12.23.25 What advice would I give that kid today? ...

 

     While searching through my iCloud archives I found this old picture. It was probably taken by my Mom around 1979. I would have been 11, my brother 6, and my sister 2. That was 46 years ago. What a long, strange trip it's been. 

     The image shows us on the steps in our house in Millstone. My parents build that house in 1974 when Millstone was still old farms and there were no borders. It was a youth filled with fishing and motor and BMX bikes. From Millstone I would commute to Freehold for grammar school at St. Rose of Lima and then to Red Bank Catholic for high school. The later 45 mile one-way commute to school was a hum dinger, it basically sucked, and kept me out of loop of any circle of friends, at least for my first two years. 

     After my parents split my Mom moved to River Plaza which was good not only for my sleep but also for my social life. It was during the later part of my high school years that I developed a love of photography and got my first real job working at The Register, a daily newspaper, located in Shrewsbury. 

     After high school I headed off to Seton Hall to major in journalism. That lasted one semester, but not before I pledged Sigma Pi and met a Newark firefighter who invited me down to the firehouse. After about 10 minutes after walking in the front door I new what my calling was. I remember telling my Mom, and her reply was less than impressed because I had dreams of being a paleontologist when I was a kid, so this was just another career calling.

     I moved back home and joined the Middletown Fire Department while taking classes at Brookdale Community College, for why I don't know. But the funny thing is those few credits actually helped me in my later years. I had always worked for my father's construction company starting during the summers in high school and in 1987 I got my ironworkers union book as I developed a plan to test for the Newark Fire Department. 

     Part of that would include having to move to Newark to meet the residency requirement. I moved to Warren Street in Newark sharing an apartment with a bunch of guys. I remember the rent was $156 a month, for all of us. Sadly, right as I was moving in, the landlords and owners of the building were murdered on the third floor. But it was a good spot, one we kept for years until the family sold the building. It was close to work for me as most of my father's projects were in North Jersey, I was in Newark which met the residency requirement, and close to the physical exam practice center which was down in the Ironbound. 

     I was lucky to get on the Newark Fire Department. I was ranked #41 and they hired to #42. After my class they threw out the list because the U.S Justice Department didn't like the racial make-up of it after #42. But I was on, and those were the best years of my life. In addition to working at the NFD I was also working at University Hospital EMS which sparked the medical side of me which exists today. After a few years I was burned out and needed to do something other then EMT and BLS work. It was either become a paramedic, PA, or an RN. So I went to Essex County College and the rest is history.

     I left Newark and bought houses just about everywhere I landed. Verona, West Orange, Red Bank, Middletown, Ocean Township, back to Red Bank, and finally Titusville. After I retired from the fire department I went back to my original calling, chasing news as a photojournalist. I jumped back and forth working for the big papers spending most time putting in shifts for The New York Post doing everything I could to beat the other photographers, especially from The New York Daily News. I would go one to co-own a photo agency, Agency New Jersey, which supplied news images from around New Jersey. We even had an office on Press Row in the Statehouse. 

      When the newspaper industry went to shit in the last 2000's I made the move to my other passion, fly fishing. I started The Average Angler and soon thereafter got my NY State Guide license and Captain's license. But trying to be a full-time guide is hard, almost a delusion. Full-time meaning you don't have another source of income. No family fortune, no wife's income, no pension, just guiding 365 days a year. Well I can tell you giving talks to clubs for $150 a few times in January and February doesn't meet the monthly nut. Add to that the cost of doing business, and I realized I was just supporting a habit, not a family. People out there do it so maybe I just wasn't good enough. 

     Along the way there were three marriages and seven kids. For a guy who's goal in life was to never get divorced...well, there you go. Of course losing Ryan was a big hit. They say you never should have to bury a child. But really, that statement only is correct if you think only old folks die. While I cherish the memories of being a Dad when the kids were small, it's good to see them when they're rolling into adulthood. Now those kids are going on 21 through 34. To this point I'm not a Grandfather. That will be a first for me when and if it comes. 

     So during my mid-40's after realizing that guiding full-time was a pipe dream, I returned to nursing. Having that license, any license for that matter, is a life-long pass to earn a living. It's like having a trade, one thing I would recommend to most young folks out there today, both male and female. When I got back in my license was backed by my to-year degree from Essex County College. In order to grow I had to return to school. So between Felician, Monmouth, and a stint in Villanova Universities I made it through the start of my DNP. 

     I went from working as a psychiatric mental health nurse to a nurse practitioner and we opened up The Psychiatric Practitioner just before COVID hit. It was four years of a nightmare, not the helping people part, but trying to run a business. Let's just say we're not good at bookkeeping, and reports, and taxes. 

