From time to time I find small fly shops with owners who share a passion for fly fishing. Rare people for whom fly fishing is less a product to sell and more a passion to pass along to those who share it. Such was one shop I found in 1998 in Provo - Great Basin Outfitters.
I loved to wander through that store looking at flies, chatting with the owner, and hearing about great days on the water. I took my first fly tying class there. Shortly thereafter I made my first trip to the Green River where I caught my first Brown on a Griffith's Gnat I tied myself. I enjoyed the class and the trip with my good friend Paul Miller (after whom I've dubbed a certain stretch of the Provo River "Miller's Hole" - Paul, you know the spot).
Unfortunately, when Sportsman's Warehouse came to Provo it was the beginning of the end for Great Basin Outfitters. My days of sharing my passion with a like minded boutique owner were over.
Until I stopped at Eddie Robinson's Fly Fishing in Orem and met Eddie. It's a small shop with all the passion. I try to frequent Eddie's place whenever I can, wanting to do my part to support a small business owner with a passion he's willing to share. I recently stumbled across Eddie's website. His personal statement, titled "Passion for Fly Fishing," will introduce you to Eddie - another fly fisher with a river running through him.
Good luck, Eddie, and thanks for the hot chocolate on my last trip in.
11.14.2005
Supporting Passionate Fly Fishers
Posted by Dave McGinn at 5:11 PM
Labels: Eddie Robinson's, Fly shops
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2 comments:
I share a similiar opinion on Eddie's shop. I have two passions: golf and fly fishing. I'd been custom fit for golf clubs, and the fitting helped me perform. It wasn't until I spent 60 minutes with Eddie "custom fitting" me for a fly rod that I learned why there were so many rods from each manufacturer. I always thought the more the money, the better the rod. It was Eddie who taught me otherwise--he fit me to a Sage SLT 4wt, 8'9", 5 piece rod where the action allowed me to place the line exactly where I wanted it. This all translated into a much more enjoyable experience on the river. I love to feel the transition of the line as my SLT powers the line forward and back. Thanks Eddie.
I went to see Eddie today to get advice on a particular fly. As usual, Eddie and Adam were very helpful and friendly. When you don't have time to tie your own flies, it's easy to justify buying them at Eddie Robinson's.
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