Thanks for Another Great Year!

On behalf of the entire staff at HA I would like to thank all of our customers for another great year on the river. We far exceeded last years numbers in every aspect of the business. The fly shop sales, cabin rentals and guide service numbers continue to increase each and every year and we know that it is due to our GREAT customer base that we have on the Hi. As all of you know, a fly shop is a tough business to be in and we lose alot of great shops each year across the country that just can't seem to make a go of it. We would not be able to stay in business without your support each and every year! So again, thank you for another great year and we hope that each new year continues to get better and better for everyone. Cheers!

New Waters

Had a chance to get out and explore some on my own yesterday. I don't get to do this often, so it was a real treat. I love to check out new waters, especially when they turn out to be a plausible destination for a weekend camp / fishing trip. Don't know if they will turn out to be good enough to guide trips on yet, but stay tuned.
Also got a chance to check out a wild stream that I used to fish. This is the best wild stream that I ever sat foot in, period! Tons of wild bows and even some BIG browns call this little stream home. It is such tight quarters that you had to stay in the stream, could not get out of the water due to the thick vegetation on either side. I haven't fished this little jewel in over 20 years, due to various reasons, and can't wait to see if she will still produce. If so, I will be a happy camper.....literally!

TU Headed to Capitol Hill

Here's a little different spin on the trout hatchery dilemna. Click here for the latest news concerning this issue and don't forget to show your support for Trout Unlimited as they take this fight all the way to Capitol Hill!

Fishing Report

Lots of good fishing lately on the river. The river is absolutely full of fish and they are not picky about what they want to eat. I guided 2 clients yesterday and we crushed fish by swinging a size 16 caddis all day. Others I spoke to caught fish on an olive crystal bugger all day long. I haven't heard any bad reports from our customers over the last couple of weeks. That may change as colder weather creeps up on us. No need to be too technical, you just have to get out and fish.
Water flows have been very wader friendly. One generator flows have been very common throughout much of the day. Lots of places to wade on 1 generator. Just remember to be very attentive to any increase in water flow while wading during a 1 generator flow. If you get caught by that 2nd generator coming on unexpectedly it can get real interesting real quick. Be careful, but get out and enjoy this great Delayed Harvest fishing while it lasts. 

Winter Fishing Tips

Winter fishing can be some of the most productive fishing that you will do all year. It can be challenging though due to the low, clear water conditions that usually prevail during that time of year. The delayed harvest waters have really gotten more anglers interested in fishing during the colder months and we are often asked about the different tactics that we use while fishing in these often challenging conditions. Below are some tips that may help you become a better cold weather fly fisherman.

SLOW DOWN: The metabolism of the trout slows way down when the water temps hit 40 degrees and lower. They don't have to eat as often so they are far less likely to chase down a meal. The typical technique used during this time is to fish big nymphs, heavily weighted and dredged through deep runs. They won't eat as often, but if you "bounce it off their nose" you have a good chance of enticing a strike.

FISH DEEP: The colder water holds oxygen much better than the warmer water of the summer months. The trout don't have to lay in the riffles to get the more oxygenated water. They have no need to expose themselves like that in the colder water. As a general rule they will be holding in deeper water, but of course they will move up if they have to when they feel the need to eat.

BE STEALTHY: This one goes without saying, but thought I would mention it anyway. Besides wearing drab colored clothing, take care to stay low and to not cast a shadow over the water. This will put any trout on alert and scurrying for cover. Also take care to wade as quietly as possible. If you can get out of the water to change locations versus wading on through this will always be your best bet.

THINK SMALL: I know that earlier I said to dredge big nymphs down deep. That is true when the fish are holding in deeper water. But when the trout are feeding they will sometimes move up into more shallow water. When they do this they can become very selective about what they want to eat. Remember that midges may be the standard fare on the water you are fishing. Don't forget to try these, especially in the winter.

