American Legacy News Flash June 27, 2010

Hi Folks,

 

Ever since I was a kid I have heard the expression “dying with his boots on” referring to the old western cowboys. If they passed away while tending to their chores or while in the saddle that was said to be the best way to go. A friend recently passed away who, even though a fisherman rather than a cowboy, certainly did that.

 

I have known Jack “Nick” Nicholson for well over 50 years. We fished together off and on for many years. Nick was a former bartender turned salesman who was, to say the least, “old school”. If you ever saw or read Arthur Miller’s play Death of A Salesman then you have a good idea just how Nick conducted business. He was a carbon copy of Willy Lohman (the main character in this play) as far as sales technique. Product knowledge wasn’t why customers bought. Relationships were. He never forgot a face or a person’s name. He could remember more dirty stories and jokes than any person I have ever known. He could drink with the best of them and would certainly never qualify as a poster boy for a magazine extolling Christian virtues. If you were his customer then he was your true friend. He was one of a kind.

 

He was also one of the kindest persons I have ever known. He would give you the proverbial shirt of his back in an instant. He was honest to a fault. He and his wife Doris ended up raising two of their grandkids. Nick never mentioned this as if it was some sort of burden. He did it because it was the right thing to do. He always had a smile. He never met a stranger. And he absolutely loved fishing.

 

I fished with Nick in Canada on Lake of the Woods many times. He loved the outdoors. Put him on a lake with a rod and reel and, in his mind, it couldn’t get any better. Put him on some fish and you were assured childlike excitement as well as a meal fit for a king should he be lucky enough to catch the requisite number needed. Nick was a wonderful cook and host. Sharing the water’s bounty was just about as good as fishing itself. He loved it. And he did both so well.

 

Right after my Dad passed away in 1969 Nick and I and 6 other friends flew up to just below the Arctic circle to Lake Dubawnt in what was then called the Northwest Territory (now Nunavut) fishing for grayling, lake trout, and arctic char. It was our “dream trip”. Loading up on one of Ralph Showalter’s twin Beechcraft we left Nestor Falls early one morning and by about 8 PM that night were making camp. We helped unload the plane, set up camp, and organize for the next morning. By 11 PM Nick was fishing! Heck, it didn’t get dark until well after midnight, so why not?

 

 

The rest of the week was all we expected with crystal clear waters, spectacular fishing, and great scenery in every direction. Fishing was even better than expected. And our expectations were high! Nick would fish all day, assist cooking dinner, and then spend evenings telling stories, keeping the whole gang in stitches until bedtime. It was a special week. I found out later that is was a typical week when fishing with Nick.

 

In 1984 Nick retired from his sales job telling all of us “it just wasn’t the same”. Probably not. The world was changing and salesmen of the “old school” were becoming obsolete, just like Arthur Miller’s Willy Lohman. But Nick saw this as an opportunity to fish even more. And he did. He fished worldwide. Cuba, Canada, Florida, Mexico, and so many other destinations. When one trip ended it was time for another. He just did it. No long checklists of stuff to bring, no over thinking, just go and fish.

 

One trip Nick never missed was to Deer Lake in June to help friends open up a cabin, which took about a day. The rest of the trip was devoted to serious fishing, cooking great meals, and storytelling. This became a yearly ritual and one I have been invited on many times. Unfortunately I never accepted Nick’s invitation. This I truly regret.

 

This June Nick and the rest of the crew once again loaded up in two vans and drove to Deer Lake from southern Indiana. That trip is about 1300 miles, so it’s not a quick trip by any definition, especially when driving. But it is something this group had done many, many times. So, just another trip, just another cabin opening, just another fishing party. It never got tedious. It never got old. Nick was in his element once again.

 

For two days the group fished hard. On the evening of the second day Nick said he was pretty tired. The rest of the group bid him a good night’s sleep and he retired for the evening. Nick never woke up.

 

Jack “Nick” Nicholson was 85 when he passed away in a remote cabin on Deer Lake in Ontario, about 50 miles from the Manitoba border. He had fished hard. He was in love with nature and it’s bounty, especially the fish. From an early childhood in Booneville, Indiana until June 7, 2010 he had fished. And he had done so with such enthusiasm. With such passion. With such excitement.

