Flyshops Bygone - And Still Missed

[dryflyRSW]

I guess my interest in bamboo came from going to Beckie's, Barry Beck's shop in Berwick, PA back in the 70's. It wasn't a big shop; just a little space shared with Barry's parents' gas station. Though very small the shop attracted many from near and far. On Saturdays it was always crowded with guys there from as far Philadelphia, New Jersey and New York City. Barry was a Leonard, Orvis and T&T dealer and always had cane rods on hand to cast on the lawn beside the shop. I especially remember the red wrap Leonards, specifically the 38H. I wanted one badly but for a college student it was out of my price range (However, I just recently acquired one a few weeks ago). Fly tying materials were all stored in containers on the shelves and Barry would them down so you could pick out materials. My association with Barry resulted in me tying flies for Leonard before it was shut down by the IRS. Profits from fly tying led to the purchase of my first new cane rod, an Orvis Flea. Beckies was always a great place to visit when fishing wasn't feasible (closed season, bad weather, etc). Eventually Barry built a new show closer to Fishing Creek and while it was a beautiful shop it seemed to lack some of the cozy character that existed in the old gas station shop. Years later the shop was sold a couple of times but since I moved from PA more than 30 years ago I don't get over that way to visit.

E Hille's in Williamsport, PA (my home town growing up) was another shop that changed hands a few times but no longer exists. Also a small shop it was a great place to get fly tying materials, fiberglass fly rod blanks and rod building components. My initial interest in rod building started because of Hille's and some 40+ years later I am still building fiberglass and cane rods.

Fond memories,
dryflyRSW

[DukeAlum]

I miss these as well. Kind of like the Cracker Barrell!
My favorite is at the Ausable. On Lake Placid. An Orvis place. Still there. Jones outfitters and then Ray Brook fly.
Both nice, NO CLASS! And fun to just shop. Or BS.

There is a place that is great, if you like shooting. And want to get your Purdey or Holland and Holland in RYE. Wealthy area. BSA is a great place to shop for outdoor clothing, and has links to Catskill fly places. We all know in NY, the best fishing is not the Catskills, but the Adirondacks!
Have nice day

[GrsdLnr]

Many lamented shops. Jim Deren's Angler's Roost has already been mentioned. Some others -
The Esopus Flyfisher in Phoenicia (Emil Grimm wasn't quite as curmudgeonly as Deren, but he sure had his moments, especially when the Goldwasser was flowing)
The Beaverkill Angler (it's still around, but founder Budge Lockle and his wife Dot were like adopted uncle and aunt. On rainy nights they'd let me lay out a sleeping bag on the shop floor so I didn't have to sleep in a wet tent. The original shop in Livingston Manor had a pond full of giant pet trout (no fishing allowed) we'd always toss the fish a few handfuls of Trout Chow (Budge insisted it was good luck) before heading to the river.
The Orvis Shop, Buffalo NY - not the soulless corporate store that opened few miles down the road, but the small independent shop that closed over a decade ago. They stayed open late Thursday evenings officially so regular working guys who couldn't get out during their normal open hours could buy what they needed, but really it was an informal tying demo/casting lessons/BS session where a kid new to flyfishing who knew enough to keep his mouth shut and his eyes and ears open could learn a lot from experienced oldtimers.

[crowebeetle]

Fly Fishers Paradise: My experience has been great. I bought an Orvis rod there, took it down to Spring Cr and as I was lining it the tip broke. Took it back to Steve and he practically forced me to take a Loomis as a loaner but I had another rod. He sent it back to Orvis for me. On my return to NC, I stopped at another shop and learned that the rod I bought was going to be reduced by Orvis in price by $100. I received the rod with a new tip along with a box of flies from Steve. I asked him about the price reduction and received a check from him for $100. He easily could have said "Sorry" but was a stand up guy and did the right thing. I've done mail order from him and they are rapid; they tie most of their own flies, do custom tying at very reasonable prices, and they know the local streams. My nephew feels that they are a bit arrogant but I think its more aloofness because they are at their vises tying. I have no financial interest in the shop except that I do spend there. I'm up there several times a year. They are well stocked with tying material.