BE ACCURATE: If you happen to find trout that are feeding in the open, accurate casting will be very important. You may only get one shot at your presentation. Take your time and think about the best way to present your fly. If there are multiple fish present pick one to cast to. This will help ensure that you get the best presentation possible to that fish versus a shotgun approach.

These are just a few tips that may help improve your odds at catching some lethargic, spooky trout. They can be a real challenge, but they can be caught. If it was easy everyone would be out freezing their butt off with you. Good luck and stay dry!

Follow Us on Facebook

If you haven't already, start following us on facebook. I am going to try and do better on my posting for this blog and for our FB page. We have been extremely busy this year ( thanks to all of you for supporting us ) and I have really gotten behind on posting. I'm not very good at taking the time to update our sites. It is the one area of the business that I can slack on without anyone giving me a hard time. So, either no one is reading this crap or no one really cares if it gets updated. Or both. Anyway, check out our FB page and be sure and "Like" us while you're there. Thanks!

Classes

We are still offering our fly fishing classes through the winter months.

Quick Update

DH still fishing good. Great weather, fish, tiny BWO's, caddis and plenty of water. Don't wait too long!

Gift Idea

With the holidays coming up don't forget about our gift certificates. They make the perfect gift!

Hiwassee River DH

The river will be stocked early next week for our first year of DH management. I am very optimistic that the quality of fishing on the Hiwassee will improve over the next few seasons. Talked to Mark Thurman with TWRA and he assured me that he is very interested in working on continued improvement of our fishery. He is actively trying to get a handle on what goes on in the river 12 months out of the year. Also he wants to find out all of the conditions that have physically changed over the years. Nice to know that we have not been forgotten by TWRA as far as improving the fishery goes. Mark also told me that the stocking next week should be with fish a little larger by weight than what the Hiwassee is usually stocked with. Good luck to everyone on the river this coming season.
                                                               Dean 

Delayed Harvest Time!

Finally! Our favorite time of year!
The delayed harvest season is here. This is a period of special regulations on our waters. The regs are artificial lures only, catch and release only. This makes for some good winter time fly fishing.
October 1st marks the beginning of the Tellico River DH. This year it also marks, for the first time ever, the Hiwassee River DH. We are all very anxious to see how the Hi will fish under the new DH regs. We all fish the Tellico DH every year, so we know that it fishes great. All signs point to good things for the Hi as well.
We offer guided fishing trips on both of these rivers, so give us a call if you are interested in checking out our DH waters.  

Here it is

Here's a pic of the boat mentioned below.

New Boat

Got a call from the folks at ClackaCraft this morning. They have a truck heading out today with a new boat on it for us. Should be arriving at the end of this week or the first part of next week. Depends on how many other deliveries that the driver has to make before heading our way.
The boat is a 2011 16LP. The colors are skull, burgundy and black. This is just like the last one that we had for sale here, except for the colors of course. This boat will arrive rigged and ready to fish.
It has been over a year since we had our last new boat here to sale. We are constantly being asked about when we are getting another one. The truth is that we never know when we will get one. It all depends on when they have a truck heading this way with room for an extra boat on it. Then they will throw a boat on there for us. With that being said, we have LOTS of people that have been waiting on us to get a boat. This boat will not be here long. If you're in the market for a new Clacka don't drag your feet. Now's the time!

