Angling Trade Spring 2017 by Angling Trade LLC

the buzz on the fly-fishing biz Â®

INSIDE THE

SPRING 2017 ISSUE

the buzz on the flyfishing biz

CONTENTS

Features

Departments

Editor

22 F O R T H E R E C O R D . . .

4 EDITOR’S COLUMN

Managing Editor

Is chasing world records on the fly good or bad for the sport? Depends on who you ask. The good news is that anglers aren’t being forced to kill fish to prove they exist(ed) anymore.

Tim Romano tim@anglingtrade.com

Art Director

By Marshall Bissett

Tara Kester tara@shovelcreative.com shovelcreative.com

26 H O W A B O U T A L I T T L E WINE WITH YOUR FISHING?

Editors-at-Large Friendly Fire Threatens Fly Fishing By Kirk Deeter

6 CURRENTS The latest news from the fly-fishing industry, including the latest on AFFTA, IFTD, the Retailer Summit, and more.

An Insider’s guide on the festival concept, and how you could create a grassroots business driver that helps grow the demographic.

30 P U B I C L A N D S W O R T H FIGHTING FOR By Walt Gasson

By Beau Beasley

36 A F LY ’ S P U R P O S E : H O W TO SHOW YOUR BRAND’S GOOD INTENTIONS. Advice from one of the country’s leading experts on this topic, who happens to love fly fishing. By Joel Johnson

38 THE STATE OF THE SEARCH.

Kirk Deeter kirk@anglingtrade.com

32 A R E N E W E D P U S H FOR CLEAN ANGLING PRACTICES By Marja Spoja

Joel R. Johnson Geoff Mueller

Copy Editors Mabon Childs, Sarah Deeter

Contributing Editors Tom Bie Ben Romans Steven B. Schweitzer Greg Vincent Photos unless otherwise noted by Tim Romano Angling Trade is printed twice a year, supplemented with bimonthly E-Newsletters by Angling Trade, LLC. Author and photographic submissions should be sent electronically to editor@anglingtrade.com. 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 tim@anglingtrade.com

How to effectively use search engine strategy to grow your business. By D. Roger Maves

46 B A C K C A S T Crowd Fishing By Geoff Mueller

Street Address: 3055 24th Street Boulder, CO 80304 AnglingTrade.com

AnglingTrade.com | April 2017

Mail Address: PO Box 17487 Boulder, CO 80308

E D I TO R ’ S C O L U M N

“FRIENDLY FIRE” IS A THREAT TO FLY FISHING

stories (and so forth) with fewer fish.

become more tolerant of and

And fish need clean water to live and

collaborative with others who might

multiply. We should all press for as

help reach the goals. As an example,

much clean, fish-sustaining water as

I disagree with ASA’s position on lead,

we can get, and also as much access

and I think ASA has been weak on

for people to experience fishing in as

the Everglades. But I’m not going

many places as possible.

to stick my finger in ASA’s eye (any more than I just did). If you want

These are interesting times indeed for the fly-fishing world. The political climate has changed (is it okay to say climate change?) and we are right in the middle of many debates, whether we want to be or not. One can make a case that the Trump administration is moving toward a number of smallbusiness-friendly outcomes, and that could help the bottom line for many of us. But there is no mistaking that the administration is also laying waste to conservation/outdoors programs and

AnglingTrade.com | April 2017

to boycott a trade show, that’s fine,

for me over the past several months

and undoubtedly a strong statement

is watching the sniping within the

of principle. If you want to quibble

fly world, like rats chewing on each

about the causes of climate change,

other as the ship starts to list. The

do that too. If you hate hatchery fish,

truth is that we don’t have time for the

that’s swell, but understand that for 99

“my brand of conservation is better

percent of the people reading this, the

than your brand of conservation”

first fish they ever caught on a fly was

arguments anymore. Okay, fine, you

probably a hatchery fish. Democrat…

think you’re going to affect more

Republican, probably doesn’t matter

change with pitchforks than trying

now as much as “angler.” It should be

to reason with people in terms they

a cultural thing.

understand. That’s cool. Go for it. Get yourself a star-spangled Abby

I’m all for healthy debate, and nobody

Hoffman shirt, and chain yourself to

has all the answers. But I’d suggest

the new drill pad on BLM land. I hope

that instead of peeing in each other’s

you win.

Cheerios, we should talk to our elected officials. Make our voices

institutions in a manner that resembles

But don’t discount the other people

heard, often. If we spent half the time

Sherman’s March to the Sea… and that

who share a common goal. If you do,

we now spend cold-cocking each

isn’t good for fly fishing.

you’re burning bridges and making us

other for the benefit of clicks and

all look like a bunch of disjointed ninnies.

page views (that really don’t amount

First of all, if you’re one of those who

What’s been particularly troubling

to much at all), and we spoke with a

chooses to bury your head in the

I was trading emails with my good

sand because you aren’t comfortable

more unified voice, I actually think

friend Jeff Galbraith, publisher of The

with “political” conversations…

we can win on issues like clean water

FlyFish Journal a few weeks ago, and

tough darts. By virtue of the fact

and the Pebble Mine. Heck, we

he described this phenomenon as the

that you’re in fly fishing, you’re in the

might even insert some reason and

“Balkanization” of fly fishing. Perfect

environmental discussion, so live with

responsibility into issues like climate

analogy. We’re all so busy fighting

it, or get out of the business. It should

change. I’d sure rather point my

with each other that we’ll likely end up

be pretty clear, and we should all be

energies in that direction than running

a collection of irrelevant nation-states,

able to agree upon the simple fact

around the ideological maypole with

rather than a world power that has any

that our businesses don’t exist if there

people I typically respect and consider

measurable effect whatsoever.

kindred spirits.

aren’t fish in water for people to catch. There are fewer rods and reels sold,

I’m not saying we abandon our

fewer guide trips, fewer magazine

causes; I’m suggesting that we

–Kirk Deeter, Editor

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HATCHOUTDOORS.COM

CURRENTS

Trout Tips

Since Charlie passed, we’ve been reluctant to do a sequel. But Charlie believed in the resources, and putting back, and all that… and I’ve since joined TU as editor of Trout magazine. As editor of Trout, I’ve met thousands of great people who fish a lot and care about trout rivers…and also have great tips to share. Thus, this new book,Trout Tips, was born. Minus the physical presence of my writing mentor, Charlie’s spirit was still a driving force. As editor of this project, I leaned on the members of TU to offer their insights and tips to balance my own. And Romano provided shots, including the cover.

A book that was built to sell (with your help)… and all $$ goes right to TU and fish habitat.

AnglingTrade.com | April 2017

It’s been about 11 years now since Tim Romano and I started Angling Trade… with a very important “godfather”/ partner, Charlie Meyers, who was the outdoors editor of the Denver Post. Not long after we started this magazine, Charlie and I started working on The Little Red Book of Fly Fishing. And truth is, Romano was a big part of that as well, because his photos dominate throughout that book. Sadly, Charlie passed away before he ever held a hard copy of the book, but his initials are on the galley proofs, and he knew darn well where that book would go.

I now call the Little Red Book the “Little Engine That Could,” because that puppy just keeps cranking along, with great reviews and steady sales. The Red Book has sold more than 75,000 copies since 2010, and we hope you all made a little coin in making that happen as well. For those of you who did… thank you.

For the record, I won’t make a plug nickel on this book, no matter how many copies get sold. Neither will Romano. All the proceeds go directly to TU, and that money will be funneled straight into conserving and fixing rivers, which is what we want, and what we think Charlie would have wanted. It took six years produce this new book, because we wanted to kick the tips up a level. I wasn’t going to make another book like this if I didn’t think it had the substance to carry the concept. I humbly submit to you that I think we pulled it off. In many ways, I think Trout Tips shows more breadth, and certainly more diversity by way of tips from women anglers… fly-fishers young, old… novice and expert. There’s some stuff in there that’s going to make you all think and consider. There’s a lot of stuff in there that’s going to make newbies get all fired up and believe. We didn’t deviate from the original (successful) blueprint. Trout Tips is

about simple, straight-shot advice, in quick-hitting entries. (Yeah… it’s a bathroom reader, which is actually an aspiration.) It’s supported with pretty images and illustrations. We wanted it to be a primer for the novice, and also a source of some “slap-your-forehead” tips for the seasoned veteran. The cut-size is the same. The pricepoint is the same ($16.99 retail). The overall look and feel is the same, and naturally, we’re hoping the end results will be the same. We need your help to get us there, and we humbly ask that you carry and sell this book. Some of you have made a pretty penny selling the Little Red Book, and we hope you’ll make some money with Trout Tips. That’s exactly why we made it the way we did. We think this is a natural-born seller, and we want you to do well with it. Again, whether we sell one copy or 100,000 copies, Romano and I make the same… zip… zero. But TU and trout fishing in general stand to gain a lot. So please talk to Angler’s Book Supply, or whomever provides you the books you carry in your shop, and think about Trout Tips. We’re not going to do a lot of signings or events, but if that’s something you’re interested in, and you’re firm behind this book, contact us, and we can figure something out. kdeeter@tu.org would be a good place to start that conversation. Thank you, truly, in advance, for your support of Trout Tips, and thanks again for those of you who have supported and sold The Little Red Book of Fly Fishing. -Kirk Deeter

International Fly Tackle Dealer Show Moving to Denver

The American Fly Fishing Trade Association (AFFTA) has decided on Denver as the new location for the International Fly Tackle Dealer Show (IFTD) starting in 2019. After careful consideration, research and discussion with our members, AFFTA is excited to announce that IFTD will be moving to Denver, Colorado for 2019 and 2020. The Mountain West is the epicenter of the fly fishing industry and the City of Denver is excited to partner with AFTTA to host the IFTD show. “Colorado is home to some of the top fly fishing locations in the country,” said Gov. John Hickenlooper. “ We welcome the American Fly Fishing Trade Association to Colorado and look forward to helping it showcase some of the more than 6,000 miles of streams in our state.” To increase industry participation, AFFTA has decided on a shift in IFTD show timing from summer to fall. The timing change is a result of feedback from exhibitors and attendees, creating an opportunity for increased visibility and attendance. Starting in 2019,

the IFTD show will take place, Oct. 16 – 18 at the Colorado Convention Center. Denver is easily accessible from anywhere in the U.S as well as internationally and provides excellent opportunities for accommodations and entertainment. AFFTA will maintain its current show dates in Orlando in conjunction with ICAST through the summer of 2018. We are grateful to the American Sportfishing Association (ASA) for their continued support and partnership. AFFTA is committed to making the 2017 and 2018 shows successful for both trade organizations. “Co-locating ICAST and IFTD has been beneficial for many exhibitors and attendees,” said Mike Nussman, president and CEO, American Sportfishing Association. “We wish AFFTA and IFTD our best in 2019 and beyond.” IFTD is the world’s largest industry fly-fishing show. Manufacturers, retailers, industry advocates and media are all offered exceptional business opportunities including face-to-face

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Demo Day 2017 is coming. Save the date: July 11, 2017.

