Floating Lines

First, I wanted to let Granholm know that I will not stop eating meat and it was a pretty crappy thing to do to tell us to eat fruits and veggies when Michigan fruits and veggies are currently out of season.  So, not only did you hurt the meat and beef producers but you also boosted South American grown greens.  Nice work gov!

Second, don’t mess with fishing.  I don’t care if the ESPN story is true or false.  I don’t want anybody messing with fishing and I do think that the current administration is crazy enough to try.  It seems we are doing everything by executive order and that my friends is a very dangerous path to be going down.  Nobody seems to understand that the founders saw all of this coming; that is why the designed the system the way that they did.

OK enough about the current threats to my steak and my fishing.

The Cedar Sweeper marches on.  I will soon be in the throws of putting together the short fiction issue.  I am still looking for submissions.  A great little tale of 2500 words should do the trick so don’t forget to get in those submissions.

I will be making some updates to the site shortly:

• I need to fix the poll on the Michigan Fishing Facts Top 5.

• I will be adding an updated advertising sheet with buy now buttons for the various size ads.

• I will add a page for retailer, fly shops and the like, in case they want to carry TCS in their shops.

Lastly, I was able to catch the much anticipated (at least by me) debut of Justified on FX.  It was worth the wait and I officially declare Raylan Givens a bad-ass and real man.  I breath of fresh man in an increasingly man-less world.  He likes guns, drinks homebrew, and doesn’t take any shit.  He is flawed sure … but aren’t we all.

Thanks for dropping by.

We are fresh back from the Midwest Fly Fishing Expo 2010.  We met a lot of nice people who stopped by the booth and talked with us about the magazine and fly fishing.  Thanks to everyone for dropping by and taking the time.  Also a special thanks to Chris Therssen, Joel Tomaszewski, and especially my wife for helping out and putting up with me and my crazy dream of a fly fishing magazine. 

We sold some copies and a few subscriptions and had some real interest in the magazine and in ads that were a little larger than I had anticipated.  That is a good thing though and a good problem to have. 

I had a chance to walk around the show and saw some pretty neat trinkets for the fly fisherman.  There were rods, boots, outerwear, gadgets, shirts, decals, boats, and generally all the truck that goes along with fly fishing. 

We got to meet Jim DuFresne of Twelve Classic Trout Streams in Michigan Fame.  Jim is a really nice guy and the classic trout streams book is a good one.  Thanks to Jim for being such a nice, down to earth guy.  We also had the honor of meeting the great Dave Hughes.  Dave has written numerous books and they were lined up early and long to secure his signature and chat with him.  He took a moment just before the show ended to read through and issue of The Cedar Sweeper and talk to us about the magazine.  Joel snagged a couple of shots of Dave and Chris Therssen together that we will get up at the site very soon.  Again, another good guy who came all of the way in from Oregon and took the time to chat with us young upstarts.  Thanks Dave.  We were able to hello to a few other authors like Joe Humphreys, Ron Barch, and Ron Reinhold. 

We had the pleasure of meeting some folks from various fly shops like Jeff Gardner over at Old Au Sable.  And the usual suspects like Wayne Snyder and Shawn Chalker from over at White River dropped by.  We were also able to meet some folks like “Bear” Andrews.  I also shouldn’t forget John from The Fly Fishing Christian, he gave us a great plug in his blog that you can check out here.  It was great to finally meet John and he is a very good guy.  These were all super nice people and it was a real pleasure to meet them.  Again, thanks to everybody for dropping by.

Now we start the work of doing some follow ups from the show and diving right into the fishing season and the first special issue.  By the way we are still seeking some submissions for the first ever short fiction issue.  We would probably need about two more pieces to help round things out. 

The weather is warm here and will remain that way for the rest of the week.  It turns colder this coming Sunday and Monday though and we will get a little taste of real springtime in Michigan. 

Thanks again to everybody who stopped by the booth, bought an issue, subscribed, or just said hello.  It means the world to us and it will help The Cedar Sweeper to continue for the foreseeable future. 

I will be migrating over to White River tomorrow to see Wayne and the guys there and hope to drop off a few copies of the latest issue.  So, be sure to keep your eyes open the next time you are in the shop and ask for Michigan’s Premier Fly Fishing Magazine by name  … just say, “Cedar Sweeper Me ASAP!”.  It is sort of like asking for an ice cold PBR. 

We can’t wait for what this season holds!

The March/April issue is now available and there is exciting news to pass along to all the TCS faithful. 

We have a new, wonderful, low subscription price ……. $19.00 !!!

