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the buzz on the flyfishing biz
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TRADE
Inside
The ACCESS Issue
Fish Free or Die/ Private vs. Public/
Fish Parks... Why Not?/ Why Media Matters/
Now is the Time to Take Action
December2008AnglingTrade.com
the buzz on the flyfishing biz
CONTENTS
®
TRADE
Features
Departments
Editor
Kirk Deeter
[email protected]
Managing Editor
20 Fish Free or Die
We’re selling paradise by the acre or the
hour, and we could be killing our industry
by doing so. Now, more than ever, it’s
time to tear down some fences.
6 Editor’s Column
Americans are going to flyfish next
year, no matter what the economy does.
The issue now isn’t “if,” rather “where”
they plan to fish. By Kirk Deeter
By Ben Romans
26 Private vs. Public
“Private” is not, in fact, a dirty word.
What is… is. The smart retailer and
guide operator understands that
balancing public vs. private water
access can key business success.
By Jay Cassell
8 Currents
The latest product, people, company and
issues news from the flyfishing industry.
18 They Said It
Will Rice gets the inside perspective
from Chris Patterson, director and
cinematographer of the new film Drift.
Tim Romano
[email protected]
Editor-at-Large
Charlie Meyers
[email protected]
Art Director
Tara Brouwer
[email protected]
brouwerdesign.com
Copy Editors
Mabon Childs, Sarah Warner
Contributing Editors
Tom Bie
Ben Romans
Andrew Steketee
Greg Thomas
Contributors
Jay Cassell, Bill Deeter, Jeff Galbraith,
Nate Matthews, Will Rice
Photos unless noted by Tim Romano
30 Fishparks… Why Not?
25 Recommended Reading
Maybe we should take a lesson from
skateboarding. If you build it, they
will fish. They being young anglers,
of course… maybe it’s time to give
them more than just reasons for being
involved. By Jeff Galbraith
Angling the World by Roy Tanami. Nate
Matthews turns the pages of Tanami’s new
adventure epic.
32 Opinion Editorial
Now is the Perfect Time to Take Action.
By Bill Deeter
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]
34 Why Media Matters More
36 Backcast
Are you competing with your
customers? In the context of river access,
that’s an issue every fly shop owner should
consider. By Charlie Meyers
Street Address:
3055 24th Street
Boulder, CO 80304
AnglingTrade.com
3
AnglingTrade.com / December 2008
Now than Ever Want flyfishing to be
cool? Well, seeing is believing. And
seeing means video. Don’t believe it?
Just ask kayaking... or skiing... or the X
Games... By Tom Bie
Mail Address:
PO Box 17487
Boulder, CO 80308
photo: Huskey • angler: Marcus Egge
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CONTRIBUTORS
Tom Bie
is the publisher and editor of The Drake,
and a contributing editor to Angling Trade.
He’s also a former editor of Powder, and is
involved with numerous other flyfishingrelated projects in various media.
Jay Cassell
is a deputy editor for Field & Stream, the largest
and most respected outdoors magazine in the
world. He is a serious flyfishing enthusiast—and
business insider—having acquired and edited
some of the best flyfishing books and articles
on this sport in recent memory.
Bill Deeter
has been the principal and chief executive of
a successful marketing and communications
consulting firm, based in Bucks County,
Pennsylvania, since 1985. He makes no claims
as to his flyfishing prowess, or his influence over/
association with the editor of this magazine.
Jeff Galbraith
Nate Matthews
is the online editor for Field & Stream. He’s
also a well-traveled and decorated writer, a
“new media” insider of the highest order, and a
flyfishing junkie. We’d tease him more here, but
he’s our boss at www.fsflytalk.com.
Will Rice
is the carp king of Colorado, a successful
freelance writer, and an integral member of the
Angling Trade team. When we need a “tell us
what you really think” piece, from beer joints in
Denver to beetle kills, we inevitably talk to Will.
BECAUSE YOU NEVER
KNOW WHICH
ACCESSORIES 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.
is an AT contributing editor, a seasoned
writer with many flyfishing industry insights,
and an angler with an unabashed penchant for
fence-hopping. He has a Montana flyfishing
guide book in the works.
15353 E. Hinsdale Circle, Unit F,
Centennial, CO 80112
ph 303-690-0477 • fax 303-690-0472
[email protected]
AnglingTrade.com / December 2008
Ben Romans
Angler’s Accessories does NOT carry firearms.
is the editor and publisher of frequency: the
snowboarder’s journal, and The Ski Journal.
He’ll soon be making waves in the flyfishing
world with a similar journal-type project on a
subject we all hold near and dear.
EDITOR’S COLUMN
Americans are going to flyfish next year,
no matter what the economy does. The issue now isn’t “if,” rather “where” they plan to fish.
Bob Dylan said it best:
“You don’t need a weatherman to know which
way the wind blows.”
You know better than
anyone if and how the
American economic slowdown is impacting your
business. From where I
sit, believe it or not, I’m
getting mixed reports.
On the one hand, I’m
hearing about lodges that
have been hammered by
low bookings, and highend bamboo rod makers
who have had customers
abandon their deposits
altogether. On the other hand, I’ve heard that certain
manufacturers and shops are optimistic about 2009,
and have the orders to back that up.
AnglingTrade.com / December 2008
I’m not sure how many $700 rods are going to fly off
the racks, and I can’t guess how many $500-a-day
guide trips will be booked in 2009, but I do know this:
People are going to fish next year, no matter what the
economy is doing.
I, for one, find flyfishing to be an even more important salve for my soul when times get tough. I suspect
you might rank flyfishing right up there with beer and
tobacco consumption in the context of “fixes” most
Americans will cling to, even in the toughest of times. As
Angling Trade editor-at-large Charlie Meyers (who has seen
the market fluctuate over the past 40-some years of covering the outdoors) explained to me when we were out
fishing (and bitching about the economy) the other day:
“Think about it… a father and son can still grab a handful of flies, and go spend a day on the water together for
roughly the same price as going to the movies.”
The big question for the short term, therefore, isn’t
whether or not people will fish, it’s where will they
go? Put that in the context of food. I just heard that
McDonalds recorded an eight-percent rise in profits.
What that says to me is that people are still eating at
6
restaurants, but, given the cost factor, a Big Mac is
looking a little more appetizing than filet mignon for
some folks. I don’t believe flyfishing is a “fast food”
entity, but I do think, in the short term, flyfishing will
be a more localized, do-it-yourself endeavor. Some
people will travel, for sure. They’ll camp, and float,
and all those things… but they’re also going to key in
on that piece of water close to home. Which leads us
to the theme for this issue—access.
I believe the access issue is more important now than
ever before. Not that I have any steadfast opinions on
the public-versus-private debate. Sure, I love wideopen public spaces. I also appreciate the experience of
fishing private water. In my mind, it’s a matter of balance. I think the fly retailer has to consider this philosophical balance very, very carefully now. Working to
secure new public leases and opening resources should
be paramount concerns. But so, too, should be finding
ways to ensure quality experiences for customers.
I invited writers to weigh in on the access issue from
various angles: Jay Cassell offers an enlightened “what
is” perspective on pay-to-play in his piece, and Ben
Romans gives us a passionate “what should be” argument in his. We also invited Jeff Galbraith, editor of
the successful titles frequency, and The Ski Journal (and
who will soon be launching The Fly Fish Journal), to
give us his opinions on “fishparks.”
Switching gears, in light of current market conditions,
I asked Tom Bie, editor of The Drake to talk about
video’s role in promoting the sport. I even asked my
father, Bill Deeter, to chime in on marketing because,
as a seasoned pro with 40 years in the marketing
world, I figured he’d have some keen perspectives that
would help you with your businesses.
In other words, I played my aces. Whether you’re
selling Big Macs or filet mignon, now is not the time
to quit marketing. This is when the contenders seize
opportunities. “Out of sight, out of mind” is an adage that holds true in any economy, and in that light,
I suggest that now is sure as hell not the time to build
more fences… either around the waters we fish, or
our businesses. at
- Kirk Deeter, Editor
CURRENTS
Hot News
Angling Trade to Produce 2009
FFR Show Guide
Angling Trade magazine and Nielsen
Business Media, producers of the Fly
Fishing Retailer (FFR) Trade Show,
have reached an agreement under
which Angling Trade has exclusive rights
to produce the 2009 FFR Show Guide.
The 2009 FFR show will be held in
Denver in September; the show guide
will be integrated into the September
2009 issue of Angling Trade magazine.
The guide will be its own section in the
September issue, and will feature many
of the same elements as in previous
years: an exhibitor list, map of the
FFR floor, show information, AFFTA
update, etc. It will also coordinate with
features, columns, reviews and news
items produced by Angling Trade.
