Shifting Access: Fly Fishing & Crowd Funding

June 17, 2016

Every year, hundreds of new pieces of fly fishing gear and accessories enter the market. Consequently, for many brands there is a significant chance that their latest and greatest will get overlooked. The days and dollars of research and development don’t pay off as expected. Marketing campaigns might not resonate with consumers. And an item that carried the hope of being revolutionary or groundbreaking gets phased out after a few seasons.

That reality is true for the long established players in the fly fishing game. It is that much harder for new companies to penetrate a saturated market. But in an age where an advertisement doesn’t need to be on a physical magazine page or even a television commercial, potential customers have unprecedented access to marketing.

Arising out of the photography accessory company ThinkTank, MindShift Gear has been making camera bags and packs for outdoor photographers for years. Their storage solutions combine the latest in outdoor innovation with specific features that cater to those carrying cameras and the associated peripherals in all environments. “MindShift, and ThinkTank as well, is a company that studies how people use things,” says Gene Sutton. As an account executive for the California business, Sutton believes they are addressing one of the biggest issues for people using backpacks: “We’re solving the access problem.”

Pause: The Shorter Moments of Fly Fishing

June 15, 2016

Writing about fly fishing can often focus on the seemingly insignificant. The intricacies of gear, the eccentricities of fish, and the common paces that anglers go through are fairly quaint. But in that commonality there is something special, something remarkable.

Particularly on the stream, where we can get lost in our thoughts, the mundane can be focused on for an inordinate length of time. Facets of the day that seem inconsequential get dissected and analyzed for hours. It happens when we’re catching fish, and it happens when we’re not catching fish. Like the line to a song that just replays over and over in your mind until you can’t help but sing it softly to yourself, the routine of the fly fisher is endlessly scrutinized. And then written about.

One part of that routine is the moment before I begin.

The photograph above captures the moment pretty well. I was walking downstream on a large river in Maine. I’d never fished it before, and the rapids and swells were somewhat intimidating. Fully aware that these are the kinds of mental and physical obstacles I encounter anytime I fish a new piece of water, I somehow ushered those doubts to the back of my mind in favor of a utopian experience. The trout would come easy this time, I thought.

Although my perception of paradise is lost, the reality of the paradise before me was evident. I just had to do a little psychological recalibration.

Cabin Fever

June 13, 2016

Wood smoke. Mothballs. Dust. Wet waders.

These are the scents that won’t be making Yankee Candle’s list of new releases, but that doesn’t mean that they are completely repulsive. Perhaps on their own, they don’t have much to offer. In fact, they can be downright off-putting. No one wants to come away from a hug smelling like mothballs.

But when they are all combined together in some bizarre olfactory cocktail, the situation changes. Particularly because the context of that specific blend is primarily found in the cabin. More specifically, the fishing cabin.

I do not own a fishing cabin. In fact, unless some acquaintance of mine is holding out on me, I don’t think I know anyone with a fishing cabin. But I’ve rented quite a few of them over the years. I’ve seen a lot of photos both vintage and new, and there are some universal features. Including the smells.

Let me start off by commenting on upholstered furniture. So anything that gets “shut down” over the winter, lacks air conditioning over the summer, and isn’t tight enough to keep out insects/rodents/etc. might not be the best place for a plush couch. But they can be comfy after a long day afield. Never mind the nests and fuzzy spots. Just nestle on in and become one with the cabin.

Last Cast of the Week, 6/10/2016

June 10, 2016

Fridays on Casting Across are devoted to other people’s contributions in the fly fishing community. Articles, pictures, social media accounts, videos, podcasts, products, and more will be featured on The Last Cast of the Week.

Today, I’m sharing items from The New Fly Fisher, Scadding Court Community Centre, and The Venturing Angler.

If you’d like to be featured in the Last Cast of the Week, or have seen something that others might be interested in, use my contact form or shoot me an email (matthew[at]castingacross[dot]com).

Thanks again for reading, and please take a moment to subscribe by plugging your email address in the field on the right sidebar.

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Fly Fishing, Inc.

June 8, 2016

I write about brands and the people behind them.

On social media, I photograph logos and will even use the hashtags promoted by corporate marketing.