     Having a business in healthcare, to me, is like owning a boat. The happiest day is when you buy one, and the second is when you sell it. So I made the jump to teaching, and I returned to Essex County College, my home. For four years I did that commute. It killed me. Not only the commute but some kinky-flinky shit in the nursing department. So I made the jump down to Capital Health in Trenton. So far, so good, but it's no Essex. 

     So here I sit, nearly 58, in a big old house, with a big old truck, with a ... ... wife, kidding, and all the things that so many of us have. Too big a mortgage, school loans, car loans, the mounting monthly bills, and just going through the daily routines to remain "happy". I have seen my peers, from grammar school through the fire department and even nursing, make the move, retiring and moving, to enjoy the last years they have while they are viable. Waiting to retire and move is rolling the dice because you never know what your body or mind has in store for us. But it takes work, and guts, to make a big change. We tell our kids all the time, "Don't settle", but do we heed our own advice?

     Imagine a life, somewhere, where you live at or beneath your means. No big bills. No need to have others prepare you food several times a week because it does more for your mind and ego than your stomach. No need to remain sucked into social media or the politics and the bullshit that comes along with it. No daily routines of going to job you no longer like, or with people that aren't in your inner circle. Now the grass is always greener, of course, and one would have to be totally honest with themselves, and their partner, to end the insanity. And that's where a lot of people get stuck. Their decades-long partner isn't their ride or die. The risk is making the move, setting up shop, and realizing that you can stand that person only in the context of what you've shared together for years, not in creating something new. 

     So what would I tell that goof on the stairs? I really don't know. "Be happy", yeah that's easy. All of the mistakes and things I would take back today were done because I thought they would make me happy at that time. Hindsight is 20/20. Buy a house in these times? I might caution them on that. Get the hell out of New Jersey? Yeah, maybe, this state is not the same state I grew up in. Travel? I was never a traveler and the kids these days jump on planes like I jumped on the Parkway. Marriage? 

     What I would like to tell them is to not get a cell phone, stay off of social media, don't pick a side in every aspect of life, and to just "Be happy". I would tell him to always remember family, first, even before spouses and friends. In the end they're usually the ones standing next to you when life's shit hits the fan. In the end, and after I'm dead, they'll have their own story to tell, and different advice they'd would tell their younger self if they could. 

     This year I think my siblings and I will be together for Christmas and I'm going to make it a point to re-create that photo, just for old times sake. 

12.21.25 So where are the striped bass now?

 

     It's December 21st and, for the most part, striped bass fishing along New Jersey is just about done. There may be a school or two still making their way south down around the southern tip of New Jersey but most have moved on. While the annual spring and fall migrations may be predictable this year was an anomaly along the Jersey Shore. Yes, off the beaches the boat guys had early success, but the beach hugging migration and bait drawing in bass just didn't materialize. 

    Each year there's certain locations that are just go-to spots. Early on the staging areas before the spawning runs draw not only bass but anglers as well. Those can be near the three big spawning rivers, like those around the Chesapeake, Delaware, and Hudson Rivers. After that the move is north, up into New England during the summer months. In the fall it's Long Island and the Jersey Shore. And then in the winter it's in and outside of the Chesapeake Bay. 

     While the forums, social media, and tackle store postings and reports from New Jersey and parts north have been quiet, those down in the Chesapeake area are alive as that is where the bulk of the striped bass are now. It's winter for most, but those down in Maryland and Virginia are now into the end, or start, of their big fish catch and release season. 

     So what happens? Well, find the bait, and you'll find the bass. The bunker, what's left of them, both big and small, can be found from the entrance of the bay down near Cape Charles, Va, up to Kent Island near the Chesapeake Bay Bridge in Maryland. That's about 125 miles of a stretch. But it's go time down there.

      One such charter captain that pops up on my Facebook feeds is Jamie Clough of Eastern Shore Light Tackle Charters. I don't read him to try and figure out where he's fishing, but more to understand when and where the striped bass are. And again, while for most of us we're already waiting for spring, the anglers down there are in their glory when the weather cooperates. 

     Captain Clough is still reporting that the bass, with water temps around the mid-40's, are still active up top and finding bird action can alert anglers to where the fish are. 

     The bigger fish can be found down low, which would make fly fishing for them more difficult. But screen shots from the electronics show bait with bass in pursuit. Those types of 

conditions would call for dropping rubbers, jigs, and metal. I can say that trying to get a sinking line down into the strike zones at 40 plus feet, in the cold, isn't easy, and definitely not fun. But that's where the fish are.  

