|
Ok gang, here we are. Let's take a look at fly fishing
in relation to the economy and the world situation and
where we go from here. It is not all bad!
There is no secret the economy has been dropping for some
time and for a variety of reasons. This has also affected
fly fishing, from the manufacturers to the dealers to the
fishing destinations. September the eleventh made everything
even worse. The surprising facts are this. Most manufacturers
are on line with the predictions made the year before. True,
they may not have predicted a banner year for 2001, but some
are actually a bit ahead of forecasts.
If you have been paying some attention you probably realize
there are more folks using the 'Bulletin Board' here on Fly
Anglers OnLine. Those who frequent the 'Chat Room' see more
guests each and every evening as well, and many of the names
may be familiar. It seems large numbers are joining us for
whatever their reasons. Wonderful! Our readership has
skyrocketed and our sponsors are delighted. We have
installed the newest and fastest equipment we could
find to make your time on here even better. Thanks to
all of you who have made this possible.
The companies (sponsors) who actually support FAOL are with
us, and in a big way. Most have repeated for the coming year
and we are welcoming many, many new ones. Sure, they
support us so they can hopefully sell stuff. I can't fault
them for that. But, I know these guys personally and am
glad to say they recognize that as FAOL builds and upgrades
fly fishers, in turn these same fly fishers will need to
buy gear. They make a living and you get nice things to
fly fish with. Works for me.
The other reason they support us is a philanthropic one.
They fly fish too. And pick up trash, and re-cycle, and
try to educate the general public on the ethics of ecology
and all the other things we all do in the regular course
of our sport. In short, they are the 'good guys.' FAOL is
proud to have them on our side and we work as hard as we
can to do the very best job for them possible. Often they
will notify us of a new product and let us be the
first one to announce it to the world. We try to tip you
off when this happens but that is not always possible.
The list of sponsors on FAOL has grown tremendously, it
would take you a full evening to check out all of the pages.
But, if you do not, you will miss much. To check each out
is a bit like going into a brand new fly shop; you will
find many new things. We are able to bring products to
you instantly due to the speed of the Internet over
other media. The sponsors know this and are happy to oblige.
We are glad they do. We hope you are too.
When you have a product in mind, try to check out these guys.
At least take a look at the information they offer on our
pages, and even go from FAOL to their web sites for even
more details. When possible let them know you saw things
on here, they like to hear that, so do we. Even if you buy
your things from a fly shop or elsewhere, drop an email or
phone call and let them know at least you appreciate their
support of FAOL.
Remember, it is their financial involvement alone which makes
this site possible. We seem to have been thrust into a premier
position in the arena of fly-fishing web sites. We will
continue, with your involvement and support to live up
to your expectations.
If you have the time, take a look at the list now, here it
is. Sponsors Page
~ James Castwell
|