Gear Review

Those of you that follow this blog know that I don't do alot of gear reviews here. No real reason why not, I just haven't had alot of requests from people to write about stuff like that. However, I just bought a new rod that really impressed me to the point of sharing my views with others.
I have been needing a new fly rod for striper fishing on the Hi for awhile now. In my usual fashion I kept procrastinating until I finally decided to pull the trigger and order one. And I will have to say that my procrastination finally paid off. The rod that I ordered hasn't been on the market long, so I am definitely glad that I waited. The "chosen" rod is the Temple Fork Outfitters BVK in the 9' 8 wt. model.
Those of you that know me know that I am a big fan of Winston rods. For trout fishing anyway. But I think that they are a little weak when it comes to throwing big, wind resistant flies on 300 grain sink tip lines. And this is obviously how we fish for big, river run stripers. So, I decided to give the new BVK a try after doing some research on it. I can sum it up in one word...Damn!
I had the rod shipped to the shop. When it came in I couldn't wait to give it a test ride. I slapped on my new Galvan reel with a 300 grain sink tip line on it and went out to play in the yard. To say the least, I was impressed!
The rod was stiff, which I like and expect in an 8 wt., and you could really feel the power in your hand. It layed out the line with very little effort as opposed to other rods in its class. It carried the line well in the air and shot it with ease. I looked at the reel, kind of a glance really, and noticed that I had very little of the 100' of line left on the reel. That really surprised me because I had just been playing around with it. Kind of "kicking the tires". I remember thinking that I could not believe that this rod only cost 250 bucks! Incredible! It was very accurate at all distances and was a real treat to cast. Lefty Kreh put in alot of time developing this rod and it shows. Great casters design great rods. It is just that simple. You know he thought it was special when he named it BVK. Those are his initials by the way.
I didn't mean to make this such a long post. It kind of got away from me. To sum it up I will say that you are "crazy" if you don't give this rod a try. Especially if you need an 8 wt. ( I haven't tried any other BVK rod ). I am sure that the other BVK's are great as well. In fact, I am going to order a new 10 wt. soon for some musky fishing this fall. For that price I know I can't go wrong. Not with this stick!

More Striper Porn

Couple more striper shots for everyone to check out. These were caught on the Hi this week by some buddies of ours. And yes, they are good eating if prepared right. We do eat all of them, but the biggest reason that we keep them is because they eat our trout.

Stripers Are Here!

The striper are making their annual run up the Hiwassee River. These fish move up into our colder waters when the lakes warm up. Like any fish, they will migrate, if possible, to find better water temps and conditions. These fish usually hang around until October. They're not very hard to catch, just hard to locate. Once you find them holding in an area they can be caught on the fly or on spinning tackle. They are feeding machines that will put a big time stretch in your line.

 

Terrestrial Bite Is On!

We have finally started having lots of success with terrestrial patterns on the Hi. The fish are a little late this year, but they are definitely looking for them now. Initially you had to beat the banks with them to have success, which is usually the case. But they are now taking them in the middle of the river. That is when I consider the terrestrial bite to be on.
Our top patterns have been hoppers, crickets and cicadas. Yes cicadas. I know, a cicada is not a terrestrial pattern. But due to the fact that we have not had any of them on the upper river, I am convinced that they are hitting it as a cricket or beetle pattern. I may be wrong, and I don't really care as long as they continue to hit them. Get out and enjoy while it lasts!

Fishing Report

The Hiwassee River fly fishing continues to impress. The dry fly activity has been great with the sulphurs still hanging around and the Isonychias making an appearance here and there. It won't be long before they are in full effect and driving the trout crazy. And, as usual, we still have some tiny BWO's buzzing around in the evenings.
Sub-surface patterns would have to be zug bugs and BHPT's. You can also drop a soft hackle off the back of your nymph and let it swing below for some jarring strikes.
That's about it for now. Will try to do better on my posting frequency if I can get the time to sit down and put a thought process together long enough to type something out. We have been extremely busy this season. The fly shop numbers are up and the guide service numbers have doubled again this year. All of this is great news and we hope it continues to grow. Thanks to all our customers for their continued support!

Hiwassee and Holston River fishing on fire!

The Hiwassee River trout fishing has been on fire lately. Trout are feeding in all levels of the water column and do not seem to be picky about what they will eat. We are catching them on dry flies, streamers, swung soft hackles and nymphs. I don't really know how you could have a fishless day on the Hi right now. TVA is on a pulsing schedule right now and the falling water is triggering some incredible dry fly activity. The sulphurs are popping and the fish are taking notice.
Rocky, our Holston River expert, told me today that the fishing there is incredible. He said that they too are catching fish on just about any type fly that you want to throw. He said the fishing should remain stellar all through the summer months.
As you can see, now is the time to be fishing in East TN! Give us a call soon to book your dates for this season. Once schools let out for the summer we get extremely busy with bookings. That is a huge vacation time and people want to get some fishing in while they can. Don't wait too long to try and book your day!

