What MidCurrent does

MidCurrent is a privately held fly fishing media company operating since 2003 out of Fort Collins, Colorado, structured as MidCurrent Media LLC. The company publishes a fly fishing editorial website (midcurrent.com) covering techniques, gear, flies, travel, conservation, science, species (trout, salmon/steelhead, warmwater, saltwater), and community features, and curates video content from external producers. The platform has accumulated over twenty years of editorial archives and maintains an active news cadence with articles and video dated through mid-2026.

The core commercial offering is the MidCurrent Plus membership, operated through a freemium model. Free members receive curated weekly newsletters and limited archive access; Standard members (priced at $4.95/month, $12.95/quarter, or $47.50/year) receive personalized weekly newsletters matched to species/region/experience selections, up to four personalized monthly PDF fishing guides, three Ask MidCurrent expert Q&A submissions per month, monthly brand gear discounts of 15–30% off, and ad-free reading. The technology stack is deliberately lean and off-the-shelf: Memberful handles membership registration and subscription billing, Stripe processes payments, and the personalization engine applies member-selected preference filters to editorial content. A separate e-commerce storefront at shop.midcurrent.com sells fly fishing gear, and travel.midcurrent.com operates as a trip-booking platform.

Revenue is generated primarily from consumer subscription memberships and ancillary e-commerce (shop and travel). The company is bootstrapped with no disclosed institutional funding, no parent company, and headcount reported at 1–10 employees. Founders/leaders Marshall Cutchin (Publisher Emeritus) and Phil Monahan (Ambassador) remain associated with the brand, and MidCurrent covers fly fishing news, conservation, and industry events. The business ships merchandise only within the U.S. and Canada and operates with no disclosed mobile app or native AI capability.

Name

MidCurrent

Legal name

MidCurrent Media LLC

Website

https://midcurrent.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

MidCurrent is a Fort Collins, Colorado–based fly fishing media company, founded in 2003, that publishes editorial content and operates a freemium subscription membership (MidCurrent Plus) offering personalized newsletters, monthly fishing guides, expert Q&A, and member-only gear discounts to individual fly fishing enthusiasts in the U.S. and Canada.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fishing Media and Content Subscription

SIC

Retail-Misc General Merchandise Stores (5399)

akta.pro primary industry

Fishing & Tackle Retail (CRAMABAL)

Keywords

• Fly fishing content
• Fishing media publishing
• Angling membership subscription
• Outdoor recreation editorial
• Fishing education platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Fort Collins

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Standard Subscription Membership: Recurring subscription revenue from MidCurrent Plus Standard membership. Members pay monthly ($4.95), quarterly ($12.95), or annually ($47.50). Annual plan saves 20% vs monthly. Revenue is recurring and predictable, driven by a freemium funnel that converts free members to paid Standard tiers.
2. Freemium Conversion: Free members receive basic newsletters and limited article access. The tier is designed to convert engaged free members to paid Standard subscriptions through upsell of personalized content, gear discounts, and ad-free experience.
3. Gift Memberships: MidCurrent Plus Standard memberships are sold as gifts (3-month at $12.95 or 12-month at $47.50). Gift recipients can redeem via unique links and are often converted to ongoing paid subscribers after the gift period.
4. MidCurrent Store (Shop): An e-commerce storefront at shop.midcurrent.com sells fly fishing-related products. The site also links to a dedicated travel booking platform at travel.midcurrent.com for fishing trips.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

MidCurrent is a fly fishing media and digital content platform that publishes editorial articles, videos, gear reviews, fly-tying tutorials, and destination guides, organized by species and region. Its commercial core is the MidCurrent Plus subscription membership, available in a free tier and a paid Standard tier, which delivers personalized weekly newsletters, downloadable monthly PDF fishing guides, an expert Q&A service (Ask MidCurrent), exclusive partner-brand gear discounts, and an ad-free reading experience. The company also operates an e-commerce storefront (shop.midcurrent.com) and a fishing-trip booking platform (travel.midcurrent.com).

Product overview

MidCurrent operates a subscription-based fly fishing content platform offering two membership tiers: Free and Standard MidCurrent Plus. The core offering combines personalized content delivery through weekly newsletters and monthly PDF fishing guides, expert Q&A services via Ask MidCurrent, and exclusive gear discounts from partner brands. Standard members receive tailored content based on their selected species interests (trout, saltwater, warmwater, salmon/steelhead) and fishing region, with up to four personalized monthly guides. The company also operates a separate e-commerce store and offers gift subscription options.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MidCurrent Plus: Premium subscription membership tier offering personalized monthly fishing guides, weekly newsletters, Ask MidCurrent expert Q&A service, members-only gear discounts, ad-free reading experience, and access to exclusive articles and field reports.

