“It’s crazy there’s not anyone based out of Waynesville guiding that I’m aware of,” said Tuckaseegee Fly Shop co-owner Dale Collins. “They’re all guiding out of Asheville or Jackson County or Buncombe County. There’s definitely a rich heritage of fly fishing in Haywood County, so we’re glad to bring a brick-and-mortar face to that.”

Waynesville has been home to various fly shops over the years. Roger Lowe operated a well-loved retail shop for years in the 1990s and 2000s but eventually closed it up. Since then, a couple different enterprises have attempted to fill the gap, but currently no retail fly shop exists in a town that well-stocked with angling enthusiasts. 

Collins hopes that the Waynesville store will open him up to a different labor market, drawing people from the West Asheville and Canton areas who wouldn’t drive as far as Sylva for work. He also expects the store’s existence to take some pressure off of the Sylva location. 

“We’ll be able to highlight a lot of the great fisheries in Haywood County that traditionally have been great places to fish,” said Collins. “Just another exposure of the outdoor face of Haywood County, so to speak. There’s great water in the Pigeon River.”