Please help Angling Trade get a clearer understanding of the market (which we share with readers) by answering our monthly survey question.
This month, we’re trying to understand just how “trouty” the fly-fishing world is. Yes, we love saltwater, and know there are many shops dedicated to that. But by and large, the fly world still spins on an axis of trout. At least that’s our guess. You tell us…
I would estimate that X percentage of my total business involves or revolves around products that are either designed specifically for, or can be applied to, fly fishing for trout.
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5 Comments
The phrase “or can be applied to” skews the numbers for me. Most of my business can be applied to fly fishing for trout, but a fair share (I haven’t run the numbers but it is a significant percentage) of the products I sell will never BE applied to fly fishing for trout. There is a lot more fly fishing for bluegills, crappies, etc. than the trouty folks realize. There is a whole swath of the country that is loaded with bluegills and has damn few trout. The guys who live there still fish, and still spend money, and their money is just as good. The advertisers probably hate them – they don’t need lodges and don’t need guides, but the manufacturers really shouldn’t ignore them. (Nor should you.)
Chris, thank you. I don’t ignore them… that’s why I asked this question. Deeter
I vote for the 60% or more box. In my business trout are 60% of the business, Steelhead are 30% and everything else included bass, carp, shad, pan fish and saltwater are everything else. Maybe I should have voted for the 80% or more since trout and steelhead are in the same family. Anyway – I see more and more my business going towards other fishing types and techniques.
Regardless of the final %, it is even higher simply because of the demographics of the trout/salmon anglers. Whether it be days fishing, equipment purchased, guided trips, fishing lodge trips, airplane tickets, books/magazines etc there isn’t any close comparison. When one considers income and even more importantly control of one’s time impact is even greater.
This is something that frustrates me personally because the common culture or assumption with Fly fishing is its for trout only. I run into people all the time on casting lessons and guide trips that are surprised you can fish for other things BESIDES Trout with the long rod. Bass, Carp, stripers, crappie, white bass and so on all readily take a fly. The usual comment or assumption a bass angler fires out when he see’s us fly fishing is ” Are their trout in here”?
I’d love to see the advertising and Marketing gear shift more towards other species in publications when it comes to fly fishing. Trout are great fish, but only a small segment of the angling world, especially here in the South west where wild Bass, Carp and Stripers rule and the trout are anemic, hatchery raised clones.