LOCALadk Magazine

LOCALadk 13 My mom and I continued to explore new activities like fly fishing, exploring new waters, ice fishing, ski- ing, and spent hundreds of hours volunteering. Volun- teering and giving back is something that we wanted to make a priority after moving here as a way to give back to the community and public resources. I be- lieve that volunteering is a great way to network with people and learn new skills. Any business owner would agree that networking is one of the keys to success. One thing that seemed far out of reach for me when thinking about starting what is now Thomas Fly & Tackle was the upfront cost. Fortunately, I have a part-time job at Big Slide Brewery & Public House, which I have been at since I was 14, so it didn't take me long to save up and turn it into my dream. At first, I thought that since I wanted to pursue my further education at Paul Smith's Col- lege for Fisheries and Wildlife, studying Fisheries and minoring in Business, that shadowing at the fish hatchery would be a great project. Soon to find out, I had to be 18 to shadow at the fish hatchery, and it was already past fire tower restoration season, so I wouldn't have been able to make my deadlines with that. Once I found this out, capstone deadlines were approaching quickly, and I needed to figure something out fast. This led to me solidifying what I wanted to base my project around. I was extremely lucky to be able to work with a local guide and fly tyer, Reed Atkinson, as one of my men- tors for this new adventure. I definitely would not be where I am today without the help and gracious professionalism that Reed provided for me. I will never forget the first tying session we had. Reed brought a bag full to the brim of fly-tying supplies to get me started and we got right to work on tying my first patterns, the 'Woolly Bugger' and the 'Girdle Bug'. I came home that evening knowing without a doubt that this was the right choice for both the project and my own personal growth. I think of this as a blessing in disguise. As I was learning the skills of tying, I slowly started purchasing the equipment and materials that I needed, which were all sourced from local fly shops. Support- ing local and small businesses is something that I take pride in. Once I had my first fly-ty- ing meeting with Reed, it felt super natural and I quickly fell in love with this new endeavor and business path. From there, I continued working with him once a week, while still juggling school work, my afterschool job, volunteering, as well as working with my other mentor, my mom, who helped me learn the skills to build and manage my e-commerce website and other aspects of starting a business. The business side definitely had far more roadblocks and things to navigate through than the fly-tying side. Sam Grimone, owner of Woods and Waters, stands beside Caleb and his flies.

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