Expert Outdoor Outfitters Since 1966

As owner/operator of our parent company, The Backpackers Shop, Reece has been the integral force in our fly fishing department for 25 years. His passion for the fly fishing industry is known far and wide. Growing up in the heart of the Lake Erie Steelhead region, Reece finds time to visit the many streams and rivers that Ohio has to offer. His extensive travels have taken him to the western states’ best trout waters and beyond. If you need assistance and would like to talk to someone who has "been there, done that" give him a call or drop him an e-mail. But don’t bother trying to reach him in mid-August…..he and Tom will be somewhere west fishing from the Clackacraft!

Al is our resident trout expert and has the experience to back it up. He has fly fished for over thirty years and also has a passion for fly tying. Al handles all of the logistics in our extensive fly tying department. Spending much of his time pursuing trout on the small streams of Michigan and Pennsylvania, Al is well versed on almost every aspect of fly fishing and is genuinely one of the nicest people you will ever meet.

Tom is the 3^rd generation of the family, a recent graduate of Miami University, and has been fly fishing since the age of four. At 23, he has mastered the sport far beyond his age. He was instrumental in the development of our website. His passions include fly tying and fly-fishing for anything that can be caught on a fly rod. Tom has traveled the country extensively in search of the best trout waters, and is an avid Steelhead fisherman in the Great Lakes region.

Craig is the newest addition to our shop. A recent graduate of Bowling Green State University, he began fly fishing at the age of ten and has been chasing steelhead ever since. Living just a short drive form our local steelhead waters, the tributaries of Lake Erie are truly his home away from home. In the summer months he continues to find fishing opportunities chasing warm water species and trout.

Bill has been a long-standing customer at the shop and has a well-rounded knowledge of both freshwater and saltwater angling. Having the luxury of living on the Vermilion River gives him a keen pulse on the local Steelhead fishery. Bill is on the water almost daily and is a great source for river reports. His travels have taken him to many great saltwater fly-fishing destinations.