 

I know death is inevitable for all of us. Perhaps it’s not so much death we fear, but how death may come. In Nick’s case I cannot imagine a better way for him to take this next step. Perhaps God needed another fishing buddy. If so, he got one of the very best. He will be greatly missed.

 

This issue of our newsletter will be the last for the next 30 days. We will be attending the annual Fishing Tackle Trade Show, ICAST, the middle of July. When we return we will have lots of info for all of you about new 2011 products from Shimano, G. Loomis, Daiwa, and many more of our suppliers. Don’t miss our newsletter that will come out on July 25^th. It will have lots of surprises!

 

This issue we have a great article on rod sweep or “droop” as we like to call it. Take a look. We think it’s quite interesting. We also have updates on our new website that will go “live” as of July 1, 2010. Also included is some information on our new “Twitter ONLY” deals along with some other deals you may have missed earlier.

 

We hope everyone is well and enjoying the great outdoors. This is a special time and the fish are really on the bite around here.

 

Tight Lines,

 

Tom Ashby

 

 

Rod Sweep (or “Droop”) and the Technical Explanation………….

 

Every so often we get a request from a customer to check a rod they have ordered before shipment to be sure it is “straight”. That’s a pretty tall order since there just aren’t any rods made that are perfectly straight. Let me explain.

 

When a rod blank is made it has a static load as well as a natural sweep that is inherent in any premium fishing rod . This is due to the manufacturing process and the materials most premium rods are manufactured from. Basically, there just aren’t any perfectly straight blanks. Multiple layers of material, reinforcing scrim materials, and resin make this impossible. Fishing rods are flexible. They have to be. And, since they are flexible by design they necessarily have this natural sweep or as we like to call it “droop”. Hold any rod or rod blank straight out and look down the blank from the handle and you will see some degree of droop.

 

The key for the rod manufacturer is to make sure that this droop is either up or down, never to the side. In a perfect world the guide train would be installed in line with the rod droop pointing up and hopefully the weight of that guide train would offset the upward sweep (or droop) and the rod would appear straight when eyeballed from the handle. But, that seldom will happen.

 

Without getting too technical, keep in mind that spinning rods have the guide train on the bottom and casting rods have the guide train on the top of the blank. You would have to have the sweep (or droop) pointing up on either style rod and then install the guide train hoping for a weight offset that would render the finished rod “straight”. Problem is we would need perfectly matched offsetting weights vs. the static load of the sweep. In other words, this just isn’t going to happen. If it did you would end up with a poorly designed rod with no consideration given to the guide train quality, spacing, etc. but it would be “straight”!

 

Basically what you do not want is a sweep or “droop” that is to the side, to the left or right of the guide train. If this happens then when the rod is loaded (read that when you have a fish on) the rod blank will twist and this can cause a weakening of the rod and, in the worst case scenario, cause the rod to fail (break). All Loomis rods, and most all other premium rods, will only droop either up or down, never sideways. 

 

Today’s G. Loomis rods are the best ever to come out of the Woodland, Washington plant and as near perfect as any rods we have ever seen. Yes, there is still some “droop”, but the rod itself is the best ever. The component installation, quality of cork, and overall cosmetic appearance is simply world class. Performance and design are excellent. Loomis rods will never be as “pretty” as some of the super-premium Japanese rods, but you can be assured that they will perform better than any Japanese counterpart. And isn’t this why you buy a rod in the first place?

 

We hope this provides some insight about just how premium rods are made and what is and is not acceptable. If you have any questions or comments we would love to hear from you!

 

Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill Updates……………

 

After our last newsletter we received several notes telling us not everyone was banned from fishing. Jeff Johnson who runs J-Bar Sportsman’s Lodge in Empire, Louisianna says, “We have lost 50% of our fisheries from light to heavy oil but the East side of the river is fine. I been on the water for the past 10 days and I can tell you fishing is great. Please pass on this information to your customers because everyone has canceled their trip and the guides are struggling when there are plenty of open fishing areas. Yesterdays catch was 55 trout, 12 flounder and 12 big reds.” We hope Jeff’s note will spur some of you to head his way. Give Jeff a call at 1-504-657-8195 for an update or to book some fine fishing.

