FLY FISHING RESEARCH
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FLY FISHING RESEARCH -
A project aimed at understanding, establishing, and validating a point of improvement within fly-fishing.
2023
16 Weeks
Senior Thesis
Abstract
Rookie Fly Fishers have difficulty selecting the correct fly to use.
Expert Fly Fishers have trouble finding where the fly is located within the store.
By redesigning the point of purchase experience in three separate ways, we are able to address these issues in varying degrees.
There is a lack of awareness and education around Fly Fishing and point of purchase
A redesign of the current retail experience of buying fly fishing fly’s.
This will need to be updated by season, and should take the employees into consideration.
1
This should support learning opportunities. Helping the rookie anglers transition to a more advanced knowledge set.
2
Different fish reside in different locations. Because of this, the retail experience will need to be adaptable to its specific location.
3
Goals
As a part
Discover and establish both the high and low points of fly fishing.
Choose a direction to pursue moving forward in the design process.
Establish
As a whole
Develop and design a product, service, or experience.
Solve and streamline the direction established by research.
Solve
Tools
Timeline
An efficient way of establishing what a user goes through per trip.
Used to find, and assign negative and positive associations.
Identify
Conversation
A practical way of hearing stories that elaborate on points in the timeline.
Useful for getting deeper explanations and experiences with participants.
Elaborate
I talked to…
3 Professionals
6 Beginners
A bunch of store employees
and their average outings usually looked like this
plan trip
buy flies
pack car
travel
gear up
walk river
fish
gear down
go home
* This is an average of trips. Some fly fishers may omit, add, or repeat steps.
* While mostly linear, some steps can be repeated, namely “river walk” and “fishing”.
The Joy Points
Being in nature was a big factor of enjoyment for most users. There was a desire to experience the sounds, wildlife, and beauty of nature.
Having the right company was also a desired point of the timeline. This could mean fishing solo, with friends, or with family.
Nature and Company
This was the number one high point for a vast majority of participants. Some described this as a make-or-break point of the trip.
Catching Fish
The Pain Points
Some users identified that gearing up and down was a pain point. They felt as though it was tedious and limited their time on the water.
Public access was also a pain point. With limited open waters, users said that they felt rushed to get a good spot.
Gear and Public Access
This was far and away the biggest pain point from most users. There was shared frustration in what, why, and where to buy it.
Buying Flies
So what does an average outing feel like?
plan trip
buy flies
pack car
travel
gear up
walk river
fish
gear down
go home
the biggest pain is
buying flies
the biggest joy is
catching fish
Let’s look at what it takes to catch a fish.
You will need,
a rod and some line,
a reel,
some knowledge of your gear,
some knowledge of casting,
and a body of water.
but!
Without the right fly, none of this matters.
Why is the fly so important?
The fly is the only thing the fish sees, both while you are casting, and fishing.
1
2
If the fly isn’t something the fish will eat, you won’t catch anything.
The fly is the only piece of gear that controls what you catch.
3
Determining what fly to use is based on 7 factors.
* these seven factors have varying levels of influence on what fly to choose
Temperature – How active are the fish?
Water Flow – Where are the fish?
Current Prey – Early or late life cycle? What insect?
Location – River or lake? Rocky mountains or backroad Ohio?
Season – What's currently in the water?
Type of Fish – What type of fish do you want to catch?
Time of Day – Are the fish more excited or more relaxed?
Choosing the right fly is vital to having a successful trip.
We have established that having the right fly, in the right situation, is the most vital part of catching a fish. If there is no fish, the trip is a bust.
So where do we get our flies?
And how do we choose the flies to use?
But choosing the right fly is a pain.
“Simply overwhelming”
“never the same experience”
“a chore you got to do”
Still Sucks
Earlier we established that buying flies was the least enjoyable, and most cumbersome part, of fly fishing.
Varying Experience
Both the expert fly fisher and rookie angler have different frustrations while buying flys.
Rookie - “i am lost”
No Info
A point of frustration for rookie users was the lack of non-employee information available to them.
Too Many Choices
There are dozens of fly options at fly shops, often with little differentiation between them.
Expert - “its a drag”
Where is it?
Finding the flies you need in a sea of colors and tiny hooks is a difficult task. This gets harder as flies are rotated out as seasons change.
Knows What and Why
The expert user will usually know what to buy and why to buy it. This comes from understanding the factors that determine what fly to use.
Even if you buy the right flys, knowing what to use on the river is a difficult task.
Unexpected Factors
Is something different than how you anticipated? Was a dam released? Raining? This could throw a wrench in your fly selection process.
What but No Why
After rookies purchase the flys they need, usually with help, there is indecision and frustration on knowing what to put on the line.
“without my buddy it would have just been trial and error”
Recommendations and Design Guide
Users love catching fish and dont like buying flies.
Flys have the greatest impact on catching fish.
Stores lack information and communication on fly selection.
If we re-imagine the point of purchase for flies, we can reduce frustration with fly purchasing, and maximize fish caught.
A redesign of the current retail experience of buying fly fishing fly’s.
This will need to be updated by season, and should take the employees into consideration.
1
This should support learning opportunities. Helping the rookie anglers transition to a more advanced knowledge.
2
Different fish reside in different locations. Because of this, the retail experience will need to be adaptable to its specific location.