Flyshops Bygone - And Still Missed

or however that dang word is written! : ) Use this forum to discuss those things that are related to, directly, or indirectly, fly fishing, i.e., tackle, catalogs, single malt scotch, cigar preferences, pipes, camera gear, etc. This is sort of an off topic area but one related to bamboo and fly fishing.

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searun
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Re: Flyshops Bygone - And Still Missed

#61

Post by searun »

bluesjay wrote:Hi Guys, Roy Patrick in Seattle and Cal Bird in San Fransisco are two I loved. My brother Brit took me to Bill's on the North Fork several times. I still have a few of his flies and a business card. I'm a big fan of Gate's AuSable. In my area I like the West Laramie Fly Store. It has lots'a flies and a ton of tying materials. I liked Ev's in Fort Collins, but he moved. Of course my wife and I had a fly shop and bookstore in Cowdrey, CO and then here in Walden, CO. The fly shop is still here, but the bookstore, Night Heron Books, is owned by my daughter's family in Laramie. Jay Edwards
Jay,
You may be pleased to know that Patrick's Fly Shop (Seattle's oldest existing) is still alive and well on Eastlake Ave. You walk in the front door and you can smell the history!
Greg

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tedgolden
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Re: Flyshops Bygone - And Still Missed

#62

Post by tedgolden »

Speaking of diversification, our original St. Louis shop, Culver Lure Co. had a mail order business he started in the 40's, and was a counterfeiter which caused the shop to close upon his conviction in the 50's. Legend has it the printing press was in the basement of the shop. He kept the Indian necks in old lard cans. I still have one of them and it makes the finest tailing material I have ever found for Catskill style drys. Harry was one-of-a-kind, to be sure.

mtdave
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Re: Flyshops Bygone - And Still Missed

#63

Post by mtdave »

I recall the "Fly Fishing Shop", Burlington, Vt as one of my favorite flyshops of all time. It was owned by Farrow Allen and sold as many flytying supplies as it sold gear. I still have their 1980 catalogue and the Thompson A vice that I purchased as a kid.
I also miss the bargin basement at the Orvis Manchester store circa 1980 as well.
Last but not least was Thomas's Sporting Goods, Bristol, Vt. One could buy misc. paper shotgun shells for a nickel. You did have to have a note from your mom that was kept in the cash register under the cash drawer, also good for .22 shells. I can still smell the cigar smoke.

Capt. Frank
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Re: Flyshops Bygone - And Still Missed

#64

Post by Capt. Frank »

Grassnglass, Mason's problem, was mosltly location, Salisbury is not a hot bed of fly fishing. Mason huffman, kept his shop open by working odd jobs, and living a meager life. He would work all night as a telemarketer, then open his shop at noon. His dedication to our sport was enormous.

bassman
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Re: Flyshops Bygone - And Still Missed

#65

Post by bassman »

You guys have a lot of great stories of shops gone by. Love the reading. For me, I either bought my stuff thru Herter's or at the local Western Auto store. The thing I can talk about in relation to the change from old timer's shop to modern shop is Harley Davidson and other bike shops. We used to sit around a dirty back room while the owner/mechanic worked on our bikes, leaving to take care of customers as they came in. We'd have a few beers cracked, smoking cigarettes, and fully trusted with all tools and parts in the backroom. Those days, like some of the old fly shops, are gone. Now it's the Harley boutique and it's no drinks in the clothes area, no entry into shop area, separate people for each sales area and floors and counters you could eat off of.

So tho I don't have the fly shops to talk of, I do know of what you speak.

trkehnr
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Re: Flyshops Bygone - And Still Missed

#66

Post by trkehnr »

I took a flytying course from Dick Surrette and bought my first bamboo rod from him. I also own two bamboo rods made by Jack Mikievicz. What a character! Still see him a couple times a year. Kettle Creek tackle shop is still around an operated by the same guy for over 30 years. Stop in and say hello to Phil Baldichino. Another trip and a friend of Jack's. Love em or not a lot of knowledge there.
Regards
Turk

bluesjay
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Re: Flyshops Bygone - And Still Missed

