Thursday, August 23, 2012

On the Line

Booster Shot Time for Fly Fishing Industry  

By Mike Conner, editor-in-cheif

Looks to me like the Fly Fishing Industry needs a booster shot, again.

A lot of water has coursed down the stream since the movie, "A River Runs Through It," hit the big screen. The major booster shot that the movie provided, like it or not, prevented a flyfishing industry free-fall for some time, but right now, manufacturers are looking for the next big thing.

Fly fishing recruitment and promotion has proved difficult to say the least, though companies such as Orvis (through an aggressive and well-conceived fly fishing introductory program) and Temple Fork Outfitters (by way of reasonably priced, quality gear) are holding their own in a bleak economy.

It wasn't so long ago that the big guns in the rod and reel making business ran big full-page glossy ads that typically depicted dream-trip images. You know, those permit, tarpon, bonefish and billfish catches halfway across the globe that damn few fly anglers can afford to take. Sure, that marketing approach works for the small number of well-heeled fishermen among us, who tend gravitate to fly fishing eventually.

But what about growing the ranks? Fly fishing is by far the oldest type of sportfishing. It can be very basic, and low-key, and guess what? You can catch just about every species of gamefish and "food" fish on a fly, in fresh and salt water.

Why doesn't the fly tackle industry tap into the middle-class guys and gals who hit the water with spinning and baitcasting gear and who just may be open to adding fly fishing to their fishing?

That's the approach we will take at Fly & Light Tackle Angler. Mix it up. Fish with all genres of tackle. There is no downside. We do it. We live it.

When was the last time you saw a fly fishing ad with a picture of a fly fisher beaming over a nice seatrout, or a jack, Spanish mackerel or a largemouth bass? For me, never.

I did take a look at a few fly fishing print magazines this week, and of the very few ads in those books, the majority of the companies used closeup photos of their products rather than on those scene photos of anglers and world-class fish in world-class destinations.  Is this a change of attitude? 


Could be--reports from the recent International Fly Tackle Dealer (IFTD) trade-only show in Reno, Nevada strongly suggest it. Trusted sources tell me the thing was a dud, and retailer attendance was lousy as was the case in 2011 in New Orleans. And the show organizers did not announce next year's show location, going against tradition. Rumors are that IFTD will happen under the "big top" with ICAST next year in Las Vegas.

Hmmm....expose fly fishing to a throng of media and sportfishing industry folks? The purists and elitists may cringe at the thought, but I suggest they roll up their sleeves and take the needle. Shots only sting for a second. And they can heal what ails you.

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

On the Line



Who's Fishing for My Vote?


While driving back home from my local polling place today it occured to me that I was more informed about the candidates than in years past. Today was a Republican primary for county commissioners, clerks, a sheriff and two congressmen. A pretty full slate that would likely draw good voter turnout.

It also dawned on me that despite the fact that all of the candidates vying to be elected have pretty good web pages with details about their missions and backgrounds, they were kinda sparse in the personal and lifestyle department. Sure, they all mentioned family, and there were some requisite mentions about "caring for the environment," I was hoping that someone running for office here in seaside Martin County, Florida would have said:  "In my spare time I go fishing." Or, even boating or diving. Something. Even a candidate running for Congress, whose son owns a local fishing rod manufacturing company, did not list fishing as a favorite activity. But I figure he has to fish, right? I mean, C'mon!

I voted for him, whether he fishes or not. Besides, the alternative was voting for an outsider, a true carpetbagger!

Most voters are looking for someone like-minded right? I want to put a bona fide "salt" in office. Sometimes those photos of the candidate with the kids and wife or husband walking on the beach wearing trendy beachwear seem so damn staged, you know? Especially when they are all pasty white.

My hometown is nuts about recreational fishing, and it is located on the St. Lucie River, which joins the Indian River Lagoon just a two-minute boat ride through an inlet to the Atlantic ocean. Recreational, and to a lesser extent, commerical fishing, pumps big bucks into our economy, as is the case throughout the coastal U.S.  The health of my local waters and fisheries suffer badly at times due to agricultural pollution, and there are always issues regarding suburban growth and its effect on our fishing habitat.

So yeah, I would probably give a candidate more serious consideration if he or she came out and said something like, "My aim as your elected official is to establish a balance between economic growth so long as it does not adversely affect our waterways because it is also my goal to catch plenty of snook, tarpon redfish and trout today, and I want my kids and grandkids to do the same for years to come."

I would wave signs on street corners for a candidate who made that kind of stand.

I just wish someone on today's ballot was really "fishing" for my vote.