He began fly fishing in the 70s, before graphite fly rods, before strike indicators, before beadheads, and before Rio Lines. How on Earth did we do it?? By using a Fenwick glass rod, a Pflueger Medalist reel, Cortland 444 Peach, Rubber Hip Boots, and lots of Hare's Ears, Muddlers, and Mosquitos. A ten-year stint of tying flies as a side gig came to an end when a neck vertebra (C3) swelled up to the size of a golf ball. Big Y Fly Co was launched after a particular night of soul-searching while on a Deschutes River float trip.

He is an avid steelhead fisherman, when there are steelhead to catch. He has spent a good amount of time guiding in Idaho, Oregon and Alaska. Along with backpacking in the Rockies, and an occasional saltwater trip, he is a good person to talk to when making that trip to Alaska, or the Baja, or Molokai, anywhere in between. If he hasn't fished it, chances are he can give you a good opinion on how to. He also helps in making sure every product we sell is up to par. When he's not on the phone or in the shop helping customers, he is typically sharing his advice on our blog. It is really hard to stump him on any fly fishing or fly tying topic, and if you can, he will find out.

She keeps things running in the office, she is the assortment queen, spending countless hours assembling fly assortments, and the thankless task of keeping flies organized. Toni is typically the one to remind us when we have forgotten to do something. With Sharron, she helps keep this group of messy fly fishers somewhat organized. When her or Sharron give a task, it gets done.

Justin is a longtime Oregon fisherman and resident. He moved here in 1989, and has spent a good chunk of his life in the Columbia River Gorge. He has experience fishing the Columbia and it's tributaries for salmon, steelhead, trout and bass. He has spent lots of time exploring the many ponds and sloughs for various species of panfish. He is the go-to guy here for finding those nice warmwater ponds full of panfish and bass.

He enjoys stalking the banks, or cruising the lakes in a float tube, looking for willing biters and typically finds more mosquitoes than fish. Justin is also a musician, a husband of 20 years, and a lifelong basketball fan. He plans to spend the rest of his life here in Oregon exploring the little ponds, streams and hidden gems of our beautiful little state.

Hazel and Georgia, Big Y mascots and water bassets, keep the warehouse full of chewed up cardboard, and like to lie right where you need to be. They also offer affection and drool, a quick pat on the head or belly rub can help everyone's morale. Often greeted by shop customers and their dogs. If you hear one barking when you call or visit, that will be Georgia. On their days off they love white water rafting, camping and all things outdoors; preferably by the water, which works out well for all of us. Georgia is a prolific swimmer as long as she has her life jacket on. And both insist on sleeping on the most comfortable mats in the tent.