Posts tagged: fly fishing industry

Online Outdoor Gear Retail Giant Backcountry.com Enters The Fly Fishing Market

July 18, 2012, by 5 comments
Backcountry.com fly fishing

Months ago I said a heavy-hitting online outdoor gear retailer was about to enter the fly fishing market, and today, it happened.

Backcountry.com fly fishing

Another — and very big — player hits the fly fishing market.

 

Backcountry.com may be offering a limited line of gear and they might ultimately have trouble gaining much traction in the famously insular fly fishing market, but keep in mind Backcountry.com is the largest online-only retailer of outdoor gear.

They didn’t get that way by mucking about pointlessly.

Their “The Goat” blog is among the best outdoor news/gear blogs in existence (snarky when they should be, funny the rest of the time).

There are plenty of existing online fly fishing outlets, but adding another heavy hitter to the mix can’t help but pressurize the rest of the industry.

Especially when companies like the “Picked by the Underground Five Years Ago to One Day Rule The Fly Fishing Universe” Orvis gets better on the marketing and product fronts (those who think Orvis is hidebound by tweed might want to ask why they’re the first major in the Tenkara market).

And let’s not forget online juggernaut Leland’s, who seems to be doing everything right (including adding some interesting private-label goodies).

In simple terms, one of the promises of the Internet was that it offered small players equal access to the marketplace, and while that remains true, it’s also true that in most markets — after a flurry of small players appeared — consolidation has again became the norm.

I know some of you are saying Backcountry.com doesn’t have prior fly fishing experience so they’re doomed as a player. It’s possible, but they found their way into other markets (road cycling, mountain biking, etc). I expect this will prove interesting.

See you online, Tom Chandler.

The Industry Report: Redington Goes Direct, Gear Awards Go Awry…

August 29, 2011, by 26 comments

As Singlebarbed has already noted, Redington is abandoning their dealer-only distribution channel and firing up a hybrid, direct-to-the-consumer sales model.

In other words, they’ll pretty much sell to anyone, anytime.

Raise Your Hand If You’re Surprised

This isn’t exactly a shock; years ago Redington was testing a Shopatron gig — a hybrid ecommerce/brick & mortar distribution model, though apparently it didn’t make the grade.

Of course, this kind of thing is inevitable (we talked about the new realities of distribution right here).

Far Bank — which chillingly doesn’t rule out similar moves for star brands Sage and Rio a few years down the road — will likely experience backlash from fly shops, but direct is the new black, and Far Bank can build a spreadsheet as well as anyone.

For the specialty fly shop, the news just gets worse.

Retailerzilla

That’s because rumors are flying that one of the biggest — and one of the most frighteningly effective — online retailers of outdoor gear is about to stomp into the fly fishing market like a T-Rex into the Seattle fish market, and while bigger isn’t always better, this isn’t exactly good news for the specialty fly shop.

Frankly, I’m surprised the fly fishing market is worth the effort for a truly big retailer, but even for the big boys, incremental revenue still accrues to the bottom line.

All The News That’s…

Interestingly, this news comes not from the fly fishing industry press, but from a general fishing magazine and a couple bloggers.

It truly is a world gone mad.

And this all follows on the heels of a fly fishing show that was once again big on “positive vibe” but smaller than the prior year (I’ve seen estimates of attendance down 15%).

At the steadily shrinking IFTD show, a Simms’ rainsuit — a largely useless-to-fly fishermen jacket and bib combo designed specifically to help Simms break into the tournament bass fishing market — won the fly fishing show’s “Best Outerwear” designation.

Strange times indeed.

Which prompts us to make this bold prediction; a bass boat will win the “Best New Boat” category at next year’s fly fishing show.

Seriously, Disruption Is The New Normal

Disruption in distribution chains is pretty much the norm these days, though the fly fishing industry hasn’t experienced anywhere near the same suffering as industries whose products can be distributed digitally (you can download an ebook, but not a fly rod).