     Why are the striped bass in the CB? Again I'm no expert, but I would think it's spring pre-spawn staging. Yes, they're eating, probably fattening up before they become sluggish during the dead of winter, but their internal spawning clocks are ticking, and go-time for them to move into their natal rivers is only 90 days away. 

     Over the last few years I've ventured down in late February or early March to see if I could find some of those pre-spawn bass in the tributaries off the Chesapeake Bay. Some may say, "Leave them alone", but I can tell you an angler with a fly rod in waders poses no threat to those big female striped bass. With a half a dozen trips under my belt I can admit I haven't had a touch on my fly, which are usually larger herring type patterns. 

     But currently back in New Jersey there are some die-hards that are still fishing, and catching. Yes, there are still striped bass in and around New Jersey. You can find them in the deeper channels and tucked up in the back of the various bays. One such body of water that holds wintering over striped bass is the Barnegat Bay. I won't tell you where on the 75 square mile body of water they are, but it's pretty much well known. 

     Years ago the spot was the water that ran in and out, well mostly out, of the Oyster Creek. The Oyster Creek Generating Station was the first nuclear plant in the United States that opened up in 1969. I'm not scientist, but I think basically cold water came in one way and warm water came out the other. Water was used to cool the plant, and the discharge water was tens of degrees warmer than the waters of the Barnegat Bay. 

     With the back bays and rivers closed for targeting striped bass from January 1 through March 1 it was a place I would usually go to to start my fishing year. Like my trips to the Chesapeake, in the handful of times I visited Oyster Creek I came up blank. 

     The plant closed in 2018 so that late and early season fishery there shut down. Similar places like that were in Trenton and Jersey City. But parts of the Barnegat Bay still have those holdover bass. The fish below was caught this past week in one such spot. 

     I have fished that spot before and can tell you that on a right tide, with a longer fly rod cast, you can fish the drop-off where the bass are holding. But, if you go now, or after March 1st, of course in New Jersey, you'll have company, and lots of it, always. Find the bait, or the bass, in New Jersey, and you'll find some anglers. 

     Above is a pic from the same location on the same day the above fish was caught. It looks like the Salmon River or your local stockie trout stream on opening day. If you're still in the want of catching striped bass then you can get in line and fish right to left or left to right depending on the tide, or grab a buddy and head south to the Chesapeake Bay. If that is an option look up Captain Clough, he seems to be in the know and gets it done during the winter months. That's if you can handle to cold. You can find him on Facebook, HERE, or at (443) 786- 5266. 

12.19.25 Definitely not a fishing trip. well maybe just a bit...

     Over the past few weeks Lauren and I have been plotting out what we may do for Theresa's big 60th birthday coming up in January. It was a toss up between a smaller family gathering or a big shindig inviting everyone she knows. Then it was the venue, spend the money and have it somewhere else, or run around like a madman over the next month tying up unfinished projects so she's not embarrassed having people over in my ever evolving episode of This Old House. 

     Out of the blue she came to me and said, "Look, I can get a place (for a week) in Hilton Head around our birthdays for $400". Mmmmm. Hilton Head. Retirement destination. Warmer weather. REDFISH!! So after explaining to her what we were conjuring up she opted for a destination birthday celebration for her 60th and my 58th. No doubt one big reason she leaned to travel is to escape the cold, and the big old cold house we reside in. 

     January in Hilton Head, which is their winter season, is similar to our fall here in New Jersey. Water temps range from the 40-50's and the fish, mostly redfish, swim in larger schools and prefer warmer shallow creeks and mudflats. There's also big bulls reportedly off in the inshore waters but that would require a boat, so some type of charter for hire. For me that would mean 

reaching out to guide Marc Nutting of LoCo Fly Charters, above, who I've fished with before. But, this is NOT a fishing trip. I just need to keep reminding myself of that.

     But how can it NOT be a fishing trip. Marriot's Barony Beach Club is located on the beach and within a short drive to all kinds of creeks and channels, and that's where the fish like to 

prowl during the cooler, not cold, winter months. During our past trips we've stayed at Marriot's Harbor Point which is at Shelter Cove on Broad Creek. The two times we've went it was about 

1,000 degrees and while I put the time in I was only able to land a small, like real small, puppy drum. It wasn't until my friend Neil and I hired Marc to take us out did I find real good tailing reds 

and land a few respectable fish. That trip was one where you had to leave in the dark because by 9 am it was a million degrees and the fish were hunkered down trying to escape the heat. While my favorite way to fish for striped bass is sight fishing I have to say I might enjoy the way 

redfish act when in skinny water just a tad better. Tailing striped bass and bluefish? Yes, that happens from time to time, but it seems to be the go-to way redfish like to hunt and eat.