2016 IFTD delivered for our brand! Sight Line Provisions was seven months old and growing at a steady rate, but exhibiting at IFTD was a game changer. Our retailers more than doubled and SLP’s brand awareness in the Fly Fishing Industry was huge. – Edgar Diaz Founder, Sight Line Provisions

Orlando, Florida • July 11-14, 2017 • www.affta.org

For exhibit space information please contact: Ben Bulis • 406-522-1556 • ben@affta.org

meetings, a demo day event, new product showcase, industry awards and recognition. Also, there are numerous seminars, educational speakers and excellent networking opportunities. AFFTA President and CEO Ben Bulis said, “The decision to move IFTD to Denver for 2019 and 2020 was based solely on the desire of our membership and what the majority wanted. This was an extremely difficult decision, it’s not easy to just up and move a show without weighing all possible outcomes and one being our relationship with ASA.” Bulis continued “Our industry thanks ASA for welcoming IFTD as a partner in our first ICAST back in 2013. AFFTA is committed to making sure our relationship with ASA continues regardless of where IFTD or ICAST is located.” AFFTA membership is diverse and spread across the United States and overseas, this move in both location and timing will provide more of our members the opportunity to benefit from all that IFTD has to offer to help build the business of fly fishing. Editor’s Note: There’s obviously going to be a lot of discussion about the decision to bring the IFTD show back to Denver in the next few years. What do we think?

Simple. We think AFFTA made the right choice by joining IFTD with ICAST… that probably saved the show and the trade organization. We think it’s good to have ASA and AFFTA try to find ways to continue to work together. All that said… we think fly fishing has its own distinct identity and demographic and should be represented as such. We think Orlando in the middle of July is a very tough pull for most trout-centric fly businesses. We think the timing shift is as important as the location shift. We hope like hell that more people than ever come and support the IFTD show when it comes to Denver, so we all won’t have to go through this exercise again in a few years. The real question is… what do YOU think? Please chime in at anglingtrade.com Demo Day Our favorite part of the IFTD show last year was the highly successful demonstration day, where dealers and members of the media get to go play with the new product on real water at the Ritz Carlton. We’ll be there again this year, and if you are a manufacturer who wants to participate, you need to register ($500) at www.affta.org.

Demo Day was a great way to see products on the water last year.

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CURRENTS

May Is For Mentoring! his commitment to specialty distribution, made in the USA manufacturing and conservation of the wild places we all love to fish. The opportunity to work with one of the most iconic brands in the angling business and the team K.C. has put together was just too good to pass up.”

There is concern that the sport of fly fishing is represented by an aging population and needs to introduce a new younger generation to fill its ranks. Please accept this invitation to introduce a new fly fisher to our sport in May. My idea, “May is for Mentoring” has the potential to make a positive boost to fly fishing.

People News Simms Fishing Products has hired Mike Moore to serve as the company’s vice president of global sales.

AnglingTrade.com | April 2017

Pick a day and take a child, teenager, cousin, wife, or friend for a day of mentoring that just might change their lives forever. Hatches are happening, water is cold enough for trout, and warm enough for bass and bluegills, so select your option.

“May is for Mentoring” is not trademarked. I want you to steal my idea. Every T.U. club, I.F.F.F. group, fly shop, manufacturer, and fly fisher who wants to pass along their passion for our sport must band together and create a mentoring movement. Share your success on social media and make everyone, everywhere, and every day in May special for the future of fly fishing. -Chuck Furimsky

“As a lifelong angler and fly angler the last 25 years, I appreciate authentic brands that allow me to focus on the fishing and not my gear. That is Simms,” said Moore. “I’ve known K.C. (Walsh) for years and have long admired

Moore has an extensive background in sales management. He is a sales leader with a track record of driving exceptional revenue growth in hyper-competitive categories. Most recently Moore served over eight years at CamelBak, where he rose from Director of North American Sales to Vice President of Sales. At CamelBak Mike was part of the executive team that drove corporate culture and crafted an updated strategic plan. Moore also brings sales management experience from Thule, Lowe Alpine and Leisure Trends. In addition to Moore’s sales expertise and boundless energy, Moore is a fanatical angler. “I grew up on a bass pond in Massachusetts and spent my early years tormenting largemouth and panfish from ice-out until the first frost (and moved to tip-ups when the pond froze over). From there I graduated to the Essex River and the Ipswich Bay where I spent summers chasing blues and stripers. My move to Colorado introduced me to fly fishing and trout, with a special affinity for golden trout in Wyoming. Now, 25 years later, I’ve fly fished from BC to Costa Rica to Tierra del Fuego. I’m thrilled at the opportunity to marry my professional experience with my passion for angling.” “Mike is a seasoned sales professional, a serious angler and a great guy,” said K. C. Walsh. “We’re delighted to have him join our executive team.”

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C O S TA

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NEW SUNRISE SILVER MIRR OR S This advancement of our color-enhancing 580 lens technology allows you to see more with less light. The yellow-based polarized lenses allow high light transmission while still providing maximum protection and deliver sharper contrast for sunrise, sunset, and a sun that wants to hide behind the clouds all day. Find your pair by using the dealer locator at costadelmar.com

CURRENTS

Far Bank Seeks Product Engineer Far Bank Enterprises, holding company for the leading fly fishing brands Sage, Redington and RIO Products, is seeking a visionary Product Engineer to join our Research and Design team. As a RIO Product Engineer, the candidate is responsible for researching, developing, testing, and bringing to market new, state-of-the-art fly fishing lines, leaders, and tippet. The ideal candidate is an avid fly angler, passionately engaged with fly fishing, and has proven industry knowledge and experience. We’re seeking a strategic thinker with contagious enthusiasm and a love of team collaboration. Our culture is

upbeat and we foster a work hard/ play hard environment. We take our business very seriously, guarding our reputation with a diligent commitment to high standards and on-time delivery. Where to learn more about this opportunity? Visit www.farbank.com and click on “careers.” Briefly noted… Kara Armano has stepped away from her position at Backbone Media, and all of us in the media who enjoyed working with her wish her the best and hope to work with her again someday… One of this sport's standards, Fly Rod & Reel magazine, which involved some of the best writers, editors, and artists in the business, has ceased operation altogether.

Kara Armano

Issues Kudos to Orvis on Helping the Everglades (You Should Get Involved)

AnglingTrade.com | April 2017

Hats off to Orvis for spearheading an effort that recently included a full-page ad in the Miami Herald to support saving the Everglades. The ad, headlined “We Must Act Now to Save the Everglades” reportedly earned Perk Perkins an audience with Florida Governor Rick Scott. It’s important to connect the dots between that natural resource and the many jobs that depend on it, in Florida and beyond! Angling Trade was proud to join AFFTA, and Sage, and Patagonia, and many others who put their logos on that ad. You can read the ad and the full story from Orvis News.

AT is also very proud to support this new film on the Everglades, along with many others in the industry. Please take time to watch “The Balance.” The full version is now available at anglingtrade.com and orvis.com. If you need more information on the issues in the Everglades, see www. bullsugar.org

Join the Kick Plastic Movement

If you aren’t part of the “kick plastic” movement, you should be. We can do without those cheap little plastic fly cups. They might work in your shop, but they’re going to still be littering rivers in a thousand years. Paper is a smarter, more reasonable alternative, and AFFTA is helping shops make the transition: From an AFFTA announcement: Recycled paper fly boxes are now available at http://shop.affta. org! Choose from three different sizes to best suit your shop’s needs: 2”x2”x2”(dry flies and nymphs), 3”x3”x2” (bigger dry flies and nymphs, bass bugs, and smaller saltwater flies), and 6”x3”x2” (big stuff like tarpon and billfish flies, plus a few leader packs and spools of tippet). It’s estimated the fly-fishing industry adds about 3.5 million plastic containers annually to the environment from retail fly sales alone! These boxes will save retailers some serious money and eliminate a large amount of useless waste.

The evolution of the web from a

ensure you are delivering your content to the “right people.” You can use the information collected to build a buyer persona. A buyer persona ensures your marketing team understands who your ideal customer is so they can talk to them.

massive repository of information to a place of delivering content on

You can ask your customers a few of

a personal level, means we need to

the following questions in a market

learn as much as we can from our

research survey:

users. A goal for any marketing effort you undertake is to deliver the right

• Demographics

content, to the right people at the right time. One way to measure the

• Challenges

effectiveness of your content is to ask your customers using a survey. A

• Goals

well thought out survey will gather feedback we can use to draw insights

• Current products they use

from our customer base and become more efficient at achieving our desired

If you need help building out your

marketing goals. We are going to look

buyer persona check out Hubspot’s

at three ways a good survey can help

Buyer Persona Template.

sell a product: If you want to fail as a marketer, deliver 1) Conduct Market Research

one giant email to your entire customer base and hope that half of them like it.

One of the best ways to use a survey is to conduct market research on your

2) Segment Your Audience

users. A market research survey will give you valuable insight into who

With the technology available to you

your audience is and how they feel

as a marketer, you can slice down

about your brand. They also help you

your audience into micro-segments.

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AnglingTrade.com | April 2017

We’re proud to offer AFFTA members the ability to order recycled paper fly boxes on affta.org — you’ll find this is an easy, cost-effective way to lower your impact and help #kickplastic!