There is also one in Sunbury, Pa (Fly tiers Heaven) that is small but has more tying material than you could use or imagine using in a lifetime; small but every surface is covered with nearly anything you would want. Plus the guy who owns it knows Penns Cr.

[searun]

Here's a Pacific N.W. entry. Shoff's Sporting Goods in Kent, Wa.; Clarence Shoff started the Shoff Tackle Co. in 1922. He was most noted for his patent on the deer hair mouse in the early '30's (later tied with "raindeer" hair), and he founded Lamiglas Rods in the early 1950's.
I had two Great Aunts that tied flies for him. They supplied flies for Zane Gray, Enos Bradner and others.
The shop was a favorite stop for me and my grade school pals on our way home from school in the '50's. The walls were covered with the obligatory animal hides and heads and fish mounts, and they had the best selection of tying materials and rod making supplies around. We probably drove them crazy with all of our questions about fishing and hunting.

[CDCdun]

Man, this thread is making me nostalgic. I always loved going to fly shops as a kid with my dad. It was just as exciting as actually going fishing. The shop I spent the most time day dreaming about was Kaufmann's in Bellevue, WA. It's been 20 years since I was last there, but if I think about it, it seems like yesterday. Shops have definitely changed. Or maybe I've changed. I don't lust after everything in the shop anymore. Modern rods don't excite me. Flies in their bins are generic and overly dressed. The guy behind the counter isn't the worlds greatest fisherman. I have some decent shops in my area, but I don't look forward to going to them. That's too bad, because my son is now 9 and maybe these shops will one day be a happy memory for him. Long live the great fly shops...at least in our memories.

Jake

[Hellmtflies]

I guess my interest in bamboo came from going to Beckie's, Barry Beck's shop in Berwick, PA back in the 70's. It wasn't a big shop; just a little space shared with Barry's parents' gas station. Though very small the shop attracted many from near and far. On Saturdays it was always crowded with guys there from as far Philadelphia, New Jersey and New York City. Barry was a Leonard, Orvis and T&T dealer and always had cane rods on hand to cast on the lawn beside the shop. I especially remember the red wrap Leonards, specifically the 38H. I wanted one badly but for a college student it was out of my price range (However, I just recently acquired one a few weeks ago). Fly tying materials were all stored in containers on the shelves and Barry would them down so you could pick out materials. My association with Barry resulted in me tying flies for Leonard before it was shut down by the IRS. Profits from fly tying led to the purchase of my first new cane rod, an Orvis Flea. Beckies was always a great place to visit when fishing wasn't feasible (closed season, bad weather, etc). Eventually Barry built a new show closer to Fishing Creek and while it was a beautiful shop it seemed to lack some of the cozy character that existed in the old gas station shop. Years later the shop was sold a couple of times but since I moved from PA more than 30 years ago I don't get over that way to visit.

E Hille's in Williamsport, PA (my home town growing up) was another shop that changed hands a few times but no longer exists. Also a small shop it was a great place to get fly tying materials, fiberglass fly rod blanks and rod building components. My initial interest in rod building started because of Hille's and some 40+ years later I am still building fiberglass and cane rods.

Fond memories,
dryflyRSW

DryflyRSW,
If I'm not mistaken and my memory serves. I believe that Beckie's was also the very first FF shop to offer cane rods from Jon Parker as well.

[Cane Head]

The Blue Goose - Plattsburgh NY. With Bruce Handley behind the counter, the talk was bamboo, local water politics, and a pot in the coffee maker. A vise at the bench and a sample of new materials to try. A sample of every line in the shop was spooled up in a variety of line weights and a casting green out the back door. Plus the conversation could run into the esoteric like braiding/beading female armpit hair. Whether it was lining up a cane to find the best line or trying out one of Orvis' latest offerings, you knew what the rod liked before you left. I haven't found another shop like this yet.

