State of the Union in FLYFISHING

with the "State of the Fly Fishing Union Address":

We are living in tough economic times; everyone knows that by now and El Paso, though typically not as hard hit as other areas of the country, is no exception. A lot of people in the Fly Fishing industry are crying the blues and I know how they feel. My good buddy Jerry Saiz, a guide on the San Juan River in northern New Mexico told me that he had his slowest year ever last year. Part of this was due to a very long high water season, which was due to all the snow we got in 2008. This is a good/bad thing; good because we needed the water but bad because it spooked a lot of people into not fishing during that time. The truth of the matter is the fishing was great during high water, IF you fished with a guide that knows how to fish high water. We fished 6 or 8 days during the high water and had good days every time. Then they dropped the water and wading above Tex Hole was AWESOME!--Jerry and a buddy of mine, John Dillon fished up at the top one day and caught and released over 90 fish!!! It was one of the best days I have ever had on the Juan.....

About the time the water stablized and the fish moved back to their familiar locations, gas prices started seeing the $4/gallon range; the first signs of the stock market woes started showing up and people again made the decision to miss out on their fishing trips. As the year wore on, the econonmy worsened and more people stopped going on trips; hey, when times get tough, vacations and trips are one of the first things to get cancelled. This trickle down is hard on all of us; the guides suffer because business is off and they depend on the trips to make a living. Sales at the fly shops, including the ATF, have slowed dramatically in the past 6 months and the prognosis is not much better for this year. As someone that loves Fly Fishing I would recommend you make the cuts you need to make but try to get in SOME fishing. Book a trip with a guide; they need the work and be generous with your tip. If you normally fish for 12 days, at least go for 5 or 6 days this year. Cut back but don't stop completly!

My hope is that the new president and the other people in the government will figure out how to turn things around and get the economy back on track.

One last comment before I close the "SOFFUA"--We have a lot of good people all over the world fighting for our freedom--say a prayer for them each night and if you get the opportunity, take some of them fishing!

Tom--ATF Flyshop--El PASO