THREE WAYS A SURVEY CAN HELP YOU SELL PRODUCT

CURRENTS

This means you are delivering the Right Message at the right time. Segmented and targeted emails generate 58% of all revenue. (The Direct Marketing Association, 2015) (Source: https://www. hubspot.com/marketing-statistics). One of the easiest ways to start segmenting your audience is to ask them what kind of content they want to receive. For example, on our Chasing Natives campaign, we asked enrollees which fish species they were interested in. Now when we send emails, we know how to target individuals who care about one species. Segmenting your audience in this way can have a dramatic impact on your unsubscribe rates. 3) Refine Content You can occasionally ask your audience if the content you are creating is providing value and helping them overcome their challenges. In this way, you can directly assist them by providing topical information on a regular basis. This can provide you immeasurable feedback on your content and even spark new creative ideas for content. What about selling my product, you never mentioned any of that? By understanding who your audience is and ensuring that they are receiving content, they care about you will improve your sales over time. A simple survey that: • Has pre-defined goals • I s a mechanism to collect and analyze the results (https://www.surveymonkey. com/) • I dentifies actionable next steps that emerge from your survey … can help you move more product. -Nick Hoover

While We Are on the Topic of Surveys…

• I don’t really understand the issue with lead and/or I don’t care to. (2%, 4 Votes) How do you think President Trump is going to do? • I think he’s going to be a total disaster, all around. (52%, 61 Votes)

Here are some interesting results from recent AT E-News surveys. How Many People Have You Personally Taught to Fly Fish? •M ore than I could ever begin to count. (55%, 42 Votes) •M ore than 10 and less than 50 (28%, 21 Votes) • A few… maybe 5 (8%, 6 Votes) • Between 5 and 10 (8%, 6 Votes) • Nobody. Zero. Nada. (1%, 1 Votes) • One (0%, 0 Votes) Where Do You Stand on Lead Split Shot for Fly Fishing? •L ead is toxic. I use tungsten, or tin, or other options only. (61%, 98 Votes) • I still use lead split shot. I don’t see that it causes any problems. (19%, 31 Votes) • I try to avoid lead, but lead alternatives are too expensive or difficult to find. (17%, 28 Votes)

• I think he’s going to be good on the business side, and bad on the environment side. So as a fly-fishing business person, part of me is optimistic, and part is pessimistic. (18%, 21 Votes) • I think he’s going to be great… he’s a businessman, and he understands the needs of businesses like mine. I’m planning on making more money, and paying less in taxes and expenses. (15%, 18 Votes) • I’m cautiously optimistic… but I’ll have to see things to believe them. (9%, 10 Votes) • It doesn’t matter. Congress is dysfunctional. The President is a figurehead. Nothing’s going to change in a meaningful way. (6%, 7 Votes)

Product News Flymen Fishing Releases First Synthetic Fiber Tapered Like Real Fur Flymen Fishing Company announced and released Fish-Skull Faux Bucktail, which is the first synthetic fiber tapered to a point like real animal fur for use in fly tying and lure making. “Natural bucktail was one of the first, and is still one of the best, materials available to make flies, lures, and jigs,” said Martin Bawden, founder of Flymen

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Books & DVDs

Affordable impulse items for anglers of all types & budgets Hardcover: $16.99 srp

Fishing Company and head product designer.

Fish-Skull Faux Bucktail fibers have the same basic diameter, gentle crinkle, and taper as natural bucktail. In appearance, it looks almost identical and has the same distinctive bucktail action in the water. However, the fibers are not hollow (which helps your fly sink faster) and will not “flare” in the same way as regular bucktail while tying. This means tyers will need to tie with slightly different techniques to achieve the same effect. Professional fly tier and fly fishing guide

Hardcover: $27.99 srp

“However, as fly tiers we share in the general frustration of the difficulty of finding quality bucktail with long fibers on a consistent basis. We wanted to create a synthetic fiber with similar features to bucktail and properties that would allow it to be used as a more multi-purpose tying material with improvements over existing nontapered synthetic fibers.”

Hardcover: $25.00 srp Reference Sale Code: JG17 6+ copies gets 46% discount 20+ gets 50% & Free Freight

DVD: $29.99

CURRENTS

ANGLER’S BOOK SUPPLY 800.260.3869 Featuring the very best books, dvds, calendars & gifts that fly-fishing has to offer.

www.anglersbooksupply.com Blane Chocklett has filmed several videos with Flymen to demonstrate these techniques.

Every Faux Bucktail fiber is premium 6” (152 mm) length, giving fly tyers more than twice the amount of usable fibers per tail and eliminating the headache of sorting and searching for ideal strands. Simply peel off the full length of your desired amount of fibers, trim to length, and tie them in. The fibers can be used in a wide range of fly and lure types.

AnglingTrade.com | April 2017

• Trout flies: Beautiful tapered wrapped “quill” bodies, nymph wing cases, Mayfly tails and legs

• Streamers: From tying typical Clouser Minnows or Deceivers right up to large, “bite-proof” Pike, Musky or Golden Dorado flies • Poppers: Tie simple and durable tails on foam poppers Fish-Skull Faux Bucktail

BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND • Bucktail Jigs: Tougher, longer lasting fresh and saltwater bucktail jigs • Musky Bucktail Lures or dressed trebles Do You Carry Bear Spray? (This Stuff Sells in Cities Too as Personal Defense Product) Frontiersman Bear Spray, Practice Bear Spray and Bear Horn Reduces Risk of Bear Encounters SABRE is the industry’s leader provider of all things personal safety. With a more safety tools than ever, the Frontiersman Bear Spray and Frontiersman Bear Horn add to SABRE’s extensive line of bear safety products. The potent bear spray alongside its powerful horn counterpart is the perfect combination to provide industry leading bear safety. The bear horn unleashes a sound warning bears that humans are present, giving them a warning to clear the area before any potentially dangerous encounters may occur. The bear spray provides a 1.84 oz. per burst in a heavy fog delivery that empties in 5 seconds to get more spray between you and the bear, faster than ever! (Practice spray emits 1.6 oz. per burst, also emptying in 5 seconds.) The Frontiersman Bear Spray with Practice Spray comes with a 7.9 oz. practice spray that features the exact same deployment style and firing mechanism as the bear spray (available in 7.9 oz or 9.2 oz canister). The practice spray assists users in gaining muscle memory and ensuring confidence; the practice spray is intended to test in order to better prepare and protect yourself and loved ones during a high-stress encounters. In addition, the spray comes equiped with glow-in-thedark safety for easy visibility. The maximum strength formula allowed by the EPA (2.0% capsaicin and related

capsaicinoids) is backed by our in-house high performance liquid chromatography laboratory which guarantees maximum stopping power, eliminating the 30% failure rate experienced with other brands (University of Utah study). The spray also has the industry-leading 35-foot (10.6M) range, allowing the greatest distance of any spray between you and an attacking bear. Frontiersman Bear Horn provides an extremely loud burst of a 115 dB horn that can be heard up to ½ mile (805 m) away. Bear spray accessories are a significantly louder alternative to bear bells; periodic blasts alert bears you’re in the area, reducing your chance of startling an animal into aggressive behavior At a simple push of a button, compact and convenient tool can alert not only bears of one's presence but also warn other patrons of potential danger. “It’s important to remember that when you’re in bear country, you’re in a bear’s natural habitat,” says David Nance, SABRE CEO/V.P. of Sales & Marketing. “Letting them know that you’re in the area is crucial to avoiding an encounter, which can startle bears into attacking, especially if she’s with her cubs. Periodic blasts from this extremely loud bear horn can help you do just that.”

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The combination of the Frontiersman Bear Spray and Frontiersman Bear Horn ensures safety and security for every outdoor adventure. The Frontiersman Bear Safety line also includes industryleading bear spray, practice sprays, holsters (chest, belt and bike), bear bells and a food storage container. Shop the full collection online at www. sabrered.com/bear-spray.

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resources, Nautilus Reels is pleased to support the efforts of Trout Unlimited’s Alaska Program and their work to protect Bristol Bay and the related ecosystems of the region with a unique customized reel.

Bauer Introduces a New Series of Reels We’ve always been fans of Bauer Reels. Now part of the Winston Rod Co. family, Bauer is getting a nice marketing push to introduce a series of new reels. We can’t wait to get our hands on one; they look great. Featuring a striking narrow profile frame design, the SST offers exceptional large arbor performance, a proven carbon fiber drag system, star knob operation and a wide variety of color options. As with all Bauer reels, the SST is precision-machined and built to meet the requirements of the most demanding anglers and angling situations. It’s available in 2- through 9-wt. line sizes. HIGHLIGHTS • SST reels feature a beautiful new narrow profile frame with multi-sized porting.

AnglingTrade.com | April 2017

• New large arbor spool rotates on sealed, precision stainless steel ball bearings with a silk-smooth star drag adjustment.

protocol (e.g,. the SST 3 is ideal for a 3-weight line, the SST 4 is ideal for a 4-weight line, etc.). However, each SST reel can also be comfortably used for one line size smaller or larger, depending on the user’s preference. FEATURES • Sizes: 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 (for 2-weight through 9-weight fly lines) • Colors: Available in either Clear Anodized Aluminum with choice of several beautiful Star Drag dial colors, or in all jet black. • Star Drag Dial: Clear Anodized Aluminum SST Reels can be ordered with Star Drag dial in Red, Blue, Green, Gold, Black, or Clear. Light Blue or Pink available with preorder and an additional $25 charge. • Hub: Red hub color is standard. Additional Hub colors of Gold, Blue or Clear are available with preorder and an additional $25 charge. • Suggested Retail Price: – $355 – $525

• Fully sealed incredibly smooth carbon fiber drag system delivers exceptional performance at all settings and requires no maintenance.