From time to time, I’ll even promote something and try to steer business towards the company that sells or makes it.

Why?

Short answer: I enjoy it.

I suppose that could, and maybe even should, be a sufficient explanation. But I’ll elaborate.

Gear, gadgets, and “stuff” that is useful on the stream has always fascinated me. Also, I love marketing and branding – even outside of the fly fishing industry. Fully aware that my experience on the water is wholly compromised of what I make of it, I also appreciate the prompting or motivation from a well-crafted ad campaign.

Here is an example:

Overexposed in Fly Fishing

June 6, 2016

I’m not a photographer. A quick click around this site will confirm that. I don’t think that I’m necessarily bad at taking pictures, but I’m aware that there is a whole lot more to it than what I’m capable of. Capturing the imagery and experience of fly fishing has always been part of the sport. For better or worse, the internet and social media have increased the common angler’s exposure (…) to photography.

I mess around with a DSLR, but more often than not I’m trying to get by with my iPhone. On one recent trip out I decided to carry my large camera. The stream I was fishing is a small, spring-influenced creek that flows from a pond into a large river. There are supposedly a naturally reproducing population of native brook trout in the creek, and I was eager to explore.

I wanted to take some pictures of whatever I found, potentially to use of the site, so the DSLR was slung over my shoulder as I set off for the morning. As soon as I stepped it the water, I knew there was going to be trouble. I was in mud up to my knees. Maybe it was just a bad place in the stream? Nope: it kept getting deeper. Without making a single cast, I began to slog my way back to the bank. I was holding my camera over my head to keep it dry, and the effect upon my posture was such that the opposite armpit dipped low and allowed water in my waders.

Natural Fly Fishing Etiquette

June 1, 2016

As spring turns in to summer, the inevitable articles on etiquette and sharing the resource begin to appear. Calls for civility and attempts to engender kindness are much needed in our sport. I believe that we all desire a more pleasant communal experience on the water.

One of the most discouraging moments on the stream, and one of the ways that our good natures are tested, is an encroaching angler. Whether “your spot” is on an urban stream that you’ve naively assumed you could have a little bit of space in, or someone happens to buddy up in the middle of nowhere, having another fly fisher get too close for comfort is… uncomfortable.

So much of the experience is about getting out and into nature. Having other people all up in our fishness is not only frustrating, it is disheartening. Leaving the hustle and bustle for the calm serenity of the great outdoors only to find yourself waving to some human is the last think any of us wants.

Thankfully nature has given us some insights into dealing with this problem. For your consideration are the examples laid by five great North American species. They’ve carved out a niche in their respective ecosystems by outsmarting predators, prey, and peers. Learn from them:

On the Driving Away

May 30, 2016

Taking a trip to go fly fishing is a special experience. Whether it is a monthly occurrence or something that happens only once a year, taking an excursion of at least a few nights to fish is distinctly enjoyable. There is a lot that goes into that distinctive experience. Being away from home, work, and the normal routine can be refreshing; regardless of if the accommodations and conditions are posh or something decidedly rustic. And then, of course, there is the fishing.

For the vast majority of people on fly fishing trips, the fishing is the focal point. Pursuing brook trout in the woods of Maine, tarpon off the Gulf Coast, and taimen in Mongolia are very diverse angling opportunities. But for most, they all require getting away. That is a given. There are some other givens that are common to all fishing trips.

One of those is leaving. Inherent to the retreat is the return. And a likely accompaniment to that return are some regrets. Things that, as you drive or fly away, you dwell on and wonder if you should have done differently.

This doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re looking a gift horse (trout?) in the mouth, but that introspection and reflection leads to some obvious thoughts. Here are some that are common to the fly fisher returning from their retreat:

Last Cast of the Week, 5/27/2016

May 27, 2016

Today, I’m sharing items from DamNation, Trout in the Classroom, and Chris Williams.

If you’d like to be featured in the Last Cast of the Week, or have seen something that others might be interested in, use my contact form or shoot me an email (matthew[at]castingacross[dot]com).

Thanks again for reading, and please take a moment to subscribe by plugging your email address in the field on the right sidebar.