Umpqua Fly Submissions

[Kimo 0]

Recently received this letter from Umpqua Feather Merchants and thought you all might find it informative.

Kimo

Umpqua_Fly Submissions.pdf

[bellevue.chartreuse.trout 0]

Interesting pdf. So these are for submitting fly designs to Umpqua. If the tier is 'contracted' - would it be just the design that would be contracted? Or would Umpqua be looking for the tier of the design submitted, to tie them in a production mode - to supply Umpqua?

 

Just curious - as I am not so skilled to imagine that I would have anything to offer. Is the 8% patterns invoiced quarterly - 8% of retail price and it would be on whatever inventory Umpqua has or inventory that are in all the shops supplied by Umpqua - or... ?? I really don't know how these things work and I doubt seriously that I'd ever be so fortunate that I'd be in this situation. So why my inquiry then - like I said, just curious.

 

BCT

[Kimo 0]

 

Interesting pdf. So these are for submitting fly designs to Umpqua. If the tier is 'contracted' - would it be just the design that would be contracted? Or would Umpqua be looking for the tier of the design submitted, to tie them in a production mode - to supply Umpqua?

 

Just curious - as I am not so skilled to imagine that I would have anything to offer. Is the 8% patterns invoiced quarterly - 8% of retail price and it would be on whatever inventory Umpqua has or inventory that are in all the shops supplied by Umpqua - or... ?? I really don't know how these things work and I doubt seriously that I'd ever be so fortunate that I'd be in this situation. So why my inquiry then - like I said, just curious.

 

BCT

 

BCT,
All production is done overseas in one of their sister factories.

You receive 8% of the wholesale sold for the proceeding quarter.
You also can purchase items from their catalog such as packs,
Tiemco tying tools, materials and hooks for under wholesale.

Don't say you would not be fortunate enough to have a fly

picked up by them. My first flies I never submitted to them.

I had given them to a friend who shared them with another guy

who shared them with someone from Umpqua.
The last fly I did submit was picked up but we also went thru a process
to make the fly more production friendly and keep the essence of the fly.

They accepted it but then i made another revision and they liked it even better.

Also every quarter you get a print out as to what is selling.

Kimo

[J-Kno 0]

Mahalo nui loa Kimo for sharing this. Gives some of us a closer look into what the process is and how to go about it.

[bellevue.chartreuse.trout 0]

Thanks for the more detailed information Kimo.

BCT

[Capt Bob LeMay 0]

I've been with Umpqua now for almost 25 years. Just received my current catalogue with the usual solicitation letter. Yes, Umpqua wants submissions from everywhere possible, looking for new patterns to add to their production line. It's not easy to come up with something sufficiently innovative that it attracts attention (and it also needs to be made of easily obtained materials since it will actually go into production overseas and will need to be able get by customs easily as it returns -don't consider bugs made with black bear or polar bear as a "for instance"). If one of your patterns is picked up you'll be asked to provide a few samples along with a materials list and a tying schedule. Those samples will go to their factories worldwide for a work up (a "tying factory" is 50 to 250 ladies in a building knocking out flies continuously as long as there's a market for them...). The "contract tyer" (which is what you'll be if you're picked up) will get samples of how the factory has done up your bugs for your approval. If everyone gives a thumbs up you're in business -but don't expect lots of money (unless you're the guy who came up with an all-time best seller like the Copper John, or the Clouser minnow, you get the idea.....). Your royalties will be fixed at 8% of the first wholesale transaction (what the shops actually pay for each fly before they're marked up to retail). If you can write up an article about that great new pattern to boost sales - all the better..... Think back on some of the articles you've seen in one magazine or other on a specific new pattern - there might have been a commercial interest there somewhere....

 

I've been very fortunate to be with Umpqua. Many a year I've come up with something that I thought was a sure thing - and got passed over. I was very lucky to come to them when I did since they were looking for saltwater patterns at the time. At one time I had four patterns with them at present I'm down to only two (and I just learned that pattern #3 was dropped this year (patterns either sell well or they're gone, period. Welcome to the world of contract tying.... If possible try to come up with something with a wide appeal if you can. My few patterns have been mostly for tarpon - and that's just not a big market since tarpon fishing with a fly gets tougher each year and many tie up their own tarpon flies.... On the other hand seeing your name attached to a pattern is fun. It's also nice to have a pattern or two that you don't have to tie yourself since for all of us there's a physical limit to your bench time.... Good luck to anyone with something new. Send it in, you might be surprised at the results....

[mikechell 0]

So, Bob ... if it's not too personal a question, how much does 8% come to? What's the highest check you've received?

[salmobytes 0]

The "contract tier" process is similar to a musician's recording contract. Nothing happens unless transactions follow the initial contract signing.

 

To market your work you need to publish your ideas and become an industry marketing sellebrity. Then and only then will meaningful royalties emerge. That used to mean "publish in magazines." But magazines are fading in influence. The magazines used to be the redactors of fame. They got to decide who the marketing sellebrities were. Now it's a bit more muddled.

 

A contract tier with a cable TV show? Now yer talkin

[Capt Bob LeMay 0]

A friend of mine who's also a contract tyer got a quarterly royalty check a few years back and took his family to dinner on the proceeds... it was McDonald's...

[J-Kno 0]

A friend of mine who's also a contract tyer got a quarterly royalty check a few years back and took his family to dinner on the proceeds... it was McDonald's...

Sounds almost as lucrative as getting a fly fishing book published...

[flytire 0]

8% of a 50 cent fly is 4 cents.

 

some hooks cost more

[salmobytes 0]

On the other hand there were rumors Firstname Lastname made something like $20 grand a year on royalties. Back at the height of his fame.

[mikechell 0]

8% of a 50 cent fly is 4 cents.

 

some hooks cost more

I understand that ... but say, 1000 of them sold would add up to $40.00. Not a bad supplement.

[Kimo 0]

Won't catch me tearing up my royalty check soon not to mention
the less than wholesale price on hooks and materials.
Probably the biggest kick was to see my Dad's face seeing his own name
in the catalog(I'm a junior).
For someone who had only been tying for 3 years to be picked up by Umpqua
was quite the thrill. Some of my closest associates took over 30 years and
multiple submissions to get accepted.
You also have the opportunity to associate with some really good fly tyers and

fly fishermen. I remember this one fly that Mike Mercer

worked on for 3 years before he thought it was good enough to produce.
It is not so much technique as the "why" they tie a certain fly. Be it the behavior or the presentation
of the fly.
To top it off they have the largest network for distributing your flies which means
more kane for you by just sitting on your oko'le.

Kimo

[kimjensen 0]

Isn't everything pretty much invented? Aren't we more or less just making variants of existing flies that we think is original, which is then a variant of another dudes fly? Whos the inventer here? :-)