the buzz on the fly-fishing biz
速
INSIDE
THE FALL 2014 ISSUE
AT 20: The Best New Products for 2015/Boutique Rods/ Selling Montana/Carolina Boom/Making Better Fly-Fishing Videos... And More. September 2014 AnglingTrade.com
FISHING, FRICTION-FREE. Meet the world’s first triple-textured fly line. The Sharkskin tip, Mastery Textured head and running line, and smooth handling section combine to create a line that shoots like a cannon, floats like a cumulus, and mends like a dream. Available now, scientificanglers.com
the buzz on the flyfishing biz
CONTENTS
®
Features
Departments
24 B O U T I Q U E R O D S
6 E D I TO R ’ S C O L U M N
The hand-crafted, small-batch ideal works for whiskies, beers, guitars, and choppers... so how’s it doing in the fly rod realm? By Geoff Mueller
28 F I L M S C H O O L
The In Crowd. There’s a new momentum in this industry that revolves around social and environmental causes. Be part of it, or risk being lost in the flow. By Kirk Deeter
8 CURRENTS The latest people, product and issues news from the North American fly fishing industry, including news from the trade shows, AFFTA’s planned Retailer Summit, and discussion on the latest environment and access news.
34 B R E A K I N G N E W S Fly fishing video is the “in” thing. And it’s getting harder to earn a slot in the film tour lineups. So how do you make it? Actually make a good video. Here are tips from an entertainment industry insider.
Editor Kirk Deeter kirk@anglingtrade.com
Managing Editor Tim Romano tim@anglingtrade.com
Art Director Tara Brouwer tara@shovelcreative.com shovelcreative.com
Editor-at-Large Geoff Mueller
Copy Editors Mabon Childs, Sarah Deeter
Contributing Editors Tom Bie Ben Romans Steven B. Schweitzer Photos unless noted by Tim Romano
By Marshall Bissett
36 C A R O L I N A B O O M I N G Some of the best fly fishing in America, and some of the best growth in the industry, is happening in a part of the country that anglers from Montana, Colorado, Michigan, and Pennsylvania seldom talk about. By Mike Hodge
40 T H E AT 2 0
Protecting Saltwater Resources AFFTA differs from ASA over MagnusonStevens, favoring conservation of saltwater fisheries.
46 B AC K C A S T Marketing Montana By Geoff Mueller
Angling Trade is published four times a year by Angling Trade, LLC. Author and photographic submissions should be sent electronically to editor@anglingtrade.com. 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 tim@anglingtrade.com
By The Editors
Street Address: 3055 24th Street Boulder, CO 80304 AnglingTrade.com
AnglingTrade.com | September 2014
A no-nonsense look at 20 of the bestdesigned products that offer the best sales potential in the coming year. Plus a look at five others that have us really interested.
Mail Address: PO Box 17487 Boulder, CO 80308
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Tougher than your last three pairs of waders,
combined.
new
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a) grey “silver”
a) white “silver”
In the search for a fresh run, Orvis’s Jim Lampros puts his Silver Sonic waders to the test on Montana granite.
C O N T R I B U TO R S
Real Men Wear
TURQUOISE
MARSHALL BISSETT Southern California-based freelance writer Marshall Bissett has spent many years in the entertainment industry. He doesn’t hold back with his qualified opinions in this issue. He is also an avid fly angler and a world-class caster.
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MIKE HODGE Florida-based outdoor writer Mike Hodge makes his debut in Angling Trade with an interesting look at the Carolina fishing scene. He will be back for an encore as soon as we can talk him into another story.
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E D I TO R ’ S C O L U M N
The “In Crowd”
clocks involved in any of this. That said, there is indeed a standard against which any and all who participate in this sport should be judged. Are you putting back, by way of the resources, as much as you are taking away? I’m not here to stomp on anyone’s buzz. But the fact is, that without the healthy water, and without the fish, none of this sport, and certainly none of this industry, would exist at all in the first place.
The reason I gravitated to fly fishing in the first place, and the reason I still love this sport so much, is because the waters play no favorites. The trout, or the tarpon… or the pike… or the bonefish… don’t care if you are the CEO of a Fortune 500 company, or a high school dropout. I’ve been with the captains of industry as they hooked into 20-inch browns, and I’ve watched them melt back into their inner selves through those experiences, becoming the little boys (in some cases, the little girls) they thought they would never see again.
AnglingTrade.com | September 2014
Many times, I’ve been on rivers with soldiers who have been physically and emotionally torn apart, and I’ve watched the tug of a trout heal all wounds, if for only an instant, and make them (and me) feel whole again.
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I’ve watched doctors who can repair broken limbs and cure people with cancer, cross their eyes in despair, then exult after having solved the riddle of an emergent caddis hatch. Fly fishing is the ultimate equalizer. It’s the most fair of any playing field. And yet there are (thankfully) no judges, no scorecards, and no time
Fortunately, the vast majority of manufacturers, and retailers, and guides and outfitters get all that. You are the people who make fly fishing what it is today. You are my heroes. But, trust me, some would still be surprised by how many in our ranks are conspicuously absent when it comes to meaningful support of the waters that make fly fishing possible. If you’re a shop, or a product manufacturer, who doesn’t earmark a solid percentage of your profit toward making habitat better for all anglers… well, you’re no different, in my mind, than the person who borrows one’s car and drives all day, then returns it without putting any gas in the tank. You’re the person who borrows a cup of sugar, and then shows up to eat the holiday cookies someone else bakes without a mention of thanks. That’s part of life, I guess, and there will always be folks of that sort. But for those people who embrace that practice as “frugal business,” or laugh it off as an oversight, I have just one thing to say… Boooooo.
For the manufacturers who throw up a thin “PR” façade and want to take a bow in the conservation context when their “real” impact is too minimal to track, shame on you, even more. Shame on you for trying, and shame on you for not respecting that there are people out there who are smart enough to call you out. We all talk about demographics, and growing the sport and all of that these days. And the truth is that the real growth dynamic… the real potential for the future… revolves entirely around anglers who care about keeping rivers and oceans fishable well into the future. All the young, the women, the newbies, the crossovers, and every other target group that matters, share a concern for habitat. As such, I have never been more proud to be an AFFTA member, and have never thought my membership to be more worthwhile, than when I learned about the new AFFTA Fisheries Fund. Brilliant. Thank you. And while I wear my heart on my sleeve when it comes to Trout Unlimited, the Bonefish & Tarpon Trust, TRCP, CCA, and myriad others that support the fly ideal, I really don’t care where you channel your support. But I care if you do, or if you don’t. And more anglers than some of you realize do as well. The “in crowd” in angling these days cannot be pegged to a single demographic, or select places to fish… the in crowd is everyone who cares about what the fishing will be like, 50 years down the road. And there are plenty in those ranks to help us all grow and continue, if we reinvest our money, and efforts, where our mouths are. Kirk Deeter Editor
AnglingTrade.com | September 2014
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Company and Product News
CNS Outdoor Technologies Acquires Thomas & Thomas
AFFTA Plans Dealer Summit in Aspen
the market but I feel on-site leadership is essential for the brand to really fulfill its potential. As a serious fly fishing enthusiast, a devotee of T&T products and an experienced businessman, Neville Orsmond will provide this in abundance and I wish him and all associated with Thomas & Thomas a happy and prosperous future.” Two Fly Fishing Shows to Add “Women’s Fly Fishing Showcase”
Angling Trade is proud to be a supporter of the planned “Aspen Dealer Summit,” to be held at the Aspen Square Hotel in Aspen, Colorado, October 20-23. This will be an intensive retailer-focused, business improvement seminar. You have issues to discuss with AFFTA? This is the place to do so.
Perhaps lost in the shuffle of this summer’s International Fly Tackle Dealer show, CNS Outdoor Technologies LLC, a Massachusettsbased company owned by AlbertNeville Orsmond of Stamford, Connecticut, announced the acquisition of fly rod makers, Thomas & Thomas, previously owned by Mark Richens of Islamorada, Forida.
AnglingTrade.com | September 2014
CNS has purchased both the Thomas & Thomas brand and the rod making facility at Barton Road in Greenfield, Massachusetts, and will continue manufacturing premium bamboo, glass and graphite fly rods in the USA. Neville Orsmond will replace Mark Richens as President and CEO of the business.
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Want to share ideas and experiences with other retailers in the fly-fishing space? Same deal. A robust speaker lineup will include a “Firestarter” keynote address from brand strategist, social media maven, and author Erika Napoletano. There will also be roundtable discussions, and so forth. In short, this is the type of service AFFTA owes to its constituents. If you have the opportunity (it is the off-season), you owe it to yourselves to be a part. Angling Trade will be there... to listen to you.
