Regular readers of this blog (hopefully) have noticed the occasional poll in the column on the right hand side of this page. Last month’s poll asked people if they thought publishing fly fishing access maps was a good idea and most votes were affirmative. This month’s poll is a warm up to the launch of our ecommerce site in that it asks readers how many times they have purchased fly fishing gear online. We hope you will take a moment to participate in this poll because, well, inquiring minds want to know…

You can never have too many friends…

Last month I joined an online fly fishing retailers group and the comments that have been shared in the forum have been eye opening, at times amusing and thankfully reassuring. Being a specialty retailer we don’t have a lot of people with whom we can speak about the business to begin with and those we know are our immediate competitors of whom, while we like and respect, we want to keep a step ahead. Consequently we have difficulty determining whether we are doing the right things, making headway or heading down the wrong path completely. What I have learned in the last few weeks is that our situation is typical of other fly shops in many ways (no surprise), that our sales in 2010 likely reflect the industry at large (thankfully) and that the members of this group have given us very positive feedback on our new website and marketing initiatives (reassuring).

Having the opportunity to bounce ideas around with people in a similar position is a welcome respite from the daily grind of running the business end of a fly shop and I look forward to implementing some of the ideas I have picked up from my peers. Come to think of it, having someone we trust to bounce ideas off and get good advice is something we could all use a bit more of these days…

One of the aspects I like about fly fishing is that regardless of how long any of us have been involved in the sport there is always something new to learn. Some of us focus on casting and teaching. Others prefer to focus on mastering the art of catching a certain species and still others prefer to master the art of fly tying. The list truly is endless but it has one common thread – we all love fly fishing and that bond and the mutual respect upon which it is based is what creates friendships at club meetings, fly fishing lodges, industry shows and chance encounters on a river.

I am not one to make New Year’s resolutions but as this year draws to a close two of the things I would like to learn more about in 2011 are fly tying and entomology.These aspects of our sport are inseparable and while endless in their complexity they also give us countless hours of enjoyment at a tying bench and on a river. I was told when getting into the sport that catching a fish on a fly you have tied yourself provides one of the greatest senses of accomplishment you can experience as a fly angler. Over the years that comment has haunted me and I have decided that 2011 is the year that I will improve my knowledge of both.

To that end, one of the best online entomology resources I have seen over the years is troutnut.com and if you have not bookmarked this website you should. Created and maintained by Jason Neuswanger, troutnut.com is a fly tyers dream come true because it has over 3,700 pictures of 748 subjects and a growing library of behavioral information to help fly tyers understand and better imitate the things trout eat.

To see what I mean go to www.troutnut.com

70 Fahrenheit (21 C):
Bahamian flats guides stay on the dock because their sunscreen is chilled.
Canadian anglers put ice in their hats to prevent heat stroke.

50 Fahrenheit (10 C):
Italian anglers stop fly fishing because their wine gets too cold.
Canadians anglers stop wet wading.

32 Fahrenheit (0 C):
British anglers stop fly fishing because their beer freezes.
Canadians anglers don’t have that problem because they drink Canadian beer.

0 Fahrenheit (-17..9 C):
New York City landlords finally turn on the heat.
Canadians anglers put on a toque.

-60 Fahrenheit (-51 C):
Santa Claus abandons the North Pole.
Canadians anglers pull down their earflaps.

-109.9 Fahrenheit (-78.5 C):
Carbon dioxide freezes.
Canadian anglers skip school to go steelheading.

-173 Fahrenheit (-114 C):
Ethyl alcohol freezes.
Canadians anglers get frustrated because they can’t thaw the keg.

-459.67 Fahrenheit (-273.15 C):
Absolute zero; all atomic motion stops.
Canadian anglers start saying “Cold, eh?”

-500 Fahrenheit (-295 C):
Hell freezes over.
The Toronto Maple Leafs win the Stanley Cup…

We hope you wake this morning to find everything you wished for under the Christmas tree and that you have friends and family with whom to share the day. Merry Christmas everyone!