Friday
Jan222010
Rent Fly Rods
Friday, January 22, 2010 at 12:00AM 
tagged fly fishing business in Business
fly fishing business in Business Friday, January 22, 2010 at 12:00AM 
Friday, January 22, 2010 at 12:00AM fly fishing business in Business
Reader Comments (12)
Thanks for posting my site graphic here on the Chum!
Rentflyrods.com, launching in Feb 2010 is an online rental store where fishermen can rent the gear they need, whether it is for the purpose of testing a rod before committing to a purchase, to replace a rod while it is being repaired, or so that they have a good rod for a once-in-a-lifetime fishing trip.
I developed this idea because, living in Montana, there is no one who carries 2 of the new Spey rods I wish to try, let alone rent them out. I have spent good money on buying a rod I've never used in the past, and I am not entirely happy with my purchases. I thought, "it would sure be nice if I could test out a rod inexpensively without buying it and reselling it if I don't like it." I searched the Internet to see if such a service exists, and I found nothing. So now, I am that guy.
Through emails with people who filled out a survey earlier in the month, I've since learned that some people are interested in an online fly-fishing equipment rental service simply because current flight travel conditions make transporting gear a pain in the rear. This inconvenience is compounded when a traveling fisherman leaves his home for an extended period to fish for multiple fish species in a variety of watersheds. Rather than haul a slew of rods on and off the plane, wouldn't it be nice to have your site-specific equipment waiting for you when you arrived, and you could simply return it by putting a label on it and dropping it in the mail?
If you have further questions, I'd be happy to field them. Thanks again for posting RentFlyRods.com on the Chum!
Tight Lines,
Ehren Wells
Owner, RentFlyRods.com
email: rentflyrods@gmail.com
Solid idea, Ehren.
I dig it.
Good luck.
Thank you
Great Idea
I've always had a hard time finding shops that will let me demo rods, and fly shops do not usually rent the higher quality rods that I am interested in buying. As a fellow Montanan, I feel your pain and I'm glad you went and did something about it for the rest of us.
Thanks, Collin. What I think that means is that the high-end rods are nearly as big an investment for the shop owner as it would be for your or I. I've bought vehicles for the price that some of the higher-end rods are going for, so I'm not surprised.
I wouldn't buy a car without giving it a test drive, and I wouldn't marry a woman I hadn't been intimate with, so why should I feel compelled to commit to a fly rod before finding out if it works for me?
By saying that, let me make it clear that I don't have a problem with pricing. That's not what this is about for me. New technology has and always will be relatively expensive. That's just how it is. But when it comes to advances in technology, I'm probably not the only one who feels the acceleration. Everywhere we look, things are constantly changing, seemingly faster and faster, and there's so much cool stuff out there. But a person can't have it all (and who would want to, really? Part of life should be about enjoying technology, not being daunted by it), so I feel it's more important than ever to make an informed decision when buying any new gear, fly rods or otherwise.
On that note, thanks again to MC for creating this post. These guys do a heckuva job promoting the sport in this information age.
I dig it. Bookmarked for when you get up and running. Good luck
Like the idea... book marked, signed up for the mailing list and ready to rent some high end gear....
this sounds pretty solid... I think your on to something here man! Good Luck. When you are up and going do you mind if I link you to our website??? This could be a cool service for our clients.
if nothing else you can make all your rod/reel purchases a business right off.
good luck
Wow! I can't believe all the positive feedback I'm getting.
WildRiverAngler, shoot me an email on that. I'm open to any and all networking.
Kris and AC, I look forward to having you check out the site when the storefront's up.
falbs, like they say, do what you love and love what you do!
Very interesting Ehren. I have sent you an e-mail. Did you recieve it?
Looks like this one failed to get liftoff. Too bad, since it was a pretty neat idea.