Advertisers should plan accordingly in
terms of budgeting. The contact for
placements in the Show Guide will be
Tim Romano ([email protected]).
Ad positions will be determined by
insertions with Angling Trade. Rates
will remain unchanged in 2009.
BC Steelhead at Center of
Access Debate
The Ministry of Environment in
British Columbia is tackling the
sticky issue of crowding and access
through an extensive planning program, now underway. An excerpt
on rationale:
“For years, people have told the
Ministry of Environment that
waters in the Skeena River system
have persistent steelhead angleruse issues – crowding, disproportionate numbers of non-resident
anglers or guided anglers, lack of
opportunities for resident anglers,
illegal guiding, and poor angler
etiquette – leading to a degraded
quality of angling experience.
Spring 2008 consultations confirmed these concerns about angler use on a number of waters in
the Skeena River watershed.
ske/qws/. Angling Trade will report
further in its March issue.
Montana Supreme Court Rules
Mitchell Slough Open
The Montana Supreme Court recently ruled that Mitchell Slough
is open to recreation under the
state’s stream access law. This
decision will have statewide ramifications in the ongoing stream
access debate. In a 54-page
decision, the court said that the
16 miles of this waterway (Between Hamilton and Stevensville,
Montana) follows the historical
course of a waterway mapped
130 years ago, and therefore is
subject to the same public access
and permitting standards as other
natural waterways. This ruling
overturned two earlier rulings by
state district courts that found the
slough was not a “natural, perennial-flowing stream.”
Orvis Creates Casting Course
Has Orvis created the first fishpark in the country (see “fishparks”
editorial by Jeff Galbraith on page
30)? Perhaps. Call it “sporting
AnglingTrade.com / December 2008
In response to these concerns, the
ministry implemented the Quality
Waters Strategy on the Skeena River
and its major tributaries. The Quality Water Strategy is a process to
develop a draft Angling Management
Plan on priority waters of the Skeena
River watershed.”
This is an issue with wide-reaching
ramifications, not only among
guides, shops, lodges, and others
in the Skeena region, but also for
traveling anglers and the shops that
refer them to this area. In some
regards, access for “do-it-yourself ”
anglers could be restricted significantly. To keep apprised of this
situation, refer to www.gov.bc.ca/
8
clays goes fishing” or “frisbee golf
with fly lines” if you will, but the
Orvis Casting Course at the Old
Mill in Bend, Oregon, is the only
18-hole golf-style casting course of
its kind in North America. It was
designed for fun, education, and as
an opportunity to practice essential
casting skills before going fishing or
during the off-season. The course is
free and open to the public. It was
developed in partnership with The
Old Mill District. Each station is
named after a given fishing situation
exemplifying its unique challenges;
some will require roll casts, some
distance, all require a level of accuracy and all provide fun and improve your casting. Users can keep
track of their scores on scorecards
distributed at the store. Best scores
will be showcased on a plaque in the
entrance of the store.
Tosh Brown Starts Publishing
Noted outdoor photographer Tosh
Brown has created a new publishing venture called Departure
Publishing (www.departurepublishing.com) designed to challenge
traditional avenues and “facilitate
a select list of accomplished writers who are challenging the tradi-
O’Keefe and Moen Make
Impressions with Catch
If you haven’t checked out Catch
Magazine (www.catchmagazine.net)
you should. It is the latest creation from respected photographer
and manufacturer’s representative
Brian O’Keefe, and world-traveling videographer Todd Moen.
The team combines a balance of
mesmerizing still images and video
that capture the essence of flyfishing in stunning splendor.
Fishpond, for its “Dakota” carryon rod and reel case… which we’ve
found to be an excellent travel
companion. The case has a hardmolded bottom to keep rods and
reels safe while traveling, as well as
adjustable, padded interior dividers
that are movable to accommodate
gear. It can hold up to four rods and
several reels or fly boxes.
Kaenon… for
hanging shades
in style on some
of the most celebrated figures
in sport (including, of course,
flyfishing).
Latest on the
roster: Future
Hall-of-Fame NFL quarterback Brett
Favre who’s now seen in Segment
G12’s and Tampa Bay Rays skipper
Joe Maddon, who wore Lewi, Hard
Kore, and Basis designs (with SR-91
Rx Freestyle Progressive lenses) as he
led his team to the World Series.
continued on next page...
9
AnglingTrade.com / December 2008
First on the Departure roster is a
book called The Alaska Chronicles, a
memoir by Miles Nolte, who transmitted via satellite Internet a semidaily account of what it’s really like
to be a flyfishing guide on a remote
Alaskan river. A list of other topics
being considered for future projects is
available at the company’s website.
Products Kudos To…
Fish & Fly Acquires…
Fish & Fly
Fish & Fly Ltd, owner of the popular
UK-based online magazine (www.
fishandfly.com) has acquired the rights
and title of its print namesake in the
USA—Fish & Fly magazine—from
Turnstile Publishing Company of
tional boundaries of sporting and
expedition publishing. Instead of
continually churning out volumes
of comfortable and habitual writing, we’re looking to occasionally
publish something really unique.”
Orlando, Florida. Clayton Morris,
president of Turnstile said: “We are
delighted to see the USA and UK Fish
& Fly brands joining forces because it is
clear from our negotiations that the new
owners have the passion and enthusiasm
to build on achievements to date and are
ready to create a truly global brand.” A
new issue of the magazine is expected in
the first quarter of 2009.
CURRENTS
Hardy, whose “Perfect” reel was chosen as one of the Top New Fly Fishing Products for 2009 under the reel
category by our esteemed colleagues
at Midcurrent.com.
The People Buzz
And Float Master Products, for
its line of exceptionally sensitive,
adjustable strike indicators that stay
stuck (in place) on leaders. Made
from high-density polystyrene, these
indicators attach to line with a piece
of natural rubber tubing, and are
available in various shapes and sizes,
as well as 17 color combinations.
See www.floatmasterco.net.
sports
tools
MANY SAY, “we have the
best.” ONE must be right.
All we ask is: COMPARE,
THEN DECIDE.
Clip n’ Knot
Green River Icon Denny Breer
Killed in Accident
The flyfishing community lost one
of its greatest advocates and most
gentle souls when Denny Breer, 59,
was killed in a construction accident
at his home in Dutch John, Utah,
on November 6, 2008. As owner of
Trout Creek Flies, Denny was a tireless advocate for the Green River
fishery, and an ambassador for the
sport as a whole. He was a gracious, caring, and humble person,
and the consummate teacher. He
literally wrote the book on fishing the Green, Utah’s Green River: A
Fly Fisher’s Guide to the Flaming Gorge
Tailwater. Through his sharing
nature, Denny played a key role in
a book that launched my outdoor
writing career. He remained a good
friend and mentor afterward. Our
thoughts are with his wife, Grace,
and their family. There will never,
ever, be another river icon like
Denny, who “walked the walk” far
beyond “talking the talk.” His legacy will have lasting impact, likely far
beyond anything he imagined.
AnglingTrade.com / December 2008
- Kirk Deeter
Retracing Needle • Sharpest Edges
Stainless Steel • Made in USA
See our entire line at
www.sportstoolsusa.com
[email protected]
1-800-827-7662
In Montana (406) 633-9444
10
Filson Names Harold Egler
Vice President of Direct Sales;
John Wright as North American
Wholesale Sales Manager
Filson expanded its management
team by naming Harold Egler vice
president of direct sales, responsible
for managing all of the brand’s direct consumer sales and the catalog
and E-commerce platforms. John
Wright, North American wholesale sales manager, will oversee all
wholesale sales representatives in
the United States and Canada.
“Harry and John have extensive
experience in outdoor industry sales
and proven track records of success,” said Bill Kulczycki, president
and CEO of Filson. “They not
only understand the importance of
nurturing an established brand history, but also, growing companies by
introducing more consumers to the
brand. They will be strong additions
to our team.”
Egler has more than 15 years of experience in specialty retail, including positions with Eddie Bauer and
Lands’ End. Most recently, Egler
was the vice president of marketing at Celebrate Express, a leading
catalog and online retailer of party
supplies and costumes based in
Kirkland, Wash.
Wright has more than 18 years of
sales experience in the outdoor industry, most recently serving as the
national sales manager for Slumberjack, a division of American Recreation Products, Inc.
Industry Buzz
Orvis and Customers Provide
Record-Breaking Support to
Casting for Recovery
Casting for Recovery (CFR), a
national, non-profit support and
educational program for women
who have or have had breast cancer,
announced that The Orvis Company and its customers have raised a
record-breaking $100,000 in 2008,
continued on next page...