Commenting on the sale Mark Richens said, “It has been an immense privilege to work with Tom Dorsey, Troy Jacques and the talented team of craftsmen and women at Thomas & Thomas. Their hard work combined with the strong support of T&T distributors, dealers, pro staff, suppliers and customers has returned T&T to a stable and proud position in the fly fishing world. It has been an enjoyable and exciting process but due to family commitments in the UK, I have not been able to spend as much time in Greenfield as originally intended. T&T is well positioned in
Women anglers will be a key focus at the two largest of the seven editions of the 2015 Fly Fishing Shows. The shows in Denver (January 9-11) in the Merchandise Mart and Somerset, N.J., (January 23-25) in the Garden State Exhibit Center, will feature femalecentered activities during the Women’s Fly Fishing Showcase. “We recognize the importance of women’s participation in the sport and, in response, are creating a total Women’s Fly Fishing Showcase environment at both sites. If the response is as great as we anticipate, we’ll consider expanding the concept to other show venues in 2016 and beyond,” said Brooke Furimsky, showcase coordinator. The Denver and Somerset Fly Fishing Shows will feature women’s beginner’s fly fishing, casting and fly tying as well as the history of women in fly-fishing, on-the-water etiquette, and the best women-specific gear on the market.
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Early sponsors and participants in the Women’s Fly-Fishing Showcase are Orvis, Patagonia and Frontiers Travel.
connect directly with the makers of the best fly-fishing gear for women,” said Furimsky.
Women anglers committed to workshops, question-andanswer sessions, instruction and demonstrations include Peggy Brenner (President of International Women Fly Fishers); casting champion Wendy Gunn; International Federation of Fly Fishers Master Casting Instructor Sheila Hassan; Casting for Recovery; and Maurie Sussman (Sisters on the Fly.)
For additional information, participation and sponsorship availability, contact Furimsky at brooke@flyfishingshow.com. RIO Launches Fly Line Selector App RIO Products recently launched its RIO Fly Line Selector App as an effective way to help anglers choose the right fly line every time.
“The industry has really responded to women’s demands for better products, thanks to more women in the sport as well as celebrity female anglers. We want to provide a comfortable and casual meeting place for consumers to
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great number of fly fishers are confused by the choices available,” says Simon Gawesworth, RIO brand manager. “We believe in making it easier for anglers to choose the right fly line for a given situation, and this app is the next step in our education process.” Available for iPhone, iPad and Android, this free app starts by asking which type of rod the angler will use. It then leads participants through the rod make and model to water type, environmental conditions, geography, species, line density, and the specific application desired. Once each step is completed, the app offers line choices where users can dive deeper into the specifics of each line, visit RIO’s website, and even find the closest dealers to purchase the line. Gawesworth adds: “This app is an incredibly useful asset for retailers and consumers alike and certainly makes it very simple to choose the right fly line for most fishing situations. Imagine a specialty trout fly shop that has a customer come in asking for advice on a line for Dorado fishing in Argentina. With a few taps of the app, the perfect line will be revealed – ensuring both angler and retailer are happy.” The app is now available to download from iTunes and Google Play; shortcut links to which can be found at www. rioproducts.com/apps. Choke your Bug! Bug Collars Add Panache to Flies
AT friend and contributor Joe Mathis has launched an interesting
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concept with Bug Collars from Bozeman Fly Goods—colored collars that fit snugly with beads on nymph patterns. We’ve tied with them. We’ve fished them. We think they make certain patterns more effective (especially attractors). We recommend taking a look at them as additions to your fly-tying department. They are now available in five sizes and 30 colors. They have a small cone on one side, and a countersunk opening on the other. Mathis is offering an attractive retailer program with keystone margins at suggested retail pricing. Suggested retail pricing will be very similar to brass bead pricing. Retailers will have a minimum initial order, but no minimums on reorder. All retailer ordering will be
E-commerce based. They are available through bozemanflygoods.com and bugcollars.com. Douglas Outdoors to Start Shipping After making a splash at the IFTD show in Orlando, Douglas Outdoors recently announced that its Douglas DXF and DHF fly rods are shipping. The next wave of Douglas products, including the made-in-New York state “Argus” reels, the “Nexus” large-arbor reels and the Douglas Spinning and Casting rods, will be shipping in October.
Developed in Australia, the trailer can be configured to carry boats (kayaks, canoes, dinghies), motorcycles and, as a box trailer, many other things used on fishing adventures. The Check it Out… A Folding Trailer trailers were launched at Outdoor Bulldog Folding Trailers USA introduced Retailer Summer Marketplace in Salt Lake City. The trailers weigh 132 a unique new product to help outdoor enthusiasts maximize their fun—a sturdy, lbs., can carry up to 850 lbs., and are certified by the National Association of Trailer Manufacturers. UNI Products J.G. Cote Inc. 1004 Princippale Ste-Melanie QC. Canada J0K 3A0 Tel: 450-889-8054 Toll-free: 1-877-889-8054 Fax: 450-889-5887 E-mail: info@uniproducts.com
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Bulldog Folding Trailers are also available now to consumers via www. bulldogfoldingtrailers.com at a price range of $1,290 – $2,958 for various configurations. Additional accessories and parts are available via the website. Possible retailer interest here? Cool Idea: Richmond Tube Roll from Finn Utility
AnglingTrade.com | September 2014
UNI-Mylar #14 Clear
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Look to UNI for the best in spooled fly-tying materials!
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Here’s a new wrinkle on rod transport worth checking out. This piece is modular in design, working with a variety of tubes and lengths. It features four pockets, which fit tubes
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AFFTA: Moving FISH Forward
Aspen DeAler summit
OctOber 20-23, 2014 | Aspen squAre HOtel, cOlOrADO THANK YOU to our sponsors of the inaugural Dealer Summit! We’re looking forward to seeing everyone in Aspen for this threeday retreat devoted to retailer-specific educational topics and industry networking. Let’s grow the fly fishing industry together. For more information and to register visit www.affta.com or call 406.522.1556.
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up to 2” in diameter or smaller, and 34” long. At the same time, it will accommodate two tubes as short as 24” long. With English bridle leather strap and handle, it should work for a variety of situations, from an Alaskan float plane trip to a motorcycle ride among the Maine lakes. Made in the U.S.A., retail is $289.95. For a listing of the hot new products we think will sell well in the coming season, please see the “AT 20” feature, beginning on page 40 of this issue.
People News American Fly Fishing Trade Association Members Elect New Board
AnglingTrade.com | September 2014
The American Fly Fishing Trade Association (AFFTA) membership recently completed a board voting cycle to elect four new industry professionals onto the organization’s board of directors. Each elected board member will serve a three-year term, and also be available and active on the board sub-committees.
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After the results were tallied Larry Barrett of Farbank (Sage, Redington, RIO), Ben Kurtz of Fishpond, Michael White of Blue Ribbon Reps, and Shawn Combs of Orvis were elected to the board. Barrett, Kurtz and White have all previously sat on the board and were seeking re-election; Combs is new to the AFFTA board. AFFTA president Ben Bulis stated, “We were excited to see our membership so active in the voting process this year,
and are keen to welcome our new board members. We just came off of a great IFTD show, eager for the new Dealer Summit and to continue to move the sport of fly fishing forward with our new board.” The AFFTA board of directors convenes four times annually, the next board meeting will be in Aspen on October 20 immediately preceding the inaugural Aspen Dealer Summit. TU Welcomes Three to Board of Trustees Trout Unlimited volunteers elected three new members to its Board of Trustees at the organization’s annual meeting in Santa Fe, N.M., last week. Joining the board are Raiford Trask, president of Trask Land Co. and vice president of Autumn Hall Inc.; Dan Plummer, vice president of the Code Blue Foundation and a trustee of the Summit Charitable Foundation; and long-time TU volunteer who has been instrumental in water policy and fisheries enhancement in the Northwest, Mark Taylor. In addition to his work with Trask Land Co. and Autumn Hall, Trask, of Wilmington, N.C., is a proven developer who finds ways to preserve community culture, environmental integrity and “walkable” features in new developments. His commitment to environmental protection earned Autumn Hall the Significant Achievement Award from the Lower Cape Fear Stewardship Development Program. The North Carolina chapter of the American Planning Association has recognized Trask’s work, and he serves on the University of North Carolina’s Board of Governors.