Specialty fly shops aren’t about to disappear (well, most of them anyway), but their ability to compete without some kind of edge is shrinking.

In other words, before you walk into a fly shop, you make a mental calculation that something about it makes it worth the trip.

If a chunk of a fly shop’s customers decide there’s nothing there worth the trip, that’s the day the fly shop ceases to exist.

See you playing industry journalist, Tom Chandler.

The Friday Fly Fishing Industry Follies (or, Stuff We Didn’t Post Before)

October 1, 2010, by 21 comments

Oddly, the fly fishing industry didn’t grind to a halt while I was fly fishing in Montana (a pretty clear example of poor judgment), but time passes, another grain of sand falls, and because the fly fishing industry could frankly use the help, we’re giving you the Underground’s unique take on the Fly Fishing World in:

The Friday Fly Fishing Industry Follies

One Small Step for Blogging, One Giant Step For….

While I was battling the wind in Montana, Orvis quietly launched their OrvisNews.com group blog/media site.

Some laughed when I predicted that Orvis would continue to kick marketing sand in the face of the rest of the industry, but if you’re still laughing, do this: Visit the newly remodeled Orvis corporate/ecommerce site, poke around their podcasts, fishing reports, conservation pages, social media and (now) their blog.

Then go visit the websites of the other top fly rod manufacturers.

Tell me which group represents 1999-era online marketing technology, and which offers something a bit more current.

No hurry. Take your time.

We’ll wait here for you to return.

[waiting... waiting...]

Meanwhile, We See Two Radically Different Takes On The IFTD Trade Show

The IFTD trade show in Denver has come and gone, and as the flurry of gear stories dies down, the larger questions about AFFTA, the trade show and the industry remain – especially given the radically different take on the show offered by two industry blogs: Angling Trade and Wicked Outdoorsy.

Kirk Deeter of Angling Trade takes a decidedly glass half full look at the IFTD show, which he admits is one of the smallest in recent memory:

As with so much in fly fishing, managing expectations is the name of the game. And I think part of the good feelings after IFTD stem from many people having exceptionally low expectations going in. In truth, it was indeed a smaller trade show, at least compared to the past. It had lighter attendance. I talked to the reps who had 12 dealer appointments last year, and this year only had five. But I also talked to dealers who said the Far Bank business they wrote at the show was enough to justify their travel expense. I talked to manufacturers who opened new accounts throughout the country in the past few days. I talked to dealers from around the country who were energized about the prospect of regional and national “retailers associations.”

The general perception I walked away with, was that the show was smaller in scale, but larger in “mojo.” There was more action. There were also many innovative new products unveiled.

Meanwhile, the Wicked Outdoorsy blog was decidedly less enthusiastic about the IFTD Show:

Last week, two trade shows went down in two different places, spotlighting two different markets heading two different directions. The IFTD fly fishing show (where I was) brought a record low turnout for an industry trying to rally itself to the sleepy downtown scene of Denver. Though “optimism reigned” and “the quality of conversation exceeded the quantity of attendees”, the aisles were pretty much full of carpet, and not much else. The fly fishing industry is battling to remain an industry — that is, to not be sucked into the world of conventional fishing (ie, spin fishing) — and is doing just about everything they can to remain pure, even if that means isolating themselves in a smaller and smaller ivory tower.

Later, he says:

But it is to say that the concept of a trade show for fly fishing is, and should be, on the chopping block. If a show isn’t going to be supported by the bulk of retailers, or by the bulk of exhibitors, then it’s just. Not. Worth. It.

Reading the two posts side-by-side offers a shortcourse in alien perspective (e.g. “more innovation” vs “less” innovation); one’s written for a fishing industry trade blog/magazine while the other writer works across multiple outdoor industries (including several that are far, far bigger than fly fishing).

Once the gushing about the show subsides, what’s left is the real question; is it relevant, or a waste of time?

Consolidation, Thy Name Is….