CURRENTS
which will help expand CFR programs by 17% next year. The total
includes a $25,000 direct contribution from Orvis, which matches a
portion of the total given through
individual donations of customers,
employees, and the public.
In 2008, 37 Casting for Recovery
retreat programs were held in 28
states. Retreats will also be held in
Canada through Casting for Recovery-Canada and in the UK through
Casting for Recovery-UK/Ireland.
In the United States, Casting for
Recovery has served close to 3,500
women since its beginnings in 1996.
Demand for the program continues
to grow.
“Thanks to the ongoing leadership
and support from Orvis, we continue
to be able to sustain and expand our
services to women across the country.
Their commitment to women and
their families is to be commended,”
says Seline Skoug, executive director
of Casting for Recovery.”
AnglingTrade.com / December 2008
Skoug added: “Women who attend
a Casting for Recovery retreat tell
us of the enormous difference it
makes in their lives—as this quote
from a recent participant illustrates:
‘My experience at the Casting for Recovery weekend was one of empowerment. I
knew that no matter what I faced beyond
that weekend I could handle. That weekend gave me the strength and support I
needed to face a second diagnosis of breast
cancer last December. My life was changed
and blessed by the opportunity to attend
this phenomenal retreat.’
The Casting for Recovery program
is unique in that the retreat curriculum incorporates the elements
of flyfishing combined with professional medical and psychosocial
support to promote physical and
12
mental healing. Through classroom
sessions, group discussions and inservice presentations, the focus is
on wellness, learning and empowerment, while providing the participant with a true retreat—a respite
from familiar surroundings and
everyday routines. Each Casting
for Recovery retreat is appropriate
for women at all stages of treatment and recovery, and at various
stages of emotional adaptation to
breast cancer. Each retreat serves
a maximum of 14 women and is
staffed by trained volunteers, including one medical and one counseling
professional; 4 flyfishing instructors;
11 “River Guides,” and at least 1
alumna who serves as the hospitality
coordinator. The growth of the program relies on the efforts of a devoted cadre of over 1,000 volunteers
nationwide and to generous donations by many donors. Demand for
the program is growing: In 1998,
Casting for Recovery conducted
four retreats; it has scheduled 43
for 2009.
For more information about the
Casting for Recovery program, and
for information on how to support
our retreat programs, call (toll-free)
888-553-3500 or visit www.castingforrecovery.org.
Zebco Acquires Vortex
Outdoors (William Joseph)
Zebco Brands, a W.C. Bradley
company, has acquired privately
held Vortex Outdoors. The move
combines a group of companies that
produce specialty packs and gear
(including William Joseph) for the flyfishing market with one of the largest
and most recognized fishing brands
in the world. The purchased brands
include William Joseph flyfishing
gear, Badlands hunting equipment,
Vortex backpacks, Black Ridge packs
and Watermark flyfishing packs.
Purchase price and additional terms
of the sale were not disclosed.
Founded in 1992 as Vortex Corporation, the Salt Lake City, Utah,
company was named among the
state’s top 100 fastest-growing companies in 2006 and 2007, based on
sustained double-digit growth for
numerous consecutive years.
“This is a good match for both
companies,” said Zebco Brands
president Jeff Pontius in making
the announcement. “Vortex has
achieved success through product
innovation and building enthusiasm
around their brands, and we have
the resources and support structure
to help them take that momentum
to the next level. We are thrilled to
lead the way in the further development of brands and markets.”
Pontius said Vortex will continue to
operate from its present Salt Lake
City location with the same personnel in place, including Vortex
founder Bill Crawley.
“To watch our brands grow like they
have, especially over the past decade,
and see what they have become
today has been a truly remarkable
journey. We couldn’t be more pleased
to have what we’ve built become a
part of the Zebco Brands family,”
Crawley said. “This is a good decision for us, and we’re in the best of
hands with the Bradley folks.”
In July, Zebco changed its company
name to Zebco Brands, hinting that
it had intentions to expand its brand
portfolio beyond just fishing. This
is the first acquisition by the W.C.
Bradley Co. business since then and
serves as proof of the company’s
interest in strategic diversification.
Umpqua Feather Merchants
Acquires Fly H2O
Umpqua Feather Merchants recently announced the acquisition of Fly
H20. The move effectively bolsters
Umpqua’s massive Asian-based production capabilities, with complementary Mexico-based production
assets from Fly H20. Specific terms
of the deal were not disclosed.
“All fly companies face tremendous
challenges delivering product to customers. By combining Umpqua’s
quality ethic, the strength and sheer
volume of its Asian facilities, with
our commitment to high quality
and the ability to quickly address
market changes with our Mexican
facility, it makes for one outstanding
fly company,” said Troy Bachmann,
founder of Fly H2O and new director of Umpqua de Mexico.
Retailers working with either company are advised of the following:
1. As of now, all checks are to be
written out to Umpqua Feather
Merchants and mailed to: Umpqua
Feather Merchants 594 S. Arthur
Ave., Louisville, CO 80027.
2. All new orders should be sent to
Umpqua as well, as they will ship
out from their Colorado warehouse.
If you currently order from Umpqua, you can send in one order
with Umpqua items, Metz items,
and FlyH2O items.
continued on next page...
DENVER, CO
JANUARY 9, 10 & 11
MARLBOROUGH, MA
JANUARY 16, 17 & 18
SOMERSET, NJ
JANUARY 23, 24 & 25
2009
CHARLOTTE, NC
JANUARY 30 & 31
BELLEVUE, WA
FEBRUARY 6, 7 & 8
PORTLAND, OR
FEBRUARY 14 & 15
PASADENA, CA
FEBRUARY 21 & 22
PLEASANTON, CA
FEBRUARY 27, 28 & MARCH 1
PHOTO COURTESY OF BARRY AND CATHY BECK
“Fly H2O and its founder, Troy
Bachmann, are an outstanding addition to Umpqua Feather Merchants,”
said Umpqua president/COO Jeff
Fryhover. “This acquisition partners
the knowledge, skill, and experience
of Troy Bachmann and his production team with Umpqua’s broad
distribution and outstanding sales
force… it’s a great fit!”
Fly Fishing is NOT part of the show
IT IS THE SHOW!
flyfishingshow.com
CURRENTS
a. Orders may be faxed to:
303-567-6697.
We are great believers in the US market and our long term commitment
will bring that message home.”
b. Orders may be emailed to:
[email protected].
The warehouse offices and showrooms
measure nearly 15,000 square feet
and the fitted workspaces are designed
specifically for the subsidiary. Staff will
include customer service, sales administration, and warehouse personnel.
Questions? Please contact Bruce
Olson, sales manager of Umpqua
at [email protected] or Kelly
Pfeiffer, accounting manager of Umpqua at [email protected].
Hardy Expands
North American Operation
On October 22, Hardy North
America officially opened the
doors of its new Lancaster, Pennsylvania, warehouse service and
distribution facility. The company will ship Hardy and Greys
products to US Dealers from this
facility. Jim Murphy, president of
Hardy North America, said: “The
opening of the new Hardy North
America facility represents the full
confidence that Hardy has in the
US market.
“We are thrilled to become full
members of the world’s largest fly
rod market and look forward to
delivering the world class products
and services that have made Hardy
famous during the last two centuries.
AFFTA Memberships Now
Based On Calendar Year
The AFFTA board of directors has
voted to extend annual memberships to December 31, 2008 (typically, memberships had expired on
October 31), and base future memberships on the calendar year basis.
Beginning in 2009, AFFTA memberships dues will be due January 1 and
will be effective for the calendar year.
There are three types of memberships available: General, Associate
and Individual. The General membership is suitable for manufacturers,
suppliers, retailers, industry representatives, travel agencies and outfitters.
General membership dues are determined by self-reporting a company’s
annual revenue and submitting the
appropriate amount of money for
that level. (AFFTA assures that all
proprietary information provided by
each General member will be held
in strictest confidence and will not
be shared outside of the AFFTA HQ
office. Associate memberships cost
$100, and individual memberships
are $50. Associate memberships are
for media representatives and trade
organizations. Individual memberships are for guides, shop staff and
other individuals interested in supporting the flyfishing industry and
promoting the mission of AFFTA.
The 2009 annual AFFTA membership dues structure can be found at
http://www.affta.com/additional.
php?sect=membership.
14
Travel Highlight
Written by Kirk Deeter
Finding Über-Trout at the
Far End of the World
of even the fabled Rio Grande... and,
thankfully, I took it. There’s a new
lodge there, called Far End Rivers
(www.farendrivers.com), which caters
to a very small handful of anglers
per week. We flew to Ushuaia, the
southernmost city in the world, and
from there, traveled by land to the
lodge, which sits amidst a vast estancia within sight of the Atlantic and
Cabo San Diego, the pencil-point tip
of South America.