     I did some research browsing the internet looking to see how fishing in Hilton Head is in January. Of course the charter operations and guides talk of possible great fishing, not that they're lying, but I was looking more for the DIY take on things. 

     

     I read that smaller reds in the 2-12 pound range, fine by me, are typical in the creeks, the big reds are found 5-15 miles off the beach. What is appealing by not fishing when it's like Africa hot is the water quality and visibility. When I fished it was the high summer season and the water was full of algae type stuff and almost had a chalky appearance to it. They say the water during the winter months is gin clear which is better for sight fishing. 

     So it'll just be a few weeks before we either load up the car and head south or spend a few hundred for airplane tickets plus another couple of hundies for a rental car.  It's a brutal 11-1/2 

hour drive covering 745 miles. You think you're saving money by driving but when you add up the gas, tolls, meals, and the udder aggravation....it seems worth the money to sit like a sardine for the 2-1/2 hour flight. The ONLY problem is, what about my Orvis PRO waders? They're big and bulky and won't fit in a carry-on. Maybe I could just hold them as my personal item? 

    I'm thinking if we fly I'll just head over to WalMart and pick up a cheap pair of waders and then just leave them down there for next guy. Or I could just have them shipped to the Barony Resort. But if I go for the extra $80 bucks for a checked bag....alright left me stop. Remember...NOT a fishing trip.

     If I were smart I'd be looking at how to book a day for Theresa at Moor Day Spa in Hilton Head. She's been there before and I know would like to return. Well maybe not for a day but at least a couple of hours that could be a drop off and go fish day. 

     The only problem with that is these packages max out at about 2-1/2 hours, which is less than half a tide. At $400 plus that makes for an expensive and quick fishing outing. Maybe I'll just pick up a used foot bath at the local Goodwill and do her myself. 

     So with the semester ending yesterday and with a return to work date of January 23rd I have some time to figure this trip out. Drive or fly is the big decision, and I'm leaning to the later. Then it will be what gear I can take or not for some DIY'ing it around the island. I'll reach out to Chuck "Hyman" Manny since he spends a lot of time down on Hilton Head and is just as good a fisherman down there as he is here. And of course while we're there we'll hit Latitude

 Margaritaville where Theresa will no doubtedly tell me it's time to sell the house in New Jersey and head south. I can't imagine living in a house that's 100 months old rather than 100 years old. I can't imagine calling a place like below home. 

     It was June 30th, 2024 where we said we were on a two-year exodus plan from New Jersey. With about seven months from that prediction it looks like we might be dragging our feet a bit. Maybe the trip down in a few weeks will re-energize us and just take the big step of moving on before we get trapped here in New Jersey forever. 

      

12.19.25 Just an Orvis blog kind of week....

 

     After leaving the hospital yesterday I took a ride over to Orvis Princeton to pick up a projector I had left there following a presentation I did a few years back. The employees there are busy either selling stuff off or readying it to shipped back to Vermont, or piled up for the dumpster. 

     I felt sad as I entered the store. Not only is New Jersey losing its last Orvis store, but the entire Philadelphia region is losing their Orvis stores. The Plymouth Meeting, Haverford, and Downington stores didn't survive the chopping block are closing as well. That leaves a big gap in the remaining triangle formed by the remaining stores from Manhattan, to Pittsburgh, to Tysons Corner, just outside of Washington, DC. There's still authorized dealers around, but those are the remaining retail stores. 

     The bulk of the work of emptying the store is done. People have come and taken advantage of 60% off sales mostly in the clothing and apparel sections. They have also started to sell off the furniture and displays. If you're looking for some great tables there's a bunch there if you're interested.

     And in the fly fishing section there's some products still avialable to pick through. Most are marked full price but there's still some reduced priced items like flies, but they've been heavily picked through. The only item I was interested in was one of the wader made ottomans pictured above in the lower left corner. Not only is it just a cool piece, it's also something I had sat on 

trying on waders over the years, and something that we could use in front of our couch in the living room. So I loaded it up and brought it home.

     While there I spoke with Andrew and Bruce about all things Orvis. From the shuttered stores, to Shawn Combs heading over to Scott, to what the future may bring. They're confident Orvis will remain, but do see the possibility of being purchased by a big conglomerate like the Bass Pro Shop and its affiliates. They were less convinced of Fulling Mill making a purchase as Orvis' net worth is most likely greater than FM could afford. 

     When I sat down to write this blog I searched the internet for any new Orvis news. The only thing that popped up was Combs move over to Scott. But I did find something interesting coming out of Nevada. Who would have thought that Orvis was in the business of nursing education?

     What a perfect fit? Maybe I could become an Orvis Endorsed Nursing Professor? No, it's not your grandfathers Orvis, which was started in 1856. The Orvis School of Nursing was started 100 years later after a large gift from Arthur and Mae Zenke Orvis to the University of Nevada, Reno. 