As well as his work with Code Blue and Summit, Plummer, of East Branch, N.Y., is also the chairman of the board for Friends of the Upper Delaware River. He previously worked for ABC covering sporting events like Monday Night Football and the 1984 Summer Olympics. He’s also a general contractor and owner of Plummer Construction. In years past, he worked for Ralph Lauren in New York, and was the general contractor on “This Old House” in San Francisco, where he built his first sustainable home in nearby Mill Valley, Calif. Plummer spends as much time fly fishing the Catskills in New York as possible. Taylor, of Tulalip, Wash., has volunteered for TU for many years, and it presently involved in work trying to restore the kokanee salmon run in Lake Sammamish in Washington state. The salmon run is in dire straights, but Taylor’s work has given kokanee much-needed attention, both in government and non-government circles. He has served as Washington’s representative on the National Leadership Council and he’s worked on a number of vital Northwest issues, including salmon and steelhead recovery, hydropower relicensing and chapter and council development. Jennifer D. Pringle Joins OIA as Vice President of Marketing and Communications
Outdoor Industry Association recently announced that Jennifer D. Pringle has been chosen as its new vice president
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of marketing and communications. She formerly served as a partner with 4Leaf Partners, an organization specializing in comprehensive marketing and communications solutions for a wide-ranging group of industries including apparel and retail, higher education, public safety, healthcare, finance, nutrition and wellness. In her new position as OIA’s vice president of marketing and communications, Pringle will oversee all corporate communications, digital strategy, integrated marketing and branding. Pringle began her career in marketing at Levi Strauss and Co., headquartered in San Francisco. From there she moved into marketing leadership
positions at Powerbar, Qwest Communications, Terabeam, Intrado Inc. and Fresh Produce Sportswear before undertaking partnership responsibilities at 4Leaf Partners. Catskill Fly Fishing Center Names 2014 Hall Inductees
Bob Popovics, Paul Schullery, Joseph Bates, Jr. and R.B. Marston will be enshrined in the Flyfishing Hall of Fame. The ceremony will take place on October 11, 2014, at a reception at 3 p.m. A Recognition Dinner for inductees and the award of the Lee Wulff Conservation Award to John Waldron will be held at 5:30 p.m.
in the Wulff Gallery adjacent to the museum. The Fly Fishing Hall of Fame was established in 1989 to recognize those who have made a significant contribution to fly fishing, and is located at the Catskill Fly Fishing Center in Livingston Manor, N.Y. All those honored are memorialized with an individual cast bronze plaque attached to the exterior of the Catskill Fly Fishing Museum. Galloup, Chard Join Airflo Design Team Kelly Galloup, known for his innovation in designing and fishing streamer patterns, and Bruce Chard, a 23-year full-time bonefish, permit and
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tarpon guide have joined the Airflo Design team. Said Galloup: “The decision for me to move to Airflo was a simple one. My fishing is not casual, it is an intense hunt for the biggest bad-ass predator that swims and I want the very best product and technology in everything I use. Simply put that is what Airflo delivers. The performance and durability I get is unmatched by any other line. I demand that in the products I fish, and more importantly on the products I put my name on. When you use one of these lines you will know it will perform the way I want it to and it has been tested by a people who fish, not by a guy in a lab coat.” Said Chard: “Tropical wind is no joke. We deal with it daily fishing the flats. Often, clients struggle to lay out long leaders and big flies casting into the wind. Our goal was to develop the new industry standard ‘go-to’ saltwater line to help anglers overcome this obstacle, and be more effective on the water. Airflo’s
Super-Dri technology coupled with a proven, award-winning taper makes this the best saltwater fly line ever made. I’m so excited about these new lines. Having the opportunity to work with Airflo and Rajeff Sports is a dream come true”. Look for the release of Chard’s new “Tropical Punch” line and the Galloup “Tactical Series” in early 2015. WorldCast Anglers Announces New Additions to Management Team
WorldCast Anglers recently announced the promotion of Mike Dawkins to vice president, and C.G. Sipe to chief operating officer on the WorldCast Anglers management team. Dawkins joined the WCA team in 2008. As the retail and business development manager he successfully expanded the retail operations and marketing reach for the organization before transitioning to the COO role. Sipe joined WCA in 2010 as a
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fishing guide after completing the Western Rivers Guide School, and offered operational support as the outfitting manager. His experience in commercial outfitting, and intimate knowledge of the extensive destination fishing experiences offered by WCA will bring a solid expertise to the COO role. “These exciting additions to our leadership team will allow us to capitalize on our current successes and new opportunities in the fly fishing industry,” said Mike Dawes, President, WorldCast Anglers. “Both Mike Dawkins and C.G. Sipe have a strong track record of managerial and operational leadership, robust business performance, and are committed to exceptional angling service for our clients.” These personnel changes were prompted by the departure of Jim Hickey, a friendly and bittersweet transition as Hickey explores new professional challenges outside of the fly fishing industry. Hickey leaves a spectacular legacy as one of the early leaders at WCA. He joined WorldCast Anglers in 1999 as a guide and quickly climbed the ranks to a Head Guide position. Jim transitioned to an owner and partner of overall business operations and continually built upon the growing WCA brand and services. In his executive role, he aided in the expansion of the company’s overall product offerings and served as the head of the Western Rivers Guide School. In 2008, Jim was named the Orvis Freshwater Guide of the Year and competed in the World Fly Fishing Championships in Sweden in 2005 and in Finland in 2007.
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Brent Bauer has assumed the role of director of product management for Umpqua, and Nick Adinolfe will assume the role of director of operations. Bauer has been a member of the Umpqua team for 14 years, having worked in purchasing, operations, production and new product development. For the past two years, Bauer has been Umpqua’s director of operations and production, during which he has taken a lead role in new product development, including Umpqua’s awardwinning line of packs, bags and vests. Adinolfe has worked with companies as large as the Samsonite Corporation to smaller organizations with a portfolio ranging from consumer goods to high tech environments. Adinolfe’s manufacturing experience — both domestic and international — will broaden Umpqua’s ability to improve services and reduce costs for its customers.
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Wilkins Joins TRCP as Chief Conservation Officer Paul Wilkins has joined the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership as the TRCP’s chief conservation officer. A native Montanan, Wilkins spent a decade working with Max Baucus, former U.S.
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Senator and current U.S. ambassador to China, where he most recently served as Baucus’ chief of staff. “The TRCP stands to gain enormously from Paul’s impressive skills and expertise, and we are very glad to have him join our team,” said TRCP president and CEO Whit Fosburgh. “His leadership of our conservation both in directing our existing initiatives and identifying new opportunities – will play a crucial role in implementing federal policies that expand access for the public, including sportsmen, and conserve healthy fish and wildlife habitat.” Wilkins grew up on a sheep ranch in Melstone, Montana, where his childhood included annual fishing trips with his family in the Beartooth Mountains and elk hunting in the
Missouri Breaks. He received a bachelor’s degree from Gonzaga University and a master’s from Fordham University.
Environment B.C. Mine Failure Sheds Permanent Doubt on Pebble Do you still wonder if Pebble Mine could coexist with the Bristol Bay fishery? Look into the recent, tailings dam failure at the Mount Polley copper mine in British Columbia, which released vast amounts of mine waste into streams, rivers and lakes… Also, as reported in the last issue of AT, a proposed pipeline through the heart of the Skeena system (prime steelhead water) is only starting to heat up. If you think Pebble was/is a fight, wait until this one gets rolling… Study at Deepwater Horizon Spill Site Finds Key to Tracking Pollutants A recent study of the ocean circulation patterns at the site of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill reveals the significant role small-scale ocean currents play in
the spread of pollutants. The findings provide new information to help predict the movements of oil and other pollutants in the ocean. Nearly two years to the day after the Deepwater Horizon incident, scientists from the Consortium for Advanced Research on Transport of Hydrocarbon in the Environment (CARTHE), based at the University of Miami (UM) Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, conducted a drifter experiment in the northern Gulf of Mexico spill site to study small-scale ocean currents ranging from 100 meters to 100 kilometers. “Our results conclusively show that ocean flows at small scales, below 10 kilometers, contain significant energy fluctuations to control the initial spread of pollutant clouds,” said UM Rosenstiel School Professor and CARTHE Director Tamay Özgökmen. “Now that we have quantified this missing piece of the puzzle, we can improve our real-time predictive capabilities in the event of a future oil spill.” During the 12-day at-sea experiment called GLAD (Grand Lagrangian Deployment), the research team
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S c o t t F l y R o d C o m p a n y | 2 3 5 5 A i r P a r k W a y, M o n t r o s e , C o l o r a d o 8 1 4 0 1 | 9 7 0 - 2 4 9 - 3 1 8 0 | s c o t t f l y r o d . c o m
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deployed 300 GPS-equipped custom drifters off the UM Rosenstiel School research vessel F.G. Walton Smith in a region where wind-driven continental shelf currents mix with buoyancy-driven Mississippi River outflow currents and deep eddy-driven currents in the Gulf of Mexico. The drifters flowed along the Gulf of Mexico currents for several months post deployment to capture a multi-dimensional picture of the upper-ocean movements in the presence of wind and waves at DeSoto Canyon, the site of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. This was the first experiment to deploy so many drifters at once. Data about their whereabouts was retrieved every five minutes. The study, aimed at quantifying the small-scale circulation that cannot be captured by satellite-based altimeter measurements or general circulation models, has immediate practical applications to help better predict the path of catastrophic pollutant events, such as from future oil spills or nuclear disaster events. The results provide new information about the significant dispersion patterns currently unaccounted for in ocean circulation models, according to the authors.
AnglingTrade.com | September 2014
“This experiment is helping to answers questions that arise in all major oil spills, such as ‘where will the oil go?’ and ‘how fast will it get there?’ which are important when allocating limited response resources and to determine the overall socio-economic impact of the spill,” said Özgökmen.