Nautilus Reels to Offer Customized No Pebble Mine Reel to Support Bristol Bay

• Available for 2wt through 8wt lines with our new simplified SST line-naming

Recognizing the enduring challenge of defending watersheds and

Nautilus has created a one-of-a-kind CCF-X2 reel that features artwork and customized colors that center around opposition to the proposed Pebble Mine. Nautilus Reels aims to make a statement against Pebble Mine with the custom reel while also gathering more support for No Pebble Mine efforts. With this in mind, this unique reel will be given away to one lucky winner who signs up for Trout Unlimited’s email list at savebristolbay.org/nautilus-sign-up between now and June 15, 2017. Nautilus Reels is eager to help defeat the proposed mine. “The threat to Bristol Bay that Pebble Mine brings is a threat to the heart of fly fishing for salmon,” says Nautilus owner Kristen Mustad. “Nautilus Reels recognizes the need of the fly fishing community to come together to protect this area.” With more anglers behind the cause of saving Bristol Bay, Nautilus believes it can defeat this threat to one of the fly fishing community’s most treasured ecosystems. RIO Products and Fishpond Collaborate on Tippet Holder

RIO Products, manufacturer of fly line, leader, and tippet, partners with Fishpond, maker of fly-fishing and outdoor adventure gear, to create the Headgate Tippet Holder loaded with five RIO Powerflex tippet spools. The updated Headgate, designed and manufactured by Fishpond, will come in RIO-inspired colors and with 2X-6X Powerflex tippet spools. The Headgate is made from anodized aerospace aluminum with a built-in, replaceable line cutter. The secure spring opens easily to slide spools on and rubber washers hold the spools in place. RIO’s Powerflex Tippet is made from co-polymer PTFE coating and its light grey color increases its camouflage on the water. With 30-yard spools of 2X, 3X, 4X, 5X, and 6X, the loaded Headgate is ready for any trout fishing situation. “We have a long history with RIO and we really enjoyed collaborating on this project together,” said Fishpond co-owner, Ben Kurtz. “RIO tippet is second to none, and we saw this alignment as a great opportunity.” The RIO Fishpond Headgate Tippet Holder will be available this month for a retail price of $39.95, meaning one spool of tippet is free through this collaboration. Wilderness Systems Launches New Pedal Drive

“The Helix PD Pedal Drive is the most efficient and intuitive pedal system ever engineered. The demand for

The Helix PD Pedal Drive is optimized for all-day cruising and offers both forward and reverse maneuverability. Fully deployed, the gears and prop work together to maximize performance in exchange for less effort so you can be hands-free to fish all day. A groundbreaking auto-raising mast achieves zero draft from the seated position by simply pressing a springloaded foot pedal at the mounting base. The unit’s stowage position keeps kayak workspace clear and features a single-point detachment to allow for further stowing. The Helix PD was carefully crafted from the ground up to work synergistically with the new Radar 115 and 135. Both kayaks feature Wilderness Systems’ signature S.M.A.R.T. Hull Technology that skillfully balances stability, maneuverability, acceleration, responsiveness and tracking to enhance the performance of the Helix PD Pedal Drive. The Helix PD Pedal Drive showcases a tight turning radius for easy and precise maneuverability thanks to its versatile and ambidextrous steering system kit, including steering handle, rudder, patent-pending noise reduction baffles and installation hardware. The patentpending Helix PD Pedal Drive is $1,100 USD. SA Launches Spey Lite Collection Designed for light double-handed duty, the Spey Lite lines are ideal for smaller streams and trout Spey applications. Available in an Integrated Scandi, an Integrated Skagit, and a Skagit Shooting Head, this is Spey on a smaller scale.

Built in grain weights from 150-360, and designed specifically for light two-handed rods, each Spey Lite line helps with casting and line control. Available now at Scientific Anglers dealers…

SPEY LITE INTEGRATED SCANDI • L onger head for more delicate deliveries • Ideally suited for light two-handed rods • L ines can be used with singlehanded rods as well SPEY LITE INTEGRATED SKAGIT • Ultra-short head for turning over heavy tips with light two-handed rods • Tip recommendations: 150-210 grains – SONAR leaders 240-300 grains – 8’ TC Tips 330-360 grains – 8’ or 10’ TC Tips • Lines can be used with singlehanded rods as well Book Reviews: Roosevelts and Conservation Being a “Roosevelt” conservationist entails a helluva lot more than being a Republican who shoots animals and catches fish. The late Jim Range certainly understood that. And the

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AnglingTrade.com | April 2017

Wilderness Systems recently announced the arrival of its high performance, patent-pending Helix PD Pedal Drive at specialty retail stores.

it has been off the charts,” said Evan Lyendecker, marketing director for Wilderness Systems.

CURRENTS

great organization he founded, the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, lives up to its moniker every day. But there are many people who now claim to be subscribers to Roosevelt ideals, but clearly don’t even begin to understand what they truly are. Even worse, there are others who are hijacking those ideals for ulterior political motives… and some of them are sitting in the highest echelons of the American government. That should upset you. Whether caused by ignorance, or arrogance, or more devious intentions, the warping of Roosevelt conservation legacy is one of the most serious long-range threats to America’s natural resources, and the many businesses, like most of ours, that depend on them.

But rather than unloading in a social

Be warned that these are both, big,

media rant that a few dozen of your

beefy, detailed, intellectual books.

friends might read, do yourself

But these are big, beefy, detailed

a favor and educate yourself on

and intellectual subjects—or so they

President Theodore Roosevelt, as

should be. The former explains

well as President Franklin Delano

TR’s motivations, how he spent the

Roosevelt, whose administrations

10-year anniversary of his fabled

collectively constructed the most

charge up San Juan Hill designating

landmark philosophies (and events)

national forests. We understand

related to conservation and public

how, throughout his entire political

ownership, and stewardship, of

career, TR aggressively forced the

natural resources in American history.

conservation agenda in an era of

No two books do a better job of

unprecedented modernization and

explaining all of this than two works

industrialization. The latter book

by noted presidential historian David

traces the works of FDR, which are

Brinkley—The Wilderness Warrior: Theodore Roosevelt and the Crusade for America (HarperCollins, 2009), and Rightful Heritage: The Renewal of America (HarperCollins 2016).

somewhat less heralded today, but were no less instrumental in shaping the uniquely American approach to conservation. FDR, among other things, lifted the country out of the Great Depression, in part through the Civilian Conservation Corps, which employed millions and led to many millions of trees being planted. He led the first efforts to protect endangered species. He initiated restoration programs for rivers and wetlands. FDR made America greener, but more importantly, he positioned conservation as sound economic policy. That’s the missing ingredient in the current scenario, where respect for the environment is seen by some as an affront to jobs and prosperity. The truth is found by looking at it from the opposite perspective… just like both

AnglingTrade.com | April 2017

Presidents Roosevelt did.

If you’re going to invoke the name Roosevelt in any conservation or economic development, it’s helpful to actually understand what that means. Reading these books will help you understand who’s walking the walk, and who is merely talking the talk.

B A P T I S M S D O N ’ T TA K E P L A C E I N FA CT O R I E S . T H E Y B E LO N G T O T H E WAT E R . F U L L I M M E R S I O N I N A B E L I E F SY ST E M T H AT S AY S A F L AW L E S S D R I F T W I L L R A I S E T H E L A R G E S T B R O W N . FA I T H T H AT W I N D W I L L S U B S I D E . T H U N D E R W I L L F I Z Z L E . A N D H I G H LY- C O N S I D E R E D G E A R W I L L S E E Y O U C O M F O R TA B LY T H R O U G H T H E B E AT- D O W N . R I V E R S A R E W H E R E W E R E C A L I B R AT E A N D C O N N E CT. T H E Y ’ R E W H AT W E M A K E O F T H E M . A N D T H E Y I N S P I R E W H AT W E M A K E . S O I T ’ S N O S U R P R I S E T H E W O R L D ’ S B E ST WA D E R S A R E H A N D C R A F T E D B Y A N G L E R S . B E C A U S E I T TA K E S O N E T O K N OW W H E N T H E Y ’ R E R I G H T.

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FEATURE

FISHING FOR RECORDS... A FISH TOO FAR? Written by Marshall Bissett

Al Quattrocchi with the two world records he caught on the same day 1.5 hours apart. Calico Bass and White Sea Bass.

AnglingTrade.com | April 2017

“Nothing makes a fish bigger than nearly being caught” (Anonymous angler who lost record fish)

I fish with a very opinionated friend. “Working a 50-pound tarpon for two hours on 4 pound test is BS – an ego trip for the angler and hellish on the fish!” was his careful response when I asked him if he ever wanted to catch a record fish on the fly. We rarely get on to politics or religion.

Most fly fishermen have little interest in catching a fish that will make its way into the record books. Some consider it a barbaric activity contrary to the spirit of the sport. Others cannot resist the challenge – a mountain that must be climbed. Some believe that records should be eliminated; others collect them as Olympians collect medals. As long as we have the Guinness family and the IGFA, be assured that record fish

Michael Schweit with white sea bass record.

will be recorded, celebrated and, in many cases, killed. Sure, it makes for great magazine copy – who can resist a ‘local hero story?’ Tackle manufacturers, resort operators and outfitters are quick to endorse and promote records. Of course it’s good for business, but is it fair to the fish? The record breakers we talked to and the IGFA who set the rules are staunchly on the side of catch and release. They are partnered with the

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prey they chase. On the other hand, I did receive a couple of recipes for cooking world records. THE FIFTY PERCENT RULE You might think your chances of catching a world record by a happy accident are as slim as winning the Powerball or finding a truthful politician, but weekend anglers will be encouraged to hear that, per

Fly Fishing with a Float IGFA stats, it happens about half of the time. We all know it’s better to be lucky than good, but this does not deter the other fifty percent who are goal-oriented, focused and well prepared to not only catch the fish but deal with the considerable paperwork required to make the record stick. LIFE OR DEATH Most people believe that it is

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FEATURE necessary to kill a fish for a record, but in a recent interview, IGFA’s World Record Coordinator (yes, that’s a real job), Jack Vitek was adamant. “No, absolutely not. As a matter of fact, over the past five years or so the number of applications that we receive for fish that have been released is very close to 50%.” To that end IGFA has an All-Tackle length record program that is strictly catch and release. THE RULE MAKERS The IGFA rules, while shorter than the IRS tax codes, are no less strict and detailed. Records are subdivided by line or tippet class and, quaintly, whether the angler is male

or female. At the time of writing there is no transgender category. To be considered by the IGFA, catches must be verified by a photograph, girth measurements and include a sample of the tippet used. Controversially, the fish must be weighed on a certified scale, often resulting in its death. In recent years, under pressure from the catch-and-release lobby the IGFA has relaxed this rule, accepting girth measurements and photographs for certain categories. Fish cannot be weighed on board a boat because a moving platform is not thought to be accurate. Class tippets can be no more than 15 inches in length. Vitek notes, “Fishermen are very ingenious – we’ve even had people catch, weigh and release two hundred pound sharks within the last couple of

years.” The main reasons he quotes for disqualification are having help to land the fish or using an incorrect tippet size. THE RULES WILL SET THE FISH FREE Recent changes in the IGFA rules have not sat well with some existing record holders. In April 2017, a new rule that requires the weight of the catch be at least ½ as much as the line class it is eligible for (in the 12 pound tippet class the fish must weigh at least 6 pounds), is creating controversy. Southern California angler Kesley Gallagher, holder of four corbina records, questions this decision. “That’s fine if you are targeting big species like tuna,

