At Umpqua Feather Merchants we offerer unique, proven, innovative, and problem solving flies in our catalog. We do this through our Signature Fly Designer Program where Tyers submit patterns to us. As a Professional Guide, competitive angler, shop owner, or enthusiast, you likely have developed a pattern that has solved an issue in your angling. We are on the lookout for those unique creative and proven patterns to add to our catalog of flies.
We accept submissions all year long and we review the submissions quarterly. When we receive a pattern that we feel has a place in our catalog, we will begin the process at that time to fish the patterns that we can locally, swim the patterns that are intended for water outside our locale, as well as send samples to our group of field testers in the appropriate locations.
Our decision to accept your pattern(s) has many facets; it’s a very competitive race with only the best being chosen. It isn’t uncommon for us to pass on a really great pattern in order to address a specific niche in another area. That doesn’t mean that pattern wouldn’t be considered for the following year though.
If your pattern(s) are chosen for production, you will receive a phone call to discuss the contract and sampling process in detail. You will be required to tye additional samples, fill out (provided) specification sheets for each pattern and provide us with any necessary step by step instructions we feel are needed. In addition to the factory samples, the required samples are used for quality control, catalog photography, Rep kits and IFTD show samples.
Once your patterns have been sampled by our factories, those samples are sent to you for approval. Production only begins once you have given us your approval. At that time we will build an inventory and release the product to dealers. The International Fly Tackle Dealer (IFTD) show remains the place where the new products for our industry are revealed. We will still be introducing our new patterns at that time; additionally our catalog for the following year is printed and available at IFTD, which is currently at the end of July.
This process takes a great deal of time, from the time we receive your submissions to the time they are available to the public it can be upwards of eighteen months. Typically you will be looking at a twelve month process and depending on the learning curve the factories face with new patterns that could go either way.
Please send any submissions to the address listed below. Your submissions should be in a container or box that will withstand the abuse of shipping. Please do not send your submissions in an envelope…it is important for us to see how much you care about your design. Include 2-10 of each pattern; this gives us a nice collection to look at as well as enough for us to run through our field testing. Make sure to include your contact information so we can get ahold of you and a return address so we can return any patterns that don’t make the final cut.
Umpqua Feather Merchants
ATTN: Brent Bauer
594 South Arthur Ave
Louisville, CO 80027
I encourage you to take a few minutes to read the following story of the man who changed the course of fly fishing history, Dennis Black, Umpqua's founder. Randall Kaufmann said it best. “The combination of Dennis’ entrepreneurial spirit, vision, risk taking, influential friendships and business partners, with the world’s best flies from the world’s best tyers on the world’s best hooks with the world’s best materials made Umpqua the world’s best and biggest supplier of flies, changing the sport of fly fishing forever.”
Dennis started the Royalty Program and it remains the pinnacle of any serious fly tyers career. As a contracted Royalty Tyer, we pay an 8% royalty on all of your patterns invoiced quarterly. The contract also allows you to receive outstanding discounts on all Umpqua products for the duration of the contract. Not to mention the pride of being among the World’s greatest group of fly designers and recognized as an Umpqua Feather Merchants Royalty Tyer.
We look forward to your submission.