Ross Reels has been acquired by corporate giant 3M, and while we’re saddened to report the press release reads like it was written by a PR drone (“The combination of the well-recognized Ross Reels brand products with 3M’s Scientific Anglers branded fly fishing lines, reels, rods and accessories will allow 3M to better serve consumers and retailers…zzz…zzz…zzz”), the news might excite the Ross Fanboys in our readership.

(Industry Trivia Quiz: The Ross Reel Company was founded only an hour away from TU/Man Cave World Headquarters….True/False?)

Still, no fan of the Phillipson Fly Rod Company has yet forgiven 3M for buying Bill Phillipson’s crowning achievement, then immediately shutting the company down, forever choking off our supply of affordable impregnated bamboo fly rods (and the best glass rods of the era [sniff, sniff]).

Sure, four decades is a long time to hold a grudge, but the Underground’s blood runs heavy with Scottish & Irish genes; we never forget, and don’t get mad so much as get even.

You better watch your ass, 3M. We’re watching you.

See you outside the industry, Tom Chandler.

Fishing Industry Suffers 10% Downturn in 2009; Did Fly Fishing Perform Even More Poorly?

May 11, 2010, by 9 comments

In what has been a hard year for most of the outdoor gear industry, 2009 fishing industry gear sales fell a painful 10%, and frankly, you have to figure the fly fishing industry’s numbers might be a little worse.

The numbers were reported by the National Sporting Goods Association in an SNEWS article:

Among equipment categories with sales of more than $1 billion in 2009, hunting & firearms showed the greatest percentage increase. Sales of hunting & firearms equipment rose 14% to $5.2 billion from $4.5 billion in 2008.

By only a few million dollars, exercise equipment remained the largest individual equipment category surveyed by NSGA. Sales of exercise equipment decreased 2% to $5.2 billion.

Among other equipment categories with sales of more than $1 billion, only sports optics and camping showed increases. Sports optics rose 4%, to $1.07 billion. Camping equipment sales grew 2%, from $1.46 billion in 2008 to $1.5 billion in 2009.

In other $1 billion-plus sales categories, golf equipment and fishing tackle experienced double-digit declines. Golf equipment sales fell 19% to $2.84 billion. Fishing tackle fell 10% to $1.9 billion.

Were it not for a 14% increase in the firearms industry (growth which seems to be disappearing in 2010), the outdoor industry as a whole would have suffered a bigger drop than the 3% reported.

With new fly fishermen not exactly streaming into the sport, and every fly fishermen already the proud owner of a couple dozen fly rods, guessing at bigger drops in fly fishing’s industry pie isn’t exactly a stretch.

And you have to wonder how the high-end (and high-margin) products like fly rods and reels performed. (Any guesses from the Undergrounders?)

The Good News?

In the past, I’ve criticized the American Fly Fishing Tackle Association (AFFTA) for its lack of transparency and deeply flawed decision-making process.

Yet – in the interest of giving credit where it’s due – the “new” AFFTA seems focused on communicating better (note the news feed on the site, and the AFFTA email newsletter is packed with info).

While I’m less interested than most in seeing hordes of new fly fishermen clogging the rivers, an industry less focused on catfights and more focused on issues of sustainability, legislative issues and youth recruitment can only be a positive.

Patagonia Offers Online Catalog, Orvis Goes Social Media – What’s The Industry To Do?

April 14, 2010, by 15 comments

That a major fly fishing manufacturer produced an online catalog isn’t wholly a shock, though few companies in the comparatively tiny fly fishing market can offer up the kind of presence needed to get that catalog featured on an L.A. Times site.

Patagonia seems to be that company.

Patagonia's Online Catalog

Patagonia's web-based catalog (note the audio player lower left)

From the LA Times web site:

Outdoor and fishing apparel manufacturer Patagonia is doing away with its traditional fly-fishing catalog, instead switching to an online “e-Catalog” only.

