Fly Fish America has an article on rods costing less than $300. They state
that nearly 2/3's of the rods sold will be in this group. Of course, every
major manufacturer hs at least one entry. Hard to say which are made in the
USA
"Bill Kiene" wrote in message
. ..
Hi Warren,
We are selling imported TFO, Redington and Orvis rods now. The net effect
for me and I imagine other fly shops is that we are finally selling rods
to
customers that would normally shop with Cabelas mail order or ecommerce.
We
have very nice import rods starting at $89 TFO in 2 pc and now $98 Orvis
in
4 piece. This price point is making it easier for people to get into the
sport or to try a different size outfit with out breaking the bank or
getting divorced.
When we sell fly tying thread for $1 a spool, who can say a $100 rod sale
is
going to be bad for my business????? The person that is going to buy the
$100 rod was not thinking of buying a $600 rod when he came in the shop.
We
also sell lots of great mid-price US rods in the $300 range.
I spent 10 years in the general fishing tackle business(1965-1975) before
I
opened my fly shop(1975) so all this price point stuff is standard
retailing
for me.
Lots of anglers going on a $3000+ fishing trip will buy a high end Sage
rod
and then maybe a low end for a back up.
I think that a trend will be that the big name US rod companies like Sage
will have their low-medium priced rods made overseas (Redington
connection)
and then build their high end here.
You are right about the "no name" rod companies.
If you and I wanted to start a rod company, "Warren & Bill's Super Stiks",
all we have to do is contact a rod factory in Korea, Taiwan or China and
tell them what we want. This is happening. Anyone can do it with a little
money.
We have to be careful what rod companies we put in our shop because down
the
road, if the company is not here to warranty the rod, I have to make it
good
myself. This could get expensive.
--
Bill Kiene
Kiene's Fly Shop
Sacramento, CA, USA
www.kiene.com
"Warren" wrote in message
...
wrote...
Imported rods are getting cheaper and better too, but Sage still can't
produce enough new $600+ Xi2 rods to meet the current demand.
Do you think that the brand name could be causing some of that? I
would sooner trust a Sage than a unknown brand even though the
unknown brand may cast and look just as good. Not being able to try
the unknown brand or see them first hand causes me to have doubts and
might sway me enough to spend the $600+ for the Sage. Do you see fly
shops starting to carry more of these unknown rods in the future?
--
Warren
(use troutbum_mt (at) yahoo to reply via email)
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