 

We have also learned that the American Sportfishing Association has launched a fund for the gulf. We understand this will be used to assist clean up and restoration. We have already donated to this fund and encourage everyone to do so as well. Visit http://www.fishamerica.org/gulfund/ for all of the details and to make a much needed donation.

 

Like all of you we get our news on the oil spill from the news media. We would sure like to hear from some of you first hand just what’s going on, what’s needed, what the situation is, etc. Drop us a note at [email protected] with any news or comments. We’ll make sure to share this with everyone our next newsletter.

 

Please Visit Our New Website and Give Us Your Feedback…………

 

We Really, Really Need Your Help! Our new web site is scheduled to go live July 1, 2010 but it is up and running now in what is called “beta” according to our fantastic web guru’s. Basically that means it’s in test mode as I understand it. 

Our new web site is at www.americanlegacyfishing.com You can actually place an order there if you like. We need your input on how you like or don’t like the site. How does it work for you? How’s the search function work? The accuracy of the information? The home page navigation? Whatever, we would like to hear from you.

Effective July 1, 2010 our email addresses will change from @gloomis.us to @americanlegacyfishing.com The “front” part of the address (i.e. nikki or sales or tashby, etc.) will stay the same. Our new web site will offer a better user experience, better search, and a far better checkout system with much better order tracking capabilities after the sale. Many other “tweeks” and changes are also incorporated to eliminate what we know has been some frustrations from time to time with our current web site. 

 

Please help us to make our web site the best you visit. We are here because of you and you alone. This is really YOUR web site. Tell us what you like, don’t like, and any suggestions you may have. We promise to be great listeners and even better “idea stealers”! With your help American Legacy Fishing Company will have the very best fishing web site on the net.

 

Thanks in advance for your input and assistance!

 

Twitter Deals are Coming……….

 

Starting very soon we will be “Twittering” you about Special Deals via Twitter. These will be deals where we have small quantities that just don’t lend themselves to being included in the newsletter. Too many disappointed folks. They will be Awesome Deals, but with a very limited supply. Sort of the old adage that “the early bird gets the worm” will apply here.

 

Twitter is a unique idea and something we encourage all of you to sign up for. If you sign up for notifications from us on Twitter then you will hear about ALL of these small quantity Deals. Our Twitter User is: ALFCFISHING Just FOLLOW us in twitter under this I.D. and we promise you you’ll be glad you did. Some of these upcoming deals are stupendous and will sell at our cost or below. The TWITTER SPECIALS will begin Very Soon!

 

DEALS……

 

Shimano Curado CU200E5 Reels FREE U.S.A. Shipping and a FREE Shimano Hat: We’re offering to ship these CU200E5 reels to ANY U.S.A. address absolutely FREE and include a FREE Shimano Hat as well. This deal is ONLY for the CU200E5 ~ no other models. So you get a great reel for $179.99 plus a $20 Shimano Hat Plus Free Shipping (normally $10). That’s like saving $30 off this reel, which will never happen again. We have 55 reels and 55 hats, so act quickly. This special is Only Good while the supplies last, which surely won’t be long!

 

Power Pro FREE Shipping and a FREE Power Pro Sticker: We have almost EVERY Power Pro test and spool size in stock! Our prices are very competitive and we will Ship Your Power Pro FREE to any USA address. Better yet, we were able to get our hands on some really cool Power Pro Stickers which we will be including in each Power Pro order while supplies last.

 

2011 Team Daiwa TD-Zillion Type-R “Tournament Drag” Casting Reel: The Team Daiwa TD-Zillion Type-R is the latest low profile Casting Reel from (and made in) Japan. A beautiful black work of art with the newest “Carbon Swept” graphite all-carbon fiber handle. This beauty has the just introduced “Ultimate Tournament” 7 disc drag system with an Amazing 15.5 lb maximum drag! At 7.3:1 retrieve and a line capacity of 120 yards of 14 lb mono this reel rocks! Add to that 12 bearings, a lightweight 8.5 oz, and a line retrieve of 32″ per turn and you have one awesome reel!Best news is we have the Team Daiwa TD-Zillion Type-R in stock in both Right Hand Models as well as Left Hand Models. At $399.95 this is one heck of a reel. For a Limited time we’re offering FREE USA Shipping and a FREE Team Daiwa Hat when you buy one of these babies! The supply is VERY LIMITED, so act now. You won’t believe just how special this reel is!