“The fishing market is the right place to launch an e-Catalog,” said Patagonia angling Chief Executive Casey Sheahan. “Anglers have turned to the Internet to review water conditions, hatches, plan trips and more, making them the perfect customer for an online, interactive e-Catalog that feels more like a magazine or multimedia site.”

The Web-based, interactive catalog will allow users to view videos and access in-depth product information, as well as provide avenues to purchase items quickly and easily.

“Our hope is that anglers are psyched to get product information this way, so moving forward we can try to avoid sending catalogs to individual mailboxes.”

Whether the time is truly right remains to be seen; it was only a couple years ago that a small manufacturer I know – someone who sells into the outdoor and food service markets – also went to a digital catalog.

The only real pushback? It came from the fly fishing industry, many of whom didn’t seem to know what a digital catalog was, or why an industry largely based on clean water would find it desirable.

The times are changing, though I’d suggest fly fishing’s anglers are ahead of the industry when it comes to the Internet.

I say, Is That a Direct Sales Model?

As noted by an eagle-eyed Undergrounder, clicking on a product in Patagonia’s online catalog (I’ve been eying the Pack Vest, so let’s click that) sends you straight to the Patagonia Web site, where you’ll find plenty of product information – and are offered the chance to conveniently buy the item immediately.

It’s a subtle reminder that the Internet is truly enabling a direct sales model, and while Patagonia has always been something of a catalog company, you know that other manufacturers – largely prevented from direct sales by their commitment to a dealer network – are eying that direct channel (and its “forget about wholesale pricing” margins) somewhat covetously.

Mike Michalak – owner of The Fly Shop in Redding (perhaps the biggest online & offline retailer in terms of revenue) alluded to this in the March issue of Angling Trade, where he wrote an opinion piece suggesting dealers were about to witness an industry turning to a direct sales model at the expense of fly shops.

I think it’s a given that will come to pass on some level, especially given homogeneity of so many fly shops.

In simple terms, the fly fishing market isn’t all that big; fewer manufacturers means fewer choices – and fly shops which already carry pretty much the same gear will be forced to differentiate themselves in other ways.

Those that can’t will disappear.

Direct sales? Manufacturers are eying the channel, but many find their hands are tied.

Of course, Patagonia’s already tapped into direct sales, though if you want to see an aggressive operation, you have to look no further than the old-skool Orvis site.

Sure, it’s cluttered, but beneath it lurks a very advanced email program, plenty of new-school product marketing (like customer product reviews – text and video), a host of other features guaranteed to make a modern marketer smile, and yes – even a burgeoning social media effort.

Meanwhile, competing manufacturers like Scott, Winston & Sage seem content to roll out “new” web sites that look, operate – and fail to engage – exactly like their old Web sites.

The Internet isn’t about to disappear fly fishing’s fly shops, but those shops – and manufacturers – who are slow to recognize its real impacts are doomed to stand on the sidelines while others eat their market share like a stolen lunch.

Patagonia seems to be justifying its new catalog on the basis of environmental impacts. Yet that ignores the very real ability to deliver rich content (video, audio, animation, etc) that can’t happen via print.

And yes, it gives you the ability to direct interested buyers exactly where you want – including to the “buy this” page on your own Web site.

AFFTA Goes It Alone On Trade Show: Hires Industry Veteran to Lead Effort

December 21, 2009, by 10 comments

Though our previous post heaped truckloads of snark had bit of fun at the fly fishing industry trade group’s expense (AFFTA), it’s clear AFFTA’s serious about going it alone with a new, independent trade show for retailers, manufacturers and other fly fishing industry insiders (pretty much everyone except for the folks who actually buy the stuff).

From their press release:

(Louisville, CO. December 18, 2009) After evaluating every available option and in response to input received from fly fishing industry retailers, manufacturers, sales reps and media, the AFFTA board of directors unanimously voted Tuesday December 15, 2009 to endorse the formation of a new independent fly fishing trade show. The International Fly Tackle Dealer (IFTD) show will debut at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, Colorado during the 3rd quarter of 2010.