Products and services

• MidCurrent Plus Free Membership A no-cost membership tier providing monthly overview guides, weekly curated newsletters, one Ask MidCurrent question per month, and limited article archive access, designed to convert engaged free readers into paid Standard subscribers.
• MidCurrent Plus Standard Membership A paid subscription at $4.95/month, $12.95/quarter, or $47.50/year offering personalized weekly newsletters (up to 32 articles), up to four personalized monthly PDF fishing guides, three Ask MidCurrent questions per month, monthly gear discounts (15-30% off) from partner brands, ad-free reading, and full archive access.
• MidCurrent Plus Gift Memberships Standard membership sold as a gift in 3-month ($12.95) and 12-month ($47.50) packages, with scheduled email delivery and customizable redemption for any date, often converting recipients to ongoing paid subscriptions after the gift period.
• MidCurrent Store An own e-commerce storefront at shop.midcurrent.com selling fly fishing gear and accessories, including rods, reels, waders, flies, packs, and related products.
• MidCurrent Travel A separate fishing trip booking platform at travel.midcurrent.com that sells guided fly fishing trip packages and destination experiences to individual consumers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Members receive up to 4 personalized monthly guides and up to 32 personalized articles per month in newsletters (vs. curated highlights for free members).
• +1 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

AI capability1 record

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• StripecoreTechnology or IntegrationMidCurrent uses Stripe as its secure payment processor for all membership transactions (Standard subscription billing, gift membership purchases, and refunds). Stripe is integrated directly into the checkout flow on midcurrent.com.
• MemberfulcoreTechnology or IntegrationMidCurrent uses Memberful for membership management, including registration, authentication, subscription billing, and gift membership redemption. All membership tier URLs reference the Memberful platform (midcurrent.memberful.com).
• Various Fly Fishing Brands (Gear Discount Partners)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerMidCurrent partners with a different fly fishing brand each month to offer Standard members exclusive discounts of typically 15–30% off. Past partners have included leaders in rods, reels, waders, flies, packs, and accessories. Each month a unique discount code is distributed to Standard members via their newsletter and account dashboard.
• Facebook (Meta)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerMidCurrent uses Facebook Ads conversion tracking (Facebook pixel) to attribute conversions to Facebook advertising, and embeds Facebook social widgets (Like button) for sharing content. Facebook is also a video hosting platform for some MidCurrent live events and interviews.
• External Video ProducersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMidCurrent curates and embeds video content from external fly fishing producers on its platform. Featured producers include Trout Hunting NZ, Jensen Fly Fishing, Montana Angler Fly Fishing, Flycraft, Hardman Fishing Adventures, Charlie's Fly Box, Trident Fly Fishing, Orvis Guide to Fly Fishing, Fish Tech Outfitters and Utah Fishing Channel, Gilbert Rowley, and others. These creators produce destination films, technique tutorials, gear reviews, and fly-tying content that MidCurrent publishes on its platform.
• Fly Fishers International (FFI)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerFly Fishers International announced George Daniel as a headline presenter for FlyFest 2026 at the Redding Civic Auditorium in California, hosted by FFI and presented in partnership with The Fly Shop. MidCurrent reported on this event as part of its fly fishing news coverage.
• The Fly ShopminorGTM or Marketing PartnerThe Fly Shop is the presenting partner for FlyFest 2026, alongside Fly Fishers International. MidCurrent covered the event announcement.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Orvis: Iconic fly fishing brand with a robust content platform, gear retail, travel/guided trip bookings, and an active media/news arm. Orvis is a much larger, multi-vertical incumbent that competes with MidCurrent for the same angler's attention and subscription dollars, though at vastly greater scale.
• Outdoor Life: Long-established general outdoor recreation publication covering fishing (including fly fishing), hunting, gear, and conservation. Part of a larger media portfolio, but competes for the same angler's attention, ad dollars, and (potentially) subscription revenue.
• Field & Stream: Major general outdoor recreation media brand covering hunting, fishing (including fly fishing), and conservation. Competes for angler attention and ad/digital subscription dollars, with a much broader scope and larger editorial team than MidCurrent.

Direct peers

• Flylords Magazine: Digital fly fishing magazine covering gear reviews, destinations, conservation, and angler profiles with strong social media presence. Direct editorial competitor, particularly for the younger/social-first fly angler demographic.
• Hatch Magazine: A fly fishing-focused online magazine publishing news, gear reviews, technique articles, and destination content for serious fly anglers. Hatch is the closest direct editorial competitor to MidCurrent, covering the same niche with overlapping content categories and a similar enthusiast target audience.
• The Drake Magazine: Independent fly fishing print and digital publication known for high-quality journalism, photography, and conservation coverage. Overlaps with MidCurrent's editorial positioning and audience, with a comparable premium, niche-magazine feel.
• Gink & Gasoline: Long-running fly fishing blog/online publication focused on technique, conservation, and storytelling. Direct editorial peer targeting the same North American fly fishing enthusiast segment with overlapping content categories.
• Fly Fisherman Magazine: Long-established fly fishing publication (now digital) covering techniques, gear, destinations, and conservation. Direct editorial overlap with MidCurrent in the fly fishing vertical, though it is part of a larger outdoor media portfolio (Outdoor Sportsman Group).

Emerging players

• Troutster: Smaller digital fly fishing publication focused on tips, gear, and destination content for the trout angler community. Partial overlap with MidCurrent's editorial scope, with a comparable niche, community-led content approach.
• Trout Unlimited: Leading coldwater conservation organization with a substantial digital media presence, news coverage, and member communications. While nonprofit and conservation-focused, TU produces fly fishing content that overlaps MidCurrent's editorial scope and audience interests.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/midcurrent
• Facebookfacebook.com/midcurrent

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about MidCurrent