Kevin VanDam won the Bassmaster Classic last weekend, and while the majority of fly fishermen probably don’t care, it’s hard not to notice this little fact: He received $500,000 for his victory (in prize money alone).

Fly fishermen could only win a half-million dollars if fly shops routinely sold lottery tickets, which – given that we exist largely on hope – isn’t a wholly bad idea (yet another free, revenue-enhancing retail concept from the Underground).

That prize money exists only because somebody, somewhere figured competitive bass fishing’s audience is big enough to warrant the spending, and given the response the day after VanDam’s win, they’re probably right:

One day after hundreds of spectators watched Kevin VanDam win the 2010 Bassmaster Classic fishing in Beeswax Creek, the boat ramp there remained busy with anglers looking to capture some of his magic.

From jon boats to glittering bass rigs, the parking lot was crowded with trucks and trailers and the sound of running outboards filled the large creek. Anglers young and old packed the area where VanDam caught all his fish, making cast after cast with a lipless crankbait just like the KVD did.

Junior Hughes and Jimmy Oaks have been fishing Lay Lake for more than 50 years, starting before the lake was backed up. They rarely fish anything but the south end of the lake, but watching the final day of the Classic on ESPN2 Sunday night inspired them to come up to Beeswax in search of warmer water.

First, the next time somebody accuses fly fishermen of hot spotting, hand them this article.

And second…

We Gotta Ask

Bass fishing wears competition far better than fly fishing ever would (for starters, bass are tough, and trout are not), and most of the fly fishing industry’s attempts to foster a competitive circuit – at least in the USA – have foundered badly.

The original incarnation of the Fly Fishing Masters TV show seemed entertaining enough, but the later versions were awful things.

Packed with fly fishing industry insiders, the whole shebang was what we in the ad game once called a “sponsor stroke” (which we didn’t mean in a nice way).

Still, it’s hard to deny that competitive fly fishing on the International level is appearing on the radar more than before.

Saltwater tournaments (mostly for Tarpon) seem to be gaining ground, and I suppose – with the prospect of a $500,000 payout in the future – it’s time to ask the Undergrounders a critical question.

Is fly fishing ready for a competitive circuit?

For me, the answer before was no, and today, it’s still no.

Yet the pro-competitive arguments are many (and it’s just possible I’m a pain in the ass who isn’t always right).

It would raise fly fishing’s profile, and grow the sport. It would foster resource protection. It would (perhaps) turn a parttime industry into one fulltime one. It would draw kids to the sport.

And so on.

With a half-million dollars of something dangling in front of us, the question for the Undergrounders is clear.

Is fly fishing ready for “professional tournament anglers” – or are we too proud/smart/snobby to even try? Or is the sport simply not suited for it?

The floor is yours, Undergrounders.

n

Technorati Tags: bassmasters classic, competitive fly fishing, fly fishing competition, fly fishing tournament, kevin vandam

I haven’t visited a consumer fly fishing show in over nine years, and I’d be full of crap if I said I’d suddenly developed a burning desire to go.

That said, Older Bro has been fly fishing up a storm this year, and he wants to break test-cast a bunch of rods, and so – in the interest of conning him out of a free show hot dog keeping him off the police blotter and on the casting ponds – I may accompany him.

Problem is this: Which show do we go to?

I haven’t been to the January ISE San Mateo show in well over a decade, and I’ve never been to the Sacramento ISE show.

Ditto for the Pleasanton Fly Fishing Show.

So it’s time for the Central California Undergrounders to finally pull their weight contribute; which show and why?

Technorati Tags: fly fishing consumer show, fly fishing show, ise show sacramento, the fly fishing show pleasanton

Last year, high gas prices dominated the “I usually go fly fishing this weekend, but now I’m staying home” discussions on the Trout Underground.

This year, we’re facing a cratering economy, yet the Underground’s hearing words like “epic” and “slabs” used in relation to the McCloud and Pit Rivers right now. And while those poor schlubs near Yellowstone are seeing off-the-chart flows, other parts of the country seem to be looking pretty good.