Now, you may be wondering; “What has changed”?  Well, thanks to a great bulk discount from the printer and very frequent sale prices for publishers we were able to make an adjustment.  We are doing are part though as well by picking up all of the mailing cost.  The net result is $11.00 off the old subscription price and almost 50% off of what you would pay if you bought 8 issues at the cover price. 

We know that times have been tough and money tight.  We are just a bunch of working and fishing stiffs too and we hope that this will make a difference.  We want you to make The Cedar Sweeper your choice for Michigan fly fishing information and entertainment. 

We are gearing up for the Midwest Fly Fishing Expo.  We will have single issue copies of The Cedar Sweeper available for just $2.40, 37% off the cover price.  We will have the lap top running if you would like to subscribe at the site for the great new rate of $19.00, we will have a one page media and advertising kit available with our simple advertising plan and new great rates, and you can always pick up one of our decals while supplies last. 

We can’t wait to get to the show and spend some time talking fly fishing with everyone. 

Don’t forget about the upcoming special issue, Short Fiction and Photography.

I am also playing with the site to see if video might be possible in the very near future. 

Thanks for dropping by. 

Its time to post and update and let everyone know that we are still out there, alive, and kicking.

The March/April issue is complete and available at the MagCloud site.  The updates at the TCS site will follow very soon.  I have ordered copies for the upcoming Midwest Fly Fishing Expo and we are now in full expo mode at TCS.

Here is what to look for:

• Site updates are lagging a little because I am working on getting as much cost as I can out of the subscription price.  The printer has made some changes and with the increased interest in the magazine, I think that we can bring the price down significantly.  Stay tuned to the site and here at the blog for details.

• We will also offer a mailer (postcard) with the same subscription rate for those that wish to subscribe via traditional US mail.

• We will have a limited number of copies available, for sale at the expo at a discounted rate for the show.  We will not be giving copies away as we have done at the precious events we participated in.

• There will be a TCS media kit available for potential advertisers.  We will outline the numbers and the advantages of the simple ad plan that we offer and a discounted advertising rate for the show.

• We will have a limited number of TCS decals to hand out so be sure to ask for one when you stop by the booth at the show.

• The show organizers have confirmed that WiFi will be available.  We will have a laptop up cycling some TCS images (mostly Joel Tomaszewski’s work) and the TCS site buy now button should be available for electronic subscriptions.

• We will have the tying vise set up and will put Chris Therssen to work on Sunday.

• Our friends at White River Fly Shop (Wayne Snyder) have provided a limited number of White River Fly Shop Newsletters.  So, be sure to grab one so that you can get updated on the activities at the shop.

And most importantly  …. be sure to stop in and say hello at our booth.  We look forward to seeing and talking to each and everyone of you!! 

I also want to take a moment and remind everyone about the upcoming special issue.  Fly Fishing Short Fiction and Photography.  We are looking for submissions for this issue that should be out sometime in late April or early May.  If you have a story to tell The Cedar Sweeper is the place to tell it.

Thanks for dropping by and we look forward to hearing from you here or at the site and seeing everyone at the show.

I mentioned last post that we had a great time over at The White River Fly Shop on Saturday and even got a few photos posted.  Thanks to Wayne Snyder for the pics.  I like to get questions and talk things over with folks and we are starting to get a few now.  Here were three questions from the day that I liked and some feedback.

Question #1 -  If you were just starting out how would you approach the sport to determine if you liked it?

Well, I wouldn’t spend a lot of money.  I would borrow gear from somebody or go fishing with somebody that was willing to take you fly fishing.  If I had to go it alone I would buy one of the nice ready to use outfits that are available now days and go to a lake with some poppers.  You can practice your casting and find out what it feels like to fight a fish on a fly rod.  You might even get into a nice bass on top and there should be plenty of action to keep you busy if you go during the right time of the year.  If I liked it I would then spring for more equipment and even some more expensive equipment if I could afford it.  However, I use middle priced gear and find that it serves my purpose just find.  If I fished more I would probably upgrade as usage is a big factor and the gear would need to hold up to more fishing trips over a shorter range of time.  If you talk to guys like Wayne and Shawn over at White River they will probably tell you the same thing.

Question #2 - What about the Clinton  … does it really hold steelhead what about fly line?

The Clinton really is a great steelhead river and would see a better return of fish if they didn’t have to run the gauntlet out in Lake St. Clair and Erie.  The stretch between Ryan Rd. and Yates is classic water with gravel mixed with deeper holes and lumber.  So, the fish have a place to spawn and to stage for that activity.

Line selection really depends on the rig you are going to fish.  Duck and Chuck rigs require a running or shooting line (amnesia or zip) this will reduce the belly and get the fly down quicker.  An indicator rig will require a floating line.  I would go with a double taper as our casts are nice and short in Michigan and you can turn it around when it gets worn out on one end.

