range support).

I finally threw up my hands and said, “This is bullcrap! I need to see… through polarized glasses, all the time, at different ranges, all day, when I am on the water.” Think about it: A weekend warrior will spend thousands of dollars on rods, reels, lines, flies, waders, and so forth, but how many hard-core anglers are smart enough to invest in the one piece of gear they arguably need most to make the rest of that stuff work?

So I called my friend Steve Rosenberg, co-founder of Kaenon Polarized, and after welcoming me to the “club” of vision-impaired fly fishers, he tuned me into Kaenon’s unique Freestyle Progressive polarized lenses.


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Kaenon starts with its proprietary SR-91 lens material—available in various tints and light transmission levels to match certain fishing conditions—then uses the latest progressive lens surfacing technology (back-side digital surfacing) to customize a prescription into the lenses of polarized glasses. Optical accuracy is 0.01 diopters, far better than optical standard.

Okay… in English… what does that mean? It means that the prescription glasses I wear (Copper-12 lenses in a Rhino frame) work exactly the same as my non-prescription glasses as I scan at distances over the river surfaces… but now, with a prescription surface subtly, seamlessly (meaning no bifocal lines in the lenses) melded into the glasses… when I look down at my fingers when I’m tying on flies, well, I can see again. I don’t notice abrupt changes through the lenses. I only notice that as I look down, or out, that everything is in focus again. So I’m back on my game.

Granted, there are many vision-enhancing alternatives on the market today designed specifically for fly fishers. And a pair of full-on, custom prescription glasses is an investment that isn’t for everyone. But, considering the key role vision plays in effective fishing, the retailer should understand the technologies available to help their customers ultimately get more from their angling endeavors. See kaenon.com for more details on this specific option.

Fisherman EyewearValue Platform: Produces high-margin polarized vision accessories for retailers, as well as lower pricepoint eyewear options for consumers...

The thing about polarized eyewear, is that every angler has different interests and needs. While everyone can agree on the common mission and objective—to fly fish more effectively, it is imperative that the angler see

effectively—how we accomplish this varies. In other words, what works for me, might not work for you, and vice versa. Moreover, what you’re willing to spend on eyewear and accessories might not exactly jibe with my budget.

Which is why Hollister, California-based Fisherman Eyewear fills a key niche in the fly fishing/polarized market that commands retailer attention. The company’s mantra is straightforward: “Performance, protection and value are the core attributes in each product we make. We believe that quality doesn’t have to cost the proverbial ‘arm and a leg’.”

As such the company carries a wide range of polarized accessories—products like magnifiers, clip-ons, readers, visor-mounted eyeglass holders, retaining cords, cases, and eyeglass cleaners—in addition to a range of polarized glasses that come in various frames and lenses at pricepoints from $150 down to $30 or less. The company even makes “Smolt” and “Fry” brand polarized glasses for youth anglers priced at a mere $19.99—perfect for getting the youngster into the polarized game at a reasonable price.

Perhaps the most important attribute many of the accessories offer to retailers, according to Fisherman Eyewear general manager Jose Chao, is that they are high-margin items.

“We carry many polarized accessories which are very popular in our (fly) industry as well as for popular use,” said Chao. “These are high margin categories for our customers.”

Specifically, Chao highlighted three products that are demonstrating significant sales momentum: Fisherman Eyewear Flip Up Magnifiers retail for $14.99; the company’s Slim Vision Readers retail for a scant $9.99; and its Polar View polarized glasses with magnifiers (power +2.00 or +3.00 in Freestone Brown lenses) are available for $29.99.

In all cases, these products offer the vision-reduced angler an extremely affordable option to help correct their on-the water vision. And in all cases, they offer the retailer an opportunity to service a wider range of polarized options with low up-front investment.

Also note that Fisherman Eyewear unveiled 12 different sunglass styles in 2009 alone, from the Wave, (MSRP $14.99) including gray or brown lenses, to the Chameleon (MSRP $99.99) featuring two interchangeable lenses—Deep Six Blue and Freestone Brown.