Best Wishes

Here is hoping that all our neighbors and customers in Alabama made it through the awful tornadoes alright yesterday. We got hammered here too, but nothing like you guys did. Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone that was effected by the storms.

Fly Shop Update

We continue to be busy at the shop. Our spring merchandise continues to arrive and we are adding a few different lines to our inventory. We are adding Simms and Rio for sure. Don't know what else yet, but we definitely need to add another line of reels as well. We'll see how that goes. We usually add products based on customer requests. To be honest, I can't remember anyone requesting that we carry any different reels. Maybe we just think we need to add something. Oh well. Like I said, we'll see how it goes.
We have been adding to our fly tying department lately. These items are highly sought after by most fly fishermen and the stuff sells very quickly. It also takes up very little room in the shop. We recently had a display rack made just for these items. It looks pretty good but it is still a work in progress.
The guide service growth has been amazing! I can't believe how much it has grown over the last couple of years. We now have 5 guides on staff. I think that makes us the largest guide service on the river. I could be wrong, so don't quote me on that. It's an unofficial title anyway, so who cares.

Relief in Sight

The spilling continues on the Hiwassee at a rate of more than 5,000 cfs. This is predicted to drop to 1,680 cfs tomorrow. This is a little more than a 1 generator flow. They are scheduled to get 1 generator back on line this Thursday with the other scheduled to be back on May 8.
This will bring things back to normal flows on the Hi for this time of year. The recreational flow schedule is right around the corner as well. This will give us guaranteed flows for our float trips. Things just seem to go smoother when you know what the flow schedule will be. Especially when you book alot of guide trips months in advance. Our business, as well as the rafting business, is very dependant on friendly flow schedules. That is the purpose of the recreational flow schedule. It gives us as much of a guarantee as possible that we will have adequate water flows to float the river during a certain time period. This allows us to plan and book trips in advance. The recreational flow schedule is a good thing!

Crazy!

The Hi has been fishing like crazy this spring! The flows have been great for the fish and the fishermen. Yes, they are running water but there are several people wading all up and down the river and catching alot of fish. We even caught a couple of these things on the upper river Sunday!



Facebook

Be sure and visit our FB page. Don't forget to "Like" us while you're there. Thanks!

New Hours

We are now open 7 days a week from 8am - 4pm.

Spring Fishing

I can sum up the spring fishing in one word...INCREDIBLE! So far we could not ask for much better. The winter rains and early spring rains that we have had so far have really made a difference. Our insect activity is on pace and the fish have responded. Water temps have been good and we should continue to have good temps throughout the season, barring another low rainfall summer.
TVA is still spilling water down the old riverbed to bypass the generators. We have been getting about 2300 cfs lately, which is just shy of a normal 2 generator flow. They have been doing some work on the penstock and this flow should last through April. This makes for perfect drift boat fishing on all sections of the river. The trout and the insects love the constant flows.
So far this year our business has been outstanding (knock on wood)! The fly shop and cabin rental numbers are up significantly from this time last year. Our guide service numbers are also at an all time high for this time of year. We have had some multi-boat days already and have alot more on the books. The guide service growth amazes me each year. Every spring we book more and more trips as compared to the prior spring. These are the numbers that I like to see grow. These tell me how effective my winter marketing plans were.
We get lots of return customers too. Return customers are always great to fish with. We already know and like each other or they would not be returning. They are familiar with how we guide and we know how they like to fish. No adjustment period needed. Just a day of fishing and laughter.