Question #3 - Who handles printing of The Cedar Sweeper.

We utilize Magcloud (an HP beta project) to help minimize cost and unused copies.  I have done some further research and found that nobody can beat the cost.  The down side is that it is printed in California and that adds to the lead time.  The upside is we get a great magazine at a fantastic cost.  A nice gentleman let me know that HP is using Indigo technology to print the copies and I must say the Indigo is doing a fine job.  If you couple the print quality with the upgraded paper you get some bathroom reading material.

We got a few more questions then we did last time around and all in all we did a better job of answering them.  We can’t wait to get out and see everybody at the Midwest Fly Fishing Expo!

Thanks for dropping by.

We had a great time at White River Fly Shop on February 20th.  We met some really nice people again and got to take in a great fly fishing for steelhead seminar.  Wayne and the guys at the shop were great hosts as usual and hopefully we are starting to spread the message about The Cedar Sweeper.  Wayne has some promo copies that he will pass along if you are serious about your fly fishing and might want to subscribe.  We also just posted a special subscription rate in honor of our recent visit.  We dropped the subscription rate from $30 to $25.  The offer is only good until this Friday to take advantage of it while you can. 

We made it out onto the ice yesterday for what is probably our last ice fishing trip of the year.  We loaded up our gear and the dog (Wesson the best fish dog in the world) and headed to a buddies place to access a lake.  Well, we forgot the bait and got lost and ended up on White Lake.  Chris Therssen missed a great opportunity at a really big fish and I landed two very small perch.  This ice fishing season has been a bust for us but damned if we didn’t have a great time each time out.  We will not be cheated!

The next issue of The Cedar Sweeper is coming along very nicely and we should have that in place for the upcoming midwest fly fishing expo.  I can’t wait.  

We just got dumped on with some snow but we did get a report of fresh steel in the Clinton; so I look to kick off my fly rod season very shortly.  I have a vacation day to burn and things are looking up.  The Tigers got Damon, the weather is starting to turn, and there will be fishing. 

Thanks for dropping by. 

We will be at the White River Fly shop in Auburn Hills, Michigan tomorrow from 2-4 PM to sponsor their Fly Fishing for Steelhead seminar.  So, be sure to stop in and say hello and soak up some of the knowledge that Wayne and the crew at White River are offering up.

We’ll have some munchies on hand and some hot coffee to sip on while we talk steelhead, fly fishing, the magazine, photography and anything else that tickles you.  Joel will be along if you want to chat him up about his mad photo skills.

I am hard at work putting together the Mar/Apr issue.  It should be done for he upcoming midwest fly fishing expo on March 13 and 14.  We are going to bring a little attitude to the table this time around; not much but just enough to let you know we are serious.  I can’t wait to show everybody the magazine at the expo and talk with all the great fly fishermen in our area.  We have had so much fun meeting and talking with everyone to this point!

There is the outside chance that we will hit the ice on Sunday.  I will post a short report about it if we do.

It seems like winter is loosening its grip.  The Tiger pitchers and catchers reported today and spring is surely in the air.  That means that great fishing can’t be far behind.  Now, I am looking forward to that first shirt sleeve day when I can ride to the water with the windows down and the Tigers on the radio.  I can unlimber a rod, make a respectable cast, and catch a fish.  I can smell the woods and the water as I write this and if I am lucky; I will be able to smell fish on my hands.

Thanks for dropping by.

The guys on the BBT forum are going to make me eat my words.  It turns out that a forum post really isn’t the best place or way to get a feel for real people.  There is no inflection …. no real soul.  They have been supper nice in asking about The Cedar Sweeper and as I have predicted here before (about taking time for people to find out who we are) a lot of folks just don’t know that we exist.  I sense that is starting to change though and what an exciting time to be headed to the Midwest Fly Fishing expo with some people actually knowing who we are and others starting to or eager to find out.  I can’t wait.  We are putting together the March/April issue for the big show and hope to show a little attitude with it.

The January/February issue is now available and we will have some copies for our upcoming visit to White River Fly shop this coming Saturday February 20th.  We will also leave a few with Wayne at the shop if you can’t pull yourself away to drop in and say hi during the fly fishing for steelhead seminar.  The guys from the shop will being sharing their expertise and I have it from an inside source that there will be homemade cookies and hot coffee on hand.

