Sad situation......buying the wrong "stuff".

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

I know you are all tired of hearing about my 45 years of selling fishing tackle in Sacramento but it does give me some insights that are worth discussing.

I can't tell you how sad it is to have people new to the sport come in with a fly rod and fly reel they bought at some sporting goods store or big chain store. Most of the time this tackle is not very good and actually can even be more than we could have properly outfitted them with.

__________________________________________________ ___

We have brand name fly rods starting at $79

We have brand name fly reels that start at $39.

We have good fly lines starting at $29.

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We also have a new rod and reel kit by Redington that is a nice 9' #5 line 4 piece fly rod with a good reel and fly line, plus a rod & reel case for $139.00

This is the best value we have seen out there from anyone.

__________________________________________________ _______________

I think people either are getting very bad advise or they have very bad judgment because the tackle they find out there is pure junk.

Sure, you veteran fly fishers could go all around to all the box store or on the internet and put something together that will work but these new folks are clueless.

I do know that some fly shops have the reputation of trying to sell everyone a Winston rod with an Abel reel but that is not our MO here at Kiene's.

I can guarantee you that most new comers would have better spent their money if they came to us and got professional advise first.

[jbird]

Amen Bill. Thank you for your honesty in a cutthroat market.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Thanks Jbird

Long term you have to be good to people if you want to stay in business.

[Bob G]

Bill -

I think that you might underestimate the importance that your message carries. Moreover, I don't think anyone is "tired" of you passing along your experience in this critical area. My advice is that you reprint your message on a regular interval.

Keep up the good work!

Bob

[Ed Wahl]

Bill you're spot on.

I was a hardcore skeptic about flyshops in general for many years. It took a lot of trips to your shop without any hassles or hard sells to get me to trust you guys. Meeting your people on the river now and then didn't hurt either.

You do some good outreach events like free fly casting and fly fishing seminars that do seem to make a difference.

I think you're doing a more than excellent job at getting the knowledge out there where it's needed, that's about all you can do.

And I really do appreciate the fact that you can explain just how to rig up a hook and sinker for a doughball.

Ed

[Mike O]

Every time I go into Big 5, and see the fly rods, I have to laugh at the prices for the crappy rods they have. They should know better, but they just want to clip the novices. That said, the first fly rod I bought was from Wally World. I still have it, still fish it on occasion, and I will put it up against my Redington or Fenwick (my "high end" rods) any time.

It's almost as funny as the people on Craigslist or garage sales who sell "Bamboo fly rods" for mucho dinero just because they are bamboo.

And I love the primary source history of the Sacramento FlyFishing and Tackle scene

[Bruce Slightom]

Bill your point is well taken and sound advise.

Rick and I were instructors in a begining casting class for a number of years and quite a few people would show up with miss matched equipment. There was a local sporting goods store that sold quite a few level fly lines to people in the classes because they were cheap.
This just added to the students frustration.

[Ralph]

That Redington kit is a great value for an entry level fly fisher. The rod will NOT hobble their learning curve.
The Redington waders aren't half bad either. I was at first skeptical of the welded seams, but have pushed them well beyond what is reasonable and they've held up fine.

[Terry Imai]

Bill's shop is the ONLY place that I would recommend to someone who is interested in getting into flyfishing. I know of certain fly shops that I probably wouldn't send my worst enemy to.... Oh, wait... this one shop I know of would be the one that I would want my worst enemy to get outfitted. Never know when you need a 10 weight tarpon rod for trout fly fishing...

Bill's shop has always been #1 for me...

[Bull_Dog]

The Reno Fly Shop won the first ever Fly Tackle Dealer award in 2002. It was voted on by Manufactures, Sales Reps, Distributers ETC. Beat out were shops like the Redding Fly Shop, Marriott's anyway Bill is right the Reno Fly Shop went out of business aat the end of last year because of exactly what Bill said.

We now have a Cabelas, Scheels, Sportsmans Warehouse and an Orvis store and I can't find a decent indicator anywhere in town. These places have no clue and the folks who shop there end up never learning enough to understand the sport and most of them end up quitting.

[dbrosier]

I know you are all tired of hearing about my 45 years of selling fishing tackle in Sacramento but...

Here's something (http://www.kiene.com/aboutus/geezer.shtm) you can't get at the big box stores...

[590Mike]

Bill you are right of course. The lowest price isn't always the best value. The first rod I bought on your suggestion was a Sage 5wt LL 2 piece Staggering price of $ 220.00. One of the best purchases I ever made. It's tough to beat quality.

[Larry S]

dBrosier:
Ditto what you said. Thanks to Aaron and Andy for setting up and shipping out
a St Croix switch rod with reel and lines. Big winds in Michigan limited my
stream time with the rod. Hope to have at it again in September. Can't think
of a big box store that offers service like that.
Larry S

[Mr T]

Bill I was one of those dummies that got took at the big 5, and after I got so pissed off I was gonna throw the junk in the river, I went to your shop. I know you don't recall it, but you took one look at what I had shook your head and helped me anyway...

two days later got my first half-pounder on that crap, and then went back in and bought some decent gear from you guys...

Class act all the way...

[Jeff Putnam]

I see this as a weekly occasion through my schools... If I see one more foam handle rod with 3 guides and a level line with a 4 foot piece of level mono as a leader sold as a "beginner kit" I'm quitting as an instructor! Do yourself a favor and go to a "real" full service pro fly shop and decrease the time and frustration that it takes you to learn and begin fishing sooner and enjoying the sport. Pro shops like Kiene's are here for a reason and Bill has survived all the economic downfalls (20% of all fly shops in the U.S. have closed in the last 4 years and in the next two years another 20% are expected to close their doors), because he is true in his customer service and passion for the sport. I should know, I've known him since 1984 and been involved in almost every aspect of this industry and there's no one I've ever met as genuine as Bill Kiene! I liked his personality so much when I met him that I'm honored to still be associated with him, (they just cant get rid of me).
Thanks Bill for everything! JP

[OregonSalmon]

Damn you Bill Kiene! You sold me a broken rod, a line that had been out in the sun for two years...then stuck me with some twenty year brand of mono that I never heard the name of...then gave me the number to a hooker who gave me the clap! She was fat too.
I now only go to the big box stores. No more Kienes!!!
If any of you believe my nonsense, it is nonsense. I love the boy and his dedication to service and honesty. Poor bugger has put up with me for decades, a job I can't even do. Billy, love ya' brother.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Geller,

Tell them about the time I sent you on a trip "about an hour" over to Indian Valley Reservoir.....