American Flyfishers

[Walter]

Are we talking about the monkeys again? I hate evil monkeys.

[Lasse Karlsson]

The last pic you posted, was a orangutang... Still not a monkey

Cheers
Lasse

[VGB]

Evil monkeys are experts in camouflage

[Walter]

[Flyfishfairwx]

last known photo of Paul using the missing fly rod>

Sorry No Front Page, Paul, slept through most of the night.

[Paul Arden]

My grandfather always taught me to keep my hat on in the zoo lest they thought they had an escaped monkey.

True story

[VGB]

Sounds like a wise precaution

[easterncaster]

Hi guys, Americans actually

I'm currently looking at the rod prices with the new site coming out shortly. I need to be active in the USA! And have a cunning plan to emigrate for extensive periods of the year. Anyway what I would like to know is at what exact price point should I place?

How do you buy top end rods, do you look at the price of top end models and take the cheaper or the more expensive?

We have a higher quality rod than SAGE for example. This is my belief anyway. The blank is a corker - I designed it The finish is unbelievable. It really is a very niche product in some regards and it's bloody expensive to make! But I would say that

Currently we're a little under Sage One and a little bit more under than the METHOD. I think the METHOD is a good price so either a little under or over I'm guessing! Our problem is in the UK we are MASSIVELY less than these SAGE rods, and of course with "perceived value" it can work agains us.

Maybe we just charge you guys less and the Europeans more.

Thanks, Paul

I purchase rods according to my interest in their graphite, action - not by price per say.

Have you looked at the prices of rod companies smaller than the big boys such as Seele?
They do stellar work and charge about the same, slightly less, as Sage et al.

http://www.seeleflyrods.com/

IMHO, your rods would be of interest to a small % of American fly fishers; mostly geeks
such as myself.

Craig

[Paul Arden]

I like geeks!!

[Harps]

In Alberta I would assume there are:

• those that seem to buy rods for name or status alone;
• those that buy TFO because they are a "great, local rod" with an easy return/repair/replace program;
• those that just buy cheap, because any tool will work; and
• those that buy because they are looking to get a rod that matches their skills, needs, or intent (fiberglass, cane, high-end, Hot Torpedoes).

I imagine there is the same type of breakdown everywhere.

Like Craig said, I don't imagine there is a high market, but it is a market none-the-less.

Loop and some others seems to be having a local upsurge, largely because of marketing- young adventurous anglers, catching fish in expensive (or not) locations, mostly because of the rod- not the fact that they are putting in time at locations where those fish are... Unfortunately those are the same adventures and videos that drive anglers (like Ray) away. Often they are young inexperienced fish handlers that, although driving interest, also don't teach conservation ethics.

Imagery that instills a sense of wonder/adventure/excitement/nostalgia/etc whether video or stills, plus a big presence with "local" anglers might drive interest. It has to be balanced with good ethics (conservation) and a technical reason as to why an angler would pay X amount for a rod ($7-900USD+ for top models).

I think that 500 pounds puts you with the top "big" name brands (whether many of us think that rods should cost that much). You don't want to sell to low to "under-value" your rod, but you can't sell high without a reason- or convincing the consumer that there is a reason.
Here on SL, we know that the Hot Torpedo is with the others in quality, but has it been marketed enough to convince a subset of the American anglers (or monkeys)?