“The IGFA is doing everything they can for fly fishers... The angler can lay his fish out on this template, take a photograph and submit it for a length record.” tarpon, or red drum. But in the case of corbina, there is no record of an 8- or 10-lb. fish. This essentially eliminates 16# or 20# tippet records for the species. And although smaller when compared to carp or tarpon, these fish demand skill and are a worthy quarry.” Her view is shared by Al Quattrocchi who recently made fly fishing history by setting two world records (Calico Bass on #12 tippet and White Sea Bass on #20 tippets) about 90 minutes apart in a single day. “I think they should clean the slate on all these species and start over so everyone has an equal chance.” While Al releases 99% of his catch, the two record fish made tasty kitchen fare and the calico is immortalized in a gyotaku print. For the record, Al did not follow the advice of his friends and place a large bet in Vegas. THE RECORD SETTERS IGFA record holders are as diverse as the fish they pursue, busting the stereotype of the publicity seeking type- A braggart. Gallagher is taking advantage of a rule change that has created separate men’s and women’s categories for freshwater species and is currently pursuing records for largemouth bass. She takes

conservation seriously: “Record fish should always survive to generate more record fish. I have released several fish that would have qualified for records but I could not bring myself to kill them." Fishing for records has raised her game making her ‘a more prepared angler’. She adds, "I make sure my tippet is fresh and the right length, my knots are strong, and I mentally prepare myself. I have become more stealthy.” Gary Graham has run Baja on the Fly for the last 30 years and was manning the IGFA booth at the recent Fred Hall All Tackle show in Long Beach. “The IGFA is doing everything they can for fly fishers,” said Graham as he unrolled what appeared to be a wide tape measure showing current saltwater length records. “The angler can lay his fish out on this template, take a photograph and submit it for a length record.” A long-time proponent of light line (at one time he had #2 and #4 records for tuna and bonita), he takes the long view. “Records are there to be broken – we’re all competitive – it’s human nature.” Another So-Cal based Baja outfitter Gary Bulla set records for yellowtail (the Pacific bruisers, not the wimpy

ones) in two tippet classes. Like Al Q, he seized an opportunity but has not turned it into a life mission. “Too many rare large breeder fish are dying because of this competition,” says Bulla, “I would not want to kill a large rooster or dorado just to get a certificate.” He urges IGFA to have a greater focus on environmental issues and to avoid targeting exotics species. White Sea bass #8 record holder Michael Schweit runs sport charters in California’s Channel islands. “I chased that fish for four years and I still fish with #8 to beat my own record. Unfortunately we had to kill that fish and I wound up eating it – would you like the recipe?” Asked for advice on catching that record one day, Gallagher sums it up, “Be ready, luck favors the prepared.”

STOP INVASIVE SPECIES

CLEAN. DRAIN. DRY. No matter where you fish, make sure you fish with clean gear.

www.cleanangling.org

FEATURE

FESTIVE FISHING: TRY SOME WINE WITH THAT FLY LINE Written by Beau Beasley

AnglingTrade.com | April 2017

The founder of one of the most successful fly-fishing festival concepts shares his secrets for growing a grassroots event in any region.

FEATURE We fly anglers know perfectly well that the future of our sport is dependent upon its growth (at least sustainability). So how do we share our passion for this quiet sport? The Angling Trade editors asked me to share a few thoughts on one increasingly popular approach—the fly fishing festival— because they presumed that, as the director of the long-running Virginia Fly Fishing & Wine Festival, I am an enthusiastic proponent of festivals as a way to grow our sport. They are right: I always jump at the chance to promote the festival concept. Here are just a few reasons why I believe that fly fishing festivals are a great way to introduce people to the outdoors.

THE KEY DEMOGRAPHIC IS HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT I’ve long advocated for getting more women on the water, and doing that means going beyond the pink fly rod. Engaging women in fly fishing really revolves around offering women attractive choices. Prefer to learn from a woman? No problem: In addition to male instructors, the Virginia Fly Fishing & Wine Festival offers beginning women anglers the opportunity to learn to cast with Wanda Taylor, one of the very best in the business. In addition to these for-fee classes, we also offer women beginning casting classes with

professional guide Kiki Galvin. This class is just one hour long, and Kiki often has as many as 14 new students to juggle, but it’s free, it’s specifically designed for women, and it’s a safe place to learn a new skill. Last year Taylor’s for-fee classes sold out, and Galvin taught nearly 50 women how to cast over the course of the weekend. WE SHOULD HOOK ‘EM YOUNG New fly anglers offer a fabulous return on investment for fly shops, guides, lodges, and others. Yes, my fellow 52-year-olds and I may well purchase new fly rods or a guided trip this spring—and more importantly, someone my age is more likely to

AnglingTrade.com | April 2017

Uber guide Kate Taylor getting after it in British Columbia.

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FEATURE upgrade to a more expensive rod or travel to an exotic destination to fish than is that novice whippersnapper. Nevertheless, I could probably fish the rest of my life on the flies I can scrounge up around my house right now. (I’m not committing to that, by the way. Please don’t show this article to my wife.) The fact is that my days on the stream are numbered. This isn’t morbid, it’s realistic: a 20-year-old newbie needs a lot

"One family wants to learn to cast together. Junior just wants

to watch someone tie a fly. And someone else, dragged to the

festival by a significant other, is just thanking God for the free wine tasting. Who knows why they all came? But now they’re

AnglingTrade.com | April 2017

here. Now the magic happens."

more gear than I do and has many, many more fly angling days in his future. So don’t dismiss that hipster wandering aimlessly through the fly tying material; without that hipster, fly fishing retail is doomed.

more families invested in waterway and wildlife habitat conservation, more families buying more new gear, more families taking more guided trips. Suffice it to say that we love to see parents bring their kids to our event.

OR EVEN YOUNGER

We’re proud that the Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation sponsors our Family Fly Fishing Classes (3FC), through which entire families learn to cast a fly rod. Mom and Dad get their own instructors as do the littles. Our youngest attendees, who may not yet be old enough to cast a fly rod, are outfitted with a practice rod or a Tenkara rod. Paul Kearney, lead instructor for the Trout Unlimited Tri-State Conservation

Dads, be honest: It is essentially irrelevant whether you enjoy a family outing. When Mom is content and the kids are entertained, a togetherness endeavor is officially successful. So a family-friendly fly-fishing festival really needs to appeal to every segment of said family. At the Virginia Fly Fishing Festival, our philosophy is that more is more: more kids at our event means

camp, teaches our 3FC series. At the conclusion of the course, parents might consider enrolling their kids in Kearney’s excellent weeklong teen summer camp. The festival also enlists the help of Boy Scout-certified instructors who conduct a fly-fishing merit badge class for attending Scouts at no charge. Yes, Scouts can actually earn their badge through participation in this program. Members from the Marine Corps Base Quantico and Fort Belvoir Project Healing Waters programs offer free fly-tying lessons to attending families. Personally, I love the idea of service veterans teaching kids how to tie flies.

FEATURE We can spend time talking to children about the sacrifices that servicemen and woman make--or they can spend the afternoon with a veteran, who is a real person who cares about them. Children simply aren’t outside enough anymore. So in my opinion, anytime kids have the opportunity to interact with nature, it’s a net plus. The US Fish & Wildlife Service came to last year’s festival armed with all kinds of conservation information… and a live baby sturgeon. They were a hit. (The sturgeon, I mean.) So my advice is, if all else fails, show kids fish. They’re cool. WE’RE IN THIS TOGETHER

BEYOND FLY LINE Fly fishing festivals work because many of our potential customers will

The Virginia Fly Fishing & Wine Festival attempts to take “fly fishing plus” to greater heights each year. We started by adding wine; obviously it was a rousing success. Today numerous wineries attend and offer tastings all day to eligible attendees. Eventually we added curated food trucks and live music. We brought in experts like author Cory Routh and Joe Mahler, whose specialty is fly fishing from a kayak. This year we’ve made an even bigger play for kayakers and other paddle sports enthusiasts, adding a NuCanoe-sponsored “try before you buy” kayak demo pond and offering kayak demos throughout the day. Today our festival offers microbrewed beer, a cigar bar, and even a specialty chocolatier. Really… who doesn’t like chocolate? WHEN MAGIC HAPPENS April 2017 will mark the 17th Annual

Virginia Fly Fishing & Wine Festival. We’ll offer a fresh panoply of vendors, speakers, and instructors--and we’ll play host to a whole new slate of attendees. We’ll see familiar faces in the crowd: those faithful festivalgoers and seasoned anglers who return year after year. And we’ll also see many, many brand-new faces--young and old, male and female. Many will be exposed to fly fishing and fly tying for the very first time. Who knows what exactly spurs someone to commit an afternoon to a fly fishing festival when countless other leisure options exist for all of us in this increasingly hectic life. One guy wants to troll the aisles looking for show specials, just like he did last year. One gal wants to pick up a new rod and schedule a guided trip. One family wants to learn to cast together. Junior just wants to watch someone tie a fly. And someone else, dragged to the festival by a significant other, is just thanking God for the free wine tasting. Who knows why they all came? But now they’re here. Now the magic happens. That’s really all that a good festival is: a whole lot of planning and a little bit of magic.

Beau Beasley is the director for the Virginia Fly Fishing & Wine Festival (www.vaflyfishingfestival.org) and the brand-new Texas Fly Fishing & Brew Festival (www.txflyfishingfestival.org) in Plano, launched in March 2017. For more information you can contact him at fishutopia@comcast.net.

AnglingTrade.com | April 2017

Crucial to the success of any fly fishing show is a network of stakeholders. The Virginia Fly Fishing & Wine Festival is fortunate to have been sponsored over the years by such industry heavyweights as Temple Fork Outfitters, Orvis, The Recreational Boating & Fish Foundation, Green Top, Eastern Fly Fishing, Flymen Fishing Company, and many more. We’re grateful for every vendor who partners with us by purchasing a booth, but there would be no festival at all without our generous sponsors. Our sponsors make the festival possible, but make no mistake: the event is great for them too. They grow the sport and they raise their own profile among those new sportsmen. That’s what I call win/win business.

never walk into a fly shop. They either don’t know about them, don’t know where they are, or are too intimidated to walk through that door. Every year I meet about a dozen folks who, upon learning that I’m a fly angler, immediately say, “I’ve always wanted to take up fly fishing, but I never knew where to start.” (I’ll bet that most fly anglers regularly hear the same thing.) An event that offers “fly fishing plus”—something beyond casting instruction and gear—is a great way to grow the sport. With this model, people from every background and all walks of life can enjoy the day on their own terms, without committing to walking into that shop for the first time or being the newbie on that river all day.

PUBLIC LANDS

WHY WE NEED TO FIGHT FOR PUBLIC LANDS WRITTEN BY WALT GASSON

AnglingTrade.com | April 2017

"Ya gotta earn it, but the South Fork of the Flathead in Montana is an amazing public playground."

