Paul I had to snicker when you ended that last post with Cheers... somehow that didn't fit. Very appropriate insight though. A lot of the fly shops here aren't as well stocked as they were a couple of years ago. We don't have the big box retailers close by so I have to travel a ways to get the most basic things now. I just got back from Maine and every time I stop at LL Bean I wish I lived there. They do have the Angora rabbit yarn in several colors for about $2.50 if Byard doesn't have it. I remembered someone was looking for it. I think it was packaged by Hareline Dubbing. I love the dyed Indian Necks they get there. I thought I paid more but they're only $4.50 and they're the most perfect feather for streamers. They're full of web so you can cement your wings and cheeks before assembly. I do find it hard to buy the streamer flies anymore. The shops I go to in Kittery and Freeport just don't have the quality production tiers I used to see there. It's possible they were just cleaned out because we're approaching the fall. One of my very favorite NH tiers Hank Northridge passed away almost a year ago now and I'm so thankful I kept a small stash of his streamer flies. In just the short time I've been tying flies the market has changed a lot. I'm worried that Byard is going to be opening a bird food/feeder/watching type store soon instead. LOL hee hee hee Regards, Deb
www.uftri.org www.linesend.com -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Paul Marriner Sent: Monday, August 28, 2006 8:19 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [VFB] IFTDS (Retailer Fly Show) DonO wrote: >>I think also the politics is interfering with the fun, which in turn affects the trade. (This is also my take with the FFF at present- politics and $$.) Why they hold the show in Denver every year is a mystery to me, even if it does work out well to be within driving distance of me. They had it in SLC a few years ago, and I guess that didn't work out.<< A partial clue is in the name, it's no longer the International Fly Tackle Dealer Show (the name when it was run by Fly Rod & Reel), but the Fly Fishing Retailer show. One year there were two shows, IFTDS in Denver, FFR in SLC. The big boys deserted the first for the second so the first closed. FFR was held in SLC for another year, but Denver is considered a better location, both physically and with respect to services. While Chicago might be the most central, Denver is closer to the ff destination market. They did hold one, maybe two, in the east (the first one was in PA I think), but they didn't draw. I have no real basis except gut feel, but I'd bet there are many more "fly shops" west of the "mid-west" than east (including Canada). "Fly shops" being the market, that explains the location. It also explains the problems. "Big box" retailers, catalogue, and on-line sales, take ever larger shares of the market, so the number of small retailers shrinks, and those that survive buy less. cheers, Paul http://www.galesendpress.com -- Paul Marriner Outdoor Writing & Photography. Owner: Gale's End Press. Member: OWAA & OWC. Author of: A Compendium of Canadian Fly Patterns (co-author), Stillwater Fly Fishing: Tools & Tactics, How to Choose & Use Fly-tying Thread, Modern Atlantic Salmon Flies, Miramichi River Journal, Ausable River Journal, and Atlantic Salmon.
