How Do We Protect Fly Fishing From the French?
By Tom Chandler on Jun 29, 2007 in News, Opinion
The USA Fly Fishing Team finished sixth at the World Fly Fishing Championships — cause for some mild celebration. Sadly, Charlie Meyers of the Denver Post (normally a pretty straightforward outdoor writer) drags the survival of the sport into the mix, and — lamentably — even plays the nationalism card :
Just about everyone cringes at the mental image of fly-fishermen splashed out in the logos and hoopla you find at a bass event or a NASCAR race. But what happens when you tastefully dress the participants in red, white and blue, wrap them up in the American flag and send them out to do battle with a bunch of haughty Europeans, some of whom happen to be French?
“Haughty Europeans, some of whom happen to be French?” Is anyone but me wondering why Meyers wants to whip his readers into a nationalistic fervor? (Besides, the anti-French thing is so 2002 ; why not invoke the image of masked terrorists bent on destroying our stocks of freedom-loving trout?)
The “USA against the World” angle is below Meyers.
Later in the article, the success of competitive fly fishing is faintly equated with the very survival of the sport — but it’s done so by industry people who seem most interested in the increased equipment sales a “Bassmasters” revolution in the sport would bring:
The answer depends largely on whether the industry comes to view the team as a catalyst toward accelerated excitement for the sport, in much the same way that tournaments hype merchandising interest in bass fishing.
Whitney McDowell, marketing manager at Simms, values Team USA not only for the promotion of company products, but for the sport as a whole.
“It brings exposure that can do nothing but help,” McDowell said. “We’re dealing with a very impressive group of people.”
Robert Ramsay, president of the American Fly Fishing Trade Association agrees.
“When you look at all the activities in the outdoor arena, those that have mushroomed all include some sort of competitive element,” Ramsay said. “Competition is part of human nature. It’s what evolution is all about.”
A thoughtful person might suggest that a fully evolved being might view the competition with the fish as being enough, but that rarely drives equipment sales the way a Bassmasters Elite Event will.
In other words, compete at fly fishing if you want to (but don’t expect support from a lot of us if you want to hold competitions on public waters), but recognize the sales process driving it.
It may not be about you — or even the benefit of the sport — as much as it is about revenues.
Technorati Tags: fly fishing, fishing, charlie meyers, fly fishing tournament, competitive fly fishing, AFFTA
Doug | Jun 29, 2007 | Reply
I hope that I’m not seen as a ‘Haughty European’, but if you guys want to see what makes a French guy fish well, why not come over here and fish with us a little.
We don’t have any big brands, we are not too commercial, we are not fanatical about gear and expensive rods. We enjoy the lakes and rivers and appreciate the countryside.
We also enjoy a good bottle of red and some cheese on a baguette whilst fishing on a Sunday morning. We have fun ;-)
Bruno Greco | Jun 29, 2007 | Reply
Well Doug that sounds like MOST of us. Give me directions I’m on my way….I prefer cabernet just so you know.
ethanopia | Jun 29, 2007 | Reply
While the nationalism is a bit bothersome and is getting old, I think the bit about evolution is even more so.
I am fairly certain that collaboration NOT competition is what lead us to where we are are today in the evolutionary chain. I think the currently accepted standard is that we hunted as a pack by following around packs of wild dogs and chased them away from the kill. We ate the left overs. We collaborated with each other to survive. At least that is what I remember my childhood being like.
Tom Chandler | Jun 29, 2007 | Reply
Doug & Bruno: Count me in. Who’s going to let me use their frequent flyer miles?
Ethanopia: Your point is so well taken that I’m taking it and claiming it as mine. Damn you.
kbarton10 | Jun 29, 2007 | Reply
It is my understanding that World Fly Fishing Championships still don’t test competitors for performance enhancing drugs.
The only reason the French won was because of rampant (and documented)anabolic steroid use, not to mention their manager is the spokesperson for Human Growth Hormone (HGH).
Our amateurs don’t stand a chance against the professional Europeans, who spend the off season escorting Kings, Dukes, and Earls, from one Riviera to the next…
Our lads need the equivalent to remain competitive. In fact, Paris Hilton was looking for a new social issue to champion, this may as well be it.
Dump the patriotic colors, have Ms Hilton and her Posse “accessorize” the lads properly, then make all the appropriate introductions to American royalty.
Slam Dunk. All that remains is determining what caliber of handgun is needed when they frequent the strip clubs.
Tom Chandler | Jun 29, 2007 | Reply
kbarton: Sadly, you may be wrong. I seem to recall reading that the World FF competitors were subject to drug testing, rendering the first half of your post moot, though we’re always happy to have Paris Hilton mentioned on these SEO-optimized pages…
Michael Daly | Jun 30, 2007 | Reply
As a lifelong Denverite, I hope Charlie’s thinking isn’t terribly representative of flyfishers in this clime. Maybe he thinks France is part of “Old Europe”. I hope nobody is testing for asprin, as it is an integral part of my drug taking. And finally I’ll have Zin if you don’t mind?
KW Morrow | Jun 30, 2007 | Reply
I plan to do my little part to starve competitive fly fishing in the US to death. I hope you all will join me. Makes as much sense as fat free butter.
I wonder how many of us even WANT fly fishing to “mushroom?” I sure don’t.
Tom Chandler | Jun 30, 2007 | Reply
Some of what we’re seeing in the industry (the interest in tournaments and the AFFTA’s attempt to challenge the existing consumer trade show in Denver) is likely the result of a slowly shrinking revenue stream.
Face it; during the boom years, the more expensive it was, the better it sold. Those years are over, and you can’t support a whole industry on $650 fly rods with lifetime warranties.