Fishing Report

Sorry for the lack of posting lately. This is a very busy time of year for us. Between the fly shop, booking trips, guiding trips, tying flies, exploring new waters and doing a little personal fishing here and there, there's not a whole lot of time left for posting on the blog. I know that it's been awhile since I posted a fishing report, so I told myself last night that I would get this done ASAP today so here it goes.
The fishing on the Tellico and Hiwassee Rivers is red hot right now. Spring hatches have begun and we have some risers throughout the day, but the fish have still not really committed to top water yet. The caddis and quill gordon are here so it's just a matter of time before they start looking up. We still have some winter stones around too. Continue to fish the standard nymph and streamer patterns that got you through the winter until you see some rising fish. Then you can try your dry fly luck. Don't be afraid to drop a soft hackle off the back of that dry. Sometimes that is not a rise that you're seeing. It is a bulge from a trout taking an emerger just below the surface. If they are bulging, a soft hackle emerger pattern will usually work. By using a dry-dropper rig you have both your bases covered.
Sorry for the short report. Since I began writing this I have booked 2 guide trips. See what I mean by being busy lately? Not complaining of course. We love it! This is gonna be a GREAT year! Hope to see ya soon!

Pre-Spawn Action

Here are some pics of this year's pre-spawn bows. Very limited window on this action. Call now to book your trip!

The Wait is Over!

As you can see below the smallmouth bite is on! These fish are feeding up after a long winter in anticipation of their upcoming spawn.
We scouted an area the other day that we knew held plenty of these fish in hopes that the warmer weather had them moving up and feeding. We caught several nice smallies and it is only going to get better over the next few weeks. If you like fly fishing for smallies give us a call and book your trip now. We also do guided trips for spin fishermen. No matter the method we can put you on these fish.

Big Day Planned

Tying up some flies today. Got a big day planned tomorrow. Going to scout out some new water to guide on. If this works out like I think it will it will be the best float trip available in this area!

They're Back!

We just scouted our favorite place for BIG spring time rainbows. This is an area where the big bows will stage for the upcoming spawn. Yes I said spawn! These are wild fish, not the farm fed pigs that you see pictures of on other websites. These are the real deal. And the good news is that they are back. The bad news is that this only lasts for about 6 weeks before they move out of the area.
We are now taking bookings for these trips. If big, wild rainbows on the fly is something that you are interested in give us a call to book your trip ASAP. This won't last long and we have a limited number of openings available during this time period. Here's a couple of fish from last year. These fish can be caught consistently throughout the day when the conditions are right.

  

Link Updated

I just updated the link for the generation schedule on the Hiwassee River. For some reason TVA doesn't update the info. anymore on the old site.

Welcome Aboard!

We are pleased to announce that we have just hired a new guide to join the staff here at Hiwassee Angler. I say new, but to anyone familiar with the Hiwassee they will know that he is anything but new. Join us in welcoming Michael "Rocky" Cox to our guide staff.
Rocky comes to us after guiding in this area for many years. He is very familiar with our waters as well as many other tailwaters in the state. He has a great reputation as a guide and we look forward to working with him this year and for many years to come.



Fishing Report

Me and Skip floated the upper section last Tuesday on one generator and absolutely whacked fish! We caught them on caddis, both on top and swung just under the water, BHPT's, Princes and olive buggers. We stayed in fish the whole time and had a great day. Had a few fluttering brown stones on the water and that kept the fish active during the whole trip. We put on at about 12:00 and took out at about 6:00. Only saw 2 other boats and a few bank fishermen. They all did well too.
The fishing that we have right now could not be better for this time of year. If you need to shake some cabin fever, now is the time to do it. Beautiful weather and no rafters floating by. You should have the river pretty much to yourself through the week, the weekends will probably be a little more populated though. Still, this is a big river and has plenty of trout for everyone. SO GO FISHIN' while the weather and the fish are cooperating.
Now a quick word to pay the bills: Our guide trips have been booking pretty steadily lately with the anticipation of spring just around the corner. Give us a call and book your dates early. All signs are pointing to this being a great year on the Hiwassee!

