Marvin: Hey folks, it's Marvin Cash, the host of the Articulate Fly.

Marvin: We're back with another chocolate factory with the man himself,

Marvin: Blaine Chocolate. Blaine, how are you?

Blane: I'm good, man. How are you doing?

Marvin: I'm just trying to stay out of trouble. You know, it's kind of funny.

Marvin: I don't think you've been in Blue Ridge for more than two weeks in the last three months.

Blane: No, I haven't, man. I've been on the road literally since the middle of February.

Blane: I bet I haven't been home. four weeks since February.

Blane: It's been a long, long traveling year, but it's been great.

Blane: It's been something I've needed to do with the whole chocolate factory and me

Blane: not guiding as much anymore.

Blane: It's freed me up to do a lot of the things I've been wanting to do.

Blane: One, go visit friends I haven't seen or we've been talking about fishing together.

Blane: One of those things is heading out west out to Washington and Oregon and got

Blane: to see Dave McCoy and we did a muskie school out there.

Blane: They have a really good tiger muskie fishery. So it was, you know,

Blane: with everything going on with here, like I told you in the past,

Blane: the fisheries are just changing and they're not what I grew up guiding on.

Blane: And I made a decision early on in my fly fishing career back in the 90s that

Blane: I was going to focus more on warm water fisheries.

Blane: And unfortunately, the Upper Pacific Northwest, they're in a position where

Blane: they're focusing on that now because their cold water fisheries are not doing well.

Blane: And they're trying to make sure that they have a sustainable fishery in the

Blane: future. So they're looking at starting to promote smallmouth bass.

Blane: They're warm water fisheries there. and they said it'd be better to call than

Blane: me because that's kind of been my bread and butter for my entire career.

Blane: So it was really nice meeting people out there, finally getting up in that part

Blane: of the world and fishing and seeing the tiger muskie fisheries that they have, which are fantastic.

Blane: So anybody out there that's been wanting to go to the Pacific Northwest,

Blane: I would highly recommend going and seeing.

Blane: What they have to offer because there's a bunch of tiger muskies,

Blane: He's beautiful, obviously proficient at the base of some of those beautiful

Blane: mountains that they have out there and Mount Rainier and some of the other ones.

Blane: And just, I don't think there's another place in the country you could see that

Blane: kind of scenery. Pretty, pretty amazing.

Blane: I got to Fish Oregon with a buddy there and did a shot demo and all that. And that was a good time.

Blane: And I was down in Florida a couple times.

Blane: Got to see Flip and we're doing a little short film. Well, it's not a short

Blane: film. It's a pretty big, significant film on Lefty.

Blane: And there's going to be more coming out on that. But Fly Fisherman and the company

Blane: that owns Fly Fisherman is going to be putting that on.

Blane: And Jay Nichols has all this video content that he did with Lefty.

Blane: And of course, who better to narrate it and tell that story than Flip?

Blane: So Jay and I went down there in March and spent a week with Flip and got a bunch

Blane: of really good stuff there.

Blane: So I'm excited about seeing that come to fruition because nobody deserves the

Blane: recognition and to tell his story more than Lefty did.

Blane: I mean, I think everybody that's in the fly community owes Lefty really everything

Blane: that they've been able to do in this sport because Lefty was the beacon.

Blane: It's like Flip says, Lefty was our internet before we had it,

Blane: which I think is a really cool way to say who Lefty really was Because if he

Blane: saw something, he was able to communicate it with people all over the world.

Blane: And nobody did it better than he did.

Blane: So I'm super excited about that one. So stay tuned for that.

Blane: Hopefully that'll come out here in the next year or two.

Marvin: Yeah, that's pretty neat. And then I know you've been doing some stuff with ASGA too.

Blane: Yeah, so doing a lot with ASGA. Yeah, I just had a meeting with them here just

Blane: before we got on here to do this.

Blane: So this can lead into some stuff later, but the chocolate factory,

Blane: we're going to do some stuff with ASGA, do some special runoffs of flies specific

Blane: to help raise money for ASGA projects.

Blane: And if you don't know who that is and what they do, it's American Saltwater

Blane: Guides Association, and they're the ones that get the science for the policymakers

Blane: to make sure our fisheries are healthy.

Blane: So we're doing tagging programs and we're doing symposiums and we're getting

Blane: ready to do one in September in Louisiana.

Blane: They're doing one up in, I think, the weekend before.

