Photo: Elias Funez
Making a living out of what he loved, suddenly the 10-year anniversary flew up like the ultimate fish on the hook for Tom Page and his Reel Anglers Fly Shop on South Auburn Street in Grass Valley.
“Well, the truth of it is that I traveled for work for every job I ever had, so I was never home,” Page said. “And living in Grass Valley and Nevada City, it’s hard to find a good-paying job that I wanted. So I decided to work for myself.”
He made his dream a reality.
For the past decade Page has built a business that not only offers retail — rods, reels, lines, and the like — but guiding services, fly-tying classes, and fly-fishing lessons.
Photo: Elias Funez
“Growing up as a kid I always went fishing with my dad and my two older brothers,” Page said. “I always loved fishing. I lived it.
“I moved up here from the Bay Area in 1985 and back then there was nothing to do except for getting in trouble and that is not something I wanted to do. So I would ride my bicycle around and go to different ponds and creeks locally and go fishing. One day I learned how to fly fish and that was the end of the story there.”
Like many businesses, Reel Anglers’ business was impacted heavily by the COVID pandemic, but in their case it was for the better, though not without some pitfalls.
Photo: Elias Funez
“With COVID my business blew up. I got very busy. A lot of people took on the sport,” he said. “The downfall was the supply chain, and we are still dealing with supply chain issues. That was the hard part.”
Reel Anglers meets a bevy of regulars, dedicated fishermen and women who are eager to get their lines wet.
“(We have) lots of regulars,” he said. “The majority of it is the everyday necessities you need when you’re fishing — flies, leaders, tippets, split-shots.”
If you are interested in booking a guided trip, it’s best, Page said, to allow a month. But it’s not out of the question to book one on more short notice. The majority of his trips, he said, take place on the Lower Yuba, though they also visit the Feather River, as well as the North Fork of the Yuba.
Photo: Elias Funez
Page wants people to know that his shop is also there to educate and inform those who might be interested in fishing. He provides fishing reports, whether you’re interested in conventional or fly-fishing.
“If that lake is fishing good for one, it’s fishing good for both.,” he said.
He also dedicates much of his time to the nonprofit group Cast Hope, which aims to strengthen the bond of children to nature through fishing.
“It’s always good to see those younger kids enjoying the outdoors,” he said. “That’s still one of those things we are working on.”
For Page, his perfect day fishing could be described simply: “A lot of fish, less people, and good weather. It’s mostly just being outdoors and enjoying the scenery.”
Photo: Elias Funez
Jennifer Nobles is a staff writer with The Union. She can be reached at jnobles@theunion.com
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