I’ve got three places within a 15 minute drive that sell fly fishing products: one is Gander Mtn. it’s got a limited selection, and the staff knows nothing about fly fishing (except one young lady who ties clousers for smallmouth), but there’s a few random items that they have that are hard to find elsewhere, like their selection of tools, and a very few items that, for some reason, they have a considerably better price on (bucktails are nearly 30% cheaper).
Second place is an Orvis retailer. It’s a small shop with that “fly shop” feel, but the truth of the matter is that of the two guys that operate it, one knows nothing about fly fishing. The other guy has a decent working knowledge of the fishing end, but neither one seems to be a proficient tyer, which is where most of my fly fishing dollars go. I’ve bought 2 reels from them and the customer service has been excellent. You do get a little bit of the “you dont really want what you think you want…you want this…”, but generally, they’re reasonable enough to show you an alternative in the same price range, and usually, they’ve been more or less correct. I guess the key moment for that place was when I asked the one guy what sizes a certain saddle would tie and he couldn’t even venture a guess. I still go there for certain things that other places dont carry (they’ve got a good selection of synthetics), but now, most of my business goes to another place.
The third and final fly shop around here is what appears to be a back porch that turned into a finished addition on the back of the owner’s (and only worker) house. It’s about 10x20 and literally ever inch of the walls, from about 3’ above the floor to the ceiling is covered in bags of materials, tools, accessories, etc. And that wasnt enough: 2 racks sit in the middle of what little floor space he has, full of stuff, with added hooks on the sides, also full of materials.
Two things that ensured a return visit, right off the bat was 1) the lack of “commercialization”. There were no large displays from big names in fly fishing…and really, nothing for sale from the typical “big names”. There’s no Orvis, Sage, Winston, Fishpond, Simms, etc. The biggest names in the shop are Regal vises, Teton reels, and Echo rods. There’s about a dozen rods on hand, and about that many reels, but its obvious that he’s more interested in getting customers to keep coming back for 10-20 dollar trips, than getting a few beginners per year outfitted who may never return.
The second thing that really impressed me, was that as soon as I came in, he started a conversation with me, but never tried to push me toward a sale. If I asked what material I’d need for a fly, he showed me, and there’s been several times when he has said “you dont want that”. The reason, however, was “because for what you’re doing, its overkill, and you can get the same effect much cheaper by trying this”. Over the past year, he’s saved me money like that several times, and showed me simple alternatives. He’s also quick to offer tips and suggestions, but, unless its a simple black & white issue, he makes it clear that it is, in fact, his opinion. One of the best things I like about this guy and his shop is that he almost always reminds me as I’m leaving that if I ever have any questions about things, just stop by, I don’t need to buy something to come in and talk fishing.
That means alot to me.
