Steve,
Here in Oklahoma we're in about the same boat. Just offhand I can only think of three fly shops in the state. We do have Cabela's and BassPro Shops in Oklahoma City and Tulsa area, but in most cases it is more convenient to shop and order online. The nearest Bass Pro is about 70 miles away. Aside from ordering online from those two companies, I also use Madison River Fishing Company, Feather-Craft, Amazon, and E-bay. I don't tie very many flies myself, though I need to start using up some of my fly tying material. Most of my flies I order from Big Y Flies.

Larry

Big Y. They are local and ship the same day, so I can get flies in a day or two. They have some interesting flies, a big assortment, and it is hard to beat $0.65 a fly.

I live in a small town of 2200 and we have one fly shop. My town is on the Arkansas River, so the name of the shop is ArkAnglers. Nice guys.

Green Top is an incredible hunting and fishing store just north of Richmond. The store has an excellent selection of fly fishing gear and much, much more. There are many experienced sales people to assist you.

It seems you're contributing to the diminishing local shops.

We had a small shop here in town, but they closed and moved the shop to the metro area last Friday...

There are a bunch of flyshops in the Denver metro area and 2 or 3 in the small towns that have rivers close. Its Colorado so sometimes it looks like there is a fly shop every other block.

I tried to support my local shop, but their stock was very limited and the prices were very inflated...I bought hooks, some feathers, and leaders and tippet from them, but other items I get on line or at one of the bigger shops.

I am just learning to tie so I have relied on BigY and FlyDeal to stock my boxes.

1) Jack's Tackle (Jack Mickievicz). We've been friends for a long time and I visit him at least once a month. My wife knows I won't be home for hours when I go there. He sells retail and wholesale. He sells his blended dubbing to fly shops as their "store brand" and some shops under his brand. He was one of the first to offer blended dubbing. His blending machine came from a DuPont factory that closed decades ago. Sometimes he asks my input when he is blending something new. It is an amazing thing to watch. And his basement.....rows and rows of shelving and barrels. Stuff you won't find anywhere else. I'm like a kid in a candy store. He also is a master rod builder and does repairs to rods, including bamboo. By the way, the thread bobbin most of us use? He invented it.

2) TCO fly shop. I live 1/4 mile away, buy stuff there and trade info regarding the local streams.

http://www.bentonflybox.com Made in Maine by good folks, and lots of flies for 65 cents or less.

I stand corrected. Thanks for the clarification.

Actually, if you knew a bit about Asia, had lived there and spoke a few of the languages, you would not begrudge them a chance to make a living. I spent a good part of my life over there and am fluent in Indonesian, and it amazes me how many people who are only vaguely familiar with the region see fit to lecture me on how the global economy works. There are indeed some sweatshops, but there are many win-win situations. The whole story would require an entire forum, and we would be better off sparing this congenial forum of such debates.

Having fished for as long as I have, I have more stuff than I need and I have developed tackle preferences that I stick by after years of trying everything new that came down the pike. It’s the same with my other hobbies.

In this day of 40,000 fly-fishing SKU’s, the likelihood that any one shop can carry everything, let alone the brands I like means I don’t bother going into fly shops anymore because I never find what I am after or buy anything anyway. The same goes for the fly-fishing shows.

These days it is the Internet about 100% of the time with whoever has the lowest price/free freight/no tax winning out.

The lone exception might be Harry Murray’s shop for flies & poppers when I am in the area.

Personally, I'd be happy just to have a local fly shop at all. I wouldn't mind paying a little more to help out a local business. But that being said, I'm a 3 hour round trip drive to my closest fly shop. I've made the hike down there a few times...nice people, decent inventory........but I definitely feel the quality of the service I get when I walk through the door would be a whole lot different if I pull into the parking lot in my wife's Escalade instead of my 32 year old Jeep. Just that kind of place.

When I used to live in St.Albans, VT there was a small shop called Booth Sporting Goods that carried just about everything for all kinds of fishing (and hunting), The owner Doug, carried more fly fishing and tying stuff then anything else and was always happy to order in what he didn't have. That shop has been gone for 20 years now and I've never found anything to replace it.....other then the internet.

For what it's worth I've been seriously thinking about turning my now empty, old automotive repair shop in Richford into a fly shop.....but that's still a couple years away at best.