fly fishing Archives • Cross Current Insurance

Why do I need travel (or trip) insurance?

Apr 17 2024

Travel insurance protects you and your investment in your next big hunting or fishing trip, but it also protects the guides, outfitters and lodges you are hiring to make your trip a great success!

Embarking on your next big hunting trip to Alaska or fly fishing expedition to Belize is undoubtedly thrilling. However, unforeseen incidents can quickly dampen the excitement and turn your adventure into a source of frustration. This is where trip (or travel) insurance, particularly tailored for outdoor adventures, steps in to offer protection and peace of mind.

Why Outdoor Adventure Travel Insurance Matters

Outdoor adventure trips inherently carry risks, ranging from flight cancellations and lost luggage to medical emergencies. Outdoor adventure travel insurance, provided by reputable firms (like Cross Current Insurance) addresses these concerns by offering coverage for various travel-related incidents. This coverage ensures that you can explore the great outdoors with confidence, knowing that you are financially protected against unexpected setbacks.

Travel Insurance is Good for All Parties Involved

A travel insurance policy not only protects you as the traveler, it protects the guides, outfitters and lodges you employ on your trip. Guided fishing and hunting trips are often a trip of a lifetime with serious expenses. Outfitters and lodges have these trips scheduled one or more years in advance. And, whatever happens that requires you to cancel a trip last-minute, that lost revenue can be extremely damaging to these small businesses.

In my opinion, it’s worth every penny. And while trip insurance will never cover every reason for a trip cancellation, it does provide a measure of protection for both the traveler and the destination business.

Tim Linehan
Owner of Linehan Outfitting in Montana

What Does Outdoor Adventure Travel Insurance Cover?

Like your choice of fly rod or rifle, there are different types of trip insurance to meet the complexities of your trip. Policies can provide comprehensive coverage designed to meet the unique needs of adventurers. Whether you’re embarking on a single trip, multiple journeys, or a year-long expedition, these policies offer protection against:

Trip cancellation and interruption
Emergency medical and evacuation expenses
Reimbursement for lost or damaged baggage
Compensation for travel delays
Rental car damage or theft
Coverage for travel accidents
Pre-existing medical conditions under certain criteria

Choosing the Right Insurance Provider

Selecting the right insurance provider is crucial for ensuring a positive travel experience. Reputable insurance companies prioritize customer satisfaction and adhere to high standards of service. They will offer personalized assistance and rapid response times to address your concerns effectively.

When Is Outdoor Adventure Travel Insurance Necessary?

Outdoor adventure travel insurance becomes essential when your journey involves nonrefundable reservations or potential medical risks. If your trip includes activities like mountain climbing or other adventure sports, specialized coverage is particularly valuable. This insurance protects your nonrefundable trip costs and ensures your health and safety are safeguarded throughout your adventure.

Where to Obtain Travel Insurance

You can purchase outdoor adventure travel insurance in many ways. Using a knowledgeable broker like Cross Current Insurance is one option. You can also check with your outfitter or lodge as many of them work with insurance companies to offer trip insurance during the booking process. The cost of insurance varies based on your trip details, so it’s advisable to request a quote to ensure adequate coverage for your specific adventure.

Conclusion: Explore with Confidence

In conclusion, outdoor adventure travel insurance offers invaluable protection for adventurers seeking to explore the world. Don’t let unexpected mishaps derail your journey. With the right insurance coverage from trusted providers like Cross Current Insurance, you can embark on your next adventure worry-free. Prepare for your next journey with confidence.

Bleed Water, the Amazing Tale of Harrison Anglers

Oct 01 2023

by Joe Philippon

As friends and clients, Cross Current Insurance has known Dan and Tom Harrison for a long time.

Their passion for fly fishing and pushing its boundaries is unmatched. That is why we were proud to be a supporter of the new film that features them. Directed by Chris Kitchen of KGB Productions, you will be on the edge of your seat with many of the daring feats the Harrisons and their guide team take, both on and off the water. It is guiding like the fly fishing world has not seen before.

