Now that we're a few weeks underway, I'd like to introduce myself and tell you a little more about Weights & Measures.
My name is Erik, and I've been fly fishing for almost 11 years. I got into the sport as a way to explore the Wisconsin Driftless area when I found myself visiting several times a year with my wife and her family.
I quickly grew to love the sport and dove head first into all things fly fishing -- I upgraded to multiple rod and reel set ups, tied fly patterns for every Midwest hatch, found plat maps and old park fliers and started to research the best spring fed creeks off the beaten path around the Kickapoo River and surrounding river valley. After years of getting tangled in tall grass and being skunked on cold and rainy outings, I' started to branch out from trout and began targeting warm water fish on a fly rod. I'm sure this path resonates with many of you who have now come to target predator fish on the fly, and I'm glad to have you along.
Our family moved to the West Twin Cities Metro last winter and with the pandemic setting in I found myself taking on parenting roles and stepping away from my full time gig which gave me ample time to chase Largemouth and tie flies. After receiving some interest from a handful of fly shops I decided to get more organized and Weights & Measures was born.
I named this endeavor after a familiar seal seen on many a trout hunting mission: The Department of Weights & Measures leaves a sticker on every gas pump that's checked for accuracy. I would stare at these while filling up between home and the nearest Wisconsin trout streams; I would ruminate on the renaissance iconography and the peculiar nature of having such regularity even in the most remote gas station outpost. And after thinking it over, I thought what better than to name a fly tying company after something that represents accuracy, reliability, and in many ways embodies the nature of fly fishing; in such chaos and turmoil, being carefully balanced and measured may one find solace and maybe a fish or two.
I'll be sharing more about Weights & Measures, our flies, tying practices, shop specials and things that we love right here. Subscribe to our newsletter on our homepage, follow us on social media, and thanks again for your ongoing support.
-Erik