#67

Post by bluesjay »

Hi Guys, Wow! Roy Patrick's shop is still going! Thank you Greg for that information. I still have a pair of scissors I bought after he loaned me a pair 'cause he didn't have any to sell. He picked them up from his bench. I went back later and returned them and bought the pair I have now. I use them when I'm wrapping rods so I can keep good track of them. I remember he was tying Ginger Quills with double divided duck quill wings. OOOF! I struggle with getting a single pair on the way I want them. His were beautiful! Jay Edwards

moucheur2003
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Re: Flyshops Bygone - And Still Missed

#68

Post by moucheur2003 »

mtdave wrote:
11/15/13 00:15
I recall the "Fly Fishing Shop", Burlington, Vt as one of my favorite flyshops of all time. It was owned by Farrow Allen and sold as many flytying supplies as it sold gear. I still have their 1980 catalogue and the Thompson A vice that I purchased as a kid.
Rhey Plumley and a partner took it over, renamed it Classic Outfitters, and moved it to South Burlington before it finally went out of business a few years ago. I bought quite a few things from Rhey over the years.

Another favorite of mine was Lower 40 Outfitters in Worcester, Mass. He used to have a big clearance sale every spring with some great deals. His TFO sales rep always gave him all his unfished demo models from the previous season, which he sold at ridiculous discounts.

E. Hille in Williamsport, Penna., was a great old shop that had been around forever. I think the Hille grandchildren finally closed it after they had a fire and decided not to reopen, also just a few years ago.

And then there was the place where I and a lot of other fly tyers my age got started when we were still little tykes, sending off our mail orders with our allowances and paper-delivery earnings to Reed Tackle, Caldwell, NJ, and eagerly awaiting our packages of hooks and feathers and fluff. (Has it really been more than half a century now? I still have some cellophane packets of their stuff and a couple of old catalogs.) That's probably my sentimental favorite.
Last edited by moucheur2003 on 01/12/22 07:26, edited 1 time in total.

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BigTJ
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Re: Flyshops Bygone - And Still Missed

#69

Post by BigTJ »

Kaufman’s and Hunters - they were really great. The Kaufman closure was ugly. Worked at Eureka Fly Shop for 5 years it was such a great community but Mike retired about 8 years ago I think so it is long gone.

My favorite fly shop had always been Blue Ribbon in West.

Personally I like the current setup of a few really great shops that I can mail order from. Fly fish food, TCO, Blue Ribbon, Tactical Fly Fisher, Dakota Angler. I also try to get into my local fly shops in Truckee and Reno but their stock is so limited I rarely do much business with them.

John

alberta al
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Re: Flyshops Bygone - And Still Missed

#70

Post by alberta al »

Trout and Grouse in Wilmette then Northfield IL. Great shop. I wonder what happened to Peter Sykes.

Bonadonna’s Fly Shop in Mundelein, IL. This shop is where my Dad bought my first bamboo rod. I was eight years old.

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DrLogik
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Re: Flyshops Bygone - And Still Missed

#71

Post by DrLogik »

Fran Betters' Adirondack Sports Shop in Wilmington, New York. I still remember the last time I was in there Fran had a pile of flies on his desk that he had tied. I always wanted to spend a couple of hours in there just watching him tie flies.

Image
Image from: https://www.cabinetmagazine.org/issues/15/grigely.php [Article "Streambeat" by Joseph Grigely]
(Interesting article about Fran Betters also)

From my boyhood, Angerlsmail in Parma Ohio. Long gone but that's where I bought my first vise and materials back in the mid 1970's.

It's not gone and still very much in business and a wonderful shop is Hunter-Banks in Asheville, North Carolina. They've been in business for decades and run a top notch shop.

Heddon20
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Re: Flyshops Bygone - And Still Missed

#72

Post by Heddon20 »

BigTJ wrote:
01/11/22 17:07
Kaufman’s and Hunters - they were really great. The Kaufman closure was ugly. Worked at Eureka Fly Shop for 5 years it was such a great community but Mike retired about 8 years ago I think so it is long gone.

My favorite fly shop had always been Blue Ribbon in West.

