Uptown Angler

This used to be a great fly shop. It seems like it’s tottering on the brink of closing. The inventory is a third of what it used to be (they had, maybe, six fly rods in stock). The clothing inventory is similarly skinny. They’re the ostensible Orvis store in NO, but there wasn’t even much inventory. They’ll probably be able to fulfill your basic needs, but don’t expect a big selection or much of the latest Simms or Orvis gear.

I was visiting a rainy NOLA and needed a rain coat. Uptown Angler had a great selection of rain coats and their employee was super friendly and knowledgable of the pros and cons of each coat. I wish I had time to go on a fishing charter with my new coat! Next time for sure.

Just to clarify– this review has nothing to do with the shop itself, but rather its guide service. I never set foot in the shop so I can’t comment on its prices and inventory. I did schedule a day of guided redfishing with them for my brother and I when we were passing through New Orleans. I have guided in Montana in the past so I have a pretty good idea what a good and bad guide operation look like.
First of all, there was no communication between the shop and the guide… to the point that they called me twice to ask what day we were fishing. This would normally be no big deal, if it wasn’t for everything else that happened. I asked if it was possible for my brother to spin fish while I fly fished. «No problem,» I was told. The guy on the phone even said that was better because we could both fish at the same time. I asked how the fishing had been, knowing that it is sometimes tough in the summer and was told it had been «awesome» and «amazing numbers of fish.» I told both the shop (on two occasions) and the guide on the phone that I needed a right hand retrieve reel because I cast with my left arm. When I started fishing for the day I was handed a left hand retrieve rod. Then, as I glanced over my shoulder I noticed the guide throwing his empty chewing tobacco can in the water. I don’t care if you chew, but littering is not cool. How could you work in such a beautiful place and blatantly pollute it like that? The fishing was not good to say the least (and that has nothing to do with this review, fishing is fishing). The guide confessed the fishing had been very poor when we got in the boat for the morning… after the guy at the shop told me the exact opposite. I had the front of the boat for a very long amount of time, but thought maybe the guide was doing a half and half thing with my brother. My brother never made a cast until I said something to the guide, who responded, «oh did he want to fish?» My brother was then given a terrible spinning outfit with wind knots on the reel that made it impossible to cast beyond 25 ft. «Ya, casting into the wind a lot will do that» is all the guide said. Fix the spool then! There is a difference between a professional guide and a lazy guy who happens to own a boat. He was very nice and knowledgeable about the fishery, but apparently lazy in the cleanliness of the boat and the upkeep on his tackle (not to mention the littering). We were also not told by the shop or the guide that the vegetation was so prevalent that fly fishing is the only option. By brother cast a spinnerbait into nothing but weed mats for an hour before he stopped playing along with the guide that he might «get lucky» and catch a fish. We didn’t pay that much $$$ to get lucky. Just be honest and tell us upfront that spin fishing is not an option. Instead they suckered us in.
As someone who has guided and been on many guided trips in diverse locations, I would recommend avoiding this guide operation. They are a tourist trap. For the price, I expected a whole lot more. I won’t be fishing with them again. Outside of a Mexican fishing trip where we were forcefully extorted for more money, this was my worst experience with a guide service.

Nice little fly shop in New Orleans! I was impressed with their fly selection, they were well stocked and had patterns I had never seen before. Peter was very knowledgable and gave my fiancé and I some awesome suggestions for local fishing spots!

I was in the area on business and was surprised to see that there was a fly shop only a couple blocks away from my hotel. I walked by to check it out as I always like to visit the local fly shops while traveling even if I don’t get a chance to do any fishing.
This is a nice fly shop with a good selection of fishing attire and an adequate selection of fishing rods. They did seem a bit light on fly tying materials, but most small shops seem to have that same issue these days, given how many people order their materials off the web.
The young gentleman working there was friendly and helpful in providing an overview of the local fishing scene. They specialize in going after Redfish and after spending some time talking with him, I definitely plan to book a guided trip through them the next time I’m down here, whenever that is…,
Nice to see these local fly shops holding their own against the big box sports stores and internet. I highly recommend folks to stop by if they are in New Orleans.

This is probably one of the the better establishment to outfit all of your fly fishing needs in the NOLA area. Uptown Angler is a specialized shop focusing on fly fishing so the nearby Professional Sport Shop is a better store for all things not fly fishing so check out both stores. Uptown Angler also is about the best fly fishing shop I’ve ever seen in the region. They offer a great selection of apparel, sunglasses, sun protection, accessories, books, videos, bags and luggage and about anything else related to fly fishing you could possibly need. As you would expect they also offer a great selection of fly supplies, rods, reels, and lines. After getting all your equipment needs taken care of and you find you’re also in need of a boat and location to fish they also offer charter services.

My favorite fly shop in the city. It might be the only fly shop in the city but that’s just fine with me. They have an excellent selection of rods, reels, lines, and flys all at reasonable prices. While most of there merchandise is geared towards saltwater fishing (8 weight and up), you won’t have trouble finding 4 – 6 weight equipment. Not too many smaller flies but they do carry a few small poppers in multiple colors. I’ve caught monster bluegill in city park on a light blue popper I bought here. These guys are just great. If you’re a fly fisherman this is a must visit shop.