Blane: They're doing one up in Cape Cod for false albacore.

Blane: And we found out so much research by...

Blane: Getting funding and stuff we've put tags in them and pit tags and we were able

Blane: to do some telemetry where we found out that uh false albacore are all connected

Blane: the ones that are up in maine are.

Blane: Uh the northeast are also the same fish that are in

Blane: north carolina and florida and even into the gulf so we've

Blane: tagged fish up in cape cod and they you

Blane: know they'll go by buoys or wherever or get recaptured and

Blane: we're finding the same fish in the gulf so for

Blane: those that think that they were all separate fish or not and they've also done

Blane: dna samples that shows that these fish are also connected that

Blane: they're out they all have the same type of dna that means they all spawn in

Blane: the same area which is very interesting and that's why.

Blane: It's very important to have this this stuff

Blane: done because false albacore as much fun

Blane: as they are to fly anglers specifically they're looked

Blane: at as trash fish in the conventional world and they

Blane: don't have regulations on them anywhere so it's very important

Blane: for us to make sure that these fish are protected um that

Blane: we where we you know they're important to the pelagic

Blane: fish marlin and and you know all the giant

Blane: fish out there tunas they eat those and they

Blane: need those fish to to survive so not only

Blane: are they important to us as flying words but they're very important to

Blane: the the giant predators out in the out in

Blane: the big blue sea that uh predate on them so we

Blane: got to make sure that that fishery stays healthy we're doing

Blane: the same type of tagging program for cobia same tagging

Blane: program for um for jacks jacks

Blane: are not protected anywhere so we're trying to get um jacks new

Blane: regulations on jacks all over the all over

Blane: the north america from the gulf to the east

Blane: coast and uh so we're getting ready to do a film on that we're doing a symposium

Blane: in louisiana uh coming up mid to late september I'm also heading up to see my

Blane: buddy Tim Adams that owns Oxbow Farms and they're doing an all species tournament

Blane: up there and the funds go to.

Blane: Asga um so it's a i've never

Blane: been to maine so this will be my first trip up there see a

Blane: bunch of buddies i'm looking forward to that that's mid

Blane: september so i'm always on

Blane: the move but i'm also heading out to uh um in october to see one of my dealers

Blane: north 40 also house of flies they're they're putting on a dealer summit and

Blane: they became one of the chocolate factory dealers uh this past summer and they've been really great.

Blane: So my opportunity to meet all their employees and kind of teach their managers

Blane: and stuff all about the Chakra factory and all about my flies and designs.

Blane: And so they're more educated to their customer base out there.

Blane: So yeah, it's definitely not letting the grass grow under my feet this year, you know.

Marvin: Yeah, you may have platinum preferred status on Delta Airlines before it's all

Marvin: said and done. And, you know, I know with all that travel, you've also got some

Marvin: really cool announcements of some stuff that's coming out soon from the Chocolate Factory, too.

Blane: Yeah, I do. I know a lot of my friends and followers know this,

Blane: but there's a lot of people that don't realize.

Blane: Last July, I left Lyman Fishing Company and started my own company called the Chocolate Factory.

Blane: And it's been really an amazing experience to finally over 30 some years in

Blane: the industry to be able to have my own company and have a factory and working

Blane: directly with the people tying my

Blane: flies to know that we all have the same vision and we all have the same,

Blane: I guess, background where we understand what it takes to make these flies the way they should be.

Blane: And integrity to make sure that we put out stuff that's my designs.

Blane: I've fished it and know what it is and know how it's supposed to work and know

Blane: what the fish want to see because we've done the research and we've fished it, we've lived it.

Blane: And it's very important to me to make sure that the flies that I design hit

Blane: the market the way that my clients get to see these flies work on a daily basis

Blane: in my boat over the years.

Blane: And uh so that that's been

Blane: great and you know we're constantly tweaking things

Blane: and things are coming and um we finally

Blane: have the brushes getting ready to hit the market here in the next couple weeks

Blane: um which has been a long time goal of mine too with uh for years i've been wanting

Blane: to you know i've made my own brushes and stuff and it's just really nice to

Blane: finally have that come um also through all the shank designs that I've created over the years.

Blane: Um, they're finally going to come out the way I want them to be,

Blane: to, um, and be tested, make sure they, they do what they're supposed to do. Um, and.