For more information, see fishermaneyewear.com. at

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BACKCAST

The scene: A trout river flowing smack through a picturesque Virginia city where eager merchants look upon the stream as the key to a much-needed economic stimulus.

The reality: Responding to a flurry of promotion, fishermen and assorted visitors flood the streets to eat, drink, shop, and ah... yes, fly fish.

The revelation: This phenomenon did not have its origin in the current financial downturn. Far from it. The Virginia Fly Fishing Festival was launched in 1999, long before we fretted about our bank accounts or conditions in the Middle East. Nor was it begun by fly fishermen, rather downtown merchants who reasoned that a river running through the middle of town could be put to some good use.

After a halting start, these businessmen made an unlikely discovery in the form of a fly fishing nut named Beau Beasley. With his enthusiasm, the festival took off to become the most successful event of is kind in the East. Consider that Beasley had no experience in promotion and the success is even more remarkable. Apart from the fact that he lives and breathes fly fishing, Beasley might seem an unlikely figure for a pied piper. For starters, he is a firefighter of 25 years standing, a captain, not a background that might suggest any talent for promotion.

“I saw this lovely trout stream running right through downtown,” Beau Beasley reasoned. “I figured we could use fly fishing as the centerpiece to make this thing take off, and it worked.”

Such a concept might not always have seemed plausible. Waynesboro, with a population of 20,000, took its name from Revolutionary War hero Anthony Wayne. But there was a time when there was little else to brag about.

“You could tell what the industrial plants were making by the color of the water. One story has it that the river once caught on fire,” Beasley said. “But we got the

environmental laws changed and better water started flowing down from the Blue Ridge.”

Beasley’s book, “Flyfishing Virginia: a No-Nonsense Guide to the Top Waters,” now touts South River as the best of it. Further, he has anointed Waynesboro, located 25 miles west of Charlottesville and where Virginia’s first Trout Unlimited chapter was founded, as the state’s fly fishing capital.

Now, the festival (scheduled for April 17-18) event expects to attract 2,000 visitors, a far cry from the mere handful that turned out a decade earlier. Initially, the town was interested only in making money at its shops; the Trout Unlimited people wanted funds to do conservation work on the river. Beasley patched things together to make both onjectives work.

With enough action to keep festival promotion going, more tents laced with commercial vendors sprouted along the river. If the merchants were happy, the fly fishermen were even more.

“Our emphasis always has been on value,” Beasley said. “We wanted to offer free classes for all the beginners, to get more people interested in the sport. We knock ourselves out to service our vendors and they do the same for the visitors. We get a 90 percent return rate on our vendors and the numbers of people just keep growing.”

Beasley expects to add more than 20,000 square feet of additional exhibition space in 2010. “We simply can’t contain everyone in the space we have.”

Among the changes is a kids-only, catch-and-release trout pond, a departure from the usual East Coast practice of killing the fish and taking them home (or the nearest dumpster).

“We want to allow these kids to catch native brook trout and then put them in a bucket and walk down to the South River and release them. We’d like to use the money we make here to develop the river in town as a wild, catch-and-release brown trout fishery.

A $15 entry fee covers series of instructional opportunities that feature as many as 18 seminars a day. In addition to a steady lineup of local instructors, the list often includes heavyweights such as Lefty Kreh, Bob Clouser and Ed Jaworowski.

“We find that people are hungry for knowledge, starved for it. We get people from as far away as Atlanta, all up and down the coast,” Beasley said. “We show people they don’t have to speak Latin to participate in fly fishing, they don’t have to be rich, and that they can do it for a good value.”

Virginia Festival Demonstrates the Value of Fly Fishing

Written by Charlie Meyers

at

W W W.THEFLY FISHJOURNAL.COM

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Angling Trade Magazine December 2010

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