The hole story

All of us who wear waders have heard of an old saying which goes something like this “Every pair of waders either leaks or is waiting to leak.” Why is this a commonly held belief? It may be because of the fact that we ask waders to allow us to trudge unscathed through brush and thicket containing Mother Nature’s myriad of thorny and pointed creations. Maybe it has something to do with the fact we kneel down on rocky banks and in stream beds with them or sit on whatever we feel like sitting on while wearing them. It may also have something to do with what I call Vampire flies which like to feed on blood. These flies seek to embed themselves into flesh but sometimes (if you’re lucky) they only find your hat, wader or jacket. Barbed wire is a cousin of the Vampire fly and has been known to draw blood but prefers to just tear into stuff. Lastly, this leaky belief could also be connected to how we treat our waders which often means “riding them hard and putting them away wet.” Whatever the reason, leaks do happen even to the best of waders. The good news is that they are often easily repaired (all Patagonia waders come with a repair kit). Patagonia’s Creative and Quality teams have put together a little instruction guide for wader repair that just may prove useful to you someday. Brian Bennett (Fly Fishing Sales Manager) has taken this guide and turned it into a modern day “e-zine” making it accessible and easy to research because rarely do anglers keep all the little pieces of paper and tags that come with new waders. Check it out and may your waders always keep you dry.

Thorn photo by Brian Bennett
Vampire fly photo courtesy of Justin Crump

Where should I park?

TROUT UNLIMITED announced that its new television program "On the Rise" will begin airing on the Outdoor Channel this spring. Hosted by Telluride, Colorado fly fishing guide, Frank Smethurst, the show will feature some of the best fly fishing around the country. Traveling in an Airstream trailer painted in trout patterns, Frank travels to rivers and streams where TU has made a difference and takes the viewer on a fish-filled journey across America. Those of you who see the current AEG Film Tour will get a glimpse of this project.

Filming continues on the east coast this spring. If you have a suggestion of where Frank should park his trailer alongside a river and cast a few flies, please fill out the online form (click here).

Photo courtesy of Jerry Darkes

Advertising

I've heard a lot of dialogue about advertising over the last few months. As is with most things, opinions vary. I don't have a marketing background but I'm starting to develop preferences. I began to wonder what the Way Upstream community thought about this topic. Here's a look at the latest Watermaster II ad soon to run (full page). Sorry about the low res image. The wader copy reads "Our proprietary fabric and barrier technology is the toughest, most puncture resistant on the market. The waders feature our innovative internal suspender system that allows for relief without removing jacket or vest and provides a measure of safety for unplanned swims." The ad image is a shot from the AEG Mongolian trip. There is a small block of copy (bottom left) that highlights this. It says "The AEG Fish Bums decompress after 16 hours of chasing taimen in Mongolia."

The product shot approach to ads is a bit of a new direction for Patagonia Team Fish. Let me know what you think. I'd be curious to hear any and all thoughts on effective advertising. Are there any memorable ads that stand out for you (any brand)? If there are any marketers out there, feel free to share thoughts on modern day marketing strategies/directions.

Photos by Tim Pask

Mongolia teaser

The crew at AEG has released a teaser for their Mongolia film. I asked Thad Robison for his thoughts now that the short segment is ready and the film tour eminent. Here's what he had to say:

"We have been working nonstop for months in the editing studio putting together the Mongolia film. Finally getting a teaser out there to share with the public has us all feeling pretty good. We are still plugging away night and day putting the finishing touches on the full length feature. It’s coming together nicely and the footage still blows us away. We finished up the Film Tour piece this week which we will be taking out on the road starting January 30th at the Patagonia HQ in Ventura before we head out to the other 60+ cities across the country. The film tour cut will give people a really good sneak peak on what we have in store for them on the full length film."

Tickets and Prizes

Tickets for the AEG 2008 Fly Fishing Film Tour are now on sale. Click here to reserve your tickets. Also note that AEG will be giving away great prizes from their sponsors: Loop, Patagonia, Costa del Mar, Scientific Anglers, Rising, RO Drift Boats, Water Masters, Brunton, Gerber, Big Agnes, Loon and The Drake. A new prize will be given each day until the start of the tour, January 30th (Ventura, CA). The winner's names will be announced every day at 10 a.m. PST. GOOD LUCK!

Things are about to change

The face of fly-fishing is changing. AEG Media is launching the 2008 film tour this winter with the kick off event at Patagonia Headquarters in Ventura, CA. Members of AEG Media: Chris Owens, Thad Robison, Justin Crump and Brian Jill, known as the “AEG Fish Bums”, founded the film tour in 2006. Last year, the 2007 film tour screened to over 5,000 attendees. Several venues sold out with over 500 seat capacities and pre-show lines were compared to block buster movie premiers. That film tour far exceeded any expectations. This year AEG is increasing the number of venues and plans to boost the number of attendees to over 50,000.

What can you expect to see at the Fly Fishing Film Tour?
Films shot in extreme, exotic and distant locations; epic scenery, cutting edge music, conservation pieces that are as entertaining to watch, as they are important; and of course fish on the end of the tippet.

If you fly fish you are going to be blown away, if you don’t fly fish you are going to be inspired. Online ticket sales begin January 1st 2008. For more information (locations, dates, times and more) log onto the Fly Fishing Film Tour website.

Release (Dark Version)

I was in SLC, UT for the Outdoor Retailer Show and took advantage of a dusk fishing offer from Thad Robison. It was a perfect opportunity and it turned out to be a memorable session. We stopped by (continued below)

Release (Light Version)

Western Rivers to get my license, great service and a good cup of coffee before heading out to fish a section of the restored Provo River late into the night. We had take-out burritos and cold PBRs for dinner at the parking spot. It was AEG ceremonial. Caddis and trout were active. We caught fish on small caddis drys while we still had light but when the dark came on we V-waked a mouse pattern and brown trout crashed it ferociously. I created these two images from a photo taken that evening.