I mentioned to my wife the other day that I could feel spring in the air.  I don’t know what it is but I have felt it and been able to feel it since I was a kid.  I think it is a moderation and stillness in the air that translates to the body and soul.  It ignites a wonder lust in me that has me looking around nervously for my waders and a fly rod.  I know its coming and a little flame inside of me starts to grow that tells me I need to be free of walls, quilts, and furnaces.  I need to be outside amongst the wild things searching for the next great adventure.

My frustration with winter manifested itself during an ice fishing outing just a few weekends ago.  The wind was howling, bowing in the inside of the tent shelter and buckets were gliding across the ice as we shut things down for the night.  I lost a great jumbo perch at the hole and we just didn’t really set the world on fire.  The beer, what was left of it, decided to do its best blades of glory imitation at the end of the day as well.  I felt slighted by the weather, the fish, and what I sometimes perceive to be this shit hole state.  The old no jobs, no fish, no deer rant.  I stepped on my rods while I was loading the van and it sent me over the edge.

I have since apologized to my buddies and promised to stay focused on enjoying my family, friends, and setting.  It is a self attitude adjustment that I need to make before I pick up my fly rod and set off in search of steel and trout.  I can’t have the god-damned fish getting in the way of a good time.

Thanks for dropping by.

We had a fantastic time at the intermediate tying night at White River Fly Shop on January 28th.  We met some really nice people and the guys at the shop, Wayne and Shawn, could not have been better hosts.  To everyone that came out to see us, say hello, talk fishing, photography, or the magazine; we say it was great to meet each and every one of you and we hope that you will continue to visit us at the site or become a subscriber.  We will return to White River on February 20th to help sponsor a fly fishing for steelhead seminar and hope to spread the word about The Cedar Sweeper.  Thanks again to everyone  … it was great!!

I happened upon a post by Rob Thompson over at The Third Year Fly Fisher.  He beats up on Midwest Fly Fishing (the magazine) pretty good over their recent show, the quality of the newspaper style magazine, and the intent to significantly raise the cover the price.  I hope that he doesn’t feel the same about The Cedar Sweeper.  TCS is a little bit of a different animal in that the packaging is a high gloss full color magazine.  Our cover price is at $4.00 though and that seemed to be a real sticking point for Rob.  I plan to bring the cover price and subscription rate down as far as I can but that depends on how much of the revenue gap I can fill with advertisers.  We are working very hard on securing those advertisers.

We had another great gain in site traffic in January but fell a little short of the goal of 7,000 visitors.  We managed to attract over 6,800 unique visits during January and that is up over 1,000 visitors from December.  So, we started 2009 with just over 1,200 visitors/month to the site and ended with over 6,800 visitors/month.  A testament to the TCS team spreading the word and attracting attention and a real attractant for those advertisers that I mentioned above (remember TCS ads are a print and web package deal).  We won’t stop here though, I won’t let us.

The next issue is ready.  I proofed everything last night and just need to give the PDF one final read through before I make it available.  I will order the print copies for subscribers and promo before the end of the week.  It looks good!  This will set us up nicely for our February visit to White River.  I plan to have the March/April issue available for the Midwest Fly Fishing Expo in March so we will dive right into that so we can make our timing.  The expo will be big for us as it will put us in front of a lot of people and we will be able to sell the magazine and subscriptions there as well.  The TCS coffers are looking forward to an infusion for sure.

I hope to get out on the ice one more time before it melts and then immerse myself in steelhead, trout, and smallmouth fishing for the rest of the season.  I can’t wait.

Thanks for dropping by.

We are quickly approaching our first public appearance at White River Fly Shop tomorrow (see the TCS site for details) and I don’t really have any nerves.  I am actually looking forward to a relaxing night of fly tying and talking with everybody about fly fishing and the magazine.  If you are in the area … stop by and say hello.  I want people to know who we are and what we are all about.  I want people to know that we are just three guys who like to fly fish, drink beer, take photos, write, put together a magazine, tie flies, and spend time with our families.  I want people to know that we aren’t afraid to say where we stand when someone asks a question.  I want people to know that we are friendly and confident without being assholes.

I think we will come through this just fine and in good shape to return on February 20th and hit the Midwest Fly Fishing Expo in full stride.

True North Trout is back on-line and beat me to the punch with a post on the Jim Harrison story in the Detroit Free Press.  The article is a good read and shows how much Harrison is working these days and how much he misses Michigan.

I did see a Pure Michigan ad in the new issue of Fly Rod and Reel.

I also wanted to comment on Steve’s most recent report over at BBT.  He has started to add some really great video to the reports and what is even better is his choice of music.  The Allman Brother’s Band, Blue Sky, makes a great backdrop for winter steelheading.  A fine choice of good southern rock; way to go Steve!!

Thanks for dropping by.