     I did a quick genealogical search of Arthur Orvis, donator to the Orvis Nursing School, and Charles F. Orvis, the founder of the Orvis company. While they both were in the United States in the early 1900's there no family connection between the two. Charles F. Orvis was born in Vermont in 1827 and started Orvis in 1856. He died in 1912. 

     Orvis was sold to D.C. "Duckie" Corkran in 1939 and then to Leigh Perkins in 1965. Currently the company is lead by Leigh's grandson, Simon. So the big question is will Orvis continue to be owned by the Perkins family? Will another private owner come forward to take over the reigns or will it fall into the hands of a conglomerate of outdoor brands? 

     For now I just put my feet up on my new to me ottoman and watch and wait, hoping for the best for Orvis, it's ex and remains employees, and its loyal customers. 

12.17.25 And whatdaya know...

 

    Could the timing of yesterday's post been more spot on? So less then 12 hours after I wrote that prediction piece I came home from work to the news that Shawn Combs, one of the fly fishing industry's best fly rod and reel engineers, was leaving Orvis and taking the position of Vice President of Scott Rods. For those that follow industry news...this is more than huge. This would be like Derek Jeter leaving the Yankees for the Red Sox or Michael Jordan heading from the Chicago Bulls to the New York Knicks. 

     Combs came on board with Orvis and basically developed the entire line of Mirage reels and Helios rods, up to the current Helios line which is touted as "the most accurate fly rod in the world". 

     When the current Helios rod came out it was compared to other top of the line fly rods, like those cresting $1,000, like Scott's own Sector and GT Series. Don't be fooled into thinking that all these top of the fly line rod manufacturers play nice in the sandbox. It's big business, and having Combs at the helm and directing fly rod and reel design, well Scott only makes rods at the moment, is a game changer. 

     So Combs will be picking up his family in Vermont and heading out to Colorado. It's a life changer for him and his crew. I can tell by the industry buzz that's been created by this move that Scott is looking to not only continue it's 50 year run as a leader in fly rod manufacturing, but to other products as well. My bet is Scott will soon be offering high end fly reels to match their top of the line rods as well.

     And then there's Orvis. While this is a big move for Scott moving forward, at the same time it's a step backwards for Orvis. No it's not a move sideways or in another direction, it's another nail in the coffin that sits in Manchester Vermont, waiting to be buried. What this move does is really damper any consumer confidence in Orvis that may remain. Once this gets down to the consumer level the folks with money in their hands will second guess if the Helios or Mirage is for them. Uncertainty in a company leads to wary consumer spending. 

     And how does that wariness get around? Well one way is through social media. Each and every post I saw regarding Scotts news was followed by speculation of what is and will happen to Orvis. 

     

My prediction yesterday was that Orvis would be bought out by Fulling Mill, or maybe some kind of collaborative agreement between the two becoming one. I admitted yesterday I wasn't up on both companies financials, not even sure if Fulling Mill had the scratch in the bank to pull it off. But the above post presents a bigger and maybe a more financially accurate possibility of a takeover, Bass Pro Shops. 

     Well Bass Pro Shops isn't just Bass Pro Shops. In 2017 they joined forces with Cabela's under the parent company named The Great American Outdoors Group. In addition to BPS and Cabela's, TGAOG also owns the White River Marine Group which produces the Bass Tracker line of boats. You can see those at every BPS store, like the one below in Atlantic City. 

    

     BPS and Cabela's generated 8 billion dollars in sales in 2023 and have a net worth of $2.95 billion, surely enough to send a little up to the Perkin's family in Vermont. But why would TGAOG want to own Orvis? Their catalogues offer products from every fly rod and reel and gear manufacturer out there. They probably just drop ship orders without having to stock pile everything in strategically located warehouses. And what would the advantage be? Would the name on the rods go from Orvis to Bass Pro Shops? 

     But why this makes sense is because, as we've seen, smaller, let's just call Orvis small, companies being absorbed into larger conglomerates like the formed TGAOG. We've seen what the mess Simm's has become as they have changed owners like three times in the last five years, now part of the privately owned (Ha!) company called Strategic Value Partners. Yeah, put that name on the side of your waders. And with each of these acquisitions comes a knock on brand loyalty and confidence, no matter what the old but now new company tells you. 

     So in New Jersey we have the one BPS down in Atlantic City. There's going to be a second location which is nearing completion up in Sayreville. It's part of a 2.5 billion dollar project called Riverton, which is a new city comprised of residential and commercial buildings. 

