Fly shop coming together
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As a lot of you know one of my jobs at the ranch I work at was to design a fly shop to go in the lodge we are building there. When I started this task I knew nothing about designing a fly shop and I am still learning but have learned a lot along the way. One of the things that I needed to try an accomplish was making all of the fly shop cabinets look like furniture and for it to be unlike any fly shop out there. Not as easy as you think. Mostly because when you start changing this stuff into furniture it is very easy to loose the functionality of the fixture. Well after months of working with Tim Swanberg from Ovando Montana this is what we came up with. Tim was awesome to work with and was able to bring my ideas to life!
On a side note, Tim did his thesis on the movement and habitat of Fluvial Bull Trout. Very interesting stuff!! They actually used radiotelemetry to track the Bull trout in his study. During this time a couple of the fish that had transmitters in them were poached. Imagine the looks on the peoples faces that poached these fish when you came knocking on the door with your receiver in hand beeping like crazy! 😮 Good luck getting out of that one!
Here are some of the pictures I took during the install. Not great pictures but you should be able to get an idea of what it looks like.
Joel
Oh we have the track lighting as well. And the skull in the fly rod display is back lit as well to really draw peoples eyes to the display. You can see that bad boy all the way down the hall way of the lodge. And right next to the fly shop is the bar. Imagine how easy it is going to be to talk people into the new Simms G4 waders after they have had a couple of pints! 😉
One of the neatest things about these cabinets is that they are all made from the same walnut tree. We found a Mom and Pop sawmill in Albany Oregon that cuts out trees like these for people who no longer want them in their yards and they keep the wood from that tree seperate from the others so you can get a lot of consistency in the way the wood looks.
All of my goodies for the fly shop will start rolling in next month and when I get everything filled up I will take some better pictures of what everything looks like full.
Joel
Hey Drifter, the ranch is located right outside of Deer Lodge in Western Montana. I live both there and in Missoula during the winter months. My wife is a spanish teacher in Missoula and is only about 7 years from being able to retire so we are not quite ready to make the big move as of yet.
The fly bin is beautiful! I got a lot of low voltage halogen cable lighting from IKEA for my house(Still building it!) – not expensive at all. The cabinetry reminds me of the stff in the Holland & Holland Store in New York.
Looks great!
Are we mere mortals allowed to have a look there if we ever happend to be in the neighbourhood or do you have to book a weeks stay at the lodge first?… 😉
Jay
(a long ways from Montana)Are we mere mortals allowed to have a look there if we ever happend to be in the neighbourhood                                                               Â
Jay that would depend on a lot of things. The fly shop is for members only. These people pay handsomely to be a member of the club and they like to have things, like the fly shop, that are exclusive to members only. That said if you are a family member of mine or a friend I am sure I would have no problem showing you around especially in the off season. (winter months) I just have to be careful when doing it that it doesn’t interfer in anyway with a member. I know that kind of makes the place sound kind of stuffy but it really isn’t.
I hope that all made sense Jay! And you ever make it to Montana let me know and I will see if I can give you a tour.
Joel
Aaaaaaaaaaaaah yes, the great advantage of being a rich guy with a fly rod! Private water, private fly shop. Memberships should be for golf courses only! >:(
Joel,
I don’t mean to sound accusatory, by any means, but was wondering what effects the golf course fertilization will have on the adjacent waters? I understand the coastal fisheries in South Carolina are suffering due to the large amount of fertilizer runoff with the abundance of golf courses. I am curious if there is an effect caused by your type of development out west, and if that is something the developer had to take into account? Perhaps a single golf course doesn’t
Hi Billy!
I think that is a great question and one that concerns me greatly. I have talked to the golf course Superintendent on several occactions about that exact thing. He has assured me that the stuff he uses is enviromentally friendly and won’t harm the creek. My guess is since we just spent several hundred thousand dollars restoring the creek he is not pulling my leg on this one.
JT
Andrew the skull is made out of metal. The shape was cut out and then hammered to give it a 3D affect. I was really pleased with how well it turned out! I am not sure what they applied to give it it’s color, but what ever it was they nailed it! I am anxious to see what the skull looks like when there are twenty fly rods standing in front of it. I will post pictures when that happens.
JT
Joel,
Absolutely beautiful workmanship, and a very nice vision, too. It has to be very gratifying for you and your friend Tim to see the shop coming together so well.
Did you ever make contact with any ‘boo guys from your area? Given the way you’ve described your clientele you should look at carrying Thomas & Thomas rods and Abel reels. Together they offer unsurpassed snob appeal. 😉
Bryan
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