E. Hille Angler Supply House

[maxima12]

For some reason, i am redoing a fly tying room. Getting rid of all the big dressers and putting lots on wall! Tired of opening drawers to find my needs. Things pop out and remind me of the "Good Days".

E Hille, while the original Hille was before my time, The favorite Hille has been a mentor and friend for 50 years. William "Bill" My pal.

My Pal has lead me through the best and sometimes the worst. When it was tough he gave me spirit, when good a "cool", nod!

Bill, always was a big help in the development of fly tying skills and encouraged me, "do your best". On everything, Not just fishing but life, business and the pursuit of happiness.

Along came another, Mike O. Worked the store and became an "Icon", in fly fishing Industry.

Hat's off to these Giants of fly fishing!

What i am really trying to say, "I love you guys and thank you".

Thank you for all you did, steering me in the right direction. These fellows are still alive. Best you know how i feel, before you can not hear my words, Loud and with that "Rebel Yell!

My friends, along the path of fishing pleasure. "How about that".

Maxima12

 

[Wild_Trouter]

^Great shop...I bought a ton of cotton Honeybug chenille off of them as it was hard to source elsewhere. The Honeybug still is one deadly fly!

 

[turkey]

E Hille will always be synonymous with Honeybug yarn to me. I think a fire got the better of the shop eventually. Thanks for the memories Maxima.

 

[bigjohn58]

I miss E Hilile's...I got a bunch of stuff from their sale they had at the one local church after they had the fire that pretty much ended them. Sad to see that shop go. There is pretty much nothing in the Williamsport area now as far as fly tying or fly fishing sales period.

 

[BradFromPotter]

was just tying a bunch of floating clouser minnows from sponge spider bodies that I got from Hille's. Who was the guy that built rods for them?

 

[maxima12]

I am thinking , rods, Walt Cunningham. Honey Bug was my pal. Paul Berger. I think Paul is gone now!

 

[sandfly]

paul is gone, I still have some original honey bug material. even a letter from his grandson and samples from paul.

 

[Wild_Trouter]

@Sandfly...That's the stuff right there! A lot of people on this site may not remember or ever been there, but I first learned of the Honeybug at Lock Stock Barrel& Bow in Boiling Springs, PA. They had some for sale so I bought a few and fished The Run. The fly worked so well, I felt like it should've been outlawed. I bought up a bunch of the material and am still sitting on it. I don't tie/use them as much anymore, but they are deadly all the same. In certain colors/sizes they are very effective for picky limestone trout.

 

[tomgamber]

I think I till have some of that too.

 

[derry59]

Does anybody here remember Blair's Sporting Goods on Memorial Ave. in Williamsport PA? Chuck and Nancy Matter were the owners and they had a really great fly shop during the 80s! They were great friends and I tied flies for them that were exact imitations not for fishing but for display back then. I know that they (the business and maybe even them) are long gone but wonder if anybody here knows what happened. I moved south and have no idea and googled it but nothing! Thanks to anyone who responds.

 

[troutbert]

maxima12 wrote:
I am thinking , rods, Walt Cunningham. Honey Bug was my pal. Paul Berger. I think Paul is gone now!

I remember seeing Paul Berger tying Honey Bugs at the big outdoors show at the Farm Show building in Harrisburg.

That must have been around 1970 to 1972 or so.

I still have some Honey Bug chenille around.

It makes a very nice "juicy" looking body for Wooly Buggers.

 

[troutbert]

derry59 wrote:
Does anybody here remember Blair's Sporting Goods on Memorial Ave. in Williamsport PA? Chuck and Nancy Matter were the owners and they had a really great fly shop during the 80s! They were great friends and I tied flies for them that were exact imitations not for fishing but for display back then. I know that they (the business and maybe even them) are long gone but wonder if anybody here knows what happened. I moved south and have no idea and googled it but nothing! Thanks to anyone who responds.

Yes, I was in that shop in the 1990s. It was a very interesting shop and the people were nice.

They had quite a collection of old bass lures in that shop.

I don't know exactly when the business closed, but I'm thinking it was either late 1990s or early 2000s.

 

[UncleShorty]

My first semester at WACC in Jan of '77 I lived right across the street from Blair's shop.

Bought a Fenwick 6 foot light action spinning rod there. Still have it...