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Outdoor Industry Celebrates 50th Anniversary of Land and Water Conservation Fund and Wilderness Act Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) and The Conservation Alliance delivered a letter to Congressional offices asking all members of Congress to support reauthorization and full, dedicated funding of the
Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) on this, the 50th Anniversary of both Land and Water Conservation Fund Act and the Wilderness Act. The letter was signed by 151 outdoor companies including manufacturers, distributors, retailers, outfitters, guides, small family businesses, entrepreneurial start-ups and international companies who rely on America’s public lands and waters for the success of their businesses. LWCF was signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson on September 3, 1964 to protect and provide recreational access to our nation’s irreplaceable outdoor spaces. Under the Act, a small percentage of federal lease royalties from natural resource extraction in our nation’s Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) are to be invested in conservation and outdoor recreation. Yet, since its enactment, in every year except for one, LWCF has seen a majority of its funds diverted to other, unrelated purposes despite the fact that recent polling shows that 85 percent of American voters want and expect the nation to continue to invest in LWCF. Check out the most recent issue of TROUT magazine for an in-depth photo essay on the Wilderness Act, and some of the prime backcountry fly-fishing locations made great through its passage. Sportsmen Applaud Senate Hearing on Browns Canyon Protection Efforts are moving forward that would designate Browns Canyon in Colorado’s Chaffee County a National
Monument. Sportsmen and women, rafters and local communities and businesses have worked for more than 20 years to have this area’s hunting, fishing and recreational values protected—and they urged quick passage of the legislation. “Now is the time to get this done,” said Kyle Perkins, Browns Canyon coordinator for Trout Unlimited. “We have overwhelming local support for protecting Browns Canyon—we just need Congress to get it across the finish line.”
David Leinweber of Angler’s Covey fly shop in Colorado Springs said Front Range anglers are pleased to see this hearing, and eager to see this designation accomplished: “Browns Canyon is a favorite fishing spot for many of my customers and clients. Virtually all of us want to see Browns Canyon—a stretch of the Arkansas River’s Gold Medal trout water—receive National Monument protection.” Sen. Mark Udall introduced his bill, which will protect 22,000 acres of rugged backcountry as well as a popular rafting canyon, in December 2013 after a lengthy process of public input and listening sessions. The area is highly valued by sportsmen who hunt and fish the area, and just want to keep it the way it is now. Browns Canyon is important to outdoor recreation businesses, a mainstay of the local and state economy.
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FEATURE
Senseis of Soul Good things in small batches from today’s boutique rod builders
Written by By Geoff Mueller From coveted craft brews to renowned surfboard designs by luminaries such as Greg Noll and Al Merrick, handcrafted excellence plays a key role in marketplaces where consumers don’t mind paying premiums for small batch items considered the best of their kind. When it comes to boutique fly rod making, the tradition is also alive and well, with contemporary builders blending history and innovative designs that heighten our experiences on the water.
AnglingTrade.com | September 2014
These intimate operations, with anywhere from one to a dozen or more employees, have in essence become the guardians of the fundamentals, keepers of the time honored, and the Dojos of fly-fishing soul. And no one fits the bill better than 73-year-old Tom Morgan who, along with his wife, Gerri Carlson, owns and operates Tom Morgan Rodsmiths out of his home/workshop in Manhattan, Montana.
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Morgan, who is wheelchair bound due to a 23-year battle with MS, has been an integral member of the rodmaking community since the early ’70s, when he purchased the R.L. Winston Rod Company. About 20 years later, shortly after A River Runs Through It premiered, the former guide turned rod designer was forced to reassess his principles.
The effect of The Movie, Morgan says, sent shockwaves through the industry, prompting rod manufacturers to refocus energy on faster-action builds that were more forgiving for an influx of beginner casters. Instead of bowing to pressures, Morgan sold Winston in order to continue his quest for perfection—designing and selling “thought rods” that function intuitively, as an extension of the end-user. “After selling Winston, I wanted to start a very small rod company, producing the absolute best rods, regardless of price,” he says. Tom Morgan Rodsmiths was born in 1996, with a quiver of high-end graphite trout rods. In the years that followed, he added bamboo and, more recently, a line of fiberglass blanks and completes to the mix. The operation has four employees, in addition to Carlson, who switches back and forth between the demanding roles of full-time caretaker and the woman who helps bring Morgan’s rodmaking vision to fruition. At one time, Morgan was able to cast his sensory-enriching graphite creations from his wheelchair, but those days have passed— and with them much of the rod making elements have moved into Carlson’s hands. Morgan says the hardest lesson to teach is the ability to see and feel what makes one rod superior over another: the finesse touches. “Gerri has the mindset that makes her even fussier than I am,” he says.
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FEATURE “So she’s really helped elevate the quality aspects of the brand.” As for essential R&D elements that go into handcrafting best-in-class fly rods, Morgan has a team of expert anglers and casters, such as Yellowstone Angler’s George Anderson and retired Scientific Anglers designer Bruce Richards, who aid in fine-tuning actions and dialing in dimensions. Today, the company produces approximately 50 glass and graphite rods a year. In addition, it makes 15 to 20 bamboo rods, a niche Morgan helped pioneer with the development of the Morgan Bamboo Hand Mill—which is used by contemporary rod makers across the globe.
AnglingTrade.com | September 2014
Morgan’s lineup, one imbued with the guiding principle “we don’t sell disappointment,” has solidified a brand reputation rooted in integrity. “The rods are well built for fishingspecific purposes,” he says. “We won’t win any distance casting competitions. But when you get out on the stream, you have a tool for great fishing. I’ve always stuck with that. I always will.”
26
That unswerving ethos, which flows from an energetic mind to the skilled hands that roll and finish elegant tools destined to dance with rivers and their colorful inhabitants, is one that’s reiterated throughout the boutique rod-making realm. And on the banks of British Columbia’s Kispiox River, you’ll find it in the bamboo spey incarnations from Riverwatch Rods, a singleman operation headed by one of Morgan’s former disciples, Bob Clay.
The makers met in the 1980s, while Clay was steelhead guiding on the north coast. “When Tom was in his early stages of MS, I would go to Montana and help with the machine work,” Clay says. “So with Tom’s brains, I basically acted as the brawn.” At the time, Morgan was in the process of designing his Hand Mill and Clay was able to mentor under the master. Clay sold his guiding outfit in the early ’90s and today operates in the alcove world of bamboo spey, building 35 to 40 rods a year for an international client list. Clay designs rods based on his experience as a steelhead fisherman and expert two-handed rod caster. Where traditional bamboo spey rods were long, heavy, and often cumbersome, Clay has gone the opposite route. He builds his oneof-a-kind sticks for contemporary casting styles, preferring a shorter length—11- to 12-footers—and using a hollow-build process that lightens and livens the in-hand feel. He currently builds three rods a month, devoting 60 hours of labor to each, and works six to seven day weeks during the shoulder seasons. But when ocean bright steelhead enter the Skeena system and, from there, funnel into famous tributaries such as the Copper, Bulkley, and Kispiox, Clay vacates the premises and heads toward the action. The flexibility of operating a one-man operation affords him the ability to fish more, which, in turn, fuels Riverwatch’s R&D engine. If you want to design something properly, you have to fully understand its inner
workings. For Clay, that’s all about how the rod feels and casts, “that’s what I’m striving for. I think when you fish with a Riverwatch rod it brings the angler back to the roots and history of the sport. And they are very pretty. There’s nothing quite like wood—it’s alive and hopefully you’re going to be proud of it and take good care of it.” Clay’s marketing strategy hinges on the latter: pride of ownership, which, via Internet forums and on-thewater events like the annual Sandy River Spey Clave, has led to wordof-mouth promotion that drives business. Although Clay has little want to grow Riverwatch beyond its sustainable output, he notes that rods in the right hands is a good thing, and that networking benefits the business model. From the monkish pursuit of fishing functionality to growing sales while maintaining balance and integrity, C.F. Burkheimer Rods in Washougal, Washington, is another boutique brand to watch. Kerry Burkheimer started his company in 1992 after working in the industry as a marketing consultant and a fishing guide on Oregon’s Deschutes River. Fiberglass guru, Russ Peak, oversaw Burkheimer’s apprenticeship in rod making. Recognizing his student’s passion, Peak conveyed the importance of workmanship and, more than just designing rods, Burkheimer received an education in how to critique them. “After working with Peak, who to me was like the Leonardo da Vinci of the whole deal, I wanted to keep things
FEATURE handmade, keep it very high quality,
a la his mentor Russ Peak. He’d
“It’s not going to be a comet crashing
and have it as much hands-on as
also like to see the company define
out of the sky. After all, it’s the fly-fishing
possible.” That meant shifting the
more of the niches: from warm water
business and with us it’s a boutique
focus to two-handed graphite rod
pursuits to streamer fishing for large
thing. This is the soul level of it. And I
making and moving operations in-
trout. But the genesis is more of
think we help the industry by being here
house in order to foster connectivity
an easy-going evolution than an
for the long haul, with quality USA-made
and maintain a direct line of contact
abrupt upheaval.
products. I hope it sticks.”
with the customer. From designing tapers and building blanks to CNC milling cork grips and reel seats, everything happens under one roof, powered by a small staff of skilled builders. Burkheimer produces about 1,500 rods annually; an output that lends itself to agility, with creative license to explore new ideas whenever the whim presents itself. “The best thing about being this size is nimbleness,” Burkheimer says. “I can have an idea for a design, draft it out, get the paperwork to our pattern cutter, and have a prototype in my hands the same day.” The process, much like writing music, is fluid. The end result is a signature rhythm, an intangible aspect that customers have come to call the “Burkie feel”. What that translates to, according to Burkheimer, manifests itself in the form of feedback, telling the angler what the rod—at any given moment during the cast—is doing with the line. And, when talking two-handed rods, it helps one determine timing and pace through the casting stroke. As for parlaying perfect momentum into brand development, Burkheimer expanded into single-handed rods three years ago and plans to soon add glass iterations into the lineup,
FEATURE
How Fly-Fishing Videos Can (MUST) Get Better
AnglingTrade.com | September 2014
Written by Marshall Bissett
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In a sport noted for precision and performance, it is amazing how low we have set the bar for video excellence. Sometimes as low as the unedited footage your brother-in-law shot at the last family gettogether, but mostly just well below average.
