I need your input Zach!

[Joel Thompson]

Hi Zach!
From reading all of your posts I can tell that you are definitely a man in the know. I am going to opening and running a very high end fly shop for the ranch I work for here in Montana. We will be carrying Sage and Winston rods, Ross, Tibor, and Galvin reels, Simms and Cloudveil products and some stuff from Patagonia as well.
I was unable to attend the fly fishing retailers expo in Denver because I was guiding and was wondering if you saw anything there that a high end cliental would be interested in seeing in our fly shop. Any advice would be greatly appreciated as this is a whole new ball game for me.

Thanks!
Moosedog

[Zach Matthews]

Moose –

It sounds like you’ve covered your bases pretty well. I spend a lot of time talking to shop owners and I’ve come to the following conclusions:

1) It is always better if it isn’t your money on the line.
2) High end stuff makes the profits but low end keeps you in business.
3) Getting the accounts is often the hardest part.
4) Moving enough product to actually get product you request from the manufacturers is the key.

People want to buy rods and reels the most right when they come out.

[Joel Thompson]

Thanks for your input Zach! I have contacted Fishpond and William Joseph about their products and I will be getting all of my flies from Montana Fly Co. and Umpqua. I really appreciate your input on the other fly rod companies. Most of the people coming to the ranch are not that experienced in fly fishing. They are here more for the golf. However, I am going to try and change that! All the people that I have taken in my boat this summer are hooked on the sport of fly fishing. (No pun intended) I really want to have stuff in the shop that fits their needs the best. I’m the kind of guy who finds something that works great for me and never tries anything else so it is going to be a challenge for me to find what works for other people.
The fly shop will be for ranch members only. This will also make things tricky when it come to stocking the shop. I don’t want to be carrying over a ton of inventory year after year.
As far as selling other destinations off the ranch go I am not sure about that at this time. I like the idea of it, but we will just have to see what the future brings.
If you are ever in this part of Montana you will have to let me know and I will give you a tour. The ranch is an 80,000 acre working ranch at the base of the Flint Creek Mountains just outside of Deer Lodge. It’s pretty awesome!
Thanks again for your input Zach!
Moosedog

[Mark Landerman]

I second Rainey’s flies-she comes up with some great patterns and is one awesome woman-you should check her out.

MFC us another good company to get flies from-I love the spinner streamer.

BTW Moosedog-how is Warm Springs fishing?

[Joel Thompson]

Hey mending machine!

It has cooled down nicely here! About 25 degrees here this morning and frosty. Warm springs is starting to fish very well. The Browns are getting fiesty! A great place, by the way, to use that spinner streamer you like. My buddies at the Kingfisher in Missoula created that bad boy! I was there the day they tested it in the toilet. We all refer to it as the “Heavy Metal Sculpin”. I will say the purest hate the thing, but I like the creative genius behind it. It’s amazing what a couple of beers after a hard week will do to peoples thought process!

Moosedog

[Mark Landerman]

Good to hear-I have a good friend that lives in Deer Lodge-may have to pay him a visit this weekend.

As for the heavy metal-I don’t like the fact that the wire isn’t glued in-they tend to come out easly.

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