As the film description says, in a sleepy corner of New England, despite having a rich history and culture surrounding fly fishing, “Bleed Water” tells the story of how brothers Dan and Tom Harrison and their guide crew have spent over a decade pioneering and reshaping anglers’ perception of the Northeast’s fisheries worldwide.

PRODUCTION CREDITS:

Instagram:
@rexmess – All photos
@harrisonanglers
@kgb_productions

Facebook:
@kgbproductions

@Harrison-Anglers

Directed by:
Chris Kitchen @chriskitchen

Produced by: KGB Productions

Principal Camera:
Matt Fournaris – @matt_fournaris_media

Chris Kitchen – @chriskitchen

Editing:
Matt Fournaris – @matt_fournaris_media

ANGLERS/GUIDES

Tom and Dan Harrison @harrisonanglers

Phill Nogee @phil_nogee

Cam Chioffi @cam_chioffi

Location: Western Mass/ Southern VT
Species: Brown & Rainbow Trout, Pike

Voted Best Insurance Program in the Fly Fishing Industry

Feb 01 2023

by Joe Philippon

Cross Current was voted the best insurance company for Fly Fishing Guides in the Fly Fishing Show’s Consumer Choice Awards

Recognized as a leader in the fishing industry for insurance

Cross Current Insurance Group was humbled to learn they were chosen by guides and anglers from across the United States for having the best insurance program for fly fishing guides. Cross Current’s founding partner, Rollin Schuster, noted, “Our company was created to blend years of insurance experience with our passion for the outdoors. We have built something special here, and it is great to see us being recognized by those we serve…thank you!”

What are the Consumer Choice Awards

The awards are presented by The Fly Fishing Show, Angling Trade and Fly Fusion Magazine, and serve to recognize and celebrate the outstanding businesses that continually improve the angling experience. Winners are chosen by fly-fishing consumers from across the United States at the many Fly Fishing Show events. The awards are free to enter and entry is open to all Fly Fishing Show Exhibitors that create original products for the industry.

Cross Current Insurance

We are an insurance brokerage born out of the concept of helping businesses and professionals in the fishing industry while also giving back to the causes we all care about. As avid anglers and outdoorsmen ourselves, we understand the unique challenges you face, both on the water and in your business.

Don’t Lose Your Shop’s Insurance

Jul 14 2022

by Joe Philippon

Did you know it is becoming common for insurance companies to not renew existing policies of fly and tackle shops that also have guiding operations as part of their business? We can help.

Why are shop owners losing their insurance?

Simply put, it’s a catch-22. Insurance companies who like insuring fly and tackle shops do not want to insure the liability exposure of guiding operations. The insurance companies that do insure guide liability do not want to insure retail operations.

What can you do?

Contact Cross Current before your insurance is canceled or not renewed to find out more. We specialize in insuring the fishing and outdoor industries, and we have a unique, long-term solution for this dilemma. We have helped many shop owners across the country solve this problem, and we can help you too!

Cross Current Insurance

We are an insurance brokerage born out of the concept of helping businesses and professionals in the fishing industry while also giving back to the causes we all care about. As avid anglers ourselves, we understand the unique challenges you face, both on the water and in your business.

Contact us with any questions:

Email Pete or 860-817-4964
Email Augusto or 860-817-3100
Email Rollin or 860-559-0697

Cheeky Schoolie 2022

May 24 2022

by Joe Philippon

It was another amazing tournament out on Cape Cod. Cheeky’s annual celebration of the striped bass is something every angler should experience. Anglers come from around the country for the World’s Largest Fly-Fishing-Only Tournament.

Thursday kicked off with a free women’s event hosted by Cheeky and Cross Current Ambassador Abbie Schuster at West Dennis Beach. It was a space for all female-identifying anglers participating in Schoolie to connect with the women’s fly fishing community.

Even though it is an epic fly fishing event, the weekend is really about supporting the nonprofit organizations that work diligently to ensure stripers are still around for future generations to enjoy them. This year’s tourney will support Keep Fish Wet, the American Saltwater Guides Association, and Stripers Forever.