Argentina has long been one of the
best value destinations for the traveling angler. And in this economy,
with unstable fuel prices and an
American dollar that’s weak against
everything from the Euro to the
Canadian Loonie, that holds particularly true. For what it’s worth,
Argentina is also an incredibly alluring (socially and geographically)
place worth visiting in your life,
whether you plan to fish or not.
I had always been captivated by
the latter, and dreamed of catching
sea-run trout south of the Straits of
Magellan. But I’ll admit I was also
apprehensive, thanks to the stories
I’d read involving giant rivers that
demanded two-handed rods, everhowling winds, and notoriously
spooky fish.
But last year I had a chance to join
Patty Reilly of Wilson, Wyoming, on
an exploratory trip to the Rio Irigoyen, which is one of the southernmost
trout rivers on the planet, far south
If you know someone looking for a
“life experience,” a relative value (a
week at the lodge is still $4500 US),
and a trip that’s beyond what many
people know about, this is a referral
you can make with confidence (or a
trip you should consider yourself).
That guy from Grand Rapids, or
Allentown, or Mill Valley, or Boulder,
who has always wanted to land the
monster brown trout of a lifetime…
he can reliably do that here.
15
AnglingTrade.com / December 2008
But we’re talking fishing, and in
many ways, Argentine angling
culture mirrors many of the best
American flyfishing traditions.
Minus the English-to-Spanish
language divide (and 11 hours of
air travel, give or take), when in
parts of Argentina, it’s very easy
to imagine yourself fishing rivers
in the American West… only 50 or
75 years ago. Of course, in other
ways, fishing in Argentina can flatout blow away any preconceptions
the average American angler might
have, from casting at giant golden
dorado in Argentina’s warm northern drainages, to chasing the giant
sea-run trout of Tierra del Fuego.
What took me by surprise was the intimate, in fact gentle, setting. Nestled
in the terminal crook of the Andes,
the Irigoyen is small enough to wade
across (though we had many private
miles to explore), and sheltered from
Atlantic breezes in a deep lenga tree
hollow. The fishing, it turned out,
was quite similar to casting for browns
on the streams in Michigan where I
cut my angling teeth… only we used
8-weights, giant streamers, and some
of the fish were over 20 pounds! The
lodge was immaculate, the food was
exceptional, the scenery was stunning,
and the guides, Alex and Nico Trochine, were among the best I’ve ever
fished with.
CURRENTS
That, above everything else, is what
makes Far End Rivers a compelling
lodge destination. The “Everyman”
angler can, in fact, catch the trout he/
she only imagined before, bringing
with him/her the casting skills they
use back home.
Of course, anyone who has seen and
experienced Argentina and its culture
realizes why it’s more than worth it to
journey here.
There is still very limited availability
at Far End Rivers this season
(US winter, South American summer). Contact Marcelo Perez at
[email protected] or Patty
Reilly at [email protected]
for information.
Kristiansen deals daily with a problem
that, to varying degrees, impacts the
orderly allocation of goods.
A direct fallout from Internet shopping, this illegal practice allows
buyers to save as much as 70 percent on purchases while saddling
legitimate retailers with subsequent
warranty or handling costs. At the
same time, it robs distributors such
as the Norway-based Kristiansen
of profits earned through normal
delivery channels.
Kristiansen and his associates have
made perhaps a dozen inquiries to
the offending major Internet houses
on both U.S. coasts to establish their
willingness, even eagerness, to circumvent import laws.
“I have E-mails as proof,” he said.
Coming Soon to Your Shop?
The “Undercover Angler”
Grey Market Sales
The words from 8,000 miles away
came as no real surprise.
“They just told me straight out
how to avoid paying duty and
value added tax on the product,”
Jarle Kristiansen related. “I didn’t
even have to ask for it.”
As managing director for Flyfish/
Europe, the major distributor for
Simms products on the continent,
But to shops and smaller firms trying to make a go in a slender market, this erosion of legitimate profit
poses a real threat.
“I have nothing against free competition. If I can’t compete with price,
I shouldn’t be in the trade. But it’s a
different matter when they cheat,”
Kristiansen said.
For Kristiansen and distributors in
Europe and Japan, the pinch increases when one considers the standard
costs of warehousing and dispersal.
The common practice among offending Internet firms is to either
disguise the product as an outright
gift or to under-declare its value at
a half or less. A European Internet
customer thus might save 17 percent duty on the purchase of fish-
The problem is greatest for softgood distributors for a couple of
reasons. First, duty is much less on
rods and reels, just 3.7 percent. Also,
serial number tracking allows the
manufacturer to identify each item
as to its point of sale, thus eliminating misdirected warranty claims.
“We know where every one of our
products go. We can track back to
the origin and take whatever steps
necessary to stop it,” said Bruce
Kirschner, president of Far Bank
Enterprises, which lists Sage among
its product line. “Companies that
don’t track are more vulnerable.”
While it might be argued that the
manufacturer is selling product
either way, the more insidious aspect
is that grey market sales undermine
the integrity of a dealer network
that thrives on grassroots promotion.
If retailers aren’t boosting products,
overall sales will suffer.
Most believe that, as Internet sales
blossom around the globe while
manufacturers work to create solid
distribution networks, the trouble
will accelerate.
“This is a big deal as far as its longterm implications,” said John LeCoq
of fishpond.
Meanwhile, Kristiansen shouts for the
attention of tariff officials who thus
far don’t seem to be listening. at
- Charlie Meyers
17
AnglingTrade.com / December 2008
Thus began another negotiation
in the shady world of grey market
enterprise as it relates to the sale
of U.S.-based flyfishing gear in
the international marketplace.
Trouble is, he’s not quite certain
what to do with them, or who will
listen amid the hurly-burly of a
global economy in which the shuffle
of a few relatively low-cost customs
tickets don’t warrant much notice.
ing boots in Norway or the United
Kingdom, 19 percent in Germany,
21 percent in Spain. Tack on a 25
percent VAT (sales) tax, plus the
normal markup through a supply
network, and the incentive becomes
substantial. The margin grows when
these fraudulent purchases are made
at dollar pricing during periods
when the Euro is dominant.
THEY SAID IT
They Said It:
“
Lots of automatic weapons, super
fast water, very shady characters...
“
Interview by Will Rice
Name and age: Chris Patterson, 38
Title: Director/Cinematographer of DRIFT
To earn a paycheck I: Shoot movies all winter
for Warren Miller, so I can shoot movies about flyfishing all summer.
The part of my job I love the most is: The
AnglingTrade.com / December 2008
reward of sitting in a theater with an audience and
experiencing their reactions to the images and stories I
worked hard to create.
The part of my job I hate the most is: Filming great anglers who make it look so easy.
If I mysteriously came down with the
avian flu my boss would most likely find
me fishing: Southern Belize with cold Belikin to
ease my fever.
18
My closest near-death, fishing-related
incident: The 10 days in Kashmir while shooting
DRIFT… lots of automatic weapons, super fast water,
very shady characters and terrifying roads.
The last zone I fished that blew my mind that
I’m willing to talk about: When I’m filming it’s kind
of like fishing with my camera, I have the same stoke as the
angler when he hooks a great fish, so I’d have to say chasing
Steelhead on the Deschutes with John and Amy Hazel.
The fish I lost that still haunts me: I didn’t
actually lose it—but I ran out of film which is kind of
the same feeling—it was a big Rainbow in Kashmir
with Travis Smith.
When I’m not working and not fishing you
might find me: Thinking about how to fish more
and work less.
at
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feature
MT
CO
UT
PA
WY
Written by Ben Romans
I just won the lottery. Bam! Two hundred million dollars, just like that. Who
knew a string of ambitious little ping-pong balls stuck in a vacuum tube
would decide my destiny? No more of “the man” keeping me down, he can
kiss my ass, I quit.
First thing I’m going to do is buy my little slice of
heaven. River frontage of course, with at least a
mile, maybe two, of the best riffle-pool trout water
I can find. I’ll build some benches under shade
trees; maybe add a small barbeque pavilion. It will
be the perfect piece of water—filled to the nuts
with 22-inch browns. Everyone will want to fish it.
Want to hear the best part? You’re all invited.
AnglingTrade.com / December 2008
I want to redefine what it means to be a riverfront
landowner in the 21st century. Go against the grain.
Areas closed to the public would reopen, all in the
name of the greater good. Damn it’s nice to dream.
I believe humanity is inherently entitled to the gifts
of nature, no matter your background or wealth. The
outdoors is a bandage for the soul. When we manufacture the fish, manipulate the water, manicure the
fauna, and slap on a price tag, it cheapens the experience, and embarrasses me as an outdoorsman.