     If you've traveled over the Driscoll Bridge on the Garden State Parkway it's over to the right if you're traveling south. While it's cool and all, it will put a big damper on the local fly, well there's none around, and tackle shops. Remember, we're not loyal anymore, and anglers could easily be drawn in by the Disneyland atmosphere a big BPS offers. But you know who's going to hate this the most.....the early spring run striped bass. Once considered a secret spot, the Raritan River will be piled up with boats sitting over piled up pre-spawn bass each spring. It will be a shit-show, but that's how we roll in New Jersey.

     BPS has over 200 retail stores that carries everything from fishing and hunting gear to boats. It is a one-stop shopping location for everything outdoors. While the fly fishing offerings are small compared to other types of angling, I could see an Orvis section that could be appealing to the fly fishing community. But, BPS makes its money offering everything, from their own line (White River) to just about everything else. Becoming brand specific and loyal, especially if consumer confidence is poor, could mean a risk at the register. If you don't know what I mean just look at their catalogs and on-line stores. 

     BPS currently offers Orvis products, as well as Sage and Simms, but not Scott, so it's not a stretch since that relationship with Orvis is already established. If BPS were to buy Orvis we could see a few things. Orvis would be "allowed" to continue with their brand but scaled down. It could return them to their fly fishing and wing shooting roots without all the extra "stuff" we have have seen them branch out into. Gone will be the dog beds, and clothes, and, sadly, the keeping up with the Joneses product development like we saw with Combs at the helm. They'll let the big guys, and the small guys, compete for the new rod and reel market share. But circling back, how many fly rods and reels does a fly angler need? And in these times there's no money left in the coffee jar for purchases like this. 

     Orvis could return to the Mother Ship in Manchester, well they already did that. The building could house a bare-bones staff of family and friends continuing what Charles Orvis started 150 years ago. The roots of the company were planted in catalogue sales offering great customer service. They could continue to do good things for the environment and people alike. Maybe focusing on the sport and community rather than product development and sales, that could be left to the others. But then what would really be left as far as the money making side of Orvis? Money making comes from customer confidence and satisfaction and sales at the register. Will the Orvis "experience" with schools, the affiliations with guides and outfitters, and the higher end destination trips be enough to carry Orvis through? 

     And then what about the whole Fulling Mill thing I predicted? Well, that could still be on the table. It could be a joint venture moving toward more of the entire fly fishing experience, scaled back from higher end products and more to the experience, which would include more in the DIY categories of fly tying and fishing. Do we, at least the larger percentage of anglers, need "the most accurate fly rod in the world", probably not. It could be a risky move for Fulling Mill, or the perfect marriage. 

     What would I like to see? Orvis stick around but dumb it down and keep it simple stupid. Offer regular guy and girl, like The Average Anglers, good products with good customer service, that doesn't include 100% satisfaction and return everything you've worn out or broke. Keep the teaching and learning and community going. That helps the industry keep people, especially the young and the new, connected which in turn builds product loyalty and sales. They should get away from trying to keep up and stay loyal to who they may have become, just a smaller 

company up in Vermont made of people who love the outdoors and fly fishing and hunting looking to continue what they started many years ago. It might even be time to let the other companies, like Frontiers or other travel companies, handle the bougie destination trips to far away lands. Hell, these days every Dick and Harry are doing hosted trips. And they should keep the idea of community going, or try and reestablish it. Get the blog going again, but not what it was, which was just borrowed content from other sites and creators. Tom Rosenbauer and Tim Flagler, or people like that, could be the face of the new Orvis. It would cater to just regular people who have some fly fishing money to spend from time to time. And remember if sold, for like like $500 million, the family wouldn't have to worry about making the monthly nut, while still staying in the game. 

     We've seen the drastic changes being made at Orvis which started a few years back. Now, with stores closing, layoffs and personnel changes continuing, and product lines being discontinued, it's either time to change altogether, or just go away. Some may say how do you make money without new products offered  every year and solely on the experience or community? Well, it can be easy, well doable. Go back in time, stop worrying about the other guys (companies), and give the people what they want, which is not always the latest and greatest and the cheapest prices. 

12.16.25 Just my prediction....

 

     With a disappointing fall run of the striped bass in the books in 2025 it's time to switch gears for most anglers and head into the holiday season and New Years before hitting the fly fishing show circuit. In addition it's also the time when most fly fishermen and women get reacquainted with their fly tying rooms and desks full of materials and stuff acquired over the year. And as far as those hard core anglers sticking it out in the now frigid cold weather to catch the last of the fall run? Well, "It's over Johnny". I see that just about all of the head boats have called it quits for the year this past week due to the weather and the lack of bass activity they've seen in the northern part of the state, although below points south of Atlantic City they still have the tail end of the run happening. 

