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Thread: Looks Like Creative Sports is no more

  1. #11
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    Jan 2012
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    I have a rule. I never drive past a fly shop without stopping in and buying something, even if its just a hat...I have about 50 fly shop hats. Yesterday I took my kid fishing up to the Stanislaus at Dorrington. Stopped in at the Trout Spot and spent $40 on bits and pieces. Nothing I urgently needed, but stuff I always use. A pack of leaders, split shot, some fine gold wire, a couple of packs of jig hooks, and a couple of stickers for the kids water bottle. Last time I was in Creative Sports Jamie gave me a shop hat for her. Collectors item now. Shame.
    You can't buy happiness, but you can buy new fly fishing gear and that usually does the trick.

  2. #12
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    Jan 2005
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    Thanks Bob......


    I can tell you that only a few fly shops really ever make a good living.



    Mike Michalak, owner of 'The Fly Shop' in Redding, CA, is one who actually did well in this industry.

    Mike 'worked his ass off' from the beginning and is probably still hard at it today.

    The Fly Shop has 6 profit centers where most shops have only one or two.

    Mike has walk-in retail, catalog sales, online sales, international travel, private waters, instruction at his ranch and a guide service.




    The perfect fly shop would be up in Southern Oregon near the middle Rogue river, visible off Interstate 5.

    5,000 square foot building with high ceilings, big screen TVs going with fishing and fly tying.

    Have an outside 200 foot casting pond between the shop and the freeway.

    Have Spey casting instruction and guiding on the Rogue rover. (Jeff Putnam has just moved up there).

    Get together 5 big investors with a million dollars each.

    Copy "The Fly Shop" model and plus no sales tax.

    You would have walk-in from Interstate 5, forget the catalog, have cutting edge online web site.

    Have huge West Coast guide service and instructional system.

    Make hundreds of top level educational and travel videos up on YouTube.

    Have a famous staff of fly fishing professionals.

    Have fly tying classes with celebrity tiers coming in on weekends.

    Have a huge Spring and Fall event like Bob Marriott's.

    Give away points for dollars spent to be applied for travel, private water, schools and guiding.



    Any more ideas?
    Bill Kiene (Boca Grande)

    567 Barber Street
    Sebastian, Florida 32958

    Fly Fishing Travel Consultant
    Certified FFF Casting Instructor

    Email: billkiene63@gmail.com
    Cell: 530/753-5267
    Web: www.billkiene.com

    Contact me for any reason........
    ______________________________________

  3. #13
    Join Date
    Apr 2014
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    el cerrito
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    Missing the beer machine!

  4. #14
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    Apr 2007
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    539

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    Quote Originally Posted by Ralph View Post
    Another one bites the dust. Sad.

    As a grom in the early 70's I'd hang out at Andy's in Walnut Creek. I was too young to drive so he would sometimes run up the hill to pick me up from scuba practice. His place was cluttered, dark, kind of mysterious and smelled of mothballs and pipe tobacco. I couldn't get enough. I was imprinted on how a fly shop "should" be. No neon lights, no Linoleum floors, no Jim Adam's fly bins and soft good racks. All of today's fly shops are simply cookie cutter variants of a same sterile model. Useful, but no hint of polar bear, seal fur or jungle cock hidden in some musty wooden drawer tucked along side a bottle of bourbon. Times change. The fall of CS is simply another reminder of such.
    Polar Bear? That can't even be possessed or sold anywhere in the United States unless documented pre-1972/CITES, and commercial sale of even that is forbidden by California State law (and a few other species parts, like kangaroo and alligator). The very few internet sources of tiny squares of Polar Bear fur from old rugs for tying purposes won't ship here.

  5. #15
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    Jan 2005
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    Sebastian, FL, USA, Earth
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    Thanks Jay,

    I guess we have over 25 years of posts here that are very interesting to many.
    Bill Kiene (Boca Grande)

    567 Barber Street
    Sebastian, Florida 32958

    Fly Fishing Travel Consultant
    Certified FFF Casting Instructor

    Email: billkiene63@gmail.com
    Cell: 530/753-5267
    Web: www.billkiene.com

    Contact me for any reason........
    ______________________________________

  6. #16
    Join Date
    Sep 2011
    Location
    East Bay
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    Quote Originally Posted by amoeba View Post
    Polar Bear? That can't even be possessed or sold anywhere in the United States unless documented pre-1972/CITES, and commercial sale of even that is forbidden by California State law (and a few other species parts, like kangaroo and alligator). The very few internet sources of tiny squares of Polar Bear fur from old rugs for tying purposes won't ship here.
    Kangaroo and alligator? I had alligator gumbo in the East bay maybe 6-7 yrs ago and it was delicious. Silly California laws.