Planting abnormally huge, dim-witted hatchery
fish and charging untold amounts of money to
catch them only adds insult to injury. Pay-to-play
20
cliques hook these marvels of pellet nutrition and
the consequence is instant nitro fuel for the ego;
a weekend-warrior’s golden ticket to boast like
they’re angler-of-the-year after hoodwinking a 26inch slab of piscatorial Purina. It’s false advertising; the angling equivalent of high-fence hunting
operations—instant rewards without the quest.
The rise of pay-to-play and the overall privatization of flyfishing is the death knell for the industry.
It’s forcing more anglers to occupy less public space
and one reason participation continues to decline.
From a financial standpoint, we can’t afford to lose
any more of the sport’s public component than is
already lost. The fly shop owner, the gear manufacturer, and the small-town tourist economies depend
on “free range” fishing. And the best way to ensure
its survival is through a united front.
I know I’ll make enemies saying this, but Colorado
and Wyoming, you guys got problems. Look at
Utah, they’re finally getting the picture Montana’s
Stream Access Law painted over twenty years ago.
You salty-dogs, you’re next. Up
and down both coastlines beachfront homeowners are pushing
anglers off the sand under the
guise that property lines extend
to the water.
New Zealand gets the idea. This
past September an overwhelming
majority passed a bill in parliament that secures public access
to the country’s great outdoors.
Rural Affairs Minister Damien
O’Connor said the “Walking Access Bill,” which creates a Commission to provide leadership on
access issues, goes to the heart of
what most New Zealanders regard
as their fundamental birthright.
“The Bill builds on the legacy
of public access established over
the last century and a half and
creates the Walking Access Commission to clarify, promote and
extend walking access to lakes
and waterways throughout New
Zealand,” O’Connor says.
I’m with O’Connor. We should
be creating entry points, not
selling them. When a private
interest “outbids” the public
for access rights, or claims the
streambed as its own, it angers
me. I feel cheated and take it
personally, as if someone is stealing from me.
Such is the case with the Farmer’s Union property of the North
Fork of the South Platte River
outside Denver, Colorado—once
an incredibly popular destination
because of its quality fishing and
proximity to the Mile-High City.
For years, these miles of riverbank operated as an open-ended
club where 80 to 100 members
paid yearly dues, brought guests,
continued on next page...
feature
and held events like church retreats
and weddings. Non-members could
access the water with a guide for
a nominal fee, strikingly similar to
the daily rod-fee structure used on
Montana’s famous Paradise Valley
spring creeks.
That changed last winter when
someone sealed an $80,000 a year,
five-year lease agreement with the
Farmer’s Union for exclusive fishing
rights. The former members, local
guides, and other interested parties
AnglingTrade.com / December 2008
(like area fly shops) were blindsided,
and for Dan Hydinger, owner of
The Hatch fly shop in Pine Junction,
it was a tough pill to swallow.
“This was a nice piece of water.
People from Denver could fish, it
didn’t cost an arm-and-a-leg, and
it was easy to take your kid or wife.
Just a quality experience for the
average Joe,” Hydinger says. “This
is the third decent chunk of water
we’ve lost to private interests in the
last year or two and it’s starting
to leave a bad taste in my mouth.
Even if people weren’t booking our
guides to fish at Farmer’s Union,
they were at least stopping in the
shop on their way to the water.”
Jim Cannon of the Blue Quill Angler
fly shop has a different take. Rather
than denounce the new Farmer’s
Union arrangement, he insists on
22
looking at the bright side and notes
that Colorado is a great place to mix
private and public fisheries.
“Let’s choose our battles,” Cannon says. “In reality, Colorado has
a tremendous amount of public
water, and yeah, it was disappointing to see the Farmer’s Union go,
but there are a lot of other places
for people to fish. Most of the rivers in this state aren’t very big so
crowding is a problem, especially
this close to Denver. Our guides
primarily fish and guide on public water, but it’s nice to have the
private areas for those that want
the opportunity to catch bigger fish
and get away from people.”
And so it goes—two different people
with two different opinions. It’s
one reason why the issue of access
has become such a hot potato and
the movement to privatize water is
splintering some circles of the sport.
On one side are those that say privatization is good; that landowners
have a vested interest in their property and are ideally suited to safeguard watersheds as they see fit. On
the other side of the coin are the
majority; public access advocates
willing to take their fight to court.
Nobody knows this more than
Donny Beaver, owner of the Spring
Ridge Club in central Pennsyl-
vania. Beaver became flyfishing’s
poster child for greed when he
tried to sequester public water for
personal profit. He tried distancing
himself from the image by playing
the “savior” role (in my opinion,
a smoke-and-mirrors public relations stunt propelling the myth his
private-land stewardship benefited
the river as a whole), but this only
provoked his critics.
In February 2007, the courts
handed Beaver a smackdown, but it
wasn’t a knockout. He had already
put his show on the road, landed
in Colorado (www.alpineriverclub.
com), and locked up private leases
with a similar pay-to-play scheme
as the Spring Ridge Club. You can
fish the river if the price is right,
otherwise (to quote ol’ Woody) “If
you ain’t got the do-re-mi honey,
folks, you ain’t got the do-re-mi.”
His business model is legal in Colorado, but doing something just because
you have the right, doesn’t always
mean it’s the right thing to do. Look
for the Spring Ridge Club in a town
near you! He’s planted additional
roots in northwestern Pennsylvania
on some popular Great Lakes steelhead water—another area plagued
by problems with private landowners,
crowds, and access issues.
The outcome of the Spring Ridge
Club fiasco was important for the
Keystone State because it set a precedent. Approximately 83 percent of
the land adjacent to Pennsylvania’s
rivers and streams is in the hands
of private owners. Outdoorsmen
need to stay united or risk losing the
remaining 17 percent.
Like it or not, “private” is word
that sometimes motivates us as
anglers—that vision of casting over
naive fish is what dreams are
made of. Nevertheless, it’s also a
marketing buzzword, a catalyst
for those with the Benjamins.
Punch the words “private flyfishing” into a Google search bar
and you’ll see what I’m saying.
I’m sure having a personal slice
of Heaven is the tops, but there
are risks and consequences with
closing paradise; namely the
future of our sport.
Enter James Cox Kennedy—a
malevolent thorn in the side of
Montana’s Stream Access Law.
Kennedy, heir to the Cox Media
fortune, owns thousands of acres
along the Ruby River, and while
the river isn’t one of the state’s
“marquee” destinations, it is a
well-known fishery frequented
by anglers bouncing between the
Beaverhead, Jefferson, and Big
Hole watersheds.
At some point he decided the
Stream Access Law wasn’t his cupof-tea, chased anglers and floaters
away, and erected fences to keep
people out—not keep cattle in as
he claims. Escalation ensued. Kennedy replaced barbed wire fences
with electric and connected the
barriers to county bridges. This
angered, but didn’t stop anglers
who risked a quick jolt for an
afternoon on the water. When the
electric fence short-circuited one
gentleman’s pacemaker, however,
Kennedy’s henchmen removed it,
and restrung barbed-wire to the
guardrails of the bridge.
At issue was whether the Ruby
was publicly accessible (which
meant crossing Kennedy’s
fences) where the road/bridge
and river easements meet. After
a public exhibition of finger
pointing between the Public Land
& Water Access Association Inc.
(PLWA), Madison County commissioners, and Kennedy’s attorneys,
the dispute landed in court. In
early October 2008, District Court
Judge Loren Tucker issued a split
decision, but in the big picture,
the stream-access advocates were
clearly victorious.
“His (Kennedy’s) implicit argument
is that a county road may not be
continued on next page...
feature
utilized in the vicinity of water.
That argument is unsupported by
authority or by logic,” Tucker said.
What does that mean? Basically, Kennedy (and other state landowners) can
attach fences to the bridge, but the public
is allowed to cross and make their way to
the water. The burden to ensure fences
meet legal specifications rests on the
shoulders of the county commissioners.
“We just wanted some accountability,” says John Gibson, president of the
PLWA. “We’ve always argued there
is a public right-of-way that overlaps
where public rivers and public bridges
meet. We’ve never asked Kennedy to
remove his fences; we just wanted a
reasonable and safe way to access the
Ruby. Rather than address that issue
in court, Kennedy and his attorneys
tried chipping away at the Stream
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Access Law; calling it unconstitutional
and such. Well, Judge Tucker shut’em
down and his decision blew their
arguments out of the water.”
The Ruby/Kennedy case strengthened
the Stream Access Law in Montana
and set a powerful precedent for other
bridge access points within the state.
This case, and the decision against
Donny Beaver, is proof that unified
sportsman can prevail for the greater
good. David can still beat Goliath—no
matter how big his portfolio may be.