     And with nothing to report fishing wise from me I'll start the process of finding suitable content and topics for the blog. Most are probably done hearing about nursing and my own episodes of "This Old House" from out here in Mercer County. I can say, like the fall run, that burning off lead paint and sanding and painting are done for the year. But, I still have work to do, and will share that from time to time. 

     I'm now moving operations inside where it's rebuilding due to a mix of water and insect damage that has occurred over the last 100 years. That will include more bad plaster repairs and painting, which will include going from latex to oil based paints. And then there's the hardwood floors, which need a few sections of boards replaced due to water and pet piss stains dating back to the 1940's.

     But I'm going to lead off with a prediction for my beloved Orvis. I'm an Orvis guy through and through. Yes over the years I've bitched and even distanced myself from time to time, but truth be told, I'm just down with them, and they've been good to me. 

     I reported the news earlier that Orvis was closing 31 retail stores and outlets across the country. Orvis' Princeton location is one of them. They have been in the process of selling off the store and packing up products to return to the Mother Ship or distribution centers. 

     CEO Simon Perkins has made several statements on why Orvis is restructuring their 150 + year old family owned business. I've said that all things we used to know have changed, which has included fly fishing. Yes, the beaches and fish migrations have changed, and there's new technological advances in fly rod and reel design, but fly fishing, in its simplicity, has remained the same. Tie on a fly, wave a stick around, and hope to catch a fish. 

     While you can cast blame on things like the economy, the way and when consumers buy, and the now, or more so, global involvement in everything we buy and use, it's the customer, the consumer, who has changed the game the most. Call them cheap if you will, but it's brand loyalty and commitment that has influenced the business end of the game the most. Fly fishing is a community, and that goes from fly shops like Tightlines in Parsippany, to mixed stores like The Saltwater Edge in Rhode Island, to the larger manufacturers like Orvis. We were loyal to the brick and mortar locations and to even the catalogue offerings from our favorite brands. They were an identity, a community.

     So what happened to Orvis. Well, besides the business end of things, they lost their loyalty to their customer base. It went from stuffy old white guys, like your Grandfather's Orvis, to trying to keep up with Joneses. They went from bamboo rods and fleece tipped vests to trucker hats and the PBR drinking kids to the what's politically correct in the moment crowd. I saw that firsthand going from the 1990's through the mess of our society a few years back. I even saw politics, in a way, 

cross into casting flies for trout and striped bass. And once you pick a movement, or a side, you risk losing your base. Now truth be told old guys die off and you have to attract new blood, but that new blood doesn't need, nor can afford, the latest new waders, rods, and reels. And they don't buy dog beds either. 

     I'm not in the know of all things retail when it comes to fly fishing and fly tying. We've seen companies that have been the staple of things morph into something else or fade into the distance. We used to have one-stop shopping but now things have become more streamlined and niche. Hareline had become a place to satiate the casual material needer as well as for the commercial tiers. But we all know good bucktail is hard to find and a place like BuzFly, or Brad Buzzi, is about the best source for that. 

     And then there's the flies. You can fill your boxes or fly wallets with homemade replicas of patterns from the greats, or stop by the local fly shop when you're on that trip of a lifetime, buy them at the shows, or order them online. While I know tiers, like those that fill orders for 1,000 dozen per year, we know most of the flies we buy are tied by people from overseas, and sold under such and such brand, like Orvis. One such powerhouse of tied flies, hooks, and materials, is a company called Fulling Mill. I saw Orvis make the change at the retail level when the packing went from Hareline to Fulling Mill. 

     I don't know the entire FM story but it started in the 1930's with some guy who was a rugby player who got hurt. It was an overseas company who came to America, like brick and mortar, in 2005, mostly to feed Orvis which was one of their biggest accounts. They set up shop in New Hampshire, just a state over from Orvis which is in Vermont. Orvis headquarters was in Sunderland, which went up for sale, and is now in Manchester, where it all started.

    You know all those flies you bungle up when you try and tie them? Well for companies like Fulling Mill they have an army of will-never-see-the-Upper Delaware tiers who crank out flies for a living. While we have heard of the fly tying mills operating in third world countries, companies like Fulling Mill are proud that their employees, not contractors, are paid living wages, with benefits and even a pension. 

     Basically flies are tied for them are tied in Kenya or Sri Lanka and shipped around the world, including to Vermont, for Orvis. It's probably all done due to the cost of doing business. Cheaper labor doesn't mean sweat shop conditions. While I would love to see those fly ting factories here in the United States, I just can't imagine them paying someone $65,000 a year with medical benefits, PTO, and a 401K. So I guess everyone wins. It's just part of doing fly tying business.