The Spanish called it the “Northern Mystery”–the unspeakably vast and empty country north of the Sangre de Cristos, beyond the missions and the trails. They tried it, but soon turned back. It was too big, too empty, and too cold. The natives were too fierce and the treasure too elusive. It remained a vast unknown, a fabled geography of mountain and desert and rivers with uncertain beginnings and even less certain ends. It was, to the Spaniards to the south and to the Americans far to the east, a mystery.

Maybe it’s the mystery that draws me to and connects me with this landscape– the public lands of the interior West. Maybe it’s the history. There have been Gassons abiding in the cottonwood bottoms and the sagebrush for six generations, a long time for non-native people in a hard land. But for those six generations, we have been nourished and nurtured by the public domain that spread before us - our own home place. The Green, that thin ribbon of emerald green that starts on the west flank of the Wind Rivers and winds

through the willows and cottonwood bottoms and canyons to meet the Colorado far below us has been our lifeline. But it was not ours alone. Thousands of other families came from Italy and Finland, Texas and North Carolina, not only to the Green. They came to the Rio Grande, the Yampa, and the Missouri to the small towns and the cities that perch at the edge of the Great American Commons. Some came and stuck, working whatever jobs they could here so they could make lives for their

families. Some came only seasonally, saving the meager surplus of their salaries as shopkeepers and steelworkers, teachers and tradesmen each year for that family vacation to camp and fish and smell the woodsmoke and taste the wild. Some never came at all, but lived with the hope that maybe someday they could. Wallace Stegner once said that the West was “a geography of hope”. So it has been for all of us, and so it remains. We hoped that we could make it through one more week or one more year so that we could connect with the American legacy that we all shared. We hoped, sometimes grimly, for that week or that year that when Friday night or the second week in July came, we could pack up the horse trailer or the station wagon and head out like Lewis and Clark. We we hoped in faith that we would find those special places in the national forests and the public domain where we could camp and hunt and fish. We hoped that we would once again get our boots dirty and our souls clean. It was a communion, a renewing of the human soul and spirit born of clean air and clear water and endless spaces of the land that belonged to none of us and to all of us. It was not just what we did, it was who we were. It was not just a hope, it was our hope.

Looking back, maybe we came to take it for granted. Maybe we came to think of America’s public lands as an entitlement. Maybe we thought that we would always be able to do what it seemed we had always done. That might explain our reaction when first the rough-cut Sagebrush Rebels and later the more sophisticated grifters in pricey suits came to take not only our heritage, but the endowment we expected to pass on to our children. I’m not sure we took them seriously in the beginning. We thought no one could in good conscience call for the mass liquidation of the commons. That was our mistake – we assumed that they had a conscience. There never was a real conscience on their part, and there remains none to this day. The noble cry to return these federal lands to the states was a sham from the beginning. The states ceded those lands to the federal government as a condition of statehood. There could be no return of something that was voluntarily given up. Moreover, they knew from the outset that the states could never manage those lands. They knew that politicians in cash-strapped state legislatures would sooner or later be forced with a choice – raise taxes or liquidate lands. They hid under the cover of “local control” but knew from the get-go that the states would only be the middle men. The end game was conversion of the public lands to private ownership by

the land barons and multinational corporations who funded the public lands grab from the beginning. But what can we do? Is it even our business? We sell stuff to anglers – that’s our business, right? To paraphrase the ghost of Jacob Marley, let me suggest that selling gear is “…but a drop of water in the comprehensive ocean of our business.” This is a fight that none of us can afford to sit out. It’s about each of us, not just about our businesses. It’s about our families and our communities. It’s about our lives, not just our lifestyles. If you haven’t emailed your congressional delegation, please do it now. While you’re at it, email your state legislators as well. This may be the fight of our lives. I hope none of us will choose to sit it out.

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AnglingTrade.com | April 2017

In time, there came others - backpackers and climbers, mountain bikers and snowmobilers. And all the while, there were the businesses that supported us, and whom we would support. The feed stores and mercantiles at first, then the fly shops and bike shops, mountaineering stores and restaurants that catered to people who came to be outdoors. And we bought our gear and our grub and asked our questions and told our

stories to the people who came to know us and love us there. We formed a community based on that same hope. It was and is a hope based on a shared stake in the public lands and a shared economy totaling billions of dollars each year.

CLEAN ANGLING

PLEASE RENEW YOUR FOCUS (AND YOUR CUSTOMERS’) ON CLEAN ANGLING IN 2017 WRITTEN BY MARYA SPOJA, FISHING AND BOATING PROGRAM

AnglingTrade.com | April 2017

COORDINATOR, INVASIVE SPECIES ACTION NETWORK

Part of the fun that is fishing, is traveling to new desti-

Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) are the sneaky culprits

nations. As fishermen, we love to crisscross the globe

that try to explore with us, slowly invading and degrad-

exploring different stretches of water, satisfying within

ing our favorite places and leaving behind a severe eco-

ourselves an innate wanderlust that leads us to visit

nomic and ecological price for us to pay. When we don’t

waters near and far. Back at home, many of us also base

clean, drain and dry our gear or stop at boat inspection

our livelihoods on the rather nomadic habits of fisher-

stations, we open the door for AIS to hitchhike with us

men. And why shouldn’t we? Outdoor recreation and its

from one waterway to the next.

related travel is big money. It’s a giant cog in our economy, a booming business that makes it clear that plenty of

Invasives can outcompete native plants and animals to

fishermen aren’t afraid to pay to play. With our wallets,

the point that a once familiar environment becomes

that is. The greater question is, in what other ways do we pay?

nearly unrecognizable for bugs, fish and fishermen alike.

continued on next page...

RON HANSEN

IS A TU BUSINESS MEMBER.

STEVEN BRUTGER

Ron Hansen Wind River Outdoor Company Lander, WY

ARE YOU?

Become a TU Business Member: www.tu.org/business

CLEAN ANGLING

"We in the fishing industry can help promote that ethic by integrating clean angling habits into our business practices so that it catches on with our clients. " Less biodiversity means less fish,

hundreds of waterbodies across

As it turns out, AIS are big money

which in turn can mean less fisher-

30 states today. Parts of the Great

too, and they’re perfectly capable

men. And fewer dollars to go around,

Lakes are now on the verge of being

of outcompeting us for our own tax

as commercial and sport fishermen in

‘cleaned to death’ by these little

dollars. A 2012 Notre Dame study

the Great Lakes can attest.

filter feeders. Elsewhere, they have

estimated that the annual cost of

One such AIS, the quagga mussel,

permanently altered each aquatic en-

invasive species to the Great Lakes’

has slowly spread across the map

vironment they’ve inhabited and cost

fishing industry rests somewhere

of the United States from a single

businesses and taxpayers millions of

between $138 million and $800 mil-

detection on Lake Erie in 1989 to

dollars along the way.

lion dollars. Nationally, the costs

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of invasive species-like maintaining

When a customer comes in to get a

does the trick. By cleaning mud

operational pipes for municipal water

license, we can offer to clean their

and visible debris and draining any

treatment plants-have now surpassed

gear for them (or better yet for a fly

standing water left over, anglers go a

$137 billion annually.

shop owner, sell them new boots).

long way in preventing the spread of

When we fish another destination,

invasives. Drying boots, waders, and

In an effort to combat AIS and to

clean angling habits will prevent us

other wet gear will then kill anything

protect their watersheds, a growing

from adversely affecting someone

that’s left. If you can completely dry

number of anglers have integrated

else’s home waters or bringing an AIS

your gear between uses, there’s little

the mantra “Clean, Drain, Dry” into

home as a souvenir. And any time

chance that you’ll spread anything.

their fishing practices. We in the fish-

we’ve got a watercraft in tow, we can

ing industry can help promote that

stop at any boat check stations we

ethic by integrating clean angling

come across. They’re just another set

habits into our business practices so

of eyes to help us prevent the spread

that it catches on with our clients.

of invasive species.

Anglers will never stop traveling to fish, and invasive species will never stop trying to spread. But we can help protect our home waters,

When clients bring their own gear

Remember, there’s no need for

protect the waters we visit, and

from home to fish with us, we can

chemicals when you clean your gear;

protect the fishing industry by being

help keep our home waters AIS free

a quick dunk and a scrub at the

Clean Anglers. To learn more, visit

by ensuring that their gear is clean.

water’s edge before heading home

CleanAngling.org.

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FEATURE

A FLY’S PURPOSE: HOW TO SHOW YOUR BRAND’S GOOD INTENTIONS

AnglingTrade.com | April 2017

Written by Joel R. Johnson

What would you say is the purpose

isn’t just for determining our life’s

purpose, it’s to benefit consumers by

of a fly? The off-the-cuff answer

journey though. Many things, places,

staying true to itself.

might be to deceive a fish. If you

organizations, even companies can

had a few minutes on the way to the

have a purpose. The goal of having

The fly fishing industry has many

river, you might ponder the question

a purpose is to define the higher

storied brands but the best have

further and say, to connect to a fish.

calling of the brand—it’s a reason

unique and clear purposes, even if

At the end of a day catching rising

for existing, and that reason is often

they’re not written down. Whether

trout or getting blanked but loving

described as a benefit to the world

the trend is carbon or glass, synthetic

every minute of it, you might say the

around you. When a company has a

or natural materials, offshore manu-

purpose of a fly is to connect us

purpose, it’s to benefit the consum-

facturing or American-made, these

ers and stakeholders of the com-

brands stand out for living up to and

pany’s work. When a brand has a

promoting a higher purpose.

to ourselves. Purpose, or finding one’s purpose

FEATURE Here are three tips to help you ar-

Orvis doesn’t just want to protect the

love and respect, and get props in

ticulate your fly brand’s purpose.

resource, their purpose is to ensure

turn. Have any consumers with great

you get the most out of it too. Does

stories with similar values?

your brand have an expertise that can

Elevate them and stand back.

1. Design your good intentions. In the case of outfitter Soul River Runs Deep, Chad Brown is not only the

make a change? Big or small, use it.

When you market your brand with

founder but the talented designer

3. Make sure your purpose is fun.

purpose in mind, you give consum-

behind the brand. Not just an outfit-

Pig Farm Ink is a collective and a

ers a higher reason to be loyal to

ter, Soul River provides fly fishing

lifestyle brand (sometimes), they’re

your brand. You help them achieve

access and education to urban youth

tattoo artists and fly anglers too

their own purpose, aligning with

from Portland, Oregon. From the

(sometimes). Their wildly popular

theirs. This creates positive expecta-

artistic aesthetic of the apparel to

Iron Fly events turned the traditional

tions from consumers. In short, they

youth fishing expeditions, Soul River

beer tie on its head attracting anglers

will grow to trust your brand’s good

wears its intentions on its sleeve.

who just want to have fun, but Get

intentions.