Blane: Have the structure and and they're they're not going to be compromised in any

Blane: way it's very important to make

Blane: sure that happens too and um we want to we just want to make sure that,

Blane: you know what we do is going to be top-notch and i think i think the end result

Blane: and the people that's received and bought our flies so far are seeing that the

Blane: quality is as good as it could ever be or as good as i could ever make them

Blane: and you know there's been some hiccups down the you know,

Blane: during this whole process, because again,

Blane: I mean, we started this process late last summer.

Blane: I mean, I think our first flosser delivered, you know, the very end of 2023, the beginning of 24.

Blane: And, you know, it's, you know, the whole environment has been interesting.

Blane: It's a learning curve. You know, I've never dealt with the whole manufacturing and stuff overseas.

Blane: Overseas so um it's it's a time difference with me and my factory it's 12 hours so my meetings and,

Blane: zoom meetings or whatnot are usually like four or five o'clock in the morning

Blane: or 10 or 11 o'clock 12 o'clock at night you know so it's it's it's long days

Blane: but it's it's worth it because we're all on the same page we all the same goals

Blane: and we all all do what we do and um you know i was able.

Blane: Uh you know working with this factory um we

Blane: were able to you know give them fly rods from tfo and

Blane: fly lines from sa and all of our tires

Blane: fly or i've learned how to fly fish or catching fish on game changer flies over

Blane: there and that's important to me you know it's a family and i've always been

Blane: family oriented and i want every every company i work with i feel like we're

Blane: family and that's It's not going to be any different with the chocolate factory

Blane: and the chocolate factory dealers.

Blane: So stay tuned for a lot more stuff that's coming down the pipe.

Blane: I'm working on some VIP stuff with my customers. So stay tuned for that, too.

Blane: It's going to be a really interesting late to 2024 and really looking forward

Blane: to 2025 with, you know, new flies that are coming out and stuff I've been testing.

Blane: And I can't thank my small dealer network enough, like Mad River Outfitters,

Blane: Schultz Outfitters, TCO, Saltwater Edge, Fishhawk, Feathercraft, Hatch.

Blane: And we're going to add another flash up in Florida here soon.

Blane: And, you know, like I said, we added the North 40 and house supplies earlier this summer.

Blane: So it's it's uh it's growing man and it's uh as you know and you've kind of

Blane: been with me through this whole process it's uh we've come a long ways in a

Blane: very short period of time and uh couldn't be more excited about it you know

Blane: i can control everything and i know what i'm doing is the way it should be done yeah.

Marvin: It's got to be you know helpful to you know not only are the people tying your

Marvin: flies kind of fishing and learning to fish but the people that own that company

Marvin: are fishermen And that's got to really help the design process.

Blane: Oh, it's everything. If you don't fish, you don't know what the fly should do.

Blane: You don't know how it should act.

Blane: So how are you going to have any input on if it's right or wrong?

Blane: So you can't. So you have to have people that know what they're doing to put

Blane: out the product that needs to be put out, period.

Blane: And that's why I'm very happy with where I am right now. And it's going to just get better and better.

Marvin: Yeah, that's really neat. And so folks, remember, if you've seen Blaine's social

Marvin: media where he talks about, are you fishing real chocolate?

Marvin: You know, the only place to get those flies are from Blaine's,

Marvin: uh, online store or from those, you know, handful of dealers he mentioned.

Marvin: So, you know, check those out and, you know, it's funny, um,

Marvin: you know, you're, uh, you're running around.

Marvin: I know you've got some upcoming events, uh, in schools and stuff sliding into 2024, 2025.

Blane: Yeah, I do. Um, and I hope I didn't want to leave any of my dealers out.

Blane: I I think I missed in the fishhawk.

Blane: I hope I did. Make it sure I did. I didn't want to leave anybody out.

Blane: But, yeah, so we are doing some classes. Mad River, we're doing our second muskie

Blane: class coming up here, I think, beginning or middle of the winter in 2025.

Blane: So I'm really looking forward to that.

Blane: Got a great place here in Roanoke, Virginia, that we're going to be doing a

Blane: big mansion where everybody's going to be able to stay and we're going to do

Blane: the class. And then we're going to end up doing a couple of days guided trips with that.

Blane: And it's just going to be a great experience for everybody because I'm going

Blane: to give them my 30 years to.

