Yellow Breeches Fly Shop

[joebamboo]

Interesting history of the shop and what it is about to become.

http://castingacross.com/the-fly-shop-on-the-lake/

 

[Dave_W]

Neat article.
I distinctly remember the first time I visited the shop, 1982 I think, and I've been unable to stay away since. As we all know, fly shops have been an integral part of FFing culture and so many have disappeared in recent years they have almost become endangered.

The shop should be opening soon - here's hoping for all the best and many more years of success.

 

[fadeaway263]

Great article. Thanks for posting. Other than the Sporting Gentleman where I would buy my license this was the second fly shop I visited. Sometime in the early 80's as I recall. My recollection is the shop was not open when the Prof and I would get to the Breeches early in the morning. We would hit the shop after lunch at the Boiling Springs Tavern. The Tavern is a story in itself. I can still remember by first "Tavern" burger and a cold draft Miller High Life. It took several visits to the Tavern before I realized that all the Redskin memorabilia was there because the Redskin summer camp used to be in Carlisle.

 

[CastingAcross]

I'm glad that you all liked the article. It was a lot of fun to put together, and I had a great time talking to some excellent fishermen.
The shop has been a special place for me, and I know that so many in the state and the region can say the same.

 

[fadeaway263]

Was just on the Boiling Springs Tavern website where I learned that the stream got it's name during the Revolutionary war when the British would wash their white "britches" in the stream and they would turn yellow because of the high sulpher content of the springs. Do I need to "fact check" this?

 

[CastingAcross]

That is a commonly held origin for the name. Another is that someone fouled up the "Beeches" (as referring to the tree).
The earliest recorded Native American name that I've seen is "Callapatscink."

 

[rrt]

That is a very nice article, and I'm glad that people had much better experiences there than I did when I visited the shpo. Not once did a clerk ever ask if he could help me. I had better luck at Cold Spring with the Weigls.

It's been a long time since I've made a pilgrimage to the Cumberland Valley.

 

[Bamboozle]

Having Dusty Wissmath as store manager is a good move however, wasn't he among the those who were unceremoniously canned by TCO when they closed the Carlisle store?

 

[McSneek]

Bamboozle wrote:
Having Dusty Wissmath as store manager is a good move however, wasn't he among the those who were unceremoniously canned by TCO when they closed the Carlisle store?

Up to now I've been under the impression Jake Villwock will be running the place. He is in the West Lawn store currently. Jake is a great guy and really knows his stuff. I'll miss seeing him in West Lawn when I stop in.

 

[wgmiller]

McSneek wrote:
Up to now I've been under the impression Jake Villwock will be running the place. He is in the West Lawn store currently. Jake is a great guy and really knows his stuff. I'll miss seeing him in West Lawn when I stop in.

+1

 

[dsmith1427]

Nice article. Thanks for posting the link. I haven't been back that way in a while but the next time I am in SC PA I will have to make my way to Boiling Springs.

 

[CastingAcross]

Bamboozle wrote:
Having Dusty Wissmath as store manager is a good move however, wasn't he among the those who were unceremoniously canned by TCO when they closed the Carlisle store?

This is a different Dusty. Mr. Wissmath has been running fly fishing schools for quite some time, mostly in VA.

 

[Bamboozle]

CastingAcross wrote:This is a different Dusty. Mr. Wissmath has been running fly fishing schools for quite some time, mostly in VA.

That explains a lot. Thanks for the info!

 

[lowkey]

I always enjoyed shopping at YBO....Gary was a great clerk and Roland was very personable. I already miss him.

But it seems there was once an air of elitism there but perhaps that's just how it felt from outside the inner circle. Anyway....

That name, Callapatscink, I'd like to hear it pronounced as it was originally.

 

[Bamboozle]

The Yellow Breeches Shop in the days that Ed Shenk owned it was fantastic with a young Tom Baltz working behind the counter offering help and sharing stories about the local legends. I still have materials and hen necks I bought out of a wooden barrel sitting on the floor. It went dramatically downhill from there and never came close to what it once was.

It was a far cry from the characterless, sterile prepackaged shops of today.

 

[CastingAcross]

Hi all. Thanks again for the kind words about the article.
I think that these peripheral experiences (like going to shops) really help paint the full picture of fly fishing.
I'm not done with this "story" yet. If you have a memorable experience from the Boiling Springs shop, please PM me or contact me through the website and share.

 

[Andreas]

I am really somewhat jealous. We used to have two shops that had fly tying materials in Williamsport. Now, we have neither. I am glad to see there are still shops opening up and or being rejuvenated.

 

[JG63]

E. Hille ! Used to order from them all the time

 

[CastingAcross]

TCO just put a bunch of new pics of the progress on their website. It is looking good!