     While Fulling Mill may be a behind the scenes powerhouse what they don't have, in my opinion, is a relatable brand, at least at this point. There's no face of, say Orvis, like with Tom Rosenbauer, who I can't believe is still doing it, and hasn't retired yet. Or a face like Blane Chocklett from the Chocklett Factory. He's was on a tear with his flies starting with the Gummy Minnow now through the articulated line of Game Changer flies. Without a face it's hard to build a brand, and a community. 

     But then last week I saw the above post from FM featuring Tom Rosenbauer, and it piqued my interest. Yes those two companies have had a twenty plus year relationship, but why Tom now? Rosenbauer and Orvis are geniuses. His face is synonymous with Orvis. If you trust Tom, then you trust Orvis. I hope he's made millions with them because no one employee has probably sold more books, rods, reels, flies, and gear than Tom. I also hope he has a great pension and is enrolled in the fly of the month club for life, kind of like the old Jelly Of the Month Clubs. 

     I also saw Tim Flagler, who is famous for his tying videos and talks, pop up on the Fulling Mill posts as of late. Yet another face we trust, one that Orvis has embraced. George Daniel is another face showing up, a face that Orvis tried to pimp out, but I don't think had the relatability that the others did. So add Tim and George to the "new" faces of Fulling Mill. 

     Powerhouse shops, like TCO below, are showing Fulling Mill products on their internet sites as well. While they're had a relationship for years, I now see their name going side by side with they products. 

     And why would that be? I think the idea is to try and build name recognition, even though they've been around for nearly 100 years. "Hey, that's all of our stuff you're buying", they are finally saying. They not only want the cash, but the name recognition as well. It's business, and to increase your business and stake in the fly fishing industry, you have to grow, and be seen.

     So now back to Orvis. Are they done? Well as we knew them? Yes they are. Will they still cater to the who's left rich old white guy crew? Absolutely. Trips to exotic lands, endorsed lodges, outfitters, guides and fly shops, of course. Still have an online presence and "shop", sure. But what they need is an influx of money, and that maybe where Fulling Mill comes in, and why we're seeing the hemorrhage and restructuring of what we used to know Orvis to be. Their Orvis News blog, and the community that followed, is gone, gone with the coveted catalogues we used to receive each year. Gone, well soon, are a lot of the retail stores and outlets. It's almost like Orvis is trying to paint the house and make it ready for the big sale, or at least, a newly formed company.

     Companies that are preparing for sale do certain things. Streamline their companies and tie up all the loose ends getting rid of things that are causing revenue hemmorhage, like dog beds and clothing. Getting rid of cash starved and expensive things like retail stores and outlets. Reducing the costs, like stopping the catalogues and not going all in at the retail shows, and putting their efforts in things that keep them in the black. Changing return policies from the "100%" satisfaction return, like with waders that are 20 years old, to a more customer responsible return policy. And lastly, lowering the costs of running the ship, which sadly means reducing the Orvis workforce though layoffs and buyouts. That'll make the company, at least appear, more financially stable for a new buyer. 

     I believe Orvis wants to remain in the game. They could allow themselves to be bought by one of those hedge fund assets manger conglomerates like Blackstone. They could also just allow themselves to be merged into one of the giant outdoor retail companies, which we've seen like with Simms, but risk losing their identity, and their base. Or, they could align themselves with a like-minded company, with several familiar faces as their brand spokesmen and women, and let the new games begin. 

     I don't know Fulling Mills financials. I'm sure Orvis is worth a billion dollars on paper. But what I'm seeing as of late just made me think and arrive at this prediction. Orvis and Fulling Mill will become one, somehow. I think I'll get a better handle on my thinking at this years The Fly Fishing Show. After a few years off, with Covid being an easy reason to pull back 

from the shows, Orvis made an appearance in Edison. It wasn't their usual big display, but just enough, with Tom Rosenbauer manning the booth, to have a foot in the show.  

     This year Orvis will be at three of TFFS's, Edison, Denver, and Pleasanton. If you see Fulling Mill showcased inside the booths walls then you know something is in the works. Let's be honest, there's nothing new product wise being announced this year. The Mirage reels are running as are the Helios line of rods. But an industry shocking announcement that Orvis and Fulling Mill are teaming up might be an industry shocker. 

     In the end they want your money, any way they can get it. That's business and that's businesses competing for market share. While the profit margins of selling flies may not be equal to a $1,000 fly rod they add up, and they don't take up the same amount of room as waders do in the distribution warehouse. In the meantime, if this goes down, Orvis will continue to clean up the house and the Kenyans and Sri Lankans will continue to crank out flies. 

We'll see where this goes. But remember you read it first here.