  7. #17
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Location
    the Lost Sierra
    Posts
    750

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    Quote Originally Posted by amoeba View Post
    Polar Bear? That can't even be possessed or sold anywhere in the United States unless documented pre-1972/CITES, and commercial sale of even that is forbidden by California State law (and a few other species parts, like kangaroo and alligator). The very few internet sources of tiny squares of Polar Bear fur from old rugs for tying purposes won't ship here.
    I guess you don't understand what early 70's mean. Pre CITES. Lots of documented pre CITES polar bear was legally sold well into the eighties. Terry Hellickson must have had 50 pounds of it.

  8. #18
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    Sep 2011
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    East Bay
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ralph View Post
    I guess you don't understand what early 70's mean. Pre CITES. Lots of documented pre CITES polar bear was legally sold well into the eighties. Terry Hellickson must have had 50 pounds of it.
    Yea I believe I’ve seen some in Fly Fishing Specialties maybe a couple years ago that was for sale.

  9. #19
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    Jan 2005
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    Every so often I hear of old timers who have passed away and the family wants someone to take all their fly tying materials.

    This might be a time to get some exotic materials that have not see the light of days in 50 years?
    Bill Kiene (Boca Grande)

    567 Barber Street
    Sebastian, Florida 32958

    Fly Fishing Travel Consultant
    Certified FFF Casting Instructor

    Email: billkiene63@gmail.com
    Cell: 530/753-5267
    Web: www.billkiene.com

    Contact me for any reason........
    ______________________________________

  10. #20
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    Jan 2005
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    Sebastian, FL, USA, Earth
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    When I worked at Sports Unlimited (big sporting goods store) on Arden Way in the 1960s we had Jungle Cock capes, and Polar bear hair.

    Back then there were only a couple of "fly fishing only" shops in California.

    From then to now the fly fishing world has totally changed........

    _____________________________________

    In my lifetime it went from no indicators to indicators for everything?

    If someone told me that they would be indicator fishing for America Shad I would still be laughing.

    If they outlawed indicators in fresh water 90% of the guides would have to give it up.



    I don't need anyone to tell me anything about this because I lived daily through this "movie" for over 50 years.


    Most know that I fly fish with only weight forward floating lines, a simple leader and an unweighted barbless fly.

    I think many anglers today will fish a lifetime, catching thousands of big fish and never catch one on a dry fly.



    Sadly it is the lack of healthy ecosystems and then lack of fish that has caused all this.



    I don't think most of the younger ones here would believe how good the hunting and fishing was around Sacramento in the 1960s.

    The lower American river was almost as good as the Klamath is now for Fall half-pounders and Winter run Eel river Steelhead.

    Stripers and salmon are down 90% at least. It was hard to wade the rivers in the fall for all the salmon spawning around your feet.

    Anyone could catch limits of Stripers right off the banks?


    I live in Florida now, one of the most unbelievable diverse fisheries left in America.

    I use 3 outfits, a 6, 7 and 8 weight, all with only floating lines. I fish mostly top water which does not always work well.

    If I can not fly cast then I will stay home.


    We have Tarpon from 12 inches to 40# year round in our rivers, streams, creeks, canals, mangrove lagoons and golf coarse lakes?

    Nobody eats Tarpon so we still have tons of them in the World. Development, where they back fill wetlands is their main enemy.


    Around Miami in the canals, creeks, rivers and lagoons they have Tarpon, Snook, LMB, Peacock Bass and Exotic fresh water fish.


    Florida has it's problems from septic systems, golf coarse affluence, Big Sugar industries' runoff pollution, Etc.

    We are trying to bring back the Everglades to it earlier greatness.


    Our Alligator and Manatee populations are off the charts.



    Every morning I can drive one miles from my home and catch 5 to 40# Tarpon off the bank in the south fork of the Sebastian river.

    One mile from my home I can launch my light little 15' Super Skiff and catch Tarpon, Snook, Jacks, LMB, Etc.

    I fished all of the coast of Belize for 20 years and I can say Florida is just as good.

    You do need to go to Miami and below in the Keys to get bonefish and permit.


    Many anglers here are going out through the famous Sebastian Inlet in larger 20' + boats for Dorado right now.

    We have all the large Blue Water Big Gamefish right outside Sebastian.
    Bill Kiene (Boca Grande)

    567 Barber Street
    Sebastian, Florida 32958

    Fly Fishing Travel Consultant
    Certified FFF Casting Instructor

    Email: billkiene63@gmail.com
    Cell: 530/753-5267
    Web: www.billkiene.com

    Contact me for any reason........
    ______________________________________

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