Bozeman Fly Supply tie nights are back

A local fly shop is continuing its annual tradition of hosting non-instructional community fly-tying nights every Thursday during the winter. These events are designed to keep excitement high and allow fly-fishers to socialize while the hobby is unavailable due to the cold weather.

Matt Rosenthal opened Bozeman Fly Supply — originally called Bozeman Family Fly Shop — in 2016. Since its creation, the shop has been hosting tie nights every winter, encouraging Bozeman community members to bring their vices and hooks to talk, learn and tie with others. The first tie night of the year was on Nov. 13.

“There are a lot of great shops around, but Bozeman is a touristy place and they make their money back from catering to the tourists,” said Cory Kelley, the current owner of Bozeman Fly Supply. “Which is great, but we have more of the ‘Cheers’ vibe, where you know everybody’s name when they walk in the door.”

Kelley bought the shop from Rosenthal five years ago. According to him, his goal was to continue the community-centric business model and make inclusive spaces for people who enjoy fly-fishing.

“[Rosenthal] opened the shop himself, and it was always [his] vision to be a community shop,” Kelley said. “Family-oriented, very local-oriented, and that is what drew me into the shop and the vision. I just leaned into that more.”

The shop aims to create an inviting and inclusive environment for newcomers, featuring signs that read “politics free zone” and cards on every table stating that discrimination will not be tolerated.

“We have a really diverse group,” Kelley said. “It skews male a little bit, but we try and foster as much diversity in that area as we can. We have a big ‘politics free' sign up there because we’re trying to bring people together who may not be together. A lot of people have gone fishing together because they met each other here."

On the first fly-tying night of the year, the shop was filled with people of all ages — including MSU students.

“I needed something to do with my roommate when we’re not outside,” MSU freshman Taven Fleming said. “It’s a pretty cool feeling catching a fish with your flies.”

Despite his six years of fly-fishing experience, this was only Fleming’s second week tying his own flies. According to him, he came to the event to meet new people and tie some bugs.

Kelley has fly-fished for most of his life, but before owning the shop, it was never more than a hobby. “I just lived here and fished for a long time,” he said. “We moved from here to Seattle and I worked in advertising, and then moved back to do the fun stuff.”

Kelley said fly-fishing can sometimes be hard to break into because it often feels exclusive and complicated.

“For me, the community is thriving,” he said. “It used to be this kind of good old boys club. You didn’t feel welcome if you weren't part of it, and we really try and make the opposite happen.”

To learn more about Bozeman Fly Supply and its fly-tying nights, as well as its other events, visit https://www.bozemanflysupply.com/.