These are the results from the questionnaire sent out prior to the BFFI 2007. They are published for your information. The return was less than 1.18% which would indicate that over 98% of the membership are content with or have no strong feelings in regard to the FDG or management. Of course the results will be used to improve the benefits to the membership and thank you to those that took part.

Are you a member of the guild past or present?  

• All Yes

Are you a member of a branch?

• No x 8
• Yes x 12
• No – no branch in Plymouth
• Not met them yet.
• No (ex member)

How long have you been a member?

• >10 x 7
• <11 x 5
• <5 x 4
• <2 x 7

What guild benefits do you/your branch currently use?

• I’m not sure what specific benefits are available. I don’t know what benefits the branch enjoys
• Demo’s at branch meetings
• Mentoring from members
• None x 3
• No idea
• 10% discount
• Me - Insurance cover available.  Branch – None
• Magazine.  Discounts.
• Me:  I much enjoy the magazine and have used the discount benefit, re fly-tying materials, which is available from certain Suppliers.
• Magazine x 2
• meetings
• Don’t know of any.
• Only as a means of keeping in touch with what’s happening in fly dressing.
• Discounts on fly dressing items.  Fortunately, haven’t needed the insurance yet!!
• Discounts from suppliers.  They “Fly Dresser” is a brilliant little magazine!
• Journal.
• Magazine/Journal and Insurance.
• Fishing log sheets.  Ties.  Fly tying expertise in magazine.
• Unknown.
• Guild logo clothing etc.
• 10% discount GAC.
• Fly Dresser magazine.

 

What other benefits do you think the guild should provide to members?

• They are doing a pretty good job at the moment.  Credit to all who put their time into the magazine and promotions.  It’s a pity that fly tying is not accepted as part of fly fishing and recognised as such.

            (This is a joint answer to the following 3 questions also).

• Try to negotiate more discounts with suppliers
• None
• I think you’re doing very well as an organisation
• More materials reviews
• Advice in the latest development in fly fishing.
• Info on branches in their areas.
• List of branches etc etc.  Names/addresses of Branch Secretary’s and so forth.
• Weekender AGM.  (AGM/dinner on Saturday evening with talks/exhibitions on Sunday (if it took place at Central Hotel ( Midlands ) accommodation could be purchased at weekend rate
• Discounted materials.  Discounted tackle.
• Lists of speakers/demonstrators in each geographical region.
• It would be nice to see articles on new synthetics detailing to which group of trade names they compare.
• Perhaps, some comments from members on their experiences using flies and their dressings shown in the magazines.
• Provide a national list of Guild members who would, on a reciprocal arrangement provide accommodation.
• Some articles on basic skills or suggested book sources for basics.  List of branches.

 

What other benefits could the guild provide for the branches?

• Perhaps help with payment for speakers
• Public liability insurance dependent upon key committee member belonging to the National Guild.
• Videos &DVDs showing ?????
• If our Branch experience is typical, assistance with identification of Speakers for Branch Meetings would be very helpful.
• Do not belong to a branch.  None that I know of in the area.
• What events/shows attending.  Do it over the internet/e-mail etc.
• Don’t feel qualified to have an opinion as I don’t attend branch meetings.
• Through bulk purchase of materials, tackle.
• Negotiate membership discounts at fisheries and with more suppliers. 
• Encourage Inns & Guest Houses near fishing venues to advertise in small ads in Fly Fisher.
• A list of all branches and contact details in the fly dressing magazine.  I presume that they are on the web-site, but those of us without internet access are not catered for.
• More support.

 

What else should the Guild be doing to promote fly dressing?