Cane

[redietz]

Shops; Ed Oliver's Orvis - Clinton, N.J.
Les Shannon's Fly & Tackle Shop - Califon, N.J.

Although Les is gone, Shannon's is still very much a going concern. Walking into the shop is like going back in time.

Back in the day, I ran into Lee Wulff in the Orivs shop in Clinton. (I think he was signing books, but I don't really remember.) I miss that shop.

[Hellmtflies]

Shops; Ed Oliver's Orvis - Clinton, N.J.
Les Shannon's Fly & Tackle Shop - Califon, N.J.

Although Les is gone, Shannon's is still very much a going concern. Walking into the shop is like going back in time.

Back in the day, I ran into Lee Wulff in the Orivs shop in Clinton. (I think he was signing books, but I don't really remember.) I miss that shop.

redietz,
Sadly Ed Oliver is long gone as well. If interested there is a bronze plaque dedicated to Ed on the property of the Lake Solitude Club on the banks of the South Raritan River in High Bridge, N.J. Their property is down stream from the Ken Lockwood Gorge. The plaque overlooks the famed "Measuring Pool". If the caretakers question you while you are there. Just mention that I sent you and why.
Mark

[bearbutt]

This is a great thread--I put good fly shops right up on the pedestal beside good pie shops--and sometimes, if you are lucky, you can find both in the same town--.

I miss Fran Betters' shop in Wilmington. Fran was never a class act the way some dealers were--his used cane rods often had repair wraps, his flies were as shabby as they came, and he never stopped selling worms--but he was, beneath the toupee that never quite looked right, a good guy born and bred in the Adirondacks, and trying to make a living out of something he loved doing. I always loved poking around in his shop, and a real treat would be to arrive on a dying day--when there'd be small piles of rusty orange opossum drying on newspaper, and looking like freshly baked pies.

In Western Massachusetts in the early 1970s I don't recall there being a lot of choices--but Stuart's Sportsmen's Center in Indian Orchard was on the way to the Swift from my home, and though they didn't sell cane, they were generous and helpful to the high school kids who came in asking for help and advice.

There's one cool shop I like presently: Dan's Tackle in Chicago. It's pure chaos--something like Deren's Angler's Roost must have been (there's a great story about Deren's shop in Ian Frazier's book, The Fish's Eye. When I needed some size 5 Perfection tip tops for a restoration, Dan dug into his big old Dewitt boxes in his repair area and came out with a pair of them for me. I've found 20 year-old packages of Partridge hooks there too. Once, when paying by credit card, the card slipped and fell on the floor and it took us a very long time to find it among the marabou and flash and hackle and usual fly-shop detritus that littered the floor--actually, it took us over 10 minutes to find it.

bb

[Cork & Cane]

Thornley's in Rhyl, North Wales UK. Started going there when I was about 12-13. Bought a Greenheart rod, then a fiberglass spinning rod, a few reels, flies and spinners. A welcoming place who put up with my questions of the day......... Long gone.

Wanigas Rod Shop in Saginaw MI. Art held court and it was always wonderful to be in there. The counter area could have about three people in the shop, the glass counter was so used by guys putting keys, reels and stuff on it that you couldn't see what was in the case. Ask Art for something and he would generally have it, if he didn't think you needed it he would tell you that as well. Lots of great memories of him and his shop.

Stopped in a shop a few years ago and the young gun behind the counter had what I later found was an I-pod clipped to his shirt..... I was a little dumfounded at this. A year or so later we fished together for about a mile of downstream water on the Manistee. It was a good day, no fish to speak of, but a really nice lad to fish with, sharing the day.

Alan Brights shop at Spruce Creek PA, has a lot of good vibes in it. When all is said and done, it's the guys in the shop that are important, not just the stuff in it.