Personally I like the current setup of a few really great shops that I can mail order from. Fly fish food, TCO, Blue Ribbon, Tactical Fly Fisher, Dakota Angler. I also try to get into my local fly shops in Truckee and Reno but their stock is so limited I rarely do much business with them.

John
Another great fly shop in the Arcata area was Time Flies. Hung out there a lot while I was at HSU from 86-92. They went out of business in late 90's, I think
Brian

moucheur2003
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Re: Flyshops Bygone - And Still Missed

#73

Post by moucheur2003 »

BigTJ wrote:
01/11/22 17:07
Kaufman’s and Hunters - they were really great. The Kaufman closure was ugly.
Agreed! Both of them.

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Greg Reynolds
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Re: Flyshops Bygone - And Still Missed

#74

Post by Greg Reynolds »

PYochim wrote:
11/02/13 17:05
There was shop in Tionesta, Pa. which I always enjoyed. The name escapes me.
You're referring to Forest County Sports Center, which was owned by Tom Greenlee. It was my favorite fly shop by a wide measure. I visited several times a year through the 1980s, when we lived in NE Ohio and I was fishing NW Pennsylvania. It was a wonderful place worth the 140 mile drive.

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mcflyfish
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Re: Flyshops Bygone - And Still Missed

#75

Post by mcflyfish »

Ditto on Time Flies in Arcata , CA. I was CO of the local CG Air Station 1990-92 and was familiar with N California fisheries having grown up in SFran but Dave (the owner) was a great guy and put me on some great local water on the Klamath and Trinity and even introduced me to the tidal lagoons that held FAT cutthroat.
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Madman
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Re: Flyshops Bygone - And Still Missed

#76

Post by Madman »

fishbum wrote:
10/28/13 20:29
Anybody remember Dame Juliana in Columbus, Ohio or Jorgensens in Fort Wayne, Indiana?

Jerry
I remember Dame Juliana. They occupied two locations during their run; on Grandview Ave. and at the entrance to The Benchmark outdoor store. Both Dame Juliana and The Benchmark have been gone for decades now. Columbus does have a pretty nice fly shop and it's been around for awhile. In fact, Mad River Outfitters has expanded recently. They moved to much larger digs at the beginning of the pandemic and have thrived.

Never heard of Jorgensen's before but I grew up in Hicksville, Ohio and spent a fair amount of my wayward youth running around Ft. Wayne (the big city). I didn't fly fish then; pretty much a bait and spin fisher. I was just out of college before I ever was handed a fly rod. First outing was in a canoe on a small lake near Williamsport, PA. My early attempts at fly fishing were pretty much left behind when life got in the way but 40-some years after that, I got the bug...bad! I'll stop ion any nfly shop when I come across one.

mlarocco
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Re: Flyshops Bygone - And Still Missed

#77

Post by mlarocco »

For those in the Portland Or area (or onli9ne shoppers) The Fly Fishing Shop on Highway 26 in Welches Oregon is closing it's doors after 40 years of business.

https://flyfishusa.com/

PYochim
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Re: Flyshops Bygone - And Still Missed

#78

Post by PYochim »

mlarocco wrote:
01/12/22 09:07
For those in the Portland Or area (or onli9ne shoppers) The Fly Fishing Shop on Highway 26 in Welches Oregon is closing it's doors after 40 years of business.

https://flyfishusa.com/
It is for sale. $1,200,000

adrien schnee
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Re: Flyshops Bygone - And Still Missed

#79

Post by adrien schnee »

Paul, as updated yesterday, the building has sold, but they are apparently still looking for people to take over the name and websites. Just in case you want to come out of retirement!

PYochim
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Re: Flyshops Bygone - And Still Missed

#80

Post by PYochim »

adrien schnee wrote:
01/12/22 09:49
Paul, as updated yesterday, the building has sold, but they are apparently still looking for people to take over the name and websites. Just in case you want to come out of retirement!
Adrien, thanks for the update. I can guarantee you that I will not come out of retirement. My fastest way to a million dollars in the fly fishing business would be to start out with two million dollars. Not my bag.

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