 

Abu Garcia Revo SX High Speed (7.1:1) for $119.95 ~ Normally $169.95: We’re selling them at DEALER COST. These are 2009 Abu Garcia Revo SX High Speed Right Hand Retrieve low profile casting reels. They are new in the box with full warranty, papers, etc. The Revo SX HS has 11 bearings, 7.1:1 high speed retrieve, Duragear gearing, Carbon Matrix drag, Linear magnetic brake system, and looks fantastic to boot. The reel weighs in at 8.8 oz. and holds 140 yards of 12 lb test mono. Our take is this is a heck of a reel for $169.95, so at $119.95 it’s simply a “no brainer”.

 

L.H. Daiwa Procaster Rojo PRR100HL 50% OFF: Daiwa Procaster Rojo Low Profile Casting Reels in Left Hand Retrieve (sorry, no RH models) left. Model number is PRR100HL. These are great little reels and really match up great with the G. Loomis GL2 or GL3 rods. These reels are 6.3:1 retrieve, 9 bearings, have a flipping lever, only 9.2 oz, and have a line capacity of 160 yards of 12 lb mono. They Normally Sell For $99.95 but we’re offering the few we have for 50% off…Yep, $45.45 each! New, in box with warranty and all the papers, etc.

 

The NEW G. Loomis Surf Rod Details are Here: There are 13 different models. All are spinning rods. All are made from IMX material blanks. All have the newest Fuji “Tangle Free” guide train. All are extremely lightweight and so very sensitive and powerful. There is no doubt that G. Loomis has created the World’s Best Surf Fishing Rod. The moderate fast action means great loading, long casts, and live bait that is less likely to “throw off” during casting. Being the very first surf rods to use the Tangle Free Fuji guides these rods will completely remake surf fishing as we know it. Expensive? You bettcha’, but well worth the money in more casts, less hassle, and ultimately more fish!These rods are now in stock. We urge you to order as soon as possible as we expect these rods to go quickly and quite possibly have G. Loomis in a backorder situation soon

 

New G. Loomis Pro Green and Trout Spin rods: Loomis has just released these and they are in stock. Folks, these are some great rods. The ProGreen rods are simply a wonderful addition for you inshore and flats SW fishermen. The Trout Spin Rods are just chuckles. I mean, I am ready to go after some trout, panfish, walleye, and whatever else I can find with these little jewels. Don’t miss out on either of these fabulous series of rods!  

  

Trade-Ins List: Boy, do we have a lot of trade-in rods and reels! If you haven’t taken a look take a minute to see this huge trade-in list. I’ve been buying some of these for my grandkids. They are inspected by our pros, reels are cleaned and lubed, and both rods and reels are ready to fish. Many look like new. If you’re needing some back up rods or just looking to save some money this list is for you.

 

Our Custom Made 8″ Fillet Knife at $25.00 Off: GREAT Gift! You wonderful folks continue to amaze us! We offered you $25 off on our World’s Best Fillet Knife and boy, were we overwhelmed with orders. After that, we started receiving notes thanking us for offering such a high quality knife. So, we are extending this special so those who haven’t taken advantage of this deal can still do so. Supplies are going down fast, so order our “World’s Best Fillet Knife” soon to avoid disappointment  

 

Rotating 40 Rod ALL WOOD “G. Loomis” Storage Rack: Another great Father’s Day gift and one you won’t find anywhere else. With 2 G. Loomis Decals these are our “unofficial” G. Loomis rod rack for our G. Loomis Superstore. This is an all wood rod rack that rotates and easily will handle 40 rods or about 20 combos. Made of real wood, this is the highest quality rod rack for the money we have ever found. Very attractive and functional and at $159.99 a fantastic bargain. Remember, two Large black G. Loomis Block Decals are included!

 

FREE Same Day Shipping for any order: Yes, this is not necessarily a “special”, but it doesn’t hurt to remind everyone that if your order is received by 5 PM Eastern time it will ship the same day. Keep this in mind when those “immediate gratification” urges strike.