St. Croix Rod has tapped Redband Sports Group and Wisco Outfitters to represent the company’s fly-fishing brand portfolio in two key U.S. fly-fishing regions.
Redband Sports will represent retailers in Colorado and the Pacific Northwest (Oregon, Washington and Alaska), while Wisco Outfitters will assist the company’s existing and prospective dealers in the Midwestern states (Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin).
St. Croix Rod said in a media release that “Redband Sports Group has a 15-year history of serving top outdoor manufacturers throughout the American Northwest, which is home to some of the most significant retailers in the fly-fishing industry.”
“These states have helped foster our entire fly-fishing economy,” explained Joe Amend of Redband Sports Group. “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 said he is a product of that fly-fishing culture and “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.”
St. Croix Fly Director of Sales Zack Dalton, echoed Amend’s assessment of the region and its retailers. He said shops in these states have successfully expanded their online sales for various reasons, most 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 said. “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.”
St. Croix Fly said that Wisco Outfitters, led by Matt Kwitek, formerly of Dry Fly Sales, was previously represented in the Midwest territory by the Dry Fly and its owners, Tony and Kim Ferrie, who recently announced their retirement.
In addition to representing the St. Croix Fly brand when he worked at Dry Fly Sales, the company said that Kwitek, based in Madison, WI, has direct knowledge of the Midwest’s fisheries and the needs of the region’s anglers.
“My dad was a prolific, well-known fisherman and got me into fly fishing pretty early,” Kwitek commented. “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.
“We’ve got the Great Lakes’ exceptional anadromous fisheries and Michigan’s storied trout waters, the Driftless streams in Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, and the Ozarks, and incredibly varied warm water opportunities,” Kwitek continued. “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 also said he enjoys working in a region where many anglers revere the St. Croix brand.
“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 said “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 said he was “stoked” to have Matt on board, “continuing an unbroken, high level of service to the company’s Midwestern dealers. “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.”
Image courtesy St. Croix Fly
