WFS 458 – Mystic Outdoors with Jeff Brady – Fly Rods, M Series, Roosterfish

Show Notes: wetflyswing.com/458

Presented By: Waters West, Country Financial, Chota Outdoors, and Togens Fly Shop

Sponsors: wetflyswing.com/sponsors

Jeff Brady from Mystic Outdoors to share the story of how he purchased a fly rod company during Covid and what it took to keep this thing above water and growing.

Jeff also digs into choosing the fly rods and what it takes to choose the right fly rod for the species you are chasing. You can listen to the entire the Podcast or read more below.

Mystic Outdoors Show Notes with Jeff Brady

03:56 – Jeff had a great season and noted The Wasatch Fly Tying and Fly Fishing Expo

04:20 – Jeff also noted a really cool event in Colorado called Trout Fest. Trout Fest Colorado is a one of a kind summer festival and celebration of conservation, education, and fly fishing.

04:32 – Jeff mentioned that shows are a pricey investment but it’s so much fun to see everybody, see your friends and talk a little business with people and meet people like us.

04:48 – We talked about the cost of the booth at a typical show, and as per Jeff, it depends on the show; the range is going to be anywhere from 800 to 2,000 dollars for a 10 by 10 booth.

05:32 – Jeff also mentioned the travel cost, logistics cost,  shipping cost, and all those things. It’s a major investment, but at the end of the day, typically, there’s a big return that you look forward to.

06:29 – Jeff talks about Stillwater; that is one of the categories they are focusing on. Phil Rowley is Mystic Outdoors Ambassador and he’s the host of our Littoral Zone Podcast.

06:55 – There’s definitely been an increase in interest in Stillwater flyrods. Jeff mentioned that he has seen a big boom in the sale of his M-Series Fly Rods.

07:16 – Jeff mentioned that there are a lot of new fly-fishing men and women in the industry. There’s been a large increase in fishing pressure, particularly in Colorado, Utah, the West, the North East, and the North West. People are looking for a little more solitude. Stillwater Fishing is one type of fishing that allows you to find more solitude on the water.

9:04 – Dave makes the analogy between Michael Jordan and Phil Rowley. Who do you think would win in a one on one fishing competition.

9:18 – Hey, Jeff attended the Denver The Fly Fishing Show  this year. The Denver Fishing Show is one of the biggest fly fishing show of the year.

10:57 We talked about the live event from the giveaway where you get the chance to win a fishing trip and huge fly fishing gear pack. Click here to check out the next event

11:45 – Jeff was born and raised in the Dallas, Texas, area, and he went to college there. He always had a burning desire to be a ski bum because that’s what he wanted to do.

13:00 Jeff failed his last college test and decided to move west with his 1987 4Runner packed up and ready to go. They headed to the Red River in Mexico.

17:38 – Jeff shared that all of their rods, from their premium entry-level rod, The Inception, all the way up to their trimmer saltwater line, were designed by Dennis Klein. Learn more about the Mystic Story here 

20:25 – Jeff noted the popularity of there Reaper X Fly Rod. He also made a analogy of the blind cast off and how the Reaper X will stand up to any rod in the market.

24:56 – Jeff shared story about Dennis Klein who designed their every line up rods.

28:56 – Jeff talked about the Sapphyre Rod series and how it’s one of the only women’s fly rod series.

29:54 – Jeff shared that they have two rods in their line-up, the Inception Fly Rod and the Inception with Mystic Outdoors Case Special, that are manufactured in China.

34:00 – Jeff talked about Covid and how their business impacted the industry as a whole. He was incredibly impressed with the creativity that fly shops across the country came up with to stay afloat.

35:10 – Jeff shared their business strategy for 2020: get out to shows, get busy with the brands, and talk about the plans to reenter the fly-shop market.

35:28 – Jeff mentioned that when he was in Nebraska doing his day job in March 2020, he was planning to fly to Michigan to do the Midwest Fly Fishing Expo, but it was cancelled due to the pandemic and was diverted to Denver.

37:24 – We talked about how show season was a big part of their business particularly in 2020.

38:06 – Jeff shared that in 2020, even if there’s a pandemic, the fly fishing industry will grow because, by nature, fly fishing is socially distancing and an outdoor activity, and people want to go outside.

38:42 – Jeff shared that they survived in 2020 and moved in 2021 by having more conversations with fly shops and starting to rebuild that kind of relationship.

41:09 – Jeff described how he pitches to a fly shop and 3 most important benefits he offers as a company to local fly shops.

44:11 – Jeff shared that he loves Trout Species, and he started to introduce Stillwater to his routine.

44:37 – Jeff talked about the last of May, together with his couple of friends in Baja Mexico. They chased a Roosterfish, Amberjack, and he highly recommends doing it because it was fun and exciting.

45:32 – We talked about what the roosterfish looked like and how they chased and caught it. Here’s a video from Red Fly Shop on how to catch Roosterfish

47:19 – Jeff also shared that there are a lot of good lodgers and guides down there. He also loves Saltwater Fishing.

47:41 – La Ventana, where there’s great rooster fishing and if you want to ride around Cabo in Los Barrelis, you can just use an ATV rental, also has spectacular food that’s so good.

48:37 – Here’s the picture from last year when they caught Rooster Fish and Amber Jack in Baja Mexico.

48:44 – Jeff notes the trip they did in the Northern Lights, and that’s going to be a badass trip too and a lot of fun.

48:52 – Pyramid Lake is another one on Jeff’s bucket list trips.

49:34 – We talked about Nico Sunseri, who was fishing with him as one of his friends, and how he knew him very well. He also described Nico as a good fisherman and a good person.

50:48 – Jeff shared that salt species are fighters, and with trout fishing, large trout are certainly going to fight; they’re going to take you for a ride; they’re going to run; they’re going to trim and get rid of you; but Jeff mentioned that salt fish are a unique experience.

51:26 – Jeff notes that he’s a trout fisherman in Colorado.

51:58 – Jeff mentioned that he went out last weekend to Arkansas in Colorado to gold Medal Water and shared that they really do a good job with the river by making it so accessible; there are bathrooms in different locations, and it’s really built out and nice all the way down the long river.

53:26 – We talked about their trip to Baja Mexico, and Jeff shared that they have a guidebook in Colorado, and someone helped them with booking and arranging things.

56:00 – For Stillwater fly fishing situations, they recommend their Mystic M Series in the 10′ 3″ 6 weight, their M-Series Spey rod comes in at 12′ 3″, the M-Series Switch rod and Micro-Spey rods are built in an 11′ 3″ design, and also JXP in the 9-foot 6-weight. This high-performance fly rod is a great fit for making long casts on lakes in windy situations. You might also consider the Reaper X 9-foot, 7-weight rod. For the price, you won’t find a better fly rod that can handle big flies, big fish, and delicate situations.

58:53 – We talked about the Dumb and Dumber Movie.

59:24 – Jeff shared an interesting story about how they went out a couple days ago with his wife to watch a fantastic movie called Cocaine Bear, as well as Top Gun and Maverick.

You can find Jeff Brady here mysticoutdoors.com and on Instagram at: mysticflyrods

Jeff Brady from Mystic Outdoors shared his experience fishing in Baja, Mexico. He also recommended some lodges and foods from their trip, mentioned their M-series fly rods, and shared his top 5 species of saltwater options to fly fish.