So who’s going fishing?

And because the Trout Underground has decided to become the National Blogospheric Leader in Scientifically Laughable Surveys and Sociological Analysis, we’re crafting a simple, two-part test for our lab rat readership the Undergrounders:

• Part A: Are you staying home this Memorial Day Weekend, or taking a trip?
• Part B: Is the economy affecting your Memorial Day plans?

As always, the Undergrounders are expected to ace the multiple choice (the poll) while still excelling in the essay section (the reader comments section).

What’s the gig, Undergrounders. Do you stay or do you go?

Technorati Tags: fishing, Fly Fishing, fly fishing memorial weekend, fly fishing road trip, memorial day weekend

An Underground Poll: How Has the Economy Affected You?

Writer Tom Stienstra of the Chronicle conducted interviews with “industry insiders” to get a sense of the damage, and some of the answers are eye-opening (others are expected).

First, he suggests that fly fishing in Northern California is off 20%, though I have no idea how that number was derived (20% fewer fly fishermen? Sales? Guide trips??):

Fishing: Saltwater fishing got killed by the salmon closure, but bay halibut fishing kept the industry alive. Trout plants provided viable hopes last spring, but the summer was dead, except at Los Vaqueros. Fly-fishing for trout in the north state was down 20 percent.

The real hurt? That becomes apparent when Stienstra delves into the fuel-intensive toys like RVs:

Winnebago, a flagship RV for 40 years, announced cutbacks and large layoffs. One report, from Northern California’s biggest RV dealer, Dan Gamel, said sales were down 82 percent earlier this summer, and he’s going out of business.

Boats were scarcely any better:

High prices, tight cash and low lakes are adding up to a disaster for boat dealers in Northern California. Design Concepts, a great boat made in Chico, went out of business. Prices of used boats have plummeted to a fraction of actual values, and they still don’t sell. Nationally, Mercury Marine, which makes boat motors, is letting go 18 percent of its work force. Bayliner, Lund, Sea Ray and Crestliner are all owned by one company, which is closing nearly 40 percent of their plants.

Apparently, fly fishermen are apparently still fueling the kayak craze:

Kayaking: Kayak sales are strong, said Ingrad Nichaus at Hobie Cat in Laguna Beach (Orange County), and the hands-free fishing kayaks are leading the way, reports Carl Haussman at Adventure Sports in Sacramento.

The good news? The human-powered crowd (bikers, hikers and campers) aren’t abandoning their hobbies (nor their industries: high-end bike sales remain good), though most seem to be staying closer to home.

Ted Fay Fly Shop

The local effect? We went to our only local source for fly fishing news: Bob Grace at the Ted Fay Fly Shop. He was blunt about the effects of the economy:

“I’m probably seeing a few less fly fishermen than prior years, and it seems to me they’re spending less. My value-brand items are outselling my high-end products; people are buying my value waders and value fly rods instead of the high-end gear.”

Time For Your Opinion

We’ve run two polls here on the Underground about the effects of high fuel prices on your fly fishing choices, and the results from the two (taken in early spring and early summer) were vastly different.

The first suggested not much of an effect; the second made it clear people were fishing closer to home.

Now we’re asking if the economy is limiting your fly fishing equipment purchases (including gear and travel). As always, take the poll, but feel free to elaborate in the comments section.

fly fishing, fishing, economy, fuel prices, tom stienstra, poll

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Technorati Tags: economy, fishing, Fly Fishing, fuel prices, Poll, tom stienstra

Way back in March, we ran a poll about gas prices, which at that point hadn’t come anywhere near $4/gallon for most of you. The results?

Now most of the nation is paying  better than $4/gallon, and on several occasions I paid closer to $5 on my recently concluded Montana trip, where the difference in gas prices between the start and finish suggested I’d squandered most of our nation’s Strategic Reserve right there on the road.