So what’s the purpose of my rant?
What did it take me 2,000 words to
say that I can simply summarize in
one sentence? Simple—we need to
protect, enhance, and promote the
public resources already available and
pursue other public-access options with
landowners to help facilitate a growth in
outdoor participation. State-managed
incentive programs like Montana’s
Block Management and Idaho’s Access Yes are steps in the right direction.
Overpriced, overrated, overvalued payto-play clubs send the wrong message
to the next generation of anglers—we
should be welcoming them to the water,
not asking for American Express.
Public resources are just that—public.
We all have a stake in them. Every
acre lost to the private sector chips
away at the heart of our sport. Get
fired up and join or contribute to
organizations making a stand on
a national level like the Theodore
Roosevelt Conservation Partnership
(www.trcp.org) and the Trust for Public Land (http://www.tpl.org), or state
level like the PLWA (www.plwa.org)
and Pennsylvania Land Trust Association (http://conserveland.org). As an
industry, and as an angling family, we
need to remain vigilant and seek ways
to open up more water for future
generations. We cannot afford to lose
public resource footholds in the name
of aristocratic vanity. at
RECOMMENDED READING
Tanami’s stories are entertaining and
well written, but it’s his photographs
that take center stage. The best of
these are his landscapes, which hit you
like gut shots to the soul. They remind
me of paintings by Thomas Cole and
Frederic Church; the anglers temporal
figures of human desire buried by the
permanent sweep of creation.
Reviewed by Nate Matthews
My favorite is a picture of a fisherman
standing in British Columbia’s Nass
River, looping a cast between the jagged solidity of the Canadian Rockies
and the soft vertical lines of a stand
of fall aspens. It captures perfectly the
humbling solitude that gives dedicated
wilderness anglers perspective few
others possess.
Here’s a tip. Unless you have a
great deal of money or an uncommon freedom from responsibility,
don’t read Angling the World when
you’re sitting behind a desk. If you
do, you’ll realize it’s possible to
make a living out of traveling the
globe on the excuse of a fly rod,
and be sorely tempted to shrug off
the burdens that chain most of us
mortals to the earth.
First written for Wild On the Fly magazine, the pieces collected in Angling the
World are case studies on the quest to
satisfy that unquiet demon which drives
men to test themselves against the
unknown. Tanami takes us to Russia,
Brazil, British Columbia, Mongolia,
Cuba, and beyond, by airplane, helicopter, riverboat, and more, to the best
destination fly water money can buy.
These adventures run the gamut from
primitive camping deep in the Amazon to hob-knobbing with wine-tasters
at high-end Argentinian lodges.
At times Roy’s stories drift into
screeds extolling the superiority of
flies over bait, which, after all, is an
ideal that makes the fly world go
around. This book won’t do much
to help entry-level rods fly off your
shelves. But then, most entry-level
anglers could never afford the trips
about which Tanami writes.
In the end, however, the value of this
book is in its ability to cast the spell of
wanderlust upon its readers, and transport them to the exotic, in spirit, if not
in person. Anyone who picks up Angling
the World will leave its pages desperate
for an adventure of their own. If you
know anglers who dream big, display
this book in a prominent location. at
25
AnglingTrade.com / December 2008
Roy Tanami has built a life out of, in
his words, “Consistently and absolutely ignoring the wisdom that says
you should never make your hobby
your career.” There are many kinds
of wisdom, though, and by ditching
the conventional he’s found another,
the kind you learn by spending most
of your days standing in a river.
This book is a guide to finding those
lessons that live in the far corners of
the earth.
Then there are the fish. These are,
in the end, an afterthought. The best
fish stories have little to do with our
quarry. But there’s no denying the
visceral satisfaction of holding your
achievement up to the camera for
the world to see, and there are few
fish more impressive than the bright
sea-run browns, Arctic char, steelhead,
Mongolian taimen, and other brilliant
punctuation marks Tanami has scattered across these pages.
Public vs. Private
What the future holds for our fisheries
AnglingTrade.com / December 2008
Written by Jay Cassell
Last May, I had the chance to fish Mud Run, a pristine (despite its name) little stream in
the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. Mud Run flows through Graystones Preserve, a
3800-acre, 74-year-old privately held tract that has six cabins available to its members.
About 65 people belong to Graystones, paying several thousand dollars a year for the
privilege of fishing for outsize brown, rainbow, and brook trout. Members can fish anywhere
on the stream they like, without worrying about other anglers pressuring them, or getting in
their faces. The fishing is great, and it’s all quite civilized, with Adirondack chairs and even
picnic tables situated at various overlooks along the stream.
26
I wrote a piece about this fishing for fieldandstream.com. The
piece ran with a lot of photos of
big fish, including one that went
an honest 25 inches.
Most responses were along the
lines of “Man, I’d like to fish
there,” and “It’s nice to know
such fish exist in the Poconos.”
A couple of responses really took
me to task, though. “You should
be ashamed of yourself for fishing waters like that,” one person
noted. Another person told me I
was full of it when I stated that
the big trout in Mud Run were
naturally produced. “You know
they were just shoveled into the
stream from a hatchery truck so
that rich stiffs can catch them and
feel like they’re great fishermen,”
was another comment.
I was surprised, at least at first. I
guess I shouldn’t have been. The
issue of public versus private
fishing is always a touchy subject,
with strong feelings on both sides.
The Case for Private
I spoke with Gary Edwards,
manager at Graystones, and got
his take on it. Gary used to be a
steelhead guide on New York’s
Salmon River, and has seen his
share of public waters.
“I understand where a lot of folks
feel that paying money to fish
waters exclusively is resented by
people who perhaps can’t afford
it,” he said. “Their feeling is that
it’s their right to fish anywhere.
“On the other hand, you can’t
trespass onto private property to
go hiking, can you? If the water is
non-navigable, then a landowner
is allowed to prevent you from going into his or her stream as well.
continued on next page...
feature
“Limiting access to private water has a positive side to it.
For instance, a lot of members bring their kids here to
fish. They catch fish, like it, and come back again; before
you know it, a new fisherman has been added to the
ranks—which means someone who, in the future, hopefully will help to preserve fishing for future generations.
“I’ve seen a lot of kids not catch fish on public waters.
They get bored, don’t enjoy themselves, and move onto
other things—organized sports, video games, whatever.”
I asked Lefty Kreh, who has fished all over the world,
on public as well as private waters, what he thought
about private waters.
“Private fishing water is occurring for a couple of
reasons,” he told me. “One is that the public has taken
such poor care of public fishing areas. People trash
them, they bring suits against landowners. You know,
we have not been kind to the people who own public
water, or to private water that we use publicly. So, part
of this is our fault.”
When I asked him reasons for landowners not allowing
the public to fish anymore, he stated that: “Because of
liability, most private landowners today are reluctant
to have the public come onto their property. They
never know when somebody is going to sue them.
“When somebody comes along and says, ‘Look, I’ll
lease the rights only to fish the stream. I don’t want anything else, and I’ll pay you for it,’ that’s a win-win situation for the landowners and for the people. Whether we
like it or not, it’s what’s going to come. We’re going to
see more and more of that. The people who are leasing private waters are not just leasing them and fishing
them, though; in many cases they’re actually improving
the streams. So, that’s one positive thing.”
AnglingTrade.com / December 2008
So, if a stream is locked up, with no public fishing
allowed, and someone comes along and leases it, that
means that the water will now be cared for, and fished,
whereas nothing was happening at all before.
Another small plus, as I see it, is that with more people
fishing private waters, that means fewer people are
fishing on public waters.
The downside to all this, of course, is that public
waters are often crowded during prime fishing periods,
such as when major insects are hatching or when fish
are on spawning runs. Catch-and-release stretches at
28
least ensure that the fish will stay in the water; we all
know what happens if anglers are allowed to keep a lot
of fish. Pretty soon that water will be all but fishless, or
carry only stocked fish, not natives.
The Case for Public
With strapped budgets and the number of fishing license sales declining in many states, what is the future
of public fishing water? As a random sample, I asked
Doug Stang, assistant director for fish, wildlife and
marine resources of the New York State department of
environmental conservation, about the current state of
public fishing in his state.
“In New York, we had the number of license sales
drop from 1.2 million in 1990 to about 940,000 5 years
ago, but that has leveled off and has held steady since.
Was there a dropoff in revenue? Absolutely. But, that
doesn’t mean the fishing on public waters has gone
downhill. On the contrary, thanks to smart management and scientifically-based fishing regulations, the
fishing is actually getting better.
“There is also a new angling ethic, where fewer and
fewer people feel the need to keep everything they
catch. Catch and release, plus larger minimum size
limits and smaller bag limits, have really made a difference in keeping the quality in fish populations high.
