Local Fly Shop

I went here to get my first fly rod and waders because the one place in town that sells fly fishing gear doesn’t do waders. The fly shop is around back of /​through Markees Cycling Center, but I went in there, and a guy who I assume is the owners son took me back to helped get me outfitted. He seemed pretty excited to talk about fishing and quite knowledgable about what they’re selling. Next time I’m looking for more gear than just a few flies, I’ll definitely be driving out here.

First of all, it is good to have a fly shop back in the Tricities. It is the thing I love to do, and I am very grateful for it. I believe it is a risk to open a shop here for there are not that many trout stickers on the back of cars around here thus, a limited amount of shoppers for your goods.
Jerry, the owner of Markee’s Cycling, has done a pretty good job of creating a good shop. His shop is a great place to browse and buy… his prices are quite reasonable. Also, he is quite knowledgeable, has supported the local fly fishing club, and is an overall good guy.
Bad news first? If he is busy selling bicycles, especially on a Saturday, it can be tough to get good quality time in the fly shop. I accept this because, as I previously mentioned, it is great that he opened the darn place at all. But some people may not. I will say this… once he trusts you he will let you go back there by yourself. I am glad I am there ;-)
The REALLY good news: When it comes to trying out gear the guy could not have been cooler. He let me take out several rods, strung up several lines for me, told me where to cast… and I KNOW I bought the right rod. I love how it feels… but I would not have gotten there had he not been amazing about sharing HIS personal equipment. He even let me cast his $ 600 Winston rod. Most people don’t even let you touch theirs.
Summary: Be glad he opened the place, if you can find the equipment somewhere else for a little bit less you should still buy it from Jerry, enjoy some laughs with the guy, and when you are getting tight lines using a rod that feels just right on a small stretch of river you never would have known about had he not told you… well, be grateful that Jerry opened a fly shop in the Tricities.

Finally made a stop at the the Tri-​Cities’ only Fly Shop (Clearwater Fly Shop sadly closed a few years ago). I was impressed. So, this shop is attached to the Markee’s Bicycle shop. The owner of Markee’s is the guy who opened this new fly shop.
So, I entered the bike shop, and asked if I could check out the fly shop. We walked by aisles of bikes, and then into the fly shop. It’s a pretty nice shop with high-​quality rods, nice flies, and all gear you’d need for a day on your favorite gin-​clear stream.
The guy who walked me back is the owner of the fly shop and bike shop. He was very enthusiastic about fishin’. Sounds like he gets out a lot and we talked about some of our local waters.
I looked through the flies he had (with my «trout antennas»), and picked out a few (they were nicely priced), and was on my way.
I now have a fly shop.