Just got an email from that Humongous Fish Pro Shop announcing free tying classes…:rolleyes:
ok folks what is the catch here…
anyone know the real M.O?
Plunker,
I don’t know about the one in Alabama, but the one here in Phoenix does it quite often.
I know some of the tyers who demonstrate/teach there. The way I understand it, the fly tyer’s group or association, whatever, arranges things with the Bass Pro Shop folks and BPS lets them do their thing in the store.
The tyer’s group gets exposure to the crowds that come through the shop, allowing them to cultivate some new members and/or sell some classes. The store does a good deed, builds some good will, and some of the guys might just spend some money with them…
Kind of a win-win thing for everyone involved.
Buddy
The Bass Pro in Portage has been having fly tying night on Tueadays for at least a year now. Great time and free coffee
I’m going to check it out…at the very least I’ll get to meet some local folks, and maybe find some new fishin buddies.
I was just wondering if it was going to be like a timeshare presentation where I would have to listen to a Billy Mays type sell me the latest and greatest fly tying equipment ever!!! “BUT WAIT! THERE’S MORE, act now and we’ll let you buy those Olive Wooly Buggers You just tied for $19.95 + S&H”
Still believe there must be a catch…and If they want me to buy material’s from them, they might consider carrying more than a few Marabou feathers once and a while…Not a fan o’ Bass-Mart or any big box type store for that matter IMHO
The only catch might be that they’re judging interest in fly tying by the number of people who show up, which may influence how many materials they stock in that particular store. I’m not a huge fan of BP, but there’s one five minutes from where I work, and it’s like Ralph’s Pretty Good Grocery – if I can’t find it there, I can probably get along without it.
At the one near me, the tying instruction is pretty rudimentary, just enough to get you started.
The Alaska Fly Fishers has a monthly tying clinic and we will provide everything anyone might need to learn with. You will get to learn from extremely skilled tyers and accomplished teachers. Your experience can be at any level and we will provide some one to go to the next step or new direction.
We also have free coffee, but add juice, cookies and usually donuts! 
Oh, and we give door prizes out every hour.
That said, someone on the board went to the Sportsmans Wierdhouse free tying class and they were told we had classes but did not have enough equipment to teach on! We have tons of stuff!
art
This sounds like a “free” airplane ride I got a few years ago in a rather sporty homebuilt. Nobody charged me a nickel for that ride and I still grin when I think about doing my first roll…but that ride wasn’t free. My Piper Cherokee wasn’t enough any more and it got me building my own plane. So far that “free ride” has set me back almost 60k and I am still a year away and perhaps 10k from finishing the project. On the other hand, in another year I’ll be able to reach most of Virginia in under an hour and about 1/3 of the country in less than a day. The plane will have a dedicated fly rod carrier and I suspect my retired motto will be “Have rod, will travel”.
The real M.O. of free lessons? I may be a cynic but they want you to take up fly tying and buy tools and materials, in my opinion. Hopefully they’ll do it with more fore thought than our local Gander Mountain. They had a clinic on how to tie poppers but peculiarly they didn’t sell kink-shank hooks or cork bodies or any of the glue and paint that the instructor used. So while they got me to take of tying poppers they’ve lost every nickel I’ve spent doing it.
Greybeard
Our local Bass Pro (Dania Beach, FL) has offered classes for at least 6 years. Free casting classes as well (from FFF certified instructors).
Charlie Richter & a local guide taught the couple of classes I took. Some of my friends from our fly fishing club are the instructors now. All are long time, accomplished tyers who know the local waters. They have free reign to teach whatever patterns they want - even those requiring materials they don’t sell at the shop. And I’ve never heard them push any product.
Not sure if all of the BPS’ are like this or if it’s unique to our local one though. Never been to the Miami or Ft. Myers stores to compare.
Our Bass Pro Shop here in Olathe has free fly tying classes.
They also let our fly tying therapy group set up and tie each Thursday night in their store.
My guess is that the only catch is you’re a kid in a huge candy store being tempted by all the goodies. I would imagine most people who show up for the class make some impulse purchase while at the store.
It’s actually a good way to get people into the shop.
Jeff
Well sure, there is that. 
Exactly. You go in tye, and need material…you are ALREADY THERE…you see all the goodies, you leave with a few, everybody is happy. 
Any place that is in business to sell merchandise does want you to buy something or else they wouldn’t be in business for long. I don’t think they’re being sneaky about it, go tie some flies, buy a few materials (from them) and start enjoying a lifelong activity. On the flip side to the big box story, if you really enjoy tying I’ll be willing to bet that in a very short time you start checking out your local fly shops for materials and they’re not going to care where you first learned to tie. It certainly couldn’t hurt the flyfishing industry as a whole, if BPS gets a few thousand people interested in tying.
Glenn
We have had our marketing lesson; creating a demand for the products that you sell. BPS in Atlanta is really sneaky they have reports around and seminars on places you are apt to lose the flies they have taught you to make from the products purchased from them. They have tapes and books you can buy to improve your skill, which will point out that 8 ft. 7 wt. is too long and heavy for mountain streams so they sell you a 6 1/2 ft. 4 wt.
Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and make flies and he will feed you for a lifetime.
On a related note, out BPS actually recommends the local fly shops for a bunch of stuff. Then again, everybody who works there is a day in/day out fly fisherman. A few years ago they were all local guides but then management got away from hiring guides. Seems they would “call in sick” a lot.
We’ve made many phone calls to try and talk to someone in advertising/marketing at Bass Pro with the idea of having them as a Sponsor here. Never been able to break through the screening secretaries. Anyone have a real name or phone number for management?
Our local Bass Pro in Harrisburg has done Thurday night tying lessons since they opened. Bobby Clouser is the fly shop manager and usually gives the instructions.
I hope I don’t get Flamed for saying this…but I wonder how much it would cost you (FAOL) to get BPS to be a sponsor…fine Paragon of Alturism that they are?:rolleyes:
There I go having an opinion again!:shock: