Riding the Current: AFFTA Confluence 2025 Recap from Boulder
Earlier this month, Boulder became the epicenter of fly fishing at the American Fly Fishing Trade Association’s Confluence 2025. The event was a true convergence of commerce, conservation and community. Here are four of our favorite takeaways:
- A Health Check on the Industry: Data That Tells a Story
The outdoor economy is still trying to find its footing post-pandemic, and fly fishing shows signs of sustained strength. According to the 2024 TrackFly Spring Report, specialty channel sales in fly fishing rose +4% year-over-year, driven by:
- +0.6% growth in wading gear
- +4.7% in softgoods
- +12.1% in flies and +3.3% in fly tying, showing both core engagement and seasonal balance
While rod sales dipped slightly (-2%) and reels stayed flat, the broader trend signals a diversifying market, especially as many other outdoor verticals see a plateau.
- Strategy & Soul: “The 5 Tools” Session Every Outdoor Leader Should Steal
One of the most impactful sessions at this year’s event wasn’t about fly line tapers or wader materials but how we run our businesses. In “5 Tools for Clarity,” sales strategist Steve Bendzak laid out a practical but transformative toolkit for brand and shop leaders alike. Key takeaways included the importance of clear org charts, consistent scoreboards to track progress, quarterly goals with ownership, weekly meetings that actually matter and a one-page roadmap to keep teams aligned and inspired. It was equal parts tactical and human and precisely the kind of leadership-focused session this industry needs more of.
Reach out to Steve if you’re interested in his business insights. You can reach him via email at [email protected]
- Brands & Retailers: A Crucial Relationship in Transition
This year’s standout conversation centered around the evolving (and sometimes strained) dynamic between brand manufacturers and fly shops. It’s no secret that this relationship is the lifeblood of the specialty channel, and AFFTA created space for both sides to voice wins and growing pains. Our friend Alex Maier from OnWater (a sponsor of TREAD’s Traction Series River Summit) led the session and got people talking. Below are some themes:
What brands are getting right:
- Strong marketing assets, including regionally relevant content
- Successful product launches and customer personas
- Improved (but inconsistent) communication with shops
Where brands could improve:
- Better education and training for shop employees
- More consistent communication, especially around MAP policies
- Stronger merchandising support and clearer end-of-life product strategies
- More authentic demographics representation in marketing
What shops/retailers are doing well:
- Stronger management practices and forecasting
- Excellent storytelling and customer education
- Effective product curation and experience-building
Where retailers can grow:
- Better use of marketing assets
- Openness to new categories and ideas
- More consistent preorder timing and product feedback to brands
- Becoming more welcoming to newcomers
- Developing staff strategies that prioritize a balanced product mix
The bottom line? Both sides have opportunities to communicate more clearly, collaborate more strategically and build a more resilient ecosystem together.
- A New Format, A Stronger Future
This year’s Confluence wasn’t designed to be formatted like a traditional trade show. Instead, the schedule was packed with sessions designed to address the real-world challenges manufacturers and retailers face right now. We got to experience practical, high-impact learning discussions for every part of the industry, such as:
- “Five Tips to Improve Your Customer Communications” with AFFTA’s own Brian Bennett. This session was built to help shops make smarter decisions, tell better stories and ultimately thrive in a competitive retail environment.
- Kirk Detter hosted a candid conversation about “Breaking Down Communication Barriers Between Manufacturers and Retailers,” where participants discussed what’s working and what needs to change in how these two sides interact.
- For manufacturers, deep-dive sessions tackled key policy and operational issues, including the latest on PFAS regulations and tariff/trade updates and an important conversation on ADA compliance led by Emily Shuman of the Rocky Mountain ADA Center.
- Brands like Scott Fly Rods and Mayfly Outdoors hosted daily networking lunches and happy hours. These informal moments created space for authentic connection, the kind that often leads to the most lasting collaboration. The group also had the opportunity to head to downtown Boulder to support a fundraising event for Casting for Recovery.
The biggest takeaway is that AFFTA’s pivot to a more intimate, issue-driven experience with Confluence is proving to be the right move, especially in industries like the outdoors.
Remember to mark your calendar for the next Confluence, which will be held in Asheville, North Carolina, on October 21-22, 2025. AFFTA strategically chose the location to support the local economy and fly shops. A partnership with a local nonprofit will likely be formed so that AFFTA members can volunteer.