AFFTA Chairman Alan Gnann stated, “Throughout our careful and deliberate evaluation it became abundantly clear that a general fishing tackle show (ICAST) or a general outdoor show (Outdoor Retailer) would not serve the best interests of the of the fly fishing trade. It was also very apparent that the new found interest in fly fishing by these organizations was not aligned with AFFTA’s mission, making the decision very clear.” Gnann continues, “The entire AFFTA board is incredibly energized and motivated to make this the best show the industry has ever seen. The support of key exhibitors and retailers for AFFTA to sponsor an independent fly fishing industry trade show has been nothing short of overwhelming. We look forward to hosting the most dynamic and exciting trade show in years; and importantly – the only show focused exclusively on the sport of fly fishing.”

You can power your way through the entire release here (a cup of coffee might help).

AFFTA’s claiming the support of the fly fishing industry insiders and heavy hitters on this one (Scott Fly Rods, Sage, Redington, Rio, Orvis, Umpqua, Ross Reels USA/Ross Worldwide, Scientific Anglers, R.L. Winston, Solitude Flies, Cloudveil, Lamson/Waterworks, REC, Nautilus Reels, Smith Optics, Yellow Dog Fly Fishing, Frontiers International, Fly Fishing in Saltwaters magazine, The Drake magazine, and Fly Fisherman), though the Underground’s Crack Investigative Reporting Team (whose advanced techniques include calling and asking) knows at least two of the names mentioned are supporting the show more from a sense of duty than any real hope of a return on investment.

Regardless, unenthusiastic support is still support, and on the surface, it appears AFFTA has stolen a march on Outdoor Retailer, Furimsky’s planned Florida show, ICAST and a everyone else with a spare room.

To make sure it happens, AFFTA’s hired fly fishing industry insider (as if they’d hire anyone else) Randi Swisher, who was involved in running ISE’s trade shows.

Kirk Deeter at Angling Trade magazine suggests AFFTA’s wagering the future of the organization on getting this one right, and there’s a grain of truth to that, though given the tiny budget and occasional need for capital infusion to keep the operation running, the risks aren’t exactly titanic in nature.

Sadly, AFFTA’s prior attempts to turn their own fly fishing show crashed and burned, and to a certain extent, we wonder why AFFTA – who is clearly hungry for a revenue stream – doesn’t combine a two-day dealer show with a three-day consumer show. That gets them in the consumer show industry, yet keeps them out of everyone else’s hair.

It makes a certain sense, yet one industry veteran simply made clucking noises (that phone thing again) and suggested the industry’s insiders would never endanger their “exclusive little three-day industry party” by allowing the public entry.

Ouch.

What’s true about the fly fishing industry is that it’s tiny compared to most others, and while AFFTA’s releases suggest a duck serenely gliding over the water, we remind you that the real action takes place under the water, where our outwardly serene duck is paddling like mad.

(This kind of stuff is why the industry loves the Underground.)

See you anywhere but at a trade show, Tom Chandler.

More on the Fly Fishing Industry’s Woes: Sage Fly Rod Gets “Big Boxified”

February 20, 2009, by 27 comments

We’ve commented before on the fly fishing industry’s woes – both those due to the economic situation and  those that appear to be self-inflicted.

Now, an article from a Mount Washington publication lets slip the information that Sage rods have also suffered layoffs (as we suspected), and that the industry’s less capable of putting the screws to small, independent dealers (judging by the emails I’ve received, small dealers aren’t exactly enamored of the treatment they’ve received at the hands of a couple big fly fishing companies).

For example:

Companies that once demanded large yearly orders to maintain a dealer ship are begging small shops to take on their lines at greatly reduced entry fees. I spoke to a sales representative from a reel company the other day who was promoting a new reel. When I asked how much it was to open a dealership he said it was normally a $1,000, but at present they would only ask that you buy three reels.