Finally!

Good news! The new fishing licenses will be available on Feb. 18th. Why is this good news you ask? Well there are a couple new license options this year that will make it cheaper for residents and non-residents alike to enjoy some time on the water. A couple of the new ones that I am referring to are listed below, along with a short description. Keep in mind that when "All Species" is listed to describe a license, that means that trout are included.
Type 023- Resident 1 day fishing license - All Species $11.00
( This eliminates the need to buy an $18.00 annual trout stamp for just one day of trout fishing )
Type 083- Non-resident 1 day fishing license - All Species $16.00
( Previously a 3 day non-resident license was the least that you could buy )
As you can see, this makes it alot cheaper for our clients to buy a license for just that 1 day that they are fishing with us. These 1 day options are something that all outfitters have been wanting for a long time. Hats off to TWRA for listening and implementing the changes. Good job guys! 

Fear No Ice!

Me and Skip put the motor on his ClackaCraft the other day and went fishing. We wanted to see if our big lake rainbows had moved up into their spring time haunts yet. We knew it was a little early, but our curiosity got the better of us. As expected they had not moved up yet, but man what a ride! We came across this ice flow and just motored right through creating our own path. We did go slow and we were careful, but it was still fun.



Nantahala DH

Just a few pics from the Nantahala Delayed Harvest waters. The DH is still in full swing, so don't forget that we are still offering guided trips to that area. There are still plenty of 20 inch and better fish to be had there. And the scenery speaks for itself.        

HA now on Facebook!

Well we finally took the plunge and set-up a facebook page. We have had several requests from customers to get a page and finally got time to set one up. Come by and check it out!

Hiwassee River Generation

TVA continues to run 2 generators for most of the day through the weekdays, but seems to let up a little bit on weekends. That may be to allow some wading fishermen to get a quick fix on the weekends. I don't know for sure, but I like to think that they help us out when they can. Anyway, if you get a chance to go with favorable flows, take advantage of it. The fishing has been very good with lots of brown trout coming to hand lately. No really big ones that I know of, but at least they are biting. It's probably just a matter of time before someone lays into a nice one. This is the right time of year to catch one. So get out when you can.

Fishing Report

Fishing continues to be good on the area trout waters. The fish are cooperating, the weather is the problem. I don't mind fishing in the snow, but when the roads are as icy as they have been lately, you just can't get to the decent areas to fish. And you can forget about backing a boat down the ramp, unless you want to lose your truck in the Hiwassee River.
If you are going to catch good numbers of fish in the winter, you can't be afraid to put on some split shot. And a double nymph rig for that matter. Midges are also important. The same standard flies that you use throughout the rest of the year will work fine. You just have to get them down. Not just deep, but on the bottom.
I would stick with BHPT's and Princes for the most part. Using them on a double nymph rig is hard to beat. You can also use one of these as your lead fly and drop a zebra midge off the back. If you want to throw a streamer, I would go with a white or olive bugger. Probably an olive one in size 6. Hard to go wrong with that one.
This set-up will work good on the Tellico or on the Hi. Just be sure and wade carefully. This is not a good time to get water down your waders. But sometimes you just have to risk it in order to spend some time with these little guys.