FEATURE The fly fishing film tours usually serve booze. That is a good thing when the films either induce epilepsy, hearing loss or deep sleep. How many times must we follow whooping and hollering young dudes up and down a stream to canned banjo music? How many soppy, blurry sunsets can a man stand? Do we have to see the wake of one more bonefish skiff racing to a clapboard shack where a distant relative of Bonefish Charlie will tell us his life story again? How many dirt roads do we have to see through that grimy windshield before we get to the sleet-swept secret steelhead hole? How often will grizzly guide-types speak of the fish of a thousand casts reliving the rejection they got in high school? Will we see every cast or only the first 500? Do we have to travel in the old Ford Galaxy station wagon with Frank, grandpa and the black Labrador to find the spot where Uncle Fred lost the fish of a lifetime? Does everyone have to be either “Duuuuuude” or “Bro?”
and waiting to receive it all, unfortunately with its quality-control feature still not installed. This is not to say that excellence is not in evidence in our closed world of fly fishing. The ORVIS teaching series on their website is well filmed, scripted and effective. There are many great videographers and directors at work today. Take a look at the work of “Felt Soul” Todd Moen, Mikey Wier, Will Benson and the instructional videos made by Jeffrey Pill for examples of the medium at its best. Their work hits all budget levels and is consistently watchable.
you have never heard of but without whom all movies would be agony. Everything in life requires editing. Without editing your newspaper would weigh 20 pounds and books would take years to read. I hope this article will be edited (it was)... but mostly I hope that fly-fishing video makers get a clue about the supreme importance of editing. Narrative and editing complement one another to turn the unwatchable into a visual delight. They say the rules will set you free and luckily video has some rules - many of them are borrowed from photog-
How many foreshortened, out-of-focus shots of spinning fly reels must we sit through? Will we ever actually see a fish take a fly before the deafening heavy metal is cued? How often must the face of the guy mumbling into the camera be obscured by the peak of a baseball cap? Will the guy tying the fly on YouTube please get his huge thumb out of the way? And more importantly, will God, in his mercy, give us this time back so we can fish some more? So how can we all get better at this? Here’s a clue – the most important feature of your latest camera is the free editing software it comes with or is available to you online. This is why the film industry has an OSCAR category for editing – always won by guys
raphy. If you are new to this, sign up for photography classes at your local community college BEFORE heading out to Best Buy. Everything you learn there will apply in spades to creating good, watchable video.
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AnglingTrade.com | September 2014
Just as everyone with a boat in Islamorada is a bonefish guide, everyone who can get to Best Buy with $150 is a videographer. Everyone with an iPhone is a camera man. In this race to shoot everything that moves, the Go Pro is the weapon of mass destruction. And social media is ready
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FEATURE If you are in any doubt try editing your own footage. Check your light levels, shoot smoothly and keep the camera dry were other helpful tips. ALWAYS TELL A STORY, and give it a beginning, middle and end. A story does not mean the plot of Casablanca and can be as simple as the launching of a raft down a steep embankment or the journey to a stream. A story needs an establishing shot, action footage, as much subject movement as possible and close-ups. Television is about the close-up. Audiences love a good story and fly fishing videos can be made up of many short stories.
SHOOTING FOR THE EDITOR (NO, NOT SHOOTING THE EDITOR)
AnglingTrade.com | September 2014
Some years ago I had the good fortune to work as fourth cameraman on a steelhead shoot in BC featuring a famous angler and director. The camera and audio crew (yes, a dedicated audio guy makes all the difference) were topnotch professionals with many years of features, commercials and other fly fishing DVD’s in their credits.
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I was a 100% rookie whose job was to shoot the now obligatory behindthe-scenes footage and anything else I thought might be interesting. So, of course, I stuck the camera out of car windows, ran down river banks bouncing the camera on my shoulder, shot fascinating conversations in restaurants so dark as to lend new meaning to the term noir and moody artistic scenes of birds flying or leaves blowing down the river. “Interesting” to me meant lots of camera movement, unusual angles
and lots of zooming. On the evening of day one I proudly showed my extensive footage to the DP who said, and I remember these words quite well, “This is crap and we can’t use any of it – let me tell you what we are looking for.” Over the next 10 days the cameramen, the DP and the director put me through guerrilla film school. The first lessons were: YOU ARE NOT THE EDITOR, but you have to shoot in a way that lets him do his job. You have to create doors in and out of any scene you shoot. You do this by holding the camera long and steady to give the editor a static platform to make a cut. If you are going to pan a scene horizontally make sure your timing is correct and the camera is steady. Excessive use of the zoom creates nightmares for the editor and the sound guy. They threatened to gaffer tape my lens. Do not make fast cuts in your shooting style – the editor will do all that later.
INTERVIEWS. Learn how to shoot interviews. If in doubt, watch “60 Minutes” or “20/20” – they have it down. Lighting or good natural light on the features is essential. Poor lighting distracts the viewer and he stops listening. Shoot the interview from different points of view and establish setting and time of day. Do not let the subject drone on and repeat himself. If in doubt get the opinion of someone with a short attention span and marginal interest in fly fishing – they will tell you if the interview is engaging. My experience on the BC professional shoot taught me a lot and made me a harsh critic of mediocre video. But mostly it showed me that there is often a fine line separating the good, bad and ugly. COMPOSITION AND THE RULE OF THIRDS If you want to learn how to compose a screen shot look no further than any black and white noir movie of the 1940’s. Many of those cinematographers came from the world of still photography and you will rarely see
action dead center in the screen. They use strong diagonal lines to draw your eye into a scene. They place the focus in the quadrants of the screen that give maximum impact. Your eye is led through the action with a subtlety that is masterful but still relies on a few simple concepts. As an example, long straight stretches of river are majestic to the naked eye but boring to the camera lens. Look for the sharp bends and curves – get up high and shoot what the human eye cannot readily see.
THE DOCUMENTARY STYLE Watch the work of great documentary film makers and note the seductive quality of their treatments. You may not care about BASEBALL, but try a few minutes of Ken Burns’ film and you will be hooked. Here there are some variants on rules. Do not let your narrator or interviewee talk without the support of visual images. Explanation without visuals is called an audio book , not a film. Research
Will Benson shooting fishing video footage near Hopedale, LA
has shown that modern audiences are capable of assimilating an enormous number of consecutive images without overload. If your visuals are strong let the viewer sip and savor them. Again there is a tasteful middle path between the seizure inducing and the soporific. Use stills of maps – most of us need a sense of time and place for reference.
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FEATURE
Photo: Marshall Bissett
I am now anticipating a tsunami of protests about budget or lack thereof. Of course money will buy you better audio mixing, music integration and color correction. It will not improve narrative content, composition and style. If you need proof of the disconnect between high budget and quality film-making you can always visit your local multiplex in summer season. Fly fishing is the subject of more literary output than any other sport and, to be clear, much of what is written is well below the standard of Tom McGuane, John Gierach and Jim Harrison. This tells me there is an audience for quality visual programming. Let’s give our videos the beauty of a tight loop, the visual delight of an Atlantic salmon fly and the magic of a well-told tale.
NAUTILUS PRO SHOP DATA SHEET
Chicago Fly Fishing or ChiFly LOCATION: Chicago, IL YEARS IN BUSINESS:March 2001, so 13 is the lucky number WHERE TO FISH NEARBY: Forty miles of lake front and harbors and too many rivers and lakes to count! Plus Wisconsin and Michigan are in our backyard. BEST TIME OF YEAR TO VISIT: May/June and Sept./Oct. Not only the best fishing, but the best weather to visit a gorgeous city and take in the sights! DO YOU GUIDE OUT OF THE SHOP?: We have friends that guide locally, so we book destination travel. Having 2 airports very close by can take us anywhere in the world easily. ARE THERE TROUT IN CHICAGO?: Aren’t steelhead trout? NO.1 SELLING FLY: Either the Murdich Minnow or Craven’s Dirty Hippy – crazy great flies! They work on bass and trout but also on pretty much all species! WHAT IS THE FAVORITE NAUTILUS REEL?: We sell a ton of the FWX for smaller species and LOVE the NV’s, especially the G8 and 9’s for the bigger species. WHAT DO YOU LIKE BEST ABOUT NAUTILUS REELS?: They deliver the best bang for your buck on all levels, outperform competition in all levels, and service issues almost never arise. Maintenance free actually really means maintenance free when it comes to Nautilus Reels. STAFF OR STORE SPECIALTIES?: We fish a lot of species locally , so steelhead, trout and smallmouth are staff favorites. We are all travel junkies and have crazy addictions and experience ranging from permit to Argentinian trout and most species in between. If it has fins, someone here is addicted to it and knows their stuff! Jon, Paul, Will and Phil are incredible casting and fly fishing instructors and some of most creative tyers on earth. - Andy Kurkulis SHOP NAME:
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BREAKING NEWS
AFFTA Makes the Right Call on H.R. 4742 H.R. 4742 does not reflect the conservation ethos that defines the character of the fly-fishing industry and its natural resourcesdependent community.