Even more interesting is the continuing “Big Boxification” of upper-crust brand Sage:

One of the most shocking renovations announced a few weeks ago was that the Sage rod company would market a rod exclusively for Cabalas. Any shop that has been one of their dealers for any length of time and has maintained the inventories that Sage has required over that time period must be mortified. In my opinion the company sold out their dealers and sold their soul to Cabalas.

Sage fly rods is a business after all, and they go where the money is, but it’s interesting to see this change occur, which – like telling someone their baby is ugly – is pretty hard to take back. For that matter, I’m counting Sage among the companies that have been slow to recognize the tectonic shift occurring in the marketing world, though you’ll soon see that one of the Sage family of companies is making some noise on the Internet.

In fact, it appears that several companies are suddenly (desperately?) acquiring Internet religion, and I’ve been contacted a couple times with what I’ll label as somewhat dubious propositions.

Singlebarbed and I are huddling in an attempt to develop an editorial policy that’s fair to us and our readers, and we’re on the verge of announcing something that should provoke a little discussion from the brownliners and Undergrounders alike.

For that matter, it’s clear to me the Trout Underground probably won’t continue in its present form forever; I can safely say the Underground won’t end 2009 the same way it began it.

Change is inevitable, but until then, see you on the river, Tom Chandler.

Fly Fishing Industry Reeling from Recession, So-So Marketing, Shift to Online Media?

January 18, 2009, by 10 comments

Some of the sharper Undergrounders may have noticed a slight downturn in the economy, and the Underground’s award-winning team of economists suggests the fly fishing industry’s noticed too.

Early in 2008 Scott Rods suffered some layoffs (though that had more to do with management issues than the economy). Then Winston laid off some rod builders, and recently, more bad news arrived on the horizon in the form of layoffs at Orvis (more on that below).

It seems as if I receive weekly notice of another independent fly shop going under, and yes, even the formerly flush pro BASS circuit is losing sponsors faster than I can LDR a skin-hooked 18″ rainbow.

Then the Baltimore Sun reported on the fading fortunes of consumer outdoor shows, and while everyone’s crossing themselves and hoping for a quick recovery, it’s clear that consumer spending in the “luxury” market (and fly fishing largely falls under that shadow) is in the dumpster.

Clearly, luxury boat sales are more affected than Chuck Furimsky’s Fly Fishing Show, which does offer cash-strapped members of the fly fishing community access to bargains, which may be the source of so much of AFFTA’s discontent with Furimsky’s shows.  (Following quote from the Baltimore Sun story, which is worth a read):

Timonium’s Fishing Expo and Boat Show, which began its silver anniversary run Thursday and ends today, is a shell of its former self. Walking the floor of a show that used to be nearly three times as big and attract celebrities such as Ray Scott, founder of BASS, is as depressing as the news from Wall Street.

“Everybody’s looking for value for the dollar,” says Chuck Furimsky, owner of The Fly Fishing Show, which still appears in eight cities across the country. “Instead of a $700 rod, they’re buying two $150 rods. … There’s still a light at the end of the tunnel for us; it’s just not as bright as it once was.”

The Retail Connection

Then news arrived of layoffs at retailing heavyweight Orvis:

According to Hathaway, 27 employees, mostly salaried, have been laid off from the Orvis offices in Sunderland. He said 12 hourly workers were let go from manufacturing positions in Manchester.

“We’re facing a historic downturn in our economy in this country and the world and Orvis is not immune to any of that. We have to make difficult, painful decisions that will ensure the health of the company,” Hathaway said.

Orvis employs about 220 people locally, and has about 2,000 employees worldwide, according to Hathaway. No retail store employees were affected by the job cuts.

In an interesting blogger death feud sidenote, brownliner Singlebarbed suggests Orvis is more susceptible to the downturn than other manufacturers, and I find I wholly disagree.

From my online marketing perspective, Orvis is pretty much cooking the rest of the fly fishing industry on the marketing front (especially in the online world), and it seems as if most of their competitors don’t even realize Orvis has turned up the heat.

