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Post by K_Bruce aka Phisherman on Aug 3, 2015 19:38:00 GMT -5
With the way the future is heading I just want to say thanks for all the great things you guys have done for me over the years. I have learned more than just fishing knowledge from OOFS. Plenty of life lessons too. I hope that I stay in touch with the folks I only see in the shop but I am old enough to realize that people come and go. When it's all said and done maybe we can find ourselves gathered together again laughing, passing stories and sharing a good brew together as we have done for years as fly fishing friends. Life is not always kind and today it shows us that it can be really mean.
Tight lines......KB
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Post by DaveSiejka on Aug 4, 2015 11:04:44 GMT -5
I cant agree with Kevin more. I spent the first 10 - 12 years of my life fly fishing by myself, and figuring things out on my own. I then started frequenting the OOFS. In the 5 or 6 years I have been going there I have learned more through other experienced fly fishers than I have all my previous years. I also managed to make a lot of friends through the shop as well. It is a sad day knowing that shop is closing. I appreciate all that the OOFS has done for me and the fly fishing community.
I would like to keep in touch with all the guys I me there, so add me on face book, or PM me for my number.
Best of luck,
Dave
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Post by juliuspmccann on Aug 4, 2015 11:13:09 GMT -5
The end of another era. Not always pleasant, not always welcome, but as sure as the sun rises every day we are surrounded by birth and death. From the shores of the mighty Oak Orchard Creek, through Arcade, via Tony Walker Plaza, the Oak Orchard Fly Shop landed on 5977 Main Street with all the pomp and glory one could ask. Through these doors came excited beginners looking for guidance on their new adventure as well as seasoned anglers looking for a last minute items prior to 'heading out'. New rods, reels, lines, waders, boots, flies, leaders and tippets put in bags, stuffed in pockets or just carried to the car were the trophies customers walked away with. Information on technique, fly selection, casting tips, hand drawn maps to the shops secret spots were burned onto their brains least they forget until they reached their destination. I could go on and on with stories after nine years of just one or two days a week delivered a steady flow of characters, all hungry for tidbits, secrets, even facts all the while while thinking I am the "Man Behind The Curtain". Little did the know how little I knew in the world of fly fishing, especially when it came to the technology part of it all. Oh sure, I could tell them how to catch fish which is what most waned, but the gear heads held me in aw. Spey rods, Skagit lines, Grains, sink rates, sorry I don't know shit and don't plan to learn any time soon. Come back later in the week when Nick is here, that guy is a master and can answer all your questions. Yes the master, a real master, sometimes a major pain in the ass, but still the master. This is the true loss to the fly fishing world, the guy who could hold court to anyone, anywhere in then world. I watched him grow in knowledge the last 13 years I've known him, and I hope I get to watch him grow some more. Thanks Nick, let your heart lead you to your next stop.
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Post by Adam Sacca on Aug 4, 2015 17:56:25 GMT -5
I am very sad to learn that the shop is closing and want to Thank all the people over the years that have helped me out and shared there knowledge. I want to say a HUGE thank you to Nick as you always took the time to talk with me about everything an anything that was fly fishing. I would not be the fly fisherman I am today without the advice and Knowledge you shared with me Thank you!
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Post by byronfishpaw on Aug 4, 2015 21:09:18 GMT -5
That reads like a great eulogy Jules. You sold me a Fishpond pack I still enjoy. All it took was for you to take the damn thing, extended the strap and stroll around the shop with a man fishing purse. Also recall Nick and Steve sizing me up on my first visit in the Walker Center location. How time fuckin flies!
It's been a great run for us. Nick & crew - Thank you all for the memories, fun, education and your dedication to both this sport and to all of us. You ran a great shop and it became much more than just that.
As I raise a toast to The Oak Orchard Fly Shop the thunder is echoing off the valley walls and the rain is filling streams...See ya all on the water.
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Post by jeffraz on Aug 5, 2015 8:14:19 GMT -5
I am a " Johnny come Lately" regarding this sad news. I remember learning to tributary fish on the Oak. A stop at the shop on that river was always useful. Sage advice was given that I tried to apply. The same goes for the Arcade location. I remember Rick, Tom, Bob, and Bucky. Of course, Nick's role brought the professionalism up to an even a higher level. What I will especially miss are the great stories Nick shared with us at the shop. His passion for fly-fishing was expressed with unmatched vehemence while these stories were told. Words cannot illustrate the effect that Nick and the shop have had on our fly-fishing community. The Oak Orchard Fly Shop is unquestionably a flagship model of what businesses should be like; fly shops or otherwise! Nick, I wish you the best in whatever your future endeavors may be.
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Post by ANDYCAMPING on Aug 5, 2015 9:46:56 GMT -5
Thanks OOFS and Nick for all the great memories! The Shop, as has been common vernacular for most of us, has always been much more than a place to buy tippet. It's been our fly fishing home away from home. Our "Third Place" which Chris Lee has proclaimed it (look it up, I had to). Our gathering spot, to not only purchase supplies and equipment, but to learn, understand and laugh about our beloved sport or anything for that matter. Why did the Sabres draft a certain player, why aren't there any fish in Oatka, how bad the weather is or have you tried this new IPA. It's the people that filled its walls as well as the materials in it that I will miss. It's like a comfortable shirt that finally has to be discarded, you hold onto it as long as you can until the holes get just too big. The ride was great while it lasted...to the next adventure. All the luck to you Nick on your next endeavor.
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Post by Doug Pennyloff on Aug 5, 2015 9:51:57 GMT -5
All I know is when I decided to get into the 2-hand game, Nick took time out of his day on a saturday morning to meet me on cayuga creek to show me how to cast and try different rods (one of which I broke). I don't know of anywhere online that will do that.
I haven't lived in Buffalo in a couple years but always tried to make it into the shop whenever I am in town. Huge loss for WNY fly fishing.
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Post by Cornelius on Aug 19, 2015 8:23:24 GMT -5
I've been out of the loop for a while...just wtf is going on here? Have Canuck pinners swayed the balance...peasants.
I heard something was afoot last night while talking to a friend...I immediately recalled a more vitriolic exchange on the "other" board about mentors, small fly shops, and the culture of angling on the fly, and, the impossibility of any "free market" competitiveness in the face of the "off-shore" inventoried box stores. Feck this...
Kudos to the real gents, salt of the earth brothers in arms...
Let's hope this Phoenix might climb from the ashes...
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