The American Fly Fishing Trade Association just released a position statement on H.R. 4742, which would roll back a number of conservation aspects of the Magnuson-Stevens Conservation and Fishery Management Act. This is a bold move, as it directly contradicts the efforts of many entities in the sportfishing industry that are now advocating against certain catch restrictions and other aspects of
AnglingTrade.com | September 2014
Magnuson-Stevens.
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Angling Trade, the only magazine focused specifically on the business of fly fishing, has researched the issue, and we support AFFTA. We believe AFFTA’s opinion best addresses the long-term interests of the fly-fishing community of manufacturers, retailers, guides, and consumers.
Magnuson-Stevens Conservation and Fishery Management Act’s 2007 reauthorization’s strongest conservation provisions:
Here is the full statement from AFFTA:
• Shifts Annual Catch Limits that maintain fishing efforts at sustainable levels from annual quotas to multiyear quotas that would threaten opportunity and management stability;
The House Committee on Natural Resources introduced H.R. 4742, the Strengthening Fishing Communities and Increasing Flexibility in Fisheries Management Act, in late 2013. The bill is poised for a vote this session. H.R. 4742 eviscerates many of the
• Removes reasonable rebuilding timelines that allows marine species to recover from years of overfishing;
• Hinders the recovery of the Endangered Species Act-listed resources, such as salmon and steelhead.
Since 2000, when a federal court decision required the National Marine Fisheries Service to comply with the conservation and stock rebuilding provisions of the Magnuson-Stevens Act, and with new mandates included in the Act’s 2007 reauthorization, 34 previously overfished populations have been rebuilt, and the number of populations subject to overfishing has been reduced by more than 60 percent, from 72 to 28. Changing any of the Act’s provisions now, just as so many of our nation’s marine resources are on the cusp of recovery, is unwarranted and threatens to send us back to the days of overfishing when opportunity was severely limited because of a lack of healthy fish populations. The American Fly Fishing Trade Association—the nation’s sole flyfishing trade association—will be developing recommendations for reauthorization of the MagnusonStevens Conservation and Fishery Management Act and will share those recommendations with Congress as the reauthorization process moves forward. Please feel free to submit comments on this issue to editor@anglingtrade. com. We will continue to cover this discussion in future print editions of the magazine, as well as online at anglingtrade.com.
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FEATURE
Carolina Chic
AnglingTrade.com | September 2014
Written by Mike Hodge
36
One of the best fly-fishing locales in the country is far away from the Rockies, and business there is proving it. When Mac Brown first started out as a fly-fishing guide in western North Carolina in the late 1980s, he knew his colleagues well. He could count them on one hand—Roger Lowe and
Haden Copeland. They would meet for a beer in Asheville after the summer surge of business.
fall when it slowed down and hang
“We were all buddies,” Brown recalled. “We’d all get together in the
a living back when I worked at the
out and tell stories. It’s different now. When I said I was going to guide for NOC (Nantahala Outdoor Center)
FEATURE years ago, all of my friends who weren’t fishermen just laughed. They thought no one’s going to pay anyone to fish. The first year I was scared to death, thinking I was going to starve to death. In ’89, I had 30 people. Next year, boom, I was covered up, then it got busy and stayed busy for a while.”
Thanksgiving. When the tourists head for home, rivers finally settle in for the winter after the traditional seasonal surge.
Matt Canter said. “They don’t have
Historically, North Carolina isn’t known for its big numbers of trophy trout. The fishing, by southeastern standards, is good, but it
take a week off and go to Montana.
doesn’t compare to blue-ribbon
As fly fishers started to trickle toward the local streams and rivers, Julie Spiro recognized the trend and seized an opportunity to market it. The executive director of the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce put together a tri-fold brochure promoting local trout fishing and quickly
a week to figure out a stream. When they get time off, they want to get directly into fish. Used to, people would Now they’re taking a weekend off and coming up here from Atlanta or Charlotte.”
Twenty-five years have passed and the wave of fly fishing in the Smoky Mountains hasn’t stopped. The love of the long rod still endures. Once upon a time, western North Carolina used to be the land of canned corn and mealworms. Local fly shops used to be scarce in the mid-1980s. There was Hunter Banks in Asheville, the One Feather in Cherokee and the Happy Hiker in Highlands. If you lived anywhere else in the Smokies, you probably called L.L. Bean. Options now abound. Sylva, Bryson City, Waynesville, Cashiers and Brevard all have fly shops. “One just on about every doorstep,” said Kevin Howell, owner of Davidson River Outfitters in Brevard, N.C. Almost every shop runs a guide service. Brookings’ Cashiers Village Anglers started with three guides, but now has 13. Davidson River Outfitters employs a staff of 15 after starting with just three.
Guides from Bryson City to Brevard have been busy from March through
western waters. The appeal of the Blue Ridge watershed is its location. Charlotte and Atlanta are three hours away. A trip from Orlando or Tampa, Fla., can be done in a day. “People are just so busy,” Brookings Cashiers Village Outfitters manager
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AnglingTrade.com | September 2014
“People saw guys like me and Roger Lowe and said, ‘Man, I want to do that,’’’ Brown said. “It went from having one or two guides to having more than a hundred right now.”
37
FEATURE
realized she couldn’t print them fast enough.
AnglingTrade.com | September 2014
“People picked it up like crazy,” Spiro said. “That’s when I knew there’s something there: ‘I can make this better.’”
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are fly-fishing related. Many concern the Trail, which has its own website: http://www.flyfishingtrail.com/.
And the western N.C. Fly Fishing Trail was born. The Trail, created by Spiro and a few local anglers, is a compilation of 15 streams. It starts with the scenic Scott Creek and ends with rumbling waters of the Tuckasegee River.
“It really has become a staple for tourism in Jackson County. It generates revenue,” Spiro said. “When people are here to fly fish, they’re here two days, three days fishing several spots on the trail. I get emails from fishermen saying they’ve fished three spots one year and they’ll be back for more. It’s really an honor badge to say you’ve fished all 15.”
Roughly 30 percent of the Jackson County tourism inquiries, Spiro said,
The Tuckasegee is one of the most popular WNC spots. Other favorites are
the Nantahala and Davidson Rivers. All are within two hours of each other. The Tuckasegee is a favorite among those who want to fish from a drift boat, a trend that started in the early ‘90s. Lowe, who works out of Brookings, was one of the first guides in the area to grab an oar. “We were the guinea pigs on that,” Lowe said. “That opened a lot of doors right there.” Anglers willing to pay can have access to more fish without the stress of wading big water. It’s a win-win for the fisherman and guide.
FEATURE “When I first started guiding there were only a handful of guides doing it— Roger, Henry (Williamson), a select a few,” Canter said. “Now it’s blown up.”
“The delayed harvest had a lot to do with it,” Canter said. “It gets people here and it’s fairly easy fishing. I think
Most of the area anglers fish weekends. They dabble. But a handful of folks fish competitively. In fact, the North Carolina Fly Fishing Team hosted the 2011 national championships in Cherokee, N.C. And Josh Stephens, who has two top-three finishes at the U.S. nationals, lives in Robbinsville, N.C. “The adult (North Carolina) team is based out of here,” Brown said. “The
(U.S.) youth (national) team is based out of here. They started doing well. We’ve got so many good anglers we’re not only taking first place, we’re taking second place (at nationals). Nobody’s even close point wise. It’s a hotbed. It really is a hot bed.” But fly fishing appears to be more than just a passing fad in western N.C. It’s part of the culture. “It came on pretty good,” Lowe said. “It’s a sport everyone’s enjoyed. Fortunately, a few of us have been lucky enough to make a living every day. It’s been a good lifestyle.”
AnglingTrade.com | September 2014
Although the access to the water has improved, so, too, has the fishing, thanks to the implementation of delayed-harvest regulations on many streams. The Nantahala, according to the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, was the first in 1991. The Tuckasegee was added in 1994. Now there are more than 30.
it made it easier on the Average Joe. It’s pretty easy access. You don’t have to walk up tiny little streams in the backcountry to catch fish. And it sort of shed light on catch-andrelease in North Carolina.”
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FEATURE
THE “AT 20” 20 Products we think will make a splash in the coming months… and five more that have us intrigued. Analyzed, tested and reviewed by The Editors Product preferences are, of course, a subjective deal. What flips our switches as anglers might not flip yours, and vice versa. Honors and awards are nice, and usually hard earned, but let’s be honest… that can be a pretty loose deal also. We’re not saying that we have all the answers, but after covering the fly-fishing business and talking to retailers and consumers for many years now, we do have some reasonably qualified hunches as to what will sell, and what will not. Here are 20 products that we would be darn sure to have in our store next year (were Angling Trade a fly shop) and explanations as to why we feel that way. Some qualifiers/disclaimers: We did see, feel, test, handle everything on the list; there are no “press release reviews” here. Some of these companies are advertisers, others are not; that didn’t influence this list. This is about sales potential, not necessarily products we like to fish with (though, naturally, we’d have a hard time imagining something selling like hotcakes if we thought it sucked on the water). We limited the list to one product per company (some companies had multiple IFTD winners, but we think diversity of product offering is important). This is a list, not a ranking, so assume the numeric order has more to do with magazine layout than anything else. Lastly, if any of these things prove to be disappointments (by wearing out early and so forth) we’re going to tell you about that on anglingtrade.com.