“I can’t speak for other states, but here in New York,
we are constantly looking to obtain more and more
fishing access for the public. It’s an ongoing thing
that can benefit both landowners,
whom we compensate in certain
circumstances, as well as anglers. It
ensures that the public will be able
to reach good fishing spots, far into
the future.
“As for public versus private fishing, yes, there is room for both
today. I understand the positive
aspects of private fishing, but public fishing has many things going
for it as well: For starters, it’s free,
except for the cost of your license;
the fishing is good and varied; and
you aren’t limited to only fishing
one spot for one type of fish, as you
might at a club or a preserve. Plus,
there are no hidden or additional
costs, which is often the case at
private clubs.”
The Case for Both
A democracy is designed to be made
up of public and private, for the good
of all. To my mind, what is happening in fishing is what’s supposed to
happen. Let’s live with that. at
29
AnglingTrade.com / December 2008
Are we going the way of Europe,
where wealthy landowners control
all of the good hunting and fishing, and the public is kept out? No
way, and we can thank Theodore
Roosevelt and a group of likeminded conservationists for taking
care of that. Back in the late 1880s,
they pushed for hunting and fishing
regulations to protect our wildlife,
and established conservation groups
to protect their habitat. Their efforts are the backbone of the North
American Wildlife Conservation
Model, the only one of its kind in
the world. The Model has two basic
priniciples: that fish and wildlife belong to all North American citizens,
and that they are to be managed in
such a way that their populations
will be sustained forever.
feature
Fishparks:
Build Them and They Will Cast
Written by Jeff Galbraith
While the interest in, and increased
emphasis upon, the “youth” market is
a clear directive among the industry
marketing honchos, at times it can be
hard to discern what this means.
How young is young? What constitutes
“cool” in a market where clothing often comes in two colors and the majority of participants are far more Dave
Matthews than Kanye West? And how
legitimate and/or micro is this market
in comparison the bulk numbers of
“adult” participants? It can be hard to
say at times.
But most all that have a dog in this
fight would agree that regardless
of the market size, compulsion or
strength, that flyfishing kids are the key
to flyfishing’s future and that there is
little doubt many activities are doing a
better job connecting with this market.
And while, the idea of dumbing down
or “X-gaming” the culture may make
little sense, more can be done.
One such possibility would be to
mimic an already existing, off-the-shelf
model developed to cater to a young,
active demographic: skateparks.
While it is nearly impossible to turn
on cable television these days without
seeing skateboard heroes hosting shows
on MTV, selling video games, or appearing in the ESPY’s—there was a
time before Tony Hawk. In the early
1990’s, skateboarding was in one of
its downturns, and parents were being
sued by city planning departments for
30
constructing backyard ramps for their
children. Skateboarders themselves
were being arrested for simply rolling
down the street. There was effectively
no access to quality skateboard spots,
and not one municipal skateboard
park in the country.
However, as the sport began to come
back and Mr. Hawk began to proselytize around the country to build
city skate parks, things began to
change dramatically.
The harbinger of all of this, an illicit skatepark developed by Portland,
Oregon’s, skate community under the
Burnside Street Bridge was allowed to
flourish by cops who shrugged, happy
to see the prior community of heroin
dealers displaced. With the success of
Burnside and the advocacy of Tony
Hawk, in less than a decade, nearly
every major metropolis and mid-sized
city in the country had a municipal
skatepark. The years of parks department’s citing insurance, safety, and
other impediments seemed to evaporate in light of the demand.
One such park was built immediately
adjacent to one of the more quality
trout streams in America: Sun Valley,
Idaho’s Big Wood River. And while the
industry soothsayers sometimes write
off teen and pre-teen participation
in flyfishing as an impossible grail to
grasp, I’ve seen different.
Which got me to thinking…
Why not fishparks?
Compared to hiring union contractors, bringing in excavators, and
getting lawyers to sign off on kids
hurling themselves into the air on
city-built structures, fishparks seem
like a piece of cake.
Ideally these would be located in
proximity to other recreational opportunities: skateparks, ski areas, mountain
bike trails, climbing walls, tennis courts,
etc. and could function as a private/
public co-opt with the industry and
groups like Trout Unlimited, The
Nature Conservancy and others getting
involved. Ideally the build-out on these
spaces would be minimal; the beauty
of the concept being that the water is
already there.
While the need to save habitat and
critical fisheries is obvious enough, the
greatest threatened resource is future
vigilant fisherfolk themselves. And
regardless of how you feel about the
potential for the “youth” market to explode vs. incrementally grow, as access
declines throughout the country, places
to incubate young stoke for flyfishing
are urgently needed for the long-term
health of the culture.
And to many parents, it would be
jaw-dropping and incredibly warming thing to hear young James or Jane
pipe up on the way to an afternoon of
serious recreation: “Do we have the fly
rods, too?” at
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31
AnglingTrade.com / December 2008
During the years I lived in the
Ketchum area, it was a common sight
to see kids stripping off their pads at
the end of a skate session, grabbing the
rods out of a base vehicle mini-van/
truck and fishing for another hour or
so. I can’t imagine the same doesn’t
go down in Steamboat Springs, Bend,
Jackson Hole, Bozeman, Burlington,
and other towns where active kids and
fishy spots intersect.
If the most cash-strapped and moderate suburban burg can work their
way through the land-use, insurance,
and engineering juggernaut that is
even the smallest cement skatepark,
then why can’t the same civic bodies clean up a few hundred yards of
urban stream, create juvenile fishing/
no-license-required zones, add some
enhancement features, interpretive
displays and hold casting competitions, stream clean-ups, school field
trips, demos and derbies/contests?
OPINION EDITORIAL
is the Time to Take Action
Now
AnglingTrade.com / December 2008
Written by Bill Deeter
For the past several months we’ve heard nothing
but gloom and doom from nearly all the country’s
financial experts. Yet those of us who have been
through recessionary times before realize there
really can be a silver lining for everyone who is
willing to take the time to sit still long enough to
look and listen to the marketplace.
Yes, it is quite possible that in the short term many in business may not realize their sales projections and some may not want to build a lot more inventory. So what should you do to keep your people busy while the industry settles out or stabilizes? At times like these really smart marketers turn
their attention to fact finding, data collection, self assessment, and opti32
mizing performance measurement.
These are some of the very important marketing actions that don’t get
talked about because, while they are
just as important (if not more so)
as advertisements, public relations
activities, and sales promotions of
various shapes and sizes, they are
not quite as exciting. Nevertheless,
behind every “great” advertisement,
press release, direct mail campaign,
trade show exhibit and point-of-sale
display someone did the spade work
to insure that communication was on
time, on target and on budget. What
did they do? Probably one or more
of the following:
• They staged a situation analysis
to assess their company’s marketing
and/or communications function
against market needs, objectives, and
audience profiles. They wanted to be
sure what they were doing was consistent with what was actually being
called for in the marketplace.
embrace measurement as a way of
improving process and not just
evaluating performance.
So, rather than sitting around the
office, warehouse or store wasting
time wringing your hands and lending yourself to gloom and doom
conversations, pick yourself up,
dust yourself off and start wood
shedding on some of those things
that will bring your business back
sooner than most and better than
it was before. By doing the “hard”
marketing you set yourself up for
greater success when it is time to
begin the fun marketing anew. at
• They conducted a self exam.
Looking at their operations and functions, they determined if they were
on target in terms of meeting client
or customer expectations and needs.
Key here is the ability to flag issues
or problems that impact on success
long before they creep into any goto-market strategy. No need to think
about mid-course corrections when
you are spot on. But you have to be
tough on yourself.
• They climbed outside their own
skin to seriously determine their core
competencies. Honestly assessing
both strengths and weaknesses, they
put themselves in the best position to
take appropriate, meaningful action.
Sometimes you need outside help to
really pull this off.
• They looked long and hard at
the competition to determine what
they were doing right and why. It
is hard to give your competition
credit but if they are successful you
don’t want to reward them by being
either stupid or stubborn. If we
are willing to swallow our pride, it
is amazing what we can learn from
our competitors.
• They explored more and better
ways to measure their performance.
Establishing measurement criteria
keeps everyone on their toes in good
times and bad. The secret here is
working against clearly stated and
agreed-to objectives. Everything a
company does is measurable one
way or another. Smart marketers
Brouwer Graphic Design
Designer of Angling Trade. Ads, Websites, Logos, Catalogs.
BrouwerDesign.com
303 901 5128
feature
It was a good time to be in paddlesports. Like almost every other
industry at the time, it was receiving
a strong infusion of capital from
two different sources: booming
dot coms, and a few noteworthy
mergers and acquisitions that were
consolidating companies and bringing in an influx of cash. Yet the dot
coms and the consolidation of the
industry was not the main source of
fuel for the fire. It was video.