Ask your founders or designers what you intend to achieve with your product and how you intend to change how it’s done. Then, ask why you have those intentions. The “why” is important and should illuminate your values. Then find some marketing help to make you famous for achieving those intentions. 2. Turn your purpose into an in-

strument of change. Joining The Everglades Foundation, Bull Sugar and other nonprofits, Orvis employees signed the #NowOrNeverglades declaration to pledge to protect the Everglades. Not only is it the right thing to do, it’s the right thing to do for anglers. Using the popular platform of Orvis News, social media and dozens of retail stores, Orvis is helping other anglers discover the importance of this cause.

"The goal of having a purpose is to define the higher calling of the brand—it’s a reason for existing, and that reason is often described as a benefit to the world around you." Trashed River Clean-up Battle events by Pig Farm channel the same energy and enthusiasm into conservation. Every good brand should have a community they can have fun with. Find yours and find the fun you can have together. Bonus Tip. Tell your consumers purpose stories. YETI Coolers has a su-

perior, uncompromising product, but it didn’t get famous by telling stories Joel R. Johnson is cofounder of Ad-

It’s not just conservation Orvis wants

telling stories of superior, uncompro-

mirable Devil, a purpose-driven mar-

to change. The Orvis interactive

mising guides and outfitters. Rather

keting agency. He is a former Chief

learning center features more than

than shine the light on themselves,

Marketing Officer at Trout Unlimited

16 chapters and hundreds of hours

YETI films has shined a light on the

and thinks his purpose is to stick big

of video lessons to help consumers

kind of people with work ethics they

fish. He is also the newest editor-at-

become better anglers, all for free.

love and respect, that most anglers

large for Angling Trade.

AnglingTrade.com | April 2017

about itself. Instead it’s focused on

FEATURE

THE STATE OF SEARCH – USING SEARCH ENGINES TO GROW YOUR BUSINESS Written by D. Roger Maves You want your business to be listed

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) –

In fact, Google has become so

on the first page of Google, right?

SEO is a set of strategies, techniques

dominant users have been using the

You also want it listed at the top of

and tactics marketers use to get

word ‘Google’ in place of ‘search’, for

the page, right? So, what’s the best

a company’s website pages listed

some time now, making the brand a

way to go about this and will it help

organically in high-ranking positions

generic term for search. Since Google

you to grow your business?

in the search engine results page

is so dominant I’ll be using it as my

(SERP) of a search engine like

default search engine for the rest of

Google, Bing or Yahoo. The results

this article.

The answers to the first two questions are easy to answer because your expected result will be more business but answering the last question requires some research, analysis and experience. So read on and I’ll enlighten you. Let’s first define a few terms so that we are on the same page going forward. SEM (Search Engine Marketing)

can be in the form of organic text results or as a business listing associated with a map. PPC (Pay-Per-Click) – PPC is a

know that to find a fly shop all you had to do is turn to the Fs and look

publishers an agreed upon rate

for Fly Shop and there they were, very

when an ad is clicked, regardless

convenient, right?

if a sale is made or not. This type of advertising targets keywords or phrases that the user is searching for in the search engines. When an advertiser’s targeted keywords or

to describe a type of Internet

phrases match the user’s search the

marketing associated with the

ads are displayed usually at the top or

researching, submitting and

bottom of the organic results. WHO ARE THE PLAYERS?

visibility and increase your share

AnglingTrade.com | April 2017

the Yellow Pages phone books you

online advertisers will pay Internet

positioning of a website within

If you’re old enough to remember

type of Internet advertising where

– SEM is a broad term used

search engines to achieve maximum

WHY IS SEARCH SO POWERFUL?

Today, a search engine is like the Yellow Pages on steroids. Not only can we find a fly shop quickly but Google will display the fly shops that are closest to you using your desktop location or your mobile phone location. Google will also take into consideration your personal preferences, search history and the device you are using all with

of paid and/or organic traffic from

There are three major search engines

the intent of delivering what they

search engine results. SEM involves

that you need to be concerned with:

consider to be the best results

search engine optimization (SEO),

Google, Bing and Yahoo. Google

for you.

keyword research, competitive

is by far the most often used search

analysis, and pay-per-click (PPC)

engine and currently has an 85%

advertising that will increase search

As a business owner, it’s obvious that

share of the search market when

having your business display in the

traffic to your site.

combining both desktop and mobile.

search results for keyword searches

FEATURE can be pure gold. The searcher has

be sure you check the right engine

Let’s break down each opportunity

typed in what they are looking for and

for the country you want to rank for

to see where your business might

your business is displayed answering

or advertise in. Google has google.

benefit most.

their quest. They click on your listing,

ca, google.fr, google.de and many

visit your website and just like that

others. Each has their own algorithms

you have a new prospect. Compare

and consequently will produce

this to other methods of advertising

different results.

like radio or television which are interruptive in their approach and

PPC OR PAY TO DISPLAY Google’s AdWords is Google’s PPC platform. The ads can be displayed at

If you are a business that depends

the top of a SERP or at the bottom.

on local customers, then the Google

As you can see in the screenshot the

Maps Listings become very important

ads will take the form of a search

to you. To be listed in the Google

engine result with a little box by it.

Maps Listings you need to consider

You can also use a Google Shopping

relevancy, location and the proximity

Campaign and advertise your

of the searcher. Given these variables

products in the form of Product Listing

and Google’s algorithm, which

Ads which display as images with

according to Google has over 200

descriptions as you see on the right

criteria that it uses to determine

side of the screen shot. Each method

If you are a fly fishing manufacturer

where your website ranks in the

is managed through Google AdWords

your prospects may be national or

SERPs, you can begin to see the

which is Google’s platform for creating

international. Each country has its

difficulty in getting your business

and managing campaigns.

own version of the search engine so

listed prominently in the SERPs.

not targeted at all. You can’t get any more targeted than having the user search for a need they are trying to fulfill and to find your business listed in the search results. INTERNATIONAL, NATIONAL OR LOCAL?

continued on next page...

AnglingTrade.com | April 2017 39

FEATURE Using either of these methods can

placement. The more you are willing

get you on the first page of the

to pay the more likely your ad will be

your budget – usually Google has

SERPs and at the top of the page.

in the top position; however, the price

more traffic than you can afford.

You just have to pay to display. When

you are willing to pay is not the only

your ads show on the page you don’t

factor affecting the ad placement. Click

incur a charge until a user clicks on

through rate (CTR) and your landing

your ad, hence the term

return on investment (ROI) of

page design and relevance contribute

pay-per-click (PPC).

keywords that you may want to

to what’s called Quality Score. This is

rank organically.

a rating system that Google uses to The good thing is that you only

decide the final placement of your

pay when your ad is clicked but

ad. If you have a high Quality Score

that doesn’t mean you’ve gained

you may actually pay less for a higher

a customer. When your ad is

position than your competition.

clicked, the prospect is sent to a landing page that you designate

You might think that this is the best

for that ad. It then becomes your

way to get on the first page of Google

website’s responsibility to convert

but there are always advantages and

that prospect into a customer. This

disadvantages.

• If you want more traffic just raise

• It’s a good platform to test the

DISADVANTAGES • No long-term value – when you stop paying, your ads disappear. • You may not have good ROI depending on the products or services you sell.

is easier said than done and is one of the stages of the sales funnel that can be either a real winner or loser. Remember to continue the conversation going on in the mind of the prospect all the way through to the purchase or designated goal. Simply put, if the prospect clicked on an ad advertising waders then send

ADVANTAGES • You see results as soon as you launch your campaigns. • You can target any keywords you want, no matter how competitive.

them to page that’s all about waders which may not be your home page.

• Your ads can match the keywords search for better conversion.

For example, you can specify what

• You can advertise right next to the big brands. • You can set your own budget and

attributes like geographic restrictions,

spend as little or as much as you

time of day, mobile or desktop, the

want.

AnglingTrade.com | April 2017

cost per click (CPC) you are willing to

pay and more.

participate. Using the Google AdWords platform may seem easy on the surface but it requires a substantial amount of knowledge and experience to use it properly and avoid wasting your money. If you’re considering setting up your campaigns yourself, get a or reading several books on the subject first. The other alternative is of course hiring a digital marketing

keywords you want your ads to display for and you can add other

every year as more advertisers

good education by taking a course

When you set up your AdWords campaigns you can be very specific.

• C PCs are more expensive

agency to set up and manage your account. One final warning. Do not use

• You don’t have to worry about

Google’s AdWords Express. It may

any updates that Google adds

be tempting because it looks simple

There is one catch. The way the

to their search algorithm. It’s very

but it will not give the same results

system works is that you are bidding

straightforward, you pay and your ads

as the standard AdWords platform

against your competition for your ad

get displayed.

and it will waste your money.

FEATURE ORGANIC SEO

The organic search results are another opportunity for you to get your website listed on the first page of Google and they are displayed right after the PPC advertising. In cases where local maps listings are displayed they could start being displayed above the maps listings or pushed even further down the page and appear after the maps listings. These listings are referred to as “organic” listings since they cannot be purchased and display based upon Google’s algorithm. In other words, they are free; however; everything has a price, and they are considered the best possible results

continued on next page...

FEATURE Google could find based upon the keywords the user provided. The get your business listed organically requires two things: great content on your website and

your website from other relevant, credible and authoritative websites are like votes of popularity for your website. The more you have the better but remember quality is more important than quantity.

authoritative websites. CONTENT + LINKS = HIGH RANKINGS

Remember I said earlier that Google has over 200 criteria that are used

• I t can take a long time to get your ranking on the first page. Expect three to six months but some highly competitive keywords could take years.

hyperlinks pointing to your website from other highly relevant and

DISADVANTAGES

Going into the details of on-page optimization and link building is way beyond the scope of this article but like PPC if you want to do it yourself you will have to invest a lot of time and most likely money to learn what you should and shouldn’t do. Of course, hiring an expert in SEO is your other option.

• I t can be very hard to get rankings if Google is preferring the big brands or retailers. •Y our listings may not match the keywords searched as well as PPC ads.

by their algorithm to determine where your website pages rank in the SERPs so even though the formula looks simple the process is not. As it often is the devil is in the details. Great content involves “onpage optimization.” On-page optimization covers many things including keyword ratios, semantic keywords, internal linking, site structure, meta tags, schema markup and much, much more.