“What’s next” the manufacturers wonder — their eyes gazing longingly at the hyper-merchandising frenzy that is competitive bass fishing…
KW Morrow | Jun 30, 2007 | Reply
Tom,
I’ve been wondering about all this shrinking/growing talk lately, so I went to some authoritative market research organizations for answers.
According to the Fly Fishing Market in the U.S. survey, there has been an 18.1% growth in fly fishing equipment and clothing sales since 1998.
But conversely, the percentage of Americans who fly fish have dropped by more than 12% during the same basic time span. (USFWS data corroborated by FFRTA and other outdoor industry market research orgs)
So fewer people are spending more money…considerably fewer and considerably more!
So the bottom line is that profitability for the mfg’s has INCREASED with fewer consumers who are easier to reach buying more stuff.
The whole notion of needing hype and blatant commercialism to ward off doom is a myth propagated by the few who support the tournament nonsense and the hyper-mercantilism.
Reed | Jun 30, 2007 | Reply
Dear Doug,
I appreciate the invitation and sincerely wish that I could join you on your streams, but the physical challenges are beyond my aging capacity. Oh, I could manage the wading and the casting; however, to do both while keeping my left eyebrow raised and a perpetual sneer on my lips is, I fear, impossible to me. Graceful hauteur is a sport unto itself, combining it with any other and performing both simultaneously would tax the powers of any brutish American. It is like asking a one-armed, mono-pedal waiter to carry and decant the Port without raising sediment while also juggling the glasses.
I once expressed bemusement over a piece of cutlery presented to me prior to the fish course at a small restaurant in Lyon. My host and friend, with only a trace of his Breton accent and a slight curling of the lip said “Perhaps when we French introduced Americans to haute cuisine we should have included a manual on the utensils as well.” (I still writhe at the skillfulness of the thrust.) How can we possibly compete with that? Take but a moment to consider our President, our chosen representative to the world community, and his conversational adroitness. We despair.
Best regards,
Reed
Tom Chandler | Jun 30, 2007 | Reply
KW: Great comment. I’d seen the 18% growth figure before, and think it’s not telling us the whole truth.
For starters, my online economics buddy suggested that’s a pretty weak growth rate over eight years (2.25% per year).
Once you factor in more expensive fly rods, reels, fly lines, guide trips, etc — and declining participation — it’s safe to say that revenues might have gone up, but unit sales probably haven’t.
And that’s ignoring all the questions of deferred industry debt (lifetime warranties on fly rods) and growth in the number of suppliers (if supplier growth exceeds industry growth, then it’s possible more are making less).
As the economics whiz put it to me: we’ve got fewer participants supporting an industry by buying ever-more expensive goods.
That ain’t healthy, and I really would love to see unit sales vs revenues for the last couple years. I’ll bet the last 2-3 years haven’t been pretty.
Regardless of its current state, growth in competitive fly fishing would be good for the industry, so they can be expected to promote it.
It’s left to each fly fisher to decide how they feel about it, but they should so without the false blinders of nationalistic and “saving the future of the sport” arguments.
Great comments on this thread — except that last one by Reed. In a single post, he likely plunged the Underground into the vortex of an International Incident and got my phone tapped.
Nice going, buddy.
Reed | Jun 30, 2007 | Reply
Uh, sorry about that, Tom. But, the phone tap has an upside - I regularly now have my bills sent to the FBI, since if we are going to share the service, they should pay as well.
As for the idea of competitive fly fishing, it hasn’t happened thus far because:
Men who stand in flowing cold water over their thighs for long periods may be less interesting or interested in the opposite sex - and sex sells.
Until recent years, waders were baggy, ungainly, and not too unlike the clown wear mentioned in the article. Now they are form-fitting, come in a range of tasteless colors, and accentuate the paunch of many of us with whom gravity has dealt unkindly. Add to the waders all the assorted baubles, fripperies, and geegaws that dangle from our overstuffed vests and a figure emerges that can scarce be taken seriously.
Must rush, the FBI has me on call-waiting.
Best regards,
Reed
KW Morrow | Jul 1, 2007 | Reply
I’m waiting for the Kelly Galloup and Lefty Krey action figure dolls, the Royal Wulff neon bar signs, and the Frog Hair auto racing decal kits from Camo-Clad.
Tom Chandler | Jul 1, 2007 | Reply
I would kill for one of those bar signs.
KW Morrow | Jul 1, 2007 | Reply
LOL, Tom. As soon as I typed that I thought, “Oh dammit! I shouldn’t have let that cat out of the bag. I could make a FORTUNE selling those to 100 fly fishermen for about $5,000 each.” Just think what you could charge for Thomas & Thomas neon bar sign, dude? LOL
(pssst…and I know a shop in China where we can have them made to order and air shipped to any address in the US for about $10 each. so the margins are awesome!)
Tom Chandler | Jul 2, 2007 | Reply
You’d have some copyright concerns about T&T signs, but the Royal Wulff is public domain. How big a cut does the Underground get as the Official Online Retailer??
KW Morrow | Jul 2, 2007 | Reply
We could afford to pay T&T a handsome licensing fee. We could probably send you a Royal Wulff Tshirt and a T&T hat. LMAO!
Tom Chandler | Jul 2, 2007 | Reply
Damnit, I want a percentage of the gross, not the net…
KW Morrow | Jul 2, 2007 | Reply
You ever heard Dave Whitlock’s Zap-A-Gap endorsement story? If not, you should make a point of it. I laughed all weekend about that a few weeks ago when I had the privelege of spending the weekend with him and Emily.