Every week or so I find my way to a local shop to get a fix, then I am ok for a while. economic survival is tough for them. We are fortunate to have two really good fly shops that are well stocked and staffed by knowledgeable and friendly folk.
My local shops help support a lot of local tyers, and if you value what these stores do, give them your business, they need and appreciate it.

[flyfishingpastor]

The fly shop is still there - but the owner isn't. I'm talking about Rusty Gates, owner of Gates Fly Shop close to Grayling, Michigan. I used to make a trip to Michigan in the spring and in the fall - always stayed at Gates Lodge. Learned a LOT about fly fishing and the Au Sable leaning on the counter in the flyshop. Cancer took him way too soon...

Pat

[Oxbow]

The fly shop is still there - but the owner isn't. I'm talking about Rusty Gates, owner of Gates Fly Shop close to Grayling, Michigan. I used to make a trip to Michigan in the spring and in the fall - always stayed at Gates Lodge. Learned a LOT about fly fishing and the Au Sable leaning on the counter in the flyshop. Cancer took him way too soon...

Pat

Yes - Rusty was full of really good info, you just had to ask him. He was a real champion of preserving the lands around his beloved Ausable and received some nice recognition for his successful efforts in this regard. His father - Calvin "Cal" Gates was a real sweet guy also. He could not help you enough. The shop is still there but those guys are missed dearly.

[rsagebrush]

Reno Fly Shop, I first visited in 1986 and it was always a great stop until it was put out of business in 2010 I believe. Reno and Sparks gave Cabelas and another Sporting goods supplier rights to sell without paying sales tax. I was the death knell for the two real fly shops in town, the other being the Ghillie.

Now if you want to buy at full price pay sales tax, which they keep and mostly Chinese goods stop in.

Sure miss the Reno Fly Shop and I am glad there is the internet.

[wiscoy]

The Orvis Shop, Buffalo NY - not the soulless corporate store that opened few miles down the road, but the small independent shop that closed over a decade ago.

that was a great shop to stop and spend time and money in, as was the original incarnation of the Oak Orchard shop when it was in the back of a house near the Oak. the newest version (V6 by now??) is a good place stop to pick something up, but not the same as the original.

near Rochester - Up the Creek in Pittsford was a place I was sorry to see go.

[PYochim]

There was shop in Tionesta, Pa. which I always enjoyed. The name escapes me.

I miss Bentley's Outfitters in Eden Prairie, Mn. The shop was one of the best stocked that I have ever been in and that includes Dan Bailey's and George Anderson's Yellowstone Angler. Gordon Bentley was always in the back but would come out to say hello. He treated his customers well. You didn't see a lot of people hanging out, BS'ing and not buying anything there.

[BobM]

Two come to mind.

Ned Grey's Sierra Tackle. Early 70's. A tiny little shop in Montrose CA. Kinda north of Pasadena. He mostly did mail-order stuff like his fly tying kits. Looking at glass rods in there one day and he said "here...take these two and go try them". Handed me the rods, a couple of reels and sent me down the street somewhere to a park.

He was into saltwater and going down to Costa Rica for sea run browns.

He suggested I try salt water and gave me a few flies, steered me to Redondo harbor where I rented a small skiff and rowed out and caught bonita on my 7 1/2' Fenwick...had to keep tucking the rod under my arm with fish on and rowing way from the pier as I drifted.

Another was Fern's Flies in New Meadow's Idaho. Her 'shop' was the dinette end of her mobile home along the highway. Fern had such arthritic crippled hands that you'd just be amazed as she tied with her knuckles. She sold
flies all over the world. On one road trip I stopped in Dan Baileys I think it was and said "hey, got any of these" and showed a fly I wanted some more of. "Who tied these"..."Fern"..."thought so"

[pmag]

I just remembered Dan Bailey's in Livingston when the women were tying there I n full view of passers by.

[fisherman911]

Bobm wrote:

"He was into saltwater and going down to Costa Rica for sea run browns."

That would be a new one on me. Do you mean sea run Brown Trout? Please elaborate. This is why I like this forum, you can learn something new all the time.