ADVANTAGES • You don’t have to pay per click. •P eople click organic listings more often than PPC ads. •Y ou own your listings, which make them more permanent. •U sers trust organic listings more than paid.

Basically, Google needs you to tell them what your website pages are about in the most concise and natural way possible. Sometimes having great content that is optimized is all it takes to

•O n-page optimization benefits the user regardless of the ranking results. • 9 in 10 users look for organic results.

AnglingTrade.com | April 2017

get ranked but don’t count on it.

Google also wants to see that other people think your content is great. The only way Google knows that

•Y ou can rank for long tail keywords when the root keywords are too competitive.

your website pages are important is by other websites linking to your website. Links coming to

•S EO takes constant and consistent effort. It’s not a set it and forget it process. • I f you do it wrong it could have a negative impact on your rankings. • I t is not really free as someone has to do the work to get results. MAPS LISTINGS – LOCAL SEARCH The maps listings display when Google thinks there is local search intent. Local search intent is when a searcher searches for a ‘what’ and ‘where’ at the same time. Where the ‘what’ is usually a product that is at a physical store nearby or a service company that services your area. The ‘where’ is determined by a geo modifier the user types in as part of the search, for example, ‘plumbers Denver’ or the location of the searcher found either by IP address

• You are building an asset that will benefit you for a long time.

of their computer or the latitude and longitude of their mobile device.

Premium Hooks for fly Tying The listings can be found at the top of the SERPs or in the middle and are displayed normally as a group of three (3-pack) as you can see in the screen shot. This is a huge advantage for local businesses! It literally calls out to the searcher to click and it displays their reviews for all to see.

First, you need to create a Google My Business page for your business and get it verified. This is your directory listing in Google. Google uses the information from your Google My Business page to create the listing in Google Maps. Google also uses that information for the

As you can see if you aren’t listed in the 3-pack then you are pushed to the second page of the maps listings

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which can be viewed by clicking “More Places”. This of course is the equivalent of going to the second page of the SERPS which is not what you want for your business since only about 9% of searchers go to the second page.

Next, you’ll need to make sure the content on your website is relevant and optimized for the keywords you want your business listed for and you’ll need to get links coming to your website from other directory sites throughout the Internet like Yelp, Citysearch, Kudzu, TripAdvisor

So how do you get your business listed in Google Maps?

your AmeriCAn sourCe

continued on next page...

E-Mail: info@anglErsportgroup.coM (800) 332-3305

FEATURE and hundreds more. These are

All three are valuable and if you can

Google’s land so that means Google

referred to as citations. The citations

manage and afford it I would say

can change the rules (their algorithm)

you create need to exactly match

do all three. That way you would be

on you at any time which may change

the name, address, phone number

listed three times or more on the

where your house is located

and website address that you have

first page, which increases the odds

(your rankings).

in your Google My Business page.

of you getting a click.

Now that you’ve got the basics

Here’s another way to look at this

done you are again at the mercy

when trying to decide. Think of PPC

of Google’s algorithm to get your

like renting a house. You pay month

business listed in the 3-pack. There

after month and get the benefit of

are three things that are important

living in the house but as soon as

to Google. The location of your

you stop paying you no longer have

business, the relevance of your

a place to live. As you can see there

website to the searched keyword

is value here but you are not creating

and the proximity of the searcher to

an asset.

your business location. If everything matches up, then you’ll see your

With organic SEO and Maps it’s like

business listed in the 3-pack.

building a house. It takes longer to

trying to make a direct sale and make a profit at the same time or are you trying to build a relationship and capitalize on the life time value of a new client? These factors need to be considered when developing your strategy for success. WHAT’S NEXT FOR SEARCH? Google is constantly shifting their

Keep in mind Maps Listings are not

it but once built you have something

preferences for organic search results.

shown for every keyword search and

that you can live in for a long period

In some results, they favor local

Google has become hyperlocal over

of time and you’ve created an asset

businesses, in others large brand

the past few years when choosing

that’s worth something. There is still a

retailers and in others manufacturers.

to display the results. This makes it

catch with this, your house is built on

Take a close look at what real estate is

difficult for the businesses that want to rank in multiple cities or neighborhoods. The advantages and disadvantages are much the same as organic SEO but much more localized. WHAT’S BEST FOR YOUR BUSINESS?

AnglingTrade.com | April 2017

that can affect your ROI. Are you

build and to be able to enjoy living in

easier for the searcher but more

Also, there are other considerations

Now you know three ways to get your business listed on the first page of Google’s search engine results but which way is best for your business?

FEATURE available and be realistic about your

If you have any questions, feel free to

chances of ranking.

reach out to me and I’ll be happy to

Google on PPC. Remember this is

D. Roger Maves is the president

where they make their money. The

and CEO of The Knowledge Group,

helps small businesses increase their revenues and grow their business using digital marketing solutions specializing in SEM for the fly fishing industry. He’s also the host and producer of Ask About Fly Fishing Internet Radio. He can be reached at

Inc., a digital marketing agency that

303-430-4634 or roger@tkgi.com.

answer them. Look for even more emphasis by

next change may be paid listings in the Maps Listings 3-pack. Yes, that would make the 3-pack a 2-pack by organic standards, which means it will be even harder to get your business listed there. Reputation will become even more important. Since the Maps Listings already have the option to sort by relevance what’s to stop them from using that to determine the order of the listings automatically. The gold stars are displaying in Maps Listings but they also display in organic results and PPC ads. You need to keep getting reviews on Google to make sure you’re number one with

CANYONS KILL FEET. P H OTO : TO D D M O E N

your reputation. Google is putting more and more emphasis on mobile. Over 50% of searches take place on smart phones and over 50% of website visits are from mobile devices. Make sure your website is mobile friendly and provides the searcher with what they need quickly. Given Google’s emphasis on paid advertising you need to start thinking about incorporating PPC as part of your marketing strategy. In the future it might be essential for you in claiming a top positon in the search engine results.

DARKHORSE

UNLESS YOU’RE READY TO FIGHT BACK

with the unbelievably lightweight and supportive DARKHORSE. Nine interchangeable traction options. The BOA closure system. Water-repelling uppers built to withstand massive abuse and the suggestion of leaving early from your less-committed friends who bet their season on weak boots.

B AC K C A S T

Of the dozen or so of us on the trip, three fish were landed over three days. So there was that. For those who didn’t catch anything, at least they were members of the majority. Suffering with a crowd is better than suffering alone, and there’s no shortage of company on the water these days.

brown trout to be washed in a thousand likes and shared for thousands more. And so on and so fourth, until the crowd that occupies your daily Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat, and ’Gram meanderings is standing next to you in a river, on a brisk morning, lobbing extra-large flies toward a sized-down run of steelhead.

CROWD SOURCING On making the best of fishing with the throng Written by Geoff Mueller

AnglingTrade.com | April 2017

I recently had the pleasure of fishing a crowded, seemingly fishless river for days on end. To the casual observer, that probably seems idiotic. Like playing catch with no ball. Or showing up at your favorite dinner joint, starving, and skipping the meal. “How ’bout another water, waiter? Just here soaking up the atmosphere.”

But what the uninitiated can’t comprehend is that as so-called evolved fisherpeople, this is what it’s all about. We’ve come to enjoy the sum parts of the small details: camaraderie coupled with flask-fed booze, while embarking on masochistic jaunts through the spongy, wet woods. All that fish-catching is less important. After all, we’re conservationists. We fish barbless. We wear ridiculous matching outfits. And we use archaic, ineffectual techniques. (Except for that one guy chucking spoons.)

Crowded rivers don’t just flow through steelhead country. You’ll find them in Alaska, up and down the east coast, and throughout the Rockies. The big difference? At least anglers on these other fisheries are tugging on salmon, trout, carp, pike, bass, and whatever. Suffering with a crowd may help nullify the pain of not catching, but celebrating with a crowd also has perks. The old guard guarded their solitude, covering up tracks and staying hushhush about the spot. The new generation of anglers, however, is more at home with crowds. The most recent market-size estimates from AFFTA put about 4.5 million people in waders, a trend with upward momentum. And many of these anglers understand how to function effectively within a crowd. They live among them in cities from Portland to Grand Rapids to Atlanta, so they’re used to coping. They’re energized by and find comfort in a New York Marathon start-line. More importantly, they’re good at using crowds to their advantage, harnessing the intrinsic energy and applying it toward a goal. Match-strike ideas are being fueled by crowdfunding campaigns. While fresh ideologies are being spread—fake news or not—via the power of digital sharing. Our fishing, as seen through the prism of that sharing culture, has also become integral to the crowd. A buttery

This crowd is a somewhat customized circle by now and, on this particular junket, there are a few in the group you know well. (“Tequila guy” from your wedding even shows.) As for the others, you may have met them once or twice or never at all. But that doesn’t matter because you’re confident knowing that these friends of friends share some commonalities— an unhealthy love of whisky, blazing campfires, and chrome fish when you can find them. By day’s end, the bonds you felt emerging from the start have solidified. Your friends in virtual reality are now your friends in flesh. So then it dawns on you that the crowd that found each other via some keyboard clicks and came to hang together on a river is a good crowd. And good crowds have the power to make good things happen for a species of fish that has been dealing with the bad for a long time. And you realize that fish that are fewer and fewer with each passing year need more and more people in their corner. And that this crowded river with fewer fish is less a sign of traffic congestion than it is a harbinger of hope. You can fight the crowd. But in instances like this, it just makes sense to join it.

CAPT. SHANE SMITH

They just keep coming...

The awards, that is. IFTD Best of Show Overall, IFTD Best Saltwater Fly Rod, Gray’s Best, Field & Stream Best of the Best, American Angler Gear of the Year, Yellowstone Angler 8-weight Shootout, Fly Fisherman Best Saltwater Fly Rod, Fly Rod & Reel Kudos Award, and so many more… Thank you all, we’re honored to receive the recognition.

Scott Fly Rod Company

2 3 5 5 A i r P a r k Wa y, M o n t r o s e , C o l o r a d o 8 1 4 0 1

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experience counts for everything Meet Brian Lynch, one of the most innovative anglers and best guides in the business. Professionals like Brian are our first call when we need boots on the ground (and in the water), and our go-to team when it comes to understanding what truly makes a great rod. Their knowledge, their expertise, their understanding is passed on to our craftsmen who strive for perfection and uncompromising performance in every rod we make. To us, Brian and his fellow professionals are our unsung heros. We salute you. Brian calls Western Massachusetts home and can be found working the Deerfield river virtually all year round.

introducing the new avantt and exocett series from t&t. remarkably light. extraordinarily strong.

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