The weekend continued with conservation partners and industry representatives spending Friday at the first Striped Bass Science Symposium. Conservation of the striped bass was the running theme and there was a lot to talk about making it an information-rich session. Segments of discussion included:

Lessons on why post-release mortality is one of the main reasons for fishery decline from Keep Fish Wet. If you really must remove a striper from the water, 10 seconds or less is recommended.
A recap of Amendment 7 was given by ASGA’s John McMurray of ASGA and Mike Woods and Chris Borgatti from Backcountry Hunters & Anglers.
Massachusetts Department of Marine Fisheries presented data from their striped bass tagging research which shows striped bass tend to return to the same areas each summer.
Using social media to encourage new and existing anglers to weave conservation practices into their fishing endeavors brought out new ideas. It is not only for grip-n-grins!
And to complete the session, ASGA announced a False Albacore tagging research project to learn more about Albies to help guide their future management.

Thank you to The American Saltwater Guides Association, Costa Sunglasses, and Cheeky Fishing for hosting the Symposium.

On to the main event. The rules on Saturday were quite simple. Catch and release. Two feet on the ground. Stay east of the Cape Cod Canal. Only four 20-inch stripers or longer can be recorded. Go time was 5:30am, after a stop at Dunkin!

It was a whirlwind of a day traversing around the Cape. It really felt like a few different days with the changes in weather from beginning to end. We can talk about our score the next time we see you in person.

It was great seeing many familiar faces and meeting even more new ones. At Cross Current, our motto is protect your passion, and supporting a fundraiser like this is right in our wheel-house. We are proud to be a sponsor of this important event and look forward to doing so in the future.

In 2021 $21,000 was raised for striper conservation. With the pandemic further into our rear-view mirrors, this year should be even more successful than the last.

Tight lines everyone!

Black Salmon – A Cobia Story

Apr 02 2022

by Joe Philippon

Cross Current Insurance is proud to sponsor Black Salmon – A Cobia Story.

As a leader of insurance in the fishing world, we were excited to partner with Jamie Howard and his company Howard Films as a sponsor on his film which was officially selected for the 2022 Fly Fishing Film Tour.

The annual Fly Fishing Film Tour is a traveling roadshow of the best fly fishing films in the world. Through a submission process, films are selected by a jury to bring some of the best content to the big screen in your hometown.

About the Film:

The Cobia In the Chesapeake Bay don’t eat a fly so much as they inspect it at high speed. A fish that is known in many places as an easy quarry and a tasty meal, is anything but in the Chesapeake (a water system where it has grown wary from all the attention, especially from conventional anglers). The result is a fish that tests Blane Chocklett’s mettle, patience and skill in the mid-atlantic sun.

The Cobia, a shark-meets-catfish, has become a target for fly anglers when it floats up in the water column. Captains Tyler Nonn and Jason Barham trade thoughts on the state of the fishery and strategies on how to intercept them before they move to offshore habitat in Fall. What ensues is a reminder that no matter how much you know, you’ve always got more to learn.

Inspired by a shrinking biomass and an uncertain future, Black Salmon shines a light on the wary Cobia’s issues today. As decreasing numbers and warming waters lead the fish north into unregulated regions, as we all try to keep up.

See the full film!

See the Fly Fishing Film Tour one at Outside+

Great Interview with Jamie by Flylords

Fly rod and reel on a dock with angler in the background

Fly fishing angler casting into the ocean

About Howard Films

Howard Films is the creation of Jamie Howard. It all began with a modest investment in a small independent film called In Search of a Rising Tide.

Released in 2005, In Search of a Rising tide helped start a movement of fishing and outdoor films. Now, countless film-makers are submitting their fly fishing creations to the Fly Fishing Film Tour, and others like it on an annual basis.

Ever since, Jamie and his team have spent thousands of hours chasing Tarpon, Bonefish, Largemouth Bass, Black Salom and Striped Bass, and more, giving us all a window to passionate stories about these fish, the anglers who pursue them, and the conservation efforts to help them stay strong.

