Running his business on the fly

TAMPA -- A decade ago, when fly fishing was practiced primarily by anglers in hip waders lumbering through cold-water streams, John Homer struggled to find decent equipment he could use in the warm waters off Pinellas County.

"If you wanted saltwater fly-fishing tackle, you had to buy it mail order," he said. "But the problem with that is you never know what you are getting."

Fly fishermen, fresh or salt, are particular. They like to handle the merchandise and feel a fly rod's balance in their hands.

"I just got fed up," Homer said. "I figured that if I wanted quality equipment, I had to start my own shop."

Homer's Saltwater Fly Fisherman on Cleveland Street in downtown Clearwater quickly developed a loyal clientele. Plenty of fly fishermen from St. Petersburg, Tampa and beyond would regularly make that long drive in search of a particular fly or enlightened conversation.

"Business kept growing as more and more people were discovering the sport," Homer said. "We finally realized that we had to move to a more centralized location if we wanted to continue to serve our customers."

So Homer packed his bags and moved to South Tampa. And he couldn't have picked a better time.

Fly fishing, and saltwater fly fishing in particular, is enjoying something of a renaissance. Robert Redford's 1992 film A River Runs Through It helped introduce fly fishing to the masses. Many anglers who had spent years fishing with live or artificial bait abandoned their spinning outfits and picked up a fly rod.

"I used to fish with live bait when I was a kid, but fly fishing is so much more of a challenge," Keith Dudley, a St. Petersburg stockbroker and Pinellas County native, said. "I target snook at night and at certain times of the year. I hate to say it, but (catching them) is almost easy."

Dudley made the fly rod his "tool" of choice. Dudley, and hundreds of thousands of others, helped fuel an unprecedented 18 percent growth in the fly-fishing market. U.S. fly-fishing sales totaled $678-million in 2000 compared with $572-million in 1998, according to the American Fly Fishing Trade Association.

"The fastest growing segment of the market is saltwater," Homer said. "Especially among woman and younger anglers."

Dave Hellier, a dedicated stream and river angler who fly-fished in New Zealand and the American West, had one thing on his mind when he moved to Pinellas County six months ago.

"I wanted to catch a snook on a fly rod," the Pass-a-Grille resident said. "Since then, I have experimented with some level of frustration. But I am expanding my capabilities. I'll keep at it."

Hellier is exactly the kind of angler Homer's Saltwater Fly Fisherman is trying to serve.

"It is a big step when an angler finally abandons the quest to fill the freezer with meat ... and don't get me wrong, I like to eat my share of snook," Homer said. "But fly fishing is more about the fight, the battle."

Homer said he considers his store more of a "outfitter" than a tackle store.

"People come in looking for a freshwater landing net -- which is of no use around here -- but I've got 'em," he said. "Our customers fish all around the world."

Fly fishermen travel, and they will pay top dollar to catch exotics such as peacock bass in the Amazon or tiger fish in the Zambezi River. Newsweek's "Tip Sheet" section in the March 17 issue contained a story on "heli-fishing." The featured angler, a doctor from Seattle, spent $3,995 for a week of steelhead fishing in British Columbia.

The article also included a list of "hot waters." And right up there with Australia for Queenfish and India for Masheer was Florida for tarpon, bonefish, permit, snook and redfish (March through July, just in case you were wondering when the fish were biting).

Homer, who started his shop to feed his own passion, said he hopes he can just keep up with demand. "We see new people every day," he said. "That's what it is all about."

-- Fly fishing legend (and former Times Outdoors writer) Lefty Kreh will be at the Saltwater Fly Fisherman on May 2 and 3 for an open house. Stu Apte, another fly-fishing great, will be there in June.

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