New Look

Took advantage of being stranded in the house yesterday and updated the look on here. Put a new design on the blog, which was a much needed addition. I got tired of the old design and wanted to change it up a little. Hopefully I will be able to post more often this winter. Not a whole lot going on around here lately to write about. We are still fishing, but there are a select few of us that take advantage of this time of year. So I don't report that much on our trips, since not many people are going to use the info. and get out on the water. So I use that time to tie a few flies and to market the business in other ways.
Marketing has always been an interesting activity to me. There are so many ways to promote a business, but only a few that really make it worth your time. Especially in this business, because there is a very limited customer base to begin with. Not to mention the fact that you have to compete with the big box stores in order to attract the few customers that are out there. I know exactly how the "mom and pop" stores must have felt when the first Wal-Mart stores began to appear in their areas.
I don't mind the competition, in fact I think it is good for the industry. It gives people alot of choices on where to spend their money in order to practice their sport. The thing that I don't understand is why someone would order off the internet from a big box store website and pay the same price for an item that they could have bought from their local fly shop. Then they have to pay shipping, which can get expensive.
I understand the convenience of internet shopping, but I hate to pay for shipping. Most fly shops that I know of, us included, don't charge anything for shipping. That's because we have the items drop-shipped directly from the manufacturer to the customer's address. We would have to pay the shipping anyway to have it shipped to the shop, so why not just ship it directly to the customer? We make a sale and never have to touch the merchandise. It's a win-win for everyone involved. Plus you would be supporting your local fly shop, which is a good thing.
I know alot of people don't think much about supporting a local business. Especially a fly shop. Most people probably don't give us a second thought, until they are on their way to the river and need a leader or a quick fishing report. Cabela's can't help you much then.
Didn't mean to rant here, just thinking out loud, trying to make sense of it. Posting a pic below of what we woke up to yesterday morning.



Pre-Spawn Bows

Won't be long now until we are booking trips for our annual pre-spawn rainbow pilgrimage. The pics below were taken during one of last years trips when me and Skip snuck off for a day.
These are WILD fish! Not private, farm fish that you see on other websites. These fish begin staging in March and wait on Mother Nature to tell them when to move up onto the gravel bars to do their thing. We don't bother them once they move to their beds. But we know exactly where the deeper water is that they use for a staging area. This is where you can stay into big bows for most of the day.
Give us a call if you would like to experience this for yourself. We never know how many openings we will have each year for these trips. Who knows when they will decide to move up onto their beds. And once that happens, WE ARE DONE!

Wintertime on the Hi

Expecting another winter storm to move in this evening. That's what the weather guys are saying anyway. I hope they are wrong about this one. It sounds like a pretty good snowfall is expected. Below is a pic of our rental cabins after the last one we had. Most of the snow is gone in the pic, but it may be coming back.



Happy New Year!

Wanted to wish everyone a happy, safe and prosperous new year. Hope everything went well for you in 2010 and that 2011 will be even better.
We had our best year ever at the fly shop. Our sales were up in the shop and our guide service had its best year ever. Despite having 4 guides on the payroll, we still had to turn some people away last year that we just couldn't find an opening for. We hate to do that, but sometimes we are just completely booked up. We do refer these clients to other services that also have good guides. We know that they will also do a good job for the customers. I guess that being completely booked up is a good problem to have, but we still hate to not be able to fish with these people.
In 2011 we are going to bring more product lines into the shop. We are definitely adding Simms to the line-up. We are also going to add a new line of reels, we just don't know what company yet, probably Hatch or Lamson. I'm leaning towards Hatch, but we are not sure yet. We still have a little time to decide, so we'll see how it goes.
We are also going to change a few things on the guide service end as well. We hope to add some new destinations to our list of waters that we guide on. We also REALLY need to add at least 1 more guide to the list to help out this year. I know without a doubt that this year is going to be busier than last year. We are going to need more help, that's for sure. But at this point, I have no idea who we will hire. This is a tough decision. A guide has alot of responsibilities when it comes to customer service. Being a good fisherman is a very small part of the whole picture. There are many other factors when it comes to being a good guide. That's what makes it so hard to find someone that you trust well enough to put them with clients. Especially when you don't have the time to train them. That's why we tend to pull guides from other services to help out when they are not booked at their "Home" service. We also help other services by guiding for them when they need help at a time when we are not booked. It is a common problem for guide services to be short handed, especially during the busy season or when you have a corporate booking that requires several guides in order to fish alot of people on the same day.
So this will be a challenging year to say the least, but I hope all goes well again this year. For everyone!