Cross Current Insurance supports the Guide Relief Program

Jul 28 2021

by Joe Philippon

Cross Current Insurance believes in giving back any way we can to support organizations like the Guide Relief Program, which supports guides on and off the water.

Led by cofounders Mollie Simpkins, the Executive Director, and KynsLee Scott, Director of Outreach and Guide Services, the Guide Relief Program realized there is no social safety net in place for guides and no organization that provided access to even the basic benefits traditionally offered by employers.

GRP started during the COVID-19 crisis to support Montana’s fishing guides, fly and conventional, by providing critical information and resources regarding unemployment, grants and loans, and financial relief.

By supporting the Guide Relief Program (GRP), you will help support their mission of supporting the physical and mental health of fishing guides on and off the water. The Guide Relief Program offers financial support in the way of small grants to guides who are in crisis. Additionally, approved guides will have immediate access to two months of mental heath services at no cost.

So please consider supporting the Guide Relief Program today!

Learn more about the Guide Relief Program and how you can support them.

Help! A National Park is making me buy a $1,000,000 Commercial Auto Policy

Mar 05 2020

by Joe Philippon

As our clients around the country are renewing their guide liability insurance and guiding licenses, we’ve been receiving some new questions that haven’t come up very often in the past. The current leader in the clubhouse is “A National Park is requiring me to have $1,000,000 in commercial auto coverage or I won’t be able to guide clients in their Park. How do I get this coverage?”.

In addition to the NPS requiring this coverage, some states in the West like CO and MT, are starting to require this auto coverage when you apply for your Guide or Outfitter License. We’ll get into the reasons why later in this post, but first let’s address how to get this coverage as inexpensively as possible.

The simple answer is to call the company that you buy your personal auto insurance from, and ask them to add “commercial use” to your auto policy with a $1,000,000 limit. That might be your local independent agent or the national company that you buy your car insurance online from. The cost of this coverage can vary depending on what you drive, where you live, whether your car is leased or owned, as well as what your deductible is. Based on our small sample size, you can get this added to your policy for as low as $40 a year, up to $300 a year.

When I investigated it for myself, it would cost me $44 a year with a $1000 deductible. If you have a lower deductible like $250 or $500, it will be more expensive. These are estimates, and your mileage may vary.

So, this begs the question,

“Why is the National Park Service making you buy Commercial Auto Insurance?“

I have a couple hunches (if you’ve been told specifically why they’re requiring this, please let us know in the comments)

1. Driving Paying Clients

If you’re driving paying clients in your personal automobile without Commercial Use coverage, you have ZERO insurance coverage on your policy. If you got into an accident and one of your clients gets injured they or their family may sue you, and because you have no commercial auto coverage, they’ll try to sue the Park. (Individuals don’t usually succeed in suing the federal government, which is why we have no additional charges on our policy when a government entity requests they be named as an ‘additional insured’.)

2. Earning money by utilizing a public resource

You’re earning money by utilizing a public resource and need to be properly insured like any for-profits business operating within the park system. Because income taxes and the annual fees to register your boat for use in the park wasn’t enough…

3. Guide liability includes auto coverage for transporting clients

There has been an assumption by both guides and the parks that your guide liability includes auto coverage for transporting clients, which it almost always does NOT.

This is the first in a series of posts which will address Commercial Auto Liability for fishing guides and outfitters. Stay tuned for parts 2 & 3 where we’ll dig into whether you have insurance for the rods in your cartop case and why you can’t add commercial auto coverage to your guide liability policy.

If you have any other questions or topics you’d like us to address on the blog, please leave a note in the comments or email us anytime at [email protected]

Tag: fly fishing

Why do I need travel (or trip) insurance?

Travel insurance protects you and your investment in your next big hunting or fishing trip, but it also protects the guides, outfitters and lodges you are hiring to make your trip a great success!

Why Outdoor Adventure Travel Insurance Matters

Travel Insurance is Good for All Parties Involved

Tim Linehan
Owner of Linehan Outfitting in Montana