The organizations that survive downturns do so because they got their manufacturing and marketing ducks in a row during the good times – something the historically backwards fly fishing industry hasn’t (by and large) done.

Rather, it’s likely there are layoffs occuring at other fly fishing manufacturers, but they’re simply going unreported.

The Media Hurt

Naturally, the fly fishing magazine world isn’t immune; Ad pages at consumer magazines are down 11% overall, and fly fishing mags aren’t likely any different. (Bored? Count the number of ad pages in your favorite fly fishing magazine, and be prepared to use far fewer fingers than before.)

In fact – as I’m noting in an almost-finished opinion piece about the future of fly fishing media – fly fishing’s print magazines are facing the double-whammy of a bad economy and an accelerating reader shift to online media.

In other words, things are pretty much as you’d expect them to be in a “luxury” market facing the worst recession in our lifetimes, and with news that all our bailout money is being viewed by most banks as a “no-strings-attached windfall” (hint: lending hasn’t loosened, and bank execs are basically sniggering all the way to… well, the bank), don’t expect it to get a lot better anytime soon.

Still, here at the largely recession-proof Trout Underground, ad revenues haven’t declined at all, but that’s mostly because we haven’t talked anyone into advertising.

As for the rest of the fly fishing and sporting world, I’d like to point out that the cost of enjoying the outdoors hasn’t increased all that much (gas perhaps), so my prescription is to take two fly fishing trips and call the Underground in the morning.

In other words, though credit has largely ceased to flow, that’s not true of our major rivers.

See you on the river, Tom Chandler.

Bay Area Fishing “Clubhouse” Ernie’s Casting Pond Closes Doors

November 15, 2008, by No comments yet

Ernie’s Casting Pond was always a funky place, and though I didn’t spend that much time there, it’s clear a lot of people did. That’s why the announcement that Ernie’s is closing its doors after 31 years seems to have stirred up so much nostalgia among Bay Area/Santa Cruz fly fishermen.

The shop – which opened in 1977 – has always been a family run gig, and when a lifelong fly shop owner shuts the doors so he can go fishing, you gotta nod your head and let ‘em go gracefully. From the San Jose Mercury News:

But Kinzli’s main reason for retiring is one any avid fisherman should understand.

“We want to go do more fishing,” said Kinzli, who will turn 74 next month. “There’s a lot of places we haven’t been that we’d like to go. We have customers who every year flop to Alaska to fish for salmon and trout. It’s time for us to go before it’s too late.”

First up on the Kinzlis’ fishing tour is a trip up the Oregon coast to do some steelhead fishing in January and February. After that, they plan to take up several of their longtime customers on invitations to go fishing in Montana, Idaho, Washington and beyond.

“I think we’ll do good,” Kinzli joked. “We’ve got plenty of equipment.”

Ernie, we’ll see you somewhere, Tom Chandler.

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Off to FFR: What do the Undergrounders Want to See?

September 13, 2008, by 1 comment

There’s nothing like a cheap, freeway-side hotel to make you miss your quiet, beautiful mountain home.

Still, I’m flying out early tomorrow for the Fly Fishing Retailer Show in Denver, and as always, you get first dibs on the  Underground’s latest travel nightmare unique take on the fly fishing industry.

I can already offer you one hint: Green is new Black in fly fishing. In fact, a glance at the educational sessions on the show schedule reveals 16 environmentally related seminars (most repeat), but zero marketing or online marketing sessions (there was one online marketing session last year).

“Sustainable” is the new watchword, but just how serious is the industry? I’ve got a few ideas, so stay tuned.

Gear Porn

I’ll also be looking at some of the new gear – with an eye for the interesting goodies from smaller companies, who typically lack PR firms (or much savvy).

And yes, I’ll visit the big hitters in a search for handouts, looking for the new and interesting.

And naturally, I’ll entertain suggestions from the Undergrounders: anything special you want covered?

See you on the show floor, Tom Chandler.

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