While we have tested and traveled extensively using the gear we offer here at the shop, the one thing that fundamentally increases our knowledge base is our conversations with our clients and customers.

Here at the shop, we spend more time testing and utilizing the products we sell in real-world conditions than most. This means we have had to refine our senses to understand our differences and develop the skills required to make informed decisions. While that means we may take a more clinical assessment of the product, we also realize that those senses are unique to our mechanics, and how we react to the changes in the products is uniquely our own.

Yes, we spend a lot of time reading the literature supplied by the product makers, looking at their practices in manufacturing techniques and innovative technologies, which continue to progress to provide the best possible product. That education feeds our basis for recommendations for general use and specific use cases.

Perhaps it is a method to make fly lines last longer and/or increase speed through the guides of your favorite fly rod. Or increase the opportunity to not spook a fish by decreasing the visibility on the water itself, like the advent of clear tip or full clear lines for both freshwater and saltwater applications.

Maybe a new composite has been developed that increases strength while maintaining the same flexibility and casting feel as previous fly rod models. Or, indeed, a completely new taper design utilizing these composites creates a truly unique offering of earlier designs.

New mechanical advancements in reels, such as their drag system, and lessening water intrusion into critical components, provide less maintenance by the end user for freshwater or saltwater applications.

Even with our education and understanding of these processes and products, it doesn't mean much if the practical application by our clients, customers, and ourselves doesn't result in the end goal. Getting out, feeling confident where we chase fish, and genuinely feeling the right choice for that use case with the purchased gear.

Our customers and clients provide the data there, complementing the learning we have here at the shop to help others make great choices for those use cases.

Your stories, phone calls, and emails told us that the trip you bought that outfit for was incredible. All those variables were competently and thoughtfully addressed in our discussions. These stories reinforce our education and offer unique insights by sharing them. We truly appreciate it because it enables us to help others make decisions moving forward.

We hope you continue to share your stories with us and encourage you to do so. If you like, we can even post those stories here on the shop blog in the future. In fact, we encourage it!

Help build up our community here at Stillwater Fly Shop by sharing your fishing stories and thoughts on the gear you get from us and providing your unique insight into this sport we all engage in! Please reach out anytime if you want to contribute your stories to our blog/site.

Thanks for reading, and thanks for helping us to help others!
Gabe @ Stillwater Fly Shop