I suppose a lot of fly fishers feel about old, creaky fly shops the way a lot of beer drinkers feel about their favorite bar.
They’re both places we can, even if for a while, leave our cares at the door, talk a little treason among friends, touch things that make us happy, meaningfully contribute to the local economy and very often rub the patiently appreciative shop or bar dog.
A good shop guy or gal dispenses much sought after wisdom just like top-notch bartenders, often with just as much gravitas and even more bullshit included. (And both the shop guy and bartender have opportunity to witness some of the most inane acts of imbecilic humanity possible as they serve customers day in and day out.)
The best fly shops are in old buildings, preferably with wooden floors that groan and creak with seasonal temperature changes and every step you take. It’s even better if there’s a bit of bawdy history involved, like the Bozeman Anger on Main Street being housed in what was the old brothel or part of the Headhunters shop in Craig once serving as a chicken coop (so the story goes).
The best fly shops have gear hanging everywhere, in reality not merchandized all that well considering today’s retail standards, but there’s always some guy in the shop who knows exactly where the widget you’re looking for is hanging on the wall, dangling from the ceiling or hidden in the mystical backroom.
The best fly shops are chock full of tying materials – the shop’s black hole for active tiers – with classic materials and at least some of the latest and greatest stuff, though there should always be some offbeat feathers and sh*t hanging around you’d never use in a thousand years but are worth touching in real life.
The best fly shops have a shop critter; granted you’re probably picturing the patient, old shop dog (so am I), bedded down near the stove or heater, though the indifferent shop cat, curled up in a warm, furry ball next to the register, plays well too.
The best fly shops we’ve ever seen are located where you have to shovel snow multiple days every year OR are within a 15 minute drive of the beach. The best fly shops are open year round despite the travails of winter, because sometimes you just need to go touch the latest gear, there are flies to be tied, gifts to be given, winter fishing to be done and trips to tropical places to be planned.
There are exceptions to the snow / beach location rule, though quite few and far between.
Bonus points for:
- A gravel parking lot
- Boats inside or outside the shop (drift boats, rafts, fishing kayaks and flats rigs all score equally)
- Genuine wood stove
- Blue ribbon water within 30 minutes (extra points if under 15 minutes)
- Ice for sale
- Occasional free beer
- Solid guide team but shop loves the independent fisher
- Tying nights
- One genuine shop curmudgeon who otherwise has redeeming features
- Shop hot dog and hamburger days
- Authentic local fishing pics or art on the walls
- Fly fishing classes to grow the sport
- A solid book assortment
- A robust local shirt selection at believable prices (shame on the $40+ T-shirt)
- Coffee in an old fashioned, buffet-style percolator like your mamma used
- Free stickers
I like fly shops.
