St. Croix Rod is excited to announce that Redband Sports Group and Wisco Outfitters will represent the company’s growing fly-fishing portfolio and brand in key fly-fishing regions of the US. Redband Sports will represent retailers in Colorado, Oregon, Washington, and Alaska. Meanwhile, Wisco Outfitters will assist existing and prospective St. Croix Fly dealers in the Midwestern states of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.
Colorado and the Pacific Northwest
Led by Joe Amend, Redband Sports Group enjoys a 15-year history of serving top outdoor manufacturers throughout the American Northwest. The region is home to some of the most significant retailers in the fly-fishing industry. “These states have helped foster our entire fly-fishing economy,” Amend says. “Their exceptional resources and fisheries have created a culture where fly-fishing at the center of day-to-day life. And the retail base that developed to support this culture has expanded exponentially via well-executed e-commerce, and now serves the needs of fly-anglers from the rest of the nation and around the world.”
Amend is a product of that fly-fishing culture. “I was born and raised outside of Spokane. Growing up on a ranch in that part of the world, fishing and hunting were just things you did. I started fly fishing young and it just stuck,” he says. After attending the University of Washington and Washington State, Amend recalls working on a graduate thesis when he was offered a job as a sales rep. “It sounded a lot more fun than being a scientist,” he says, “so I took the job and never looked back.”
St. Croix Fly Director of Sales, Zack Dalton, echoes Amend’s assessment of the region and its retailers. He says shops in these states have been successful in expanding their online sales for a variety of reasons, most of which are directly attributable to expertise and trust. “They create great experiences for anglers who walk through their doors, including the countless visitors who travel to fish from other states, regions, and countries,” Dalton says. “That may be where it started, but they’ve been able to retain those customers and attract new ones with well-curated online retail experiences that provide the high level of service fly-fishing customers demand.”
Amend says there’s never been a better time for St. Croix’s return to the premium fly-fishing space. “St. Croix was a cornerstone of the fly-fishing industry for decades. We all had their rods and many still do. The brand never went away, but it’s been fairly obvious to anyone watching that – up until two years ago – it had been a while since they placed as much emphasis on their fly-fishing portfolio as they did on the conventional side of their rod business,” Amend says. “It’s always fun to talk with fly anglers of a certain age about St. Croix. It has some of the deepest roots of any American fly-fishing company and anglers still associate the brand with no-nonsense quality, design, and American craftsmanship. But what’s even more fun is spreading the word with anglers – especially younger ones – about what St. Croix has done over the past couple of years in leveraging its heritage, resources, technologies, and seven decades of rod-building experience to bring unique and exciting new options in high-performance fly rods to market. It’s a cool story made even better by the company’s heritage,” he says. “The retro angle is unique and appealing, but it’s definitely an all-new era for St. Croix Fly, and it’s happening at the perfect time when anglers and retailers are clamoring for new choices.”
When Amend isn’t traveling to talk with retailers and anglers, he’s fishing – usually dry-fly trout fishing on the Roaring Fork or fly fishing for bones, permit, or tarpon in Belize.
Midwest
Led by Matt Kwitek, formerly of Dry Fly Sales, Wisco Outfitters will provide sales representation to twelve Midwest states, including the Dakotas, Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri, and the Great Lakes States of Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. St. Croix Fly was previously represented in this territory by the Dry Fly Sales agency and its owners, Tony and Kim Ferrie, who recently announced their retirement.
In addition to critical on-the-job experience representing the St. Croix Fly brand during his tenure at Dry Fly Sales, Kwitek, based in Madison, Wisconsin, has intimate knowledge of the Midwest’s unique fisheries and the specific needs of the region’s anglers.
“My dad was a prolific, well-known fisherman and got me into fly fishing pretty early,” Kwitek says. “He was the fly shop manager at Bob’s Bait and Tackle in Green Bay for years and was also a guide and a professional tyer. I grew up with fly fishing and it stuck with me. I eventually crossed paths with Kim and Tony, who gave me an opportunity to start working with them, and that started my journey as a fly rep.”
Kwitek cites the diverse fly-fishing experiences tucked away throughout the Midwest. “We’ve got the Great Lakes’ exceptional anadromous fisheries and Michigan’s storied trout waters, the Driftless streams in Wisconsin, Iowa, and Minnesota, the Ozarks, and incredibly varied warmwater opportunities,” he says. “And there’s an incredible base of passionate fly anglers that explore them all, including an impressive number of anglers who travel here to fish from all around the country.”
Kwitek says the Midwest’s base of fly-fishing retailers mirrors the region’s diversity. “We have shops that have been serving anglers for decades around established fisheries, plus newer fly shops that have emerged to meet the specialized needs of anglers in specific fisheries and geographic areas, and I’m 100% committed to serving the individual needs of every one of them,” he says, citing the growing popularity among fly anglers of the Wisconsin and Indiana musky fisheries as just one example. “These are well-known world-class fisheries with an abundance of fish, but they’re seeing growing angling pressure,” he says. “Fly fishing is a terrific way to have success targeting pressured muskies, because you can make presentations that simply aren’t possible using conventional gear. Our diverse smallmouth fisheries are another example. Certain retailers have stepped up to meet the growing demand for expertise and specialized equipment.”
Kwitek also enjoys working in a region where the St. Croix brand is revered by a large number of anglers. “The Midwest is St. Croix’s home. Many anglers here have an appreciation for the brand and a ravenous appetite for the Best Rods on Earth,” he says. “I’m one of them. I caught my first steelhead on a fly in 1988 on a St. Croix Pro Graphite fly rod. Today, their lineup is more stacked than ever with amazing flyrods from top to bottom. It’s a storied brand with great people making exceptional products that improve on-the-water experiences. I’m super proud to be involved, serving dealers and anglers, and fueling the St. Croix Fly story in the Midwest.”
Dalton speaks to Kwitek’s enthusiasm and experience. “I’m stoked to have Matt on board, continuing an unbroken, high level of service to our Midwestern dealers,” he says. “He has deep associations with quality retailers in this diverse and important region and carries his own fly-fishing passions and firsthand experiences with our brand into those relationships.”
Redband Sports and Wisco Outfitters began official representation for St. Croix Fly on October 1.
ABOUT ST. CROIX FLY
At the core of our brand ethos lives a simple yet fierce conviction; we exist to create dynamic fishing tools that intuitively help you evolve as a caster and angler. Our focused philosophy continually questions conventional wisdom, inspires innovation, and drives our persistent pursuit of fly rod perfection. When you own a St. Croix, it’s more than just a rod; it’s a promise. It’s 75 years of hard-earned knowledge aimed at designing and building the Best Rods on Earth, so you can be the best in your own persistent pursuit. Join our journey at stcroixfly.com.
