American express

Wednesday, 30 June 2010 15:32

I, for one, am very excited about the show. I will be attending for the first time along with group editor Nick Marlow. While I may have met many of our American friends out at other shows this will be the first time I’ve sampled the buoyant and lively US sportfishing market at first hand.

I think it’s important that one of the biggest economies in the world has a fishing industry that represents the diversity of the country. The market’s range is vast, from huge, globally recognised names like Simms through to much smaller, family-run operations like fly tyers Wapsi (featured on page 46). All of these firms share one thing that, from my experience, is what sets US companies apart from others: passion for the sport.

I’m not saying other countries don’t care about fishing, of course they do. It’s our livelihood and our love in life. But in America all companies seem to share a camaraderie to protect and improve fishing for generations to come. See you stateside.