AnglingTrade.com | September 2014
Here goes…
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1. Orvis Recon Rod Series
2. YETI Hopper A soft-sided cooler/tote bag with a beefy dry-suit zipper on top that keeps things cool to YETI standards, we liked it at first sight. But the real “bosses” (our wives), liked it even more. Why? It’s lighter and easier to handle than a hard-sided cooler. And it’s flexible. You can tuck it in the car. Carry it to the beach. The functional possibilities abound. We did a side-by-side ice test with a YETI Tundra 45, and sure, the solid walls maintained ice a bit longer. But at a time when we’re all looking for things we can sell beyond the hard-core angler crowd, this option leaps out. Retail is $300.
Orvis’ new Recon rod series is a high-performing offering that’s priced at $450 retail. All rods feature a versatile action that should fit right into the wheelhouse of most anglers, regardless of skill level. What Orvis did was transpose many of the manufacturing lessons it learned in the development of Helios and Helios 2 (including secretive ferrule designs) to more affordable base materials and components. The rod (and even the tube it comes in) is entirely made in the U.S.A. For the angler looking to add a different line weight to the arsenal, it’s an easy, worthy and honest sell.
FEATURE
3. Umpqua Tailgater Most anglers’ primary fishing “chariot” isn’t a drift boat or a raft. It’s their truck or car. Boat bags are fine, but what they really need is a bin to put wet stuff in so their vehicle doesn’t stink. This very simple, surprisingly affordable ($80) option called the Tailgater Organizer can be fastened onto any cheap plastic utility tub from Home Depot or Wal-Mart, and as such, transform that tub into something that not only holds wet waders, but also fly boxes, various tools, tippet, floatant, etc. Set one up in the store, and fill the bin with a supply to sell. It’ll empty quickly.
5. Sharkwave Siege Freshwater Fly Line
4. Sage Accel Rod Series Sage uses much of what it learned in developing the One rods, and applies that to Generation 5 materials technology to create a tight-casting blend of power and accuracy with medium to fast action. It’s intentionally less adorned with component frills, which helps keep the cost down. We took a twohander to the Dean, and never set it down. The single-handers (priced from $595 with warranty) offer good feel. Sage swept the rod competition at IFTD as Accel won “Best of Show” in the freshwater category, and SALT (which we haven’t tested yet) took, well, the saltwater category.
First off, we like the fact that, since Orvis acquired Scientific Anglers, SA has been focused on making things simple for consumers to understand. It’s back to basics. And basics, for SA, is really cutting-edge line technology development. The Sharkwave Siege, which won best Freshwater Fly Line honors at IFTD, is a coming home of sorts as well, as it applies the right technologies in the right places of the line. The line is a game changer from a casting and presentation standpoint. We felt it right away. You and your customers will too. Retail $100.
6. Tacky Fly Box
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AnglingTrade.com | September 2014
This new fly box—another IFTD winner—is made with a slit-silicone insert, rather than regular foam. What that means is that it is less apt to stretch and wear out as you pull and replace flies in the box. The material has mucho memory, so every fly is always snugly anchored back. It’s sized right at 7” x 3.5” x ¾” so it slips comfortably in pockets. It has magnetic closures to keep it bound shut, and it’s made of polycarbonate that’s shatter resistant (the same stuff that many polarized lenses are made of). It holds 168 flies. And at $25, it is temperature tested to 250 degrees Fahrenheit. For more information, www.tackyflyfishing.com.
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FEATURE 7. Nautilus Silver King Reel What more do you need to say than Nautilus took the same reel design, entered one color in the freshwater category, the other in the saltwater category (we forgot which was silver, which was black), and swept them both at IFTD? The CCFX2 Silver King is another pairing of a light (9.1 oz.), yet durable aluminum frame with high-performance drag technology. This option is particularly interesting, because the large design will maximize pickup and retrieve factors, which are going to appeal from tarpon flats to Spey rivers. It offers as much pickup, with as little weight, as you can possibly have. Retail is $685.
9. Fish Skull Fly Tester
8. Hatch Two-Plus Reel We’ve been huge Hatch fans since the company started several years ago, and have admired how the company has blossomed by sticking to the same basic design that few could compete against. Hatch reels are bomb-proof. The refinement in the line this year is the addition of the 2-Plus Finatic, which we first saw on a visit to Hatch’s Vista, California, HQ this summer. It weighs only 3.6 oz., is 3” in diameter with a .85” spool width. It’s fully machined and has a Rulon/Stainless Steel stacked disk drag. It’s rated for 2-weight through 4-weight, but to be perfectly honest we love it most on a 4. Retail: $380
Another winning product from IFTD we wanted to call out is the Fish Skull Fly Tester, from Flymen Fishing Co. As the name implies, you can fasten flies to lines, and float them on the surface, “drift” them under the surface, and even “swim” certain flies like streamers. In other words you can see how they look and behave in the water… what the action is, and so forth. That’s all fine, but let’s call it like it is and say what the fly tester really does. It’s a customer entertainment device that belongs on a counter or behind the cash register in every shop. Price is $285.
11. Patagonia Nano Air Hoody
AnglingTrade.com | September 2014
10. Fishpond Sushi Roll
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If it’s good enough for our buddy Joe Cermele, fishing editor of Field & Stream, it’s good enough for us. This is one of the first products that grabbed Joe’s attention at IFTD. It’s a soft streamer holder—a roll-up foam pad— costs $30, and it’s meant to hold big patterns like streamers. Not only that, it dries the flies when they’re rolled up. Pound for pound, Fishpond had probably the most impressive haul of IFTD awards this year. This product was somewhat overlooked, but it was our favorite.
Patagonia just introduced a Nano-Air Hoody and Jacket with FullRange insulation, which is going to be a game changer. Everyone knows that the NanoAir products have been the hot layering item for years, because of how actually “not too hot” they are. Nano-Air products breathe at the rate of allowing 40 CFM (cubic feet per minute) of air flow, while still maintaining stretch and warmth. This design has taken things to an entirely new level.
FEATURE
13. Simms G4Pro Jacket
12. Smith Dockside Polarized Glasses In the fashion eyewear parlance, “large fit” is a nice way of saying “fat head,” which we can say because one of us—we’re not saying who—falls into that category. Seriously, it’s almost impossible to find many good options in that fit range, which can be a frustration. Dockside, available in a number of different lens types, is one of the most comfortable, “forget they’re on,” and reliable polarized options we have ever worn.
We took this jacket to the Dean in British Columbia, and hoped it would rain. It did. The jacket delivered, even beyond its $550 retail price tag. It can carry a lot of gear, but none of the pockets seem contrived or gimmicky. It’s lightweight and accommodates layering. Range of motion is better in this jacket than in 99 percent of any others anglers will wear (a real bonus when Spey casting). And it is supremely waterproof. Best of all, it’s cut like a rain coat you can wear around town. Not too high, like a silly sawn-off “wading” jacket, yet not droopy to your knees. A rock-solid champ (IFTD winner), and you’d expect nothing less from Simms.
14. Costa “Hamlin” in New 580P Mirror Costa is on a roll, plain and simple. 580 is a standard in terms of clarity. The new 580P mirrors feature C-WALL technology, an oleophobic and hydrophobic coating that repels oil, water, and dust. The mirror lenses block light at a slightly higher rate, which helps cut glare and protect eyes. Hamlin is named after Ron Hamlin, the captain who has caught and released over 27,000 billfish and helped mainstream circle hooks. We’ve worn the shades... they are better than advertised, and retail is $189.
15. Buff Water Gloves
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AnglingTrade.com | September 2014
Romano loves these things and can’t say enough good things about them. Your hands are as vulnerable as your face when it comes to the sun. And while we slather sunscreen everywhere, the hands lose the protection before anywhere else (usually). These gloves dry out extremely fast, they have awesome grip on the inside, they are easy to take on and off, and they seem to take a beating. We’ve used them kayaking in Texas, whitewater rafting in Utah, and rowing all the local (Colorado) haunts. They are fantastic for rowing. Not too thick. Priced at $27.00.
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FEATURE 17. Scott Tidal
16. Korkers K-5 Bomber The K-5 Bomber is designed for durability. Interestingly, Korkers, which was one of the very first manufacturers to employ the BOA closure system, has gone to laces for this model. Not a reflection on BOA, rather a means of covering all bases. We have yet to actually wade in these, but at first feel on the show floor, the five-ply fit system that locks the foot in place and provides ankle support seems to take things up a level. Fans of the OmniTrax Interchangeable Outsole system will want to give them a close look.
Said Scott president Jim Bartschi: “This rod is designed to make casting and fishing saltwater class rods easier. Fly fishing in saltwater is challenging by its nature—conditions fish, nerves—and often transitioning up from fly rods most of us use frequently (4,5, and 6 weights) just adds to the challenges. We wanted to make a rod that really drove the line and turned over flies easily, even with less-than-perfect timing or double-hauls.” Retail is $475, yet it’s more than enough rod for the trout angler who wants to go on his or her planned bonefish trip. In terms of price and versatility, I think Tidal may be one of the best all-around carp rods ever made.
18. Dr. Slick Pliers Most of the magazines we write for won’t allow us to even review $300 pliers. We can’t imagine how you sell them (though we know many of you do.) Dr. Slick has created new “Typhoon” pliers that are not only functional and solid, they have a retail price of $60. They’re fully machined, they’re comfortable to grip, they are corrosion resistant, and they even come with replacement cutters. They aren’t bulky and the color makes them stand out if you happen to drop them in the river. Gotta say we don’t love the holster, but we like everything else.
20. Dolly Varden
AnglingTrade.com | September 2014
19. Abel Sealed Drag Reel
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Abel Reels have always been a lead contender in terms of design, feel, and performance. Where the company has been kicked in the shins from competitors has been in the context of sealed drag systems, which others had, and Abel did not... until now. And now that the company does house a drag system in a manner that makes it impervious to dust, grime, and corrosion, the Abel Sealed Drag line is going to be hard to compete against. They’re pretty, they’re light, their tough, they’re durable, they’re cool... and they’re status priced ($700 for a 3N), which may actually be a good thing in a retail display.
Husband-wife co-founders Daniel and Joanne Berezan are onto some very smart designs with good fabrics. They just launched, and we think they’ve really landed on some great women’s-specific designs and products, Another undeniable plus is that everything is cut and sewn in the U.S.A. If you’re looking for another soft-goods option that’s a little different, very functional, and eye catching (it doesn’t just look like fishing clothes), do check out dollyvardenoc.com.
FEATURE
Five More “bonus” products we think are worth taking a hard look at… 21. St. Croix Spinning Travel Rods Does everything in your shop have to be fly? Does every rod have to be a fly rod? That’s your decision, but if you do want to cross over, you can do no better than St. Croix’s new Legend Trek spinning and casting rods. There are eight, 3-piece spinning and casting rods ranging from 7- to 7 ½ feet in length, they pack down to 32” or less. In other words, they travel like fly rods. Retail prices range from $460 - $530.
23. Hemingway’s
22. J. Son Match & Catch These flies are incredibly realistic… so much so that they are ultimately teaching aids more than anything else. Use them to compare against naturals, and you help entomology and hatch-matching skills. Ideal for any shop that teaches. See http:// www.jsonsweden.com/en/
24. Quad Racks from Vac Rac
Realistic Tying Parts Buds and Back Stone Fly Hemingway’s Realistic Stonefly Wing Buds & Back is quite unique material, excellent for tying realistic stonefly nymphs. Wing buds and main body backs are precut, preformed, flexible, waterproof and UV resistant. Comes in various colors and three sizes: Small, Medium and Large. Small is good choice for hook sizes #10-12, medium for #8-10 and large for #6-8. Longer shank hooks are recommended. Small and Medium: 20 sets per pack Large: 15 sets per pack
Yellow HMG-SWB&B-01
Pale HMG-SWB&B-02
Tan HMG-SWB&B-05
Dark HMG-SWB&B-06
Gold HMG-SWB&B-03
Gray HMG-SWB&B-04
Buds and Back May Fly Gold HMG-MWB&B-01 Yellow HMG-MWB&B-02 Dark HMG-MWB&B-03 Ephemera Yellow HMG-MWB&B-05
Brown HMG-MWB&B-04
25. Rep Your Water People like to show the waters they fish, and the places they are connected to. Nobody captures this in a fishing sense, better than “Rep Your Water” which neatly integrates state flag emblems to ball caps, and so forth. It’s an instant premium, or soft good, point-of-sale money magnet, waiting to happen. Repyourwater.com.
www.hemingway-s.com
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AnglingTrade.com | September 2014
The Quad racks from Vac Rac have two lever-actuated vacuum bases per rack, the Quad rack securely mounts to any smooth vehicle or boat surface whether steel, aluminum, glass or composite allowing you to safely transport up to four fully assembled rods & reels on the outside of your car. We wouldn’t have mentioned this had our rods fallen off our cars. For further information on the Quad rack or any other of the Vac Rac products, please contact US Distributor, Highland Trading Co, Inc. Avon, Co. 1 800 423 4439 www.Sportube.com
Tom Janukowicz, owner and operator of Bearskin Outfitters guide service in southern Pennsylvania was looking for some materials to make legs to tie a few of his fly patterns with to improve their overall realism, He ended up being the guy for the Hemingway’s product line. (Good name, right?) Check out the products, there’s more than sniff once you scratch.
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B AC K C A S T
So when planning a road trip this past summer I decided we’d do Montana differently. We’d nose into areas we’d never smelt. We’d sidestep the mainstay tailwaters exploding with “arm’s length” trout. And we’d challenge ourselves, carrying nothing but dry flies and meaty streamers.
MARKETING MONTANA Fly fishing’s least kept secret at its best Written by Geoff Mueller When it comes to heady lifestyle magazines, including the ones frequenting bacteria traps such as your dentist’s lobby, Montana dominates the marketplace.
AnglingTrade.com | September 2014
The state has more publications devoted to endless sky, 10-gallon hats, reclaimed-timber homes, and kitschy wildlife art than any other in the union. That’s because Montana— the one being marketed to frothing urbanites from Atlanta to Chicago and beyond—has become a fabrication of the savage outdoors, where one can’t take a shit in the woods without being scalped by a rogue Indian or mauled by a grizzly bear any day of the week.
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Sure, there’s plenty of wildlife and that equates to some unreal fishing. Moreover, the state boasts the best stream access laws in the land. But all that love has led to a busier place, where experience has been diluted, especially while drifting down mainstay tailwaters, eyes glued all day to a pink bobber.
Like Lewis and Clark kitted with GPS and an air-conditioned 4X4, we throttled it past Billings and its oil refineries, through a Livingston recently polluted by John Mayer’s guitar strumming, over Bozeman after roughing it a night in the Hilton, and on across Butte toward the unincorporated town of Wise River: Population, sparse. River miles alive with wild trout… abundant. Generally lacking the fame and outof-state fortunes, Wise River won’t be voted best place to live, work, and play by the lifestyle glossies anytime soon. That distinction typically goes to Bozeman, with its prime access to national forest lands and hundreds of miles of blue-ribbon trout river—including the Yellowstone, Gallatin, and Madison. Its virtues are undeniable, but picking a place like Bozeman to get off the grid is like plucking low-hanging bananas. Besides, we wanted to reboot our fishing in a place that embraces its anonymity. And we found it. The sod-roof cabin standing before us, according to David Decker at the Complete Fly Fisher, was built in the late 1800s and housed the first white settlers to overwinter in the Big Hole Valley. It was about 5 feet tall and wobbled precariously to one side thanks to decades of wear, tear, and wind. Next door, our refurbished digs were better equipped, with a refrigerator full of Rainiers and comfy beds. Outside, a plush sweep of
the Big Hole River gurgled through the backyard. And we were about to experience the hatch of a lifetime, as a billion mosquitoes swarmed us from all directions. Heaven, with an extra dose of DEET. The Big Hole is not an unknown entity. But having never fished there, it possessed all the traits we were after: undammed flows, lengthy stretches of awesome canyon water, and a great lineup of wild trout. The water made sense, but the fishing didn’t. We stuck to a dry-fly program that received little fanfare from the trout. Weather was equally uncooperative. It blew sideways, boomed and crackled incessantly, and rained hard at times. It was the authentic Montana immersion we’d sought. But after three days of more bug bites than fish eats, it was also a quintessential ass kicking. On the way home we diverted through Fort Smith, where we found 30 truck-and-trailer rigs lining a major Bighorn River access. On the water, every run housed multiple boats and their bobber-dogging clients. And at about 7 p.m., the sun plummeted into the cottonwood canopies, while the river lit up in the kind of caddis emergence that forces an entire trout population to look up and open wide. We caught more fish on dries during those waning hours of light than we’d seen all week. The experience was borderline preposterous—with a fluffy, pink-cloud backdrop straight off the pages of Unmistakably Montana Magazine. And as for living up to all that hype? The reality of this place, as is often the case, is far better than the fiction.
Four Reasons Why TROUT is the Best Buy in Fly… 1
It has the largest sustained print readership in the space.
2
Its readers are the most motivated anglers (they spend and act).
3
TROUT offers by far the best CPM value of any publication that covers fly fishing.
TROUT UNLIMITED • W W W. T U. O R G • S P R I N G 2014
egacy of shable water.
Money spent in TROUT supports the organization that protects the resources that sustain fly fishing.
If you haven’t checked out TROUT lately, make a point to do so. We don’t do how-to. But we’re also not strictly a conservation publication. TROUT is a lifestyle publication that covers the conscience of angling in America. And we’re growing... For advertising information: Tim Romano; tim@anglingtrade.com.
MARK LANCE
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