FS: Outcast OSG Striker + add ons: $3000

[Pvillarr]

Sold-Up for sale is the Outcast OSG Striker. The raft is awesome and doesn’t even require a trailer. I have not used it in months, and I could use the money for something else. The raft has probably seen only eight trips on it that consisted of the American River, Yuba River, and Heenan Lake. There is nothing wrong with the raft, and it is in almost new condition.

The raft includes everything in the original packaging, including the warranty card. Additionally, I will include the following add-ons (some of the items are still in the packaging) that would cost $400 brand new:

Scotty Side Deck Mounting Bracket x 2
Scotty #265 Fly Rod Holder w/ #241 Side Deck Mount, Black, Small x 3
Scotty #276 Anchor Lock, w/ 0241 Side / Deck Mount
Scotty #341-BK Glue-On Pad For Inflatable Boats (Black) x 3
Frameless Cargo Pocket
Motor Mount (Never installed or used)

Please note that I am keeping the Saddle Boat Seat Bag shown in the picture because I still use it on my fishing ladder.

Let me know if you have any questions or comments.

*Will consider offers. Located in Sacramento.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

https://www.outcastboats.com/product/osg-striker-green/



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30 years ago there were about 50 fly shops in California. Now there are about 12.

What happened?

Well, many of us just got old and retired.

Fly shops had a good run from about 1970 until 2020.....about 50 years.

COVID-19 did not help.

It shut down thousands of small businesses with restaurants being the number one tragedy.

Manufacturers sold to the fly shops and then also started selling directly to the consumers.

Runaway inflation was the final blow because many were pinching pennies and ordering online.

Also with the end of the Baby Boomer generation, the sport is fading fast.

I am still connected to the industry and sadly many of the companies are near bankruptcy.

I think it is the end of an era.

All fisheries, worldwide, are down 90% in the past 100 years.

Imagine, in a few years, there will be no fly shop to walk into.

They have said for years that small businesses employ about 60% of American workers.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Here is an interesting email from an old friend of mine:



Hi Bill,

You posted,
"30 years ago there were about 50 fly shops in California. Now there are about 12.
What happened?"

This kind of reminds me of what happened to "Mountain Shops" (i.e. backpacking shops). In the 1970s, 1980s, and perhaps a bit into the 1990s, there were a number of local outdoor stores that specialized in backpacking, rock & mountain climbing, cross-country skiing, and whitewater kayaking/rafting in many cities in CA. But those shops are almost entirely gone, except up in mountain communities (similar to local fly shops persisting in destination areas for fly fishing).

The similarities to fly fishing, that I see, are: a) there was a big peak in interest (1970s-1980s for backpacking; post-"The Movie" for fly fishing) which spiked demand for gear (the growth rate of the industry may not have been sustainable over time?) but tapered off and then declined; b) some retailers got really big (e.g., for decades, REI Coop only had 3 stores - Seattle, Portland, and Berkeley, but then they started setting up stores everywhere. I mean, there are 3 REI stores in the Sacramento area alone -Sac, Folsom, Roseville!!!) That likely put tremendous pressure on small, local shops; and c) the Internet and online shopping probably was the last big stressor. Seems to me that COVID and the lockdowns weren't the major cause but just the final, last straw.

What do you think?

All the best, Your old friend.