Why Good
Media Matters—
Now More
Than Ever
AnglingTrade.com / December 2008
Written by Tom Bie
In July of 1999, I took a job as the
managing editor of Paddler magazine
in Steamboat, Colorado. Paddler was,
as it is now, one of only two prominent
paddlesports publications, the other
being Canoe and Kayak.
34
In 2000, no less than seven kayaking
films premiered at the winter and
summer Outdoor Retailer shows in
Salt Lake, including one produced
by Teton Gravity Research—at the
time one of the hottest production
companies in ski filming. The resulting media explosion had kayaks
dropping off waterfalls on TV sets
across the country. Tao Berman
even appeared on the news show
20/20, after he plunged 120 feet
off a western Washington waterfall.
Nike started sponsoring kayakers.
Kayaking was cool.
That same year, ESPN made two
big changes to their Winter X
Games. First, they began allowing
skiers—not just snowboarders—to
compete in the halfpipe competition. And secondly, they began
broadcasting live, from Aspen, giving skiing equal footing with snowboarding for the first time. Suddenly, kids were watching skiers boost
10 or 15 feet farther and higher out
of the halfpipe than snowboarders
could. And that’s all it took. Almost
overnight, snowboarding became
something that their parents did.
Skiing was cool.
Over the past nine years, these two
industries have shown quite a contrast. Skiing manufacturers continue
to fund filmmakers and the result
is 10 or 12 decent ski films a year,
from the king Warren Miller all the
way down to the “companies” consisting of a couple kids with a digicam
and a creative idea. There’s even been
a trend that was inconceivable just a
few short years ago—snowboarding
companies manufacturing skis, instead
of the other way around. Even surf
companies like Quicksilver and Roxy
started making ski and snowboarding
gear. The result is a still-strong and vibrant ski industry, 15 years after it was
proclaimed dead by snowboarders.
And kayaking? Let’s put it this way: If
it weren’t for thousands of overweight
anglers who convinced their wives that
an $800 fishing kayak was easier on
the family budget than a $40,000 flats
boat, and that floating around drinking beer in that fishing kayak somehow
passed as exercise, then there would BE
no paddling industry.
at the local play park. Mountain bikers
have the traditional single-trackers
vs. the Red Bull inspired tricksters on
man-made dirt mounds.
But flyfishing has none of that. A 16year-old kid casts pretty much the same
way his grandfather does, and for the
most part, they’ll be fishing the same
water. What do we have that differentiates us from previous generations
of flyfishers? Video. It’s how many
young people see the differences in the
old way vs. the new way. More than
anything else, video has helped make
flyfishing cool.
In 2003, in Salt Lake City, I walked
around the Flyfishing Retailer show
asking for sponsors to help make my
flyfishing movie, Feeding Time. I was the
only one there who was doing it. Three
companies—Clackacraft, Smith, and
Scott fly rods, contributed to the cause.
And I still sell copies of that movie
today. But at the 2009 FFR show in
Denver, I’m betting there will be at
least 20 different “production companies” looking for funding. My advice:
give it to them.
You might not think it matters that
flyfishing looks “cool” to the next
generation of anglers. And you might
be right. But I promise you this: if,
eight years from now, flyfishing videos
have gone the way of kayaking videos,
then young people will find something
else to participate in that is producing the type of media they want to
watch, whether that’s skateboarding or
jetskiing or paintball. And then we’ll
hear it: hundreds of flyfishing industry
old-timers, standing around the trade
show asking the question, “Where did
all the young people go?” at
The whitewater kayaking industry has
largely stopped funding filmmakers altogether, and the result is that when you
walk into almost any drinking establishment in the country on any night of the
week, what do you say playing in the
TV sets around the bar? Surfing. Surfing!
In Salt Lake City and Denver!
35
AnglingTrade.com / December 2008
Flyfishing will never have the “cool”
vibe of surfing, if only because spandex
is sexier than Gore-tex. Which is fine.
I don’t want to have to go to Hollisters
at the mall to buy my next chest pack
anyway. But ALL these sports—skiing,
kayaking, surfing, mountain biking—
they have all shared something in
common the past decade: a rift within
each industry that separated the “new
school” style of participating in the
sport from the old. With skiing, it’s
been the “Big Mountain” Alaska or
backcountry guys vs. the kids who
spend all day working on tricks in the
terrain park. With kayaking, it’s the
big-water river-running set vs. the
park-and-play kids refining their moves
BACKCAST
Are You
Competing
with Your
Customers?
A columnist in search
of an idea more elusive than any large brown
trout sometimes finds it—the notion, not the
fish—in the strangest places.
Since the concept I was reaching for had to do with the
impact of public access, or lack of same, on the relative
prosperity of the flyfishing business, it only took a few
more casts to start getting my mind around the topic. The
immediate conclusion was a no-brainer.
Wyoming, whose law forbids wading through private
property, has less crowding because there are so few
people there. At any given moment, more folks will be engaged in Washington, D.C., rush hour traffic than reside
in the whole damn state. Then, this law-limiting factor
has a way of discouraging visitors who haven’t paid their
way into some sort of deal.
It occurs that this matter of access stirs different emotions
from each of us, depending upon which circumstance we
happen to be wading in at the time. We’ve all been there,
that sweet spot on some private water where the fish are
jumping and the cotton is oh, so high. We relish our temporary good fortune, all the while thinking how glad we
are that the riffraff can’t barge in and spoil it for us.
But the real point of all this is about all those other guys,
the thousands, perhaps millions pounding on the gates of
Rome trying to enjoy some of the good stuff. Your very
own customers, as it were.
This thing about public access, this opportunity for the
ordinary fly fisherman to wet a line in a spot desirable
enough to make him want to come back tomorrow and
the day after that may be the most important issue facing
the industry. It’s nice to have a private stash for preferred
customers, but much better still if the hundred-odd others
who come through the shop enjoy a good day as well.
AnglingTrade.com / December 2008
This one arrived as I dodged an overweighted nymph
while bouncing along a river in northern Wyoming that
wound a conundrum course through public and private land. It was a lovely float, except for the fact that
we never could quite figure out where one left off and
the other began. We solved the quandary by staying in
our seats, but each little pleasure was tempered by the
thought that we were missing really good chances to get
out and pound some juicy water.
The man at the oars, a local who was not a professional
guide, turned philosopher at one point in the proceedings. The thing he most loves about his recently adopted
home, he allowed, is that the streams aren’t overrun with
other anglers, as he perceived to be the case just over the
border in Montana. He had other thoughts about the
subject, but if you boiled them all down, that’s what stuck
to the bottom of the pot.
36
If these folks get discouraged and don’t want to keep
fishing, don’t think it’s fun enough to bring along family
and friends, then we’re all in a world of trouble: the shop
owner, the manufacturer, the ink-stained wretch who
writes for magazines that no longer exist.
From where I sit at my real job as outdoor writer for the
Denver Post, I hear more frustration over access to good
stream fishing than any other complaint. Out my way, we
have plenty of excellent and open tailwaters. Trouble is,
they don’t tail far enough.
These, and other big-water locations obtained by the state
wildlife agency wind up crowded to the point of suffocation. Find what seems like a good spot and there’s always
someone creeping up on you. The fish look like they’ve
gone several rounds with a bad dentist; something intrinsically precious about the experience has been lost.
continued on next page...
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Revved Up Beyond the Norm.
BACKCAST
estimable organizations as Trout
Unlimited, even causing consternation among families. More recently, a
seismic shift occurred in Utah, where
a unanimous State Supreme Court
decision declared all waters open to
the public.
In a state with laws similar to Wyoming,
successful destination shops lease private
water for guide trips. But I can’t help
comparing this to their counterparts in
Montana, Idaho and several other states
with open-access laws who get the same,
and much more, for free. There’s a powerful reason ordinary anglers—people
who desire to spend their vacation, or at
least a part of it, fishing on their own—
flock to the Big Sky.
In the more than quarter century
since Montana enacted its open-access
law, the state has become the Mecca
of America’s conventional trout fishing, perhaps of the world. Many book
guide trips; all make several stops at
fly shops on their way to all that open
water. They buy stuff. Lots of stuff.
This sticky matter of stream access
law has carved a deep divide in the
flyfishing community, splitting such
Whether the Utah ruling survives
legal or legislative challenges remains to be seen. But when it was
announced, a flurry of celebratory
fishing caps got tossed into the air,
a lot of these from the heads of fly
shop owners and guides.
It’s tough to predict where we’re
going with this access thing, or how
fast. This much seems certain: we’re
not likely to grow our sport unless we
find adequate and desirable space to
support it. at
- Charlie Meyers
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