Let’s Make Fly Fishing Artful Again

Let’s Make Fly Fishing Artful Again

For the last 18+ years I’ve been writing about issues and trends in the fly-fishing world, mostly for Angling Trade. How would fly fishing fare through Covid? What’s the story with manufacturers selling direct? What’s going on with pro deals? What’s up with the trade show? Are rod warranties worth the hassle? What makes a great guide the ultimate gatekeeper? And on and on…

One of the things I remember most was sitting in on an American Fly Fishing Trade Association (AFFTA) board meeting about 10 years ago, when the topic of angler recruitment came up. How do we get people engaged in fly fishing, especially the younger generations? “Oh…we have to make it as easy as possible, and have people be successful without such a steep learning curve,” was a common answer.

Even back then, I wondered about that. Sure, I saw the point. I had just written The Little Red Book of Flyfishing with Charlie Meyers, and the goal of that book was to demystify and uncomplicate things for anglers of all levels who were constantly barraged with lessons that seemed to do nothing more than help blowhards showcase all the stuff they knew that everyday fly-fisher folk did not.

But there’s a difference between making things more accessible, or understandable, and straight-up easy. And sure, “success” in fishing has always, for better or worse, come down to “how big” and “how many,” but that’s also traditionally been tied to things like good fortune, or even being good enough at fishing to earn a trophy.

The notion that if we got as many people on the water pulling on fish as possible, we’d create a new generation of die-hard anglers who love fishing, buy good products and put back into the environment? Well, I don’t think that happened. I think we created a new wave of anglers who can’t fish for shit (CF4S) but like pulling on fish for fun. When I see silly-crowded launches, and oodles of Disney day-trippers who clearly don’t care about fishing, aren’t going to engage long term and certainly aren’t in it for the fish or river, I worry that we’ve sold the soul of fly fishing, at least a little bit.

I’m sick of trout being participation trophies. I think the reason saltwater fishing is so interesting for many of us, is that there are few, if any, participation trophies in the salt.

If you’re an outfitter who makes your living in Disney World, fine. If you’re a guide who really doesn’t know how to fish, but you figured out how to row a boat and make some coin on the side, congratulations. We have bigger battles to fight, hopefully together. 

But what I will say is, if you’re going to get in the game of selling $1,200 fly rods, you’re probably going to be better off if more people actually knew how to use and appreciate them.

Flylab is here to help the true aficionados of fly fishing understand product better. That doesn’t mean you have to be the best angler, or a crusty old-timer. Quite the contrary. All you have to do is care.

If we collectively put more effort into putting the artful aspects of fly fishing back into the game, maybe embrace the learning curve a bit more, more people are ultimately going to care. And that’s how everybody wins. – Kirk Deeter

Getting “Serious” About Product Reviews

We’ve had some gear review feedback in the vein of: “When you guys are willing to destroy some brands and products, we’ll know you’re serious about being ‘unbiased’…” Which begs the question, how does a new product review brand construct editorial standards to be taken seriously?

Some gear review considerations we discussed as a team before launching:

• Setting a bar: We’ve developed an internal matrix of standards for the products we review, prioritizing quality, relevance, design. If a product doesn’t meet those standards, it won’t show up in our reviews. We don’t have a lot of interest in running negative reviews on products of borderline quality or design. So, in the many instances we could run a negative review, we’ve already curated the product from our queue beforehand. A brand’s absence from our pages should speak volumes.
• Nuance: Gear reviews are actually a pretty complex process to execute, because they rely on so much human subjectivity. One person’s classic design is another person’s reductive kitsch. “Taste” can be a hard thing to define. But in general, our editorial intent is to be open minded to every product offering that shows up on our doorstep. If you make the cut, our job is to give every entry a fair shake.  
• Consensus: All of our reviews are a team effort, regardless of the individual bylines. That means, in general, if there’s consensus, or variance, in our expert opinions, we’ll tell you. If everyone is doing backflips about a specific product, that should tell you something; if the feedback is mixed, so is our take on the product.
• Design intention: Any credible product review has to start with understanding the thought process behind the manufacturer's design methodology, i.e. what’s the product actually designed to do? If you’re marketing your waders as being the “toughest on the planet,” and they fall apart after 50 trips, yes, you (manufacturer) should expect to get blown up by our reviewers.
• Humility: We now live in a world where crass, bombastic language rules the day. Don’t expect us to sink into the quagmire. We still believe in style, class and wit when forming our expert opinions. So, “destroying” brands really isn’t a core business objective of our team.

Our job is to provide transparent, honest and actionable product information for the consumer, and we don’t feel compelled to write negative reviews to simply earn fly-fishing street credit. On the other hand, if a manufacturer’s marketing effort is way out over its skis relative to a product’s execution, we’ll definitely be here to set the record straight.

Product Buzz

We render judgment on the new, massively-hyped Orvis Helios fly rod (we fished the 9-foot 5-weight and a few others); also, check out Kirk Deeter’s history of how we arrived at the Helios 4th generation iteration; he also wonders about fly rods that may, someday, cast themselves. Skwala's Apex Hoody review is worth checking out: “technical, breathable fabrics in a non-technical design.” The Reference 686 FastGlass fly rod from Epic fly rods is also an awesome, price-friendly and versatile entrant to the rod market. As we approach spring and another fishing season, river (boat) etiquette is always worth thinking about.

Fly-fishing News

Patagonia’s Atlantic salmon film, where large-scale fish farming puts Iceland’s ecosystem up as collateral: Beneath the surface of the fjords, “an industrial fish farming method threatens to destroy one of Europe’s last remaining wildernesses.” Author Jamie Harrison (daughter of novelist and poet Jim Harrison) on the idiosyncratic history and evolution of Livingston, MT. Fly-fishing pioneer Cathy Beck passes away in Argentina: eloquent tributes from Fly Fisherman and Orvis. Fly Fusion magazine announces the Fly Fusion Trout Tour coming to a town near you: tour schedule, film trailer.

New Partner Spotlight

Madison River Fishing Company

The Madison River Fishing Company is a full service fly shop, guide service and e-commerce provider in Ennis, Montana. Focusing on high-end customer service, quality tackle and 34+ years in the outfitting business, MFRC has built a well-earned reputation as being hard-working and knowledgeable.

FlyLab discount: 20% off all full-priced flies, 22% off spring guide trips on the Madison River.

We’re pretty excited about having these guys join the Flylab team–a great addition from southwest Montana.

If you’re a fly shop, outfitter, fishing lodge or outdoor brand and interested in becoming a new Flylab partner, learn more about our program here. On the fly-fishing industry side, we also have rolled out “industry pro” memberships–contact us directly to find out more.