 

• Provide publicity material for branches to use at local shows
• More promotion in the Angling publications.  Regular update of the Guild web-site.  Do more to get the young interested in fly dressing.
• Extension of (fly dressing materials), Suppliers discounts would, I think, be a ‘positive’, in terms of promoting FDG membership.
• Getting the youngsters at shows to have a go!  Not just demonstrating how to tie a lifelike imitation.  Have a competition etc.  Get them involved!
• Give away CD’s in magazines.
• More shows
• Publicity for fisheries, posters etc. Try to pick up members from my fisheries
• *Persuade the large retailers to exhibit and demonstrate at more county shows and country fairs.
• The inclusion of the peacock feathers with the 1st edition was excellent.  For the beginners how about a “fly of the month”, with a pack of materials suitable for 5 flies – sponsored by the suppliers?  It would help the beginners in that once we have worked our way through the FDG fly tying kit (which is excellent by the way).  We can then try other flies and would also be able to re-order the correct materials.  The CD-ROM was a nice surprise – however it would be even more useful as an annual item of the year’s magazines and had more interactivity – links from pages to an index and even video demonstrations of techniques/tying etc. (there are some of these on the internet already).  If anyone wants to chat about these ideas please get in touch:

                        e-mail knr.bluewin@globalnet.co.uk

• Continually encourage young new members.
• I like the CD idea.
• Visits to some schools in appropriate areas.
• To promote fly dressing there have to be anglers.  Promote the Guild at fishing venues.  Fishing venue owners could offer ‘free’ membership to local Guild or greatly subsidise main Guild.
• Encouraging new branches.

 

Where would you like to see the guild in 5 years time?

• Maintaining current membership levels at least.
• Taking a more dynamic role in promoting the Guild at Exhibitions, i.e. hard selling of the benefits of Guild membership.
• As it is and progressing.
• Strong and well placed in the fly fishing community
• On a nice flats somewhere fishing for bonefish etc.
• Bigger
• *If the above can be achieved, there will be greater awareness of the Guild, membership will snowball giving rise to greater possibilities.
• At least twice the size with a flourishing youth section including girls!
• With larger membership.
• Bigger and better!
• Much bigger
• I would like to see a BFFI FGF branch in the Birmingham area. Unfortunately I have not the experience to start one myself only just having started flydressing

 

Any other comments

• We need some form of qualification now that STANIC is no longer.  Where do we go from here?
• Many of our branch members cannot see the benefit of guild membership.  They see the value of branch membership - twice monthly meetings, fishing events etc., but not guild membership other than the magazine.  The change in subscription arrangements will probably cause a fall in National membership because the branches will no longer police their members’ belonging to the Guild.
• Re the Raffles, I think an opportunity is being missed here …. Why not send out £10 worth of tickets, rather than £5 worth? ……. I reckon you’ll get very few returned unsold.  I get 3 or 4 sorts of Charity tickets – never less than £10 worth.
• As a member of the S&TA our Branch runs 2 junior training days, where the youngsters learn casting, watercraft, fly-tying, knots etc. and at the end they fish for a trout, if they’re lucky they catch and land it, and its on the fly they tied!!
• DVD’s with magazine seems pointless, use the money more usefully
• Please make it clear exactly what benefits there are in becoming a member, details of insurance, details of discounts etc. to attract new members and inform current members
• Have the Guild considered selling back issues of quarterly magazine on CD-ROM.  How about best articles from last 40 years in an anniversary magazine.
• Put £10 worth of tickets for the raffle (or even £20 as the British Legion does).
• When it was suggested to my then local branch that we should restart fly tying courses the response was “we don’t need that as we can all tie”!  This branch was very cliquey and did nothing to encourage new members.  Without new and more members fly fishing and tying will die a lingering death.
• Acquiescent members, I fear!
• An annual index in the Fly Dresser would help in locating fly dressings.
• Membership incorporated into the price of a season ticket at the venue.  Water companies should be targeted as they issue bulletins to all their users promoting all aspects of their organisation.
• Have you thought about promoting it to the scout movement?  They currently have a fishing badge.  But would be good to have tying badge.  Could help to bring young people into fly dressing!
• “Fly Dresser” magazine has got a lot better recently.
• Provide a DVD showing the processes of tying a fly rather than a CD which is just a copy of the magazine and a waste of money.