As Garisson Keillor points out in a brilliant Salon opinion piece, 86% of the American public now believes we’ll see $5/gallon gas this year.

Contrast that with a year ago – when most thought $3/gallon gas was just a price spike – and we’ve got the Underground’s current poll question:

Technorati Tags: Fly Fishing, gas prices

In the late 90s, I wrote a series of ads for the ill-fated Cope & McPhetres fly shop, which closed after the owners realized they could make a bazillion percent more profit selling boat parts instead of tippet material.

The above ad was particularly popular (the customers kept repeating the headline to the staff), but it reminded me we’re facing some pretty turbulent times right now.

The economy’s slowing. By summer, gas will soar over $4/gallon. Houses aren’t selling, investment banks are collapsing, consumer credit is tightening, and yes, we’re facing a few other things I won’t bother to mention.

Has All the Turmoil Affected Your Fishing Plans?

Are you reconsidering your fly fishing travel plans?

Staying closer to home? Buying less gear?  Trying to make your own tippet with a pasta maker and a double boiler?

In January, I asked the Undergrounders to discuss their 2008 fly fishing plans. Now I’m asking you to take a deep breath, and think for a second.

Has the bad news changed those plans?

My answer is (surprisingly) "Yes" — though I’ll save the explanation for later. What’s yours?

Yes, You Win Something Just For Playing

The poll below is just to tally the big picture; I really would like you to also add your thoughts in the comment section.

And to make it worth your while, I’ll randomly select a winner from the comment section below (using atmospheric scattering to generate a random number) and send you a FREE copy of Kerplunk by outdoor humorist Patrick McManus.

It won’t help you find a job, sell your house, or make gas more affordable, but while you’re reading it, you may just forget about all that crap.

See you in the cheap seats, Tom Chandler.

Technorati Tags: bad news, fishing, Fly Fishing, recession, travel plans

We’ve all seen the numbers — participation in outdoor “blood” sports like hunting and fishing is declining, with hunting taking the biggest hit.

So how much crossover is there between hunters and fly fishers? I get the impression the two sports have polarized a bit, and that the number of crossovers used to be higher.

So here’s the Underground’s Poll of the Day: How Many of You Hunt AND Fly Fish? (Retrieving roadkill doesn’t count)

Technorati Tags: decline in hunting, fishing, Fly Fishing, hunting, Poll

Only a fool believes everything he reads on the Internet (by the way, I’m 6′2″ and handsome), but if you buy into even a little of it, you’d think a lot of online-savvy fly fishers stopped reading fly fishing magazines years ago.

I want to know if it’s true. So I spent hours (a lie) creating a wholly anonymous poll that involves literally a few seconds of your time (both true). Do the Undergrounders read fly fishing’s mainstream print magazines?

By mainstream, I mean Fly Rod & Reel, American Angler or Fly Fishermen (I’m leaving out the Drake and regional magazines).

Respond and be heard, or I’m going to start a topic asking people to name their alltime favorite fly, and force you all to read it…

[tags]fly fishing, fly fishing magazine, american angler, fly fishermen, fly rod and reel[/tags]

It’s been a long day. Tomorrow, however, I’m going fly fishing (at least in the afternoon).

Sure it’s hot. Sure — word is the Upper Sac’s hot bite cooled considerably over the weekend. But damnit, I have a duty to my readers, and I take that duty very, very seriously. (I fly fish for you, my friends. Never forget that.)

Besides, it’s time my readers were heard; welcome to the Trout Underground’s first-ever blog poll, where I ask a simple question: Where should I fish tomorrow?

You’ve got a handful of choices, but those of you who feel constrained by the list should feel free to add your alternate destinations to the comments below (they just won’t be counted).

Once again, we stomp the fly fishing world’s sacred cows with the first reader-directed fly fishing trip — and this despite the fact I plan to do as I damn well please (I said you’d be heard; I didn’t say I’d listen).

Vote away, Undergrounders. Polls close tomorrow am.

[tags]fly fishing, fishing, upper sacramento, poll[/tags]