By GEORGE LISET
WRITING ON THE FLY

    It is that time of year when visions of new fly fishing tackle dance through most fly fishers heads.

 The first warning signs of the pending Christmas season for the fly fisher is all the fly fishing catalogs arriving in the mail. The catalogs arrive early.

I have a stack of them that I thumb through each evening, trying to decide which item I may need for the coming season. Then there are the items I want, which are usually more expensive. I usually need new fly lines, leaders and tippets. The boring stuff. I want the latest fly reel or fly rod.

    I have found that once you get on the mailing list, you get on all the lists. Sometimes that can be good, other times not so much. I have received catalogs for men’s clothing from Orvis, L.L. Bean and Vermont Country Store.

 I am glad my reputation has gone international. I love the six hundred dollar barn jackets and the one hundred dollar jeans. I’m sure I would cut a dashing figure on the river, but I don’t think they would help me catch fish. I am sure I would feel alot better about not catching fish if I did wear them.

    I could hang around the covered bridges up in North Conway and get my picture taken by tourists. I might even get on a catalog or a calendar and take my career to the next level. Then there are movies. “A River Runs Through It” part II with me and Redford. Bob and I, I can call him Bob because we are working together, will fish the Saco or the Androscoggin in between sets. The possibilities are endless. Not only do you get catalogs, but you get email blasts about Black Friday sales that go through Christmas.

    I always check them out just in case, but they usually never have fly fishing tackle or equipment on sale. This last summer, during the height of the tourist season, I visited the Orvis flagship store in Manchester, Vermont. When I pulled in I thought they were closed. There wasn’t a car in the parking lot. I almost left until I saw someone go in the front door. After entering I headed to the fly fishing department to talk to the clerk. I asked where all the customers were. The clerk replied that since COVID, ninety percent of their sales were from online orders. I then asked why they don’t put their fly fishing tackle on sale. The clerk replied that it wouldn’t be fair to their retailers who carried Orvis. They didn’t want to undercut them.

    I recently made a trip to a local fly fishing shop. I like to do that to talk to the sales rep about new equipment. You can get some good info if you take the time to ask questions. I was looking at a nice fly reel when the clerk asked me to look at another reel about half the price. Then the clerk shared with me that the same company made both reels and that they were comparable, just the appearance was different. I liked it so much I went back and got one for my son for under the tree.

    Christmas shopping for your fly fisher can be difficult since most are particular about their equipment. However, you can surprise them every once in a while. I had gone into a local fly shop to look for a specific rod to be told there were none available. A few days later the shop called to tell me they had found one. I wasn’t home and my wife answered the phone. Needless to say I was pleasantly surprised that Christmas and my wife was ecstatic that she could surprise me.

    Gift cards and cash are always good. Your fly fisher can take advantage of any New Year sales when shops swap out the old stock and bring in the new. If you are at a loss for gift ideas, there is always the barn jacket, but get the green one because I’m getting the blue one.

 George Liset of Dover is an award-winning outdoor writer and avid fly fisherman who shares insights of his time on the water exploring New Hampshire streams and rivers as well of those around New England. George is a graduate of Wheaton College, Illinois, and the University of New Hampshire. His column Writing on the Fly has been honored by the New England Press Association and the New Hampshire Press Association.