Blane: Knowing what to do when and how um choosing the right lines for the right situations right flies,

Blane: uh seasonal changes everything you know what muskies want how how they live

Blane: where they are all those things we're gonna do that and it's gonna be a i think

Blane: it's gonna be a great experience you know you can't control the weather can't

Blane: control the water but what you can do is control,

Blane: your knowledge and and how you treat the people that come and make sure we have

Blane: a good time and And just hopefully when they leave, they feel like that they've

Blane: learned a whole lot about a fish, a fish of 10,000 casts.

Blane: And I feel like I've got a lot to offer in that. And I look forward to working

Blane: with Mad River in the future.

Blane: And we're also working with Virginia Trophy Guides, and they're helping out

Blane: with it as the guides for the other couple days, along with myself.

Blane: So I think it you know if you're looking

Blane: for a for a I guess something to do this winter and looking for a challenge

Blane: and looking to try to catch a fish of a lifetime you know I think this would

Blane: be a great opportunity to see what it's all about because if you can learn musty

Blane: fish and there's not a fish in anywhere,

Blane: in the world that you can't catch that's honestly believe that because these

Blane: fish that they are super demanding, as you know, Marvin,

Blane: not only mentally, but physically.

Blane: So musty fishing's not for the faint of heart, that's for sure.

Marvin: Yeah, I would agree with that. And where can folks find more information on

Marvin: the classes and all that kind of good stuff?

Blane: Yeah, they could pay attention to my social network, Virginia Trophy Guide's

Blane: social network, obviously Mad River's.

Blane: They can find everything on their website and their social media pages,

Blane: Facebook and Instagram.

Blane: And Mad River also has an unbelievable YouTube page, too, that they do a really

Blane: good job on, Brian Fleshing.

Blane: So Mad River Outfitters definitely want to go check that out.

Blane: And I'm also working on Smallmouth School for the spring with another good buddy

Blane: of mine, Schultz Outfitters.

Blane: So pay attention to that in the future. We're kind of working out the details.

Blane: So hopefully we can make that happen here early spring.

Blane: And yeah, you know, Smallmouth Bass has been a big part of my life too.

Blane: And I think, you know, Schultz, he's obviously the Smallmouth guy up in the Midwest.

Blane: And that's what he's known for. He's a good buddy and a very good dealer at the chocolate factory.

Blane: So if we can make this work out, I think it'll be a really good treat because

Blane: smallmouth bass are one of the best game fish there is that we have in this country.

Blane: And they're readily available to a lot of people in this country.

Blane: So I think there's a lot of opportunities there.

Blane: And specifically, we've targeted the biggest of the big. So that's what this

Blane: class is going to be focused on is learning and understanding big,

Blane: smallmouth bass and how to target them throughout the seasons.

Blane: So stay tuned for that one. We've got a little bit of a time crunch.

Blane: I'm trying to figure out the site dates with Schultz and my schedules and Virginia

Blane: Trophy schedules, but we're going to make that happen, pretty sure.

Marvin: Very, very cool. So with all this running around, have you been able to get

Marvin: any Traeger and Corona drinking in? No.

Blane: Okay. Yeah. Yeah, I have, you know, I've, uh, a big thing I've been doing,

Blane: uh, kind of my home away from home is, um, here in Virginia,

Blane: it's the Virginia coast.

Blane: And I was able to do some tagging for Cobia, um, and doing some triggering and

Blane: some, uh, Chesapeake Bay, uh, blue crabs and doing crab picking and crab cakes.

Blane: That's been a lot of fun, but yeah, here this next

Blane: couple of weeks i'm spending things tight because

Blane: i'm working closely with the factory and

Blane: coming out with the new products and designs and

Blane: all that kind of stuff so i'm staying here definitely

Blane: gonna be now the football season's coming

Blane: in looking forward to um the opening

Blane: weekend of college football again i definitely barbecue

Blane: all day and probably toss the plows with

Blane: tyler and you know the next day we're probably going to go do a float for the

Blane: small amount uh while we can still get them on top here so we're looking forward

Blane: to doing some hanging out with family for a while for sure and then i hit the

Blane: road again uh pretty hard here in about a couple weeks so,

Blane: um yeah you know it's all about family time and uh chilling and grilling you know yeah it sounds.

Marvin: Like uh probably barbecue wings corona and virginia tech football right.

Blane: Yeah yeah for sure Sure. That's the plan.

Marvin: Yeah. Well, listen, folks, as I always say, yote yourself to get out there and

Marvin: catch a few. Tight lines, everybody. Tight lines, Blaine.

Blane: Thanks. You too.