“The modern history of fly fishing is told within the pages of the Umpqua catalog…”
Dennis Black and Randall Kaufman founded Umpqua Feather Merchants, pioneering overseas fly production in ways that until that time, were thought to be impossible. Using Tiemco hooks, high quality materials and an impeccable standard for quality, Umpqua made the best fly patterns available to anglers everywhere. They’ve now been doing it for 50 years. And it’s a story worth telling.
The Anglers All eCommerce and Marketing Team, Blake Katchur and Larkin Wilson, recently sat down with Russell Miller, Umpqua’s Marketing Director. In the video below, we are excited to introduce Part 1 of The Umpqua Interviews: Umpqua’s Origin Story.
It’s a story cemented by fly patterns like Kaufmann’s Stimulator. The Stimulator has become such a staple in the world of western fly fishing that it’s hard to calculate its impact. It has caught fish, sure. But more importantly, patterns such as the Stimulator have inspired decades of fly tyers and spawned countless new patterns we all use today.
The Stimulator was tied to imitate the giant salmonfly found on rivers along the Pacific coast. But tied in smaller sizes and in a variety of colors, it quickly gained popularity anywhere stoneflies are found. It can easily be fished as a caddis as well. Or with the addition of rubber legs, it makes an outstanding hopper pattern. But whether it’s imitative or simply fished as an attractor, there’s no doubt as to the effectiveness of this fly.
Of course the Stimulator is just one example of a much broader story that includes some of the best fly tyers in the world and how their flies make it into the bins at Anglers All. We’re thrilled to learn more about that story.
THE UMPQUA INTERVIEWS: Umpqua’s Origin Story
If you’ve never tied the classic Stimulator, load up a few for your fly box this summer:
Hook:Tiemco 200R, Sizes 4-16
Thread:Uni Thread 6/0, Florescent Fire Orange
Tail: Elk Hair
Ribbing: XS Copper Ultra Wire
Abdomen: Yellow Antron Dubbing
Abdomen Hackle: Brown Rooster Hackle
Wing: Elk Hair
Thorax: Orange Antron Dubbing or Ice Dub
Thorax Hackle: Grizzly Rooster Hackle
If you have questions about flies or fly tying, please contact us! You can visit us at the fly shop in Littleton or call us at 303-794-1104. We offer free shipping on phone and online orders or free same-day curbside pick up.